Won't You Be My Follower?

I have been asked this question frequently since starting my blog.....especially when I sent an email "inviting" friends and family to follow me, unabashedly, I might add.  "What does it mean to follow your blog?"  My answer was simple.  It shows your interest.  If you have no interest in what I am blogging about, then it shows you really love me and want to support me in my efforts.  I am not picky about the category in which you fall.

I came across a blogger named Dominic who wrote about it perfectly on his blog.  Here it is in his own words:

Practically every blog, including this one, can be followed. What exactly does this mean? Simply put, following a blog shows the blog author that you have expressed an interest in the content of their blog. It also lets other readers, be they casual readers, or followers, know that they have an interest in it.

 More helpful tips from Dominic:

So if you come across a blog that interests you, be sure to follow it. It lets the blog author know that what they are writing about is considered interesting by other people, and that you value their efforts. I would also encourage people to leave comments on blogs.

So true!  I love, love, love to receive your comments, suggestions, tips, etc....
Some of my favorite quotes to sum up.....

Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true.  ~Robert Brault

Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer.  ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.  ~Mark Twain

Be thoughtful of others and you will not be shy, for they are incompatible addictions.  ~Robert Brault

 Have you had a kindness shown?Pass it on; 'Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on;
Let it travel down the years, Let it wipe another's tears, 'Til in Heaven the deed appears 
-Pass it on. ~Henry Burton, Pass It On

So, now you, too, can join me on adventures in gardening, decorating, and baking.  Simply click the "follow" button on my sidebar and follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road...

 Pass on your kindness today and be a follower!

Autumn Inspired Frames

I love Autumn.  Unfortunately the weather here is not making it conducive to bringing out the brown velvet throws and the pumpkins would probably rot on the front porch....On a brighter note: Fake lasts forever and looks great framed.

Meet the Pears.  They started out as worn out ornaments from Christmas' past.  To create your own lovely framed piece of Autumn, simply follow the steps below.  Sarah@Thrifty Decor Chick did a version of this here.

SO cute on plates!  Thank you for the inspiration!  Gotta love pears...whoever said there was anything wrong with being pear-shaped never saw their true potential.

Gather your supplies.  I used wrapping paper in rich, Autumn hues that I purchased at one of my favorite home and garden shops in Cambria, CA.  I grabbed some acrylic paints in green, brown, and gold, my frame (just one I had on hand), glue, and paint brushes.

I mixed two shades of green to use as my base coat.  Forest Moss and Italian Sage.

Once the first coat is dry, you can apply a coat of brown.  I mixed Burnt Umber with Gold.

I loved the way the ornaments picked up the dents and dings mimicking a true Bartlett!  Set your pears aside to dry and cut your paper for the background.  Brush white glue onto the surface you wish to attach your paper to.

Once you smooth your paper down, use a nail file to rub over the perimeter of the frame to get off the excess paper.

The paper would even be lovely framed on it's own......so very pretty.  Oh, yeah and I painted the frame flat black and rubbed the same mix of Gold and Burnt Umber over the top.  All you need is a hot glue gun and you're ready to add the finishing touch.

Click on over to Kimba's and check out other DIY inspiring projects.

Happy Autumn and faux pear decorating!
Linked up with Twice Remembered at Make Your Monday....so many ideas, not enough time:)

Scones Make Everything Better

Need a good start to the week?  Scones may be your answer.  Nothing quite compares to the fluffy, yet dense, sweetly, cinnamon-sugared bliss of a really good scone.  I have held this recipe like a prized possession, but I want to share the joy and so, I am passing it down to you.  Beware, though,  they truly are crowd-pleasers:)

INGREDIENTS:
2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 TBSP. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix together in large mixing bowl, then cut in:
6 TBSP. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Stir in addition of choice:
1/2 c. chocolate chips or blueberries (I have used dried and frozen) or raisins or cranberries, etc.
Add:
1 egg
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
Stir together til combined, then knead into a ball of dough.

Once you have your dough, spray cooking spray in the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan.  You will be able to push the dough in the bottom and turn onto a floured surface for cutting.

Cut into 12 generous sized wedges or 16 smaller ones.  Lay them on an ungreased cookie sheet and get ready for the best part.......Cinnamon and Sugar!  Using a pastry brush, coat each scone with the heavy whipping cream.

Once you have them coated, sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  The bottoms should be golden brown.

ENJOY! **Note** You may want to turn on your classical music (I chose Tchaikovsky) and sit down with a nice hot cup of tea:)  Unless you live here.  We haven't gotten the memo that it's Fall yet....

Welome to BlogLand, Check Your Sanity at the Door

It all started so innocently. I had been perusing through design blogs for several months thinking, "I should start my own." Little did I know that I was moments away from creating a monster. Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick wrote a post about it here. She warned against it taking over your life.

PLEASE do not let it interfere with your life. If you have the time, post every day. If you don't -- DON'T.

I didn't think that every thought that popped into my head would be in blog form and I would be putting a title to each scenario throughout my day.  Not only that, but I started comparing my decorating and what we have been able to do with complete strangers. 
I was happy with my home and found inspiration through all of the great blogs I had been following. Then I started my own. Suddenly the seed of discontentment took root and I began to change my perspective from all that I have to all that I didn't. I no longer looked at my home as MY delight, but started wondering if anyone would even care what project I was doing or what I decided to makeover.

So, while I am still wearing the hat at my very own pity party, I decided it would be very appropriate (and, as my husband the counselor pointed out, therapeutic) to write about what I DO love. I will refrain from adding all of the side notes about how each thing I love could be improved if only.....

The Yellow Cottage....

One of the reasons I love our home is because of the yellow exterior.  This was only amplified when we added the green (my favorite color in almost any shade) door.  It makes me happy when I return to it from a long trip or just from a walk around the block.

 The mailbox turned planter that my DIY husband made for Mother's Day this past year.  Since it is right by the front door, it welcomes all that come to visit.
The Kitchen.....

 

Not then.....But I do now.  Come back next week for my post on the kitchen makeover:)

 The Garden....

And the precocious little girl who loves it too....

Yes, that is a snail...she has even been known to consume them, but now prefers to build them homes and find them food.
The Memories....

The little one "helping" Daddy lay down tile in the hall bath.

We don't know how long we will live here, but we will always remember this as the house we brought our daughter home to....

And the home that she continues to grow up in....

Being at Peace when at home....

I have many before and after photos, but not as many I wish....So, I will save those that I do have for another post.  For now, I will CHOOSE contentment and I will go back and read the Nester's post on it here and here.

In one week I will be hosting my first SWAP and, if you don't already know what this is, you can read more about where I got the idea here . (again, a la Nester) So, I will choose to enjoy what I have accomplished instead of what only I will see while everyone else is enjoying the good food and free stuff.

Enjoy your weekend and, as I have to remind my daughter several times a day, make a good choice.

Unwrapped with Emily at:

It All Started in the 60's

That's right, you guessed it....hand-me-down furniture.  This lovely lady was handed down as a whole bedroom set made by Broyhill and originally made it's debut as a nightstand.  I can't believe I have lived with it looking like this for as long as I have.  If you think something in your home doesn't look all that bad, just take a photo of it.  As you can see from the photo, it is dwarfed by our very large TV.  You can still see the remnant of white paint in the back from when we first inherited it....9 years ago.  For lack of anything better to use, I decided to paint it brown so it would "blend" in.  Hmmmm....I don't think becoming THE eyesore of a room helps it accomplish that.

I had been wanting to do something about this poor lost soul for some time when I stumbled upon a tablecloth on clearance at Target.  It was just the thing I needed to give this old gal a new look.  I, of course, enlisted the help of my sister and she came with staple gun in tow.  She measured from the center out and began "pleating" and stapling as she went.  Since she made it look so easy, I just let her keep her groove on.  The bonus of using the tablecloth was that once we cut it to length, we didn't have any piece to sew.  The top piece was folded under before it was stapled.  We used the finished edges for the hem and where they met in the middle. (For easy access to all electronics.)

Once you have your fabric stapled up, go back over the staples with your hammer to make sure they have all been pushed in to the wood.

Next, you will want to have some trim to cover all of your staples.  I found some great trim at JoAnn's on clearance for 99 cents a yard!  Just grab your glue gun and get to gluing.

Be sure to fold the edge over on the end and apply a good helping of glue.

I worked my around and the result was this:

Now, here she is...in all her glory.  It isn't my first choice to have the TV be such a large part of the living room, but this just shows you what adding a little bit of fabric can do to change the vibe. I love the texture of the fabric and how well the trim ties in with my couch without being loud.   Hopefully, the 60's have finally left the building.

I am participating in my first McLinky party, so click on over to Kimba's blog at:


Check out all of the other links to great ideas and Do-It-Yourself projects....You'll need a few hours:)

A Penny For Your Pot?

So, here it is...the first posting of Double Delight Designs. While I am chomping at the bit to get out my Fall decor...I am put off by the fact that it is still predicted to hit the 100's. So, I decided instead to post about my newest cheaply acquired item. I was at Home Depot the other day buying rose food and I came across this beauty of a pot. It had a small chip, as shown here, on the bottom and was discounted to $15 from $22.

Knowing that it would look great on my entry table, I took it up to the cashier and asked if it could be discounted any further due to the chip. She said, "Sure, how about a penny?" Needless to say, the beautiful brown pot has summoned in a little Fall...along with his friend Twiggy Pumpkin and has made my entry table warm and cozy. So, my question to you is do you ask for discounts? I once heard on an Oprah show that you should always ask, so I have put that to the test and have even been given discounts at discount stores!

Happy Fall everyone! Now go and get yourself a discount!
Participating for the first time in Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous!