Hold Those Papers!

I am happy to announce the new line of paperweights I have recently completed. Simple and fun, they are a great way to add some character to your office or work space.  They are also a neat way to organize all those stacks of paper.

Sold in sets of three, each paperweight is made of vintage feed sack cloth, filled with rice and features a hand sewn vintage wool applique. These sets can also be customized.

Other paperweights in the collection include a charming starfish and fish.

To see more, visit my Etsy store HERE

Setting a Record I Hope to Never Break!

Once the holidays are over, many people begin the process of cleaning, organizing, and decluttering their homes. I am no exception. Besides working on some new ideas and finishing up my daughter's new room (more on these later), I have been cleaning out unused objects and trying to come up with ways to better maximize the space in all the rooms in my home. I will have to work a little harder on the cleaning part though.Although I am happy with the way my son's room looks - simple but perfectly functional for a boy his age - I knew I could do better in helping him display some of his ever growing collection of art and awards. Anyone who receives the Pottery Barn catalogues is probably familiar with their Stanton Collection square magnetic chalk boards and cork boards. I find them to be a great way to dress up a wall in a kid's bedroom. I also like them because they give kids a chance to express their creativity by deciding what types of things they want to display.My son had six of these hung above his long dresser (also from Pottery Barn). After looking at the size of the wall, I decided I could increase his display space simply by adding two more cork boards and mounting a small shelf below. It was a fairly easy process - take down the existing boards, rehang all eight boards higher and hang a shelf below. Here is a real life picture of how it turned out.

I was tempted to style his room but thought it better to just show the room the way it really looks. The blog world is filled with beautifully perfect pictures and I find it refreshing every once in a while to see homes the way people actually live in them - half made Legos on the dresser and floor, pictures hung crooked, baseballs with no cases yet, etc.

So what is the record? I am now the proud owner of a wall with 30 (yes, 30!) holes. The original six boards had twelve holes, the new ones sixteen and the shelf two. Total of 30. I am hoping he will never out grow these boards as I will have many holes to patch.

Note: I have been absent the past few weeks due to computer problems. I am trying my best to catch up on everything I missed. Thanks for your patience.

Who Knew?

This month's edition of Country Living Magazine has an interesting feature on Girl Scout memorabilia. I was a dedicated girl scout up until eighth grade when I decided to focus on sports instead. I remember loving the camping trips and all the other wonderful experiences the Girl Scouts had to offer. Even at a young age I was a type "A" personality, obsessed with earning every single badge. I fell short by four badges but held onto my sash for all these years. When I saw the article and the value of the badges - $5 to $10 a piece for common badges and $50 to $60 for rare skills - I was pleasantly surprised. Above is a picture of my sash, complete with pins and troop information. I am not sure what the pins, red rectangular patches and wings signify. If you know I would love to hear from you. Here is the back of my sash. As you can see I never finished sewing all the badges on, as the top three are just pinned in place. In the second row you can see a handmade bowling badge. Each troop had the opportunity to make their own badge and my troop choose bowling. It is funny to think that bowling must have been considered a life skill!

As a Girl Scout I also received patches (like the ones shown above) for various camping trips and special projects. I must have been quite the saleswoman as evidence by the "cookie queen" badge.

So what badges didn't I earn? Here they are:

I find it very ironic that two of the things I like doing best - running and cycling - are two of the badges I did not earn. If you would like to see more information about vintage Girl Scout collectibles, visit vintagegirlscout.com.

Basement Rerun

Yesterday while flipping through magazines at my local bookstore, I was quite surprised to come across two pictures of my basement renovation in two different magazines. You may remember the original story about my basement renovation was published back in July 2009 in Better Homes and Gardens. (Click here to see the original article.)

A picture of my walk out basement entryway can be found in the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens 100 Decorating Ideas - Big Style for Small Rooms.

100 Decorating ideas Big Style for Small Rooms / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The original picture is the same as above except that it included me walking through the door holding a bucket of flowers. If you look closely through the opened door, you get a small glimpse of the blue stone patio my husband had just completed. Since the photo shoot, I have changed the door knob you see in this photo to polished nickel to coordinate with the rest of the basement and house.

The second picture of the basement renovation can be found in Better Homes and Gardens 2010 March issue of Remodel.

Remodel / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

This picture of the sitting area is also very similar to the original except that it gives a little broader view of the space. I was so pleased to discover these photos had been used again. I hope you will get a chance to see them in the magazines.