Yard Work and a Winner

Over the weekend, my husband and I spread pine needles around all of the beds in our yard.  It was actually on the to-do list last fall, but thanks to our crazy schedule, we are just now getting around to it.  I used my edging tool to get that crisp line around the beds.  We did yard work all day and then walked around the garden in the evening to admire our work (the best part if you ask me).

Here are some shots of the yard now.  What a difference a little TLC makes.

Above are the boxwoods I use to make wreaths during Christmas.  I'm guessing they have been there since the 1930's when our house was built.

I love it when the annabelles are just coming out and are still green.  They remind me of broccoli. In the background you can see the oakleaf hydrangeas.  They really glow in the afternoon shade.

And oh my goodness, the magnolias are gorgeous and the fragrance is one of my favorites.  You can smell them all throughout the neighborhood now.

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OK, now for the winner of the pillow shams by Fabulous But Frugal.....

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads,  May 23, 2011 3:12 PM  

I am a subscriber to your wonderful blog. If I won, I'd choose the mod turquoise dandelion fabric. Love all the other selections and thanks for introducing me to your sponsor.

Congratulations Jane!  Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!

Memorial Day Decor & a Giveaway Reminder

I hope you all are enjoying this nice long holiday weekend.  We have been doing some much needed yard work which includes cleaning up the potting bench and planting a little vegetable garden.  Pictures to come soon.

In the mean time, here are some red, white, and blue images in keeping with Memorial Day.

Country Living

Elle Decor

House to Home

 Cococozy


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Also, just a little reminder about the pillow shams giveaway.  There are all sorts of fabrics to chose from and several ways to enter for additional entries.  Go here to learn more.  The lucky winner will be announced tomorrow.

Find Me Here Today - Our Fifth House

Today I have been invited to Carmel's blog, Our Fifth House, to participate in a series called "You Could Learn A Lot From a Blog".  This is a fun series and informative series and yes, I have learned from it.

Before you go, I wanted to share a few pictures of Carmel's projects.

You know I love me some drop cloth.  Carmel stenciled this ikat pattern and added Greek key trim.  Perfection!

Love this white washed mantle!

The newly painted wine bar.

Now head on over to find out what I have learned (which really only scratches the surface).  And yes, I have rearranged the living again.  This time for good ;)

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Gretchen Opgenorth on NATE!!!

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on yesterday's post!  You guys are the best!

In case you don't know, Gretchen Opgenorth, one of my blogging friends, is going to be on the Nate show today.  So check your local listings and set the DVRs!  Congratulations Gretchen!

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Also, don't miss out on the current giveaway from Fabulous But Frugal.

A pair of lovely pillow shams could be yours. 

The Secret is Out

Many of you have asked and the answer is yes.  This blog has blessed me in many ways and opened the door to so many opportunities.  Something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember is to work with people to make their homes more inviting.  Thanks to many of my readers, this dream has come true.  You can get all of the details here.

Today, I am on my way to meet a client to talk about kitchen updates.  Hopefully I will be able to share this with you soon (if it is OK with her of course).  I am over the moon excited!

Baby Lock Them Doors...

Who knew what an impact Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler would have on American Idol?  The talent this season has never been better and the show itself had such an upbeat vibe.  Now that it is down to two finalists, I have to give a shout out to my NC boy, Scotty McCreey.

Honestly I like Lauren just as much and would be happy with either being the winner.  One thing is certain, tonight is going to be entertaining.  Do you have a favorite?

A Pillow Shams Giveaway From Fabulous But Frugal!!!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

I am so excited to announce this new giveaway!  My sponsor, Fabulous But Frugal, has been busy at work creating beautiful pillow shams to add a cheerful pop of color to the bedroom.

Here are just a few examples...

FBF is generously giving two queen sized shams (20" X 30") away to a lucky winner.  All you have to do is visit DIY Pillows and choose the fabric you would want if you win.  Then come back here to leave a comment.

For extra entries you may:

1. If you are a follower of Cottage and Vine leave a comment.
2. Tweet about the giveaway including @cottageandvine and leave a comment.
3. Post this giveaway on your facebook or blog and be sure to leave a comment.

The winner will be drawn by Random.org Tuesday, May 31.  Good luck!


*** Fabulous But Frugal is the umbrella site for two etsy shops, DIY Pillows and Idari.

DIY Cyanotype

SR Gambrel Via Canadian House and Home

Cyanotype art is beautiful in mass and I would love to try this one day for a gallery or grouping just not sure where yet.  Note to self, must find a place.

Canadian House and Home

Find out how these were made here.

Or cut to the chase and print them from here.  Have you tried this before?

So what's going on this weekend?  Do you have any projects in the works?  I am expecting a shipment for the trunk show today and cannot wait to see it!  If you would like to preview the Kayce Hughes line, please email me.

Happy weekend!

DIY Burlap & Ikat

I am smitten with two recent projects from my friend Elizabeth.  The pretty panels you see are burlap that she trimmed with coral fabric.  The gorgeous ikat is from a stencil.  If you haven't checked out her blog, The Mustard Ceiling, you are missing out.

Kayce Hughes Trunk Show!!!

Have you ever heard of Kayce Hughes / pears + bears?

I am smitten with this lovely line of clothing and accessories for women and children and am thrilled to be hosting a trunk show in my home.  Local followers are invited.  If you would like to attend, please email me and I will send you an invitation.  

Times:

Tuesday, May 24  10:00-1:00

Wednesday, May 25 5:30-7:30

The Rest of the Kitchen

Hopefully you aren't tired of seeing pictures from the kitchen changes.  I promised to share the other changes that I made over the weekend so here they are.

To get the full effect, I always like to see the before and after.  Above is what our kitchen used to look like.

And here it is now with the new shades (which do roll up and down, by the way), a fresh coat of BM gray owl, beadboard, and the cabinet doors removed from the cabinet to the right of the sink.

We wanted open shelving here, but haven't taken the plunge.  So, as an economical and temporary fix that just might be here a while, I removed the doors and painted the background gray owl.  We also finished the beadboard on this side of the sink.  I still need to get the correct switch plate covers and there is some touch up painting that needs to be done.

Breakfast area before.

Breakfast area after.  Not a huge change, but the color is so fresh and airy now.

From the breakfast area before.

From the breakfast area after.  It finally occurred to me to paint that ugly vent the same as the wall.  Much better.  You can also see Rosemary there to the left.  She is going to another room and side table will go in this place.  Does anyone have a good shade of peacock paint you would recommend?  Also, the banquette cushion needs updating and I am considering a vinyl (something that can easily be cleaned).  Any suggestions?

Fabric Covered Roller Shades - Finally

  

When I started this little project, my hopes were to add a touch of color to the windows over the kitchen sink while allowing the natural light to continue to flow through.  My other goal was to spend as little as possible.  So far so good.

Before I show you the after, let's have one more look at the before.

Now the after...

This was such an easy project!  The shades were cut to size at my local hardware store and I literally glued the fabric to the shades.

First I spread the fabric out face down and rolled the shade just beyond the desired length.  Then I trimmed the fabric about 1/2" wider and 1" longer than the shade. **Note the shade is actually longer than I needed so I only covered the length that would show if the shade was closed on the window.

When the time came to glue the fabric to the shade, I could not locate the fabric glue so I used a glue gun loaded with fabric glue sticks instead. 

I worked my way around the sides until the fabric was attached on all sides.

My shades have to be rolled up manually and no longer have the pull release feature that sometimes works - sometimes doesn't with roller shades.  This is OK with me though because they will never be pulled down. 

***Correction***

When I tried to roll the blinds up and down previously, I had not correctly installed the brackets.  They do officially work.  Sorry for the confusion.

Did you notice any others changes?  To keep this post from being too long, I will share them tomorrow.


****Revised to say***

Read comments below.  Fabric that is too heavy may not work for this project.

Connect with me: facebook, twitter, pinterest

I Have Officially Moved

It's official...I have moved into Pinterest and unpacked my bags.  Much easier to use than tumblr if you ask me.  All you do is click a button.  No more copying and pasting urls.  Easy.

Blogger has been down since yesterday so I haven't been able to prepare a post for the window shades.  Sorry.  It will have to wait until next week.  Also the post from yesterday is gone.  What happened to yesterday's post?  Who knows.  Will it ever come back?  Don't know that either.

One thing I do know is that I love these colors....

Enjoy your weekend!

images:  Pinterest

The Shades Are Up & a Pillow Discount

Do you ever finish a project that was so easy and makes such an improvement that you wonder why you didn't do it sooner?  If you are considering making the shades, I say go for it.  Here is a little peek and a window covered in pollen.

I wasn't happy with the placement of the brackets and plan to move them today.  Once they are in the right place, I will show the whole window.

Doesn't she look annoyed?  This is the face that watched over me while tackling the project.  Mattie Gray could not understand why I wouldn't let her in to curl up in the middle of the roller shades.

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Kassapanola has graciously offered my followers 20% off all pillow covers.  Enter code:

COTTANDVINE at the checkout to receive the discount which never expires.  Enjoy!