Summer Lovin' - Debie from A Devonshire Design

Please welcome my friend Debie from A Devonshire Design... take it away Deb!

Why I love Summer…

Hi,  I am Debie from over at www.devonshiredesignltd.blogspot.com and I am really excited to be part of Emily’s Summer guest series.  I am sure that I drove Emily crazy by being late with my post, but as you may learn I am not the best at being on time!  I am a Home Stager and Interior Redesigner and love to work on many projects at the same time, as it keeps me from getting bored with just one thing.  (Which is why I don’t miss my former corporate life.)

But I digress…as usual.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you some of the reasons that I love summer.  I mean, Fall and Spring are really pretty, with the colors and the changes in temperature; Winter is good only for the coziness of the holiday season (cause no one likes the cold!) – But summer – oh summer!

There is Prom season – this is my handsome son from his Senior year….

                    

There is baseball – America’s favorite sport (GO PHILLIES!)

There are vacations, sometime to exotic places, sometimes vacation are close to home…

Summer also brings the opportunity to stage your outdoor spaces.  I have found that putting an indoor/outdoor rug is one of the best ways to make your outside furniture feel much more like an outdoor room.  You can ground two non matching chairs and a funky table between them just by placing the rug underneath.  Here is a great example….

I would love to hear how and why you love summer.  And I hope you’ll stop by and visit while I redo my Living Room.

Thanks again Emily and let’s all share some Summer Lovin’!



Peace be with you,

Headed to the Beach!

Not only am I headed to the beach later this week, but today is the kick off to the Beach Bash over at Country Chic Cottage!  All of the guests from now until July 20th are former One Month to Win it contestants so you know all the guest posts will be awesome.

Stop by and check out all the fun.  I'm up July 13th, I can't wait for you to see my fun project (I was able to stash bust for the beach).

I've got several fun things coming up but with the kids home and getting ready to go on vacation, I'm not getting to the computer quite as often as I thought I would.  I've got a few kid crafts coming up and a really exciting Kid's Craft Camp a few of my friends and I are doing for the kids later this summer.  The kids and moms are insanely excited!  Each of us has a theme for our day, the big kids are the campers and the little kids get to play, which means 3 moms have a few hours to themselves every week.  We'll meet back together, moms, big and little kids for lunch and for the campers to show off what they made.  Each camp day will start with the girls sharing from the journals what they did the following week, a scrapbook they each made.  Our themes are Art in Nature, Fashion (that's me!), Photography, Theater and Music.

Peace be with you,

Flash Back Friday - Spain Scrapbooks

My mom is awesome!  I am truly lucky to have her and I'm not just saying that because she took me to Europe....  Yup, my mom took her 3 daughters to Europe for two whole weeks when she turned 60!  It was a great birthday present to all of us, we had the most wonderful time and even though it was almost 3 years ago, we talk about it a lot.

We took well over 2000 pictures while we were there.  Since I'm the scrapbooker of the family, I decided my gift to my mom and sisters for the following Christmas would be a scrapbook for each of them.  I had about 1000 of the pictures printed, 4 copies of each and what I thought would be 4 of the same scrapbooks turned into 8... one set for our first week in France and a second set of four for our second week in Spain.

IronFish and I got to go to Germany in the summer of 2009 and I finished the France albums just after that trip.  Spain took me a bit longer but I'm happy to say they are done!!!!!

Well.... except for the fact that we each need to journal in our own albums... but this is the fun part, where we get to hang out together in our evenings at Linwood and talk about the great memories we have.

Next time I attempt to do albums for multiple people... I'm going digital!

Peace be with you,

Summer Lovin' - Please Welcome Christina from the Tattered Tag!

I'm so excited to have Christina from the Tattered Tag here today.  She has a great blog with a fun weekly link party.  Take it away Christina:

Happy Thursday! Thank you Emily for inviting me to be a guest blogger for your Summer Lovin' Series.  For those of you who don't know me, I am Christina & I share and feature lots of great inspiration over at my blog {The Tattered Tag}.

  

When my family thinks Summer Lovin', we think about how much we love  camping.  We recently purchased a 1997 27ft Sportsmen travel trailer and I was overly anxious to give it a makeover.  I figure there is not much I could do to the outside with its green & purple paint accents {for now}...

But the inside could definately be spruced up to give it a more fun & cozy feeling {unless country blue still provokes fun & cozy feelings for you}...

The main window in the dinning/living area {note the unique window treatment}...

Any good makeover starts with a couple coats of primer & paint {Olympic Satin ~Heavy Cream~}.  The cabinet hardware also got sprayed with a coat of primer & finished with a simple coat of flat black spray paint...

Carpet in any bath area is a no-go, especially in a camper with 3 boys!! Can you believe there was blue carpet around the toilet area???

Adding this fun shower curtain with a wavy water design really brightens up the super small bathroom...

And a quick, affordable fix for the toilet area, self-stick tile squares...

Now I am not picky, all my appliances do not have to be the same brand name.  However, they do have to match in color and the range fan does not {note in the main photo above, the stove cover is also white but the stove is black}...

A can of black appliance spray paint and now I have a lovely kitchen area with matching appliances...

Now the only wood I care to have at camping is the kind used to start a campfire.  So rather than burn the freezer/fridge...

I decided to paint the front of the doors with about 4 coats of that "magical stuff" a.k.a chalkboard paint.  We like to remind ourselves to remain "Happy Campers" in tight quarters...

And the kids enjoy brainstorming unique "faux" menus...

Now these lovely cabinets with etched mirrors were above the "master" area bed, they just roar "hhheeelllppp!!!...

 Want to know how I tamed this "decorating lion"?  Be sure and follow my blog , each week, starting in 2 weeks on Tuesdays {Travel Trailer Tuesday},  I will be sharing the makeover progression until it is complete!!!

Please drop by and visit, new visitors & old friends are always welcome!

Thank you Emily for being such a fantastic hostess, I appreciate being able to share some Summer Lovin'.

Be Inspired!

Peace be with you,

WIMTWW: A Quick Easy Summer Dress

I still have multiple projects that have stalled... sometimes you just need to accomplish something to jump start the creativity.  When all else fails, find a pre-shirred piece of fabric in your stash and whip up a fun summer dress!

While trying to figure out where to take a few projects a friend of mine asked me to show her how to make a dress for her and her daughter out of the pre-shirred fabric.  I remembered I had bought a piece either last summer or the summer before for about $5.  I had liked the print and for the price, figured it was worth it.  Still not feeling the maxi dress style, I cut it off just above the knee and used the extra to make straps.

Don't forget to stop back tomorrow and see my first guest in my Summer Lovin' series! 
Peace be with you,

I'll be linking up to some of these parties, stop by and check out the talent!

M: Made by you Mondays, Made with Love Monday, Making the World Cuter, MMM @ CRAFT, Just something I whipped up, Organizing Mission Monday, A Round Tuit, Motivate me Monday, DIY, Sharing Monday T: Sew Cute Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday, TCB, Topsy Turvy Tuesdays, Take-a-Look Tuesdays, Too Cute Tuesdays, Giggles Glitz & Glam, Gettin’ Crafty With It, It’s Sew fun Tuesday W: We Did it Wednesday, Night Owl Crafting, Sugar & Spice, Tea Rose Home, Upcycled Awesome, We’re Organized Wednesday, What I Wore Wednesday, What’s Up Wednesday T: Make It Wear It, Frogs & Snails, It’s Stinkin’ Cute, Making it with Allie F: Fun Friday Finds, Fingerprints on the Fridge, It’s a Hodgepodge, Chic on a Shoestring, Fantastic Friday, TGIF, I’m an Organizing Junkie, Spunky Junky, The Shabby Nest S/S: KISS, Funky Fresh, Weekend Wrap Up, Nifty Thrifty

Mission Organization Monday: Mail Sorter (with tutorial)

The new and improved version of this project can now be found at Domestic Deadline or click on the picture below

Flash Back Friday - Beaded Stem Wine Glasses

When IronFish and I were registering for our wedding, I couldn't find wine glasses that I loved.  I also didn't see the point in registering for a dozen plus wine glasses with no place to put them in our tiny New York apartment.  That didn't mean I didn't want wine glasses though.  A few 50 cent glasses, a spool of fishing line, a few thousand left over seed beads and a dab of epoxy and 2 weeks later I had wine glasses!  Yup, pre-kids I could actually spend my evenings stringing seed beads onto yards and yards of fishing wire. 

Since each stem is one strand of beads, if a glass breaks I can just put the beads on another glass!

The fishing line is epoxied on the top and the bottom only, not the whole stem.  Maybe I need a glass one wine now....
Peace be with you,

I'll be linking up to some of these parties, stop by and check out the talent!

M: Made by you Mondays, Made with Love Monday, Making the World Cuter, MMM @ CRAFT, Just something I whipped up, Organizing Mission Monday, A Round Tuit, Motivate me Monday, DIY, Sharing Monday T: Sew Cute Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday, TCB, Topsy Turvy Tuesdays, Take-a-Look Tuesdays, Too Cute Tuesdays, Giggles Glitz & Glam, Gettin’ Crafty With It, It’s Sew fun Tuesday W: We Did it Wednesday, Night Owl Crafting, Sugar & Spice, Tea Rose Home, Upcycled Awesome, We’re Organized Wednesday, What I Wore Wednesday, What’s Up Wednesday T: Make It Wear It, Frogs & Snails, It’s Stinkin’ Cute, Making it with Allie F: Fun Friday Finds, Fingerprints on the Fridge, It’s a Hodgepodge, Chic on a Shoestring, Fantastic Friday, TGIF, I’m an Organizing Junkie, Spunky Junky, The Shabby Nest S/S: KISS, Funky Fresh, Weekend Wrap Up, Nifty Thrifty

Summer Lovin' Guest Schedule

It turns out I can't read my own schedule!  I thought my guest posts started this week but it's actually next week.  Want to know who to watch for?

June 23rd - Christina from the Tattered Tag
June 30th - Debie from A Devonshire Design
July 7th - Elizabeth from Sew Chatty
July 14th - Kim from Too Much Time on my Hands
July 21st - Robin from The T-shirt Diaries
July 28th - Jenny from Seamingly Smitten
Aug 4th - Jill from Creating my way to Success
Aug 11th - Heather from DIY Kinda Girl

There are two slots left, email me at domesticdeadline@gmail.com if you want to grab a spot!

Plus, I'll be doing a guest spot over at the Country Chic Cottage on July 13th, along with other awesome bloggers, all who were a part of the first few seasons of One Month to Win It!

Peace be with you,

WIMTWW: A Favorite Tee

I have several projects in the works... and a few of them may end up totally bombing, but I'm still trying to salvage them.  On my cutting table right now I have 5 dresses that aren't long enough for me to wear them as a dress (that whole height thing), they all need a fabric band added, but I need to find the right piece.  I also have 3 upcycles in progress.  One is at a stand still until I give it more thought.  The second is a men's dress shirt I plan to turn into a dress but I don't want it to look too much like this one.  I wear it all the time, it is so comfortable and I want another one, but not exactly the same.  The third is a men's polo upcycle that was interrupted by a particular 3-year-old who is in denial over how tired he is...

So I'm pulling out a favorite ruffle tee I made last year.  If you are a crafter, I'm sure you're well aware of Sachiko's blog Tea Rose Home.  And if you're familiar with her blog, I'm sure you've seen this tutorial of hers. 

Mine is pretty similar.  I didn't do the string, but other than that, I think I followed her instructions pretty much, my ruffles don't go down as far, not sure if that is a height thing or I didn't do as many rows.  It's been worn an awful lot.

I like it best with a cardigan.  I am thinking of making another one with more ruffles, I think that might help it for wearing by itself.

Peace be with you,

I'll be linking up to some of these parties, stop by and check them out!

M: Made by you Mondays, Made with Love Monday, Making the World Cuter, MMM @ CRAFT, Just something I whipped up, Organizing Mission Monday, A Round Tuit, Motivate me Monday, DIY, Sharing Monday T: Sew Cute Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday, TCB, Topsy Turvy Tuesdays, Take-a-Look Tuesdays, Too Cute Tuesdays, Giggles Glitz & Glam, Gettin’ Crafty With It, It’s Sew fun Tuesday W: We Did it Wednesday, Night Owl Crafting, Sugar & Spice, Tea Rose Home, Upcycled Awesome, We’re Organized Wednesday, What I Wore Wednesday, What’s Up Wednesday T: Make It Wear It, Frogs & Snails, It’s Stinkin’ Cute, Making it with Allie F: Fun Friday Finds, Fingerprints on the Fridge, It’s a Hodgepodge, Chic on a Shoestring, Fantastic Friday, TGIF, I’m an Organizing Junkie, Spunky Junky, The Shabby Nest S/S: KISS, Funky Fresh, Weekend Wrap Up, Nifty Thrifty

Kid's Corner: Hot Dog Cupcakes

O-man's last day of school ended with a Hot Dog Picnic.  His teacher (my neighbor) asked me to make cupcakes, knowing I wouldn't just buy something.  Of course I had to make something to go with the theme!

These were actually so easy to make and the kids did a lot of the work.  Here's what you'll need:
Yummy cupcakes frosted and sprinkled, large marshmallows, caramels, brown food coloring, water, yellow frosting (I used gel in a tube... next time I will use regular frosting).

First, cut your caramels and marshmallows in half using kitchen scissors.  Snip the center of each half of the marshmallow making a place for the hot dog to go.  Have the kids roll the caramel halves turning them into the hot dog shape.

Now it's time for a little finger painting!  In a small bowl of water add brown food coloring until the water is about the same color as the caramels.  Have the kids dip their finger into the dyed water and finger paint the marshmallow halves on the rounded side (not the cut side).

Don't forget to paint the ends of your buns.  They actually went right up to the hot dog, some white showed, but this made it look more real in my opinion.

Place on top of your cupcakes and pipe a squiggly line of yellow "mustard" frosting.  I used a tube of yellow gel icing because I was too lazy to mix up the small amount of frosting I needed... mistake!  Maybe in the winter it would have been fine, but the gel had melted by the time the party started and didn't look nearly as cute.  But they still got rave reviews and tasted really yummy!

I got quite the kick out of O-man and his friends at the picnic, one little guy wouldn't eat the bun of a regular hot dog... or the marshmallow version!  I'm pretty sure he was expecting the caramel to actually be meat too!

Peace be with you,

I'll be linking up to several of these parties:

M: Made by you Mondays, Made with Love Monday, Making the World Cuter, MMM @ CRAFT, Just something I whipped up, Organizing Mission Monday, A Round Tuit, Motivate me Monday, DIY, Sharing Monday T: Sew Cute Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday, TCB, Topsy Turvy Tuesdays, Take-a-Look Tuesdays, Too Cute Tuesdays, Giggles Glitz & Glam, Gettin’ Crafty With It, It’s Sew fun Tuesday W: We Did it Wednesday, Night Owl Crafting, Sugar & Spice, Tea Rose Home, Upcycled Awesome, We’re Organized Wednesday, What I Wore Wednesday, What’s Up Wednesday T: Make It Wear It, Frogs & Snails, It’s Stinkin’ Cute, Making it with Allie F: Fun Friday Finds, Fingerprints on the Fridge, It’s a Hodgepodge, Chic on a Shoestring, Fantastic Friday, TGIF, I’m an Organizing Junkie, Spunky Junky, The Shabby Nest S/S: KISS, Funky Fresh, Weekend Wrap Up, Nifty Thrifty

Mission Organization Monday: Living Room Catch-All

Sometimes just a little freshening up makes such a big difference.  The first wall one's eyes sees when they enter my home is this wall:

I know, it's bad!  It's a catch-all spot.  It's the spot where IronFish drops his work bag, keys, watch, wallet, etc.  It's the spot where my kids put papers they think are mine and/or thing they think I might want.  It's the spot where random things that no one knows where to put end up until I do something about them.

Yup, inside those little drawers is just as bad... more homeless things mixed in with a few things that belong there!  I decided the only way to deal with this was to clear it all off and only put back what needs to be there.  After a good hour of sorting trash, recyclables, things that belong and things that didn't, here was the result:

I got the little drawer thing on the left as a gift with purchase and the colors are right for my house.  I flipped the drawers around, the small left one is for my husband's things when he comes in from work.  The one on the right is for my random things that I want/need but don't have another home (the extra shopper's cards, keys I only need occasionally, etc).  The top drawer is stuff that no matter what, ends up on that table...  I sorted out the two table drawers too.  The one on the left is all neat and organized with things that really should be there.  The one on the right... well... it's now the official home to all the stuff that didn't have another place and didn't end up in the trash or recycling.  I'm OK with a junk drawer as long as it doesn't multiply when I'm not looking.

On the right side of the table is a little phone charging station, our home phone and my beautiful hand calla lilies my daughters made me for mother's day in the pretty vase JuneBug made me at school!  Now we just have to keep it neat and tidy!

Oh, that large basket below?  That's wear I stash extra purses, bags, backpacks, pool bag and computer travel cases.

Peace be with you,

Gesundheit! Bless you...

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

I think I'd gain an extra hour in my day if I could stop sneezing.  I don't know about other allergy sufferers but this spring has been ridiculous!  The past few years I haven't had nearly the problems my younger two kiddos have had, but this year it has taken me weeks to get all my symptoms under control. 

When I hit the stores, I was surprised at the different options... and prices available on the shelves.  Lucky for me Walgreens recently had BOGO sale and I picked up their version of Zrytec, Wal-Zyr (Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products), for half the cost of the name brand.  Since they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and the same active ingredients as the name brand, I knew it couldn't hurt!                         So far I'm finally seeing some relief to the ah-choos!  Definitely worth more than 25 cent a day this breaks down to. 

I was also pleased to recently learn about Walgreens Way to Well Fund™, a program designed to bring preventative wellness services to communities.  Walgreens will be contributing up to 3 million annually.  I personally appreciate when companies give back to the communities they do business in.

 

Right now there are several giveaways going on giving you the chance to win Walgreens gift cards.  Check them out, and Gesundheit to you, which means good health in German!