Barn Light Electric

Barn Light Electric has a HUGE giveaway going on right now!  You know you want to jump on this train!  First prize is a $1000 gift certificate, 2nd gets $500 and 3rd receives $250!  I know I for one could always use some free lighting! :)


Entering is super-easy, too!!  Just follow the directions at the bottom of this post!


Here are my picks:

 Barn Light Radial Wave Flute Pendant

 Barn Light Chestnut Pendant

Barn Light CGU Retro Pendant

I just love them all!  What would your picks be??

How to Enter:

1. Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article so others can enter
4. Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to:marketing@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends Monday, July 2nd, 2012
5. Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by reading the Official Rules

The Easiest Blankie Ever!

This weekend I tackled my first ever sewing project - a soft, fluffy blankie for my daughter.  Believe me when I tell you that anyone can make this.  I have never used a sewing machine in my life (gasp!) and I had it finished in about a half hour.

Your children will love it!  People will be in awe of your talent!  Are YOU ready to make one??  

Okay.  Let's get started!

What you will need:

Cotton fabric

Fuzzy fabric (Is there a technical term for this?  I think fuzzy works!)

Thread

Note:  Pre-wash your fabrics!  This will make a huge difference with shrinkage! 

1. Start out by deciding how big you want your blankie.  I didn't really do technical measurements on mine - just size it out!  (Note: It is actually easier to tear your cotton fabric instead of cutting it.  Just snip in a bit where you want it to be, and tear it from there.  Super easy and you get really straight lines!) 

2.  Lay out your fabric.  Start with the fuzzy side up.  Lay your cotton fabric down on top of it with the printed side down.

3.  Pin your fabric together every couple of inches.

4.  Now you can start sewing!  When you get to the corners, lift up the foot but leave the needle down and turn your blankie.  Then put the foot back down and continue.  I sewed mine about 1/2" in.  When you get towards the end, leave about 4" or so open so that you can pull the blankie rightside out.  Don't forget to backstitch!

 5.  Once you have turned your blankie rightside out, finish sewing it up!  (You can do this with your sewing machine, or by hand)

Voila!  You are finished!!  Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!

Linking up to these great parties!

How PINteresting - Tin

Lately I have been obsessed with using tin for decorations around the house - old soup cans, pitchers, you name it!  Today I'm sharing some fun tin creations I've been seeing on Pinterest!




I just love this fun sign from Decor Steals!  I think this would make a really cute DIY project for waaayy less than they are selling it for - most people could probably find old scraps of wood and tin out in their garage!

This bird house would be so cool out in somebody's shabby garden!  Via Grandiflora.

This pedestal is to die for!  (I would NEVER buy this though - it would be SO easy to make with thrift store finds!)  Via Farmhouse Wares.

This arrangement of vintage sap buckets from A Beautiful Mess is simple, but gorgeous!

My favorite tin home decor item is the easiest - soup cans!!  They are so nice - you can dress them up, or down, paint them, wrap them - whatever your mind can conjure up!  Via The Little White Book.

Vintage tea cans and other items make great vases! (Sorry, no source on this one..)

Hope this gives you some inspiration!!  Happy Monday!

Chip It!

So today I was wandering around the interwebs trying to find some inspiration for colors to paint my living room.  I went to Sherwin-Williams' website and they have this fun new button (sort of like the "Pin It" button) called "Chip It!"  You can "chip" virtually any picture online and the app will automatically pull colors from the picture and give you a set of coordinating paint colors!  How cool is that??

I really liked the cool blue and grey tones in this room so I chipped it!!  The colors are pretty spot on, don't you think?

WARNING:  THIS IS EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE.

Here is another fun example:

It is so easy and fun!  Go chip away!!!

Thrifty Finds

This week I found some great finds while I was out and about..

Who's ready for some thrift-action?!

Ready, set....

 I love this little guy!!  So sleek and fun!

 I got this for $1.  It is adorable!

 I love the color of this little pitcher.

 This awesome piece is going up in my laundry room!!

This fugly/amazing green chair???  FREE!!  Jeffrey and I spotted it in a house last year when we were house-hunting and the lady told me that when she moved out, she would give it to me.  I was thinking, "Yeah, okay lady, like you're actually going to remember.."  but yesterday she called me and asked if I still wanted it!  Heck yes!  I am planning on using some Simply Spray on it to give it a new color.  I don't really mind the green at all, actually, but it is pretty dingy looking in person so it needs some TLC.

And this beauty came from Craigslist.  $20.  I love everything about it!  EXCEPT the horrendous cords hanging from underneath.  Anybody have some ideas to hide those??

Who else had some good finds this week?

TGIF!

What a week!!  Sorry for my absence!  I have had a long, exhausting week filled with sickness!

The good news is, I found an AMAZING find on Craigslist Wednesday and I am -so- excited to share it with you all!!  But not today.  I don't have a good picture of it yet, and I had something even more exciting sitting in my inbox this morning when I got to work!

Wednesday I was browsing my family history, trying to find some thoughtful, meaningful gift for my dad for Father's Day.  That didn't quite work out, but I found an interesting site that had information on pretty much everybody's family in the county on there.  I had sent the person running the site to add myself and my siblings onto my parent's page to update it.  The woman did so, but then emailed me these back:

Pictures of my great-great-Grandparents, Salvatore (Sam) and Teresa who immigrated here from Italy!
I have NEVER seen a picture of either of them, which is what makes this so special to me.  Teresa looks so much like my Grandpa, who unfortunately passed away in 2007.  I miss him terribly, but these pictures bring back some very special memories for me.  (Love you and miss you Grandpa!!  Love, Tilda)

I am going to send these pictures over to Walgreen's and put them in some frames for my dad for Father's Day.  I couldn't have thought of a more perfect gift!

I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day weekend - a special shout-out to my dad - LOVE YA!!  :)

See you around,

Fun in the Sun!

On Friday, I had posted about going up north to Clearwater Lake with my family.. If anybody is in for a few laughs, continue on..

 The day started off innocent enough, with all of my nieces and nephews enjoying tubing and boat rides..

Then comes Miller Time... When adults start to make strange decisions.

 Like my sis and I deciding it was a good idea to go tubing with a deflating tube under my tush.  (Ouch, I don't recommend doing this.)

Do I look excited to get on???  Not so much.  Falling in this cold water is reminiscent of the Titanic!!

Never fear - My boy toy has the hardcore tubing down!!  (Making the rest of us look like no-good losers!)

How fun is the Slip'N'Slide?!  I broke my fingers on one of these when I was seven and haven't touched one since..

My daughter thought fishing was pretty exciting!!

And it can't be a good weekend up north without a campfire, complete with s'mores, Jiffy Pop, and ghost stories!!

Who else has fun and exciting plans for this summer?!  Share on..