Inspiration Overflow

There are so many talented bloggers out there and I am continuously finding new inspiration each and everyday.  This week, I'd thought I would share pics from some of my favorite blogs I frequent.....

laurieannas.blogspot.com

I just love this porch setting!  Wouldn't it be a lovely place to daydream?

laurieannas.blogspot.com

I adore all of the garden elements, especially the tin wall organizer.

Umami Design

I have a wooden barrel just like the one behind the chair...

I must save my hydrangeas this year and  have this  in my entryway!

Umami Designs

I'm not one to decorate in all white, but this is drawing me in!  That sign is so cool!

Monticello Antiques

So much inspiration here...I see a future road trip in my future :)

Monticello Antiques

I love bringing fresh greenery in to add a splash of color.

Lucketts Store

I need these baskets!!!

Lucketts Store

The use of "smalls" here is just the kind of thing I need to mimic in my own larger pieces.

Lucketts Store

Good balance in this space between pieces.  I especially love the wire cloches.

Deannario.com

I love this vintage box used as a planter.

Deannario.com

I am still on the hunt for something like these above,

Do you see a theme here?  I am in a serious summer planting, herbs-growing mode!

Deannario.com

Can you imagine a big bunch of white petunias overflowing this wire basket?



Speaking of overflowing...

We celebrated my son's 13th birthday last weekend.

We took the party-goers to Fatburger (where else would we take five 13-year-old ravenous boys?).



There were a lot of smiles...

A lot of 'boyish' behavior...

And a lot of FOOD...

 If that wasn't enough, when they got home they polished off 24 cupcakes, an entire pack of Oreos and a half gallon of milk!





Better them, than me.

A good time was had by all!



Hope this week finds you overflowing with inspiration :)

Hugs,

Cheree

Nest Home & Gifts

is treating you to 

something special for 

Spring!

Stop and Smell the Flowers Sale!

Friday, April 20th through Friday, April 27th

20% off some of our favorite floral scented products!

Trapp Candles - Bob's Flower Shoppe and Fresh Cut Tuberose

Linnea's Lights Candles - Violet and Magnolia

Tokyo Milk Dark - Yesterday and Destiny fragrances (body souffle, shower gel and roller ball perfume.

Tokyo Milk Dark - Tainted Love, Arsenic, La Vie La Mort & Crushed fragrances (hand cream and perfume).

Sale is on in-stock merchandise only

This is the perfect opportunity to stock up on your favorite floral fragrances!  Remember...Mother's Day is just around the corner and these products make wonderful gifts too!

Hugs,

Cheree

New Floral Arrangement

I've been focusing on getting both kids well this week after they have had back to back cold/strep/flu junk.  Chanelle is on the mend, but please say a little prayer that Keiton has a miraculous recovery today and wakes up feeling 100%!  He's turning 13-years-old tomorrow!  It's no fun being sick, but its definitely a bummer being sick on your birthday!

Nothing new for furniture this week, so here's a floral arrangement I put together awhile back to bring a little color and ambiance to our master bedroom. 


The Bones:

I found the light-up stems at Joyworks, a cute little boutique

 in Snohomish.  They have all different sizes and styles. 

Mine are the multi-stem twig lights. 

There are three branches in the bunch I purchased

and I believe they were around $30.

I found the other stems and vase at Hobby Lobby,

 my new favorite guilty pleasure!

  I began with four 20"-jumbo-blossomed white hydrangeas

 ($8.99 reg. I got them at 50% off that day).

The vase measures 15" in height, with an opening

measuring 8" across.  Since the mouth on this vase is really wide,

 I had to work in the front of the vase first, filling it in

as I went along. 

I then added three 25"-light green eucalyptus stems

($2.99 reg. These were on sale too).

Five 26"-blue hydrangeas were sporadically tucked in next.
  
I believe these were regularly $3.99 and were 50% off.

 I love Hobby Lobby not only for inspiration, but also

for the fact that they are always having sales. 

You can sign up for weekly emails and receive coupons that way too!

You can try to shape your arrangement as you go along,

but if you are like me,  you will fuss with it

 until you can't see straight!

Next went the light-up stems.  These are really pliable and it

was easy to place the individual branches exactly

where I wanted to fill in empty spaces.  I knew I was

 going to fuss with it more  once I got it upstairs,

so I didn't spend much time arranging here.

Lastly, I added one 36"-white and green wispy stem. 

Not sure what type of stem it is, but it

just adds something to round out the arrangement.

I placed the arrangement on the end of our long dresser,

 closest to my side of the bed so I could

enjoy the ambiance of the light-up stems in the evenings. 

I love the peace this new addition brings to our bedroom.

It is obvious from the blinds in the background,  

our bedroom is on a long list of  "to-do's"!

The Accessories:

One of my favorite Sid Dickens Memory Blocks

from the Spring 2010 Porcellana Collection

"Union"

On the back it reads...


"True love deserves neither honors nor reproaches"


You can find your favorite Sid tiles at Nest Home & Gifts,

located in the Mill Creek Town Center.

Other accessories here were just things I had around the house. 

The tri-colored porcelain ball is from Nest,

the two-toned hydrangea is from Michael's, and the necklace is from Faded Elegance.

Hope you find some inspiration here to bring a little color

and ambiance to your own home!

Hugs,

Cheree

Spring Break in the Northwest

We are trying to enjoy what seems to be the most cold and rainy Spring Break - EVER!  I have actually been craving sun and warmth!  (Those of you who know me, know that is not my style!)  But, with one weather system after another, we had to find fun indoor activities, while taking advantage of the sun's rare appearances.  With only a few days left of break, here's how our week is shaping up...

Yeah, that looks like Spring weather, does it not?  Ugh! 
We had high hopes that where we were headed, there would be better weather!

The beautiful Skagit Valley greeted us with puffy white clouds and bits of blue sky!

The daffodil fields were glowing!

In a few weeks these will fade away to a vast amount of tulip fields. 

We received a warm welcome when we arrived in La Conner, a quaint little town full of good eats and lots of eye candy!

I love the way this town is nestled in a little inlet and whichever direction you turn, you see beauty.

We were so grateful that the raindrops disappeared and we enjoyed walking around town without umbrellas!

This guy was such a poser, I just had to make it worth his while.

A little break between shops for ice cream in the sun!

This paper friend I am holding is a kindergarten project for my niece, Raya.  She is spending the week with us and we are documenting her excursions. "Flat Raya" as she is affectionately known in our house, enjoyed a visit to the La Crema Coffee House as we headed home.

Afternoons when Chanelle and Keiton hung out with their friends, I buckled down to get some projects done and here is what that looked like...

I found this beauty off a lead from my dad (thanks Pops!).  I had searched for a buffet with curves, but this was the first time I had found one.  I fell head over heals for sure.

The fact that the top had numerous spots like this, didn't worry me, but I knew it was going to take a bit of  elbow grease!

I chose Old White and a Garden Green combo.  It turned out just the way I had hoped.

Close up.

This will find its way into Faded next week.

I bought two bedside tables a couple of weeks ago and finally got a chance to work with them.

This handsome duo was brought into Faded today.  They would make a great addition to a  master bedroom or even an office.

Close up.

It felt good to get some work done and it only took up a couple of late afternoons....I don't think the kids noticed that we had pizza two nights in a row, although my waistline did!  Grrr...

"Flat Raya" joined us on our way to celebrate my husband's birthday with lunch and a movie in Bellevue.  We saw "Hunger Games" and enjoyed some delicious Thai food.

Not knowing what the weather was going to do the next day, we  planned to get together with Jill and her kids at the local bowling alley.

Keiton kicked it off with a strong spare!

The rest of the action pics turned out blurry, so this is the gang at the end of our bowling fun.  They were goofy and giggly, just what we expected out of this bunch!

Topped off the afternoon with some frozen yogurt.  If I had snapped the picture a bit sooner, you would be seeing all of the lovely eye rolling I received from my children when I said it was time to take a pic with "Flat Raya".  Don't they remember being cute little kindergartners?  It's for their cousin for crying out loud!

I had a little helper today at Faded Elegance.  Thank you to the nice gentleman who chuckled when he walked by when I was snapping this pic!  It made me chuckle too ;)

This is what the 'real' Raya looks like!  Isn't she a doll?  My reclaimed wood stencilled frames are new this week!

Available in four different phrases right now, but more are in the works.  Other phrases currently available:


"Je T'aime"


and


"Be your own kind of beautiful".

The two-tone buffet will be brought in when the grey table and chairs get picked up by its new owners (yeah!).  

I will be searching for chandeliers because the one I had sold, and because these floor lamps (one here, the other not shown) are just about driving me to drink (as if I needed anymore encouragement!).   I needed light and what can I say, they were in my garage.  I was trying to be resourceful!

Tomorrow is Friday!  I will be counting the minutes until I can sit down in the evening with my electric blanket, my menagerie of animals, and a glass of Chardonnay to catch up on all of my favorite shows.  If the kids are out of the room, I will also be putting together their Easter baskets.  It may sound really boring, but to this homebody and it sounds perfect!

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

Hugs,

Cheree