Guest Post at Just the Bee's Knees - Margherita Pizza Recipe

Today I am sharing my Margherita Pizza recipe with Sarah at Just the Bee's Knees.  I'm so happy she asked me to fill in for her today while she's off being lazy in Canada.  Sarah and I met when both our blogs were still fairly new.  Sarah is a mom and interior designer with really great taste, so she had me hooked from the beginning.  Now if only I could convince her to tag along with me to High Point Market.  Any takers???  Okay, enough design stuff.  If eating is your thing, pin this recipe to save for later, or make it tonight!   It's amazingly simple, and tastes great.   People might think you slaved away in the kitchen.  To see the recipe, you'll need to head on over to Just the Bee's Knees.   

*Sarah's not around to correct my typo, but when you pull the pizza out, place it on a cookie rack so air can flow underneath the pizza causing it not to condensate.

Thanks for stopping in!

Nail Head Art

I made this piece for Owen's room, and it was such an easy project to do!  So easy in fact, that it requires little explanation and photos.  I really love how each nail head is unique and not uniform.  I simply printed out a large "O" onto an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper to use as a guideline.  The paper also protected my surface from the dirt that comes off the nails during use.  I then removed the paper after I was done.  I used a display frame to allow room for the ends of the nails.

I had picked up this frame for $8 during one of my thrift store excursions.  Here is the before.  It's amazing what a little paint can do.

Fabric Friday {Plover Organic}

*I entered into the shorts on the line contest, and if you could take a quick minute to vote for me, that would be awesome!  I'm #93.  You can also see more photos of my shorts here.

Plover Organic offers bedding and several fabrics by the yard, including scrap packs.  Some of their fabrics are 115" in width, so you can easily use it for larger projects at home or use it as backing for a quilt.  This also makes it a little more cost effective.  The only downside is Plover Organic doesn't have a wide array of fabrics to choose from, but I thought they were still worth noting.

shorts for Owen

I am participating in shorts on the line hosted by Imagine Gnats.  I wanted to enter a pair of shorts a lot sooner, but time has not allowed me to do so.  Yesterday was busily spent selecting fabrics and sewing.  Owen was a great model, but I bribed him a bunch with Scooby snacks. :)  I'm so glad I didn't take a look at the other entries until today when I uploaded my photos.  I'm not sure I would have competed.  There are so many wonderfully talented people who entered, and I know the judges will have a difficult decision ahead of them. 

 I wanted fun, slightly whimsical, and a bit unexpected fabric.  I love the fun pop of color and pattern on the butt and inside the pockets.  These are things you don't see too often in a box store boys department.  I made this pair of shorts using Anna Maria Horner's Quick Change Trousers pattern, but I shortened the length and added pockets.  And Owen loves his pockets!  When he tried them on he kept saying "Pockee.  Pockee."  I used bold fabrics, but I think the colors and scale work perfectly together.  These shorts remind me of the beach.  This was my first time sewing pockets, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy they are to do.

VOTING BEGINS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You can visit http://www.imaginegnats.com/ and I'm #93.

crazy lady in HomeGoods . . . and more rugs

So I went all crazy lady in HomeGoods and bought eight rugs.  This was almost two months ago shortly after my Urban Outfitters experience turned out not so great.

Because I have so many options, I decided to put my high school English skillz to use and make a mind map.  There are three things I forgot to add on the sheet.

• No rugs
• Buy Flor tiles
• Buy individual rugs

It only made sense to me to buy lots of rugs, so I could play with size and colors.   And here is what I came up with.

Urban Outfitters rug review

Do you remember me telling you back in May that I ordered a rug for my kitchen, but it was on backorder?   It literally showed up at my door the day after that post went live.   I was sooo excited!  I'm a bit behind in posting about my kitchen.  Like two months behind.   I've been so busy with sewing and family.   It has felt really good to get behind my crazy machine.

  So back to my Urban Outfitters rug.  The price was too good.  I got to use a 15% off coupon off the already low price, and I got free shipping and return.  I knew if it was going to be a fail, I didn't lose any money in the end.  I chose navy blue because I thought the blue would look good with the green, white, and gray going on in my kitchen.  I am a black and navy offender.  Sorry.  I even mix black and brown sometimes.

The size was smaller than what I really needed, but I was willing to give this a shot.  At 5' x 7', it was too small.  I was a bit bummed, but in retrospect, I am glad it worked out the way it did.  The next day I headed out to Homegoods and picked up a few rugs for the kitchen.  I'll share that with you later.

I returned the Urban Outfitters rug, but I would be lying if I told you I didn't place that rug in every room of the house to see if I could make it work somewhere.  Crap.  I forgot to check the outdoor deck.

Remodelaholic Feature

I don't post on Sundays, but I wanted to say thank you Remodelaholic for approaching me to feature Owen's room.  I am so happy they wanted to include his room among other amazing, talented work.  This made my Sunday!  You can see the post here.

Ps- One day left to enter my giveaway!

Fabric Friday {A Bundle}

A bundle that I have no name for.  I am not really good at coming up with names for stuff.  Like how people name their quilts or sewing patterns.   I guess anything would have been less lame than "A Bundle".    I picked this bundle idea from Hawthorne Threads.  I chose Amy Butler's new Cameo bouquet and worked around that.

A clutch for you

Here's a gift to you from me.   I'm still celebrating my blog's birthday, and to close it I'm giving away a small clutch.   This giveaway is for  GFC or RSS followers (old and new, & welcome! :).  My other giveaway is open to all and ends 7/20/12.

Features:

• Pearl faux ostrich with a bamboo button closure
• Measures approximately 9.5" x 5.5"
• Perfect travel size to carry wallet, keys, phone, diapers, or other small belongings.  
• Can be dressed up or down.  Perfect for all occasions.  

To enter please share with me a fun date night idea.   You can tell me something you once did on a date or a fantasy fun date (please keep it G rated for the sake of others :).    Don't date?  That's okay.  Tell me something fun you did with pals.

Giveaway ends July 23rd 11:59 PM EST.  Good luck!

*If you are a subscriber via RSS, please leave your email address in the comment section.

I used ISLY's clutch pattern.

For You

{This giveaway is now closed}

Fabric Friday {Print//Pattern//Place}

 

Image Sources:  Anne Kelle Remix Hearts // Shwin & Shwin Dress // Ferris Wheel via Favim  via

What's this Print//Pattern//Place you may be asking?  Well, it's a new series I'm doing once a month.  I'll pick a cute print, find a pattern I think could be used with the print, and a place I could see the final product at.  So what do you think?  If I had a little girl, I would make that dress right away.  Oh wait.  I already do that.  The blog's birthday is fast approaching, so stay tuned for that!  We're picking blueberries and blackberries, and I am hoping to tackle sewing a pair of shorts over the weekend.  Have a great weekend! 

For Maeghan

Maeghan is the middle child. She loves her sisters Lucy and Gracie very much. Now she will have more friends to play with. Maeghan requested pink and purple for her surprise gift.

For Gracie

Gracie is Lucy's older sister.  She is becoming a independent girl who really wants to explore her world and test her mother's limits.  :)  I have Gracie looking out her window daydreaming about the life ahead of her.  But no matter how much she will want to leave home, she will one day want to return.  Some of the best memories are made in a home with the people we love.  I included on the back one of three furry friends she has at home.   Gracie requested lime, orange, and Carolina blue for her surprise present. 

For Lucy

Lucy is my niece, and I think she will enjoy her new friend, especially since she travels around the world a lot.  This will help give her something to call home and help comfort her when times are tough.  Lucy requested yellow and red for her surprise gift.

Fabric Friday {Ink & Spindle}

This is one of those posts that I thought I published a long time ago but never did.  I don't know why I haven't mentioned them until now.  I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Ink & Spindle, and if not, you're in for a treat.  They offer some really lovely prints, which are organic too.   Their website is worth perusing, so make sure you take a look there too. 

All photos came from Ink & Spindle.

you got the goods

 Happy 4th of July USA!


To read my thoughts of the room along with before photos, click here.
To see the reveal with lots of detailed pictures, click here.

*Please note, my similar listings are only a reference to get you started. 


Crib Wall
______________________________________________

Bunting- DIY

Italia Crib- Gifted from my father, Babies R' Us

White Polka Dot Crib sheet-  $2, thrifted

Quilt- DIY

Chevron Blanket- $10, DIY, (tutorial *might* be up in the future) similar here. 

Stuffed Doll- DIY, pattern 70piggies.

Stuffed Cloud- DIY, similar here

Stuffed Zebra- $25, Pier 1

thoughts on Owen's room with before photos

 ***If you are ever wondering what is going on inside my head or why I did what I did, today is your lucky day.  Let me know if you liked this thought process, or if you would prefer for me to keep to my usual ten sentence self.  :)***

To see the room in its entirety and not Instagramed, please click here.
To see source list, please click here.

 First off, let me say thank you for all the sweet comments so far on Owen's room.  I really appreciate them!  Second, I need to go ahead and let you know that I am artistic and creative, if you don't know that already.  If it weren't for those two things, I am not sure if I could have pulled off his room as cheaply as I did.  It took me several months to plan.  I say plan but I really didn't plan out the design.  No mood board.  No drawings.  No lists.  And if you are saying I am rock star for being able to pull that room off without a plan, I'd tell you there's a whole lot more to it than meets the eye.   I sat on that room for a few months because I didn't have a plan, and I made a few mistakes along the way, all of which could have been avoided.  I was also very wishy washy.   All I knew was that I wanted to keep my blue chevron curtains in the room, have a rocker, and use orange accents.  Well, the latter didn't happened.  It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I had a surge of creativity.  This is usually how my creativity works, so I am use to it by now and take advantage of it when it does strike.  I usually drop everything I am doing to make my thoughts into reality.  I just wish it were more steady.  :)  I wish I had taken a picture of the room during its progress to show you the dormant state it was in for months.   Another reason my surges of creativity is actually a flaw.  I don't think.  I just do.