Party and Latest Travel Photo Journals

Don't forget to check back on Saturday for the Fun Halloween Party! Will have some treats to win!

These are 2 travel photo albums I created most recently. Both were to encompass China a bit.

The black photo corners were positioned so that the photos can be easily placed on each page.

I used a mixture of wallpapers, cardstock and scrapbooking papers then embellished the pages.

I hope she likes them. They are being shipped off this afternoon to their new home. It is so much fun creating for people.

Neutrals vs. patterns

Our new sectional sofa was delivered today! The one in this catalog picture but just the sofa. No otoman. That would have been too much matching for me.
I've wanted a sectional for a long time but not one of those big bulky reclining leather ones, just something simple and classic. I always try to stay fairly neutral with the fabrics because a long time ago I got stuck decorating around a sofa we purchased with a pattern. Yes, you can get slip covers but having the made can cost as much as a new sofa and the kind you buy at the dept. stores get sloppy too fast for my taste. Anyway, I always suggest that people use pattern on the throw pillow, draperies, throws, etc. Not on the larger pieces because goodness knows they las a very long time, and most of the time they last longer than your desire for that pattern.
We were not planning on buying any furniture until we had our basement finished but Wolfs Furniture (high end) was having a 50% off sale and offering 18 months same as cash, so how could we possibly pass it up, right!? We could have paid for them but if you can wait 18 months to pay, we decided to collect the interest instead.
We also bought a new dining room table. We kept the chippendale style chairs that we had and it looks like a new set. Yay!
Another great thing about fabric on dining room chairs is that you can choose to be trendy or classic because when the mood changes they are so easy to recover. I have changed out ours at least 3 times in the past 12 years. My tastes change, what can I say? I also like to coordinate our dining room draperies with the chair fabric so when one changes, yep you guessed it, the other has to, as well. So like I said consider getting a neutral fabric, not necessarily patternless but simple pattern and use more bold or larger patterned fabrics around the room, in the art, etc.
This also allows for you to lighten the mood for summer and cozy it up with warmer colors for the winter. Have fun!

Dreams...

Dreams...Not the kind you have in deep slumber but the living waking kind of dreams. The kind where you knew you wanted to say be a doctor when you grew up or maybe an author, or have your own business, you know those kinds of dreams.

We all have one or two of those. I have a few myself. They are sometimes secret dreams. Dreams we are afraid to share with others for fear of them sounding silly or maybe of being scoffed at. We keep them close to our heart, protecting them, pulling them out once in awhile to dust them off and have a little visit, maybe shine them up a bit.

Sometimes our dreams can be met by creating small steps. Sort of like rungs on a ladder. You climb the ladder to your dream one rung at a time. Your dreams are attainable. There has to be desire, motivation, planning, focus and hard work. Do the research. Be positive. Believe in yourself. Invest in yourself. You deserve it!

It can seem overwhelming looking at the big picture but I find it is so much easier to focus on one rung at a time. Make a timeline, tape your goals up somewhere that you can see it everyday.

Never let anyone crush your dreams. Others will try to hold you back for selfish reasons. If there is someone in your life that is always holding you back then don't share your dream with them. Don't give them the opportunity. You know the old saying misery loves company. Don't let it happen. You are in charge of yourself. Period.

Start small, dream big, and go for it! Do not wait for something to happen first, because that day may never come. We so often say I will do such and such after .... happens first. Well there will always be a ....happening. No more excuses. Just do it.

Crisp cool day

Well, today I dressed the house in its fall ensemble. I love the colors of fall, as you know. It is always like Christmas opening up my clear bins full of decor for each season/holiday. I have them organized on a shelving unit my wonderful husband built to fit the bins perfectly. It is so nice to see what I need and just grab that bin. The storage shelf holds 16 large bins.

The weather was cool and crisp today. It was the perfect setting and mood enhancer for decorating. I usually decorate for Halloween the week of but since I am hosting a Halloween Blog party on the 18th, I will be doing that early this year. I like making it whimsical rather than scary for the kids. Enjoy your Monday.

And the winner is:

Well I put the entry names on pieces of paper and the ones whom gave this giveaway a shout out on their blog had their names in twice.

I had my husband do the mixing and pulling of the name so it would be completely fair to all. He pulled out the slip of paper and the winner is:

Congratulations http://koalafuzz.blogspot.com/ ! Thank all of you for playing!

Remember I will be hosting a Halloween Party on October the 18th. So make sure you mark it on your calendars and join in on the fun. See my previous post or click on the sidebar button that says Halloween party to host one yourself. Should be goulishly fun! There are several bloggers getting in on it. I will announce some of the tricks and treats that will be here, so check back soon, my dear friends.

Halloween Party Invite

This looks like a really fun event, so I decided to join in. If you want to be a part of this, click on this link. The blog owner has some fun pics of Halloween and all of the whimsical things that come with it. http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/

I love to decorate for the kids that come by. Nothing too scary just whimsical. I am off to figure out what types of things I might want to include in my party. Some games for sure and with games come prizes, right? Hmmm...let me see...

Saturday, I will be picking the name of my 100th Blog Post Giveaway. I can't wait to find out who it will be! Good Luck!

A glimpse of our home

These are not the best shots, I'll give you that. The lighting and the angles but hey, it's only a glimpse and I'll take some fresh ones once I have decorated for fall. Promise.

Well, it's about time to remove the old A/C unit out of the window, I'd say. Never had a window A/C until we moved to central PA. Gotta' love it. We are also looking for a painter to come in and paint all of the window casings and mouldings white throughout the house. It will make it look so much more crisp and newer. We've been here 4 yrs now and in this picture you can see our new front door, which I love and we put down the hardwoords ourselves. Much cheaper to throw in the old sweat equity, you know. The side door in the living room will be the next to be replaced. The existing one looks like it belongs on a barn, doesn't it? When my bathroom is clean and my bedroom is put back together (we just laid hardwood floors in there) I will take pictures of those also. Oh and my kitchen. We replaced the countertops, lighting and painted the cabinets and walls so I will show you a before and after of that, as well. It's fn to peek into others homes. You get a sense of their style, tastes and personality. Hmmm...wonder what mine says about me? I'm sure you'll let me know. ;D

Don't forget to scroll down to my 100th blog post to enter the giveaway. Good Luck!

A few of my favorite fall things...

Some of my favorite colors.Spicey, warm and welcoming. Nice and cozy colors of the earth, and the sun. Hot apple cider, caramel apples, yummy spices to liven up any dish, pretty indian corn on my door in lieu of a wreath.