February 2011 - Pretty in Pink

Vintage Easter Postcard....

Because Spring is on my mind and Easter will be here before we know it, I wanted to share another one of my vintage Easter postcards with you.....

Feel free to copy and save this if you would like to use this in any of your crafting projects or even if you just wanted something pretty to look at..

If you do happen to use this in a craft project, I would love to see what you make with it.

Think Spring !!

Tanya's Townhouse Tour...(Via Made By Girl)

Hello everyone! How was the weekend for you? Mine was super nice (well, for the most part). The best part was having my mom here all last week & a bit during the weekend as well. Oh yes, & she loved the guest bedroom! I miss her so much already. Sometimes I walk into the guestroom & look over at the empty bed wishing she was still here. But, thank God, I'll be visiting NYC & get to see her again in May!

This Monday I'm back with a home tour....submitted to me by Tanya. Both her & her husband live in a townhouse in Ontario, Canada. She also writes a blog called, Dans Le Towhouse where she showcases all the DIY projects that her & her husband have taken on since buying their first home! She says they still have LOTS to do, but their goal is to make the house a HOME.

I know exactly what it's like...when we bought our first place, we were determined to make it a home and we did 95% of the renovations ourselves. Needless to say, I am done with large renovations. It was a great experience and did save us LOTS OF CASH, but the time it took is the worst part!!

You really have to COMMIT to getting it all done in a reasonable amount of time, or your place will just be in shambles for months! Trust me...I knew people who started a renovation project & NEVER finished it! Anyway, on her blog Tanya gives us a glimpse of what it's like outside of the glossy world of magazines!

Thanks Tanya!

-images via dans le townhouse

Hello , I'm doing ok

I am not doing well, BUT I am not worse. Just no progress on the three original tumors. They are not going away. 6 weeks and another MRI.

In mid April I get my 6 month Pet/CT...a mile stone ..I was going every 3 months

for 3 years as I was stage 4 and had it in my body.. The chemo and radiation

took care of the body.. but chemo doesn't work on the brain. Radiation does.

I have skin issues.. colon issues.. no energy.. don't feel like eating. I sleep late in the day and then can't sleep at night.

I have head aches.. my body hurts and can't wait to get out for walks. Any time

it is decent I'm going to take a fresh air walk.. I can't go alone ...but I can go with

any one who will keep an eye on me.

Rich loves to walk too. so it works

I have not driven for a year. It's ok..but sometimes I'd love the freedom

I still rely on friends for rides...for fun .....and for doc appts.

I will go back to FB soon ..but I try to post on my blog if there is news.

Facebook always seems to have issues that I don't feel

comfortable .

It's sunny today and a decent temp

A New Creation .....

Hi Girls..

How are you today? Have you had a good week?

My week has been pretty good for the most part. Not much is going on here in my little world so there hasn't been much to blog about this week.

I'm sure you're all tired of hearing all of us upper Midwest folk complain about the winter weather so I won't complain about it here today. Instead, I'm showing off another one of my crafty creations that I made last weekend when I was snowed in during one of those dreadful Minnesota snow storms.

This project is very similar to ones I've shown before, but this time, I changed my color scheme up a bit, moving from the more muted pastel colors I used in my previous patchwork creations to a bolder color combination of reds, deep pinks, darker greens and beige.

Adding special little touches here and there with some laced edged paper scraps ..

And of course a button or two...

A simple and fun little project that anyone can do...

I'm going to keep on creating these cute little wall hangings until I run out of my chipboard pieces, then I will have to move on and find something new to make. My list of things I want to try and make just keeps on growing thanks to all the wonderful ideas I see when I am out and about here in Blogland so the possibilities of what I will come up with next is endless.

Thank you Blogland for helping me get my creative juices flowing...

News! ...(Via Made by Girl)

I've been getting emails about my painting ever since I posted photos of my new home office! For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (I mentioned it there) I will in fact be selling some of my paintings, new & old in the new shop! The shop will launch sometime in the next month or two (I hope) & I'll be calling it Cocoa & Hearts.

There you'll be able to purchase my original artwork. I'm really looking forward to it!

So, there you go.....you heard it here first.

-image by jen ramos

Jen & Amanda's Home tour...(Via Made By Girl)

This Friday I'm sharing with you a peek into 2 different homes! I've gotten lots of emails expressing how much you guys are enjoying this series. Even though it may not last longer than a few more weeks, I'll still have some home tours in between my posts!

The first peek is into a bathroom renovation that feels more like a SPA for Jennifer, a reader who hired interior designer, Shannon Boehme to make her DREAM bathroom come true!

I REALLY loved this idea of putting a COFFEE MAKER in the bathroom! In this particular bathroom it works well because it's so SPACIOUS. You can brew tea or coffee, it's ideal and makes a spa-like IMPRESSION!

The next home comes to Made by Girl from Amanda Bowe, she blogs over at a VERY DIY blog called Our Humble ABowed, which I love to check out every now & then!

images via our humble abowed

Elizabeth Sullivan's Home Tour...(Via Made By Girl)

Remember when I posted about Interior Designer Elizabeth Sullivan? She's the designer who put together this SUPER CUTE nursery here. Well, she was also kind enough to share her home with Made By Girl! I've fallen in love with her bedroom as well as the ARTWORK in her living room! Talk about bringing some color to a space RIGHT?!

Did you spot something in her home that you really like? What's your favorite?

I love when I feel inspired by others...it puts me in the mood to decorate my own home and think of ways to add some interest. Say hello to Elizabeth by heading over to her blog, Modern 24/7. Thanks Elizabeth!

images by elizabeth sullivan

Me = Crazy About Ceramics...(Via Made By Girl)

I SERIOUSLY l-o-v-e ceramics in a home. I recently bought a Tibor, which is a ginger jar here in the US but a classic decor piece in Mexico. I haven't decided where to place mine, but for now I'm keeping it on the bookshelf in my office. What do you think?!?

I purchased this HANDMADE piece via Emilia Ceramics. They actually sell an extensive ceramic collection (all handmade) and this particular one also comes in a blue & white ZIG ZAG as a a lamp base!

I can't wait to fill this GORGEOUS jar with a bouquet of FRESH FLOWERS one of these days!

Another ceramics shop I wanted to share with you was Jill Rosenwald. This shop has a ton of ceramics, from vases to cute little ICE CREAM bowls!

Imagine showing off this ice cream bowl at a dinner party?!? I'm sure it would get all the attention! These are also all handmade pieces as well, which I love!

-images by jill rosenwald

-top image by jen

-2nd image via emilia ceramics

Erika's Home & Nursery Tour...(Via Made By Girl)

Erika Bretchel runs Small Shop, a brand styling studio that creates logos, print, packaging & WEB DESIGN for anyone interested in taking their business to the next level! She also runs a blog & is co-owner of Wardrobe Stationery. She seems to do it all & I truly admire her for that.

So, when Erika decided to share her home with Made By Girl, I was ecstatic. She told me she had more to share & will eventually get back to me with the rest of the pictures. But for now, here are little pieces of her home.

above: after spotting these BLACK LAMP SHADES from Shades of Light on Erika's blog, I bought a pair for my own home! Erika actually purchased the Hollywood Regency bases on Ebay, and painted them white! This is what they looked like BEFORE.

below: The cool python tray can be found at Furbish Studio. I've been contemplating getting one since last year but haven't bought it! Anyone else have a python tray?

And if her home wasn't chic enough?? Her daughter's room is just as pretty & stylish! I'm so INSPIRED by her place all together. Note to myself: must put in inspiration folder!