Signing back in after so long a time..... and LILLA ROSE!

Hello long, lost friends!

Wow, it has been so long since I last updated....  First off, I couldn't remember how to get into my blog, so I just ignored it!  =)  Yeah, that's a really grand idea, right??  Anyway, to catch you all up a tiny bit, my darling daughter that was in the last post is now almost TWO and is walking and about talking and has a head full of sweet ringlets!

 Isn't she the sweetest thing ever!? =)

So..... anyway.... since I did finally figure out how to get back into posting on this blog (after trying 3 different email addresses!  Yeah, I know too many right - tell you a secret, lets just say that's not all of them!) I wanted to let you all know about my newest venture!!  I'm so excited about it......

So, DRUMROLL......

I'm now a Lilla Rose Independent Consultant!

Never heard of Lilla Rose?  I hadn't either until not long ago.....  I bought a Flexi Clip and the rest is history.  They are so easy, pretty and durable - AND there is a size for EVERYONE!!  What more do you need?  They are made very well - no more broken plastic jaw clips or pulled out hair from elastic hairbands!  Also, it's all one piece - so you never lose the pin!

And they don't just have Flexi Clips!  They also have beautiful adjustable Hair Bands, Hair Sticks, Bobby Pins, You-Pins (long pins to make pretty buns!), Flexi Oh! (which are a two sided flexible hairband) and Badge Clips.

Perfect gifts for the hard-to-find-something-for person!!!

Stop by & take a look around at:  sweetwillowstyle.com to see it all!

Here are some gorgeous hairstyles you can do with them!

 They even make really cool scarf clips if you want to wear them that way!

If you are afraid to order because you don't know what size you might need here is a sizing chart and their exchange/refund policy is awesome too!!

~ A Sweet New Addition ~

~ KARISSA ELISE ~

joined our little family on:

January 5th, 2012

11:51 am
7 pounds
20 inches long

And she is sssssoooooooo SWEET!! =)

~ photo courtesy of Farmsoft Studios

~ White Flower Farmhouse Giveaway ~

Check out this neat blog for a great giveaway!

~ Cabinet Love ~

Wow... It's been so long since I have posted a makeover.... This one was in the works for so long and it's been done for quite some time, too.... just never got around 'til now to post it! =)
And so I decided to just post and join in at Miss Mustard Seed's "Copy Me Challenge"...!

The before:

The finish on top was in sad shape...

The after:

The stained top was directly inspired by her as I've never stained anything before, but I loved that look whenever she did anything like it!

LOVE it now!
(I still might distress it up a bit, but I just haven't gotten around to doing that yet! =) ...and may or may not!)

Thanks for stopping by and looking! Hope you enjoyed it!

~ Happy New Year! ~

2011

May 2011 be a year of new joys, delights and triumphs in Jesus!! Blessings everyone!

(I wanted to be able to write 1-1-11! I think that's cool! =)

~ Sparkles of JOY ~

Welcome and warm winter wishes!!!

Hope you enjoyed your peek at my winter mantel-scape!
I can't wait to enjoy the flames of HOPE and sparkles of JOY all winter! =)

Joining in the party over at The Lettered Cottage!

~ Long Time, No See ~

Wow, I'm sure all my dear readers thought I had surely forsaken this blog forever! To tell the truth, I have not really been in the mood to blog since I moved! But I thought I'd update with a FEW pictures that are already outdated.... as these were taken within the two weeks we moved in. I'd take some right now, but I am without a camera. =(

Living room (now has 'drop cloth' curtains =)

Living room again (with winter decor still up and that is changed a couple times since!)

Master bedroom (now has curtains and picures)

(and books on the shelves...)

And the totally remodeled bath that you can't see much in! (the sink wasn't in yet so that's why I didn't get a pic of it)

We still have a lot to go.... we actually did end up ripping the whole kitchen out, so that still doesn't have much for cabinets (I'm using my china cabinet and a buffet from my mother-in-law for cupboards =) But I do have a sink and dishwasher at least!! =)

And instead of the huge laundry room, we opted for a smaller one and put in a master bath!! LOVE IT!

And I've not done anything in my son's bedroom yet (no closet, as it was ripped out to make the bathroom bigger since it was hardly usable as it was {how would you like a 14in- yes I said 14 INCH- deep closet that you couldn't put a hanger in straight anyway??}), so there is still a pile of boxes in the corner!

The third bedroom - don't even ask..... it's the big, messy extra storage and tool 'closet' right now!

My parents think we did about a year's worth of remodeling in two months.... =) (I grew up in a house that is still needing to be finished 15 years later, but it was a lot bigger and in lots worse shape than this one!) We worked many long afternoons and terribly late nights, plus my hubby still had to run his business on top of that! He's so glad we're moved and we love it here! =)

Well, thanks for still checking in on me! Hope you enjoyed the mini tour and difference from what it was!!

~ Just Stopping in ~

Just saw this at the Nester's Place and had to have a little fun! =)

~ Sorry for the Silence ~

But we bought a house! And the remodel crunch is on...... So... silence is golden! (If it is, maybe it will help fund the project?? I wish!!)

Here are some pictures!

Just imagine the possibilities.....

......I can, and I can't wait to get them implemented!!! (though some of them may be years before they can be afforded and done!! =)

But for now - just enjoy the 'potential'! =)

the back

living room

living room

the kitchen (it's not in the budget right now, so everything is just going to get a coat of paint!)

dining room

dining room looking into the living room

LOVELY bathroom! it's t.o.t.a.l.l.y. gutted already and we've just owned it a week =) It's now bigger and the layout is going to change slightly...

love the blue tile board... not.

and how the shower is right up in the window.... =)
You will not even recognize it when we're done!Built in dresser/desk/dresser came right out....looking out from the same bedroom at the living room and the other room will be our mudroom/laundry/storage/maybe sewing & computer room too, if we can fit it all in! =) The washer and dryer needs to come out of the already small 'dining room'! (who would put it in there anyway?!?)

There are two more bedrooms that I didn't show pics of, because they are just, empty bedrooms with the same dark trim!

We will be moving closets around (making some bigger ones!) closing up a couple doors, ripping up carpet & putting down new, painting, sanding the living room floor since it is hardwood under there and all the other things that come with remodeling. Fun! =) Want to come help!?

See you around! =)

~ My Cherry Wood Boudoir ~

Our room used to be my son's room and before that it used to be my hubby's home office! So here is the before picture of the office:
Typical, home office and I had some of my sewing stuff and a desk in there too.... Now it looks like this:
I love my romantic room... not too simple and stark, but not too overly done up. The cherry 4 poster bed was a 1st anniversary gift from my sweet hubby - I'd always wanted one and he made my wish come true (that was actually the first piece of furniture we ever bought since we'd been married, we already had or were given everything else we needed!) About five months ago I switched out our son's room to ours (when my hubby moved his office out we just put the baby stuff in there, but then after a year or so, I decided I wanted a change and the bigger room! =) So for something different than in our other room, I decided to put up a little canopy for a more romantic feeling. I used everything I already had, so it cost me nothing! Just some left over tulle from our wedding tacked to the ceiling and a sweet, little heart pinned up in the front middle. Tied to the posts with more strips of tulle and.... wah la!

Sheer elegance in an instant! =)

And since the above pictures were taken, I got a pillow that I was wanting for a while, so it has replaced the burgundy heart pillow on the bed and changed to this:

Ah... gotta love it.And from the other direction...

And for a pretty, quick, inexpensive, DIY project (you can see mine in the above picture, on the shelf):

All you need are some goblet(s) (I got mine for 25 cents apiece at Goodwill! =) and tealights of the same amount. Just set a tealight on top of an upside down goblet and you have a lovely candle holder! You can also add ribbons tied around the stem or little trinkets inside the glass ...Line them up in a row on a platter for a centerpiece or on a mantle, put ribbons and booties under the glass for a baby shower decoration, the list goes on.... The possibilities are limited only to your imagination.... Have fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And since I wrote this post quite awhile back, but never got it posted until I decided to have my home tour..... For winter and since I painted the living room and moved the quilt rack in there, got a new floor lamp (it was a set and the matching table ones are in the living room), redid the little chair for our room, flipped our quilt back over for the winter colors and found some beautiful, thrifted Battenburg lace curtains - it now looks like this! (If you can't you tell already, it never stays the same for long! =)

Now it's time for a cozy, warm nap!

Thanks for touring my Sweet Willow Cottage with me!!! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing!

Now since we'll be starting all over - stay tuned for the next 15 years!!!!!!!!!!! =)))

Blessings!