Archive - July, 2010

Honor Roll

July
23 36
comments

Sometimes I come across something so cute/sweet/charming/funny/pretty/inspiring/lovely that I just want to share it with you. These are the things that have made my honor roll.
oh deer

link    Honor Roll  •  36 Comments  •  July 23, 2010

Twitter Chat with John Gidding, and a HUGE Giveaway!

July
22 1,570
comments

You remember the lovely bedroom redesign that I did with the help of Membership Reward Points from American Express, yes? Well now I am working with them again to host a Twitter Chat with HGTV designer John Gidding. John will be giving tons of advice next Thursday on how to decorate and find creative ways to stretch your budget — just like I did using my points.

John and I will be on Twitter for one hour on Thursday, July 29 at 8:30p.m. EST/ 5:30 p.m. PST (search #AmexHome). John will be answering your home design questions about anything from creating amazing guest spaces to choosing the right colors for your home. He’ll also have plenty of inexpensive ways to get your home ready for sale and ideas for upgrading rooms on a tight budget.

Now, you may have noticed the whole HUGE giveaway thing we’ve got going on here…

How do you enter to win?

Comment on this post with your questions for John and we’ll discuss some of them during our Twitter Chat. By leaving a comment, you’ll be entered to win items like a KitchenAid mixer, a Bissell vacuum, or a set of Cuisinart cookware (all of which can be bought with Membership Rewards points). There will be ten winners in this giveaway! Here are the prizes:

  1. Cuisinart® 10-Piece Commercial Cookware Set
  2. Cuisinart GR-4N Griddler
  3. Krups FBC2 6-slice Convection Toaster Oven
  4. All-Clad 6.5 Quart Stainless Slow Cooker with Ceramic Insert
  5. KitchenAid Stand Mixer with Attachment Pack ( Empire Red)
  6. Wusthof Classic 8-Piece Block Set
  7. Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Upright Vacuum Cleaner
  8. DeLonghi Esclusivo Magnifica Super Automatic Machine
  9. Viking® Professional Digital Hand Mixer
  10. Le Creuset® 7.25 Quart Round French Oven


(All of these items are available on membershiprewards.com.)

This giveaway is open to US residents only, one entry per person. Ten winners will be randomly chosen on July 30 to win one prize each. International readers are welcome to participate in the Twitter Chat and submit questions, but are not eligible to win. Remember you can ask anything about design and home improvements — this is a fun chance to get advice from an HGTV designer!

I know many of you are following me on Twitter @makingitlovely, but you can also follow John @JohnGidding. If you want to get some ideas for home improvement immediately, go to membershiprewards.com/home. And be sure to follow along to #AmexHome with John and I on Twitter next Thursday.

* Update *
Thanks for joining us for the Twitter chat, everybody! Comments (and therefore entries) are now closed. Congratulations to the ten winners: Aimee (aimeeroo), Mim (mimsfam), LeeAnn (leeannhuber), Sara (naturemurph), Sarah (Sarahquail110), Cara, (cara.andersen), Suzy (sayitaintsuzy), Sarah (Pooglit), Devon (devon.cook), and Kc (kcerveny).

link    'F' for Freebies  •  1,570 Comments  •  July 22, 2010

My Organized Office Closet

July
21 53
comments

Organizing the catch-all closet in my office was one of the tasks on my 30 Before Thirty list (item number 12).

It’s hard to tell, but one of those bookshelves was already there along the back of the closet. I put it against the right side instead and brought up one more from the basement. All of my copies of Lucky and Blueprint (along with a few other magazines and catalogs) fit along one shelf.

Office Closet Organization

Winter gloves, hats, and scarves are in the pink box on top of the bookshelf. There are also hooks above the shelves to hang a few things.

Office Closet Organization

I gathered my many IKEA shopping bags into one big bag (the red one), and corralled the rolls of vintage wallpaper into a big plastic container. The green and white bag holds some random decorative knickknacks.

Office Closet Organization

The coats are still hung along the left wall, along with my wedding dress at the back.

Office Closet Organization

The end result isn’t as pretty as my bedroom closet, but it’s so much better than it was. I didn’t spend any money either, though I would have liked to have all new, coordinating storage boxes. Some day I do plan to replace that bare light bulb, but that can wait for now.

Office Closet Organization

Have you tackled any similar projects lately (or are you going to now)? It’s not fun while you’re in the middle of working, but it’s so nice when you’re done!

link    Office, Organization  •  53 Comments  •  July 21, 2010

My Little Trained Seal

July
20 50
comments

Eleanor can sit on a ball. She is very proud of this (as are we). She can then multi-task and play some Yo Gabba Gabba tunes. Is she a genius or what?

Cool tricks, cool tricks!

This is an improved technique for her, by the way. Last week she was setting the ball down and then doing a whirl around hopefully-my-butt-will-land-on-the-ball move.

link    Parenting  •  50 Comments  •  July 20, 2010

General’s Jacket

July
20 29
comments

Meet my new clothing love. It’s a cardigan made to look like a marching band jacket, and I want it very badly. It’s perfect because as much as Stacy and Clinton tell me that jackets are a woman’s best friend, I can’t pull them off. Cardigans however, I can do.

Have any of you seen this yet in the store? Customer service is lacking at the Macy’s near me, and nobody even answers the phone in the clothing department (I was actually told “yeah, they’re not going to pick up over there, try calling another day”).

found via Better Homes and Gardens, August 2010

link    Style  •  29 Comments  •  July 20, 2010

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