Finally...I'm getting away!

It will only be for about 3 days, but believe me when I say they are a much needed 3 days from reality.  What is on the agenda you ask?  Not much...

Just the spectacular Los Angeles County Fair, which is one of the biggest in the world!!  Pardon my excitement but I haven't done much of anything for the past six months.  Don't worry, I'll be sure to take tons of pictures and eat so much food that I'll have to be carted around in a wheel barrow.  I haven't been there since I was a teenager and my kids have never been, so I'm sure it will be a hoot.

Then it's off to San Pedro, CA which is adjacent to Long Beach, CA.  A friend is having a car show and while my husband is drooling over old rods,  I'll be off snapping pictures and browsing the little shops.  Hopefully the weather permits pictures such as these...

All of these were taken in San Pedro, CA.  

I'll be seeing you all real soon with pictures in tow!

Halloween ideas!

Ok so I can't take credit for these great ideas but I can most certainly use them and put my own twist on it.  So because Halloween is just around the corner and party planning may be in the works, I want to incorporate some shabbiness with a little touch of spook.

Aren't they cute?  The holes are made with drills and I'm sure that the flowers can be picked up at any market.  The full tutorial can be found here at Crafty Nest.

Then there is this idea of hanging little lanterns on a railing and I'm telling you that this on my front porch rail would be the cutest!

The tutorial can also be found here.

Then I found this free download for a "save the date" invite.

You can find that at Living Locurto.  She actually used an image from Graphics Fairy.  

I just can't wait to get started!

I'm Guest Posting!

Nothing can contain me from the excitement I feel this morning!  I am doing my first ever guest post over at Freckled Laundry today!

Hop on over and give it a looky loo.  For those of you who haven't seen Jami's blog (which is highly unlikely) you'll be amazed on what this crafty little diva has served up.  I promise you won't be disappointed with her creations and in fact I can guarantee that she'll be one of your new favorites.  Thanks again Jami for featuring little ole' me!

Let the light shine right in...

Hello my lovely fellow bloggers! I know it has been quite a stretch since my last post. Just know that I thought about you all these past couple of weeks and I've missed surrounding myself with all of the beautiful images and inspiring words.

It has been tremendously HOT here in Las Vegas for autumn. Am I surprised? Not too much, but I do long for crispy weather and scarves. The upside to this weather is the bright sunny days. So I open my blinds and let the sunlight stream in. I know that far too soon I will be tired of dreary cloudy days so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Photos are courtesy of decor pad, weheartit.com, bh and g, design style guide, and 25 beautiful homes

Happy Monday to you all!

A message in the bottles...

What's not to love?

The light dances off of them in magical ways.

They are the perfect centerpiece...

Some are intricate...

Others resemble jugs...

There are bottles that add a little umph to your toiletries...

And there are those that just look cute on a night stand..

No need to wipe the vintage off, fill them with flowers and call it a day..

Or just fill them with your favorite beverage (like sweet tea) to add a little pizazz to your party!

There is no wrong way to use a glass bottle,
Add a message and toss it into the sea...

While on my thrift shopping sprees I came across these glass dreams...

I think they set me back a whole $3.

Some more that I found, with the added bonus of a vintage flour sifter.

You may be wondering what the Lewis and Clark box is underneath...It's full of Cast Iron Skillets.  I can't wait to put them babies to use.
Thanks for reading my ode to bottles and jars!
Until next time...

Happy Monday to you all!

Photos are courtesy of Graham and Green, Summers at the Cottage, remodelista, Canadian House and Home, and Country Living.

Home sick for Santa Barbara...

This morning I woke up to a complete feeling of being homesick.  I started browsing real estate on my phone wondering what it would be like to move back.  I miss the ocean.  I miss the flowers.  I miss the lush green landscaping.

As I continued this search through online mags I found the epitome of Santa Barbara living.  Even though I'm exaggerating a bit you'll see what I mean.  I found this treasure at House Beautiful.

This home tour and interview was done by Mimi Read.  She toured the stylish and beautiful home of Penelope Bianchi.

That garden and table remind me of the tea party scene from Alice and Wonderland.  It's simply gorgeous.

Then she was asked this question:

What do you love best about your home?
"The landscaping. Every single thing we planted to attract wildlife. We have all kinds of animals coming around — raccoons, bobcats, coyotes, rabbits. And boy, do we have birds. When the woman who wrote The Birds of Santa Barbara was here for a nature benefit, she counted 78 species in two hours. I've counted 130 species by their sounds. I got this new iPhone app about bird-watching, and an oriole landed on my hat as I was playing its song."

Imagine?  I can.  I remember feeding raccoons who used to come to the sprinklers on my front porch.

Then while on my search on Realtor.com I came across this little 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bath gem located in the splendidly named "Riviera" of Santa Barbara.  This treasure trove can belong to you for the bargain price of 3.5 Million dollars.  Not bad eh?  haha.  It's just a little out of my price range.

  Photos are courtesy of House Beautiful and Realtor.com

So much for reminiscing...Now off to clean my house and car.  Enjoy your Sunday my oh so lovely bloggers.