Nervous...fingers crossed! (and pics to come)

I have decided to make my very first QUILT! ok, so I did help my Mamaw do a little quilting when I was a kid but not a whole quilt. I am super nervous so I chose to make a rag quilt with flannel. Making it for my daughter so I hope it turns out cute. I can use any help I can get, so, if any seamstresses or quilters are reading this... tips and tricks of the trade are appreciated!!! :)

Also, did a little photo shoot with my sister-in-law and my soon to be born niece! (maternity pics) we had done some at the beach a month or so ago so we finished up today. After I get them edited I will post a few. 

Hoping everyone has a GREAT weekend!!!

Finally Friday (fill in the blank)

play along   

 

1.   I am a (morning, evening, middle of the day person)      If it's a Dr. visit, morning-- creative time usually hits me at night-- shopping time ANYTIME baby! :)

2.  My favorite Pandora stations are    all over the place-- Violent Femmes, 80's hair bands, the Cure, Adele, Coldplay, Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Willie Nelson, David Allen Coe, Muse, J Lo, (sadly Pandora does not have Morning wood, Paris (ooh la la) or big big bang (mob wives theme) Rocking out to those in my head alot-- wait did I just admit that???

3.  3 of my "must-have" songs for a road trip playlist are     David Allen Coe (you don't have to call me darlin') we always end up listening to that! Adele (rolling in the deep) My 6 year old and I belt this one out. Coldplay (Yellow) It just melts my heart :) 

4.  My favorite pattern is   Lately-- DAMASK, DAMASK and more DAMASK! and anything Suzani or bohemian print :))

5.  My favorite perfume is     Clinique Happy Heart! but I love anything really girlie

6.  Rules are      there for a reason! Pay attention pah-lease!(in the voice of Danielle from NJ Housewives via the table flip dinner) ha ha! meant to be followed until you absolutely have to break them, it is up to you to decide when and suffer the consequences of such actions! (yes I am a Mommy)

7.  My most overused phrase or punctuation is       "Do you know what I mean? I mean, really, do you understand what I am saying?"  and I way overuse ??? and ......

 

For the love of PEACOCKS!!!

Oh, how I would love to own this little jewel. Well, not so little... and jewel? In fact, yes, because it costs more than any piece of jewelry I own! The side view is awesome as well. See it here.  I happen to have a soft little place in my heart for peacocks, probably something from my childhood I am sure. I have dedicated the decoration of my foyer to the proud bird. They are quite sassy! I will post pics of my transformed bungalow once it is completed. And honestly are lovers of interior decorating ever "finished"?  There is always room for a little something special. :)

Color Confusion??

We all have color confusion from time to time. Does this go with that? Is this color too cold? Well, I came across a webpage that is really helpful for when you need that little reminder of your color wheel. HERE
  This is a copy written page that I am in no way affiliated with. If this page needs to be removed please let me know.

Fleur de lis

 

 

 

Word Origin & History

fleur-de-lis

also fleur de lis , mid-14c., from O.Fr., lit. "flower of the lily," especially borne as a heraldic device on the royal arms of France. Perhaps originally representing an iris, or the head of a scepter, or a weapon of some sort.

source-- dictionary.com 

 

The fleur de lis is everywhere these days. It is used on many home decor items (especially iron work), paintings, t-shirts and other apparel and of course the New Orleans Saints football team.  So, of course I wanted to find out exactly where this symbol originated.

Not surprisingly finding out that it originated in France, but surprisingly that it was used on the French royal family's coat of arms. Just knowing that each time I see this symbol it is significant of the French royal family will remind me of how important history is in our everyday lives. I am sure there will people who will still see the fleur de lis and think... New Orleans Saints...my favorite iron piece in my house...that t-shirt with that funny quote on the back, or whatever the fluer de lis brings to your mind. I will think, I wonder if my ancestry dates back to the French royal family. Always a dreamer :)   

Just a thought....

Some people say they are optimists (glass half full) Some people say they are pessimists (glass half empty) I say, "Fill the glass up and stop worrying about it! Cheers!" 

:)

Photography (one of my hobbies)

As the rain falls and the thunder claps, the temperature is finally cooling off- a little. A thought crossed my mind of just how much my flowers need this good drenching rain shower. Hopefully prompting them to spring forth with many more blooms to bring happiness to my sweet little girl who adores them. One afternoon while we were getting ready to leave our house, she and I were in the front close to our neighbors house and she fell in love with one of my neighbors flowers. I have tried to tell her to not pick other people's flowers and apparently she finally understands. Instead of asking could she pick it, she asked if I would take a photo of the flower so she could look at it. So, I did, of course. 

I gave a copy to my neighbor who is always working on her flowers and grass. She was delighted and seemed very appreciative that I took time to enjoy her flowers. A simple request, a simple task, a simple effort all brought a nice smile and feeling of appreciation to both of us. So, take time to smell the roses and take a photo to share! :)

Modern Interior decor vs Contemporary Interior decor

Often these terms are used together or interchanged. However, they are not the same thing. Depending on whom you are speaking to, if you ask a piece of furniture that is Modern and then ask that same person for a piece of furniture that is contemporary you could get very different pieces of furniture. Some will use these terms interchangeably due to one common thread in these two designs- clean lines and uncluttered look. You will not see lots of accessories in either style. They are both minimalistic designs. However, Modern normally refers to a certain period of time back to the end of the 19th century. At this time (in terms of interior design) people adopted the look of minimalism and clean lines instead of more ornate styles such as Victorian where you would fine lots of carved detail, fussy prints, lace and color. 

Contemporary would normally be used to describe "new".  Not to say that it would not be reflective of Modern design but new. Contemporary also would most likely use more colors in a warmer way as Modern would feel colder. 

Example of Modern decor

Example of Contemporary decor

Funny smell in HE washing machine???

Apparently this is a common problem. Many people have brought this up. After googling the remedies I decided to try the one that seemed to work the best for most commenters. Good old fashioned bleach. After reading many posts on different sites it seems that this even worked better than the Tide HE machine cleaner.  In the manual for my HE machine it advised to clean out the "trap" one a month. Which I have done. The last time it was cleaned it did have an unpleasant odor. After the cleaning I have not noticed any other odors. I decided to use the bleach method as a preventative measure. I ran a cycle of just bleach, not clothing, on HOT. This is supposed to clean out and disinfect all parts of the machine that may get water mildew. I also read that white vinegar is a good method to try. 

TIPS FOR HE WASHING MACHINE MAINTENANCE:

• only use detergent recommended for HE machines
• clean the trap at least one a month
• bleach, vinegar, or tide HE machine clean the HE machine once a month
• If there is a noticeable amount of water in the machine after your wash is finished, leave the door open to allow the water to dry and not mildew inside the machine

Matelassé Bedspreads

matelassé

an embossed, compound fabric woven on a dobby or Jacquard loom.

(from French matelasser to quilt, from matelas mattress) 

To hear the correct pronunciation click the megaphone icon on this page.

Odds are you have seen these quite often but may not have known exactly what they were called. I recently purchased one for my king size bed and am very pleased with it. I did not want a big down comforter although there is nothing at all wrong with them. I just wanted something a little lighter. Also, I wanted all one color so that I could add the accent colors with the pillows and throw or blanket and change it as often as I would like. I have to say that I have fairly deep mattresses on the bed and although the bedspread that I purchased does not touch the floor (as one would think a traditional bedspread would) it does hang down to the middle of my wooden side rails which is perfect to me. I have always found it difficult to find a comforter, bed topper, bedspread or anything really that was long enough for my bed. I am not fond of bed skirts. Mostly because I have kids that like to step on the wooden side rails to get into the bed and they usually end up tearing the bed skirts so, why spend money on something that is going to get torn up. 

There seem to be differently qualities and weights of these types of bedspreads. I am sure the more you spend the better quality you get. However, as I am a believer in reading customer comments, I saw on both of the ones I was comparing while deliberating over my purchase I saw that both the less expensive and the more expensive (by 3 times as much) both had reviews that they do shrink after being washed and dried. My thoughts were, get the cheaper one, If it shrinks use it as a blanket and buy another. If I got the more expensive and it shrank I would feel like I wasted a huge chunk of money. I do not like wasting money!! 

Here are a few examples of this type of bedspread:

 
The above images show the bedspreads with the matching shams of the same color. I like the look of using the bedspread as one layer and adding to it another layer with a blanket or throw in a contrasting solid color or an interesting print. For the pillows, I prefer to use different fabrics and designs. Here a couple of photos that show the use of the bedspread as a complementary layer:

MY STRUGGLE!! I HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR OVER 2 MONTHS TO DECIDE ON A PAINT COLOR FOR MY FOYER, LIVING ROOM AND HALLWAY TO THE GUEST ROOMS. I CHOSE 2 COLORS IN THE GREEN FAMILY THAT ARE JUST NOT RIGHT. I WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM TAN BUT I REALLY HAVE NOT FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A COLOR, YET. NORMALLY WHEN I FIND A PAINT COLOR, I KNOW IMMEDIATELY THAT IT IS THE CORRECT COLOR. I HAVE BEHR TIBETIAN ORANGE IN MY KITCHEN, CRUSHED RED PEPPER IN MY DINING ROOM AND FOR MY FRENCH COUNTRY BATHROOM I HAVE PROVENCE CREME. I REALLY NEED HELP! PLEASE MESSAGE ME WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS. I HAVE MANY COLORS IN THESE SPACES- FOYER- DARK PURPLE, LIME GREEN, DARK PINK,  TURQUOISE, BLACK, DARK WOODEN FURNITURE AND IRON WORK. LIVING ROOM- CHOCOLATE LEATHER FURNITURE, DARK WOODEN FURNITURE, RED BRICK, WHITE TRIM, DARK IRON WORK, TURQUOISE, SWEET POTATO, DARK YELLOW, ORANGE, DARK GREEN, BLACK.