My Mom!
Hey all, just wanted to let you all know that my mom has started a blog called The Happiest Family On The Block.
My mom is an amazing woman who not only raised 6 of us kids but is also extremely talented. She has decorated cakes for many weddings, done flowers for many, many weddings, done craft shows, sells thousands of books online, is a doula (was there for the birth of both my boys) and most of all a wonderful grandma to her 13 grandchildren.
My mom and dad have been married for almost 40 years and they are an inspiration to me, knowing the things they have gone through yet are still together and most of all, still love each other.

So, after all that, be sure to check out her blog as she shares some of the secrets they have used over the years in raising us all. If you're a new mother or about to be one then be sure to read some of her posts on after you bring the baby home. She was great to have around after the birth of my kids. I had no clue what to do when my oldest had his first gas bubble!



I know you'll find some useful tips there!

I'm late I know. These have been around for many a day, but I just discovered them. So for all of you other late people, let me show the greatness of distressing inks by Tim Holtz.


This plain little tag was turned into my own little tag of joy with a few simple stamps and inking.


Unfortunately I own very few stamps, so my joy is pretty limited at this time ;-)


You can lightly "stamp" over the background, then get it wet to give the ink a whole new look.


Not a fan of this one, but as you can see, the possibilities are endless.


This is everything I used to make the above pictured items. All was either purchased at Hobby Lobby or homemade. That little box on the left has these little pads that fit on your fingers that you can use to soak up some ink then blot it where you want.
There are so many other colors of ink and they are actually quite affordable. I purchased these two ink pads at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 each, granted that was half off but if you have a Hobby Lobby in your area then you know they regularly put items half of. You can also purchase them on Hobby Lobby's website as well as Ebay and other craft stores.
If you use them too then let me know what you do with them or even link up here. I would love to see what you can do with Ink!! Take my button with you to let everyone know where you are Distressing Out!

First of all, I have been having countless problems with blogger of late, so that is my first excuse....

Now,I apologize heartily for being so sporadic these days. I have been running around doing waaaay too many projects for which I am apologizing and enjoying the new warm weather for which I do not apologize at all! Spring has arrived in Texas and I am very thankful.

I am working on a new line of art for... something (shhh, I can't say yet) and decided to make one for myself.

In real life you can't tell that the "sea" is crooked.


In real life it makes me happy each time I see it on the wall.


In picture life it doesn't meet all my expectations, so I shall go gaze at it in real life again...

Hope your week is starting off jollier than ever!


I just had to link up to....

I hardly want to share this beautiful little (huge) giveaway because I would love to be the lucky winner, but.... How would you like to own something like this?

You can have a chance over at Dreamy Whites! Make sure you read the whole post to see the very cool book and talented lady that the duvet is actually from.
Good luck, but not too much ;-)

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Thank you to The Floppy Cow, Tailored Trash and Fern Creek Cottage for linking up last week! I know that eventually I'll have more linkers than fingers and toes, but right now it's kinda fun to be able to get to list each sweet one. So Thank You again!

As promised last week, I said that I would pick a favorite and feature their project. This was pretty hard to do since there were only three and they all had terrific projects. But..... In true spirit of what We Can Do It Cheaper is all about, Anita over at The Floppy Cow (great name!) took an idea from Pottery Barn and did it cheaper!


I love that she wasn't afraid to go for this. I myself would not attempt to do all those different styles of writing since it would end up looking like chicken scratch!
Congratulations Tina for doing such a great job!!

So now it's your turn! Link up your We Can Do It Cheaper project and show us your talent.

1. Make sure you only link the address to your project and not your blog so we can all find it.

2.Grab that little button from the top of this post to take with and let everyone know that You Can Do It Cheaper too!!
I'll be back next week with my own project again so be sure to keep coming back!

I have so much to do today that I thought I would just leave you with a pretty picture of tulips in Holland. Can you even imagine?

I'll be back tomorrow with We Can Do It Cheaper, so get your links ready!!!
Have a Great day!

My youngest son is 1 and growing so fast! I wanted his room to be bright and still have touches of baby. I am far from done, but I threw some stuff into the room and this is what came out....












Hope you enjoyed a sneak peak into the "baby" room.

A friend of mine was recently asking me about what to put on her new table and if I had any pictures. Do I have pictures? YES I have pictures!
So check out some of these different ideas for how to dress your table to look its best.

I am a complete sucker for Hydrangeas. Ahhhhh.... Obviously I'm not the only one. In all the pictures I looked at Hydrangeas were the number one choice for table dressing.

traditional dining room design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

So much of it depends on the style of your room as well as the shape of your table. The length of this table as well as the style of the light fixture almost demand that you have something lengthy on it as well.

traditional dining room design by san francisco interior designer Nicole Hollis

Simple glass jars filled with with stems of fresh flowers is the perfect adornment for this chippy farm table.

eclectic dining room design

This long vase with flowers is simple, yet classic for this table.

traditional dining room design by san francisco architect Thomas Saxby Architect

Sometimes mixing it up works great, as you can see in this eclectic room.

eclectic dining room design by los angeles interior designer Fluegge Interior Design, Inc.

Want a more formal look? This candelabra makes a statement in the room.

traditional dining room design by los angeles interior designer Brooke Giannetti

It grabbed my attention with it's simple accessories. I absolutely adore the little footed pewter bowl!

asian dining room design by tel aviv interior designer NURIT GEFFEN-BATIM STUDIO

Layla, from The Lettered Cottage knows how to dress a table perfectly as shown here and the next picture.

traditional dining room design

traditional dining room design

Take elements from this adorable little room and create a beautiful dining area that comes across so cozy and bright.


As you can see, fresh flowers are always a good choice!

contemporary dining room design by san francisco interior designer Amoroso Design

The great thing about dressing the table is that it's so easy and fun to change out! You can easily welcome the season with just a few changes to your table scape.

So tell me what's on your table? Can you guess what's on mine? I'll give you a hint, it starts with an "h"!

You want to get your chance to win some beautiful pillow covers and cute little clay tags?! Of course you do!
Run on over to Marley & Lockyer and leave a comment to get your name in there. Become a follower to while you're at it, you don't want to miss out on any of her great creations!

Good luck!