strawberry picking

We spent the morning out in the warm sunshine picking delicious strawberries!

There's just something about kids in a strawberry field that makes me smile.

Happy Summer to all of you!

a touch of blue

When we moved into our little house 2 years ago, I was so thankful that the previous owner had exposed and refinished the hardwood floors and chose great colors to paint the walls. I fell in love with the green walls in the kitchen...perfect for bright red accents! The living room walls are a pale yellow, which I don't mind, but with our stuff in the room, it just wasn't doing anything for me. I had this idea of removing most of my neutral tones and adding little touches of blue around the room. I had a few things around the house that I brought together--a blue throw, bird eggs, old blue books, and a great poster of the Puget Sound. I really like how it turned out!

I got this 5' x 8' rug on clearance at Pottery Barn a few years ago. It contains so many colors and serves as a great palette. I'm glad I was able to use what I already had to do this little make-over.

This was my friend, Emily's idea. We found this map of the Puget Sound awhile back in a little town called La Conner. She has one just like it that her dad cut into pieces and backed with foam board. I thought this was a great idea! However, when I got it home, it was much too long to fit above my mantel and I didn't have any spare walls besides. I tucked it away for future use.

The other night, I wondered if the map would fit above the fireplace if I trimmed off the top and bottom edges...it did! I backed it with foam board and, instead of fastening it to the wall, I just leaned it up against the wall.

Here are a few things I gathered from around the house.

I love walking into my living room now. It feels so bright, so fresh!

have a sweet saturday

jar full of sprinkes

Doesn't this make you happy? I was so excited to use one of my new Farm Chicks tags to label my jar of rainbow sprinkles!

the farm chicks show

My sweet friend, Andi, and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at The Farm Chicks Show today. Talk about sensory overload! It took me about 30 minutes to calm down after we walked through the doors.

Everything and anything a vintage girl could ever want was right there before my eyes. We had such a great day. We were so glad to be able to meet Courtney from A Cottage Family!

I will have to say that both Andi and I showed great restraint, and after about 3 1/2 hours of walking around, I had only purchased a belt for $10 (I've been looking for a nice, inexpensive cowgirl-looking belt for about 6 years now), and she had purchased a little type letter. I went looking for very specific things...a red metal tray (nope, didn't find one), vintage pillowcases to make this shirt, and something from The Farm Chicks' area for some kind of souvenir. So, here's what I bought...

these great pillowcases for the shirt I'd like to make,

Farm Chicks tags to label kitchen jars,

a Farm Chicks shirt--I took this picture for my mom :)
If you look closely, you can see my $10 belt.

And here's one more thing I found...a great pair of cowgirl boots! I had to say goodbye to my old boots after I had my twins (my feet grew just a tad). I've been looking for a pair to replace them. I didn't expect to find a pair there at the show today. They're used, but the price was right!