Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Tea Party Silliness


The kiddos are on spring break this week and next.  We are filling the days with little projects and activities at home.  If the rain ever lets up we hope to venture out to the park.  It's not looking very promising.  So, today the boys humored Maggie and I by dressing up and joining in on a fancy tea party.    

It was quite a task convincing them to change out of pajamas and into dress clothes.

Don't they look dapper though?


This was by far the silliest tea party I have ever been to.  Lots of giggles and goofing around! 


I hope your day has been blessed with giggles and goofiness too!  I've had a pretty craft project sitting here unfinished for 3 days now.  I hope to have it completed and photographed to share with you soon!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

Linking up to:
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch,
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge
Friday Flair at Whipperberry

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

White Wednesday Tour of Friends


I have so much love for Camas Antiques.  It's where I sell my treasures, shop for decor for my home, find inspiration, and where I have met some of the loveliest friends a girl could ask for!  Usually when I head into the store to work on my display, I end up chatting away with another dealer about this or that (hubby always wonders why I am gone so long!)  Isn't it fun to have friends who share your passion?  Blogging has definitely opened doors for meeting kindred spirits, and I love that!  I was thrilled to meet Kathleen of Faded Charm at the Junk Salvation show last month.  I had been participating in her White Wednesday link parties for some time before I had the chance to chat with her live and in person!  When I popped into Camas this afternoon, I noticed that so many of my sweet friends had wonderful whites in their displays, so I snapped some pictures to share for White Wednesday!  Thank you for hosting again this week, Kathleen!

Meet Lila and Amanda of Apron Strings Productions!  They are the sweetest mother-daughter team you'll ever meet!  Be sure to visit their blog as they are having a wonderful giveaway!  Do tell them I've sent you!



Tracey of A Cottage Industry is a treasure!  Her space is always full of lovely things and I so enjoy her blog!


Raylene is a girl after my own heart with her love for all things sweet and pink!  Just look at all of the goodies she has displayed here!  Be sure to check out her blog, Collected Vintage Charm!



Christa of Chloe Rose has a style all her own that is classy, unique and oh-so-elegant! 



I added these pretty vintage floral prints to my space this afternoon along with a few dishes and books!  


I hope you'll stop by and visit my sweet friends and fellow Camas Antiques dealers!  And if you are ever in the Portland/Vancouver area, be sure to make your way to our beautiful store!  Not only is it filled with the most beautiful displays and treasures, but you will be welcomed by some of the kindest, kindred spirits around!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

Also linking up with:
Treasures and Transformations at Pink Postcard
Good Life Wednesdays at Beach Cottage Style

Monday, March 28, 2011

Caravan Girl's Game Night

Ever played Caravan?  It's a super fun card and dice game.  I recently joined a group of 12 gals who meet once a month to eat, play and have a fabulous evening together.  This month it was my turn to host!  I had so much fun shopping for the prizes, (with the money collected from the previous month's game!) planning and preparing dinner and dessert, and getting the house ready for the big game night!  Minutes before everyone arrived, I ran around frantically snapping pictures to share with you!

The Prizes = I shopped at HomeGoods, Marshalls and Ross.  It's sure fun to shop with someone else's money!  I bought a variety of gifts for the home and garden.




Set-up = 3 game tables...



The menu...

Super easy and delicious salmon chowder.  Find the recipe here.

Yummy homemade rolls with butter and jam.  Link to recipe here.


Spinach salad with strawberries and poppy seed dressing.  Recipe here.


Vanilla cupcakes with amazing cream cheese frosting.  Recipe found here.


What a fun evening with a great group of new friends! 


Thank you for your sweet visit today!
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda


Linking up with the following fun parties:
Mingle Monday at Add a Pinch
More the Merrier Monday at DIY Home Sweet Home
Life Made Lovely Monday at Blessed Little Nest

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Purse Party at Pink Postcard!

My sweet blog buddy Denise over at Pink Postcard is having a purse party today!  She has asked us to share our favorite purse and the items we carry inside.  What a fun idea!


So, here is my most favorite purse.  The color actually goes very well with almost everything in my closet.  It's a pretty soft rose pink!  I carried it almost daily until just recently.  You see...sadly, it is falling apart.  Clearly not an authentic D&G or I am sure it would truly be made to last.  Nevertheless I have gotten A LOT of use out of it and it still looks and feels like a quality purse (aside from the ripped interior and broken zippers).  I am not ready to toss it out yet as I think it could probably be repaired.  I honestly don't care about brand names and I actually didn't buy this purse for myself...it was a sweet gift from mom.  I have been on the lookout for a new, slightly larger purse in this same color.  I would love to be able to carry my bulky camera in my purse (and forgo the ugly camera bag) along with every other little thing I take along with me.


Depending on the day and my schedule, my purse can carry any number of a variety of things.  These are the items I found when I set out to photograph for this post.  Truthfully, it's not always this clean and neat.  I did a bit of "junk" editing for you...mostly receipts and grocery lists.  Sorry Denise...I know you wanted us to let it "all hang out" but I just couldn't do it!  :)  Hey, at least I'm being honest!

Here are a few rose pink purses I have been eyeing and am considering as a replacement.  I would love your opinion here!  Incidentally, I have a $20 off coupon for DSW that expires in a week, a birthday coming up and a hubby who reads my blog!  Wooohooo!  Nice timing on the purse party, Denise!

I'm sorry I can't seem to make these photos larger, but if you're really interested in getting a better view of these bags, I've included links to the DSW pages. 





Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!  I can't wait to visit the other purse party attendees!  Come join join us at Pink Postcard!  Thanks for hosting, Denise!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Organization Can Be Pretty!


It's been a whole year since I moved my craft supplies out of the linen closet and into my repurposed media cabinet.  During this time I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work for keeping my craft supplies neat and tidy!  For instance, the "spice racks" lined with jars of beads, safety pins, and other bits and pieces didn't work so well hung inside the cupboard door.  No matter how gently I opened the cupboard, the little jars and their contents would go spewing all over the place...eeeek!  I finally took some time to do a little re-arranging and re-organizing to spruce things up in a way that makes more sense!  I started by moving my little racks to the wall inside of the cupboard...much better!   


I just love these old wooden sewing table drawers for organizing.  I bought a whole singer machine in it's cabinet a couple of years ago for $15!  The cabinet's wood was warped and ruined but the drawers were still in great shape and I have since put them to good use!


I just discovered something kind of cool!  The small sized canning jars fit perfectly inside of the sewing drawers to organize and hold smaller craft items such as buttons and beads.  So much nicer than having it all thrown into one big container!


And it looks pretty too...Bonus!


Jars are great for storing craft supplies.  It's so nice to be able to see what's inside, without having to dump everything out and sort through it!


Sometimes a crafting tool or supply is just too pretty to be tucked away.  I love the look of this little pin cushion overflowing with pins next to my creamy pottery.  And, it's always handy when I need it!


I actually did a bit of fabric purging amidst all of my re-organizing.  My quilting stash now fits in the two drawers!  My small supply of upholstery fabric is tucked away in the picnic basket.  A place for everything and everything in it's place! 


There is a reason I'm not showing you the other side of my crafty cabinet!  I'm not completely done with the re-organization project quite yet.  It's not so pretty over there.  Lots of plastic containers overflowing with "stuff."  I'll get to it one of these days, and when I do, I'll give you a peek inside!

Thank you for your sweet visit!  I am really looking forward to hopping around to see what all of my blog buddies are up to this week!  Happy Spring to you all!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

Linking up with:
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Monday, March 21, 2011

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

hopping down the bunny trail...
Hippity, Hoppity...

Easter's on it's way!

In addition to having an unusually busy schedule this week, I am "fasting" from my computer on the weekends for the next 40 days...a quest to focus on prayer and my walk with God.  As a family we have also given up TV.  The bonus has been a lot of wonderful, quality family time.  I have not found as much time to blog, but am working on lots of fun things that I look forward to sharing very soon! 

I hope you are all enjoying these first few days of Spring!  I know Easter is still over a month away...but I am ready for it!  My husband just made the comment that bunnies are a staple in our year-round decor, so why do we even need to put out Easter decorations?  I say bring on the bunnies...there can never be too many bunnies!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit!
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

Friday, March 18, 2011

Day of Silence for Japan


For more inforomation on how you can get involved, go here.

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Floppy Fabric Bow Headband Tutorial


As a busy mom on a limited crafting budget, I really love projects that can be whipped up in a short amount of time, use a fat quarter of fabric or less and require minimal sewing!  I also love making pretty things for little girls!  Of course if you've been following, you know that already!  Not long ago I came up with the idea for these floppy fabric bow headbands (reminiscent of the ones worn by little girls in the 1920's, only not quite so enormous?)

Photo Source:  Graphics Fairy

After some trial and error, I came up with a finished product that I was happy with.  Now I make these for my space at the antique shop and for all of my girly little friends!  Do you have a sweet little girl in your life who would love a pretty fabric bow headband?  Well then, here is your tutorial!  Have fun!


Here's what you'll need:
2 strips of fabric measuring 20" x 3.25" and one small 2"x3" piece
thread in a coordinating color
hot glue gun
sewing machine
scissors and ruler (a cutting mat and rotary tool work great)
pinking shears
plastic headband (you can either purchase one that coordinates with your fabric, or you may choose to cover one with a long strip of fabric or ribbon using your hot glue gun).


Start by matching up your two strips of fabric, wrong sides together.  It's a good idea to put a couple of pins in the middle to hold the strips together.  Next, cut each end at a slight diagonal.  These will be your bow's "tails."

Take your strips of fabric to your sewing machine and stitch them together, sewing 1/2 inch from the edge all of the way around the strip.  This is a great place to use a decorative stitch if you'd like to.


Now cut around the edge with your pinking shears, just outside of your stitching.  Be very careful not to cut any stitches!


Fold your strip of fabric into a flat bow and sew a zig-zag stitch down the middle to hold it in place.  Here is what the back side will look like after you've sewn it:


Now here is a front view:


  If you plan to cover your headband with fabric or ribbon, do that now using your hot glue gun. 

Take your 2"x3" square of fabric and fold the two longer sides in towards each other making it into a 1"x3" piece.  It's a good idea to iron it to keep the folds in place.  This will be the center of your completed bow and also attach your bow to your headband.  Have your glue gun ready.  Take your flat bow and fold it down the middle accordion style, holding it in the center with your thumb and forefinger.


Use your hot glue gun to attach the small piece of fabric to the front center of the bow and continue to wrap and attach it to the headband with small dabs of glue.


Glue down the end of the center piece of fabric to the underside of the headband and cut off any excess.  You're done!  You now have a lovely, feminine floppy fabric headband that is sure to make that sweet little girly girl's day!




Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!
Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda


I will be joining in on these fun Link Parties:
Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Spring Fling Wednesday at This Blessed Nest
Make it Yours Day at My Backyard Eden
Transformation Thurdsay at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Delightfully Inspiring Thursdays at Delightful Order
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Link Party at Tea Rose Home