House Warming Gift

My mom could give Martha Stewart a run for her money when it comes to entertaining and hospitality.  She made sit down tea and dinner parties for 60 look effortless and always top notch.  You would have thought they were professionally catered.   My Dad is a retired Navy Admiral and my parents frequently entertained and were invited to dinners with foreign dignitaries and other high ranking military personnel. 

My mom was always one to bring a hostess gift whenever she and my dad were invited to an event at someones home.  I have always admired her graciousness and style and tried to follow her lead. 

This is a hostess gift I gave for a recent house warming party our family attended

The pictures aren't great because I didn't remember to take any till we were getting out of the car at the party address.  Our host and hostess recently moved back to San Diego from Washington DC and they just purchased their first home.  They are expecting their first baby at the end of the month.   I like to give living gifts when possible because I think it brings life into the home. Flowers are nice, but it's not always convenient for the hostess to find a vase to hold the flowers while trying to entertain the rest of the guests.   

I made this simple terrarium that was inexpensive to make and goes with almost any decor.  Our host's last name starts with a 'V.'  I picked up a package of monograms at Big Lots a while back for under $2.  They are printed on nice card stock.  I wrote a note on the back of the monogram congratulating them on their new home and new baby.  I used a  sliver wire curled into a circle to support the monogram in the terrarium.  

This gift will continue to live while flowers die within a week and it's very easy to maintain.  With a new baby on the way, they aren't going to have a lot of time for indoor plant maintenance.  This terrarium will thrive on neglect.

The only thing I purchased was this succulent.  I used three of the rosettes for the terrarium and still have two left over.  I already had the glass vessel, sand, rocks, moss, and dirt. 

I like the gray/blue color of this succulent.

Here's how I made it.  I layered from the bottom up, sand, small pebbles, large pebbles, moss, and cactus soil mix. The layer of moss keeps the dirt from seeping into the rocks when it's watered.  Otherwise your rocks will look "muddy" over time.  I gently pulled apart the succulent cluster and planted three of them in the vase.  Then I added a final layer of small pebbles.  I added a couple shells and a piece of found driftwood.  Easy to make, personalized, and doesn't break the bank.

Do you have a signature hostess gift that you like to give as gifts?

I would love to hear your ideas.

Thanks for checking it out.

To see other terrarium projects I've done click here and here.

Thanks Kelly over at

Modern Earth Design,

for the blog love!  Go check out her beautiful blog, she's having a give away!

I linked this project up to

 Remodelaholic

Mirror Transformation

If your anything like me, you have a callous on your index finger from some trigger happy spray painting.  Here is a quick mirror transformation that I did this week with my old friend spray paint. 

Here is the before. 

Not bad, but I'm over the brown.

I am slowly getting rid of the any traces of the Tuscan look in my house and these mirrors are part of the change going on.   I love re purposing stuff I already have. Why buy new when you can just give an existing piece new life with a little spray paint.

I purchased these metal mirrors hanging behind my living room couch several years ago at Marshall's on clearance.  They were a distressed brown and gold finish.  I'm going to slip cover the couch, but haven't gotten to it yet. 
To see more of how I changed our living room into our home office go here.

After carefully removing the mirror I spray painted the metal frame white.  Then I taped off the outer border of the frame and painted the inside grill work bright gold.  Be careful removing the mirrors.  Newer mirrors are often hot glued in place and difficult to take apart.  This was the case with these mirrors, but I was able to gently remove the glue and ease the mirror out of the frame.  Wear gloves and eye protection in case it breaks.  Been there, done that, it's a bummer when they break.

Then I used a gray glaze over the whole piece.  Here is the glaze I mixed up.  A little white paint, black paint, water, and glazing medium.

Piper is very curious about everything and she tried to help.  She curled up in my lap while I was sanding.  I think Roscoe sent her a message that I need puppy help with my DIY projects.

 After the glaze dried I distressed the whole piece with some sandpaper.

Here is the mirror detail before sanding.

Here it is after sanding.

I washed the mirrors with warm soapy water before putting them back in the frames.
Soap and water is the best mirror cleaner I've found, no streaking.
Here they are back in the living room.

I'm liking the gold detail on the mirror with my HFH re purposed hanging light fixture.
You can see more of that project here.

I like them...for now. 

Bye bye Tuscan, hello Swedish Gustavian?

How has your design taste changed? 
Are you transitioning too?
I would love to here all about it.
Thanks for checking it out.

Meet Piper

My mom and I were scheduled to go meet a dog in Pismo Beach last Monday, but a series of events delayed our trip.  Sometimes serendipity has a way of intervening on your behalf and I truly belief this was the case in our situation. 

In the simplest of words, serendipity means a "happy accident."

Had we gone on Monday this would not be the dog I would have met. 

This is the dog we were meant to have.

Meet our new family member Piper.  She is a one and half year old Sealyham Terrier, sister of the original dog I was interested in.

  After many hours of conversations with two different breeders.  It was a consensus that this dog would be a better fit for our family.  She's got some spunk.   She is referred to as the "Wild Child" of the liter.  To put it into perspective, Seelyham Terriers are known as the "couch potatoes" of the terrier breeds, just so you don't think I'm adopting an out of control wild dog. 

Here she is just after getting groomed.  She already follows me all over the house and sits at my feet while I'm on the computer.  She is so sweet.

The journey to pick her up started with an over night trip spent in Solvang.  It's an adorable little Danish town on the coast north of Santa Barbara.

We had lunch here.

We drove up in the morning and stayed at the Petersen Village Inn. 

A very quaint and nice place to stay in the center of all the shopping. 

We enjoyed strolling the streets and wine tasting the rest of the afternoon. 

It was nice doing a girl's trip with my mom.  I can't believe I didn't have anyone take our picture!

The next morning I drove up to Santa Maria and met Piper.   

It was a quick 30 minute drive through wine vineyards and rolling hills.

Many of you told me to go with the tug on my heart and I did. I just knew she was the right dog for us.
She was bouncing around like a rabbit when I met her.  This was a dog I could fall in love with. If you haven't heard of a Sealyham you probably aren't alone.  Sealyham Terriers are very rare.  I only recently have come to know of the breed.  They don't shed, they're highly intelligent, great family dogs, and funny.  They were popular in the 20's and 30's.  Alfred Hitchcock used them in many of his movies.  May West, Cary Grant, and Gary Cooper all had Sealys.  After doing some research I decided they were the right breed for us.

Her name was "Sabine," but she didn't come when we called her that and she just seemed more like a Piper to us.  So Piper it is.  Cami stayed home from school sick one day last week and Piper kept her company on the couch.  She's still adjusting to our home and is a little shy.  Her crazy side is starting to peep out every once in awhile.
We took her to a soccer tournament this weekend and she did great, she likes kids, other dogs, AND she likes our bunny Rosie, Yay! 

We still miss our Roscoe terribly, but Piper is filling our hearts with love, happiness, and laughter.

Thanks for checking it out.

When Is The Right Time???

When is it the right time after losing your best friend to add another member to your family?  This is what our family is facing right now.  Sorry for those of you that might not know what I'm talking about.  We had to say goodbye to our dog Roscoe a little over a month ago.

I feel like I have a hole in my heart that only a four legged furry friend can fill.  Have you experienced this before?  I really didn't envision getting a dog so soon after Roscoe's death, but I think she would understand?  Our family feels incomplete without a dog member.  I think it's a testament of how much she was loved.

I've been to shelters to look into adopting and we went to look at a Westie puppy last week in a home.  We ended up walking away without the puppy.  Something just wasn't quite right and I couldn't put my finger on it?

My kids were VERY disappointed to say the least, but I think I'll know when the right dog comes along.  I need to go with my gut.

Monday I'm driving about five hours away to see this girl.  She is a one and a half year old Sealyham Terrier.  Never heard of a Sealyham?  Me neither, till I met one at the park where my girls play soccer.  I've been researching the breed (and many more terriers) and I think a Sealy would make the perfect addition to our family.  They are referred to as the "couch potato of terriers," very loving, smart, little to no health problems, not barky, and non-shedding.  Every Sealy owner I've talked to has told my once you own a Sealy you will never have another kind of dog.  The woman I met in the park has had three of them.     

Roscoe can never be replaced in our hearts, but I think there is enough room in there to add some more love.

Wish me luck!

I would love to hear your stories (and see your picture) about how you found or lost your beloved pet.  Words of wisdom from you pet lovers out there are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for Checking It Out.

 

My Favorite Flip Flops

Flip flops are part of the Southern California uniform.  We wear them year round here. 
I play volleyball at the beach in January and still wear my flip flops to and from the beach.   

OK, when it gets cold I do switch to my Uggs.

This is the court I play doubles at a 2-3 times a week.

My favorite flip flops are Havaianas. 

They are a little pricier than most flip flops, but worth it my opinion.  They originated in 1962 form Brazil using a secret rubber formula. I love them because they come in a SLIM sizes as well as regular widths.   I have a size 10 shoe, but my feet are narrow.

Most flip flops and strappy shoes are too wide for me. 
Costco carried Havaianas this year for $18.99 with a crystal on them, but I can't find them on their website?   I'm kicking myself that I only bought one pair. 

You can pick up flip flops for a couple bucks these days, but I LIVE in mine so I justify the higher price.  Havaianas' rubber is very soft and comfy. 
They last a long time and I never get blisters from them.

  This pair is $148 because it has Swarovski Crystals on them.   These are out of my budget and even if they were in my budget, not sure I would spend that much on flip flops especially because I'm going to get them sandy.  

You don't have to pay that much for them.
  
Nordstroms $38

Nordstroms $24

I found some last year at Loehmann's for $12 and I bought 3 pairs. 
The problem is my daughters keep stealing them. 
We all have the same size feet.

What's your favorite summer foot wear?

Thanks for checking it out.

First Day of School

The beginning of our new school year started last week.  Casey is off to High School as a freshman and Cami gets to to be the big cheese on campus as a 6th grader.  6th grade is still part of elementary school where we live.  As a former 7th and 8th grade middle school teacher, I'm happy 8th grade boys have no contact with my 6th grade daughter.  If you have middle school age boys, sorry, I'm sure yours are nice and well mannered, all of them aren't.  I spent thirteen years teaching them.  

It was really early in the morning for my sleeping beauties and they weren't thrilled about mom taking pictures.  Casey is putting on her "happy" face to appease her crazy picture taking mother.

That is my husband and their dad with his head edited out of the picture.  His job requires that he remain anonymous.  If you have been following my blog for very long you might have noticed his face is never in any of the family pictures.  He puts bad people in jail and the bad people and their families aren't real happy about it.  As a result I have to cut him out of the pictures.

Our great friends the Mendler's son Ben will be a senior at the school Casey is going to.  Ben offered to drive her to school with Casey's best friends Maddie (Ben's sister in the front seat) and Vicky in the back seat with Casey.  All the girls will be freshman together.  They are the nicest kids all from great families.  Casey is lucky to have such great friends. 

My little Cami is catching up to me.  She's grown about five inches this year.

Here she is with some of her classmates.  They are in a Spanish immersion class and have been together since kindergarten!  They have all changed and grown so much.

  It's kind of a bummer to start school in July but we get a nice break at the end of September, beginning of October.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!