~ July Giveaway #1 ~

This giveaway has now ended.

Sound the trumpets! Let the giveaways begin!

Every week in the month of July, I will be offering a giveaway here on my blog. Let's get to it then!

Giveaway #1 ~ This lovely giveaway is comprised of 3 items. Perhaps to pamper yourself after a full day of decorating your lovely abode; or from a busy day of crafting; or from working 9-5, coming home and doing what needs doing there. Whatever your day is like these 3 little goodies can help ease away the stress.





Item 1 The Lumbar Wrap from The Happy Company. Part of their The Down To Earth Collection, this wrap is part of a naturally environmentally friendly line of relaxation products filled with flax seeds and eucalyuptus with 100% organic un-dyed cotton covers and a symbolic embroidered Mother Earth on each piece.

Item 2 A Mini Me Sampler from agoodnightkiss. Featuring two sachet blends they are housed in a recyclable metal 2 oz. tin. The all natural, vegan and 100% certified organic line of bath products not only soothe but eradicate dry skin.

Item 3 Dionis by Polysciences, Inc. Weekend Gardener exfoliating bar soap allows you to wash away dirt and grime while gently exfoliating with beneficial and soothing oatmeal. Each item in this line is blended with the fragrance of fresh lavendar, invigorating sparkling citrus, beneficial botanical herbs, soothing aloe, antioxidant Vitamin E and refreshing lemongrass to fully moisturize and protect hardworking hands and soothe tired muscles.

To enter this giveaway (for all three items), visit the three websites for these items and then come back here and comment, telling me which of their products you are most interested in (you only need to do one product from one company).

You can enter up until Thursday, July 9th, 8:00 p.m. The winner will be picked by a random number generator and announced on Friday, July 10th. (I will, therefore, not be commenting on this post, so I don't mess up the numbers, but will be reading the comments).

Blog Of The Week ~ Down Home DIY

Marybeth Barrett is the creative force behind Down Home DIY. Also known as The MacGyver of Decorating and Artist who specializes in Interior Redesign, Staging & Color, Marybeth crafts and creates by repurposing and refinishing items giving them new life.

Along with blogging about interior decor, Marybeth also shares with us some of her artistic endeavors on her posts. These purses (below) are one of Marybeth's creations using wallpaper! How gorgeous! She keeps them on a shelf displayed in her office. Creatively crafty and decorative accessory in one. I think the one with the Japanese lettering is my favorite.

To go hand-in-hand with this post, Marybeth has kindly offered a giveaway on her blog. She has put together this cigar box purse (so creative). You'll have to visit her blog for the rules! Marybeth's blog covers subjects ranging from color, to repainting furniture, to some of her decorating jobs. She is a very talented woman!

Here's a glimpse at the inside ~ love the handle she used and the tin-look wallpaper!

When Is A Refrigerator More Than A Refrigerator?

When it becomes a decorative element in the kitchen or blends away into the cabinetry. I saw a beautiful paneled refrigerator painted to match cabinetry in a kitchen featured in the current issue of Beautiful Homes Magazine (which, of course, I can't find a picture of online). I decided to search out the different ways of integrating a refrigerator into the kitchen without it looking like a refrigerator.

See if you can pick out the refrigerator in these pictures.



This one looks like an armoire. I think those are even tassels hanging from the handles.



This one is so pretty - it even looks like a painted cabinet.

Photo courtesy of Pam Design

This one blends in seamlessly with the surrounding cabinetry.


Photo courtesy of HGTV

This one looks like it could be a pantry cabinet.

Photo courtesy of Decorati

It took me a few seconds to realize that this mirrored piece is the refrigerator - draws and all!

Photo courtesy of Decorati

Another that looks like it's a piece of furniture. I would never think that was the refrigerator!

Photo courtesy of Decorati

More of a cabinetry look.

Photo courtesy of Decorati

This one looks like an armoire in a bedroom.

Photo courtesy of Decorati

Who would have thought a refrigerator could be beautiful!

Oh, before I forget - here's one for the guys. A toolbox refrigerator. Gotta love the creativity!

~ July Is Giveaway Month! ~

That's right, July is giveaway month here on the Creative Home Expressions blog! I'm pleased to let you know that I have 3 confirmed giveaway items - 3 - confirmed! I'm very excited and all three items are very different.

Starting next week, I will post the first one. Make sure you check back with our blog to enter and check out the first giveaway for July!

Item Of The Week ~ Wastebaskets

The new issue of House Beautiful was the inspiration for this week's Item Of The Week - wastebaskets. Yes, trash containers! Not like this:








But like this:




These are just a few of the 50 they highlight that caught my eye. Some of these are just too pretty to put trash in!

I'm sure you could re-purpose these trash cans to really enjoy them in other ways, too - to hold some extra fabric, rolled up and kept neatly in place; a faux (silk) plant container; a holder for those little umbrellas (the pop-up ones); craft supplies; kindling wood for starting your fireplace or wood stove; and, of course, you could use them as a trash can.

So many colors, styles and patterns! Something for every room!

You can visit the House Beautiful magazine site to find out the resource information for all of the wastebaskets they show.

Protect Your Walls

This lovely disc has a few names - wall protector, wall bumper, door bumper, door knob protector, and so on. The point being that you protect your wall (behind a door) from the knob going through your sheetrock.

These little doo-dads are self-adhesive and attach easily to the wall. I like that they are flush to the wall and paintable. I have a couple in my own house.

If you've just had painting or wallpapering done and you want to protect a wall behind a door, I would suggest spending the $3.00 to prevent damage that could result in a major repair. But please, paint them or put a piece of the wallpaper that is in the room where you are placing them, on top.

It's paintable so that you can integrate it into your wall decor. You've put time and money into painting or wallpapering, so protect it.

Blog Of The Week ~ High Style Interiors & Gifts

This week's blog of the week comes to us from Jill Healy of High Style Interiors in Charlotte, North Carolina. Actually, Jill has two blogs. You can find the other here.

The High Style Interiors boutique carries furnishings, accessories, lighting, and more.

The above picture is from Jill's blog. If you live in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, stop by and say "Hi" to Jill. Check out some of her merchandise - it looks like she has something for everyone!