See Jane Work Giveaway Winner

The winner of the See Jane Work Giveaway is comment # 34, Stephanie {A Fine House}, picked by random.org .


Congratulations Stephanie!



Please send me an email with your full name and mailing address {to kathyp (at) creativehomeexpressions (dot) com}, and I'll get this packed up and on its way.

Please check back tomorrow when I'll be posting a new giveaway for the week. You're going to love it!

Hooked On Chunky Black Shelves

I'm sharing this post over at Julia's Hooked on Houses blog, where she does a Hooked on Fridays feature.

They are all over blogland! Those chunky black shelves {apparently called Cafe Shelves} that are being DIY'ed by talented Ballard's fans. I love 'em! I want 'em!

I first saw them in Rhoda's home office over at her Southern Hospitality blog. {I love Rhoda's home office but that could be another post all on it's own!}

Then I saw them in Traci's kitchen at her Beneath My Heart blog.

Most recently I saw them on Sarah's blog ~ over at Thrifty Decor Chick. The artwork pictured on this shelf is another stunning project Sarah did. You HAVE to check out her blog to see what she did.

So last week I was in our garage looking for that trigger thingy that you put on a can of spray paint and couldn't find it. So I sat down on a stepstool in there and just did a quick scan around trying to think where it would be. And, my eyes rested on this.

"This" consists of two bookcases my hubby made for me one year for Christmas, which we took out of our great room prior to putting the house on the market, because we didn't want people to think they came with the house.

On top of the bookcases is the bridge for our entertainment center and on top of that . . . see those funny wood legs . . . well, they are attached to a base hubby made for the bookcases because the wall they were going on has baseboard heat. To not block the baseboard he rigged up these bases, with legs that looked like they didn't pay back their loan shark on time. Fuhgedabodit ~ these bases and their funny legs raised the bookcases above the baseboard heating and kept it from being blocked.

Okay, but look at them this way with me for a minute {squint a little bit} ~ I take the legs off, sand, prime and paint these beauties black {I love the decorative molding he put on here}. Get large brackets from Home Depot {or wherever} and put them underneath ~ are you seeing it with me?!? Yes, yes ~ I think this could work!

They would be a bit different than the Ballard shelves, but they are basically made for me ~ all I have to do is paint them and get the brackets. Plus, I get to reinvent something that might otherwise have no use to us anymore.

I could use these anywhere ~ a home office, a family room/den, a kitchen. I'm very excited and even though I have no real place to put them right now {house still on market, sigh}, I may just get them painted up and ready for wherever their home may be.

This post is also being shared over at homedigz for the Hump Day Blog Party.

Today {Friday} is the last day to enter our See Jane Work Giveaway. Winner will be announced Saturday, September 19th.

5 Things You Didn't Know About . . . .

Welcome to this week's "5 Things You Didn't Know About . . .", where we are visiting with Jane of Finding Fabulous {formerly known as Decor Mama}!

Favorite music at the moment: This suburban mom is guilty of loving the Black Eyed Peas at the moment! My 10 year old son loves them, and well, I think it's contagious! I also love Jason Mraz and Colby Callait.

If you didn't live where you do, where would you live: Oh, I'd most likely live at the Beach somewhere. Maybe Charleston or Hilton Head Island!

Favorite cocktail: My favorite cocktail is Chardonnay...especially in the summertime! But I recently tried a dirty martini and was amazed at how good it was.

Best advice you ever received: Always do your work first....and play later! I can't remember where I heard this, but it's stayed with me!

Person you most admire: The person I most admire is my high school sweetheart and husband of 16 years now! His kind heart and caring ways are amazing. Yup...he's a keeper!

Please join us next week to see who we visit with and find out 5 Things You Didn't Know About . . ."!

Don't forget to check in and enter our See Jane Work Giveaway! It ends Friday, September 18th and you have 4 chances to win. Make sure you read the rules!

Fall Fabrics {2009}

This post was inspired by a Calico Corners email I received. I decided to click on through and see what they had for Fall and I was glad I did! I love these colors; some of which we've seen already {like the grays, the purples and the oranges}, but used in varying shades and patterns that keep them fresh for Fall.

This collection below, I could see in a dining room, living room, family room, home office ~ so versatile.

Silver Lining Fabric Collection

I love the blues in this next collection. I would love to do a master bedroom with these fabrics. I would say they would satisfy the man and lady of the house!

Geometrics Fabric Collection

Love the purple and green shades together.

Garden Party Fabric Collection


I love the idea of this Annie Selke collection for a girl's bedroom. A very fun mix!


Annie Selke Fabric Collection

The blue and orange together here just pop for me.

Eastern Influence Fabric Collection


This one fabric I couldn't resist putting in because it reminds me of the mousepad included in my giveaway.

Aviary in Tangerine

Which gives me the great opening to remind you to enter my See Jane Work Giveaway running all this week! Four lovely items chosen by the nice people at See Jane Work just for this giveaway.

All photos from Calico Corners.

Blog Of The Week ~ Venetian Plaster Finishes Vancouver

Today we are featuring Darrell Morrison and his blog, Venetian Plaster Finishes Vancouver. Darrell includes both pictures and video on his blog showing his work. He specializes in Lime Plaster {or Venetian Plaster, as a generalized term, as he says}. Not only does he show you his work, but his blog lets you know the history of this finish, as well as its Green properties.

Enjoy these few photos I pinched from his blog. After visiting his blog, you can also check out his website.

Before

After

Darrell at work.

Kitchen wall



Don't forget that our See Jane Work Giveaway is running all week! Be sure to visit that post and enter for a chance to win some office items that See Jane Work generously sent us for a giveaway.

See Jane Work Giveaway

**This giveaway has ended.**

See Jane Work has very generously sent me a few of their items to offer as a giveway! See Jane Work offers a variety of stylish office and organization supplies. I found See Jane Work's website a couple of years ago and just fell for all their offerings. My first visit to their website, I literally spent 2 hours browsing!

Before I show you the little goodies they have put together, let's just take a look at some of the great home office and/or outside office items they carry.

I love initial and monogram items.

Initial paperweight

I could have used these clips this past week. Every time a holiday falls on a Monday, I am all messed up for the rest of the week.

Day of the week clips

These colors would blend perfectly with many of the offices I've been seeing lately here in blogland.

Letterbox file

Who couldn't use an extra day?

8-day planner

Very pretty and could work in just about any office.

Letter holder & tray

Here is the very nicely put together giveaway they sent on. I am taking everything out of the ribbon {don't worry, I'll put it back} to take a picture for you. This giveaway includes:





Deco Mouse Pad

Fashion Color Pencils & Erase Eraser

All Out Of office pad

I think this is just lovely of See Jane Work to put this together for you, and I thank them very much!

There are a number of ways for you to enter to win the See Jane Work giveaway.



Go to the See Jane Work website , then come back here and leave a comment telling me what item you liked. In addition, you can also:

• Become a follower of my blog and let me know in a separate comment.
  
• Tweet about this giveaway and let me know in a separate comment {include your @ name}.
  
• Write a post about this giveaway and link to it, and let me know in a separate comment {include the link to the post}.

That's up to 4 entries! Remember, each one must be a separate comment so you are counted properly. This contest will run through Friday, September 18, 2009, {midnight} and the winner will be announced on Saturday, September 19, 2009. This contest is open to entrants in the U.S. and Canada. Winner will be picked by a random number generator.


Note: While you may notice that I respond to commenters on my other posts, I do not comment/respond on giveaway posts because it keeps the count easy. Please know that I do read your comments and appreciate your joining in.

Hooked On White Slipcovers

I'm participating in Hooked on Fridays again this week over at Julia's Hooked on Houses blog. This time it is something else I've become hooked on, but only in the past few months. I have been lucky enough to come across bloggers that share my decorating taste and I have been seeing a lot of white slipcovered chairs and sofas.


This is the sofa that I have in my living room. {Don't look at the picture over the sofa ~ it is too small but I needed something there and I grabbed it out of my dining room}.








It is so comfy and well made; I love this sofa.








I am not loving the color and pattern so much anymore. I am planning on having a white {washable} slipcover made for it.






So, I've been saving some inspiration pictures.

Country Living

Ellen Kennon

Pottery Barn

Mitchell Gold

Cote de Texas

Coastal Living

Coastal Living

Coastal Living

It also seems that every magazine I've been looking at recently has a lot of white slipcovered chairs and sofas ~ either that or I'm just noticing them more. Do you have a white slipcover? Do you love it or are you sorry you got it?

Be sure to check back on Sunday when we will be offering a giveaway! This giveaway will be running all next week so you'll have plenty of time to enter!