Domestic Bliss

{ Eye Candy Especially For Chelle }

2009-07-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

And for the fact that this poor blog has not had any loving care for awhile. I thought that I would add all of the pictures that I was accumulating for tiny inspirations for Chelles NEW kitchen (when they can get to it)!

Some of them look so much like her and some of have little bits and pieces of splashed in.

And for the GRAND FINALLY!!

Just a little bit of love for you ladies, to share our joy of HAPPY spaces!

Giveaway!

2009-07-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

Oh Domestic Bliss.. poor little forgotten spot!
I have come bearing some fun news.
For any of you who don't know my boy recently asked me to marry him & we are both so excited.
We are also on the look out for some fun & creative wedding ideas... So we have decided to have a giveaway over at my blog.
(here)
So come on over and play too! (giveaway is open to absolutely everyone :)
Love Kt xx

Tumblr Love

2009-04-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Completely enamored with this happy little spot on the world wide web called Tumblr.

So much so that having just one of my own was not quite enough.

So much eye candy in one place, but I'll give fair warning....

it may end result in a tooth ache.

And how I love having a pretty place to tuck away those favorite quotations.

I love checking in on all the lovelies my friends have been collecting.

Like hers, and hers.

Let me tell you, it beats taking up space in a dusty old picture folder any day of the year.

You could do it too and see for yourself, if you wanted.

planning and a hoping

2009-04-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

So recently during my visit to Seattle in May there was some talk, some excitement and some hoping.

That maybe, just maybe we could have a little get together and meet lots of you girls. Lord knows most of us have been connected for several years now, we are a part of each others day to day. So what do you say? Spring 2010.

That we could chat, and craft, and share our talents with one another, and be real life friends too.... Wouldn't that be a dreamy little getaway.

we have ideas, big ideas, and plans, and we want to make this happen...
we have some neat ideas to keep the cost low, the creativity high
and we have a handful of ladies who think maybe just maybe we can and will pull this off..

What we want to know, what we really want to know... is... would you want to join us?

If so, leave us a little comment here and we will invite you to a new blog to help plan and plot this fun filled weekend! Wouldn't it be divine?

$4.50 Friday - Chicken Pot Pie

2009-03-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Okay girlies well I do love to stretch a buck but last night I also needed to stretch my time. I didn't have much of it.
I would also like to remind you, that you can have "Big" meals on this budget but unfortunately this is a lighter one. If I had a larger family I would probably need two pies, and could probably still be very close to budget. We have loved this meal since our early married days, and its still a very favorite of Nicks.

Easy Peasy Pot Pie

I pkg onion soup mix (.25) I buy a box for a dollar.
1/2 pkg mixed frozen vegetables (.75)
1 frozen pie crust (.75)
Anytype of leftover meat from night before 1-2 cups chopped($1.00)
we frequently do chicken, pork, or even steak
2 cups milk (.50)

total for one pie $3.25, a double crust pie $4.00

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Heat up milk and soup mix in a small saucepan for several minutes until mixed well and a little bubbly.
If your doing double crust lay down first one, place veggies, and meat mixed in pie plate. I made this one a double crust, because my crust was crumbling.
If you have more time you could much cheaper make your own crust, and make two pies still in budget!
Then pour the milk/soup mixture over it.
Place crust on top, and seal, creating a slit to breathe on top
Bake for 20 minutes.
Wahlah...

This is perfect for quick dinners before bible study, sport nights, etc. I also plan this into my week to really stretch my dinner budget I normally snag the extra dollar for a night with company over etc.

FOUR FIFTY FRIDAY

2009-03-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

During our little Seattle visit a couple of weeks ago, Chelle, Aminta, and I were super inspired by our dear friend Leslie's frugal dinner ideas. Her goal is to make every dinner (entire dinner mind you) $4.50 or less! And to top it off, Leslie + Nick frequently host dinners in their home. We were all really challenged to work on our own groceries budgets when we returned home.

How many of you are up to the challenge too?

If so, I think it would be great if we could make every Friday here "FOUR FIFTY FRIDAY" and could share some of our favorite dinner ideas that cost $4.50 or less. You don't have to share every Friday, but hopefully enough people will want to participate that we can get a least one recipe a week (especially from you, Miss Leslie!).

Are you in?

Can I interest you in...

2009-03-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

a little eye candy?

anyone else have folders on their computer chock full of random pictures of pretty rooms for future reference/inspiration?

There is this amazing little spot that the fabulous Kelly Mccaleb is raving about this morning on her blog. And I have to say after scrolling through hers, I was compeletly smitten and went right away and set up my very own Tumblr account...so excited about this pretty way to store sweet picture finds and quotes. Since you all know what a quote junkie I am. Take a look yourself and if you decide to start your own, please do share with the rest of us...

{ faves }

2009-03-25T17:33:00.001-07:00

Fairlight did a sweet little post yesterday of her Etsy favorites. She thought maybe we'd all like share our favorites. Here are mine:

Etsy
Buy Handmade
whimsicalities

Can't wait to see yours.

{ Prompt }

2009-03-05T11:24:00.001-08:00

Inspired today by my new little stack of spring ribbon from American Crafts.

Also finding inspiration from this new little shirt we bought at Target yesterday for Annabelle.

And in our first sunny little patch of mini daffodils, blooming under the big tree outside of the nursery window.

We made pink play dough this morning. And scented it with imitation strawberry flavoring. Such and fun 5 minute project. Will post my recipe if anyone is interested.

I love that saying "you learn something new every day." And today I discovered what a muffaletta is. Please tell me I am not the only one who didn't know. And doesn't it look/sound amazing? I wish I was having it was what we were having for lunch. Peanut butter and honey on whole wheat toast with a glass of o.j. is what we are actually having. With a frozen Oreo or three after lunch. We rarely buy Oreos, but there was an coupon for Oreos this week and so I caved in a bought a package. A friend of ours turned us on to sticking them in the freezer, where they turn into bite sized, rather addicting miniature ice-cream bars. But what new delicious little bit of info did you recently uncover? Maybe it's a new found favorite recipe

This lady is so amazingly gifted. Check this out. I am totally smitten. Also, wanted to share this darling idea with you. Go check out her super sweet templates. What posts are inspiring you ladies these days? Mind sharing?

Hoping to hear from some of you lovely ladies soon. Have a growing file of eye candy? Do share. Have a recently completed or contemplated project...please share. Baked anything lately and been so proud of it, that you photographed it? Feeling inspired for spring? Discovered a new blog or Etsy shop that you can't get enough of ?

Hint, hint...some new posts around here would sure be nice.

Getting to Know You: CottageMommy

2009-01-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

In honor of the new year I thought I would finally get in gear and write this little introductory post!

About Me:
My name is Courtney and I have been married seven years to a wonderful man named Greg. We met at our college church. A set up really, dreamed up by my sister. It worked and a year after that set up, we were engaged. Three months after our engagement, we were married. In April of 2004 we welcomed our first child, Elias who we always call Eli. He is quickly approaching five and started preschool this year. He is a sweet and cuddly boy who will always be my baby. In February of 2007, our little girl Addison joined our family. She is such a joy and makes me smile all of the time. I can hardly stand how cute she is! This May we will welcome our third and final baby. A boy, yet to be named, will complete our little family.

My little Addison. Two in February.

Eli - who will be five in April.
I have the wonderful privilege of staying home with my kids. My husband is a really hard worker whom God has blessed with a job he enjoys. We live in the town my husband grew up in and most of his family still lives here. It has been really wonderful to have their support and to have the opportunity for my kids to know their extended family. My parents live close as well, only an hour and a half away. Close enough that we get to see them often and my children know and love them well.

Our little cottage.

Define Home:
Hmmm....Home is where you can be totally comfortable, completely yourself. Home is not stuffy or formal, it is relaxed and lived in. Too often messy! Home is a respite from the crazy world. A place that when you walk in, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Home is cozy, cozy, cozy!

Decorating elements:
I love color - my primary colors I decorate with are red, blue, green and yellow. I love painted furniture and old furniture. (My husband keeps telling me to stop buying cruddy furniture!) Objects that are distressed and imperfect. Things have to be comfortable and cozy though. I have way too many pillows and throw blankets around my house. I love family pictures, I love black and white photographs. I love things that have a retro or vintage feel to them.

Favorite Creative Outlets:
I love to rearrange! I love to change up my rooms in little ways. I am a frustrated knitter and a wannabe sewer. I also paint. Anything I can get my hands on. My walls, my furniture (numerous times over), my cabinets...anything is better with some colorful paint! I am a new gardener with big dreams.

Where I find Inspiration:
I am a magazine junkie...subscribe to Cottage Living (so sad it is no longer being published!), Country Living and Country Home and regularly devour other Home mags I can get my hands on. I like to rip out pages of ideas and save them for some other time, some other house. Of course, I find inspiration from design shows on television and most recently from all of the wonderful blogs out there! I love to go into a few of my favorite shops and soak up their displays and fun home items as well.

Favorite color:
Red! No question about it. I don't have any walls painted red but many of my furniture pieces are red. Red is my paint color of choice when I am revamping something. Problem is, I do need to balance all of that red with other colors!

Book Recommendation:
I recently read the book Marley and Me by John Grogan. I'm sure you have heard of the movie that is currently out. It was a light and easy read and so funny I laughed out loud over and over!

A tried and true recipe:
This is my Mom's recipe and the ultimate in comfort food for me. I don't even know what the official name of it is so I will make up my own...

White Enchiladas

(Doubling this recipe is best. It is so good, you will want more! Freeze a pan to have a quick dinner in the future!)

12 medium size flour tortillas
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups cooked chicken cut into small pieces or shredded
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans mild enchilada sauce (enough to dip all of the tortillas)
2 cups sour cream
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilis

Saute chicken and season with salt and pepper
(While meat is cooking, make sauce - see below)
Pour enchilada sauce into a bowl and dip each flour tortilla in before filling with 1/4 cup cheese and 1/4 cup chicken
Roll and place in a 9x13 pan sprayed with oil

To make sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan and add flour to make a roux
Add chicken broth to make a sauce and allow to thicken
Remove from heat and add sour cream and chilis
Pour sauce over tortillas
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. or until heated through.
Enjoy!
Corners of my home:
This is my living room - the space I spend the most time in. Actually , I spend the most time in that leather chair there. It is small and both of my kiddos like to try and curl up in my lap at the same time. What am I going to do when I have three?This is the other side of my living room - my dining room. One of the drawbacks of our tiny place, no real dining room to speak of!

A Household tip:
Not that I do this every day but when I do...oh is it nice! Make your bed! It instantly makes a messy room look cleaner and there is nothing quite so nice as climbing into a made bed at night! Another tip I most often fail at but love when I do....going to bed with a clean kitchen. So peaceful!

I have really enjoyed "getting to know" each of you through this blog and all of your lovely personal blogs! You are all such wonderful, inspiring and creative women and I am so happy to get to be a small part of your lives!

and begin the voting

2008-12-22T15:23:00.001-08:00

****** CONGRATS JESSICA!! :) I have a special thing on its way to you!

okay ladies.. here are our three ornament entries

We have Jessica at Living the Swell Lifeher darling birdy mod-podged delight...

We have KT Mac from a little bird told me so and her paper angels, and circle garland...

and last but never least

we have Chelle from Value of Cheerfullness and her super simple felt mitten

please scurry (fun word huh) on over to the sidebar to vote for your favorite! Voting ends on Christmas Eve!

All was merry & bright

2008-12-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

*I know some of you prepared ornaments and life got in the way (isn't it fun how it has a way of doing that). Anyways, we are leaving entering open until Monday by putting a link here, and then Monday the voting will begin. It will close on Christmas Eve.

Pass the hot chocolate, and get ready for some inspiration. If there is one thing we do know these ladies that hang around here, are chalk full of CRAFTY goodness... and so they have prepared some ornament making with tutorials for our drooling pleasure...

drum roll please...
so add the link to your post in the comments, and the voting will go up on a sidebar halfway through the party... once everyone is entered!

{change of plans}

2008-12-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

My brother had a pretty bad accident on Sunday and severely cut both of his hands! Him being a hairdresser and this being his busiest time of the year, makes a bad situation even worse. Not to mention his partner is in California right now celebrating the holidays with his family....
My brother needed someone to come and help him, but my sister is having surgery tomorrow and my parents could not go, so my Mom bought me a plane ticket and off I went to nurse him back to health. Luckily I am a planner and have everything ready for the Holiday at my house.
So here I sit in Chicago, sipping Starbucks, watching it snow, missing Tucker, and cleaning wounds. I will be here until next Tuesday and then we will meet Jeff at the airport and all three of us will fly home to Cincinnati to celebrate Christmas together, hopefully all in good health!!!

As much as I hate to say it, I think I will have to miss out on Thursday nights festivities - we have a full day planned of several doctors/specialists apts and I have to help him with last minute shopping and wrapping, not to mention helping him prepare to fly home for a week and play nurse!

Can you believe the timing - couldn't be worse, huh! But I have to admit, we have had a blast just him and I. It has been far too long since I have spent good quality alone time with my brother and it makes me realize everything really does happen for a reason even if that means changing our idea of Christmas Cheer!!!

Have a great time girls - think of me, I will be thinking of you - and Merry Christmas to you all....

With love - Lisa

Sweets to the Sweet

2008-12-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

How about sharing your favorite Christmas Cookie or Candy recipes with us? Of course we are hoping that you ladies will be in the mood to bake a batch or two of something sweet for our upcoming Christmas Chit Chat. Because of course a Christmas party isn't a Christmas party without the sharing of sprinkles, shortbread and fudgey goodness. Here is what I have made so far and my wish list of treats to try:

Sweets I've Made so far:

Almond Roca

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Soft Gingersnaps

{ All of which were yum }

Sweets I Wish to Make:

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Homemade Marshmallows

Variations:

Use the base recipe without playing with any of the ingredients.
For the peppermint marshmallows, finely ground about a cup and a half of candy canes and mix it into the fluffy mixture along with about a half teaspoon of peppermint extract and a few drops of red food dye. Afterwards, cut them into squares, and roll them in a mixture of powdered sugar and leftover crushed candy cane.

To make coconut marshmallows. Add a teaspoon of coconut flavoring and about 3/4 cup shredded coconut to the fluffy mixture before pouring it into the pan. I finely chopped more

coconut to mix with the powdered sugar to roll them around in.

So excited to hear all about what sort of tastey Christmastime treats you ladies have been whipping up and discovering some new favorites to add to my must make list.

have a lovely christmas...

2008-12-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

Hello sweet creative ladies!!

I hope each of your holidays are off to a great start with planning, crafting, present picking, baking, loving on your littles {oh what a blessing to watch the season through their eyes}, and spending time by the fire with your honey! I am so sad to be missing out on the festivities next week, but want to participate up until then as long as I can...{I am heading to Texas for Christmas next week and hubby will soon follow}.

I can only image how decked out for Christmas each of your cozy homes are & would love to see...with KT's encouragement to share I'll begin the tour... { just think...its like having a progressive party around the world {hello Australia!} of sorts without fighting the airlines, traffic, and SNOW! } So many blessings to you all dear girls & wishing you a lovely Christmas!

What does your Christmas look like?

2008-12-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hi girls,

As the heartbeat behind this blog is to link us together and let us share our ideas and the seasons together (no matter how many miles we may be apart) we would love for each of you to share your Christmas with us right here at DB.

we would love to see:

Pictures of your Christmas tree, decorations (especially any you have made yourself!) and lights...
Pictures of your house all decked out for the holiday...
Some of your favorite holiday recipes, or links to the recipes you will be trying during this season.
a little blurb about how you spend your holidays and any traditions you and your family have.
and maybe even any links to where you have found inspiration for this holiday.

We know that some of you ladies have already posted something like this on your own blog, if so leave a small post on the DB blog which links back to the post on your own blog.

or if you are not a DB contributor and would like to contribute leave a link to your blog post in the comments section.

Lets share this festive feeling around as we count down the days till our chit chat catchup, and our course the birth of our amazing and personal Saviour :)

So what will your Christmas look like?

trim your tree

2008-12-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

So for the upcoming Bloggy Christmas Party...
we need you...

Your Job: Create an Ornament
of any kind, with fabric, paper, beads, yummy treats
anything that tickles your fancy and will leave us in utter
amazement or just a good old fashioned dang thats darling.

Then Enter it in the Ornament Contest.

How do you do that, you say???

Its easy, you take a photo of your ornament, you include a little tutorial of how you made it. Then the night of the party, there will be a post asking to see your ornaments, link to your blog post and wahhhhlahh.

And whats the point... you say?

1. It spreads good cheer.
2. It might inspire us to make all sorts of lovely ornaments
3. We will have a poll up voting for best ornament, the winner will get some goodies from me...

Thats it ... no go forth... and create... I can't wait to see you what you have came up with!

Leave a little note here if you want to play....

RSVP

2008-12-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Morning Ladies,

So we now have a date and time which it seems all of you are happy with (yipee!) and now it's down to all the fun planning and crafting for our upcoming get together!

As there are quite a few of us who will be chatting on the night we have decided to get an msn messenger chatbox happening instead of our blog chatbox (so it will be quicker and we won't have to keep refreshing the page, although we will definetly be keeping the chatbox up on the page. So feel free to join in with the convos and ideas being shared through it) Miss Fairlight will be getting our msn chat up and running with a few testers before the night.. So if you are dropping in at any time during the night would you please rsvp your name, blog address and hotmail address/msn contact name to Domestic.B@hotmail.com so we can get you set up ready for a night full of giggles.

Stay tuned!
Xx

The official DB Christmas Chit Chat Catchup!

2008-12-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

(click picture to enlarge invite)
Bring along a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate and some nibbles (does anyone suddenly feel like baking?) and come and join in as we laugh it up together.

As part of sharing this season with one another we would love you on the night to post up a post and share your Christmas with us and leave a link on the DB blog (more details to come). We would love to see pictures of your tree and holiday decorations (especially any you have made yourself), your holiday traditions and your favorite holiday treat recipes whether it be cookies, candy or whatever you will be munching on on the night.

Also we will be having a few games and prizes (Chelle has offered one of her amazing Christmas banners as a prize, so you have to be in on that!) Some of you ladies have thought of some really fun games in out chat box too, which I definitely think we will be running with!

So keep checking back here at Domestic Bliss for more information…

We can’t wait to catch up and have some giggles with you!

Note: You may have noticed that the date has changed, that's right - the new date is Thursday 18th Dec, we had some troubles with availability and thought more of us would be free on Thursday night than a Friday plus it also gives us more time to get the games and prizes etc ready..

Chit Chat Catchup?

2008-12-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hi Ladies,

It's been awhile since anyway had posted on here so i thought I'd check in, say hello and post up a few ideas... can you actually believe it's the first day of December!! (actually it's the second here, which makes all the more crazy!) It is so sunny and hot over here right now. The days have been beautiful the cicadas and crickets are coming out and night and last night we were able to set up the Christmas tree with the air conditioning full blast and running around barefoot - probably much different to what you all are used to! :P So how is all your Christmas decorating/baking/crafting going, anything exciting to share?

I was also wondering if anyone received any scrappy swap or any Happy Handmade Christmas swap items yet.. we would love to have a peek and the creativity that has been going on around here lately, so please post up :) I promise in turn I will post pics of mine as soon as i receive them (how exciting!)

I was also thinking that we need to get that chatbox up and running on the blog (Dawna!?) and have a 'Christmas chit chat get together' as suggested in Fairlight's previous post, as I know you girls had an absolute ball doing this at Leslie's Baby shower and I totally feel like I missed out big time ;)

so what do you ladies think? Should we set it up and send out some invites for a catch up chat?

Love Kt xox

Getting To Know You: A Journey With Purpose

2008-11-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

About Me:

Hello!

My name is Jacy, married for four and a half years to the bestest husband ever, Benji. We have two little boys, Noah (3) and Ryder (1) who bring so much joy to our lives.
God has brought a lot of things our way, including a job that keeps Benji away from home, four days out of the week, while I stay home with the boys teaching their little minds all God wants them to know, all while on a quest to build a home and call it our own, wherever that may be and only time will tell.

We are a family, passionately striving to follow Jesus Christ and his will for our lives. This journey will undoubtedly bring many obstacles before us, but it is our prayer that in Happy moments we will praise him, Difficult moments we will seek him, Quiet moments we will worship him, Painful moments we will trust him and Every moment we will THANK him.

Define Home:

I currently live in a home where I can not call my own.

We are, for the time being, staying with my in-laws until we are able to find a place to build.

So as you can imagine my longing for this word home, I am, in my own words, about to define.

HOME is a place your heart is, and longs for when you've been gone. It's a place to worship, a place to Love, a place to feel safe and secure, a place to feel comfort, a place where you raise your children in, then later in life hear them say, "this is my home." It's a place to go when your day has been more than stressful and your eyes cry as soon as you step foot in. It's a place where you can be happy, free, laugh uncontrollably and occasionally snort. It's a place where you can go from the shower through the kitchen, down the hall and to the bedroom with no worries. A place to be your self. A place to throw parties and dinners and holidays and feel cozy and inviting..

It's a place to be a family.

And since I don't have a home of my own to share with you here are a few snippets of what I would LOVE to have in the home we build...hopefully sometime next year.

Decorating Elements:

I love color, soft greens, earthy browns, robins egg blues, burnt oranges, accenting those colors with the basics, I love vintage, sheer white curtains, polka dots, chair rail, white crispy cabinets, black and white photos, I love a pretty dish set, sand dollars, pillows, peg boards covered with pictures and cards, a refrigerator covered in hand paintings and abc magnets, home made crafts, books galore, my willow tree collection, wrap around sectionals, wooden letter words old lanterns, grand pianos, flowers on my kitchen table, archways and oh my goodness...the list could go on when the holidays come around!!

I've always thought less is more. Simple and Clean is inviting and still warm and cozy feeling.

Favorite Creative Outlet:

writing, blogging, crafty things, magazines, color, fabrics, photography, scrap booking, sewing, my boys, cooking, baking, reading...I love all these things they would be considered my passion.

Where do you find Inspiration:

Every where! Including all the above!

Mostly blogging, BH&G, Martha Stewart, Pottery Barn, magazines, reading, my boys, writing children stories oh the list could really go on and on and on....

Favorite Color:

The hardest thing to answer.

For my home I would love to use browns, burnt oranges, soft blues, light olive greens, with a dab of reds, maybe some lavender somewhere.

I wear a lot of rich green, red, orange, lavender and brown. I think those look best on me.

You'll never catch me in pink...ugh unless I have a summer tan it completely washes me out...same for yellow!

Book Recommendation:

I know this book would have nothing to do with this subject, but I'd have to say

Shepharding A Child's Heart by Ted Tripp.

I could read it a thousand times and learn something new each time.

I love it!

A Tried and True Recipe:

Spicey Sweet Chili

8 oz. boneless beef top sirloin or top round steak
Nonstick cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 cup water
1 15 1/4-oz. can pineapple tidbits (juice pack), undrained
1 15- to 15 3/4-oz. can chili beans with chili gravy, undrained
1 14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Dairy sour cream (optional)
Directions
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces. Lightly coat an unheated 4-quart Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add meat, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender.
2. Carefully stir in the water, pineapple, chili beans with gravy, tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes or until meat is tender. If desired, serve with sour cream. Makes 5 or 6 servings.

Corners of My Home:

or rather corners of my room.

It's small but it's cozy and I have a lot to look forward to!

I will spare you any pictures of the boys room or their play room. It's a mess lol and I have a lot of clothes to put away!!

Favorite Household Tip:

My mother use to always tell me "smile when you clean, it will go by much faster."

A Happy Handmade Christmas

2008-11-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our
Happy Handmade Christmas Swap!

With the focus of this Christmas Season
being on less consumerism
and more things made from the heart
we thought we would focus on something
that was less "big box"
and more "home made."

Don't think you have to sew
to be in this swap!
In fact, we are finding more fun things to do
that are made in the kitchen
or at the craft table
than at the sewing machine or off the knitting needles.

Stamped ribbons, embellished cards,
garlands, wreaths, boxes full of goodies,
cookies and gingerbread houses, oh my!
Put some Christmas music on, browse through our
posts of inspiration (coming soon!) and
sign up for our swap to join in on some
happy handmade Christmas!

1. When can I sign up?: right now! Deadline is Sat. Nov. 15.

2. Who’s my partner?: We will send out your partner info via e-mail around Nov. 15 or 16

3. What goes into a package?: Anything handmade!

Stamped gift tags, scraped Christmas cards,
a handmade garland or banner,
some delicious cookies along with the recipes,
a jingle bell wreath, handmade soaps or lotions,
your own designed earrings or bracelet,
burn a CD full of all of your favorite songs,
an ornament that you knitted, sewed, glued, or folded,
homemade bath salts, handmade candies,
an advent calender, or a December Daily binder.

If you would like you could also throw in some:
beautiful tissue paper, bright colored ribbons, twine,
raffia, colored or striped tape, tulle,
small items to be tied on top of packages,
Christmas scrapbook papers, Christmas fabric scraps,

Christmas buttons, Holiday stickers,
vintage Christmas sheet music,

a candle or two of your favorite Holiday scent,
some tea for calming frazzled nerves, a delicious treat.

4. How to I join in on all this fun?: send us an email at

Domestic.B@hotmail.com

with the following details

- first and last name

- postal address
- email address
- blog address (if you have one)
- describe your Christmas/Holiday

colors and theme in a few sentences.

Packages to be sent by Saturday, Dec. 6th

Please note: This is an International swap, so if you do not want to ship internationally,

please let us know in your email.

5. How much should this package be worth or How do I know how much to send?: We would like everyone to make one handmade gift item for their partner
and include a CD of your favorite Christmas music or a Christmas magazine issue that has inspired you this Holiday season. Anything extra, is up to you.
In the spirit of the swap, let's try to keep the monetary expenditures at a minimum
but the joy of the season at a maximum. :)

Introductions: Aminta

2008-11-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Ladies!
I have been a member on here for awhile, but I guess I never introduced myself properly. :)

So, here goes!

About Me: I am THE wife to a wonderful, hard working, hard core "boy". Who comes home to us in the evenings instead of the numerous things he could be doing. We have been married for almost six years, YAY!!! We have one daughter, Faith (April '99), and two sons, Nelson (Nov. '03) and Beau (Dec. '06). I home-school Faith and am starting "Sonny" this year......very slowly. Slowly because he is not interested. Therfore I must slowly interest him. I love, love, love to sew, bake and be with my little family. I have really enjoyed our few times away to just enjoying eachothers company. Those are my favorite times. I am from a family of TEN. EIGHT children and two parents. My mother and I enjoy visiting with eachother and encouraging one another in our Faith along with our craftyness. :) I love each of my family members, and am very close to a few. Time and distance along with different personalities in a large family and the dissolve of my parents marriage has left a large family in a bit of turmoil. Time will heal (with Gods direction).

Decorating Elements/Favorite Colors: Neutrals, browns, tans, greens, blues, reds and a little bit of burnt orange for good measure. Autumn colors. Warmth. Cozy. Pottery-Barn-y. Beachy. Cottage-y. Romantic. Ecclectic. Vintage (more 60's then anything). Scandinavian. But, mostly an ecclectic mix of cozy.

Inspirations: OH....this is a fun, but difficult one for me to answer. I find beauty in everything (almost), as long as I have my eyes open. Open to the beauty of that which surrounds you. Custume home-y. Nature. Sunrise, Sunset. Grass. Mud. Falling leaves. My sister Chelle, My Mother, My sisters. My brothers. My hubby. My children. Heather Bailey. Anna Maria Horner (especially her house!!!)My friends on the internet......... smiles!
FABRIC! Scrappy designs. Laura (my friend). Christ. My kids. My amazingly taltented Petie.

Define Home: Hmmm....... heaven. For this place is only temporary.
No, I mean, yes it is, but that is not what this question asked for.
So, I really feel at home in a place that is clean and cozy, where I am excepted and loved for who I am. My home is home. My family is home. My hubby is home. My children, home.

Creative Outlets: I do love to sew. I adore to create things for my little family and others. Sewing. Sewing. Sewing. I also love to bake. Baking for my family and others gives me peace. I just hate the mess it creates! lol LOVE fabrics. Textures to work with.......

Recipe We Induge In: Home-made Chicken Fettecinni. Nelson loves it so much he closes his eyes to eat. And now, everytime Beau gets hungry he asks for "ticken". :)

Favorite Spot In My House: Hmmmm..... there are so many! I love my sewing room, our "sitting" room, our dinning room, our front porch.................... my bed! Lol!

Household Tip: Hmmm....... Get organized before you have children. Because I find it almost impossible to get to it now that I have three! Other then that, I have no idea..... Oh wait! I try to wash each dish as I bake and cook, to minimize dishes. My hands are my dish washer and has been most of my life. I am soo looking forward to a plug in, on button push away, dishwasher one day!

So there you have it! That is me, and my life in a very small nut shell.

Giveaway!

2008-10-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Morning/Afternoon Ladies!

Just wanted to mention that yesterday my blog turned 1 and to celebrate I am having a giveaway and would definitely love each and everyone of you to join in. For the details come over to my blog and check it out!

Love to you all
Katie x

ps. how's everyone's scrappy fabric'ing' going?

A few more...

2008-10-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

suggestions and ideas

( picture borrowed from somewhere on Apartment Therapy )

to help you come up with the perfect little gifts to make for your 3 partners , with your scraps for those in our { Tidbits } swap. Happy inspirations!

Fabric Pom Pom

Fabric Flowers More Fabric Flowers

Fabric Magnets

Fabric Tags

Vintage Fabric Wall Art

Fabric Covered Button

Fabric Greeting Cards more on these here

Criss Cross Coasters

Fabric Covered Barrettes

Fabric Panels How To

Scrap Party Garland

Scrappy Christmas Ball Ornaments

Getting to Know You: Blessings All Mine

2008-10-21T13:48:00.001-07:00

hey ladies! so excited by the privilege of joining you all in this delightful little blog (and perhaps a wee bit intimidated...you gals have lovely decorating, quaint homes, and so much domestic prowess!). i'm glad to finally have a chance to introduce myself!

About Me: wife, mommy, daughter of the King...i am 29 (30 in may). i was born and raised in indiana all of my life (with the exception of three summers aways...one in ohio, one in new zealand, and one in colorado...all with campus crusade for Christ). i'm the youngest of two daughters. my husband michael and i met through Sunday school class at church and never in our wildest imagination thought we would eventually be married, but that's God for you. in july 2003 God stirred both of our hearts while we were cleaning fruit together, we started dating, were engaged just 2 months later on sept. 20, 2003, and our wedding took place the following spring/summer on june 5, 2004. hard to believe it's been 4 1/2 years! in early 2005 we were surprised with the news we were pregnant, and in october 2005 we welcomed elizabeth irene to our family. and in august 2007 we were blessed with the gift of another precious daughter katherine christine (kate...and the name kate just fits her...our little firecracker!).

Define Home...home is where you can completely be yourself. it is full of laughter and love, and yet it is a place where you can bare your heart and still be accepted. it is not always neat and tidy, but rather, it is stuffed to the brim with the little "clutter" of life. right now home is wooden choo-choos, pink socks, and my little ponies stashed in the most random of corners. home is where i snuggle up on the couch next to my husband or settle in for a stories with my girls. home smells like fresh bread or brownies baking in the oven. the older i get the more that i realize home is much less the physical structure and much less the "stuff" and so incredibly and completely the people. home is family.

Favorite Color...this depends. when it comes to clothing i seem to be in a brown mode as of late...deep chocolate browns. when it comes to decor i'm all over the board....for our bedroom a light cerulean bluish, two tones separated by a white chair rail. downstairs, a bold red splash of color for our living room, and an accenting of oatbran that will soon be painted on the walls of our front room. when it comes to the girls its bold and bright colors...a vibrant yellow in elizabeth's room and bold murals of curious george in the nursery. (although i'm seeing visions of pink and green when we eventually move the girls to the same room!).

(incidentally the plates in the pic above were my favorite piece of accent decor in my house (they have Scripture on them...until Miss Kate decided to reach up and manage to pull them off the wall during E's birthday party Sunday...shattering every plate to pieces except the yellow one...UGH!)

Decorating Elements

...i suppose you would call it "eclectic"...since there isn't really any rhyme or reason. i would like to have more simplicity but struggle to keep my head above the water when it comes to clutter! :) i feel like i see ideas that others share and would love to pull them off, but apparently that would involve finding the time and/or money! :) here are some snippets of decorating elements around our house though!

Creative Outlets ...you name it, i enjoy it. seriously...sewing, knitting, tile coaster making, writing...and on and on! :) i find i have far too many creative things i enjoy and far too little time for partaking in them! oh, and cooking...mostly the baking part.

A recipe we indulge in...i direct you to two a new fav and an old standby. cheesy corn tortilla bites and carrot cake

A household tip...i could use a few of these! okay, in all seriousness, schedule and routine. i SO rebelled against this for so long, and now it has become my best tool and is helping me grow so much as a wife and mom. i have designated times for chores and designated times for sitting on the floor playing or purposeful crafting with elizabeth...and it is SO incredibly freeing. but more than anything, my tip and my heart is to keep my focus on the people and not allow the "stuff" to take over!

Where do I find inspiration...everywhere. but i find much of my inspiration these days from my girls. but seriously, i find inspiration on all of your blogs, in my backyard, at my MOPS group, all over!

Favorite spots around my home

...this room right here...in fact, to be specific, in the corner of the couch, the one cut off in the photo. it looks out onto the front of the house, and with the window open i can feel the breeze. i love to curl up here with my Bible and journal, surrounded by pictures of my family and sweet little reminders of the blessings in my life. i will like it even better when i get around to painting the walls with the oatbran paint we already bought. but i also LOVE my kitchen...i love cooking and baking and creating...

Getting to know you: have a lovely

2008-10-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

hello soon to be dear friends! I am so thankful to Chelle for the invite to be a part of such a special group of gals and look forward to getting to know each of you!!

a little about me...
I am a Texas girl living in PA and I'm married to the one my soul fell in love with. We are a real life "love at first sight" Mr. & Mrs. We have been married over 4 years and moved 19 hours from home to Cleveland, OH after one month of marriage for my husband to attend medical school. Might just sound far...but it was more than just the hours...my heart was still in Texas and that move {my first ever} in many ways came to define how I lived my life. God took me completely out of my comfort zone and away from our families {I am one of 4} and planted me where he wanted me to grow...even in the coldest of winters! I grew in ways only He could have fathomed and although I miss home and pray that we end up back there one day...I wouldn't have traded this journey for anything.

We just moved to PA in June for the next leg of our journey {at least 3 years}...for his podiatry residency. I am so blessed to finally be working from home for myself! I own a unique little children's boutique, Teacups and Tadpoles, and am working on my 2nd business venture now and hoping to launch in just a few weeks. My background is in children's interior design, retail, and well...Christmas trees! I used to design Christmas trees and homes during the holidays...and I loved it!

favorite decorating elements...
I heart all things vintage, must have: chandeliers, like the smell and feel of old books, find scouring flea markets relaxing, think peeling paint is beautiful, have an obsession with crepe paper ruffles, think glass glitter is divine, will never have too many dishes, can't stop taking pictures, collect silver serving pieces, adore my collection of transferware, and have a weakness for fabrics...but can't yet sew a lick! My home is my tangible scrapbook...it is a mix of everywhere we had lived and lived through. I love mixing the unexpected with the typical. For example...rice {and even black beans} are a fabulous medium {just keep up from the littles}...and plants don't have to just live in planters...

favorite color...
tough one...it seems to be different with different things...
-for decorating my accent color seems to be red
-for clothes...I wear a lot of basic colors {blacks, whites, creams, etc.} because I like to accessorize!
-and for just all around...I really like turquoise

creative outlets...
I spend most of my creative time on my businesses, enjoy making things with paper, blogging, could design on the computer until my eyes are stuck, and love, love, love "taking pictures" {I am not a professional or trained so I feel I can't call it "photography"}.

around our home... {in pictures... sorry...some of them are most current and we are all decked out for halloween}

definition of home...
my home is truly where my family is... When hubby and I moved to Cleveland I missed "home", but the first time I went home without him...I realized I had it all along. Home really was were he was and we were together. I can't explain the feeling, but going home to Texas doesn't feel the same anymore if he's not there.

favorite domestic tip...
make your bed. I got so tired of hearing it growing up. But...I do it every day. Even if its 7:00 at night sometimes...I have to make my bed before I get into it for the night. There is something about making your bed that makes you feel ready and put together...even if there are 4 loads of laundry waiting to be folded!

book recommendation...
The Purpose Driven Life...I picked it up years ago to read after a slew of recommendations and only read the first few chapters. I picked it up again at the first of this summer...and I can't recommend a more favorite book right now...if you too have picked it up and didn't get far...keep reading. You will soon move through the chapters of things you may have always heard and then you'll move into chapters that truly will speak to your heart.

Anyone else, want to join us?

2008-10-16T10:24:00.001-07:00

I am about to send out swap partner info to those of you who have joined up for the { tibits } scrap swap. But I am one person short.

So we are looking for one more person

to even out the { tidbits } swap.

Just wondering if any of you ladies out there might have meant to sign up and then maybe forgot to? Or does one of want to play twice and send out and receive double the amount of scraps? please if so let me know by either leaving me a comment here or emailing me as soon as possible at domestic.b@hotmail.com .

Thanks dearies.

Edit: We have our extra lady! :) You will all be getting your partner info right away. Have fun!

Coming Soon!

2008-10-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you beautiful people.
And a very special good morning to a VERY special person, on a very special day of her life.
Chelle,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I love you very, very dearly.
I plan to write a nice little birthday post, but I do not want to rush the words written. Therefore I am going to work on it and post it tonight. So until then dearest of dears, know I absolutely adore the socks off of you.
hugs and kisses for you and two extras for today!
Your fan, "Min"

Introductions: Katie

2008-10-12T03:24:00.000-07:00

a little about me:

Katie.
I am most definitely the 'baby' of this group :) I'm 20 years old and live all the way 'downunder' in Australia, which at times is way too far away from all you fun spirited ladies! I was born in the Northern Beaches of Sydney but moved further up the coast when I was still very young. We live near the beach, which we try to get to as often as possible, and just love the coastal lifestyle.

the area which we live (church is one of those little buildings):

I have an amazing family and equally amazing boyfriend, Morgan whom you can hear more about over at my blog. We met at school through a mutual friend who had a bit of a 'thing' for me. The friend asked Morgan to chat to me and find out if I had any feelings for him. It's safe to say the story didn't end the way he had quite hoped and I fell badly for M and he for me and we have been chatting like mad ever since ;) We have been dating for 3 and a half years - & it's been a blast!
We are actively involved in our little church, where we are youth leaders and both involved in the church and youth bands. (I sing and Mr Morgan is our drummer who is also occasionally seen on the guitar or bass or mucking around on the keys) I believe I am so blessed by what the Lord has given me and each day try to strive to shine for him and to get to that 'next level' in my relationship with him, though many times I may fail.
I am currently a legal secretary who deals with family law, criminal law etc (all that messy stuff!) I took this job almost 2 years ago to save up for design school which I was recently accepted into and start in February next year!! I will be studying Interior Design.. and will keep you informed on how it all goes.
I am so excited to see what next year will bring and to continue to get to know all you lovely ladies more...

What is your definition of home:
Home is where you are loved for just being you and love back regardless. It's full of laughter, crazy singing, dancing, dinner parties, friends, cozy warm spots and a place you can be totally the 'daggy' you and still feel the most comfortable in the world. I can't wait to bring all this to my own house one day - we're currently saving!

Favourite Colours:

I just can't decide on this one, there's too many beautiful colours! I do like them bright & happy though..
ps. I'm not a bad speller...this is how we spell these words in Australia, we're crazy I know ;)

Favourite decorating elements:
paint, texture (walls, fabrics & furniture), pattern, small personalized touches, objects that seem 'random' and add character to a room, objects that have meaning and a story behind them, photographs, throw cushions, candles, pretty lights and would love one day to have drool worthy hardwood floors :)

Favourite creative outlets:
Basically anything crafty I can get my hands on. I especially have a passion for sewing, interior design & photography (looking at learning much more about this)with a bit of card making, scrapbooking & cooking - I'm such a sucker for food! thrown in too.

A Favourite recipe:
I'll go with sweet...
sweet chocolate and berry brownies.

Favourite domestic tip:
hmm not sure I have much experience to give you all a domestic tip! I'd say get rid of clutter, I know it makes me feel better. I use one of those nice fabric covered boxes as my inbox for my desk. The junk which would usually go all over my desk is thrown in and the lid is put on, therefore giving the illusion that I am neat and have everything under control ;) I think got this obsessive nature off my mum who has a passion for containers and whos spice rack is in alphabetical order (no joke!)

Where do I find inspiration :
in so many places.. blogs, Home Beautiful Magazine (I seriously have about 3 years worth of these hoarded away which I refuse to get rid of! It's a goal to one day have a house that is worthy of gracing the pages of a magazine such as this), Etsy, shops, restaurants & cafes (their choice of colours, furniture, shelving and patterns etc), flickr, advertising brochures (I've also been known to hoard these even though they serve no use), photography, music..

Favourite spots around my home:
I still live at home with my parents (and plan on doing so until I've finished design school!) We live in a house my dad 'started' building when I was about 3 - home builder's houses always seems to take years :) Although we do love our house it is quite a lot of maintenance for my dad and my parents are looking at putting the house up for sale soon and moving on to something else. The colour and furniture are not particulary my choice but here are some things that I love about home:
p.s I would say my parents are definately not afraid to use colour..

my room, love putting candles and soft music on and drinking tea in bed while reading my devotion book or pouring through Home Beautiful and just winding down :)

all furniture by dad.

our stairwells (the left hand side is all windows) I love when the sun pours through..

Like Wendi, I like having a big kitchen, great for entertaining:

Love eating out here especially on summer nights:

Having scenery such as:

Introductions: Wendi

2008-10-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of you amazing ladies! To be honest I feel a little out of my league with the immense talent you all posses. I am honored to be a part of this though! I have gotten so much inspiration from all of you (now I am getting a little ahead of myself! I'll just repeat that comment again when I get to the "where do I get my inspiration from" part) *smile*. One of my main reasons for joining this blog is to learn from all of you. :) Then, some glorious day, perhaps I will be a part of it because I will actually be able to join in all of the skilled domestication. :)

About me: I am the youngest of 5 in a very close knit family. 7 1/2 yrs. ago I moved over 500 miles away from my parents and siblings and have started a beautiful life with my amazing husband David. His love astounds me.

I am a 27 year old Jesus loving, husband adoring, diaper changing, fashion appreciating, life loving mama of 3 boys. My oldest, K, has cerebral palsy and has been a constant catalyst for amazing lessons learned in my life! K is 5 1/2, Jay is 3 1/2, and Noe is 1 1/2. These boys keep me super busy! That is a huge understatement...

I have to laugh at God's sense of humor in giving 3 BOYS to a girly girl such as myself. :) These guys and my Dave mean the world to me. Some days I am just in awe at the blessings in my life. I often feel so undeserving, but thankful nonetheless!

I am a very emotional, all or nothing, romantic, free spirit. I am constantly second guessing myself and struggle all too often with feelings of inferiority and insecurity. I am daily working on seeing myself through the eyes of the one who created me and is faithfully completing a work in me.

Definition of home: Home to me is any where you feel the warmth and love of family. A place you can 'let your hair down' so to speak, and be yourself with no worries of being judged. Home made chocolate chip cookies definitely enhance the feeling of home. :)

Favorite color: I LOVE color! Vibrant colors just make me happy. I greatly admire homes that are so pristine in clean whites and beige's, but I know I would never be completely comfortable living in one. :) Red is definitely a favorite! Exhibit A, my upstairs hallway: (Oh, and my ever present insecurities just urged me to apologize over my photography in light of all of you really incredible photographers. I love photography, but know very little of it's technical aspects).

Exhibit B, my upstairs bathroom:

I wear alot of browns, but I think red is an all time favorite. :)

Decorating elements: Hmmm... Can I say eclectic? :) Yes, it is my post, so I will. :) A friend once called my home decorating style "french, Victorian, country". As already stated, I love color. I love candles, baskets, comfy, and warmth. :) I love to use photos and words in my decorating.

Our home is over 80 years old. When Dave and I got married and I moved in here it needed so much work! It was in really bad shape you guys! It took me a while to love it. Now it is truly 'home'. Even though it continues to be a big project for us, we love what we have done, and even more, the memories we have made here!

{ Per Request }

2008-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

As of this morning...Mini Scrap Packs are up in my shop!

And thanks so much sweet ladies, for your interest. I am downright flattered.

Introductions: Shanna

2008-10-10T05:32:00.001-07:00

An introduction to me…I hate to be the first one (after the original three)…I started (and finished) this last night then forced myself to wait until this morning to post, not wanting to be first. But I better just get it up or it’s going to drive me crazy all day! ;)

About myself – I’m 32, turning 33 in December. I’m an only child so I guess in some ways that defines who I am. I’m a non-conforming perfectionist. Yes, I made that term up. Basically I like things the way I like them. I like things perfect when I want them perfect and I want them (neatly) messed up when I deem it appropriate to be so!

Define Home – Over the course of nearly 13 years of marriage we have moved eleven times. Home, for me, must always be where my family is. A house is a building with four walls and though I try to make it comfortable and homey, without the five of us together, all the stuff between the walls wouldn’t be worth anything.

Favorite Color – You know, I used to be a pink girl through and through. But right now? I like to say I’m ‘between colors’. I don’t have a definite color of choice. I lean towards a sage-ish green, but I can’t say it’s my favorite.

Decorating Elements – Simplicity. I don’t like clutter. I don’t like to feel pushed in, surrounded or held back by things. I love the look of French country though and one day when we finally settle in for the long haul, I would love to have whites, soft greens, understated blues and yellows surrounding me.

Creative Outlets – Photography is number one. I also like to sew. I have no idea what I’m doing but it sure is fun to sit at the kitchen table and whir away at any given project that has caught my eye! I also like to write. A lot actually. But the perfectionist in me sometimes makes writing difficult. I find it hard to get my thoughts out ‘just so’ and that frustrates me into quitting before I’m finished. I am obsessed with the number three. Within my decorating I rarely work without working in threes. I have three kids. I have three cousins. My wedding ring’s diamonds are clustered in groups of three. I need things to be in threes. I feel off balance otherwise. Wonder what that means?

A recipe we indulge in – Oh there are so many! I drive my mom crazy with all the food my family consumes. She’s not a big eater but I grew to love food. I love to cook it and smell it and eat it! A favorite that I like to share is Frog Eye Salad. It’s just. so. good.

A household tip – Pick up after yourself! I refuse refuse refuse to pick up after my kids. If you want me sane, pick up after yourself.

Where do I find inspiration – Everywhere. Anywhere. Sometimes in the most unlikely of places. Cryptic? Yes. I can’t really define a place that has given me specific inspiration but when it hits I rarely have the patience to wait and do it later. It must be done now. Idea struck at one ‘o clock in the morning? Doesn’t matter. Must be done.

Favorite spots around my home - Right now? In our current home? It makes me a little sad to say I don’t really have a favorite spot. When we moved here, I wasn’t the one who chose the home. (Luckily we won’t be here long) I don’t feel like this is the one I would have chosen if I’d been able to. However, in other homes I’d have to say that the front window has always been my favorite place to spend time with a good book.

I love to crack it and feel the breeze, hearing people as they come and go on the sidewalks. Watching people as they go about their day from the comfort of my home makes me feel a part of something bigger than me.

These pictures are from two of our previous homes:

I like order. Simple. Clean lines. But softness too. Some may call me a minimalist but to me minimalism implies cold hard surfaces of granite and steel. I like it to feel like home – but without all the foo foo that comes with the term homey.

Clean, crisp easy to maintain & splashes of color. Suits me perfectly.

I love stripes. They conform to my desire for neatness. Though I am a neat freak, I am not a clean freak. There is dust. There are some things that remain disorderly. But those things remain hidden from the untrained eye *wink*

Even our yard (which is still ours but are renting out) conveyed my desire for clean lines and orderly neatness.

So, I suppose that is Me in a nutshell. Have any questions? Feel free to ask, you know where to find me!

Welcome and Introductions

2008-10-09T12:09:00.001-07:00

Hi Ladies,
We are so excited to be welcoming a whole new group of authors to our Domestic Bliss blog!
We would like to welcome:

Amanda from Blessings All Mine
Aminta from Beauty in Simplicity
AndiMae from Tales of a Crafty Momma
Andrea from The Sunny Little Things in Life
Ashley from Have a Lovely
Dawna from Simple Treasures
Jacy from A Journey With Purpose
KT Mac from A little bird told me. so
MamaChanga from Da'Gorgeouses
Shanna from Smiles, Miles, and Trials
Wendi from Every Day Miracles
Courtney from A Cottage Family

Most of us have become dear friends through the planning and preparation of a top secret baby shower for our friend Leslie. You can see all the loveliness at our blog, Showers of Blessings.
But we think it's time for a proper introduction to all of our sweet friends, so ladies, we would love for each and every one of you to do an introduction post. Here are Chelle's, Fairlight's, and Leslie's.

Please have fun, take some pictures, answer a few questions, share your favorite recipe, and let us get to know you a little bit better!

scrappy bits and pieces

2008-10-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a little bit of inspiration to help you all get the wheels turning and get you excited about your upcoming scrap projects. We will have another one in few days, if there is nothing in this one to spark your interest, stay tuned!

Check out the scrappy scarf in this post.
These lavender sachets are a great idea.
Search your local library for books on "zakka" crafts. There are many lovely scrappy ideas in them. Searching Flickr for "zakka" turns up some really good results too.Heather Bailey's pincushions and pears are good examples of using scraps.
Making applied t-shirts is quick, fun, and doesn't require very many scraps either.

I found this website today "50 scrap and remnant ideas with free patterns" make sure to browse around their site. They've got a wealth of info on there.
If you don't sew but still want to join in, these covered push pins are mighty cute, no sewing required!
Please tell me that I'm not the only one who has just found the blog "How About Orange?"
If you click on the link it will take you to her tutorials page. There are many cool ones so keep scrolling down.
Let's keep an eye on this Flickr group. They are having a challenge somewhat like ours. It will be interesting to see what they come up with too!
I really like this notebook cover. So pretty with the rainbow effect.

Happy planning to you all!

{tidbits}

2008-10-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

{tidbits}
a scrappy fabric swap

What: a swap of fabric scraps, three partners, 10-15 scraps to each person, get your scraps, then scramble them up, and make a small scrappy gift to send back to each of your three partners. (Scraps must not be smaller than 5 inches in length.) After it's all over you should still have some scraps leftover for yourself.

When: sign up from now until Oct. 15, have your 1st packages (full of scraps) sent out by Oct. 24th, and then have your 2nd packages (with a small handmade gift) sent out by Nov. 21st.

Where: Send us an email at domestic.b@hotmail.com with your full name, address, e-mail, and blog address

We will send out your swap partners on the evening of the 15th. Please be prompt and stay up with the deadlines. We want everyone to have their finished gifts by Thanksgiving!

We will be having several post of scrappy gift ideas for you to take inspiration from.
Be on the look out! If you have any links you would like to share, please email them to us at the above email address.

Join us...

2008-10-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

So we all seem a little lost on what to do next after all the excitement of preparing for Leslie's surprise shower. We have been tossing around a few ideas, making some tentative plans, and hoping that a few more dear friends would like to take the plunge and help us get some big things happening around here. Here are some of our ideas:

~a scrappy sort of swap
~wordplay
~creative juice
~a month of scrapbooking
~a month of photography
~a month of sewing projects
~a month of paper arts
~a month of yarn
~sew simple Holiday gifts
~the art is found
~it's a "good thing" every day for a month
~weekly new found love links (a whole post of nothing but links)
~OPAM (one project a month)

Some of these ideas would be combined in to a larger grouping, at the moment they are inspirations. Some would be month long events with one, two, three, or more contributors writing posts and sharing expertise. Other's are for everyone to share their own ideas .
Our hope is to create a blog that's not just about the home, but about our lives. Our creative, inspired, busy, loving, every day lives where we long to creative something beautiful because it satisfies something deep inside of us. We want to share our ups and downs, or need for prayer, and our hope for a better tomorrow. A place where we can still connect and be involved in each others lives and share the makings of special things.

How cool would it be to have a monthly meetup online where we all jump in the chat box and share and giggle and enjoy delicious brownines together?
To share what fun gifts we're making for our children, our husbands, boyfriends, and family?
Set out a word challange and have everyone show off the intreptation?
To join in on a swap together and get goodies from our dearest friends in the mail?

If you guys are interested, please let us know. We basically have a blank canvas we are trying to organize and we would love your input. If you are a contributor, it's no different than the shower blog and you are free to post anything under the topic of domesticity freely and anytime you choose.
Hugs to you all!

Great give away!

2008-09-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hey there ladies!
I was wanting to put in here that Amanda is having a giveaway over at her blog....... so excited! She has just started her ETSY shop and I thought I might mention it here.
Anyways, I love the coasters she is making!
Go check it out!
Aminta

Please share your spoils...

2008-09-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Any of you ladies had some good things come in your mail in the last few days? Maybe your { Embellish } packages starting to trickle in? I am still excitedly waiting for my first one but in the meantime, I wanted to remind you to either share directly on Domestic Bliss or on your own personal blog, and leave a link in the comment section here, or you can upload your pictures to our flickr group, Domestic Bliss Swaps. Whatever is easier. I am just so curious to see what the rest of you ladies came up with??? Nothing short of amazing, is my guess, so please do share!

Here I am, Finally

2008-08-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

A large creek on the way down from Florence, it was BEAUTIFUL! Rain and all!

Morning Ladies!

So, it seems like it has taken me forever to get back to contributing to you precious ladies here in blog land. But if you are interested, I sort of flooded my blog spot with several posts, and one being an announcement!

I also wanted to add a few pictures too.

Nelson and Faith being silly,

But they really do love each other!

Here is Beau, doing what little ones do best in the car!

(On our way back home from Florence)

I hope everyone has the most wonderful of days and remember, it may seem like not everyday something memorable happens, but I believe that is truly in the eye of the beholder. Small things are at time even more beautiful then the large things.
XO's,

Aminta

Our kitten took care of our puppy after she got hurt!

{ Time is almost Up }

2008-08-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that you have until tommorow, August the 21st to sign up for our current swap { Embellish } . Expect to be hearing from Fairlight and I with your partner info in the next few days. All the details on how to join can be found here.

1. for, the travelling, 2. Button Drawer, 3. Terri's Birthday Card, 4. Color baby., 5. IMG_3017, 6. cork board + back door, 7. Inspiration to Go!, 8. Jessica's gifts, 9. Falling for you., 10. Ocean Girl, 11. Memo, 12. Untitled, 13. Emily07--IMG_0875-329x325

swap notebooks

2008-08-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hey sweet girls!

I just wanted to let you know that my husband picked up a pack of the swap notebooks for me today at Barnes and Noble for $10.95 + tax, which is about $5.oo cheaper than the cost plus shipping on Amazon. Just thought you would like to know if you haven't bought yours already!

xo Andi

{ Be Inspired }

2008-08-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Maybe you are like me, so excited about this new little swap , but your creative juices could use a little jump start. Here are some lovelies for your inspiration, courtesy of some amazing artists on flikr... Also for those of us that might be hesitant to join because we fear our "crafting skills" are not up to par, I want to pass along this encouraging and insightful post I read a few days back, written by the very gifted Kelly McCaleb.

And as a reminder you have until the August 21st to join. Details can be found here.

1. {♥ The Notebook <3, 2. mein decor8 moodboard contest!, 3. central hk ．pen ft, 4. swap package, 5. keepers of private notebooks are a different breed altogether, 6. favorite senses, 7. swap package, 8. old notebooks & green tea, 9. free, 10. Birds of a Feather - Pocket Moleskine - Cahier, 11. Ocean Girl, 12. Gathering of Goodness, 13. Jane Notebook 1, 14. paper adventure08/no.6 front, 15. operation 10, 16. Spring Flowers Card - Pink Paislee, 17. side*view, 18. details, 19. Book 3: Pages 17-18 (pinxit) written companion, 20. mein moodboard details, 21. pa- week 22- favs, 22. january mini, 23. Roneo, 24. 080719, 25. write me a lovemail ♥Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

{Embellish}

2008-08-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

{Embellish}
A little paperie swap of school-girl goodies

Take a moleskine notebook,
embellish it for your three partners,
add a few favorite school supplies,
and send those pretty little packages on their way.

The smell of newly sharpened pencils is in the air, mingled with eraser, chalk, new paper, and glue. It's time for school to start! And after rummaging through all the fun new school supplies and falling in love all over again with paper clips, magnets, pencils, crayons, post-it notes, rainbow sharpies, and colored staples we've decided to share the love!
We are planning a fun new swap to get the creative juices flowing after a summer full of fun activities, but very little time for crafting.

What: A paperie swap of school-girl goodies
When: now! sign-ups are open until August 21 (spread the word!)
How: send us an e-mail at Domestic.B@hotmail.com with your first and last name, complete address, e-mail, and blog address (if you have one)
Who: everyone! Blogger or not! International and state-side! (Invite your crafting friends and family.)

What to do: Send us an e-mail to let us know that your participating. Then order your set of three moleskine notebooks right away (they come in packs of three for $12 .) Here is the direct link to the exact size and style Large Ruled Moleskine Cahier in "craft" that we are requiring everyone to use. When you receive your notebooks, embellish them in any way you want. Stitched fabrics, papers, chipboard, rub-ons, stickers, ribbons, lace. Do each one different or the same. Then go and buy a few fun and favorite school supplies. Add them to the package- tied up with a pretty ribbon of course- and send to it off.
We will send you you're partner's information sometime during the week of August 24th
Deadline for sending out packages is : September 6th

We'll be posting some inspirational ideas for {embellish} ing your notebooks in the next couple of days. Please feel free to share any ideas of your own!

"If I knew your name and address,
I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils."

- Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail

Let Yourself...

2008-08-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. yeah, I went back ... again, 4. 37 weeks, 5. Untitled, 6. hillyjump333, 7. raspberries, 8. erinandjoel2.jpg, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. stacia + patrick.jpg, 13. Up Close14. Not available15. Not available 16. Not availableCreated with fd's Flickr Toys.

Let yourself do something for others today.

Let yourself laugh.

Let yourself make funny faces.

Let yourself eat too much chocolate.

Let yourself meet someone smarter than you.

Let yourself be.

Let yourself entertain new possibilities.

Let yourself listen more.

Let yourself discover a new friend.

Let yourself whet new appetites.

Let yourself open up.

Let yourself think young.

Let yourself pass it along.

Let yourself be dramatic.

Let yourself experiment.

Let yourself twirl.

Let yourself cook up something new.

Let yourself spill the sprinkles.

Let yourself help others.

Let yourself be stirred.

Let yourself shine.

This list was copied from dress barn advertisements that I clipped out and saved and found inspiring. Please add one or two or twenty, of your own " Let yourself... " to this list.

~EN-TRANCED~

2008-08-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Greeting-way. The Passport (to your world). The Entrance. The Beginning of "Yours".

Such a beautiful opportunity to have! To have an entrance whether it be Grand in style or simple and cozy.

I really love entrances, it is the door to someones life, their feelings, desires, passions, family, firsts, HOME!

You can really get to know someones character with their doorway.

To get a feel for me, here are some of my favorite "entrances" I have found through my wanderings of the English countryside, paths in Paris ETC.... (of course ONLINE!)

Pathway to the "Garden"

Paris

English Countryside

New Orleans, LA

Virginia

California

Washington

Carolina

North Dakota

English Revival

And lastly, my favorite door. Can't you just imagine it with a LARGE stone wall surrounding it with a "Secret Garden" just on the other side?

Thank you for letting me share with you.

I hope this has inspired you to move forward with your very own dreamy plans for your very own "EN- TRANCE".

~Aminta~

What's cookin?

2008-07-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

Would love if you would like to share your current favorite recipe/s with us here.

Yummy Yummy Scones. Moist and heavenly straight out of the oven. Not so great the next day. I am on a scone kick right now. :)

Grandma Johnson's Scones

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir the sour cream mixture and egg into the flour mixture until just moistened. Mix in the raisins.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll or pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut into 12 wedges, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.

And if you were feeling so inclined you could always top your scones with this.

Raspberry Lemon Marmalade

INGREDIENTS

4 medium lemons
1 1/4 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 cinnamon stick
3 cups crushed fresh or frozen raspberries
7 cups sugar
1 (3 ounce) pouch liquid fruit pectin

DIRECTIONS
Grate peel from lemons and place in a medium saucepan. Trim white pith from lemons and discard. Cut lemons in half and remove the seeds. Chop pulp; set aside. Add water, baking soda and cinnamon to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add lemon pulp; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon. In a large kettle, combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon mixture; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Quickly stir in pectin; return to a bull rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; skim off any foam. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Adjust caps. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Random Eye Candy for July

2008-07-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Of course since I am the one posting this it is all bound to have a hint or more of vintage flare.

Dust If You Must

2008-07-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,
to paint a picture or write a letter,
bake a cake or plant a seed.
Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must, but theres not much time,
with rivers to swim and mountains to climb!
Music to hear and books to read,
friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but life's out there
with the sun in your eyes and the wind in your hair,
a flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
this day will not come round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go and go you must.
You, yourself, will make more dust!

Anonymous

In that same vein...

2008-06-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

More Outdoor Living Spaces.

( some lucky couple's at their vacation in their easy going backyard patio )

( love this exquisite treed archway )

( backyard powder room )

( some lucky little girl's play house )

( these amazing peopel convert their garage in the summer

into this breezy outdoor living space )

( garden potting shed )

( drool inducing front porches )

June the beginning of.......

2008-06-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

Outdoor living! If you re anything like me, you crave cozy. Cozy in, cozy out, just plain cozy. I consider fire-light cozy, wood cozy, lamp cozy, candles cozy, bath-time cozy, colors cozy, flannel cozy, bed cozy...... I could go on for hours. So why not an out-doors cozy?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Those last three were for Chelle.......and

This one was for Fairlight.

Therefore, I desire greatly an outdoor "cozy". Something where I could go out and lite-a-fire and just breath, read, sleep, eat, snuggle, romance, giggle or laugh, whisper, yell (with joy of course!), kiss (little ones and A big one)........ I guess just be.

One of my favorite sets......

So to settle this craving I have just dying to leap outside of me, I have gleaned some photos for us all to enjoy. BUT!, no drooling allowed! After all we are all "Ladies" are we not?

And last but not least, I will leave you with a photo of a modern indoor-outdoor flowing home.

~Min

P.S. I have a "ENTRYWAYS" favorites blog coming up......I am just itchin' up a storm with all of these entryways up my sleeve!

May: Candy for the Eye

2008-05-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

Cause I am so tired of coming here and seeing that Easter Post.

Easter Inspiration

2008-03-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

Our Easter looks like it's going to turn out to be really low key. Which although, we are looking forward to, we would have loved to have spent it with our family. It will be the first holiday in literally years that it's going to be, just the three of us. Of course we plan to pop in and drop off a basket of flowers to Granniebelle's so she can see Annabelle twirl in her pretty Easter dress. But other than a picnic, and a little egg hunt and maybe some kite flying if the weather allows, we have nothing extraordinary planned. So I am going to dream up an enormous Easter dinner or brunch or both, and put up all my inspirational pictures and get it out of my system.

Hoping to die eggs tomorrow. It will be, if you can believe this, my very first time, ever. I am super excited. Like little girl, kind of excited.

But if I was hosting Easter dinner you can be sure I'd be trying some of these delicious sounding recipes. How about Garlic Prime Rib, with dinner rolls, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and maybe a fresh strawberry spinach salad. But then how would I ever decided between making this Carrot, or this Coconut Cloud Cake ? They both look and sound soooo good.

If I end up cooking at all I think I'll do something really simple like maybe this and this .

What are you cooking up for Easter Sunday? We'd love to hear all about it.

Splash of Spring Color.

2008-03-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

I am craving a bright spot of orange. A refreshing hint of any and every pastel shade of green and blue. Wth a generous helping of happy sunshine yellow thrown in to make it truly spring.

{ Images borrowed from Better Homes and Gardens and the last three from Pottery Barn }

Springy Thingy

2008-03-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It has taken MONTHS for me to be inspired....... I know that may sound silly, but it is the fact. Anyone share in that feeling ever??

Well, SPRING is finally creaping in on us. First we get AMAZING, shining, bright sunny days... then SNOW, though the snow generally melts away quickly.

In light of these spring days, I have been doing some "leg work" for my sister who is throwing a baby shower for our sister-in-law come next month. In doing this "leggy work" (thought that made it sound sillier- if that is possible) I have found some very cute and inspiring pictures and have now been inspired to CREATE!

I do hope to be back up and "inspired" more often. So hopefully I will be seeing some of you.

P.S. FAIRLIGHT, I am so jealous of your drive............ :) MUAHS dear ones!

March Month of Crafting week 1

2008-03-06T10:19:00.001-08:00

Have you started your crafting for week 1 of our March challenge?
If so, leave us a link in the comments section!
We can't wait to see what wonderful, inspiring, creative
stuff you have all come up with this week!
You can see my crafts of the week by clicking here.
Happy Crafting!

A crafting website

2008-02-27T06:23:00.001-08:00

One of my obsessed over crafting websites of the moment is MarthaStewart.com
I was over there a few weeks ago to look up a recipe and discovered a totally new and awesome feature. You can create your own account where you can collect, rate, e-mail, and comment on each and every recipe, decorating idea, article, and craft project. When you collect "ideas" you can tag it with your own tags and then add a personal (just seen by you) comment about it. For instance, I looked up Raspberry-Strawberry sauce and made a personal comment about this being the sauce I used on Olivia's birthday cake for her 2nd birthday and how delicious it is over any kind of cake, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, etc. This feature is so easy, so simple, and yet so handy.

Another wonderful discover was the Crafts of the Day section. Each day they have a new craft posted with instructions on how to make it. You can browse all the way back to December 31. You can even sign up to have the Craft of the Day e-mailed directly to you. You can also collect these and add to your account.
I love this feature. It's a new inspiration every single day.

The other very cool Martha Stewart thing I'm digging at the moment is the new "Easter Workshop." You can sign up for the e-mails and they will send you an em twice a week until March 23 with detail Easter crafts for that week. If you click on the link it will take you to the Easter homepage with a countdown, all the crafts, a master shopping list, and an Easter dinner menu (which I personally plan to do.)

All of these things are perfect helpers to our Month of March Craftiness.
And don't forget to check out Martha's personal blog here.
There's also the Organizing Tip of the Day, Cookie of the Day,
and five great blogs that you can check out here.
With all this wealth of information, does anyone truly need another website? :)

National Craft Month

2008-02-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Please tell me that I was not the only person totally unaware
that March is National Craft Month?
I was so excited to learn this tidbit of info in the March issue
of Country Living magazine and it immediately got my wheels turning.

Shall we have a crafty month of March here on Domestic Bliss?
A crafting challenge perhaps?

I would like to set one for myself and for each of you,
one new completed craft for each week of March.
Who wants to join me?
Shouldn't be to hard,
even if you only do one scrapbook page
or make one card each week,
you'll have made the challenge.

Something for your Etsy store,
something for your daughter or son,
something for yourself,
a parent, or a friend
There are all sorts of things to choose from.

And then maybe we should post about our completed craft on our blogs
each week and link back to it here?
What do you all think?

Stay tuned for a couple of my favorite inspirational
crafting websites and blogs!

Valentine-y Goodness...

2008-02-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

With the day of Valentines Day fast approaching. Here is a bit of eye-candy to inspire you as you celebrate and spread the love.

And These darling X and O cupcakes , from M.S.

How about you? Found any amazing ideas or recipes that you would like to share with the rest of us?

Picture Credits:

Pictures 1-3 were found at BGH's website and

the 4th picture was clipped from realsimple.com

Pretty Posies...

2008-01-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

Because some of us have a wedding or two on our minds right now...

And because I have run across way too much cute stuff in pursuit of the perfect ideas, the perfect bridesmaid dress, the perfect bouquet of flowers, etc. And because my wedding inspiration folders are spilling over with all sorts of splendid stiff, I simply have to share them with somebody.

And if any of you ladies have favorite inspirational wedding related sources? Or like, me you have whole folders dedicated to " reception ideas " , or " wedding flowers " or " dresses "

If so, we'd love to hear all about them.

And as to the flowers. The following includes anything but your traditional bouquet of just roses.

Some Good Old-Fashioned Wisdom

2008-01-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

"I USED to know a home, very plain, very simply furnished, very strenuous in its endeavors, and lofty in its ideals, which for abounding cheerfulness surpassed the common abodes of men and women. Looking back I know that there was a struggle with poverty, that the wolf sometimes growled at the door, and that the one shadow on the lives of the heads of the house was that they had so little to give away. But the fund of anecdote there, the jests that were as much the family property as the silver spoons and the old clock in the hall, the friends who came and went, the hospitality that was spontaneous, and the fun that was never wanting, made that home perennially sweet for its inmates, and makes it perennially fragrant in memory.

The Little Things.

The habit of being pleased with little things is worth cultivating by those who would be cheerful. If we wait for the greater gifts and scorn the smaller ones we shall often go through life with empty hands. A child's kiss, a child's good report on Friday afternoon, a bit of fire on the hearth on a chilly night, a letter from an old friend, a pleasure jaunt to park or seaside costing for the whole family less than a dollar, a new book, a picture bought with small daily savings—these are the items that add to the balance on the credit side of the home felicity. And when one has for years made it a rule to be glad and pleased when little delights have brightened the hours, one will realize that the capacity for a surprise or pleasure is greatly enlarged. The woman who found it a treat to go to Coney Island with the children for a picnic will be very far from blase if she ever goes to Mentone or Capri, or crosses the Continent and sits among the roses in a garden of enchantment at Santa Monica. Still beyond this, they who cultivate the talent for finding enjoyment in the daily little things, will be the stronger for battling with the sterner realities, and for bearing the greater sorrows, if ever they come.

The Joy of Light.

Among tangible aids to cheerfulness in the household, and these should not be overlooked, light and warmth take precedence. Exercise frugality in other directions, but have a well-lighted living room, and, if practicable, a fire that one may poke. The gloomy, vault-like chill of a half-warmed, obscurely lighted home has driven many a boy and man to some hostelry where lamps and fire beckoned. No place in a home should be too ornamental and too costly in its equipment for the use of the family. A stately drawing-room may be the privilege of a palace, where there are suites of other pleasant apartments, but people of ordinary means should live all over their houses, and have no shut-up room, into which the boys and girls may not intrude. Books and periodicals add immensely to the cheer of a home, and to the broadening and brightening of growing youth. That house is always cheerful which is open to' the voices of the period, which keeps a tally of new inventions and discoveries, and which is, to use a graphic phrase, up to date. The up-to-date house must own, not merely borrow from a library, plenty of books. Receptive to new ideas, cheerfulness comes to us as a matter of course. It is to the lonely, narrow, hopeless home that melancholy creeps a menace and a blight.

Avoid Ruts.

They who most prize home cheerfulness will carefully avoid getting into a rut. The bondage of routine fetters those who never have variety, who, year in and year out, walk in the same track and drop seeds into the same furrow. If the mother, the pivot of the domestic machinery, shows symptoms of wearing out, if she is not responsive as formerly, if she sits by herself, and the tears start at some fancied slight, the combined family should rally to her rescue. Twenty miles from home, or two hundred, the sovereign virtues of a change may restore her spirits and make her once more cheerful and brave. One un-cheerful person in the house, one who is the slave of the low mood, will, without evil intention, upset the equanimity of the whole circle. Low spirits are malarious. Very subtly, very wofully, they undermine the family health. The contagion of despair is more noxious than the germ of yellow fever, and more to be dreaded. Make a strong fight, and be sure it will not be a losing one, with prayer and pains, against the ill dominion of the blues; in other words, against the malignity of the lower self. If the individual does this, the family will feel the tonic of a brave endeavor, and will help mightily and unitedly to drive the demoniac possession away.

Plenty of Song.

One more tangible aid to good cheer at home is- music. Banjo, mandolin, piano, plenty of song, and the household will move without friction, in mutual respect, and a common devotion to the common weal. A music-loving family is almost sure to have good times at home. While a home ought to reach out from itself to other homes, and to keep an open door for friends and guests, it should never be dependent for its cheer upon any influence from without. For its happy times, its daily enjoyments, and its pleasures that are processional with the year, it should be sufficient to itself. If cheerfulness in the home is to be a factor in the home's development, it must grow from the center, not be fastened on the circumference. The song must be in the soul before it is on the lip. Good times at home, among the home folk, a simple, uncostly style of living that involves no undue anxiety, a house not too fine for daily use, and plenty of sunshine and love, will fulfill the republican ideal, and upbuild our nation."

By Margaret E. Sangster, 1919.

goals

2008-01-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

for the year.
maybe learning a new skill like sewing, or cross-stitch, or photography
maybe being more organized
maybe redecorating or remodeling part of your home
maybe to simplify
maybe to remember birthdays better
maybe to spend more quality time with your family
maybe to create more traditions

what are they.
your goals
for you
and your family
and your home?

do share...
Im ever so curious

Care to Share ?

2007-12-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

Anyone else made some fabulous cookies this week? Have any recommendations? Or warnings...like, stay away from *this* recipe, it's evil.

I made these last night...oh so yummy! But just so you know...it says 3 ounces of cream cheese...that must have been a typo cause it's really 8 oz. I rolled the dough into balls, then rolled the balls in coconut, made thumbrints in them and filled them with raspberry preserves...and they turned out divinely!

And plan to make these today, after hearing rave reviews about them.

{ White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread }

how lovely are your branches...

2007-12-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

One of my sweetest sweetest memories is the first year we got married, was our total excitement to decorate our Christmas tree. We were giddy, we had been married 4 months and that to us felt like a little family event. We danced and sang around our living room, and just by thinking back Im transformed there.
This year setting up our tree was different, that was a very crabby baby napping, The hubby was running up and down stairs helping the garage repair man, I was exhausted from shopping at 3am and had the sniffles. Plus this year we forgo the hunt for the perfect fresh tree and in light of baby who eats everything broke down and bought a fake tree. I thought I would hate it. I thought it wouldn't be the same, and we even said if we only keep it a year it was the price of real tree normally. But something about it all decorated, it is "our" tree as normal, and even though daily life caught up with us, the second all of our special things started adorning that little plastic tree... in an instance it was ours.
And then we went and got baby up from her nap, and we danced and sang around our tree. And isn't that what Christmas trees are all about to spark a reminder of the joy of the season. I hope your Christmas tree gives you much much domestic bliss.

A warm thank you.

2007-12-11T09:41:00.001-08:00

from one of our lovely swappers...

Thank you so much for hosting the holiday helper swap -- it was wonderful! My swap partner was Kathy McCulloch and she sent me the most amazing package of goodies. Honestly, the best package I've ever received. Ever.Our weather here in the NW has been terrible and I'm staying with my Grandmother in the heart of Grays Harbor County -- one of the hardest hit areas in last week's storm... so opening that package reminded me that this time of year really is magic. Of course, I've already written my thanks to her personally, but since I don't blog -- actually, I don't even quite understand how I'm able to use the computer -- I wondered if you would mind mentioning how wonderful Kathy is in yours? Thanks again, and please let me know when another swap comes up -- enjoy your holidays! (and that new baby!)

-Pam Herrick

Show and Tell....

2007-12-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

Your Christmas Tree.

Here's how it works: Either leave in comments to a link for a post already written up, complete with pictures of course, including your Christmas Tree. Or email me a picture, with or without a blurb at domestic.b@hotmail.com and I'd be happy to post it for you...( just make sure to include your blog address, or name if you don't happen to have a blog ) and of course for you contributors, feel more than free to write your own post.

Preparing to be enchanted, ladies.

{ Christmas Inspirations }

2007-12-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Anyone need gift ideas? I have more gift ideas than I can handle/afford.

How about an apron from Anthropologie. The only problem with that being, how do you narrow it down to the one? Impossible.

Does anyone else adore felt at Christmastime like I do? I mean, I can't get enough of it. I plan to have acquired some felting skills by next Christmas. These and these are partly to blame for this new fetish. Ah, pointsetia cutouts , someday I will master you.

Or how about a gift card from, here, here or here.

Or this or this or this book, from http://www.amazon.com/.

All this pretty red stuff can be found over at Wisteria

All these lovelies From Fjorn Scandinavian.

Anyone else care to share their gift giving tips/lists? Anyone?

{ Happy Holiday Preperations }

2007-11-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

So ladies, by now you should have all recieved your Holiday Helper swap partner info. If not email me right away at domestic.b@hotmail.com. Be sure to post any pictures on our Flickr account so we can all share in your part of the holiday cheer. I don't know about you but I am beside my self with excitement to send and recieve my packages. I feel like and have a secret elf aiding and abeting my Christmas efforts this year. So, with that said, just have so much fun, wrapping and sending those festive, happy boxes ladies.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

2007-11-20T23:28:00.000-08:00

For flowers that bloom about our feet;

For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;

For song of bird, and hum of bee;

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

Ralph Waldo Emerson

{ p.s. today ( Wednesday ) is the last day to sign up for the Holiday Helper Swap , so why don't you run over to Domestic.B@hotmail.com and sign your little self up, while you still can. It promises to be a very happy sort of pre-holiday treat.}

Holiday Helper Swap

2007-11-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just around the corner.
Are you ready for it?
I know I’m not.

I keep trying, but I find that I can always use a little help around the holiday times.
So, who is up for a little “Holiday Helper Swap?”

Holiday Helper Swap

Wrapping paper, ribbon, cards, Christmas music,
Packages and boxes, cookies and gingerbread houses, oh my!
Need some help? Or just a spot of brightness in the mail?
Sign up for our swap and be dazzled with Christmas delight.

1. When can I sign up?: right now! Deadline is Wed. Nov. 21.

2. Who’s my partner?: We will send out your partner info via e-mail around Nov. 21 or 22

3. What goes into a package?: Have fun with this!

Beautiful tissue paper, bright colored ribbons, twine, raffia, handmade gift tags,

colored or striped tape, tulle, small items to be tied on top of packages,

a handmade ornament, Christmas scrapbook papers, Christmas fabric scraps,

Christmas buttons, Holiday stickers, vintage Christmas sheet music, a handmade garland,

a CD of your favorite Christmas music (or burn a CD full of all of your favorite songs!),
a Christmas magazine issue that has inspired you this Holiday season,

Holiday recipes that are family tradition or are great to take to celebrations,

a candle or two of your favorite Holiday scent, some tea for calming frazzled nerves,

a delicious treat, maybe a small gift to your partner {just because} to brighten their day.

4. How to I join in on all this fun?: send us an email at

Domestic.B@hotmail.com

with the following details

- first and last name

- postal address
- email address
- blog address (if you have one)
- describe your Christmas/Holiday

colors and theme in a few sentences.

Packages to be sent by Saturday, Dec. 1st

Please note: This is an International swap, so if you do not want to ship internationally,

please let us know in your email.

5. How much should this package be worth or How do I know how much to send?: If you are going by monetary value, try to make it no less than $12. If you are going by “how much,” try to pick at least five of the above mention items.

A Big {Thank You} to

2007-11-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

all of our Happy Miscellany Craft Swap particiapants!

You guys have made this such an amazing and happy experience!

Thank you for your giving hearts and spirits.

Not one unkind, unthoughtful word was spoken or sent via e-mail

and all the pictures that have been shared are nothing less than an

amazing show of generosity on every person's part!

You guys have made this swap a great success and we offer a

great big {Thank You} to each and every one of you!

Below is a list of all of our participants and thier blogs so you can see

all the lovely and talent ladies who joined in on the fun.

Andi @ Tales of a Crafty Mama

Leigh Ann @ There's No Place Like Home

Chelle @ The Value of Cheerfulness

Jill @ Bailiwich Designs

Andrea @ Creations from the Land of Bungle Bear

Rebekah @ dont call me becky

Monique @ monART

Gina @ Feather Your Nest

Fanny @ Fairbanks Fancy Goods (on Flickr)

Patricia @ Essentially Vintage

Cynthia @ Springmont Cottage

Jerusalem @ My Little Life

Sheri @ The Leaking Window

Jen @ The Cottage Nest

Jessica @ Living the Swell Life

Fairlight @ Under the Polka Dot Tree

Elaine @ Pa-knitter

Andrea @ The Sunny Little Things In Life

Stefanie @ Artsy Momma

Elizabeth @ My Own Lil Space

Kim @ Curiouser & Curiouser

Mary @ Cat's Fiber Adventures

Kathy @ Shocking Pink Thread

Rosemary @ Roses Petite Maison

Hyein @ Christina's

Leslie @ My Happily Ever After

Carrie @ Carrie's Crafty Cottage

Teresa @ Plumwater Cottage

Bristol @ Cottage by the River

Terri @ Lavender Between The Crack's

Ann @ Keepin' up with the Tatums

Kimberlie @ My Wedded Bliss

Julie @ Jane's Apron

Marianne @ Les Scraprices de Marianne

Cathy @ Cranberry Cottage

Abigail @ The Minnesota Van Gelders

Lori @ Girls in the Garden

Jamie @ Remnants

Abby @ Dear Abby

Sarah @ The News from Madisonville

Diana @ The Chic Life

Christi @ Charmed, I'm Sure

Cathy @ Treasured Heirlooms

Sondra @ Aged Essence

Tiffany @ Perla Bella

Kristi from TN (no blog)

Anna from Australia (no public blog)

Pam from Washinton (no blog)
Naphtali from Minnosota (no blog)

Check back soon for news on our new Swap coming up very soon!

{ Meet Belle and Boo }

2007-11-08T20:54:00.001-08:00

{ Little Belle gives Boo a Hug }

Mandy is a artist/illustrator from London. And I have on numerous different occasions, found myself lost in the enchantment of the beautiful world her hand creates. It's a innocent, fanciful place full of pretty little children, flowers, smallcreatures and soft colors. I would consider a print or two of hers sprinkled here and there to be an added touch of wonder in my home. Her Etsy shop, Belle and Boo is full of all sorts of goodies. Everything from stickers to dolls to of course her very precious prints. And she keeps a lovely blog. Also called Belle and Boo.

{ Winter Woolly}

{ My Favorite Spot in Winter }

{ Cow boys and Indians }

(If I had to pick a favorite. Which I am not at all sure I could do. This might be it)
{ Rosie's Red Flower }

The only problem I have run into, upon my visits to Belle and Boo is, " what to buy first? "

thank you thank you

2007-11-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

to Chelle and Fairlight who hosted this lovely little swap...

hope everyone else is receiving and enjoying there goodies like I did.. :)

*we now return to regularly scheduled programing of featured etsians...

{ Meet Lulu }

2007-11-07T10:31:00.001-08:00

LuLu Sparkles

"Accessories Make the Girl "

~ On the Dot ~

I heart LuLu. This lady turns vintage baubles and charms into the most fabulous pieces. Her jewels are stunning, elegant and truly one of a kind. And the descriptions and pictures of her jewels are nothing short of eye candy.

Take Fifi for example.

Fifi buys fresh flowers

wears spectator pumps

tells time from a pocket watch

always carries a hanky

paints her own toes

drinks cosmos

~ Jeepers Creepers ~

~ Beloved ~

~ Salsa Dancing ~

On sale for $8.00 ladies. I have been eyeing and coveting this lovely & colorful pair for a while now. I think it's time I made a purchase.

Lulu's mouthwatering description reads: made especially to go with your new swingy sundress, slingbacks, salsa music, sangria and someone special.

And I'll close with some words from the enchanting Lulu herself,

get your sparkle on!

Shop Lulu Sparkles Here!

{ Is it too soon to be in the Christmas Spirit }

2007-11-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

That is the question at hand? Thanksgiving is still a good two weeks away. I don't know what's gotten into me. But I am already planning and scheming and wishing away. I have even been Christmas shopping. This year I plan to earn my Christmas spending money by making lots of things to sell on Etsy. Which if you are not familiar with is online handmade-lovers paradise. Shhh. Don't tell my hubs but I dearly hope to stuff is stocking with among other, smaller items, a I-Pod. :) So I thought as a celebration of the piles of paper, and stacks of fabric, I would take a minute to share three of my planned Christmas shopping stops. Each of these lovely ladies sell on Etsy and have been so kind as to permit me a little bragging up on them here. They are my Etsy favorites. They are amazing artists. Each in their own right. So stay tuned. The next three posts will be showcasing these spectacular Esty artists! I happen to know that lots of you ladies out there have Esty shops. Please leave your shop URL in the comments here so we can all stop in and browse through your lovely wares.

{ Round handblown glass ornaments from Restoration Hardware }

{ Link of the day and other odds and ends }

2007-10-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

{ another pretty room from Domino's Decorating Contest }

Anyone send off there Swap packages yet? I am just heading to the Post Office now to mail one to France and one to North Carolina.

I aboslutely adore this idea from Andrea over at Hula Seventy. I plan to do this myself, sometime soon. Andrea's fabulous idea, inspired me to start a new "label" for this blog and entitle it, " Link of the Day. " Curious. Go see for yourself. And any of you other contributors care to play Link of the day. Please, be my guest!

And don't you dare miss the Give away Goodness at The Apronista.

It almost seems too good to be true.

Also, I thought that there was a rather good sale going on a bunch of different sets of interesting china over at Anthropologie. I can almost afford stuff from there, as long as it's on sale.

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed these little tid-bits.

Brown Paper Packages, Tied Up With String.

2007-10-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Or pink or green or red or blue.

By now ladies you should have all recieved an email with your swapping partners details enclosed. Hope you have as much fun putting together, sending off and then

unwrapping your packages, as Fairlight and I had dreaming this all up and putting it together.

For wrapping ideas and inspiration I recommend you take a look at this and other articles from "Queen Martha. "

{ Don't Forget }

2007-10-25T09:50:00.001-07:00

...you have until
Friday October 26th
to sign up for our
{happy miscellany}
craft swap!
You can see all
the details here.

We now have over 40 swappers, ladies!

{ Eye Candy Thursday }

2007-10-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I am loving the colors and accents in this room. This picture came from Domino's Room Contest that is now down to thier 5 lucky finalists. Have a picture or so that is inspiring you this week? Please, do share!

Getting to know you: Leslie

2007-10-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

About myself- Im Leslie Im 25 and married to Nick who I have known since I was 11 years old, crazy huh. We just had our first baby and wowza is that a trip, Rylan Mae is 5 months old, and all giggles and smiles and licking our faces (gross!). We are totally in love with the Lord, and just trying to live each day deliberately. I am a lifestyle photographer out of Orange County, Ca. and LOVE my job. Its fun and silly and creative and how else would I get to ask grownups to kiss and eat lollipops and dance in the rain. Super fun. My personal blog, and my website are ways to see more what I am all about.

Define Home – I am pretty sure home is wherever Nick, Rylan, and I are together and are comfortable enough to sit in jammies, make silly faces and eat ice cream right out of the container. Yep, that’s it.

Favorite Color – Ughhh. Tough one. I will admit I am slow coming around to color. If you asked my extended family they would say all I wear is black or gray or brown. Which might have some truth to it (im working on it!) So as much as I do admit that I love, brown, and black, I have lately been drawn to .. a limey-like green, white, teal, those are some colors I would love to bring into my house ahhh if only to redecorate.

Whether you come in to visit or just to rest when you enter our home may you be blessed.

Decorating Elements – Well I love typography, I love photos (obviously!), I love vintage bottles, I like bold prints in small amounts, I would also love to wallpaper my dinning room (but husband said NO), and vintage pieces made into something useful for today, I am not a knick knack gal but love pillows. And I love candles, just because they are romantic… what can I say? Oh and fresh flowers on my table.. ALWAYS! Even one daisy…

Creative Outlets - Other than photography my creative outlets, are scrapbooking, cardmaking, design, cooking, sewing (just learning!), and just trying to keep my home cozy, is eating chocolate a creative outlet, what if I eat it in concentric circles?

A recipe we indulge in (not our favorite, but what Im currently craving!) –

Chicken Tortilla Soup

½ tablespoon of minced garlic
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 cans of chicken broth
1 8 ounce can tomatoes sauce
½ packet of taco seasoning
1 can of rotel (15 ounces)
1 can corn (15 ounces), Drained!
1 can of green chilies (4 ounces)
1 Tablespoon of Worcestshire
2-4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste

Add everything to crock-pot
Cook on low for 8 hours
Top with crumbled chips and grated cheese to serve

* This is our favorite fall meal. We always have this on Halloween before we head over to the fall festival at church. We also always make this with the Marie Calendar mix of cornbread muffins with a little butter whipped with honey. So good. This also freezes great in the glad wear containers, but it does get spicier after you freeze so maybe leave out a few chilies unless you like spice!

A household tip – I dunno..play nice, and don’t play ball in the house and also always kiss booboo’s

Where do I find inspiration – Holy cow everywhere. Seriously. Advertising inspires me. Music inspires me. Restaurant menus inspire me. Walking through Target always inspires me (really!) Greeting cards, book jackets, just seeing new color palettes or new fonts. Ironically, I am most inspired when my scrap space is a disaster and all of a sudden some random ribbon is tossed over a random paper, and I would have never ever in a bazillion years put it together and I’m like, I can make that work. That’s when I make my BEST stuff. When it’s all clean and put up, that’s no fun! But mostly I find inspiration from a lot of other lovely blogging women and thats the truth.

Favorite spots around my home – I suppose I will follow Chelle's lead and show you as well... Sorry for the poor quality pictures the outside of my home today is covered in ash from these Southern California Fires its pretty gloomy.. pray for my neighbors who have recently lost there favorite spots around there home. There are a lot, I really like my cozy teeny tiny little home "our treehouse".

( Reminder }

2007-10-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

Do you love to craft?
Do you have lots of leftovers ?

Or just an over abundance of all that crafty goodness?

Would you like to pass some of it along ?

And get some cool new things to delight over?

Who wouldn't?

You have until Friday, October 26 to

Join us for a fun and delightful swap of all our {happy miscellany}

See all the details here.

Getting to know you: Fairlight

2007-10-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Fairlight. I'm a stay at home wife and mommy. I have a 4 year old little girl and another baby girl on the way. For right now we'll just call her Baby Rose and she's due Nov 21. We live in Coastal South Carolina, which I love. My husband and I have been very active in our church children's ministries for the last three years, but we are now on maternity leave (finally!) until after Baby Rose arrives. Michelle, or Chelle as I know her as, is a dear dear friend to me and I don't know where I would be with out her loving and supportive friendship. I'm so thrilled to be the co-host of this swap. Below are some questions that she asked me to answer and some photographs. One of me and also some little corners of my home that I love. Please forgive them, professional I am not.

What is your definition of Home: Home is where my family is. Home is our nest, our haven. It's where we are safe, warm, fed good nutritious food, have soft snugly beds, and are at peace (most of the time.) It's a place where love is unconditional, curiosity and creativity are encouraged, and the every day business of life is recognized as having value and something to cherish.

Favorite Color(s): turquoise, lavender, pink, and green are the colors that our house is painted and that a wear most often. I draw inspiration from many different sources and bright colors make me happy and inspire me to create, I just don't have them in my house.

Favorite Decorating Elements: paint, fabric, photography, antiques. Paint is the cheapest decorating element there is, fabric is my weakness and I love to hoard it, I like taking pictures to display in my home and I love buying from part time photographers and displaying their work around my house, antiques (of real value or just something I love) are my decorating stand-by. Since I married my husband, we have been so blessed with lots of family heirlooms like our dining room table, the piano in our living room, an old fashioned secretary, armoire, and the list could go on. Thank goodness I love that kind of stuff to begin with. I'm always shopping the antique and consignment stores because they have the most unique stuff and I want our home to be unique.

Favorite Creative Outlets: Sewing. I sew, and knit, and quilt, design, embroider, and cook. I take photographs and blog. All my creative outlets are my favorites, that why I do them.

A Favorite Domestic Quote: "The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily living." ~William Morris

A tried and true Recipe:
Baked Ravioli (courtesy, without permission, of Martha Stewart Living)
serves 8 (or more)
Prep Time:30 min
Total time 1hr
2T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 t. dried thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 lbs. store-bought ravioli (I do 1 lb. meat ravioli & 1 lb. cheese ravioli, but you can do whatever your family will prefer.)
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10-15 minutes. Add seasoning and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, until sauce is thickened, about 20-25 min.
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta;return to pot.
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a 9 x13" dish or two 8x8" pans, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

This dish makes a lot, so I like to split it up and serve half, and put half in the freezer for a later time. You can also substitute tortellini for ravioli.

Favorite Domestic Tip: I have no idea. Follow anything Martha Stewart says religiously?

You can find more of me (if you wish) at my two personal blogs:
Under the Polka Dot Tree and Life in the Lowcountry
You can visit my Etsy store by visiting here
and you can see some of my photographes here on Flickr

Getting to know you: Chelle

2007-10-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

About Me: I go by Shelley. I am 26. And in my “humble” opinion, if I am not " thee", I am at least one of thee "luckiest," (i.e. blessed) girls on the face of this earth. Married to this amazing guy who I totally adore, as well as being Mommy to the sweet two year-old Annabelle Lucy. I like to describe my self as being a desperately happy housewife. We live in a tiny bungalow house, on a little over an acre in the greater Seattle area. I lead a cozy, happy little life. Spending most of my time loving and being loved on by my little (the 3 of us) and not so little (the 40 +of us) family, and all the laundry-folding, dinner-fixing, oowie-kissing, bed-making, toilet-scrubbing, story-reading, infinite smiles, shirt-mending, cuddle-bugging, and picture-taking, that requires. And I can't think of anything I like better in all the world than the sound of my husband and small daughter's laughter filling our house. Ultimately it proves to me not only that God is, but also that He is love.

What is your definition of Home?
I desire that our home would be open and inviting...where family, friends are always welcome. Parties are thrown, Thanksgiving dinner is served, even if that means we are packed in like sardines. The more the merrier! Safe and Secure. A place to be real. An expression and extension of our personalities. Cozy and Comfortable. Full of laughter. Where most of all we feel free to be just us.

Favorite Creative Outlet(s)-
Anything that has to do with color/texture combinations.
Quilting, Cardmaking, Blogging, Flower Gardening, Scrapbooking, Photography, Creating Flikr Mosaics , and more.

Favorite Decorating Elements?
Anything from Nature: Fresh Flowers Sea Shells, Birds Nests, Pussy willows, Feathers, Berries, Glass Bottles of every shape and size, Bulletin Boards covered in pictures. Old Books, Framed Vintage Sheet Music, Hanging Vases, Quilts, Red accents.

Book Recommendation-

‘ Decorating With Color’ by Martha Stewart

Where do you Find Inspiration-

From nature. From my daughter. From magazines, and a stroll through your friendly neighborhood Anthropologie. Or Target. From Etsy. From Flickr. From the outfits people have on at church every Sunday. From being in other people's homes. From Martha Stewart. But
mostly from the others in this happy little world of blogging that I look up to on a daily basis, here, here and here, and here, here, here and here, and here and here and here, here , and here, and that is only the beginning.

Tried and True Recipe-

Here’s my new all-time favorite cookie recipe. I like to whip a batch of these up in my handy dandy Kitchen Aid to put in David’s lunch .

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 15 Min
Cook Time 10 Min
Ready In 25 Min

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until
smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the
flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats
and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly
greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown.
Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool
completely. Makes 18.

Favorite Color(s)- Red, Green (all shades) , Robins Egg Blue, Yellow, Brown, & all the rest of them!

Teach us delight, in simple things. -Ruyard Kipling

Corners of Your Home- I think I’d rather show than tell.

Favorite Household Tip -

1. Get up happy.

2. Stay that way

-Unknown

"A Happy Miscellany Craft Swap"

2007-10-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Do you love to craft?
Do you have lots of leftovers ?
or just an over abundance of all that crafty goodness?
Would you like to pass some of it along ?
And get some cool new things to delight over?
Who wouldn't?

Join us for a fun and delightful swap of all our {happy miscellany}

( not to be confused with the lovely Mrs Staggs over at A Happy Miscellany )

~ How much longer do I have to sign up? : until Friday, October 26

~ Who's my partner? : match up's will be made shortly thereafter and we will notify you by e~mail on Sunday, October 28th.

~ What goes into a package?: - choose 4 (or more) out of our 6 categories to send to you partner:

1. fabric goods {a stack of fabric's with either scraps, fat quarters, a vintage pillowcase, a flour-sack, vintage tea towels, crochet doilies or just some fabrics that you love and would like to share.}

2. paper goods {scrapbook paper, postcards (vintage or vintage style), sheet music, pages from vintage books, interesting tissue paper, etc.}

3. embellishment goods {ric rac, ribbon, twill tape, velvet, grosgrain, vintage lace, word sayings, dress trims, vintage flowers, twine, string, etc.}

4. sticker goods {alphabet, quotes, flowers, retro, vintage, reproduction, anything cute or fun, brads, eyelets}

5. button goods {large and small vintage or vintage looking, cute, fun, sparkly, enough to fill a match-box}

6. just for fun goods {earrings, pretty napkins, chapstick/lipbalm, favorite chocolate or candy, flower bulbs or seeds, favorite decorating/crafting/scrapbooking/sewing magazine}

{All items can be new or vintage, but please make sure the vintage is in good condition and suitable for re-using. Please be considerate and if you send yardage of some thing, make sure that there is enough there to do something with. }

~ package to be sent by Sunday, Nov. 4th.

~ How do I join in the fun?: send an email to domestic.B@hotmail.com with the following details

- first and last name
- postal address
- email
- blog address

Please start putting you box together now! We have another swap planned for right after this one, a "pre-holiday helper" swap and we would love to have as many people participate as possible, but we want to get it finished up before the rush of the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays (and before Fairlight's baby arrives! :) )

Nice to Meet You

2007-10-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

As the Administrators of Domestic Bliss, hosting our very first swap, Fairlight and I ( Chelle) thought it would be fun to make both the blog and the swap more personal by introducing ourselves. So ladies ( especially contributors ), if you are so inclined, please write a bio. of sorts, including pictures, and then post it here. Feel free to either follow the format suggested below by answering the questions provided there or ignore it completely and make up your own. Domestic Bliss is a community blog and if you are at all interested becoming a contributor please email us at Domestic.B@hotmail.com. We would be glad to send you a invitation. Our goal in life is similar to the goal and purpose of keeping this blog, that is to encourage and nurture an atmosphere of Domestic Bliss in our familys and homes.

With that said, here are some suggested questions for you.

Please feel free to use (or not use) any or all of these in your bio. Thank you!

First tell us about yourself.
What is your Definition of Home?
Favorite Color(s)?
Is there a Quote you love that has a Domestic twist to it?
Favorite Decorating Elements?
Favorite Creative Outlets?
A Tried and True Recipe to share?
Favorite Domestic/Household Tip Tip?
Where do you find Inspiration?
Favorite Corners of Your Home:

Any further questions, please email us at: Domestic.B@hotmail.com