I Heart Organizing Contributor

A few weeks ago, Jen at I Heart Organizing announced that she was looking for contributors on her blog in an effort to free up some time to focus on projects she's working on and to give her more family time this summer.  This is the same Jen you may have seen on Pinterest with the awesome playroom she created for her kids.

Isn't that gorgeous, bright, and oh, so perfectly organized?!  You really need to check out the whole thing to get the full details and see the rest of the room.



So, when I heard Jen was looking for contributors, I happily volunteered, and was thrilled to learn that I will be one of eight fabulous women writing for I Heart Organizing for the near future.

I'm especially thrilled to get to be included with some of my best girlfriends, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the whole team.  You can click on the blog header below to visit each site.

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And I wanted to say 

to my readers and Followers!

You can Follow my blog, by clicking the "Join this site" icon on my sidebar. 

 Or you can Subscribe via email, by entering your email address in the box on my sidebar.

You can follow me on Pinterest (my favorite pastime) by going HERE or clicking the icon below.

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End of the Bed Bench (under $300)

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was looking for a bench to put at the end of the bed, and ended up finding one for under $300 at Overstock.  It's the Renate Coffee Table, which isn't actually a bench, but a coffee table as the name states.  That being said, it's a little wider than I expected, but I still think it works.  I did try it in the living room too, to see if it looked better there, but decided I liked it in the bedroom better.

I'm impressed with the quality, but am thinking of spray painting the black legs gold or silver.

The fabric is an oatmeal colored linen that has a nice texture and I love the tufting. 

I still want to change out our bedside tables for (I think) mirrored pieces, but haven't taken the plunge yet. 

You might remember our bed is also from Overstock and the bedding is from Restoration Hardware (except for the Target throw).  I made the grey/blue zebra pillow cover.  I still need to add some pillows to active the fuller, more layered look. 

I'd recommend this table for a coffee table too if you're in the market for one.  It's cushy at the top, yet still has the open feel underneath. 

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4th of July Favorites

Hi all!  Hope your weekend was fabulous!  I spent the weekend at home organizing, organizing, organizing- feels very refreshing!!  I'll be showing you soon.  In the meantime, I was so happy to see you link up your 4th of July posts in the link party recently.  I got a kick out of seeing all the creative images and have lots of new ideas to implement next year!  I know the 4th has come and gone, but Labor Day is just around the corner, so keep these ideas in mind.



You can go HERE to see all the links, but here are a few that caught my eye.

Hi Sugarplum

Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box

Moonpie Dreams

Calypso in the Country

Ten June

The Sweet Survival

A Thoughtful Place

Old Town Home

Cre8tive Designs Inc.

Our Fifth House

Faith and Pearl

Swanky Chic Fete

Fresh and Fancy

Coleen and Keith

Moonfield Lane

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Have you heard, Natasha of Schue Love had her little baby, a gorgeous boy named Ethan!  Go HERE to see some serious cuteness of this 2-week old!  And you can check out my guest post where I gushed about life with my little guy his first year:)  I still can't believe he ever looked like this!

Little Thrills (Fog Linen Work Tray)

Just popping in today to share with you a little thrill - a "little thrill" being a sweet something that puts a smile on your face.  It doesn't have to be a major piece or expensive, just something that means something to you and makes your heart skip a beat.



One of my latest little thrills was discovered in Austin a few weekends ago.  Whenever I'm in that city, I love to sneak a few minutes at this local boutique on 2nd Street (unfortunately I can't remember the name), that carries all kinds of cool home decor accessories.  This time, I found a grey and white striped tray made by Fog Linen Work.



I put the tray in our bathroom to hold the go-to items in my morning routine.  I typically keep those items in a drawer, but I can live with them out when they're displayed on this cool linen-covered tray.

 The cup and little plate are from West Elm.  And I thought if I put my Cetaphil sunscreen moisturizer out, I'd be more likely to use it daily. It's the only moisturizer that doesn't break out my face.

Has anything given you a little thrill lately?!  

Raspberry Bag for Fall

Although I'm in the midst of summer fun over here, and nowhere near longing for fall, I cannot help that Nordstrom sent me their Fall catalog and tied me down and forced me to flip through the pages, oogling over fall collections for boots and purses.



I'm really digging this raspberry/pink bag from Tory Burch.  I've been carrying a white bag since last winter, so I think I'm in the mood for a statement color soon.   And this bag is a similar shape to the one I have now, which seems to be working for me, so I'd be happy to keep that style.

Did you get the Nordstrom catalog?  Did you see all their boots?  L O V E ! 

Getting in FRONT of the Camera!

Why is it that I have a million pictures of my son James, about half a million with him and his dad, and a grand total of five pictures of me and him??  Because I'm always the one taking the pictures!! Is it like that for you too?  You're BEHIND the camera instead of in front of it?  Most of the time when I'm taking pictures, I wouldn't consider myself "camera ready" but I don't want that to prevent me from capturing real life moments with my son.



So, I got brave recently and specifically asked my husband to take pictures of me and James together.  It was weird handing the camera to him and I had to relax and try not to get "posed" pics together.  In the first few, we were at a coffee shop, so pulling out the camera and taking pictures felt awkward, but no one really cares what you're doing, so why should we?  I figured if she can do it, so can I.  I've been touched and inspired by Kelle Hampton to bust out my camera more, in public, even taking it to the beach last weekend.



It's very difficult to get a "good" picture of a wiggly toddler with an adult, especially when he's in the mood to run around, like most of the time.  But my husband persisted, kept snapping away, and the results are real life fun.  After discarding all the blurry ones or the ones where I hated the look on my face, we were left with a few I actually liked.  Baby steps.

I'm so glad I got in front of the camera for a change.  I'm encouraged to do it more in the future.  I know I cherish the photos I have of me and my mama together when I was young, so I'm hoping James does too.  Are you getting in pictures with your kids?  Do you take your camera with you on everyday outings? Summer's here.  The time is NOW!

(And if you're curious, I've been living in these little tank dresses lately- from Express.)