on eagle's wings

picture by Vogue

Rough week...sad weekend....somber Monday.

Please forgive my absence...a heavy heart does not provide the most inspiring words.

My grandfather's twin passed away. He and my grandfather were actually born in my parent's home {yes...I grew up in the same home that my grandfather did.} There is something spectacular about having the same bedroom as my Pop did.

You lived a great life Uncle Harold and left a fantastic legacy...you taught me to believe in miracles and indulge in ice cream. I am sure you and Aunt Hannah are dancing the moments away as Pop plays the fiddle.

e

can i get a tweet tweet?

Oh me oh my...the internet world has come a long way since billboards and AOL IM...with chat rooms to facebook to blogs we are all learning how to use social media in a whole new light. I think one aspect we can all use and even expand our blogging experience is thru Twitter.

I find it quite addicting and an instant way to chat away with people when I am not blogging but still want to stay connected to the blogging world...but I have to admit that it is only fun when you are not alone doing it. Having people following you and likewise commenting back to your tweets makes the experience what it should be.

I encourage you to just try it and together...we will chat away and feel important. C'mon....they make cupcakes celebrating Twitter....it has to be good.

Because I am lazy, instead of creating a tutorial...I copied from the best. :) Beth from The Stories of A to Z wrote an amazing tutorial that uses Tweetdeck (a platform for Twitter). Try it...and trust me. Oh and tweet me @Megandvd....I promise to tweet right back.

TweetDeck Tutorial

Cheers~
e

PS If you are in the circle....this is the best way to go beyond the blogs and really make a friend from your blog. Would you like me to include your twitter on the link to our circle? I will...just for you {just let me know}.

the calm before the storm

My current rotation has my head spinning with projects and due dates.

Sadly my head is not spinning around the latest Pottery Barn bauble {and I do have one I love} or which fabric to recover my headboard in {what do you think of a linen?}. No...I am doing more school projects than home projects these days. Oh well...I love the schedule and the fact I have an office.

Unfortunately for me....my husband has had a recent surge of "let's redecorate the family room." Here is the closest pic I could find to give you an idea of what we had going:

With the snap of my phone {from December} you have a peek as to how I make my great room work.

As I complete my 5th rotation, I am usually home by 5 or so, but on this day...I came home at 7. I think with all that extra free time, Mr. B had an itch to change it up. Why did I not come a home a tad sooner?

I snapped a pic with my phone as what I walked into our home that late Tuesday night..the pic below was taken on Wednesday evening. Trust me.... it looked exactly the same way upon my entrance.

We do not have a ghost in the right corner, that is our chandelier.

Yes, I could have gotten out the Canon and edited this photo...but I think the "raw" nature of this picture best showcases the fact the sofa is teetering on being a banquette for our dining room table. And yes...the space between the corner of the sofa and the wall with the wine bar IS that tight. And finally yes...look closer and you will see Mr. B...dead center in front of the tv in our leather wingback playing Xbox. (The Xbox has escaped the man cave...and I am now in hiding in that cave as I type this.)

Ahhh...what to do. How can I be mad at the man who promised me on Valentine's Day to spend more time on focusing on us instead of the survival mode we have been stuck in?

Well my loves...I need to catch up on my divine circle and figure out how to slowly move my family room back to my happy place. And as I sit here in Mr. B's man cave...I will be envisioning myself sitting in this lovely nook:

photo by Sadie Olive

Ahh.....I feel better already...but I think cupcake will also ease the pain.

Cheers~
e

our love story

Of all the love stories ever written...I am smitten with the fact that ours still has pages to be filled.

Happy Hearts Day to You & Yours

Cheers~

e

P.S. If you have placed our lovely button on your blog & I have yet to include your blog in the link...please let me know and I will quickly amend the situation.

on the hunt for peace in the potty

So remember.....my little battle with my husband and the toiletries? Well I received so many lovely suggestions and truly thoughtful feedback from you...it was wonderful.

I even started to scout out some of your ideas. One I really liked was incorporating a unit on the wall. Look at this inspiration I found from my little collection of PB catalogs.

I think the staining would be a wonderful element too {on the vanity and the unity}

But at $129 for each piece....I really need to use this as inspiration and recreate a knockoff or copy.

Ooohhh....and just imagine the mouthwash in a lovely bottle too...as you suggested.

What do you think? I plan to start "working" on it stat {ahh...my pharmacy world lingo slips in once again}. And who knows...I might find what I am looking for along the side of the road again. :)

Cheers~

e

my new beau that I picked up off the street

Have you ever thought to yourself... how do all these people find something fabulous at Goodwill...on Craigslist...at yard sales, but I have yet to find anything? Welcome to my little world. I am so envious of all those giddy finds you read about that I was a little down in the dumps that I could never come across something just as spectacular.

And then Friday came....and for a moment, everything clicked.

 What would you do if you came across this?

And when I mean come across..I mean drive by, see it on the curb by trash cans, put the van in reverse, then get out to take pics for your blog, and then shove it in the van to get it in the garage before you wake from the lovely dream.

There he is...waiting for me and yes, he was FREE! {Why a he you ask? Because he is king size}

Fortunately, the brother of the man throwing it away said I could take it home {like that would have stopped me} and graciously helped me figure out the geometric complexities of fitting it into my Dad's van.

I just had to share my fabulous find...any suggestions on what to do with him? I need your help. My mind is spinning. Keep him as is or maybe reupholster him in a ivory velvet? I think the sheer fact of finding hin is still sinking in.

Cheers~

e

buttons & beaus

It looks like everyone is quite excited when it comes to forming "Our Own Circle of Bliss." I am tickled pink! I think this could take our community and our blogs to a whole new level of connecting and relating. Our circle will be the best thing that has ever happened to our blogs...I just know it.

So...I invite you to copy and paste my -- no-- OUR button {and please link it too} and place it on your blog. Place it whenever you like..it is yours to showcase. My hope is that the button becomes a symbol as well as a signal to all of us coming and going on so many blogs...that the blog that features this button is wanting more than just followers, but friends.

What I have done is made a link in my navi bar for any and all who want to join our circle. In this link I will have you and your blog so that people can immediately come peek into your world. Also it will provide you a list of everyone in our circle {and may it be a true circle that is neverending}. Go on click on the button! The circle is growing.

I invite you to to the same thing or you can link it to my page..whatever is easiest for you. :) All I ask is that you take the time to get to know each and every person in the circle. We have all of 2011 to reach our goal, Blissdom 2012.

Cheers~

e

PS...where is my beau?...well he rocked my world yesterday! I will post tomorrow.

and the winner is....

Congrats Allenaim Photography!

Here is what our lovely winner had to say about the hop and the giveaway:

Congrats on the win my dear! Shoot me a little email and we can go from there. I am giddy with excitment for you. Gail and I are thrilled with how successful this little hop/party has been. We hope we have provided the roots for many blogs {both big and small} to soar.

If I have not graced your little world, I am still working my way to your blog...I now have strep, but trust me...I am getting there. I promise.

Cheers~

e

my post-party thoughts

First thing is first...parties are such a nice way to brighten up any winter blues. You get to mingle. You get to make new friends. You get to see some lovely things here and there. You get to be entertained for quite some time.

I am smitten with these bags from DrikaB..wonder if I can make one.

I am still finishing up visiting each blog from our hop, so please know if I haven't gotten to you -- I will be very soon. I am strolling through them...and as I stroll, I really have noticed a community of friendship building.

So, I am going to challenge you to take another itty bitty risk.

It may be oh so hard to do, but I believe it will be worth it. I believe it will give you an even stronger sense of belonging to something special.

Change your blog roll.

Invite some of these new found friends from the party or thru your travels in blog world to the prime real estate capital in your little corner of blog world.

Make it an honor to be on to be on your blog roll.

Everyone knows the blogs to go for this or that, but I assure you there are so many talented ladies out there....so many bloggers just yearning to feel connected.....to feel special. I know that you will make someone's year by inviting them to your blog roll.

Yes, it is tempting to have those blogs with +5000 followers caressing the sides, but I assure you they have everyone sneaking peeks into their world every minute of the day. But that little blog with 50 followers...that  one you loved from 1st glance, well maybe your eyes were the only ones to grace their page in a while.

So go ahead..invite them to your blog roll. That little blog will feel so special...so humbled by your invitation, and who knows...they just might return the honor. :)

So...are you up for the challenge?

Cheers~
e

PS The giveaway winner will be announced tomorrow! Best wishes. :)

delight in making a knockoff {Pottery Barn of course}

In my little world, I find delight in pearls. I wear them almost every day {earrings}...now if only they were real. But do you know what I find even more delight in?

Making a pottery barn knockoff. I find such pleasure in making a cute copy of something that catches my eye.:) The above image had me at hello. It is glass. It has pearls. It is pottery barn. It is $39? Oh, wait...on clearance for $19? {still too pricey for me}

I made mine for $2 {tax not included}

Here are all the supplies you need.

 pretty glass plate {Dollar Tree}

glass candlestick {Dollar Tree}

 And you have to have some form of glue/adhesive. I had some left over Gorilla Super Glue. :)

Now that you have all your supplies, put a dab of glue around the edge of the candlestick and place your your plate to your candlestick...BUT --- keep it all inverted or upside down while you let the glue set. You will have to let it set for a bit and be patient. If you don't, and allow it to dry upright...the glue will seep down the edge and cloud the glass. Trust me on this.

In the end...you have a PB knockoff for pennies!

Now I just need more pearls to be dripping off my glass pedestal.

Cheers~

e

PS I am still making my way thru all your lovely blogs from the hop. It has been a delight to meet you....speaking of meeting, have you thought about joining my circle?