~ in the 'hood.....

Seeing how other people live has always been a fascination of mine. I know, sort of strange, huh? But if you are reading my blog, you probably have the same fascination.....

Of course, I love to see the inside of people's homes. Sometimes when I meet someone I try to guess how they decorate the inside of their home. Are they someone that cares, like me? Or do they take a more "functional" approach?

Because we have moved around a fair amount, I am always interested in finding great neighborhoods, the kinds where neighbors really look out for one another, where there are garden clubs that prune and care for neighborhood streets and people are always out walking their dogs and kids are riding their bikes - my kind of place!

Finding out about where you live and looking at beautiful pictures of the insides of your homes is one of the reasons I read blogs!


Thought I would share a bit about the neighborhood I live in today, 'cause for as much complaining I do about the Minnesota winters, summer is really idyllic here in Cottagewood on the shores of Lake Minnetonka!

Our neighborhood sits on a peninsula so we are surrounded by water on two sides (duh?). We have three neighborhood beaches. Our favorite beach is Sandy Beach where a life guard sits on duty so, if you (not me, of course) are so inclined to skip playing in the water with your kiddos (cause I am always in the lake with the kids playing marco polo)and perhaps would rather enjoy reading a nice book or flipping through a design magazine - or even checking out the blogs on your iPhone.....I am just saying....YOU CAN!

This is my little girl yesterday....



She's doing alot of jumping off the dock lately!



And when I am not playing marco polo (or reading my book, or flipping through design magazines, or checking blogs on my iPhone) I like to watch the sailboats go by.



So....tell me a bit about what I might find going on in your neighborhood this summer?

decor by annabelle.......

Thank you Miss Hydrangea for making my cottage so pretty today. I am happy you came to visit....

~ sort of a dream come true~

Excuse me while I try to clear this lump from my throat....

You see, I did something really fun, super fun, and amazing last week. I realized a long held dream....

I helped style a home that will be featured in the next issue of Flea Market Style magazine and then wrote a blog post about it for the Flea Market Style blog.

If you have read my blog for a bit (who am I kidding, I have only been at this for a year)...you know how I love interior design, the creative process of it, and while I love it all, I am really a fan of vintage style. Being able to play a small part in something as BIG as the creation of a magazine was just such a fantanstic experience.

I am so grateful to Ki Nassauer for trusting me to help, albeit in a small way. She really is one talented lady, with oodles of energy and creativity! Please head to the Flea Market Style blog today and read all about my "on the job training"!

Diy from a girl who does not diy......

I'll admit it. I am not much of a DIY-er. I wish I was, really I do. For now I will say that time and patience have been standing in my way, yep, that's my story and I am sticking to it.

My DIY tends to be of the impulsive variety - you know, 10 friends are coming for lunch and I must have new pillows sewn before they arrive....

This is one such project.

I have been craving some color in my oh so white cottage....and have a collection of botanical prints hanging on a wall in my dining room, some are in pairs, others are not. This particular print was purchased at an antique store many years ago and quickly stuck in a cheapo frame and hung on the wall. It never looked quite right, all shiny and new looking.

I became convinced a aged-greenish colored frame would bring out the green colors in the print and provide just a hint of color on my wall.



I took a trip to my nearest paint store and picked up one of the Benjamin Moore color samples for about $4 bucks. Within five minutes of walking into my house my frame had begun it's transformation. I told you I am impatient!



After a couple coats of paint I broke out the Ralph Lauren Tobacco glaze and rubbed a bit of that over the paint for an oh-so-faux aged look!



Ahhhhh.....now that's more like it!



I am not a complicated girl, it's the little things that make a big difference to me. But just you wait, I have been inspired to do a bit more things with a paint brush around my cottage and will share them with you soon.



Happy Monday!

Fabulous Giveaway Alert!

Beth Quinn, the fabulous jewelry artist will be a vendor at the Junk Bonanza Antiques Show in Minnesota. She has graciously donated one of her pieces for a giveaway on the Junk Bonanza blog.

Also, you can visit Beth's blog and website to see her entire collection - her stuff is awesome!

Flea Market Style...a giveaway at the new blog!

I can't wait to tell you all about the Flea Market Style photo shoot I helped style! It was two days of creative fun and learning! I will be doing a guest post about it on the Flea Market Style blog later this week, and will even share some pictures of the long process of shooting a feature for a magazine!

In the meantime, head over to the Flea Market Style blog and enter their giveaway!

Warning...... Do not try this at home!

First, I must say I am sorry for the "worst photo I have ever posted".

Just had to share...

This past weekend was spent visiting the husband's family in a location that I will refrain from mentioning....so as to not hurt anyone's feelings.

My husband grew up in a very.small.town. of hardworking people and he was anxious to give the full tour to our two girls. You see, we have not visited hubby's small town in a long time, for reasons I will refrain from mentioning ....so as to not hurt anyone's feelings.....

While driving around on "the tour" we passed a house. I think I screamed something like "stop the car, I think those people have repurposed their kitty litter containers into decorative planters"!

I made the hubby go around the block so I could take a picture to share with all of you, because I knew you would think this was just as horrendous as I did!

Happy Monday everyone.....I am helping with a Flea Market Style photo shoot tomorrow and Tuesday! I am hoping Ki will let me take some "behind the scenes" photos to share with all of you....

Oh, and don't think I forgot about my promise of a Farm Chicks giveaway...it's coming, it's coming...

Farm Chicks...the friends and the fun!

It's hard to put into words the fun that is had during a Farm Chicks weekend. For me, I began going to the Farm Chicks show about 7 years ago, long before I began blogging. I love it because it is just not your ordinary antiques show, it really is an event, a reunion of sorts for all of us who love shopping for vintage wares while channeling our inner cowgirl. And while it is not as easy as it once was to get there (I live in Minnesota!) and most likely means that I might miss one of my girls' weekend activities (this year I missed my daughter's dance performance!), the show has become a tradition that would be hard to give up. The Farm Chicks is one of MY guilty pleasures!

This year I was joined by my friend, and Farm Chick newbie, Allie. We had a blast hanging out blogging friends Melaine, Jen, Tracey and Tara.

On Saturday we arrived at the show at 8:30 - a full hour and a half before it opened. I think there were about 200 people in front of us and very quickly there were hundreds and hundreds behind us!



With cash in hand we were ready to shop!



This fabulous milk truck greeted shoppers as you walked inside. So cool, and no sadly, it was not for sale!



Very quickly, the aisles filled with shoppers....and really remained that way most of the day.



My friend, and favorite vendor, Cindi's (the QUEEN of Tarte) booth was wonderful - it was where I began my "hunt".



I love that Cindi mixes in contemporary elements that probably seem a bit "edgy" to your average shopper. Cindi and her husband Barry are talented vendors who can build, sew and create like no others. Their slipcovered ottomans and to-die-for!



The vendors really out did themselves this year - their spaces were creative and inspiring. This is a show that everyone brings their "A" game.



The overall tone of the event is one of excitement, like having all your best friends in one place doing something you love....together. The venue was buzzing all day with comraderie and friendship.



We shopped till we dropped! I think we took two trips back to the car with purchases - helps to get rid of the grain sack bolster pillow you are hugging to your chest (Baby Bijorn style) while trying to shop! We thought the view into the back of Allie's car looked pretty darn good!



The "hot ticket" for Saturday night was the vendor/VIP party at Chaps! I was lucky to score tickets to attend this FABULOUS party! Celeste, the owner of Chaps, really knows how to entertain. Her new bakery "Cake", that is opening soon, gave all us vintage decor lovers enough eye-candy to last the night! It is over the top wonderful.



Beautiful gardens surround the restaurant!



This vintage truck was used for serving the luscious desserts! How cool is that?


I am home and pooped! This is the last week of school for my girls - how did that happend? I am ready for summer, which will have me working a bit. I am on the Creative Connections team, working with Jo Packham and Nancy Soriano to bring creative and inspiring women together September 16, 17 & 18 at the Minnesota Convention Center. You can click on the link on my sidebar to get more information.

I am also reprising my "thrift-chick" role at the Junk Bonanza. Check out the website (under the "Activities" tab) to see my bio and learn more about Junk Bonanza. If you live near Minnesota and would like to attend a Farm Chicks style show - Junk Bonanza is very similar!



It is going to be a busy summer! I thank all of you friends in blogland for your support and comments - keep it coming. I am living out some dreams and look forward to sharing it all with you.

The Farm Chicks Antiques Show....here I come!

I am dusting off my cowgirl boots........

pressing my vintage aprons........

counting my cash.......

I am heading to the Farm Chicks Antiques Show on Friday!!!

This will be my fourth Farm Chicks and I can't wait to hop on that plane Friday morning. I am meeting my besties from Oregon and look forward to catching up with other bloggers and vendor friends at the show.

Of course, I wouldn't dare think of not bringing a little something back to share....so look for a Farm Chicks souvenier giveaway early next week!

And if you are also heading to Farm Chicks, please, please please let me know! I would love to meet you too!