The Silhouette Winner and an Update on The Hubby~

First of all, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your heartfelt comments on yesterday's post, and for the prayers that I can feel lifting me and my family up during this very difficult time.

I had many readers who asked me to please keep you updated on John's condition, so I will get to that in a minute.

But before I do, I want to announce the winner of the Silhouette giveway. There were well over 1800!! comments on this giveaway...you all love you a Silhouette...and I really can't blame you. But the winner according to Random.org is #1137 Aimee Jensen of Aimee Jensen photography. Congratulations Aimee! Please email me and I'll get you set up with your prize.

Now for an update on the Hubby. Yesterday morning, I went to the impound yard where they had towed the remains of our car. It was completely totalled. I was struck again by the realization of just how blessed we are that he survived the crash. And for those of you that wondered, it was a single vehicle accident - he fell asleep at the wheel - so (more blessings) no one else was injured.

After that, I went to see him at the hospital, and it was the first time I had been able to talk to him since the accident. Despite the fact that it was distorted by his severe pain, I was just so grateful to be able to hear his voice! He has several broken ribs and a collapsed lung. His right leg was fractured in several places including his hip, but the surgery from the previous night went well, so his doctors are hopeful that they were able to save his hip and prevent the need for a hip replacement, although that remains to be seen.

He will be in recovery for months, but his prognosis is good and for that I am entirely grateful. I can't express enough my gratitude for your prayers on our behalf. I know that they were heard.

Late in the afternoon, however, my mother called with the news that my father had fallen off a ladder while trying to cut a limb off a tree in their backyard, and had broken his hip. He goes in for hip replacement surgery today. So, although I avoided the anxiety of hip replacement surgery with my husband, I now have to face it with my father. Life is bittersweet. The good with the bad. Being a grown-up certainly comes with unending worry, does it not?

So on I go, dealing with life one day at a time, as do we all. It feels like it is always an uphill climb, but I'm sure once I reach the summit, the view from the top will be well worth the effort of the hike.

xoxo

Wendy

Sail away

I was supposed to announce the winner of the Silhouette giveaway today, but I've had a family emergency. John (aka The Hubby) was in a terrible car accident yesterday. One that they say he should not have walked away from. Due to blessings from Heaven, he survived. But he is seriously injured. He underwent 6 hours of surgery last night, and will require weeks if not months of healing. Needless to say, I needed to be with my family yesterday. I know that you all understand.

I hope to announce the winner tomorrow, after I get my bearings. It's amazing and scary how quickly things in this life can change. And it's amazing how something like this puts my love for my husband and children into sharp focus.

Thank you for being wonderful readers, and friends. I want to ask a favor of you because I know that our little corner of the www is amazing and loving...please remember John in your prayers...and please remember my children as well.

Much love,

Wendy

Where I Blog: Home Office Plans~

My home office has been in a sad state of neglect since we moved into this home 8 months ago. Since I spend a good portion of my day in the room, working and creating my blog.... I've finally had enough! So I've put my design thinking cap on, and I've come up with a plan. And I wanted to join in the Where I Blog party over at Centsational Girl, so I hope you all will be interested in my plans for this room.

First I wanted to show you my inspiration room.

This is actually a craft room designed by Lulu Pom Interiors. I've had this room in my memory ever since I saw it in Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine (may it rest in peace) two years ago. So I decided that I was going to use it as a jumping off point for my home office design.

But first, let me tell you about my constraints. We rent this house. That means that the paint color and carpet remain. Next, my office is in the lower level of our house, and has no windows...that makes it a little dark...something I need to find a solution for. Last, I have little to no budget. That means that I have to be extra creative as I attempt to make the space a happy place to work.

That said, I had to come up with a work surface. Well, two actually, since we have two computers.

I will be using this desk, which is the companion piece to my rehabbed console. It has gorgeous lines and lots of storage, but a HORRIBLE finish.

Next, I'll be using the little table that we used in our last house, pictured here in my built in desk cubby (This is where I used to blog...oh, how I miss my pretty little built in) with a fabric skirting.

In keeping with the finishes in my inspiration room, I am going to paint both pieces white. I am also planning on skirting the small table with a linen skirt to hide ugly hard drives etc. from view. And I might possibly skirt the larger desk for the same reason...if I can do it without making it look silly...that remains to be seen.

For seating, I'm actually planning on going modern.

What I'd really love are 2 of these lucite chairs from IKEA. But they are $99 each, and I have no budget, remember? So I'm going to have to find something else.

But I *am* going to pick up a few of these cute IKEA stools for the kiddos. $5.99 each is a steal! I really like the pink (maybe I'll get one in pink for the Princess...and maybe even one for me) but I think the boys would prefer the black.

And finally, to add some light, I'd really love a chandelier. I like this one from IKEA...although it would have to be converted to a plug-in. It's a great price at $39.99, but maybe I can find a great vintage chandy for less. That remains to be seen.

I'll keep you posted on my progress as I go. Right now, both the desk and the table have coats of white primer. Hopefully, they'll have their final coats of paint by tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed.

And one last reminder...you have until midnight tonight to enter the Silhouette giveaway. The winner will be announced tomorrow.

Have a great Monday~

A Great Deal~

Photo Credit ?

Because I'm going to blink and the lazy days of summer will be behind me,

I've got the holidays on my mind.

"Already?" you're thinking, as you roll your eyes. "I haven't even put away the lawn chairs."

Well, neither have I, but if you're like me, planning in advance is the best policy.



Because the holiday shopping season is just around the corner (no seriously, it is), I'm offering a special advertising deal here on the old blog...4 months for the price of three...that's a huge savings....and will carry you all the way through the holidays.



So if you have your own web-based business, or if you just want to promote your blog....now is a great time to do it!



Click here for more advertising information. Or email me at shabbynest (at) yahoo (dot) com.



And if you haven't had a chance yet, scroll down and check out Frugal Friday! It's the biggest to date...and the projects look oh-so-fabulous!



And last, but not least, you have just one more day to enter for a chance to win your own Silhouette Digital Cutter (a $300 value)...I'll close entries Monday at 11:59 EST and the winner will be announced Tuesday. Click here to enter!

Frugal Friday~

Hello All! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!

Today I'm sharing a project that I've wanted to get done for a long time now. Time zone clocks for Mr. One's Tween Room!

The thing that has been holding me back is the actual expense of wall clocks. I know there are less expensive clocks to be found...but when you have to buy 3 of them, it adds up. So I kept looking. Then the other day, I found myself in IKEA and I ran across these wall clocks for only $1.99 each. Yup! You heard me right. $1.99 each.

Trouble is, they were white. And I really wanted black clocks.

Hello, spraypaint. (Am I a DIY blogger, or am I a DIY blogger?) The answer was obvious.

I taped up the clock faces so that they wouldn't end up black. This was a little time consuming, but needed, of course.


Then I used Krylon Fusion spraypaint since the clock rims were plastic.

It took about 4 light coats to cover completely, but that stuff dries fast...and I mean fast! So it didn't take long. (I was not compensated in any way for mentioning Krylon.)

Then I used my Silhouette Digital Cutter to cut out the names of three cities (by the way, there's still time to enter my giveaway for a Silhouette of your own...just click here). We chose large cities in states where we have family - and our own state, of course. I like the fact that it's a bit more personal than just choosing random cities.

After all the prep work was complete, I just measured, marked, and hung the clocks. Then I used a level to make sure I got the city names straight underneath each clock. That's it. Easy-peasy. And So Ca-uute.

Okay, looking at this photo...it looks like the Boston clock is set for 2:00...that's due to a reflection cutting off the end of the long hand....yeah, we lived in Massachusetts for the last 7 years...I *do* know what time zone it's in, I promise. ;-)

Now it's your turn.

You know "da rules"!

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back to The Shabby Nest so that your readers can have a chance to join in the fun.
3. Please comment on the entries you visit. Help our participants feel appreciated!!

Looking at my Home Through a Different Set of Eyes~

Have you ever wondered what it is that other people "see" when they visit your home? What are the things that they notice? We, especially those of us who write and frequent home decor blogs, take such pains to decorate our homes. We spend hours (if not days or months) agonizing over the smallest details. Does all of our careful planning and preening get noticed or ignored?

Well, I had the chance to find out a few weeks back, when my sister posted some photos of my house on her blog. The things that she thought were pretty. The things that intrigued her.

So I did what any other home-decor-obsessed-blogging-sister would do, I lifted borrowed some of the photos she took right off her blog, and posted them here for you to see.

A detail from my main bath...a corner medallion I found at the Brimfield Antique Fair and an apothecary jar filled to the brim with pretty soaps.

And I have actually been meaning to blog this for a while, so I'm glad she did. I repurposed this pretty key holder which I received from my dear friend Kasey, into a necklace holder in my master bath....it's useful art now! (Oh, and in the background....my well-read wreath holds court above la toilette.

I just love this photo....these are the hubby's shoes, complete with wooden shoe trees, lined up on the floor in front of our closet.



My stash of catalogs on the side of my linen cupboard.




A still life from my mantel.



Another still life from the buffet in my kitchen.



Of course, if you'd like to see the entire post, you could always visit her here.

Thanks for the peek at my own home, Holls....you're a peach!

And just a reminder that Frugal Friday goes up at 10:00 EST tonight...that's 2 hours earlier than normal! See you there!

Stylin'~

I've been having way too much fun with my Silhouette digital cutter! So today I just *had* to share these darling shirts I made for the kiddos!

I used some flocked heat transfer paper and chose a couple of fun designs to cut out. The process was super easy...I just followed the directions printed right on the package. Once I cut out the designs...all I had to do was iron them onto the shirts...I can handle that. (Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone - you'll see.)

For the Princess, I chose a sweet little bird and a birdcage. Although it was cute by itself, I thought the little bird could use some embellishment, so I made her a tutu out of some ribbon. Simply adorable!

For Mr. One, I decided on a rockin' guitar! I wanted to make it a little different, so I adhered the guitar to some jersey from an old tee that the boys had outgrown, and then cut it out and sewed it onto another t-shirt. I love the result.

I envision my children out frolicking in the autumn leaves looking sylin' in their new tees! In the mean time, I'll have to settle for these cute outfits frolicking on the floor of the living room, while the hubby smiles one of those "yeah, I married a crazy woman" smiles as he watches me take photos while standing on a dining chair. ;-)


If you haven't had the chance yet, there is still time to enter my giveaway for a Silhouette cutter of your very own. Just click here.

Have a great day~

Fantastiskt

Lena Bjerre Design

Höstens kollektion marknadsförs

som en sagoberättelse..och det är helt

Fantastiskt

Titta & Bli inspirerad

LenaBjerreDesign

Linky Love~

Welcome to this week's edition of Linky Love!

As always, last week's Frugal Friday linky had plenty of inspiration to go around.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Tinsel & Co. shared her fabulous Anthro-inspired bathroom makeover. I loved just about everything in that little room!

Jennifer Rizzo shared a lovely caned headboard makeover. So pretty!!

And I had to share this little monster cake by Views from my Window because it is quite possibly the cutest cake I've ever seen.

Finally, Little Blue Prints shared a darling way to display her boys' silhouettes. Love, love, love this!

And speaking of silhouettes (this just happens to be coincidental...I promise) my Silhouette digital cutter giveaway is still open. If you haven't had a chance to enter, scroll down to yesterday's post. You'll be glad you did.

Starting next week, I'll be moving the Linky Love post to Thursday to give you all a couple of extra days to enjoy the Frugal Friday links (or to link up to the party yourself.) I'm also changing the name from Linky Love to Frugal Round-up. Just like it better. And finally, I'm toying with the idea of posting the Frugal Friday post a couple of hours earlier on Thursday night...say 10 pm EST? So keep your eye out for that as well.

And one last thing...I'm guest posting today over at Lemon Tree Creations! Come by and see how to make a no-sew bedskirt.

Have a great day~

Väggord

Detta fina väggord har jag i vårt vardagsrum

är vansinnigt förtjust i väggord..

men tycker det är lite svårt att hitta

här i Sverige, det finns fina men det

är lite smalt sortiment.

Har ni några Tips?

A Super Fantabulous Product Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Happy Monday Everybody!! And it's just about to get even happier!!

I have the most fantastic little machine to share with you all today! It's called a Silhouette... and it's just amazing (and pretty, no?)

Silhouette pictured with a computer monitor

A few weeks ago, the good people at Silhouette shipped me one of their fancy little machines to see if I liked it...well, after I saw everything this little beauty could do, I was so excited I just had to try it for myself. And I LOVE it!!

"What does it do?" you ask.

Where do I begin?!

This little machine will help you create all kinds of fabulous things!

The Silhouette is essentially a digital cutter...but get this, rather than using cartridges, this little machine hooks up to your computer!! Because of this innovative approach, it allows you to create all sorts of shapes and letters...basically anything your heart desires...and it will cut them out for you.

It comes with a library of shapes at no charge. AND (and this is one of my favorite things) it can cut out words in ANY FONT that you have on your computer!

What if you don't see the shape you need? No worries!! You can create your own with the drawing tools in the program OR you can go online to the Silhouette shop and purchase a design from their shop! They have what seems like thousands of options and you can purchase them each individually (no buying what you don't need or want). But the more you purchase, the more money you save!

And you can also purchase fonts...and get this...the fonts will not only be available for your Silhouette to use...you can also use them in any program on your computer that uses fonts. Ohhhh yeah.

Check out all the great things you can do with these cutouts...

You can create cut outs for scrapbooking.

You can create cards or other paper goods.

You can create fabric transfers.



And of course, you can create vinyl lettering.



Do you remember a few weeks back when I was swooning over vinyl lettering on mirrors?(Can you see it coming?) Well...I used my Silhouette to create a vinyl-lettered-mirror of my own!!
I just cut out the phrase I wanted,



Got myself a mirror,



And followed the easy-to-follow instructions to adhere it to my mirror.


L.O.V.E. (Now I have to frame and hang the mirror, but you get the idea!)



There are many more projects I've been working on, and I'm so excited about them, that I'll share more throughout the week!




But here's the good news for you...
Silhouette wants to give one reader of the Shabby Nest

A Silhouette Machine(a $299.99 value)

And it includes...

• Silhouette machine
  
• Software for Windows XP/Vista


• Power cable, USB cable


• 2 Cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media)


• One cutting blade


• $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store

How you can win.
1. Leave a comment!
2. Go over to Silhouette’s site and check things out. Then, come back and leave a comment to tell me how you’d use the Silhouette if you had one.
3. Blog about it with a link back to this post, then come back and leave a second comment with the link.
4. Mention it on Twitter or Facebook (with a link to this post) and leave another comment letting me know...make sure to leave an additional comment for each thing that you do.

Must be a resident of the USA to win. Silhouette cannot ship outside of the USA.

The winner will be announced on August 31st.

And finally, you can purchase your own Silhouette with one of these great deals....just use the code SHABBYNEST as your discount code...

1) AWESOME PROMO (running from August 23rd through September 1st at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:
- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter
-fuzzy white vinyl (Valued at $7.99)
-light blue smooth heat transfer (Valued at 14.99)
yellow flocked heat transfer (Valued at $14.99)
- Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)
- $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store (Comes in the box)
- Cutting Blade (Comes in the box)
- 2 Cutting Mats (Comes in the box)

All for $249.99
A Savings of $137.97
Just think of how much you’ll save on gift giving this year!

2) GOOD PROMO (running from September 2nd through September 4th at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:
$50 off (receive for $249.99)
2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)
$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store(Comes in the Box)
Cutting Blade (Comes in the Box)
2 Cutting Mats(Comes in the Box)

All for $249.99
A savings of $79.98

Frugal Friday~

This is the last week of summer for the kiddos. So rather than spending my week working on projects (which I have a million of), I spent the week playing with the kids. We've done a whole lot of nothing important. But all of it was fun.


And so for Frugal Friday, I present....kids in a pool. (Well, the Princess in a pool anyway...darn...I thought I had more photos of my kids swimming...now where did I save them again?)

This has been my week. And well worth it, I might add. But, I have a whole load of projects coming up. And yes, since my kids will be back in school, I promise that you will see more decorating and DIY projects than you've seen in a while...so I hope you'll all join me.

Oh, and I want to make sure and thank all of you who weighed in on my little pillow dilemma in yesterday's post. If you didn't get a chance, and feel so inclined, I love to hear your opinion on my little living room facelift. So scroll down and take a look.

And another thing...those million projects I mentioned above? Some of them have to do with a fabulous giveaway that I'll be hosting on Monday. ooooooh!! You really don't want to miss this one...so make sure and drop by!

Now on to your projects...you talented folks!!

I wanted to reiterate a couple of things about the rules today...


1. Please link only to your post and not just to your blog. You all are pretty good about doing this.
2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest. I'm so happy that you all link up to this party, and I hope that it brings new traffic to your sites, but I would really appreciate the favor in return. After all, others would love to come see all the creativity that links up to Frugal Friday, so please link back to this site...even if it is just a text link. I'd really appreciate it!!
3. PLEASE comment on the posts you visit...nothing makes a blogger's day like great comments!


M'kay I'm off my soapbox!! ENJOY!!!

Montebello Möbler

I Vallentuna Centrum

finns en av

Stockholms Mysigaste Inredningsbutik Montebello Möbler

Malin som driver butiken renoverar gamla möbler

så dom blir som nya

så vackra möbler finns att vila ögonen på
och andra vackra inredningsting
Så åk till Montebello butiken
lova att hälsa från Marie *blink*