Who Is Your Hero?

A few weeks ago I wrote about meeting Stephanie and Christian Nielson. Some of you were not aware of the Nielson's corageous story. Here is a recent newscast that covered their story. (Pay no attention to the sobbing woman in the red dress. :)

Be blessed!

A $15 craft closet makeover.

For several months I have been working on transforming my daughter's former room into a lovely guest room for under $500. It is almost finished. In the meantime I thought I would show you what I did with the empty closet space.



The closet received a fresh coat of white paint. I then headed to IKEA in search of storage solutions and a work table. I always check the "as is" section FIRST. I found just what I wanted. Two bathroom sink cabinets without doors for $4.00 each.

Sink cabinets, what? Yep, I knew I was going to cover the tops of the sink bases with some sort of work table so it didn't really matter what they actually were, only that they had shelving and were cheap!

I then found an IKEA work tabletop that was a bit dinged up and marked down to $2.99. The only problem was it was 1" too wide for the space. I bought it anyway and went home to bat my eyelashes at Mr. Decor and his table saw.

I covered the black surface with some heavy duty wrapping paper. The beauty is that I can always redo it whenever it gets a bit grungy. Then the fun began of bringing my stuff in.

On the right hand side I set up my sewing station.

I love open shelving and clear containers. I can find what I need very quickly.

I repurposed some existing storage boxes to hold my other assorted bits and bobs of pure bliss. I hope to make some cuter tags in the future, but these work for now.

,

Mr. Decor had made me three shelves for one wall in the bedroom but we decided that two really looked the best. Never one to waste anything I had him install the remaining shelf in the closet.

We purchased simple (very inexpensive) pine boards at Home Depot and Mr. Handy Dandy Decor cut them to my specifications.

I found decorative brackets and molding at Lowes. He attached the molding to the edge of the shelves with wood glue and finish nails.

On the left side of the closet I left an open space to work on scrapbooking or other creative endeavors.

A french memo board I had was ivory in color and really didn't work with the crisp white palette so I just covered it with my corsage creations. (I am currently working on some holiday designs and they are SO cute!)

I placed a lazy susan in the center of the work table. It had just been sitting in the garage. These are a few of my favorite things.

Our only expenses for this $15 space were the sink bases, tabletop and wrapping paper to cover the work surface, as we had the paint on hand.

I am currently finishing up one chair for the $500 bedroom and will reveal the room in its entirety next Monday.

Have you created anything for mere pennies lately?

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Ask your blogging friends to help you make lemonade.

Smitten

Thank you dear friends. The Fashionista has her mojo back and is furiously sketching 4 more designs and will begin sewing up the prototype dresses to open her own online shop very soon. Stay tuned. As always, one door was closed but then two overwhelmingly beautiful double French doors opened.

Why Shabby Made Me Crabby

I know you have probably been here. Most of us have at one time or another. It can be agonizing when faced with the decision to choose between one path and the another.


Most of my regular readers are familiar with the Fashionista. She is my favorite sidekick. She is one of the reasons I get out of bed in the morning. She is my heart. She is my daughter.

Jaimee Rose

The Fashionista will soon be graduating with an associates degree in fashion design. She is currently facing a tough decision. A fork in the road if you will. She needs to decide what to do next: take a risk and continue on with her design studies or make a traditional choice of say obtaining a bachelors degree in business.

As her mother and even as a clothes wearing woman I believe with all my heart and soul in her talent. But like many young women who have not gained enough confidence through experiences in life she does not always believe in her self. I know many of you reading this are nodding your head and saying "Yes! I have been there!"

Recently, I learned about a design contest.

I challenged the Fashionista to enter a design. This is what she entered. Sadly, blogger is not letting me click on the photo to enlarge it. Grrrrr! If you would like to hear the lovely story on her inspirations for the design you can read her blog post here.

Sadly, she was not selected as a finalist. If you would like to see which designs were selected you can go here. Some of the designs were fabulous. Some left me scratching my head.

Understandably, this has caused her to doubt herself even further.

If you are a mother then you know the deep pain you feel when your child is hurting.

I have turned the comments off on this post. I was hoping that if you believe she has a gift you could perhaps leave a comment on her blog to encourage her.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Meeting Nie Nie and Christian Nielson was Blissful

Last night the Fashionista and I headed out from our home in the Wild West and moseyed on over to Blissfest. No, it wasn't by stagecoach. :)

As usual, the delightful Dan and Kristin Alber and their petite posse hosted a amazing event, which this year benefited the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.


Thank you Jaimee Rose for this beautiful photo.

The Domestic Bliss staff once again created amazing vignettes worthy of a hoot and holler.


Here I am in my vintage square dancing attire.



It was so good to see sweet friends like Mindy. It has been toooo long.


The magnificent Maija graciously opened her home to a few of the out of town vendors. Now that is my idea of a grand slumber party.


Sweet Tricia has been keeping busy instructing several classes. Soon she'll be heading to Silver Bella.


Of course there were an amazing cast of characters in costume.



I wanted to steal away darling Sophie in her pink cowboy hat.



The most glamorous cowgirl of the evening was Paris Montana.



The Glamarella Junk booth was filled with eye candy.



I couldn't resist taking home one of her "Vintage Chick" t shirts.



I was delighted to run into Jaimee Rose and her dear friend Cindy. Miss Rose is an extremely gifted writer. Her articles for the Arizona Republic are always penned perfection. In addition, she graciously provides glimpses into her stylish life on her wonderful blog. I never miss a post! Jaimee and Cindy win the Chicest Cowgirls of the evening. Their ensembles were as always, picture perfect.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Republic.

Now let me tell you about how I ended the evening in tears. Christian and Stephanie Nielson were the guests of honor this year. Last years Blissfest fundraiser was held in the hopes that this inspiring couple would fully recover from their accident. Many months went by where it was touch and go.
Thousands of bloggers continue to follow their journey on the Nie Nie Dialogues which is written by Stephanie. I have to tell you that it was an incredible experience to meet the Nielson's.
Indeed when I first approached the couple my first words were "I am going to try to talk to you without crying." (I did anyway.) We talked about their children and what an inspiration they are to me as parents. The Fashionista shared her desires for a fashion designed filled future that she hopes will also include a relationship like theirs.
The Nielson's have been faced with a challenge in life that at times must seem insurmountable. But they have chosen to take what comes their way one step at a time. Their story, their life, is truly, truly inspiring. The light they project is a beacon for many. I just cannot describe how joy and happiness truly radiated from this couple and enveloped everyone in their presence. They are spectacularly beautiful people, inside and out.



This morning I placed this photograph above my desk. Recently I have been feeling overwhelmed by school. In the past two weeks I have logged over 40 hours on one project alone. I have 4 weeks left in the semester and 6 classes remain until I achieve my longtime dream of graduating. But thoughts of defeat~ giving up~ have crossed my mind. Yet with perfect timing God presented me with an opportunity to be humbled. Thank you Mr. And Mrs. Nielson for giving me a very precious gift. This photograph will serve as a reminder that I must continue to take on life one step at a time and be a source of encouragement and inspiration to those whom I encounter in my own life.

Be blessed,

Update: For those of you who are unfamiliar with Nie Nie's heroic journey here is a recent post about just one day in her life.

Vintage Western Masquerade

Blissfest is Back! If you are going to be in Phoenix this Friday Blissfest is a can't miss event.



I always have the best time at Blissfest. Although I just didn't have the time to participate as a vendor this time around (school~bah humbug!) you can bet your bottom dollar I will be attending this event. Many of you may remember my getup from the spring Blissfest and I just can't wait to put on my hee haw of a honey outfit that I have concocted. The Fashionista went for all cowboy cuteness.

My girl and I are looking forward to hopefully meeting a personal hero of ours: Nie Nie and getting a jump start on our Christmas shopping.

Hope to see ya'll there!

A gorgeous home filled with antiques

Recently I attended an estate sale. It was probably the finest sale I have been to so far. Upon entering the massive doors I was struck by this beautiful domed ceiling.


To the left was a small settee topped by a gorgeous tapestry that was already marked "sold". Drats!


There was a large center sitting area that I couldn't photograph due to the vast amounts of people lined up to make a purchase. But beyond that was a lovely dining room. The oil paintings were spectacularly beautiful in person.



I then made my way through the butler's pantry and past a huge china closet that had padded walls. (Sadly, it was to dark to photograph well.) I then came out into the sitting area attached to the kitchen. Sweet happy sighs...



The furniture groupings were a bit mish mashed due to the sale, yet you could see the potential. So many pieces for sale captured my fancy. There were two of these chairs that I admired for their whimsical lines. Alas, they were not comfortable so I left them flanking the fireplace.



Turning around I easily imagined Mr. Decor and I enjoying our Saturday morning tea and toast.



Oh my but this kitchen was lovely. Look at the ultra thick butcher block counter tops with marble nestled between.



Above the gorgeous sink was a plate rack that featured the same padded fabric walls as the large china closet.While it indeed would keep your dishes from being chipped, I think it would have to be strictly decorative because I see problems with continually placing possibly still wet plates on fabric over time.


Remember how the door was open in the breakfast nook area? This was where the door led to~ an inner courtyard.



This was the entry into the attached guest house. I adore the awnings. To the left of the guest house was a massive outdoor grill, basketball court and swimming pool.



I came inside back through the laundry area. It was bigger than both of my bathrooms combined. :)



The next room had me wishing that my cousin Tara was on my left side and Joni from Cote De Texas was on my right side just so we could have squealed with delight together.



Look at how they used an old grain sack to upholster (and elevate) what would have been a rather ordinary chair.


On the other wall was a painting that I am STILL thinking about.




I walked through a Jack and Jill bathroom into another bedroom. The painted walls were great fun. I imagined all sorts of possibilities for this light filled space.




I wanted to wrap up the desk, mirror, and lamps but alas have no where to put them. Do you see the yummy floral wallpaper peeking out of the bathroom area?



Next, I went upstairs. they had the loft area set up as a study.



Right next to the loft it was an area I am sure the husband used regularly as there was a very comfy sectional and large screen tv.



This was the view of Camelback mountain from the windows.



There were 2 bedrooms upstairs as well. Other sale attendees wouldn't budge from the rooms so I wasn't able to photograph them. (Grrrr! Don't they know I have a post to blog about? :) So I made do with the bathroom.
I loved the silver mercury apothecary jars. They were $90 for the set.



Change up the wall color, add a few new accessories and I don't think I would ever get out of this tub.


Walking back down the gorgeous stairs.



Are you ready for the master suite? This was the sitting area.




Here is the bedroom. While I didn't particularly care for the padded headboard, the settee at the foot of the bed had me at hello. The artwork on the left wall featured a man and woman painted on silk. Oh mercy.



Ok, I think I might have gasped out loud when I entered this sanctuary.



The closet alone was bigger than my bedroom. The black boxes contain the hinge hardware. You grasp hold of the cane and pull the bar down to access your upper level clothing.



Yet another wall. I thought for a moment about how great the shelves would be to hold craft and sewing supplies. The Fashionista immediately said "A place to store my shoes." Different strokes...



A powder room in which I was just completely~ insanely~ crazy for the wall color.



This Italian cherub also captured my heart.



I wanted this wing chair inspired settee sooooo bad. It was beyond comfortable and the linen upholstery was so lovely. Let's see, ASU tuition for next semester or the settee? Hmmmm.



Thankfully, dreams are free.