Joining In

I've been excited to join the party over at Tricia's Photo Feature Friday for weeks now.

I couldn't come up with a single pink item worth showing off for this weeks assignment.

  Sorry Tricia!  Sure hope you don't mind me joining in anyway.

I did however pick two favorite photos I had of my Zebby Baby. 

After layering one of Kim Klassen's textures over the top I love them even more.

Here's a look at the original photo.

And here is the after using Picnik to add the layer.

Isn't he so cute!

The next picture I use Photoshop to add the Kim Klassens texture.

Here's the before

And after.

Hope you all have a lovely day,

Robin

I'll be linking up to

Book Review: New Farmhouse Style

Remember back in March when I talked about picking up this book . . .

I promised a review so here goes.

Do you like decor that is simplistic yet stylish in an easy going way?

Do you like rooms filled with light and natural elements?

Do you enjoy ironstone and furniture with character?

Do you enjoy books filled with beautiful eye candy and minimal chatter?

If so, this would be a good book to check out.

The book contains seven chapters.  Each begins with a few pages explaining the mood the author wished to invoke.  The stories and examples told had me wishing for a farmhouse of my own.  The remainder of the chapter focused on gorgeous photos, page after page with short captions reinforcing the chapters theme.

Throughout the book ironstone, a minimal color palette, simplicity and natural elements were reinforced time and time again.  The only down side about this book is it's slight repetitiveness after a while.  Something I had no problem overlooking since I love the style so much.  For me, this was the perfect book which I'm sure to reach for time and time again.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the book.

Hope you enjoyed this "mini" review.  If you haven't had a chance to glance inside the pages of this book it's worth adding to your reading list.

Enjoy your day,

Robin

Drawing Out My Inner Artist

When it comes to drawing or painting, I'm about the least talented person you'll ever meet.

Regardless, I've been determined to include a painting in my bathroom makeover to add a pop of color to the space.

I looked high and low for something without much luck.  In desperation, I thought I'd try my hand at painting something.

I've been drawn to modern pieces lately.  I love the mix of color and texture.  The way the colors seem to melt into each other is beautiful.  Plus I figured it couldn't be too hard.

Well . . . I was wrong!  It. Is Very. Hard.

I spent most of the morning working on it and this is what I came up with - - Don't laugh!

All right, go ahead and laugh . . . you know I am.

Even though I'm not crazy about it I still plan to use it until I can find a replacement.  It has the right colors for the room which is what I wanted in the first place.

If anyone has any suggestions about where I should go for artwork I would really appreciated the help!

A Sign For The Bathroom

Good Morning!

Thought I would share a newly painted sign for the bathroom since the room itself is not ready to show off yet.

A gentle reminder for my girls . . .

Again, I apologize for the wonky photos. 

I'm still having a hard time taking decent photos in this space.

I thought it would be a great way to add a little more of my accent color into the room.

Here you can see the true color a little better. 

It's my new favorite!

Hope you all have a lovely day,

Robin

Knocked My Socks Off . . .

I'm still taking my sweet ol' time getting back into blogging, BUT I didn't miss this. . .

prettysimplelife.tumblr.com

Thought I'd share, just in case you hadn't seen it yet.

Isn't it fabulous. 

I'm about a hairs-width away from trying to recreate it myself. 

I have a troublesome wall in my dining room which would be perfect for something like this.

Now if only I could recreate everything on it too!  LOL.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Robin

New Bathroom Flooring

I'm doing the happy dance  - - Want to join in?

Gone are the always-dirty looking linoleum floors of before. 

No more ugly toliet rug to hid cracked, peeling flooring. 

No more pondering the origins of an inherited mysterious orange stain.

Instead, the old has been replaced with gleaming, smooth Pergo yummyness.

The floors were installed on Monday morning and today I've completed the finishing touches.

Take a look!

So pretty.

Here's a look at the before . . .

and after . . .

(sorry the photos are not the best.  I have a hard time taking pictures in this windowless room)

The name of the flooring is Beech Blocked by Pergo.  We purchased it from Home Depot and also had it installed by them.  The whole process went very smoothly.  To help cut cost I was able to complete all the prep work like removing baseboards, doors and caulk from around the tub.  After the installation I also chose to tackle the finishing work myself.  Basically replacing everything I had previously removed.  Not sure if this really saved any money in the long run but it did make me "think" I was.  LOL!

Now that all the grunt work is done (painting, fixtures, and flooring)  the fun stuff begins - -

the decorating !!

Hopefully sometime mid-week I'll be able to show off the whole room.

- - if I don't change my accent color - - again. 

 - - my current pick is a pale blue/grey called Light French Grey.

(it's pretty, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a keeper)

Hope your having a lovely day,

Robin

Seed Starting

With all the busyness of the the past few weeks, seed starting had been pushed to the side in order accommodate more pressing matters.

That is until I spotted this sitting on a shelf during one of my daily trips to Menard's LOL!

My curiousity was running at warp speed. 

 The kit included everything I could need plus it look quick, easy and mess-proof.  All for under three dollars.

Worth a shot I thought!

Basically your remove the lid . . . pour in water . . . wait until the small pellets double in size.  Once that is done, you drop the seeds into the small hole in the top, add the plastic cover and place it somewhere sunny.

I picked up two kits.  One for profussion cheery zinna seeds. And one for Tequila Lima Zinnia's.

WOW!  Look at the color of those seeds!

Have you ever seen anything like it?  I sure haven't . . . I confess . . .  I'm a little leary.

Here's how they look planted.

And with the lid on.

I'm curious to find out if it works or not. 

Has anyone tried theses before?

Robin

I've Been Hiding . . .

The family and I returned from our vacation over a week ago, yet I have to admit I've been hiding from my blog!  

I always find getting back into the swing of things overwhelming.  So I've been taking it slow. 

 Organizing the house as I unpacked our bags.

Working on a few projects and adding a few finishing touches to our main bathroom redo which I'm excited to share with you all.

I hope very soon, to have the opportunity to catch up with all of you and see what you have been doing while I've been hiding!  I've missed you all so much.

I thought you might like to see a few photos from our vacation.  It was a truly relaxing time filled with fun for all of us.   The weather was amazing and we all had a wonderful time.

Taking pictures with Snoopy is becoming a Spring Break tradition.  Ms. Z just loves it!

Here the girls are relaxing while waiting for the rental car to be ready.

We flew into Phoenix, followed by a short road trip to Tucson.

A group of us went for a hike up the foothills surrounding Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The view from the half way mark.

I just love this photo of Ms. E writing a note for the ammo box at the top of the mountain.

And finally, the girls amusing themselves as we wait for our flight home.