My 'mom cave' bedroom

 When all is quiet with the world, I love to slip into my little shabby white oasis...

... to gaze out my candlelit window...

... while laying in my rumply crumply pillowy haven, that wears many shades of white.

Welcome to my mom cave bedroom. :)



At times, my bedside painter's ladder, showing off a few pretty shades under it's newish coat of white,



... holds a favorite magazine to flip through at my total leisure.



Other times,

the ladder holds a few of my favorite things. Just because.

The camisoles were found in my Mom's closet, the Bible a gift from my Grandmother, and the pearls, from my Mom's jewelry box. A ladder of special memories, honoring two of my favorite gals.

My bedroom belongs to just me, so I created a girlie retreat to the highest degree. My ultra girlie mom cave. :)

You won't find this bed neat, tidy and symmetrical. This bed is about rumpled crumpled comfy bliss. With waaaay too many pillows with a touch of lace. :)

Twinkling tea lights play well with a whisper of woodsy rustic, my favorite kind of finish.

An old gate grouped with metal clad siding and an old door creates a headboard with substance! And the works is highlighted with a random board and batten wall treatment to further enhance the whites.

An old woodsy tabletop is my special place for a cup of warmth and a lazy read.

The vintage dresser, wearing a wonderfully natural crackle finish only achieved from many years of love, holds a few of my favorite things to enjoy.

I love the memories my mom's jewelry box offers me every time it passes my eye. The tiny gold snowflakes that dot the top make me smile, for I am a true snow lover. :)

A  collection of some thrift store finds tie in beautifully to create a vignette that was meant to be. A torn sheet lampshade when illuminated adds a special softness that simply belongs.

 The rusty old headboard is one of my favorite places to hang some of my favorite pictures of my parents.

And when in season, my Mom's wedding gift teapot provides the perfect enhancement for some fresh cut garden flowers!

So what else could I possibly need in my land of whites and brights if I won the mom cave contest? Why, the finishing touches of course!

#1 would be a new fluffy white robe and matching slippers. And then...

#2. I would love a pretty floor lamp right beside the bed!

#3. The perfect girly tall and skinny dressing mirror.

#4. Some lovely photo albums chalk full of my parents old photos.

#5. And perhaps some sparkly frames to highlight a few more of my favorite sepia toned memory maker pictures...

#6. I couldn't forget the fragrances!

#7. And oh my... gormet coffees! With a bodum coffee press! Pure decadence! I've wanted one of those forever.

(All photos from HERE

Now, apparently a mom cave isn't a true mom cave without a place for the girlfriends.

Nothing a pretty little white laptop wouldn't cure. See? You'd all be right there with me. :)

So until I am able to pick up those fabulous finishing touches...

... my little furry bedside buddy will have to do.

Ahhhh... much better! 

For now. :)

I've entered my 'bedroom mom cave' over at:

Susan's mom cave contest. Go enter yours!

A couple more days left to win some custom shades!

Valued between $99 - $253!

Click the balloon button or  HERE to enter!

Get that long overdue DIY or non DIY project done by Wed Nov 6 and link up! :)

(rules HERE)

Share your Holiday Home

ACK! I am so excited! It’s time to start thinking CHRISTMAS!!!

Yahoo!!

YES, I know…Thanksgiving comes first. I love Thanksgiving as much as the next person…but November 1st really signals the start of the holidays for me. So I get to dream, swoon and plan for them starting today. :)

I am THRILLED to share a fun event some of my beautiful bloggy friends and I have thrown together – I guess you could call it the “progressive dinner” of blogland?:

YIPPEE!!!

It’s a series of linky parties, all holiday-based, all FUN. :) We’ll kick it off with Layla from The Lettered Cottage on Tuesday the 30th for a mantel party. Then Rhoda from Southern Hospitality will host the vignette party on the 2nd. Kate from Centsational Girl will follow with a crafty shindig December 7th. And I’ll finish up with my annual Christmas Tree Party on the 9th.

I know. I know. FUN!! I’m busting at the thought of it. :)

So start thinking about what you may want to link up! You’ve got plenty of time to get ready. :)

Have a great Monday! I’ll be back late tonight with the November Before and After Party.

Snowy Cuddles

Today I am posting a cute Christmas card created with a stamp from Stampavie.  The name of this one is "Snowy Cuddles" by Penny Johnson.  Have you been to Joan's Gardens to see all the new Sarah Kay and Magnolia stamps she just received?   She also has some of the new Martha Stewart Christmas border punches.

The background paper used is from the DCWV "Winter Wonder" stack.  This was a 12x12" paper pack so I used only one corner from the page.  I thought the little bird on the branch would be cute with the stamped image I wanted to add.   The verse is from the JustRite "Christmas Nested Sentiments".  It was black embossed directly onto the design paper.   I also stamped the "snowpeople" image directly onto the design paper then again onto white card stock.  The images on the card stock were colored using Copic markers.  I trimmed closely around the design and attached it over the image stamped on the design paper.   The reason I did this is because I  didn't want to lose some of the little marks  around the snow people after they were cut out.    A purple bow was added to complete the card. 

Here is the link to check out all the new stamps and punches at Joan's Gardens.

It is hard to believe it is already Halloween.  We are wondering if we are going to have many little Trick or Treat goblins coming around this evening because we have been having rainy weather most of the week.  We always love to see all the cute costumes.

 Have a Happy Halloween.

Autumn in Indiana

Hello there! Hope your Halloween weekend is going beautifully!

A couple of weeks ago, my Sis and I took a day off from the decluttering around here to take in some of the fall beauty around us. It was her last day before heading to her new job and my last day having her around all day. :( Sniff.

I do love being with her – I don’t just use her for manual labor. ;)

I’m so proud to be a born and raised Hoosier, and this time of year I am madly in love with Indiana. It’s quite beautiful. Most think we’re just flat fields – and we do have our fair share. But there’s more than corn in Indiana -- some really gorgeous parts too. :)

My Sis, the Bub and I started our day out by driving through one of our very favorite “drive by” spots – the Meridian Kessler area of Indy. We ooohed and ahhhed over the fantastic houses, and took some hi-I’m-not-crazy-just-obsessed-with-your-house pictures along the way:

We had to be fast and stealth-like so the owners wouldn’t call the cops on the crazy women taking photos. :)

Some were decked out for Halloween, and the Bub would alert us by screaming “STOP!! HALLOWEEN STUFF!!” at the top of his lungs and freak us out every. single. time.:

Some were just plain gorgeous with some simple mums:

 

Some didn’t need much of anything – they were gorgeous all on their own:

     The addresses have been blocked to protect those who live in the gorgeous houses :)…

    

Oh my. Grey siding, white trim, red door? LURVE.

Because it was such an amazing day, we decided to head over to what has quickly become one of my favorite spots in Indianapolis – Holliday Park:

It’s a fantastic park – complete with a nature center, beautiful architecture and gardens, tons of (HUGE) playgrounds and trails that take you through some gorgeous sights, down to the White River:

You can’t help but completely breathe it in. It reminds me of the camping trips we took almost every single weekend throughout the summer and fall growing up. The smell of wet leaves is seriously intoxicating.

No cell phones. No emails. Someday I’m going to take a fold up chair, hike down to the river to sit and just get lost in nothing.

What a great reminder to just STOP MOVING. Look around. Be quiet.

It was a perfect day, spent with two of my very favorite people.

It gets me so bad when I think about how much his Aunt loves him:

It makes my heart melt that our son is so loved by so many other people other than us. He is surrounded. :)

I had some fun with Picnik with this one:

That’s a framer for sure. :)

Hope you have a HAPPY and SAFE Halloween!!

The Before and After Party will go up Monday night!