inspired by charm

Fauxnet

2012-02-23T11:53:00.003-08:00

...pronounced foe-nay (as in Claude Monet); not fox-net (as in the fox is caught in a net).

A couple months ago I found this vintage art at a local resale shop. I paid $5. At the time I bought the piece, I really didn't have a plan of how I wanted to use it.

As I mentioned last week, I have plans to redo one of my guest rooms. With pennies pinched, I needed to create some inexpensive wall art. Last night I was in the mood to paint so I grabbed my thrift store find from the basement and got to work!

As you can see, the painting was a bit drab. My goal was to brighten the whole thing up. I envisioned a yellow gold frame with a fresh new take on the current artwork using the colors (turquoise, light blue, white and green) I plan on using in my new space.

First, I removed the art from the frame to make painting everything a bit easier. I began by peeling off the paper baking. I then bent up the staples holding in the art. I kept the staples in the frame so I could use them to secure the painting to the frame when I was finished.

Once the art was out of the frame I used two colors of bright yellow craft paint to cover the frame.

After that was finished I used a gold metallic paint on top of the yellow.

I did this step after the sun when down, so I don't have any pictures. Sorry about that. After I applied the gold I went over everything with a white wash ... then a little more yellow, a little more gold, a little more white, etc. I just continued to add layers until I was pleased with the look.

After the frame was finished I moved onto the artwork. I used the original painting as a guide and added brighter colors to the whole piece.

It took many attempts to figure out what was going to look best. Honestly, at one point I almost gave up and threw the whole thing in the trash. I ultimately ending up liking the look of adding dots of color. The finished look reminds me of paintings done by Claude Monet.

This was the painting shortly after I started adding color.

You can see the turquoise and blue in the sky/water and the green I added to the trees. For paint, I just used the cheap acrylic craft paint you can buy at Wal-mart or your local craft store.

After about three hours of working on the piece (and unfortunately not taking any more pictures, as I was both focused and frustrated) here's what I came up with.

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Pretty fabulous, right!?

I'm loving the new look! It went from drab and dusty to fab and fun!

It's cheerful and bold and I just love it! I think the colors will be a perfect addition to my room redo.

The desk below the art (found at a local antique shop) and the glass vase (found at TJ Maxx for $20) will also be additions to the space.

I'm also really pleased with the yellow gold frame. It couldn't have came out more perfect! The bright yellow base added a much need pop of color underneath the whitewashed gold.

I also decided to paint the little house purple, inspired by this post I read earlier in the day.

You'll also noticed the horse and cart were completely eliminated from the pond. Much better.

Until I actually start my room redo, my new piece of artwork will sit on my vintage corbel shelf in my hall.

A lovely reminder that spring and summer are quickly approaching!

So what do you think of my Monet-inspired-upcycled-artwork?

Thanks for all your 'For the Love of Yellow' VP Submissions!

Keep them coming!!

Very Pinteresting {Porches}

2012-02-22T11:26:00.007-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm back with another exciting addition of Very Pinteresting! As promised, I'm not posting about food this time.

That's to everyone's suggestions of topics for this week. With spring on the horizon I was inspired by Amy's comment to share some beautiful porches!

Thanks Amy!

I am MORE than ready for spring. These ideas have me itching to get outside and brighten up my lack luster winterized porches!

I honestly love every detail about this porch! Just beautiful.

via Better Homes and Gardens

This color scheme creates a perfect summer porch! I've always wanted a porch with a fan.

Porch Mood Board via freshHOME

And who wouldn't want this outdoor sofa on their porch. This amazing piece was created out of old pallets from the always creative Funky Junk Interiors! This is the best use of pallets I've ever seen!

Pallet Outdoor Sofa via Funky Junk Interiors

What goes with a pallet sofa? A pallet table! This one is multifunctional with a built-in trench for planting flowers.

Pallet Table via Today's Nest

One of my favorite porches from The Lettered Cottage. Love the DIY Mirror on the vintage shutters. The DIY coffee table is to die for! So creative!

Porch Ideas via The Letterd Cottage

This little guy is on my porch!

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This was a pitnerest inspired creation I made last year. It's an old food mill turned planter! Love it!

Food Mill Planter via Inspired by Charm

This porch is just dreamy and huge!! The gray and yellow is beautiful, and I just love the wood ceiling!

Porch Designs via Better Homes and Gardens

A lovely indoor country inspired porch. Those green chairs are fierce. I also love the black screen door.

Indoor Porch via Better Homes and Gardens

Wouldn't this sign look perfect on the porch above? This gorgeous work of art was created by the uber talented Jen from Onion Grove Mercantile. Best sign painter in America!

Patio Sign via Onion Grove Mercantile

And last but not least, this picture is a bit more fun that practical. The thought of sleeping on a porch with a quilt under the stars sounds like a dream to me.

Sleeping Porch via HGTV

Those are some pretty porches, right?

Thanks to those of you that submitted your ideas for this week's Very Pinteresting! It's an honor to feature you. Feel free to post more of you ideas in the comments below.

Next week's Very Pinteresting will be 'For the Love of Yellow'. I have fallen head over hells for the color yellow lately. I already starting putting together a beautiful collection of goodies to share.

If you have been inspired by the color yellow recently and would like to submit your yellow creations for next week's Very Pinteresting, please email me at ibcsubmission@yahoo.com I would much rather pin your creations than something from Better Homes and Gardens or HGTV. Your submissions are important! Thanks.

So, what fun ideas do you have planned for your porch this year?

Ready for Spring,

Previous Very Pinteresting posts can be found here:

a new winner and other news

2012-02-21T13:26:00.001-08:00

I assume you remember about a week ago I hosted a giveaway here thanks to the amazing Ever Blooming Originals. Well, the original winner has yet to comment or return my emails, so I decided it was time to draw a new winner.

The new winner of the Ever Blooming Originals Door Decor Giveaway is:

Congrats Marta! I'll be in touch via email as will EBO to coordinate the details of your prize. Marta is actually the blogger behind Marta Writes. Fantastic blog! Be sure to check it out.

Colette from EBO has also decided to extend the Inspired by Charm discount through the end of March. Due to the giveaway, EBO was flooded with orders and traffic and she just couldn't keep up with the wonderfulness you were sending her. While this is awesome, it's hard for one person to handle as she likes to make sure each piece is perfect. And, as most of you know, perfection takes time.

Ever Blooming Originals was also kind enough shared their numbers with me on how this giveaway affected their sales, views and FB likes. I was amazed. Their numbers doubled and in some cases tripled. This makes me thrilled! I'm so honored and happy that I'm able to help out other small and growing business just by hosting a giveaway. Awesome!

Because of this, I would like to do more of these giveaways here at Inspired by Charm. Might as well spread the love!

If you have a etsy shop and are interesting in sponsoring a giveaway from your shop (an item/gift certificate plus shipping), please email me at ibcsubmission@yahoo.com I can't guarantee that the results will be the same as EBO but it's worth a shot, right?

Updated** Check out what my friend Donna from Funky Junk Interiors made for me.

She knows how much I adore Adele. Love this!! Thanks Donna!!!

The quote and pictures are from her interview in this month's Vogue.

a spring themed neapolitan birthday cake

2012-02-20T14:03:00.011-08:00

Today is my Mom's Birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Last night my brother and his wife cooked dinner for her and i brought the cake. That was find with me, I'll take baking over dinner cooking any day.

I wanted to try something different so i thought I would do a cake inspired by neapolitan ice cream. While baking and decorating I kept my camera close at hand so I could share my little adventure with you.

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Let's get baking!

I used boxed cake mixed. Duncan Hines. First up, french vanilla.

Then strawberry.

Then chocolate.

I prepared and baked according the directions the box. I lined my baking pans with parchment paper for extremely easy cake removal.

This gave me six cakes. I was originally planning on using all six, but later realized that was going to be way too tall. I decided to just use one of each and froze the other three to use another time.

As the cakes cooled, I made the icing.

My go-to icing recipe: (this recipe was doubled for this cake)

1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature butter unsalted)
4 oz cream cheese (use phildelphia, generic cream cheese is a no-no)1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

With an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment; beat butter, salt and cream cheese (on medium speed) until completely smooth
One cup at time, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating after each addition.
Add vanilla and about 1 tablespoon of cream, and continue beating.
Add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, one at a time.
Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons cream until desired consistency is reached.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Icing done, cakes still cooling, time to whip up some quick decorations for my cake.

To make the pennants I just cut a diamond shape out of some pretty scraps of fabric. I applied some tacky glue to one side of the diamond, placed a wooden skewer in the middle and folded the other side over. Yep, it's seriously that easy.

I tied on some scraps of ribbon and rick rack to make it a little more interesting and fun!

For more fun decorations, I found these malted eggs and edible, yep EDIBLE, grass at Joann's.

The edible grass is oddly good. It takes like those little flying saucers wafers with a hit of green apple flavor. It's also available in green and pink.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After my cakes were cool, it was time to put the cake together.

I lined my cake plate with some wax paper stripes to prevent it from being complete covered in icing by the time I was finish. Thanks Ina Garten.

I also cut off the tops of my cake so the layers stacked a little bit nicer.

I am not a cake decorator and don't want to be. I actually love imperfections in cakes.

So all you fancy cake deocrators out there can just look the other way.

Once it was iced it was time for some edible grass and eggs.

And don't forget the flags!

Tada! My spring themed neapolitan birthday cake!

Pretty stinkin' cute, right!? Time for a slice.

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And let me tell you, for boxed cake, it was incredibly moist, light and delicious! Neapolitan cake may just be my new favorite.

I hope you enjoyed my little baking adventure!

Have a great Monday everyone! I'm sure my mom will be reading the comments if you want to send her some birthday love.

Time for a diet,

FOLK Friday

2012-02-17T12:06:00.008-08:00

I'm so glad it's Friday. One week closer to spring! Right?

So there is lots of exciting news happening with FOLK Magazine that I wanted to share with you today. If you don't already know, I am one of the contributing writers to the magazine with my column 'Inspired by'.

For the latest issue I'm teaching how to make artwork using old road maps!

One piece of artwork includes a travel inspired quote...

The other is a take on the popular 'fish scale' effect using circles cut from maps....

These pieces of 'free' art are now hung here at my little inn in two of my bathrooms! I freakin' love them!

This issue also includes an beautiful piece about my bed and breakfast and how it came to be.

If my answers yesterday left wanting more then you defiantly need to pick up a copy!

I mean it's 10 pages of pure beauty! And how honored am I that a picture of my pancakes takes up two pages in a magazine! Unreal.

If you would like a copy of this issue you can visit a local retailer that sells FOLK.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next issue, currently at the printer, is Issue IV: Country Comforts.

And you're in luck, there is still time to order a single copy of this issue or a subscription.

FOLK will be taking orders until Monday, February 20th at 11:59 PM.

If you are small business that wants to sell FOLK wholesale, click here.
If you are an individual that would like to purchase a subscription of single copy, click here.

As I mentioned previously, I will be sharing my recipe for Champange Ginger Peach Jam in this Issue!

So delicious!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Beginning with Issue V, FOLK is going national! The magazine has been picked up for national distribution. The official listing of stores where you can purchase the magazine is not yet available, but there is no doubt FOLK is certainly growing quickly!

For a national magazine, FOLK has amazing advertising rates and opportunities available for large and small businesses.

If you are interesting in advertising with FOLK you can check out all the details here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And last but not least, FOLK magazine is opening the door for submissions! They want to see what YOU are creating. In conjunction with Funky Junk Interiors, FOLK will be accepting submissions via FJI over the next month!

This is an amazing opportunity! Ah. Mazing.
Do you have a dream of being in a magazine like I did? This could be your chance!!

Plus, all submissions will also be entered to win a one year subscription to FOLK magazine.

All the details on how and what to enter are available here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

...For all things FOLK...

Buy FOLK

americanfolklife.blogspot.com/p/buying-folk-magazine.html

Website

magazinebyfolk.com

Blog

americanfolklife.blogspot.com

Facebook

facebook.com/WEAREFOLK

Twitter

twitter.com/FOLKmagazine

pinterest.com/FOLK/

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Have an amazing weekend everyone! Do you have anything special planned?

Do you want to be a part of 'Very PINteresting' on IBC this week?

Have an amazing porch or porch idea? Are you a fellow blogger that has posted about this fab idea?

Well, you are in luck! I'll be taking submissions now through Sunday at 9am.

Email the link of your pretty porch to ibcsubmission@yahoo.com

Click here For more Very Pinteresting ideas!

ask me. the answers. part two.

2012-02-16T13:52:00.015-08:00

As promised, I'm back with Part Two of the answers to your Ask Me questions. If you are just joining, you can find the original Ask Me post here and Part One of the answers here.

This week I'm answering your innkeeper and career related questions.

Honestly, I posted this Ask Me idea to answer your questions, but this has been such a great experience for me too. I've been able to collect my thoughts and was forced to think about a lot of things I haven't or avoided. So, thank you for that!

Now, onto the answers.

Questions One, Two & Three:

I'd love more deets about how you ended up where you are. Was it your dream for a while or did it just happen?

I'd like to know what made you decide to take on owning an Inn in the first place??

How did you know how to buy/run an inn at such a young age?  

Owning a Bed and Breakfast has been a dream of mine for quite some time. In fact, I can remember when I first posted on Facebook that I bought my little inn, a couple people from high school and college commented on how awesome it was that I actually achieved my dream. That was very surreal.

After college I worked in Philadelphia at the Four Seasons Hotel. I started off in the Swann Lounge as a Manager in Training and worked my way up fairly quickly. After that I became an Assistant Manager, then moved to the Fountain Restaurant as the same. Following that I was promoted to Senior Assistant Manager. Then I moved back to the Swann Lounge as Department Head. This final move was the beginning of the end.

I really didn’t like working in the lounge. It was a monster. I was slightly pushed to apply for the position of Department Head. I didn't listen to my gut and heart. Big mistake. I worked insane hours with little appreciation. The staff was wonderful, but comfortable. Change wasn’t easy. I did have a great team of managers and was so thankful for that. To be honest, I was just overwhelmed and felt like I never had the support I needed. I was being pushed too hard and probably wasn’t ready for the position. I was miserable. I woke up every day hoping I was sick so I didn’t have to go to work. Unfortunately, I rarely got sick so that wish never came true. I took all of this as a sign that it was time to go. I made the incredibly tough decision to quit. This was around Thanksgiving. I would finish out the year and that would be it.

I had no plan for my next step. I considered returning to school for Interior Design. I looked for other jobs in the Philadelphia area. I just didn’t know. While all of this was happening my mom told me that the Bed and Breakfast in my hometown, St. Marys, was for sale. I’m fairly certain that as soon as I heard those words come out of her mouth, my mind was made up. I didn’t know how it would happen, but I was bound and determined ... I would buy this bed and breakfast.

After I finished my time at the Four Seasons I came home to St. Marys for about three weeks. During this time I went and visited the Bed and Breakfast with a realtor. My mom and I walked through the back door with of this charming little inn and butterflies flapped in my stomach. I was filled with hope. This was one of those profound moments where I just knew that this is what I was supposed to do. No questions asked. I really didn’t say much as we walked around the house. My mind moved about a million miles per hour. I can change this. I can remove this wall. I can put a gift shop here. I can live here. This is IT!

I spent about four months developing a business plan. The previous Innkeeper really didn’t have her ducks in a row, so it took that long to get all the information I needed to complete my plan. During this time, I was back in Philadelphia and working at a flower shop (the florist who did the flowers for the Four Seasons) so I could pay bills and such.

I worked with several small business loan funds in the area to find money. I also worked closely with one of the banks in town. I had a very small amount of money that I received from my great uncle who passed away a couple years previous. That was it. Certainly not enough to allow a 20-something to buy a business. Finally, through some small miracle and lots of work, I figured out a way to make everything work. I submitted my business plan to the bank. It was accepted. After offers and counter offers, I officially bought a bed and breakfast.

Finding the funds and making all these pieces fit wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Even the day before I signed the papers there were issues with where the money was actually coming from. Thankfully St. Marys is a small town where people know and trust each other. Had I attempted this same processes in a bigger town or city where I was just a number, I’m 98% positive I would have received the big red ‘denied’ stamp.

I’m not sure how all of this sounds as you read this. I tend to sugar coat things quite a bit. I’m happy that I took this risk and made this huge career change, but it hasn’t always been roses and pancakes. Shortly after I bought my little inn, the country when into a recession and my town was hit pretty hard. There were nights I didn’t sleep worrying how I was going to pay bills. Even now, there are days I barely have two nickels to rub together. Stress and worry are my closest friends these days. Thankfully I’ve been able to pull through. Some days are harder than others, but there is still a light shining in the distance.

No job is perfect. At least I don’t think so. You just have to follow your heart, work hard, take risks and live a life that makes you happy. Easier said than done I suppose.

Question Four:

When you became an innkeeper, did you (do you) have a mentor? Someone with experience that could give you direction and happily watch you succeed? Would you be willing to be that person for someone just starting out?

No, not really. Through the process I gathered information wherever I could. Some of my loans forced me to work with local small business development centers. They were somewhat helpful, but eventually they told me I had no chance of buying this business and that I was crazy. Obviously they were wrong.

My family was very supportive and still are. I also made some connections on the internet through a couple bed and breakfast forums that provided some good and bad advice. Honestly, I really just dove in and learned through trail and error. That works for me.

Yes, I would be willing to offer advice for someone starting out. Though, I would prefer to do it over the phone or in person. Writing a detailed ‘how-to’ just isn’t going to happen.

Question Five:

Do you do all the cooking/cleaning in the Inn or so you have staff??

I've always wondered if you have a staff to help you with your inn or your gift shoppe, or do you do everything by yourself?

I did touch on this a little bit in my last set of answers, but yes, I do it all. No staff. My mom and/or dad will help on occasion (maybe once a month) but it’s typically not for daily operation type things.

Doing this on my own makes time management extremely important. I have certain hours I do breakfast, certain hours the gift shoppe is open, certain hours for check-in and check-out. I am flexible with these hours when I can be, but sometimes it creates a challenge.

For example when someone check-ins in after 10PM and another guest wants breakfast at 6AM. That cuts my sleep time down to about 5 hours. Another area of concern is when the all the rooms checkout and a whole new group of people checks in on the same day. These are my worst days. When this happens I may only have four hours to turn five rooms over and my gift shoppe is open for three of those hours! I have yet to not have a room ready on time, but I’m sweating bullets by the time it is done. And, in most cases, I have to close the gift shoppe. But it gets done.

My guests come first. I will make the sacrifices necessary to make their stay comfortable, easy and enjoyable.

Question Six:

As an innkeeper I'm sure you have to keep long (crazy?) hours. Do you ever get a day off?

I think about this question almost everyday. The short answer is yes. As an innkeeper with no staff, I keep long and crazy hours. My phone rings constantly. People call in the middle of the night looking for rooms or wanting to make a reservation. People show up at my house at all hours of the day. They especially like to show up at the most inconvenient of times. Some folks just don’t pay attention to times and show up late or early. It gets tough.

I will admit though that I do have flexibility when I need it. If I need a day off I just have to plan ahead and not take reservations for that day. And, since most of my family is in town, I can sneak away for an hour when I need to for a family dinner or to go swimming at my dads. Also, I never have to ‘go to work'. That’s awesome.

So yes, I work more now than I ever have in my life. And if I actually calculated it, I would probably be doing the job of two to three people. But in some weird way. it works. For now.

Question Seven:

What would you say is the best thing about your little town of St. Mary? What draws people there?

What's there to do in St. Mary's? I am outside of Philadelphia, and I confess, I had never before heard of your town before I started reading this charming blog.

For me, St. Marys is home. It will always have a special place in my heart. I think this is a feeling a lot of people have about this little town. The summers are always busy here with reunions, weddings and other family gathering.s St. Marys is friendly, relaxed, quite and cozy.

If you want to visit a place with fantastic shopping and gourmet meals, then St. Marys isn’t you ideal destination. This is one big thing I miss about living in Philadelphia. When visiting the area though, I’d recommending checking out the local wineries and antique shops. A visit to the neighboring town of Ridgway is also a common recommendation. They have a cute little downtown with a day spa, cute shoppes and good places to grab lunch. Fun stuff.

If you are an outdoors enthusiast you can visit the Alleghany National Forest or canoe down the Clarion River. Another draw to the area is the natural roaming elk heard. They were introduced to Pennsylvania back in the 1910’s. The elk are about 30 minutes south of St. Marys in a small town called Benezette. Last year the Elk Country Visitors Center was built in the hub of the public viewing area. There’s a little shop there, information about the elk and the area, and they show a 4-D movie.

St. Marys is definitely off the map, but it’s worth a visit and you’ll always have a place to stay. *wink wink*

Question Eight:

What's next? Do you plan on staying in St. Marys and being an innkeeper forever. I know you mentioned you have some other life goals.

When I first bought my little inn I roughly planned a 10 year commitment. This was sightly based on when I'd have some of my loans paid. The end of May this year is my four year anniversary. Do I still plan on staying here 10 years? No.

I really don't have a solid plan for what I want to do next. In 2013, I will be turing the big 3-0. At 30, I really want to have a solid action plan of what I want to do, where I want to go and how/when I'm going to get there. I have a feeling this year will help to shape those goals. Ultimately before I turn 31 I'd like to be somewhere else and doing something different. That's about as clear as I can be at this point, but I'm working on it.

And who knows, maybe opportunity will knock on my door tomorrow. Maybe Nate Berkus will call looking for an assistant to start tomorrow. You can bet I'll have my bags packed an in my car by supper. Nate, are you even reading this?

I am putting my sails up. Over the next couple years I will be adjusting them so that when the right gust of wind comes along, i'll be ready. And if that gust doesn't come, I have a damn good engine ready to take me where I want to go.

Question Nine:

I'd love for you to do a post about the day in the life of an innkeeper. I love reading those kinds of posts and innkeeper is such a unique job, that I know it would be really interesting!  

Yes, I will do this. Pinky swear. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while and your encouragement has given me the little push I needed.

And, that wraps up Part two! Are you feeling more enlightened?

I also answered some business related questions on my friend Shannons blog - Shannanigans. You can check out those answers here.

In other news, I wanted to point out a couple changes I made to my blog layout. You'll notice I'm now part of the BlogHer network. A HUGE thanks to them for allowing me to join their community. It's an honor.

I also added some navigation buttons under my header to make things easier to find. They may change slightly, but in general I hope it makes things more convenient.

And finally, I adjusted the way you leave comments. You will now stay in the same window when entering comments. This feature will allow me to reply to your comments in the actual post. Some of your user preferences are set so that a return email address is not provided for a reply. Therefore, I had no way to respond. Now, I can easily respond to you comments in the actual comment section.

Sound good?

Hope you're having a fab Thursday!

Don't forget the lovely folks at Ever Blooming Originals

are offering a 10% discount to the readers of Inspired by Charm.

very PINteresting {pasta, pasta, pasta}

2012-02-15T10:35:00.006-08:00

Since I was out of town on Sunday I didn't get a chance to post my weekly 'very PINteresting'. I'm finding that most everyone appreciates a group of similar recipes. Also, based on some wonderful emails, I'm reading that the creators of these recipes are also appreciating the visits from my Pinterest followers.

So, if you you have idea for next week's 'very PINteresting', please leave a comment below. It doesn't' have to be food related either. I'm hoping to mix it up with something you can't eat next week.

This week I rounded up sixteen delicious pasta recipes. Let me tell you, if I could eat pasta every day for the rest of my life I could I die a happy man. I just love the stuff! I'm a certified pasta junkie. If there is such a thing.

You'll also notice that several of these are from The Pioneer Woman. Ree makes THE best pastas! Her red pepper cream sauce is off the charts amazing. It's one of my favorites for sure.

Hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do!

Pasta Alla Vodka via The Pioneer Woman

Firebird Chicken Pasta via Tastebook

Spinach Lasagna Rolls via Skinny Taste

Mexican Stuffed Shells via The Way to His Heart

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce via The Pioneer Woman

Spaghetti with garlic, oil and chili pepper flakes via yumsugar

BLT Pasta via Let's Dish

Penne alla Cesare (Caesar Salad Pasta) via iVillage

Grilled Chicken Rigatoni Florentine via Patio Daddio BBQ

Sweet Potato Gnocchi via 33 Shades of Green

Tagliatelle All'amatriciana via iVillage

Steak, Asparagus and Chimichurri Pasta via Bitchin' Camero

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup via The Deen Brothers

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce via The Pioneer Woman

Shrimp and Penne Pasta a'la Betsy via The Pioneer Woman

Creamy Caprese Pasta via How Sweet It Is

Winter Pasta via 101 Cookbooks

So tell me, which one of these looks and sounds most delicious to you? Have you tried any of these recipes? Have a favorite pasta recipes on your blog? Leave the link in the comments, I'd love to check it out!

Certified Pasta Junkie,

Be sure to let me know in the comments below what

Very PINteresting round-up you'd like to see next week!

Don't forget the lovely folks at Ever Blooming Originals

are offering a 10% discount to the readers of Inspired by Charm

on the verge of another room redo

2012-02-14T13:01:00.005-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Being single, I'm not a huge fan of this holiday, so don't expect this post to be full of pretty pink hearts and roses. Though, I do wish you and yours a day full of love.

It just about time for another room redesign here at my little inn, the Master Bedroom. I haven't fully decided on the exact plan or color scheme for the room, but I do have a couple ideas rolling around in my head.

White walls? Light blue ceiling? Picture molding? A band of color somewhere? Loosely inspired by this color scheme...

via photo card boutique

You may have noticed that I haven't posted pictures of all my guest rooms here. There is a reason for that. I bought my little inn about four years ago; the end of May will be four years to be exact. Over the course of that time I've managed to redo about two rooms/spaces a year. Although I was hoping this process would happen a little faster, I'm pretty happy with my progress. The lack of pictures of all my rooms is because I just don't feel like they are 'my spaces' until I'm able to fully get my hands on them. Make sense?

I have made some minor changes to these space. I have removed cat knick knacks (yes, there were several fake cats lying around). I've changing out artwork, adding lamps and rearranging furniture. I'm hoping over the course of the next year I'll have more rooms to share with you.

The next room, currently named The Master Bedroom, will be my next project. I'm hoping to tackle this project in March. And while I'm not 100% ready to share the complete plan (because I really don't have one), I thought I'd show you a couple things I found this weekend on the trip to my brother's house.

The first thing I picked up were these lamps. I'm a huge sucker for unique lamps. Especially since I really dislike overhead lighting.

I found them at Home Goods for only $25 a piece. A steal in my book for really unique looking lamps.

I love the tall/skinny shades and the unique almost vintage looking bases. The colors, or lack thereof, are perfect.

I've also been on the hunt for a duvet cover. I searched and searched the internet and nothing was quite right. I was thrilled to find this one (and two shams) at TJ Maxx.

Mostly khaki and white, the overall look is very soft and calming.

The pop of chartreuse gives it a little interest and spunk! This set was $50. Again, great price for a king duvet with two shams.

I also found this fabric via fabric.com as a possibliity for curtains or pillows. I'm also hoping to use this to pull wall colors.

Covington Savannah Pasiley Surf via fabric.com

I ordered a sample, so I'll make those decisions once it arrives.

What do you think of the plan so far? Are you loving my lamps and duvet cover as much as I am?

forever inspired,

Don't forget the lovely folks at Ever Blooming Originals

are offering a 10% discount to the readers of Inspired by Charm

Ever Blooming Originals Winner

2012-02-13T17:12:00.000-08:00

I am going to keep this post short and sweet tonight.

I literally just walked into my house from a wonderful three day weekend with my brother, sister-in-law and their three amazing children. I was invited by my nephew to be his 'special person' at school today. We sang songs, played bingo and decorated cookies. The best! It was a wonderful weekend!

Thank you all for the amazing response to this giveaway. Over 800 entries! That's amazing! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! And a HUGE thanks to Ever Blooming Originals for allowing me to host this giveaway. It was an honor. Looks like we may need to do one of these every season!

May I get a drumroll please? ....
The winner is....

Anne - I will be in touch via email. I will also pass your email information to Ever Blooming Originals to coordinate the details of your winnings!

Thanks again to all that entered! Have a great Monday and a fabulous week!

inspired by charm on the lettered cottage

2012-02-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Oh my. Yeah, you read that post title right.

THE Lettered Cottage is doing a feature on Inspired by Charm today on their blog.

I. Could. Die.

For years I have adored The Lettered Cottage, and obviously still do. They are part of the reason I blog. I have been inspired countless times by them. I am in love with their house and all their projects.

It seems that everything they touch turns into gold.

Their spaces feel like home. Their style has 'the lettered cottage' written all over it. It's light and airy, yet warm and cozy. I know, I know, I probably don't need to tell you this ... I'm just gushing here.

To have my little blog be featured on their ginormous blog feels like i just won the a gold medal in the olympics. Seriously. That's honestly what I'd compare it too. It is such an amazing honor. I literally don't have the words to explain how exciting this is for me. If you need me I'll be dancing in my kitchen the rest of the day.

With this I want to offer a big 'inspired by charm' welcome to all the wonderful people visiting from The Lettered Cottage.

Welcome and make yourself at home. There are lovely links all around, so feel free to click away. You can check out some of the things i create .... and what i'm working on in my house/inn ... you can read more about me here ... and here ... if you love cooking and baking you can check out some of my yummy creations here ... and if you like quilting i'm giving that a shot, you can see how i'm progressing here. Told you... lots of great stuff.

And a giant bear hug to all my followers, new and old! You guys and gals are the best! I'm so grateful for four amazing support, constant encouragement and praise. You rock! I love you all so much! Please head over to my little feature and leave some comments. Maybe they'll have me back sometime! Thank you!!

And mostly importantly an incredibly huge thank you to Layla and Kevin of The Lettered Cottage.

I am truly honored and humbled to be a part of your beautiful blog. You inspire me to take risks and to think outside the box. You've shown me that white walls are beautiful and that good design doesn't have to cost millions.

But, most importantly, you've reminded that everything must be done from the heart, because that's what makes a house a home.

***updated***

I also just found out I'm being feature on Bungalow's Friday Feature!! Two features in one day!? This is unreal. Thank you! Thank you!!! Click here to check out all the wonderfulness!!

forever grateful and completely humbled,

don't forget to enter the IBC Door Decor Giveaway!

You have until Monday 2/13 to enter!

and I'm sharing my top secret recipe for champagne ginger peach jam

in the next issue of FOLK magazine!

here's the link to place your order. you don't want to miss it!

door decor giveaway from ever blooming originals {ended}

2012-02-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

I literally couldn't wait to post this giveaway! You have no idea.

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About a week ago my new friend Colette of Ever Blooming Originals asked if I would be interested in hosting a little giveaway here at inspired by charm. After checking out her amazing etsy shop, it didn't take me a second to respond with a 'YES!'

as you can see from the pictures, Colette creates beautiful wreaths and amazing door decor. i seriously want one of each!! aren't they beautiful!?

before we get into the details of the giveaway, i asked Colette to say a share a few words about her shop Ever Blooming Originals....

Like many people out there, I have always dreamed of having my own retail shop. I have been in the retail industry my whole life. For many years I worked as a Buyer for a major national catalog in the home and garden departments. When my family recently relocated to Maryland, my husband encouraged me to take my retail expertise and open up my own shop! In March of 2011, Ever Blooming Originals opened its doors on Etsy.

I specialize in wreaths and door décor for all seasons. I design and assemble each piece myself from start to finish in my home studio. As I continue to evolve my business, I am on the lookout for new, unexpected, fresh and creative ideas which can spark chatter in the neighborhood. I just love it when my customers say they have neighbors knocking on their door wanting to know where they purchased their wreath. To me, this is the biggest compliment I can receive about my wreaths!

Beautiful stuff! There is nothing that makes me happier than seeing people reach for AND achieve their dreams! I so happy she's doing what she loves.

Colette has generously offered me the opportunity to giveaway one of her creations to a lucky reader of inspired by charm!

Yep, you read that right. Today's giveaway is for YOUR choice of any one item from her shop including shipping!

here are the details:

The Prize:

The item of your choice, shipped free to your door, from the Ever Blooming Originals shop.

~~*Enter to Win*~~
~~TWO chances to win:~~

~~1. Visit Ever Blooming Originals, then come back here and leave a comment with the name of item you'd most like to hang on your door.~~

~~2. Share this giveaway with a tweet a blog post or spread the word on facebook. Then, come back here and leave an additional comment saying you did.~~

*Giveaway has ended*

This giveaway is open to everyone! Should you be a 'no reply' or 'anonymous' commenter, remember to include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you, should you win!

Enter now through 5 pm (EST) on Monday, February 13th. I will announce the winner that evening in a new blog post.

What happens if you don't win?

Well you're in luck because today - everyone is a winner!

Ever Blooming Originals has offered a special discount for all the readers of Inspired by Charm!

Enter the coupon code: CHARM now through then end of February and save 10% off you order!

A huge 'inspired by charm' thanks to Colette and Ever Blooming Originals for their amazing generosity!

For more information about Ever Blooming Originals...

you can visit their website

or give them some love on facebook.

Good luck everyone!

the excitement continues tomorrow with some uber awesomeness. stay tuned!!

and i'm sharing my top secret recipe for champagne ginger peach jam

in the next issue of FOLK magazine!

here's the link to place your order. you don't want to miss it!

cats and quilts

2012-02-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

if you don't care for cats or quilts then this post is probably not for you.

a couple weeks ago i showed you some material i cut for quilt #3. well, i rustled up some spare time this weekend and started sewing those blocks into rows.

i'm using this plus quilt tutorial from the quilting queen - jeni of in color order. her instructions and helpful tips have been amazing. love her tutorials.

so when i quilt, there is lovely material and loose thread scattered everywhere. and when this happen, my cats come running. it's like a sixth sense or something. fellow cat owners and quilters, does this happy to you too?

i don't have a dedicated sewing room here so my dining room and gift shoppe floor become make shift crafting and quilting space when no guests are here.

once i got all my rows sewed up i laid everything out on my floor to make sure i didn't make any mistakes or get blocks out of order. to my surprise, i didn't. yay!

i then i walked away (big mistake) for two minutes (as i'm usually trying to do a million things at once). and this happened..

thankfully, i had all my rows numbered so it wasn't a terrible disaster. and i'm a huge sucker for cute and sleepy cats, so i really didn't mind. as you can see i obviously ran and got my camera before shooing him away.

and he's not the only one to blame. (he's just not camera shy)

i'm fairly certain they were both involved in the disorganization of my laid out rows of fabric. in fact, you can see this guy hiding under the desk in one of the photos above.

but honestly, staying made at this face is near impossible. right?

either way, i was just happy to get all my rows complete. now, it's time to stitch them together and then i can get to quilting.

and no, i still haven't found a backing for quilt #1. thanks to all of those that offered suggestions! i'm thinking the best thing to do is take the quilt top to a fabric shop and choose the backing there. now i just need to find time to get to the fabric store! maybe this weekend?

what are you guys up to today? any fun projects? i'd love to hear about them!

and be sure to stop back tomorrow, i'm hosting a pretty spectacular giveaway! i'm sooo excited.

and then on friday i have some pretty awesome, knock-your-socks off news. stay tuned!!

and i'm sharing my top secret recipe for champagne ginger peach jam
in the next issue of FOLK magazine!

here's the link to place your order. you don't want to miss it!

ask me. the answers. part one.

2012-02-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

I finally had a chance to sit down and sort through your 'ask me' questions. i divided them up into three groups: personal, bed & breakfast/business and blogging.

today I'm answering the personal questions. next week i will answer the b&b/business and the following week i'll answer blogging. sound good?

i started filling out the answers to these personal questions last night and i've honestly had an upset stomach since. you guys really got me thinking. which is good. so, thank you.

i'm going to answer all of your questions with 100% honesty. i may be a little vague on certain areas. if this blog wasn't connected to my business i'd provide more details.

with that being said, if there is something else you need/want to know or if you feel i didn't answer your question fully, just email me and i will answer you there.

alright, here we go.

Question One:

How old are you?? 

I’m 28. I’ll be 29 in August.

Honestly, I can’t wait to be 30. I think my 30’s will be the best years of my life. *fingers crossed*

Question Two:

My question is this: What drives you?

I would love to know what inspires you.

Drive...

For as long as I can remember I’ve always had bigger than life dreams. That's probably what drives me the most. I’m always working towards something. I want to be better than I was yesterday. I’m not sure where this comes from exactly, it’s just there. For the most part, I love this amount myself. But, because of this, I tend to put a lot of pressure and stress on myself. Too much at times. I’m often wish that I was complacent with where i was in life and wasn't always striving for more. Sometimes it would be nice to just ... be. You know what I mean? To just be happy with what I have and where I am. I’m not saying I’m not happy. I guess I just don’t think I’ve reached my full potential yet. I think that my full and true happiness is still out there just wanting to be found.

Inspires...

I’m not sure if this is the correct answer for this, but I’m most inspired visually. I love magazines. I love blog posts. I will admit that 80% of the time, if i'm looking at a blog or magazine, I glaze over all the text and just look at the pictures. If a picture catches my eye then I’ll read about it. Admittedly, there are some blogs that I always read, but for the most part I just look at the pictures. I’m not a big fan of reading books. I’d rather watch the movie. I am trying to read more in hopes that it will help improve my writing skills, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful.

Ultimately I’m really inspired by what others are doing and creating. I like interacting with people on a creative level. It gets my juices following and pushes me to be better and stronger.

Question Three:

When are you going to get a lady friend kitty for Jax and Sebastian??

I’m not. For those of you who don’t know, Jax and Sebastian are my cats. I’d love another pet (a dog, or chickens, or goats) but these guys are best buds and I would hate to screw that up. And I don't really have space for another animal.

Question Four:

Can you tell me what your most favorite item is in your home?

Honestly, there is nothing in my house, other than my cats, that I would be devastated if I lost. Though, if my house was on fire and I had to grab something, I’d probably grab my cats, my laptop (for pictures/business reasons) and my parent’s cuckoo clock.

Question Five:

Can we be IRL BFF's too?

Yes. I just assumed we already were.

Question Six:

I would love to know where you got your eye for decorating. How did you learn what looks great where? Or have you always had the knack?  

No idea. It’s something I’ve always loved. When I was younger I drew pictures of what my house would look like when I grew up. As a tween/teen I painted my bedroom several times and was constantly rearranging furniture. I made currant rods from old banisters and wall art from old windows. I worked at a little gift shoppe and loved setting up the displays.

As I mentioned above, I’m a very, very visual person. I think design, and decorating, and artsy-fartsy things just blend really well with someone that’s visual. I’ve always loved the arts, drawing and painting. I think there are parts of design/art you can teach. But I also think some people just have ‘it’ in them. Thankfully I’m one of those people. Or at least I think I am. I don’t think I really know how to use ‘it’ as well as I could, but I constantly working on sharping my skills.

I often wish I would have went to school for art or design. Certain reasons (or what i thought were reasons) prevented me from going that direction. it's probably the biggest 'what if..' that I often ask myself. I guess it's never to late, right?

Question Seven:

I've always been wondering - do you live in an apartment that is attached to the inn? A separate innkeeper's cottage? Have you ever posted a tour/photos of your actual living quarters?  

Is your bedroom "in" the Inn near the other bedrooms?? 

Yes, this is a little confusing, and I don’t think I ever fully discussed it. My bed and breakfast and my house are the same thing. It’s basically one big house that was converted into a bed and breakfast.

Unfortunately I don’t have a fancy innkeeper’s quarter.

Are you ready for the truth?

I live in the basement.

Is it finished? Not really.

Does it suck? Most of the time.

Will you post pictures? Probably not.

Is this just one of the sacrifices you are willing to take to ‘live your dream’? Yes.

When I first moved back home, from Philadelphia, to buy my little inn I moved in with my mom and her husband. This plan was temporary as there is a big third floor/attic in my house/inn which I had grand dreams of finishing as soon as possible. (you know ... like they do on tv... a beautiful space finished in a long weekend.) Once finished, I would live there. Well, as these things tend to go, the attic is still a work in progress.

After a year of living with my mom, and not much momentum on my future space in the attic, I decided to move into the basement. It’s nothing fancy and not completely finished. It’s not my proudest accomplishment, but for now, it works.

Questions Eight:

how's your attic coming along? I can't wait to see the end result.  

Ah, my attic. You must have been following for a while. There is a post here and here about my attic.

Basically, there is a third floor to my house which was/is supposed to my living quarters as I mentioned above. As it stands, plumbing has been run. New windows have been installed. and 90% of the framing has been completed.

What’s taking so long?

Well... first, I have a million other things going on (as you’ll read below) so finding the time to finish the space isn’t easy. Also, doing construction work above your guest rooms isn’t always easy as banging noises need to be kept to a minimum. And, these things cost money. I have a dream of how I want the space to look and I don’t want to sacrifice certain things because of cost. Not that I’m planning anything extravagate but I want it to have some sense of style/design. Even the basic things like drywall and insulation are expensive and they're not even fancy! Plus there are a million other hidden costs of owning an older home and business that tend to sneak up on you when you are least prepared.

Also, I really know nothing about construction. My dad has been the one that has done most of the work. I just make a really handy sidekick. This always makes me feel bad. It costs him a lot of time and money to help me. Which I appreciate immensely, and I know part of him enjoys it too, but I just feel bad. Does this make sense?

Anyway, one of these days work will resume on the attic. I have no idea when, but soon, I hope. I'll keep you posted.

Question Nine:

Do you remember Modern Dairy or the Big Cow? 

Yes and yes. The Modern Dairy used to be a local dairy that produced milk in the town next to St. Marys. When I was little, the Modern Dairy milk man would deliver milk and put it in those little metal boxes we now use as decoration. (wow... times have changed) The dairy had a huge metal/plastic cow that sat in front of the building that stood about 20 – 30 feet high. The dairy and the cow are no longer there. Where a ginormous cow goes? I have no idea.

Question Ten:

How do you deal with the challenges and responsibilities of running an inn and living in a small town? How do you meet people? Have a social life? Take vacation?

If I had to choose one reason that I don’t want to be an innkeeper forever, this would be it.

To be honest, I don’t really have a social life. When I’m not working, I spend most of my time by myself or with my family. I don’t really have a good group of friends that live in town or that I see on a regular basis. As much as I love and adore my family, this kind of sucks. Everyone needs friends nearby.

I would eventually like to be in a relationship and/or have a family someday, but because of my current ‘living situation’ and my job, it’s (in my opinion) not possible. I know that people will argue with me on this, but until you’ve walked in my shoes, it’s hard to understand/explain.

I’ll talk about this more in my next set of ‘ask me’ answers, but it’s just me here. I take care of this business completely on my own. I do all the bed and breakfast related things (cooking, cleaning laundry, check-in/check-out, etc), the gift shoppe, the baskets, the paperwork and booking keeping, etc. As you might expect, this honestly doesn’t leave time for much of anything else. (Though, people still ask me 'what i do for a 'living'. Seriously?!) Hanging out with friends or attempting to start a relationship just isn’t going to happen.

I haven’t been on a real vacation in four or five years. Which honestly, really doesn’t bother me. I do take long weekends here and there. When I do this I just close down the place for the weekend. I've learned the hard way that if I don’t take time for myself I don’t get it. I’m pretty sure there was a stretch last year that I literally didn’t have a day off for three or four months. And this span often included 12 – 15 hour days. Not fun.

I do really enjoy doing what I’m doing. And ultimately no job is perfect. I often ask myself "is this really how I want to spend the rest of my days?" The answer is usually, "No". And it wasn’t until recently that I realized how the lack of certain things has affected my life and mood.

So thats is why I've been really looking at my days and the future with mixed emotions. But for now, this works. It’s just not forever.

Question Eleven:

Where on earth do you find the time to blog?

How do you have time to accomplish all that you do -- innkeeper, blogger, Pinterest aficionado, quilter?

Where do you find the time for any crafting or quilting, etc?

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are times when I disappear from blogging for a week or a month. This happens because I honestly just don’t have the time or energy for it. Something has to give. I really enjoy blogging and creating and sharing and if I could do it as a full time job I would in a heartbeat. Maybe someday? So for the reasons explained in the previous question this is why I disappear at times. I am truly sorry about this.

So far this year, January and Februrary have been slower than usual, so that’s why I’ve been a bit of a social media and crafting junky. Literally its all I want to do because in a month or so I’m not going to have the time to do it as much.

I try an take advantage of this ‘down’ time, even though, I should be working on my taxes, or organizing paperwork or some other work related project. Instead, as you know, I’ve been quilting and painting signs.

Also, the iphone has also taken my multitasking skills to a new level and has been a lifesaver. Its so nice to have the ability to stay more connected and it makes things a whole lot easier. I’m able to use up some time that’s normally wasted.

Question Twelve:

Can you answer some of the questions you get via video?

I would love to do a vlog someday. I actually tried putting something together when I was working on my chevron wall but it didn’t work out as I planned.

I also have a few insecurities about certain personal things and that is ultimatly holding me back. I’ve never been 'behind a camera' before. It’s new to me. But I’m working on it. Baby steps.

I’m also slightly concerned that it’s going to take time to edit the videos and I don't have a surplus of time. But, I promise you I will try.

Question Thirteen:

Do you ever get to sleep in?   Are you a morning person?

When I don’t have guests I do have the option to sleep in. When people are staying here, I get up anywhere from 4:30 – 6AM. If people aren’t here I’m usually up by 8AM, 9 at the latest.

I love the idea of sleeping in, but I don’t actually like sleeping in. I’d rather get up and get my day going. I also don’t sleep well. I’m usually pretty restless and have bad/stressful dreams. So I honestly don’t really enjoy sleeping. I know probably sounds really weird. Is anyone else this way?

And yes, I do consider myself a morning person once I actually get out of my bed. Since I usually don’t sleep well I’m just a bear when it comes to getting out of bed.

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So, that's it for Part one! Hopefully I was able to answer some of your questions.

Have a great day everyone, thanks for 'listening'.

strawberry jello pretzel salad

2012-02-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

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for me the super bowl is all about the food. honestly, i didn't even know who was playing until the game started. i went over to my brother house to watch the ~~game~~ commercials (which were disappointing) and the halftime show (which was amazing). my brother asked me to make my strawberry jello pretzel salad.

i had some extra time, so i figured i'd take some pretty photos while i put everything together to share with all of you. if you haven't made this dessert yet, it's super simple to put together and a crowd pleaser!

if you have made this dessert and it turned out to be runny, mushy mess? well, you've come to the right place, i have some great tips to prevent this.

are you ready? let's go!

here's what you'll need:

2 1/2 cup pretzels (crushed fine)

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 pkg (6oz - this is the larger one) instant strawberry jello

1 16 oz container fresh strawberries, sliced

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese

1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cool whip (8 oz container)

*please note: for best results you must chill between steps. this is an easy dessert to make but it does take time due to chilling. Allow 6-8 hours to complete the entire recipe.

first step, crushed pretzels!

you can use any kind of pretzels, but make sure they have some salt on them. the salty sweet combination is part of what makes this dessert so amazing. begin by preheating your oven to 350. then crush your pretzels. i used a ziploc bag and rolling pin.

combine pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter and press into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.

bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Once it is slightly cool i throw my crust in the refrigerator to allow it to get really cold. (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour)

in the meantime, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. use a hand mixer for this. you don't want lumps of cream cheese.

blend in cool whip with a spatula.

spread over cooled crust.

make sure you spread this layer completely to the edges. you want to create a seal so your jello doesn't leak through. again, this is key to keeping your layers seperate. once this is done, put your pan back in the fridge to chill.

next, make your jello according to the package directions minus 1 cup of water. this is a personal preference, but i find using a little less water allows the jello to firm up better.

put your bowl of jello in the fridge to allow it to partially cool before putting it on top of your cream cheese layer.

while the jello partially cools, sliced your strawberries. then, place them on top of your chilled layer of cream cheese and cool whip.

you can be as fancy as you wanted with this step.

i like to place my strawberries in alternating rows across the top. feel free to scatter them randomly or any other fun pattern you decide.

once your jello chilled to about the constancy of of jam or pudding (about an hour or two in the fridge) you're ready!

spoon and/or pour your jello over cream cheese layer.

return the pan back to the fridge. cool until your jello is completely set (about an hour).

and that's it! you're done! as you can see, other than the cooling time, this dessert is really effortless to put together. you could even try it with different berries or fruits!

and now it's time for the best part ... eating!

this dessert really combines the best of everything. you've got the salty and sweet thing going on with the crust and jello. then you have the rich and creamy layer. and there's even fresh fruit so you can feel a little better about eating dessert. this totally counts as one serving of fruit and vegetables, right?

needless to say, i left my brother's party with an empty pan. delish!

i hope the pictures and tips for creating this dessert were helpful!

oh, and don't forget, if you try this recipe (or any recipe from IBC), i want to see it! you can post your pictures in the IBC flickr group.

have a great week everyone!

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very PINteresting {muffins}

2012-02-05T09:31:00.001-08:00

being an innkeeper i'm always on the look out for yummy and unique muffin recipes. personally, i love sweets for breakfast, so having something freshly baked on my breakfast table is a must!

after scouring the internet and pinterest i found the following collection of mouth watering muffins. i will absolutely be trying each of these and will report back with my favorites.

monkey muffins via the pioneer woman <-- click link for recipe

french breakfast muffins via velvet lava cafe <-- click link for recipe

kugelhopf breakfast rolls via theKitchn <-- click link for recipe

chocolate sour cream muffins via the curvy carrot <-- click link for recipe

cinnamon bubble buns via sprinkled with flour <-- click link for recipe

glazed doughnut muffins via my baking addiction <-- click link for recipe

chocolate peanut butter swirl muffins via eat drink pretty <-- click link for recipe

pumpkin doughnut muffins via ezra pound cake <-- click link for recipe

inside out carrot cake muffins via king arthur flour <-- click link for recipe

chocolate chip banana muffins via skinny taste <-- click link for recipe

apple cinnamon roll muffins via homemade by holman <-- click link for recipe

blueberry muffin top cookies via iowa girl eats <-- click link for recipe

pumpkin cheesecake muffins via sugar cooking <-- click link for recipe

cinnamon roll muffins via a dash of sass <-- click link for recipe

a huge thanks to all the amazing bloggers that created such beautiful and delicious confections! be sure to visit the rest of their sites for more cooking inspiration!

so, which one of these muffins do you think looks the most delicious?

'inspired by charm' flickr group

2012-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

hey everyone!

you may have noticed i am a new flickr user. so far, i'm loving it! it's been a great way to add pictures to my blog posts and it's another way to connect with people. and what's better than connecting through beautiful pictures!? love that!

i noticed a couple other bloggers had groups setup where readers/followers could post pictures of things they created that were inspired by something they saw on their blog.

with that thought i mind i decided to make an 'inspired by charm flickr group'.

you can join the group and upload pictures of things you made or things you are working on that were inspired by something you saw here at inspired by charm. maybe you're making a sign or baking a breakfast treat or painting a chevron wall. i really would love to see what your making!

depending on how many photos are added i will do a bi-weekly or monthly post showcasing some of my favorites. i will also tweet, pin and Facebook your pictures too.

sound like a plan?

you do need a flickr account to post pictures to the group. though, it is fairly easy to setup an account and there is no cost.

you're welcome to check out my flickr pictures and start posting in the group whenever you'd like. i can't wait to see how this unfolds. and thanks so much for sharing your pictures with me!

have a fantastic weekend!

and thanks for indulging in more of my gift shoppe photos. can you tell i'm ready for spring!?

the making of a chevron wall

2012-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

i have a wall as you first enter my house/gift shoppe. when my house was first built in 1917, this wall was originally the back of a closet. i assume when the first owners of my little inn bought the house they removed the doors and turned the space into a little nook/office (yeah, people were turning closets into nooks in the 90's too).

this space has now become my 'window display'. being in a traditional house, i don't have a huge window space to decorate seasonal as most cute little shoppes. i believe i mentioned some of this before and have shown you how this wall has changed in the past.

if you followed along with #makingofachristmasshoppe you'll know this wall used to be ~~purple~~ grape harvest. well, grape harvest doesn't lend itself well to spring and summer so i figured the wall needed a little facelift. i wanted something bright, warm and fun.

lately, i've been a little obsessed with the whole chevron pattern craze. so, chevron is what i decided on. honestly, no other idea really stood a chance.

in my usual style i wanted to mix in a little rustic, lived-in flare to the modern, clean lines of the chevron. i decided white would be my background color and the actual chevron would resemble a linen or burlap. i know, this sounds crazy. but i was going for it!

the good thing about this wall is that it's fairly small and i paint it often, so if this all went really bad it wasn't a huge commitment. i also wanted to use paint i had on hand. other than i roll of tape ($7) this project had no additional costs.

now, before we get into the nitty gritty of how i did this, lets take a look at an after picture.

lovely, right?

through some odd miracle, i achieved exactly the look i wanted! i love it when that happens.

ok, now it's time for a little tutorial.

as i mentioned i started with a grape harvest wall. (oh and i apologize in advance if some of my pictures are not the best. some were taken at 1am.)

white was my base. i used kilz white satin paint right out of the can. it took three coats to cover (the picture below is after one coat...i think).

next, i needed to tape off my chevron pattern. this requires a little math, but once you've figure it out the process is pretty simple.

first, i determined the length of my wall was 75".

second, i decided i wanted six total chevron points. one of which would be split in half on either end.

i divided 75" by 6" to get 12.5". this would be the total width of one point/upside down triangle.

then, i divided 12.5" in half to get 6.25". this is half the width and the location where the point from the next row of chevron would meet.

got it so far?

i didn't worry to much over the height of the chevron or how many rows i would need as the top portion of my wall is covered. to make things simple, i just choose 12" for the height.

as you can see from the image above you are just going to draw dots (i used a pencil and made a teeny tiny little dots) across your wall. it's important to use a level for this. my level has the measurements printed on it. you want your lines to be as straight as possible. i started on the bottom of my wall and worked up. i choose to start about two inches from the bottom of my wall so that the first chevron wouldn't be touching the baseboard.

to place your tape, tear off the length you'll need to reach from one point to the next, plus a little extra on each side (you'll see why in the next step). then place your tape on the wall connecting the dots as illustrated in the picture above.

for the most part i worked in rows. i'd put in a row of dots, then tape, other row of dots, then tape.

once you get going it all starts to make sense and move pretty quickly.

tada! you can see you'll have some tape that over hangs were you will need to paint. so you'll need to trim every other row. i used an exacto knife.

as you can see below, a diamond pattern is created where your tape intersects on the wall (this is why your tape needs to be a little longer). this diamond acts as a great guide of where to trim.

and here is the whole wall trimmed. i used the pieces of tape that i trimmed of to mark the areas i didn't want to paint.

i noted a couple points on the picture below where i cut and where i didn't.

please note that with this method the white chevrons will be thicker than the painted ones. the tape adds an extra inch on either side. if you want your stripes to be even, you'll have to adjust your math.

it's finally time to paint! as i mentioned i used paint i had on hand. one was a light cream/tanish color. the other was a darker grayish brown.

i bought really cheap brushes at walmart. the goal here was to create a linen/burlap look, so i wanted my brush strokes to be very obvious and a cheap brush would give me that look. W

hen painting, i used this cardboard box as my paint palette. i added a little of each color to the box and then painted from there. i mixed both colors as i painted and kept my brush a little on the dry side.

this was the look after the first coat. you can see the variation in color and a little texture starting to happen. at this point you really couldn't see any more white where i had painted. even though i kept things light i still had full coverage. this is important to keep the crisp lines important to a good chevron.

once everything was dry i went back in with the lighter color.

this time i used a very dry brush with just a little paint to give very defined brush strokes.

i did this once going vertically.

i then waited for that to dry and did the same thing horizontally.

this gave me a weaved/cross hatch look. i found leaving the paint dry in-between coats is essential or the paint would just smear together and you couldn't see your brush strokes as well.

after that i peeled off my tape (my favorite part).

i then when back through with my white paint and touched up a couple of the areas where pencil dots were exposed or where i accidentally got the colored paint.

finished!

after that, i got my display on!

this is an area in my gift shoppe, so it's obviously decorated a little bit different than i'd decorate my home. this set up is obviously not very functional.

but what it lacks in function it makes up for in pure eye candy!

here's a close up of the chevron texture. love it!

changing out display and merchandise in the shoppe is always a fun process for me. but it takes a lot of time and brain power. a lot. i need to make a mess and move everything around until things start to click.

this was probably one of the harder season changes. as i mentioned, i plan to making some changes in the merchandise i carry, so i really had no new items to set-up my mid-winter/spring displays. i was a bit nervous.

when i'm in a situation with little or no new merchandise, i usually look to color to help create my display. for this particular display i used gold, white, cream, rusty metal and a pop of green.

things tend to take on a whole new life when they are paired up differently or used in a different way.

would i change things if i had an unlimited budget to buy what i wanted? yes.

but, from nothing to something, i think it looks pretty darn good.

so, that's it folks, my chevron wall, a tutorial, and a couple little tidbits on how i decorate my shoppe.

what do you think?

ps. two other quick things before i go.

just a reminder you can follow me and my crafty adventures on facebook and twitter. you'll often get a sneak peak or inside look on what i'm doing before it ends up here on the blog. you can click the button below to get connected.

and a huge thanks to everyone that sent emails and posted comments in response to going american made in my shoppe. unfortunately i have yet to go through all of those comments and emails. i'm hoping to find some time this weekend. i'll be in touch soon!

winners and a finished quilt top

2012-02-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

first, and briefly, before i announce the winners of the FOLK magazine giveaway, i wanted to show you what i finished this weekend.

yep, i finished the top of a quilt {inspired by charm}!! isn't it fantastic?! i'm in love. oh goodness. there is hope i will finish this thing. now that it's together i need to pick a backing. any suggestions? please help me! the binding, as i mentioned is going to be a black and white stripe. but backing aside, it it not beautiful. who would have thought.

okay, one more delay before i announce the winners. to enter, i asked you what place you'd like to visit most in america. i though it would be fun to put together a little map of all you answers.

pretty cool, right? it was so interesting to read all of you answers. thank you. it seems like california and the new england /n ew york city area were the most popular. and to be honest, i was most surprised that more people wanted to visit alaska verses hawaii. not me! i want the sun and sand!

ok, now on to the winners...

from the blog:

subscription and single copy winner is: Carrie Rosalind

two single copy winners are: Jerusalem and Decor and the Dog

from facebook:

subscription and single copy winner is: Carri Elledge-Wright

two single copy winners are: Mary Eichman and Jennifer Watkins Jones

(facebook winners - if you have a blog or website, let me know and i'll link it up)

ladies, congratulations! all six single issue copies will be shipped by me from my little inn. i expect them to go out on friday. Carrie and Carri (so crazy that two Carri(e)'s are the big winners) you subscription will start with issue IV and ship from FOLK. i'll ship issue III and i'll pass your addresses to them directly. essentially you'll be receiving a total of seven issues.

i will attempt to contact you all via email as i will need your mailing addresses. should you read this before i contact you, please just email me your mailing address to: inspiredbycharm@yahoo.com

thanks to everyone that entered! i honestly wish i could send you all a copy. have a great evening everyone!

it doesn't hurt to ask

2012-01-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

for as long as i can remember, whenever i needed help, guidance or assistance from someone, and struggled with asking that person, my mom always told me, "it doesn't hurt to ask".

this advice has has helped me in countless situations. i can't even begin to tell you...

...during my first year of college i was at a satellite campus. normally, the university requires two years before you can move to the main campus. i had the courage to ask and i was transferred after one year.

...when i went to buy a bed and breakfast with very little change in my pocket, i took a chance and asked the bank and other small-business-loan-fund-organizations to take a risk on a guy with a big dream and a big heart. they did. maybe regrettably, as my payments aren't always prompt, but they did.

...when i asked the editor of a magazine if he needed a 'resident innkeeper' to write for his magazine. he did, and now i'm published, in a real magazine.

if i wouldn't have asked these questions for fear that i would have heard 'no', i honestly don't know where i'd be. but because i asked, i have a college degree from an amazing school, i own my own dream business and i'm published.

i don't know why i'm thinking about this today, but i am, and i hope you don't mind me sharing. today i find my head and brain are very confused. they are somewhere lost in the clouds. i can't seem to concentrate. my heart is heavy, but full and delighted at the same time. and i'm not sure if i'm going to throw up or if i have butterflies in my stomach. do you know this feeling?

if you've been following along on facebook and/or twitter you know that i've finally emptied my shoppe of christmas and i'm planning for new things and the spring (hence, all the gift shoppe pictures).

i think this is why my head and heart are a bit bewildered.

even the weather has me perplexed. it's the end of january and it's 51 degrees and sunny outside. it's wonderful and amazing and i'm not complaining, but it gives me pause.

on top of all of this, over the past couple of days i've been receiving a flood of the most amazing emails from new and old followers of the blog. your words have utterly warmed my heart and have left me completely twitterpated. word can not express my gratitude.

i suppose i feel like i'm on the verge of something great. that in some weird way i'm ready, or being pushed towards another dream, and this has me so excited. yet, i'm scared and cautious. i have responsibilities here. i have bills to pay. i have job to do. i have to remain focused.

thank you, everyone, from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to do what i do. for listening to my stories. for excusing my often poor grammar and spelling. for looking at my pictures. and for your amazing words of encouragement and praise.

thank you, more specifically to wonderful people like shannon who has featured me on her blog today. her kind words and comments from her followers had me crying like a baby as i was sipping on my coffee earlier today.

thank you to donna who inspires me with her stories (most recently this one) and her journey. her help, support and friendship over the past several months has been invaluable.

and thank you to the newly discovered 'life as an artistpreneur' who reminded me this morning that it doesn't hurt to ask, that i should not fear the word 'no.' that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.'

thank you. thank you. thank you.

here's to a beautiful today and an even brighter tomorrow!

FOLK Issue III Subscription Giveaway

2012-01-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

as promised i have a pretty awesome giveaway today!

if you are new to my blog, or haven't heard of FOLK magazine, you seriously need to check it out. it's simply amazing! each issue is filled with creative ideas, recipes, stories, and a shared love of America. the magazine shares the American story. part lifestyle, part editorial, all heart.

for the past two issues i've been part of the editoral staff writing a column called 'inspired by...' in this issue, as i mentioned on friday, there is an amazing feature on my bed and breakfast with a column i wrote about my story and how i made my dream come true. i also have an article on how to make some pretty awesome artwork using maps. i'll share pieces of the that with you later in february.

if you want more information (and i know you do!) you can visit their website, the FOLK blog or the facebook page.

Now onto the details of the giveaway...

The Prize:

There will be a total of SIX winners!!

From the comments of this blog post:

One person will receive a single copy of FOLK - Issue III - Our Land! PLUS one full year subscription (6 issues) of FOLK magazine.

Two people will receive a single copy of FOLK - Issue III - Our Land!

From the Facebook post comments:

One person will receive a single copy of FOLK - Issue III - Our Land! PLUS one full year subscription (6 issues) of FOLK magazine.

Two people will receive a single copy of FOLK - Issue III - Our Land!

How to enter:
There are FOUR ways to enter...

You can enter TWICE on this post and TWICE on Facebook.

To enter here ... two ways:
1. leave a comment below telling me where in America you'd like to visit most. (one entry)
2. tweet, blog or Facebook about this giveaway ... OR ... become a follower of inspired by charm or FOLKblog. Let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (one entry)
***please be sure to include your email address so that i can contact you if you are the winner.

To enter on Facebook ... two ways:
1. visit Inspired by Charm on Facebook then leave a comment on the Facebook giveaway post (one entry)
2. 'share' the Facebook post by clicking the 'share' button on Facebook. Let me know that you did by making a separate comment on the facebook post. (one entry)
***here is the link to the Inspired by Charm Facebook page. You may need to scroll down to find the post. You'll see the picture above, 'FOLK Giveaway', that's where you want to leave you comments.

Get it? I hope it's not too complicated.
Enter twice here. Enter twice on Facebook. That equals FOUR ways to enter.

This giveaway will end Wednesday, February 1st at 9PM EST. I will announce the winners shortly after.

And thanks to the editor of FOLK magazine for offering two one year subscriptions for me to give away here today!

Good luck everyone! And remember...

have a fantastic week!!

very PINteresting {delicious dips}

2012-01-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

happy weekend everyone! i hope you are enjoying your sunday. with the super bowl just a week away (it is next sunday, right? i'm clearly not the person to ask) i thought it would be smart and fun to put together a delicious collection of dip recipes for your parties. i mean, come on, if it wasn't for the food and commercials i would never attend a super bowl party. and every party needs a good dip!

so here is a pretty awesome collection of dips, enjoy!

Reuben Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Beer Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Pizza Dip<-- click link for recipe.

Sun-dried Tomato Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Cake Batter Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Bacon Double Cheeseburger Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Hot Corn Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Cookie Dough Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Mini Seven Layer Dips <-- click link for recipe.

Artichoke Dip Bread <-- click link for recipe.

Spiced Caramel Apple Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Caramelized Onion Dip <-- click link for recipe.

Jalapeño Popper Dip <-- click link for recipe.

amazing stuff, right!? i freakin' love a dippable food. like seriously.

i've tired a couple of these. my favorite (and my families) is the sun-dried tomato dip. to die for! i make it ever summer for my dad's pool party. insane!

and don't forget to stop back here tomorrow. i'm hosting a fantastic FOLK magazine giveaway. you'll have several chances to win a one-year subscriptions and/or a single copy of 'Issue III - Our Land!'.

and don't forget to join Inspired by Charm on Facebook

for even more delicious, wonderful, beautiful and happy things!

be sure to click that 'like' button. come on, i know you want to.

the long lost quilt {inspired by charm}

2012-01-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

last week a friend asked whatever happened to a quilt {inspired by charm}. i realized i haven't talked about it for quite some time. shame on me! i actually haven't worked on it for a while either so it gave me a little motivation too.

here is the original post for any new followers that have no idea what i'm talking about. i'm at the point where i no longer need fabric. so, thank you, but no need to send anymore.

the quilt is coming along wonderfully. better than i ever expected. and even though i said my 'dream on' quilt was my first quilt, this quilt actually is my first quilt. 'dream on' was just the first quilt i actually finished.

as i now know a little more about quilts, this is essentially a scrap quilt. it's made up of pieces of you, my followers. all of the fabric used to make this quilt top is from you. thank you, thank you, thank you.

all the squares are officially cut. and all the rows are together. i'm currently in the process of paring up the rows. i only have about four more pairs to stitch together.

then, i will pair the pairs to make sections of four rows. like this one.

i'll continue to piece the sections together until its finished. i'm using this pattern.
do you see any of the fabrics you sent?

i still have no idea what i'm going to use for the backing. i'm thinking some sorta of black and white polka dot. what do you think? it needs to be simple and work well with the wonderful scrappiness of the top.

i'd really, really like to find something like this (a black and white stripe) for the binding, but i haven't been super successful yet. i also haven't searched super well either. i'll let you know what i come up with.

so that's where i stand. i'm really, really, really hoping to have it done before summer gets here. i have plans to hang it in my gift shoppe as part of a display to share it's amazingness with everyone.

either way, i think it looks fierce and i'm so excited to see it come together.

in other news....

thank you for all the amazing 'ask me' questions. i'm going to trying and get everything together this weekend to start answering some questions next week.

so, if you do still have some burning questions feel free to continue to leave those in the comments section of that post or via email.

i'm also so overwhelmed at the respond of 'going american made' in my gift shoppe. thank you! i've already stumbled across some amazing products.

if this all goes well, i'm hoping, over time, to be 100% american made in my shoppe. wouldn't that be spectacular!? please, please continue to spread the word. tweet it. facebook it. pin it. thank you! thank you!

and finally, the newest issue (issue III) of FOLK magazine is out. this issue happens to contains an amazing 10-page feature on my little inn. yep, 10 freakin' pages!! talk about a dream come true! i took all the pictures for the feature and wrote the articles to accompany the pictures. it's somewhat of a day-in-the-life/ making dreams come true/ how did i get here type article.

because of this, and because i've surpassed 1000 followers and because the editor of FOLK is wonderfully generous, i'm going to have a little giveaway here on monday. you'll have multiple chances to win a copy of this issue and/or a one year subscription. so be sure to stop over on monday.

this weekend i will be doing some painting (walls not signs), some quilting, some bookkeeping and lots of other fun and not-so-fun things. what do you have planned?

my little shoppe seeks american made

2012-01-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

so i assume by now most of you know i own and run a bed and breakfast. inside that bed and breakfast, in what used to be the living room and entryway, i have a little gift shoppe. again, if you've been around for a while, you already know this.

so, this weekend i'm finally packing away all the unsold christmas items. yes, they are still up. but don't worry the rest of the house is christmas free. i'm been thinking a lot about the direction i want to take the shoppe, what items sell well, what makes people happy, etc.

right now i do order from a couple wholesale companies who products are mostly made outside of the united states. they do have nice things and the price is right, but i just don't enjoying seeing all this stuff coming in that says made in china. nothing against china, but i'd like to start supporting more local and/or small craft businesses, artists and designers. make sense?

also, over the years i've built quite the inventory in my shoppe and it's becoming a little too 'full' for me. my goal for this year is to simplify. i need more empty space. i'm feeling overrun with 'stuff'.

anyway, back to my point. i need your help. i've tried searching the internet and places like etsy for great products but i'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. so i thought i could turn to you for some help and input.

how, you ask?

well, are you an artist/crafter/small business person person that has really cool products and are willing to ship products for me to sell in my shoppe?

if you are not an artist/crafter/small business person, is there a product you love that is made by a small shop (or larger business located in the US), local artist/crafter/designer that you think i should carry?

if you answered 'yes', then you can totally help! ...keep reading.

i do attempt to have some sort of theme or feeling in my shoppe. the look is contemporary/traditional meets rustic/vintage. ... i guess that's the best way to describe it. i'm not a country store. though i do have a touch of primitive (more vintage) here and there. i love more contemporary things that'd you'd see in west elm. but i also love traditional things like that of pottery barn. i also love crafty, colorful and whimsical things that you'd see at a local craft fair. (though, no crocheted toilet paper roll covers.) again, if you scroll through my blog or my pinterest account you'll get a pretty good idea of what i'm looking for. i also included some pictures in this post for inspiration. oh, and the look of things is very important to me. i love pretty unique packaging.

i'm really hoping to find an amazing line of bath and body products: lotions, bath salts, bath bombs. i do sell this soap from indigo wilds - a company based in kansas city missouri. Also looking for maybe some crafty/stationary things? possibly a jewelry line? unique wall decor? home decor? some sort of hard candies?

some other american brand products i currently sell are bridgewater candles, curly girl designs, bebop biscotti, stone house dip mixes, goblin chocolates (actually made right here in st. marys!)

i'm aware that the response to this may be limited but you gals and guys are so amazing i figured it was worth a shot. and i know most of you can't visit my shoppe (due to distance) and that's a really bummer, but i hope you can help me out anyway. maybe, just maybe, i can start an online shop some day. wouldn't that be awesome!?

with so many talented people and artists right in my own backyard i kind of feel ashamed that i don't have more 'locally' made things available. and there is not better time to change this than right now. i came across this quote/image the other day and it's really what got my brain in a tizzy.

via

i'd really appreciate, if you can't help, if you could pass this post/message along to your friends or someone you think may be able to help.

feel free to leave a comment below with any response or suggestion. you can also email me at inspiredbycharm@yahoo.com if you'd prefer to keep things on the down low. if that's how you roll.

i will be tweeting and facebooking and pining my our finds, so feel free to follow along in the excitement!

i thank you in advance for all your help. and always remember to support small business and all things local.

and please know i'd love to sell everyone's work, but i do have a small space and i'm searching for a specific look, so please, please don't be offended if i am unable to sell your products. thank you again.

via FOLK magazine

today i...

2012-01-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

...am grateful for your kind words, support and love of my sign. thank you. you have truly moved me in a profound way and i am unbelievably grateful.

...decided i needed a case/bag for my laptop. i really like this one.

via FeleCase on etsy

i don't like the price tag ($60) so i'm going to attempt to make it myself. anyone know where i can get some really good wool felt?

...was so happy to stumble across the amazing house tour of one alicia (and andy) paulson of poise gets cozy. she is truly a visionary in every sense of the word. in a way, her house breaks all the 'rules' of design and i am still infatuated with it. i'm all about throwing the 'rules' out the window!
it's a home. a beautiful, comfortable home.

my favorite part of the tour? when andy said, (in response to the question 'what is your favorite part of the house') "actually, i like anywhere alicia is." and the most heartwarming part is he honestly meant it. he is completely smitten for her. i hope i find that kind of love some day.

...am kind of embarrassed by the fact that i really like this song. it just makes me want to dance and sing and be happy. this is weird, right?

...appreciative of this video posted by mighty girl. the best part? ... "it's a lie. it's simply a lie..."

...ready to get back on my sewing machine. i have fabric cut out and it's screaming in the cabinet for me to stitch it up into something beautiful.

it will be a plus quilt. tutorial here.

...have the urge to buy a puppy. i won't. but i do really, want one. one just like this.

don't worry mom. i won't be buying a puppy this weekend.

...read this sign.

via gillar girl

and i honestly thought it said 'make more farts' for a good 30 seconds. make. more. farts? i just didn't get it.
this is why i need to put my contacts in before i do anything else in the morning.

what did you do today?

from wood to wall - the making of a sign

2012-01-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

well, the sign is finished and on the wall. it feels good. and to be honest, i absolutely love it. having a one-of-a-kind piece is pretty awesome to me.

so as promised, below is a detailed tutorial on how everything came together. just a warning, this post is going to be a little long. there are a lot, i mean A LOT, of photos. so, i'm going to try and be as brief as possible with my wording. ready?

i started off with two 1x12x8s from the local hardware store. they were about $13 each.

other than some knots they were in pretty good shape. i wanted my wood a little weathered, so i got out some 'tools of destruction'.

i pounded heavily with both sides of the hammer. sawed the edges. beat it with some chain. i sanded down most of the sharp corners. (i ended up not really using the screw driver. ) it's hard to tell in the photos below but you'll see more of the 'beaten look' after the next step.

on pinterest i discovered you could age wood with steel wool and vinegar. after doing some research (it seems there are several ways to do this process) here what i came up with.

in two pans (don't use good tupperware. oops!) i placed a piece of steel wool. to one added apple cider vinegar, the other balsamic vinegar. no specific amounts here.

i waited about 30 minutes. then, with rubber gloves, i used the soaked wool to scrub the wood. the picture on the right is the after.

i then did the same with the balsamic and steel wool.

this is how the wood looked after about 15 - 20 minutes.

you can see more of the grain and the markings i made with my tools of destruction are much more obvious.

here's the wood completely dry. i was really pleased with the results. i will be doing this again for sure.

i'm assuming that you could take it even further if you let the steel wool soak longer. or do more applications.

the wood even took on a speckled look. a friend on facebook, after seeing these pictures, thought it actually was old wood.

then i joined together both pieces of wood, on the back, with joining strips. four of them.

following that, i penciled on my design. i used a plate for the circle of the sun. the rays were just randomly placed. no measurements. i don't do well with instructions and measurement when it comes to painting. and yes, i'm using a quilting ruler.

i decided to paint my red outlines first. though, looking back, it may have been easier to put these in last.

a sun! things are finally taking shape.

i then applied some blue painters tape to preserve the red lines. i had to paint over the red that the tape didn't cover so that it wouldn't show throw my other paint. this is when i realized it may have been better to paint the red last. oh well, lesson learned.

i then picked a random collection of blues and yellows to fill in the rays of the sun.

i intentionally wasn't perfect when i was painting, leaving some of my weather wood showing through.

i purposely avoided the nicks and dents i made earlier. i used cheap foam brushes to apply my paint.

another thing i hate about painting is cleaning up. when i was done, the brushes went in the trash.

~~once everything was dry~~, who am i kidding... i have no patience, before everything was dry, i removed the tape to expose my beautiful red lines. perfect!

next i gave everything i quick sand and then applied a white wash. just a mix of water and white paint. i worked quickly and wiped the paint with an old towel as i went. this gave me a sun faded look.

i felt needed a few more distressed elements on the piece so i used a fork to create some worm/bug holes.

i then went over the whole piece with a dark wash, just like the white wash. for this i used burnt umber paint and water.

this darker color settled into all the distressed marks giving me a really aged and weathered look.

done! well, the background anyway. next, i needed to add the text.

i used a word processing program on my computer (iStudio) to pick fonts i liked. i then printed out a couple test pieces to get the size of the front right. the main font is haettenschweller and the script font is zapfino.

once i had everything printed out, i cut and taped the pieces of paper together.

i then shaded in the back of the paper with the printed text. i used a pencil to color everything in. personally, this works best for me. i've tried chalk (rubs off to easy) and carbon paper (turns your paint blue). this is time consuming and a pain-in-the-you-know-what, but it works.

once the back is shaded in, i flipped the paper over and positioned it onto the sign. i then trace the letters. this tracing transfers the shading you just did to the sign creating an outline for you to paint. make sense?

then i painted! i do mix in a couple drops of water to my white paint for an easy and smooth application.

yes, i'm a lefty. any other lefties out there?!

i bought these paint brushes at wal-mart and have found a couple that work well for me. these i do wash and keep.

i gave all the letters two coats of paint with a very light sanding in between. then, i erased any visible pencil lines.

and that's it! complete! ain't she purdy?

i choose to not put any sort of top coat on the piece as it will be indoors.

to hang it, i drilled two small holes into the back of the wood. then i put two screws into the wall. i put the holes on the screws and the sign was securely hung! or so i hope.

like i said, i love unique, one-of-a-kind pieces and if this isn't one of them, then i don't know what is. the whole thing cost me under $35. i basically had to buy the wood, steel wool, joining strips and a couple brushes.

and the style, colors and sentiment are a perfect fit for the space.

and even though my head is way to big for this hat, i'm pretty darn pleased with my work.

i hope this little tutorial was helpful. let me know if you have questions.

do you think you'll be making a sign of your own?