Caribbean Blue Giveaway!!!

Not too long ago, Jason, from CSNstores.com contacted me about reviewing product and offering a giveaway on my blog. This was perfect timing for me, actually, with the big move to Chicago only 5 months away!!! Like I've told you many times, our apartment is tiny and dark so I've been in search of ways to brighten it up. I've added quite a bit of the Caribbean Blue color to the place and I have loved opening the cupboards up to see glasses with Caribbean Blue polka dots from Target and Caribbean Blue mugs from Marshall's. So...when this opportunity arose, I knew exactly what I wanted to review! I wanted to review Le Creuset from Cookware.com in Caribbean Blue and I chose this 6 qt. pot to give a whirl!

Isn't she pretty!?! She's going to look sooo pretty on my stove in Chicago!!!

I made the most delicious pot of chicken noodle soup in this pretty girl. It's a great pot...the perfect size for me and our tiny apartment but it, also, works great in my kitchen in Michigan, as you can see. Cleans up great too! I LOVE IT!!!

Would you like one of these pretty ladies in your kitchen??? I promise it will make your kitchen feel springy!!! I know it cheered me up! This giveaway is being offered to US residents only (sorry!). All you have to do is...DELURK, if you're a lurker, and become a follower (that would make me smile!) and leave a message that you have become a follower and you will receive 2 entries (only 1 entry if you only comment and do not follow). My current followers...leave a comment telling me you'd like to win and a separate comment reminding me that you are a follower to receive another entry. If you choose to blog about this giveaway...leave me a comment that you have and receive yet another entry. If you don't have a blog make sure I have your email address so I can contact you, if you win. SO....3 entry chances to win!!! Good luck!!! I will choose a winner on Friday of next week!!!

Hope you all have a great day!!!

Hugs!

Kim

Emma's Stylin'

Morning!!! I found the cutest blog and etsy that has the cutest dog collars ever...

crazyforcollars.etsy.com is the etsy

and

Suzanne's Crazy for Collars is the blog.

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I thought Emma had stopped growing but I was wrong, so when she outgrew her collar I went on the hunt for cute collars. I love these sites and I really love the collars.

Emma says, "Cheese."

(Click to enlarge for a better view of the collar)

This collar has the cutest daisy print and polka dot bow. Perfect spring time collar for her!

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Turquoise seems to be my color this upcoming season...stop by tomorrow to see more turquoise! I promise you will be loving turquoise too!!!

Have a great day!!!

Hugs!

Kim

Ann Taylor Loft Knock-Off

Hi, my name is Kim and I love Ann Taylor Loft! What I don't always like is their prices....while checking out their new arrivals I came across this cute tank...

Ann Taylor Loft Look

I know....right up my alley, right...I mean really...it has yo-yos on it!!! Since I knew I wouldn't spend $24.50 on a fairly simple tank top...I decided to make a knock off. Target had their tanks on sale for $7 and I have oodles of fabric scraps and you all know I love to make yo-yos...so here it is...

Before

Yo-yos in coordinating colors...made using the largest yo-yo maker by Clover.

I stitched them on through the tank fabric and through the back layer of the yo-yo so you wouldn't see the thread on the yo-yo.

All sewn on. Sorry for the tank being all smashed up. (I was in a hurry this morning).

Hope you like it...now go make your own! It was so quick and easy! Have a great day and don't forget I have something BIG planned for Saturday!!!

Hugs!

Kim

More Winter With a Hint of Spring

More winter...last night we went to sleep blanketed in fog and woke up to the fog having crystallized to the shrubs and trees. I must admit this is one of my favorite parts of winter. Yes, I have a favorite part of winter...just 2...snow falling on Christmas Eve and fog crystallizing on the trees. Here are a couple of pics...

The same shrub I photographed after the storm.

The Spireas around my garden pond. Sooo pretty!

We did get another glimpse of spring last evening, too. I have a pair of ducks that come every spring to nest. They came back the night before the storm (I didn't have my camera ready). Then, last night, they came back again to eat bird seed from our feeder that had fallen on the ground. Here are my ducks (I'm trying to make Emma understand that these ducks are our family and come to visit every spring, so she should not bark at them...so far not so good).

This is the feeder with doves and a finch (I believe).

Here are mama and papa duck. They're so cute...he really watches out for her. When it warms up they will swim around our bathtub size pond.

Tonight, I will be making an Ann Taylor Loft knockoff...I hope to post about it tomorrow! I can't wait to try my hand at this! Later this week...a very cool surprise...think Caribbean!

Have a great night!!!

Hugs!

Kim

After the Storm

Morning! Well, this is me embracing the snow...lol! Here are a few photos from around the yard...

Outside my dining room window.

The cherry tree outside the dining room window.

This is our favorite spot to sit in the spring and summer. We miss you!

Remember Emma??? She loves running in the snow. This snow is a little too deep for her to run in. She, also, loves to eat the snow!

One more of Emma :-)

I thought this shrub looked so pretty in the twilight with the snow.

More snow is falling as I type, even more snow tomorrow. Spring is coming....spring is coming...spring is coming...I keep reminding myself of this!

Have a great day!!!

Hugs!

Kim

Gone To the Birds Too!

Hello from a snowy Michigan! We are still under a Winter Storm Warning and it's coming down pretty good. I'd say, we have about 6 inches so far. Not too bad but still enough to make things a mess on the roads. So...while sitting here in the midst of winter, I dream of spring and pretty birds.

Last week, my friend Angie wrote this post about having gone to the birds. I got to looking, about the apartment in Chicago, and realized that I, too, had gone to the birds. I have 9 birds in a 630 sq. ft. apartment, I believe that is a lot of birds per square foot but I love them and there they shall stay. Here's a looksie inside our apartment....

All of the above birds are in our bedroom.

These birds are scattered about the apartment, the picture is in our bedroom.

Bring on spring and flocks of pretty song birds!!!

Hope you're having a great day!

Hugs!

Kim

A Hint of Spring but a Winter Warning

I was so excited this afternoon...While we were out running errands, we saw a field full of Robins!!! That must mean that spring is finally on it's way...WRONG...I just found out that we are under a Winter Storm Warning! We are expecting 5-8 inches of heavy, wet snow...GRRR!!! It finally melted almost completely away, here in Michigan (we still had plenty of snow on the ground in Chicago, as of yesterday morning). Oh well, rest assured spring WILL come but not soon enough for me!

Hope you're all having a great weekend! I'll have another bird post for you tomorrow.

Hugs!
Kim

Hello From Chicago, Again!

Hello everyone!!!

Well, we have news on the job front. Yesterday, my hubby met with a big wig from Switzerland and we have a plan...Right now we are staying in Chicago until an opening becomes available in Switzerland or Shanghai, China. When a position becomes available we will be transferred for a couple of years, when that time is over we will most likely come back to Chicago so he can run the company here or we will be off to another country. So...still a lot of unknowns but now we do know we will be here at least a year, possibly 2 or 3.

Since I have a feeling we will be here in Chicago, for about 1-3 years, I can start dreaming about our living space redo or a move to a bigger place. In Feb. 2011 we will know if we should be staying in Chicago longer than the year and if so we will get a bigger place.

I am dreaming of a 2-3 bedroom townhouse rental with a 2 car attached garage (no more car cleaning from the snow!), a bigger kitchen with an over sized granite counter top so I can purchase bar stools from here and have room to move. Hey, a girl can dream! I would love a guest room/craft room. I miss my craft things when I'm here and our guests would probably prefer a real bed vs. a blow up mattress squeezed in our tiny living room. An extra bathroom would be nice too. Any and all extra space would be so wonderful! I tell ya' these 630 sq. ft. can start to suffocate real quick! (I know I shouldn't complain...we are most fortunate to have a roof over our head in Chicago and back home in MI)

Soooo...for now we can relax for a while, finish planning the wedding and bridal shower and dream about more space next year.

Hope all is well with you!!!
Hugs!
Kim

Bridal Shower Prizes

Hello!!! As promised...today, I bring you crafty goodness!!! For my daughter's shower, I am going with an orange theme to match the bridal party colors. I've been picking things up here and there, while I'm out and about, along with making a few prizes. It really has been a lot of fun planning! A couple of days ago, I made these prizes...

I found these oval clear paperweights somewhere on clearance and set them in the craft room for future use. I pulled them off the shelf and decoupaged some decorative paper from my paper stash onto the back. They look so pretty in person!

For one of the games we will be needing clothespins. So instead of boring clothespins, I thought why not make them pretty and to go with the color scheme. They were so quick! I cut the paper to fit and decoupaged them on. I made 50 of these in about an hour. I'm planning to use some for gifts, they're great for clipping notes together, closing up chip bags and cereal bags. We use them all the time for snacks...I like these better since they're all prettied up!

More clips. (Remember to click on the picture to see a bigger view).

Today, I am cleaning and packing to go to Chicago, again this weekend. I'll be there all next week. Watch for posts from the Windy City next week! I will try to post some pics too :-)

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hugs!

Kim

Tasting

Morning!!! While it was never my intent for my blog to become a story of my life, it was intended to be a place to share my treasure hunt finds, it has become exactly that. I hope you don't mind! I promise to share more treasures and I actually have some crafts to share with you tomorrow!

Last night was the wedding reception tasting at the reception site. The caterer brought in a bunch of vendors and they decorated the site like a wedding with all sorts of different centerpieces and table decor. I took a few pics of things I really liked and may use for other occasions. Before last night we had already booked all of our vendors but it was fun to see other's ideas. Here are some photos from the night....

The ceiling of the reception site is beautiful! I love how the DJ/Band stage is elevated off the dance floor. The reception site is on Lake St. Clair and has a beautiful view!!! I particularly loved these centerpieces. They'd be pretty for everyday at my house!

The buffet was set up with soooo much food! Several brides and their families were present for the tasting. We thought we'd get a bite of this and that but we received a whole meal! Everything was delicious, some of the best reception food I've had in a long time!

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Hope you're all having a great day! Tomorrow...photos of my bridal shower craftiness...LOL! These are crafts you can use for everyday not just showers.

Hugs!

Kim

Found It!!!

I've been busy, busy finding this and that for my daughter's upcoming bridal shower. The wedding sort of has a natural feel to it so when my daughter saw these favors boxes (pictured below) at Michael's we knew these were the perfect ones.

We found the perfect favor to place inside...100% pure beeswax candles (pictured here at www.CandleshopCreations.com). My daughter's friend's parents own a honey farm here in MI and her sister uses the beeswax to make candles. Perfect! They are very cute and 2 will fit in each box.

Now, the ribbon was harder to find! I searched for hours in stores and online and finally found this ribbon. I found it at dunwoody booth packaging Orange colored jute, earth friendly ribbon!!! Hurray!!! Now I just need to order and receive the ribbon then assemble! Woo hoo!

I will post photos when they're done! Hope you've had a great weekend!

Hugs!
Kim

Just For Fun

Go to urbandictionary.com (overlook the nasty definitions...I chose a clean one!) and type in your first name then post your name's definition...

Kimberly:

A sweet compassionate girl that finds the beauty in everything. She is always willing to give a helping hand. Everyone loves her as soon as they meet her. Tends to be very sexy and confident.


In other news...nothing too exciting...came back to Chicago with my hubby this week...Emma and I are just chilling out and taking a breather from all the hectic-ness that has been our life lately.

Hope all is well!!!

Hugs!
Kim