Hello everyone, hope you all have been having a fabulous week!  For this week’s “Design Board” I want to share some boards that are participating in a contest over at Olioboard.  These boards are entered in a contest that I suggested.  My daughter wants a room makeover for her upcoming twelfth birthday.  She has created some designs, including the one pictured above, to help me envision what she wants.

This board (above) is more of what I had in mind.  We are a little far apart on our ideas even though we like each other’s work.

     This board is what we  came up with together.  Olioboard is not just for fun, it is an extremely useful tool too.  And if you have a bit of a competitive streak, go ahead and enter one of their many contests.  Most of the contests are suggested by community members like me.  The winners (top three) of community contests earn virtual badges.  There are also sponsored contests with cash awards.  The best part of Olioboard is it’s all FREE!

Happy Friday, have a great weekend!

For this week’s “Inspiration” I wanted to feature some of my favorite wallpapers from the 2011 Salt Lake City Parade of Homes.  Wallpaper is a hot, hot hot, accessory.  I love really bold, statement papers like the black and white one above.

I also love this bold floral in this master bathroom.  I would not have thought to use this paper in a master bathroom but I think it really works.

I love this wallpaper too.  Come to think of it, I haven’t met a wallpaper I don’t love .  I really like the neutral colors and the pattern.  I think is a great statement for this small bathroom.  Well, have I sold you on the idea of adding wallpaper to that wall or room that needs a little something?  Hope I have helped to “Inspire” you.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

     Here’s a picture of all my sweet babies (they get so mad when I call them babies, but I can’t help myself). They are the best Mother’s Day present of all.  My Mom gave me life, but my kids made me human.  I have learned patience, humility, self-sacrifice, and grace.  I have learned to laugh at myself. I have learned to appreciate the beauty of small gestures.  I have learned to appreciate the beauty of the world through the fresh eyes of my children.  Most importantly, I have learned what love truly is.

     It hasn’t always been an easy road.  There were all those long months trying to get pregnant with my first baby.  I would wait and wait for the day I could do a pregnancy test just to have my period show up. That was the longest, most tearful year of my life.  There was also a time at the opposite end of the scale, a time I was expecting my period and instead I got a positive pregnancy test (Surprise!).  I thought we were done adding to our family and the timing was less than perfect.  I was not exactly thrilled to be pregnant again.  The shock and reluctance were quickly replaced with the familiar joy and excitement I had with my other pregnancies. But then, just as quickly, that was replaced with sorrow.  I lost my little angel at 10 weeks.  Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long to be blessed with my youngest sweetheart.

     My goodness, the happy moments are too numerous to list.  Everyday I get a new favorite memory with my kids.  And that’s all I really wanted for this Mother’s Day.  Happy Mother’s Day!

My middle son is in the first grade.  They made these Mother’s Day cards in school this week.  My son was supposed to wait until Sunday for the big reveal, but couldn’t.  He made me close my eyes and hold out my hands for my special prize as soon as he got his little body through our front door Friday after school.

My son explained that I get to pick one flower per week and he has to do the chore listed on the back.

As if this card couldn’t get any sweeter, I opened it up and there’s a picture of my little guy and a poem that brings tears to my eyes.  I am truly blessed.  Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

]]> http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/homemade-mothers-day-card/feed/ 0 http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/early-mothers-day-present/ http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/early-mothers-day-present/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 02:44:07 +0000 Taunnie http://mingledelements.com/?p=3778

     My oldest son in the seventh grade.  In his school, all the kids are required to take home economics, except they don’t call it home ec. anymore.  Now it’s called a new fangled, politically correct thing, which I can never remember.  Anyway, while in home ec. he made me this apron.  It is a much welcomed present for Mother’s Day.  I have needed one for a while.  It will save many outfits.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “I’m a messy cook!”.  Since my daughter is a much cuter model than I am, I had her model it for me.  Tomorrow, I’ll share a few more homemade Mother’s Day gifts.  Have a happy weekend everyone!

     Here are some follow-up pictures from my Landscape Design post yesterday. As you can see, I have my work cut out for me.  I wish this part could be as easy as coming up with a plan.  I take some solace by telling myself that all the hard yard work I’ll be putting in this summer (and probably next summer, and maybe the summer after that too) will be worth it.  For some reason, outside work just seems harder than inside work.  Maybe, it’s because I love interior design.  Don’t get me wrong.  I do love gardening.  It is peaceful and relaxing to me.  It is also very gratifying to watch all the seeds and bulbs you’ve nourished bloom and beautify your yard.  But getting my yard to the point where I can even start to think about planting is hot, sweaty, dirty, and makes my muscles grumpy.

      So, my muscles and my disposition are grumpy after working on this little island in my front yard.  In the picture on the left, you can see the old fence in the background.  And in the foreground is an embarrassingly overgrown with weeds, and infested with snails, eyesore.  In the picture on the right you can see a bit of the new fence in the background and an eyesore that is well, still an eyesore.  I wanted to just start over in this spot, everything has to go including much of the soil.  I decided to flatten this spot and move the dirt to the backyard (top, right picture).  Hopefully, I will be able to share much prettier pictures with you soon.

     My Handy Hubby has been busy tearing down our old rotting fence and building us a brand new one.  The old fence just enclosed the back of our yard and not the side yard, leaving us with a lot of unused yard.  We wanted be able to use all of our yard so we took the new fence all the way to the sidewalk.  Our new backyard is now double what it was.  With so much new usable space, I had to come up with a plan to make sure everyone got what they wished for. There’s a space for Handy Hubby and his shop tools, a jungle gym (yeah, you caught me, I spelled it wrong on my plan ) for the little kids, a fire pit for the older kids, and a garden for me.  I know it will take some time and a whole lotta work to get from what I have to what I want.  But, as always, I have more time and energy than I have money.  So, I’m just gonna roll up my sleeves and get to work.  Tomorrow I will show some before pictures and some pictures of my progress.

]]> http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/my-landscape-design/feed/ 0 http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/glass-garage-doors/ http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/glass-garage-doors/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 03:56:55 +0000 Taunnie http://mingledelements.com/?p=3735

I am always on the look out for fun and unique design elements.  I spotted these glass garage doors one day while visiting my brother and his family.  I’m not sure if glass is practical for a garage door but I thought they looked really cool.

]]> http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/glass-garage-doors/feed/ 0 http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/painted-and-glazed-red-piano/ http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/painted-and-glazed-red-piano/#comments Sat, 05 May 2012 03:22:13 +0000 Taunnie http://mingledelements.com/?p=3716 Happy Friday Everyone!  For this week’s “Inspiration” I have an extra special post.  I am blessed with the best readers!  Linda is one of my lovely readers who is willing to share the rewards of her hard work and talent.

Here is a before picture of Linda’s piano.

Here is the stunning after.

Love, love the red paint with the black glaze.

The glaze gives the piano a little extra depth and dimension and a whole lot of character.

The glaze also helps define and highlight intricate details like above.

 It may take some time and elbow grease for this kind of transformation.  Linda said, “It was a lot of work, but so worth it!”  I agree!  Linda, you have done a gorgeous job!  I hope you have been as inspired as I have.  Have a wonderful weekend!

]]> http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/painted-and-glazed-red-piano/feed/ 1 http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/orange-and-blue-table-for-two/ http://mingledelements.com/2012/05/orange-and-blue-table-for-two/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 05:34:13 +0000 Taunnie http://mingledelements.com/?p=3704

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today has caught me in an exceptionally good mood.  I wanted to set a bright and happy table to reflect my perkiness.

Nothing here is new except for the square orange quatrefoil plates.  I picked them up at Hobby Lobby this week.  They were on the Spring clearance rack so I snagged the last two.

Here’s a little closer look.

Love this little dragon.

And a touch of my vintage Fiestaware is the last ingredient needed for my table.

Thank you for stopping by.  I appreciate you taking the time to visit.  Please come back and visit anytime.  I am linking this post to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.