Drooling

The French Inspired Home

by Carolyn Westbrook

My sister gave me this oober-amazing book about 6 months ago for my birthday,

and I thought it was lovely. Fun to flip through and enjoy the eye candy.

Now that we are mixing things up here at the Platt plantation and I am looking

for lighter and airier decor I find myself drooling over the pages of this book.

It has a very Victorian feel, and lots of gooey detail,

which 18 years ago I just loved. Then my tastes did a whole

eclectic voyage around the world flip flop thing, and now

...again...

I find I have come full circle and love the gooey-vintage

details mixed in with all of my other eclectic tastes.

What is a girl to do??

Fickle me!!!

Anyhoo... for any of you who have not yet flipped through a copy of

the French Inspired Home,... I thought I would just throw the idea out there.

It is a treat.

So many other things first...

                                                                        

    I was talking to a friend recently about how my blog is so

sorely neglected.

She is a good friend with good insight.

One of those people that you can just talk to,

...bounce ideas off of,

...blow off steam with,

...and voice concerns to.

 She asked me a simple but good question.

"Do you enjoy your blog or does it cause you stress?"

I have been thinking, and I have decided... both.

I enjoy having a place to put my ideas. To document finished projects.

To get opinions from others.

Honestly... my favorite part of my blog is the convenience of

my side bar. I visit my own blog nearly every day just to bounce off of it to

visit all of you. To explore all of my other favorite places.

I don't enjoy feeling pressure that I should post something if I haven't done so

in oh... say 2 or 3 months.

(Not that I would ever let that happen.)

I only ever created the blog as a haven for when my creative juices are most active.

I thought about deleting my blog.

Thought hard about it...

and almost did it.

Than I felt a sense of loss.

Real loss.  

That was something that I didn't expect.

I sometimes get attached to a work of art that I have finished and it is hard to sell it,

or give it away... and I joke that they are like my babies...

but I didn't realize that I was attached to my blog.

So I decided... no... I am not deleting you... my little

under nurtured,

but adored blog. 

But, I am not much of a blogger.

I have discovered that I am all of these other things.

I am...

First a mom, a wife, and a Latter Day Saint.

Next a friend,

Next an artist,

a cook (not by choice :) )

a housekeeper (""")

the doer of laundry

the chauffeur

the book keeper

the homework editor

the hairbrush er

the sock and shoe finder

the referee of sibling rivalries,

a journal writer,

jewelry maker,

clothes mender,

band aid putter on-er,

back tickler,

etc.

etc.

etc.

and then... a blogger.

I really appreciate so much my little band of followers,...

and I really appreciate the few hits and comments that I do get.

So, I am not deleting my blog that I have a soft spot for.

 I am, however, from here on out...

 owning that it is at the rock bottom of my priority list.

I will not promise myself that I will do better about updating it.

 Nor will I feel guilt, pressure, or stress if I go 2 or 3 months (not

that I would ever let that happen) without posting.

So.... if ANYONE is still with me it is opinion time. 

I have been "lightening up" my house over the last while.

Getting rid of some dark colors and tossing in bits of robins egg blue,

and lots of ivory and white...

little splashes of yellow and green.

Making it feel fresh.

My bedroom has had red accents for such a long time now. I am so over the

red. Downright sick of the red. I have gotten rid of most of it. The only thing keeping me

from redoing the whole color scheme are two original works of art by two different

people that I know personally. They are beautiful pieces and of course...

they are very heavy with red. My walls are taupe. My room feels heavy.

I think I have found a solution.

( I really wish I could remember what magazine

I found these pictures in so that i could give credit. oops. )



See how the red in these pictures looks really light and airy, even cottage-Esq when paired with yellow?

I propose this...

I paint my walls a very light creamy yellow,

add even more ivory and white accents, and keep the few red pieces that I already have.

What do we think?? Am I on to something?

Or is red and yellow soo totally yesterday? :)

I would REALLY appreciate your opinions!!

Thank You!!!

So clever...

Did anyone else receive this advertisement in their mail

recently??

I laughed out loud!!

It is so simple, yet so creative.

I already love my Kindle, but after this advertisement I love it even more.

How can I not be partial when they have such tastefully clever

people working for them?

Badger~

Meet our newest family member...

This is Badger.

He is a desert tortoise,

and the coolest pet we have ever owned!

He was a gift from some friends and we love him.

They had two tortoises, and Badger was the smaller of the two.

(He is about 15 inches around.)

Well, apparently when you get two male tortoises together they fight.

Badger is said to have nine lives like a cat because he has lost many a fight and lived to tell about it.

He has been flipped over on his back and stuck there for many long

hours in the HOT desert sun, until his owners discovered

and rescued him.

He has even had mouth to mouth resuscitation...

(yes really),

after nearly drowning in our friends swimming pool.

(On more than one occasion.)

All because of tortoise testosterone.

Who knew??

Anyhoo... because they too love Badger, it became too stressful for

them to always be worried that he was a casualty

of yet another tortoise war, and so they did what they felt was best

for him, and found him a new home.

We welcomed him with open arms!!

And though he is really not cuddly, I am amazed at just

how cute he is.

It is soo fun to watch him move around and eat.

Our youngest princess pets him and talks to him nearly every day.

" I wuv you Badga!"

It's very tender,... and then she turns to me and says...

"mommy,...Badga wuves me too."

Of course he does.....

Thank You to the Prestons for our newly adoptive family member.

Who knew one could feel such affection for a tortoise??!!

Happy Easter

My amazing friend Jen of J. Frank Photography has done it again!!!

Every time I hire her to take pictures of my

peeps, or my whole family,

or a teapot in a french pastry shop :):),...

she exceeds my expectations!!!

She threw together a little Easter special where she did mini

photo sessions locally with bunnies.

BUNNIES!!!

How cute is that??

How clever is that???

I don't know if I was more excited to see my girls enjoying real live,

soft, furry bunnies, or to get really great original photos out of the deal!

Anyhoo... I think that they turned out darling!!

Thank You JEN!!

If you want to see more of the cute Easter photos, including ones with

chicks,...

yes, real live fuzzy CHICKS,...

then hop on over to her blog My Happy Place

and check out all of the eye candy.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

Fabric covered cork board.....

I am pretty sure that I stole this idea from my super cute friend Kym. I have seen these

floating around out there in dozens of places, but I can pinpoint the exact moment when I had

that mouth watering, idea stealing, euphoric light bulb over my head,...and I was in Kym's

kitchen!!!!! (Which, by the way, is the place to be because

the woman can COOK!!! :):))

Anyhoo... it was a super easy project so here is the low down.....

I used my happy 40% off coupon at Michael's craft store and bought a frame.

Picked up some masonite at Home Depot and cut it to fit.

Also at Michael's, I bought a package of cork board squares.

Glue the cork board to the masonite and cut off the excess with a utility knife.

Choose a fabric that you love. I went with something neutral so that I

could use a lot of colorful photos, stitching samples, and what nots to hang.

Place the cork face down on your fabric and fasten it with a staple gun.

I like to start with one side and then do the opposite, so that I can gently pull it taught

as I go. Then I do the same with the ends.

It doesn't have to be perfect because the frame will cover the edges.

(Perfection is overrated anyway. ;))

Place it in the frame and use nails to secure it in there.

I hammer them into the frame at an angle about 2/3 rds of the way, and then hammer them

flat against the fabric covered masonite to hold it in place.

Use several nails so that it is securely in the frame.

It is such a pretty way to display photos and art.

An 'upscale' cork board for your family room or entry way.

Thanks Kym for the fun idea!! (p.s...I'm dreaming of your cupcakes. ;))

Happy Crafting!!!!!

And The Winner Is................

Sorry that it took me a few days to post a lucky winner,...I

have had company in town, and oii... if we didn't run around like

headless chickens!!!!

Anyhooo....

Just in case my own computer had any tendencies toward favoritism, I had my

husbands computer randomly pick the winner.

The very lucky lady who gets to choose one of these two darling dresses from

 Shabby Apple is...............

drum roll................

TARA of  "Come Sign With Me,

and "Tara Michelle Designs"!!

Congratulations Tara!! I will be contacting you. And THANK YOU to all

who entered. A little good natured competition

makes life more fun!!