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Better Late Than Never. Right?

January 8, 2020 By Linda 11 Comments

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say no other blogger is sharing Christmas decor in January. 😉

I mean, all the cool kids (and by kids I mean grown women in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and older) regaled you with their perfectly appointed Christmas homes way back in November and early December.

And now all the cool kids (aka, grown women) are in full New Year, New You swing.

Because all I’m seeing in my email inbox are blogger stories reflecting back on 2019 with “best of’s” and “favorite projects,” and stories looking forward to 2020 that include books to be read and healthy foods to be consumed and exercise routines to be followed and homes to be organized.

I’ve got none of that!

I guess you should count me among the nerds. Or the socially awkward.

But, then again, all those other bloggers didn’t have a turn of events in December that sent their aging father to the hospital, and then rehab. And left their aging mother in a state of confused panic.

And melodrama. Lots and lots of melodrama. 😉

And stress. Lots and lots of stress!

So I find myself in Florida at the start of the New Year. Away from my children and husband as I help (hopefully) my parents cope with their new reality.

Whatever that may be.

It’s a long and uncertain road as we all try to work together to figure out if they can still live independently.

And when I say “we all work together” I mean my sister, brother and I are getting a lot of push back from two very stubborn, aging parents who greatly overestimate how healthy they are and downplay their limitations! 😉

Before I departed on this fateful trip to Florida, I took a few pictures of my Christmas living room.

I debated if I should even share …

or just tuck them away into my photo archives, never to be seen on the blog.

But …

energy was expended.

Work was put into the photo shoot. Things were moved around. Surfaces dusted. Floors swept and vacuumed. Time devoted to taking pictures. And downloading pictures. And reviewing those pictures. And picking favorites. And editing and re-editing and editing again those favorites.

So in the end, I decided to be daring ….

and dare to share Christmas in January!

I’m going with I’m waaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the curve by sharing Christmas at the start of 2020 …

versus the end.

Who knows. Maybe this makes me the coolest of the cool kids now? Says the socially awkward grown woman.

🙂

December in the City

December 7, 2019 By Linda 17 Comments

December in the City – December in Chicago – Cozy Living in December.

It’s the first Saturday of the month and that means I’m joining up with some fabulous bloggers (led by Jennifer @Town & Country Living) to share how we make our homes and lives cozy in the month of December.

December in Chicago can range from mild (and even a bit rainy) to bitter below zero cold. And we aren’t even guaranteed snow on the ground when Christmas day rolls around.

I mean, cold with no snow is just cold. Especially on Christmas day!

But regardless of temperature or snow fall levels, December gets a pass from me. You will hear zero complaints about said temperatures and said snow fall levels.

Okay, not entirely true. I will complain if, once again, we have no snow on the ground on Christmas day!

But this month (mostly) gets a pass from me is because December comes with twinkle lights!

Just look at that top picture. Even Ernie the Beagle likes getting cozy in December with the twinkle lights.

And you know what happens when you live in a city where your house is just an arm’s reach from your neighbors?

It means lots and lots and lots of twinkle lights lighting up your street, your block and your entire neighborhood!

All I need to do is look out the front window and my heart is filled with all those twinkling twinkle lights!

Now, admittedly, I’m running a little late this year in pulling out the twinkle lights (as I explained in yesterday’s post). So this is my tree from last year …

but I’m pretty sure this year’s tree will look eerily similar to last year. 🙂

And my neighbors with all their twinkle lights are putting me to shame. So today, as you read this, I will be making a thousand trips down to and up from the basement to pull out the Christmas decorations.

And the twinkle lights!

Because honestly, inside I’m feeling a little twinkle light deprived!

The one downside of the twinkle lights is that I can’t see that cozy, fluffy pup when I’m working on my laptop …

because I sit on the other side of that twinkling tree.

So for the next month or so, I can’t just reach over and give him a little pet on the head.

Though, I’ll be honest, I don’t think he minds all that much. He’s not a beg for pets kind of dog. In fact, after he “allows” me to pet him he expects a treat! Ha!

Be sure to follow the links below to see how my fellow bloggers are making their homes — and lives — cozy this December:

Finding Silver Pennies / Vinyet Etc. / Making It in the Mountains

Duke Manor Farm / It All Started with Paint / Town and Country Living

Sincerely Marie Designs / Hymns and Verses / Creative Cain Cabin

And you can find my full collection of Chicago Cozy Living in the City posts at the links below:

September in the City / October in the City / November in the City

Radiator Cover Simple Spring Fantel

May 28, 2019 By Linda 17 Comments

Radiator Cover Simple Fantel – Neutral Mantel with Lanterns

Simple mantel with lanterns and eucalyptus

So a few thoughts on this rainy, thunder-stormy, seriously flooding (with occasional tornado warnings) end of May Memorial Day (well, here in Chicago at least):

#1 – I miss you guys. Well, it’s probably more gals than guys reading this but you get the point. But truly, deeply, I miss hearing from you. I miss sharing my life and my home and my crafts and my many ups … and my downs … with you.

The thing is, once I step away from the blog I find it that much harder to jump back in again. But here I am. Jumping ….

and hoping you’ll catch me!

#2 – Can I really call this a Spring mantel fantel? Technically it’s still Spring. So I guess technically I’m squeaking this one in under the wire. 😉

#3 – It feels really great to be behind the lens of my camera again. Seriously. I was having a really hard, depressing few weeks until I pulled out the camera. And just like that, everything felt right again.

#4 – My son graduated college on Mother’s Day weekend. We traveled down to Terre Haute to attend the event. It was long. The keynote speaker was meh. We were in the nose bleed seats.

On the day of the ceremony, my son had yet to get his final grades. So we crossed our fingers that this was really for real as we tried desperately to hear his name called out over various outbursts of cheers and screams that reverberated around stadium.

We are some seriously proud parents! Great job Sam! 🙂

Faux mantel with lanterns and Eucalyptus stems - Simple mantel

#5 – Sorry for that college-graduating-cliffhanger thing, but my son truly did graduate. Officially. The diploma and transcripts arrived last week. Again, so very proud!

#6 – My daughter graduates high school next week. And then it’s off to Colorado for college in August.

I’m already stressing about the logistics of moving her out there without having to make a 15+ hour drive (with + being multiple restroom stops because tiny bladder).

I suppose I’ll UPS some stuff. Buy some stuff there. Get a really big suitcase for her clothes and stuff …

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

#7 – Thank you for sticking around. And coming back when I finally, finally showed up in your in-box.

And now I fear I’ve left some of your comments and messages hanging for months. Thirty-three to be exact. Though some of those may be spam. After I finish working on my next blog post today, I promise I’ll finally get back to you all!

#8 – Last (and least, for now), during the time I stepped away, WordPress (the platform I blog on) decided to change up how I create a blog post. Which seems unnecessary. Downright confusing, in fact.

Perhaps it’s just me getting old, but I’m definitely in the if it ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it camp. You know the one. It’s across the lake from the you-can’t-build-a-better-mouse-trap camp and down the street from let’s-face-it-nothing-is-really-better-than-slice bread spa & resort. 😉

Where Have I Been?

December 3, 2018 By Linda 50 Comments

I was going to start this blog post with a tap, tap, tap, squealing mic sound followed by the “anyone out there” question. But I realized it’s a bit been there, done that in the blog world.

In fact, I may have been there, done that sometime in the past seven years of this blog. 😉

Then I thought I’d just jump in and write a blog post like any other blog post. You know, ignore the giant elephant in the room. Just saunter on in all cool, calm and collected.

Who me?

What do you mean I’ve gone missing?

I’ve been here all along …

Hoping no one noticed my absence for like (checks date of last post) six months.

Gulp. Six months!!!

Yeah, that plan wasn’t going to work.

So I scratched my original post (one I wrote months ago, by-the-by) and decided to hop on that big old elephant. 🙂

It really is quite a large elephant. And one that’s hard to ignore. Especially after I received an email from someone looking to buy my site. That’s right. My inactivity got others thinking they might want to take over.

What????? That’s crazy town.

And while I’m being all true confessions here …

I did not know the pinning service I use (basically to pre-schedule pins from the blog onto Pinterest) shut down.

On June 28.

June. Twenty. Eighth!

I discovered this last month … last month! … when I went to update my pinning schedule.

Oops.

Turns out I’ve been ignoring my emails as well. Because after a little bit of digging sure enough I found an email informing me the pinning service was shuttering their (virtual) doors. Dated sometime in early June.

And I won’t even go into the nasty direct messages sent to my blog’s Facebook page. And my comments thread too.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I’ll go into the nasty direct messages and comments! People have posted things about being disappointed in me and the blog and ending comments with “sad!” Exclamation point included.

And it wasn’t “sad” as in they’re sad because they miss me and my sparkling personality. Nope. It was “sad” in the way the Tweeter-in-Chief ends many of his most critical of his tweets.

Let me tell you, being the recipient of a sad-exclamation-point comment cuts deep.

So why, you’re asking yourself. Why, Linda, have you been missing for (gulp) six months?

Sadly (with no exclamation point) I have no big news. No big life changing event preventing me from blogging. Occupying my time. No moves. No weddings. No births. (Thankfully) no deaths.

Just regular-old-boring life.

And where I was once an enthusiastic creator of words, these past few years I’ve been more of a consumer of words. And, between you and me, a lot of what I’ve consumed has been a real creativity crusher.

That’s all I’ll say about that. Read into what you may.

But it’s time. It’s time to consume a little less …

and it’s time to create a lot more.

Because I realized I need joy again in my life.

And optimism.

And hope.

And, most of all, creativity.

So I’ve been busy honoring the namesake of my blog (and for those of you in the back, that means I’ve been painting again!).

And you know the weirdest thing? I was so oddly excited — and terrified — before hitting the publish button on this post. It almost felt like the very first time I posted a blog post back in October 2011. Which is a good sign. A great sign, in fact. Because I can’t remember the last time I felt so excited.

And with that, I’m back.

I’m decorating. I’m painting. I’m sewing. I’m crafting. I’m cooking. And I’m snapping pictures along the way. And I’ll be sharing all that with you.

Soon.

Like in this week soon. Not in like in six months not-so-soon!

Welcome back, my friends. I’ve missed you! 🙂

Happy! With an exclamation point.

Paint’s Chips

January 6, 2018 By Linda Leave a Comment

You know what I like to do on a chilly Saturday morning? Pour some tea with milk and two Equals (yes, I like my tea sweet & milky) and then get lost down the rabbit hole that is the internet …

with an extra package of sweetener given to blogs that publish weekly round ups of links on the weekends.

A Cup of Jo is a must visit for me on Saturdays. Her round up of links posts typically go up Friday, but I like to savor them over the weekend. A mix of lifestyle, fun (and funny) and fashion.

This is also the time of year that trends for 2018 stories start popping up, like these 2018 home trends predicted by Pinterest. Apparently Sage green is making a comeback … and I don’t know how I feel about that?

If you’re still in that ho ho holiday mode, have I got a link for you …

Jennifer Rizzo puts together an annual holiday housewalk blogger event each year and it’s chock full of amazing decorating inspiration!

And if you’re looking for a book to read, my friend and former colleague from my New York City working days wrote memoir a few years ago called Both Sides Now: A Story of Love, Loss and Bold Living.* I couldn’t put it down. …

Beautiful. Haunting. Hopeful.

Finally, since I didn’t share my own holiday home tour this year (which looked very much like 2017), I thought I’d share some extra cute knit stockings with pom poms that I found at Target early in the season.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. Oh, and stay warm! 🙂

*affiliate link.

Fall Front Porch

October 31, 2017 By Linda 5 Comments

Fall Front Porch – Mums, Pumpkins, Skulls & Skeletons.

Today’s post is brought to you by the merry trio of shoulda, coulda, woulda.

Let’s start with shoulda …

as in I shoulda swept the porch steps before taking these pictures. 🙂

There’s no amount of photo editing magic I can do to remove those random leaves and twigs and muddy spots.

For coulda …

I coulda spent a few minutes Googling “how to take care of mums.” Because clearly no Googling of mum care took place. 🙂

Like seriously, what is my major problem with keeping green things alive? I swear the mums were quivering when I walked into the nursery, hoping I wouldn’t take them home. They could smell it on me. Plant death …

And for woulda?

I got nothing.

Sorry.

But I spent yesterday pretty much like this …

as I refreshed my Twitter feed. And then like this …

as I read thread after thread by some of the best legal minds on Twitter.

And now I’m off to buy Halloween candy for all those trick-or-treaters who will be ascending those random-leaf-and-twigs-and-muddy-spotted steps this afternoon.

And, yes, I realize I’m late at getting the candy. But yesterday I was all, you know ^^^^^^^

🙂

Happy Halloween!

P.S. The skeletons were my daughter’s idea for this year’s front porch.

Merry Stress-Mas

December 28, 2015 By Linda 3 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Adaptil® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Nature versus nurture.

That’s the ongoing discussion we have around here about Ernie the rescue beagle.

You see, we got him from the shelter when he was one year old. Skinny and sad and stressed. And it’s the stressed part we continue to wonder about. Was it a natural trait he was born with …

or was it a nurtured condition as part of the environment he lived in during his first year of life?

We hate to think that Ernie was treated unfairly. I suspect he spent a lot of time crated and alone. Which makes me sad. And even after the six years he’s lived here … getting lots of love and pets and walks and crate-free time on the furniture … I fear he fears we will leave him at the shelter one day.

It should also come as no surprised that this nature versus nurture rescue pup gets even more stressed during the holidays ….

Ernie doesn’t deal with change very well. Especially when it displaces him. And when an ornament falls off the tree he practically jumps out of his skin! Then there’s all the boxes and wrapping paper and bows and plastic bags from shopping trips (he’s especially scared of plastic bags) …

And you know what stresses Ernie even more than the holidays? When I put a sign on his chair and point the camera his way. 🙂

Sorry Ernie!

So when the folks at Adaptil® asked if I’d like to try out their pet stress relief products, I jumped at the chance.

These products, which come in various forms including a collar, wipes, a spray, and a diffuser, are not a drug. They replicate pheromones, which are naturally produced by mother dogs after giving birth. It’s a familiar scent that helps dogs and puppies feel calm and secure. In fact, most pet clinics use Adaptil® products in their exam rooms (who knew?).

I started with the adjustable collar that’s activated by a dog’s body heat. This collar can stay on 24/7 and will work for one month. They also sent a stuffed blanket dog that I used the wipes on ….

Ernie was unsure at first …

But seems to have warmed up to the little guy (though he did gnaw on that puppy blanket later in the day).

I’m most interested in how the diffuser will work on Christmas day. Ernie spends a large portion of the day alone when we head out to the suburbs for Christmas dinner and I know it really causes him a great deal of stress. I suspect he stares out the window much of the day, willing our car to drive down the street. Jumping at ever horn honking and door slamming …

poor Ernie …

so I’m hopeful Adaptil® can help with his nurtured Christmas day stresses. Though I’m doubtful it will help with his unreasonable fear of plastic bags …

🙂 Happy Holidays!

To Find out more about Adaptil® check them out on Facebook

Ernie’s Visible Differences …

November 20, 2015 By Linda 4 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of IAMS™ for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. When I signed Ernie up for the IAMS™ Visible Differences challenge I was skeptical.

I can’t help it. I’m just built that way.

But I signed us up anyway. Because the health and wellness of our furriest family member is a top priority.

The first round of skepticism crept in when I picked up my first bag of IAMS™ quality dog food. I worried Ernie wouldn’t play along from the get go. We had a bit of a Mexican stand-off when we first brought him home from the shelter. Ernie’s a fussy puppy and he adamantly refused to eat the chow we put out for him. Two days into his hunger strike, we broke down and bought a different brand. So you can imagine my surprise when he took to the IAMS™ food right away.

Take that, skeptical Linda.

But my true skepticism was related the three visible differences IAMS™ promised.

Let’s start with the first: his appearance.

Now, Ernie’s a handsome dude. And I’m not just saying that. People have actually stopped me in the street to compliment his good looks. But I have to admit, his coat does look shinier. Sleeker. And his fur is much softer and more pet-able. That is, when he deems it okay to give him a pet. He’s a bit of a prima dona when it comes to pets.

Ernie shaking off a pet.

Take that, skeptical Linda.

The next IAMS visible difference is … well … his output. You know, the stuff I have to bend down and pick up with a plastic bag. Because Ernie’s a city dog and it’s the law …

No, I won’t show you what it looks like. But I will show you where we dispose of it: the trash cans in the alley.

… and the right and neighborly thing to do. 🙂

The difference here is not only visible, it’s smell-able too. I know, eew. All I’ll say is this less-than-pleasant task has been a little less unpleasant since the IAMS™ switch. And easier to pick up too. Enough said.

Take that again, skeptical Linda.

The final visible difference is energy level. And this has been the biggest change of all. In the first month, he reverted to his stealing sock puppy ways. In the second month, he got a daily burst of crazy pup energy that found him running circles around the dining room table.

And in the third month? Well, in the third month he started doing something he hasn’t done sine before his double knee surgeries last year: jumping up on our bed.

Needless to say, baby gates are in use again. Mostly because I worry his jumping on and off the bed will lead to future knee problems and (gulp) more expensive surgeries.

Take that again and again, skeptical Linda.

Now I would love to show you an action shot of Ernie jumping and running. But (again) we worry about stress on his knees. So you’ll just have to settle for his favorite activity of the day: Taking a walk with dad …

Thanks IAMS™ for putting the puppy back in our pup … and for showing this skeptic up. 🙂

Christmas in October

October 31, 2015 By Linda 10 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of At Home for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know what you’re thinking.

You wake up on a crisp autumn day. But it’s not just any autumn day. It’s a rare Saturday Halloween day.

A day destined (weather permitting) to draw a big trick-or-treating crowd.

But it’s hours away before the princesses and goblins and ghosts come a knocking. So you decide to bide your time by going online. Check email. And Facebook. And Twitter. And Pinterest. And Instagram.

And then you see it.

In your inbox. An email from It All Started With Paint.

You click through. Happy to see me on a crisp Saturday morning.

And then you see it.

Christmas.

On Halloween!

I know, I know.

But I couldn’t help myself. Especially when At Home came a knocking on my door. Asking if I’d like to check out their home decor superstore.

Um, yeah.

And if I’d like to share some of their amazing Christmas decor with you, my amazing readers.

Um, yeah.

On Halloween.

Um … gulp.

Meanwhile, my family didn’t even do a double take when they walked past a Christmas tree in the dining room. In October! 🙂

So let’s talk At Home. They’re billed as the home decor superstore. A one-stop-shop for all your indoor and outdoor decor needs. And they don’t disappoint.

Seriously. This place is huge. Football field-times-ten huge with aisle after aisle of amazing home decor for inside and out. They have everything. Everything! And if you can’t find it there, you won’t find it anywhere.

Seriously.

I’m thinking At Home is where every other store goes shopping to stock their stores. It’s that big. And that comprehensive.

Their At Home Christmas Decor alone occupied a small city. The tree lot covers an acre of fun with over 100 Christmas Trees to choose from. Each tree is curated because of a unique feature and every tree in the store (with the exception of 1) is exclusive to At Home! Which was perfect. Because I really wanted a tree for the dining room. But the space is limited, so I thought it wasn’t an option. Until I found the Tree for Me — a 7 footer with a 34″ circumference.

Perfect for my small space in the corner!

And their everyday low prices are amazing too. I was tempted to pick up a Tree for Me for every room of the house!

And to tie in with the red and white decor I introduced last year, I picked up red and white ornaments from one of their fifteen decorative themes: Peppermint Jazz.

Christmas-Tree-Red-White-Ornaments (6 of 17) 2

Accented by red and white balls …

Christmas-Tree-Red-White-Ornaments (11 of 17)

And red and white sprigs …

Christmas-Tree-Red-White-Ornaments (9 of 17)

Topped with a Santa hat …

Oh wait. What’s that? Could it be a knock on the door …

or maybe a sleigh landing on the roof?

🙂

Red & White Christmas Tree Decor

If you’re up for browsing even more Christmas decor in October, you might also like:

Red, White, Black Holiday Table Setting (click here)

Holiday Home Tour (click here)

Want to keep up with my projects? It’s easy. Get it all started with paint delivered to your email inbox:

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Man’s Best Friend

October 13, 2015 By Linda 6 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Iams for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

A video was circulating online testing the validity of the man’s best friend claim. Pet owners, while walking their dogs, would pretend to faint. And then record their best friend’s reactions.

And you know what? Your dog is not as loyal as you think.

Dogs did not rush to their owners sides. No whimpers were heard. No faces licked. No lifeless bodies nudged. In fact, most stopped when their owners dropped. Perplexed. A few kept on walking as if nothing happened. And more than one took it as an opportunity escape.

I fear Ernie might fall into the latter group. 😉

“Who me?”

And I fear Ernie would be a little harder to catch now that he’s on the Iams Visible Differences plan. 🙂

Seriously, though. We’ve been feeding Ernie Iams quality dog food for just about a month now. And we truly do see visible differences.

Starting with his fur.

Not only is his coat nice and shiny, but it seems like he’s just extra soft when we pet him. At least that’s what my daughter insists. And I have to agree.

“Go ahead. Pet me. I know you want to.”

And can we talk energy?

He’s a bundle of energy now. He thinks he’s a puppy again and has been resorting to some of his old puppy ways. Things he hasn’t done in over a year. And things we had completely forgotten about. Like sneaking upstairs and stealing socks. Then racing around the dining room table with the socks in his mouth. Taunting us to chase after him.

Holds head in shame.

And then there’s the “back end” business.

I’ll spare the gory details, but will just say that picking up his business is a lot easier. And a lot less “messy” since we’ve switched his diet to Iams. Enough said.

“Really, mom? Did you have to go there?”

We’ll be doing another Ernie check-in at the two month mark. At this pace, I’m pretty sure we’ll be announcing his entry in the Westminster Dog Show …

🙂

P.S. In an ironic twist at the end of the video testing the loyalty of man’s best friend, a bird owner pretended to faint. And the bird was very concerned. It rushed to its owner’s side. It nudged its owner. It squawked in concern. It basically showed all the traits we expect to elicit from our dogs. Turns out birds are really man’s best friend. 😉

#Iamsdifference #ad

Paint’s Chips

October 10, 2015 By Linda 3 Comments

It’s time to come clean. To fess up. To admit to an embarrassing truth.

I have 41,272 emails saved in my inbox.

Scary, right? And the idea of cleaning it up is daunting.

Honestly, I’ve been worried that Yahoo is going to cut me off. Suspend my account. Wipe it clean as if it never existed.

And then …

A maintenance mode screen popped up when I was checking mail. Something about settings. And letting me know how much space my 41,000+ emails was occupying. With a warning about how many emails I have left to receive.

54 million.

What???

Yes, you read that right. I have room in my inbox for 54 million more emails. 54 MILLION!

And now cleaning up my inbox has become a very low priority item on my priority list. 😉

Which leaves with even more free time to surf the Internets for inspiration. Like this gorgeous bedroom …

I think my daughter and I have finally found the inspiration for her bedroom makeover (take 2). We both fell in love with the colors and the bed and just about everything in the guest room at The Picket Fence Projects (click here).

And speaking of inspirational kids rooms, I love the explorer themed space Carrie at Lovely Etc. created for her little guy (click here).

Finally, Ashley at Bigger Than The Three of Us has a genius idea for creating a rolling plant stand from a tree stump (click here).

The next time a tree falls on one of our cars (yes, that really did happen), I’ll ask the city’s clean up crew for a few slices. 🙂

Happy Sunday!

And feel free to send me an email. I have room left for 54 million and counting …

Paint’s Chips

October 3, 2015 By Linda 6 Comments

Today it’s all about inspiration.

Photo Sources (left to right, top to bottom):

99% of the time blogging is a solitary activity. Well, for this blogger it is. Which can be lonely.

But it’s all worth it for the 1%. Because the glorious, amazing, inspirational, pinch-myself-is-this-really-happening-to-me 1% wipes away that solitude. And loneliness.

This past week was all about the 1% …

and it was amazing!

Starting with the amazing Amy Howard, who generously opened her home to the Ace Hardware Bloggers for dinner and drinks. There was also live music with a piano player and singer.

And can I just say how amazingly gorgeous — and inspirational — Amy Howard’s home was? It’s her pied-à-terre as her new home in the country is being built. And it’s gorgeous. Do you see that collage up there? Yep. All rooms in her house …

and all rooms pulled together with amazing furniture pieces she has personally rescued and beautifully restored.

A-MA-ZING!

(P.S. All those photos were taken by my fellow Ace bloggers and posted on their Instagram accounts. I recommend you follow them all!).

And then there was the amazing inspirational Amy Howard workshop we attended. Taught by Amy herself. Where I learned painting techniques that I thought were well beyond my reach …

Photo Credits:

Ace Hardware on Instagram | The Gathered Home on Instagram | How To Nest for Less on Instagram

Phew.

It was whirlwind.

It was inspirational.

And it was fun to get to know my fellow Ace bloggers better. We shared tips. We shared stories. And I left Memphis feeling truly inspired …

and a little less alone in this blogging world.

Now for some inspirational links for you this weekend, I encourage you to check out my Ace blogger buddies …

Cassie at Primitive & Proper

Brynne at The Gathered Home

Erin at How To Nest for Less

Kim at Yellow Brick Home

Tasha at Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body

Michelle at 4 Men 1 Lady

Alison at Henhouse (who couldn’t make it to Memphos, but has a gorgeous blog with gorgeous photography).

Wishing you have an inspirational weekend!

🙂

P.S. You, too, can attend an Amy Howard workshop. Ace launched a national sweepstakes where people can enter to win a trip for two to Memphis to attend an Amy Howard workshop, plus a $500 Ace gift card to buy Amy Howard products when they get back home. Click here for contest details and to enter.

Sharing @ Inspiration Monday