Pure Bliss!

Yes! It is true, I am in a pure bliss state right now. Even though I am at work, Riann broke her hand, and I'm totally stressed out about my $6 Halloween Happy Hour this weekend, I feel completely serene and blissful. I have a fun filled weekend ahead, it is my mom's 50th birthday, my crazy aunts are in town, and a few other surprises for my mom along the way! ( I cannot reveal right now incase she reads this!) It is going to be so much fun and so eventful! I cannot wait!

So in honor of me feeling extra blissful right now I wanted to highlight one of my favorite catalogs I hoard in the mail. Bliss Living Home

They have the most luxurious bedding, bath, and home furnishings that I have ever seen. I don't even exactly know how I came across this company. (No they are not paying me to say this, though I wish they were!)  Once I saw this catalog in my mailbox, I was drunk with love and I was hooked. It is just enough for me to look at the pictures of this catalog for inspiration and awe. (Disclaimer: I have never actually bought anything, so don't hold me responsible if you do and you end up hating them I can only recommend how peaceful, inspired, and blissful the catalog makes me feel.)

First off this stuff is way, way, way far out of my price range and budget but I just love to look at how dramatic it all is.

I wish I had the guts to do this Kahuna comforter in my bedroom. I love how it almost hurts your eyes to look at it because it is so vivid.

I love these Wings Pillows. So cute and luscious! I am now trying to figure out how I can DIY this idea. If you have suggestions, let me know!

I love Koi fish and I love copper, so I'm in total love with this Koi on Copper print! It would be perfect over my fireplace.

This Oliver Sheet Set is exactly what I am looking for in my bedroom redo:

A little bit modern, but simple. Silver and white. I love them. Since my little **hint*hint** worked last time, I thought I would give it a try again. So **hint*hint** these would be a perfect Christmas gift this year for me! Heck, they are even on SALE!

My sister lives in Vancouver and it is my favorite place on this earth so this Canada Passport Pillow made my heart skip a beat.

The Canada Passport Pillow looks so perfect on this Amelie Green Duvet!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so they also have these amazing products for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Like this Osaka Pillow! I love the frilly flower details next to the smooth silver silk.

Even better that they donate a portion of the proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

"We GIVE 20% of proceeds from orders placed on products featured in this event to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, you RECEIVE free shipping. Simply enter the code SUSANGKOMEN during the checkout process to participate and to support breast cancer awareness."

So look, buy, and drool over these photos and I hope in some way I gave you a lil' bit-o-bliss today.

Up ahead are my $6 Halloween Happy Hour, Carmel Apple Salad, and Blood Orange Sangria! Stay tuned and have a great weekend! (I know I will!!)

Feature!

I'm so happy to announce that I was featured today on Better After!

Well not me personally but my ugly oil pipe fence before and beautiful new fence after!! Check it out!


Better After is an awesome blog that doesn't beat around the bush. It cuts right to the before and after photos of different projects! Love it!
 
Thanks again Better After for my feature!!! I added one of your buttons to my blog so my readers can easily check you out too!

Light Bright, Light Brite!

My friend Jen and her husband Wayne had a question about putting a light fixture in her dining room. I'm no professional but I love to help on house things whenever I can!

Here is her email:
"I wanted your opinion. We are desperately in need of a light fixture for our dining space. Besides the fact that the existing light is U.G.L.Y., if we get that San Antonio job, we'll need to sell the house and a chandelier/pendant/whatever will help a lot with staging. The problem is, I need it to be fairly inexpensive and I can't find anything that Wayne and I both agree on. He wants something simple, cheap and able to go very bright - I want something a little funky but neutral enough that it will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. Any ideas?? (Our fridge is stainless steel but the fixture in the family room is oil rubbed bronze. So a silvery finish OR a rubbed bronze finish will work.) Our dining room table is 4 1/2 ft in diameter, if that helps size-wise.

Thanks for all your help!! :)"

Here are Jen's photos of her dining room and current dining room light fixture. (The matching light fixture farther in the back of the photo has since been replaced with an oil rubbed bronze fan and light.)

 I'm all too familiar with this light, I have one in my house too...

So I scoured lighting fixtures and found some really great, inexpensive pieces online. Some places that I didn't expect would have some like Wal-Mart and Ikea, did have some good and stylish options! So I put together a mood board of light fixtures I found.

(Photo and Light Sources: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7)

So to break it down: Jen asked for a lil' funky but neutral. Wayne wanted function over form. I really hope I "set the mood" for them. Well umm, not in that way, but with finding a light fixture.

Jen said that her favorite was #2 and that was my favorite too. It was found on ebay of all things. So I think I inspired her to do some looking on her own and she found one at Overstock.com!

I think it will be perfect for her dining room!

(photo source: Overstock)

Jen, I can't wait to see the after pictures after you get it hung!! It is perfect! Thanks for letting me help you! It was fun!! Please check out Jen's blog: Call Me Crazy! You will die laughing/crying/ and relating!

Punkin'

Hope you all had a great weekend! I just wanted to show you what I got this weekend! I think they are really cute!!

It's almost Halloween!!

BOO Tags WINNER!!

Today one lucky follower will get shipped to their house this precious package of my handmade BOO tags!

I counted each follower from 1-31, from the bottom up, and got a random number from random.org and the winner is, at 12:01pm central time.........

Number 19! Congrats to:

 ***Retromodgirl***

Email me at Swiss Avenue with your mailing address so I can get these BOO tags to you!

I really appreciate all my new followers and sweet comments!

New giveaways for the rest of y'all are coming soon!!!

Thanks Y'all!

Thanks to all for my sweet comments, support, and for being my followers! In celebration of Halloween and getting sixteen followers today, I'm going to have my first ever give away! YAY!

I appreciate y'all so much that I'm selecting one of you lucky followers at random (courtesy of Random.org) to receive a complimentary set of my BOO tags! (Shoot me an email at Swiss Avenue if you wish to NOT be entered.)

Here are my tags in action.

Note: Apothocary Jars and other decorations are not included in this give away!

Tags (three of them) will come hole punched, with a coordinating ribbon, and ready for your use! They can be used like in the photo above or hung anywhere in the house to add to your own Halloween Decor!

The winner will be announced in tomorrow's posting. So check back tomorrow and if you are the winner please email me at Swiss Avenue with your mailing address. If I get any followers from now until tomorrow's posting they will be entered unless I hear otherwise. So if you have been thinking about following me, NOW is the time!

Don't forget to email me at Swiss Avenue if you wish to NOT be included.

Fine Print: Due to shipping costs I can only ship to the followers addresses in the Continental US. No purchase necessary. Winner must be 18 years or older.

Rock It Out, Now Rock It Out. Yes I Rock It Out!

My rock flower bed thingy was finished this weekend and I cannot take all of the credit. I had three bags of rocks left to pour on and I went to a see a friends baby and came home to it being magically done for me!
I didn't take a before before photo, but I did have during photos that probably looked worse than the actual before photos. Well maybe not, imagine this mess below plus over grown plants and a whole lotta weeds.

Before/During/Muddy Mess:

After: so fresh and so clean, clean:

First I pulled out the massive amount of weeds that were in the flower bed. I then cut the weed blocker tarp into shapes around my rose bushes, liles, and crape myrtle. (Don't mind the chewed siding by the doggie door. That is getting replaced next!)

I cleaned and trimmed up all the existing plants that I wanted to keep.

Then I started pour the rock. I love how it instantly gave me a beachy feel!

I noticed early on in the project that I didnt have enough of the Mexican river pepples (the grayish color stones), but those bags were $15 vs. the $4 bags of pond rocks (the brownish color stones).

So I decided to make a sort of a "river" running through it look.

Do you see the "river" ?

That way I was able to use less of the expensive Mexican river stones (gray) and more of the more cost effective pond stones (brownish).

I did really like the Mexian river rock better, but I just decided that fifteen bags X $15 each = was not in this budget.

I do like how it turned out and I am happy to say I haven't seen one weed yet! (Plenty of falling leaves though, ugh!)

Let me know about your Rockin' Out projects!

River Rockin' Out!

I decided to finally tear out all the weeds in my back yard flower bed and pour in pretty new river rocks in their place. The rocks are providing the double duty action of looking cool and blocking out future weeds. In my nit witty head I envisioned pretty stone beds with ornate flowers and plants equally placed at exactly four inches apart.

Photo courtsey of: Shed Style

I also saw pretty contrast of cool gray rocks against lively and vibrant green plants.

Photo courtsey of: Silk-Flower-Smart

A place where there were no weeds or unsightlys in sight.

Photo courtsey of: Shed Style

 I worked tirelessly for five hours last Sunday. I cut weed blocker tarp into  intricate shapes and sizes to go around the existing plants. I made a trip to Home Depot where I hauled twelve heavy bags of river rock, (I guess I should say Riann hauled them, but I was there cheering her on) off the shelf, into the car, then out to the back yard. I made very good progress in those five hours, silly me I thought it would only take one! Nit wit I know! I did make a muddy mess but it's all cleaned up now! So after all that then I finally realized I actually needed fifteen heavy bags of river rock, not twelve, so I quit. Role model I know, but it was getting late, Home Depot was closed and I was oh-so-sore.

Stay tuned for my before and after shots of my Rockin' River Rock Flower Bed with no weeds. It may take me a while to get it posted because I have come to realize that I strained my hamstring during my five hour river rock romp. So it is going to take me a while to put the extra three bags of rocks out. Epsom salt baths every night and I'll be back out there this weekend, I swear!

Follow Up on Fall

I added and subtracted some things from my fall decor.  Just something wasn't right so I played around with it a little bit today.

I added some old books that were on my mantle under my ceramic pumpkin.

I felt like something was missing before, but now after the addition of the books I feel like it is complete!

I also removed the haunted house sign and put it outside where it belongs. So how do you like this small update?

And now with more room on my fire place mantle I was able to add my white ceramic pumpkins and jack-o- lantern votives.

So my house is slowly becoming a fall haven, and I still haven't spent a single copper penny!

Fall Flair!

I know you have been waiting with baited breath for my after photos of my fall entry way. Well I finished it up tonight and I'm very pleased to announce that I did it without buying one single thing. I used leftover materials that I had around the house from previous projects and parties.

Here is the before, sad and plain, entry way shot:

The new fall flair entry way:

I tied my BOO tags on the apothocary jar lids.

The tags are tied with some black and white ribbon I had left over from the French Classy Shower.

I then filled the jars with faux pumpkins and gourds that I have had for six years. I used left over moss from my onesie flower pot in the middle jar. Then in the big jar, I pushed in harvest corn cobs that I had last year tied to the front door.

Here is the before, the pitiful empty jars:

After: Fall and full!

 The black urn and damask table runner are both left over from my French Classy Shower, and the ceramic pumpkin I bought at CVS four years ago for .50 cents. (at an after Halloween clearance price!) I have had the haunted house sign for six years and the orange felt chandelier hanging off a drawer knob at the bottom of the table I got at Michael's clearance last year for .50 cents.

I feel like after Halloween I can take off the BOO tags, remove the haunted house sign, chandelier, and maybe the damask table runner and then I can keep this decor out through Thanksgiving! Talk about versatile! My vow is complete! I didn't spend a dime and I think it turned out alright! (Sure I could have hoarded my way through Target, Home Goods, and Michael's but I didn't and I like it even that much more that I didn't buy a thing!)

Let me know what versatile fall decor you put out this year!

Boo!

I thought that this year I just wouldn't feel like decorating for Halloween. I thought about it being too expensive, too much effort, and too messy, but tonight I got in the fall mood and I vowed not to spend a dime on anything! I saw this blank canvas entry way table that was in major need of sprucing up for the fall festivities.

Before: So plain and crying for some fall flair:

These perfect and versitile apothocary jars are just begging me to be filled with lil' punkin's and fall things.

So to get started I first I laid down this black and white damask runner that I had left over from my French Classy Shower. It was a fabric piece that I got for $4.00.

Then I started by making tags that spelled out BOO to tie on these jars.

I cut the tags out of orange floral paper that I have, using a packing label as a template.

I traced on the plain side of the paper so the pencil wouldn't smear on the front. Sometimes I'm smart.

Only sometimes.

Then I used stencils that my mom gave me, that she used back in her teaching days, to trace the individual letters.

I used a Sharpie to color the letters in black.

Then I put them all together and here's the finished result:

They were so simple and I think they turned out so precious. They seriously took me about five minutes to create! That is including the several stops I had to make to yell at the dog to stop bumping me! I needed a steady hand, dang it!

I used materials for these tags that I already owned so they didn't cost me anything! Yay, my vow is still in tact!Stay tuned for the fall finish on my sad and plain apothocary jars and entry way table to see if I stuck out my vow not to spend a dime!