Show and Tell Friday!

Once again I'm sharing something that I've shared here before. Sorry! The end of the week always seems to sneak up on me and then I find myself not prepared!This is a giant cupcake I made from my "cupcake" cake pan, it looks just like the one below.I love this cake pan. It was so funny...last weekend Lauren and I were at Bed, Bath and Beyond and she yelled out "look they have one of those giant

Beatrix Potter

I love Beatrix Potter and I have such fond memories of reading her stories to my children when they were little. I even decorated Vince's nursery with some Peter Rabbit things when he was a baby. If you want a chance to win a Beatrix Potter print (or another print of your choice), click on over to my Product Review page. (click on "Product Review Page" to get there)

A Day at Carmel

Last Saturday a couple friends and I went to Carmel for the day. These two friends and I will be going on monthly day trips around Northern California so I'll make sure I bring my camera where ever we go in the future. The weather wasn't great on Saturday but at least it wasn't raining (just very overcast).Our plan was to have lunch and go shopping! When we got there we parked right in front of

I'm ready to pick flowers now!

I went to Carmel with some friends on Saturday. I'll share more photos of that tomorrow but today I wanted to show you what I bought!I remember seeing one of these in a magazine years and years ago, I think it was in the old Victoria magazine and I've always wanted one but never saw one for sale anywhere! It's a basket on a pole that you can stick into the soil in your garden to hold your

New Homes at Madeira Sell Like Hot Cakes!

So, how did it go at the Grand Re-Opening at Madeira at Del Sur earlier this month?

Fantastic!!!

Seven of eight home sites released on Saturday, February 16th at Madeira at Del Sur were sold with the eighth reserved the following day.

The demand is so great that in response another phase is scheduled to be released this Saturday, the 27th. Prices are expected to start from the low $500,000s.

New Homes Builder

“Buyers are excited and appreciate the value and features Shea Homes offers compared to the competition,” said Vanessa Linn, vice president of sales and marketing for Shea Homes. “We had 16 pre-qualified buyers lined up for the re-opening of this family-friendly neighborhood, and the sales office is seeing 100-plus people coming in to the model homes every week.”

Spanning approximately 1,785 to 2,269 square feet, Madeira at Del Sur’s six floor plans have two and three stories, three to five bedrooms, 2.5 to 3.5 bathrooms and two-car garages. The new homes are enhanced for outdoor living and entertaining by spacious courtyards or patios. The floor plans feature great rooms adjacent to gourmet island kitchens and family-sized dining rooms. Select Madeira homes will incorporate roof-integrated solar electric panels. Blending seamlessly with the roof tiles, and adding value and functionality, the solar panels reduce energy expenses.

New Homes San Diego

Del Sur has a strong environmental ethic, which is evident throughout its residential neighborhoods, within its construction practices and in its recreational amenities, including eight proposed private parks and 18 miles of hiking trails spread out over 1,800 acres of dedicated open space. All of the parks are designed to be energy efficient, with solar-heated pools, and attractive landscaping featuring drought-resistant plantings that use only reclaimed water. Cost savings from these conservation efforts are passed along to residents. The pedestrian-friendly community of Del Sur will have an eventual 2,500 homes

For more information call 858-832-1309 or visit www.SheaHomes.com.

Let me introduce you...

I recently found Sandy's blog ~ My Shabby Streamside Studio and I just have to share it with all of you! She has this adorable teeny-tiny cottage which is her studio and it is the cutest thing ever! Sort of like a grown-up girl's playhouse! Look...(Click on photos to enlarge) Sandy had left me a message to check out her chicken wire cabinets after she saw mine. I love this... I love how she has

The Monthly Giveaway Party Lives On!

My monthly giveaway party ended in December 2009 but I'm happy to announce that Tales from an OC Cottage will be taking it over! You can copy the html code above and put it on your sidebar to spread the word! It will be the first Saturday of each month and if you have something to giveaway you can link up there! If you are new to blogging, link ups are a great way to get new visitors to your

Show and Tell Friday

It's Show and Tell Friday time! We've had some great weather here for the past week and it's really has me in the mood for Spring! The trees around here are flowering and the daffodils are blooming. There are still quite a few bare trees around but I see leaves starting to sprout from the branches! February is always the worst month for my allergies. Our driveway and all the cars are covered

Love these...

Awhile back I came across Paula's beautiful blog called Castles and Cottages. She makes these gorgeous signs! I asked her if I could share them with all of you because I know if I liked them so much so would most of you! This is just a small sampling of what she has for sale on her website and she also sells on etsy! This one below is my favorite. I'm redoing my bedroom soon and I'm thinking of

Santa Cruz and The Flea Market

Sunday morning I got up really early and headed to the Santa Cruz Flea Market. I was on a mission to find things for my etsy shop. The Santa Cruz Flea Market is not a "pretty" Flea Market. It looks more like a bunch of junk....lots and lots of junk! People are selling things that most of us would throw away! You really have to look for the treasures there! One of the treasures I found this

Drip, Drip, Drip...

No, my roof's not leaking! Something else is dripping! Do you notice anything different on my chandelier up there? I added some drips to my plastic covers. I can't take credit for this wonderful idea though, I saw it on someone else's blog a long time ago. I can't remember who's blog it was so if you know, please let me know so I can give her credit. UPDATE: Thank you Shari for letting me know

Save over $55,000 for New Home in Northern California, Oakley

Save over $55,000 on this Northern California Home in Contra Costa County!

Features of this new home in Oakley in the community of Summer Lake – Painted Shore include:

• 5 Bedrooms / 3 Baths
• 3,736 Sq. Ft.
• 3 Car Garage - 2 Car plus 1 Car Tandem Garage
• Two-tone paint throughout
• Upgraded Beech cabinets with a honey finish
• Pre-wired for Home Theatre system
• Additional lighting and a large tile entry

Painted Shore is one of four distinctively different neighborhoods, ranging from approximately 2790 to over 3700 square feet, with up to five bedrooms and three baths, plus many extras such as bonus rooms and retreats.

New Homes Builder

AND, receive a $10,000 credit towards closing cost if you use Shea Mortgage!

In Northern California, Shea Homes also has new home communities in the following areas: Antioch, Benicia, Brentwood, El Dorado Hills, Escondido, Lathrop, Livermore, Mountain House, Mountain View, Oakley, Patterson, Rio Vista, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, Santa Clara, and West Sacramento.

Some little changes

This weekend I did something that I have wanted to do for a very long time! I replaced the square grid metal front of my blue cabinet with galvanized chicken wire and I added some toile fabric (left over from my dining room chairs) to the back of the cabinet and I love how it turned out! It has a much more French Country feel to it now. Here is what it used to look like (you can click on any

Happy Valentines Day!

I'm very late getting this post up today but I wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! I hope you had a great one! I spent the morning at the Santa Cruz Flea Market and then went back home and picked Lauren up and we went back to the beach for lunch and then back to the flea market because I found a crystal chandelier that I regretted not buying in the morning! Luckily it was still

Show and Tell Friday

It's time once again for Show and Tell Friday! Thanks to all of you that join in every week, I just wish there were more hours in the day so I could visit each one of you. I apologize if I haven't made it to your blog to see your show and tell, it's not that I don't want to (I really do), it's just that I don't have enough time with working full time and everything else and I also have to share

Gorgeous Cupcakes!

I'll be back later tonight with my Show and Tell post! I'll leave you with a mosaic I made awhile back of some cupcakes that are too pretty to eat! These photos were found on Flickr. Photo credit here.

Shopping Fun!

Shopping is so much fun now that I can buy things for my etsy shop! I haven't been buying much for myself lately because my apartment is bursting at the seams and I really don't need anything else. The good thing now is that I can still go to thrift stores and flea markets and look for treasures...I don't know why that is so much fun but it is!!! It's funny but buying for my etsy shop is a lot

Free Homebuying Seminar February 20th - New Homes San Diego

Shea Homes San Diego is hosting a free homebuying seminar on February 20th in at the Winding Oaks Recreation Center at Windingwalk Chula Vista.

Time: 1-3pm

Date: February 20th, 2010

Discover how easy it is to purchase a beautiful new home.

- Learn about 100% VA financing and low down payment FHA loans.

- Find out about easy qualifying with VA and FHA financing.

- See how you can save with no closing costs or reduced closing costs.**

- Find out how to take advantage of home ownership tax benefits.

- Learn about Shea’s Customer Plus+ Program.

Get answers to all your homebuying questions and take the first step toward home ownership at our free Homebuying Seminar.

Plus enter to WIN a $1,000 gift card from Target just for attending.

Visit this link to register.
http://www.sheahomes.com/campaigns/homebuying-seminar/

New Homes of the Future: Upcoming SPACES Sneak Peek

In the future, new homes will be smarter. They will support your plugged-in lifestyle. They will emphasize efficiency; like built-in flat screen TVs. The will feel bigger by focusing on space you actually use. They will be as intelligent as today’s new home buyer. Be among the first to explore the first new-home concept of its kind, with the opening of SPACES at Reunion.

Come take a sneak peek as SPACES makes its Colorado debut!

When: Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Time: 7pm

Where: The Reunion Rec Center at 104th & Tower Road

17910 East Parkside Drive North

Commerce City, CO 80022

(follow signs from community main entrance on 104th)

Phone: 303-286-7601

Reunion Colorado is one of Shea Home’s newest master planned communities. Reunion offers new homes in a wide variety of styles and price ranges. As the premier master planned community in the northeast metro Denver area, Reunion provides convenient access to downtown Denver, Aurora, and is just minutes from E-470 and Denver International Airport (DIA).

The name Reunion was chosen to represent a deep appreciation for the past, a sense of wonder about the future, and a commitment to living every moment to the fullest.

New Homes Builder

Over time, Reunion will connect people through lasting friendships and create a place where each resident is free to pursue happiness - his or her own way. That makes Reunion something entirely new – a community created for the pursuit of happiness.

To help ensure the highest possible quality of life for residents, all of the planning efforts at Reunion were framed by the following four principles:

1. QUALITY COMMUNITY DESIGN

2. BRINGING HOME THE CLASSICS

3. CREATING NEIGHBORHOODS NOT SUBDIVISIONS

4. "NEW SUBURBANISM": PUTTING OLD IDEAS AHEAD OF THEIR TIME

New Homes by Shea Homes

It's almost here!!!

Finally, it's almost time for Flea Market Style to hit the stands! It's going to be so wonderful to have a new magazine to read when so many others have left forever. They sent me a photo of the cover of the first issue to post here and I'm offering one lucky winner a free copy! It's been so much fun to watch this wonderful journey that my blogging friend Linda ~ Restyled Home has taken. I

Cookies and Cake!

I've had a few people ask me recently why I haven't been posting recipes on my blog like I did in the past. Well, it's because I've been trying to stay on my diet and haven't really found any great diet foods to blog about. The diet went out the window this weekend because I not only made cookies but cake too! Last night I made these snickerdoodles and they might possibly be the best

New Homes Madeira Del Sur On Sale This Saturday

New Homes Builder San Diego

A reminder that sales at Madeira at Del Sur are scheduled to begin this Saturday, February 13th.

The model home complex has re-opened for sales information. Prices are expected from the low $500,000s and a new floor plan will be introduced in addition to the original floor plans that were sold out from the first 74 homes in the heritage-inspired master-planned community in mid-2008.

The half dozen two- and three-story floor plans range from approximately 1,785 to 2,269 square feet, with three to five bedrooms, 2.5 to 3.5 bathrooms and two-car garages.

The new homes include courtyards or patios and great rooms adjacent to island kitchens. Select homes will incorporate roof-integrated solar electric panels.

Del Sur recreational amenities include eight proposed private parks and 18 miles of hiking trails spread out over 1,800 acres of dedicated open space. Del Sur will have an eventual 2,500 homes.

Visit www.SheaHomes.com for more information.

Show and Tell Friday

It Show and Tell Friday again!!! This week seems like it just flew by! I've been so busy packaging up orders from my Vintage etsy shop every night that I didn't have time to take any new photos for Show and Tell today. Luckily after almost 5 years of blogging I have a lot of things in the archives that I can pull out when needed and that's what I did today. This hand painted cake plate was a gift

I found some cloches for you!

I can't tell you how many people have emailed me over the last year or so asking me where I got my etched glass cloche. I got it at Marshalls but they only had two and I never saw them again anywhere. Since I still get so many emails about this I decided to do a google search and see if anyone out there was selling them online and good news...I found some! They look indentical to mine! I

Wednesday Gratitude

Heidi at Heart and Home is hosting "Wednesday Gratitude" every Wednesday starting today! Being grateful is so important to me, I think it's probably the most important thing I've learned in my life. When I was younger (in my 20s & 30s), I always wanted what I didn't have, I was very envious of people that had a nicer car, a prettier house, more clothes...I could go on and on. I found myself so

Do you have a special photo you love?

You've probably seen this photo on my blog many, many times! It was one of my favorite photos of my home and it's even more special to me now that it was in the Feb 2010 issue of Romantic Homes Magazines (ahhh, what a dream come true that was.) If you have a photo you love and would like to do something special with it click here to go see what I'm giving away on my Product Review Blog!

I'm Celebrating!!!

I'm so excited! Jennifer from the Old Painted Cottage has featured my little apartment as "Cottage of the Month" for February (click on that to view)! I anxiously await the first day of each month to see the next home she has featured and now it's my little old apartment! Unbelievable!!! I'm so excited!If you found me for the first time from "Cottage of the Month", I would like to say welcome