Easter Inspiration

This is my grandmother's spoon rest.

Just one of the many treasures I was able to take when we moved her out of her home into assisted living two years ago.

This little carrot inspires me.

It is not so much the carrot itself, although it is darling especially this time of year. My entire life this carrot has been on my grandmother's stove . I like to think about how this little carrot was right there as  my grandmother cooked and served meals for her family year after year. There is a crack in the back and I am sure my grandfather crazy glued it back together for her. I like to wonder about about that little "accident" and think about the story behind it.

I have many treasure from my family...my great-grandmothers dining room set, my grandparent's clock. These are the things that inspire me the most. Far more than any treasure I could ever buy in a store. They represent our real inspiration, the people we love. The reason why we decorate and nest, refresh and renew and seek to create homes that nuture.

So on this Easter weekend filled with bunnies and chicks, eggs and carrots, I share with you my favorite little carrot. I hope it inspires you as well to treasure our true inspirations.

May you enjoy a Happy and Blessed Easter with the people you love.

Inspired By Easter: The Inspired Room

Bookcases: Project & Inspiration

"The greatest university of all is a collection of books." ~Thomas Carlye

I adore books. They are by far my biggest weakness. My dream home would have bookcases in every room.  So building bookcases for our office was a given. I am one lucky girl to have a husband who is a carpenter. Even luckier, that he gave into my crazy scheme of building our own custom shelves.  Especially when it meant that he had to toil for hours in our low-ceiling basement with barely an extra two inches of clearance for his head!

Here are some photos of the man at work.

Here is the bottom portion. He custom built them so they would hold all my 12 x 12 scrapbooks. Ah, love!

I still have to take photos of the finished project, but in the meantime I thought it would be nice to share some other bookcase inspiration.

Coastal Living

Country Living

House Beautiful

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

House Beautiful

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

House Beautiful

Southern Living

Southern Living

Country Living

Cottage Living

Southern Living

Linking to:

Twice Remembered: Make It Monday

DIY Day: A Soft Place to Land

The Inspired Room

Dollar Store Divine: Ladybug Lemonade Favors

It may be hard to believe that I experinced divine intervention in a dollar store. But I did. Really.
 I am in the midst of planning a little sprinkle for my sister who is about to have her second child and her first girl. I am giddy with excitement. I made the invitations...

We chose a ladybug theme and since it is going to be small, only about twelve people, I thought I could have a little fun with the favors. The sprinkle is at the beginning of the summer so lemonade popped into my head. 

Pink Ladybug Lemonade.

 Cute, right?

So off to the local dollar store I went searching for pitchers and containers for the lemonade.

All I could find were these clear pitchers. Not too bad. But there were only two white lids- not twelve. I decided I could make them work anyway and took twelve off the shelf.

So there I am walking around the store with my arms full of  pitchers when the owner comes up to me.

"You know there are lids for those, right?"

"There were only two on the shelf and I need twelve."

"I keep them in the back. What color you want?"

"Color? There were only white ones on the shelf."

"Yellow. Green. Blue."

"Pink?"

"Pink? No, no pink. I'll go check."

Ta-da (hear the angels singing?).... out the owner walks with twelve PINK lids.

Just when I think it can't get any better than this, my little eyes spy a PINK container.

Could it be too good to be true?

Not only was it too good to be true- it was better.

PINK containers with LADYBUGS !!!!

Jump up and down in the aisle and don't care if you look like a lunatic joy!

I still have to find wooden spoons, make little ladybug lemonade recipe favor tags and put it all together. I promise to post it when they are done but finds like these you just want to share. With the universe. Immediately.

Monday: Making the World Cuter , 

Tuesday:  DIY Day- A Soft Place to Land 

Wednesday: http://www.thethriftyhome.com/

Friday: http://decormamma.blogspot.com/