Thank You Romantic Homes

Hello Everyone!

I  wanted to say thank you to Romantic Homes for featuring my blog in their November issue.

Romantic Homes has a section designated for featuring blogs.

It is called Setting Your Sites.

Here are a list of four other blogs that were featured in the same section of the November issue...

Blessed and Distressed

Italian Girl in Georgia

Barn House Boys

My Shabby Stream Side Studio

Thank you Romantic Homes, I am truly honored to have my blog chosen to be featured in your magazine!


On another note.....

I wanted to announce a fun giveaway that my friend Robyn is having on her blog.
Robyn recently became a representative for Scentsy..
She is giving away a scentsy plug in...  


You can enter Robyn's giveaway by clicking here~
You can also purchase Scentsy products from Robyn by clicking here_

Good luck Robyn with your new adventure!

Have a great week everyone!
Take Care,
Maria

Avila Valley Barn

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all having a great week.

I wanted to share a few pictures with you of my favorite place to buy produce.

When we lived in Southern California, Avila Valley Barn was our favorite place to stop for produce.

Avila Valley Barn

 is located in San Luis Obispo.

They have the best home-grown, fresh picked produce.  

From May to December you can pick your own produce...

I love the way they display their produce...

I wasn't going to buy very many pumpkins this year....

Then I stopped here this last weekend......

The kids had a blast picking out pumpkins to take back home.

We started out with a basket....

 Then ended up having to get a cart....

They even have a few farm animals.....

On the weekends they have free hay rides.

If you are ever in San Luis Obispo, California

you should be sure and stop by Avila Valley Barn....
If you want to find out more about Avila Valley Barn you can do so by clicking here~

 and the beach is only 2 minutes away....

I hope you all have a great week!

Take Care,

Maria

Miss Mustard Seed~ A special guest

Hello Everyone,

I have a special guest today...

The talented Marian from the blog, Miss Mustard Seed is here.

Marian always shares the best tutorials on her blog.... 

Thank you Marian, for sharing one of your fun tutorials on my blog today.

I will let Marian take it from here......

I am so excited to "have the floor" on Maria's lovely blog.  I was hooked on Dreamy Whites the first time I stopped by, so it's a pleasure to be a guest here, today. 

When Maria first asked me to share a fall decorating idea, I wasn't sure what I was going to do.  I generally don't decorate for fall.  I might put a few pumpkins, gourds and pine cones out, but I rarely make anything.    Using lumina pumpkins seemed like a no-brainer to me.  (This is for Dream Whites, after all.)  This led me to the idea of making a "grain sack" pumpkin.   

It's very simple and was under $10 for two pumpkins. 

First of all, wash and dry the pumpkins.  Apply a piece of low-tack painter's tape around the "equator" of the pumpkin.  

Using the tape as a guide, paint a thin stripe above and below it.  I used acrylic paint (midnight mixed with burnt umber), but you can use any paint you have on hand. 

With a 2.0 liner brush, paint initials, a date, or a seasonal word above the top line.  As a nod to "The Headless Horseman", I painted Ichabod on one and 10.31 (the date of Halloween) on the other.  If you're not comfortable with a brush, use a paint pen or Sharpie marker.  You could also use graphite transfer paper to trace text printed from a computer.

The look is subtle and sophistcated and it took me only about fifteen minutes for both.

I propped it on a pedestal and surrounded it by a small wreath of bittersweet. 

I hope this inspires you to get creative with your fall decor.  For more DIY and decorating inspiration, visit my blog. 

Thanks again for this opportunity, Maria!

Don't you just love her...

Thank you Marian!

I just want to share a few things with you about the talented Marian....

 Marian owns a successful antiques and home decor business called Mustard Seed Interiors.

Marian just moved some of her wonderful creations into a new store in Walkersville, Maryland.  

The store is filled with all kinds of treasures.

She is always sharing ways to transform a simple piece of furniture into a piece of art on her blog.

We will soon see Marian sharing her tutorials over at HGTV.com...

Congratulations Marian...

You are an inspiration to us all.

Miss Mustard Seed

Gli speciali di Casa Chic

Hello Everyone

I hope you all had a great weekend.

I wanted to say thank you to Annarita Triarico, a journalist and editor for Lotus Publishing's Interior Decorating Magazines.  Annarita wrote a feature on my home for an Italian magazine called Gli speciali di Casa Chic. 

My friend, Tracey, (French Larkspur) was also featured in the same issue.

Thank you Annarita, Tracey and I are honored to be featured in  Gli speciali di Casa Chic.

This magazine is published only in Italy.

Hope you all have a great week.

Take Care,

Maria