Guest Blogger Friday- Come on in - The door is open!

Please help me welcome Rachel - 

I luckily stumbled across her adorable blog and she had me at hooked- 

The Olde Farmhouse on Windmill Farm  

When Valarie contacted me to do a guest post for her, I eagerly accepted. It's my first ever guest post and I'm so honored to be posting on Valarie's great blog! Thanks for having me, Valarie.

Before

Since she let it up to me, I decided to share my most recent project. A shelf makeover for the master bedroom. This shelf is a gift from my school students the year I quit teaching. It has served it's purpose well, but it's time for a new look. I wanted to keep it in the master bedroom because we use the hooks quite a bit. 

Here it is after the makeover:

 I was never in love with the carved design at the top so I filled it in with spackling (hey, it's what I had on hand). I should have used primer over it once I sanded it smooth but I didn't. I painted the shelf with 2 coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. Then I noticed the edges of the filled areas were cracking. Uh oh! A quick sanding smoothed it over but I knew it would just keep doing it. It was then that I added 2 light coats of Kilz primer. Then I painted it another coat of Old White and it went away. I added the wooden embellishments that I had previously and gave them a coat of Old White. Then I lightly distressed it, sanded it smooth and gave it a coat of wax.

Meanwhile, my original intention to disguise the mirror failed. I've seen the Mod Podge transfers in blogland and decided to try it on the mirror. I couldn't find anyone that had tried it on a mirror so I didn't know if it would work or not. Now I know - it's 'or not'. I quickly went to plan B. Using a scrap of drop cloth, a T-shirt transfer, and a free graphic from the Graphics Fairy, I created what you see. I Mod Podged it to the mirror and re-inserted it. The hooks received several light coats of oil rubbed bronze paint.

I'm loving the new look! And the best part is, I had most of what I used on hand. The only things I bought were the transfers and the center part of the embellishment. So, for about $3.35, I have project #1 completed for the master makeover.

Come over and visit me at Windmill Hill!! 

Guest Blogger Friday- Come on in - The door is open!

Welcome to Guest Blogger Friday!! I have to tell you that the past few weeks have been crazy for me as well as other bloggers getting ready for back to school, last minute summer vacations etc... so today I am going to be the guest of my own blog. 

I am Valarie!! I have full bragging rights to 2 blogspots and for being a Texan 51 years proud!! 

and 

 click here...

Some of you ask questions or leave comments and sorry for not responding promptly. So for today here are all the responses- If I missed any - well ask me again!! 

Question- 

Where do you find your inspiration to blog and how did you come to blog?  I am inspired everyday by life, junky finds, curbside finds, my creative side, my life/family in the blue cottage with LOML, and the friends that surround me.  I attempt to bring a glimpse of happy into your home that will make a difference.  

I came to blog .. because my sweet MAMA (if you read my blog you know her) lives about 2 hours from me and when I would send her pictures in her email it was a disaster!! I came up with the blog - so she could save to her favorites and have our life at one click.  

Question- Who is LOML?  LOML stands for the love of my life, you can call him Tim! or LOML! 

Question- (this question alot!) On the vintage trailer door what is 0430?  Actually stands for  April 30th..  the day I fell n love with LOML, the day we were engaged, the day we married. This day changed our lives 10 years ago!!  So we use this date on many things that hold value to us.  When we were wanting a house number for the trailer door it was the first thing that popped in my head... 

Question- 

How many children do you have? I have 2, Ashley & Jon-Eric - LOML has 2, Karly & Jonathan

Question-Was blending our families hard? Blending families is never easy in the best of situations due to many reasons. However,  I have been blessed to have played a role in the life of Jonathan & Karly for the past 10 years.   

Question- Which one is a Aggie? Karly is the aggie! Whoop!  

Ashley graduated University North Texas, Jon Eric attended Austin College 2 years changed major and transferred to Stephen F Austin where he graduated. Jonathan is a Jr @University of Arkansas.... (Woo pig sooie!) 

This was the Comment -  You never call your step kids - step kids. Are all 4 kids yours?  My sweet Mama remarried when my sister Fannie and I were 2 & 4. My step father raised us as his own. He never once introduced as a step daughter. This was huge to me as a child.  He taught me many valuable lessons that I have remembered to carry through life. (another post on him another day!)      

Comment-  I can't imagine putting all the kids through college... We have fully funded 3 of the 4 and you do what you have to do ... we are pretty frugal in spending!    

Question- How do you find time to sell real estate and manage 2 blogs... and fit in an chairing community events?  IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO IT NEVER SEEMS LIKE WORK. + I do not require much  sleep.  I have always said I can sleep when I am old!! 

Question-What are your passions? MY FAITH, FAMILY, HOME AT THE BLUE COTTAGE 

Question- Did you restore the blue cottage? Yes, click here!! 

Question- Did you and LOML build your outdoor fireplace? We did not personally lay the stone,  I  designed the outdoor area at Starbucks with a contractor.   

What camera do you use? LOML bought me a Cannon Rebel a few years back... I just purchased  two zoom lens and another lens for shooting sports for the GRANDson. See yesterday post of the GRANDson coming off a water slide!  LOVE IT!! 

I truly appreciate all of you popping in daily- You inspire me to be a better person!  

Valarie 

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open! GIVE A WAY TOO!!!!

I am so thrilled to introduce you to today to my dear friend and blogger THE Apron Senorita!! 

IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT AND FOLLOW MY BLOG YOU WLL ENTERED INTO A DRAWING FOR ONE OF HER FABULOUS APRONS!!   The drawing will take place Monday !! 

I am Yoli Kalkofen, the Apron Senorita from the Texas Hill Country. 

 I’m a single mom of 2 outstanding teenagers; Vincent a UT Austin freshman, and Gina a high school junior.  My passion for sewing started 30 years ago when I handmade my first apron at the age of 13 years old. I grew up in deep south Texas where I fell in love with two vibrant cultures “Tex-Mex”.  Apron Senorita started in 2008 as a way to supplement my income and feed my creativity. I wanted to incorporate some Latin flavor and Western charm in my designs.  Blogging about Apron Senorita has been an absolute joy.  I have met so many wonderful people. 

 My aprons were recently featured in Houston Classic Mexican Recipes by Erin Hicks Miller and shown on KHOU’s Great Day Houston Appearance with Deborah Duncan.  Occasionally you can find Apron Senorita at craft shows around south and central Texas.  Most days I can be found vintage shopping, blogging, and sewing.   

I would love to have you over for a visit to my blog ... and...  Valarie would love to give you a fabulous apron!! Follow her blog and leave a comment!! See ya soon!  

Yoli  :)

http://apronsenorita.blogspot.com/
http://apronsenorita.com/. 

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

Today at the blue cottage please welcome Amber of This & That. She is the queen of ALL paper goodies. We met via blog when I was stalking her adorable Easter pennants. I emailed her to ask if she could make wedding pennants for Ashleys  wedding. One email later we were fast friends and I will tell you her work is detailed, amazing, creative, etc..... Remember I showed you here and here!!  She is a very talented gal... so please welcome her with a big ol' hug!  

Hellooo Ladies,  I'm so excited and honored that Valarie asked me to guest blog today!  I met Valarie thru blog land when she asked me to make some stuff for her daughters wedding.... I was so excited and super nervous at the same time.  I thought this lady was crazziee for asking me to make something for such a big event, but as you saw everything was just beautiful, even the stuff that I made, LOL!!

I blog over at This and That I love to create new things,  play with scrap book paper, sew and bake, but with two crazy little girls finding time to do all that I want is sometimes a challenge, but I try my best! 

Today I want to share a favorite recipe...these lemon bars are to die for!!

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1-3oz. pkg. lemon pudding mix (not instant)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 lemons, divided
1 cup powered sugar.

Combine cake mix and butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans; mix well. reserve 1 cup of crust mixture for the crumb topping. press remaining crust mixture evenly over bottom of 9x13 pan. Whisk pudding mix sweetened condensed milk in a bowl until smooth. zest 1 lemon to measure 2 Tbs. Juice lemon to measure 2 Tbs. juice. Add zest and juice to pudding mixture and mix well. Pour filling over crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with reserved mixture. Bake @ 350 for 25-28 mins. or until golden brown. remove from oven; cool 10 mins. Juice remaining lemon to measure 3-5 tsp. juice. combine powered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a think glaze; drizzle over crumb topping. Cool completely. Cut into bars makes about 40 bars.

I promise you that these are the best lemon bars you will ever have!!
And they are perfect for a little gift...
I like to stock up on boxes for my treats, paper plates are cute and all, but check out what you can do with a plain box.....

I hope you stop by and say HI!  

And thanks again Valarie, for having me today! 

Guest Blogger Friday- Come on in - The door is open!

Thank you for stopping by guest blogger Friday! Today please welcome Jennifer... the super cool gal of  "ALL THAT GLITTERS"... also pop over and introduce yourself! She is adorable and you will be so welcome in her home!

Hello A Glimpse of My World friends ! I am SO so SOOOO excited to be here today!

Thank you Valerie for letting my little blog take over your AMAZING blog for the day!

I am Jennifer (aka Pippa) from ALL THAT GLITTERS. 

I wanted to share with you what makes me happy when I look at my home. It's a simple red star. I always felt like my home was missing something and looked kinda naked! I was changing things around in my house  one day and I had light bulb moment. That doesn't happen much my way! lol! I just knew this red star belonged on my porch. But, there was one problem. The only way I could get the star to hang properly would be to drill a whole in the siding. My husband did not like that idea at all! Finally, I just told him this is our home and  I want to enjoy the way I want too!

Why in the world did I let a silly little hole hold me back from visual happiness for 1 whole year? 

My point is to do what makes you happy in your home! No matter how small! Enjoy it!

I also put holes in this wagon and made a planter out of it! I love it!

So, if takes putting holes in something to make you happy then just do it!

Thanks for having me over today Valerie!

Stop by any time and say hey! I love new blog friends!
You are welcome in my home anytime! 

Take care,

Jennifer

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

I stumbled upon Terry's blog one day and fell head over heels with her decor talent... especially here when she made a headboard out of vintage shutters!!
Check it out here- 

Please welcome Terry from the fabulous blog "FOREVER DECORATING"  

It's a pleasure to introduce  myself. My name is Terry and I live in western Illinois. I am married  and have two grown children and we are recent empty nesters. I am also fairly new to blogging since November, 2010 with my blog Forever Decorating. 
It has been a learning curve and I have begun to train myself to think about my projects with blogging  in mind; ie: before pictures and tutorials.

I was raised with parents that  made everything they possibly could and I forced to sew all my clothes at  the age of eight (now I am thankful). So it comes natural to me that, I  could and would, tear into any home renovation or make anything I could  (or maybe it's because I am cheap). It's a hobby, a lifestyle and a joy  for me to do these things. I believe that if you want it bad enough you will figure out a way to have it. I am blessed with a God given creative gene that I am very thankful for.

Do you have a special collection? I have many and one of them is my vintage purses. It started one time when I went on a home tour and the homeowner had a wall displayed with very old vintage purses and it just grabbed my at my heart. This is how collections for me start...from the heart.

I shared with you on a previous post my wall of purses in my master bedroom...

I hung them from glass drawer knobs until I found this trellis at a garage sale...

It was only $4 and I thought it would look great out in my garden...as trellis' are made for.

But then,I had a lightbulb moment

  

I decided to use it for my purse display as I have shown you in this past post.

Remember, a collection is qualified by three or more of a like item.
But this post is not all about that. It's about refining your collection, once you have it started or even finished. You should review your collection when you feel, enough is enough. Decided on what can go and what you want to keep. If you want to keep it all, then call it done and move on to something else. But, if you can let some go and then afford better, this is your opportunity to fine-tune your collection.

I let go of the newer purses and now am focusing on only older vintage purses.  While on vacation last week in North Carolina, we went to some antique stores and I came across two beautiful and affordable vintage purses. When I got back home, I took away two and replaced them with these two better, more vintage purses. 

Sorry for the blurry pictures, but my camera operator (me) couldn't get it to focus correctly.

All tiny (petitpoint) needlepoint and a unique black pointed clasp.

So here is the rest of my vintage purse collection.

This is all individual set rhinestones purchased at auction cheaply. Inside is the original pocket mirror. My favorite in the collection.

The tag inside this black silk purse says, Made In France and has two large rhinestones for a clasp.

Even though this tapestry purse is pretty, it is slated for getting rid of since it's not vintage enough for this collection. See the gold chain? When it is too shinny, it's too new for me.

Thanks for visiting me here at Glimpse of My World! 

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

Hi Friends!  Thank you so much to Valarie for inviting

me over to Glimpse of My World today.

I've been reading Valarie's blog for awhile now. 

Love! Love! Love!

I will confess that I stalked met Valarie once last year when my

friend and I went to the McKinney Home and Garden Tours.

She's a real sweetheart.

Poofing the Pillows is an outlet for me. 

Like many of you I enjoy many things centered around home.My husband and I are gardening buddies. We can often be found at the nursery or in the backyard on the weekends.

He's the best! 

  I point and he digs....no really it's a completely equal partnership.

We love good homemade food.  That's the best kind, right? 

Here's a cool story...in our family we've been making a fudge pie for a long time.

The recipe came from The Typically Texas Cookbook.

I posted the pie recipe and gave credit to the person who published it.

Later, her family member wrote to me and said she found the blog link through a Google search for her family member.  If I'm remembering correctly it was her grand daughter. Isn't that fun?

You never know who might read what you write.

Decorating is fun to me.

It's hard for me to make decisions though so I'm S L O W.

Blogging is a way for me to peek in windows and see how you are decorating.

Admit it...you feel the same way.

Come over sometime and say hi to me. I'd love to meet you.  ;)

P.S. Thank you Stacey for guest blogging for me today!! Leaving town early this morning! Alot of things to do on the ol' wedding check list. Be Back Monday!! (with lots of pictures!!) 

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

Please welcome Laura - Laura has an amazing blog-

White Spray Paint!

Hello Everyone-

I was so pleased and honored when Valarie

invited me to do a guest post today.

She is a generous and gracious Texas

blog host,

and in the spirit of visiting,

I brought something to share!

Ranch Recipe #5

 (my parents, 1950, Tecalitlan, Mexico)

Ranch Recipes are my way of sharing

my memories of growing up in South Texas

and the traditions and fun we shared as a family-

with good friends and good food.

 (My house is your house.)

Menu

simple green salad topped with avocado slices

and served with homemade Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

hot bread and butter

and

Enchilada Casserole

2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 stick butter

1 onion, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1  8 0z. can taco sauce

1   15 oz. can enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 pkg. corn tortillas

Brown ground beef and drain.

Saute onion in butter and add to the ground beef.

Add sauces and soups to beef mixture and combine.

Layer all ingredients, including the tortillas,

which you have torn into fourths,

in a 9x13 pan.

Note : the last layer before topping the casserole with cheese should be the beef mixture.

Cover with the cheese and bake at 350 degrees for

30 minutes.

Enjoy!

PS.  It rained in South Texas this week.

Woo hoo!

Thank you for guest blogging for me on GUEST BLOGGER FRIDAY Laura!! 

Love the yummy recipe!!

Hugs!

Valarie