My Cottage Charm Giveaway Winner 2011

Oh my goodness, I have been so busy outside today, I almost forgot to post the winner for My Cottage Charm Giveaway 2011! The rain has finally given us a break today, it's been sunny but HUMID. I'm not complaining though...lots of gardening, shopping, swimming & eating going on here this weekend and who can complain about that?

Anyway, I've tortured you long enough. Paging my trusty assistant.....

My daughter Olivia has pulled a name and the winner is................

HOLLY from HOLLY DAYS CLOSET!



Congratulations Holly!

This giveaway is always alot of fun & I get to make many new friends, all thanks to Kim @ The Twice Remembered Cottage. I would like to thank each & every one of you for entering & making my giveaway a big success!

My Summer Mantel

My mantel is one of my most challenging areas to decorate, yet I love changing it up with the seasons in spite of it. I wonder if that's why my basement looks like a warehouse of home decor? Shhh...please don't tell my husband I just admitted that out loud. ;D

Bring in the summer!



This print was cheap a steal from The Christmas Tree Shop last year. It was just the shade of blue I was looking for.



Small clay pots from Hobby Lobby filled with moss balls from Walmart.



The white pitchers were purchased from Amazon (also last year). I filled them with some greenery from Target & yellow pansies from Michaels.

I added my favorite Shabby Chic candleholders that I've had for years. Metal candleholders from Michaels were bought for my Spring Mantel.



This bicycle is from Kohls. I loved it from the moment I saw it, but it was a little pricey for my taste. I waited until it went on sale and then I had a coupon. See? No real guilt in buying it, right? (Surprise! Hubby seems to like this bicycle too...go figure.)





I'm linking this to:

Sherry's Open House Party #9 at No Minimalist Here
Layla's Summer Mantel Party at The Lettered Cottage
Marty's Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life





I hope you enjoyed your visit today! Hope to see you again soon.

Oh yeah! Don't forget, I'll be picking a winner of My Cottage Giveaway this Sunday, May 29th. If you would like to enter, click here.

The All-American Dessert

Today, I thought I would share a yummy dessert that is just perfect for summer and for patriotic holidays. This recipe is fairly simple to make & is always a crowd pleaser.

Here it is straight from the recipe scrapbook I made a few years ago:



Well, let's get a close up of that dessert, shall we?



All-American Dessert

4 cups boiling water
2 packages (4 serv. size) any red Jell-O
2 packages (4 serv. size) any blue Jell-O
2 cups cold water
1 tub (16 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed
4 cups all butter pound loaf, cubed
2 cups strawberries, sliced

Stir 2 cups boiling water into each flavor of gelatin in separate bowls for 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Stir 1 cup cold water into each bowl. Pour into separate 13 X 9 inch pans. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until firm. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Layer gelatin cubes, Cool Whip, cake & strawberries in 3 quart serving bowl or trifle bowl as pictured. Garnish with large dollops of Cool Whip and whatever else you like. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Can you imagine the possibilites just by switching up the colors of the Jell-O? You could make this for a graduation party using Jell-O in your school's colors. Fun, huh? With the exception of that pound cake, it's not even terribly fattening.

I will be linking this up to Rhoda's blog Southern Hospitality for her Summer Recipe Party which is part of Home May'd. Go on over & check out all the summer deliciousness.



Have a wonderful day, my friends!

P.S. Don't forget to enter My Cottage Charm Giveaway...it ends this Sunday!

The Magic Mushroom

What is it lately with red mushrooms? I keep seeing them everywhere & I really love them. They catch my eye every time & seem to scream to me, "Look at me! Look at me!" So let's oblige them & take a look, shall we?

I would love these for the backyard, they remind me of Willy Wonka:



The Potting Shed

I think this necklace is so cute:



Enchanted Leaves


I adore this toadstool tea set:




Mahar Dry Goods

Always have to have a fun pillow:



Felt Fantasia

I have wanted these from the minute I spotted them. I just want to throw them all in a bowl & look at them:



Stemellina Supplies

A party with a mushroom theme? I'm in!



Hostess Blog

Can you just see the fun that this pouf would add to a room?


Anthropologie

Then of course, it always comes around to plates. A mushroom plate for a dish lover like me:


Anthropologie

When I was at Michael's the other day, I spotted this red mushroom tealight holder & had to have it.



Cute, huh? So tell me, am I the only one who keeps seeing mushrooms everywhere?

Please don't forget to enter my Cottage Charm Giveaway here.

Manic May

Hello friends! I just wanted to post a short & sweet apology to all of you. May is such a crazy month for us. I (unfortunately) live my life by the dry erase calendar on my refrigerator door. As a result, this is what I've been up against for the month of May...



Yeah. I think there may be 5 days with nothing scheduled & who knows if that'll get filled up eventually too.

Anyway, my apologies to all of you if I haven't visited or commented on any of your posts this week. I will try to make the rounds as time allows. (I so hate being behind on my blog reading.)

Thinking of you & wishing you a very happy weekend!

And don't forget you can enter my Cottage Charm Giveaway here.

The after Easter bunny

Spring cleaning is underway at our house. Why is Spring cleaning a neverending process? I feel like I've been at it for months, toiling away, seemingly getting nowhere in a fast car. Windows...floors...ceilings...curtains...walls...up the stairs...down the stairs...up the ladder...down the ladder. When will the insanity end?

Sorry for the rant. :}

As I've been Spring cleaning, I've been rearranging & I came up with something new for my coffee table. I bought this bunny at Kirlands the day before Easter. I love him because I once had a similar bunny that I adored & one day, his ears mysteriously fell off.



No one would admit to the offense. All had no idea what could have possibly happened to that bunny, all the while sporting looks of that cat, you know the one...the cat that swallowed the canary. To this day I think it odd that the ears showed signs of having been glued in the past. Hmmmm...is that The Brady Bunch I hear?

MOM ALWAYS SAID, DON'T PLAY BALL IN THE HOUSE.

My poor unsuspecting bunny, maimed by a ball. They'll never admit to it, mind you, but I know.

Ranting again...sorry.

My question is...what do you think? Does it seem weird to decorate with a bunny after Easter?



I'm linking this over at Marty's blog, A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday.



Thanks for stopping by today friends and don't forget to enter my Cottage Charm giveaway here.

My Cottage Giveaway 2011

I've decided to join in on the 5th Annual Cottage Giveaway again this year. This giveaway is hosted every year by Kim at Twice Remembered Cottage. It is a multi-blog, month long event and you can read the details here.



I decided to go in slightly different direction this year than my giveaway last year which consisted of items in whites & pinks.

How about cheerful reds & bright greens instead?

First up, we have these adorable cherry measuring cups from Pier 1...



Next, this sweet plastic jar...



Followed by, this pretty green bowl...



Next, is this cute canvas print of a teacup...



Also a checkered dish towel & recipe cards...



And last, these cherry rubberized mats...(which to be truthful, I have no idea what they are for, but they matched so nicely, I couldn't resist!)



And there you have it, my Cottage Charm giveaway!



So, what do you think? Would you like to be the winner of my giveaway?

Let's see now, some rules...

I would like to limit this to residents of the US & Canada.
And I'm going to borrow Carol from The Polka Dot Closet's guidelines (hopefully she won't mind):

To enter you must be a follower.

Just leave me a comment and let me know if you are a new follower or if you are already a follower.
Easy enough?

Giveaway winner to be selected on May 29th. I will either figure out how to work that Random-thingy or I will have one of my trusted assistants pull a name. Sound good?

Good luck!


SEE HERE FOR WINNER!!

Let Them Eat Cake tablescape

Oh I've been tablescaping again.

Why didn't anyone warn me that this tablescaping stuff was going to be highly addictive? It used to be that my cupboards were filled with dishes, but now, it's my head...there are dishes swirling around in my head all the time. Please tell me that I'm not alone here.

So here's what I have today--Let Them Eat Cake!



Brown napkins from Pier 1. Flatware from Target, a few years ago. Last year, I bought a Shabby Chic blanket from Target & something told me not to throw the ribbon that was part of the packaging away. So here it is, I used it for napkin rings.



And now the fun part, the plates. I had these dessert themed plates for quite a few years. I think I bought them at Marshalls? Dinner plates are just inexpensive Better Homes & Gardens plates found at Walmart.









Southern Living Home's barley twist pedestal. Sugar & Creamer from Oneida Silver Factory Store.





I'm linking this to A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday and Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.





Thanks for stopping by today. See you in dishland blogland!