This weekend Dave and I are in Martha's Vineyard to attend a wedding. What a beautiful place the island is, especially during the off season when most of the summer crowds have gone.
Here are a few photos of the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown where the wedding will take place.
Weddings always stir up feelings of happiness, hope and excitement for the future. It's turning out to be the most spectacular day for a wonderful couple.
And some great R&R for Dave and I. Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing weekend as well!
'
(all photos Harbor View Hotel)

Not all projects that I am involved with are huge in scope. Remember the Cambridge Workman's Cottage? You can read all about it here. It is a wonderful home that my dear friend, Leonard, renovated. Years before when budgets were tight a simple renovation was done to the kitchen. Here is the before. Cabinets were painted and new stainless appliances were purchased but the kitchen was largely as he had acquired it. In truth I really did not think the kitchen was as awful as Leonard did. Yes, the red counters were bad and I agreed that counter space was limited. Also, the stove seemed strangely out of place with about 24 inches of unused wall to the right. But Leonard's choice of cabinet color was really great. I especially loved how he refused to put in any upper cabinets. It kept the space wonderful and airy.
Here is the after - At first glance not terribly dramatic until you really take a closer look at all the details. First notice the gorgeous apron front soapstone sink and counters. A wonderful addition to a house seeped in history. We also moved the stove under the window and extended the counter to the doorway, this added significant workable counter space. Now he has two longer spaces of counters which definitely allows for more prep area. Drawers were chosen over cabinets for extra storage of pots and pans. The corner cabinet was outfitted with high quality pull outs to maximize the usable interiors. New KWC faucet and Cliffside cabinet hardware latches and pulls added the wonderful accent and ties in the stainless appliances wonderfully.
'

Not terribly expensive to do, but a huge impact in terms of workability! And if you take a much closer look, I think you will agree it is an excellent improvement - a kitchen worthy of a house with so much charm and history!

(all photos Willow Decor and not to be used with out permission)


Outside...


And inside...


Simple, yet striking.


~Fall is in the air!~


Photos courtesy of BHG.com





Time to announce the winner!

With 23 entries in her name, the odds were highly stacked in her favor and it looks like all of her effort paid off...


Congratulations, Michaela Hoenigman!


You have $150 sitting in your BULX account just begging to be spent!

:)


Do us a favor?

Let us know what you get!

I can't wait to see what you end up buying with your $150 gift certificate.


To those who joined in on the fun, thanks for playing along!

And a big, huge Thank You goes out to Matt and the awesome crew at BULX!

You guys ROCK!

XO




***This Giveaway is now Closed***



Today is your last chance to enter the awesome giveaway from BULX!

The winner will receive a $150 gift certificate to use as they please at BULX.com.

Want the quick details?

Think of BULX as an online Outlet Store filled with high-end home improvement products - sinks, faucets, toilets, flooring, art, furniture...the list goes on and on.

The best part...75% off of regular prices.

I LOVE a good deal! How about you?


Our friends at BULX have been kind enough to give you an unlimited number of entries if you want them. You just have to go out and get them!


Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment here on this Giveaway post - 1 entry

2. Send BULX an @ message on Twitter - 2 entries

3. Leave a comment on the BULX Facebook Page - 3 entries

4. Post a photo of the item you most want to replace in your kitchen or bathroom on the BULX Facebook Page - 5 entries

5. Post about this Giveaway on your own Blog, Facebook, or Twitter and come back here to leave a comment with a link to each - 10 entries each

6. Invite your friends to BULX (see how here) - one entry for each friend invited - this is where the sky is the limit - the more you invite, the more entries you receive!

And be sure to let them know you are visiting from It's The Little Things...
(ITLT for short!)



Click here to be taken to the original post for the giveaway from last Monday, where you will find more info about BULX and a quick video!


The winner will be chosen randomly and announced tomorrow, September 14th.

So enter, enter, enter!

And hopefully you will win!




Up until two days ago, I was fine with putting off decorating for Fall just a bit longer. Our Summer was fun and crazy busy and a little too short for some of us up here in the Pacific Northwest.

The past few days have given us quite a bit of rain, the kids are all back in school, orange mums are blooming in the garden, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes have returned.
(YAY!)


But despite all of that, I was still going to hold off on Fall.

Until I saw this...


M-hmmm. I know. It's perfection.

So, thanks to Michelle, my fall decorating has now begun.


What about you?
Are you settling into Fall or hanging onto Summer while you can?





A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to catch a great clearance sale. I happened to be at Target, browsing and looking for inspiration when I realized that they were rearranging merchandise and putting out their 75% Off signs.

Nice!

They only had a few of these...
A Photo Serving Tray - originally priced at $19.99, but marked down to $4.98.

SOLD!

I knew immediately that I would not be using it for photos, so as soon as I got home, I removed the entire back piece and pulled out the matting. I was left with this...

The perfect blank slate to make it my own!

Over the next couple of weeks I found 3 different placemats to use inside my serving tray - all three within the same neutral color family and all three with lots of texture and interest.

The one on the left came from Fred Meyer for less than $1.00 (can't beat that!) and the others came from Target...


This seagrass one was a no-brainer...


This one was the right color and I loved the embroidered pattern...


And this one, well...I just can't resist stripes...


A quick test run to make sure I actually liked each one in the tray...



Yep - good to go!


I removed the entire back (again), not where the photos would be inserted, but the entire back...


Fourteen teeny-tiny screws later...

finally!


I used the back as my template and used a pen to trace the shape right onto the placemat...




Perfect fit!



Onto the next, using the same process...


It wasn't until after I had drawn the lines that I realized that this placemat was lined. And suddenly I was nervous that without the lining the stitching would all fall out as I cut out the shape...

(Note: I do not sew. I know nothing about fabric and thread and whatever else goes into it. So if this "worry" of mine sounds ridiculous to you, it probably was.)



I used extreme caution with this fabric (whether it was necessary or not) and, luckily, the thread all stayed in tact...

Pretty!


Two down, one to go...



I have to admit, I did feel a little bit guilty cutting up three
brand new, perfectly good placemats...


But I got over it!

I loved how they were turning out...

Now the fun part...accessorizing!

A beachy look for the seagrass...



For the golden embroidery - a touch of nature.

I love how the green Jade plant and the green mussel shells play with the yellow.


And with the stripes - some fun for the kiddos!

Some brain teasers, wooden tic-tac-toe pieces, and lollipops...



And that's my clearance tray - three ways!

The best, BEST part...I can change it as often as I like! And the options are limitless.

This is a Made-for-Karla accessory right here.

:)

My only regret...that I didn't buy more of them when I had the chance!

I think this would make a great gift for someone, personalized to their style and decor.

I'll just have to be on the lookout for more!




P.S. I am linking to:

Metamorphosis Monday, Get Your Craft On, Just Something I Whipped Up, Show & Tell, Before & After Party, Make It Yours, Works For Me Wednesday,


 

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