It is "Early Spring" here in California, & with it comes the arrival of the sweetly demure "ranaculas". Quite soon, they will be blooming everywhere, in a wide variety of colors!....but none more exquisite than the ones in "palest pink".......Wishing you all a very enjoyable "Early Spring Pink Saturday"!......Thank you to Beverly at "How Sweet The Sound" for hostessing!
The only thing better than one quilt,... is a pair!.....
In the last few days, I have been washing & drying all my quilts!.....Now I am ready to hang, drape & arrange them all over this tiny house of ours!...There is nothing that adds quite as much charm to a home as "quilts" do!!!....Partly "historical" & partly "domestic",... these lovely pieces of Americana warm up a space.... & create that intangible feeling of "peace & contentment". So whether you choose to "display" a lovely quilt on your wall or simply "cuddle up" under a warm one tonight,.....incorporate the "humble quilt" into your home & into your life......
A "prettier headboard", there is not!......
Of all the "patterns" in this lovely room, the "quilt" is the piece that commands all the attention!....
A touch of "pink" in this sweet room, just makes you smile!....
Whether you "drape" a quilt over the arm of your favorite chair,... or use it as a "table topper", the end result is still the same...."simple beauty"...
Hi Friends, Just a little "update" on our move......I think we are begining to see the light at the end of the tunnel!......Just about everything is here....cupboards are almost all organized, beds are getting made & linens are all clean & stacked neatly on the shelves!.....My kitchen is very small, but really quite charming...and even though I have yet to cook a meal, it is definitely calling me to do so!
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Greetings Friends, It's that time again......for another of my "Very Vintage" swaps!......& this time, as promised,...... my "Very Vintage Easter Basket Swap"!.......I have so enjoyed all of them, but with the theme of this swap being "Vintage Easter" it may be my favorite so far!!.....The "thought" of baskets made up of the most charming "bunnies & chicks", with
Wishing you all the Happiest of "PINK SATURDAY'S"!!.......Thank You Beverly for hostessing!....Off to continue unpacking!...........Your Friend, Heidi XO
The "rag balls" have been packed, the lamps stored away & the quilts already taken to the new house......tomorrow is our final "moving day" at last!....We are all excited to get into our "new place", but still a tiny bit sad to say "good-bye" to this house. You see we moved here two & a half years ago, after living back east for a few years. We decided to purchase a home here in Valley Center, a rural area approx. an hour or so north of San Diego. The home prices were reasonable & the developement seemed very nice.....Being more of an "old-house/fixer-up" kind of couple, we decided purchasing a "new" home might be a welcome change!..... & being people who have always lived well-within our means, we ended up choosing one of the medium-priced houses in the neighborhood, thinking this would be a perfect home for our family for many years.
Well since then, we here in California, as in many, many areas of this country have had this "mortgage crisis" hit hard!.....So hard, that our neighborhood now looks somewhat like a "ghost town"..."foreclosures & houses for sale" throughout the developement.....most of which were people who had not put any money down & then faced large balloon payments.
However, now it has effected even families like ours, ones that did make substantial down payments, but now we too are "under water".....owing more than our house is worth! The houses in our area have now dropped to "50%" of what they were 3 years ago!....unbelieveable isn't it?...but all our monthly payments & property taxes remain the same.... We have tried for months to work with the banks, asking for adjustments, etc....but it has fallen on deaf ears, no one calls you back & when they finally do it is just a person taking your information, never to be heard from again?.....
My husband is a real-estate appraiser...He kept saying things were going to get bad in the housing market, that prices here in California would not continue in such an unrealistic rise, but he never dreamed it would ever be this bad!
So after much thought, we have decided to put our house up for sale as well. We know it will be a "short sale", but cannot continue to pour money into a home that is worth 1/2 of what we paid for it...& will most likely NEVER be worth it once was....We are tired of watching our money flushed away!
Not wanting to purchase a new house in a market that is still declining, we have found a wonderful "little house" to rent!.....We are all excited about getting ourselves in a more positve situation!.....So off we go to our new house....a bit sad to say "good bye",... but "energized & looking forward to a new beginning"!..... I'll be sure & keep you posted!!!
"Vintage Heart Locket".....$27 
Happy Pink Saturday to You All....& Happy St.Valentine's Day as well!!!!...Beverly @ "How Sweet The Sound" certainly planned this Pink Saturday appropriately didn't she!....Today, in honor of this day of romance, I decided to spotlight one of my very favorite jewelry designers on Etsy....."Lara Lewis".....If you have not visited her shop, you simply must!....Lara makes the most enchanting pieces of jewelry!...A fresh combination of "eclectic vintage-ism", her pieces speak of a "more innocent time", but with a bit of "whimsey" throw in!
Lara Lewis's "Estate Earrings"......$17
Through my daughter Holly, I learned about "Cora Paige" & her family. The story has inspired many of us in the "Etsy" community to want to honor this tiny girl's memory in a postive & ongoing way. Wanting to help in some small way, I have listed three, very charming "children's quilts" in my Etsy shop, "Heidi Devlin Designs", as well as "2 darling bibs" in my second shop "baby people" ......100% of the money raised by the sale of these three heirloom quality quilts & bibs will be donated to the building of the Cora Paige Playground Project. Please visit my shops, as well as the "other shops" that are participating. Help us remember this little girl, through the "smiles" of those that will enjoy this playgrond for years to come.....My thoughts & prayers are with Cora's family........
A couple weeks ago, I was celebrating my 200th post with a giveaway of one of my beautiful quilts!....Well, today I finally got around to placing the names of everyone who left a lovely comment on my blog, in a bowl & drawing a name!...Let me re-phrase that, ...my grandson Andrew drew the name!!!.... With both his mother (mommy holly) & his "Nini" (me), hosting swaps & having giveaways, he has gotten quite accustomed to both receiving swap boxes & pulling names out of bowls! :) So this morning, still dressed in his cozy Spiderman jammies, my sweet grandbaby proudly chose the winner....Alaura @ the blog Cottage Rose!
Congratulations Alaura!!!.....I am thrilled for you!....I will be mailing you your quilt in the next few days!......& a great big "thank you" to all of you who left all the wonderful comments!.....I am always so honored to have you visit me!....I so appreciate your friendships!......Heidi XO
Thank you...Thank you ....Thank you!!!!......I am officially finishing my "Very Vintage Valentine Swap"...& with such pride in all of you wonderful participants & optimisim for all my future swaps!!! Out of 120+ ladies joining me, there was only one lady who did not follow through & with no explanation. She has been notified that she is no longer welcome in my swaps & her partner has been sent a few lovely things to hopefully make up for not receiving a swap box.
I once again cannot thank you ladies enough for making this swap such a delightful experience for me!.....Without all of you, there would be no swaps. I know we are all taking a bit of a chance when signing up, but I have come to the conclusion I am willing to take it. Meeting all of you & becoming your friend through swapping & blogging far outweighs the risk!....You all have acted so responsibly & because of it made this a great experience for all!...I hope you know you are all welcome in my swaps at any time! :).....I appreciate you all......Love, Heidi XO
Note: I will be announcing my Very Vintage Easter Basket Swap in a few weeks!!!
(Note: Ladies Who Did not Follow Through: 1- Dori C.)
For those of you joining me in my "Winter Basics & Baubles Swap"....Your partners have all been sent out!!! Yeah!......For this swap, I picked your partner the old-fashioned way....putting all your names in a hat & randomly drawing!......I felt this swap is fairly straight-forward. From the information you each received, you know what your partner's kitchen is like, as well as her jewelry preferences, so not much of a "gray area" as to what she would love to receive!...I also have not put a $$ amount on this swap, but would imagine in the range of $25-$35 would be reasonable!....I also would like to remind you of making your swap box as beautiful as you can!...Doesn't mean expensive, does mean "be creative"!....Wrap the items you send!...making each a joy to open!.....
And once again, as in all my swaps, please contact me A.S.A.P. if you find yourself in a postition where you cannot follow through with this swap!!!! I mean it! I will understand!...But I will not understand or tolerate anyone "flaking" on their partner.....which means not sending a swap box & not letting me know!!.....Anyone flaking will be posted on my blog & not welcome in any future swaps of mine!
Now back to the wonderful part of the swap!.....You will be filling your partner's box with "kitchen linens" that suit her kitchen, not ones you just picked up beforehand!....You will also be adding a "gadget or two" that she has requested.....And to top it off a piece of "jewelry" that is also your partner's taste!....& your box needs to be sent no later than March 1st!
Oh! This swap sounds so delightful!!...So Ladies let's get started!...e-mail those partner's,.... get to know each other & let's make this the most enjoyable swap ever! Thank you again for joining me! Your Friend, Heidi XO
Note: If you have never shopped at Etsy.com, you may want to try it!....but I warn you!.....does become addictive! :)
Hi Friends, Thank you to all my very patient "Winter Basics & Baubles Swap Participants"!....I have been a very "tardy" swap hostess!.....I have spent this entire cold, rainy day moving, but "promise" in the morning to be e-mailing each of you with your swap partner!!.....I am very excited about this swap too & can't wait to get started!!....Again, I apologize about the delay, but I do think it will be worth the wait!! :)......Thank you all for your enthusiasm!!!......Heidi XO
P.S. Now off to soak in a hot bath & then watch the "Bachelor"!!....then bed!
Look at this amazing wallpaper!.....
Taking a small break from packing & cleaning, & the whole process of moving,.... I decided to go "on-line" to "Country Living Magazine's" website .....I came across this amazing article all about the most charming "silhouette art". Have you seen it?....Even though it's popularity has never reached what it once was, the "cameo" has, & continues to make a strong design presence in fashion as well as interior design. Country Living has spotlighted a few of the many ways cameos can be integrated into our homes & wardrobes! A huge "fan" of silhouettes already, I found this article not only beautifully presented, but one that inspired me to take some of their ideas & possibly add a "bit of cameo" in our new house!......maybe you should too?.....If you haven't had a chance to read this lovely article please do....I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did!
A "modern take" on the "cameo".....
"Classic & beautiful".....
A little "cupboard" & a little "collection".....
Could a more exquisite "arrangement" exist?.....not in my mind!
Good Morning Friends, Hope you are all enjoying this first week of February!.....I am somewhat behind in my posting, since we are in the middle of "moving"!...I am trying to avoid that one day of "mass moving hysteria"....where boxes are "stacked high" in each room & it takes weeks for you to organize & put everything away!.....So instead, we have been taking smaller trips each day,....& so far it all is working quite well. ......Hopefully by the middle of the month, this will all be behind us & we will be "snug as a bug" in our little home!.....Oh!, how I would love to be spending the day in this comfortable chair, in front of a warm fire,.... but for today it is back to packing, packing & more packing!!!!
Note: Sorry Ladies for the delay, but I am running a bit behind!...For those of you in my "Winter Basics & Baubles Swap", I will be e-mailing you your partners no later than Saturday! Can't wait to get started!!!
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Good Morning Ladies, Just a couple annoucements concerning my "Very Vintage Valentine Swap", as well as my upcoming "Winter Basics & Baubles Swap"......If you are participating in "VVVS" you are aware that your swap boxes were to be mailed by January 21st....Many of you were running late.... & as long as you had let your partner know, that was just fine! I do expect by now though, that most of your boxes should be sent!...So if you have not mailed your swap box, please do so in the next few days...I have made a list of the ladies I have not heard from & will be contacting them in a few days if that continues.....So far this swap has ran super smoothly with all of you being very responsible!......I hope we end this swap the same way!....Let's get those last swap boxes mailed ladies & please let me know when you do!......Thank you!
And now about the "Winter Basics & Baubles Swap"!!!!!.....Yesterday was the last day to sign up, so I will be "assigning & e-mailing" you all about your partner on Wednesday....I can't wait for us to get started my friends!!...And like always, I so appreciate all the interest in my swaps! I can't tell you how much fun I have putting them on!...Happy Monday to you all.....Heidi XO© Blogger template Brownium by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009
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