Paula Deen & a return to blondness

Well it has happened. I have given in and snatched up this wonderful set of Paula Deen cookware that I have been needing........ ok wanting, since I first saw it. Isn't it just lovely?? Seeing as it is my favorite color, not to mention the exact color of my kitchen backsplash it was love at first sight. Put that cookware love together with some leftover Christmas/birthday money and the set is mine! :) In all truthfulness I have been needing some new cookware pretty badly. Ours is a set we got for a wedding gift. We registered for a very inexpensive set and we discovered that in this case - you get what you pay for. Admittedly we were pretty hard on it. It did occasionally....... ok - usually get washed in the dishwasher for it's first year or so of use. But anyway, enough w/ the confessional. Here are some pics...............

Here is a shot of my cookware in my remodeled kitchen. I am planning a post with more pictures and details about my kitchen.

Ok topic #2. As a little girl I had very blond hair. Somehow over the years that color started to fade and my hair became a lot darker. I actually liked the darker color fairly well but felt like I needed some change. So, I pulled out my box of this:

My husband has for the last i-don't-know-how-many years wanted me to go blond again. REEEEALLY blond. Until now I haven't had the guts. Not sure what changed but my hair color sure did!

Here is a before pic. (Sorry I forgot to take a good one so this will have to do.)

Here is the after. Me and my now matching hair buddy. (His is natural of course. Just not fair......) I'm still getting used to it but I think overall I will like it for something different. The hubby came home from a youth group trip last evening and was really surprised. He likes it so I achieved my goal. :)

"Back in Business"

So I picked up my sewing machine yesterday! YAY! I gave it a test run this morning and it runs like a dream! Amazing what a little cleaning and oiling can do!

Here are some pictures of a project I am currently working on. It will be a crib bumper when it's done. I bought the fabrics at the store where I work. I love the puppy fabric. There are some really cute boy fabrics out there. This one matches the aqua & green stripes on my nursery walls really well. The blocks are pieced and I am working on machine quilting each section right now.

In other news tomorrow is our biggest sale of the year at work - PJ PARTY! It's from 6-9am and all in stock merch. is 40% off. That's right - 40%! The store is usually PACKED! (for obvious reasons. :) It's really fun and a great deal. Check out our website for more info. Wish me luck - I am not a morning person!! :)

I'm linking to:

All Things Crafty

Happy 2011~! I know that these wishes are a little late but better late than never right? It seems that with every new year I come up with a new list of "to do's" and this year the thing, or should I say, room that was on the top of my list was my craft room. I've gotten a lot done already but it is not finished yet. I've been browsing the web for some neat storage ideas and just decorating ideas in general for my creative space. I thought I'd share some pictures with you. :)

I love the use of vintage and also industrial items for storage!
This one is just so cute! I like how they color coordinated their fabric and I am loving the robin's egg blue boxes on the shelf!

So in other news...... my sewing machine decided to stop working the other day. I was a bit frustrated until I realized that my poor little Kenny (it's a Kenmore machine. hence the name.) has never been cleaned or oiled since I've had him! YIKES! That's like 5 years! I think I should be ashamed....... So I took Kenny to the local sewing machine shop for a good cleaning. I'm excited to get my machine back and work on some projects! It's so true what they say - you don't know what you have until you lose it! All of a sudden I feel like sewing. What a cruel irony.

Anyway, I've been checking out craftgawker and etsy for some inspiration. Just thought I'd share some of my findings with you. :)

{button cardigan}

Isn't this such a cute idea!! I think today I will be rooting through my closet trying to find a sweater or cardigan to add colorful buttons to.......

{teardrop earrings}

Ok these are just gorgeous! I love the wire wrap at the top of the beads. And the frosted finish on these beads is really cool too!

{CUTE Bears}

Alright. Prepare yourself for cuteness. Are these bears not the cutest little guys ever! I saw one on craftgawker and had to check it out. My 2 year old saw the picture and even he said "Cute!" And they are surprisingly affordable too for something handmade!

To close this post I would just like to say that if there is any text in this post...... or any of my posts that is capitalized where it shouldn't be it is because I often have a small boy sitting on my lap who is a bit obsessed with pushing the caps lock button so he can see the little light come on. :)

Have a great weekend!