Friday, February 14, 2014

Visual Valentines

I love to go shopping, and part of the fun is checking out the store window displays, especially the holiday ones. Creativity and Visual Displays go hand in hand when it comes to merchandising, and what could be more of a challenge that taking a large empty space and transforming it into a shopping fantasy. It's been awhile since I've been shopping in St. Louis, but I was wondering what kind of Valentine fun I was missing. Anthropologie and Louis Vuitton are always ones you can count on to be out-of-the-box amazing. Here are a few images from some Valentine Inspired store window displays...



































all images from my Pinterest board, Valentines

and here are a few images of Valentine fun from blogposts, past.


























And just to round things out,
 I decided to go ahead and display my red transferware in my new old/cupboard.


















Have a wonderful Valentine's Evening...

hug hug
kiss kiss,

Be Inspired #176

Hi Everyone and Welcome to 
Be Inspired
Do you have big plans for Valentine's Day?
How fun to have it land on a Friday, for all of you "date night" peeps. We eat out several times over the weekend, so I imagine we'll do our regular Friday Night, "Movie Night" with some take out Indian Food. Movie Night consists of a Netflix choice and after dinner a large gray cat camping out on my lap for the duration. Miss Wrigley prefers something quiet and romantic, as she hates car chases and loud explosions. However you spend your evening, just let it be with the ones you love!

OK, on to the party. 
Let's check out some of the wonderful links from last week:


The always amazingly creative, Julia, from Vintage With Laces
made this wonderful Junky LOVE Sign




Leave a love note for your sweetie, with these Mini Love Letters
from Kerryanne at Shabby Art Boutique



This Secretary ReDeux started out needing all kinds of help.
The perfect challenge for Karen from Redoux Interiors.



How wonderful are these Personalized Grain Sack Cards?
from Lori at Marvin's Daughters
I'm hoping she'll do special orders!



Laurie from Heaven's Walk found that her fabric stash was taking over her studio.
So she created this Vintage Blue Cabinet, which looks like a real vintage piece.



These are a great project; DIY Column Pedestals 
from Poppy at With a Dash of Color.



Need a special Valentine breakfast? 
Whip up a batch of these yummy Scones and Jam 
from Jeanette at Creating a Life


thanks gals for sharing the inspiration!



Party Guidelines





  • Please have an individual link back to Common Ground within your post. I'd love to feature you. This is just part of the Party Etiquette.
  • Please remember to turn off word verification. I've tried leaving comments that didn't go through. I'm sure others have tried also.
  • Please no direct links to Etsy or Advertising.
  • Link up to three of your current posts.
  • Take a minute to visit a few of the other links.
  • Please be a follower of Common Ground.
  • Thank you to all of you who come over each week to link up to the party, I may not get to leave a comment, but I try to visit each of your posts. You are a never ending source of inspiration to me and others, so just know how much I appreciate each one of you!
    thanks so much for joining in
    and making this party so much fun!

    xoxo,


       
       

    Today's Sponsor




    Wednesday, February 12, 2014

    A little gray on the dresser...

    Well, I persuaded Hubbs to move around my boxes and tubs in the storage area at the old house, in hopes of finding my two tubs of Valentine things. When we moved to the smaller house I brought very little "decor" stuff with me, just the basics. So after wading through the Fall and Christmas (there's a ton of it) I gratefully spied the pink and red, and tried to get out of there as soon as possible. If I keep him in the storage room too long it turns into a disagreement. I know... I know ...I'm workin' on organization!



    The Entry here isn't large, but it's big enough for my little dresser, a mirror, and a few things that are holiday and seasonal on top. 



    I tried not to overdo it, just keep it sweet and simple. 


    Little Lefton Cupid Box



    My handmade pottery Valentine



    Here's a better shot of the entry before Valentine's jumped on it. If you look closely you can see the dresser is a little different color. Actually, the night before we moved I grabbed my can of taupe bedroom wall paint and decided to give it a little gray/taupe wash. I've mentioned that my "antique white" furniture looks really yucky here at this smaller house...just plain 'ol dirty.



    So, I just painted some of the taupe/gray on
     and then wiped it down with a wet cloth,  taking most of it off.








    The next morning Hubby said, "what did you do to this little dresser?"
    I said that it would match the new sofas better with this gray wash,
    and I was surprised when he approved and thought it did look better.






    So now it blends with the new/old cedar chest and the little accent table. I imagine that this is where most of my "Old White" furniture from the old living room is headed; it will need a wash of gray to work with these sofas. This only took me about half an hour, so that thought isn't too intimidating.




    None of those pieces are here at the smaller house. One thing at a time, and this last weekend we packed up all the china and antique dishes from the Dining Room. Gosh, what a big job that was. I'm still not finished, because we ran out of foam and bubble wrap, but we're making some progress and that's what we need to see. The new granite countertops go in to the old house this week. Can't wait to see it!


    Wish we'd made the decision to put on granite while we still lived there. (It should have had it when we bought the house, but the previous owners cut corners in the kitchen) But you know how things go, don't want to deal with the mess, or spend the money. Thinking of selling the house has caused us to realize there were some things that just needed to be updated. So now, someone else will benefit from all the work we're doing. I'm OK with it though, I'm letting things go, and realizing that it's not "home" anymore. We're looking forward to the future.

    Joining in on these parties this week:

    Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
    Inspiration Exchange at City Farmhouse
    Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
    Share Your Cup at Mrs. Olson's
    Simple and Sweet at Rooted in Thyme
    Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
    Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
    Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
    Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
    Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
    Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
    Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
    The Scoop at Stone Gable

    xoxo,

    Today's Sponsor


    Tuesday, February 11, 2014

    The Marketplace: Etsy and Boutique Showcase

    Do you love Valentine's Day, and make it a special week for your family and close friends? I'ts always been a time for small gifts that just remind them that they are loved and appreciated. There are so many wonderful links of vintage goods and beautiful handmade creations, hope you join in and do some last minute shopping. Here are a few goodies from last week:


    Roseflower 48





    Vintage Goodness 1




    Pretty Whimsical




    Oliver and Rust





    Anything Goes Here





    Sewella




    Party Link Guidelines:

    This is a linky party that is for items that are FOR SALE only. You don't have to have a blog to link up. If you have a blog post about your items that's great too, but they need to be available to purchase. Please try to link to the individual item that you are selling if possible. Please be a follower of Common Ground and if you have a blog it would be so nice for you to grab the image below to share somewhere on your blog. (not mandatory). Remember the link is up all week, so please stop back by to check out new items being listed.

    If you missed last week's linkup, CLICK HERE

    Have a great week, and be sure to hug your sweeties!
    xoxo,



    Today's Sponsor is 
    be sure and visit for so many vintage items,
    and check out the 15% discount.