Friday, February 5, 2010

Whitewash Sundries Herb Crate Giveaway

This giveaway ended at noon (Central Time) on 2/7/10.


Wanna win a set of nesting herb crates just like the ones in our kitchen?



They're great for displaying plates, plants and other pretty paraphernalia.



My sweet friend, Sarah, from Whitewash Sundries (and from right down the street here in Prattville!) is giving away a set of them here on our blog this weekend!

All you have to do to enter Sarah's Nesting Herb Crate Giveaway is leave us a comment on this post between Friday (February 5th, 2010) and Sunday (February 7th, 2010) at noon Central Time. We'll announce the winner on Monday, February 8th!

Good luck and have a great weekend!

Layla and Kevin :-)

PS- If you're interested in purchasing the herb crates, here's a link to Sarah's Etsy store: Whitewash Sundries. Just type in the words LETTEREDCOTTAGE in the message to seller and you'll receive 10% off your total purchase from Friday, Feb. 5- Friday, Feb. 12th!




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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Houzz Ideabook: Textural Touches on a Teeny Tiny Budget

Don't you just love how adding texture can instantly take a space from "ho-hum" to "holy cow!"? My Ideabook over at Houzz this week is all about ways you can add a textural touches for less. Click on the badge below for lots of inspiring links to projects you will LOVE, and a collection of fantastic photos submitted by Houzz users who have decorated with texture throughout their beautiful homes!




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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

A Delightful Dining Room Detail

Have you ever had to sell your husband on a piece of home decor that you absolutely love, but that he wasn't quite sure about? I recently had this happen at TJ Maxx.
Our conversation went something like this:

"Oh my gosh! This is soooo awesome!" (Layla)

"Really?" (Kevin)

"You don't think so?" (Layla)

"Yeah, I guess...I'm not sure. You know more about that stuff." (Kevin)

"I think it's awesome!"(Layla)

"Really?" (Kevin)

"Totally! Should we get it?" (Layla)

"Let's go home and look for place to use it, and then come back if you decide you want it." (Kevin)

"It'll be gone the next time we come back." (Layla)

"Really?" (Kevin)

"Yeah- this thing is awesome! I think we should get it." (Layla)

"Alright." (Kevin)

"Yessss!" (Layla)

So here is our "awesome" new accessory, happily hanging on a little chunk of wall space between our living and dining rooms...









And I'm pleased to announce that Kevin thinks it's pretty "awesome" now too.

:-)


A couple of days after we hung our bell, I saw this photo on Brooke's blog and I could hardly wait to show Kevin...




Moral of the story:

There is no instinct like that of the heart, so listen to it.
And if your husband can't hear what it's saying-
send him over to Brooke's blog for further confirmation.

:-)

Happy Wednesday y'all!
Layla



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And speaking of Whitewash Sundries- if you'd like to help my friend Sarah win a Valentine's Day contest over at Etsy, click on the photo below to cast your vote!




And if you've been looking for herb crates like the ones we have in our kitchen- she's sells those there too!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Random Acts of Kindness


Did you know that February 15-21 is National Random Acts of Kindness week?

Kevin and I were on the receiving end of a special surprise act of sweetness a couple of Christmases ago and boy did it catch us off guard! We were going through a really rough time financially, so we were spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to get money, and get happy. Then, out of nowhere, someone reminded us that true happiness lives in your heart, and that giving opens the way for receiving.


I shared our experience over at Lysa TerKeurst's blog today...




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I'll be back here tomorrow to share some new photos of an inspiring accessory we recently added to our dining room. It's simple, but sweet. Just the way I like 'em!

Happy Tuesday,
Layla

:-)

PS- If you're visiting from Lysa's blog- Welcome!
Here's a couple of links to the posts she mentioned in the beginning of her post: Fireplace Re-do and Mailbox Re-do



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Monday, February 1, 2010

Guest My Nest: Upper Kingston Road

Do you love getting sneak peeks into other peoples houses?

Have you ever stumbled across a house listing online and made an appointment to see it even though you didn't have any plans to move any time soon?

(Union Springs, AL- click on the photo for more!)


Have you ever taken "the long way home", just so you can stare at a beautiful house you admire?

(Prattville, AL- click on the photo for more!)


Have you ever saved up all your pennies just so you could spend a couple of nights in a secret little place by the sea?

("Nido Aguila"- Seaside, FL)


Have you dreamed about escaping to a primitive little place in the mountains?

(Bear Creek Log Cabin- Fort Payne, AL)


If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you might dig our new feature. We're calling it:

Guest My Nest


We've been invited to review and photograph a lot of great places around the South lately, so we thought- why not make a regular feature out of it? Our "Guest My Nest" posts will give you an inside look at all sorts of heavenly houses. We'll be visiting and blogging about homes that are for sale, homes that aren't for sale, some of my clients homes, and even some B&B's and vacation homes around the south too!

We "guested" our first nest this afternoon.



Isn't it spectacular?

It's owned by a very sweet lady by the name of Jamie Robison. She shares the house with her daughter, Elizabeth, and their two darling doggies...



It was built in 1912, is approximately 5600 square feet, sits on just over three acres of land, and is currently on the market for $415,000.

It's got six bedrooms:



Four bathrooms:





And six fireplaces:



It also has a large living room, and a large formal dining room:





One of my favorite parts of the house was its magnificent foyer- complete with craftsman-style staircase that leads up to the second floor:



Jamie has painstakingly removed a lot of the old paint from the staircase, and I couldn't get over how beautiful it was...





The kitchen has been completely renovated. There are windows on three sides of it, so the entire space is sunkissed. It almost feels like you're outside- it's incredible. As we stood in there and chatted- I was secretly picturing myself walking in there every morning. :-)












The butlers pantry has also been renovated, and features a brick floor and the original cabinetry and hardware:









There were so many pretty details throughout the house. I loved all the old doors and door knobs...









Outside, there's an old, tumbledown 2-room house, an outhouse, a two-car garage, a porte cochere, a concrete swimming pool and the deepest wrap-around porch I've ever seen.








Here's a link to the listing.

And here's the video we shot while visiting the house today...






Hope you enjoyed our first "Guest My Nest" post!
We look forward to sharing lots more of them with you in the future.
:-)

Happy Monday!
Layla


PS- If you'd like to have your home or vacation location featured on "Guest My Nest", please drop us a line at LaylaPalmer@aol.com!


The winner of the $50 Queen Bee Designs by Amanda gift certificate
is...




Congratulations!

Contact Amanda at queenbeedesigns@cox.net to claim your fabulous prize!


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