It's Fall Y'all

Welcome to It's Fall Y'all!

I'm just getting started with a little Fall decorating.

Love this little pumpkin teapot. It was a gift from a great friend.

A wonderful new candle sets the mood for snuggling.

Isn't it funny how we associate certain scents with each season?

This candle is pumpkin spice.

Of course, we have to welcome guests with the perfect wreath.

Mums are mingling with geraniums on the front porch.

Mums and a beautiful magazine on the ottoman.

A fallish colored plate came out of the cabinet. I love this plate.

Now I'm off to buy some pumpkins. My favorites are the cinderella pumpkins.

How about you?

Thank you Rhoda for hosting this blog get together. :)

Be sure to go over and visit everyone else today.

7 Things About Me & 7 Fab Bloggers

image via luke1_37

A huge thank you to everyone for all your supportive comments on the business card design and name. I truly appreciate all your feedback!

A special thank you to Ashley from At the End of the Day who selected me as a Kreativ Blogger and Kristin from Discover Interior Design who tagged me for the Honest Scrap Award!
Ashley's award asks me to list seven things about me that people may not know. Here are my 7:

1. I've memorized pretty much every line in the movie Anchorman with Will Ferrell and love quoting it randomly.

2. I majored in Sociology at UCLA and was the first in my family to graduate from college (and high school for that matter!).

image via concrete and honey

3. I was very much involved in competitve cheerleading (did you know it's a sport?) during jr high and high school and I loved defying cheerleader stereotypes.

4. I can be very clumsy.

5. When I was in grade school, I was a huge Baby-sitters Club and Baby-sitters Club Little Sister books.

6. My absolute favorite thing to eat is cherry tomatoes sprinkled with chili powder. Simple but sooo yummy!

image via sunday suppers

7. One of my many goals is to write (and publish!) a socially conscious children's book within the next 3 years.

The award also calls for seven Kreativ Blogger nominees. I've chosen the authors of the following fabulous blogs (be sure to check each of them out!):








Tomorrow I'll select 7 other bloggers for the Honest Scrap award and share 10 honest things about myself. I hope you'll stay tuned!

Business Name and Business Card Design

So I've decided on Casa Bellísima Interiors as the name for my business. Casa Bellísima means "Very Beautiful House" in Spanish (as well as Italian). I picked it because Spanish was actually my first language and I wanted to make it something that reminds me of my humble beginnings. Most people will probably pronounce it the Italian way, but either way, it sounds nice in both languages and the meaning is the same. I purchased a web domain in that name and my site is currently under construction!

I've also decided on a business card design that I think I'm almost ready to go final on but I wanted to share with you first. Hope you like it as much as I do!

~

photo by Beth Retro

"Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Happy Monday!

Hi friends. How is everyone doing? Spending lots of time here working on college applications with Son #2. These applications are so much more complicated than they were when I went to school.

The anticipation is fun and totally scary at the same time. He says, "Mom, next year both of your babies will be gone."

Just pass me the antidepressants now please!

Happy Friday

image via domino?

Have a lovely weekend everyone! I hope you get to spend it just the way you want to
:-)

Not Your Supper!

We've had a beautiful but not welcome visitor all day here at our house. You've seen our pond pictures...it has lots of fish in it. Well a Great Blue Heron has made himself at home here today. I didn't take this picture I found it on the internet. I have tried and tried to catch my own pictures but if I even wiggle at the window he flies away. My hubby is having a fit that the bird is going to eat all the fish!

This darn bird dives his big long beak into the water!! My husband (who works at home) is now out on the patio trying to conduct business while on watch. :)

**One more important note: Grey's Anatomy comes back on tonight!!

Awesome Book: The Boss of You

As a newbie entrepreneur, I've been picking up a lot of small business related books. The best I've found thus far that I was really able to get into and felt was really relevant to what I was doing is The Boss of You by Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon, two kick-ass down-to-earth ladies. I just finished reading it this past weekend and it's one of those books I know I'll keep referring to because it's very comprehensive and full of invaluable advice and information. The tone of the authors is so approachable and they write with a certain flair that just keeps you reading and maintains/revives the excitement of doing your own thing your way. It's helped and will continue to help me bring clarity and structure to what I'm doing. They get it -my aim is not to get rich quick, or grow super big, which is the emphasis of several (male-written) business books out there, but rather my goal is to earn a nice living doing something I love in a way that is sustainable, keeps to my values, and helps me live my best life.

If you're a thinking of becoming an owner of a creative small business or maybe have already taken the leap, I highly recommend this resource. You'll get practical advice written in simple language (not a lot of business jargon here!) on how to work your ideas, and visualize and create a realistic plan in a way that's not overwhelming. Oh and you'll get a few words of encouragement that'll keep you going when you're doubting yourself. Emira and Lauren give you strategies for how to deal with this and reassure you others have gone through something similar, gotten through it, and succeeded.

Happy First Day of Fall

How about a little design inspiration to welcome in the new season?

I'm loving this classic sophisticated bedroom by New York designer Sharon Simonaire. I think spaces with a strong neutral base are so smart because they lend themselves to change with the seasons. In this case the blanket brings in the lovely warm hues of autumn. In the warmer seasons, the blanket can easily be swapped for a lighter one with fresher, cooler tones. Happy First Day of Fall! :)

Improving the View

While some of you have been fluffing the inside of your home with pumpkins, I've been outside working. Have to get the last of my summer projects completed outside before the winter comes. Fall in Oklahoma is the perfect time for many outdoor projects.

Remember when we took some of the vines off of our pergola a couple of weeks ago? That let in lots of wonderful sunshine and air - which is needed to prevent fungus on the grass. There was fescue grass planted in that area that was never happy. This week we had zoysia planted under the pergola and off the patio area. It looks so much better to look out at green grass instead of a sparse muddy mess!

Down along the back fence we finished the flower bed that we started a few weeks ago. The bed now runs the full length of the backyard. Most of the plants in this bed have been transplanted from around the yard. Crepe myrtle, hostas, and hollies all came from crowded spots.

I purchased and put in pansies. I also added more nandinas, hostas, and heucheras. They are mostly pretty small plants now but with a little time it will blend seamlessly with the rest of the yard.

One more shot of the pond. It has been just beautiful this year!

Oh, I still needs spring bulbs and some pumpkins too. :) I love to put pumpkins in the flower beds and pretend like they grew there. Do you? Happy Gardening.

Fall Delights

As much as I love summer, I'm excited for the changing season. A few little things I find make autumn a lovely time of the year:

The crisp smell in the air and pumpkin patches

Fall trees and fresh outdoor mornings


Cozy spaces and preppy chic outfits


Tailored coats and orange leaves


Autumn walks and apple orchards


Rainy days and cute umbrellas


Warm apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes

*Images are linked to their source

What makes you happy during the fall season?

Sunday Supper

Spinach quiche, salad, and a biscuit.

Spinach Quiche

1 pie crust
2 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups grated cheddar
1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 box spinach cooked and squeezed dry

Mix all ingredients. Pour into pie crust and bake about 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

I love simple and delicious foods. I'm especially proud though because we had planned to go out to eat and decided to save the money and eat at home!

Packing It Up and Shipping It Out

Thank you so much to everyone who put their name in the hat for my give away. I really enjoyed hearing from old friends and meeting some new friends. A few people that I've never heard from did come out of their shells and say hello. :) I'm so glad you did.

There were 71 entries. I borrowed Tara Frey's Random Number Generator.



The winner is tiny little Shelia of Note Songs!

Shelia, please email me at snskee@aol.com with your tiny little address and I will send it to you all the way down there in my home state of Texas. :)

Happy Friday!

image via here

Since in the northern hemisphere summer doesn't officially end til the 22nd of September and since temperatures are expected in the high 80s in my side of town this weekend, I'll be taking advantage and squeezing in a little more beach time. Have a great weekend everyone! :)