I couldn't resist posting about the fabulous deals in my outlet this week. There are 10 items on sale for 70% or more off! They are all under $20 and make GREAT gifts to yourself, that spring bride, or anyone else on your list!
Shop securely online - http://bit.ly/SFGOutlet. Click on Weekly specials to the left of the screen to view all the big deals. Everything ships directly to your home. Don't forget to pick up your half price item from my main store ($40 or less) when you spend $39.96 or more in the outlet! Details in the store!
I can't believe my little BBC turned seven yesterday. Sniff, sniff. We picked him up from school at lunch and went to his favorite restaurant. If we ever ask him what he wants for lunch or dinner we know he is going to respond, "LARRY'S PIZZA!"
If ever you find yourself in central Arkansas, do yourself a favor and stop in for lunch or dinner at Larry's Pizza. They have a fun array of specialty pizza's like BBC's favorite, chicken honey mustard. Their traditional and dessert pizzas are very tasty, too.
This is the traditional birthday bag. He received a gift in this bag on hist first birthday. He has gotten a gift in the bag every year since. It started out as a joke and now we just continue the tradition.
BBC loves movies and they are a great way to bribe, er, I mean motivate him to have good behavior and grades at school. He added Despicable Me to his movie library this year.
DH picked out the birthday gifts this year. As you can see BBC is super excited to receive this remote control Rocket Warthog. I had no idea what it was. He is explaining to me in this picture. All I hear is wah wah wah, wah wah. All that really matters in that joy on his little face!
When we got home we started baking his cake together. He requested another pirate ship cake but after the last fiasco, I talked him into experimenting with a rocket cake. I made a Barbie cake in a Pampered Chef batter bowl for my niece a few years back. Someone told me I could do something similar to make a rocket.
Here's how our rocket cake turned out. It is definitely more successful than the pirate ship! Do you see that ornery grin on his face? It took him forever to make his wish and blow out the candles.
After we had cake, we packed him up to go out of town with his grandparent's for the weekend. I love low-key birthdays. We try to have a big party every few years but I think the memories we create on the low-key years are the best.
Last night I hosted my first design workshop in my home. The focus of the workshop was spring mantels. My goal was for us to share ideas for updating mantel decor using the three color and style trends we are following at Willow House this spring.
You may recall from a previous post how I am drawn most to the Chic Organic color palette right now which borrows casual style and a seaside palette. Ironically this is the look I most struggled with on my brick fireplace.
This is what I came up with for this look. It is so hard for me to photograph my mantle and have it accurately reflect the look. Any tips for improving on this are GREATLY appreciated! To the left I have our Large Lady Jane Bottleneck Vase (41414) which brings in the soft blue of the palette. A single hydrangea adds interest and the pop of green.
To balance the blue on the right side, I covered a book in a fun blue printed fabric. The soda glass container holds more hydrangea blooms. Our Devonshire Lidded Trifle (40626) adds the perfect touch of organic interest filled with river rocks and a white candle. To finish off the look and add height, a bundle of sticks are tucked behind the book.
I think I had the most fun with the bright and bold trend. It was an easy look to pull together. I was surprised by how easily this color palette could have a spring feel. This also makes me think ahead to summer with bright red geraniums!
You may recognize part of the look on the left. I used the glass cylinder from the Large Galveston Hurricane (41256) in my paperwhite display. For this application I slid the cylinder back into it's iron holder. To bring the pop of red to this side I dropped a faux fern into our Cinnabar Vase (40863) and sat it on top of an upside down Cinnabar Tidbit.
To the right I added more red with a Cinnabar Accent Plate (40997) and Cinnabar Footed Server (40810). Our Tall Glass Dome brings attention to a sweet winter-to-spring framed poem. The green Ingleside Luminary (41401), mossy rocks, and a few bird nests help complete the look.
Another BIG surprise for me was how much I enjoyed playing around in the Rustic Modern color palette. It was by far my least favorite when I started the evening but now I'm not so sure.
Our Ingleside Luminaries (41401) are the perfect trio for this look. The set includes one in robin's egg blue, one in rust, and one in green. The Large Galveston Footed Hurricane works well with this color scheme with it's brown iron stand. A robin's egg blue vase filled with budded branches balances out the height of the large hurricane to the right.
I luckily had two books with a saturated orange color to balance out the left side. The river rock, reindeer moss, and bird nest add more rustic interest.
Finally, I mimicked the Mantel Makeover look using the products I had on hand. I usually don't style my mantle so simply but I actually like this look for a change, too! Instead of hydrangeas in the Framework Urn I used mossy rocks - a must have for filler in my opinion!
Do you want to get this look in your home on the cheap? In February, hosts with parties totaling $500 or more can get the Willow House products to create this look for under $150! That is in addition to the $50 free product credit AND the half-off and 70% off items!
It's easy to host an online party to earn these rewards. It takes just minutes to get you set up in the system. I will send hard copies of our catalog and the details on how to collect orders from either the catalog and/or via my online store. Your customers can save big when they shop the online outlet and take advantage of the customer special, too!
One final note. If you have ever thought about a business opportunity like this (because you want to stay at home with your children, because you want to redecorate your home for cheap, because you want some new friends or just because) Our Vice President Jerry Vitale shares why you may want to give us a closer look.
January is a great month to give it a try. Our mini starter kit is just $99 this month and there are several incentives to motivate you to kick your business off with a strong start, pay back your investment with a $100 profit, earn a 5% raise, and earn an additional $250 in product all in your first full month! Let's connect to see if this is right for you!
I know this post is lengthy. I hope you find it helpful and inspiring as you begin to put spring touches around your home! Which color palette and/or mantel display were you most drawn to?
I added the XOXO letters that I found on clearance ($2 a piece) at a local boutique three years ago. I knew they would come in handy some day.
I needed the left-side O to have a little height, so I propped it up on an old, brass clock and then concealed with my little blue box. It adds a perfect little touch of color and every girl loves getting one of these for Valentine's day (or any day of the year for that matter).
Finally, here's a kiss and a hug from the right side. Yes, that book says SWORD - a wink to my knight in shining armor. Simple and goes perfectly with my romantically, cozy corner.
Do you embellish or change out your mantel for Valentine's Day? It doesn't have to be a complete overhaul. Just a few simple touches does the trick!
Be sure to pop over to Beth's Valentine's Mantel Party for more inspiration!
My most favorite display at the leadership retreat was the dining room. I wanted to pick this room up and drop it in my home. Just look at all the eye candy!
Let's start with the table. I want it! The rustic iron base and the weathered wood are absolutely perfect together. Did I mention I want this table???!!!
The next thing to love is all the interest in the seating. Stepping back and thinking about it, it is a hodge podge that you wouldn't expect to see together. Our designers pull it together in the most fabulous way. I see wing back chairs at Goodwill for dirt cheap all the time. Slip on a creamy cover for an instant update!
This bench is covered in charcoal burlap. I have never stumbled on such loveliness but as soon as I do I will for sure scoop it up as you know I am truly obsessed with that sort of thing. Who knows what is under there? It could be almost anything but who cares! It's fabulous!
To one end of the room the eye is drawn to this painting. You may recall I am a sucka for oxidizing copper and this painting makes think of just that. It was painted by a friend of our design team. Love it!
And down the other end of the room was this lovely sideboard. I want it, too!!!
What is your eye most drawn to in this lovely room?
Happy weekend, friends!
~Southern Fried Gal
One last piece of business before I go...
Random.Org named comment 3 as the winner this morning which is Ruby Red Slippers! Yay! She is one of my first bloggy friends. She is a hoot and has a heart of gold. If you haven't visited her blog stop over and say hi when you get a chance.
My Hawthorne Hurricane was sitting in the window as naked as could be and looking a little chilled. I suppose since it is still January I could have dressed him like his brother at the Winter White party in Birmingham...
Instead I took my inspiration from Mississippi Mud Eclectic Designs and decided to dress my hurricane in a lovely white sweater. I found the perfect sweater for $3.99 at Savers. It was a soft white with interesting detail and blends perfectly with all my other Winter White Home Decor.
I pulled the sleeve of the sweater up over the bottom of the hurricane. I was lucky enough to have a perfectly snug fit around the bottom. Then I pull it up and snipped it leaving plenty of room to stuff down into the hurricane. Nothing permanent for me, as you know!
These sticks with pearly beads seemed to be the perfect filler for the vase.
I concealed another glass vessel down inside so the sticks would arrange themselves perfectly. Shhh - don't tell anyone.
I think the sweater is a perfect touch for now and looking forward to spring. I imagine forcing quince or forsythia branches in this vase. I also think it would be adorable filled with tulips. This all makes me think of that perfect little sweater over that spring dress!
This look all seemed very romantic so I decided to accessorize accordingly for the upcoming holiday for now.
The bonus is I got a lovely new pillow cover as well.
I think it adds just the right amount of cozy to this chilly, winter window! What do you think?
In yesterday's post I said I would share my latest idea for our Hawthorne Hurricane. Sometimes things don't come together exactly as planned so I hope to get that tweaked to my liking and share in tomorrow's post.
I love hurricanes because they have endless possibilities for home design. Yesterday I posted a GIVEAWAY for sharing your idea for our Hawthorne Hurricane. There are already several wonderful ideas. I loved Gina's idea (@ Desperately Seeking Gina) to fill it with red hots and make a bouquet of love notes to her boyfriend using scrap paper - too cute! There's still time to enter to win!
While I figure out exactly what I need to tweak on my current idea, here are a few other posts with ideas that would translate to the Hawthorne Hurricane.
Of course you can find the Hawthorne Hurricane (41395) and the Hemingway Hurricane (40350) in my Online Store.
Do you have photos of hurricanes in use around your home? I would love to feature you! Send your pictures and/or post url to southernfriedgal @ gmail.com.
I just about have all my home decor bins sorted, purged, and reorganized. All that takes quite a bit of time with nothing to show (which is the goal, right?). This is an annual ritual and it is quite obsessive. Here's a post with my home decor organizing tips from a couple of years ago.
Keeping with the organizing theme, I have been organizing and loading lots of pictures to my WillowHouseSFGFacebook Page from the Product Showcase Rooms at the Willow House Leadership Retreat. Today I loaded the Easter Party album with fun and unique ideas for Easter (or spring garden party).
I have been challenged to come up with unique style ideas for our Hawthorne Hurricane (41395). I made a trip to Savers this morning to find the materials needed to implement an idea I have in mind. I will be posting tomorrow for Willow House Wednesday.
Some of you ask where do I find my inspiration. The short answer is EVERYWHERE! More specifically, YOU and the blogosphere always have wonderful ideas that inspire me. I also draw lots of inspiration from magazines.
I thought I would marry the two and host an idea gathering and giveaway. What would you do with the Hawthorne Hurricane? Let me know in the comments section for a chance to win a subscription to one of the fabulous magazines we offer through Willow House (like Southern Living, All You, Cooking Light and others)!
Sound fun? Ready. Set. Go!~Southern Fried Gal
p.s. There's only one way to win - leave me a comment with an idea for our Hawthorne Hurricane. I will leave this open until Thursday at midnight then draw and announce a winner on Friday.
I couldn't resist posting about the fabulous deals in my outlet this week. There are 10 items on sale for 70% or more off! They are all under $20 and make GREAT gifts to yourself, that spring bride, or anyone else on your list!
