I love an Easy Summer dress

This post brought to you by Milann. All opinions are 100% mine.

Everyone has their wardrobe of choice in the summer. It is usually something light and comfortable.

I especially love to wear simple, casual dresses in the summertime. Just throw it on and go!

 

No bother to match any tops to shorts.

When it comes to going out on the town with my husband, maybe to Atlantic City, or even just dinner, I try to find a dress that is a little more elegant but still full of comfort. 

If you ever have the problem of figuring out what to wear, stock your closet with a few of these little darlings and you won't be disappointed.

There is a great online shop called Milanoo.com that has the prettiest and most romantic dresses.

Just look at this killer black dress.

 

Doesn't everyone need a little black dress? and they have so many more styles.

Little romantic  pink taffeta dresses.

 

They have the sweetest special occasion dresses at such reasonable prices.

And look at this pretty little white, sash party dress, I just love this one.

 

 

To celebrate their 3rd anniversary they offer free shipping on these special occasion dresses

These are all dresses to feel pretty and comfortable in. I feel prettier in a simple dress even if I'm just going to the supermarket. They are comfy.

Even though in the winter I am mostly a jeans and t shirt girl, I love a soft flowy summer dress, like this one

.

So my favorite place to shop for some super prices and great quality is  Milanoo.com.  It may soon be your favorite place too!

A Self portrait, Andy Warhol style

I really wanted to participate in the photography challenge over at A Step in the Journey blogspot
My problem being... no decent camera to use, not even a point and shoot, and i certainly don't think any of my iphone pictures is going to qualify.
So I came up with an idea I am hoping is acceptable to the challenge.
The first challenge is a self portrait.
I used photo booth on my mac to take this picture and to create the effects which is called Andy Warhol.

I did order a DSLR and should be getting it in a few days. I am eager to have fun with this new learning experience.
Join in the fun with us at the photo challenge for the next 20 weeks!
A Step in the Journey

Free 411 calls and voice navigation caught my eye

Did you ever get frustrated having to call customer service because your cell phone isn't working? Only to find out your not eligible to have it fixed or get a new phone unless you sign in for another 2 years!!

And why would you want to sign in for 2 more years if your not happy with the service they are currently providing?

I think some carriers are finally catching on to the craziness of this idea.

I recently discovered something called Straight Talk,and I think that they get it!

I can't stop thinking about the money I will save, specifically on my kids phones. 

I just want good service at a reasonable price. They have some awesome features.

• No contracts, no surprise bills!

• Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web.
• Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung.
• No contracts
• International Long Distance:
• • Straight Talk International Long Distance Service is a flexible prepaid calling service that enables you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates. 
• call a friend

This part I love.

• 411 calls are included at no extra charge.

I don't know about you but  my 411 calls have been costing me way too much. I love the idea of cutting my cell phone bill in half. This feature alone had me at "Hello"

• hook, line and sinker

This is an especially great plan for the kids, because mine go through phones like candy

• Reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. Great for young users!

And I really like this feature, a voice navigation system., check out how this works.

• everything you need

It certainly gives you food for thought, if you are having an issue with the steep rise of your cell phone costs.
One happy camper,who switched to Straight Talk ..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…



This post brought to you by Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.

Vintage Collections

I have a few things I just couldn't stop myself from hunting down, buying or foraging for, so after a while I guess they do become a collection.
So I guess i'd say i have a few collections. Years ago I began an obsession with blue and white dishes.It started with just pitchers

 then my step mom gave me tiffany plates

 some blue onion

 I used my blue and white willow wear all the time and eventually gave it to my daughter. I recently renovated  my kitchen and packed all the blue and white away,

 and bought out all the old solid white and some newly thrifty white. some of that is later in this post.


But for now, the story of my  Hull pottery.

Usually I only buy in the Water lilly or Magnolia patterns.

 The one below is my favorite and the one that started my hunt for Hull.

The story behind it is so cute. Back in 1985,An old neighbor who was about 65 then, used to help us out fixing things, and I had gone down to his basement where he was searching for a special bolt, for me , and when I looked to see a few grimey old screwdrivers sitting inside this gorgeous piece of pottery on an old shelf, with a bunch of nuts and bolts, my jaw dropped. I asked him why he didn't just have them in an old coffee can, instead of this beauitful piece. He said, Oh that old thing, Someone gave it to us for a wedding present, it's older than dirt."  "You can have it if you like it." 

Like it....I loved it. But we better ask your bride!! She said Oh sure, I don't have any use for it.

They were married  when he was 20. So I guess it was about circa1940. I had no idea what it was at the time but had seen Roseville and thought it to be even prettier than any Roseville I'd come across.

On the bottom it said Hull USA

So i took it home with me and an affair with Hull was born!

oops I can't forget, I have a few vintage purses i adore. I just love to hang them around the house.
Against an old door

On my old clapboard porch front

On a table top or near the hutch

Or just dangling from an old cubbard

I also have collections of vintage tablecloths, which I have posted once before here.
Cottage Beach House: Vintage Tablecloth Love
and honestly, of course ... the seashells,

They are the most fun to collect because they are free and the whole family becomes involved, scouring the beach for goodies.

Never really thought about myself as a collector but yep, I have to admit I have enough white pitchers and pottery to be a collection, and vintage aqua bottles too!

I have fun with the things I "collect" I use them for flowers, and drinks, and setting out dinner.

 and holding fruit, and milk and sugar

I like to use these little white pitchers to stuff flowers in or mix a couple mojitos.

 It makes the yard sales, and thrift shops a fun jaunt to see if I can find the things that I like.
What things do you like to find when your out on a hunt?

Posting at Privet and Holly Collections Linky party

Good Life Wednesdays

~White Wednesday # 110~

Vintage Bottle for Dish Detergent

Here's a sweet and simple idea. I'm not claiming this to be my idea, because I first saw this concept with an old wine bottle on another bloggers site. I can not for the life of me remember who.

 An old bottle to hold your dish soap by the sink!

But in my mind it segued from old wine bottle to one of my vintage bottles laying around the house.

These pics are at my beach house down the shore, and I've done it in my kitchen back home too.
Doesn't it look pretty next to my jug full of beach glass?

It gives a very useful purpose to any  bottle you choose and it looks so much prettier, than ....a plastic bottle of Dawn, or whatever you use.
I used to try to just keep the plastic container under the sink, but someone would always use it and leave it out.

I got this cute little jug out thrifting one day, and fell in love with it, because it has a little ship etched into the glass. I wonder what it was used for or how old it is.

I filled it with beach glass.

I have a collection of vintage bottles that my husband used to find while digging up the streets of Philadelphia. I just recently picked up a few more, on a ride down the shore, to add to my newly renovated kitchen. You can read about that renovation here. I like to decorate my new kitchen with vintage aqua bottles, because it goes so sweetly with the backsplash, which is recycled glass in a soft green beach glass hue. I posted some of those old bottles on my kitchen window sill in a previous post, which you can see here.

If you know anyone who uses this idea of dish soap in a vintage bottle link it up in the comments so I can go check it out. Maybe I will find the blogger with the wine bottle that originally gave me the idea.
Thanks for stopping by!
Eileen


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Mary's room Finally Complete

Well, I can finally say Mary's room is completely done!

Thanks so much for all your input. I enjoyed all your ideas and selections.

I painted the headboard white and
together my daughter and I painted one

 wall blue ( Behr sapphire berry) and 3 walls  green.

You can see from this photo I did pick some of the things you ladies had picked. Many of the items you ladies liked were already in my car  ;)) when I posted Phase 4 here.

On the chest, we incorporated Mary's prom flowers, which she dried herself, by including them in a great metalware vase I found with a vintage flare.

Mary dried her pretty prom flowers by just hanging them upside down for a few months. So it was nice to use them in the design.

Giving her all the swirley stuff she loved.

And a few other things I found and couldn't resist.
We found this lamp at Ikea. Mary liked it so much she got it before we got anything else.
 I just love how the bedspread has the same white florals in it.

The hardest part was finding the right bedspread for her, she wanted blue to go with the accent wall. Which is different than the other 3.. they are a pale green, almost aqua. You can see the difference in the right corner in the pic below.

The comforter is kinda a cross between the two shades. Finding the right blue was tricky. But I loved this one the minute I found it. And even more when we layed it on the bed.

We found this one at Target.

I painted the headboard white to match the furniture.
 I thought about painting the sconces but liked the touch of brown swirl there.

We got a bunch of swirly pillows in brown and aqua, and blue

I love what the painting on the wall says. "It's not about counting the years, but making the years count."
Amen to that.

 and how it is a patchwork like the rug.

I was lucky enough to find a nice lined fabric drape in a brown and the perfect pale green!

The bureaux got some pretty candles and that mosaicy- thing!

The stone ball everyone seemed to like was one item I already had in me cart the minute I spotted it.
 I saw it on the dresser in my mind.

And a last minute add that I found at Michael's on sale for only $3.20 was this wonderful box, that has all the elements of her room, some words of wisdon like the painting, a patchwork framework like the rug and the painting, and the perfect spa green, and browns, and lots of swirls.

 It even  has a hinged lid.

Now she has a place for school papers or hair gadgets, Yeahhh!!
I've had fun moving this one all around the room!!

----------------------------------------
Because everyone likes a Before and After...
Pretty big difference from the bed wall and how that wall used to look?

That wall before. .. with 1 dresser and 1 desk. mismatched.( I know..embarrasing)

But look at her now, all prettied up. With the  newly painted headboard & bed on that wall.

And the other wall, which used to have the bed.

Now the dressers grace it.

 The window wall which looked like this:

Now looks like this:

My favorite feature is absolutely the Pergo floors. It makes moving the furniture and the bed, which is a big heavy king, so simple, they just glide, even with the small rug under the bed, because it is thin, not like the carpet was, so much easier to move around to clean. This was the last room in the house with carpet, and I couldn't wait to get rid of it. All I can say now is... Yippeee, Skippie.
I may never see it this neat again!


Other before pics posted here in Phase 1,2, 3.   And the Inspiration Rooms here
Thanks for stopping by!
Eileen


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