All You Need Is...

In the immortal words of The Beatles, 'All you need is love'. 

After having captured Grace's 5 year old handwritten 'love', which has been my VERY favorite embroidery project so far...

I was inspired to capture and preserve more 'love'.

So, I cut 6 inch squares, out of white cotton fabric, and I'm having those near and dear to Grace, write 'love' and sign their names.

When I've collected enough 'love', I'll either frame them OR turn them into a quilt for Grace.

The quilt will be titled, 'All you need is...'  Grace is so blessed because she is loved by many and I never want her to forget it.  If ever she needs a little extra love, I hope she'll find comfort wrapped in a warm quilt surrounded by the love of those near and dear to her.

Until then, I'll be busy collecting love and embroidering.

All while humming 'All you need is love'.

Nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love

Home Sweet Home Pillows

Home Sweet Home.

Recently, I've become slightly obsessed with making houses.

Of course, my houses are not made with 2x4s and nails but rather with fabric, ribbon and buttons.

No green thumb required with these houses.  The garden is blooming with vintage button blosoms.

I think we can all agree, there is no place like home.

Which was the inspiration for this Wizard of Oz themed house {which is currently for sale in the While Wearing Heels Etsy Shop}.

Though I may have embraced the gray in my kitchen...this sweet little gray house has 'no home'.

*SO, to all of you who feel 'at home' here at While Wearing Heels, I'm giving you the chance to win this Gray House Pillow.

**Simply leave me a comment, here or on facebook. If you are a no-reply commenter, please leave your email address.  If you aren't sure if you are a no-reply commenter, leave your email address or contact information to be safe.  If I can't get a hold of you, you can't win.

Hoping you all continue to feel 'at home' while visiting While Wearing Heels.



*This giveaway is for the Gray house pillow with pink embroidered details.  It measures approximately 10 1/2 inches tall by 5 1/2 inches wide.  It was made, with lots of love, by me...while wearing heels. **Leave a comment here, or on facebook, for a chance to win this 'homemade' pillow.  Winner to be announced Wednesday, March 5th. 

The winner of the Gray Pillow, selected by random.org, is Erin Biggers.

Goodwill Hunting Roundup

It's that time of month where I show off my thrifted finds from the past month. 

I've done a lot of shopping this month BUT wait until you see the deals I got.

One of my favorite sections to check out, when shopping Goodwill, is the children's clothes.  Occasionally, I'll stumble across a nearly new sparkly dress for Grace.  For $3.99, there was no passing up this beauty.

Again this month, Goodwill offered a promotion that if you brought in a bag of donations they'd give you a 30% off coupon.  I happily donated a bag and took advantage of the additional 30% off.   *If you haven't already, sign up for emails from Goodwill so you don't miss promotions like this.

I recently began a hunt for mismatched vintage plates.  Image a stack of beautiful mismatched vintage plates laid out for a party.  They'd add charm to any event and I suspect make the food taste better too.  The plates were .49 cents each.  With my additional 30% discount, each plate cost me .32 cents. 

I found 5 stencil brushes.  The brushes were .49 cents each.  These were purchased with my additional 30% off coupon so these brushes cost a grand total of $1.62. 

The woodaholic is using the dark handled brushes to paint his barn wood bunnies and the other brushes found their way into Grace's craft station.

Though I have no immediate need for this vintage beaded trim, I couldn't put it back on the shelf. 

This summer, we are attempting to get our girlie girl exposed to some sports.  She'll start soccer in April.  I'm hoping she enjoys it but would hate to invest in new equipment if it turns out she doesn't.  I found an extra small pair of shin guards for $1.99.  I also found a catcher's mitt for .99 cents...though, I realize she won't need this for soccer, at least I don't think :)

I've enticed the mister to join me in my Goodwill shopping.  He came across an English made police whistle for $2.99.  With the 30% off coupon it ended up being $1.98. 

Again, this past month, I found some great books for Grace.  Not only does she enjoy being read chapter books but she is also getting really good at reading books on her own.  All the books below were .59 cents each, with the exception of the brand new Jingle and Bell's Christmas book which was .99 cents.

After Goodwill, I headed to Hallmark, where all the Christmas stock was marked down to 75% off.  There, I found a brand new Bell for $8!  Bell is one of those interactive story buddies.  She'll be tucked away, along with the .99 Jingle and Bell book, until Christmas when she'll be wrapped for Grace. 

Over Christmas, I had bought a few gifts from The Gap and in return, I was given $25 Gap cash.  Like any good thrifter, I waited until I could combine my Gap cash with an additional discount.  The day that I went, there was an additional 30% off all sale items. 

I bought a package of undies (7 pairs) and some new socks for Grace along with the following...

All for $25! 

Sometimes shopping in conventional stores is even better than shopping at thrift stores.

What were your best finds this past month?

Live Simply

When asked what I wanted for Valentine's Day, I responded genuinely, a gallon of paint.

Not only did my husband buy me a can of paint and offered his help in painting, he also gave me some pretty pink roses.  And, this, genuinely made me happy.

 To my surprise, though, a few days later, a manilla envelope arrived.

The pretty label gave away what was inside.

I could not wait to open it.

Now, I just have to find a place to proudly display my beautiful print.

Though I was happy with my gallon of paint, for Valentine's Day...content to live simply, I am over the moon that my thoughtful husband went above and beyond and also bought me this beautiful print.

If you haven't already, visit The Painted Arrow.   She has a collection of beautiful, inspiring, colorful prints. 

My Gray Kitchen - The Big Reveal

I will go to extreme measures to make sure I don't have any gray hair but, for some reason, I am embracing the gray in my newly painted kitchen.

The changes we made in our kitchen were few and frugal but had a HUGE impact.

Originally, the kitchen was painted with 'Remember The Alamo' by Dutch Boy, a tan paint that had green undertones.

Wanting an update, we debated over what seemed like 50 shades of Gray (how could I resist that reference?).

Stonington Gray, by Benjamin Moore, ended up being the winner.

Stonington Gray is a pale gray that has a calming effect and tranquil feel.   

The Stonington Gray set against our white cabinets not only softened how everything looked but brightened it up as well.  All of the sudden, it seemed as if the kitchen grew up.  It suddenly become more elegant and sophisticated.  

Though, to be fair, the sophistication might also be due in part to my chandelier.

The chandelier the mister bought me for my birthday finally got hung.

 And, just as much as I admire it during the day, I can't but help admire it even more at night.

The other changes to the kitchen were minor, and again frugal.

The cafe stools were painted with a grain sack design. 

We added vintage cast iron brackets to the bottom of our kitchen cabinets.

Getting a custom look without paying custom prices.

Though the pantry remains painted in Remember The Alamo, it fortunately transitions well with the kitchen.  After spending several days hand stenciling the walls, the last thing I want to do is repaint the pantry.

Now, from each and every angle...

The kitchen makes me happy...just because.

And, of course, the fresh flowers help too.

Cost of (1) can of paint (Stonington Gray) $30
Cost of Chandelier $100 (though, technically it was a birthday gift)
Cost of cabinet brackets $7
Cost of newly painted cafe stools $0

So, for under $150, my kitchen grew up and embraced her gray.

Customize Cabinets with Brackets

An easy way to give your kitchen cabinets a custom look is by adding brackets.  Brackets can be wood, metal or cast iron.

We happened to find some vintage cast iron brackets from a flea market.  The design must be fairly common because we initially found a set and a few weeks later, came across another bracket.  In total, we probably spent about $7 on all 3. 

We {a term I use loosely since I supervised the whole thing} mounted the brackets under the edge of our kitchen cabinets.

There is an option to mount to the wall as well but with plaster walls sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone.

The brackets add a charming subtle accent, giving our cabinets a more custom look.

There are always easy way to give your house custom looks without having to pay custom prices.