2011 April | Beneath My Heart

Important Message of How to Help the Tornado Victims….Please Read

April 29, 2011 AT 8:32 pm 2 Comments

April 29, 2011 By traci 2 Comments

I was so touched by the email I received from one of my sponsors, Leen the Graphics Queen, today.

She asked me if I would be able to mention on my blog a way that she and her husband would like to help out the victims of the recent tornado outbreaks.

I think they came up with a great idea.

I want to share with you the post that was written on their blog.

Like many people, Eileen and I are deeply saddened by the loss of lives and homes in the south this week from the tornado outbreaks. We are feeling so blessed that our immediate area wasn’t impacted.

Source

Over breakfast this morning, we were discussing this and how we wish there was something we could do to help.

We decided that the best way we could help is to involve YOU!

We will donate 100% of the proceeds of our Number Decals to the victims. We’re paying the shipping so every cent of your purchase goes directly to the victims now through Sunday.

Number Decal

Order as many as you like & get cute decals while helping others.

Thanks so much for helping Eileen and I do what we can for the victims of this weeks tornado outbreaks. We truly appreciate it!

James

I think this is a win-win situation.

We get to enjoy these beautiful number decals and help tornado victims at the same time.

I can think of a million ways to use these numbers.

I’m ordering some, will you?

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Best DIY Projects Highlights

April 29, 2011 AT 9:24 am 4 Comments

April 29, 2011 By traci 4 Comments

Happy Friday!

It’s 5:26 am, and I am happily watching the Royal Wedding.

I love this stuff! The tradition, the history, the pomp and circumstance. The romance….

I’m giddy!

My husband, of course, is sleeping soundly in the bed. :)

I wanted to take a second to share some highlights from last month’s “Best DIY Projects of March”.

There were 108 amazing projects linked up last month.

I loved seeing your “BEST”.

Of course, I had to share this first project…it’s burlap!

I love this ruffled burlap lampshade that Angie made at Red Cupboard Design.

Isn’t it adorable? I need one of those!

I fell in love with these DIY Framed Fabric Prints from Focal Point.

Elyse from Loving Your Space did a fabulous job redoing her laundry room. You should see the “before!”

Check out these beautiful DIY chalkboard backed open cabinets that Katie at Creatively Living Outside The Box completed. They turned out fabulous!

Carmel, my fellow Kentuckian from Our Fifth House, created these fabulous DIY Stenciled Drapes and provides a great tutorial of how you can do it too.

I love this Pallet Farm Table Desk that Donna made over at Funky Junk Interiors. But of course, I love everything that Donna creates! She is so truly talented.

This piece just makes me happy! Isn’t that spring green gorgeous? This lovely re-do was complete by Katie at Impatiently Praying for Patience.

Are you as amazed at the talent out in blogland as I am?

I get so inspired when I look through these linky parties. Thank you so much for linking up!

Saturday evening, I will be posting the linky party for the “Best DIY Projects of April”.

Remember, you can only link up one project…your BEST of the month.

Also, please only link up DIY projects that are related to home decor or home improvement.

See you there!

As a side note, I am having a Elmer’s Craft & Tell Party at my house on Sunday, May 1st at 3:00 pm. If you are a local blogger and you would like to come, I have a few spots left. Just leave me a comment. It will have to be on a first come, first serve basis. I would love to meet you!

Also, if you didn’t get a chance to enter the Knitty Bitties giveaway, click HERE.

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Everyone needs a little “Knitty Bitties” {A Fabulous Giveaway!}

April 28, 2011 AT 7:11 am

April 28, 2011 By traci

Ya’ll are going to love this giveaway! I’ve been dying to share it with you!

Let me give you a little background info…

I have been to three blogging conferences.

They have been some of the best times of my life! Not kiddin.

The “buzz” about each conference starts months before the event.

One of the things you may hear other bloggers posting and tweeting about is business cards.

You want to have blog business cards to pass out to the new bloggers you meet at these conferences.

Well, you know us bloggers….

If we have to have business cards, then we have to have something super cute to carry them in, right?

Well, let’s just say at the past three conferences I have been to, I did not impress anyone with the plastic sandwich bag I was carrying my business cards in. But hey! It got the job done.

I really wanted to get a cute business card holder for Blissdom this past January, but being the procrastinator I am, I just took my plastic baggy again.

I was pea-green with envy when I saw Emily, Decor Chick’s cute little business card holder at Blissdom. I “oohed” and “aahed” over it.

She posted about it on her blog. Here’s a pic!

These cute mini wallets are made by one of my fabulous sponsors, Andrea from Knitty Bitties!

She calls them “Oh Snap! Mini Wallets”. Isn’t that cute? They are the perfect size to carry your money or your business cards. There are two little sections in the wallet to separate your stuff.

Andrea contacted me after Blissdom about advertising with me, and I said “YES!” because I love her stuff!

Look what I got in the mail last week. (Don’t hate me.)

Andrea sent me a custom made “Oh snap! Mini Wallet”. They are in my blog colors…red, tan, and black!

Isn’t it the cutest thing ever?!!

I need to go to a blog conference, like NOW! Somebody ask me for a business card!!!!

She also sent me this adorable “Happy Little List Taker” in my blog colors. Can’t you see me taking notes at the conferences? (Oh yeah, right. I’m usually busy talking instead of taking notes.)

Oh well, at least I’ll look cute carrying it. :)

Now for the good news!!!

One of my wonderful Beneath My Heart Readers has the chance to win a “Oh Snap! Mini Wallet” and a “Happy Little List Taker” from Knitty Bitties!

You KNOW you want ‘em!

Here is the “Happy Little List Taker” you will win…

Isn’t she beautiful?

And then you will get to pick one of Andrea’s beautiful “Oh Snap! Mini Wallets” from her shop in any color you want!

Look at the choices….

Here’s how you can enter:

1. Hop on over to Knitty Bitties and look around. Tell me which “Oh Snap! Mini Wallet” you would choose if you win.

2. Click “like” on the Knitty Bitties facebook page and tell me about it in a comment.

3. Tweet this: Everyone needs a little Knitty Bitties! Great giveaway @beneathmyheart http://www.beneathmyheart.net/?p=3439 @knittybitties and leave a separate comment telling me you did.

4. Share this giveaway on your facebook page and tell me in a separate comment.

That’s four chances to win! Do one or do them all…it’s your choice!

I will close the giveaway at 9:00 pm on Sunday, May 1st, and announce the winner on Monday, May 2nd.

Andrea also makes adorable camera straps, IPad covers, small clutches, and more! Plus, I think her prices are the best! If you need any gifts for upcoming celebrations, keep Knitty Bitties on your shopping list!

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“And the Survey Says!…” My Dad Loves Me!

April 27, 2011 AT 8:55 am 11 Comments

April 27, 2011 By traci 11 Comments

Do you remember the survey I had on my blog a couple of weeks ago?

Well, you guys really helped me out! I had almost 1000 of you fill it out!

The results were really interesting and very helpful.

But before I share them with you, I want to remind you about my “Best DIY Projects of April” party on Sunday, April 30th.

It’s a great party where bloggers link up their number one, very best project of April! For more details about the party, click HERE. Hope to see you there! (If you do not know how to link up to a party, here is a tutorial of how to do it.)

Now to the survey!

The results of the first questions actually surprised me. My readers are actually a little bit younger than I would have thought. However, I do think it’s a good mix of ages.

I was really encouraged to see how many of you visit my blog everyday or every time I post…over half of you! Thank you! I really do feel like I have very loyal readers. :)

This next question made me smile from ear to ear! I have one male reader, and guess who it is?

My daddy!

The day after I posted this survey, my dad and I went shopping in Lexington. We got to talking about my blog, and he asked me why I did that survey (he reads my blog everyday). :)

I told him how the information would help me with my blog, and he said he completed the survey.

When I looked at the final results of the survey and saw that little number “1” in the male column, I just about cried. That’s my daddy. I love that man!

(I know you are reading this Dad….xoxo!)

I was also surprised that a third of my readers do not have any children. I really do feel like I am usually writing to other mothers, so this information was really helpful to me. I have a better understanding of my audience, which will help me when I write my posts.

On question number 5, you were able to pick multiple answers. A large majority of you enjoy when I post about DIY Home Improvement Projects and Decorating Ideas. Following closely behind are posts on Room and Furniture Makeovers. The best thing is….those are my favorite posts to write! We are a good fit, ya’ll!

I learned that most of you like DIY tutorials written with pictures, and some of you like it when I do both.

The results to question number 7 are something I have been dying to know about. Personally, I’m not a fan of truncated posts, and neither are about half of you. But 40% of you do not mind.

I wanted to know this information because around the end of the summer, I will be redoing my blog home page. I am hoping to make it more easy to navigate (which some of you suggested), and I will make it so you can see more of my posts on my home page. Right now, you can only see two posts on my home page, and you have to click back several times to find an older posts. My new design will help you be able to find my posts more quickly. Yeah!

When you click on a post you want to read, you will be able to read the post in its entirely.

Most of you read my blog through my website.

Questions 9 and 10 were Open Response questions.

I got a lot of helpful information from these questions. Thank you for taking the time to answer them.

I was very encouraged by what I read. You guys are so uplifting! There were NO negative comments. Even your suggestions for improvement were written in an encouraging way.

Almost all of you said that you loved my blog the way it was, and you wouldn’t change a thing! Do you know how great that made me feel? (I can sometimes tend to be a worrier and a people pleaser. Shhh…don’t tell anyone.) So to read all your kind words really validated to me that God is blessing this blog. He sure has blessed me through this blog, and I pray it is a blessing to you too.

Thanks again for helping me with this survey!

I truly think you guys are the best. I am not just saying that. I’m not trying to puff you up. I hope you know my words are genuine.

Have a blessed day!

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An Inspiring Outdoor Space by Rhoda from Southern Hospitality!

April 26, 2011 AT 7:00 am 13 Comments

April 26, 2011 By traci 13 Comments

Hopefully the weather is finally starting to warm up in your neck of the woods.

We are warming up a bit here in Kentucky, but soaking wet! I cannot believe all the spring storms we have had this year.

Well, rain or shine, it’s Spring! It’s time to start pretty-ing up your outdoor spaces.

Need some inspiration? Well, here it is!

I am so excited to share with you a great Outdoor Space Makeover today!

Provided by the fabulous Rhoda, from Southern Hospitality.

I met Rhoda two years ago at Blissdom. She is my angel. (You’ll have to read my post at Rhoda’s today to find out why.)

She is the most caring and considerate blogger ever! She is always thinking of others more than herself. I love that about her.

She was my mom’s favorite blog, and I know why. She is super talented, super creative, and oooozing with southern graciousness. I am so excited to share some of her talent with you today.

Rhoda turned her deck from “drab to fab” last year, and you have to see it to believe it!

Rhoda had a deck, I’m sure, like many of yours. It was not an extremely large space, but it was enough of a space to spruce up and make more inviting.

Here is the before picture of her deck…

This wasn’t a space that beckoned Rhoda to come outside, relax, and sip on sweet tea.

She found that great umbrella at a yard sale, and it got her juices flowing to create a more beautiful outdoor space.

Look at it now!

Wow! Isn’t it amazing?! It’s hard to believe it is the same place!

I would want to sit out on this deck every night.

One of the best additions to the deck, was the DIY shutters that Rhoda made.

Yep. She made them. She is truly amazing!

You can find her tutorial of how to make them, HERE.

Rhoda did purchase her wicker furniture (at a great price), but the rest of her accessories are mostly from garage sales or from around her home. I love that!

She proves my theory that it doesn’t have to be expensive to be beautiful!

She got a great deal on this gorgeous rug too. I love the way it defines the space. The colors are perfect.

The little table between the two chairs got a fresh coat of spray paint to make it look like brand new.

Rhoda also tried her hand at sewing and did a great job on these pillows. Don’t you love those colors?!

Let’s take one more look at this beautiful outdoor space.

If you want to see even more photos of this transformation, click HERE, to read Rhoda’s full post.

She also shares the Top 5 Ways to Create a Cozy Porch.

While you are there, be sure to browse around. Rhoda’s blog is full of inspiration!

I am sharing my Back Patio Makeover over at Rhoda’s today too, so come see me!

Have a blessed day!

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Ya’ll Come See Me!

April 25, 2011 AT 10:02 pm 3 Comments

April 25, 2011 By traci 3 Comments

Hey Ladies,

Just wanted to let you know I was guest posting at two fabulous blogs!

I was supposed to guest post at Miss Mustard’s Seed last Friday, but my internet was down and she had to wait until today to post it. I’m sharing a little sneak peek of a slipcover I made for my office chair. Please come see me!

I am also sharing a tutorial that includes burlap (woohoo!) over at Gail’s awesome blog, My Repurposed Life! She’s another Ky girl, so you’ve got to love her. :)

Click the button to visit me there.

I will be back tomorrow with a great post about decorating an outdoor space.

And I’ve got some more crazy house news to share. There may be a change of plans….

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She Bought Our House, He Bought Her House, We Bought Their House. Got It ?

April 24, 2011 AT 11:00 pm 44 Comments

April 24, 2011 By traci 44 Comments

Hey Ya’ll!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!

I wanted to give you a little update on the sale of our home.

It’s pretty crazy how it has all played out.

First of all, you need to know we do not want to sell our home. Especially me.

I love this home. We have lived her almost seven years, and it is my “Tara”.

(Insert Gone With the Wind theme song.)

Okay, it’s not as glorious as Scarlett’s Tara, but I love it just the same.

It has been the perfect home to raise my four boys.

(This picture was taken two years ago on our property.)

Our home sits on 3 beautiful acres surrounded by Kentucky four board fencing. It’s also on a dead end street, so there is not a lot of traffic. There is land on all four sides of our home. Two acres are between our house and our neighbors’ homes on each side. And there is 300 plus acres of land behind us. We have a lot of privacy, and we love it.

Unfortunately, we are not in the school district that we want to be in when our oldest son goes to middle school this fall.

And since I am not going to teach this fall, we need to move.

We put our house up for sale last fall (a 6 month contract) with our realtor that ended around the first of April.

Since we had gotten hardly any bites on our home, we decided to take it off the market.

We were going to look into the option of going to court and signing over our “educational rights” for Jonathan to someone who lives in the district we are needing to be in.

We also decided to do a few needed projects around the home in the mean time.

So we started our staircase makeover.

And then this happened in our kitchen…

Boy, was I glad our house was off the market!

Then one day my husband called me to tell me our realtor called and there was a lady that wanted to look at our house.

I reminded him that it was off the market.

He said the lady was up here from Louisiana looking at just three houses and ours was one of them. (She had seen it online when it was on the market.) She was going to be buying a house that day!

I reminded him of the terrible condition our home was in, and he said he would tell the realtor “no”.

Then he called me back a few minutes later and said the lady from Louisiana was on our street looking at our house, and her realtor said she really wanted to see inside.

No! I thought. I don’t want to sell our home! Plus, it’s a wreck!

My husband thought we should at least let her look at it. And out of frustration I said, “Let her look at it. Our house is a mess! Serves her right. Hope she enjoys our mess. If she buys our house, she is crazy.”

Well, guess what? She’s crazy.

Here is a rundown of what our house looked like that day…

One half of our kitchen ceiling was missing and you could smell the damp sheetrock and insulation.

Their was a hu-mong-o pile of sheetrock and insulation (that we had to tear down from our ceiling) covering our back patio.

No beds were made in any of the rooms.

Toiletries were all over the bathroom counter.

The boys’ bathroom had toothpaste smeared all over the countertop, the toilet seat was up, and something yellow was mellowing in it. :)

Toys were strewn all over the den, and there were three huge piles of sorted laundry in the laundry room floor.

A mess, I tell ya!!

And that Louisiana Lady still made us an offer!

What?!!

I kept my house spotless for six months, and we couldn’t get a bite on our house.

Then we take it off the market, and the place looks like a tornado hit it, and we sell it?

Crazy.

Did God just kick us out of our house? :)

It sure wasn’t what I had planned. Go figure.

Well, we signed a contract on our home pending the sell of the buyer’s home. (Which I was kind of hoping wouldn’t happen.)

Guess what?

She got a solid contract on her home three weeks after she put in on the market. That’s unbelievable in this market!

So we are supposed to close on our home by the end of May.

sniff. sniff.

We were thinking about renting something until we decided what we wanted to do, but we found a home that we like.

It’s not our forever home, but it is in a great location and in the school district we want to live in. We have made an offer on it, and we are supposed to sign a contract this week.

I will give more details later if it all works out.

So there you have it!

She (Louisiana Lady) bought our house,

He (Solid Contract Man) bought her house,

We (Worn out family of six) bought their house!

You know what I love about it most… I get to take YOU along for the ride!

Hold on!

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