Friday, May 27, 2011

Community Undertaking

I am so happy it's Friday!  Are you all looking forward to Memorial Day Weekend?  I know I am.  

I have been really busy the last several months and all for a great cause.  I have been asked to be a part of the design team for Rockford Sharefest.  It's a once a year event where Heartland Community Church, volunteers and businesses from all over our city come together to renovate certain schools.  It's our way of giving back : )

Check this video out..
(to listen to the video please press pause for the music in side bar)

I had to come up with design inspiration for a teachers lounge at one of the schools and here is my inspiration


I met several days ago with the other ladies (not all of them) to go over the plans for the teachers lounge which we are in (in this picture below) but also to finalize everything else for that school.


These guys are genius carpenters.  Thank God for Becky helping us get all the measurements right.


Everyone has been a joy to work with.  I can't wait to show all of you what has been accomplished : )

BTW... Have a great Memorial Day weekend.  Say thank you to our men and women in uniform if you come across them.

The song "Discover Life " was written by my husband for Rockford Sharefest .. hope you enjoy.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Joplin

My heart is saddened about the devastating storms that took place in Joplin, Missouri and through the midwest.  

We had the sirens go off here and we all gathered in our tornado room..scared.  What we experienced here


is nothing compared to going from this..

to..


May we take nothing for granted.  However we can give to help let's do so.  It could have been any one of our cities or towns.

A great place to help is through the American Red Cross .  

God bless you all.




Friday, May 20, 2011

Great Giveaway : Midwest Living Magazine

I want to let everyone know about a great giveaway Midwest Living Magazine is having. I found out about this great giveaway because they saw my blogs about Chicago and contacted me about this wonderful opportunity and I wanted to share this with my readers.


They are working with Enjoy Illinois on a Facebook contest called, "Magnificent Getaways Giveaway Contest," which invites people to share recent magnificent Illinois experiences for a chance to win one of three one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Chicago and across Illinois. The Grand Prize alone includes dining (for four) on the Ledge at Skydeck Chicago, Terzo Piano and Lawry's Prime, plus a stay at the Trump Tower and more! If this is something you're interested in you can enter one of two ways: http://www.facebook.com/enjoyillinois or on the contest website, http://magnificentgiveaway.com.

 So, don't forget to enter.  Come enjoy Illinois and as we say .. "Mile After Magnificent Mile".

Monday, May 16, 2011

Our Trip To Chicago: The Conclusion

Happy Monday!  After several days of cold, rainy weather the sun is shining which makes me want to get out into my garden and get to work.

I am going to conclude with our trip to Chicago today.  We really had a great time and I will show you another thing I bought at a later date from the trip when we talk about another room in my house : )

We hit some more of my favorite stores such as Pottery Barn ..

Love this clock!

Coffee table like a shadow box to show off your collections.


This lamp is great for that beach, rustic look.

I am going back and forth putting these lights in my dining space or painting my existing chandelier red.

We went to the World Market and saw this..

We laughed so hard because we immediately thought of Nacho Libre hands down one of our favorite movies.

Took this pic by an abandoned building

He must have thought this would give him street cred..lol

Here I am taking a picture on the walkway.  I do not like heights and every time a car drove by the walkway shakes..so..

I moved over to the other side where I felt a little more secure : )

I love Chicago and I hope that if you haven't been here you put it on your list of places to visit.  Have a great week all.



Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Passion for Simplicity

Our Design = Passionate People series continues with, Steve Gordon of Rockford Contractors .  Steve is a very successful businessman who started Rockford Contractors from the ground up.  I call him, Mike Holmes (from HGTV), because not only is he a contractor but he also is from Canada.  You will be hearing a lot more from him in the future as he will be a regular on Modern Earth Design, giving advice on having a solid home and a variety of different projects.


Passion for Simplicity ~ Steve Gordon
Growing up in Newfoundland Canada, I was given a unique opportunity that few ever get  to experience. Growing up we would go for hikes in the woods, as we became thirsty we would take a drink from the streams.When we wanted a snack we would pick the raspberries or blueberries or even drop a line in the stream and pull out a trout. Never fearing that the water or food may be polluted or bad for you.  
(Corner Brook, Newfoundland)
 I never realized until moving from that island in the Atlantic that that isn't the norm, but actually a rarity. 

My  father had built a little saw mill in the shed behind the house. We would cut trees in the winter and pull them out on sleds behind snow machines. As we needed lumber we would saw the lumber needed from the logs we cut. None of the logs would go to waist as we would take the sides of the logs called "slabs", cut them up to heat our home during the long winters. 


My dad cut lumber to make everything from  kitchen cabinets to hope chests for my sister to all the lumber needed to build our new home.  

I am now 33years old and living In Illinois. I am married to my wife, Lyndsey and we have 2 boys, Grant, will be  4 this august and Layton, is 2. One of the concerns I have raising my boys is that they would not get to experience any of those simple things I enjoyed as a child.

My son Grant has recently grown out of his toddler bed, so we went to the local furniture stores looking for a replacement. The first thing I noticed was that the beds available were not going to hold up . I mean, their my boys and if they are going to treat the bed the way my brother and I did, these beds would not make it thru the first round of a wrestling match! We then went looking for solid wood beds. We found a few but they were priced way to high for us. As I was looking at these solid wood beds I remembered the old saw mill my dad had and if he needed a bed he built it. We got in the car and on the way home I looked up a local saw mill about 30 minutes away. I took Grant to the mill, we picked out some ash wood to build the bed out of. We chose ash lumber because it is a very hard wood but easy to work with and looks great when sanded.

It took us 2 full days for Grant and I to build the bed, a little longer than it would have taken my dad but in the end it looks great and Grant is so proud of the bed he helped his dad build. 



 I also am surprised at how good it made me feel building a bed with my son, one that he will probably be able to pass on to his children.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Our Trip To Chicago: Restoration Hardware

Happy Friday all!  The word "Friday" sounds so good..doesn't it?
I was supposed to have a guest blogger here today but we decided to switch because their schedule got so busy..so I promise you will be hearing from them soon : )
I am continuing our trip to one of the stores I drool over all the time.. Restoration Hardware.  I have to say the one in Lincoln Park is my favorite.  You actually feel like you are walking through their catalogue.

We took a lot of pics but here is just a taste : )











It was more beautiful in person than in the magazine.  I also didn't realize how much volume the pieces had.  I have in mind a couple of pieces for my own home...hmm

If you ever have a chance to go make a trip to the Lincoln Park one..you won't want to leave.

Happy Mother's Day! 

Here's a pic of my beautiful mom and dad on their wedding day.




Monday, May 2, 2011

Our Trip To Chicago: Crate and Barrel

Hello, everyone!  Hope this is a great Monday for all of you.  It's bright and sunny here and my husband and I are planning on working on our backyard today.  Yes, more spring cleaning : )

I wanted to continue about our trip to Chicago.  Let's make our way down to Crate and Barrel.  I have found the location I like the most is in Lincoln Park.  The store has more character and they offer a lot more merchandise.

The glasses and pitcher Corey and I fell in love with.  They are made from 100% recycled glass and heavy.  I don't know about you but I hate when glasses are really thin and breakable.

He wants to get some : )

These two sofas I adore..
Love the clean lines and the white leather.

I have no other word to describe this than "hot".  The color, the shape and it's wow factor.  I could see this with an ecclectic, cottage, beach house style.  

Modern organic.  Simple and gorgeous.

The metal wrapped table and chairs. 
It doesn't look like it but those chairs are very comfortable.

Last one..
The color is like gun metal with an aged look.

Btw..we did get some of those glasses : )

Stay tuned.. Friday guest blogger and on Monday more of my trip to Chicago
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