How to Make a Blog Button With Grab Box Code Underneath for Your Sidebar

Would you like to create a blog button with a grab box underneath, so your blog friends can grab your button to display on their blog?  A blog button with the button code displayed underneath is a quick way for those who read your blog to capture your blog button for their sidebar and a quick link back.

<center><a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRAQ6xfFS7KbqKVMOZhD9dNRV0R0aoUYleUq1Rebj81MrStfPMYrAht9nnZ1yb9lKvkV1FAr9hS8ID6XfFrjXH_24CkjUpQvqlnU8k1XZsmae4xUTBmHXOiS_Mrfap8aapssgKwKaxIQl/s400/Chair+on+right+like+header.jpg" /></a></center>

Creating a blog button can be a bit tricky.  When I first read how to create a button with the code underneath, it took me several tries before I finally got it to work.  The directions I found back then weren't real clear.  It really isn't hard but it can be a tad confusing when you first attempt it.  I've broken it down into a few easy-to-follow steps, in case you would like to make one for your blog.
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Clearing Out the Computer Graveyard

What do you do with your old computer when you purchase a new one?  When I began working from home and decided to purchase a workhorse "desktop" computer, my still functioning laptop became the downstairs/kitchen/screened-in porch computer.  It's a handy place to quickly check e-mail, moderate blog comments or pull up the latest movie releases before heading out the door on a Friday night.

Back in the day when a computer was a much larger financial purchase, whenever a new computer entered our home it was because the old one had either died or had become slow and outdated.  We used to joke when our son was a teenager that we were sure the gaming folks were in cahoots with the computer manufacturers because we seemed to always be updating our home computer for the sole purpose of keeping up with the speed and memory requirements of the latest computer games Santa had delivered.

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Watermark Photos the Fast & Easy Way: Welcome to the 158th Metamorphosis Monday!

Watermarking photos...that's a big metamorphosis I've just recently started making to photos you see here on BNOTP.  In the past I never worried too much about placing a watermark on the photos I post.  I loved it when folks used a photo and linked back to BNOTP.

But recently readers of BNOTP have e-mailed me with links to  tablescapes and other photos showing up on professional websites as their own.  My pics have even turned up in eBay ads.  I think often it's done in error, or at least I'd like to think so, but either way I knew it was time to get busy watermarking the photos I take and post.

There are lots of tools available for watermarking pictures, but today I'm going to share the two I like using.  If you have a system you love, please share it in a comment.  It's so wonderful when we can share and help each other.

Watermark Option #1:  Watermark in Live Writer, Cost: Free
Do you create your posts in Live Writer?  If not, you may want to download Live Writer (LW) and give it a whirl.    LW is a very popular program for creating blog posts and once it's created, you can send the draft to Blogger or publish it to your blog.  LW was really popular before Blogger updated their posting process.  Now that creating a post in Blogger is a lot like creating one in LW, I'm not sure if  LW is still that popular with those who post on the Blogger platform.  A lot of folks who have Word Press blogs do still use LW.

If you use Live Writer for creating your blog posts, you may already know you can watermark your photos in this program.  I knew you could watermark your photos in LW, but I didn't know there was an "automatic" preset option for that.  I had been doing it one photo at the time which took forever.  Ugh.  That's how I came to find my other favorite way to watermark pics...but more on that in a sec.

Thanks to Kristi who blogs at Addicted 2 Decorating, I recently found out it's possible to set LW where it automatically watermarks every photo you upload to a post.  Yay!  Did you know you could do that?  I had no idea.  I was thrilled to discover this and may go back to creating my posts in LW to take advantage of this feature.

Here's how watermarking in Live Writer works:
To watermark photos in Live Writer, you upload a photo to the post you're creating in LW.  Once the pic is loaded to the post, click on the photo and a "format" menu appears where you'll see the "watermark" option. (Note the yellow arrow below pointing up at the word, "watermark."

Click on the watermark option and a screen will open up where you'll type your "text" watermark, pick a font style and the size you want your watermark to be.  That's it.

Note:  Live Writer will not allow you to upload and save a "custom" watermark that you or a graphic designer has created.  It just lets you add "text" watermarks to your photos.

Now, here's the awesome part...the part I just found out you can do when using Live Writer to watermark photos.
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9 Tips for Better Blog Photos

Over the past year I've gotten a lot of emails/comments asking if I would share some information about taking photographs for blogs.  I've been a bit reluctant to write this post because I'm totally an amateur in every sense of the word when it comes to the subject of photography.  But I'm happy to share what I have learned.  Just please keep in mind, I'm still learning, too.

I'm writing this post as if I'm talking to a person who has just started blogging and has never really taken many pictures before, because that's where I was three years ago when I began blogging.  My husband had always been the picture-taker in the family so I was pretty lost when it came to photography.  I still am for the most part, but I am trying to learn more with each passing day.

I hope these basic tips will inspire you and you'll find them helpful as you take pictures for your blog.

1. Photography = Lighting.
If you only learn one thing about photography ever, just remember it's all about the light. Photography begins and ends with lighting.  Lighting will make or break your photographs.  I didn't know this when I first began taking pics to share on the site, Rate My Space, which was several months before I got brave enough to start blogging.

You know when it hit me...when I had my ah-Ha moment about the importance of lighting?  I was taking pictures of this beach themed tablescape with an early digital Olympus camera that had "live view."  I took a photo and the photo looked okay.  Then I tilted the camera the teeniest, tiniest bit, took another photo and the picture was brighter.

Beach table setting: View HERE

The only thing I had done differently was to just ever so slightly shift the angle of the camera.  Why did that matter?  Why did it make the second photo brighter?   That's when it hit me...it was all about the way the light had entered the camera...the way the camera had perceived the lighting on the porch.
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Children's Party Table for Movie Night, Welcome to the 178th Tablescape Thursday!

I'm not exactly sure where this tablescape came from.  One minute I was using a gift certificate to purchase napkins for a Valentine's Day table setting, and the next thing I knew, I was off to the movies.  I think the shift may have had something to do with stumbling across these cute popcorn containers for $1 each at Dollar Tree.

For the centerpiece I used a red and white bowl purchased from Williams-Sonoma years ago.  Filled with candy, it made a fun centerpiece.  Ya gotta have candy when you're at the movies.  Popcorn doesn't hurt either.
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Found: A "Something's Gotta Give" Table...Sort Of

A while back I shared a tour of the wonderful beach house in the movie, Something's Gotta Give, HERE. In one of the scenes in the movie, specifically this scene in the bedroom of  the main character Erica Barry (played by Diane Keaton) I spied the cutest little table.  Well actually, it isn't that little, but it's definitely cute.

Just prior to watching the movie, I had been on an all out quest for a small chest to go beside the green and white floral Rosalie chair in my office.  Since I hadn't been able to find a chest I liked, I started looking for a table like the one pictured in this scene.




In the end, I found the chest I really wanted, so all turned out well.  (You can read about that in THIS post.)

It's a good thing I found the chest because it turns out the table in the movie, Something's Gotta Give was definitely more than my office budget would allow.  (Pssst:  If you're looking for the table in Something's Gotta Give, Rose Tarlow carries it and it's called the Nantucket Side Table.  You'll find a link to the Nantucket table in THIS  post.)

During my search for an affordable table like the Nantucket table, I came across this table below at another online store, Cottage Chic.   Notice the similarities.  I loved it, too...but again, at $636.00, it was more than I wanted to spend.

So, imagine my surprise when I was shopping in Marshall's and spied this cute thing.  Hold the phone!   It looks a lot like those other tables, doesn't it?  It's called a "Fleur De Lis Round Accent Table."  The design does look like an upside down fleur-de-lis.
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Edit Photos with Creative Kit at Google+, Picnik Alternative

I was just reading my Facebook page and found some information you may find helpful if you are looking for an alternative to Picnik now that it's closing. Laurie with Tip Junkie shared that lots of the of the photo-editing features in Picnik can now be used in Google+ through its "Creative Kit." 

Here are the directions for finding the Creative Kit on Google+:

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Audible: The Cure for Blogger's Butté

Pssst:  If you're having trouble reading blogs, if they lock up and don't load correctly, try downloading the browser, Google Chrome.  Some browsers don't seem to work well with Blogger.

Did you know Blogging has its occupational hazards?  Yup!  No one really warns you of this when you first become addicted engaged in blogging.

Surprisingly, it doesn't take long before you find yourself coming down with a raging case of Blogger's Butté, (pronounced, Blogger's Boo-tay.)   Have you ever heard of it?  It's quite the serious affliction, you know, having a number of ever-growing (pun intended) and unwanted side effects.

Now, I know you're wondering, what exactly is Blogger's Butté?   Well, the "official" definition is:

Blog·ger's Bu·tté:  (\ˈblŏg·gər's bōō·tāy)
n.
1. An excessive accumulation of  adipose tissue in the lower quadrant of the body (sometimes known as the sitting-down-place) commonly found in one who engages in the creation of a web log on a daily basis.

Go ahead...look it up in Websters.  I'm sure it's there. ;)

In my efforts to ward off (too late for that).  In my efforts to cure, Blogger's Butté, I have begun walking occasionally in a park near my home.  In the not-so-distant past, my very favorite exercise in the whole world was biking 3-4 times a week on The Silver Comet Trail, a "rails to trails" project located about 45 minutes from my home.  My 3-day-a-week routine was, leave work at 5:00 PM, arrive at the trail by 5:20, change into biking clothes, bike 11 miles out to the 22 mile marker, turn around and bike 11 miles back.   All the stress of the day vanished and it was beyond wonderful.
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Pottery Barn Bedford Office Additions: Welcome to the 157th Metamorphosis Monday!

Happy Metamorphosis Monday!  Thank you for all the supportive comments and e-mails I received about changing the start of our Met Monday party to Monday morning and our Tablescape Thursday party to Thursday morning.  You guys are awesome!

I'm so excited to share some fun tweaks and additions I've made in the office this week.  (You can follow the full transformation of the office in THIS post.)  You may remember in the past I've mentioned I would love an ottoman for the seating area.

I have envisioned something with a rattan or wicker base and a nice cream or light colored cushion on top for comfort.  I thought it would add some additional texture and interest in the office and would tie in nicely with the baskets you see in the desk unit below

Ideally, I wanted it to be a storage ottoman so I could hide away the throw I use during the wintertime.  After searching online and in local stores, I hadn't been able to find one I liked or that fit the budget I had in mind for this purchase.  At one time, I tried a few large rattan baskets (with lids) but the tops were either too weak to act as an ottoman or they were too large or too tall.  Plus, they weren't really that comfy under foot.

The ottoman shown below at Pottery Barn came the closest to the look I wanted, but it's way too big, too expensive and isn't a storage ottoman.  If it had met just two of those three requirements, I probably would have gone for it.  It's a pretty good example of what I had in mind.   I do this to myself all the time...conjure up what I want/need in my head, then discover it doesn't exist. lol  Do you do that, too?

Source

In a recent post I mentioned my quest for an ottoman, and a dearheart suggested looking at World Market.   I did and found an ottoman that works well for this space and at a great price, only $67.  Okay, enough talking...come check it out.
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12 Free Photo Editing Sites, Picnik Alternatives

Update:  This list has been expanded and updated.  You'll find the latest list of 14 Free Photo Editing Sites that are great alternatives to Picnik HERE.   I'm hearing good things about iPiccy and PicMonkey.


Are you a long time user and fan of Picnik?  If so, I'm sure you've heard the news that it's going away.  Actually, the Picnik site says it's moving after April 19th to Google +.

I have used Picnik occasionally over the years and had just started playing around with it more recently for the purpose of watermarking photos.  I found another program I like better for watermarking a few weeks ago, though.  I'll explain more about that in an upcoming post I'm working on about how I edit photos before posting them here on BNOTP.

In the meantime, I took a look at some of the free programs available for editing photos and I found 12 free photo editing sites that appear to be pretty popular.  Here they are in no particular order:

Psst: Skip down to #10 and try Be Funky first.  I've heard it's similar to Picnik.

1. Fotoflexer:

You can do some fun, crazy things with Fotoflexer including retouching photos, adding special effects, fun fonts, layers, etc...  One neat thing...it will link to your photos wherever you have them stored.  You can edit photos from Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket or upload them from your website or computer.


2. Picasa:

Picasa lets you share your pics directly with the folks in your circles in Google +.  There are also a lot of "effects" you can apply to photos. This is the program I currently use to create collages.


3. Pixlr:

I dove right into Pixlr and started playing around with their effects.  I found it easy to use.  Of course, you can do the usual stuff...sharpen, crop, adjust contrast and color.  There's even a "teeth white" feature. lol  Don't we wish life was that way. ;)


4. Phixr:

I've found Phixr also very easy to use.  You can adjust the usual things that photo editing software allows.  Some fun things: you can add speech bubbles to your pics of your pets, decorate with objects, like hearts...that could come in handy for Valentine's Day.
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Here It Is...Your List!

Happy Friday!  Hope your week has been awesome!

Post "Time" Change for Tablescape Thursday and Metamorphosis Monday:
I have a little announcement regarding the time the two blog parties Metamorphosis Monday and Tablescape Thursday post each week.    Instead of posting our Tablescape Thursday party late Wednesday evening, it will now post on Thursday mornings between 8 AM and 10 AM.

Same thing will apply for our Metamorphosis Monday party.   Instead of our Met Monday party posting late Sunday evening, it will now go up on Monday mornings between 8 AM and 10 AM.    These changes will start this Monday with our Met Monday party.

Why the change?
When I first kicked off these parties over three years ago, I was working outside the home full time 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.  So, posting a party the evening before the actual day of the party was necessary to make sure the post went up okay.   It seems to make more sense now to have the parties go up the actual day of the party, instead of the evening before.  This will also help even out my posting schedule, as well.

It is my sincere hope this change will not inconvenience anyone.  I'm hoping it will actually make it easier and more convenient for most folks because it will no longer be necessary to interrupt your Sunday evening time with family to go sign up for Met Monday.  Same thing for Tablescape Thursday...no rushing to sign up late Wednesday evening.

What do you think?  Let me know if you love the idea or not so much.  I am really hoping this will be a good change for the majority of folks, both Bloggers and Readers.  I apologize if this creates an inconvenience for anyone...that is definitely not my intention.

Update:  I just noticed InLinkz, my fave party linking tool, will allow a party to be set up two different ways:  1. The normal way with each added link appearing at the bottom of the list OR  2.  Reverse order with the most recently added links appearing at the top of the list.  Maybe we'll alternate these two systems from week to week so everyone has a chance to be near the top of the list some weeks.  What do you think about that?


YOUR Must Haves for Winter Survival:

On Tuesday, I created a post HERE listing my "10 Must-Haves" for surviving those cold, cold months of winter.  In that post I asked what your must-haves were and the responses were great!  Thank you for sharing what gets you through the long winter months in comfort, style, and grace.

As the awesome suggestions kept pouring in, I wanted to make a list so I could add a few of your faves to my winter arsenal.  Then it hit me, why not make a complete list of all YOUR favorite winter survival gear to share here at BNOTP...much easier than ferreting it out of all the comments. :)

This evening I went through all the comments left on Tuesday's post and I made a list of the products, techniques and ideas you recommended for cruising through winter.  I tried  to not duplicate items on the list, but some items (socks, slippers, etc..) were mentioned in different styles or brands.  When that happened, I added them both/all to the list.

If you love all these great suggestions as much as I did, you may wish to bookmark this post or copy and paste this list to your computer for reference.  I'm definitely going to be adding some of these ideas to my winter survival plan.

Here's what you recommended:

Chick films
Gingerbread cake
Padded bleacher seats for games
Rhodes cinnamon rolls
Flannel sheets
Hand work (Crochet, embroidery)

Pinterest

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Inspiration for Your Valentine's Day Table: Welcome to the 177th Tablescape Thursday!

Hi Friends!  How was your day?  I spent the first half of mine in a contacts exam.  Finding contacts that work as they should when you're...Ahem...my age, isn't much fun.  Monovision doesn't work anymore (been there, done that) and astigmatism makes all lens choices a challenge, even the ones that are designed especially for astigmatism.  We're going to try a new multi-focal.

Have you heard of Duette contacts?  They are a hybrid lens, rigid gas permeable in the center of the lens and a soft lens everywhere else.  They won't work for my eyes but it's an interesting concept for sure.  Google it and you can read about them.  I love that they keep trying to come up with new ideas for contacts, "poking the box" as Seth Godin would say.
 
After a morning at the eye doctors, the afternoon was spent at my credit union having a safety deposit box drilled out.  The key was lost long ago and I claim zero responsibility for that.  I'm not naming names, but... ;)  Did you know when you lose your safety deposit box key, they charge you $175 to drill out the lock?  Writing that check was painful.

The box hadn't been opened since 1991 and opening it today caught me completely off guard.  It was like opening a little time capsule.  Tears were shed as I went through the contents.
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10 Must-Haves on My Winter Survival List

I love, love, love hot weather.  When I used to work in an office environment, when my fellow office mates thought the temperature was just right, I was cold.  If it felt just right to me in the office, everyone else was roasting.   Cold weather is not my friend.

Over the years I've found ways to deal with Old Man Winter.  Today I thought I'd share a few things that are high on the "Susan's Winter Survival Gear" list.    Be sure to share what's on your cold weather survival list...I would love to hear what gets you through these cold, dreary days of winter.

Flannel Sheets:
I love me some flannel sheets.  In fact, I have to fight myself to keep from putting them on the bed too early in the fall season.  It's so nice to crawl into bed and have it feeling snugly warm when you get in.  Remember the days of electric blankets?  Wonder if they still make those?  

Source

Vaseline:
I put this on my lips every night before I turn in.  It's also a handy size for your purse.  You wake up with soft, conditioned lips, ready for another winter's day.
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Preparing for Spring

I've been working on a little list of some of my favorite things I count on to get me through the cold winter months.  I'll be back a little later today to share those with you.  In the meantime, it's time to scheme and dream.  Grab a hot cup of tea, put your feet up and let's do a little spring planning.  For just a little while, we're going to banish old man winter and have some fun.

Once a month I have the pleasure of sharing the wonderful Sponsors who make BNOTP possible. They know we could all use a bit of spring right now, so they have been busy stocking their shops and filling their blogs with wonderful treasures for Valentine's Day parties, Mardi Gras and spring dining.  You'll find ideas for spring decorating and solutions for your spring cleaning.  And, once all the cleaning and decorating is done, you know it will be time for a vacation.  Don't forget to take along your favorite summer reading. The BNOTP sponsors have your back...it's all here below.

Click any picture link to see more.  Happy Spring Dreaming!


♦French Bleu Vintage: End of the Year Clearance Sale going on right now!  Some items are 50% off!

♦European Tableware:  Get ready for spring with Spode Isabella...beautiful!

♦P.C. Fallon Co.:  You'll find these beautiful place mats and so much more at P.C. Fallon

♦A Teeny Bit of Trouble:  Pre-orders are being taken now for A Teeny Bit of Trouble, the hilarious follow-up to Gone with a Handsomer Man.

♦Noritake:   Love the red Colorwave china for Valentine's Day!  BNOTP readers receive 10% off with the code BNOTP10 at checkout.


♦European Vintage:  Large Vintage Italian Demijohn...these are hard to find.

♦The Charmed Life:  Get ready for your Mardi Gras party with themed china...and it's on sale!  BNOTP readers received a 15% discount off anything at The Charmed Life with the code BNOTP15 at checkout.  Sale ends Friday at midnight.

♦Santos Cage Doll.com:  You'll find lots of beautiful crowns and Santos at Santos Cage Doll.com.

♦Old Time Pottery:  Check out the Home and White Sale! Stemware is only $.98 each!


♦Chic Provence Design Tour:  Spend springtime in the south of France...Kit is making plans now!

♦Suzy's Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom:  Visit Suzy's fun blog and checkout her wonderful Etsy shop.

♦J. Covington Home:  Beautiful furnishings and accessories for the home.

♦Bloom:   Make adorable "Blow Me a Kiss" favors for friends or for a Valentine's Day Party.

♦Fish Foam:   Welcome spring with shiny, clean windows.  You'll find many uses for this product.  Get a $3 discount on shipping when ordering a 3 pack of Fish Foam.

Blogger Updates and Dremel Deserves a Crown! Welcome to the 156th Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings Friends!  I hope you've been having a marvelous weekend!  I have a mini-metamorphosis to share for this Met Monday, but before I let cha see what I've been up to, I want to share a big change Blogger made recently, a change that made this girl very happy.

You may already know, Blogger added one of the most oft requested features to the Blogger platform a few days ago: the threaded comment system.   In the past, when several comments/questions were left on a post, when I moderated and published the comments and tried to answer a question or reply to a comment, my reply/comment always ended up way down below the comment to which I was replying.  Not any more!  Now I can reply directly under the comment, and so can you.  YAY!  This greatly enhances and encourages the flow of conversation.  It should make it much easier for you to find any follow-up replies that are posted.

If you see someone asking a question, feel free to jump in and answer.  I don't have all the answers by a long shot so I welcome your input.  I'd love to see us all pitching in to answer the questions that arise...or just to add something to the conversation.  For example, if someone asks where I purchased a particular item, if you've seen it for sale somewhere, feel free to reply.  This helps everyone.  I'm so excited about this new feature!

BNOTP has the most positive, friendly, caring, uplifting readers around.   Your comments are always so appreciated and I read every single one.  In fact, a recent comment solved a problem I had and you'll be reading about that in today's post.

If you are a blogger and you would like to know how to activate this awesome, new feature on your blog, visit Blogger Buzz and you can read all about it.  Don't ask me how to do it because I just sort of clicked this and clicked that, and then suddenly realized it was working.  I have no idea what I did, but it seemed to work.  I just followed the directions I found in the Blogger Buzz article. It wasn't hard and only took a few seconds to get it working.

Mini-Metamorphosis:
I've been dremeling.  Yep, I'm using that word as a verb today.  You may remember I recently shared a post called "Fun Stuff Worth Sharing" which included, among other things, a wee addition to the office.

Click HERE to continue reading...

Luxury Design Tour to Provence & A Beautiful Giveaway!

Happy Weekend!  What's on your agenda for this weekend?  Work or play or some of both?   I survived my Friday the 13th birthday, ;) so it should be easy sailing from here.

A Giveaway and a Trip to France!
I have two delights to share today:  One is a giveaway and the second is news of a fabulous trip to France!

Chic Provence is hosting a wonderful giveaway for gorgeous linens from Rough Linen.  I love linen fabric.  It's natural, it breathes and it wears and lasts so beautifully.  This fab giveaway is for an Orkney Linen tablecloth and eight coordinating napkins.  I had never heard of Rough Linen but after visiting the site, I'm smitten.  I'd love a set of the sheets! You would think linen sheets might not be soft and comfy, but after reading the reviews/testimonials, they sound wonderful.   Okay, I'm getting excited and off topic because this giveaway is not for sheets today, instead it's for their wonderful table linens.

How to enter?
Just stop by Chic Provence where you'll find all the details of how to enter this fab giveaway valued at $250.  I hope the winner is someone who participates in our weekly Tablescape Thursday because I would LOVE to see a table set with an Orkney tablecloth and napkins from Rough Linens!  Pssst:  Be sure to leave a comment at Chic Provence to be entered.  The drawing will be held on January 20th.


Let's Go to the south of France!
How would you like to spend a week this spring in Provence?

Kit with Chic Provence is planning the most amazing trip.

This is Kit's second annual springtime Chic Provence Design Tour and it sounds like a complete dream!  Check out this itinerary!
Click HERE to continue reading...

Dream Towns, Fantasy and Real

When I visit my doctor once a year for a check-up and whine about that 15 lbs I can never seem to lose, he always goes into this big spiel about how I should buy one of those exercise stepper thingies, forgetting we've had this talk before.  He pulls out the step he has tucked under the examining table just for these such moments and he demonstrates, stepping up and down, up and down, all the while explaining it's a great way to get exercise each day because you can do it "while you watch TV."

I interrupt his demonstration saying, "I never watch TV."  He stops and stares at me with this blank expression, like no one has ever before uttered those words in examining room B.  Crickets.  I break the silence saying, "There's just never anything on that I like."  He's got nothing and we progress on with our yearly visit. ;}

On those rare occasions when I do watch TV, it's usually PBS.  So, when Maree shared the beautiful photos of her sister Kae's backyard, and said they had decorated it like "Stars Hollow in the Gilmore Girls," I was sadly clueless. I had heard of the show, but had never seen it.  Now, I wish I had.  Wonder if it's still on.

After seeing Kae's backyard, I couldn't wait to Google "Stars Hollow."  Seriously.  I could hardly finish writing yesterday's post.  I kept thinking, "There's a little town (real or not, I didn't care) that has a resemblance in some way to Kae's lovely backyard with the beautiful gazebo?"  Point me in the right direction...I'm own my way!

As I was driving into Atlanta to meet a friend for lunch today, I was once again obsessing thinking about Stars Hollow. There's the gazebo!  We actually have a gazebo in my not-so-small town.  And come to think of it, we had one in the town where I grew up.
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A Wedding Reception, A Magical Evening: Welcome to the 176th Tablescape Thursday!

Recently, my friend Maree, who blogs at  Tales from an OC Cottage, shared some wonderful photographs taken when her nephew, Joe (son of her sister, Bee) and his sweetie, Katie, were married back in November.  The wedding reception was held in the backyard of Maree's sister (Kae's) home.  Maree has posted pictures on her blog in past showing Kae's gorgeous gardens and landscaping, but I had no idea her back yard was so beautiful!  Add to that a stunningly beautiful wedding, and it must have been an evening not soon forgotten.

Maree said, "The bride (Katie) knew she wanted the cake in the gazebo...the basket ball court would be the dance floor and little white lights every where like in Stars Hallow {the little town where the Gilmore Girls lived.  We know it's not real, but we still want to live there one day!"

Maree said, "The grooms only request was the hanging paper lanterns.  He still has NO idea how we had to "MacGyver" them that morning.  The proper instructions were just TOO MUCH...we were already up to our eyes in glasses, napkins and tree branches! So I said we can just bend this to secure it...bend that to hang it...no lights had to be restrung, none fell, and they looked very cool."
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Photography Equipment: What I Use and Love

Photography:  That's a subject I never had much interest in until I began blogging.  I think there are a lot of bloggers out there who could say that.   Once you begin blogging and/or reading blogs, you become acutely aware of just how important the pictures you post really are, especially if your blog is about design, decorating or any topic where photographs are critical in conveying the topic and meaning of the post.

Tablescape can be viewed HERE.

I cringe at the idea of writing a post about photography...I am so totally an amateur.  But since I've received quite a few e-mails and comments with questions asking how I've taken the pics posted here on BNOTP, I'm happy to share what has worked for me.  As I learn more, this process is bound to change.

Tablescape can be viewed HERE.

Today, I'm sharing the "equipment" I use to take my pics.  I think you're going to be surprised (hopefully not disappointed) to find out just how little "equipment" there is.

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Table Numbers for Wedding Reception: Welcome to the 155th Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  Hope your weekend has been going great!  I have a Before and After to share for this Met Monday that's near and dear to my heart.  My son, Chip, and his sweetie, Nancy, will be getting married in May and they have been busy planning out all the details.

I'm always telling Nancy she would be a great blogger and should have an Etsy shop because she's a super talented seamstress, crafter and DIYer.   Much of what she's created for the wedding is all under wraps for now, but after May I'll be able to share a good bit more, including the beautiful dress she's made for the rehearsal dinner.

For this evening, I have permission to share the table numbers Nancy made for the wedding reception.   Nancy will fill you in on just how she crafted the numbers.  Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't introduce our assistant for the evening, Thai.  Thai is Chip and Nancy's kitty.  Think of him as a furry Vanna White, except with numbers instead of letters. ;)  Nancy, take it away!

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Reforming My Faux Ways

I've shared this view of my family room many times. This room can be a tricky room to photograph because of the judges paneling which soaks up all the available light.  Don't get me wrong, I love judges paneling, but it does make for some interesting camera work.

Speaking of cameras, allow me to veer off the topic of this post for just a second.  I've received several requests over the past few months asking for tips on taking better photos for blog posts.   A photography expert, I am not—not even close.  I have learned a few things over the past few years of taking pics for the blog, and I'm more than happy to share the teensy bit I have learned.  So, sometime soon, very soon, I'll share information about the "equipment"  I use, how I take the photographs you see here on the blog, how I edit pics (if/when I do edit them) and other random picture taking tips I've picked up.  Update:  Photography Tips posts can be found HERE and HERE.  You'll also find more Blogging Tutorials and Tips under the category "Renovations and Tuts" at the top of the blog.

But we're not talking cameras today.  Nope, today it's the battle of the faux.

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Elegant New Year's Eve Table Setting: Welcome to the 175th Tablescape Thursday!

Can you believe this is our 175th Tablescape Thursday?  Wow!  That's a lot of fabulous tablescapes when you consider how many are linked here each week.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you talented ladies and gents who share your amazing eye for detail and beauty.  It's so wonderful to visit your blogs.  The world just melts away for a while as I lose myself in the wonderful table settings you create.

My friend, Bonnie, graciously shared the table she created for her New Year's Eve celebration with friends.  I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.   I have this thing for clocks so this table setting is one of my faves.  The chandelier got a touch of whimsy or should I say, it's "chimerical."   (See the earlier post today.)  Do you see the pocket watch draped above?

What a festive way to welcome in 2012!  Love the black, gold and cream color scheme.

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Fun Stuff Worth Sharing: Part II

Sometimes I think these are the most fun posts.  I've accumulated all these tidbits and ideas to share with you, but somehow I just never found the right day or time to do so.  So here they are, all lumped together.  I dare say, there's something in here for everyone.  :)

Before Christmas I found this cute little deer door hanger at Lowes for $9.99.  He ended up out here on the porch.

I decided to leave this wreath up for a while.  It may look a bit Christmasy but I don't mind.  To me it says winter.

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Christmas Tree Lit with Real Candles

I know Christmas is behind us, but I just had to share these wonderful photographs of Cornelia's, gorgeous tree.  Cornelia lives in Switzerland and each year she decorates her tree in a traditional way, using real candles.  Wait until you see the photos of it all aglow in candlelight!  It truly is breathtaking!

The decorating process takes Cornelia many hours, usually 15-16.  The ornaments are original and are treasured pieces from Germany and Czechia.

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Brumby Hall: Tour the Upstairs of This Historic Home

In early December I had the opportunity to tour Brumby Hall while on a Christmas Historic Home Tour in Marietta, Georgia. One of the homes open during the tour was Brumby Hall. I previously shared a tour of the downstairs of this beautiful home HERE and a tour of the two dining rooms HERE.

In case you missed those previous tours, here's a brief history of this historic home.

In the previous posts, we toured the downstairs; today, we're heading upstairs.

I've always wanted to put a runner up my main staircase with the brass rods like you see here.  I wouldn't mind exposing a bit more tread on either side, though.  Love this look on a stairway.

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Yummy Key Lime Pie Recipe: Welcome to the 154th Metamorphosis Monday!

If you're new to BNOTP, every Sunday evening (by 9:00 P.M.) our Metamorphosis Monday party begins. MM is a chance to share a "Before and After" you may have been working on this past week/month. Click on the category heading Parties at the top of this blog for more details.

I'm sharing an edible "Before and After" for this Metamorphosis Monday. This past Christmas I decided to shake things up a bit.  I made the traditional Coconut Cake and Ambrosia (recipe for Coconut Cake HERE) but I decided to make a pie, too.  Years ago, I used to make a Lemon Meringue pie using a recipe from  an old Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe booklet.  I came across the recipe again recently and decided to give the Key Lime version a try.

The coconut cake took a lot more effort since I made it from scratch, including grating fresh coconut. When all was said and done, there was plenty of cake left and not a single piece of Key Lime pie.   Something tells me I've just started a new tradition for our Christmas feast.

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