Elements Interiors Giveaway!!!

How about a fun giveaway that all of you ladies are going to WANT and LOVE?!?!?

The ever so funny and talented Kara from Elements Interiors contacted me recently. She is so graciously offering one lucky reader of Dittle Dattle the chance to win this fabulous prize….

Bath and Body products to die for!!! plus extras

Camille Beckman Sugar Cane Body Polish ~ “Lime Leaves” scented
Camille Beckman Glycerine Hand Therapy ~ “Lime Leaves” scented
A pretty stencil with 2 stencil sponge paint brushes

Kara was nice to send me my very own Camille Beckman Sugar Cane Body Polish and Glycerine Hand Therapy! Let me tell you ladies….. this is one giveaway you don’t want to miss!!! I’ve been exfoliating my skin twice a week since I was eighteen {I’m not even going to do the math on that. LOL}. The Camille Beckman body polish is far superior to anything I’ve ever used. The body polish will remove all the dried flakey skin and leave your skin silky smooth. {Just in time to prepare your skin for those summer outfits!} After using Camille Beckman, my skin feels like I’ve taken a long bath in baby oil! And the “icing on the cake”, finishing with Glycerine Hand Therapy ! What a great way to start your day!!! especially Monday!

What a lovely stencil design! I’ve seen so many of you ladies stenciling things around your home. Kara has several wonderful stencil projects over on her blog that will sure to inspire you!

You want this lovely giveaway…. I know it!!!

Here’s your chance to ENTER:

Be a Dittle Dattle follower and leave a comment saying “SILKY”

Want more ENTRIES?

Become a follower of Elements Interiors Blog and leave a comment on this post saying that you are.
Become a follower of Elements Interiors Facebook and leave a comment on this post saying that you are.

That’s three {3} chances to win!!

Giveaway will close on Sunday, March 6th at 10 pm EST and the winner will be announced Monday March 7th!

Good Luck Ladies!!!

And a huge thank you to Kara, from Elements Interiors, for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway!

Frosted Glass Coaster

I’ve been asked before…… Where do I find my inspiration?

Honestly, most of my creativity comes out of necessity. Like todays project. After spending time transforming my son’s Craigslist nightstands, I need or should I say he needs a coaster by his bedside to protect the stand from water rings.

This is what I came up with.

Let me apologize now for the bad photograph. It really turned out sharp looking but I don’t think my photography is doing it justice.

I played around and came up with a design in SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot). The “A” is obviously his initial but the font I used is from one of his many Atlanta Braves hats.

What’s funny is the poor boy doesn’t know the first thing about baseball and finds the sport incredible boring! He wears them simply for the “A”. Oh and the Yankee caps are because we are originally from NY. Sadly this is a small sampling of his ever growing collection.

Back to the project…… I looked around at several stores in search of a square glass or tile that I could use. While on a recent shopping trip to Big Lots, I stumbled on this candle plate holder. It’s exactly what I was looking for…. cute little button feet and beveled edges.

I cut out the SCAL design in vinyl and placed it on the clean glass. Sort of a reverse stenciling. My original design had another square outline but I simplified it in the end.

Next I sprayed the glass with Frosted Glass by Rust-Oleum. I also have etching cream that you dip an item into, but that would have etched both sides of the glass. Not what I want on this project.

A thought I had while designing the layout………… instead of frosting just the “A” and the square outline, I reversed it because I thought the frosted glass would provide a “tooth” to the surface and would keep my son’s drink from sliding off the coaster. See…. I create out of necessity and (let’s add) common sense! LOL

Here it is setting on his nightstand. He kind of has a little shrine of himself going on! he he

The little wooden vase is handmade by my Dad. Yes, I just noticed I have an even number of objects on the nightstand (BIG decorator NO NO) but if you will, picture a tall drink setting on that awesome monogramed coaster and then you have an odd number! lol I need to make one more for the other nightstand because I noticed a water ring left behind from his friend’s glass. Grrrr! The good thing is my son and his best friend both have the same first name. He’ll think I made one just for him.

My youngest son wants one too but I will have to come up with something different because…..ummm……..well let’s just say that he’s not the kind of kid that needs glass in his room.

Playing on the Porch: Welcome to the 110th Metamorphosis Monday!

I gave myself a break this week from working on my home office. Instead, I've been playing out on the screened-in porch. I couldn't resist since it's been in the 60's all this past week and actually hit 75 degrees here today! I know this warm weather isn't going to last, but I had to play a little since it was so pretty. I decided to make a few changes to the hutch. This hutch used to be a really dark, dark stained color and I refurbished it just for the porch. You can read about the hutch make-over, HERE. It was still dressed in its fall attire and this just wasn't working for a sunny 75 degree day.

It was time to say goodbye to this fall/winter scheme.

Hello, sunny days!

I bought this china 3-4 years ago right after I added on the porch which you can read about HERE. The white pitchers are from HomeGoods and Marshalls, several years ago. HomeGoods always carries a wonderful variety of white pitchers if you're looking for one.

I found the china at HomeGoods, too and I bought all they had, which was 6 place settings (plus one in case of breakage.) I lucked out and found some additional square "salad size" plates on eBay to use for dessert. This china is made by Tabletops Unlimited and was designed by Darrio Farrucci. The pattern is Ma Maison. I haven't seen it on eBay in years. They apparently didn't make very much of it which is a shame since it's such a cute pattern.

This large piece on top could be used as a cookie jar or cannister...

Creamer and sugar...

This large platter hangs year around on the wall above the hutch. I think the house is supposed to be a Tuscan villa since the name of the china is Ma Maison. I think that is Italian for "My Home" but it also means "My Home" in French. What do you think? Is this an Italian villa? This scene has all my favorite things: white picket fences, topiaries, birds, butterflies, and lot of pretty flowers. Don't we wish life was like this everyday? Now, if I could just walk right into this scene. ;)

You can view several tablescapes I've created with this china HERE, HERE and HERE.

I'm looking forward to having the warm weather here to stay. In the meantime, the hutch is ready. :)

Looking forward to seeing all the changes you've been making in your home!

Metamorphosis Monday:
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday: Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

If you'd like to include the MM button in your post, just copy and paste the Met Monday button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the MM logo under the "Join a Blog Party" header at the top of this blog.

Please include a link in your MM post back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Why is this important? When you include a link back to BNOTP, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other awesome "Before and Afters" linked for this Metamorphosis Monday. If everyone links back, this maximizes the visits for all participants.

Please DO NOT type in all caps...it spreads the links waaaay out. Thanks! :-)

Let's try something fun today! Please visit the person who linked before you and after you...that way everyone will get some visits. Hope you'll visit more, of course. :-)

Amaze Me Monday #14

Hello friends!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. We had a weekend filled with beautiful weather! The daffodils have popped open this week and are a refreshing sign that more nice weather is on its way!! Yay. I hate being cold and it has been a long cold winter here in South Carolina. Can anyone relate?

I would like to take a moment and make a shout out to Jill of Envirocraftiness. Jill is celebrating her 25th birthday by sharing with her readers 25 of her favorite blogs. Isn’t that a cool idea? Yesterday, I was her favorite blog of the day! Whoo hoo!! Jill is so sweet and funny. I’m honored to make the list. Please hop over and visit Jill. Oh…. don’t forget to wish her a Happy Birthday! Thanks.

Another week of so many amazing projects>>>>

Shutters turned into a headboard by Girl in Air. Love the funky color!

Lindy from Cottage Hill sewed up a storm in this master bedroom!

Karla from Karla at Home made this sweet slip cover to light and bright up things for the summer!

Kara from Elements Interiors created the night sky in her master bath! Amazing.

Bles-Id turns Valentines hearts into Shamrocks! So clever.

Ballard inspired pots by City Girl Gone Costal!

Please link YOUR projects, crafts, decorating, tutorial, and giveaways!!!

To Link up:

Copy and past the web address of the specific blog post, NOT to your blog home page.
Add a title.
Choose a photograph.
Grab the button below and add it to your post or sidebar.
Please visit a few other links and leave a sweet comment.

You're Invited to a Tea Party!

Recently, I received some delightful pictures of a tea held by Meg, a reader of BNOTP. Meg was originally born in England but now lives in Canada. She wrote to me and said, "I recently gave a British afternoon tea for six friends, including cream horns for which I bought the molds from England last year."

Meg told me the she went with a teacup theme and the cloth napkins were held by wooden teapots. Love it!

Meg said, "The china is a German set by JL Menau, it was gifted to me, so do not have any more details."

As you can see, these photos were taken of the table before the food was in place.

Here's how it looked once Meg filled the serving dishes. Meg told me, "I baked everything myself." Amazing! I would loved to have been present for this tea. Look at those cream horns and blueberry scones!

The sideboard was set for this festive occasion, too.

Meg, thanks so much for sharing these photos of your wonderful tea! Your friends must have loved every minute at this beautiful table!

See you this evening for Metamorphosis Monday!

Altoids Peppermint Chewing Gum: Oh, How I Miss You!

Can we talk? There is something I've been needing to get off my chest for a long, long time. I really hope you won't think any less of me, but I think it's time I confessed. Ok, here goes.

I'm a recovering Altoids Gum-aholic. Yep, it's true. And the only reason I'm a "recovering" Altoids Gum-aholic is because about a year ago, they quit making it. :( Rats!

Apparently, I'm not alone. Yesterday, just out of curiosity, (no pun intended) I Googled "Altoids Gum" to see if by some miracle Callard & Bowser had come to their senses and started making this amazing gum again. What I found astounded me! There are folks paying HUGE dollars on eBay for this gum...gum that I'm sure has to be out of expiration by now.

Check out some of the eBay auctions that just recently ended for Altoids Gum. These tins, each containing 20 pieces of gum, sold for $1.99 when it was still being made. In this auction, they sold for $6.00 per tin if you include the cost of shipping.

Here's an auction that is currently in progress. With almost 4 days left, there are already 11 bids and it's up to $51 for 10 containers. Don't you wonder how these sellers just happened to have Altoids Gum when it hasn't been being made in probably close to a year? I wonder if when it became hard to find, they went out a bought a whole stock pile?

Check out these "Buy It Now" auctions currently listed on eBay. This is for chewing gum, folks!

In the FAQ on the Callard & Bowser Altoids website, they state that periodically they have to discontinue making a product if it doesn't sell well. I don't think that's what happened here unless it was a case of very poor marketing. The folks who loved this gum, reallllly loved it. It was and is the only sugarless gum I have ever tasted that totally did not taste like sugarless gum. Plus, it kept its flavor and didn't turn to rubber in your mouth after a while like most sugarless gums do. And, it wasn't overly sweet. It was hands down the best gum I've ever tasted, sugar or sugarless.

I haven't succumbed to buying it on eBay. Yet. I figured, what would be the point? Sooner or later I would just run out again, and then what? If I did buy it on eBay, I'm not even sure I would enjoy chewing it. With each piece I would know I was one step closer to never having it again. ;) Sooner or later the eBay sellers will run out, too. Right?

Callard & Bowser...bring this awesome gum back! I visited their site today and clicked on the "contact us" tab. I politely asked why, oh why, did they quit making this marvelous gum? I'll let you know if I get a response. I'm not holding my breath. ;)

Ummm, do you think there was something wrong with it? The very first time I ever chewed a piece, I immediately sneezed. The second time, I sneezed again. After that, it didn't make me sneeze anymore. About a week or so later I picked a friend up from the airport. While driving back home, I offered him a piece of the Altoids Gum. He accepted and I told him..."It's gonna make you sneeze." He looked at me like I was nuts and took the gum. He started chewing and immediately sneezed. LOL We had a good laugh over that. I think he thought I was suddenly psychic or something. So, I have wondered...did the gum police make them remove it? Maybe someone had a sneezing fit! LOL

Now, I want to know...has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been hopelessly in love with a product to only have it be discontinued? If so, what was it and were you able to find a substitution or do you still miss it as much as I miss Altoids Peppermint Gum?

Dittle Design Dilemma Recap

How ‘bout that FUN filled week of design ideas!

Didn’t Liz, Kara, and Becca just knock it out of the ballpark with all their great ideas and design boards?!?!? They are too wonderful for words….

If you missed a day, check it out here:

Liz’s Design Board

Kara’s Design Board

Becca’s Design Board

Would you like to know what Jessica’s thought?

Liz’s Design Board- “Ooooh....I like it. I love the brown tones and the idea of a cabinet. I loved her layout. I also loved the use of a chair and ottoman (which actually they all mentioned that). I also love the fact that she incorporated the color theme that I already had in the room. And the wall sconces are a must……This is great. So worth the wait……..Liz did an amazing job….”

Kara’s Design Board- “Awesome job, Kara. I think the accessories that she used were wonderful. And I was very happy with the thought of adding greenery to the small space. One thing that I really loved was not only did she design a beautiful area, but she also mentioned to really try to use some of the resources that I already had. Love that.

Becca’s Design Board-“WOW...I would have never thought of adding birch to the bottom of the door to help hide it. Great idea. Becca I love your design as well. Her design was simple and elegant at the same time. I really love the fact that she used an actual bookcase in the nook area and mentioned adding family pictures. Perfect idea. I want to be able to relax and read as well as be able to sit and reflect on the wonderful family that God has blessed me with. I also love the artwork that she added.”

“Honestly I loved all three of them so much. They all did an amazing job and have given me so much to think about. I can hardly wait to be able to sit in my own little area and read and relax.Gosh, I love all the designs. Now comes the fun part of putting it all together.”

I would really like to make this a series. Possibly once a month.

Anyone out there with a design dilemma? lol Needing some ideas or inspiration? Please feel free to summit your design dilemma and photographs to me via email.

Do you think you have a knack for design? Are people always telling you how beautifully decorated your home is? Would like to join in on the FUN and be the next designer on Dittle Design Dilemma? Please contact me via email.

If I have enough participation, I will continue the series. Thanks you again to Jessica for sparking the inspiration and for my three wonderful blogger friends, Becca, Liz, and Kara for being just so gosh darn wonderful!

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