My Top Five Posts according to Blogger Stats

Today I had time to explore my stats and I thought I would show you my top five posts and the tablescapes of each. First here are the Blogger stats:

Black and Yellow Fun Tablescape:

I was a little disappointed that the table that got the most views was not even one I designed. You can see more of this one by clicking on the heading text above the pic.

#2  Black, White and Red Rose Table:

This classic table is also one of my favorites so I was not surprised to see this as #2.

#3  It's a Jungle Out There:

I have done other jungle tables that I like better. I guess having the word "jungle" in the post header caused the search engines to pull up this one when people googled.  Now I am wondering where that fabric went! It would have been perfect for a recent animal handbag I made.
#4  Black, Silver and White Tablescape:

Another classic color combo.  I like this one, too.

#5  Valentine's Table 2009:



Hmmmm...these selections are interesting to me. Four of the five tables have black as a prominent color. People must like black.

Overall I have done a lot of tables that are more interesting than these. 

Have you ever checked to see your stats to see what your top 5 posts are? I wonder if you were surprised, too.

A Wordy kind of gal and a tutorial...

I have always had a love of words and writing...see that's me below at about age two, I loved writing then and love it even more now!

I think that's the reason blogging has been a fun and creative outlet for me. Also, because I've met so many really great people and so many of you out there have the same passions; beautiful living and a zest for all things creative and expressive!
So today's post is in honor of words, literature, creativity and in this case...a bit of a "mishap" from this little darling..."Pearl the girl"

Yes she looks innocent enough alright...well she's got you fooled! She can be a bit of a stinker and can get into mischief and trouble like you wouldn't believe!

Here's proof...she wanted to see what was on the table and pulled the tablecloth down...on my birthday!

Which brings me to this, my love of prose and another Pearl escapade... 
Many years ago while traveling with the hubs we wandered into an antique shop and I came across an old Mark Twain book. In the book was a poem written by him that I knew would HAVE to be in my house somewhere, someday. 

One Christmas I got my wish; sweet Mr. La Bella Vie gave me the poem as a Christmas gift in the form of Wallwords which is a rub-on applique that I promptly applied on the wall of my foyer that you see above. 
What you can't see is the table below it that my little stinker kitty, Pearl likes to sit on...and apparently pick off the letters in the name...Mark Twain!
If I didn't love her so much, I would have booted her to the moon!

So...I had to re-order poor ol' Mr. Twain's name and re-apply it which brings me to the very brief but informative tutorial of this post...applying the words to the wall...

Get out your favorite laser-level, tape the words to the wall and rub on with the tongue depressor that comes with the words...and your done! That simple!

Here's a few more examples of some of the Wallwords I've done throughout the house...

"Wine makes every meal an occasion and everyday more civilized"

(click pics to enlarge)

And last but not least...you gotta make the best of anything in life no matter what it may be. So the last place you'd expect to see "Wallwords"...the entry door to the kitty-potty-box. The inside pet door goes through the cupboard door under the sink in my laundry room, then goes through another pet door in the outside wall into the garage and into in a screened-in enclosed area for the little "Principessa" of whom would rather powder her nose in privacy thank you very much!

And on that note, I have come to the "end" (pun intended) of this highly technical post!

Have a great day everyone!


Linking up with Susan for another Metamorphosis Monday #138...go see all the other great MM's out there!

Retro Inspired Kitchens!

Hi all! I’m Jennifer from Arcadian Home Decor, a site that chronicles home decor trends around the world. I've been writing about home decor since graduating university and have loved it ever since. I'm addicted to patterned fabrics, Jonathan Adler, chaise lounges, old doors, milk glass jars, antiques, and chandeliers. Terry at La Bella Vie has incredible taste and a real eye for beauty, as evidenced through her posts, so I was delighted to hear I'd be contributing a guest blog to her site!

There is something soothing as well as playful about retro designs, and nothing is more fun than retro-inspired kitchens. Fun colors and patterns prevail in 50's and 60's kitchens not to mention vintage appliances and curvy pieces of furniture. 

And there's simply no shortage of home decor accessories from this happenin' era. Here are eight retro-inspired kitchens to love.

A dash of diner

Style At Home Via

The floors as well as the canisters in black and white checkers, along with the mid-century fashion plates hanging as wall decor, all scream "retro!"

Plain (but stylish) Jane

NiaHome Via

A minimalist kitchen design uses color to give the space a distinctly retro feel, like the polka-dot back-splash and brightly colored glassware, rug and wall mirror.

Tasteful turquoise

Dream Fun House Via

Pale bluish-green cabinetry isn't overpowering in such a subtle hue - it's the table decorations, such as the dinner and cookware, are all the primary colors this kitchen needs.

Pretty patterns

ARCHIdeas Via

A red and white checkered tablecloth and 50s-style charger plates displayed atop a mantel infuse this retro-inspired kitchen with character. The powder blue countertops are also reminiscent of this time period.

Posh pea green

Newphotogalleries Via

The stove is the centerpiece of this retro kitchen, with old-fashioned details and a great vintage color, which matches the walls.

Wonderful white (Terry's favorite kitchen!)

Lilac and grey Via

This massive stove unit may look old, but it's one of many new appliances that have a retro look with modern features. The black open range is complimented by the decorative charger plates hung overhead.

Terrific tulips

I Antique Online via

A kitchenette is oh-so-vintage with tulip furniture, like this table and chairs. The abstract wall art adds a punch of rich color.

Delicate details

Louise Rastall Via

Even with contemporary subway tiles on the backsplash and a flattop stove with built-in oven, retro glassware, vases and vessels to canisters and the wall plates, brings this space over-the-top for style.

Content provided by Arcadian Home Decor, a site that specializes in top quality home accessories at extremely affordable prices. 

Come visit us today and thank you Terry for this great opportunity to post on your beautiful blog, you've been a lot of fun to work with!

Plaids that play well together...

OK so its been a while since I've posted and you know why? Because I've been really busy playing! Playing around in my sewing room...finally! I say finally because all summer long, I've either been outside or busy with summer activities and blogging has taken a backseat until this past month. However, in this post I really have been anticipating a wonderful Fall season and getting the house ready for "cozying in". 

So in anticipation of that, I've been working on what turned out to be a huge project! A few months ago I got a new (plaid) ottoman and recliner for our family room that you see below.

the plaid fabric in the ottoman and pillows actually has the same sage green in it that my sectional is, however its difficult to see in these pictures...

I also had a plaid lumbar pillow made from the same fabric to sort of pull the room together. But once everything was in place, I soon realized, my wicker table and chairs in my kitchen nook looked awful. You can see the old pink cushion below and just how bad it looked with the new plaid...

So I ordered the same plaid fabric that's on the ottoman (by-the yard) and decided to make new cushions which turned out to be harder than I thought; upholstery fabric is difficult to sew on a home machine but it was worth it in the end.

I took the original cushion covers off,

numbered each one because in reality, each cushion is just a bit different in size from the factory so in order to make sure the new covers fit well, I wanted to keep the right cushion with the right cover.

then used them as my pattern pieces...

to cut the new plaid fabric.

 I kept all the pieces together for each pre-numbered cushion

 made new piping covers but used the original piping the cushion had on it as a cost saver but also because it was still in really good condition...

sewed it all together and came up with this new look just in time for Fall...

which I must say looks soooo much better with my new ottoman!

Next up...to re-build the TV/entertainment cabinet out of an antique armoire we have. We did have everything housed in there until we put a new TV in and it doesn't fit anymore...oh well the projects never end!

linking up with Kaitlin for another "Re-create party at 

"Not So Simple Housewife"

You all need to hope on over and see her, she has the cutest little blog!