Winner, Winner...

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner T-Shirt

Thank you so very much for all the entries... I am happy to report I am now up to 250 faithful, fabulous followers and I do very much appreciate that you all take the time to read my little blog... I hope you will stick around even if you didn't win, I promise to try to keep it interesting and fun.

That said, we do have a WINNER!  Congratulations to REBECCA, you have won the Chalk Board, I will be contacting you asap to get it shipped out.  If you were not the winner, but would still LOVE one of these chalkboards, visit my etsy listing here... Chic Chalk Board.  TGIF friends and enjoy your weekend!

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Book Club Review: One Day by David Nicholls

Another successful Book Club evening... we're still discussing the name issue, but I think we have it narrowed down to two of the awesome suggestions by you creative readers from yesterday.  As I mentioned, our book this month was One Day by David Nicholls.  Dear Daughter drew this rendition of the cover on my white board...

Our friend Teri had not quite finished, so she banished herself to the kitchen to finish up while we all enjoyed dinner in the dining room... go Teri go! She made me feel better, since I myself did not finish the book until 3:30 yesterday afternoon... it does make me feel like a college freshman cramming before a big test when I'm frantically trying to finish my book club book.

The general opinion of this book was positive... it is well written, flows nicely, and the story is interesting.  The author does a great job of getting the reader invested in the characters, and we appreciated the fact that you hear the story from more than one character's viewpoint.

Apparently, this is being released as a movie this summer (yes, we are planning Book Club Movie Night at the Alamo!) and we discussed who might play the two main characters if we were casting the movie... although they are now probably too old for these parts, Hugh Grant and Kate Winslet would have been my first choices.  I googled the movie and found... One Day, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.

All wrong!  I like Anne Hathaway, but she is SO NOT EMMA.  For one thing, why don't they have a British actress playing a British girl?  That bugs me... anyway, back to the book.

The general theme of the book is a reminder that you should never wait for "one day"... life can change on a dime and that "one day" might never actually come. Jana likes to bring "party favors" to Book Club, this month we received a jar of that really bad, fake nacho cheese.  I suppose you will have to read the book to figure out the significance... if you have read it, tell me what you think Jana was thinking?

The jar of stinky bad cheese has a formula attached... sure makes you think, doesn't it?  Never put off until tomorrow what you can do TODAY...

Want to "join" our Book Club?  Here is our next selection:

The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

Book Club, Schmook Club...

Book Club Bookmark

Hosting Book Club at my house tonight... as some of you may remember, our last Book Club Meeting was a full blown, themed out extravaganza.

Our selection this month, One Day by David Nicholls, did not lend itself to quite as much excitement in the planning, but I'm sure it will be a rollicking evening nonetheless.  This bunch could make a discussion of the dictionary entertaining.

With that in mind, here is our dilemma... we need a NAME.  We've decided we need something more interesting to call our little bunch of merry book lovers than just BOOK CLUB.  Help me out here, blog friends.  Give us some suggestions... I will share them with the girls and if they pick your idea I will even send you a special little thank you surprise.  Get creative, I have faith... the BOOK CLUB girls are counting on you.

My Book Club Print

Book Club Wine Charms

Book Club Coasters

Down by the Seashore...

She Sells Seashells Art Print

My brain is still on vacation, so please indulge me... have you ever been antiquing in a beach town?  No better kitsch anywhere than the crazy creative goods folks have COVERED in shells.  I love shells, have them all over my house to remind me there is more to look forward to than driving to soccer practice and monitoring homework (there is, isn't there???).

Here are just a few funky fun finds from my recent trip to the seashore...

Picture this dude sitting on your dining room buffet or mantle...

If you can't get to the beach, there is TONS of cool shell art on Etsy, here's a girlfriend for our Adonis I found at AnneReaDesigns...

Seashell Goddess Diana

or make your own like we did in this framed shell art project for Dear Daughter's room... 
She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
It's not too late to enter... GIVEAWAY!

Nip Tuck...

I was raised by Aunt Orangie to believe that one MUST have a new Easter dress... it is just an absolute right and privilege of being a girl.  So this year while shopping for my Easter ensemble, I happened upon a great Calvin Klein summer suit on the clearance rack at T.J. Maxx (yep, I guess this makes me a Maxxionista).  This terrific lightweight tan lined summer suit was marked down to $49... WHY, you ask?  Well, take a gander at what I saw when I headed to the dressing room... 

ADORABLE jacket... fit great.  But that SKIRT... Calvin, WHAT were you thinking?  My grandmother would not have worn this shapeless, too long, blob of a skirt.  It looked like a serious reject from my first "big girl" working wardrobe in 1988.  ICK.  The dilemma... put it back to languish in clearance purgatory, or see if I could give it a new and better life?

Never underestimate the power of a few great alterations.  There was a time when I thought tailoring was only useful to hem a pair of pants, but after enough TLC What Not To Wear marathons, I have discovered a new appreciation for my local tailor.  This is the only pic I got today of my actual skirt, and Aunt Christy accidentally cut our heads off, but you get the idea... and no, I'm not the cute one in the pink shoes.

My amazing alterations ladies chopped about six inches off the length, and "penciled" the skirt to bring it right back to the year 2011... SO much cuter, more flattering, and even with the tailoring I got a great suit for only $65.00... SCORE.  

Makes me feel like breaking out in song... 

In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade...

Ok... singing is not my strong suit.  Anyway, if you are new here, don't miss out on my first GIVEAWAY... 

and have a marvelous Monday!

EGGstravaganza and the Attack of the Peepateers...

Dear Daughter and Sweet Son love to die Easter eggs... and thankfully, so does their Aunt Christy!  Every year she comes to spend Easter weekend with us, and spearheads the Egg Dying Extravaganza... this year, they decided to try this awesome tutorial from my blogging friend, Jany Claire, for making Easter eggs dyed with silk ties.

Watching them blow the eggs to hollow them out was EGGstremely (sorry, couldn't help myself) entertaining... told them I was waiting for their brains to come blowing out of their ears.  Next they raided Handsome Hubby's closet and found a couple of ties he hadn't worn since the 90's, and got  busy cutting them up to use to wrap the eggs.

Since they have to boil for a good 20 minutes.. Dear Daughter and her buddy, G-Man. got inspired by the Peeps Diorama Contest and made their version of the Three Peepateer's Battling the Bad Peeps... looks like the Peepateer's were victorious.

Now, after that gory interruption of our sweet egg dying activity... it's time for the BIG UNVEIL!  We learned that we needed to be sure to wrap the fabric as close to the egg as possible, and need to use plenty of vinegar and boil for a good 25 minutes... HAPPY EASTER and may your Peepateers keep you safe this holiday weekend.

TWO HUNDRED - We need a GIVEAWAY!

Woke up this morning, logged on, and saw that awesome magic number... 200!  TWO HUNDRED fabulous followers!  For some of you blog veterans I'm sure that seems silly, but this baby blogger is just delighted... and to celebrate I think we need a GIVEAWAY!  This is my first, please be patient... 

I'm a virgin, so to speak.    Wink, wink... 

ANYHOO... on to the good stuff.  I'm giving away one of my

FABULOUS Upcycled Chic Chalkboards... Write everything from your grocery list to your daily to-do lists on this terrific industrial chic blackboard. When it's time to start a new list, just erase and begin again. This vintage aluminum pizza pan has been given new life with chalkboard paint. Measuring 10 1/4" diameter, it will include a set of chalk ready to get you started.  This can be propped in a stand, or I can add magnets or a picture hanger if you would like it to attach to a your fridge, file cabinet or locker or to hang it in your office, kitchen or classroom.

HOW TO ENTER

To enter the Upcycled Chic Chalkboard Giveaway, you can either:

1) Become a FOLLOWER of the Orangie's Attic Blog via Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, Blog Lovin' or Email Subscription and leave a comment letting me know which you choose.

BUT I AM ALREADY A FAITHFUL (BELOVED) FOLLOWER, YOU SAY?

In that case you can...

2) "Like" Orangies Attic on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you're a fan.

OR

3) "Follow" Orangies Attic on Twitter then come back here and leave a comment to let me know you are a follower.

OR

4) "Favorite my etsy shop at Orangie's Attic and come back here and leave a comment to let me know you now love me.

Only ONE entry per person, so please note that you only have to do one of the above to enter.  I'm all about easy...

and FREE, and  FUN, FUN, FUN! 

In the immortal words of Charlie Sheen...

"The only thing I'm addicted to right now is winning."

And one more thing, make sure I have a way to contact you if you win - an email address or a username to message you via Facebook, Twitter, Etsy convo, Blogger, etc.

Giveaway is open to US residents & International residents with restrictions - see official rules for details

Giveaway ends Friday, April 29, 2011 at noon PST. Winner will be announced shortly after.

OFFICIAL RULES

• Giveaway closes on Friday, April 29, 2011 at noon PST. Comment datestamps must be recorded by that date/time to be eligible. Winner will be chosen by random drawing and will be announced on Wednesday, March 2, 2011.
• The giveaway is open to both US and International participants. I will provide free priority USPS shipping to US participants and free first class shipping to International participants. INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE READ: International winner must pay for any customs duties, fees, levies, and/or taxes. I am willing to expedite shipping for international shipments if winner is willing to make up difference between first class mail and international express. Payable via PayPal.
• Minors under the age of 18 must have parental/guardian permission to enter (if you are under 18, I will need to contact your parent(s)/guardian if you win and make sure they said it was okay-so ask permission beforeyou enter).
• I will announce the winner on my blog and make every attempt to contact the winner. You must leave your email address in your comment, or a place where I can message you via Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, etc. If the winner doesn't respond within 10 days, a new winner will be chosen.
• All Orangie's Attic Shop Policies apply to the winning item as if it was a purchased item from Etsy. By entering the giveaway you are complying to all Shop Policies as they are laid out on Etsy. Also by entering this giveaway, you are complying to the official rules as they have been laid out here :)
• Thank you for entering and good luck!   

Awesome Amelia

I know you probably think I went nowhere on my recent trip to Amelia Island but here... 

Despite the hours I was forced to spend conferencing with my beach chair, I did, indeed, sneak in a day in town.  The Historic District of Fernandina Beach is a 50 block area LOADED with amazing historic Southern buildings, restaurants, and shops (yes, I said shops!) tucked right next to the docks and surrounded by huge trees dripping in Spanish Moss.  

It is truly a magical little place... from the docks you can take a cruise over to visit Cumberland Island, (where JFK, Jr. held his super secret wedding) and watch the wild horses that live and play along the shoreline.  I didn't make that trip this time, but here we are (Curly Ruffle Butt is my niece) on a sunset cruise to Cumberland last summer... 

I had a great time taking pics with my Hipstamatic app of all the cool buildings...

Last stop... my FAVORITE shop for great secondhand finds, antiques, vintage furniture, jewelry, and more, Trailer Park Collectibles.  Once you go in, you may never come back out... and if you do, you certainly won't come out empty handed.

Just looking at this picture puts me in my happy place... 

Bloglovin'

Just added my blog to Bloglovin'... fun way to follow and discover new blogs!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Destruction Day Two...

This renovating business is definitely NOT for the faint of heart... as you can see, half my house is piled in one room and the rest of the house looks like the Tasmanian Devil has taken up residence. Oh, and I have a cold which works really well with the vast quantities of dust and debris they are generating.  GOOD TIMES.

Note the proximity of the couch and buffet to the goop they had to use to level out the floor... I was hovering around like a freaking little fruit fly on a rotting banana trying to make sure they didn't slop goo all over my pretty things, but those scruffy floor guys just didn't seem to have a concern in the world. I'm sure they were talking about me in Spanish... too bad I didn't pay more attention in my college Spanish classes.

The stairs are prepped and ready... SO thrilled to get that nasty carpet out of my house. The floor crew asked me if I wanted to KEEP the carpet for anything.  I'm sure you probably heard me laughing wherever you are... EWWW, ICK, GRODY, NOOOOOOOOO, thank you.

On a brighter note... since I am in serious need of a diversion from the chaos surrounding me and am SO CLOSE to 200 followers (you faithful followers ROCK), I am taking part in this cool little blog hop today.
Go check it out and find some new virtual friends and followers!

DIY: Chic and Easy Chalkboard

Chalkboards seem to be all the rage these days... here's a quick, inexpensive, and easy DIY to get you in on the trend!  Start with an inexpensive silverplate, aluminum or pewter tray.  This is not the same tray from the finished product in this DIY, but same idea. You may have few of these stashed in your cupboards, if not, thrift stores have them ALL the time.  I have scored them for as little as 10 cents...

The tray I used in the finished product was quite dirty, but a good cleaning with Goof Off left it with a lovely patina.  Next you need a bottle of nifty chalkboard paint... I like this version by Americana.  This particular paint requires you to paint 2 coats in opposite directions with an hour of drying time between each coat then let the whole thing dry for 24 hours before writing on it.

I wanted to use mine on the fridge, so I popped three heavy duty magnets onto the back.  Depending on what type of metal your tray is made of, they may stick right on (mine did) or you may need to glue them on. To hang on a wall, simply glue a claw toothed picture hanger to the back, or even easier prop it up in a beautiful easel on your counter.

Here is my finished chalkboard... we are currently using it to count down the days until SUMMER (we LOVE summer around here).  Here is another version I made from an old pizza pan, which is for sale in my Etsy store in case you are not feeling too crafty, but would like to get in on the chalkboard craze...

Chic Chalkboard

Check out more GREAT chalkboard projects here:

Home Renovation PART ONE!

The time has come... we have been in our much loved (and lived in) house for almost 10 years now and it is screaming for some TLC.  The 10 year old builders grade carpet, in particular, is SCREAMING.  Handsome Hubby and I finally sucked it up and are having new floors installed beginning tomorrow... I will be housebound for 3 days while the EZ Floors guys work their magic.  

We are having hand scraped wood put on the staircase and in the formal living room and dining room.  We currently have slate in the foyer, kitchen, family room, breakfast room, utility and guest bath... that's all staying because we LOVE the slate!  Everywhere else is getting NEW (WOO HOO) frieze carpet.  Yes, HH has already made more than one crack about having to get a 2nd and 3rd job... I think he would look awfully cute as a Walmart greeter.  

Today we have to take all of the lamps, candles, and general tchotchkes off the furniture to get ready for the wood floors to be installed.  The armoire and buffet are LOADED with Christmas, china and other "stuff" that has to come out.  Nothing like a little forced spring cleaning... 

OH THE JOY. 

Despite the hassle, change is good... I don't want to be that old lady that decorated her house in 1991 and never changed out the centerpiece EVER again.  You know what I'm talking about... so, there are some goodies coming out of these rooms that will head straight to my local Goodwill for someone else to hopefully enjoy.

I cannot WAIT to see the wood on this staircase... visions of Dear Daughter in a few years posing right here in her prom dress.  Just hoping I don't break my neck coming down these once they are covered in beautiful new wood... head first into the slate would NOT be pretty.  Stay tuned for our progress, and please pray I don't lose my mind or break any bones in the process...