Guest Posting at Tatertots & Jello

I'm thrilled to be guest posting today for one of my favorite bloggers, Jen of Tatertots & Jello fame. I don't use the term "fame" lightly, folks; Jen's been on T.V. for goodness sake, so she's officially famous! If you've never visited Tatertots & Jello, then you're in for a treat. Jen is more creative than ten Martha Stewarts lined up shoulder-to-shoulder in the glitter aisle of a Michael's Crafts store, and she's a very sweet person as well. Here are a few of my favorite projects from her blog:

She made these decorative polka dot plates by adding round, white stickers to black plates. The project only took 10 minutes! Brilliant!
She made these fun burlap tassels from things that she already had around her house, such as old doorknobs and medicine bottle tops:

She transformed some plain pillows from Target by adding fabric yo-yos:
She made this whimsical spring wreath out of plastic soda bottles. Yes, I said Plastic soda bottles! See? Just like I said--beyond creative! Need I go on?If you'd like to see my post--and, more importantly, all of Jen's great posts--hop on over to Tatertots & Jello today!

Guaranteed Ugly

A homeowner in my subdivision has had this hand-lettered sign planted on her front lawn for over a year now. The sign reads:

"Attention Dog Walkers!!! Please keep dogs off of my grass and flowerbed by mailbox! NO PEEING or #2! It kills my grass and I have worked too hard to have a nice lawn! Thank- You!"

Now, before I say what I'm about to say, let me say (as a dog owner) that no dog owner should relieve his or her dog(s) on someone else's property. It's just a matter of common sense and good manners.That said, I was intrigued by this hand-lettered sign because it illustrates an interesting point. When I saw it, I couldn't help but think to myself, "What's worse: having a discolored lawn some of the time, or having an ugly sign up all of the time?" An ugly sign, I might add, that very explicitly describes IN CAPITAL LETTERS various forms of canine excrement, thereby symbolically installing said excrement (in verbal form) on the lawn...permanently!

The sign is an example of what I would call "guaranteed ugly". Without the sign, the homeowner would risk having dogs discolor her lawn some of the time, but with the sign, she was virtually guaranteeing that her lawn would look ugly 100% of the time.

This got me thinking about ways that we sometimes opt for "guaranteed ugly" inside the house. Here are a few examples:

• Keeping the new couch covered in beach towels and sheets to protect it from spills and stains. What's uglier, an attractive couch with a stain on it, or a couch forever shrouded in towels and sheets?

• Choosing not to make the bed in the morning because it will "just get messed up again" at bedtime. This policy guarantees that the bed will be unmade 100% of the time.

• Not opening the blinds in the morning because "they will just have to be closed again later". This policy guarantees that the house will be dark 100% of the time.

• Covering the carpet with a clear plastic runner to protect it from footprints. Need I elaborate on this one?

So, you may ask, what's the alternative to "guaranteed ugly"? The solution is to make choices that fit your family and your lifestyle.

• If you have kids and/or pets, opt for furniture upholstered in forgiving fabrics such as chenille or microsuede. Patterned fabrics hide stains better than solids; dark colors hide stains better than light colors. Leather tends to be resilient as well. Another option is to purchase furniture with removable, washable slipcovers.
  

• If you hate making the bed, consider simplifying this chore by using a European-style duvet.

• Choose window treatments with easy functionality. Lightweight cellular shades are easier to raise than heavy blinds; curtains on clip rings slide more easily than rod pocket curtains.

• Rather than "laminating" your carpet under a clear plastic runner, consider choosing family-friendly carpets or opting for hard surface flooring.

• Here's another reason to vote plastic carpet protectors off of the island forever: years ago, I had a roommate who placed one of these runners over the wall-to-wall carpeting in our hallway. One day, a spider walked down the hall, and I could actually hear its little feet tip-tapping on the plastic runner. Nothing says "home" like the pitter-patter of...spider feet!

So, what do you think about the concept of "guaranteed ugly"? Did I miss any other examples?

More Steinmart Pillow Fun

Given that Steinmart doesn't offer product photos online as some retailers do, I thought I'd bring the store to you. Join me on a little virtual shopping trip through the pillow department at my local Steinmart. Here are just a few of the unique pillows that I spotted on a recent visit:

This generously-sized soft blue and chocolate embroidered polka dot pillow caught my eye--I liked the trim detail as well. ($19.99)This moth (butterfly?) pillow would be a nice addition to a room with a neutral color palette.

I liked the detail on this pillow--other colors were available as well.
This pillow caught my eye because the frogs added a funky element to an otherwise very traditional fabric. This would work nicely in a room with other fall colors. ($16.99)
This yellow toile lumbar pillow is nice and fresh for spring. ($19.99)
The polka dots on these contemporary pillows are made up of spirals of satin cording. ($16.99)
This sign made me smile. Can ruffles be extreme? I imagine this read aloud by a monster truck announcer with a booming, echoing voice: "Extreme-eme-eme-eme Ruffles-uffles-uffles!!"In truth, the ruffles were extreme.

Some of my favorite "pillows" were napkins, AKA "potential pillows". I noticed that many of these cloth napkins were reversible--they were made up of two pieces of fabric sewn back to back--which made them ideal candidates for transforming into pillows. To make a pillow from a reversible napkin, just open one seam, fill the "pocket" with stuffing, and close the seam again. Voila! A fun pillow for $2.50! I may have to pick up a few of these to make some new pillows for my back porch.

And now for something completely different:

My women's singing/songwriting group heard about a video contest sponsored by Harris Teeter, a regional grocery chain, and we decided to write an original song and make a video to enter in the contest. If you want to see a short video featuring a bunch of women singing a blues song about shrimp and hamming it up in 1950's garb, I invite you to stop on over. For those of you whom I haven't met in person, I'm the backup singer with the long brown hair.

Registered Harris Teeter shoppers can comment and vote on videos on the HT website. One voter will win a $500 Harris Teeter gift card. Please feel free to vote for our video if you feel so inclined!

To see our video, please click here.