A Freebie!

It's the weekend
and what better way to celebrate than with free stuff!

The next four people to purchase something from
The Chubby Dove
this weekend,
get a free set of 3 magnetic clips.

{promo ends 12 midnight EST. Designs may vary from photo shown, but will be in the same color family}

Birdies and Nests and Eggs, Oh My!

Hi bloggy friends!
Hope you've had a great week.

I'm getting a tad bit antsy for spring, how 'bout you?
Bunnies, birdies (well, I'm always in the mood for birdies) flowers...Woo!

I just listed some new loot in my shop...

Cute stuff like this....


and little pretties like this....




and random fun things like this:






I'm currently taking orders for Easter,
so if you'd like something special for your nest or those chickadees of yours,
hop to it and let me know!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Who Have You Hugged Today?

(photo source)

Who have you hugged today?

Come Clean...

If you're the Chief Laundry Doer in your house this question is for you.

When washing clothes, do you or don't you turn socks and garments right side out before throwing 'em in?

Years ago, Ann Landers gave advice to a mom who was tired of nagging her family when it came to their dirty clothes.
Balled up, dirty, stinky, inside out socks, mostly.
Mom had been asking family over and over to turn their clothes right side out before throwing them into the laundry basket.
Ann's advice?
Wash them inside out, balled up and give them back that way.
They'll learn.
Well, for some reason that article stuck with me and I've since "tried this at home".
When I first got married, I trained my husband and it worked.
(not only is he a cutie, he's a quick learner).
My boys on the other hand are a work in progress.
My littlest guy never says a word, but will just wear his socks inside out.
(Can someone say 'backfire'?)

Anyway, I'm curious....
what do you do?

Monday Makeover

I got this "shutter shelf" for Christmas.
Ever since then, it's been sitting in our laundry room.
Very lonely, no purpose.
I just wasn't sure what to do with it.
I wasn't crazy about the color and certainly not the wooden pieces that were stuck to the top.
See them there?

Well, this weekend, I had a "Eureka!" moment and decided to give it a makeover.

First, I grabbed a screwdriver and hammer and gave those pieces a few good whacks.
(it was pretty fun)
Then I sanded down the spots where the pieces had been attached.
There were some grooves left, but they just added to the distress of the shelf.

Next, I mixed up some paint and slapped it on.
I wiped off the excess with a paper towel and let some of the green show through.
Followed it up with a little bit of white here and there
and sanded the whole thing down, distressing it all over.

The cherry on top is the little starfish!

I decided that this little guy is now going to have a special purpose in my studio.

I'm always looking for my phone and camera when I'm working in there.

(and if you've ever seen my studio, you know it sometimes look like a bomb's gone off )
This will also keep them safely out of the way of paint, water, paper dust, etc.

So, there ya have it.
Is there something you have around your house that could use a makeover?

Crunch At Your Own Risk

Ok, so chances are you've tasted Sun Chips Harvest Cheddar chips by now.

We're kinda addicted to them 'round here.
I saw they revamped the bag to make it more environmentally sound.
How nice of the chip people.
These new bags are 100% Compostable.
The first of their kind, they say.

Well, next time you go down the "chip aisle", pick up a bag.
You don't have to buy them.
Just PICK UP THE BAG.
The sound will amaze you.
It's so stinkin' loud!

Who knew compost could be so loud.
Smelly, yeah. But loud?

I actually laughed to myself when I grabbed the bag to throw in my cart.
So much for midnight snacks.
One could wake up the whole house ripping open one of these babies.

Perfect Posies

Look what just arrived...
I got these posy pins from Lindsey at
the pleated poppy.
Aren't they delish?

They're perfect to pin on a blouse, jacket, handbag....
oh joy!

Have you ever seen so many layers before?

(I mean not even in a lasagna, have I seen this many yummy layers!)

My intention was to share them, but I'm having trouble deciding on which one(s) to give away.
I may have to keep 'em all.

Check out her blog, it's just as cute as her shop
and go get you some oodles of layer-y goodness.

i'm still here...

I've missed you, blog.
I've had an incredibly bad migraine for the last few days.
Nothing exciting to talk about, no cute pictures to share.
The curtains have been drawn most of the week.
Hubby and I made it out this afternoon for a mini date.
(Something about chocolate makes a girl forget her pain for the moment).

So, early in the week, my back locked up.

It may have happened when I was moving furniture.

(I like to rearrange rooms, from time to time).

Anyhow, after my back locked up, that afternoon, I lost my balance on the stairs and almost fell.

I was holding the railing (thankfully), but when I lost my balance,

I wrenched myself pretty severely trying to stay upright.

That night, I had a lovely migraine to go along with the sore muscles.

If you know me, you know that stairs and I don't play nice together.

In 2006, I fell down a flight of cement stairs at my in laws' condo in FL,
breaking my left elbow into 4 pieces.

Two surgeries later, I still can't extend my arm all the way,
but thank God it didn't happen to my right arm.
Can you imagine?
How could I have started The Chubby Dove?!
It was quite an interesting recovery
with two small boys running around and mommy in a cast and on pain killers.
Then there was months of physical therapy.

If you ever wanted to see the inside of my arm, there ya go.
I was known as the Bionic Woman for awhile, as you can imagine.

(I won't show you the scar just in case you're eating. It's pretty ugly).

But thankfully, I'm just suffering from a migraine this time.
Things could be worse.
Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and should up and at 'em soon.

What did you do today?

The Vintage Pearl Giveaway

Just the photo alone makes me drool....

The Vintage Pearl is giving away a $50 gift certificate right now.
You could order something like this sweet, little lovely above
or choose from their line of handmade, handstamped jewelery.

Yummy eye candy, doncha think?
Hop on over and see for yourself.

Infommercial

~No One Will Do, But Ewe~
available now in my shop

Just a little peek at some things I've been working on lately...
original wall art.
These make a great gifts!

~Peep~

This birdy one is already spoken for and I can't wait to make more.

Wouldn't this be so cute for Mother's Day?

You could order a momma bird and her babies.

My mom would be crowded on that cloud with her 5, let me tell ya!

~polka dot pachyderm~

So sweet (and quiet, too).
Also for sale right now in my shop.

These canvases can be personalized and customized to match any decor.
And I offer a variety of sizes.
If you have a question
or are interested in having me create something special for you,
just let me know.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program....

Decorated with Love

With all the decorating I do for Christmas and wintertime,

I LOVE to get out my pinks and reds and decorate for Valentine's Day.

I don't go crazy, but there are little bits sprinkled about in our home.
The heart above was a purchase I made at Target a couple of years ago.
I was going to make one myself, but when I factored in supplies and time, it was a better deal to get this one already made.

This glass heart I got as a gift about 10 years ago from a friend.

I still think it's one of my favorites.

So simple.

Next to it, is a part of a love note written on a napkin
that I gave my son earlier this week in his lunchbox.
When I went to take this picture, I realized he had saved it and
put it here for me to see.
(He's gonna make some girl a great hubby one day!)

This LOVE banner with vintage valentines in the background,
looks great hanging across a doorway or mantle.

One is for sale right now in my shop.

This heart hanging from our hallway mirror was actually the bottom part of a box.

I bought some craft supplies a few years ago and thought the box was so cute.

I tied a piece of chiffon ribbon to it and now it adds a little splash of color to the mirror.

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

DIY at A Soft Place to Land

Right now, Kimba at A Soft Place to Land is having a DIY Day!

Check out all the great projects that peeps just like you are doing all by themselves.
(My turquoise cabinet is lurking somewhere on the list)

So get over there and get inspired!

Dove's Devotion

Cabinet and Congratulations

Ok, for those who have been waiting for the reveal of the little cabinet I got over Christmas, here's the finished product:

This project was super easy.
I didn't even sand this cabinet before I started painting it.
It was already covered in a chalky white, so I painted two coats of turquoise and let that dry.
The next step was to sand some of the paint off in random places.
Followed that up with a little bit of chocolate brown paint.
I used a moist paper towel to apply the brown.
I rubbed it on in places and then quickly wiped some of it off to give it that worn, weathered look.
I then applied leftover wrapping paper to the inside back wall of the cabinet using Mod Podge.
Distressed the paper with a bit more sanding and
Voila!

Now, let's get to the winner of the Mini Book Of Love...

Congratulations to

*Whitney*

A big thank you to all who entered this month.

Have a super Saturday everyone!

Clay

Ok, I have plenty of people who can vouch for my sanity.

I just had to take a picture of this little smiley face that I spotted today on the garage floor.

With all the tromping in and out of the house this past weekend,

it's no wonder the floor was dirty.

And so, I'm proud to introduce to you, Clay.
Who will be sent packin' sometime tomorrow when I sweep the garage.
(But that's just between us, k?)

Have a happy Friday.

*giveaway ends soon. enter here*

I'm Dreaming...

...of last weekend and all the fun we had in the snow.
Our first snow as residents of NC.
The boys' first "Snow Day".
I always imagined what it would be like to have a "Snow Day".
No school because it was snowing outside!!
How fun?!
Our schools in FL would close for "Weather Days"
which meant that there was a hurricane coming.
Yeah, not much fun.

Being very thankful for the Wellies I got last month. They came in very handy and were actually the only thing we had between the four of us suitable for this weather.
Note to self: must get winter gear for our family 'cause this place actually has...winter.

My hubbie and I were talking last night and we said that it was
almost like we had been on vacation last weekend.
No errands to rush off and get done.
We relaxed at home, played games, played in the snow,
baked yummy desserts, stayed up late...
It was a much needed break.
Here's to more weekends like that!

Have you entered this month's giveaway?

Here's your chance. Click here

Book of Love ~ February Giveaway

This month is Valentine's Day.

I don't have to tell you that though.

I really don't think any men read my blog.

Us girls, we know it's just a couple of weeks away, right?

Well, here's a little something that you can give yourself.

A mini Book of Love...

Just the right size for some pictures of you and Mr. Right.

Leave a comment on this post to enter

and tell me...

chocolate or flowers?

{personally I love, love, love Dove Dark chocolate}

Ok, back to the giveaway.

Here's how you can enter more than once.

Make sure to come back here and leave an additonal comment if you:

* Follow my blog*

* Follow me on twitter*

* Tweet about this giveaway*

* post about this giveaway on your blog*

Be sure to tell your friends.

Spread the love.

Contest ends Friday at midnight (EST)

Trinket and Treasure Boxes

These trinket and treasure boxes make gift giving so much fun!

Put a little something inside and later it becomes a special keepsake box.

There are four to choose from and they are for sale right now in my shop.

Just in time for Valentine's Day!

A Little Transformation

I got this little cabinet for free.

He needed some lovin'.

Come back later this week.

I'll show you the "after" pictures.