A Fort Fit for a Queen...

Sweet colour inspiration...

1. sfgirlbythebay
2. Source unknown
2. Painted White
3. Country Living

Any great fort ideas you would like to share?

A Fort Fit for a Queen...

I love the swag idea... We're trying, trying, trying to create something like this for B's fort... Despite the drop ceiling in our basement... We'll get there!



1. House to Home
2. House to Home
3. Country Living

A Fort Fit for a Queen...

My little girl LOVES secret places... Last summer, she discovered a canopy of leaves and branches near the side of our house... And she decided it was the perfect fort... Two of her best friends, Maggie and Clara, have wonderful secret play places that Bren just adores... And from the time she was very small, one of her favourite activities was to pull a blanket over her head to make a tent...

Over the last few months, I've been trying to think of some way to carve out a special place in our house for Brennah to hide out... I've been searching for inspiration to create the perfect fort at the foot of our basement stairs... A fort fit for a queen... It's all beginning to take shape in mind... And I hope after sharing a week of little girl fort inspired ideas with you, that I will finally be able to pull my ideas together and share the finished product with you here...

So sit back and enjoy a week of sweet ideas that I hope will inspire you as well... And please, if you have any other lovely ideas for creating a great little girl fort, please share! And stay tuned for the fort of Brennah's dreams...




1. Simply Bloom Photography
2. and 3.
4.

A {Family} Photo a Day...

My one-of-a-kind-wonderful husband {July 2009}

A {Family} Photo a Day...

Our sweet Leah {December 2009}

Spring is in the Air...

My favourite time of year: Spring!

I had imagined in my mind's meanderings that this winter, with two children under two would be the longest of my life... And yet, I am happy and thankful to report that the Lord was so good... It was long at times, but full of excitement and joy... Watching Brennah grow into a loving older sister... Hearing her thoughts come out in (mostly) coherent sentences... Celebrating two wonderful years with her and being reminded not to take one moment for granted... Witnessing Leah's sweet smile light up a room... Hearing her whole-hearted giggle for the first time... Watching Jay grow in his commitment to the Lord... In all these moments, despite the long and sometimes lonely days, I held onto the hope that these are THE moments... The moments that make life... And my life is more than I could have ever dreamed of...

I love the spring... I really do... Summer is great, but there is something about the spring in everyone's step as the weather warms up and we once again get to feel the sun on our faces! It just turns everything around for everyone... I'm always amazed! I had a hard time creating this winter... But as the snow melted, my creative block seemed to thaw as well... And I felt like I was ready... Ready to create some new pieces... And take the pictures! So... enjoy... Some new pieces inspired by spring... And flowing from a heart that is so thankful... That winter is over (for now)... And that the Lord sustains... And beyond sustaining, gives abundant JOY!

Check out all these new pieces (and others) in my Etsy shop

A {Family} Photo a Day...

Sweet B, shedding a tear on the beach {July 2009}

A {Family} Photo a Day...

Brennah and I {April 2009}

Spring Swag... {Day Five}

{Day Five}... It's been such a fantastic week... I sincerely want to thank all 15 shops that participated in the giveaways this week... Aren't they great? Their generous donations added up to over $300 in store credits... How incredible is that? I hope that you will visit these lovely shops in the future... And share them with your friends... Finally, thank you to all those who commented and spread the word about this giveaway! I hope you all had a great time!

So... What do you need to do to enter to win on this final day?
First... Just take some time to enjoy the photos below!
Then... Head on over to EACH shop...
Next... Head back on over here and comment on what you would choose from EACH shop if you were the fortunate winner of today's prizes...

Don't forget: To leave a valid email address so I can contact you to let you know if you are the winner... To leave only ONE comment which includes an item that you adore from EACH shop... To add the generous shops to your favourites for future purchases!

I will randomly choose a winner at 8 am tomorrow morning and contact the winner by email before 10 am... The fortunate winner will take home all THREE prizes! Yeah! So spread the word to ALL your friends, comment, enjoy and cross your fingers!

Now... Without any further ado... Today's generous shops and their lovely offerings...

$15 US in store credit from Kate of 'Kate's Cottage'
{Blog}, {Facebook} and {Twitter}


$35 US in store credit from Emilie of 'Bloomsong' (All the way from France!)
{Website} and {Flicker}


$25 US in store credit from Kristy of 'Me Plus Molly' (All the way from the UK!)

Spring Swag... {Day Four}

{Day Four}... Are you ready for some more spring shopping?

So... What do you need to do to enter to win?
First... Just take some time to enjoy the photos below!
Then... Head on over to EACH shop...
Next... Head back on over here and comment on what you would choose from EACH shop if you were the fortunate winner of today's prizes...

Don't forget: To leave a valid email address so I can contact you to let you know if you are the winner... To leave only ONE comment which includes an item that you adore from EACH shop... To add the generous shops to your favourites for future purchases!

I will randomly choose a winner at 8 am tomorrow morning and contact the winner by email before 10 am... The fortunate winner will take home all THREE prizes! Yeah! So spread the word to ALL your friends, comment, enjoy and cross your fingers!

Now... Without any further ado... Today's generous shops and their lovely offerings...

$20 US in store credit from Fallon of 'Olive'
{Blog}

$20 US in store credit from Jessica of 'Blue Heart Boutique'
{Blog} and {Twitter}

$20 US in store credit from Kristy of 'Dear Sukie'
{Dear Sukie on "Martha Stewart"} and {Flicker}

Spring Swag... {Day Three}

{Day Three}... Are you having fun yet?

So... What do you need to do to enter to win?
First... Just take some time to enjoy the photos below!
Then... Head on over to EACH shop...
Next... Head back on over here and comment on what you would choose from EACH shop if you were the fortunate winner of today's prizes...

Don't forget: To leave a valid email address so I can contact you to let you know if you are the winner... To leave only ONE comment which includes an item that you adore from EACH shop... To add the generous shops to your favourites for future purchases!

I will randomly choose a winner at 8 am tomorrow morning and contact the winner by email before 10 am... The fortunate winner will take home all THREE prizes! Yeah! So spread the word to ALL your friends, comment, enjoy and cross your fingers!

Now... Without any further ado... Today's generous shops and their lovely offerings...

$25 US in store credit from Jenn of 'Monkey & Squirrel'
{Blog}


$15 US in store credit from Evie of 'Evie S'
{Blog}, {Twitter} and {Facebook}


$10 US in store credit from Heather of 'Gathering Spriggs'
{Blog}, {Twitter}, {Facebook} and {Flicker}

Spring Swag... {Day Two}

{Day Two} Full of joyful colours... Can you feel spring in the air?

So... What do you need to do to enter to win?
First... Just take some time to enjoy the photos below!
Then... Head on over to EACH shop...
Next... Head back on over here and comment on what you would choose from EACH shop if you were the fortunate winner of today's prizes...

Don't forget: To leave a valid email address so I can contact you to let you know if you are the winner... To leave only ONE comment which includes an item that you adore from EACH shop... To add the generous shops to your favourites for future purchases!

I will randomly choose a winner at 8 am tomorrow morning and contact the winner by email before 10 am... The fortunate winner will take home all THREE prizes! Yeah! So spread the word to ALL your friends, comment, enjoy and cross your fingers!

Now... Without any further ado... Today's generous shops and their lovely offerings...

An 11x14 print of your choice + free shipping from Claudia of 'Claudia K Studio' (Valued at $40 US)
{Website} and {Blog}


A decorative clip-board of your choice + free shipping from Kelly of 'Box 64 Studio' (Valued at $18 US)
{Blog}, {Facebook} and {Twitter}


$15 US in store credit from Tania of 'Percy Handmade'
{Blog}

Spring Swag... {Day One}

{Day One} Oh... My dear blog friends... Brace yourself for a fantastic week of giveaways... Here's what you can look forward to, each and every day this week...

There will be one NEW winner each day... Each winner will get store credit to redeem in 3 lovely Etsy shops... I love the idea of store credit... That way, you can choose to purchase more or less... And pick exactly what you like best! It will work just like purchasing from any Etsy shop... Any amount you go over the store credit, you will need to pay for with PayPal (so keep that in mind when entering)... It's shopping, with a bit a break for you, thanks to the generous shops!

So... What do you need to do to enter to win?
First... Just take some time to enjoy the photos below!
Then... Head on over to EACH shop...
Next... Head back on over here and comment on what you would choose from EACH shop if you were the fortunate winner of today's prizes...

Don't forget: To leave a valid email address so I can contact you to let you know if you are the winner... To leave only ONE comment which includes an item that you adore from EACH shop... To add the generous shops to your favourites for future purchases!

I will randomly choose a winner at 8 am tomorrow morning and contact the winner by email before 10 am... The fortunate winner will take home all THREE prizes! Yeah! So spread the word to ALL your friends, comment, enjoy and cross your fingers!

Now... Without any further ado... Today's generous shops and their lovely offerings...

$27 US in store credit from Melanie of 'Spread the Love'
{Blog}


$20 US in store credit from Abbie of 'Miso'
{Blog}


A roll-on perfume of your choice + free shipping to Canada or the US from Beth of 'Theme Fragrance' (Valued at $13 US)
{Website}, {Facebook} and {Twitter}

The Ladies in My Life...

Leah & our sweet friend, Abby Challies {February 2010}

Leah & Brennah... Lovingly adoring one another {March 2010}

Brennah, enjoying a Tea Party at her dear friend Maggie's {March 2010}

The Most Adorable Ladies in my Life...

Leah... Found her feet this weekend! {March 2010}


My little ladies... Enjoying our first day outside {March 2010}

A Year in Review...

I've always enjoyed scrapbooking and not long after Brennah was born, I thought about how wonderful it would be to chronicle each year of her life (at least the first few years)... With two little ladies around the house, pulling out boxes of scrapbooking supplies just overwhelms me to no end... So I was more than thrilled when I came across 'Scrapblog'... It really is scrapbooking without the mess... And I adore it... It's the most fun I've had in ages! This is a lovely scrapbook of Brennah's second year... Enjoy!

The Most Exuberant Lady in my Life...

I have watched this video over and over again... I adore it and I know, that as Brennah goes, I will return to it again and again! Everything about Bren in this video is SO her... The joy, the excitement, the love... And I especially adore the rock out session in the middle of the video... It kills me every time...

The Littlest Lady in my Life...

This is a quiet week here at the blog as I prepare for next week's huge Giveaway... Featuring 15 fantastic Etsy shops and a new winner every day, this promises to be the biggest giveaway yet! Stay tuned and please visit next Monday (and every day next week) to enter for your chance to win!

This week... Enjoy some family time with my girls...

Leah, 4 Months Old (February 2010)

Greece Bound... {Evening Look}

Black Silk Blazer from 'Net-A-Porter'
Belize Tie Die Wicker Clutch from 'Monsoon'
Lele Silk-Chiffon Strapless Dress from 'Net-A-Porter'
Ribbon Espadrille from 'Matches'
Cascading Earrings from 'Zappos'

Greece Bound... {Day Look}

Leather Bag from 'Net-A-Porter'
Greek Palmette Bracelet from 'The Met Store'
Green Shoulder Print Fill Blouse from 'Debenhams'
Back Flap Short from 'Wet Seal'
Gold Seagrass Flip Flops from 'Monsoon'
Bijoux Heart 24K Gold Earrings from 'Net-A-Porter'
Melissa Odabash Palm Beach Kaftan from 'Net-A-Porter'

Greece Bound... {Accessories}

1. Bali Basket Candle Tin from 'Antropologie'
2. Vintage Paloma Picasso Sunglasses from 'Net-A-Porter'
3. Teal Flower Pinny Cover Up from 'Topshop'
4. Kyko Towel from 'Amara'
5. Planet Stripe Embellished Scarf from 'John Lewis'

Greece Bound... {The Hotel}

Oh... Isn't this everything Greece should be? 'Canaves Oia Hotel'... On the Island of Santorini... Built into the side of a cliff above the Aegean Sea, with a view of the Caldera... Beautiful!

Greece Bound... {The Inspirations}