BH&G: Final Day & a Giveaway!

Well, let's start with the giveaway. I have never had one on Blueprint Bliss and what better time than now as I finish up a week of highlighting the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens?

The giveaway will be for a year subscription to BH&G. All you have to do is leave a comment by the end of the day on Monday, June 1st. I will draw and announce the winner on Tuesday morning. Even if you already subscribe to the magazine- you are welcome to leave a comment and if you win you can pick a friend to send the subscription to.

Now onto Day 4-the last day of this little series. As much as I loved the house that I posted about on Tuesday- I feel that I saved the best for last...

From the simple white exterior:

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to the homemade picnic table (what a great idea):

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I adore this room below.
From the white walls, to the wood beams, to the neutral furniture with the bright pillows, to the lucite coffee table.... oh, and I love that bar cart/table... and of course the white hydrangeas...
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Kitchen- all white with open shelving and the window above the sink. Enough said.
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While I admit that I usually prefer neutrals (and sometimes a small pop of color/pattern)- I have always been a fan of the bright white/green combo.

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Loving this whole set up...

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As always- thanks for stopping by Blueprint Bliss. I appreciate each of you! And don't forget to leave a comment so you can be entered to win a year subscription to BH&G!

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Have a great weekend!

Brooke

BH&G: Day Three

With summertime here (not quite official, but close enough)- I love to be outside. In our yard or on our deck... just doing something outside. Although that hasn't happened much lately due to the rain. every. single. day.

I really enjoyed these two articles showing screened in porches and a beautiful back porch. I feel like a screened in porch is a must in the South- mostly because you can take full advantage of those summer nights without the mosquitoes attacking you!

These photos are going into my "one day" file...

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*all images scanned from BHG, June issue

*I don't know how many of you have already read the June issue- but if not, I can't wait to show you the house that I am posting about tomorrow. It's a lot of "fun"... so come back for Day Four!

BH&G: Day Two

For day two we have a mixture of things-
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1) This drink sounds delightful. Sparkling soda (pomegranate or raspberry) or sparkling wine topped with a scoop of lemon sorbet... What a perfect summery dessert! Or with the sparkling wine--- afternoon happy hour!?!
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2. And I loved this little work station. After sewing all weekend- I wish I had an area like this. A little work space just for me!
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3. An article on hydrangeas- one of my favorite flowers. My mom's best friend said that I had an "old soul" because I loved hydrangeas. But I find that more and more people love them... more than just old ladies! Aren't they so pretty?
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4. And while on the subject of flowers... I just love this garden/yard:
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*love the house's color combo of white, black, and green!

*all images scanned from BH&G, June issue.

**Tomorrow and Friday will be back on track with one subject per day!

B&HG: Day One

I don't know how many of you subscribe (or occasionally purchase) Better Homes and Gardens. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite magazines. Does it replace Cottage Living or Domino? No, it doesn't. But with my love for homes, gardens, and great recipes- BHG does not disappoint. Especially in the past few months... they have been picking up the slack in the "indoors" department. I thought I would take this week to share a few articles with you from the June issue.
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So for Day One- here is a small beach house in California that I thought was just as cute as the family that resides there!
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*notice the mirror?!

*all images scanned from BHG, June issue.

Weekend Projects

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend. We have had a low key weekend- which has been so nice. My house spent most of the past couple of days looking like this:

Last week I purchased this pattern from Etsy. {And to answer any questions- no, I am not sewing for anyone in particular.} Little girl dresses are just so cute and fun. And it's been a great way to teach myself how to sew! Here is my finished project (well, I haven't gotten around to the button holes):

And since I already had my sewing machine out- I went ahead and made a few more things.

Some dish towels to give with a few kitchen utensils for wedding gifts:

And some burp cloths to pair with some other items for baby gifts:

And some pillows for a friend:

Now it's time to clean up and get ready for reality which starts bright and early in the a.m. Looks like I will start my little BHG series tomorrow. I hope you had a great weekend.

Happy Memorial Day!

i'm in love...

oh. my. goodness.

I came across this yesterday on Erin's blog and fell in love. If I had this in my backyard- my husband would never see me unless he came out to the "shed". So it's probably a good thing that I don't have one.
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I researched and blog hopped and couldn't find the original source. Anyone know??

Looking into next week- I'm planning a little series from the latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I promise- it will be better than it sounds. Look how great this post is and this one.Their June issue was full of great images/ideas/etc. Hope you'll come check it out. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Update: Sweet Camila at High Heeled Foot in the Door did a little post on me today... so go check out her Friday feature 'In Her Shoes'. Thanks, Camila!

Summer Guesthouse: The Barn

I love how the words "barn" and "shed" are used in the design world. What first comes to mind when thinking of a barn? Probably not the lovely one below. Deborah Cox decided to turn her "barn" into guest quarters in the Hamptons and came up with something wonderful.
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*All photos via Martha Stewart

Guest Blogging at The Newlywed Diaries

Today you can find me over at The Newlywed Diaries!

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I was so excited when Jennifer asked me to be a guest blogger while she is on vacation. She asked if we might possibly let y'all peek inside our homes... so head on over to check out {part of} my house!

all over the place today...

Has anyone else jumped on board with the 3/50 Project? I was introduced to it a couple of weeks ago by Paula and Jennifer.

While trying to shop less (for unnecessary things)- I have been trying to shop local for those things that we need each week. My biggest obstacle lies within my weekly grocery shopping. I just can't afford to go to the smaller markets- so I will continue my weekly trips to Publix.

Last week- I was able to pick up some coffee from O'Henrys, wine from V. Richard's, and my favorite- fresh produce from the Market at Pepper Place. It is my favorite time of the year when the Saturday Market at Pepper Place opens (which it started last Saturday).... it's very close to my house and always has the best things. Last weekend I bought fresh tomatoes, peaches, arugula, romaine lettuce, green onions, and cilantro.

Also, the hubby needs some new shoes for work. He wears Dansko clogs to the hospital every day- where he is on his feet for {insert number here} plus hours at a time. And his poor shoes are WORN out. I told him that they probably aren't offering him any support. So this weekend, we plan to head to Gaia's to find him a new pair.

How is shopping locally going for you?

On another note- a special thanks to Erin at the Perfect Sentiment for leading me down the right path for how to incorporate fun fonts into my blog. I am a font fanatic- and was so bored with the ones that blogger offered. So thanks to Erin for inspiring me to spruce up my blog a bit. And if you aren't a follower of her blog... I highly suggest wandering over there. Also a special thanks to Amanda for the helpful tutorial on her blog for how to make this new font for my post headers happen! She has a lot of great things on her blog... so go see her as well!


Enough of my rambling- here is some eye candy for the day...
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More from this lovely summer "barn" later on in the week....

Wisteria Bliss

I just adore the things from Wisteria. So many wonderful pieces... and the prices aren't too bad. Well, I can't buy many things from there- but they offer things that aren't completely out of reach.
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We poured over my most recent catalog while at the beach a couple of weekends ago. I thought I would share a few things that I love... that have all been mentioned as possibilities for the beach condo. I don't know if all will be used... or none at all. I'm not there yet. But I'll keep looking at these things until we decide.

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Orange Velvet Suzani Pillow- 22"x22"

Suzani Pillow- 22"x22"

Dual Drawer Dresser


Coffee Table

Blue Spindle Leg Table
(it's on sale right now!)

Bleached Butcher's Table

Rustic Two Drawer Console Table

See-Through Side Table