February 4th, 2012 | 
Author: Greetings all and happy weekend to you! This decorative pillow giveaway is brought to you by Stylish Furniture and Decor, an online source for chic modern furniture and home accessories. They offer something for every room from lighting to rugs to wall decor. This weekend Stylish Furniture and Decor is offering one winner their choice of any one designer pillow (up to $270 value) and their pillow collection is divine!
Eligibility to win the designer pillow up for grabs:
1) Hop on over to visit the Pillow Collection and pick a favorite, then name it in a comment.
2) For a second chance to win, link to this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter, then leave a second comment naming where you linked (FB or Twitter).
One winner only, US and Canada only, up to a $270 value. Giveaway ends Tuesday February 7, 2012 at 8 p.m. PST. By entering this giveaway you agree to this site’s giveaway policy and Official Rules of Entry.
**** Also Centsational Girl readers receive a 10% discount at through the end of February with the code CENTGIRL – happy shopping!
Good luck and have a fabulous weekend!
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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s not a holiday I decorate for but my elementary school kids look forward to it. Apparently, word on the playground among second graders is the passing of the valentines is kind of a big deal.
Typically I buy those store-bought packs of kid Valentines and attach a lollypop, but my daughter was asking for something a little more special for her besties. I came up with this inexpensive paper treat box made from cardstock scrapbook paper and embellished it with washi tape.
They’ll be perfect for inserting a few sweet treats and a Valentine too.
To recreate, here’s what you’ll need: 11 x 11” cardstock scrapbook paper, scissors, double sided tape, measuring tape, pencil, washi or decorative tape, embellishments (optional).
First, fold your 11” x 11” scrapbook paper in half and cut into two 5½” x 11” strips. With a measuring tape and pencil, mark the points 2”, 3”, 6 ½” and 7½” on the strip.
Cut out the 1” x 3” section then fold at the four horizontal marked points. Next, cut the box tabs at the 6½” and 7½” folds and fold the vertical sections to form the shape of the box as seen below.
You can also refer to this diagram.
Download a copy here!
Once you’ve made the cuts and folds, your paper treat box will come together like this.
Use double sided tape on outside flap to secure sides of box.
Embellish with washi tape or other appliques. (The washi tape adds a decorative element and helps keep the box together so nothing spills out).
That’s it! How cute, right?
And who says these boxes are just for kids… make some more grown up versions for your adult friends or office mates. These will be filled with chocolate and handed out to a few deserving mom friends of mine!
The same design works just as well for cute gift or favor boxes too – think baby or bridal showers, kids birthday parties, etc. Inexpensive too, since most cardstock scrapbook paper is around a dollar or less.
Have fun creating some of your own!
xo,
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Posted in Home Improvements | 
Tags: Crafty, Holiday Decor, paper treat boxes, Valentines Day | 
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I go through phases where I obsess over certain colors, and the color of the month for me is sea green – I’m totally crushing on it. I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to paint my own walls or cabinets in this shade even though these spaces pull if off well. Perhaps I’ll stick to fabrics and accessories, or even indulge in glass tile in a bathroom, but this hue is definitely on my mind.
sources unknown
Sea what I mean? What’s your latest color crush?
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Hey y’all, it’s February, how did that happen? Crazy crazy how time does fly! I decided to do a monthly recaps of readers’ favorite posts from each month so I have something to refer to at the end of the year. Here are the Top Ten posts of January not to miss!
1. Stamped Tea Towels 2. Chalk Painted Nightstand 3. Installing Beadboard Wallpaper 4. Which Home Would You Choose?
5. Powder Room Makeover 6. Lacquer Lookalikes 7. Photos to Sketches 8 Choosing the Perfect Robin’s Egg Blue 9. Lavender Sea Salt Scrub 10. Love/Hate with Anthropologie
Also, for many of you who have written to me about posts and projects from summer 2009 where there are no images anymore, I am aware of the problem! It has to do with pictures that were previously stored in a Picasa web album that I deleted *oops* assuming the images got rolled over in my WordPress move in September 2009 and I just found out they didn’t {thanks Google! insert swear word} – unfortunately they need to be rebuilt so please be patient, I’m working on it!
Also, for those of you like me who love Pinterest, I’ve added more boards, so be sure to check them out, you may want to add them to your “follow” list!
I’m off to the sewing machine shop now, either Mr. Singer is getting a repair or I’m buying a new one… stay tuned.
xo,
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I mentioned we’re having an unusually mild winter so far and when the sun shines in January, we get the itch to go exploring. So Sunday the family and I headed to the Big City to chase those rare blue skies and spent a splendid afternoon in North Beach. It was one of those weekends where even the locals were surprised by the fair weather and took to the streets to walk their dogs and dine in the cafes.
North Beach (or Little Italy) is a fantastic collection of shops, cafes, delicatessens, and cool landmarks in north eastern San Francisco, bordered by Fisherman’s Wharf to the north, Chinatown and the Financial District to the south, Telegraph Hill to the east, and Russian Hill to the west.
map from here
We started in Washington Square Park at the famous landmark Saints Peter and Paul Church. The twin spires of this church (originally a parish for Italian fisherman) can be seen from blocks away, and the intricate detail inside the church’s interior with its altar, ceiling, and painted dome will transport you to Europe.
Up the street are the Filbert Steps and Coit Tower, but be sure you’re wearing your walking shoes if you venture over there, it’s a climb!
Take a stroll around Washington Square Park and you’ll see locals walking their dogs, or artists displaying their paintings, then cross the Square to Columbus Avenue.
Take your pick of the many Italian restaurants with outdoor cafe seating, which is what we did. This is such a great place to linger over lunch and watch people stroll by. Don’t you love this checkerboard sidewalk?
We decided on Calzone’s for our shared luncheon of artichokes, mussels, pizza margherita, and butter lettuce salad, divine!
Of course you never know what you might see on a given day in SF, just over lunch this funky car drove by blasting Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ and the very next minute this gentleman came by to serenade us with the late Etta James ‘At Last’. Be prepared people.
Walk off your tasty lunch in the few blocks that surround Columbus Avenue, you’ll spy a lot of very cute shops and cafes and iconic San Francisco style architecture.
There are lots of cafes along this Columbus Avenue route where both tourists and locals hang out.
This dapper Italian gentleman was my favorite, I loved the twinkle in his eye.
There is a second beautiful church and porziuncola in this neighborhood, the Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, beautiful inside too.
Continue walking south and you’ll see quite a sight. This was my favorite shot of the day, the Sentinel building and home of Cafe Zoetrope owned by Francis Coppola, you can find some his movie memorabilia inside. This copper green building sits right on the edge of North Beach and the Financial District and just beyond is the magnificent Transamerica Pyramid. Quite a stunning contrast in architecture, don’t you think?
A little fog started to roll in so we headed back to the Square while the sun started to set. It was that moment on a Sunday afternoon when you can sense everyone around you soaking up the last few moments of a blissful day before heading home, and we were too. Here’s a view of the bay on the drive out of the City with Ghirardelli Square below and Alcatraz Island in the distance.
Next time you come to the City by the Bay, be sure to take a stroll through North Beach, especially during lunch or dinnertime, I just know you’ll love it.
More San Francisco tours:
Fisherman’s Wharf and Fleet Week
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