Now, it's Winter

Now, it's Winter!

14 inches and more on the way.

Snow Days with daughter in the Fall

Um, err, it's not even Winter yet!

Don't you just love snow days with your kids? We're on snow day #4, and having the best time.... we made chocolate chip cookies (which everyone really should do with an 8 year old on a regular basis, because they just don't care if the kitchen gets messy!) popcorn/cranberry garland for the birds, watched movies, read books, stayed in our pajamas, and giggled the days away. I just hope tomorrow is snow day #5!

CFAC will join efforts with Koins for Kenya for first water project

CFAC will join efforts with Koins for Kenya for its first water project in Samburu, Eastern Kenya, Africa. Specifically, we'll work with directors of the local branch for Koins, located in Portland. Their geographical proximity, willingness to give CFAC hands on participation throughout the project, established relationship with the Samburu community, and non-profit status is just the type of organization I was looking for. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to help CFAC and Koins bring accessible water to a community in Samburu, East Kenya. Checks should be made payable to Koins for Kenya and sent to Create For a Cause, Attn: Andrea, 5440 SW Westgate Dr. Suite 300, Portland, OR 97221. Be sure to write: "CFAC-water" in the memo line. 100% of your donation will go to the water project. Thank you, Andrea

Getting creative to keep the Fens in the house and not in the garage

Fenway has been getting through the cat door. Husband and I were continually putting in the cat door block to keep Fenway in the house and out of the garage......and counting down the days until he grew too big to fit through the door. Today, clever husband duct taped the door shut so kitty can get outside and The Fens can only get out a little.....

Holiday Open House to benefit Create for a Cause

I am so pleased to post about the generosity of Jeff and Georganne Anderson. On December 19, they are hosting a Holiday Open House to benefit Create For a Cause. Proceeds from donations will go directly to our water project, which will bring accessible water to a community in Africa. If you are lucky enough to know them and receive an invitation, you won't want to miss their home during the holidays. It is filled with warm and festive beauty, both traditional and creative, not to mention the treats that I am sure will be absolutely delicious. Their upcoming open house is an example of how getting together with friends and family while being a part of a rewarding project is a wonderful way to spend a day in December.

Lots of beautiful kids running around here yesterday!

Well, isn't this just classic? No photos from the Holiday Photo Event to post. We were so busy visiting with friends and catching up with those we haven't seen for awhile that the only camera in use all day was Linnea's...and boy did her camera get a lot of use! There were over 25 beautiful children running around here yesterday. Thank you so much to everyone who came and supported our effort to raise money for a well in Africa. Visiting with friends, eating yummy brownie bites (thanks to my mother in law, DeAnna) and fairy cakes, getting a special picture of your child(ren), crossing one thing off your to do list this holiday season (yay!), being a part of a wonderful project, while hanging out and talking with friends is a pretty darn good way to spend a Sunday!

Special thanks to Linnea Osterberg who generously donated her time and talents to this event.

Also, special thanks to Meredith, a thoughtful and generous girl who donated $5.00 of her own money for the well project!

FAQ or my chit chat page

Thank you to everyone who is asking questions...I've had some really good ones! There are so many questions about CFAC and our first project that I decided to put together a FAQ page, but am more fond of the title "chit chat."

How did this project come about? Short answer: Families in Africa search hours everyday to find drinking water. A well will change that. Long answer: For over a year I've been planning and jotting notes about how I can put my creative talents (and those of my friends and family) to use. Awhile ago a friend of mine told me about the need for clean drinking water in Africa and how $12,000 could drill a well in an African community. That planted a seed in my brain, and as a result, Create for A Cause began.

Why water? Because it's essential to survival and if people have to spend so much time during the day searching for water, how can they possibly do anything else?

Where in Africa? There are so many areas in need of a well and so many places to choose from, I am still researching the location. I would LOVE to talk with people about possible locations.

Who will actually drill the well? Not me! HA!HA! I am in contact with a number of organizations that drill wells in Africa and am looking for the right one to work with. I promise everyone who supports CFAC, that the funds will go to the well project and not be "blindly donated."

Don't you have enough on your plate already? Absolutely! I have my lovely family (a new puppy too) and a regular job, but I still have time to create and work towards this rewarding goal with friends and family.

How can I help? Come to events, host your own parties, donate your talents or money, check the blog site often for more ideas (I have lots of them!), tell your friends.

BOO! Happy Halloween

Fenway, aka D.C.*

Daughter had lovely Halloween party at school this morning, to be followed by trick or treating with her cousins, and then meeting up with her friend from school to amass more and more candy. She's going for a record this year!

Am considering changing Fenway's name to D.C. For dangerously cute. Everyone who meets him falls under his charm spell. One little girl at daughter's school took one look at him, gave him a big hug and said, "I think I'm in love." We all are.

So you have something to say???

Thank you to everyone who has alerted me that they cannot post a comment. I just fixed the problem......I hope.
Have a lovely one!
Andrea

Holiday Photo shoot Nov. 9th from 11-3!

It's getting rather exciting around here for the upcoming holiday photo shoot. Linnea Osterberg just dropped off the invitations, and she showed me how she will create a mini photo studio to take advantage of the light that streams in from the window. If it's dry outside (fingers crossed please!) you can choose to have your sitting inside or outside.

Reservations are not required, but if you would like to reserve a time, or need directions to the event, please email me frenchstyle712@aol.com.

Feel free to invite your friends and family to this festive afternoon to benefit Create For a Cause's (CFAC) fundraising effort to drill a well in Africa.

We look forward to seeing all of you!

This year I’m going to do it early!

Holiday Photos, Christmas Cards (yes! we're sending them out this year) Party Menu Planning, Christmas Gifts, Letters to Santa, Shopping, Decorating, Baking, Crafting, Parties. We're really looking forward to the holiday season around here and I just know it's going to be lovely. I'm going to make starting early a tradition so we can do all the festive activities we love and still have time for cocoa by the fire!

Holiday photography event scheduled!

Our first fundraising event is scheduled in Lake Oswego on Nov. 9th from 11-3. Linnea Osterberg has offered her extraordinary photography talents for the day. She will be photographing your children for holiday cards and gifts. Perfect for the grandparents or yourself! The fee is $25.00 (10.00 for each additional child in the photo). Approximately 10 days later you will receive a 4x6 black and white photo of your darling(s) suitable for framing.
Invitations for the event will be out in the mail next week. Please tell your friends and family.
Come help us raise money for accessible water in Africa and at the same time get a beautiful photo of your child(ren)!

Water project has officially begun!

Well, (pardon the pun) my new project is officially underway and my first event is scheduled for November 9th with photographer Linnea Osterberg. I am working with many talented friends and family to bring accessible water to a community in Africa. I hope to raise enough money to fund a specific well and then travel with my family to the community where the well will be drilled.
Take a look at Create for a Cause to follow the journey and learn how you can be a part of the process.
Have a lovely day!

Unblocked and ready to get started.

Hi there...well, this blog site was tagged and locked as a possible spam site just after the first post. Which, by the way, is a crack up for anyone who knows me and knows my limited computer skills. I couldn't figure out how to spam on a computer! Now it's unlocked, determined legitimate by blogger, and I am able to share with you what this project is about and let you know how you can be a part of it.
We are going to raise between $6,000-$12,000 to fund a well drilling (often referred to as a borehole) project in Africa. We want to begin raising money for the borehole now, so whether or not I will form a non profit corporation is undecided, but if you know any big donors out there who want a tax write off then let me know ASAP and I'll put those lawyer skills of mine to work and file for non profit status right away! Until then, we are confident there are enough individuals out there who will participate in upcoming events or just donate $5 to $10 to this project.
Email me if you want to participate. Suggestions, comments, and ideas are absolutely welcome!
A record of our progress will be kept and posted often.
I'll post soon about our first event!

Puppy!

No time to write....must chase after puppy....his name is Fenway and he's absolutely adorable!

Have a lovely day!

Pretty pictures from Santa Fe

We are having one lovely day after another in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out les bonnes adresses avec les enfants more photos and listings on how to have a great time with kids in Santa Fe.

Under construction

Under Construction....posts about our water project in Africa soon!

Refashioning to make it work. Customize!

I love to take something I already have and make it work. Hence, the skort remakes, and all the ruffles I put on daughter's clothes so that she can continue to wear them as she grows taller and taller. My hairstylist in Boston (quite a few years ago) gave this planter to me when her salon was under remodel. I had mentioned to her every time I came in that "I just loved it!" This is what it looked like before (which worked back then). For the life of me I can't find the before pic, but it was concrete color with a hint of grey/blue.

Here's another project that took little time and effort with a big payoff. The wire baskets, with the liners were on DEEP clearance from Michael's. I loved the look, but not the color so I spray painted them flat iron black. The project peeking out of the after pic is my "floral tote" listed on my project list.

Before:

After:

Also, currently working on reupholstering this little number. It'll have a spot in front of the fire place with my other two "refashioned" chairs. I'll have to post an after pic when we're done so it can be fully appreciated!

Look around your home and when you're out and about to refashion and customize items to fit your own style.

Have a lovely day!

Fresh Hummus and freezer lunches

I've wanted to make my own hummus for about 2 years (really!) and I finally did it today so naturally I am pretty excited about it. It was soooo easy and tastes much better than storebought. Extra large handful of garbanzo beans, a dollop of Trader Joe's tahini, drizzle of olive oil and a large slice of roasted red pepper. Whip it all together in a mini cuisinart. Add some garlic salt to your liking and you've got a great healthy snack or instant appetizer with some serious wow appeal.

On another note, I like to freeze most leftovers in little glass 1 or 2 cup containers with lids. The size is perfect for lunch for one, and I have almost eliminated plastic wrap/storage containers from the kitchen. Yeah...that's a healthy, dollar smart and green way to live while having delicious homemade lunches. Here's a picture of a few containers stacked in my freezer. I put little post its on the top to remind me what's inside and when I froze it.

What do you do to make lunch time easier? Hmm, this posting might have been better in the sister blog https://http://aroundthehouseandinthegarden.blogspot.com/, but it's such a fun thing to share that I like it here too.
Do something lovely for yourself today!
x,
Andrea

Art for the wall....finished project!

As I wrote before, daughter had a lovely idea to have an art photo canvas made from a picture she took of Spencer. A photographer friend of mine suggested we use http://www.costco.com/PhotoCenter/PhotoCenter.aspx. (unfortunately, you have to log in and create an account to even see the photo canvas part, but the procedure to create a canvas and place an order is super easy). The finished cost came to around $70.00. A bit pricey, but completely worth it. Spencer smiles down on daughter while she sleeps every night and we get a glimpse of him whenever we walk past her room. The photo doesn't have much color which is perfect for the riot of color everywhere else in her room. As you can see, the birthday bunting never made it outside for a summer garden party, but into her room for more pizazz!

Happy back to school week.

Oh, take a moment to scroll down and see that you can choose to subscribe to Another Lovely Day.

Have a lovely day,

Andrea

Dearest Spencer 1994-2008

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. We had a long week with many lovely moments (my Dad's visit, a trip to the Chinese Garden, daughter's spectacular performance at the NW Children's Theatre, birthdays) , but it was a most long and sad week when we said good bye last Monday to our beloved Spencer. He will be greatly missed and forever in our hearts and family.

Daughter had a lovely idea to make a photo of Spencer into a large piece of art for her room. We're going to choose one today and take it to the photo shop for enlarging and matting on a board. I'll make sure to post the process for that and show off our work when we're done.
Have a lovely day and give your pets an extra dose of love from us.

Art show in Portland

Doesn't this look like fun? Affordable too. You can bet I'll be there on Friday with 31.00 in cash!
http://www.thirtyshows.blogspot.com/

Dancing around the world!

I hope you take a moment to watch this video clip. It will make you want to dance around the world and I am sure everyone will find some connection with it. Make sure the hd is turned off (you'll find the hd on the upper right hand side of the video frame) and your music is tuned on. The music is catchy.

http://www.vimeo.com/1211060

Have a lovely day!

Butterscotch will never be cold again!

Butterscotch, daughter's favorite bear, who travels everywhere with us now has a ballerina wrap sweater. The silver sparkle is thanks to my mother in law who expertly crocheted the trim onto the sweater for us.

The sweater has ties that make a cute little bow in the back.

Next project is a matching sweater for daughter. Which, I better get knitting before she grows too much and it doesn't fit. After that's accomplished, I'll knit a sweater for myself (not a lavender and silver ballerina wrap...I promise!).

Toujours Amour, always love

I picked up these euro sham covers in Paris last April at Fragonard. My plan was to put them on my bed along with a custom made (by me) white cotton duvet cover with black piping. But, it's mid-July and I don't have the duvet made. When I opened the Pottery Barn catalog yesterday and saw ads for FALL color favorites I knew I had to get these pillows on my bed now, before the summer was over. I think they are just lovely, a fresh update on the "His and Hers"pillow sets. Toujours Amour means always love. Did you do something lovely for yourself today? If not, there's still time!

Hello, old friend!

Well, it's not exactly an old friend, but it felt like a reunion when I found this skirt hiding out in my closet during closet organization day. I re- attached the yo-yo flowers (they were drooping like a neglected flower plant) and gave it a good pressing. I just love this skirt because it's a complementary piece to a jumper that my mom made for daughter when she was about 4. I told my mom that I must have one too, but not wanting to match daughter in that Hanna Andersson sort of way, I asked for an a-line wrap skirt. Daughter has well outgrown her jumper even after attaching a coordinating ruffle for length (!), but lucky for me, I can and will wear this skirt for a long time to come.

Introducing Oscar Blue

Oscar is my "newish" parakeet. He's been part of our family for a couple months now. He was a surprise birthday gift and it took quite awhile to come up with a good name for him. Husband wanted Larry, as in Larry Bird (he's a big sports fan), daughter wanted Sapphire, and I was all over the map: Secret Agent 37, Sir Edward Feathers, Pippi, Blue....but we never felt the offered names were right for him until one of us (we can't agree which) said, "Oscar Blue, I love you!" So it stuck....and we cannot wait until he repeats it back to us. In the meantime we shout, "Let's see who's louder: Oscar or the blender, vacuum, dishwasher, etc." He out chirps most electronic appliances. He can even out chirp the crows. Really!

I have not been able to find suitable cage decor for his home, (note project list at side) so I am designing and making him a seed cozy (parakeets throw their empty seed hulls everywhere) and a beautiful cage cover cozy for nighttime. Right now, he's using a beach towel, which is fine because it's summer, but since he's a part of our home, he needs something lovely. He'll be moving into the sunroom once that's done; complete with his own trickling fountain, lush tropicals and outdoor bird's eye view.

Have a lovely day and do share with me about what made YOUR day lovely!

Skort remake 1 done! Lobelias in the garden.

I had some time today to get one of the four skort remakes done. It looks even better than I expected (love, love, love when that happens because it doesn't always). And.....good news! I don't have coordinating fabric in my stash to finish the other three so I have to go to the fabric store. That means I either have control over my fabric buying habits, or don't have a big enough stash! Now I want to make a coordinating top for daughter out of the swirly ruffle fabric. I am eyeing her old t-shirts and considering some kind of applique. Lollipops, Popsicles?


In the garden, I planted some sky riviera lobelia around the base of my camellia. I hope it grows into a pretty little lobelia wreath.

Wishing everyone a lovely 4th of July. We'll be celebrating at the lake, bbq'ing with family and organizing our closets (not necessarily in that order!).

A few lovely little things from Paris, Geneva, Venice

My family and I took a lovely trip to Europe last April. It's a lot of fun wandering around taking inspiring photos for projects back home. Here is a photo I took in a small bookstore in the Left Bank. "It's my new signature wrapping," I mused (maybe squealed) to my mom. It's so simple: plain wrap, contrast ribbon and wax, and an initial seal. In Venice, there are beautiful bins of colorful sealing wax that smell wonderful during the melting process and look so lovely when sealed. I'm pretty sure I purchased presents that I could wrap with my new method. The picture on the left is of a few little gifts I picked up for my family. Italian wine, a Murano glass wine stopper and fleur de sel.

Coming soon! An ongoing list of les bonnes addresses where I list fun shops, restaurants, hotels as well as activities with kids. http://lesbonnesaddresses-camille.blogspot.com/ . I'll post when it's ready to view.

Have a lovely day and be sure to do something special for YOUrself!

Going Green, Remembering Gene

Reduce: Today, I officially declared a no car day. At least once a week we are not going to drive. We will walk if we need to go anywhere. I am hoping it will turn into two days a week...but for now one will suffice. I am certain it will help me plan and organize my time in advance, get us exercising more and save gas. If not, it will allow us to hang around our house in the hammock, eat the food we already have and read books! In an effort to reuse, I am taking the hem out of daughter's 5 skorts and sewing on a cute coordinating ruffle (using fabric from my stash). Here is the before pic of two of them. We recycled by selling two of daughter's outgrown bikes on Craigslist. It was so easy and two other little girls have "new to them" bikes. Our shed never looked so good.

On another note, my neighbor two doors down passed away the night before last in his sleep. He was on vacation with his wife in Colorado. He brought great joy to our neighborhood and beauty to our backyard and will be missed. We love the pond he built for all of us to enjoy and I am proud my daughter can continue to feed the ducks for him. Most of the time ducks are gathered around the edges, and my favorite backyard sound is a duck coming in for a landing. The whoosh sound is lovely.

kitchen garden and lazy days

My kitchen garden is underway. We will have herbs and small fruits and vegetables right outside our front door! I'll have to share them with the birds, but that is fine by me. Here is the before pic. I had a wonderful garden on the side of our house before the remodel and have been waiting, designing and dreaming of this small courtyard garden for 2 years.

My husband is going to start working on it as soon as his nap in the hammock is finished. Which, btw, he waited 10 years for. We bought the hammock in Nice? Cannes? or Monte Carlo? in 1998 and have finally landscaped enough of our backyard for the the right spot.

birthday bunting and cupcake soaps

Oh, I just love bunting. It makes everything look so festive. I made quite a long span for my daughter's b'day party. I can see it hanging in my backyard for future summer parties as well. I also found wonderful cupcake soaps http://http//www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_3&listing_id=12537461 to give as party favors to our guests. I put them in candy colored ice cream dishes as the "soap dish" that I found at the dollar store. An inexpensive, cute and semi depletable party favor. YAY!

Mini cupcakes for friends

It's gotta be another lovely day when your biggest decision is what to pack for the last day of school picnic! Here's a pic of the fairy cakes (mini cupcakes) I made for my daughter to hand out to her friends. It's her last day of school and her birthday!