Meet Layla from the Lettered Cottage:

I knew that somehow I wanted her to be a part of "my favorite paint color" week here at 320 Sycamore because of her fabulous eye for the right colors. I am so thrilled that she is beginning the week for us! She has a true passion for decor and the details~if you haven't been to her blog, it is a must-see. She and her husband are transforming their home room by room and the change is just remarkable. You've really got to go see the befores to appreciate what they've done so creatively on a budget.

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Okay, it's confession time.

At the last Frugal Friday, hosted by the wonderful Wendy at the Shabby Nest I showed you how I was so crafty and green thumby with real live succulents. Well, the succulents bit the dust. The one I put away from the window didn't get enough sun and it turned very yellow and yucky:

The other one by the window succumbed to my sons' miniature digger truck while I was away. Real dirt inside the house is just too much of a temptation to a 2 year old and 4 year old, I'm afraid. Soooo, I'm going back to fake for this edition of Frugal Friday. Would it have been more frugal just to go with fake in the beginning?
Yes, but that would be too easy for Melissa. She always seems to make things more difficult than they need to be.

I found these big boxwood balls at TaiPan for 9.97 a piece. I was thrilled at that price, because I have priced them on the Internet, and can't find them for less than $18 a ball. We're not stopping here though, because I have two little spots I need a green touch to.

Soooo, get out you're scissors! We're going to cut this beauty up. It actually came apart in half quite easily, then I cut another third off the half.

You know whenever Nester hosts a party, it's going to be a good time! I'm joining her lampapalooza today:

I had a lamp in my family room that needed a little ooomph, a little somefin. It kind of just blends in with the walls behind it. I got it at Target a few years ago at their Global Bazaar clearance. (it would also help to have it in focus)

When my mom, sisters and I get together, one of our favorite things to do is shop. Here are a few stores we hit (all in the Salt Lake City, Utah area):

Hello! I had a fabulous little vacation~I wanted to share something that my sister, Kristin did that I loved:
she took an old cabinet door when they replaced their bathroom vanity and painted it, then added some vinyl lettering:

I'm outta here!

I am taking my baby and we're escaping for the weekend for a much-needed break (thank you, honey!) and to visit some family that haven't even met this little guy yet~

I'm very, very excited. (can you tell?)
I wanted to share some lovelies though~Can I tell you how much I love it when you send me your projects you've been inspired to try for yourself?

You asked, and I'll try to answer:

By far the number one question:

Q: how do you find time to re-model and update with 5 kids and a husband in grad school?

A: Very slowly. And it's not a pretty process:

There are some good deals to be found for your outside decor~keep your eyes peeled at yard sales and thrift shops for pots and containers. Here are some I've found in the past few weeks:

These dwarf alberta spruces were at my Walmart for $5~planted in a yard sale terra cotta pot ($1) and added a pony pack of purple lobelia.

How's that for a title?? My boys and I were cleaning up the garage this morning after my whirlwind project procrastination. Isn't that the worst part of these projects? The cleanup? Yuck.

Anyway, this shelf was driving me crazy. So, we set the timer for 20 minutes and went to town...

Oh goodness, this project was appropriately named. I had great intentions: I was going to do a little each day and be done in plenty of time. I put it off, kept putting it off, and I thought, oh, I'll get to them on the weekend. Then, my daughter got sick, my baby got an ear infection, then I got sick, yada, yada, yada, and of course nothing happened. So, I was sweating bullets to get them done for today, I knocked a whole gallon of paint over in the garage in the process. More mis-advetures of Melissa... :)
Here comes my 2 year old...can you see what he's thinking? Remember how he ran over my bathroom cabinets? Don't even think about it little buddy....

Hello everyone! In honor of the Biggest Loser Finale tonight..I'm posting a semi-healthy recipe. Are y'all watching?? Are you completely addicted like we are here? A friend of ours is going to the finale and I'm very jealous. I loved Kristen, but she got voted off {grrrrrr}, don't get me started on Ron, so we're rooting for Tara...what about you?
Anyway...back to the recipe: It's sooo easy and let me give you a little hint: for the next couple of weeks, it will be super inexpensive as well.

I had some fun finds last weekend from yard sales. I officially un-grounded myself and it felt so good to be out! This was from three different stops, here's my haul:

a Southern Living tin $3:

a cute sweater (.50) and some black beads ($1):

I asked Michelle to be a special guest poster today for a Mother's Day tribute. She is my husband's sister's best friend (follow that?) and while I was stalking her blog last year, this post just touched me. I asked if she come on over and share it with y'all. Thank you, Michelle!! You can go visit her here.

Happy Mothers Day to each and every one of you~ Melissa

Open Enrollment,
All Are Welcome to Join...

Happy Mother's Day, Everyone! And I say everyone for a reason.
There were so many years that I would celebrate this holiday with a broken heart. Of course I enjoyed honoring MY mother, who inspires me to be the best mom and daughter of God I can be. I loved sending cards to my grandma's, aunt's and in-laws. I even enjoyed hearing tributes on TV, in church, in magazines, about outstanding mothers who deserve a moment in the spotlight. Yet, I ached to be celebrated also... I wanted to know what that felt like to be included "in the club."

Well, not today, but in about a month. Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 4 because I'm going to host my first-ever blog party! I'm personally inviting each and every one of you to join! That gives you plenty of time to mark your blog calendar and plan for it.
Oh yeah, what are we doing?
I'm so excited! I'm going to call it "my favorite paint color." We all love paint colors and you know it's probably the number one question asked with makeovers~what is that paint color? So, we're all going to share our favorite paint colors with Mr. Linky. They can be regular paint, spray paint, stain, craft paint, etc. They can be in your own house, someone else's, or in a magazine. The only rule is that you have to include pictures, tell us why they are your favs, and give us the name of the paint color and/or formula. If you don't have a blog, you can email the pictures to me and I will add them in.
See the button below and to the side?
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Don't ask how long it took me to make it. I don't even have a button for my blog, but I made this one especially for the party. Feel free to copy and paste the code below to your blog to help me get the word out:

Are you shocked??

I know that it's a major makeover no-no, but it was a last resort. We had wallpaper in almost every room in the house. The entryway and main bathroom came off with hot water and fabric softener. The paper in the kitchen was a bit more stubborn, so we rented a steamer and it came off with some work. Our bathroom was a different story. There was not one peel, one corner coming loose, nothing. It was stuck on there and had not budged for 30 years. We tried everything: vinegar, fabric softener, the chemical you buy in stores, and finally the steamer, but it was causing major damage to the drywall. I talked to my neighbors about it, my new friends at Lowes and Home Depot, the guy at the paint store, and they all said to paint over it if I had tried everything. Like the guy at the paint store said, "if it hasn't moved in 30 years, it ain't goin' nowhere."
Sooooo, that's what we did:

We sealed it with Kilz premium primer, waited a week or so to see if we had any bubbling, or problems. Everything was good, so then I textured over that, primed again, and then painted. Pain in the rear!

Some of you have asked what the arrangement between the 2 mirrors in my bathroom is.
Remember the $35 yard sale? That's what I'm calling it now.
The wooden yellow thingy on the right was part of the stash and I didn't really know what it was. Debilou told me that she thought it was a match holder, and I think she's right, although that's not exactly what I'm using it for.