Supposedly, 2009 is the year of redecorating. With the economy prompting a rise in “staycations” and frugality, homeowners are getting into the DIY Trend and redoing their living spaces. You may remember my disastrous repainting project (click here to be reminded of the pink shell house)? Well, I repainted but just a little bit. Only enough to make the house bearable so now, I’m on the painting hunt again.

Some things I’m really liking:

Shiny Paints at Modern Masters

Vellum and Night Train from Benjamin MooreColor blocking

Hopefully this DIY Home Project will prove more successful than my last couple of painting related home forays.

Here are me and Sarah, a 7-year book club member, trying to make our earrings. The actual picking out of the beads took longer than the wiring and stringing. It might be difficult to tell in the photos below, but my bead box is positively overflowing with beads of all colors shapes and sizes. There’s got to be some sort of correlation between my copious collection and personality type because all the other gals had very clean bead trays, with only the minimum of perfectly chosen beads. Then again, I’ve been in all of their homes. Their houses are definitely cleaner and more organized than mine… (hm, correlation? I think so!)

Can you see how hard I am concentrating in this picture (to the left)? Can you see the bead of sweat running down my cheek (well, that’s what it felt like)? Thankfully, it paid off and I have my very own custom set of earrings to prove it. I give major kudos to those who create handmade jewelry. It is way harder than it looks. I was also amazed to learn how many different methods there were for jewelry making! Wowza!

All in all, the experience was a blast. I’m thankful for good friends, the opportunity to learn a new craft and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you everyone who sent cards and bath fizzies to Kyle Wylie and his big brother Nicolas in the last month (posts here, here and here). The cards and boxes brought him and his entire family hours of fun and joy. Kyle got so much mail that he even had some of his friends over one day to help him open his stacks of good wishes. It was a wonderful expression of everyone’s overwhelming generous spirits. Thank you for that.

Sadly, Kyle passed away on Saturday morning in the arms of his loving family. In the two years since he was diagnosed, Kyle has had many amazing experiences: Hawaii with his family, a cruise through the Caribbean with dear friends, Florida with his family, playing football with Jake Locker from the Huskies, honorary Sheriff for a day, a private ride in the Cat up at Mt. Baker and a fun trip to Arizona with loving friends. Throughout the entire two years, Kyle remained chipper, upbeat and unfailingly easy going. He was a favorite of his Doctors and Nurses at Children’s Hospital and provided levity and joy every time he visited.

Kyle will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved him. Please keep his family in your hearts, thoughts and prayers.

The Superbowl is coming right up. If you’re throwing a Superbowl party, consider repurposing this Celebration Soap project with the colors of your favorite team. Show your excitement by making the Celebration Soap and giving it away as party favors or just using it yourself.

What you’ll need Clear Melt & Pour, White Melt & Pour, (non-bleeding) colors, Champagne Fragrance Oil, Milky Way Oval Mold, Rubber Star Mold and Silver Glitter.
Follow the instructions here for an easy Superbowl Party soap. Or click here to watch the video of me making this soap for an even easier step-by-step.

Thank you to everyone that sent Kyle (www.kyleroger.blogspot.com) cards from this post. Even President Bush sent Kyle a note, saluting him for his bravery! Kyle and his brother Nicolas really enjoy opening the cards and seeing just how many people are supporting them.

And, an even bigger thank you to those of you that sent boxes of goodies. Layla sent Kyle a huge box of bath fizzies (above) and even created a special bath fizzy for a Kyle Fundraiser. If you need gifts anytime soon, consider the special Kyle Bath Fizzy here. Having seen Layla’s fizzies, they are a generous size for the price and smell delicious!

Kyle is at Children’s Hospital today, undergoing some more tests. He has a big one at 11 a.m. so if you have a free moment around 11 a.m. PST today, please send him some positive energy.

A big thank you to everyone for sending cards and gifts to Kyle & Nicolas (along with fans of Kyle’s Blog and readers from The Bellingham Herald). Here’s a pile of the mail that they received on Saturday. Thank you!

Whatcom County is getting another dumping of snow. It is a snowy white wonderland outside with well over a foot of snow everywhere in town and more in the outlying areas. This is a photo of my husband, Chris, getting our mail. Getting in and out of the driveway proved mostly impossible because of snow drifts so we parked on the road.

This is the road leading to our home. Underneath the thick layer of snow is an even thicker layer of ice. Only trucks and cars with chains are out on the road today.

Our buried birdhouse with a lovely view of the surrounding snow-covered hills.

The shallow end of the lake has started to freeze. My husband said that it’s been at least 30 years since he’s seen the lake freeze. The snow is scheduled to go through Christmas day, making life snowy white, children happy and drivers fearful.

Bellingham has been blessed with a winter white wonderland the last few days. It’s been gorgeous (albeit a bit treacherous on the roads).

Despite a small team, the Brambleberrians have been working very hard to get all of the holiday orders out. Since schools have been canceled, we even had employees’ children on site, helping to ensure a timely turnaround (our goal is always 24 hours on normal orders).

Everything looks magical and pure outside. I can hardly wait to get home and snuggle on the couch with a good book and a hot cocoa.

(Thank you Jody Bergsma and Heather Othmer for sharing their photos)

I am diggin’ the Pirate Flag soap by RoseValley here. It would be perfect for the upcoming holiday or just an enticement to get an 8 year old boy to wash up without complaint. $3.50 for this bar is a bargain.