I just have to introduce you to an amazing artist, Donna Geissler!

She is a new advertiser of mine and I’m so excited to show off some of her beautiful work.

Donna has a fine art photography business and creates the most beautiful artwork. I’m swooning over these pictures!

Her artwork has been seen in Decor Magazine (three years in a row!), Black and White Magazine, and Designed to Sell (HGTV).

She’s also won several awards for her incredible artwork.

(All images are linked to her shop. Just click on any image.)

Wouldn’t you just love this on your wall? It’s so soothing.

If you have a furbaby that you love and adore, you’ll love this picture as well.

I honestly could not narrow down to only a few favorites, so I just posted them all!

You can also get your artwork pre-matted! I personally think having a larger frame and matting a picture really makes it pop out so much more.

Act quickly and you can Buy One, Get One Free!

Purchase the print you want, then let her know the title of the FREE print in the “message to seller” box upon checkout!

If you can’t get enough of Donna Geissler and her artwork, you can check out her

website – donnageissler.com

her blog – donnageissler.blogspot.com

of course her etsy shop – etsy.com/shop/donnageissler

and her Facebook profile.

On a side note, my hubbs just walked in and looked over my shoulder and said, “Wow, that is beautiful!”.

********

I also wanted to share one more person with you…

My friend, Rianna (she went with me to the American Idol Finale in May) sells the most beautiful

hand crafted jewelry.

Not only is she my friend but she’s also one of my newest Sponsors!

What started as a jewelry making session for her new daughter quickly turned into a full blown business.

Aren’t these just stunning?

Remix Jewelry is not only beautiful but is handcrafted with the finest materials. All her jewelry is extremely affordable (currently it runs from about $18 to $28).

She’s located in “the ATX” (Austin, Texas!) but will ship anywhere.

In addition to having an etsy store, she also has a website, and a blog.

Run, don’t walk, over to each of these sponsors amazing shops. And if you order anything, let them know I sent ya!

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The family room is s-l-o-w-l-y coming together.

Can you believe I found that candle holder @ GW in LA before I moved? Can you double believe I was actually going to paint it??

I’m totally diggin’ the green now!

Last time I showed you my family room it looked like this:

Ack, I can’t even look at it. It’s blinding me. Except my baby girl. She’s cute.

So I’m strollin’ through el Tar-jay-o and I come across these adorable little pillows on clearance for $6.97 each.

Score baby!

Adorable, right? I was a puddle right there in the store. Good thing it was payday!

So I scooped those puppies up and took them home.

And then I broke about 20 laws and might go to jail for even admitting this ONLINE, but…

I tore the tags off.

Gasp. Shhh, don’t tell anyone.

And, on a side note. Yikes! Look at that thumb nail. I seriously need to stop biting my nails (such a disgusting habit) and get myself a mani STAT.

So back to the pillows…

Don’t they look great?!

I’m just loving how this room is coming together!

I swapped the ottoman for a black round coffee table I had upstairs. I LOVE the way it looks with this couch!

And for an exact side-by-side, or rather a top-to-bottom comparison…

Here’s the living room a month ago and now. And please TRY to imagine that all the walls are painted lovely colors and I’ve got moulding everywhere.

Now here’s where we play one of those games that’s always in the back of People magazine. Circle the differences you see….

Fine. I’ll just tell you.

So, let’s see… in addition to removing the huge dryer and most of the CRAP from the background, I changed out the candles on my candle holders on the wall behind the couch, I moved the cute little girl to the left of the couch , I swapped the ottoman for the round black coffee table and added some stuff to the table, and I added the pillows.

I threw this little ensemble together from My personal Goodwill I’ve got set up in the dining room (which is rapidly becoming depleted. How come no one donates to my GW store?).

I’m thinking the stark-white pot needs to be painted, but I like everything else.

Except that ca-ute clock from Ikea? Ya, that damn thing tick-tocks and it’s so LOUD. I feel like the Capin’ on Peter Pan whenever he hears the tick-tock of the croc coming his way. So I am now boycotting winding it up every day. It’s just a cute little thing that doesn’t really tell time.

For some reason I’m really diggin’ the red candle and green holder together. I didn’t plan for them to be together. It just happened. Like destiny. I needed a candle for the holder, and it was the only one I had in my stash. True love.

And just to keep it real here…

This is what my beautiful family room looked like LESS THAN ONE HOUR after I took the above photos…

Oh, yes, my friends. My little minions err, I mean munchkins, can mess up a room in a New York minute.

{sigh}

I was tempted to get mad and irritated. Maybe I did a little at first. Okay, fine, who am I kidding? I was pretty ticked. (“Keep your toys upstairs in the game room!!”)

But when I took the picture of the mess I realized that one day these little babies of mine won’t even play with these little kid toys anymore. And then one day after that they won’t even live in my home anymore.

And that made me sad. And then I smiled at their toys and tried to enjoy them because one day my babies will be all grown up and I’ll be sad that there aren’t any build-a-bears or pillow pets or baby doll bottles or blanket forts laying around my family room.

One day my room will stay clean.

And I’ll miss them.

But, seriously. Aren’t these pillows adorable?!

Can you believe I’ve done 15 weeks of Hook Ups already? Sheesh. Where does time go?!

Here are a few of the many awesome projects linked up from last week!

The Hand Me Down House added some much needed shelving (plus lots of cute paper) to her broom closet to make the space more usable. I especially love the tack board. Great project!

Jumping Jack sewed this adorable ensemble. I especially love it because it’s got one of my favorite boy names – Brody! (Hubbs gets the big stink-eye from me for not liking this name!)

*This one received the most views last week!*

Organize and Decorate Everything added vinyl numbers to these cute baskets on top of her mud room lockers. I especially love that they are blue. Leanne- PLZ post pics of your lockers stat. It’s killing me!

Handbags and Pigtails refinished this table and I LOVE it! I just bought a coffee table that needs refinishing and I was totally going to do boring black, but now I’m copying this instead!

From Glitter to Gumdrops made these yummy looking lemon cookies. I just HAD to post a pic because it’s so Rodney White looking (and you know how obsessed I am with Rodney White!).

I really debated whether I should include this one because I had two of Emily’s posts in my roundup last week, but once again, Decor Chick knocks our socks off with yet another excellent project! I just had to post it. She rocks. Dur!

Give Me The Simple Life created a new twist to the very popular book wreath by using colored book pages! I LOVE how bright and colorful this is. Great job!

Please feel free to post as many projects as you’d like.

I can’t wait to see all your amazing projects. I especially can’t wait to get inspired from your ideas.

~*~*~*~*~

Post about anything you’ve worked on lately!

* Put a link to my site somewhere on your blog so others can come party with us! For those that link to me, THANK YOU!

* Link directly to your post, not your blog.

* If you post spam junk I will be forced to delete it. Don’t waste my time!

Ready. Set. Post!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks!

Do you know you can read hundreds of blogs quickly and easily using a Reader?

Did you know you can have your favorite blogs email you whenever they make a new post?

Do you hear the words “Reader” and “RSS” and “Subscribe” and have no clue what they mean?

Today is your lucky day!

I’m going to attempt to give a tutorial on how to use Google, Google Reader, and your email to your advantage. (Hopefully I won’t confuse the hell out of you!)

First off, create a Gmail account and an iGoogle Homepage.

How? I’m glad you asked!

Go to Google. (Or as my sister and I like to say, “the u-google-izer”).

Once you are there, SIGN IN and create a gmail account. If it won’t let you, leave me a comment with your email address and I’ll send you an invite (I’m not sure if Google makes you have an invite or not). Once you have a gmail account, click on the little link at the top that says “iGoogle”.

Awesome. Now you have your very own iGoogle. Now make it your homepage ’cause you’ll use it constantly. (To do this – at least on a Mac using Firefox – Click on Firefox, then Preferences, then click the button that says, “Use Current Page”.)

Welcome to the best day of your life. Play around with your new iGoogle page. You can add Gadgets for billions of things. I have one for my gmail (shows my email right on my home page), my blog RSS (I’ll get to this in a minute), weather, Woot, sports, news, etc. The list is endless.

Now here’s where the fun begins…

From your iGoogle page, you can access your new very best friend in the entire universe.

Google Reader.

At the top of the screen, click on “more” and then scroll down to “Reader” and click it.

Now you are at your very own personalized Reader page. If you take just a few minutes to set this up, you will love me so much for teaching you this that I may end up needing a restraining order.

Don’t freak out when you see my Reader. I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of blogs that I subscribe to. Yours won’t look so overwhelming. Yet.

On the left is where all your blog subscriptions will be located. In the middle section is where you will READ your blog subscriptions. On the upper left is a button where you can ADD your blogs that you want to follow.

Once you add a blog to your Reader, when you click on the blog in the left column, the posts for that particular blog will show up in the middle body section of the Reader. Once you scroll down and read the post, it will go away and the blog link on the left will look normal (not bold). Blogs that have new unread posts will be BOLD while blogs with no new posts will be plain.

That, my friends, is how to create your very own Reader (or RSS).

So, now it’s time to add blogs!

Most blogs have an RSS button somewhere on their blog. Here’s mine:

The first two buttons are the most important.

The orange button is to add the blog to your Reader.

The green button with an envelope is to have new blog posts emailed to you.

Both are great ways to read blogs. I usually subscribe to blogs using the RSS button, but if they are a FAVORITE blog of mine, I’ll subscribe both ways (just so I don’t miss anything from them!).

If you click on the ORANGE button, a screen will open asking you how you want to subscribe.

Don’t freak out and close this screen when you see it. Just click on the little tiny Google button.

If the blog uses Feedburner you can also subscribe to receive email updates. I’ll address that in a few minutes. Let’s stick with the RSS/Reader for now…

Once you click the Google button, this new page will open.

If you click “Add to Google Homepage” it will add it as a Gadget on your new iGoogle. I prefer not to do this, but it’s totally up to you. Try both ways. Or just add them both. Whatever you’d like.

From here just click, “Add to Google Reader” and it will automatically add the blog to your new iGoogle Reader page that you created a few minutes ago.

That’s it. Now when you want to see if any of your favorite blogs have created new posts, you can just open your Google Reader. Any blogs in BOLD have new posts for you to read. Just click on each blog listed in the left column and their new blog post will show up right there for you to enjoy.

If you want to get even more fancy and quick, You can just click on “All Items” located right under the “Add a Subscription” button and ALL new posts for all blog subscriptions will show up in the middle body section. Just scroll down as you read each post.

There’s one last thing I want to teach you how to do today.

Email Subscriptions.

If you click the little green box that has an envelope, a screen will pop up prompting you to enter your email address. Once you add your email address an email will be sent to you asking you to confirm the subscription. Click on the link provided in the email to confirm the subscription.

Now you are ready to receive your favorite blogs in your email!

Whenever that blog makes a post, you will automatically receive an email containing the post. It’s so awesome!

Here’s what it looks like in my gmail account:

The post actually shows up in my email account exactly as if I were reading it in my Google Reader!

Now I never miss a post, plus as an added bonus, I can read these emails on my iPhone! (I can also read posts in my Google Reader from my iPhone).

Don’t be all Old Skool anymore and use this:

Create an iGoogle page and start using Reader!

You’ll now have so much extra time to spend with your family!…

Or you can just start reading even MORE blogs now.

Good luck! I hope I didn’t confuse you. If you need any additional help creating your new Reader, or any questions regarding anything about RSS or email, please just leave me a comment and I’ll try to get the answer for you.

Now go read some blogs!

Just because I am capable of fixing something does not mean I want to fix it!

But sometimes we have to do things we don’t really want to do.

We’ve been in our house for 4 weeks (can you believe it’s been 4 weeks already?!)!

When we moved in 4 weeks ago our backyard looked this green.

Well, after 4 weeks of watering 3x a week with our sprinkler system, the grass kept getting yellower and deader in a few areas.

I put it off for a few weeks, but finally decided I better go out and deal with the sprinkler system. Something was obviously wrong with it.

What I found were TWO broken sprinkler heads – and two HUGE sloppy puddles where those heads are located.

Now, at this point I was ready to just call a sprinkler guy to come fix it. But hubbs gently reminded me that we are on a limited budget and if we spend a few hundred dollars to fix the sprinkler system then we won’t be able to spend a few hundred dollars elsewhere – like, say, new furniture or paint for our walls.

Gah! Why does he always have to be so logical? Crap. Now I’m in a predicament. My yearning for paint won out and I very begrudgingly agreed to fix the system myself. Yes, I did just say “myself”. Or, I should rather say, I agreed that I would try to fix the system myself. “Try” being the key word here.

I shut the sprinkler system off, let the area dry out for 2 days, and then dug two holes to survey the situation. (All the while reminding myself that several gallons of paint for my Living Room will be worth this torture.)

Two broken Funny Pipe Flex Assembly arms. Great. This is just great. {{New Living Room Paint. New Living Room Paint…}}

Ok, so let me be honest here. Before I went to Home Depot today I didn’t even know what those black tube-y arm things were even called.

I honest to God had NO CLUE what I was doing today. I’ve never done sprinkler systems. NEVER. I literally just learned as I went along – so you can too! (Trust yourself!).

I figured out that the tube that connects the PVC water line pipe to the actual sprinkler head was broken on both.

In order to fix the leak, I was going to have to replace the Funny Pipe Flex Assembly arms, but they were attached to the PVC Tee, which meant it had to come out as well.

I made my grocery list and headed to Home Depot.

(Believe it or not, this actually makes total sense to me. Haha!)

I also took my camera so I could look back at the pictures I snapped while I was at the house in case I needed a visual while figuring out what parts I needed to buy.

As I show you how I replaced the old heads with new ones, I’ll give you a run-down on what items I purchased in case you need to do this same project at home (hopefully not!).

Take your Funny Pipe Flex Assembly and wrap Thread Seal Tape around all the male threaded parts.

The Thread Seal Tape is ALWAYS needed when you are doing any type of plumbing work. It forms a water-tight seal. The tape isn’t sticky at all but just wrap it around a few times tightly like you would with regular tape.

Now it should look like this:

Next, you need a PVC Tee with Fip Branch (No clue what that means). This T shaped PVC pipe will attach the water line to the Funny Pipe Flex Assembly. Make sure you buy a Tee that is smooth through the main part and female-threaded at the top.

*For those that don’t know what male and female threading looks like, a male threaded part is threaded on the outside, while a female threaded part is threaded on the inside. The male threaded part goes inside the female threaded part.*

Once the tape is in place, simply screw on the Tee.

Now take the other end of the Funny Pipe apart, add the Thread Seal Tape, and then put it back together. This is the end the sprinkler head will attach to.

Now you are ready to start gluing PVC pipe!

I can’t just cut out the old pipe from the ground and add the same exact piece. Because I cut the pipe out they are now too short, so I have to extend the pipe using additional pipe and a coupling. I’ll explain this more as I go along.

For starters we need to glue the Tee piece to the extra piece of PVC I purchased. Here’s how to glue PVC pipe together.

I bought this package:

I don’t know WHY you have to prime the pipes with purple primer. All I know is that you have to, so do it.

Using the brush attached inside the lid (like rubber cement), paint around any part of PVC that will be glued together.

When the primer is dry (in about 10 seconds) take the cement and paint around the same part.

Quickly insert both pieces together, then twist 1/4 a turn. Let dry for about 30 seconds or so.

Take your piece, cut the long pipe the length you need, and then glue the coupling.

Now it’s time to attach your new pipe segment to the existing pipe in the ground!

You’ll need to use a PVC cutting tool and cut the old segment out before you can glue the new one in.

Old and new:

Clean your pipe in the ground (I used a Lysol wipe and a paper towel), prime it with the purple primer, then add the glue.

Insert your new pipe and let it all dry for a few minutes.

We are almost done, I swear! (Try doing this when it’s 100 degrees outside!)

Now it’s time to attach the new sprinkler head to your brand new pipe! (Don’t forget the thread tape).

Once it’s screwed on you’ll need to pull up on the orange tab. That will raise the water arm. Remove the orange top, but be careful not to let the tube pop back into the sprinkler head. Hold it tightly!

Attach your new nozzle (this is purchased separately, so don’t forget it!).

And now you are DONE with the installation of a brand new sprinkler head and Funny Pipe Flex Assembly.

Stand back and admire your work. Pray it doesn’t leak.

Time to test it out before I bury it again. (It seems like such a shame to bury such amazing work.)

By golly, it works! And on the very first try no less!!

Finally, bury that sucker back in the ground. Turn on the water one more time for a final photo-op and to admire your handy work!

I learned all.of.this. TODAY. It’s amazing what a few hundred dollars will do to motivate someone!

Oh, also, I spent about $40 total on all the parts and tools I needed for this project!

And because I said I had to replace TWO sprinkler heads today, here is the completed 2nd one. Beautiful, isn’t it?!

I’ll never look at another sprinkler head the same way ever again!

Oh, and in case you are wondering why I’m out here doing this and not my wonderful hubbs…

He works. A.LOT. Plus, I’m the handy one in this family. He can do computer “stuff” like no other, and he’s great at lots of things, but when it comes to home repairs, that’s my job. My dad forced taught his daughters how to do all sorts of Do-It-Yourself stuff. I hated it at the time, but now I’m eternally grateful! I can replace a toilet, build a shed, install a new car engine, change a flat, tile, install doors. I’m just one of the guys. But with boobs.

If I could give one bit of advice, I’d say no matter what you are doing, stop. Take a step back. Survey the situation. Study it. Figure out how it works. If you understand how it works, then you can usually figure out how to take it apart, fix it, and put it back together. I always learn how something works before I tackle it. A project may seem totally overwhelming at first, but if you just step back and study it for a few minutes and understand how the entire thing works, it will become much less overwhelming! At that point you can determine if you think you can take it apart yourself and fix it, or if it’s just too complicated and a repair person needs to be called.

* Install or fix your sprinkler system AT YOUR OWN RISK. This tutorial is based on my own personal opinion. What works for me may not work for someone else. If you try to fix your system and end up making a bigger mess than when you started, don’t panic. Back away and call a professional.

A few weeks ago I made a post called

Give Your Windows Special Treatment

Included in my roundup of great Model Home window treatments was this one…

This is my favorite treatment ever. The fabric is just to die for.

Beautiful, right?

Well, I’m not the only person who loves this fabric! You do too!

I’ve been FLOODED with emails and comments about this fabric.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know ANYTHING about the fabric. It was just another fabric in a Model Home I was in.

BUT, after over two weeks of CONSTANT emailing from you guys, I’ve FINALLY tracked it down.

Thanks to Google and a LOT of determination on my part, without further adieu, here is the info about the much coveted fabric.

Made By: Duralee Fabrics

Thomas Paul Prints – book # 2642

Pattern/Color: 20874-340
Description: EARTH
Contents: 95% COTTON 5% LINEN
Width: 54″

You can purchase it from Drapery Row for *only* $36.50/yard (yikes!).

So there you have it! Pattern 20874-2642 can now be yours too!

If you find it ANYWHERE for cheaper than $36.50 a yard, PLEASE let me know so I can share it with everyone else.

If you actually purchase this fabric and make anything from it, send me some pictures of your project and I’ll showcase them here at House of Hepworths!

I’m planning on purchasing it for my dining room window, but at $36.50 a yard, I think this project may have to wait.

Enjoy your fabric!

Kisses.

(If this isn’t proof that I really do love you, I don’t know what would be!)