I've Got the Key

Well, I've got three of them. 

(I received product for the purposes of review.)

Evangeline

When you hear the name, EVANGELINE, do you think of Longfellow's poem?

Do you think of a French girl from long ago?  

Cowgirl Up #51 with I Still Hate Pickles

So glad you joined us.

Yeee-Haw!

Welcome to Week 51

of

The Cowgirl Up!

Link Party!

1 Party, 5 Blogs Our guest host this week is

Kirsten from I Still Hate Pickles!

Hey! I'm Kirsten, but you can call me Kiki. Pretty much everyone does. I'm stoked to be guest hosting Cowgirl Up! Every week I find major inspiration from the links and posts. You guys are all amazingly talented.

I have lived in Houston for ten years and just bought my first pair of
cowboy boots. I'll confess that I'm a little scared to wear them.

Decor Steals Photo Shoot

I'm pretty excited I have to admit.  I got to shoot the Decor Steals photos for today's steal, the Mason jar lids!  Thank you to the owner/founder for enjoying my photography enough to use it on her website, Decor Steals.  

I love using Mason jars for glasses when we have parties.  In fact, I think I have about 60 Mason jars. We used them for our wildflower party last year, click here, and the lids make the Mason jars even more fun for parties.  

(I received product for the purposes of review.)

Top Viewed Post from Cowgirl Up #50

Ya'll totally rock!! I love this party, and am always amazed by the talent out there.  Last week we had a record number of links, over 300!!  I love it that ya'll hang out with us once a week.  

Here are the top three viewed links from last week's party.

From My Front Porch to Yours - Laundry Room Makeover

Construction Progress

I haven't shown pictures of the building process lately and wanted to give you an update.  For those of you that missed it, we're building a new city house, you can see previous posts on the new house, here and here.   

Don't Count Your Cookies Before...

I wanted a special Valentine's Day post for you, something to make you feel special, something pretty and fun.  So, my daughter and I made some heart-shaped cookies with royal icing. 

We rolled out the cookie dough, and used heart-shaped cookie cutters, then baked them in the oven on parchment paper so they wouldn't stick.

We whipped up some purple and pink icing royal icing to decorate them, and added sprinkles and dragees.  They're not perfect, but we decided on fun versus perfection.

Pretty in Pink

I admit it, I love pink, but with a husband weary of a house full of estrogen (We have 2 girls.) I do try to reign it in - MOST of the time. But today we're getting ready for Valentine's Day, so Mr. CH, today might be a good day for you to take off, you know, go hunting, or fishing or spitting, or whatever you male-people do to have fun.   



I am on a quest for pink.  I have some friends coming over for lunch, and I want them to feel special.  

Cowgirl Up #50 with Stone Gable

Oh how fun, one of my favorite bloggers has joined us this week.  

Yeee-Haw!

Welcome to Week 50

of

The Cowgirl Up! 

Link Party!

1 Party, 5 Blogs

Our guest host this week is

 

Yvonne of Stone Gable !

Hello everyone...or should I say HOWDY Y'ALL! I'm puttin' on my cowboy boots and doing the two-step, happy dance of joy to be an honorary host at COWGIRL UP this week! 

Thanks so much Linsey, Anita, Amanda and Samantha... the ultimate, upscale cowgirls!

I'm Yvonne... a northern girl with a big southern heart! So I feel right at home with the Texas gals!

Top Viewed LInks from Cowgirl Up #49

Here are the top three viewed links from the last Cowgirl Up.

The most viewed links were 



2 Vintage Sisters - Kitchen Makeover

5 Ways to Refresh your Home

I'm so thrilled to have a special sponsor here today, ABC HOMEE. They are an online source of decor items, furniture, apparel and much more. They also have several stores, including this one in Manhattan.

(Sponsored post)

With the dreary winter weather, I'm looking for ways to spruce up my house so that it's warm, and inviting inside.  Here are 5 ideas to add warmth and light your home.   

10 Craigslist Buying Tips

It's official, I love Craiglist.  Why?  Because I can find awesome things at a fraction of the cost I would pay in an antique store. 

Although I would not characterize myself as an expert, I have a few tips I would love to share with you about how to make the buying experience more successful for you.  

My Top 15 French Bargain Buys

Recently I talked about how to add some Frenchy goodness to your home, click here to see the post.  The last tip was to buy at least one piece of French furniture to add to the room.  I know that many are on a budget and readers tell me they don't have access to second-hand sources of French furniture.  

Okay, okay, I hear you. So here are some new pieces of French furniture I found that anyone can order from the internet. I really, really like these. Each item is less than $500, and 5 are less than $100. This is NOT a sponsored post, just a resource post. 



Here they are in no particular order

1. Ramsey French Bench at Overstock for $394.00

Cowgirl Up #49 and Guest Host Swede Dreams

I am really excited about our guest host. I didn't know who Samantha had selected until I got the post today.  Oh I love Swede Dreams!!


Let's party!

Welcome to Week 49

of

The Cowgirl Up! 

Link Party!

1 Party, 5 Blogs

Our guest host this week is

Angie from Swede-Dreans!
  

Hello Cowgirl Up readers! I'm so excited to be sharing in the party today with the girls as your "honorary cowgirl"! I am a southerner and a huge fan of cowboy boots and country music, so I feel right at home here with you all. My name is Angie and I'm the author of Swede Dreams...life and style inspirations from a Swedish southern gal.

 

The story of my blog began a little over a year ago when I was looking for another outlet to bring more recognition to my Etsy shop, Swede 13 Inspirations. It began as a way to showcase my love of all things vintage, my paintings and my photography.

 Keep reading to see the "Cowgirl Up Link party"

Top Viewed Posts of Cowgirl Up #48

We love having guest hosts at Cowgirl Up, and this last one was a hoot with KariAnne of Thistlewood Farms. 

Here are the most viewed posts from last week's party.

1. Gwen Moss - What's Your Clutter Comfort Level?

2.Let's Add Sprinkle - The View when I am Sick 

3. Cedar Hill Ranch - Girls Room (that was my post, yay!)

4. The Backyard Bungalow - Another Guest Bedroom Reveal

Come back tomorrow for this week's party to see see lots of wonderful projects, meet our guest host (I was excited when I found out who it was going to be) see what features Samantha chose, and link up your favorite project, if you like.



Have you liked Cedar Hill Ranch on Facebook yet?  I would love for you to like the ranch, because then we will have another way to connect.  I love hearing what you are doing, and I like to share other things that are going on, sales on products I love (I'm cheap and I have some good sources.)  stuff that's going on at the ranch that doesn't make it into a blog post, and other lively discussions.  

Cedar Hill Ranch on Facebook.  

I'm also actively working on getting you more giveaways, but I need 1,000 Facebook followers or more for some of those.  Thanks so much for your support!! I appreciate you so much.    

Featured in Romantic Home Magazine

I remember sitting at my kitchen table one night, when I saw the email from Romantic Homes Magazine, saying they wanted to feature my blog in their magazine.  I actually jumped up and screamed, and screamed, and screamed some more... LIKE A GIRL!  I really didn't care that my family was staring at their normally composed wife and mother.  

This has been a dream of mine for a long time, to have photos of my home in a magazine, and this is not just any magazine, but one of my all-time favorites.  

8 Budget-friendly Ways to add Farmhouse French to Your House

What is Farmhouse French?  That's what I call my style; throw in something chippy, rusty, casual, and French, and voila, you've got Farmhouse French.  I know a lot of people who want the look, but don't know where to start.  And most are on a budget and can't redo their entire house.  So how do you add the look without breaking the bank? 

French chair from auction, $40

Cowgirl Up #48 with Guest Host Thistlewood Farms

Let's party!

Welcome to Week 48

of

The Cowgirl Up! Link Party!

1 Party, 5 Blogs 

Our guest host this week is

KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms!

Yes, I suspect you've heard of her. She won the Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger Award last year. 

Her entire home looks belongs in a magazine!!  Her blog is amazing, and I highly recommend you go check her blog for yourself.

Top Viewed Posts from Cowgirl Up #47

Here are the top viewed posts from last week's Cowgirl Up party.

White Lace Cottage knocked it out of the ballpark with her white kitchen, which was our most-viewed link.

The Three Little Bears

I've always think of the three little bears when I see this room.

I've been working on this room for awhile now, bit by bit.  

Word of the Year 2013 - UP!

Well, I'm not so good with resolutions, and that's why I really like a word instead. Last year I chose the word "LOVE".  I didn't spend time thinking of it, it just showed UP. 

This year, my word is "UP".  Again, I didn't think about it, it just came out of my mouth without thought.  Wait a minute, that didn't sound right.  What I am trying to say is that I think you often get a more creative answer when you don't overthink it.  

So you think 'UP' is a simple word with a short meaning?  I did, until I looked it UP.  Mirriam Webster says it means

2012 Recap

It's been a full year for me, and my, wow what a year.  My house has changed dramatically.  Thanks for all of your wonderful inspiration and advice; it's gone from lots of reds to whites and neutrals. I want to mention my friend Caroline, since I decided to take the neutral plunge after seeing just how gorgeous her house was.  (You would really enjoy seeing her lovely home, if she would just let me come with my camera some time.  Maybe if you leave a comment saying you want to see more, she'll let me take more photos, HINT HINT.)

Caroline's Home

Thanks to Caroline, and my blogger friends and readers, my house has been transformed.  Here's my bedroom, after I made bedding and slipcovers.

Shades of Gray

As many of you know, I have been moving slowly toward neutrals and away from the red in my house.  That was so small task considering the amount of red I had.

My friend Caroline has been doing the same thing in her house. You might remember seeing her home here.  So when she offered to sell me her hand-painted red box that she was no longer using I said, "Sure!"  At the time my house was still red, but I knew I could paint this darling box, if I ever changed my color scheme.