"Pin a Pillow" Give Away

I know there are a lot of you out there that are pillow addicts, just like me. Christmas is the perfect time to get your pillow mojo going for some added "decking the halls" fun. It's so easy to change the atmosphere of a room or space with just a few pillows.

 Whatever your style or theme this Christmas, 

Elliott-Heath Designs

has just the right pillow to add that something special to your Holiday Home.

Heather and I have teamed up before, for my 4th Anniversary Give Away, and she's one of my great sponsors. You may remember that she has tons of great designs for holidays and decor. Here are just a few of Heather's wonderful Christmas Designs:

Elliott-Heath Designs

even more designs...

Heather and I have planned a fun little way to get a Christmas Give Away going. We want to get the word out to all you Pinterest fans of her great pillow designs for Christmas. All it takes to enter is for you to go to her website and Pin your favorite Christmas Pillows to one of your Christmas or Holiday Pin Boards. On the right hand bottom of the page you'll find a "Pin it" Button, just click and add the pins to your board, then come back and leave a comment saying you did. If you leave a link to the board in your comment, you may have visitors. 

OK, here are the guidelines:

1. Go to Elliott-Heath Designs and Pin up to 3 of your favorite Christmas Design Pillows. Then come back here and leave a comment. (if you share the link to that Pin Board it invites traffic to your board.)
2. Like Elliott-Heath on Facebook
3. Share this Give Away on your blog, Facebook page, Pinterest, Twitter or the streetcorner. Just let me know in a comment (thanks a bunch!)
4. Be a follower of this blog, Common Ground, and let me know.

The Lucky Pinner will get to pick 

one of Heather's wonderful pillow designs

 as her Give Away Gift.

Get Pinning!!

and have fun,

Flirting with Fall

I've been flirting with Fall this week...

It's quiet whispers, and gentle caresses

make me giddy.

I can hardly wait till September.

So many of us have this same little love affair...

Even though the days are warm, the nights are cooler, and the daylight is shorter.

Each morning a new sprinkling of small maple leaves greet me on the front walk

with their subtle changes of reds, oranges and golds.

I wanted to bring a few inside and let my little lambs have a place to play.

They usually live on the Buffet here in the Dining Room,

but I've brought in something that has displaced them.

So I've corralled them on the table on an old metal tray,

that has just the right amount of Fall color.

Here's just a peek at what's been taking place this week.

It's developed into a full on romance...

but then, I "Fall" in love all over again each year.

And speaking of sheep...

have you entered my 4 Year Blogging Anniversary Give Away?

I'm giving away a beautiful pillow cover to two of my Followers.

Haven't entered? 

What are you waiting for...?

Just click here

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend,

I'll see you Monday morning for 

Joining in on these great weekly parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life

Blissful Whites at Timewashed

xoxo,

Be Inspired # 154: 4th Anniversary Give Away!

Hi Everyone, and Welcome 

to A Special "Be Inspired" Celebration!

I'm running a few months behind in celebrating my 4 Year Blogging Anniversary with you all. It falls in June, but this has been a crazy Summer, and I'd been waiting for something really fun and different to share with you for a Give Away. Then last month in my search for all things "Sunflower", I came upon an Etsy Shop, Elliott-Heath Designs, that filled the bill for a Give Away Gift that any of you could enjoy...and we all know... Hey, we can never have too many pillows.

I shared my beautiful French Document Botanical Sunflower Print Pillow with you a few weeks ago. I love it's wonderful vintage graphic in rich Fall colors. Then just last week, my Vintage French Document Sheep arrived; soft muted neutrals, that fit right in to my Dining Room decor. I thought that if I loved these pillows, you all would too, and enjoy an opportunity to pick your own.

This has been an amazing 4 Years, as I've gotten to know and love you all. I love sharing my day with you, good and not so good, the ups and downs of life, and all the fun decorating and projects along the way. Funny, how it takes a few years to actually know where we each fit in within this big ol' blogging universe. I've realized my favorite bloggers are not so much about what they "do" but who they "are". I'm someone who loves to share ideas, inspiration, and a dose of real life.

now, back to the Give Away...

Heather, from Elliott-Heath Designs has so many wonderful designs to choose from, I knew that no matter what your decor or style might be, you could find something beautiful that was perfect for your home.

Here are just a few of the many design choices you have. Each pillow is 18x18, the cover is professionally printed on organic cotton fabric using overlocking throughout, and the back is an envelope style burlap fabric. Pillow insert is not included.

thank you so much Heather!

Don't you love these?

So my way to say a big "Thank You" for your friendship and support these last 4 years is to offer a wonderful pillow cover to two of you out there. You get to pick your own design from all the amazing possibilities. Here's how to enter:

1. Please leave a comment letting me know you're a follower of Common Ground.

2. Please go by Heather's wonderful shop Elliott-Heath Designs and LIKE her on Facebook. There's a button under her shop logo where you can press LIKE to get Facebook updates. Then find the pillow you'd love to have and come back letting me know by name, which one that would be. 

3. If you'd like another entry then share this Give Away with all your peeps on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog. Leave a comment for each extra entry. I have a graphic on the sidebar you're welcome to grab.

(If you live outside the U.S. go ahead and enter. If you win, I'll make sure you get it, and mail it to you personally.)

Since I was MIA last week, I'm sorry I don't have any highlights or features from last week's party, but I know you understand. That's what's so great about you all, you're actual "friends".

xoxo,

Now, on to Be Inspired!

Sunflowers on the Sunporch

I'm counting down the days to September...

And I'm transitioning my decor to those early Fall textures and tones. Of course Sunflowers are my flower "du jour" for late August, as they have those wonderful muted colors of golds, greens, and browns that I love so much. My Summer flowers are starting to go, so before long, mums will be showing up on the deck and front porch.

I love having a seasonal wreath on the mirror which hangs on the old chippy door. It always sets the seasonal mood out here on the porch. This is one I've had for a couple of years, but I still love the colors and the "dried" sunflowers look so real.

It's been a slow week around here, since I've been restricted on driving until later this week.  But last week I had taken pics of the settee's new quilt "outfit" for Early Fall. (last week it was "Late Summer", this week it's "Early Fall") So I'm just now getting to show them too you.

Please ignore my messy drawers peeping through.

My ticking pillows are pretty much a staple out here no matter what the season. Their black stripe is so easy to mix with florals and plaids.

Faux Sunflowers in an old painted white wooden ice cream bucket.

My washed gray basket from last week.

A little Sunflower bouquet in a white ironstone pitcher.

My Hull apple things are still out, but come next week,

the pumpkins will arrive... yay.

Always love the colorful illustrations in this little flower guide from 1945.

and now a question...

do you remember this amazing Sunflower Head from two years ago?

I've been trying to find another large one like this for ages. This one still had too much moisture in it and it molded inside the cloche. It made me so upset that I hadn't realized it was happening, and now I cannot locate a source for another one. Does anyone out there grow these that I might purchase one from you? It doesn't have to be this big, but I would love to have another one, and cannot find one anywhere. Let me know if you do or know someplace I could find one. I loved this look!

OK...you guys are in for some fun this Thursday!! Since I was MIA last week, I'm dedicating Be Inspired to my 4 Year Anniversary Give Away. You have to wait, but be here with bells on, Thursday, because I have a Give Away for 2 lucky followers out here. I can guarantee you'll LOVE it!

joining in on these great weekly parties:

Inspiration Gallery
Jennifer Rizzo
The Charm of Home
French Country Cottage
Shabby Art Boutique
A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Treasure Hunt at From My Front Porch to Yours

House Party at No Minimalist Here

WOW us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farm

Inspiration Gallery at Ella Claire
DIY by Design

love you bunches,

Everything's coming up...Sunflowers!

Now that August is upon us, I can safely call it "Late Summer", and late Summer always means Sunflowers to me. So here in the Dining Room I changed out the white Geraniums and the lighter tablerunner for my Frenchy Stripe tablerunner and the windowbox centerpiece full of happy little Sunflowers.

(does that sound too much like Bob Ross the 1970's painter with the big hair 
from PBS, and his "happy little clouds...trees...mountains"?)

I found this wonderful Sunflower Botanical pillow and I fell in love. My other Sunflower pillow in needlepoint was lonely so this one works great to balance out the church pew.

It needed a darker pillow behind it to set it off, so the black and white teensy check came in from the Sunporch.

Even though I hate the heat of late Summer, I'm always excited when we get to August because that means Fall will be here soon. Yep, watch out Fall here I come!

I have this wonderful old metal flower stand in the Dining Room that I don't show often, but today it has a reproduction seed box on it with a Sunflower wreath ready to be hung up somewhere.

Love my giclee print in muted tones on canvas of the sheep.

See what I was doing last year with Sunflowers, Here and Here. 

The Marketplace is going strong this week.

  Click Here to see what new items have been listed.

I'm joining in on these great parties this week:

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

The Scoop at Cedarhill Ranch

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspiration Gallery at Yellow Bliss Road

DIY by Design

Blissful Whites at Timewashed

Stone Gable

From My Front Porch to Yours

The Charm of Home

French Country Cottage

Shabby Art Boutique

Jennifer Rizzo

xoxo,