Decorating Cents

I recently added a new Inspiration Boards page to the blog.  As I create new boards and plans I will add them here.  This way I can always go back and reference them at a quick glance and you guys can see them as well. We're headed to Florida for spring break with the kids next week!  We are so ready for a vacation. Have a great weekend!

When I started this blog, I started from scratch.  I was entering a whole new world.  Little did I know the things blogging would force on me.    Learn HTML Before I started blogging, I had no clue what HTML was.  I had basically no computer skills.  Sure, I used Word and Excel and browsed the internet, but this was so different.  I've learned a few things to get by but not enough to code my own site.  I use Blogger so a lot of the work is done for me.  I'm definitely going to push myself to learn more this year.   source Make a blog button and header I know how to make a blog button and header.  Your header tells the readers what your blog represents and tells a little about your style.  Both my button and header are simple and made using Picnik (now gone).  I've now been using Picmonkey so hopefully I'll make some new ones soon.  My hubby has been trying to push Photoshop on me.  I so...

Over this past year, there are some things I've learned about this world of blogging.  For one thing, it ain't easy.   source Not to compare my blog to others.    My blog's not perfect.  Sure there are larger, more successful blogs out there, but I'm doing this for me.  I didn't start a blog to be popular or have people approve of what I do.  I simply wanted a way to document my home's progress over time.  I can post pictures for my family and friends to see and in turn learn a few things from fellow bloggers.  There are so many great ideas out there.  Instead of being envious of fellow bloggers, I'm inspired and motivated to be better. source Not to compare my home to others. My home is exactly that, my home.  My family lives here and no one else's opinion matters.  I can't make my home look perfect and or buy expensive items just because I see them in someone else's home or magazines.  We have a bu...

To kick off my blog birthday week, I'm excited to bring you a great giveaway today.  This giveaway is brought to you by Designer Pillow Shop .  It's a home decor company specializing in pillow covers and curtains in some of today's modern fabrics.  The pillows have the fabric on both sides and have an easy envelope opening. How about a chance to win some new pillow covers for your home?  One reader will win a $25 shop credit to Designer Pillow Shop. Look at all the pretty choices.  Wish I could win one! Use the Rafflecopter form to enter to win. a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway ends July 2 at 12:01 AM EST.  Winner will be chosen at random.  Good luck!

On Thursday my blog turns one.  It's hard to believe that one year ago I published my first post.  Time flies when you're having fun huh?  I had no idea I would meet so many great people and complete so many DIY projects.  When I first started this blog, I didn't think anyone would want to hear what I had to say, but you came.  This was just a way for me to document my home projects and vent when the hubby didn't want to listen to my ideas.  Thanks to you all for allowing me to share my ideas.  I certainly enjoy doing projects and reading about your projects too.  So we're celebrating all week long. - A giveaway - I'll share a few things I've learned this year - Q&A session - ask me anything and I'll try to answer them all in a post later this week.  Be as random as you want.  It can be personal or blog related.  Put your questions in an email to me or in the comments below. Thanks to all of my fabulous readers...

Today is the first day without Picnik.  Yes, I know, sad isn't it?  I used it yesterday for the last time.  When I first heard it was going away, I kind of panicked.  It was the only editing tool I learned to use because it was so easy.  Hubby uses Photoshop but it seems a little more complicated with a whole lot of layers.  No thanks.  I'm sure it's easy when used frequently though. I begin searching for other options that I could use instead of Picnik.  I saw several: - Pixlr - Ribbet - claims to be the Picnik replacement but looks like invite only right now - Fotoflexer - Gimp - Picasa I've played with each and there are some pros and cons to all.  The one I have used more and think I like better is PicMonkey . It has a lot of features, although it's missing the collage feature that Picnik had.  You can do normal edits like crops and re-sizing but also there are several features like textures, effects, and...

This week, I'm co-hosting the Tuesday Time Out Party with  Reasons To Skip The Housework !  Feel free to link up here or there, the party will show up on both of our blogs!   Have fun!  

I've been going through my inbox and reading all the nice comments on my posts.  I love reading your comments and thanks to all who do leave comments.  I get all comments emailed to me so I don't miss any.  I try to respond to them but there's a problem, I click Reply and the return email address says "noreply-comment@blogger.com".  Is this you?  You don't know?  Let's find out. Go to your Profile page and click Edit Profile. The box that says Show My Email Address should be checked.  Also type in the email address you want use for your blog.  Click save and you're done.  I usually check email on the go and it's easier for me if I can hit reply and send an immediate response to you.   If there is no reply email, I do one of two things: try to search for the person's blog and leave a response on one of her posts or don't reply at all.  It takes a lot of time trying to find the person's email address when I am sorting t...

Many of you may have heard that Google Friend Connect is going away at the end of the month for those that are not on Blogger.  I saw this new way to follow last week, Linky Followers .  I wasn't going to join but then I thought of you.  Some of my followers may not be on Blogger or follow through Google Friend Connect and GFC may not be around for long for even the users on Blogger. So, I have added Linky Followers to my sidebar so please follow me there as well.  This new tool is free. Remember, you can still follow me through GFC (for now), Facebook , Pinterest , and Feedburner . I've joined the Blog Hop at So Very Cheri. Want to join in? RULES: 1. You MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate. {You can have both the LINKY FOLLOWERS & GFC on your site but you must have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool to participate in this party hop.} 2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a tha...

Are you a part of the Pinterest Addicts Club?  I think I'm getting closer.  I browse a few times a day and find myself getting sucked in for a good hour or so.  Hubby even knows when I'm on Pinterest on my phone because it dings every time I pin something. I love seeing what everyone is pinning and getting design inspiration, recipes, and craft ideas.  But remember, others are also getting ideas from you.  Every time you pin something you like, your followers and other members are watching.  I have gotten a lot of Pinterest followers by just pinning things I like.  I pin a majority of home decor and DIY projects.  Others that like home decor or DIY too follow my boards because we have the same style.  When you are pinning, label the pin by what is in the photo, not your emotions when you pin it.  I think this is important for one reason: the pin being found by someone else later.  When I do searches, in the search box I ty...

I like meeting people and making new friends so I decided to host a Meet Your Friends Party.  This is a chance to get to know your fellow bloggers better and meet some people you may not have known before.  The party will go until February 4th at midnight.  Create a post about you and your blog and link it up here.  There is a button to attach to your post.  Some questions to help you get started: Why did you start a blog? What is your blog about? What is your favorite thing about blogging? What do you do when you're not blogging? Welcome to the party friends!

Today is the last day of the Roomspiration Link Party. Head over to The DIY Showoff for Kitchens.  I've linked my own kitchen . In case you missed a day or want to go back and look at all the fabulous room inspiration, here's the schedule. Have a great weekend!

The DIY Club is hosting a 31 days of Painting Party. I am linking up my Girl's Room Makeover .  The winner will get 2 gallons of Dutch Boy Paint.   Be a showoff and enter your own paint project.

Some of my favorite ladies are hosting a Roomspiration Party.  Today is Living Rooms over at View Along the Way . I've linked up my Family Room .   Go on over and check out some of the great rooms!

Have you heard about Houseblogging.com?  Houseblogging.com is a new blogging community that features the news feeds of many home decor blogs.   You can see the posts of every blog that is a member in one place. From the site:  Welcome to HouseBlogging.com, a new community site for all of us working on, blogging about, and looking for inspiration on all things related to our homes.  At HouseBlogging.com, our focus is all about forming a community of house blogs and their followers for sharing the progress, joys, and frustrations on a whole variety of house-related projects. I've joined and have discovered some great new blogs to read. Go on over and take a look.

I'm talking about Olioboard.  What were you thinking?  It's a fun way to design rooms without the fuss of moving furniture, buying fabric, and patching walls.  When I started the itch for interior design, I was noticing designers were making these layouts with all the room pieces included.  I started trying to make them on my own using powerpoint.  It wasn't quite as nice as the boards I was seeing around.  I was using Polyvore for some time too before I came across Olioboard.  I found it to be a lot more user friendly and I could include pics of things I already owned. I have been playing around with design boards for every room in the house now.  It's fun seeing the room elements put together and changing them all over again without commitment. Here's a board I put together for the family room.   I included the pieces I already have and added some accessories.  I am working on changing the pillows now and hopefully in the near...