Decluttering Your Life with Shelves and TFT #377

It's time for another Thursday Favorite Things weekly link up today. Welcome to new contributors and to our faithful regulars.  I'm looking forward to all of your wonderful posts!   I'm glad you're here today.

Given the time of year and all of the great organization and decluttering posts I've been enjoying, I'm in the mood to purge and organize. We recently emptied a storage unit we were renting and deposited all of the stuff into our basement.  Most of that stuff was my kids' old toys that they couldn't bear to part with, some furniture that didn't fit into our previous, smaller house, and various sentimental old knick-knacks.

Dealing with all of the STUFF has brought out my minimalist side.  Well, and also, Marie Kondo. (I haven't actually even watched the show -- I just like the idea...)

While I want to discard things, I also want to find ways to display the things I do want to keep.  I've often thought, "If I just had shelves."  Lots of shelves.

So, for my features from last week's party,  I was hyperfocused on the posts about decluttering, organizing, and well, shelves.

Features From Last Week's Party:

I love the simple open shelving in the kitchen at My Wee Abode.

Valentines and Paper Craft and TFT #376

Happy Valentine's Day!  Welcome to another Thursday Favorite Things, one of the best link parties on the web. I'm so glad you're here.

Those who know me, know that I'm a paper, pen, and stationery fanatic. Pretty paper,  lettering, markers, pens, yes, yes, yes.

So, today, my features from last week's party all focus on Valentine paper crafts. Places to hide your candy and then present it with love!

Features from last week's TFT:

Made from old maps, these paper hearts are personalized with special places!   What a sweet way to hold Valentine candy.

Birthday Splurges and TFT #375

I'm not sure where this past week went, but I'm happy to welcome you to another Thursday Favorite Things Link Party!

It's my birthday this week, so I'm looking forward to cupcakes!  It's the little things, right?  I do love an excuse to enjoy a little splurge food, and I have a few tasty food splurges in my features today, (just in time for my birthday!)

Here are my features from last week's TFT  party:

Debbee shared this beautiful post about decorating with red heart ornaments for Valentine's Day. I think this chandelier is gorgeous.

Phantom Pizza, Game Day Snacks, and TFT #374

Welcome to another Thursday Favorite Things link party.   I'm sitting here today, smelling phantom pizza.

Phantom pizza?  Yes.  I have no idea why, but I'm smelling pizza, and there is none in the house. Maybe I am just craving it because I'm working on some weight loss goals?  Have you ever done that--smelled a food you were craving?  After I write this post, I am going upstairs to find the closest thing to pizza that I can. (Which usually involves a piece of toast with some pizza sauce and cheese, and a broiler, in a pinch!)

For now, though, I'll share my features from last week's party!


Given the phantom pizza I was smelling, I am ready to make this first feature. This pizza recipe sounds especially delicious -- California grilled chicken pizza from A Fun and Frugal Life.  

Here's a savory, delicious recipe that would be a perfect dip for a football party.  Hot and cheesy bacon corn dip from Delightful E Made. 

And, for some more game day appetizers, don't miss all of these great ones from The Mandatory Mooch. 

It’s time to party my sweet  friends. You can add three links until midnight on Saturday. One each day or all at once. Please invite your blog friends and social networks to join us. - Inlinkz has implemented a new policy -- When you add your link to the list, you need to click the little square boxes about their policies on the bottom right.

Please subscribe to ALL of your hostesses blogs

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Angelina- Petite Haus

Amber- Follow the Yellow Brick Home

Theresa- Shoestring Elegance

Linda- Crafts a la Mode

Pam- An Artful Mom

An InLinkz Link-up

Valentine's Day Inspiration and TFT #373

Hello, and happy Thursday!  Time for another Thursday Favorite Things link party.

My features focus this week is on Valentine's Day.  I've always been a fan of vintage Valentines and pretty shabby chic Valentine stuff.  (Remember my Victorian paper cone from way back?)  Maybe I just have good memories of the Valentine's boxes and parties when I was little.  Or maybe I just love chocolate?   I do know it's all so pretty and sweet.

Here are my features from last week's party, and they're all about Valentines: 

Don't miss these Valentine's Day wax seal cards from Jamie at So Much Better with Age.

Ways to Fill a Blank Journal and Overcome "Journaling Fear"

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First I'll say I love journals. I've loved them since I was a teenager.  Back then, for me a journal was simply a place to write about what was going on in my life and save the occasional postcard or ticket stub.

Apparently, I was never at home back then.  Also, my friends and I walked everywhere. I don't remember most of the things I wrote about, so I'm glad the memories were written down.  Adolescent girls can be really dramatic.

Here's a line from the journal I kept when I was 15, after a trip to the mall with my friends. "We shopped around a while and kept going into the bathrooms to change our nail polish."  (How much nail polish did we buy??)

The memories of my teachers, friends, my immature behavior and silly quarrels -- all there.

Diary journals are wonderful, but notebooks can be used for so many other things too.  They can be lists, planners (bullet journals), and even pieces of art.

(I have more ideas for ways to fill your notebooks at the end of the post!)

This is the journal from my sophomore year of high school.

I also want my journals to be visual and fun,with hand lettering and colorful elements. (But, they don't have to be!  A journal can be simple or elaborate -- no rules!)

I love washi tape and stickers. I'm always trying to think of creative things to do in a journal and ways to use my journals.  My resolution this year is to actually do these things.

Yes, those are llamas on the bottom right. 

The Calm After the Snow and TFT #372

I hope you are all warm and snug.  We are enjoying the aftermath of the "great snow of 2019," as I will call it for a while.  We had about 11 inches or so last weekend, and we don't usually get that much in one big snow dump.  Here's the view onto the deck.  The picture was taken well before the snow was over, and it's not the best shot, but it gives you an idea, anyway. I should have taken more pictures, but I was not in the snow mood!

Sunny was cozy though.  This fuzzy phone photo of her made my day. She actually liked the snow, but only after it stopped falling!