Finds

More Etsy finds today...

myrakim

Vint

iamabird

reclaimer

the white pepper

eloycedesigns

Samantha French

elementclaystudio

Stephanie Creekmur

Andolinaswishes

Craft's Garden of Zen

Don't forget that Banana Grove Designs is having a 40% OFF sale 'til August 6th! Use coupon code bgdsummer13 at checkout!

Shop Announcement

Hey Everyone! It's turned into a Monday evening blog post instead of my usual Monday morning... I've been a little swamped today, but I wanted to let you know about the sale going on for BGD!

40% OFF when you enter the coupon code bgdsummer13 at checkout! Just head on over to my store and start shopping. :) Hope y'all are having a happy Monday! Here's your song! :)

Farrago Friday 7.26.13

hulahoopphotography

This picture just spells "summertime" to me. So cute! This is all the stuff I found over the course of the week that I thought you would enjoy...

-Nutella Swirl Ice Cream You may have noticed that I have very strong feelings about Nutella...

-This is amazing! Granny on the drums...

-Sincerely, Kinsey Giveaway - The Etsy shop Curious Prints is giving away a pull down chart of your choice if you win. Head on over to Sincerely, Kinsey to enter. Personally, I like the coral Tiger Moths!

-This pineapple baby hat DIY from Delia Creates is so cute! Click here for instructions...

-Such a great idea for a rustic office...

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-Jesse and the Rippers...if you watched "Uncle Jesse" growing up like I did, you'll get a kick out of this...

-I am quite taken with Anthropologie's new arrivals in the House & Home department...

-I still want one...

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Your song for the weekend...

Giveaway Announcement!

iloveswmag.com

Hey Everyone! The winner of the Michaela Noelle Designs giveaway is Gracie S.!!! Congratulations Gracie, you are the winner of a $45 shopping credit to Banana Grove Designs! You have been sent an email regarding the giveaway, so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I want to say "thank you" again to Michaela Warner for hosting the giveaway and being so sweet! For anyone considering hiring her for her design services, she's super professional and pleasant to work with! :)

Gearing up for a summer sale next week. So excited!

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Yellow, Polka-Dot Jumpsuit?

image c/o mytomayto

(The royal baby was born yesterday in case you missed it...not sure how you could have. I must confess to watching video streaming live online, awaiting the appearance of the duke and duchess from the maternity ward. It's kind of a tradition with my mom and sister...we watch the royal family live. No word yet on a name, but I'm hoping for Rupert.)

Today, I'm broaching that topic that does so much to make women everywhere uncomfortable...modesty. My philosophy is, everyone is entitled to make decisions about that sort of thing on their own, but I personally believe that I should always dress to respect myself and the men around me...that means being careful about how much of my body I reveal. I appreciate the perspective of swimsuit designer and actress, Jessica Rey. Her "bikini" video was extremely intelligent, insightful and respectful to women and men. She also had some really interesting facts and historical tidbits to share about the bikini. Take a look...

What are your thoughts? Do you feel concern over helping men guard their minds from objectifying women or does it offend you to think of sacrificing a fashion statement for that reason? Do you have different reasons for choosing to wear more when you swim? What alternatives have you found in swimwear? (And just so y'all know, I have no clue what is out there in the way of swimwear or even what I would wear if I went swimming cause I haven't been swimming for six years. Dead serious. I live in the Midwest and never get to the beach or even the pool to swim. Here's hoping I haven't forgotten how...)

Oh, and I mentioned that Jessica is an actress... she played what could probably be considered the most modest super hero ever... guesses? Anyone? No? She was a power ranger. :)

DIY Watercolor Cards

Honestly, I had to Google "escort cards" cause I didn't know what they were. At first I thought they were the same thing as place cards, but they're actually what helps you find your place card in a room full of place cards. Your name and a table number are on the escort card, and then when you get to the right table, your place card is there at your seat. Nifty, huh? And all of you knew that already, didn't you? ANYWAY, you don't have to use this beautiful DIY for escort cards, they could be thank you cards, note cards, post cards, recipe cards, business cards, you name it. Click here for instructions from once wed. :)

Weekend Report

Good morning! Hope y'all had a great weekend! Mine was busy, but enjoyable. I'm so excited about the giveaway going on over at Michaela Noelle Designs for Banana Grove, and if you didn't enter, you still have a chance today, so go here and do it...:)

Over the weekend...

I pondered this: 

I worked with these:

I wished this was still in stock in my size:

I read this:

I wore these:

I drank this:

I listened to this.

I found a great DIY for y'all tomorrow, so come check it out... Have a happy Monday!

Farrago Friday

Miriam-Webster.com - Farrago: a confused mixture; HODGEPODGE

So, "Farrago Friday" is a suitable name for what I've already been doing here on BGD, giving you a mishmash of fun links and interesting tidbits from the web, my business and my life every Friday. And anyone out there thinking, "I bet she had never heard the word 'farrago' before and just went to thesaurus.com to find an 'f' word that would make her title an alliteration," you're absolutely correct! And what's wrong with that? On to the farrago...


-Strawberry Pecan Tart on Casey Weigand's blog... worth a try for sure!!! Very light and healthy looking...

-Casey Weigand's husband, Chris, is a videographer currently traveling across country in an airstream filming a documentary entitled "American Blogger." The idea behind the documentary is to capture a point of history that most of us are just now wrapping our minds around...the unique way blogs and the web in general connects the world. Interviewing bloggers across the U.S., Chris is getting the inside scoop on this unique community. Check out Chris's blog while he journeys...

-This DIY from Wit and Whistle is genius...

-These prints from The Wheatfield are so unique and cheerful! I want one!

- Huffington Post warns of dashing sea monster rising from Hyde Park Lake in London...

- When I eat seafood chowder, I like a little broth with my crustaceans. That's why this recipe caught my eye on the Etsy blog this week.... YUM!

-Your song for the weekend...I couldn't decide which version to give you so you get both: original or acoustic.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at Michaela Noelle Designs for the chance to win a $45 shop credit to BGD!