Yup, I’m at it again. A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog tooting my horn about being selected into the Top 20 MyKirkland’s Designers in the Nation. (See previous blog below)

I went through at 30 minute interview with the corporate headquarters of Kirklands last week and I just found out that I made it to the Top 10! Yeah……I am so thrilled and so honored.

The next step is up to America. Voting starts August 3rd and runs for a couple weeks. I will let all my friends know when voting begins and how to vote. I would really appreciate your votes.

So……I hope I get to Toot one more time, when I am one of the Five Top Designers chosen.

So last week I blogged “Did I tell you I am Having a Warehouse Sale…..What was I Thinking?! Well it’s over! And with great success I might add.

I had a wonderful pre-sale day on Wednesday for a couple clients and friends and a TON of things went out the door.

The first morning of the sale was such a mad house I am so glad there were three of us to manage it all. People were grabbing and fighting over things.

Most people that came were bummed that everything was already sold as they loved my stuff and loved the prices! A builder loaded up two HUGE trailers full. Many SUVs went out stuffed with furniture.

Long story short, after the first day 75% of the warehouse items for sale were gone. After Friday, 99.9% of the items were gone. I didn’t even open my doors today! There literally was a few accessories and a couple accent tables left. Unbelievable.

I put a huge sign on my door for today saying “Sold out but thank you for a successful sale”.

At least 100 of my business cards disappeared, people talked to me about my services and I have almost three pages of email addresses that people ASKED ME if they could leave to be contacted for future sales.

So, I have Saturday morning off, a hundred or so of my business cards floating around the area and dozens of email addresses of potential clients! So, was the hard work worth it? I think so. Please disregard my first post on the subject.

 Oh, did I mention that now I get to start shopping for new items!

So yes, yesterday was my birthday and I received the coolest treat. I got home from a tiring day of Home Staging Consultations and getting ready for my warehouse sale. My husband and my two 4 legged kids had flowers for me which was the start of the Treasure Hunt for my gifts. What fun!

The first clue: “It is where Timber watches over you sleeping”. (Timber is one of my dogs). There were treats for each dog with the clue to get them to follow along with me. This clue took me forever (I can be slow at times). I went to Timber’s bed which is right next to my bed….makes sense right? No go. I looked in drawers, under the bed, EVERYWHERE.

Finally, my husband says “It’s where Timber watches OVER you sleeping”. Ah ha, we have a picture of a St. Bernard watching a little girl sleeping at a picnic and the girl looks like me when I was little. There was hidden the first gift (new golf cleats for golf shoes) and treats for each dog.

Second Clue: “In a cool place by the Apple Pie” Easy, in the spare bedroom under a painting with Apple Pie in the title and by the air conditioning vent. Gift: New golf shoe bag and of course treats for each dog.

Third Clue:“He sits on guard by the balls of sweaters you have yet to knit”. This took me awhile as I have so many places with balls of yarn in the house but I finally found it next to the St. Bernard statue and there was Danny Gokey’s CD that I have been wanting since March. And two treats for my dogs……..

Next Clue: “It’s where you started the hunt under the sweet music”. Back to the patio and on a shelf under the radio playing my favorite station was the next clue AND treats for my dogs. Did I mention my dogs were having as much fun as me? Note the digging for treats below!

Final Clue: “Check where Tiger plays?” Huh?? He plays on grass, he plays on greens, (searched the yard), he plays in Florida (I asked if we were leaving for FL that night, but no), well, the only place he plays at my house is on the TV. Yup, in the TV armoire was the final gift. New golf shoes. The Paula Creamer Signature Shoes.

So, how fun was that and how sweet was my husband. Love him dearly. Love my doggy kids. What a hoot.

Did I Tell You I am Having a Warehouse Sale – What was I Thinking? The sale starts in three days and I am already losing sleep.

I decided a couple of weeks ago to clear out some of my inventory to make way for new and fresh items. Some of the furniture and accessories I have not used in a while and I have been putting off this sale for over a year.

I have spent hours pulling all the items for sale, moving all the items not for sale out of the way and to one side of the warehouse, arranging all the large items in some sort of order, and displaying the small accessory items in as creative a way as possible in a warehouse.

Did I mention it has been in the 90’s in Minneapolis with high humidity and no air conditioning in the warehouse?

Today there will be hours spent marking everything. Did I mention I have to do my job at the same time as this? Plus mark three days off my calendar to not accept any work!

Did I mention how wonderful my friends are that have been coming by to help sort, move and mark? And every two hour shift of the three day sale is covered with a friend being there with me!

Would it have been easier to list each item separately on Craig’s List than to go through all this work? But that would have meant taking individual pictures, posting each item, fielding phone calls and emails, setting up time to meet people.

I think my conclusion is either way it is a lot of work. Off to my morning appointments and then the warehouse! Oh, tonight I will be making signs. Rrrrr

Is it okay to toot my own horn? I feel a little weird about it but if I don’t…who will?

I found out yesterday that I have been selected as a Semi-Finalist to be one of the next Top MyKirkland’s Designers! Yeah!! How cool is that!!

After all the applications they have narrowed it down to 20. Now I have to go through a 30 minute interview with the corporate office in Nashville. The top 10 will be selected and then America will be able to vote online with Five Designers being Selected. I’m counting on my friends to vote. But only if you are voting for me of course. LOL

I hope I make it to the top 10. I hope I am selected to be one of the Top Designers. If I only make it to the top 20 I will still take it as an honor.

Here are the design before and after photos I submitted with my application.

A little side note about this project. I did EVERY room in the house. LR, DR, FR, TOY ROOM, MB and bedrooms for 6 kids. It was all new paint colors (of which they loved dark), every piece of furniture was new down to lamps, artwork, accessories, drapes, drapery rods, bedding, sheets, bed pillows, and rugs. Only one TV was keep.

I had 10 days to complete the project top to bottom, including all the shopping, coordinating and design day. Out of that 10 days I had only 1 1/2 days to pull it all together with furniture delivery at 9:00 one morning and the big reveal at 3:00 the next day. Not a whole crew, just a team of two. Whew.

Click on the top link above to see more photos of this project.

What a wonderful site I just came upon, a beautifully staged home in my backyard. I could not have done it better myself.

I bought this cute birdhouse for my enjoyment and to complete a cute vignette in one of my flower gardens. I had doubts that any bird would actually make a home in it. What I found today was amazing. Inside is the most perfectly constructed nest, just the right size for the home and large enough to hold a small family.

Even the curb appeal is perfect. Tiny little twigs placed on the porch to invite the little ones to sit and enjoy the view from the front stoop. I could not have gotten those tiny twigs placed so exact if I had tried.

Isn’t it nice to know that what we train and work so hard to achieve comes so naturally to God’s creatures!

Eden Prairie, MN, a Southwest suburb of Minneapolis is ranked the #1 Best Place to Live by Money Magazine! 

Four other MN towns, all suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul make the top 25.

Plymouth, MN #11, Northwest Suburb

Woodbury, MN #13, Eastern Suburb

Eagan, MN #15, Southeast Suburb

Apple Valley, MN #20 Southeast Suburb

To view the complete list of 100 top cities visit: www.money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/index.html

I always find it a little odd when someone is waiting for my parking space that is 20 feet closer to the door than the next parking space, and WE ARE AT THE GYM. Do you find that odd? Aren’t they there for the exercise?

I can understand if it is pouring rain, I can understand if it is 20 degrees below zero, which happens here in MN, but on a beautiful sunny summer day?

It has happened twice this week. In fact 2 days ago I was standing on the passenger side of my car, reading my emails on my Blackberry (I don’t text/email and drive) when I heard a honk, honk, honk. I ignored it for a bit assuming it had nothing to do with me but then it came again, honk, honk. I could tell it was close by so I looked.

Low and behold there was a car waiting for my spot and honking at me to get me to leave. I wasn’t in the driver’s seat with the reverse lights on, I was standing outside my car on the passenger’s side!! I couldn’t believe it.

I ignored the honker but he kept on, and sat and waited. I got kind of creeped out so I got in and left. Get this, there was another parking spot 4 slots away. Did the gentleman realize he was at the gym to get exercise?? Would the extra few feet of walking perhaps saved him a couple of minutes on the treadmill inside the gym doors?

I don’t know, it just gets me shaking my head.

A photo of our family is on the website tab called “About Shar”.  The newer, and of course a very important member of our family, is missing from that picture. At the time that photo was taken, Roby (who is sitting next to me) was with us, and Timber is sitting by his Dad. We had just lost their older brother Barkley and we were trying to readjust to life with just four of us.

Ten months ago we lost Roby who was my buddy and the one that would jump in bed with me whenever the chance arose to snuggle in and steal my pillow.

A month later we adopted Sally. We have not had a photographer out to take a picture of our new family member so I thought it was about time you met her. Okay, I must prepare you……she is a hoot! Her official name is Silly Sally and she fits it perfectly.

She has brought so much joy to us while we were grieving the loss of Roby and the laughter continues. We laugh every day, of course not AT her. Well, actually we are but she is okay with it.

I present Sally, the smallest St. Bernard we have ever adopted at just 155 pounds and who just had her 4th birthday…….. (click on each picture to full size).

I think the Best Dog Park in Dakota County is “Dakota Woods” in Rosemount, MN. Rosemount is in the south east metro area of Minneapolis and just on the edge of Lakeville, Farmington and close to Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan and Inver Grove Heights.

This Dog Park has a huge field for the dogs to run, rump and play together; plus they have numerous large trails cut through the woods with a mulch base. If you and your pup are adventerous, you can cut into some of the less traveled trails.

We love going to the dog park. Our dogs run circles around the house when we tell them they are going. With one dog at 155 pounds and the other at 192 pounds, running laps in the house is not a good thing!! Even though they have a huge back yard to run and play the dog park is “all that” and then some!

We have tried numerous Dog Parks in the Southern Metro area of Minneapolis, MN and this one is the best by far. Our dogs LOVE IT! Check  out these pictures from one of our weekly visits this winter, this is the true meaning of joy for our pups.