Studio Calico blog hop on the Homefront!

It's an exciting day! For the past couple of years, Studio Calico has dabbled in the manufacturing world, creating stamps and papers exclusive to the monthly kits, as well as a few embellies handmade here and there, and available to purchase with the kit, only.

It's exciting and a true honor to work with them as they decide to jump into the manufacturing world with both feet and their debut line, Homefront. To celebrate this new line, the designers from Studio Calico are each giving away the entire collection on our blogs, starting tonight. While introducing this new line, we were also asked to share a little bit about ourselves and our personal "homefronts".

Me? I live in a fixer upper. My husband and I bought our first home in 2001 right after we got married. We lived there for a few years until the fall of 2005, when Steve's desire for a bit of breathing room and the right market led us to a home on 2 acres outside of town. To be honest, I still wonder why we bought it, as to me it's a huge eyesore. But it has the "location, location, location" and my girls have lots of room to run and play, we now raise our own beef every year, and this spring, and we even took on chickens (and yes, I know, I am long overdue a Days of our Chickens post).

You can read about my dirty birds here, here, and here.

The biggest thing we took on, though, was the house. The house is 2200 square feet, but it was appraised at 1100 with an unfinished basement. The previous owners were living in the first level, but it was concrete floors and unfinished walls, so I am not really sure why, lol.

Steve is a handy man to have around the house and has all the skills to upgrade it. How he learned his mad skills must have been through osmosis from his dad, a contractor in his day. In the last few years that we've lived here, we've doubled the square footage, as we now inhabit both levels of our home. But there is a ton of work to be done, and by a ton I literally mean not a single room is finished yet. I take that back. The downstairs bathroom is fabulous. And my scrapbook room is just about done. I mostly need to clean it and purge so I can share it with you, lol. I'm also busy redoing the girls' bedroom. It was time to update it for the more girly and less baby phase they are in.

This house is very "green" so it has solar panels and has a manmade "hill" against one side for energy savings. In fact, the previous owner and builder was into ham radio, and our address is 5473, the 54 because we are between 53 and 55th street, and the 73? Well 73 means hello in ham radio talk. You learn something new every day.

We have plans to rip off the roof, vault the ceilings, add a master and a two car garage, etc etc., but we didn't sell our last house, we rent it out, which means we didn't have a lot of cash into this house when we bought it, which means we don't have a lot of cash to spend to do that sort of thing. So for now, we fix it up as we fix it up.

Would I recommend it? Especially if you are young family having babies in your fixer upper? I was 6 months pregnant with Payton and Morgan was 20 months when we moved in. NO, I wouldn't do it again. But we did and we'll be here forever and someday I'll be ready to share a photo. lol

For now? The top of the bookcase in the living room. Decorated for fall.

(frames by Katie Pertiet for Designer Digitals).

You know what? I'm actually embarrassed by my lack of enthusiasm and pride in my home. Sometimes I'm so focused on what needs to be done, more of the glass half empty than the glass half full sort, and I forget how much work we actually have done.

Tomorrow I'll be back with that bathroom. The transformation is actually very cool, and Steve did it all himself.

Anyway, that's MY homefront. And a novella about the rest of it. ha!

So without further ado, let me introduce you to the giveaway, the HOMEFRONT Collection from Studio Calico.

Studio Calico is sharing part of their home with you by sponsoring a giveaway of their brand new line, Home Front. Imagine June Cleaver styled 1950s domestic bliss. Featuring optimistic colors and smooth vintage inspired patterns. You’ll find fresh stained wood grain, retro home décor, an exclusive SC cardstock alpha set, and much more. Home Front is versatile, colorful, and beautiful (can we say that?)….I think you’ll love it.

Patterned paper, rip strips, a sticker sheet, and two alphas. What more do you need to complete a fabulous layout?! Or 5?

To win this collection, simply leave a comment on this post letting me know what you are most excited to get, and to increase your chances, visit the rest of the design team below. Each blog will be giving away the entire collection!

April Foster

Celine Navarro

Emily Pitts

Jenn Olson

Joy Madison

Kelly Noel

Lisa Truesdell

Maggie Holmes

Nicole Harper

Nicole Samuels

Stephanie Howell

Tina Aszmus

This collection is available at many online stores including A Million Little Things, 2Peasinabucket, and Stop and Scrap.

Here's a little something I whipped up with this Collection:





I thought the Bazzill Just the Edge strips were a fun mix with the scalloped paper. I also had to use that great big ribbon, and I used my edge punch on the journaling box I trimmed out to match the scallop as well.

I love the little sentiment stickers on the sticker sheet too.

And that stick horse? My mama made that for me on my 19th birthday. We had a few when we were kids and I think I was feeling homesick or nostalgic or something, so when she asked what I wanted when I turned 19, that's what I said. I love that dang horse. She used the 20 year old pattern to create it too.

I think it's the most well made, and cutest stick horse I have ever seen. I'm thinking of setting her up with an Etsy shop. Can you imagine if that was Amy Butler, or Joel Dewberry, or even Cosmo Cricket fabric? Yummilicious. Would you want one? Let me know. Both of my girls have a few now, lol.

Enjoy the rest of the hop! You have until Midnight EST Tuesday night to submit a comment to be entered. We will be drawing names on Wednesday morning.



Have a great night! Or day, my Australian friends. Davinie