February has arrived. On February 1st, Instagram exploded with heart shapes and flowers. Meanwhile, here in the frozen North:

I used the snow blower more this past week than I have all winter. Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter, but Staten Island, Chuck is calling for an early spring. The country is in flux, and even the groundhogs cannot agree. (Side note: Is anyone else ridiculously tickled by the idea of groundhogs with people names? If I had a groundhog, I think I would call him Steve.) No matter what the groundhogs say, we have lived here long enough to know that another six weeks of winter is a given.

The Giveaway

In other news, the Butler’s Pantry project is right on track. Because this week was all about white paint and white caulk, I will save an update post for later. This weekend, we will finish a substantial amount of the work which means that next week, we will have a more interesting update. Until then, I want to remind you that the giveaway from Cutting Edge Stencils is still open through Sunday evening. If you have not entered yet, head on over to our stencil post for all of the details. I will contact the winner on Monday. Cross your fingers!

Links

This week, I collected some fun links to share.

First, does anyone recognize those orange-striped walls and that cute little girl jumping on the bed in this screenshot?

Shutterfly has a database of ideas for kids’ rooms, and they added M’s room to this beautiful collection.  If you are looking for fresh decorating ideas, this database is an excellent resource.

Also,

– Jenna Sue is in the final week of her cottage house flip. Each week, I look forward to her updates. Country Living Magazine is photographing the flip next week. Will the house be done on time? I will bet all my money on yes.

-If you are a fan of DIY network’s TV show Old Home Love, all of the episodes are now online. You can binge-watch to your heart’s content. I suggest starting this weekend.

-This week on Facebook, you may have seen a link that I posted about artist Michael Paul Smith. In short, Micheal creates fascinating photographs of miniature scenes using forced perspective and 1/24th scale die-cast car models. Life unfolds in his fictional town of Elgin Park. I was instantly smitten, but looking at the behind-the-scenes photos sealed the deal. Now, I want two things: 1. For Elgin Park to be real, and 2. To meet Michael Paul Smith and see his photographs in person.

Lastly, Inspired by Jenna Sue, I am on the hunt for two sets of twin-size black buffalo plaid checked sheets that are not flannel. They would be perfect in our guest room. However, most of our guests come when it is warmer. Flannel sheets in the summer would be miserable. I have been scouring the internet, but have come up empty-handed. If you have any leads, please post them in the comments.

Have a great weekend!