Goodbye, House. Hello, Home! Blog : Guest Room Souvenir

When I went to the cottage at Gina's near Nashville, TN, last month,
I wanted to bring some handmade thank-you gifts

with me for the other 5 girls to thank them for selecting me to come be with their gaggle.

Something that represented me and my home state of South Carolina.

And my city, Greenville.

Moonpies?

Would melt.

Pepsi?

Too common.

Grits?

Uh...no.

I had to think...

think...

think...

and then it came to me.

dropcloth

pins

craft paper pattern

piping cord

Singer

ribbon roses (to represent Greenville's location)

(Yes, it looks like an oddly-shaped bird. Don't laugh.)

My hubby and I celebrated our 22nd Anniversary while I was at the cottage,
so I brought a picture of us on our wedding day along to remember him.
(Don't worry, he drove to Nashville, and we celebrated later in the week,
he took me to the Grand Ole Opry.)

After sewing 5 of these, let's just say, I was wishing my home state was Colorado.

Colorado State Map

Thank you, Gina, for letting me stay here in this lovely space!

With love, from South Carolina,

P.S. The next thing I want to sew, is this pillow that Gina designed:

The Big, Fat Flower Pillow.

HERE is her tutorial on that.

Soon, I will be having a giveaway, Nashville-style.
When we stopped or shopped someplace, I got something for the giveaway.
Think Anthropologie, Grand Ole Opry, Forever 21.

.

I am having a blast at these parties:
Get Your CRAFT on! Tuesday @ Today's Creative Blog
Show Me What ya Got @ Not JUST a Housewife

21 comments:

Kathy @ Creative Home ExpressionsAugust 6, 2011 at 7:07 AM
You are such a sweet person, Leslie! I had to laugh when you said you wished it were Colorado! Yeah, I'm a "Colorado" preferrer myself. : ) I love the way it turned out and the little flower was a really nice touch.
⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜@ Debbiedoos blogging and blabbingAugust 6, 2011 at 7:13 AM
You are so clever Leslie. I love this idea.
KelleyAugust 6, 2011 at 7:46 AM
Who's laughing? I love it!
CharityAugust 6, 2011 at 8:59 AM
I hope you and Mark stayed at the Opryland Hotel...one of my fav. hotels ever! Oh yeah, and don't bother with the whole giveaway thing, I'll just send you my address and you can declair me the winner ;) What a blessing and example your marriage is to your girls and to the world around you. God is good!
Angie @ The Country Chic CottageAugust 6, 2011 at 9:44 AM
YOu are so sweet!! And we did not laugh!! I love it!! :) I hope you had a great time! :)
RichellaAugust 6, 2011 at 10:06 AM
This is a HOOT! But seriously, what a great idea! You did an awesome job with the pillows. . . all that piping! My word, what mad skilz you have.

I'm thinking that one of these with a heart in place of your hometown would be a great thing for girls to take to college!
SusanAugust 6, 2011 at 1:17 PM
I love this! Being from Myrtle Beach that pillow is awesome!
PamAugust 6, 2011 at 3:14 PM
I live near Greenville (Laurens area) so I really love the pillow:) I think it was a great idea!
Gypsy HeartAugust 6, 2011 at 5:54 PM
I think this was a grand idea! Very unusual and the flower is perfect. What if you had to do Texas? :-) Seriously, I'm sure they were all thrilled!

I love the Opryland Hotel ~ just gorgeous. The Gaylord Texan is near me and it's beautiful also. It is definitely a representative of our great state...a lot different from the Nashville hotel. It is exquisite too.

Stop by ~ I have a great giveaway going on!

xo
Pat
StaceyAugust 6, 2011 at 8:15 PM
That's a perfect keepsake to share with friends. :)
Gina @ The Shabby Creek CottageAugust 7, 2011 at 7:53 AM
I love my pillow that you made, it was such a sweet gift! Although it's moved from the guest house to my kitchen sofa, it still looks adorable & I think of you whenever I see it (which is every day!)

It was so much fun to have you here - you were such a blessing to my family and my home. Hope you had a blast in Nashville!

Love,
Gina (apparently google is being stubborn today)
Comeca JonesAugust 7, 2011 at 2:53 PM
I think the pillow is awful cute.And Kathy is right the flower really added to it.
The Pennington PointAugust 7, 2011 at 8:31 PM
I love my pillow. It's been all over the house looking for its perfect home. It is funny though that you mention Colorado because ever since I brought it home my husband has been saying that all of the other pillows are Colorado and Wyoming. You've started a trend. I love it! Lisa~
DeneenAugust 8, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Did you have fun in Nashville?
See Jamie blogAugust 9, 2011 at 4:44 PM
Such a cute idea! I'm in Georgia, so that might be a rather odd-shaped pillow, too!
{darlene}August 10, 2011 at 5:58 PM
oh girl. it is so hard for me to keep up with blogs as much as i would like, so forgive that it has been a while. Your blog looks GREAT!!!!!!!
KaReN EiLeeNAugust 11, 2011 at 1:28 PM
You have the heart of a giver!!! Beautiful idea.
Pink Overalls @DIY Home StagingAugust 11, 2011 at 4:22 PM
Your blog looks and reads beautifully! I hope you'll share more about your trip to Nashville, and about your exchange student, Lovely.
Savories of LifeAugust 11, 2011 at 9:19 PM
I love your blog! And I know I am not the only one. You are doign a giveaways well so am I actually one for earrings finishes tonight , another is running and then one will go up in the moring. Come and look.
Fairfield HouseAugust 13, 2011 at 9:21 AM
Leslie,

You are too funny,"it looks like an oddly-shaped bird. Don't laugh." Judging from the comments all the girls that received a TN Pillow cherish them because they're reminded of the wonderful woman who created them. Just be happy you don't live in NJ.
:/

Your Friend,
Deborah
Kim @ keller-creativeAugust 13, 2011 at 8:15 PM
What a cute idea! I'm a south Carolinian as well but I live on the other side of the state in Charleston.