Journal Junky {review + giveaway!}

I love to journal. Something about writing out my thoughts, preserving memories...

Which is why I like Journal Junky.

Nicole sells a wide variety of lined journals, perfect for jotting down thoughts about life, poems, quotes, to do lists, any number of things!

You'll also find cute pocket journals and envelope organizers!

Nicole was kind enough to send me a journal to review.

It came in an adorable box - no chance for it to be bent/damaged in transit.

The journal itself is very well made {just like the ones I've found in stores, but with the great handmade quality that I love}, with lined pages perfect for writing.

The pages are kraft-colored, so it's probably best to use a dark pen.

Overall, I love my new journal!

{giveaway!}

Nicole will be sending one of you your very own Journal Junky journal!

To enter, please visit the Journal Junky shop and tell me which journal is your favorite.

{extra entries}

+1) follow the Journal Junky blog

+1) sign up for the Journal Junky newsletter

{leave separate comments for each}

This giveaway is open to US + Canada only, please.

The winner will be announced next Tuesday morning {September 7th}

**I received a journal to review, but no monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.**

{the gift}

thank you to all of you who commented over the past week or so!

i read every. single. comment, and they mean SO much to me.

i'm working on visiting YOUR blogs this week...

*****

I find that men {generally} are hard to shop for.

Mine is, at least. :)

I always seem to find something, but it's tough sometimes.

Usually a new tee/polo is a good choice.

When I found this browsing Etsy several months ago, I knew I wanted to get it for the sweetheart's birthday.

{I ordered the 8x10 print in Grass Green instead of Lime}

He really loves his chihuahuas. :)

And I threw in some shirts for good measure.

What is your go-to gift for the men in your life?

{happy birthday}

Today is my sweetheart's birthday.

I hope he knows how much I love him. :)

Happy birthday, babe!

{coffee morning}

{source}

It's just a coffee kind of morning.

I'm sipping my blend of coffee + Caramel Macchiato creamer in my cheerful yellow mug.

Go ahead.

Pour yourself a cup {coffee, tea, whatever suits you}.

Tell me what's on your mind.

What are your plans for the weekend?

As for me?

I'll be celebrating my love's birthday tonight,

shopping for needles/thread {etc.} with my cousin on Saturday,

and spending a long day at church on Sunday.

{color love} will return next week.

{WishList.1}

These mini latte bowls from Anthropologie have got me drooling...

*****

I have a folder entitled "WishList" where I keep links to things I really want.

I've decided to share some of my favorites with you!

Be on the lookout for more {WishList} posts in the future. :)

*****

What's on your WishList currently?

{feel free to share links!}

make a list {free printables}

I'm a list-maker.

If I know I have a lot to get done, I write it down.

I like to organize my lists, check off items I've taken care of...

I might be a tiny bit OCD about it. :)

I've recently discovered some super fabulous {free printables} that I've been using for my list making. They even fit in with my latest love of turquoise + red!

This 'ta-da!' list is from hello, Good Gravy!

Totally adorable.

I love that you can check 'done' or 'do later'.

I can be such a procrastinator. :)

{Check out the other Good Gravy! printables, too.}

And this one is equally adorable.

"short term memory loss prevention device"

to do list from design. wash. rinse. repeat.

Tell me, are you a fellow list-maker?

{...life...}

print by Juniper House Studio

{honestly}

I'm discovering that I'm quite terrible at dealing with my emotions.

I'm actually not an extremely emotional person, which probably explains my issue with it...

Last week I found out about a situation with a friend.

I won't share details, but just know that it's rough.

For her, but also for me and the others affected.

I'm struggling with what to say.

What to do.

How to respond.

I know we'll get through this.

But sometimes it's hard to let go and let God work through situations.

Prayers are appreciated, friends.

{{hugs}}

color love {navy + pink}

Celeste mentioned this fun combination on last week's {color love}, and I couldn't resist sharing some of the pretties I found!

{navy + pink}

bloom by spring olive

pink peacock tank by sealmaiden

pink poppies journal by delphineSTUDIO

pink & navy rose necklace by BrittanyChavers

rosette headband by beanandthesprout

This is one of those combinations that I might not make on my own,

but I love the results.

I wish I owned all of these lovelies!

How do you feel about {navy + pink}?

{love} sewing

self made - 4x6 print

by sixhoursphotography

I'm not sure how I actually learned to sew.

I helped my grandma when I was younger, sewing buttons, cutting out patterns.

I didn't have a sewing machine of my own, so I did a lot of hand sewing.

As I got older, my family finally got a sewing machine.

{we're currently on our 3rd}

And I love to sew.

I won't say it's always easy.

In fact, just this past weekend,

I got very frustrated with a project

and just had to walk away from it.

I'm seriously considering opening a new Etsy shop by the end of the year,

specifically for sewn items. I'm not quite sure how it'll all work out,

but it's something I'd love to do.

What do you think?

Since I've had fabric on the brain, I'll just share some of my current fabric obsession:

Daisy Chain by Amy Butler

{images via hawthorne threads}

I hope to post some photos of my own projects sometime next week, so "stay tuned"!

In the meantime...

Do you sew?

Have a current fabric obsession?

Please share!

{winner!}

{congrats card from orange twist}

I'm happy to announce that the {randomly} chosen winner of the CSN Stores giveaway is

Amy at Three in a Row

Congratulations to Amy, who just welcomed her fourth baby!

{Amy, I sent you an email...}

Thanks to all of you who entered. If you didn't win, don't worry - I've got plans for more giveaways in the future!

{what's in a name?}

{source}

Have you ever wondered, what's in a name?

Before I started this blog, I spent a looong time thinking about it.

I needed a name.

Something fun and kinda cute, but not like a little kid.

Something the could reflect my personality without actually being my name.

The Sweetheart's mom had once christened me "his petunia" {after watching a Veggie Tales introducing Sweet Petunia!}, and it's kind of stuck. The Sweetheart doesn't necessarily call me that on a regular basis, but it is a part of my 'identity'. I don't mind. At least his mom thinks I'm sweet! :)

Anyway, as I wracked my brain for the perfect name for my new blog, it came to me.

The Sweetest Petunia

It seemed to just fit.

And one of my goals now is capturing sweetness in everyday life.

I like it. I hope everyone else does, too!

Tell me,

What is the name of your blog?

Why, and what does it mean to you?

How does it inspire you?

I'd love to hear about it!

*****

Be sure to stop by and enter the CSN giveaway, if you haven't already.

I'll be {randomly} choosing a winner tomorrow morning!

color love {favorite combinations}

There was no way I could decide on just one color this week...

so I'm sharing some of my current favorite {color combinations}!

{turquoise + red}

covered notebook by the pleated poppy

{yellow + grey + cream}

necklace by mandy's yellow corner

{bright + cheerful}

everyday hobo by knitty bitties

{pink + yellow}

tote by gussy

What are your favorite color combinations?

*****

I need your help!

I love color, and I absolutely adore sharing my {color love} inspiration with you.

However...

sometimes I have a hard time figuring out which color I should build from!

Here's where you come in:

Please email me {or comment} with your color suggestions and a link to your blog.

If I use your suggestion, I'll link to you and give you credit for the inspiration - hurray!

Otherwise I'll just have to keep coming up with stuff on my own. :)

favorite musicals {Top Hat}

My sister and I found Top Hat {1935} at the library and decided to give it a try.

We're both suckers for anything Astaire. :)

{source}

Let me just say, if you like musicals, dancing,

anything like that - you should watch this movie.

I loved it.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are amazingly talented

{I wish I had one ounce of their talent for dancing},

the music is lovely and Bates, the valet, really cracked me up. :)

Of course, it helps that one of my all time favorite songs, Cheek to Cheek, is in the movie.

Isn't It a Lovely Day? is a definite new favorite.

Have you seen this movie? Did you like it?

You can read more about Top Hat on Wikipedia here.

CSN stores {giveaway!}

CSN Stores is one of those sites that I could spend a looong time drooling over.

{don't you just love how cheerful this is?}

You can find practically anything at CSN, from a coffee maker to a bedroom vanity, rugs, accessories...even dinner plates!

CSN is offering one of you readers a $40 gift certificate to be used on any of their websites!

To enter to win, just leave a comment. Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

This giveaway will end next Monday night {the 16th}, and the winner announced on Tuesday.

**I was not compensated for hosting this giveaway**

finally {home}

{source}

This summer, I've been all over the place.

Serving with a ministry in a staff position for two weeks.

Four days in Orlando for my friend's wedding.

Two weeks of family vacation in places like Ohio, West Virginia and Washington, DC.

Three weeks of ministry {teaching Bible clubs for kids} and house-sitting for my pastor's family.

This is the first day of "normal" life.

Of course, it's never truly normal...

The piano tuner is coming today, which totally threw off my plans.

I'm meeting a dear friend for coffee this afternoon before

he leaves for a year's internship in a far away state.

{excited for him, sad he's leaving...}

I have lots of planning, organizing and purging {etc.} to do in the next few weeks.

But compared to my crazy summer, that's pretty normal. :)

be sure to check back tomorrow for a giveaway!