Sadie Olive – The Blog

family, love, and everyday muses.

Well, hello there!

If you haven't been here before, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Sara Duckett. I am 35 years old and one of five girls in my family. I am happily married to a handsome, slightly older man named Josh. We live in Orange County, California with our pup Hannah and two kitties, Mason and Annabelle. We just recently were blessed with an unbelievably adorable baby boy, Finn, who we privately adopted earlier this year. He is the light of our lives, and is absolutley adored around here.

About four years ago, I decided to start an online shop, selling home decor and accessories. At the time Josh and I had been struggling with years of infertility and I needed a positive distraction. I am shopoholic, and thought nothing could be as fun as helping others shop just as much as I do! And so Sadie Olive was born. (Sadie Olive being the name Josh and I had once picked out for a future daughter).

Soon after I started the online shop, I started dabbling in web design. Sadie Olive Design allowed me to keep up with the boutique while helping others start their own online businesses. It provides an additional creative outlet for me and connects me with so many wonderful people.

This site has opened the door to many opportunities I would not have known otherwise; including the honor of being featured in a few magazines. Our home was featured in the March 2008 issue of Romantic Homes Magazine, the Fall 2008 issue of Budget Decorating (A Woman's Day Special Publication), and the Fall 2008 issue of Dovetales (A Boston magazine). My design business has also been featured in Artful Blogging Magazine, the Fall 2008 issue.

Photography is another passion of mine, although it probably gets the least amount of my attention. I truly believe that if you follow your heart and live your passions, they will shine through for others to see. I hope that you find this blog, and my photos worth peeking in on every now and then.

Monthly Archives: July 2007

eight random facts

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Today is my Mom’s birthday. Happy birthday Mom! I love you.

Kimberley has tagged me, and although I have played before, I decided to try to come up with some more random facts so I can play along…. These are the best I could come up with at 10:30 at night….

1. I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. I actually don’t really care for milk chocolate at all… but I will sometimes eat it anyway.

2. My Dad’s side of the family (as well as my Dad) are all from Texas. A few of them have southern accents and I have an “Aunt Lola”, “Aunt Dot”, “Aunt Virginia”, “Uncle JD”, and an “Uncle Billy Ray”….. My Dad lived in Odessa before moving to California as a kid. I have never been to Texas.

3. The only travel I have done in the US is to four corners, Trout Lake – Colorado, Sedona – Arizona, Squimm – Washington, Portland – Oregon, Las Vegas – Nevada, and once to Michigan for work. I haven’t seen any of the US monuments, aside from the Grand Canyon. (I hate to fly, and I get home sick very easily). I do want to travel more… at least by car.

4. I am a t.v. fanatic. I am addicted to many shows that I watch faithfully (thanks to my Tivo). Here are some of my favorites: Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Related, Traveler, Hero’s, Brothers and Sisters, House… (there are many more but my mind is blank at the moment). I am not really a fan of reality t.v.

5. I collect wire baskets. I love the old ones with character and a vintage look.

6. I am VERY afraid of bees and spiders. And even more afraid of wasps… (they can sting you many times!)

7. Mosquito’s love me. When it’s hot, like it is now, I have to sleep with bug repellent on. (Or at least Avon Skin-So-Soft lotion). Josh and Hannah always seem to let them in the house, but I am the only one they prefer to devour! I look like I have the chicken pox today!

8. I can’t take naps. No matter how tired I am, I can’t manage to sleep during the day. If I do manage to fall asleep it always makes me feel worse when I wake up. (I get a headache, and I’ll be groggy for hours afterward).

Posted in friends

floral facelift

Friday, July 13, 2007

Ok, so I warned you that my yard is ugly, right? Here are some of the main problems. A chain link fence for our back wall, dead ivy roots woven into the fence, a hump of dead roots about a foot and a half into our yard. Here is the photographic evidence….

On Wednesday, our gardener, Gil, dug up the “hump”, tore out the grass, and gave us a three foot section for planting in front our our fence…. it’s about a 50 foot span… and he hauled at the waste away. (He’s a trooper!) Here’s the progress photo…

Today, Sharon and our friend Catherine, came to give my yard a “floral facelift“. They planted iceberg roses, miniature olive trees, lavender, hopseed bushes, pittosorum tenufulium, and some verbena. They are not tall enough to hide my fence yet, but already I love it! They make for a very french (or italian) looking garden…. I can’t wait until they fill in, and we add some pretty stones to edge out the new planter. Here are a few pictures from their hard work today….

And now some of the “after” photos….

Thank you Sharon and Catherine! I love it! And it’s just my style…

Posted in our house

new ad and a feature…

Thursday, July 12, 2007

I am so excited today because I have signed up to start advertising in Romantic Homes magazine. I have my ad all ready (thanks to Hope at Paper Relics) and I just made the deadline for the October 2007 issue.

It’s a modest sized, 2″ x 2″ ad in the back “Market Center” section, but it’s a huge deal for me. I am a new subscriber to this magazine … I just got turned onto it when I read about it on some one’s blog a few months back, but already I love it. I have been noticing more and more in my last few issues that I am starting to recognize some of the people and shops featured that I have come to know from blogging. (A few of my favorites, I might add.) Inspire Company, Corey Amaro, French Garden House, and Bella Pink, to name a few. So I decided to go for it! It’s a pretty big commitment (a year long contract), especially considering I just started my store early this year, but then again it’s a dream come true. Here is a sneak peek at the ad….

In other exciting news, Gabrieal at Vintage Indie also has featured my store on her site. You can check out her article and great shopping guide here. Thanks Gabrieal!

Posted in shop news

feeling inspired

Monday, July 9, 2007

Ok, so it’s not a Friday… but at least I have some new inspiring photos to share…. My new office space is on the brain, so these photos are in keeping with that theme…

As I mentioned before, I love urns. Especially in this color tone. I love the ruffled edge on this one and the maiden hair fern and orchids are perfect in it.

I love the pale green on the walls in this one, the black and white bird prints, the great old desk lamp, the wire basket, the old books, and I love, love, love the topiary. I adore them, especially this style with the petite balls and baby leaves. (Pardon my lack of plant knowledge).

Isn’t this stack of books so pretty! That Martha Stewart is so dang crafty! I love the stamped effect on the first book. And grouped together, they look so great!

This picture may have to be my favorite. I am loving the whole thing. The wallpaper, the desk, the chairs, the topiary, the citrus prints… consider this exact picture recreated in my new office (as if that were possible).

This one too, same thing! It would be recreated exactly in my home, if possible. (Except maybe the “Kerri” items, I think they would say “Sara” if I were actually going to recreate it). I love the patterns, and the color combinations, the french items, the old botanical prints…

This last one is a “someday” kind of fantasy of mine. My new office will have french doors that lead to our backyard, and I love the idea of it being this rustic and beautiful.

Posted in inspiration

floyd evie

Saturday, July 7, 2007

The puppy is so darn cute, I can’t get enough… as you can see from the many photos. It’s hard to pick just one when your subject is as cute as he is. Josh’s parents just love him to pieces already. (Not that there’s any question as to why they would). Evie can hardly stay awake long enough to play with us. He is exhausted from his “adoption” day jitters, and first car ride home.