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: August 2007

c’est la vie!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

I’m having a bit of a strange week being home and not having a "job" to go to. I have enjoyed staying up late each night and sleeping in a bit in the morning. But I have to stay I am nervous and bored! I spent all day yesterday going through a long "to-do" list I had for Sadie Olive and played around on the Monster job site, I shipped a few orders, and emailed with a few ex-coworkers who felt equally as awkward about being home… Overall it was a productive day. Josh left yesterday for a business trip and is gone all week, so I am adjusting to being jobless and home alone. It makes for one lloooonnngggg boring day.

I did buy some fun new digital goodies to play with and some new Photoshop actions from Holly McCaig, so I have had fun learning how to use some of those. I know very little about all the cool things Photoshop can do with your photos, so it has been fun trying to expand my knowledge with these new toys. I edited this picture of me with the "fairytale wash" and added a little more "sparkle" to my eyes. I love how it makes your skin look flawless. :) It’s an older picture, (my hair is much longer now) but I like how it looks in this photo so I am thinking I may cut it again.

Gabriel passed on the Rockin Girl blogger award to me yesterday. She deserves this award hands down. Her blog, Vintage Indie is a great collection of sites that Gabriel hand picks based on her fabulous taste. She highlights a few items from each store and tells you where to go to find them. It’s an eclectic mix of fun online shopping. Best of all, she finds some of the smaller stores and etsy’ers that you may not otherwise come across. It’s an excellent way to support all those girls out there just trying to make a living selling their crafts and goods online. Thanks Gabriel!

I pass this award on to these five girls:

Sorry if any of you have already been tagged, you can pass if you don’t want to play again.

Well, I’m off to try and find something productive to do!

Posted in friends, personal

ouch…

Friday, August 17, 2007

I’m afraid it happened…. our office was shut down and we all were told today that we were being let go. I have cried a few times and continue to be very sad that I will no longer be around my second family at Novastar, but I am trying to have faith that everything will work out for the best. Novastar was the longest job I have ever held (five years) and the friends I have made there will be sorely missed. I am a little dumbfounded at what to do next, but I will try to figure all that out in the next few weeks. Thank you to everyone for your sweet comments before while I shared my worries with you.

On a happier note… I received two new items today. They are CollageScape photo frames by Debbie Overton. Debbie is an amazing artist who I met through blogging a few months back. She creates her frames with original and reproduction circa 1800 and early 1900 ephemera and other decorative papers. Each piece is one of a kind and meticulously embellished. All sides (including the back) are decorated and signed by the artist. Each CollageScape is created on a chunky 8x10x2" wood block.

These frames are amazing and I am very excited to be carrying Debbie’s line. I will have them in the store by tomorrow for anyone who is interested in them, they are priced at $80 each.

Posted in personal, shop news

my new office

Monday, August 13, 2007

I am ready to share a few photos of my office space…. Josh and I worked hard on it this weekend and it is starting to come together… we painted the walls and added some baseboard….

The baseboard still needs painting and the crown molding installed, but I moved in anyway. I am way to anxious to get decorating, so they are just going to have to work around me!

The window will soon be replaced with french doors that lead to our backyard. (I use the term "soon" very loosely here).

I have been having a great time decorating and re-decorating (after I change my mind). And it is so much fun to finally put out some of the purchases I have made since I started blogging….

The room is large enough for a table in the middle, so I am looking for a bar-height work table with some more storage to go there. The other side of the room, is still unfinished, but it does have my wire storage system…

As I said, it is a work in progress, but I am very excited to have anything in the space at all! I have been extremely patient with my my hubby for months trying to get this project finished. I guess my nagging finally worked. ;-)

I will share more photos of the space as I get new items for the office. I hope you enjoyed what I have done so far…

Posted in design, our house, personal

brighter outlook

Monday, August 13, 2007

(photo of our living room)

I love the way flowers can instantly make your house feel brighter, happier, and more cheerful. That is how I am feeling today…. Cheerful. I am still employed (at least for today), and my head is spinning with ideas and inspiration on how to proceed with my dreams of working from home and running my business full time.

Josh and I worked on the house this weekend, and finally got moving on my home office. I will have a few pictures to share with you this week on the progress. She is really coming together nicely…. it’s a bit of a blank space for now, but I like to build my decor gradually… I want it to be a space filled with only the things I love. If I don’t LOVE it, then I don’t want it in there. I chose a cream for the walls (Sea Pearl to be exact), and the trim will be Swiss Coffee… and my shelving is black. There is something about cream, black and white that feels "french" to me, and I have always loved the color combination. It is very soothing. Add some wire bins and an antique table and I am almost there!

Our "open house" is coming up on August 25th, so I will be preparing for that for the next two weeks. Sharon and I have decided to make a regular thing of it. I will be hosting the next event at my house on September 8th. It will be a bit of a "Press Party" since the Romantic Homes issue should be out by then. Hope all of you local gals can make it.

Thanks for checking in! I know I have been neglecting my blog a bit lately, so I promise to make up for it with pictures, pictures, and more pictures these next few posts. :) Thanks for sticking with me in the meantime.

Posted in design, our house, personal

Morgan’s bridal shower

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Today was the bridal shower for my youngest sister, Morgan. The bridesmaids and I all planned the event and had it at my house today. It was a success and a lot of fun, so I thought I would share a few pictures of the fun and details….

Here is the bride (looking beautiful, I might add) :

The favors for the guests…..

And this I did…. it is a spin off of the cute idea Amy came up with…..

The backyard looked decent despite the chain link fence….

The flowers were done by my sister Lindsey. I loved the lemons and limes in the vase….

Morgan played the game where you have to answer the questions the way your finance would and if you get it wrong, you have to add another piece of hubba bubba to your mouth. She had quite a "wad" when she was finished…