Party Shelf

A couple of weeks ago, I was ready to clean everything out. 

And then, I did one room, and haven't done another since. 

I sold a few things on ebay, gave others away and still I have too much stuff. Perhaps its the artist in me?

Either way, I did clean out one of my kitchen shelves. I now call it my party shelf. 

I love that I have a party shelf now.  I keep the upcoming party supplies in there or leftover ones. Its just a happy spot. Even my husband refers to the party shelf. Thats a real win. 

One day, instead of having a wrapping paper room or whatever specialty room that seems ostentatious, I would like to have a party supply room. It would hold all things like this but also the handmade, homemade decor I have made over the years. And when I get too many of them, I would send them out to orphanages or homeless shelters for their own happy days. 

Before and After: Dining Room Chairs

This is the old dining room chair, complete with pumpkin pie or was it sweet potato pie stain from Thanksgiving. Either way, it was time for a change. 

And here is the after. I love this fabric. Thank you to my friends at Chrysalis. It looks great in my dining room and looks fantastic with my curtains.  I love mixing and matching patterns. The watery blues and greens hide dirt and like I said, look good in my house. Now, to actually finish all the other chairs:)

Before and After: chair

So excited! My chair has returned. 

This was the before:

And here is the after! The fabric is a papaya and cream small hounds tooth. She is sitting in a holding area until I move things around but I had forgotten how comfy she is. I might need to move her in front of the tv for Nashville on Wednesday. Yeah, I like that show. 

Ok, happy Shrove Tuesday. 

valentine's day quilted runner

I have been working on this puppy for Valentine's Day. It is a bit of a wonky styled runner. Say that 3 times! Wonky Styled Runner, Wonky Styled Runner, Wonky Styled Runner!

I like!

old school

I found this picture on my computer of an old room in our house. It was my "guest room" and then eventually to baby 1 and now baby 2. Seeing this picture makes me happy. And I have kept the color the same! Impressive for moi. 

Just as we have pictures of us growing up, I find that I also treasure the pictures that were taken in my room, at the kitchen table and my family eating supper as a child. These were the places were memories were formed and life was lived. 

I still can conjure up the yellow formica counter tops in our kitchen. My mom was ahead of her time:)

Our Creator and Camellias: makes life worth living

Such a pretty day here today. I love living on a pond. The view is spectacular. I never knew I wanted to live on a pond until I lived here, and now, I am so thankful that the Lord knew what I desired even when I did not know myself.

Some of my first art class drawings were of camellias. At the time, I think I was in early elementary school, I wasn't sure what a camellia was. I remember being intrigued by the light, the shadows the petals made on each other and the layering of the petals. I am still intrigued by it. 

And in our yard, we have the most amazing camellias. I am thankful for the husband and wife who lived here before us and grew their family here. He was a gardener and she was an artist. 

 And now the Lord is growing my family here. He weaves together different pieces and precious parts to intertwine and make my story. His light dances off different petals to create a beautiful and moving piece of art. 

Me.

 A piece of art that has depth. It has been nurtured, grown and supported by Him. 

And He is making you beautiful too. Step into His throne room and be watered, pruned and enjoyed by Our Maker to become the one who He made you to be. Makes life worth living. 

January: the month of the pillow

January has been the month of the pillow.  Perhaps Pillowuary? Yeah, doesn't sound that great.  But still, love the pillow. 

I made the euro sized pillow last week and this weekend I started the bird pillow. This bird fabric was one of the very first fabrics I bought 7 or 8 years ago that began my wonderfully fabulous fabric stash. And now I have finally used some of it! I need to buy more...

The back is a red Moroccan print I already had made into a pillow and I just cut it up and reworked it. The blue edge is an aqua velvet that I adore. This fabric never gets old. 

And here are all the yummy fabrics together. 

Lucky for you guys, I have a few more pillow ideas up my sleeve... 

More pillows for you : A Pseudo Living Room Tour

I just finished this set of pillows for my sofa. As you might have seen from other posts, I love pillows! I am trying to simplify, though. And perhaps add some symmetry. I think the more patterns one has in their living room, the more need for symmetry. 

I think. 

So, for today, I only have 2 matching pillows on my couch. I give it a week. 

I love this watercolory diamond fabric. I finished the edge in a pale green that actually matches my artichoke hearts ( dining room paint color ) and ties into the green in the pillow fabric.   

And after the top picture, I am already thinking of what pictures and art to move where. Its always on going:)

DIY ottoman of non perfection

I have been working on these puppies for awhile. In my head I have been. They were 2 ottomans I got from Target and they weren't anything special. Actually, they didn't match. With an on sale fabric, Viola! ( Yes, I know its voila.) Sewed a bit, stapled a bit and now my babies' babies have a home. These house our baby dolls. 

I see now how they aren't perfect, but I am not perfect, either. We go well together!

Christmas Clean Up with the Berenstain Bears

It was a delightfully simple Christmas this year and for that, I am very thankful. I am now starting the clean up. Yuck. But my daughter and I are already talking about what we are going to make/do/decorate for Valentine's Day.

Anyways, here is/was my mantle. It makes me happy. I used colorful felt garlands I made for my daughters rainbow birthday a few years ago.  In the clean up process, I am now going to make a fabric decorations box. I have several fabric garlands in random cubby holes in my house and its now time to give them their own labeled box. Reminds me a little bit of the Berenstain Bears Messy Room. Ahh. Love it. 

Back to my decor... white tree from Target with small ornaments along with the 3 wooden trees from a local shop.The nativity I created last year. The oil pastel cat is my daughters work and the color wheel collage is my work. And a random photo of some darling family:)

And our tree. We had to decorate from a certain point up because my little one loved the ornaments. Who doesn't love shiny, colorful things?

Stay warm out there friends!

Thanksgiving Table

I am hosting Thanksgiving this year. No pressure. Actually, I could care less about the food but more about how the table is set. Its really all about the fabric, right? This will be the first Thanksgiving at our house.

I did Christmas one year and a certain, dear loved one was not a fan of my standing rib roast. I will admit the apple something dressing was a tad strange. 

I just got my new plates in the mail today. I was down some from my original set of plates I got when I got married. So, I introduce my new plates. 

I know, I know. A tad bland for me. However, I am excited about colorful glasses, which I have found are hard to find. And I am excited about colorful napkins and linens. Again, its all about the fabric. 

My vision for my table, included the napkin and plates above, involves a turquoise cake plate, 

a few small leftover pumpkins, and 

perhaps these if I can get them in time. I am trying to delay, that way I won't buy them.

We might be eating strange food for Thanksgiving but at least my table will be amazing:)

Before and After: A Face recently "lifted"

Hello. I talked about this DIY the other day but I didn't put up Before and After photos. Oh, the horror! Everyone loves a good before and after photo whether its a bedroom makeover, Stacey and Clinton redoing the frumpy Mom or a face recently "lifted." So, here are my before and afters of my home ( without paint and with.)

Before:

orange brick( the day girlie #1 came home)

door had been painted but this was just the beginning!

 After:

view from the bridge across the street at dusk

doing sparklers with Girlie #1

the day Girlie #2 came home

pond across the street

Rick and Kate

Gosh, I love this show. I have been catching up on my stories as my husband calls them. I have also been cleaning up my house or rather mentally cleaning it up so let's face it, its a wreck. I loved going on va-kay but will it take me all fall to readjust???

So nothing to report in the blog world. 

But my stories...

Beckett, Castle( although now we are to Kate and Rick!!!), Dan-o, Gloria and Jay, April and Andy             ( although you will always be Bright to me) Sue, Brick, Rador and Rusty, and I miss you Annie and Auggie!

Hmm...I think I might watch a bit...

Never liked the science fair

Ugh, The science fair. The term makes my stomach do a little flip. I can't even remember what I did...Actually, I think I did the token laundering a sock using different detergents. Its called Consumer Reports, people. No need to figure out which one works, call your dad, get him to look it up, and bam! Its ______( fill in the blank with whatever laundry soap works the best because lets face it, its a lot about opinion.) But I digress...

sweet potato vine!

 I am doing my own experiment. My yard is being over taken by Sweet Potato Vine. Love the stuff. Its easy and it looks great and covers up weeds. I started pulling some out the other day and while it hurt to get rid of a growing plant, I decided to repurpose it, so to speak. I have so much of it in my yard because I keep seeing other places where it might work and its taking over somewhere else, so I just keep putting more and more in my yard. If you are local and need some, please let me know. Seriously.

sweet potato vine, roadside

So while laying it out by the street the other day to let someone pick up or the trash people haul it away, I decided to throw some above the ditch. Its weed city and lots of poison ivy. I am going to let it take over there and while I did not dig holes, I am hoping some of it will "catch." It has certainly worked in other parts of the yard. Now grow!

Here is to clean white socks!

The ultimate DIY

Daddy and Girlie doing sparklers 

I love the outside of my house. When we moved here, we always talked about painting the outside. After a few estimates, we realized it was more money than what we wanted to spend. So in time, I decided to do it myself. Talk about the ultimate DIY! While my daughter napped, I would paint. I did it in sections. I would pressure wash a section, prime it and then paint it with Benjamin Moore's Warm Stone. The shutters are a paint I mixed up myself ( one was too dark, one was too light and voila-my new color! a nautical blue) The door is Behr Golden Cricket.

A few days after Girlie #2 arrived

We live across the street from a pond and a field. We joke that the field is a part of yard and the best part, the city comes to mow it:) The view from the field to our house is awesome. I love it. And I love viewing out our windows at supper at the field and do a little bit of people watching. Its quite enjoyable.
Happy Friday!

walking bridge over pond with field in front and my house

Revamp the Outside

Last weekend, actually it was 2 weekends ago, I pressure washed my lower outside patio. Ok, you can't tell, but it looks so much better! We have been living in heat and mosquito infested Florida, so it was nice to go outside. And I have a new love for this back patio. The rest of my yard can seem big and unruly but I have decided to rework this whole area. To see other photos, click here.  My paintings that are seen there are also not as "new" looking. Actually, my daughter wanted to paint her rocking chairs pink so we have a whole new color scheme going on back there. Therefore, we must update it all. Like mother, like daughter:)

I am also super excited about a container garden. My last house had a super fabulous yard. Oh, I miss it. Not the house, just the yard. The previous owner fertilized that yard everyday for 30 years. Thank you! That is how I got things to grow. The current yard has lots of clay and that is sad for me. This previous owner had billions of camellias everywhere. Oh, how I love the camellia. It is such a sweet, colorful, southern flower. This describes one of my daughters too.

Here are a few of my container "pins." To see other gardening ideas, check out my pinterest garden board. 

ok not a container but thought it was pretty:)

Baby Sister Nursery

I realized the other day that I never posted Baby Sister's nursery on here. Well, I did sort of but it linked to Project Nursery's site. But I wanted to have a copy on here. Here it is!

This is the quilt that my mom made for Baby Sister. So beautiful! She used fabric, tea towels and the center cross stitched butterfly my grandmother had made years before. 

The nursery seen from the doorway. The rug is Tangerine Dream by Dash and Albert. The crib skirt is made from Amy Butler's sun spots and has an orange,yellow, green, blue plaid I attached on the edge. A tad hard to see... The lamp I had and added the Annie Selke Link fabric in pink. 

The dresser was painted in Meadow View by Benjamin Moore. The painting on the dresser was done by a sweet friend. Check out her blog. 

The curtain fabric is called Lovely. And it is so lovely. The gold fabric in the crib is Anna Marie Horner. 

I slip covered the seat of the glider. I was so proud of me! Last baby, I just tucked fabric in the seat.

The sweater was knit for Baby Sister as a gift. I hated keeping it in the drawer.

My husbands sunset painting from long ago along with my new painting.

Up close of my flower painting. I have painted another for my parents back porch.

This buffet was my great grandfathers and actually, he made it along with 2 china cabinets. My handy husband made the changing pad holder from his design. The plates are from Anthropologie in Bham.

She is just now starting to sleep in it, well, for bits at a time:)  I loved creating this room for my Darling.