I finally decided on fabric for our dining room curtains! I LOVE them! They are a Thomas Paul print that I've been eye-balling for a while. Matter of fact, Target carries upholstered living room chairs in this print that I have in my wish list! 

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

Kudos to my wonderful husband and dad! They made our cedar shutters and hung them up this weekend! Doesn't it make the house look fantastic?! I am so pleased!!!

Before

After!

Before

After!

After!

After!
(Yes, it's Feb. 1st and I still have Christmas wreaths up, but I wanted them in the photo with the new shutters to frame them....is that a good enough excuse? I hope so. Ok, now I'll take them down and pack them away with the Christmas tree...which might also still be up in our living room....)

these are a few of our favorite things!

1. Homemade bruchetta: The most amazing flavors! ...it's like your taste buds walking through a summer Italian garden...the powerfully fresh/almost bitter earthy basil mixed with the cool sweet tender ripe red and gold tomatoes glazed in olive oil with a hint of garlic salt, all resting on a slightly toasted buttery bed of goodness of which we call bread....
There was no hope for my poor dinner...for I gorged myself on the appetizer.

2. Chippewa Quiche with wild rice: Thanks to Becky W. for this wonderful recipe, we can enjoy a meal to satisfy our hunger for a hearty breakfast and dinner all at once! All I have to say is "you had me at ham"!

cottages + glitter = Christmas joy!

Doesn't this scene make you think of a quaint neighborhood nestled in the quiet sparkly snow with the faint sound of carolers in the distance singing "It came upon a midnight clear..."? For me, it certainly does. So for that reason I had to make several of these and display them on our dining buffet (even though I risk being made fun of by a certain family member as one of "those people who has too many Christmas - village pieces decorating their homes") Don't worry certain family member, I only have 4.
Ahhhh, sparkly snow!

been craftin'

This is what I made for my fall decorations this year Pappa acorns and baby acorns! Paper mache' egg shapes with newsprint decopaged on top, then painted and sealed to a shiny perfection that all acorns should have, then 'hatted' with rope caps! I love them so much they are still in our entry way...and might be until the next fall :)

I made lots of warm cozies this year to have on hand as gifts and to sell. I have a few left so if anyone is sitting at home with cold toes...just let me know!

These are four 14" x 14" paintings I did for a friend's nursery before Christmas. The patterns aren't mine, she gave me a swatch of her crib sheet fabric to go by. The giraffe is my favorite and Steve likes the hippo.

cooking and painting

What a perfect way to kick off Fall! We made the ultimate classic cookie and we think we solved our 'thin, soggy cookie problem' by adding more flour. mmm!

Here are the birdies all in a row waiting for their next layer of paint. This is what our studio looks like when I get a job! I am now employed at a 'Paint your own Pottery' store in town. Aren't they cute?! The design is by Ali at www.paintedpigstudio.com and they will be the most adorable cardinal Christmas ornaments you can buy this year!!! Check out the website!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Acorns can be so cute that I wanted to bring the idea into our home for some cozy fall decorations. Here are several oversized acorns I made by painting paper mache 'eggs' from the craft store and gluing rope (from the home depot) around the top in a spiral pattern! They measure about 7" tall! The best part: instant gratification! They were finished in about 1 hour!!! (I have the burn marks on my fingers from the hot glue gun to prove my impatience :)

Happy Birthday sister Melissa!!!!

Melissa's birthday was this week (of course you already knew because it's a national holiday...isn't it printed on your calendar?) Everyone LOVES her... obviously... and everyone was there (except sister Maradee, who was there in spirit...and on the phone at one point in the evening, but the party was still in full swing, so not sure how successful the conversation was! :) so her party was a hit!
Mom and dad did a fantastic job with the planning, hot dog cooking (well, there were those burnt ones, but some of us appreciate their 'smokey flavor' so it was fine), hosting and general party regalia!

Here's a foam photo backdrop I painted quickly before the party! Her favorite things include: friends and family, her being the center of attention, parties, music, dancing, anything about Elvis (the last three can be grouped together as 'fun essentials') and photos of all the above! So I think she liked the festive photo op. Each guest got a picture with her behind the birthday 'frame'!

Shown here with her boyfriend! Can her grin get any bigger? :)
Happy Birthday dear sister!!! We love you!

Early Christmas gifts???

Get your handmade Hog sign now!
$18.00
I had so much fun making these! It is hand-painted on a wood block. It's great for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts or just for fun!
Let me know if you want one! (If I need to mail it to you, I'll add shipping costs)

I was feeling so crafty that I repainted this magazine box too! It's been plain white for several years and I think it was about time for a little color! (I think that about everything though huh?)

BEHOLD! The Ceiling!

Ta da! The beadboard on the ceiling is complete and we're so thrilled to have it painted and the can lights operating!!! (pardon the mess on our counters!) We're holding our breath (because it's hard to part with so much money) and considering the floor next.

The bathroom remodel

Just for fun I thought I'd post photos from our master bathroom remodel earlier this year. (Plus, seeing these reminds me how productive we've been....a nice reminder every once in a while! :)

One tiny mirror...that's it!

They painted over the flocked wallpaper which I think is so unfortunate because I actually like the way it looked on this hidden piece we found behind the (tiny) mirror. It's kelly green with an aqua background! Are you kidding me?!

We removed the wall between the sink and tub...which happened to be the wall with all the power...oops! Sorry! :) Thank goodness for 'Lieutenant Commander Awesome' and his electrical skilz!


The beadboard went all around the room!


The closet wasn't worthy of a master bedroom...only one height of rod. Really? (and how can carpet in a closet have gotten sooo dirty? Steve installed a new piece so now we're more comfortable about walking in there barefoot!)

New built in cubbies by 'Greg the Kern'! Thanks a million dad!!! it's awesome!

A perfect spot for our hamper...

...and for everything else!!!

The only things we kept were the floor tile, sink cabinet and hanging lights (and toilet and tub, but the tub might get replaced one day and turned into a master shower...we'll see. It works at the moment so we'll ride that out as long as possible!)

Love the light/vent fan too!

Framing out the window made such a difference too! I love the way it looks now!

We started the demo in January and were using it around March. Success!!! Hope you enjoyed our bathroom tour! :)

a little closer...!

On the other side of this plastic, Steve is sanding and priming all the sheetrock in the great room !!! Soon it will look like a real space!
You're also getting a glimpse of our cabinets in all their glory!! This is looking from the mud room into the kitchen, then ultimately, into the dining room. I call this set of drawers "The Six Pack", used to tell Steve (who has no earthy idea where I've put things away, then rearranged...and rearranged again until it makes the most sense where the spatulas and foil wrap should live) how to locate items in our humongous new kitchen :) Isn't it so cute?!