It's Time to Talk of Many Things

Spray paint is in the air here at my home today. After a trip to Goodwill last week with Victoria, it was about time to get busy with a find or two.

If you are like me, often my finds are not to be used as is. There is often a vision.

So, here is my little basket thingy. Of course, it needs paint--couldn't leave it alone.


So while it dries, I have to mention something that bugs me. This basket was $1.71 at our local Goodwill. Much better than many of the prices there. Every time I see something that speaks to me, I joke, "Is it $14.95?" The prices at our store are very often ridiculous! Victoria saw a really pretty mirror, that would also require a makeover w/paint. The price...$38.00. What!!! We may could buy a new one for that amount, or at least close. Last year Victoria found something from Target's dollar spot marked for $2.55. She said that the $1.00 tag was still on it. It seems in blogland that some of the Goodwill prices are much more reasonable than others. How are the prices at your Goodwill?

So, now that I've gotten that off my chest and given my basket a second coat, let me tell you about another little find from this weekend.

The fabric behind my little basket thingy above is by Laurie Smith, of Trading Spaces fame. My introduction to Laurie was not on TS as I have only watched show maybe twice all the way through and it's just not my cuppa. My introduction was from her book, Discovering Home with Laurie Smith.


I bought this book several years ago at Hancock Fabrics. She had designed a line of wonderful fabrics for them, though they didn't seem to do all that well. Maybe Hancock's was not the place for the contemporary edge that her fabrics had. The piece pictured above was a small remnant that I found under a pile of other fabrics this past weekend. Though I would have loved to have found the golden color of this same pattern, we will find something to do with this eventually and the price tag of $1.00 was great.

If you ever have a chance to pick up her book, which is now deeply discounted at places like Wal-mart and Amazon, do. If you love classic with a twist of contemporary, you will enjoy flipping through this book. I really enjoyed seeing her personal home, a 50's ranch, remodeled and decorated and the thought that went on behind it. The finished product is just lovely.

Here you see her living room. It is full of wonderful fabrics, furniture and the classic/contemporary mix that I love.


Here she shows a vingette on the same table, but changes out the lamp shade and the other displayed items.


There are also a few photos from inside the book on Amazon.

So my basket is dry and ready to hang, which is great as the rain has just arrived. I have this niche in the kitchen that is very awkward. I'm adding the basket here for pens, pencils and scissors. A small vase tucked inside one of the spaces allows me to add some fresh rosemary from my yard. Adding a small bowl, also thrifted for 10cents, adds just the needed touch to fill in the empty space on the wall.

I didn't have a plate hanger, so I did a very "bad" thing. Hot glue and a ribbon=plate hanger.


Disclaimer: Only do this if you don't have a huge attachment to something. Though I've done this many times and never had anything to fall, I don't want to be the cause of great aunt Gertrude's beautiful china falling and breaking. Make sure to mush the glue around with the tip of the glue gun and glue, glue, glue to get it to adhere very well.

Every item in this vignette came from a thrift store, or was given to me except for the lamp shade(from Ross), the burlap ribbon(Michael's)and the crown knob (Hobby Lobby).

I am participating in Diane's (A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words) 2nd Time Around Tuesday.

Please visit her site to see what others have to show and tell about.
Christina

Please come to my Valentine's Party!

Last year in a moment of insanity I decided to host a Valentine Party for Sweet Girl and a few of her 3 year old friends. Sweet Girl, became "Screamy MacPherson" and cried the WHOLE TIME!!! I think I put her to bed before the guests even left!

(2008)

In a fresh moment of insanity I decided to have another party this year. My Sweet Girl woke up sooooo excited about the Valentines Party today. Thankfully, this year went really smoothly and we had no tears until the last 3/4 of the party!!! Wahoo!


Christina's Chloe came to be my assistant and helper. She and her Mommy arrived and she and Sweet Girl decorated the dining room with red crepe paper while Christina wrapped pigs n blankets for me.

We started the party by stringing popcorn and dried apple pieces on florist wire then shaped them like a heart to hang outside on a tree. I saw this idea on someone's blog several weeks ago and now don't remember where!

The attention span of 3 and 4 year olds is not that long so we did as much as they could handle then moved on to making sugar cookies.
I made sugar cookie dough earlier this week then refrigerated it. I rolled small amounts out onto wax paper and each child used heart shaped cookie cutters to cut their cookies out then decorated them with "sparkles" (aka sprinkles). I baked them while the kiddos ate their refreshments.


We had simple refreshments of pigs n blankets, carrots, Chex mix and raspberry lemonade heart-shaped ice cubes.


A girl after my own heart, Sweet Girl's little friend went for the BIGGEST cookie on the plate!

We exchanged Valentine's...

Look at this adorable puppy my sister and her little boy made! He added all the spots.
Sweet Girl and I made one of these Purrrfect Valentine Kittens earlier this week then I stayed up last night watching TV and cutting them out for the rest of the kids.

Sweet Girl & I made goodie bags for each of the kids earlier this week.


After that we let the kids run wild in the yard. It was a beautiful day to play outside as it's 65 degrees here in Ga!

Thank you for joining us for our party! We look forward to seeing you again next year. :)

~Victoria~

It's the Little Things-Heart Edition

Edited to add: Some of my pictures were so large that part of them were cut off. I've been experimenting this afternoon and I'm sorry if my editing caused you to get multiple posts on your readers.

A Heart shaped breakfast. Egg in a heart shaped nest of toast and the middle toasted up with butter and cinnamon sugar.


Hormones raging means mommy needs a large cup of this

provided by my sweet sister Victoria. Yes,almost empty--I needed that!

A sweetheart of a child's vintage chair that Victoria found at Goodwill for me to use in my photography business. This will get painted, so hopefully I will have that to show you soon.


A sweet baby boy photography session from a few weekends ago.





Caleb is my nephew. Isn't he just yummy!

I had an engagement session a few weeks ago with this wonderful couple. I used my "love" sign from the $1 section at Target as a prop. They were married this past weekend in a beautiful wedding.








My kitchen chalkboard

The beautiful heart came from the $1 section at Target. I think the chalkboard did too, though it was long ago.

Of course, don't look too closely, or this is what you will see on my kitchen table

Just adding some real-ness into the mix.

I'm off to watch Anne of Gables with my dear daughter. We are almost to the end of the series---again. It just never gets old. This is also to keep me from being grouchy with the household while I get my self in check.

Christina

Valentine Yum!

Chloe needed Valentines cards for her Girl Scout meeting today. So, this weekend, trying to think ahead, I asked her if she wanted to head to the store for Valentines or if she wanted to make some. She waffled back and forth and decided to buy some. That's fine by me.

Before we left for our trip to the store yesterday afternoon, I receive a newsletter from a scrapbook store that I had made a purchase from. They have a little cupcake book in there and though the idea is absolutely cute, it's just not something I will ever make. The wheels in my brain starting turning and I came up with an idea based on the cute little books. Chloe liked the idea, so we stayed home and crafted.

Here are the little "cards" that we came up with. We added a loop of ribbon on top, so that her friends can hang them up if they want. I want to hang mine up---well, if we had made me one I would want to hang it up.






These last two we made for Victoria's sweet girl. I think they will be perfect on the pink tree in her sweet room.



Obviously not a cupcake, but this was so much fun, I couldn't stop.



The backs of all of the cupcakes are covered in a solid paper where she can write a Valentines note to each of her friends. Maybe she will change her mind before tomorrow afternoon and want to go buy some of the cheesy, but ever so fun paper cards and tiny envelopes and I can keep all of the cupcakes.

Just in case anyone is interested, we just free handed a cupcake holder and the icing and made a pattern. We used glitter, scrapbook paper, hot glue, elmers glue, beads and ribbon. Basically free valentines, but so much yum.

Christina

In the mood for LOVE

Thought I would share a couple of my Valentine decorations. This is only the second year that I have ever decorated for Valentines Day. I guess having a child does that to you! :)



My take on decorating for Valentines Day is to use anything in my house that is white, red or just looks "Valentiney" to me. This includes an old spool of red polka dot ribbon.


A handmade napkin with a red border that I chose as my Christmas gift from a Ladies Tea when I was 17 (loved vintage even then!).


I made this little "love" sign today while my Sweet Girl was making a craft.

Left over Christmas licorice.


LOV in some snow in my favorite Apothecary jar. I picked this baby up on my 11th anniversary trip with my husband to a small town in Ga. It was $8!!! I love it because it is huge, old and has meaning to me.



I'll share Sweet Girl's Valentine tree next week, along with a couple of cute crafts we've made.

If you really are in the mood for love, hop on over to Home Sanctuary where Rachel Anne's small thing for today is to do something that makes you feel like a woman. Feeling like a woman is sometimes just what we need to get us in the mood for love. ;)

~Victoria~

A Little Crafting

If you are like me, you have newspapers, junk mail and old papers around the house. In fact, in the intrest of keeping it somewhat real, here is *one* of my piles of paper.


So today I gave in to a moment of creative craziness with another pile. This pile was a local newspaper that no one had read and never will get around to reading. I started wadding some into a sphere shape. I then covered it with a sheet of aluminum foil to keep it together.



I then hot glued some bay leaves all over it. Perfection was not my aim, just a nice little green sphere.




Added a little bling to a candlestick and a small pile of newspapers becomes much more attractive.



Actually the one below was my first attempt with another bit of paper and glue, but I think it looks like a head of broccoli that is going bad. :0 Well, in real life it doesn't look nearly as bad as the picture, but still.



Christina