Where Have I Been?

I've been away. For a while, I know. Life kind of took a busy turn and this blog got away from me. Along with a lot of other things unfortunately. Y'all know how that is, right? There have been some minor family issues (teenagers, grrr). Those are always tough. I also had several craft shows in October and November. The Bub had football games and band competitions every weekend, then came the Christmas parades. The Hub was really busy with football, as his school's team made it to the playoffs for Division II colleges. There was the UTI that just wouldn't quit. Then there was Thanksgiving and WOW!!, now it's Christmas! Add to that a broken laptop and you have a recipe for total blog neglect. But I'm excited to be back and can't wait to show you my home decorated for Christmas.

I'll have the tour posted in a day or two. I'm still working on getting all the photos I want in the best light possible - it's tricky when you're gone all day and it's nearly dark when you get home. Plus, I have a furniture change taking place in my bedroom this weekend that I want to include in the tour. I have a few shots that are ready and I'll share a sneak peek with you tomorrow. For now, I'd just like to say Merry Christmas and I hope you and your family are having a great holiday season so far. Please join me tomorrow for the sneak peek and later for the full tour. Have an awesome day everybody!

Toodles,

Trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway and a Brush With Death!

Hey Y'all! Well, after a VERY rough week last week, I am finally feeling better. I returned to the living yesterday just in time to take a short day trip to the mountains with the Hub for our anniversary. It started out as quite the adventure, I must say. The Hub did his graduate work in Sports Medicine at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC and since we were headed up that way, he wanted to stop by the field house to check out their new weight room and say hello to a few people. Alumni are always welcome at ASU. But being Sunday, the field house was completely deserted. Much to the Hub's delight though, it was unlocked! We went inside and looked around for folks, but ended up just going out the back door to check out the football stadium. The Hub was SUPPOSED to stand there and hold the door while I took a look, but as soon as I turned the corner, I heard the door slam shut and his footsteps behind me. I asked him if we could get back in that door and he said "Probably not, but we'll just go out the gate on the side". The stadium looked great with the backdrop of gorgeous fall trees behind it. Just take a look...

Splendid, yes? Not so splendid however, was the fact that NONE of the gates were open and the place was locked up tighter than Ft. Knox! What were we going to do?! Not to worry - the Hub set off to figure a way out. For the half hour that I waited alone to be rescued, I sunned myself a little in the stands, admired the trees and enjoyed the cool mountain breeze, and drooled over this gorgeous hydrangea bush. Just look at this beauty! And the close-up is just yummy...

So eventually, the Hub shows up to let me back in the building. He takes me around to the front of the stadium to show me how he got out. This is where the brush with death comes in, in case you were wondering. He had to scale these fences and shimmy down a 30 foot drop to get out. Notice the spikes on top of the black fence? He said he questioned whether his footing was going to hold a couple of times, but he had to carry on so that he could rescue his damsel in distress (that's me). Check out how high this is...the picture doesn't even do it justice. Mostly because it's a really bad picture, mostly because we needed to high-tail it outta there!

Wouldn't that have been the BEST. ANNIVERSARY. EVER?!! The Hub in ICU and me in jail for trespassing? And larceny. Yes, I have a confession to make. Please don't let my indiscretion permanently cloud your opinion of me - I'm a good girl, I really am! You see, I just couldn't resist those enormous hydrangea blooms! They were gonna die on the bush anyway, and no one would miss them, it's not like I was in a National Park or anything, and I deserved a reward for my untimely incarceration didn't I? John couldn't believe I had snatched the blooms. He really couldn't help but laugh at me, but he was a little nervous as we walked out of the building and across the lot to the car. He was keeping a sharp eye out for campus security! My theory was - if we're going out, might as well go out in a blaze of glory, right? Okay, that's a little melodramatic - stolen hydrangeas do not equal a blaze of glory. It was a moment of weakness that I've already asked forgiveness for. It won't happen again. But look how pretty they look drying in this pitcher I got at the Goodwill for a dollar...

Now, on to the rest of our trip...the Wooly Worm Festival in Banner Elk sounded like fun, but get this - it cost $15 just to park. To PARK!!! So we spent a couple of hours riding on the Parkway - for FREE, no less! It was so crowded that we couldn't pull over at most of the overlooks, and I didn't feel quite like parking and walking a long way. I didn't get many pictures, but that was okay. It's difficult for me to capture that kind of beauty with a camera because I'm not as talented as my Dad, and sometimes I'd rather experience it moment to moment. I love how it takes your breath away as you round each curve and look out over the foothills. Here are a couple of the shots I did manage to get...

After the Parkway, we stopped at an antique place that was having a little outdoor market. Not much to see outside, but inside there were two booths with all kinds of antiques imported from France. Books from the late 18th century, old tins, exquisite enamelware that I would have loved to have had a piece of, linens, furniture - I was in heaven! All the things I love and would love to surround myself with in my own home. Sadly, the only thing I could afford were three bars of French lavender soap! I've learned that antiques brought from overseas are so expensive because of the cost in shipping them back to the States. If it doesn't fit in your suitcase, it will cost you a pretty penny to get it home! I bought a few inexpensive typography items when we were on our honeymoon that I didn't want to get squished on our way home, so I had them sent snail mail because it was the only method we could afford. We beat them home by several days and it cost way more than I paid for them to send them! At least I can come back to this shop anytime and dream, right? Then we were off to an early dinner at the Daniel Boone Inn. It's a family style restaurant where they bring bowls of home cooked food to your table and it is famous in these here parts! The line was long but it was so worth it. I haven't eaten much over the past week and I was starving. On the menu was fried chicken, country style steak, country ham biscuits, fried apples, corn, green beans, real mashed potatoes, cole slaw, gravy, more biscuits, strawberry shortcake, and banana pudding. I didn't even think about taking a picture of the food! That would have been so unfair to my poor readers though - my mouth is watering just thinking about it again. They bring you a little bit of everything to start and more of anything else you want. Man, that fried chicken was gooooood! So were the country ham biscuits. Oh, and the cherry preserves - mmm mmmm!! I was too full when we left, but it felt good to eat again. It was the perfect ending to a great day. I'll leave you with a few pics of the beautiful ferns and flowers on the porch of the Inn...

Happy Fall Y'all!

Toodles,

Feelin' Puny

Hey Y'all. I've been feelimg kind of puny for a couple of weeks now and couldn't quite put my finger on exactly why I didn't feel so hot. But I had craft shows to do, so I kept going, hoping I would get to feeling better. I've had Insulin Dependant Diabetes since I was a teenager, so I always try to be careful about getting sick. To make a long story short, two mornings of blood sugars near 400 and I knew I'd better get to the doctor. It turns out I have had a UTI, probably all this time. No symptoms except not feeling quite right and eventually my blood sugar tipped me off to an infection of some sort. The worst part though, has been the antibiotic. I have what's called Multiple Antibiotic Allergy Syndrome - they think it's an autoimmune response in the body just like Diabetes is. There are few antibiotics I can take that don't give me hives or cause full-blown anaphylaxis. That's not good for a diabetic. So for my problem, I was given an antibiotic that I'm not allergic to, but which makes me sick on my stomach. And when I say sick, I mean VERY sick. I've been laying around in bed a lot this week because getting up and moving around makes it worse. I did try to work a couple of half days, but just couldn't make it all day. I can work through pain and most other illnesses, but nausea makes me totally worthless and non-functional. Yesterday was the worst - on top of the nausea and vomiting, I was sweaty but freezing even though I didn't have a fever, and I couldn't stop shaking for like three hours. So I got on the horn to the doctor. They changed my antibiotic to something else that's not as strong and that I'll have to take for ten days instead of five. Today, I'm still fighting the nausea and the chills/sweating, but it's not as bad. I hope it's just the old antibiotic still working its way out of my system and that I don't have to feel like this for another week.

Anyway, here's been my silver lining...

Yes, it's Sir Howard Ducksworth of Yonder Winston-Salemshire (I did not make up that name - the Bub did, I swear),RN. The RN stands for Registered Nugget. He has barely left my side all week. Only to go outside with the Hub to play football for a little while in the evenings. He has snuggled with me when I've had chills, given me sweet little hugs (yes, my dog "hugs" me), and plenty of soft licks to let me know he's taking good care of me. His skills are quite impressive, I must say. But I'm ready for him to get back to his usual lack of responsibility and for me to be back on my feet. Fingers (and paws) crossed for the new antibiotic to be more gentle on my stomach!

Toodles,

I'm Still Here and Cat Labor Laws

Somebody's gotta keep an eye on quality.  I deserve a nap and a treat after my shift!

Hey Y'all! Did you think I forgot about you? I promise I haven't! I've just been so busy getting ready for the three day craft show we did this past weekend that I haven't had a whole lot of time. My kitty love, Fonzie, supervised all of my work - I think he's put himself in charge of quality control. His new nickname is "Inspector 12". He watched me paint for three solid hours - which makes me wonder, are there cat labor laws that I need to be observing? He seemed awfully tired afterwards and he only got to sleep 18 out of 24 hours that day. Poor baby! We sold a lot at the show we did the weekend before, so I had to get busy working on some new stuff for this show. It was pretty much a bust due to the cloudy, sprinkly weather. So, we didn't make a whole lot of money, but we were set up right next to my Dad and that was fun. I love to hear people gush over my Dad's photography. He's so talented and it just makes me proud!

We have one more show and it's not until mid-November, so I have a little bit of a break. Tomorrow is mine and the Hub's anniversary and we're planning to take a day trip to the mountains to see the leaves and drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday. I'm so excited! His football schedule is going to make it hard to do anything for our anniversay from now on, so I'm glad he's managed to get one day off. But I do have to get lots of Christmas stuff made for the next show, so I'll be back at work crafting and creating after this weekend. First though, I have to get my house cleaned up and put back together this week, so I'm taking a couple of days off work later in the week. I make a *little* bit of a mess when I'm frantically crafting before a show and my house is a DISASTER. Laundry everywhere, mail piled up, just clutter, clutter, clutter (and plenty of dirt too)! I'm sure Inspector 12 will be right behind me doing the white glove test. But it should also give me the chance to finally get some things posted here that I've been wanting to share or if I'm too tired, maybe Fonz can post an inspection update.

I hope everybody has a great, productive week!

Toodles,

$3 Chair Makeover



Check out this CUTIE!



Hey Y'all!  I hope everybody had a great weekend despite the super hot weather.  I had a great time at the Asheboro Fall Festival where we set up our craft booth on Saturday and Sunday.  We had a very successful show and sold so much of our stuff that we will be scrambling to get together enough items to sell next weekend!  But I guess that's a great problem to have, right?

I was so excited to take this little chair to the sale.  It is adorable and I only paid $3.00 for it at the Goodwill.  Yes, $3.00!  And it was in perfect condition too considering it's very old.  I snatched that baby up in about one second people!  All it needed was a little cleaning and some paint.  Of course, I forgot to take a before picture - I have GOT to remember to do that from now on!!  But it was just your basic brown stain color.  I used some regular flat paint that I got at Lowe's on this chair.  The color was called Milk Paint and it's a creamy white.  Then I taped off some grainsack stripes and painted them a light bluish-green.  After all was dry, I distressed the chair with a sanding block and coated the whole chair with Miss Mustard Seed's dark antiquing wax.  I'm really proud of how it turned out.

But even at my low, low price, it didn't sell.  I only had one person ask about it and they thought $25 was too much.  That's alright though - there's always next weekend at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market Fall Craft Show.  It's a three day show and I know someone will come along who will appreciate the age of the piece and the hard it work it took to get it looking so darn cute!  What do y'all think of my chair re-do?  Worth $25 or no?  Let me know what you think in the comments and thanks for stopping by to take a look!

Toodles,

My Crazy Week

Hey Y'all! This week has been the week from you-know-where. Yes, h-e-DOUBLE hockey sticks, my friends. Work has been especially stressful due to some employee vacations and end of the month deadlines, as well as having to deal with an unruly Russian doctor who has taken over one of our office spaces. She's made my life miserable. And add to that: two arguments with the Hub about Obamacare and just dealing with his general foul mood lately. But, we're all entiled to be in foul moods sometimes, right? So we've agreed to disagree about Obamacare and are moving on from that. I'm also getting ready for a big two-day craft show in Asheboro, NC this weekend and was rushing around last night getting things ready when I seriously suh-liced my finger wide open on a Swiss army knife. Blood everywhere. Me worried about infection. This was at 11pm and the Hub was already in bed. Rather than go to the ER, we steri-stripped it and hoped for the best. That sucker throbbed all night long and is SUPER sore today. That's going to slow me down setting up our booth tonight, I'm sure. I'm tired of this week and am ready for a new one!

Like I said, the show is big this weekend. There's a street festival in Asheboro that's in it's 41st year and we're really excited to be a part of it for the first time. Our last two shows have been major busts, so please keep your fingers crossed that we do well. I'll have lots of pictures next week since I've made a few last minute things for this show - a really cool chair/stool painted in a grainsack pattern and an adorable little table with a honey bee stencil that I can't wait to show you! So wish me luck and definitely come out and see me in downtown Asheboro if you're in the area.

Toodles,

Autumn Chalkboard

We did some rearranging at our house this weekend.  And when I say some, I mean A LOT.  My whole house is upside down even though I worked until I collapsed at 10pm last night.  We had to move everything out of the Bub's room and the spare bedroom, which means most everything temporarily ended up in our bedroom or in the hall and kitchen.  It felt good to work that hard, but I was really exhausted when I went to bed.  And I only had a little time to do anything creative.  I made this chalkboard Saturday from a post I saw on another blog.  I love the quote and tried to make mine look as beautiful as the one I saw.



It turned out pretty close to the one I saw.  I need very sharp chalk to do really detailed lettering and I didn't have any, so I did the best I could with regular chalk.  I kinda like it, especially in that beautiful old frame.




And here it is on the table in the entryway.  It needs a little something else...maybe a burlap runner?

So, that's all I have for you today. Oh, I did get my fall mantle done and I'll show you that later this week when I hope to post my completed LR re-do. I just have to finish my pillows and the LR will finally be done! I'm determined to get it done before my back to back craft shows coming up.

Today, I'm linking up this post to Savvy Southern Style and to a linky party at http://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/get-your-diy-on-chalkboard-projects-features/ and http://www.thehankfulhouse.com/
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/
http://www.ellaclaireinspired.com/

Toodles, 

Total Change Of Plans and My Most Unattractive Character Flaw

Hey Y'all! For those of you who don't know me, I'm a HUGE planner and list-maker. My personality demands that everything in my life be organized and planned out. Sometimes I dislike that trait, other times it really pays off. But when a wrench is thrown into my "plans", it just completely throws me off course and I lose my motivation. If I can't get things done when I want them done, sometimes I just say forget it. I know, it's a serious character flaw. I'm working on it, I swear. I've had big plans for the spare bedroom since I moved my craft operation to the garage and have been working on it a little at a time. Now that it's getting closer to completion, the Bub informs me yesterday that he would like to move his bedroom to the spare bedroom because it's bigger and he can turn it into more of a "man cave". The Hub thinks this is a good idea as well. So, since it's hard to say no to my baby, I said okay. It's not like he's asking for anything material - just a little more space to spread his manliness. So everything is on hold until Sunday when both of my guys will be home to get his loft bed taken down and moved into the spare bedroom. Of course, the carpet will need to be cleaned in his room before I move the guest bed in there. I'm sure there's plenty of teenage boy funk on the floor!

Another change of plans happened yesterday as well. My day off was interrupted by a long work meeting in the middle of the day that lasted three hours. It was tedious and boring and just drained me of my motivation to do what I had planned to do. So I didn't get anything done in my craft area. Not one single thing. I did some cleaning in the house, took a nap, and cooked supper. That was all I could muster. And decorating for Fall - that's a whole 'nother issue. I have had shoulder surgery and try not to lift anything super heavy unless I absolutely have to. I've asked the Hub several times now to bring in my decorations from the barn and I still don't have them, so it looks like I'll absolutely have to do it myself. Since I'm giving the Bub the bigger room, I bet he'll make time to help me before he gets deep into his homework.

Like I said before, I'll start to lose my motivation if things I need to do or finish pile up and I get overwhelmed. Sometimes I have so much stuff to do that I just take a nap instead like I did yesterday. I need my house back in order and decorated for the season so I can relax. Does anyone else have this problem? Maybe I should start an online support group for the motivationally challenged and see how many people sign up. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right people?

Toodles,

Last Minute Post

I had a little free time this afternoon, so I thought I'd introduce all of my pets to you. Yes, we have a miniature zoo in our house, but what the heck, the more the merrier, right? You've all heard about Ducky, that little rascal, but the others are characters too. So, without further adieu...




Y'all remember Ducky, yes?



Here he is on his first trip to the beach last Thanksgiving.  At dinner, he said he was thankful for birds to chase and waves to catch.

This is Daisy hanging close on the porch with Mama.  She's a pound puppy.  The adoption fee was $107 and I had exactly $107 in cash in my purse, so it was totally meant to be.  She's been a great dog and she and Ducky adore each other.



Look at that funny little face.  Daisy Dooks!



Watching election night coverage with Mama.  Daisy's a Republican and she wasn't as happy with the results as Mama was.



This is Fonzie, aka Fat Louie.  He just luuuuuvs it when Mama holds him hostage on her lap.  We'v had him since the Bub was four years old - he was a birthday gift. He gets along with everyone in the house and loves to hang out with us when we're taking showers. Definitely everybody's favorite because he's floofy, soft, and sweet.



Dooks and Fat Lou - "May we help you?"

This is Bean, aka Beanie Bagga Donuts.  She is a grouchy little thing and has a pretty bad attitude with almost everyone in the house except for Daisy.  She does have sweet moments, but they are not a daily occurence.  We love her anyway though!

She is definitely the Bub's girl.  He can do just about anything to her and she's okay with it.  He has the magic touch. But that look on her face - I can't quite tell what it is. It's either "I love you sooo much" or "I'm gonna kill you in your sleep".

And last, but not least, this is Ginger.  We call her G-Money because she came from the mean streets of Ardmore Farms (our neighborhood).  She is blind in one eye and has tons of street cred.  Tiny for her age of seven years, she packs a mean punch.  Just ask Daisy - she's terrified of her!  She pretty much lives under our bed, ready to pounce at anyone who enters her territory.

But with us, she's super sweet and loving.  When I'm curled up in a chair or in bed, she has to be right up in my face, as close as she can get, so that I can't breathe.  She's my baby girl for sure.

That's a lot of pets, you say? It is, but they bring so much joy and laughter to our home that we just don't know what we'd do without them. I think the Bub might have a hard time when he goes off to college. It will be the first time he's ever lived without a pet in his whole life. That just means he'll have to coe home more though, so I'm okay with that! Besides, they say people with pets have lower blood pressure and live longer. I've got to get a cat for my Mom and Dad!Tell me about your pets and what they mean to you in the comments - I'd love to hear all about them.

Toodles,

Halloween Pretties and I'm Famous!!!

Just kidding. Not really "famous", okay? But I've had one of my posts featured for the first time on another blog! Abby at Just A Girl And Her Blog included my owl wreath in her "Get Your DIY On" linky party. She chose it as one of her favorite submissions and I'm just super excited about it, so go check it out! And people please, no autographs. ;)

The craft show was kind of a bust on Saturday. It was rainy and dreary, which is never good even if the show's inside, and the show was in a new location this year. Maybe people just didn't know about it, who knows? But I did make a whopping $53.00 and I'm gonna try not to spend it all in one place. The owl wreath that I made to sell was the first thing I sold, so I think those cuties were a hit. I actually sold ALL of the owl items that I had. So now I'm on the hunt for more owls... We had a lot of new Halloween items that are really cute too and I took some pictures to share.



A gorgeous wreath that my partner made and some really cute witch pictures.  And, of course, a snowman for good measure!



A giant bowl for Halloween candy and some darling Halloween garlands.  Creepy hand was just for effect - not for sale!

A feathery crow wreath and my Boo! owl.  A sweet little girl got the owl to hang on her front door!

Spooky crow on a stand.  Cute and creepy at the same time!



The skull looks like a monkey - his teeth are weird.  The creepy crow again and some bottles of poison and witches brew.



A fall platter that I stenciled and a few other fall things.



More bottles of poison and witches brew and a sparkly poison sign.  Poison goes down easier with a little bling, ya know!

Well, the good thing about not selling a lot at Saturday's show is that I don't have to break my neck trying to make more stuff for the next show! I have two weeks to do a little at a time - whatever creative idea hits me. My craft space in the garage looks like a tornado tore through it, so that's what I'll be working on tomorrow on my day off. If I get brave, I'll post some "before" pictures so you can see what a slob I am when I'm getting ready for a show! On second thought, every girl always needs to keep an air of mystery about her, so maybe I'll just post the "after" shots. Have a great day everybody and stay happy!

Toodles,

Beautiful Fall Wreath and Upcoming Craft Show

Hey Y'all! Hope everybody is having a great day. I sure am and I had a great day yesterday too - I got a lot done on my day off. I worked just a little in the spare bedroom. There's not much else I can do until I get some furniture moved out. Note to self: don't plan projects that involve heavy lifting during football season. My guys are either exhausted and asleep or gone to practices, games, or competitions this time of year. One thing I accomplished was not all that pleasant, but it HAD to be done. I cleaned out my fridge. Did you know that lettuce turns to liquid when left in the crisper too long? Well, it does and it is GROSS! But the best thing I did yesterday was make this beautiful Fall wreath for my front door...


Remember these tacky little fellas that I got for 50 cents? First, I painted them with orange glitter spray paint. That stuff worked great and covered really well.

Then I made a small burlap wreath using a wire wreath form. It was really easy and only took maybe 5-10 minutes. I chose some pretty fall floral picks and glittery leaves to add to the wreath. And I made a bow out of some of the burlap - I love how the ends naturally curl up. I didn't attach anything permanently so I can change out things for each season and use the wreath over and over. How's that for thrifty?

Here's a close up view of the owl. I just love him - I think he turned out really cute! The Hub was pretty impressed too. He thought I was crazy for buying those tacky plastic owls. But never fear, dear Hubby, I always have a plan! And this plan turned out pretty fantastic, don't ya think?

So, what about the other owl, you ask? I'm making another wreath almost exactly like this one and it will be for sale at the craft show I'm doing this weekend. If you're going to be near Kernersville, NC on Saturday, I'll be at the Kernersville Klassic Kraft and Kar Show. It's from 9am til 2pm and will be located at 365 West Bodenhamer Street. Please come by and see me if you get the chance - there will be cars for the dudes and crafts for the ladies! Fun times for all!
Today I'm linking this post to:
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/
http://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/get-your-diy-on-week-2/
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/
http://www.ellaclaireinspired.com/

Toodles,

Spare Bedroom Progress

Hey y'all! So...what do you think about the new look for my page? Do you love it? I certainly do! I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. I never could have done it by myself, so many thanks are due to my new friend Casey at hotbliggityblog.com! If you have a blog and are thinking about fancying up your page or are ready to start a blog, Casey is great to work with and she's the real deal. I mean, just LOOK at my page!

So, I promised y'all a look at my spare bedroom. I got a pretty good start on it yesterday, but my two muscle men were both gone most of the day, so I didn't get it all done - I needed some help with some heavy pieces of furniture. Normally, I would just bite the bullet and move it all myself, but I have a sprained wrist that I've been dealing with for a few weeks and I really need it to get better. So, I wait. But here are a few pictures of what I got done - a sneak peek!

I got the curtains hung and I love this pattern. It breaks up all the tan in this room and makes a good accent color.

I love the smell of lavender and this bunch will go on the bedside table. The little Eiffel Tower was purchased on our honeymoon and will go somewhere special in the room.

I painted and distressed this small cabinet to go in this room. Just a little pop of white to brighten things up!

Here's a close up view of the pillows on the bed. I got all of these for $6.00 at a consignment shop and have been saving them for this room. They look pinkish in this picture and I'm not sure why, but they're really more of a burlap color.

And here's the new bed. We got a twin size to save on space and because the only people who will probably sleep in it will be our niece and nephew.  Of course, Ginger had to check it out and do her final inspection.  I'm assuming it was approved since she slept on it all afternoon!  It's still a work in progress - I don't like the bed pillows showing, so I think I'll get a couple of white European pillows to go behind the decorative ones and I need to find a pretty white bedskirt too. The quilt was a bargain at only $20.00.

It's not quite finished, but it's getting there. I always have such BIG plans to get so much done on the weekends, but you know what they say about the best laid plans...I'll have better pictures for the final reveal - I took these at night and just couldn't get the setting right. I want to hurry and get all of my projects finished so I can really enjoy Fall, my most favorite time of the year, which is way too short in my opinion!

Have a great Monday everybody and I'll see you soon!

Toodles,

Fancy New Look To My Blog!

The beautiful new look to my page will be up any time now, so things will look very different and much more "professional"!!! I'm so excited, so please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. If it's not up when you read this post, please check back and give it a look! Have a great day!

Toodles,

Nine Eleven - The Saddest Part

A day none of us will ever forget and will always treat with reverance. Such a beautiful September morning. I still feel like I can't breathe when I think back to that day and what it felt like to watch it unfold in real time. My sister was getting ready to board a plane that morning and I was in a panic to get to her when I saw the second plane hit the towers and knew this wasn't just an accident. Thank goodness all flights were grounded before hers took off. I remember being afraid that the attacks were just going to keep coming. I was glued to the TV all day, which was difficult, because I didn't want my four year-old to see what was going on or to see me crying or feel my fear. I couldn't sleep that night because I was waiting for reports that many survivors had been found under the rubble at Ground Zero. But there were only a few. I was haunted by the images of New Yorkers covered in ash walking like ghosts away from the destruction. Those pictures still make me shudder.

But for me personally, what was so sad about that day, is that in one terrifying instant I realized that my son would never know a world without the very real fear of terrorism here on our soil. The "new normal". As a child, I knew terrorism existed, but not here. Not in my country - not in the greatest city in the world or in our capital city or in a field in the middle of nowhere. In my childhood innocence, I thought the United States was the greatest on Earth and that most everyone respected and appreciated us. I didn't have any reason to think otherwise. But children who are old enough to remember 9/11 won't have that luxury. Today's children will grow up in and raise their children in a world filled with increased security measures, terrorist chatter, and periodic warnings about heightened levels of concern. And they will always have the knowledge that there are people out there who truly hate us and want to hurt us. I guess if that's your normal, it's not that difficult to accept. But it still makes me really sad. President Obama stated very eloquently this morning, "Today, we can honor those we lost by building a nation worthy of their memories." Wouldn't it be wonderful if our nation was always as united as we were in the days and weeks following 9/11? That was a lovely feeling in the midst of all the anger and grief. We should strive for that everyday.

In Loving Memory,

I'll Choose To Be Thankful

Gorgeous shade trees. 82 degrees. A light breeze and low humidity. Saturday was a perfect day for a sale...or so you would think. Although it was a lovely day to be outside, it turned out to be a rotten day to sell. I made $35.00. Now, I'm not complaining - that's $35.00 more than I had when I started, right? These sales are pretty much a crap shoot - you never truly know what to expect. You might make $5.00, you might make $500.00. I'm seriously looking forward to the day when I make $500.00! This time nobody was buying anything, at all, from anybody. People weren't even really looking, which is unusual. Anyway, the space was free and we got free lunch, so that was a plus. But setting up a tent and all of our wares, then trying to sell for hours is a lot of hard work. It's really discouraging when you don't sell much, but there were some people who didn't sell anything at all. So I'll choose to be thankful for what I did sell and hope for better luck next time.

I took some pictures of our booth, showing the types of things we make and sell. We didn't bring all of our best stuff or very many Fall items - we're saving those for bigger sales coming up. But here's a little peek...




This is one of our disply tables.  It shows a good variety of the types of things we make.



Another small display table.




Another display table.  This table held all of our chalkboard trays - these are very popular.

 

We sell a lot of empty frames.  These are all white shabby chic style.



More shabby chic frames.



Beautiful decoupaged bird bowl.



Love that big pineapple.





A chalk/pegboard made from an old window and a giant fork and spoon.

 

Burlap utensil display.



Blue utensil display.





Paris tray, trophy cup, and tiny chalkboard tray.

 

Gold chalkboard.  Cute kitty, you say?  It's the ONLY thing I can draw!

Burlap magnet board.

Chicken wire memo boards/jewelry holders.

At our next show, we'll have lots of Fall and Halloween items. My FAVORITE time of year. I'll post info about the sale when it gets closer - it's still a couple of weeks away. In the meantime, I have to get really busy making things for Christmas. Santas and sleighs and snowmen, oh my! Thanks for stopping by - I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed reading about mine.

Toodles,
Marie