Notions

This little white box by Melissa Frances has been stashed in my future projects drawer for several months. Unsure at the moment on what exactly I want to do with the outside I just started from the inside out. I started by papering the bottoms of each little compartment with vintage wallpaper and papers from one of the new K & Company lines. The new papers are so faded and pretty it's hard to tell which is which. Once I had the compartments all papered I began making my notions to store inside. If anybody knows of a punch that punches a floss card shape could you let me know? I traced mine and cut them out and then wound my favorite and most used colors around each one.

Here is the unfinished exterior in case you're unfamiliar with what this box looks like. The resin floral wreath on top is also MF and it's just plopped on top for now. I plan to watercolor it and adhere it once I move on to the outside.



Here's a picture of the bottom drawer with nice long compartments perfect for embellished stick pins.



And the top drawer that I haven't filled yet.



Tomorrow my daughter and I are going to Fresno with my sister and her husband to visit my brother-in-laws family. I'm excited to get out of town for a bit. Saturday we're going to shop Old Town Clovis, which is blocks and blocks of antique malls and shops. I'm bringing my camera so I'll snap a few pics while I'm there. Sunday I have a date in the kitchen with Mama Rosa who will be introducing me to the art of mexican cooking. I plan to come home packed down with a trunk full of junking finds and enchiladas!

Blingy Birdy

Remember my bird cage I mentioned a few posts ago? I found the perfect birdy for it and the best part is it requires no attention or upkeep from me! Like her?

Inspiration Board

This was an extraordinarily busy week for me so I never quite made it to my table to work on new projects but I did take some time to pin up a bunch of my favorite items on my inspiration board. These are things I've made, things I've made in classes, gifts from friends and bits of ephemera that I love.



I'm always on the lookout for pretty storage. I found these great boxes at Home Goods. I also found the little metal basket that was perfect for spools of thread. When I bought it it was a mustard yellow but I brought it home and shot it down with my favorite hammered metal spray paint.



My son just came in with two big bags of lemons from the neighbor. The littles are napping so we're going to make some lemonade. My neighbor always laughs when I tell her she's got the best lemons in town, lol. She's got a lemon tree next to an orange tree and we think they've grafted. I've lost quite a bit of tooth enamel to that tree.

I have been wanting to make some jewelry lately so I've gathered up all my old pieces and purchased some new. Pieces will be available at my home studio classes. March's home studio class is sold out by the way, thank you ladies!

Enjoy today.

And So It Goes

I hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day. I took Thursday and Friday off of work to hook up with Monday so I've been enjoying an extra, extra long weekend. Thursday I ran some errands and took myself to Anthropologie. It was a very fruitful visit, I bought a gorgeous plum colored dress, a violet colored sweater, spice jars numbered 1-5 and a sweet little tea towel all for under a $100.00. THAT's never happened before!

Friday I spent some time with the kids playing and napping and that evening we took them to the drive-in to see Tooth Fairy and Percy Jackson. When the hubs got home from work I had the kids bathed, in their pajambo's with pillows and a quilt in the trunk. I thought it was great that all 5 of us saw two movies for $14.50 but what I really enjoyed was how comfy we all were tucked in to the front seat of my Yukon with the smell of Baby Magic in the air. Such good times.

Saturday we ran here and there and played some cards and that evening my sisters and I went to a Billy Joel & Elton John concert. It was great. You know how it is when you go to a concert, you have one or two songs you hope they'll sing. For me it was Uptown Girl & And So It Goes by Billy Joel. It was getting danger close to the end of the concert and he didn't sing either, until his encore. He ended with Uptown Girl. I didn't expect it at all but my eyes instantly got misty as soon as it started and my mind took me back to a brownie meeting where Lori Moran asked us if we wanted to hear the new tape she had gotten for her birthday and I heard the song for the first time. That was almost 30 years ago. I just don't know where the time has gone! He didn't sing And So It Goes but at that point I was so sentimental I probably would have really started tearing up.

Today we celebrated Valentine's Day by taking the kids to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. It was such a beautiful day with sunshine we haven't seen in quite awhile. Tomorrow is our 13th anniversary. We're both off so we might go to SF for the day.

Since I don't have to get up early tomorrow I think I'll spend some time at my work table and see what I can start on. I'm kind of between projects right now so we'll just see where the night takes me.

I Knew I'd Love Them

I realized I hadn't shared a picture of my inspiration board and chalk/magnetic board I posted about a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE them. They are on the wall opposite my dressers & cubbies. The room needed something dark, something to balance out all the cream and soft colors. {I know, I need to iron the burlap pockets, it's bugging me too}.

I had some dark baskets in the closet that I swapped out in a few of the cubbies to sprinkle some of the dark color to that side of the room.



I'm crazy about this little Valentines box that I received from a special friend. A friend that is very kind. A friend that I always enjoy visiting with.



I had several emails about my post earlier this week when I mentioned a camping/art weekend. I will very likely be picking a weekend in June {before kids are out of school, graduations, etc.}. I'll announce a date soon and get a head count. Maybe my friend Valerie will organize a fun swap of some sort. And if she wants to go too maybe my friend Connie F. will fix us up with a pretty make n' take. I can smell the BBQ and see the sun sparkling on my scissors as I type....

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A Sweet Picture For You Today...

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A Great Find

Sometimes there's nothing like the real deal but other times a good reproduction is just dandy. I found this french bathing rack in my current Pottery Barn catalog for just $60. It comes with a hook that it hangs from because it doesn't sit flush against the wall. I thought it would be perfect for over my bathtub in my master. Like it?

I always enjoyed the cold weather {cold for us in CA is when it drops below 50 degrees} but this year summer can't get here soon enough for me. As soon as the rain passes and it gets just a tiny bit warmer we're off to go camping. I love to sit by the campfire, day or night, and watch the kids play, work on some small craft or make meals with my Mom. I'm thinking of renting some cabins this summer, making some menus and inviting some friends to go away for an art weekend get-a-way. It's wonderful to sit at a picnic table with a pretty tablecloth and create with a soft breeze and the smell of a roaring fire. Anybody want in?

I'd better run. My 4 year old just asked me if I'd get his security pillowcase out of the freezer for him. He mentioned a long time ago that he likes it when it's cold. My Mom, accomodating Grandma that she is, decided to keep the one at her house in the freezer for him when he stays over. Of course now it requires me to do the same if I want to keep up. When I give it to him he puts it over his face and laughs hysterically, it's too funny.

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