What's new....

Hello all!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  We have been busy with family in town and just working which is always good... and I do mean that!  I guess the most exciting thing that is new is this:

Yes, that is my Mr.  He went to the BBC headquarters in NYC and chalked up 2 huge chalkboards for their kitchen area.  He had a great time and was able to do a little sightseeing.  For some odd reason, he forgot to put in the contract that his wife would get to travel to the real Downton Abbey... or at least get Season 3 before it was released here.  Oh well... he did bring me back a sweet gift and some macarons.  

Anyhoo.... while the Mr was away, the baby and I stayed busy, but I managed to take off a whole day to take him to some appointments and we had a movie date as well.  I also managed to finish a few small at home projects.  

I have been making shades in linen and burlap for awhile now, but I decided to add a little more to this one, so I made some little rosettes.  Some of these will be in the shoppe very, very soon!

I also made a new pillow for the sofa... just something simple that I worked on while cursing the thunderstorm that made the Mr. get home 2 hours later than he was supposed to... I may have missed him a little *wink*

Before he left, he found me this HUGE vintage McCoy pot in this great color!  I have never seen a McCoy this big!  I like smelling gardenias when I walk in and out of the house, so I found this *perfect* specimen at our Home Depot.  Seriously.... it is pretty dinky.  Then, I went to another Home Depot and found a different species, but it still had a great heavenly smell 

That's more like it! We took the day off Thursday to have a little family time and ended up treasure hunting and came home with this little number...

...in original, perfectly chippy yellow paint.  And, some lucky girl is taking this sweetie home with her this week!  

I hope to have new shoppe photos this week... I have been really slacking in taking photos lately.  I seriously have been painting like crazy for clients and a new little venture that I will spill more about later.  Plus, I have been making nap mats and getting stuff ready for baby hughes to go to preschool next week *sniff, sniff*  I am not sure what I will do without my sidekick for a couple of days a week.

Anyhow, what's new with you?!?

off to buy more paint!

bye for now~


oh, I almost forgot... those of you who read my Facebook feeds may have already seen this, but Country Living asked me where I wanted to go in my home state this summer (slide 42)

Long time, No Post

hello there!  I have been so bad with posting and taking photos, but that is summertime for you, even if it isn't officially here.  We have been busy.busy.busy here... more on that later... lots of fun and exciting stuff!  We are living it up a bit before the hyena starts preschool... I signed him up for a summer session.  Anyone that has met him knows that he doesn't need the social interaction *wink*  But, we want him to be ready for kindergarten when it comes... either in one or 2 years... he has an August birthday and is pretty wild!

One of the things I managed to finish was framing my sampler.  I have since added some other things to this wall.

I painted the frame a really pale grey and I am pleased with how it turned out.  I have since done a few more embroidery projects... I will share those soon!

I have been working on this room.  I think I have the Mr convinced to get rid of this sofa and move the one from downstairs and recover it.  In what, I don't know.  Don't hate, but I really don't want a white slipcovered sofa.  Even if you can wash it, it just isn't me.  I am thinking something tweedy or velvet.... the sofa upstairs has great lines and if it didn't have some fading and a few holes from a certain beloved puppy chewing on a knife on the sofa (a very, very long time ago,) then it would be perfect, color and all.  So, if any of you have a non white sofa, please link to it in the comments!  I would love to check it out!!

We also hung up a piece of really chippy picture rail and I ordered some hooks.  Now, I can't decide if I want the frames empty or not.... hmmm.... decisions...

I do love how light the living room is looking with the lighter paint and a few white pieces of furniture.  I want to change the coffee table up  and I still have my green modern-ish chairs.  I thought they sold, but some Craigslist people no- showed.  I also changed out the black shade to a new design of mine that I made the other night.  See... even if I haven't been blogging, I have been busy!

And, I relocated the silhouettes upstairs and the Mr. even commented that he loved them on the wall color upstairs.  Okay, enough about me, how have YOU been?

Promise to share some fun surprises very soonly (baby hughes' new word... don't you dare correct him!)

bye for now~

6 Months

Hello all!  This weekend marks the shoppe being 6 months old!  I can't believe my little dream has been open for 6 months.  It has been hard work, but a lot of fun.  Only a few tears have been shed, and often that is when I drop a piece of furniture on my toe or get a splinter under my nail (still there... not sure how to get it out!)  Anyhow,  all of it wouldn't be possible without all the local and virtual support we get everyday!  So, as a little Thank You, we are offering 15% off any in store item.

And, during this weekend, if you see something in my etsy shoppe, just let me know and I will give you 15% off of that as well... I have yet to look at the coupon codes.  

Thanks for all your wonderful support.  It has taken baby steps to get here, but I am so glad we did!

bye for now~

The Table that Needed It...

Hello and happy Thursday!!  The best day of the week!  I am off to the shoppe in just a bit, but I thought I would show you a piece that I just finished for the house.  Here is what it looked like before.... 

Can you see it... it is also before I knew how to make my photos larger, heehee!  Anyhow, it looked nice with its original black finish, but that was before the accidents with fabric glue and the scrubbing pad to get off said fabric glue.  We use this table quite a bit.  There is usually stuff all over it.  So, I had taken to covering it up with a table cloth.  Then I got a wild hair to paint it my Vintage Map. (edited to add... Vintage Map is a color from my Favorite Colors pallet and it is custom :)  I do use all Benjamin Moore paints though.  They may have one named Vintage Map, but I have never checked.  It is a pale, pale aqua.)

And, it brightened up the whole space!  I have been changing quite a few things up downstairs and this is a fresh little change.  I still love the black finish that was on it, but it needed to be painted.  And, if I am going to paint something, I want to see a change.

The table isn't even old.  I think we bought it at Target about 6 years ago.  But, from what I can tell, it is a solid wood piece.  I have even toyed around with the idea of painting it seasonally... sort of like how JCrew repaints their windows every time they change them.  The Mr. probably wouldn't like me rolling it out on the deck to work on it every few months.  I still love my metal navy chair knockoffs (Kmart yeeeaarrrsss ago) but I am wondering if I would like something different.  They are a breeze to clean though!

Okay, I am off to go clip some more peonies to take to the shoppe with us today!  My bushes have been on fire!!  Sure beats having to drive 30 minutes to a store that carries them.

Oh, and a quick question for all you people who know what you are doing out in the garden... am I right to think that if I move 2 of my peony plants this fall they won't produce next year?  They are being crowded where they are now and I would rather not have to dig up 2 evergreen bushes to give them room.

Be back soon... I framed my sampler!

bye for now~

The Powder Room~

Hello all!  Thanks so much for all your kind words on my sampler.  I had so much fun doing it.  Now I am just trying to find the perfect frame for it.  I mentioned in that post that I redid my powder room that didn't really need to be redone.  I just wanted a different look.  And, when the Mr. found this sign across the street from the shoppe, the wheels began spinning...

I had been drooling over Deborah's bathroom for some time and had collected a few beachy photographs, but I wasn't sure I really wanted a "themed" room.  The Mr. had a Hawaii themed bathroom when we were dating.  It was a little much *wink* He isn't really sure why I can create a beachy bathroom, but not be cool with the leis and grass skirts.  

My powder room has terrible lighting and since I don't know how to use a camera, these will be the best photos you get!  Last week, I came home with this vintage swim dress and finally started pulling all the pieces together.  

I kept the wall color and the little smokestand and just changed out wall art and accessories.

I actually have to credit the Mr. with finding al the stuff in here... I just pulled it together!  The little wood and glass box was something he found that I just couldn't sell.  And he bid on these great vintage photos taken at Brighton Beach around 1911.  

I wish these were my relatives!  Look at how much fun they were having!  I am a little obsessed with the girl in the middle.

I just added some bottles that I have had around the house and some seashells from our honeymoon and beach trips.

I love the vintage swim dresses on these ladies.  All I need now is a flowery swim cap!

We have an exciting weekend ahead of us.  My little sister is graduating with a degree in Nursing!  So, the baby and I are going to celebrate with her this weekend while the Mr. holds down the fort. Plus, it is her birthday too!!  I will be back next week to show you my table that needed painting!  And, if I get around to take some shoppe photos I will share those as well!

bye for now~