The Talented Mr. Hughes

Happy weekend!  Just popping in super quick in between projects to show you something that my Mr. completed last night... this chalk art is keeping him pretty busy.  I commissioned one for baby hughes' big boy room... I will show you that one once that room is finished... but for now this:

He is also participating in the Franklin Art Crawl at Scarlett Scales' shop on November 4th from 6-9 pm.  So, if you are local, come by and see his latest work.  If you aren't local, you can visit his etsy shop.

Is is shameless self promotion if you are promoting your honey? *wink*

Okay, I am finishing up the curtains for the big boy bedroom.  It is almost finished!!

bye for now!

Sort of Spooky

hello there!  Halloween is almost here and I have a little confession about it...while I love dressing up my boy and buying pumpkins, I don't like the really scary decorations.  I barely decorate for it at all... just pumpkins.  It irks me when I walk by something with my 3 year old and all the sudden some half decayed looking monster type thing screams at him.  Not cool.  I like the not so spooky side of Halloween.  So, this weekend the Mr. took out some sort of spooky, sort of moody things for the booth.

This is the Annabel, one of my moste favourite pieces (I thought those spellings were a little spooky)

she is sold *smiles*

Now, I almost always.. okay, always... briefly daydream about keeping every piece, but this one, well, she really almost stayed here.

Now, Mr. Hughes sort of has a thing for ancestry and doesn't mind going through grave yards, taking photos of cool, old stones and gates... he took out his Poe inspired chalk art for a little photo shoot.  We both love Poe.  The Mr. agrees with me about the make you jump decorations.  I want baby hughes to have fun, but not be scared.  To me being scared does not equal fun... being thrilled, like on a roller coaster is fun for me... but being so scared of something you saw that you can't sleep... not fun

So, how do you feel about scary stuff?  Are you into really scary stuff or just sort of spooky or not at all?  

Okay, the dishes are a'callin'

bye for now!

A Vintage Junky Christmas 2010

Hello all!  Hope you had a very wonderful weekend!  We stayed in for the most part... the festival we were going to got rained out.  And then it SNOWED!

In fact, I am home today.... snow in Tennessee + no salt trucks + idiot drivers = Mommy at home. So I thought I would show what our house looks like with all the Christmasness (I kindly decided NOT to show you the two mountainous baskets of laundry waiting on me.)  So, grab some cocoa and sit down... this a full of pictures post.

The back of our front door... I ordered the mini boxwood wreaths from Garnet Hill.  They are preserved so hopefully they will hold up a bit better than the ones that I made last year.  My kissing ball that I have had for 3 years, didn't make it this year.   

I found these fun cards after some sweetie sent me (I mean, baby hughes) one tied to an owl.  Then I saw them on etsy here. I hole punched them and strung them to some baker's twine.  I love baker's twine!

I decided to make a few snow globes this year... I couldn't find glycerine to add to the water to make it thicker... so I had to use baby oil and mineral oil. An expensive little project, but it fulfilled this little part inside of me that loves miniature stuff in jars... terrariums... snow globes.... 

I found the the instructions by Martha here.   I may make some more if I can find some jars to fit these other deer I have.  A word of advice... make sure the jar top is threaded.  I had a top that screwed on and off on another, but it wasn't threaded so it is leaking a bit.

The dining room... I sort of went crazy with my circle punch... jumbo confetti!!!  I am not sure how much longer it will last, it sure is festive and fun for chubby little hands.  Oh, and you can see that I finally decided to go WITH the grosgrain ribbon trim.... I think it is just more me.

We (I begged) decided to get a small tree too... I loved our table top tree last year and the drum that covered the base, so I decided that we should do two.

Jumbo confetti runner with one of my favorite mercury glass pieces filled with vintage light bulbs...

don't get me started on these new LED lights.  I don't like them. One bit.  And we try to live green.... but I still want twinkle lights and griswalds.

A piece from the booth that hasn't sold yet... no matter, it makes a really nice tabletop tree perch.

I added the devil Joy from last year.

I love ornaments hanging in front of a window... so this year I did it.

And, what would a mini tree be without mini presents?

I started a tradition this year...see that little box wrapped in sheet music has a tag that says it can be opened on December 24th?  Mr. Hughes asked me... did you seriously wrap baby Jesus?

yes, yes I did.

I hope that in the future years that while baby hughes is impatiently waiting Santa on Christmas Eve that we can maybe infuse the Reason for the Season by unwrapping and placing Jesus in our Nativity.

Okay... here is a few testimonies to the paper snowflake madness going on here.  

In the windows....

Garlands....

Strands... they are everywhere!!  They are fun and simple to make and are so festive and NOT precious. So, if a certain hyena decides to go on a destructive rampage, all I am out is a few sheets of paper.

Here is a tutorial in case you don't know how to make them.

Mr. Hughes' favorite decoration (an heirloom if you will) is all sparkly with some vintage like garland and some HO HO cards.

Some garland and some birch covered pots.  I was trying to go for a theme... kind of a Nordic, papery snowflakey, vintagey, handmade sort of Christmas. Not sure if I got it or not, but it is all definitely thrown in there.

The best shot of the tree... it has been so grey.  The stockings have since changed.... I will show you in a minute.

Chomp (pronounced ammmpppp, like a chomping noise) got a little Christmas fun too.

Yes, I like to decorate his bowl.  See the above reference to miniature things in glass jars... 

The tree got decked out in paper snowflakes, paper punch garland, silhouette tart tins, sparkly pipe cleaner snowflakes, glittery wooden balls. In short, no breakables.

I love real greenery just set out.  Mr. Hughes got some tree (free) clippings from Lowe's.  So I spread them all around.

Some fun vintage candleholders that the Mr. found a few years ago.  I almost painted them... I am not a red person.  I am glad I didn't though... I like the pop they give the windowsill.

Our little ceramic nativity.  Not the whole thing..... there are several animals that didn't make the cut. You should see the camels... they are totally out of proportion... of course, I have never stood next to a camel, but still.

I even added some red velvet pillows... you know... to go with the NOEL.  Maybe red is growing on me. 

The fun snow globe that leaks *no smiles*

baby hughes had some fun with it before we took it away.

Here are some wreaths that I added to the tree after it was finished... some awesome bottle brush wreaths from Scarlett's.

And this year's stockings.... well, I love them!  I made the stockings out of a test yard that I had bought for the dining room drapes and decided that I wanted our silhouettes to make them pop a little.

So I bought some sticky back felt and Mr. Hughes (really good with some scissors)

cut them out (he already had our silhouettes created, he just needed to resize and print) and I just peeled the backing off and stuck them to the stockings.

The big stars were rusty and I decided they would look better painted.  Then my impatient self didn't want to wait for the front and back and the sides to dry... so I used Rub and Buff.  

Much, much better!

This was the very first thing I did this year for Christmas.  I wanted big jars full of German glass glitter all around... well, all around out of reach.  Well, that stuff gets a little pricy when you buy it by the pound... so I got some cheapy stuff and filled the crown jars with it and stuck some tapers down in the jar (use some candle sticky wax on the bottom... the glitter isn't dense enough to hold the tapers by itself.)

Good thing I got some cheap glitter.... cause Mommy dropped a jar full of it.

My vacuum is so pretty and sparkly!

And one last thing that I got this year off of etsy and I love, adore, can't get enough of (and it is red too!)

My little ho ho ho garland on mini embroidery hoops.

I found it here.

Well, I think those mountains of laundry are threatening to avalanche.... so I better get to them!

bye for now!

ps.  A bloggy friend just suggested I link in with the Nester's tour of homes... so I think I will!
and the Shabby Chic Cottage for funsies!
And last, but certainly not least, Rene at Cottage and Vine!
Thanks for having me ladies!

I have a confession....

Here goes....I don't like Thanksgiving food. There.  I said it.  I never have.  Now, my mother will tell you (hi mom) that this is some sort of a rebellion that began when I was 5, that I used to eat anything.  But I am not believing it.  I can't remember a time when potatoes didn't literally make me gag.

See, I lump what I consider "Thanksgiving Food" into the same category as "Country Cookin"

And, while I think Paula Dean is very entertaining, I probably wouldn't eat a whole lot at her house either.

And, just for the record, I don't necessarily like being weird or different on this holiday.

I mean, it is quite obvious when my plate only contains a slice of ham or turkey, some green beans, and a roll... oh and the one thing I really like.... Cherry Slop (the one thing that Mr. Hughes thinks is disgusting... maybe it is the name..... just so you know, my grandpa and I coined that name  when I was little... it is really called Cherry Fluff.... much more appetizing huh?)

Then, I get the looks.... and the eye rolls... and the snippy "that's all you are eating?"  from my sister who loves Thanksgiving food.  Then the guilt and shame sets in.... I feel as if I am offended whoever made the meal.  Then "Are you sure you don't want some potatoes and gravy?"  I would rather eat cardboard.

"No dumplings for you?"  No, thanks really, I am fine. "Don't you want some pumpkin pie?" LAY OFF!

Now, usually the guilt I feel sets in with the menu making process... there is always some talk, "well, we will have to have turkey AND ham because Michelle doesn't like turkey all that much."

And, "we have to be sure to have some brown rice since Michelle doesn't like green bean casserole."

And so on and so on.  And, don't get me wrong, I can be teased... I can take it.  But this is worse.  This is concern. As if something is fundamentally wrong with my genetic makeup because I won't eat soggy bread casserole (stuffing/dressing.)

I always assure them that they don't need to make special arrangements, that I am in no danger of starving.  That I will find something to eat.  I would rather everyone not even know about this.... I would rather sneak into a corner with my small plate of food and eat it quickly and exclaim how good it is and how full I am.

But no.... everyone is always checking out what is on my plate.  Why... there is no reason to make sure I am eating, trust me... I am not too skinny!

Am I a picky eater.... probably by your standards.  But I will eat stuff that my non-picky sister and my non-picky mother wouldn't touch.  Crab legs.... yum!  Fish tacos... the best!  Calamari... bring it! I could eat olives all day long!  And, Mr. Hughes LOVES Thanksgiving food and is entirely in love with dressing... I really think if I pressed the issue, he may choose it over me. So, I guess I am a bit of a spoil sport. And, you ask, why don't you just pretend you like it... because when it comes to certain things, disgust is on my face, I can't swallow it without gagging.  Just try it, you say.  I HAVE, and I don't like it.  And I am an adult and if I don't want to eat it, I am not going to eat it!

But, before you put on your judging pants and call me a Thanksgiving Scrooge, let me tell you a few things that I do like about Thanksgiving.

Being at my grandma's early while she made the pies.... she would always take the cuttings from the pie crusts and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them for me.

The parades.  I adore the parades!  And, my mom told me that the only parade that had the REAL Santa in it was the Toronto parade.  Santa is pretty busy this time of year, and Toronto is pretty close.  So, baby hughes and I will most definitely watch that one tomorrow.  And, it has always been my dream to actually be there in NYC for the Macy's parade in all that madness.

Spending time with family.... well, I have been honest with you about my food issues, so let me change that to  most family.  I love getting together and seeing people that I haven't seen in awhile.  

Realizing the things I am thankful for every day... the trivial ones like heated seats on a cold morning.  And the much more important ones like how in love I am with my little family

Playing games... like Trivial Pursuit, Sorry, and so on.

Here is something else you should probably know at this point:  If I want to keep you as a friend, I will never, ever play a game with you.  Because you will probably not like me much.  I am a little ruthless.  And a bit of a bragger. And a sore winner... but not a sore loser.... why?  Because I never lose.... 

There was this one time that my mom beat me at Clue, but that was because my sister didn't show me the card that she had.  But that was the only time. But, my family has to keep me and love me, so they also have to put up with my domination of any game.

So with all that being said, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and if we ever spend it together, I promise not to wrinkle my nose at your plate of dressing if you promise not to shove potatoes down my throat.

And, when you fall into your food induced coma, you can rest your head on my sleeping shoulder and tell yourself that I also ate too much.

But, we will both know it was from the wine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bye for now!

I am also not a Black Friday shopper... still love me?

Happy Halloween

Just a little Hoot to wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Have a safe night!

And may your sweet tooth be satisfied

bye for now!

One Last Thing...

The presents are wrapped.  The cookies are baked.  We finally got a photo with Santa after a 1 1/2 hour wait.  The only thing left for me to do is to fiddle with our table setting for Christmas dinner.  It will be a small affair, just us three with my mom and sister.  So, I went simple.  I had Mr. Hughes make me some print outs of these Santas

 that I covered in glitter and added everyone's name to them and attached them to a ribbon and draped them over the chairs (they have since been removed, since someone can't keep his chubby little hands off of them.)

We have very plain, simple dishes and I just added some beaded chargers and the black and white plates (which I am not in love with here, but it needed some pattern.)  I will probably remove the green glasses too.  It will look better with wine glasses.  And, I will feel better with wine!

I know I didn't put out the flatware, but I decided that I didn't want to unload the dishwasher ;o

I put out these cute little plates for our rolls... love them!

Remember the rosemary tree that was sentenced to die?  Well, it didn't even make it to Christmas.  So, I stole the vintage light reflectors that surrounded it and turned them into napkin rings.

I added some of my mercury glass including these sweet little salt cellars that I got at Scarlett's.

So there it is.  No more creativity before Christmas.  We are spent!  We have all been sick all week and we are going to sleep in tomorrow and rest up for Santa!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!