be yourself: live with passion

F.I.N.E.

Yesterday, Ashley and I popped into a local home decor store called The Rustic Hutch.  They tend to be more of a cutesy style of country except for a couple of little rooms that feature vintage/antique and more of a French country look.

I'd had my eye on a vintage child's chair that was there the last couple of times I stopped in.  It's in great shape-solid wood, painted a funky shabby green and quite sturdy.  Yesterday, I took it home with me.   

You see, I'm in a mood to redo my house...nothing major, just moving around some art work, adding muchly needed bookshelves, a little painting, shuffling around objects on pot shelves and just generally reorganizing some stuff around the house.  Since we are in the final stages of completing our second book with North Light, I have told myself that I won't do anything with the house until the book is done.  However.....that doesn't mean that I can't pick up a few things here and there in preparation.  That's just being organized, right?

So anyway, I bring home the chair and show it to Vern...he says it's cool...what am I going to do with it.  "Well", I say, "I'm going to put it on the pot shelf in the family room...I kinda want to redo it anyway and this will fit right in with what I'd like to do."

Slight hesitation.  "O.....kay", he says.  "but I think the pot shelf looks fine as it is."

Now here's where some interpretation comes into play:

His interpretation of FINE:  It looks great!  It's looked great for the past 8 years and I don't see anything about it that needs to be changed."

Her interpretation of FINE:  Lackluster.  Or "Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotional" (from The Italian Job), i.e., needs a MAJOR makeover.

I have to say that Vern gives me a very free hand with redecorating the house...and honestly, I don't go crazy.  Most of our accessories are purchased because of their stories or their uniqueness and it has been a painstakingly long process to accumulate the collection of things that we have.  So, I'm not into getting rid of stuff...just maybe repurposing a little.

This morning, as I was photographing the chair to post on my blog, he commented about how cool it was and that it would look good on the shelf and that he'd give me a hand reorganizing the stuff up there.  Is it any wonder that I think he is so awesome?  And, using his interpretation...he is VERY FINE-great 28 years ago when we got married and even greater today!

if it makes you smile, buy it...

"I hope something in here makes you smile.  If so--buy it." -Robert Redford.

Easy for him to say...this was in his little intro in the new Sundance catalog.  I love the Sundance catalog...there are always so many hand crafted and unique things to choose from.  In browsing through the catalog, do you want to see what made me smile?

                        

It made me think of a California sunset at the beach...of shopping at Laguna Beach or Santa Monica Beach with brightly colored shopping bags tossed in the back...it made me smile.

So I go online yesterday to look at it...search results yielded nothing!  Sold, right out from under me!  And after I had already planned a letter to Santa...oh well, I guess some things are not meant to be.

I settle for a consolation prize. 

                        

Ahhhh...aqua and paisley...paisley, my very favorite...what more could I ask for?  Great little flip flops that Ashley bought for me from Old Navy!  They make me smile...

Flip flops...a fraction (teeny tiny fraction) of the price.  Smile...priceless.

staying connected...

               

I have always loved getting good mail.  I was born in Philadelphia and spent the first 8 years of my life living in a row home in Philly.  Our house had a mail slot similar to the one pictured here (which I took in historical Gettysburg earlier this month).  Mail time had me running to the front door to see what the postman had inserted through the slot.  It was rarely for me and I'm sure my folks weren't as excited by the mail as I was...after all, it was probably mostly bills.  Still, the occasional cards and letters addressed to moi had me picking up the mail off the floor to see if any of it was for me.

I still love getting good mail.  I love that technology has allowed us to stay in touch with each other in ways that are time efficient but still personal...first thing in the morning, I smile when I see the emails that came in overnight from my friends Down Under...giving and receiving blog comments warms my heart...staying in touch with family and friends on a more frequent basis through the net is wonderful. 

I love that I've been able to make new friends through blogging...

I love people...I love staying connected...

random weekend ramblings...

It was a great weekend.  Friday night's party was so much fun...I have to say that my extended family reminds me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding...we come in noisy, stay noisy and leave noisy...and there is a TON of food...enough for 100 more people.  My cousin Karen and her husband Bob are fabulous hosts...I was so busy catching up with cousins that I didn't even pull out my camera.  (slapping my wrists now...:()  Fortunately, one of my cousins was taking pics and promised to email them to me.

On Saturday, I changed out the plain Jane antique brass knobs on my ink/paint cabinet and replaced them with these awesome vintage glass knobs I picked up on ebay for a totally fabulous price.  The cabinet/credenza was a Christmas gift from hubby a couple of years ago...a great find from Ballard Designs...it is distressed and antiqued to look old...the knobs totally complete the look!  They make me smile!

One of my very favorite summer foods are vine ripened tomatoes...yummmmm!  My mom had a garden when I was a kidlet; once the tomatoes were ripe, I used to eat a tomato and mayo on white bread sandwich for lunch every day.  Earlier in the week, I made fresh cold gazpacho soup...I had been hunting for a gazpacho recipe made with bread that I had made years ago...went thru dozens of my cookbooks...to no avail.  One search online later, I had a dozen recipes to choose from.  Saturday evening, I used the fresh tomatoes on some homemade pizza...love that Trader Joes carries fresh pizza dough...makes it so much easier to put together a good pie!  There's nothing quite like homemade pizza baked on a stone.  Yum.....

On Sunday, I gave myself permission to relax...you have to understand that I am very Type A...I tend to be a workaholic and very productive...always busy doing something.  I love to read but always feel guilty about just sitting down to read...especially when there's stuff to be done!  My reading is usually done in short spurts...on Sunday, I indulged and read The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver IN ONE SITTING...it was fabulous.  In my humble opinion, it was his best yet...definitely worth taking time to read. 

Last night, we had a dust storm with some pretty awesome gusts of wind.  I went outside to take some pics of the blowing trees and had a hard time holding steady.  It looks like we are gusting our way into monsoon season...hope it brings lots of rain this year. 

Signing off now...have lots to do...it's going to be a great week.

WHAT IS IT?

I liked it...

I bought it...

I have no clue what it is!

It resembles a cloche jar/bell jar in size and shape...the glass jars used by gardeners to protect young plants from the frost.  It's about 18" high and 12" in diameter.

It's constructed from a copper wire mesh that has a perfectly aged patina on the surface.

I photographed it in the garden but plan to use it on one of my pot shelves.

Anyone having any knowledge or guesses, please share...dying to know what it is.

{Edited to add:  Thanks to Tammy, we have a positive ID.  Thanks, Tammy! Cool that it's a gardening accessory!}

music for the soul...

It all started earlier this week when I heard Laurie's daughter Stephanie sing...here.  She has the voice of an angel...so inspirational...got me in the mood for music to feed my soul.

  So today, more music for the soul is resonating through my house...  il Divo....full blast.  Amazing voices...guys are pretty easy on the eyes, too. ;)

They are in concert in Phoenix tonight...would love to go except for one small thing...it's being held in an outdoor pavilion and the high today is predicted to be 111!  Like their music...but not that much!

So I'll stay in my studio, turn down the AC and turn up the volume and pretend I'm at the concert.

Easy for creativity to flow with that music....

the world revolves around scrapbooking...

...doesn't it?

This morning, I had a scheduled audit of our payroll records by the AZ Dept. of Economic Security...they're the unemployment guys that we pay taxes to every quarter.  Anyway, it was a random audit...no big deal as we keep good and clean books.

The auditor and I go through the paperwork in record time (1/2 hour) and then she asks about the stuff on my sofa (the famous paper storage sofa).  I begin to tell her about scrappin' and stuff, our new book, blah, blah.  Turns out that her daughter is a scrapper.  So we spend the next half hour of the "audit" talking scrapping, looking at projects and books, yucking it up and just plain having fun.  If you have to go through an audit, this is the way to do it!

She wrote down my blog site, the names of local stores I like and the title of my book...I have to say she wrote more about scrappin' than payroll stuff!  Don't ya just love it?????  Wonder if she's going to include that in her report to her supervisor?  (wink, wink)

She left my house happy...and I'm still grinning. 

tying up loose ends...

It's always fun when you tie up the loose ends...those things that have been lurking in the To Do piles for way too long.  Yesterday was tie up loose end day.  It feels so good to have some of these projects done.

One of the things that I did was make a handmade card for my cousin Karen's daughter, Krystal, for her 8th grade graduation.  I was going to just make a quick and simple card...here's the challenge...I don't do quick and simple.  I don't know what it is about me but nothing, when it comes to memory art, is simple.  When I create simple, to me it looks like it's not finished.  I envy people like Cathy Zielske who can pull off simple so well...her projects look totally complete!

Anyway, I started simple and one thing led to another and I ended up with a suitable for framing 8x10" card that Miss Krys can hang in her room.

(Edited to Add:  After reading Jeanette's comment, I wanted to mention that the "stitching" is actually a stamp from Hero Arts.  Sneaky, eh?  I may not do simple but I have learned how to take some shortcuts!)

I love working with pictures of Krystal...she has tons of fun attitude that the camera captures.

I'm looking forward to her party tomorrow night.  Actually, it's really more of an excuse for the extended family to get together.  My cousin, Erika, her husband, Russ, and their two boys are vacationing in Arizona for a couple of weeks and they will be there.  It seems like lately the only time I've seen them has been at family funerals...it will be good to spend some time with them at a party!  {As an aside, I wonder what possesses people to vacation in Arizona in the summer?  I'll have to ask them!}  Another cousin and her two youngest daughters may be back from visiting in California; hope she can make it.  All in all, it will be a fun barbeque and swim party...although I can guarantee you that I won't be in any pool...my body IS NOT swimsuit ready right now! :)  I'm looking forward to hanging out {in a cute pair of shorts and top, thank you very much} and I know there will be lots of opportunities for photos...most of my cousins' kids are hams and LOVE getting their pics taken.  Of course, good pictures need to have something done with them.

On the To Do pile they will go...to be dealt with on another "Tie Up Loose Ends" day!

last of spring...

With our temps consistently hitting over 105, this is the last garden offering of spring flowers...

         

                                  

Not much blooms in the desert in the summer so I'm enjoying the colors while they're here.  A summer of hibernation is beginning...

how quickly I forget...

...frustration and a negative experience.  It must be so.

It was Sunday afternoon, and boredom had set in.  I needed to do something different.  I poked around my studio and found a Frippery necklace kit from K&Co. which I had purchased about a month ago and had never put together.  They are really funky and I have some cool summer stuff to go with the colors I chose.  OK, great idea...I was going to put the necklace together.  Piece of cake...after all, it was a kit!

Out came my bead box and tools.  I had a mission.

Ten minutes later, I am remembering why I told myself I would not do any more beading....EVER!  Beads are falling on the floor, I can't get the jump rings twisted (you know the drill-don't pull them apart, twist them...well, what do you do when they won't twist?  You PULL them!), jump rings are falling on the floor.  I don't know why I can't seem to bead.  The same fingers that easily set little eyelets, open tiny brads, & sew on teeny buttons are the fingers that are so clumsy with charms, beads and jump rings.  Why can't I do the beading thing?  Why do I get so impatient trying to put the pieces together?  I remembered the last time I did beading...right before I was ready to tie them off with the circle end of the clasp, I dropped the end of the stretchy stuff and beads scattered all over the floor...I was picking them up in the corners of my dining area for weeks...I ended up restringing them and have a beautiful necklace to show for it but I told myself it was the last time!

I was frustrated by the time I finished my necklace, but I did finish.  I was going to add some more charms but guess what?  I decided, after losing several jump rings, that it look great...AS IS!

I am amazed at how quickly the mind forgets the negative experiences.  Why else would a woman have more than one child?  Or why would I pick up a jewelry making kit and decide to relieve boredom by beading?  It must be that the end result is such a good thing that we forget the trials of the process...and I guess that's good.  (I can say that now that my jewelry is done!)

But, in the future, I will leave jewelry making to Theresa, who makes absolutely gorgeous pieces of beaded jewelry which she sells...I get mine at Scrapbooks, Etc.  This gorgeous bracelet is one of the pieces she made. 

So, the next time I'm tempted to buy one of those kits, or I pick up my bead box with the idea that I'm going to make something, would somebody please remind me that I don't LIKE beading, that the experience isn't FUN?  Please, let me be bored!