A blog crush, and dreams of more space...

A few years ago I started reading a blog called Miss Mustard Seed. I loved that it was written by a funny (funny haha, not funny strange ;)) and personable woman in Pennsylvania who had the nerve to talk about doing projects in her home as though they were things that anyone could take on - not just people who have a background in architecture or a degree in interior design. She took fabulous pictures of the beautiful spaces she created - but she also made it clear that she worked hard to make her home look the way it did for pictures, and that it wasn't that way all the time. What a relief! Here's a peek at her dining room and guest room...

The funny (haha) woman also painted and sold furniture at a local co-op, which was something I  wanted to do as well. I was inspired by her story: the background in musical theatre (woot!), the support that she had from her mother to do what she loved, the thrifty attitude she made good use of when replicating the design styles she saw in magazines... I thought "here's a woman doing things the way I would do them... if I had time." I already have so many "projects" stashed in my garage and carport and craft area. I just can't seem to get to them!

Last year, this funny woman published a book, which I promptly purchased on my Kindle, and shortly thereafter she was approached by a company about starting her own paint line... or maybe it's the other way around... in any case, good things were happening for Marian Parsons, aka "Miss Mustard Seed", and I was so thrilled for her! Perhaps it is weird, a little, to be thrilled for someone I don't know personally, right? So it is also a little awesome that I'm able to say now that I have met her in person! (Not that I mind being a little weird, but it makes other people my husband more comfortable when I talk about her...)

Last week, Marian came to Northwest Arkansas for a whirlwind of a trip to offer a couple of DIY workshops at a shop called The House Special Interiors in Fayetteville. I spent a few hours with her on Friday in a hands-on milk paint workshop, then my sister and I attended her lecture/workshop the next morning as well.

 

In the DIY lecture part she showed us a lot of pictures of her home - most of which can be seen on her blog - and talked about the (not a lot of) money spent and the sources used to make her home the lovely retreat that it is. She was funny (haha), and informative, and a very real person who knows she has been blessed with some amazing opportunities.

After the formal talk I approached her to thank her for coming to town, and to wish her safe travels home. We chatted about the difference between being "lucky" and making the most of the opportunities we are presented with. Marian has most certainly had some great things come along for her, but she spoke of her belief that she has a "mission", so to speak, to encourage others in this life. Some may not understand how she can do that as an expert on decorative painting, but if you read her book, you'll understand she's not trying to conquer the world of Cottage Decorating - she's just using her gifts to encourage others to take on the challenges in their lives with optimism and creative thinking. She encourages readers of her blog and book to make their lives, their homes, and their families the best they can be. She is making her life count, not only in her own home, but in the example she sets for others.

Visiting with Marian, and listening to her encouraging words over the two days I spent with her, left me even more determined to make my own dreams a reality this year. I also want to drill down to the core of what my purpose is in this life... and I think the closer I get to my true self, the easier it will be to see that purpose and to execute it.

I'll write again about the workshop itself, and the tips and techniques I learned... but for now, I'm wondering how I could possibly bring this gorgeous thing home from the store I saw it in Sunday without initiating divorce proceedings... :) Dream big!!!

Freaky Friday

I love thrift stores. I love treasure hunting, and finding brilliant, beautiful, inspiring, forgotten items that someone else discarded and I found on a dusty shelf waiting to be loved again. 

But I also love finding stuff like this. Freaky, odd, simply awful things that are on those dusty shelves for a very good reason. 

Who thought this was a good idea?? 

Do babies really touch their toes? Is he doing calisthenics? 

It's just so inappropriate and wrong that it's kind of awesome. 

For the record, my sister was sad I didn't buy it for her. She thinks he needs some "hens & chicks" growing out of his booty. Maybe she's odd too.

What's one of the weirdest things you've found while out treasure hunting? Did you keep it, or pass it by?

My new crush!

A couple of years ago I heard about this allegedly awesome new paint out on the market. It was from England, the creation of some woman who decided she could do better than the latex options that were out there. It was taking the decorative painting world by storm. If you were going for "shabby chic", it was The Paint.

So, when a local boutique started carrying Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint last year it was a pretty big deal. There was only one other shop in the state that was stocking it. The whole state! Of course, I had to buy a can. One can of paint in the color Provence, and a can of clear wax. Done.

Then a year went by.

I bought furniture to paint, but I didn't seem to find time space motivation to actually put paint on any of it. Weird, huh? I'm not going to delve into the mental blocks that may have been in place that were keeping me from being as creative in 2012 as I should have been. You don't care anyway, right? You just want to see the pictures! So let's get to it!!

I found this sweet little table at an auction last fall, and paid a little more than I probably should have, but I knew it would be adorable with some chalk paint on it. Sometime last fall I also bought two more cans of paint, and a can of dark wax. So I was ready to go. (Pretend the top is still unpainted... I got excited and forgot to take a good "before" photo.)

  

I put a coat of Versailles on the whole thing and let it dry, then I watched a couple of videos on how to use the paint... because that's the way I roll. ;) After watching the videos, I decided to go back over it with a little more paint and add a little texture for the wax to dig into. 

 

Once the clear wax had cured a little (It only took ten minutes or so.) I added a coat of dark wax, very lightly, and started rubbing it in as well, to antique it. Here's the top with half of it antiqued...

 

Then when the dark wax was done, I sanded a bit along some of the edges. It's such a precious little piece, I didn't want to rough it up too much. It's classy, not a street tramp I picked up off a curb. Once the sanding was done, I just went over those spots again with a little clear wax, and voila! I literally squealed. I was so pleased with the result and kind of amazed at how easy it was. 

What do you think? 

I'm kind of in love. :) And now, nothing in my house is safe... painting will be happening!!

Just a little thrifty goodness.

I stop by my local Goodwill at least once a week. Sometimes I find amazing vintage goodies to resell in my Junque Rethunque booth, sometimes I find beautiful vintage things to give as gifts, other times, I just find things I will use around my own house. Today (and yesterday) provided the latter.

Yesterday, I found a great handmade cap and a little holiday tin - the hat for me, and the tin for my sister who reuses them to gift homemade cookies and candy (yes, you should envy me!). The cap is in perfect shape... wonder who got it for Christmas? Their loss!

Today I ran by again to see if a frame I passed up yesterday was still there, which it wasn't, and picked up this great basket. The lid has been removed, but I am going to use it to hold wood and kindling next to our newly-refurbished fireplace. Note: if you see something you like at the thrift store, don't wait - someone else will like it too!! :)

What are some of your recent thrift or junky finds? Share with us here or on our Facebook page HERE.

Secret Santa in Teal

I am always up for a little Christmas cheer, and what's cheerier than a Secret Santa swap? When the ladies at Arkansas Women Bloggers presented the idea of swapping handmade ornaments, well... it was a no-brainer.

I waited until the last minute (no surprise there) before I finally got my ornaments made and in the mail, and while I was at the post office to send mine off, I also picked these up from my S.S., Jennifer Wilson. You can follow her on her tumbr here.  To see all the other links to Secret Santas and their surprise packages, check out the Arkansas Women Bloggers' post here.

 

I love the teal and purple together, it reminds me of peacocks. My tree is always very eclectic - a result of years and years of collecting ornaments here and there and everywhere - so the sparkles and feathers and multi-colors fit right in. My mother used to buy ornaments for each of her kids every year, and when we moved out she gave us our boxes of ornaments. I have three kids, and I'm not sure who will get these just yet... or maybe I'll just keep them for myself. :)

(Sorry for the fuzzy shot...)

So do you decorate your tree in one style each year, or is it a mish-mash like mine? Color preferences? Every year I think I'll be more intentional with my choices... use a specific theme of some kind, but I think I'm pretty happy with my current tradition.

Oh, yeaaaahhhh....

There is something about being in my craft room, paint brushes in hand, and earbuds playing my favorite tunes... it's such a relief. I have a couple of craft shows coming up in December - which seemed like a LONG time from now a few weeks ago, and now seems like it's just around the corner - and I have been trying to get some creating done for at least a month with no success.

We had a weekend out of town that got in the way, but it was for a GREAT reason - to finally make my beautiful sister-in-law, Sacha, an official member of our family. She made my brother an honest man. Look at that face he has as he looks at her! Awwwwwww!!! *snif snif*

Handmade boutonnieres by moi... :)

Aside from the Wedding of the Decade, it has seemed like no matter what plans I tried to make for myself, my schedule kept being usurped by other people or events or projects that didn''t let me make any headway on my own project list. 

But today... Yes! Today was MINE!!! :)

I have always loved to draw and paint and piddle around with art supplies, just ask my sister... she was the recipient of some awesome crafty birthday parties when I worked for Michael's in the late 80s... but for too many years I had been forced to put those things aside because I didn't have the time, or space, or money (or all three, usually) to pursue an artistic hobby. I would draw a few holiday greeting cards now and then, and my sweet brother (the one in the boutonniere) would give me books for Christmas about designing greeting cards or making a business of your hobbies, etc... he is a great cheerleader. But I never really did anything with it.

Several years ago I started sewing some crafty things, and my Punkinhead persona was born when I opened an Etsy shop and started applying to be a vendor at craft shows. Then last year I painted a little canvas for a local non-profit fundraiser, and the artist in me was reawakened. That sounds really stupid, maybe, but I think you artists out there get it.

I was using paint brushes, ink, and acrylics, and I was absolutely absorbed in what I was doing. I loved it so much I decided this year I'd make more than one. I tried a few different techniques, but these are my favorites.

Today, I worked on a couple of things that I want to sell in my Junque Rethunque booth for the open house on November 15th. Again, once I sat down and started drawing out the design, I was enjoying myself so much, I found myself wondering how many I needed to make to make a living doing it. :)

I think many of you would agree that making things just has to be a part of our lives... it's not just a hobby, it's something we are driven to do. It's a large part of what we have to do to stay sane and maintain a balance in our lives. I know for me, when I am unable to do anything creative for a stretch of time, I get grumpy. I feel all clogged up and disjointed, like I need a colonic cleanse of my Chi. So, I am well aware that I need that time for myself... Now, to convince my family it's in THEIR best interest to let me have my time... :)

Fall on Repeat

It seems that fall is just the time that I start feeling all overwhelmed and in need of a good purging. Of the clutter, not the colon. Eww... Unlike the spring cleaning when I just want to open windows and beat cushions and start digging in the dirt, a fall cleaning is all about making my home cozy and welcoming and ready for the holidays.

Last year about this time I wrote a blog post about spending a day cleaning out my garage and getting some projects started. Barely. This year, I'm in the same place - except for the actually-getting-it-done part. I'm feeling the need to clean out and organize and get my shit together... so to speak. (Again with the colon references??) I am working on getting a storage unit for my Craft Show display Stuff, and my Projects in Limbo Stuff, and it will give me a place to hide stuff from my husband store treasures before they go into my flea market booth.

I've got a lot on top of me this year, some things I had last year, like a grand-daughter and her mama living with us, and a full-time job, and too many hobbies, and a grade-school-aged son ('nuf said, right??). But I also have been working hard to meet my personal challenge of writing more (yay me!), which takes a lot of time that could otherwise be used to clean the garage (boohoo!), and I have a husband with health issues. Well, I had the same husband last year, but was blissfully unconcerned about what he ate every day.

Besides the storage unit, which is going to help me free up a lot of space and more efficiently process the treasures I'm bringing home in the back of my jeep all the time, I've also made the positive move of hiring a housekeeper. This is a seriously important effort that will lead to the following seriously important results:

1. Help me enjoy my home more;
2. Help me feel comfortable having friends over more often;
3. Help me find more time for the hobbies I'm trying expand into careers;
4. Help me not become homicidal. (my family appreciates this one, especially.)

I'm paying for the service out of my freelance writing income, so it's also going to be an incentive to keep that coming in. Let me tell you, I walked in the door yesterday and took in a big deep breath of those non-organic Pine-Sol fumes, and got giddy as I ran around looking at all the clean. My neighbors may have heard me shriek about my shower door that I could actually SEE through again.

It's the little things... 

Here's an update of the chair I showed you in that link from last year... turned out pretty cute, don't you think??