Sparks of Inspiration

Oh it’s such a special day!  Today we celebrate our accomplishments achieved in 2011 and think about our new goals, dreams, and aspirations for 2012.  I’m looking forward to lots of changes that will be happening in 2012 (more to come on that note!).  However, I wasn’t always so upbeat about a new year coming mostly because I focused on all that I didn’t do.  I would get really down and set myself up for failure in the year to come.  So about 5 or 6 years ago I decided that this had to change.  How was I going to better work at fulfilling my ambitions and arriving at my desired destination?  I’m not sure where I heard it first, but somewhere someone said if you want to do something, write it down and review it throughout the year.  And so I did.  I personally like to use pretty notebooks to jot down goals, ideas, thoughts, whatever I like.  Then I keep the notebook handy and review it over and over again.  You’ll be surprised how often this works.  So I encourage you, grab a pen and paper and start writing!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!  See you on the other side!

Images:  House of Many Hues

Good morning friends!  I am feeling a bit sore today as I’ve been taking the girls sledding for the past few days (in the little snow we have in our yard).  I guess all the pulling, pushing, and tumbling has finally caught up to me!

I’m thinking I need to invest in a pair of snow pants for myself – at least that’s what my cold legs and wet pants have said.  When I mentioned this to my husband, he started laughing almost immediately.  Hey – why is that funny?  Me in snow pants?  I don’t get it.

Anyway, I spent sometime catching up on a few sites I enjoy and happen to realize that I never shared with you the work of Danielle Thompson (see website here).  How have I not mentioned Danielle before?  She is a woman of with many hats and is simply amazing.  She’s a photographer, a graphic artist, a blogger, and runs an etsy shop.  Her one line bio reads, “A girl and the pursuit of all things cute, kitschy and crafty“.

What’s really cool about Danielle is her passion for everything vintage and retro (you will immediately notice this on her site).  She even carries this into the decor of her home.  Check it out…

I am seriously considering getting a smaller version of this Christmas tree!  I love how the colors from the ornaments just pop against the white.

Images:  Danielle Thompson

Images:

Oh my the holidays are almost here and I happen to find a fabulous gift – for our home!  I stopped at one of my favorite 2nd hand stores and by complete chance was captivated by a watercolor painting sitting on top of a huge pile of framed art.  Could it be an original?  I’ve almost been fooled before with watercolor replicas – but not this time.  Not only was this an original watercolor, but it so happen to have information on the back of the frame.

It was sold by the fine arts Birmingham Gallery by John McKinney in Michigan.  According to the handwritten portion, the artist was from Denmark and her name was Ulla Grau.  I was curious as to how old the piece was – my guess put it at either the 50’s or 60’s.  I wanted to know more but wasn’t sure if the art gallery was still around so I did a little research and got more than I was expecting.  The art gallery opened in 1968 and shut down in 1977 after owner John McKinney was violently murdered (case still remains unsolved – for news clippings see here).  As for information on the artist herself, I could find nothing which makes the art that much more mystifying!  The purchase price for this art with original frame – $7.99.

The colors are more vibrant than the picture shows – but it is a watercolor that is aging.  I hung it where there is no direct sunlight and hope it lasts!

Images:  House of Many Hues

A few weeks back, I was standing in my craft room making a mental note of all the felt sheets I have.  I wanted to do something with the remnant pieces (as they were adding up from previous craft projects) and cutting them up into Fall leaves seemed like a fun.  It took about 10 minutes to cut up different leaf shapes and another 15 minutes to sew a piece of yarn through all of them making it into a garland.

I hung the garland on one of our curtain rods near a heat register – the girls just love it when the heat turns on and the leaves “blow” around.

Images: House of Many Hues

Good morning peeps!  I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  This year we went to my mom’s house and as always she puts out a large spread.  The good thing about that is left overs – no one has to cook anything for days.

I did review in my mind all that I was thankful for – my family and friends (including our pets and the animals that visit us), our health, hot running water, our dishwasher that is used at least twice a day,  the variety of food that is available, the land we live on and all its wonders – I could go on and on.  But this isn’t something I review once a year on Thanksgiving.  In fact, I think about these things often and so I’m very familiar with my thankful “list”.  However, I find that if I wallow too much in what I’m thankful for, then I start to wonder ‘why’.  Why?  Yes, why.  Why was this life available to me and not others?

I decided to ask my oldest daughter who is 3 and a half what she was thankful for.  I wasn’t sure if she would understand the meaning of my question, but she surprised me – as she usually does.  Her answer was immediate, soft spoken, and simple, “Our home”.

I thought about which photo of our home to share and remembered that I never posted photos of our new patio that was installed this past summer.  The photo above was taken one early morning last week.

We bought the patio table and chairs are about 8 or 9 years old, but I think they still work.  This year I touched up the paint on the table and a few of the chairs – to my shock, I found a perfect paint match!  This means, I might be able to keep this set going for a little while longer.  I also love that the cushions fit under the table and that 2 of the chairs swivel.

The patio still needs lounge furniture to go around the firepit (where will I read my magazines and take my summer naps?).  We are continuing our search for a good deal although it’s becoming more difficult now that Winter is almost here – but there is always craigslist.  Also, lighting still needs to be installed on the corner brick walls.  We haven’t had good luck with Electricians lately and so I might reserve this project until the Spring.  Despite the details, I have enjoyed many a drinks this year on the patio and hope to do so throughout the winter.

P.S.  I asked my daughter should she have the opportunity to meet Santa Claus (say, at the local mall), what would she ask him for Christmas.  “Socks.  Flowery socks”.

Images:  House of Many Hues

Good Tuesday morning to you my blogland friends!  I hope your weekend was restful and you had time to enjoy the things you love most.  What is it that you love most?   For me it’s spending time with my family and then indulging in something creative that has no timeline.  I hate feeling any sort of rush when doing something I enjoy – I just want to be lost in the moment.  And that’s exactly how I felt looking at rugs by Madeline Weinrib over the weekend.  Madeline is an artist and designer who resides in New York City.  She launched her first rug collection in 1998 and continues to offer designs and colors that are simply gorgeous and keep me interested.

While looking at her rugs for the first time, I had a strange suspicion that I had met her before – not literally, but through magazines, books, or online (although I would love to meet her – call me anytime Madeline!).  I decided to dig into this a bit further and check my notes and files, but nothing came up.  Then through sheer luck I happen to read that she is the granddaughter of ABC Carpet & Home founder Max Weinrib and then all was clear for me.  I’ve mentioned ABC Carpet & Home a few times and can’t get enough of their rugs and products.  Both offer the richness I look for and love in rugs!

Images:  Elle Decor

With the Fall season quickly approaching Winter, I started to feel that awful yearly sorrow knowing my Garage Sale-ing days are becoming limited if not already over.  Where else can I find a Nate Berkus lamp for $2 or 20 childrens books for 50 cents?  I look around our home and realize that Garage Sales have not only impacted our family but saved us tons of money – this of course, is always welcomed and fabulous.

Hey Kirk, can you believe this kids book on Amazon is $20 and I only paid 5 cents?  I am especially grateful for the savings when I see my youngest ripping up said book.

However, like software, I think I’ve found a patch.  It’s not exactly a fix but enough to keep me running until the season starts again.  Consignment shops.  The first time I saw a store with the word Consignment, I had no idea what it meant.  Do you borrow the items and have to bring it back?  I didn’t get it.  Then somewhere along the line I equated Consignment with overly expensive used stuff.  But I thought to look into this again and to my surprise came across 2 locations with beautiful items that were very reasonably priced.  Score!

What’s even better is that the longer the item sits in the store, the cheaper it becomes.  The discounted price along with the effective date is all on the tag.  Is this how all Consignment shops work?  What have I been missing?

Images:  House of Many Hues

1.  Fake trees and plants.  I don’t get it.  The last thing that comes to mind when I think of bringing something organic into a living space is plastic green foliage.  It seems to have started in the 90’s and what shocks me even more is that people still leave these dusty impostors in their home.  Oh, and don’t even get me started on the fake vines.  As for artificial flowers, I think they are fine when used as an embellishment, but please, no filled vases with fake flowers – fresh & dried flowers are so much more beautiful (and real).

2.  Too much of a good thing.  I’m doing a few errands with a friend and we decide to make a quick stop at her friends home.  As the door opens, I immediately notice the greeting of a dressed goose (imitation of course).  Remember these creatures on peoples doorsteps with bonnets and raincoats?  Well, imagine to my surprise a convoy of about 30 life size geese (all dressed) and inside her home.  She was so into this collection that her husband even built shelving to display them all.  Honestly, I had a difficult time focusing on the conversation as this took up a  massive part of her home.  Like any collection, it is not necessary to put out all of it out for display – rotate pieces.  It can be overwhelming to the eye and appreciation for each piece becomes difficult.  I hate to say that I myself have been guilty of too much of a good thing – especially in my curio.

3.  A crooked curtain rod.  I know it’s not easy putting up curtain rods.  Even with all the measuring and planning it can still come out a few degrees off (I have a few theories as to why this happens).  If this should be an unfortunate result of all your efforts, I hate to say it, but it really needs to be fixed.  Why?  Because when people visit your home, the eye will be immediately drawn to it.  And remember, the longer the rod, the more evident the angle.

4.  Matchy, matchy furniture.  Leather sofa, leather chair, leather love seat, leather ottoman (ugh!) – you get the idea.

Images:  House of Many Hues