sometimes....

you just gotta have one foot poking out of the blankets.

and on a side note... do you know how hard it is to work on a rainy, overcast day when this is your view. i seriously want to curl up on the floor with her.

i'm impressed

this west elm parsons mini desk showed up on the front porch today. well, it didn't just show up... i ordered it. to use as my sewing table. in a corner of my office.
and i have to say, i'm terribly impressed with it. i guess i kinda had low expectations. not sure why. but it's gorgeous! it's sturdy. and heavy. and white. and shiny. with a drawer that slides smoothly. best yet, it's $199 right now.

sunday on the sofa

this is what's happening here. our little girl is resting. she's injured. daddy took her hunting yesterday and her (similar to this one) neoprene vest, which is supposed to protect her, rubbed her little armpits raw. she's in pain. therefore mommy's in pain. and daddy. we hate to see her injured.

the weekend

so, what are your plans for the weekend? while steve and his sidekick pixel are hunting tomorrow, i'm going to the local costco for this. gluten free girl will be there signing her latest cookbook. my perfect chance to buy the book and meet her. hopefully i won't embarrass myself.

i'll probably spend some time making things like these. i've been making these guys and his cousins all week long. you can find them here, with a bunch of other new stuff. i'll tell you all about it next week. (but feel free to poke around on your own beforehand.)
AND i'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that i win this from here.

my chances right this instant are 1 in 39,325. hmmm... and yes, i'll be disappointed if i don't win. just like i'm disappointed when i don't win the lottery.

have a good one!

a treat for you

client amy ordered calling cards from me recently. as i do with a lot of clients, we chatted via email about calling cards and well, other stuff. amy emailed me some of her design work. it's absolutely beautiful! i am so impressed by amy's remarkable talent. before i show you her work, here's a little bit about amy, in her own words.

"I am mom to a 20 year old daughter who is presently studying in Paris, France. I am a native Floridian. I attended Boston University School of Fine Arts and University of Miami School of Fine Arts where I recieved a BFA degree. I moved to New York City after college where I was an Art Director in advertising. I lived in NYC for 12 years. I moved back to Florida when my daughter was 2 years old and embarked on my interior design career. I was educated in interior design at Miami Dade Community College. I worked for 2 interior design firms before opening my own business. I also paint as you have discovered. I love anything that has to do with the Arts. I have always been an artist. Even as a little girl, art is all I ever wanted to do. I spent my childhood going from one art class to another. "

ok, now sit back and enjoy amy's talent. (click on pictures to enlarge.)

how would you like to open those french doors (above) and see that every day? i think it's just gorgeous. from the beautiful, soothing wall color to the stunning sunburst mirror to the small antique mirror down below to the pops of pink. or how about opening shuttered doors to this view. love the rug.in this contemporary/asian influenced bedroom below amy upholstered the wall and bed in a brunschwig and fils fabric. love the pillows!
ah, if only i could get ready in a space like this every morning (below). amy filled me in on the sources for this vanity area. the mirror is from Williams Sonoma Home. the sconces are from Restoration Hardware. and the hardware is Kallista. subway tile from Country Floors. amy designed and custom made the vanity herself.
here's another bathroom amy designed with a steam shower. amy says, all shower plumbing is Dornbracht. the sink/vanity is Villeroy and Boch. the linen cabinet is a custom design by her and the hardware on the linen cabinet is by Valli & Valli. all the woods are oak. the floor is a fabulous stone by Ann Sacks. the wall tile is Jerusalem stone by Ann Sacks. the shower ceiling is a slab of Jerusalem stone. and again, i love the pop of that orchid amonst the stone.
and lastly, a teenage girl's bedroom. amy says "she wanted orange, so I gave it to her!" the bed is done in white leather and manufactured by an italian company. the night table is by Cassina. The silver lamp is Williams Sonoma Home. the white shag carpet is Ralph Lauren. and the bed linens are johnathan adler for bed, bath and beyond."
and that beautiful piece of artwork above the bed.... amy did it! i told you she was talented.
amy's one of those designers where i feel like i could trust her to totally make over my house with minimal direction. i love her style! i hope you liked viewing her designs also. unfortunately amy doesn't have a website. i know, shocking. amy, you must get a website! we beg you. but for now, if you'd wish to contact her, please let me know. i'll put you in touch with her. thank you, amy, for letting me show off your talent.

sunday at the pumpkin patch

steve and i decided to go to the local pumpkin farm yesterday. so did every one else within a 30 mile radius of the farm. this was one-quarter of the line to buy pumpkins. no thank you.
this was the line for donuts. no thank you.
this is steve being forced to sit on a hay bale for me to take a photo. and then i caught him blinking.better one. walking back from the pumpkin canon.
chickens.
caught these scarecrows on their break.
nearby house. we'd love to see the inside.
we passed on all the lines and went to the nearby market and bought these to dress up the dining room table. just enough to put me in the fall spirit. and there was no line to buy them.
little guy on the kitchen windowsill.then cali and i did this.
it was a good day.

lovin' this

i found this yesterday over at lifestyle bohemia, the blog of shop brooklyn thread. isn't it fabulous. i love the brass.

joanna, owner of brooklyn thread, is a client. i make the cards that she wraps her bracelets around. stop on over and visit joanna. tell her i sent you. and check these out while you're there. love these too. but they'd require that i got my ears pierced. yep, no holes here. i'll have to stick with the feather necklace.

i got your back

i know, i know. you get so busy crafting and canning and knitting and sewing for gifts that you forget about labels for your gift giving. well, i got your back. while i was making some tags for myself, i made some for you too. you can thank me later.and perfect timing, too, for the upcoming holiday season. you can order yours here.

our morning routine

pixel's new favorite sleeping spot is on the sofa cushion. originally she was walking across the back of the cushions, circling, circling, circling and plopping smack down in the center of a back cushion so that it bowed. mommy (that's me) was having a fit because the cushions were forming a permanent dent. so now every morning i lay one on its side for her.
she curls up and then i cover her with the fleece blanket. wouldn't want her to get cold.
and then she gives me that look that says, please go back to what you are doing so i can sleep.

it's been awhile...

since i've had a free weekend day to sit down and read. our drizzly weather this past weekend certainly helped me out also. nothing like a rainy sunday to sit and read, and ok, maybe nap too. i bounced between these two.
a great read. i'm only halfway thru but would totally recommend it based on just the first half.

and lonny magazine. where i fell in love with lulu de kwiatkowski's (of lulu dk fame) los angeles home. check it out. i think you'll agree, it's pretty fabulous.

happy birthday honey

tomorrow is the one on the left's birthday. he's celebrating today. he took the one on the right bird hunting. they left at 430 am. way too early if you ask me. probably part of the reason i don't bird hunt. that and the fact that i'm not really up for walking miles and miles thru fields with no 'conveniences', if ya know what i mean.

but enough about me... happy birthday, honey!

stick a fork in it

it's done! here's the cover page. and if you click on it, it'll enlarge.
took me most of the day to check my dates, check the patterns, check, check, check. this chick's checked out.



now i'm gonna go walk the four-legged. because my calendar's done and it's the nicest day of the last month.

oh, yea, you can buy it here. and don't forget... you'll need one for your sister, your mom, your bff too!
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