Inspiring Ideas

Fake Tree Goes Fall!

2009-10-29T11:43:00.004-06:00

My two little leaf collectors want a project a day for their growing collection. So, we decided to give our artificial ficus tree a "Fall" look!
Once again, we pulled out our hole punch and glitter glue:Decorated some of the leaves with the kids' monograms, crosses, glitter dots, paint ... and left some plain:Then we punched holes, threaded gold string and decorated the ficus as if it were changing colors with the season:
Kind of brightens up that corner a bit!

As an update to my little chestnut bowl post ... my kids have taken a liking to coloring the tops of them!! Every time they have the markers out, a few more get "dressed up!"

Fall Banner with Real Dried Leaves!

2009-10-20T06:20:00.003-06:00

I mentioned earlier that the kids and I gathered a whole bunch of pretty fall leaves on a recent hike. We pressed them flat until they were nice and dry.... Not exactly sure on the Martha way to do that, but we made a pile on the corner of the counter, then stacked a load of magazines on top for a few days. Hmmm, yeah, that's probably what she does, too! Then we used them for fun projects. Here's one of the things we made with our pressed and dried fall leaves: A Word Banner for our fireplace mantel:
When our leaves were good and dry, we sorted them by size. The kids love to be involved ... be sure to have extras so you don't mind some getting cracked! I punched two 1/4 inch holes in each leaf. Remember not to get your dry, cracked, half-gone-nail-polish thumb in the shot when photographing this step for the world wide web:
I then threaded a burgundy satin cord through about 20 medium sized red maple leaves:
I chose to embellish my word banner with the word "BLESSED." I can always use a good reminder to be appreciate for God's many blessings to our family. I went, as usual, with the easiest thing I had on hand - gold Glitter Glue. Quick and fail-proof, but you can use real glitter if you don't mind the mess. When I use glitter glue, I'm generous, but not too gloppy, as it shrinks up while it dries. These letters will be flat when fully dry:Here's how my B-L-E-S-S-E-D banner letters turned out:
I laid more of the leaves on the top of the mantel. Then decorated with freshly gathered pine cones and chestnuts:
This should be nice through Thanksgiving, after which the Christmas decorating transformations start! Enjoy and let me know what you're doing with your dried leaves this year! ... and be blessed!

More Fall Decorating with Nature

2009-10-13T06:30:00.001-06:00

Dressing up a little bowl of chestnuts gathered on another fall nature outing: We "wrapped" the green square bowl with ribbons and a little paper tag I designed and printed on the computer - "Blessings of the Harvest."A few simple materials is all that's needed:
And you have another inspiring autumn accent for your home:
This would also be a cute housewarming or hostess gift! Now, keep gathering those colorful fall leaves - I've dressed up my mantel with more of mine and I'll show you next time!

Fall Party Treats & Using Pressed Leaves

2009-10-08T08:28:00.002-06:00

What to do with all those leaves you and your kids collected on the weekend hike? Why, press, dry and decorate, of course! I love using nature for seasonal decorating. We brought a tray of treats over to cheer up a friend the other day: Since she's a healthy, ingredient-reader kind of girl, we baked oatmeal chocolate chip muffins and decorated them with a little more melted dark chocolate -- spelling out her name with one letter on top of each muffin:
Our freshly-pressed red maple and yellow oak leaves gave our tray a festive, fun, fall feeling. :-)And, of course, my little artist decorated a rainbow-colored leaf card to go along with our treats!
Here's the recipe I used for

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 c buttermilk
1/3 cup oil/applesauce
1 t vanilla
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t soda
1 t baking powder
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
~ 6 oz chocolate chips

In one bowl mix egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla with fork. Set aside.
In another bowl mix flour, salt, soda, baking powder, oatmeal and brown sugar by hand.
Stir liquid mixture into dry ingredients.
Mix until blended.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins.

(Recipe adapted from my great friend Maralyn Mathias's cookbook Around the World with Annie.)

Decorating for Fall

2009-10-05T19:05:00.000-06:00

It's just starting to feel like autumn where I live. I planted some mums this weekend and now I'm ready to get out my trusty fall accents! I dressed up a vase with some wheat ...... ribbon and one of those cute metal craft tags:
Here are my simple supplies: tall cylinder vase, wheat stalks, light cinnamon wired satin ribbon and metal tag inscribed with the word "faith" (not shown.)
I wrapped the ribbon around the base of the vase several times to create a little muff. I twisted it in the back near the top to hold it in position, then looped the ends through the tag in front.
Now, I think I need to go buy another bunch of the wheat stalks to fill this in a bit:
Meanwhile, it's making a cute centerpiece on my dining table ... a nice replacement for the "flowering" plant that didn't flower very much with my black thumb in charge and whose dried carcass easily crumbled into the garbage... let's keep the mums in our prayers, kay? :-)

Li'l Surfer Dude Gets a Lamp

2009-09-29T06:29:00.000-06:00

Ahhhh, I'm making progress. VERY slow mind you, but bit by bit my little guy's room is being upgraded to suit the big boy 3 year old that he now is. I mentioned the surf board we picked up recently in California ... which is still just standing guard in his room, patiently waiting to be hung on the wall ... well, this weekend my lovely assistant and I made this surfer dude lamp: I decided to swap out the current lamp on his dresser for a custom accent lamp made with (1) a lamp base leftover from a photo shoot, (2) a red checked lamp shade also from days gone by and (3) several surfer magazines picked up near the beach:
Since I wasn't sure how my photos would cover the checked pattern of my shade, I gave it a quick coat of white paint. Then I started to layer torn beach, surf & surfer pics on top. Several pieces of mostly blue water formed the base:
I went with the rough, torn edges look on this. Tearing the excess photo away from the part I wanted, exposing white edges of paper:
One of the magazines was a real score - several features on kid surfers! So I chose pics of other little blond guys that he could really relate to. My daughter did all the brushing on of the decoupage glue and was so thrilled to be making little brother a "secret surprise!"
I sealed the decoupaged lamp shade with two spray coats of clear satin polycrylic; painted the lamp base with a few coats of "Beach House" from Valspar Waverly Home Classics (same color used elsewhere in his room and the playroom photo canvases); and now it's all dry and waiting for tonight's story time!

Howdee, New Neighbors!

2009-09-22T07:22:00.001-06:00

Time to welcome more new neighbors into our 'hood...My daughter helped me bake chocolate chip cookies while my son napped. Ya know, she is such a good helper ... once she knew we were not giving away ALL of the cookies, that is!! We picked out a dozen of the "prettier" ones and tucked them into a big parchment paper envelope. I punched a hole in the top and held it closed with a curly ribbon and an enormous homemade "Welcome" tag. Added our names and phone number to the back and away we go!

Please share your fun ideas for welcoming new neighbors in the comments. Last summer when ... coincidentally ... we welcomed a different family into that same house, I posted about the muffins I brought and Barbara left some superb ideas in the comments! In this new case, the family has lived in our town longer than us, so I don't have too much advice for them! :-)

Chocolate chip cookie recipe:
I believe this recipe came a van Houten bag of chocolate chips a LONG time ago ...
makes ~5 dozen; oven 375.

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups unsifted flour (I now use whole wheat flour - as if that's a "healthy" choice with all that sugah! - which does seem to make the cookies flatten more)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz. pkg semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream together: butter, sugars, eggs & vanilla 'til fluffy. (personally, I think the people who don't do this and just mix everything at once {KM!} get the super flat cookies ... But I'd eat them either way!)
In a separate bowl combine dry stuff: flour, salt & soda.
Stir into creamed mixture.
Stir in chips (and nuts if desired.)
Drop from teaspoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. (I do about 8, depending on my oven as we prefer them super soft and ooey gooey!!)
Fill a glass with cold milk & dig in!

(In)couraging Wrapping & Decor

2009-09-15T07:15:00.002-06:00

Sometimes a simple word says it best - Hope:
To see what's wrapped up in these cute scrapbook papers, and how I re-purposed the ribbon & Hope tag, pop on over to (in)courage to read my guest post!

HOPE for 9/11

2009-09-11T09:46:00.004-06:00

To remember the victims of September 11, 2001 and their families ...A simple project to honor the lost, the heros.
I have hope in Christ that He will continue to heal the hearts of the families and guide their futures. I think of and pray for you all today.Thank you to all who serve and sacrifice.

Road Runners, Nail Polish, & Tea Parties

2009-09-03T09:55:00.014-06:00

Last post I promised I'd tell you what I've been working on lately... and BOY it's REALLY exciting!! Or not, but it is the reason I've not gotten to my list of fun, creative projects, so here you go. The lazy days of August with a SAHM:

The start of some MAJOR window mistreatments that would horrify The Nester enough to drop her glue gun and fly Oprah's plane right to my back door:
Family fascination at this road runner who ever-so-softly cries "Beep Beep" each day as he passes through our yard:
A little nail polish clean up from when the now 3-year-old painted his own toes while I packed the car for our May road trip to the beach:A "color" treasure hunt around the 'hood ... an idea - one of many - I stole from the Uber Mommy Cara at Livin' the Yeh Life:She does ALL the cool mom stuff ... and I attempt a few of them after she blogs to tell me about what I'm supposed to be doing. We invited a neighbor friend and they LOVED IT!! Next time I think we'll bring wipes & a trash bag! :-) The loot was truly treasured: Re-org of this hall linen/game/misc closet ... 5 down ... ? to go:
Tea parties with Spiderman and Ariel creatively using our beach treasure:A little laundry room clean-up:
Enjoying the beautiful backyard bushes blooming again now that the temps are getting down close to double digits again:
Hmmm, a little more nail polish in the jacuzzi. Didn't notice it through all the crayon:

Reminiscing about the one book I read this spring and wondering what ever happened to "summer reading?" My one book was actually a devotional by the golden-penned Holley Gerth - Rain on Me - which I highly recommend:Holley is a REAL writer who is too nice to tell me "golden-penned" not only doesn't make sense, it's not grammatically correct.

Oh, let's have a sip of "sea glass" and call it a day!....................

If you'd like an Inspiring Idea, try this: When short on time and money, create a semi-homemade gift or decor like an updated version of this wreath I used to sell in my shop a few years back. It was paper maché roses embellished with the Bible verse Joshua 24:15

Art Print Giveaway Winner & Bonus!

2009-08-31T07:31:00.001-06:00

Thanks to all who entered my art print giveaway!! Your sweet inspiring comments were such a treat to read! What a neat bunch - I wish we were meeting together today for a yummy breakfast gathering and winner announcement so I could meet you all in person!

The winner of the print of her choice from my Etsy store is

"abigail" who wrote: "LOVE your prints!! My friend would do anything for the elephant one...Thanks for the chance :) "
So ... perhaps we know which print she'll be picking for her prize?! :-)

BONUS OFFER: I so appreciate each of you who entered! If you commented on my giveaway post, you may order any 8x10 print (or my book) for $6 off! Please write in the message part of the order process "Giveaway Bonus" and order by Wednesday. Thanks all! I'll be back tomorrow with some fun things I've been doing!

New Personalized Baby/Kid Art GIVEAWAY

2009-08-22T22:22:00.003-06:00

Vintage style, personalized art for your baby or child's bedroom is here! I've finally completed a few of my retro designs and put them up on my Etsy store:The "Bless this child" prayer is available in three colors:
And each one is PERSONALIZED with your child's name and first initial:
There's also a "Heaven Sent - Handle With Care" retro painting available in pink or blue:
It, too can be personalized for that new granddaughter, son, niece, or second cousin's friend's daughter-in-law's little boy!
And now for the Giveaway!!
I'd love to give away one art print of your choice from my Etsy shop - select one of these new child art prints or any of my other retro inspirational prints. TO ENTER: please leave 2 "inspiring" comments - one on this post and one on ANY other previous blog post of mine. Thanks bunches!! :-) UPDATE: thanks for all your truly inspirational words in the comments - I didn't intend for a literal response but am loving the neat thoughts you're sharing! New visitors, feel free to comment however you see fit! :-)
(Don't forget your email address! You have until Saturday midnight MT 8/29 to enter. US mailing address only.)

A Little Boy's Big Party!

2009-08-21T19:07:00.000-06:00

Oh for the love of a little boy ...
Spiderman, Spiderman, Spiderman. That name comes out of my little guy's mouth about 562 times a day!!! As much as I loathe most licensed characters, naturally, when my baby turned 3 this week I had to produce! First the Superhero cake:I simply searched Google's Images for "Spiderman cake" and chose one I thought I could do with my limited cake decorating skills. It's a 2-layer red velvet cake with red-tinted frosting for Spidey's mask, white eyes and "brownie" piped frosting for his webs. The cupcakes were mini-versions of the same:On to the party favors. Bottles of bubbles and treat bags on a custom Spiderman 3 tray:I love all my customizable trays!! I used them in my book, Inspirational Home, and worked with DaySpring on one you can get for yourself. The back comes off, so you can design all sorts of fun inserts for any special occasion or season or decor. You scrapbookers should be all over that!! I modified an image from the 3rd Spiderman movie, to add a Happy Birthday message:
Since there are 1.2 million other moms of little Spidey-wanna-bes out there, Spiderman junk abounds! Spiderman mini frisbees, fruit snacks & suckers filled the little favor bags:
I added a "C" tag to the treat bags for my little Superhero - enhanced, of course, with yet another COOL picture of Spidey himself!:
Lastly, Spidey thanked all his little fans for celebrating with him!!And, as always, thank YOU for visiting!

California Flea Markets & Vintage Score!

2009-08-17T08:17:00.003-06:00

Let me ask a question of all you fans of flea markets, vintage chic and treasure hunting: Have you ever been to the Rose Bowl Flea Market???

Yes? No? Well, I haven't, but last week I was THIS close!!! :-) It's such a legend it's something I've wanted to do forever and last Sunday we were road trippin' to the beaches in California RIGHT through Pasadena exactly while this monthly event was taking place ...

... and we didn't stop.

Well, it wasn't exactly the best place for stretching your legs with 2 toddlers on a hot, steamy August day, right? But, guess what?? The next day I hit it big with two major scores at an antique shop!! We had spent the morning on the beaches of Carpinteria, and then when Daddy had to make his Starbuck's run, I dodged into this place:Angel's Antiques where my babes were entertained by Zelda Plume and her fascinating children's stories: And the funny thing is ... when I was lamenting missing the Rose Bowl flea with three friends before we left, one asked "Well, is there something you really want to get - what are you looking for?"

My very real thoughts - "S-T-O-P the bus! Who IS this person and why does she think I need a reason to go to a flea market? Has she never experienced the joy of the hunt??? Has she never gone garage sale-ing Just For Fun??? Is she a Man??"

My very real words - "A surfboard."

Here's what I found:
The PERFECT vintage surfboard!!!!!!! I was giddy with delight as I hauled it all the way from the back of the yard up to the front, concealing my enthusiasm until after I got "the best price" from Mr. Zelda Plume. This is for my little dude's bedroom and something I'd been looking for online for ages. Truly perfect for our purposes AND truly an unbelievable price!!! And Mr. Zelda Plume had actually been selling down at the Rose Bowl the day before!!! Ha! Had he even brought these two items I KNOW they would have been priced quadruple!! Score!! Thanks, God!!

The other thing one often hunts for is that treasure you just have to have, but didn't know it existed 5 minutes ago, right??? Am I right? Are you feelin' me? This is just that thing:A fabulous old sign dug out from behind loads of junk. I'll show better pics and what I do with them down the road!! Now, go hunt with wild abandon!!! :-)

Patio Tablescape & Bucket Centerpiece

2009-08-05T21:05:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite ideas from my book, Inspirational Home:OK, mostly because I LOVE LOVE LOVE peonies, but the stenciled bucket turned out pretty cute, too ... right? :-)

I picked up a hardware store plain galvanized bucket to use as a patio table centerpiece "vase." I stenciled "Faith Hope Peace Love Joy" in white using craft DecoArt metal paint - an indoor/outdoor paint. I've had many buckets that are actually not sealed good and leak water, so check yours first - you may need to add a liner.
Here's the whole tablescape at our old house. We had amazing climbing roses that had been planted decades before me and they bloomed for months every summer! Made for a lovely garden gatherings despite my two black thumbs!

If you'd like to see loads of gorgeous tablescapes from other bloggers, please visit Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. If you'd like to see loads of fun DIY ideas, please visit Kimba at A Soft Place to Land. Happy Summer!!

Sweet Summer Berry Treat

2009-08-01T17:22:00.004-06:00

Dessert at our house often looks like this:Assorted berries of the season (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) and bananas ... topped with whipped cream ... one big bowl ... FOUR forks ... ready ... dig in!!!!!!
When Daddy makes it, we also add cashews and melted dark chocolate. Our kids love sitting together at the kitchen island & sharing, so it's healthy, fun and easy peasy!
Going, going, GONE!
What's your favorite "healthy" family dessert/treat?

Tomatoes - It's What For Dinner!

2009-07-24T22:44:00.006-06:00

I am LOVIN' the ripe, juicy tomatoes from our garden this week! And when I say "our" I mean my husband's! Yes! - he does it ALL. Well, he does have a little help ... from our two toddlers, that is. They love to trot out there when daddy gets home from work and see what they're allowed to pick that day! I love that they love it and perhaps when my two black thumbs fall off and die two green ones will replace them and then I'll be able to be trusted with living plants. But I digress.

When it's tomato season, I mob the cheese guy for all his fresh mozzarella and we're in business! We are fans of "salad caprese" in its many forms and yesterday I came up with a related concoction minus the balsamic vinegar that I grow quickly tired of shortly after the season opener. :-) Well, actually I "minused" the basil in this one, too, so I'm not sure if it's still even related to Caprese, but let's pretend!

I sliced grilled chicken breasts, then layered with tomato, fresh mozzarella and SUPER ripe avocado. Without the strong balsamic and basil, the other subtle flavors blended yummily!
And ... it's Low Carb! A perfect lite lunch or appetizer for your summer dinner party! Please share in the comments what you love to make with your garden tomatoes!

See my post from last year for another summer tomato recipe.

Book & Art Print Winners!

2009-07-20T16:13:00.011-06:00

Time to announce my 100th Post Giveaway winners! Thanks to everyone for entering and sharing your neat "good things" with us all!

Consolation Prize: 20% off special in my Etsy store on regular listings for all my blog readers through this Friday. Write "blog100" as you checkout and I'll refund 20%! Enjoy!

1. The winner of my book, Inspirational Home, is:

"Adie" who shares about herself at
Life, Laughter, Love and Chaos.

2. The winner of an art print of her choice from my Etsy store is:

"angie128"
Angie rambles with sweet humor at Me and My Good Life.

3. The winner of a framed art canvas of her choice from my collection at DaySpring.com is:

"Renee"
who is an artist/instructor/designer from Upper Michigan.

Thank you for your loyalty!!! Be inspired!!

Prayer Reminder

2009-07-16T07:16:00.004-06:00

**** Don't forget to enter my big giveaway in my previous post! ****

I know a lot of you are prayin' people, and love to support the missionaries from your church, a child through Compassion Int'l, a ministry, or a loved one serving far away in the military. Here's an idea of how to keep those faces in sight to remember to pray for them:Put a photo in a decorative little medallion. Whether you have a vase filled with fresh or dried flowers, a simple pot you can dress up, or a kitchen canister -- you can make your version of this idea!

First, dig through your paper, ribbons, and memory-keeping goodies. Pull out some supplies that match the decor in the room and play around with them. I loved this little oval cardboard medallion thingy - it came on a sheet with a bunch more from the dollar store! I went with a wide white ribbon that I layered over a scrapbook paper band. For the band I had to glue two 3" strips together. I simply knotted the ribbon in back:
I cut a photo of a missionary couple right out of our church bulletin. If you're doing this for your Compassion child or serviceman/woman you probably have a nice color photo (although personally I love the black and white effect - or black and green in this case!)
Right now this vase is holding some gorgeous fresh flowers my kids picked out for my birthday, but usually it's filled with seasonal dried something or other. So, I can change the photo ribbon look seasonally, too!

**** Don't forget to enter my big giveaway! See my previous post for the scoop! ****

100th Post GIVEAWAY!!

2009-07-13T14:40:00.009-06:00

Yeah!!! I made it to 100 posts!! You regulars know I'm not a daily blogger, so it's taken awhile to get here! ... And... how do I celebrate every little occasion around here??

With PRIZES!!!

This time I'll pick THREE winners:
1. First winner receives a copy of my book Inspirational Home

2. Second winner receives choice of one art print from my Etsy shop(these are three of many to choose from - 5x7 or 8x10)
3. Third winner receives a FRAMED canvas art print from DaySpring.com!! Yes! Hot off the press!! DaySpring is carrying 5 of my retro paintings on canvas and framed!:It's a matte canvas print in a black vintage-look frame ~21" x 25." Here are some of them next to the originals in my studio! (Literally just arrived minutes ago!) I think they look great and hope you love 'em, too!!!Here's how to snag something good:
• Leave a comment telling us something good that happened to you this past week. :-)
• For extra entries
(a) become a follower of my blog and/or
(b) subscribe by email or in a reader.
You MUST submit a separate comment for each extra entry - telling me you did or already are - in order to make it easy on me to count them! :-)
AND, don't forget your email if you don't have a blog with a super visible email.
I'll pick the winners next Monday, so you have until midnight MT July 19th to enter! (US shipping address only.)

..................

Incidentally, if you are going to shop at DaySpring.com - which I highly recommend for great Christian products - please enter via my DaySpring button with my iron Icthus pictured over on the right. A portion will go to charity - more on that in an upcoming post. Thanks!!

Summer Souvenirs

2009-07-10T16:08:00.006-06:00

I hope you're all getting in some fun travels this summer! Or exploring your neck of the woods with a staycation! I wanted to show you a fun, easy way to display any keepsakes you might pick up on your outings.

I nabbed this little shadow box at a youth garage sale last summer ... but you can find these everywhere - save those Michael's coupons! :-) It was new with an unfinished wood frame. I sprayed it black last fall during my studio makeover frenzy, but then it sat until recently. I finally got back to it and decided to pop in a few entrance pins from The Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived out east:I added a piece of black tag board in which I cut 4 slits. I slipped these little pinch-on badges through the slits and didn't have to glue anything! Here it hangs in my studio: While I was putting up the shadow box, I thought of a lot of other things I could put in there. Like these retro postcards from our National Parks: Incidentally, these are all spectacular places to visit, so if you're still thinking about summer travels, I highly recommend!! (And, geek alert, I'm excited to see the new documentary coming out on PBS in September featuring our National Parks!) Anyway, here's how they might look:An inexpensive postcard from your travels would become a special treasure simply by displaying it in a deep-set frame. Enjoy your summer outings and share in the comments YOUR ideas - what inexpensive keepsakes do you like to keep from your travels: sea shells? ticket stubs? brochures? menus?

... AND ...

this is my 100th post!!!! So check back, I think my next post will be a giveaway to celebrate!!

It's My Party!

2009-07-02T10:37:00.004-06:00

A GIFT you can RE-GIFT!!To celebrate my birthday this weekend, I'd like to send you a gift!! I'm offering a BUY-one, GET-one special on my book Inspirational Home!! Order one from my Etsy store and I will automatically send you an extra copy!! Gift it, share it, save it, or even wallpaper with it - you decide!

This offer is valid only in my Etsy store and is in effect now through Sunday - expires midnight July 5, 2009 PT. Enjoy!

Red, White & Blue

2009-06-27T14:27:00.003-06:00

Happy Saturday, everyone!
I thought it's about time I got a little festive for the 4th of July! It seems with every relocation, I lose a little more of my patriotic decor. We're often traveling that week, so I rarely have opportunity for red, white and blue themed entertaining anyway. But I did find a little American flag that I nestled into a reed diffuser; and added a red satin ribbon accent:And pulled out this neat red silk cording:I made a little "Freedom" tag, and with the cording, embellished a cute candle jar. Independence Day is one week from today! Let's celebrate our country's unique heritage.

NOTE: I just added 5 x 7 print sizes of my art in my Etsy store.

Studio Tour Continues

2009-06-22T07:02:00.001-06:00

Oh - aren't these LONG summer days glorious?! I know there are a lot of Autumn-lovers out there, but summer is my season and I am lovin' it!And, since the "lazy days" of summer are in full swing ... how 'bout another peak into my studio today? :-)

Between the two doorways, I found a perfect spot for a mini-gallery of some of my retro paintings. They are 20 x 24 inch wood panels. I thought these large black gallery shelves from Lowe's would allow me to change my mind "every five minutes" about what I wanted to display and not have 541 nail holes in the wall. (Tip - in other areas of my home I have used the "Hercules Hook" with great success! )Above one of the doorways, hangs this plaque. It's another example of something you could create for yourself using my Lettering Tutorial . It's a product from a home decor collection I used to sell. "Trust in the Lord" done in a casual script font. One way to create the thin black outline "at home" is to use a fine paint pen, a raised ruler (so the ink will not bleed under) and a very steady hand. Above the other doorway I have this "W" plate. A fun clearance find a while back from Anthropologie:
I thank you for taking the tour with me ... please exit to your right ... for prints or cards of the items you've seen on today's tour, please visit the gift shop. :-)

Sharing the Fruit of the Harvest

2009-06-16T09:21:00.004-06:00

For this post I'm joining in with Kimba over at A Soft Place to Land for her lovely Garden Party. Please visit her blog to see links to TONS of cool decorating/outdoor/garden ideas!

We are so enjoying having fruit trees in our yard!! It's our third summer of harvest and right now we're loving sweet, juicy apricots!!This is a very simple way to share some of your garden treats with neighbors and friends! And perhaps an alternative to secretly leaving those cucumbers by someone's door in the middle of the night! :-)

Parchment paper folded into a little bag; add a message tag; tie with ribbon or cording and away you go! All stuff you have readily at hand! And you might even have some little helpers: