all is calm.

wishing you and yours the merriest!

merry christmas!

oh christmas tree.

elf.

i'm playing elf. today. finishing up some last minute things. taping. tying ribbons on boxes. eating cookies. christmas is almost here!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.

the lights are up. so are the angels. and the snowmen.


and the putz vintage houses and trees.


but not the big tree. that is still to come.



there are presents to buy (and make). gifts to wrap. songs to sing. christmas pageants. the nutcracker to see. the symphony to hear. and cards. to send. but for now. i'm just enjoying the twinkling lights. and sparkly ornaments.

jingle. jingle.

i am loving how my front door and porch turned out this year... these photos are pretty terrible.  i apologize for the quality!  but i wanted to show you how you can use things you have around the house or are easy to find at the thrift stores to decorate. 

i strung a bunch of old silver pitchers and teapots on pretty ribbon, tied them together and hung them on the front door.  had to hang them on the storm door, so i took a couple of the pads that you stick on the bottoms of chairs and put them on the back to decrease the banging on the glass.  

i can't tell you how many compliments i've gotten on these!  next year i'm going to add a painted frame to the inside door to "frame" them out.  

a cute and inexpensive way to decorate.  and it beats the ordinary wreath you'll find on everyone else's door. 

my next top chef.

someone loves himself some pumpkin bread. so this am. he and daddy baked up a storm and created a dusty mess in the kitchen. but the result was well worth the dust.

reap the rewards.

last summer i put up a bunch of freezer jam. strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach. so so easy.


and now. so so good. i'll pass on the recipe and details in another post. but for now i'm just enjoying some bread and jam.

the little stuff.

sometimes it's the little stuff. look what martha came up with for the holidays? adorable printed paper tape. now. it might not be happy tape. but it's cute. and it's right down the road at michaels.


this stuff makes me happy.

trick. or. treat.

hope your halloween was spooky and fun and safe. and that you dug out all the good candy for yourself!

birthday wishes.

little one is turning seven today. seven? is that possible?

i remember bringing home this little bundle from the hospital.

the way she never cried or squeaked or caused a fuss. i guess she's making up for it now with singing at the top of her lungs. laughing and squealing and enjoying herself.

oh yes. and loving. loving justin bieber. save us all.

happy birthday kiddo!

puppy love.

so sweet.

the one with the waggly tail.

look who joined our little family today.


she weighs all of a pound is full of energy. and is a little ball of fur. she doesn't like her leash or collar. loves to chew on fingers and give sloppy kisses. we love her already.

gone.

i know. i've been gone for awhile from this space.

it's not that i meant to. but. well. summer and back to school. and sports and dance and technical issues got in the way. big. technical issues. like my apple shriveled up and died. dead. went to the great place in heaven where all good macs go to spend their after life.

yes. it died.

i fought with it for a good month. encouraging it. pleading. begging. please. please. please. turn on. but it wouldn't...it would only spin in a circle. and make a horrible noise. worries. so many worries. would i lose all my files? (no backed up). all 28,000 of my pictures? (i know. i know. I need to delete). no. also backed up. so after a it went away. to get evaluated. fixed. but then the diagnosis. and then another diagnosis. and then it came home. never to work again.

so the process began. what to get. what to replace it with?

i wanted the 27" monitor. he didn't think i needed it. we compromised in the end. got the 27" monitor and the magic trackpad. so much better than the mouse.

so. there will be no new shoes. this fall. or purses. or whatever. but there is a new member of the family in the studio. that's it for now. i'll be catching up over the next few days. all those fun summer memories, right? but for now. let's just say hello...

treehouse.

i'd like to live here. at least for a day or two.

an almost invisible house up in the trees.

sounds peaceful and beautiful to me.

but i'd have to go to sweden. and i don't see that happening right. now.
(pictures courtesy of yahoo.)

fabric.

now. these. are some cute fabrics. cute japanese fabrics. of course they are.

i search for cute fabrics. all. the time. i come across some. occasionally. at a boutique fabric store we have here. rarely at my chain fabric stores. all the time on line. but there is nothing here. in town. that is unique. that is cute. not like these. i might just be placing an order.

but. they might be too cute to cut...

beach chair.

love these summer-y prints. makes me want to pack up and head back to the beach. you can find them here, at steven alan.

happy tape.

i still need to get some of this. i could tape happy everyday. all day long.

quiz: what summer dessert are you?

take a quiz at martha stewart to figure out what summer dessert you are...not that i need a quiz. but i was interested. i thinkn it's based more on what recipes they are currently featuring, but it's kind of fun. me? i'm a berry tart. funny. because i made a berry dessert last night. you?

paint.

have you seen country living's paintbrush tool? a super time waster on a super-over-the-top hot day. pick a room from a choice of many and play with color.

love the built-ins in this kitchen. it's fun to repaint other people's homes.

old books.

old books that aren't in great condition always make me think. what can i do with them? how to use them in decorating? i tear alot up for use in craft projects...but you can only use so many for projects. here's a good idea...

have you seen these at restoration hardware?


old books that have the bindings removed...then are stitched and tied together with twine. for $29! i think it's and interesting idea...but i do enough adventuring to know better. books are available at thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales for as low as $.25! grab some twine at your local hardware store and you could put this whole display together for under $2.


(photos from restorationhardware.com)

happy birthday.

we're still driving.

yes. still. driving.

we're hoping to be home in time tonight for some this.



and this.


and this.


hope you're celebrating wherever you are.

sounds of the surf.

do think. that even though this shell is broken. we will still be able to hear the sounds of the surf when we get back home. i think so.

it's been a great vacation.

but it's over.

time to head out.

and head home.

we're taking two days this time.

i'll be back amongst the piles of laundry soon.

creatures.

is our vacation really over?

is it really time to go home?

i'll be buried in laundry for days.

but today. was a beautiful last day on the beach. and there were lots of interesting creatures there to entertain. don't fret. the jellyfish were dead. on arrival. no tentacles to sting.






ugh. it's our last day on the beach.

beach house.

now. that's a beach house.

i wonder who lives there?

down by the bay.

we did a little kayaking on the assawoman bay today. it was lots and lots of fun. lots of wildlife. lots of good waves. and the cool thing? the bay was filled with little jellyfish. floating all over. but not to worry. none in the boats. just some caught on the paddles.