new love.

ah, painting and music just 'go together' for me. i have good memories of painting mabel for almost a whole month before i moved into her, just me and the ladder and God and third day...those were really good days.

i'm finding this week with fern has a similar vibe. except that i have been a bit tapped out of all of the christian music i have, so i've switched back to pandora for awhile. i tried listening a couple of years ago, but really just enjoyed my own music more. this time, the switch might be permanent. i started with a christmas music station, which is really so much better than the limited collection i own.

i've made about 8 stations so far to paint with. stuff like:


the first station i made. i still love me some r.e.m., thankfully, they come with the police and matchbox 20, whom i also love. i could have also linked to michael stipe's recent 'naked' video which was burning up the internet, but you'll have to google it yourself. for the record, i did google it, and it made me laugh. very michael, but not very pornographic, i didn't think. he once wore a white suit in concert when i saw him, and it was see-thru with the backlighting on the stage! silly boy, i don't like you 'that way.' ;)




a healthy dose of james (doesn't he look different with hair?) and dan fogelberg and the eagles and crosby, stills and nash and simon and garfunkel. reminds me of grade school...and i really, really liked grade school.



billy, whom i spent a good 2 or 3 years with around 1979 or so. his station is kind of lame, it seems to come with lots of elton john. and lots of the beatles, i guess they go together, even though i kind of like elton, i usually 'dislike' the beatles. johnpaulgeorgeringo!


yes. garth. i do usually cry me a river when i go there, but sometimes, it's good. sadly, i know every song. i also have a dolly parton station, that one is a little safer for me to listen to... :)


and then i made a station for iron & wine. i'm really enjoying them, and listening to lots of music i would never hear otherwise, like bon iver and death cab for cutie.


schwew. so that is my week. i am thinking it is something i will not regret at all :)



happy friday guys!

old times

i decided to take an afternoon off from painting yesterday, and drove down to canton to my very favorite little antique shop. 'the painted lady' has only been in business for a few years, after the old house (in my old hood) that they used to be in burned down here in central sioux falls.

i love that store. there is something so peaceful about leaving the city limits of sf, and driving about 20 minutes south to canton. that little town has some real charm, and has fueled lots of fantasies for me about 'some day.' the painted lady has just given me a good excuse to go there, i suppose. but i have always come back home with a treasure or two.

i was sad to find out they are closing next month. the owner was sad, too. it was hard to hear him talk about 'the economy' as the reason for the closing, but i have to wonder. all of us seem to have lots of money to buy ipads and kindles, so i have to believe it's a deeper reason. old, dusty things of the past probably are losing their importance in our shiny, throw-it-away-when-you're-done world. i feel old....because i love, love, love old things. perhaps i am the last of that generation, i don't know.

i did find a few treasures, even though the place was mostly empty:


a feather tree, in perfect condition.


some royal copley planters, it amazes me how these 60+ year old vases have the 'now' color palette and graphic patterns that i am seeing all over. cutting edge, i tell you :)


and old christmas card from 1932, talking about one family's hard times on the back, but pretty on the front.


a pair of cool 60s ornaments.

anyway, lou was sad, too, because she and i have many good memories from there. we agree that we must find a 'new' treasure hunting spot next summer, if we can.





and as for me, i'll just keep on painting to match my new/old vase. my parents are coming for a visit today, perhaps i will also hand them a paint brush ;)


happy day!

greetings from a tired person.

hi all. how was the holiday? mine was glorious! i loved the whole day. all of it. i really loved when i drove back to sf at sunset, because the sunsets here in south dakota are the best on the planet. note: that photo is ugly compared to the real thing. the real thing was amazing! it must have been really good, because about a gazillion people posted sunset photos on christmas day.

in other news, i used to be organized.

i admit there was a point yesterday, though, when i thought to myself "this doesn't seem very much like vacation." probably because i did not eat lunch until 5pm. and probably because i am realizing there is NO darn way this kitchen will get done this week, unless i kill myself, which may not be a very good idea.

they say it gets worse before it gets better, so i guess i am heading in the right direction. today, i get to paint my chalkboard wall. i have no idea how THAT will go, so i am choosing to think about what i want to draw with chalk when it's all finished ... where does one go to get chalk, anyway? there are so many things to do with a chalkboard wall, i almost cannot stand the anticipation.


i could go functional...


or goofy...


or pretty...


or sassy...


or mushy...
lots of options. i guess i better get the wall done, first. but wow. fun things lie ahead.





i did get some small stuff done before i started the big project. like taking my china cabinet from this:


to this:




oh. and i also made a clock. well, sort of. i defaced/refaced an old one.






anyway. lots going on. it feels crazy to think that it's the end of 2011 already. almost. and that yesterday i brought the garbage out BARE foot. i love the surprise warm streak we've been having! it makes me want to plant my garden and get outside to feel the rays.


i might also join siesta in her day's work at some point! i mean, what could be better than a tuesday afternoon nap?



happy day :)

one more.

after a terrible, horrible, very bad day yesterday, i have only one day left before vacation officially begins. i am so badly in need of vacation, and so thankful that it is almost here.

i'm sure i will be in blogland next week, but i wanted to just gather my thoughts and take a look back at the contents of my life revealed in this place. sometimes, it's kind of daunting to do that kind of thing. this year, i think the blog told most of the story, but of course, not all of it. at any rate, i love that blogs exist! and that people come here and share!

merry christmas, everybody - i hope to see each and every one of you in person in this next year (that's not too much to wish for, right?!)

if ryan gosling dated a crafter...

there is some seriously funny stuff out on the interweb these days....

just for a brief moment, i'll admit to finding rg attractive, AND wishing some man in the world liked the same things i do :)

go there, go there.

i'm not sure if i have blogged about sweet paul before, but if not, i should have.

he is who i wish i was ... a food/craft stylist from norway (living in nyc) who does all kinds of wonderful, stuff. i pretty much love him. i think i first saw him in country living, but he does lots of magazine work.

he has an online magazine that you simply HAVE to see.


i made the divinity from his magazine last night. it turned out!!! the kitchen guy is on his way, or else i would take a picture for you. trust me. it was good.


happy day!

happy monday!

i woke up to a totally new house today. thank you, blue living room, for perking up this old girl (fern, i mean :))

i have been thinking about home alot. this weekend, i had some of my worship friends over for brunch, and yesterday, i noticed how peaceful the house seemed since the gathering.

i immediately started thinking about how i have not yet asked God to bless my new home. and i actually googled 'house blessings' because although i remember doing that with mabel, it was a long time ago. i want to get it right ....

here's something i found. i really like the whole thing:

We dedicate this home to love and understanding.
May its joys and sorrows be shared
and the individuality of each person
who lives and visits here appreciated.

We dedicate this home to work, and rest and play.
May our home have joy and high fellowship,
with kindness in its voices and laughter running within its walls.

We dedicate this home to friendly life.
May its doors open in hospitality
and its windows look out with kindness toward other homes.

We dedicate this home to cooperation.
May its duties be performed in love,
its furnishings bear witness that the work of others
ministers to our comfort,
and its table remind us that God works with us
for the supply of daily needs.

We dedicate this home to the appreciation
of all things good and true.
May the books bring wisdom,
the pictures symbolize things beautiful,
and the music bring joy and inspiration.

We dedicate the time and talent of those who live here
to help build a world in which every family
may have a home of comfort and fellowship.

We dedicate this home as a unit in the Church universal,
an instrument of the Kingdom of God,
a place of worship and Christian training
and a threshold to the life eternal.

amen!


i'm looking forward to this week, and to the big 'build-up' to christmas. in the words of 'elf' - this week is my favorite.


ps. for those of you that think i am some kind of crafting super hero, please take note of the trays that i was all braggy about making last week....



yeah. epoxy is not my friend. 'nuff said.


i did follow up with a quick craft last night, turning an old book into a photo / card display. that one did not involve epoxy, and took about 5 minutes. love.

i pray that God blesses you this week, with peace and kindness and the love that can come only from Him! woo hoo! and that is goooooooood stuff.

the countdown

i think yesterday is when it actually happened. i hit the wall on anything else except christmas. i have felt it coming on, but boy do i know it. unless you have christmas cheer to share, i am not interested. and boy, do i need a vacation.

good thing i have nice clients who aren't pressing me TOO much.



anyway. all is well over here, even if my blogging is lame lately. here is what i'm up to.


still. buying. art. whew. i guess i am glad i still have a few spaces to fill, because i just see beautiful stuff everyday online. if you've ever been to stillwater, minnesota, you probably recognize this one. i have not been there in a very long time, but i want to go again. maybe to the white pine festival. it might just be my new happy place.


i guess i have not shown you my living room lately. it's looking quite cozy these days. lot's of pretty to look at.


except i need my teal wall. i am still searching for the perfect color. and some ambition. sigh. i bet i know which one i'll find first.


oh, and the kitchen guy is coming next week. so i've been shopping for a light fixture for over my new sink. that's harder than you would think.


and as for today, i need to make 20 of these bad boys for a client who is giving them away for christmas gifts. mine are the same, but different than this pic. how's that for telling you nothing?!


ha. i hope wherever you are, that you have more to say than me today! happy thurs@!

going dave ramsey on you.

hello tuesday! you are welcome in this house!

sigh. that's because monday is always a blur. i'm thankful for a day in which my brain can actually think.

and thinking it does. i woke up this morning thinking about dave ramsey. even though i have never attended or heard specifics about one of his seminars, i know he's kind of a big deal. he helps people get 'freedom from the control of money' = which is a cool term my pastor uses.

he might be onto something. i am constantly amazed at how deceitful lenders seem to be. hidden costs are the norm, and lately i've learned that things have changed in the last 8 years since i bought my 1st house. i've been frustrated by the way things went in the buying/selling (particularly selling) process, because federal laws seemed to mandate very UNNECCESARY things now that they didn't then.

i'm not going to blame obama. i'm going to blame the fact that we are a money/consumer-based society, and there are ills that go along with that fact.

that being said, it drives me batty to have debt. i mean, really, seriously batty. unfortunately, the choice to move to a quieter, more peaceful part of town means i have to endure debt for a few more years. still, i attack it like a cancer. i want it gone (see, that is the dave ramsey part of me, or perhaps the nearly-50 part of me :)).

so, today i was quite surprised to open my mortgage online, and see that my bank is still charging me for what is called PMI insurance. for those that don't know, it's the mortgage insurance that is required for borrowers who don't have 20% to put down on their home purchase. since i already owned mabel when i bought fern, i did not put QUITE 20% down, so i had to get this stuff....to the tune of just under 20 bucks a month. no big deal.

except that after mabel DID sell, and i put a big chunk o' cash down on fern, the PMI is no longer required. or necessary. and 8 years ago when i did the very same thing, it just went away.

today, that has changed. i googled it, and here is what i found out:

In the past, most lenders honored consumers' requests to drop PMI coverage if their loan balance was paid down to 80 percent of the property value and they had a good payment history. However, consumers were responsible for requesting cancellation and many consumers were not aware of this possibility. Consumers had to keep track of their loan balance to know if they had enough equity and they had to request that the lender discontinue requiring PMI coverage. In many cases, people failed to make this request even after they became eligible, and they paid unnecessary premiums ranging from $250 to $1,200 per year for several years. With the new law, both consumers and lenders share responsibility for how long PMI coverage is required.

apparently, some new law is cooking that will uncover what is currently hidden. meaning that unless you pay attention, you are paying for absolutely nothing, and nobody cares. which i'm sure leads to millions of dollars in the pockets of the banks of america....ha. not that i am pointing out anybody specifically :)

for me, that means that $202 dollars a year that COULD support a child in haiti's education, would have gone to some greedy big guys.

except i caught it, and i 'requested cancellation' of something i shouldn't have been paying for in the first place. grrrrr.

i guess the whole point of this rant is to be MINDFUL, to be STEWARDS, and to be in charge of your own finances. don't fall for the lie that more is more, and don't buy things you cannot afford.

i need to remember that right now especially, when every day i seem to have the desire to push the big blue 'buy' button that keeps popping up on my 'puter.

:) happy day! let's not spend anything, okay?

yay day!

ah. what a glorious day. i actually overslept ON A FRIDAY. must mean that i am relaxed, because i rarely oversleep. i was dreaming about meeting ashton kutcher. seriously. i was asking him if he was actually a photographer. he he. i don't recall ever actually thinking about ashton kutcher before, so i don't even want to know the meaning of that dream.

i feel like all i have worked on all week is teeny tiny little projects. an ad here, sell sheet there. my computer screen shows this to be true. time to put all those little pesky icons into folders today!

yesterday was seriously a good day. i really did nothing except chat with people. over an hour with my good friend who is having surgery next week. at one point she was laughing so hard at my stories about the neighborhood, she told me i MUST write a book. i think she has a point, because life on wood lane (see, i'd change the name of the actual location to protect the innocent) is pretty dang fascinating.

then, i talked to kirst for well over an hour. again, the laughter. and the realization of how much i love my dear 'old' friend. wow, we have seen some things together. there is nothing, absolutely nothing, better than friendship.

of course, i also spent my usual hour with carey on the phone. i think this week we talked about math alot. i don't remember math being so hilariously funny when i was in high school. now, i cannot stand it. math is for creatives! another book that needs to be written....

so. three conversations that took priority over all the tiny icons... my perfect day, even though i think i have a little sore throat today :) good thing siesta is not a serious talker.

happy friday!

can i have an accent?

so, i've been thinking about painting an accent wall in my living room.

teal.

darkish.




i guess the whole 'neutral' thing was sort of just a phase for me ;)