A Dying Art Form

Walmart in Tupelo is one of the few in Northeast Mississippi that still processes film. And they don't really do a spectacular job. Just got a couple rolls done and this photo is the best quality of the bunch.

Happy Birthday Little Sis

You're finally 21! How crazy is that? Here's some birthday candles to blow out.

I love these candle holders. They're a bit too pricey for me so I'll have to be creative and make something like it. Maybe next year I can have you 22 of them.

Let's Get Organized

My little sister got me a 2 year subscription to Do It Yourself magazine, and I was looking at their website. They have tons of great project ideas. Like a bird cage to hold letters and what nots. And to use an old wooden trunk as a filing cabinet. Both of which I've been trying to figure out cool ways to make. And now I feel inspired to get them made. I need a cool metal bird cage. Hopefully I can find one at a thrift store. Not sure where to look for a trunk that's the right size, but that doesn't discourage me.

Merry Christmas!

I thought this Christmas mantel decoration was really fun. It's from girlhula's flikr.

picture found via the constant gatherer

Pincushion

How great is this pincushion by creativeKismet! I've wanted to make one like this for a while now. Might just buy this one though, support another artist.

A Post for Mom :-)

This is Matt's side table. It is much less cluttered than mine at the moment. And the bedding is being washed, hence the lack of real pillows. But we love our new bedside tables. When the whole room is clean I'll take a picture of the bed and both tables, then you'll get the real effect.

Kareena

I just came across this amazing artist, Kareena. I love the style and simplicity of her artwork. It also inspired me to make a calendar. I need one for me, but maybe i'll try to make a few and sell them on my etsy.

artist found via Studio Home Creative

Honeycomb Smocking

I just finished the pillow on the front tonight. It took a couple evenings of tedious hand stitching, but I think it was totally worth it. I love the "honeycomb smocking" affect. I couldn't have done it without the brilliant tutorial from Tumbling Blocks. Probably won't be doing it again for a while. But I do have fabric for one more pillow. Just need to get more stuffing and some trim to jazz it up.

My New Couch!!

Sorry for the lame-ness of these photos. I will replace this post later with a better photo of the couch/ and more pillows on it. But anyway, this is mine and Matt's new sectional. It's so comfy and we love it. Best Sectional Ever!

And it pretty much takes up our whole living room. but i don't mind. cause I love it. :-)

Christmas Ornaments

I decided to make some little ornaments and found this dough recipe for making them. It worked rather well. Here are some of the heart shaped ones I made, and then them painted.

Christmas Tree

Holiday Giveaway

I just found a fantastic giveaway going on at Apartment Therapy. Everyday they add six new things. I only enter for the ones I like, but this one I really love.

Nesting bowls

These are little string bowls I made the other day. They look pretty fantastic in person. And I even found the perfect use for the biggest bowl I made. It now holds cinnamon potpourri.

This bowl was made with two kinds of string and is a slightly smaller version of the potpourri holding one.

Doesn't it look very rustic and and festive?

Here's how you do it.

Supplies: string, scissors, white glue, cling wrap, a rubber band or two, and a couple bowls.

Step 1: Cut the string into pieces, doesn't really matter the length. Mine were about 9 inches long.

Step 2: Take the bowl not used for the form and put a layer of cling wrap in it, holding it in place with a rubber band outside

the bowl.

Step 3: Put the cut string in the cling wrap bowl and cover, generously, with white glue.

Step 4: Cling wrap the outside of a bowl, the size you want to use as your form. Hold the cling wrap tight with a rubberband at the rim. Lay it open end down.

Step 5: Apply string after string to the bowl, making sure that it has lots of places they over lap. Let dry and peel off your new string bowl from its form.

It's really quite simple and fun. Also been done with balloons and such.

this project was inspired by the blog, A Friend to Knit With

Snow Globes and Mantels

These fantastic home made snowglobes are from none other than... Anthropologie , of course.

found via inside the loop, via oh hello logan I don't actually have a mantel, though I'm pretty decided that no matter where Matt and I move next I'm going to get him to build me one. Here is a beautiful one with great decoration. found via oh hello logan

Apartment Decor

I'm starting to like decorating my tiny apartment.

Working on a clock that's kind of a starburst. Ready to have it finished and hang it above the tele.

Have a mini Christmas tree that I've been making decorations for.

About to do the second layer of primer on the den side table.

Want to do one giant painting and then collect several frames that are all black to hang as a grouping on the wall.

Also going to make a blanket for the den. Love this quilt by DaintyTime. Found it on aesthetic outburst. Looks like a quilt I could handle making. Not super precise or complicated. I'd probably have to buy scrap fabric from all the local art stores to be able to afford to make it.

Sunflowers, Wild Things, and Crumpling Homes

Here is one of the four wild things I painted for the art gallery I work at, for the Halloween decorations. We put them outside and had lots of kids take their picture beside them.

The finished wild thing.

This is a painting I did recently to hang in the Main ARTery, the gallery. Its an okay piece. I'd be more than happy to sell it though.

And this last one is an old house in Dorsey, MS...near Fulton. It looked really cool in person. Had a tree fall on the roof I'm guessing and then they're cutting up the remainder for fire wood.

Moral of this story: if life drops a tree on your house, make fire wood.

Amazingly Witty

UNITED STEAKS OF AMERICA

I saw these the other week on someone's blog, thought I'd share them. Pretty funny, and very creative. United Steaks of America. They're by Dominic Episcopo.

House Hunting

Matty and I have started looking at houses all around the Tupelo area. This one is in Guntown, which it's location is not great, and the house has kind of fallen into ruins. Rotting wood in places, and broken windows. But it is such a beautiful house. I'm sure 50 years ago it was AmaZing. Plus the backyard was like a scene from The Secret Garden. I desperately wanted to blink my eyes and make the house like new and move it to a better location. I guess I'll just have to build one exactly how I want it someday.

Furniture!!

I have discovered that a house, or apartment, is very hard to make cosy when there isn't any furniture. My husband and I had a loveseat, tv stand, bed and one side table up until a few weeks ago. My parents brought up this really cool dresser/desk that had been in a bedroom at there house. It immediately became my art cabinet. I have big plans for this piece of furniture. Eventually I will sand and paint it some lovely color. Probably going to add a few pretty hooks to one side of it so I can hang my art aprons. I'm also going to get a real chair for it. My parents have a few old wooden chairs with seats that could be easily revamped. I'll find some really funky fabric to recover the seat cushion. And may even paint the chair, but not decided. So our bedroom is looking a bit more like a real room from a house. Not just an unlived in apartment. I'm liking it

What can YOU buy for $40?

Today I spent my morning garage saling. I only took out $40 dollars cash so I wouldn't spend too much on junk. I think I did rather well. With my forty bucks I got:

1 18x18" pillow which i used to stuff the pillow case I made

1 silk robins egg blue/copper pillow

1 vintage handkerchief in bright green

1 dress pattern

17 spools of thread

12 zippers of assorted colors

3 Martha Stewart decoration books

1 Domino Magazine

3 ice trays

1 iron candlestick

1 wooden shelf

1 twin sheet in a groovy pattern

1 old skool metal first aid kit

5 wooden napkin rings

and the big purchase....... a kitchen table

I'll repaint it after I strip it, sand it, and pick the perfect color. Overall, it was a very successful day.

And these mirrors were also found at a garage sale but on another day. Only the gold ones though, the more brown ones are the exact same kind but I found them a few years ago in a burned down building I was helping tear down. I like the two color effect.