Shabby and Charm

What a wonderful site; whites, providential and gustavian oolala!
It is so much fun to decorate with white. But still a bit tricky too me.
I think my style of creation is some mixtures, and that is what starts happening to me, I then have a color involved and then lose tract on what I am doing with the whites. I love the shabby chic with the pinks, aquas, mint green and yellows. Then I like the whites by themselves. It is tough when my couch is a two piece sectional "L" shaped, comfie but I don't like the brown and havn't since I bought this piece. We didn't realize that the fabric was going to give us such a problem with pilling. Bought the piece at Jordan's, after being the fourth couch-terrible quality, it looked old after 6 months old. I had never gone through this with furniture. I purchased tarps to go over it, but they didn't look right because the couch is so big.
I just picked up somewhite furniture that someone was giving away and I am over crowding my house now for the love of furniture.

Motley Mixed Media

Motley Mixed Media shows a great and easy way of doing image transfers and I like how she impliments scripture into her work also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varhbwk3bh8

I love this girls paintings; the colors are so unique.
Check out her site and giveaway!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varhbwk3bh8

Petey's in Maine

An elderly lady in my church handed me a small monetary gift yesterday.
My husband and I have not done much lately, so we drove to Petey's, up north in Maine and had a fried haddock sandwich. It was mmmm good!
We pulled off into a state park facing part of the ocean and I slept with my little wool blanket while my husband read.
I told him on the way back home after picking up a Duncan's coffee that I felt like a baby. "All I did was sleep and eat today."
Now I am cooking supper and washing a load of laundry and tomorrow, picking up my mom who lives an hour and a half away and taking her to a vascular doctor.

Weight Gain-Why

As you continue down my posts, you will see why I am gaining weight. I will blame it on Seth the Chef. He cooks and makes great food.

I have a son that is a Captain in the Air Force, a son that is becoming a counselor and pastor in a master's degree, a son in a master of commerce class, Seth the Chef and my cute little daughter.

Chef Seth and hot dogs.

Every once in awhile you just have to blog about your kids.
This is Seth, my chef. He makes everything yummy and he is a goof. We laugh so much with him. I want to enjoy the days of him being like this, because one day soon enough he will be married and "Mature" (hehehe)

My husband took us to a hot dog stand way up in Maine where hot dogs are usually $1.00. Not this day, it is spring now and they resumed full price. Oh well, teenagers and hot dogs and $$$$$$$$$$$

Hot Dogs and Seth being Polite

The teeny boppers

RECIPE/RECIPES

Want some new recipes (does anyone know the proper pronunciation of this word?) Stay tuned to Seth the Chef my 18 year old son.

PIZZA

My 18 year old made me pizza, yes, special for me for mother's day.

His recipe consisted of balsamic vinaigrette, rosemary and sausage.

If your interested, post here and I will send you the ingredient list.

Cooking-Creativity by my son Seth-RECIPE-Balsamic Vinaigrette Rosemary Pizza

I had to show this. My son Seth is 18, and wants to become a chef. For Mother's Day, he made me balsamic vinaigrette, rosemary pizza and this is the plate he was placing my piece of pizza on. Isn't he great? This pizza was so delicious, I can't even begin to explain the flavor. Sumptuous. Yes, pizza can be sumptuous. I think I definetely showed that to the rest of my family by my "yums"

PamCarriker's tutorials

Wow, go check out:

PamCarriker.com/tutorials.

There are tutorials there for art journaling, portraits in your journal, doing a journal page just in greys with markers, graphite, charcoal and your kneaded eraser, graffiti journal pages. Awesome.

and FREEFREEFREEFREEFREEFREEFREE!

THanKs PAM!

Strathmore Journals

You know,it is not hard to find an art journal that you really like. Try the Strathmore Journals and use a Michael's, JoAnne's or ACMoore coupon and get a discount off.

Strathmore also has art journal videos online to learn from so that you can continue your education inexpensively.

My husband is a pastor and our income was cut in more than half durinng this recession. I want to continue to learn, but can not afford online classes. These are wonderful art journal classes thanks to Strathmore and the artists that did the videos.

Raisinghomemakers

http://raisinghomemakers.com/2011/daughters-and-sons-of-history-a-giveaway

Check this giveaway out. This is a wonderful site to get updated daily to give you hints on raising your daughters biblically.

Pizza and recipe

After gardening and weeding for hours, going for coffee with my sons, talking with my mom about my very ill aunt, driving my son to work, stopping at an antique shop, I then made home-made pizza. This recipe came from my friend Chris. Mine is never like hers and does come out different from time to time. What is nice about it is that you make it and can use it right away without letting it rise if you want.

I made four individual pan pizzas.

3 TBS. yeast
3 cups hot water
MIX with fork and wait till it bubbles

Add six cups of flour and mix and see how sticky it is. If it is extremely sticky, add small amounts approx. 1/4 cup of flour slowly at a time and mix.

After it is not overly sticky, put a linen towel over the top to rise if you want. I let it just sit a few moments. I then oil my four small aluminum pans and rub the oil with my hands. I grab the dough, plop an amount into each pan, then I do my thing of lightly patting it out to the edges of the pan. Today, I used Prago on top, some fresh rosemary, grated parmesian, thinly sliced red onion on top, garlic powder, onion powder and italian seasoning. Off into the oven they went. I used the confection of my oven so that I could put all four into the oven at one time and they would cook evenly. I put the oven on 450 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes.

I then took some tomatoes and thinly sliced them, opened up a can of green beans, and topped them both with white balsemic vinegar, italian seasoning, garlic and onion. Yum as a side to the pizza.

Apple Tree, Cherry Tree, Blueberry bush and Yellow Raspberries

This here apple tree in my front yard needs to be pruned. It also has some serious problems with it; a green mold fungus type thing on all of the branches now. The past two years, it has gotten worse. I have been able to use the apples to make an applesauce, but I have to wash the apples good because of a black spot on them. Too bad, because there are alot of apples.

Yesterday, my son Josiah helped with planting the cherry tree. I really wanted peach, but I settled for the cherry which eventually, I will try to have more trees of fruit. I love harvesting from my own yard and then I can share.

Today, we got the hole dug in no time, mixed some peat moss, humus and the existing soil, and added it to the area of the blueberry bush.

I quickly took the yellow raspberry bushes I had soaking in water for it's roots overnight, and dug a couple holes, placed them in, added some potting soil as an ammendment because my soil here is sandy, sometimes clay like, and also orange the color of rust.

I have been working in the yard about 3-4 hours a day. That is about all I can take with the fibromyalgia. My body hurts so much that I just fall asleep when I come in. Not meaning to complain, actually very greatful for the health that I now have. I couldn't even lift a gallon of milk, so this is awesome. I guess it is just that the yard is so big, and needs so much work and I heard it is going to be raining.

I love planting flowers, but I love herbs and plants that bare fruit. I have a lychee tree in the front. Last year was the first year of fruit. I didn't even know what they were, these pinkish raspberry colored rough textured little balls. I guess these can be quite expensive to buy and I thought well if this tree survives here in New England, and I could plant more trees, maybe I could have a little business. Always trying to come up with something new to earn some money.

Flowers and Barren spots

Spring-Sharing

Yesterday and today, I had the pleasure of exchanging plants with two ladies: Ann and Gail. I never met these women before, but met up with them on Freecycle and they had plants to offer and I have a few to share with them. I have wisteria vine and cactus.

Gail invited me to come over with my shovel and bucket and get chinese dollars and a yellow perennial with an unknown name. She blessed me with so many plants of all sorts. After visiting with Gail, digging and selecting what I could use for my yard, (Gail had many that I do not have) I went to Home Depot to exchange a fruit tree and then made my way home to mix hummus, potting soil and the sand from my yard to plant the cherry tree. I wanted peach, but neither local Home Depot had them. I would love to have a peach, plum, pear, cherry and walnut tree. Well, you can only afford one at a time. The cherry tree is an exchange for a peach tree that I bought last fall and didn't get into the ground.

When I got home, I cut some jeans into shorts (don't have my spring clothing out yet), got my Starbucks Cup with ice and water (from my son and daughter-in-law for Mother's Day) and off to work I went. I only got about four varieties of plants in the ground and watered from Gail.

Extremely sore tonight, after planting what Ann brought me yesterday and the tree and the plants from Gail, along with weeding my 1/2 acre garden, phew and then went off to bible study. My hubby made a quick supper so that I could shower and be ready, and I was just ready, not a minute late nor a minute early.

Good night.

PS just a few pictures of my yard and it's barren spots and dry soil.

Norwegian Decorating-Norway-Franciskas Vakre Verden

Funky Junk Interiors has inspired me so much with the use of unusual items. Taking a crate and using the wood for the interior of the house. In fact, she has much more patience than myself; especially the construction work she does along with her son. In connection with alot of her decorating, she has many posts up that have located me to Norwegian decorating and oh boy, do I lovvvvvvvvvvvvve it.

Norwegian is kind of rustic, but white, white and white and sparse. Sometimes alot to sparse for me. When I have nothing around me, I feel like I have not finished decorating. But I am intrigued by the white on white. I have white walls in some of my rooms and I don't get the same feel. Perhaps the white walls I have is not the right white. When I see the amount of whites there are for paints, it is overwhelming, but just like any color, white has it's warms and cools. Some whites have more of a grey in them, some have a tannish color in them...

I love in the Norwegian decorating the use of just a simple little plant along with books wrapped in burlap and a small statue implimented with the plant and books. I love how an old window or door can lean against a wall with a plain little parisienne type of chair leaning up to it.

So now, I can decorate with a country flare, a rustic flare like Funky Junk, a shabby chic style, a garden look, a folk art- black and burgundy/rooster look, French, Swedish or Italian country, an ecclectic style, vintage 1950's with black, white and red and shiny chrone and linoleum....so much fun!

An example of the Norwegian design is on Franciskas Vakre Verden's site. You can have it translated so don't worry, you will be able to read what describes her sight as well as our languages coincide.

George the Nice Gentleman

I met George a few months back, while traveling on a back road behind my house in Methuen Mass. I have towns like Brimfield Mass and Sturbridge Mass to shop for antiques, but sometimes I just don't want to have to travel or wait for the Brimfield Flea Market to open in the spring. And besides, I don't find half of what I want at the flea market that I can find at George's. And I don't have to walk as far and thirst to death.

So, I bought an antique fan from George and a bunch of other little things and he has been kind enough for me to have a few things on lay-a-way when I can pick up this week. He knows I will be back. I can't help but go back. I find everything I want and at a great price.

Antiques-Georges of Methuen

I from time to time (don't get me wrong, I would be at George's all the time picking, but the economy called the recession and our finances just won't permit me to) stop at George's. I probably ride by often, even when he is not opened to see what he has new outside. Oh, if I could only peek under all of the tarps and plastic or go into one of his buildings that is filled. I peek inside the windows and get my imagination going on how women and men used these items many years ago. Why would I want these in my home or garden? I don't know, they are just so full of character, color, and shabbiness.

I don't use everything for what it was originally used for. I change it around a bit. Perhaps I add it to a three dimensional collage or mixed media project. I may set it on one of three fireplace mantels in my small 1900 humble little home. You see, I am not great with my hands in construction; fixing walls, ripping up carpet, breaking down walls. I wish I could and I wish I had someone to help me with these back breaking jobs. So, I decorate and hang and switch pictures, and decorations from one room to the next. It keeps my house fresh and different. It is like a work of art but different.

I also like to see how an ordinary object of 50 to 100 years ago, can be used in one of my bedrooms.

Right now, I have a white crib post in my bathroom hanging on a wall. Connected to that is a wreath in the shape of a heart with silk flowers hanging on the post with a ribbon. I have my antique fan that I bought from George on my wood-burning stove, just waiting for the hot weather:) Will I spray paint the fan, probably not. That shabby grey reminds me of when I was a little girl. My mom had a small radiator heater that was the same color grey that she would put in the bathroom to keep it warm on Saturday nights when I was taking a bath and Jackie Gleason was on the tube.

Antique

This may seem like alot of reading, and I don't want to bore you, but I learned a bit today about the difference between the meaning of antique and vintage.
I have a few antiques, not as old as 100 years except my house and myself:) being a half a century already.

Usually I buy things not because they are worth alot of money (I wish I did have something of value but I don't), I just enjoy old things and I think they are made better, have so much quality and tell me a story of someones life by when the object was created and either hand-made or manufactured.


An antique (Latin: antiquus; old) is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age (see definition), beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human society. It is common practice to define "antique", as applying to objects at least 100 years old. Collectibles are, generally speaking, the possible antiques of the future and generally less than 100 years old.
The only real law concerning the definition of the word antique comes from the US customs office, that considers antique as anything 100 years old.
Antiques are usually objects which show some degree of craftsmanship, or a certain attention to design such as a desk or an early automobile. They are most often bought at antique shops, or passed down as an estate. Some valuable antiques can be bought from antique dealers and auction services or purchased online through websites and online auctions. Antique dealers are often members of national trade associations, many of which belong to CINOA, a confederation of art and antique associations across 21 countries, representing 5000 dealers.

Vintage-It's definition

I learned today what the word vintage meant. Not the part about the wine, but the part about the age of a thing. I did not realize that you should be the year of the item with the word vintage when you are describing an item. VERY INTERESTING!~

1vin·tage noun \ˈvin-tij\
Definition of VINTAGE

1
a (1) : a season's yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard (2) : wine; especially : a usually superior wine all or most of which comes from a single year
b : a collection of contemporaneous and similar persons or things : crop
2
: the act or time of harvesting grapes or making wine
3
a : a period of origin or manufacture
b : length of existence : age
See vintage defined for English-language learners »
See vintage defined for kids »
Examples of VINTAGE

a piano of 1845 vintage

Antique vs. Vintage

I recently saw this as listed on Ebay. I thought it was a good question so I thought I would post it today seeing I was with a bunch of antiques and vintage I don't know all the year antiques:)
Antique vs. Vintage. Definition and differences?
Jan 14, 2004 7:17 AM
Report
Anyone know the correct definition of Vintage? vs. 'Antique'? If one says 'vintage' in a description can it mean antique? Or is 'vintage just from the mid-20th century? I received a 'negative' feedback (my first) because the buyer thought the item was Antique when I described it as 'Vintage'. I want to make sure I know the difference before I respond. I am very upset about this. Thanks for you help.

And here was an answer from someone.


Antique vs. Vintage. Definition and differences?
Jan 14, 2004 7:44 AM
Report
The correct usage of the word vintage must be used with a year.

ie.

my car is vintage 2001...
my computer is vintage 1999...
this WWII item is vintage 1943...

etc...

Baskets, Shutters and UNCLE SAM

Dolls and Dummie Heads/Figures

He has a bit of everything and I mean everything. I told George I would love to just go into one of his buildings. I am sure he would have everything I would want or have been looking for.

TOOLS-Antique

Now I didn't mention Craftsmen or Snap-On did I? I just love antique tools. I am not sure if it is because my dad gave me saw and hand sanders years ago that I hung up in my apartment on the wall behind my gas-on-gas stove. I had never been interested in old things when I grew up. Funny. My dad had the best stuff in his garage and his cellar. I thought he had alot of garbage in the two sheds and the garage, till he built my mom a huge built in porch on the side of the house, and built the porch on top of a great sized cellar. Yes, two cellars and a garage. My dad was a construction worker in the 60's and 70's and a glass cutter and machine operator for Howard Glass in Worcester. He would bring home glass door knobs, brass hinges, old cheese boxes, and every screw, nut and bolt you could imagine and had them stored in ginger ale cans that were connected to a board on the garage wall. Amazing how many companies now like Ikea or Pottery Barn come up with decorating ideas that my dad did for organization in the garage. He saved old newspapers about Kennedy's assassination. He had metal tools, old pencils and pens in wooden boxes and if you needed something to be fixed or needed just a little something, he had it. He knew how to solder, make a picture frame, and even tinker in the car even when the cars became more updated, you would pull in the driveway and see that engine hood popped up. It was the way he tinkered. When my dad was found to have prostate cancer, he tried to have a couple of yard sales and he brought in a dumpster. I can't even begin to tell you what he had to get rid of. There was no possible way I could take anything because I lived in an apartment and besides that, I did not have a love for that can of marbles, or the old whiskey barrel.
What happened you may ask? I really don't know. When I got my first home, I went down the street to a little local antique shop, and bought a metal table for my old home, and a bunch of flour sacks; you know those pretty fabrics that women would get their flour in years ago and then make their daughters skirts out of them. Their daughters would be embarrassed.
Now that you have heard a bit about my history, enjoy some of my photos.

Rust-oooo, I love the color and the texture

Green and Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey and Nate

I am loving this show this morning with Oprah.
She is showing her home made out of stone; each piece hand-chiseled by men.
Trees, roses and a rock shaped like a seat near her favorite tree. Boy do I understand what she loves.

She loves green, roses and lavender.

I sat here in my living room, realizing that I had so much green in my home, how roses grow best out of most plants in my yard and her lavender. I have often said that I would love my whole front yard be lavender and then sell it for a business.

It seems like Oprah and I have alot in common.

I give the Lord all of the Praise for the beauty of green, roses, lavender, rocks...

Cigar Boxes and Jewelry Boxes

I am definetely thinking of buying cigar boxes, spray painting them a glossy white, and stacking them as jewelry boxes. I can line them with fabric if i have time, but may just leave them. I have costume jewelry so I am not worried about scratches. Bracelets, beads, hair barrets etc. will fit well inside3 and I can put labels on the fronts of the boxes so I will then know what is in them.

Cutouts from Pottery Barn Catalogue

IDEAS FROM POTTERY BARN-DECORATING

Pottery Barn's Catalogues are awesome. Cut up and glue sticked into a journal to look over and over again. I could keep the whole catalogue, but I like ripping out or cutting out the pictures of projects I have in my mind. I am going to do something different this time and put the pictures in subject matters in my own scrap book. For example, I will have my own outdoor section, living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom. I can write notes around the pictures and make lists of items I would like to purchase at yard sales, garage sales, second hand shops, and MARSHALLS.

Today, I had an allowance, and I found a large glass bell dome and a large glass vase with a very wide opening. I am deciding whether I want to put them outside on my future home-made gardening table or keep then inside. Having a couple of dogs kind of keeps me thinking I should keep them in the house.

I love Marshalls maybe even more than Pottery Barn. I can almost find anything at Marshalls. The glass is not as thick as Pottery Barns, but when you spend $7.99 for a glass bell dome and you would be spending almost $50.00, $7.99 is much better. Plus, things are always breaking in my home inside and out and I feel better when my decorations are inexpensive.

Pottery Barn and Why so many people like it

Texture, natural, rope, shells, birds, candles, white, wicker, metal, decorations, rocks, moss...a bit for everyone. So, I can't afford it; even when items are on sale. I need to make renditions of various items and the way pieces coordinate together. I do realize that the quality of what I make is not necessarily the same, but it sure is fun trying.

I especially love how their products coordinate with each other. I love how they combine various textures together. I love how they put a whole wall of pictures together, and then juxtapose a table and ornaments to match. So, I ordered their free catalogues and cut out all of the pictures I love and wrote notes on the pictures reminding myself of items I have and how I could put them together to achieve a certain look in my house. I am an artist, and love collaging and when I am decorating, I feel like I am making a huge mixed media piece in my house.

LIVING ROOM

One of the next projects I am going to be doing is a wall in my living room.
I have a few ideas
1. Pulling my L shaped couch away from the wall and windows and putting two couch tables behind each couch. Then I can add a fern or various plants and a bird cage.

2.One of the walls, I am going to texturize, and use 3-4 colors of paints to create an Italian feel to the wall, then add old maps and a sconce and perhaps some photography of mine in various frames. I have to work at it first to see how it will work and coordinate. I will post pictures when I am working on it. I just need to get my acrylic paints.

My Pottery Barn End Table

What I think I am going to do with the example of my pottery barn style end table that I have outdoors next to my wicker furniture, I think I may spray paint both pieces so that they both pieces match in color and spray it with a polyurethane so that it will do better in the rain and bad weather. My table does not have the same proportions as the Pottery Barn table, but, it is so similar.

My table is made out of two antique pieces, vintage pieces. I have to decide whether I want to make them in dark stain color or a lighter color. This is a sturdy piece to hold cups/glasses, fruit, crackers/cheese and a pitcher of a drink.

Pottery Barn Outdoor End Table and My Rendition

Art Blessing Giveaway-ArtistLaniKent

http://artistlanikent.blogspot.com/2011/04/ready-to-fly-art-blessing-giveaway.html

Please go to this site. Sign up and perhaps you will win a beautiful necklace and another surprise gift.