we took a little trip

i took the boys to Branson, Missouri over spring break. we loaded up the volvo wagon, armed with the DVD player, snacks, drinks and a map and headed out. the 3.5-4 hour trip took us a little over 5 hours. without daddy, i was able to stop at any and all the flea markets on the way that i wanted to. a couple bathroom/stretch breaks were thrown in too. we rented a cute little condo and the boys thought the best part about it was the small t.v. in the bedroom. so every morning we had breakfast (lucky charm cereal) in bed and watched cartoons. it was nice that those few minutes in the morning was the only t.v. time we had.

we had a picnic lunch on the river. the boys spent a good couple of hours afterwards throwing rocks into the river. it was probably 80 degrees that day...just beautiful.

M found this rock that looked like a heart.

the boys got along so well. i was so proud of them.

down at the Landing we found this really cool store....Ridemakerz. it's like build a bear, but you build a car. upgrades can be made over the internet. M had a blast picking the body of his car as well as the wheels, stickers, etc. then he had to actually put it all together. a fun souvenir!

an afternoon playing putt putt golf.

for not even being 3 yet, C was pretty good and did not hold us up at all. he yelled "whoo hoo" every time he got his ball in the hole.

this photo was taken at a place we had dinner at. we actually had dessert (ice-cream) first that night, and then had pizza. the boys thought this huge banjo was pretty cool.

C was hesitant to get into the pool at first. but then i couldn't get him out.

this indoor pool was one of the reasons we picked this condo.

all in all it was a great few days and something fun to do. now that we are back, C keeps saying (when he wakes up in the mornings) "it's vacation day, time to go to the condo!" needless to say, he enjoys taking little trips.

finally....some trays

i finally got around to getting a {small} batch of trays done. they are on their way to Now & Then, the little shop that i sell them in. if you have been to Now & Then (in downtown Overland Park, KS) make a note that she has moved. she's on the same street, just a couple of store fronts north of her old space. i am delivering the spring trays to her on saturday. so if you are in the area, have some free time, need some me time go and check them out. i am not sure why the photo of the papers looks so washed out. these trays really did turn out beautiful with the brown and blue papers that i used. the black & white one is perfect for a wedding gift and the red one just makes you happy and ready for summer.

every cowboy. . .

needs a place to hang his hat. in my youngest sons case, it is a place to hang his baseball hats.

on a recent stop at a thrift store, C pointed at something and said "i need that for my hats". i had no idea what he was pointing at. i let him out of the cart to show me what it was he thought he needed. he picked up a peg rack and again said "i need this for my hats". his hats do usually just get tossed somewhere and i had to agree that having a peg rack for his hats would be a great idea. so for one dollar, it was his. we came home found a spot in his room and he proudly hung all four of his, well loved, baseball hats. though he is too young to realize the reuse, recycle reason why mommy shops at thrift stores, i am proud that he found something that he liked and is proud of. equally proud am i that he is beginning to show some organizational skills. {smile}

a tiny office nook

i recently did some rearranging and had used a small sofa table as a desk in my mudroom. i thought it was the perfect little spot to keep daily papers organized. after using it for a few days i realized that it wasn't that perfect. it was a smidgen to narrow, not allowing much space to actually write at. it also was not near an outlet so i could not have a lamp for task lighting. so on a trip to good juju last month i spotted a cute little table. i quickly dismissed it because i was using the sofa table and it was working fine. but i could not stop thinking of this cute table. good juju is open only the first weekend of every month. so for the whole month i thought about this cute table that i had seen. AND when they opened this past weekend, i was there when they opened and the table was still there. i was so excited and chalked it up as 'meant to be'.

with a little more rearranging i now have this tiny office nook (still in my mudroom). it is now by an outlet, so i am able to have a lamp on it. it also is the perfect width to actually house some organizing bins and still have room to write. i love, love, love it. funny how having this tiny space has made daily tasks a little more fun to complete.

rainy days and mondays

it was a rainy monday here in kansas city. every time it rains and it is a monday i am reminded of that song by the carpenter's. but rainy days nor mondays get me down, i use them to get some projects done.


i have had these old, i call them fishing stools, in my stash for awhile. i failed to take a before photo so here they are in their after. scrap zebra fabric left over from redoing some chairs, a staple gun and 6 minutes to do each one. when projects are this simple, it makes me wonder why i put them off for so long. these two beauties will actually be for sale in the upcoming "Friends of a Feather" sale in june. for the past two years i have joined a creative bunch and held a fabulous artist/junker sale. this year we are taking it up a notch with more vendors, a huge tent filled with so many lovely things and even more marketing. if you are in the kansas city area, this is one sale you will not want to miss. more details on it later. so it is tuesday, and it is raining.....what project will i work on today?!

the ever changing mantel

since it is march i decided to remove the red floral wreath and art piece with a red heart from the mantel. using what i had, i created this display.....for now.

it is quick and simple to create an arrangement like this when you stick with a color theme.
add or take away and just fuss with it for a minute and ta-da you have something new to look at.

i often get emails from snapfish with a coupon to create a free coffee table book. i think i will gather up all my mantel display photos and put them into one book. i often have friends and neighbors ask me to help them with mantel displays. they could use the book as a resource and be inspired. now that is a good idea!

a thing for letters and words

the other day my post was about numbers. today it is about letters and words. i love all kinds of typography. if you do, you will want to visit this fun site i recently found. so on with photos of things around my home that have letters or words.....
a recent find at good juju was this linen pillow cover. the colors are perfect and i just love all those letters on it.

this card reminds me of a bingo card, only with alphabets instead of numbers. oh, and no free space. it is eye candy in my studio, or sometimes makes it way into a august arrangement on my entry table. signaling the start of the school year.

the letter H. was found gold and quickly spray painted black. it lives on the wall in my master bedroom, above some pictures i found at a flea market and had framed.

the letter M. in my son's room. i love monograms and more often than not, if you have a decorating dilemma, this just might be what your space needs. try it!

ahhhh...words. as in 'use your manners please'. i have posted these pillows before, but think they are worthy of making it into this 'words post'. subliminal, yet effective.

ooops...here is another letter H. simply written on a chalkboard in my kitchen.

three lovely words, 'home sweet home'. i made this with scrapbook paper and those small luggage tags (that i am also addicted too!) a random pretty frame i had tucked in the basement and it becomes a piece of art.

the word 'cafe' in my kitchen. i am not sure why i love this word. maybe because i ran a cafe when i lived overseas, or maybe because {some days} i have a desire to run one again. or maybe because it is a short word and it fit this space?! ;)

scrabble letters are always a fun find at a yard sale. i use them for all kinds of things. this phrase 'wash hands' sits quietly in the boys/guest bathroom. instead of a hand towel in this bathroom i love having a stack of 12 wash cloths. you can pick these up on the cheap at target for around $3/12. it does make for a bit more laundry but the benefits are worth it. everyone gets a dry towel and less germs are passed around. after a party, there is always one person that comes up to me and says 'loved the idea of the individual hand towels, i felt like i was at a fancy hotel or restaurant'.

this a-z sign was found at a garage sale just at the time my oldest was learning his abc's. it is in his room, in that small space above the closet. now that my youngest son is learning his abc's i suppose it is due for a new location.

that is it for the letter/word tour. if you have a favorite word or typography around your house i would love to hear about it. leave me a comment!

a thing for numbers

two, five, three..... 9, 4, 21.... it does not matter what the number, or the order. i have a thing for numbers. i am not even sure when it started. i pick them up at flea markets and garage sales. or, if something is plain, i will add a number myself. as i looked around the house the other day, i noticed that i have quite the {collection} going. in no particular order... see for yourself.

the number 2. picked up at a consignment shop lays quietly on my desk. her original purpose was a house number. i wonder if she was alone on a house, or in a group? her purpose now, a paperweight.

the number 459. joins numbers 458 and 457 in our mudroom. each locker has one of these old swim baskets to corral the smalls.

numbers 1, 2, 3 & 4. march down the front of an old dresser. originally intended for my son's room so that i could tell him that his socks were in drawer #2, shorts are in drawer #3. decided that i liked it better in the living room for a bit of whimsy. *easy project with a stencil and some paints!

the number 5. why? why not! plain white plant pot gets a simple face lift. *another easy project with ceramic paints, or a sharpie marker!

numbers 1 - 12. the face of a clock. i think circles are pleasing to the eye and i think that is why i am so drawn to clocks. this little one sits on my bedside table. it is rarely wound because i can not sleep with the tick, tick, tick sound. it also finds a temporary home in january on my dining room table as part of the centerpiece.

roman numbers. another clock, again round. this one currently resides above a mantle, but also gets moved around. i really liked this one when i bought it, but am growing tired of the red. {it is actually for sale for $75. interested? send me an email and i can tell you more about it}.

numbers 1 - 12 repeated again in a round clock. maybe i have a thing for clocks too?! this was a wedding gift {14 years ago}. the frame was pine and has since been painted black and distressed. it is large and i love it.

number 4 and 6. as in happy hour 4-6. this little frame sets on my kitchen window sill. 4-6 is actually the witching hour around here. kids are starting to get hungry, sometimes cranky and dinner needs to be thought of and prepared. this little reminder helps me to think positive during these hours. and yes, sometimes i take it literally and pop a cork off a bottle of red wine.

dollars and cents. these little cardboard price tags i found at a sale. not sure what i will do with them but one day it will hit me. they are currently eye candy in my studio.

a mix of numbers. old bingo cards make me weak in the knees. i have no idea what it is about them, but i can not get enough of them. these came from a dear friend {thanks lauri}.

numbers 1 - 28 and sometimes through 31. a huge framed calendar that i made because i am such a visual person. each month the magnetic numbers get moved around to their appropriate day of the week. strips of paper are used to add the happenings of our days. a real piece of {useful} art in my mudroom.

number 6 and 9. a framed vintage race car poster in my son's room. i love the large graphic, the numbers, letters and colors in his room.

another framed poster in my son's room.

that wraps it up. hope you enjoyed the tour of numbers.

tomorrow?? a thing for letters/words!

what's on your mantel?

the mantel is a show piece around christmas time. it seems that i load mine up with so much stuff in the months of november and december. that come this time of year, i just want something simple.

this old frame is a favorite of mine, it appears several times on my mantel throughout the year. for february, i hung a red rose wreath that i had stashed in the basement. you can never go wrong with white pillar candles, line them up all in a row for a bit of a modern look. a favorite piece of art, from a friend of mine, adds to the 'love' theme of the month without going overboard.
what's on your mantel?

how sweet it is

i signed up for treats for my son's valentine party at school. i am taking strawberry and cheese cube kabobs. kids love food on sticks and i thought something healthy was a good idea. but since it is a party afterall, i also wanted something fun, pretty and sweet.

i found this FUN COOKIE SUCKER recipe here. wrapped up in a cellophane bag and tied with a ribbon these turned out adorable! they were so easy to make and really didn't take any longer than making and icing cupcakes. my son loved how they turned out and is excited to see if his classmates think they are getting a sucker instead of a cookie. i also heard him in the living room tell his dad "i have the coolest mom ever!" and this morning when he saw all 25 of them (21 classmates + a few extras) on a tray he said "wow, you baked 72 corn muffins for boy scouts this week, and now 25 cookie suckers, you are the best mom ever!" now that is SWEET!

fun find

it was a beautiful day on saturday...might have even hit 70 degrees. i had some errands to run down in the village and really just wished that it was a spring saturday with lots of garage sales. but i knew sales would be few because it is after all... february. a few blocks from my house i saw it....a SALE sign! i was so happy. even happier when i found a bingo game. we had family game night friday night and i was wishing we had just a simple bingo game. there it was....along with boxes of dominoes, scrabble letters, chess and checker pieces. i had a smile on my face and my soul was happy. odd what spending a buck will do for you on a february day. oh yes, all of my finds were just $1.00 oh, happy day! ;)

face lift for a garage sale find

i have had this cabinet for awhile......maybe two years. i scooped it up at a garage sale for 5 bucks. i always had intentions to paint it, but since it lived in the basement, i never got around to it. then at some point i did some rearranging and the cabinet ended up in my living room. even in the ugly state that it was, i still liked it. i guess because when i looked at it, i could see the potential. every time i looked at it i was reminded that it needed a face lift, but it was functional, so it just became a project on a long list. two weekends ago i finally tackled the cabinet. i am always so amazed at how little time and really takes to paint a cabinet. why did i wait so long to complete this project? one word explains it.....PROCRASTINATOR! here is the end result.....

i had recently found an old french paperback here and i tore it up and used it on the back of the cabinet. i love how it turned out. a fresh coat of paint, some light staining, new hardware and it is finally done.

the top shelf has a few of my favorites...especially the ceramic crown. a subtle reminder that, with no girls in line behind me, i will forever be the queen of this household. ;) the middle shelf for my husband who likes his scotch on the rocks after a hard day at work. the bottom shelf for the boys, a basket filled with baseballs that we pick up for cents at garage sales. and behind the two doors on the bottom, baskets of toys for the boys.

it feels good to have this project crossed off my list. since i have painted this cabinet, i have spent the last two weeks completely cleaning and rearranging bedrooms. it is what happens when i clean....stuff just gets moved from one place to another. and wow does it feel good to have my house so clean. even the closets have been cleaned and we have several bags of donations going to local shelters this week.

here is the before photo of the cabinet in its ugly state. so next time you see something ugly at a garage sale, look for the potential in it. paint is inexpensive and it is a great way to update a piece. you will also be saving money, and the environment by recycling these pieces.

a store of my own

a new store in town, stella grace. named after the girl name i had picked out, but never got to use. filled with treasures that i find out junking. some pieces were found in great condition, others have been repainted, or re purposed. all displayed beautifully in a casual, eclectic way that makes you want to visit every week just to see what is new.

services are also provided to stage clients homes. reusing what they have, or help them find the right spot for that piece they just purchased from stella grace. or maybe they just need holiday decorating done, or maybe decorating for a party they are having. i could do it all.

and then i woke up. yes, this is just a dream. a dream that i come back to often. a dream that between being a mom, wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a den leader, at home business owner, cupcake baker, junker, decorator, ect. hopefully someday will become a reality.

the photo above was created by visiting this site (thanks to tracey over at cottage industry) .

my actual store front would have cool, old shutters on each side of the windows and some beautiful green plants in the front. perhaps a cute table out front to enjoy a cup of complimentary coffee at. my desire to junk and resell, display, decorate, play, all wrapped up into one store. and speaking of wrapping, i would offer gift wrapping for the smalls. because who doesn't love getting a beautifully wrapped package?

when i close my eyes.....i can see it. *sigh* someday.

what is your dream?

a day for history

i am not a history buff. i never liked, or did well, in history in school. it wasn't until i started traveling the world and seeing places, that i had only read about in history books, did i become remotely interested in history. i vaguely remember watching the space shuttle take off for the first time in school. it was cool that we had t.v.'s in our classroom but for some reason it just didn't make much of an impact on me. but today is different.

while watching the inaugural address today, i felt so proud to be an AMERICAN. i also felt so excited to be witnessing history in the making. a day for future hope, a day that will hopefully make a difference in the future of my children. i think i am excited about today because i am old enough, and mature enough to recognize this historical moment. it is a fresh start, it is exciting and it is fun to be witness to it. CHEERS! to the red, white, and blue.

xoxoxoxoxo

a valentine tray of mine to be featured in the february issue of Taste Bud magazine. my friend heather writes for them and so thoughtfully asked to use one of my trays in her february article.
the article is on breakfast in bed and who wouldn't love to have THIS delivered to you on valentines day morning. heather also has her own event floral design business called Botanica.
i am excited for the taste bud issue to come out. it is so fun to see your own creations in print, it makes it seem so real. heather, thank you for using my tray and taking such a beautiful photograph!

small spaces

it is no secret that i am a fan of small spaces. last year my volunteer efforts included trying to save my neighborhood from the mcmansion (you can read more about that here if you are interested http://www.preserveoldleawood.blogspot.com/. i mean really, how much space do we really need? it takes effort to live in small spaces and i really think the biggest secret of it all is simply staying organized. lately i have seen other blogs talking about small space ideas and my local newspaper recently also wrote an article about small space living. i thought i would share with you today the ideas in my house that allow us to live comfortably in a small space.

my house is approximately 1700 square feet. it is the typical ranch floor plan with living/dining in the front and kitchen/family room in the back. long hallway to three (used to be 4 until we decided that a master bath bigger than a closet was needed) bedrooms and a hall bath. i often refer to it as my double wide trailer. i nixed the dining room, since it really wasn't even large enough for a table, 6 chairs and the buffet. i turned it into our mud room with built in lockers to corral all the daily necessities. so now our 'dining room' is on the back of the house and viewed from the kitchen. i also split my couch and love seat up .... one is in the front living room, the smaller love seat now faces the fireplace off of the kitchen. giving me more of a hearth room feel.

my kitchen is narrow. i really wanted a kitchen island and was thrilled to find this old dresser to use for it. this is not your typical eat at island. but with a stool at one end, snacks are often enjoyed here. back to the dresser.... i love all the storage it has. the center doors open to 3 pull out drawers. the sides and back i wrapped with bead board and trimmed it out. new knobs and it fits my kitchen perfectly. with my dishwasher on one side and the ovens on the other i was in need of something narrow yet functional. a long dresser fit my needs and it is probably one of my favorite pieces.

the back of the island - wrapped with bead board. you can see my loveseat and dining area in the background.

in my master bath a towel rack i made out of old door knobs is so functional.

this is pretty to look at, was a fun, easy project and does its job of keeping towels off the floor.

when we remodeled our master bath we didn't put in any built in cabinets. i had this piece from living overseas that i loved. white towels stack nicely and are convenient. all the small drawers below hold extra soap, etc. i love having furniture pieces in my bathroom instead of built ins.

back to the kitchen.... above my cook top i opted for a mantle instead of a cabinet. this allows for me to display some of my favorite things and frees up the counter space.

i love my armoire. i love that it adds height to the room, hides the t.v. and in the bottom the kids have baskets of toys and games. again, i think being organized is key to living in small spaces. everything has a home and gets put away.

again, multipurpose furniture helps. a bench, turned coffee table, also functions as storage for small cars and blocks. it is easily accessible for the boys and encourage creative play.

our hallway to the bedrooms is our photo gallery. putting photos here helps control the clutter of having tons of small photo frames on every table surface in the rest of the house.

those are just a few ideas i have for living in small spaces. i hope you found them helpful and if you have some small space ideas, please leave a comment with a link to your ideas. i would love to hear more.