small signs of fall

the weather is feeling cooler and i am seeing small signs of fall every where. while at the market today i picked up a couple of small pumpkins. with the basement remodel underway and all my decorations packed away, this might count as my halloween decor. but i really doubt i can for-go the witches, bats, skeletons and other fun decorations i have collected over the years. not mention the boys love when i make the house look all spooky.

i also picked up some pears today. they look simple in a white bowl and in a few days will be so yummy as a healthy snack.

i am having my family over for dinner tonight so i baked up this homemade apple pie. i also have a big pot of chili simmering on the stove. wow, does my house smell yummy!

i love the sights and smells of fall....bring it on!

under construction

finally getting around to finishing our basement. stay tuned.....

harvest moon hoedown

we recently co-hosted a harvest moon hoedown party. there were four couples hosting this party and it was so much fun. i worked with some fun and creative girls and it did not seem like work at all. the party was held at the farm of a friend of mine. we had this huge chalkboard at the entrance to welcome all the guests.

this party was for our school. each grade has one and ours was for the parents of the second grade. donations are collected and they go toward our counselor and spanish programs at the school. a picnic basket to hold the donations and name tags were at this table that was also at the entrance.

cowboy punch, wine, and beer were provided for thirsty cowboys and cowgirls.

all the hosts' contributed to the food. we had so much yummy homemade food, by the end of the night it was gone.

another food table with the beautiful barn in the background.

yummy homemade desserts and some grab-n-go snacks.

tables were set up outside and each had a freshly picked from the garden bouquet displayed in a what else? a boot!

fall decorations and a huge cowboy star added to the atmosphere.

the BB gun activity was a huge hit.

every hoedown needs a bonfire....

and makings for smores!

we also had a hayride pulled by a tractor. music and a little bit of dancing at the end of the night. cowboy boot cookies with 'happy trails' tags were party favors.

i think everyone had a really good time. the weather was beautiful and a great group of parents!

big fun sale

for those of you that attended my Big June sale this is the post you have been waiting for! friends of a feather, gathering again for another big sale. mark your calendars for OCTOBER 9 & 10th.

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again we will have items from several local artists, fabulous re purposed finds (for all you junkers out there, you know what this means!), vintage clothing, homemade sweets and breads, and just a whole lot of fun.

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this is one of the reasons for my lack of posts lately. i have been a wee bit busy gathering great junk and also working on a couple new lines of trays. i have also been working on a basement remodel...i will post some during photos of that later.

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hope to see you at the sale!

oh my....

has it really been one month since my last update here? oh my goodness, what happened to the time? have i really been that busy?! i suppose so.
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i also noticed that it was 2 years ago, this month, that i started this blog. (hmm..mmm..i'm thinking a giveaway is in order!)
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stay tuned....i promise an update tonight, and a post soon about a "2 year blog birthday" giveaway!

a need for speed.....at three

it is hard to believe that my baby turned three last week. but he will always be the baby...right? it has been fun to see him, the second born, grow up. he has grown up so much faster than the first born. he also has his very own, very opposite personality. he loves all things fast, and loud. especially motorcycles, which is why he had to have one on his birthday cupcakes.

he is a true free spirit. never sits still, always has those crazy curls blowing in the wind. my mom says "he's just like you were". i suppose i am still most like that....free spirit and can not sit still.

he really thinks he is one of the big boys now by riding his motorcycle bike, that he got for his birthday, around the cul-de-sac with the big kids.

so a big three year old birthday last week, and off to preschool come september. such a big boy, but will always be my baby.
happy birthday baby!

dear gretchen

this post is going out to a dear blog reader of mine....gretchen.
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gretchen purchased this striped chair from me at the big june sale.
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recently i received an email from gretchen telling me how much she loves the chair and how it has changed her life. imagine that, a chair, changing someones life. but it did. and since she took this chair home with her, she has also redone her dining room chairs to go with it.
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she stated that because of me she has gotten back her passion for interior design. how cool, wonderful and unexpected is that?! i love to inspire people and it is rare that people tell me when i have in fact inspired them.
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unfortunately i can not get in touch with her because i do not have her email address. so this post is for her..... for gretchen whom bought the striped chair...
a big thank YOU for telling me that i inspired you. your comment touched me in so many ways and truely made my day.
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gretchen, if you reading this please leave a comment with your email address.

completed trays

as promised from yesterdays post....the trays now have handles.
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these would be perfect for corralling things on a dresser, or to hold the remote controls or also fun in the kitchen holding spices.

even this little one got a quirky little handle. this one is more for displaying something instead of using as a tray.

i am excited about this new line of trays for tray bella. i hope you will be too!

some creative thinking

my therapist has told me that maybe i have commitment issues. i think she might be right. i love tray bella, i love making and selling my trays. but i often get bored. it has not become a 'job' yet which is why i still really love it. but i can not {commit} to doing the same trays over and over ~ even though they are all unique with different papers.
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as i go junking i am always drawn to funky old handles. i dream of finding big bins of them to dig through.

i am also drawn to all shapes and sizes of old drawers and boxes.

old fruit crates work too.

every now and then i put two and two together. my accountant husband would say that equals four but i say that when i put funky old handles together with old boxes and drawers, that it makes for some pretty cool trays.

lining them with different papers makes them one of a kind. though they do not have handles attached yet, i will {commit} to getting them on and post another photo later.

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using what i have collected to create something useful and beautiful....now that is thinking outside the box.

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these will be for sale at two upcoming sales this fall!

date night :: kansas city

last night i had a date.
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the weather in kansas city has been so amazing (i know i wrote about it last week...but it is still just so beautiful out). so we knew our date had to take place outside.
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we started it out by having appetizers on the front lawn. not just any front lawn, the largest front lawn in kansas city....


if you can not recognize the building....maybe the photos below will help....

yep, the front lawn of the Nelson Art Gallery. so hard to believe that there were so few people there. we practically had the place to ourselves.

then we headed out for dinner on the plaza.

we ate on the back deck at one of my all time favorite places:

then headed to the top deck at John's downtown. this place has a nice view of the city and had a band playing 80's music. the beer is cold and with it being downtown, if you inhale deep enough, you can get a buzz from the smell coming from the Folger's coffee plant. i love that smell and always reminds me of when i lived downtown and could smell that coffee smell daily.

thanks to my parents for keeping the boys so we could have some fun. xoxo mom & dad!

summer nights

the weather in kansas city this past week has been AMAZING! is this really july?! we have been staying outside late into the evening and enjoying every moment. last week we had a fun outing.....we headed to the trails.

we quickly packed a picnic dinner. flowers from the garden made the picnic more special (for me anyway...the boys really could have cared less).

we packed up a scooter,

and some bikes. after dinner and riding on the trails we stopped at the fountain and played.

the boys had a blast!

we were having such a great time we really hated to head back home. but like they say, all good things come to an end.

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a few nights later we met friends for dinner and another park outing. i forgot my camera that night....rats. the kids had fun and again, the weather was amazing. we have had our air conditioning off for a week....that is unheard of in kansas city in july. we have really been lucky.

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breakfast, lunches and dinners all outside? i'll take it!