home for the holidays

i enjoy decorating for the holidays. i used to take down all of my everyday decorations, and then put up all the Christmas ones. that was a lot of work. these days i keep it simple by adding to what i have.
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lots of white, creams, browns and greenery again this year. i must say that using more natural colors in my Christmas decorating is my favorite. i hope you enjoy my photos....

i found this big brown bell at a garage sale a few weeks ago.....perfect!

paper cone packages for teachers at C's preschool.

dining room table centerpiece. start with a tray and start loading it up. you can never have to many candles and don't forget to add somethings shiny.

front entry table. love how this display turned out. i think it's all the layering that makes it. the cake plate, the silver plate, the snowballs, the greenery, the packages....

an easy and festive idea is to wrap small boxes with paper that matches your color scheme.

again, don't forget to add something shiny....one ornament will do the trick.

for this sofa table display i just added some extra beads and baubles to the boys photos.

the back mantel...everything was there, i just added the greenery, the sleigh with snowballs and the 'better not pout' garland.

some extra ornaments just added next to some candles in this small glass box.

aaahhh...my favorite decoration this year. this was the paper garland chain that we had around our tree last year. this year we cut it into pieces and hung it in the front window. i used a huge stick that fell from one of our trees to slide the paper garland onto. M made the paper snowflakes, we had a great time putting this together. again, use what you have... but in another way or form. it makes it so much easier....not to mention cheaper!

we went with burlap garland on the tree this year.

a large galvanized bucket holds the unsightly tree stand.

and how many of you have those old wood measuring tapes laying around? shape it like a star and ta-da a Christmas decoration!

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my annual cookie party is this afternoon and i still have things to do to get ready. come back later for photos from the party decorations.

weekend projects: completed

what a weekend. i am exhausted. between putting up the christmas decorations and revamping two, although small areas, has done me in. but WOW do i love the result! please, step into my entry....

this stone wallpaper really adds a warm cozy feel to the entry. my husband said "i feel like i am walking into a castle". i will take a comment like that any day from my husband....because if this is your castle, well then that must make me the queen! ;)

it looks really pretty with the wood floors...oooh i just love it. don't be afraid to commit to wallpaper. it really isn't that difficult to hang and it can make quite a statement.

the diamonds on the dining room wall are gone. and i really like the warm stone paint color. it is a pretty gray during the day, and at night it seems to change to a muddy browny, gray and it is beautiful.

the white legs on the dining table really seem to fit in better with the solid wall color. my collection of drawers have made their way to the wall to create little cubbies to hold small mementos.

i love the different finishes, colors and handles on them. i am on the hunt for one more, because i like things in odd number groupings. easy 'art' especially when you pick them up at garage sales or flea markets.

the shutters on the wall were a folding screen. i took off all the hinges and then just hung each piece on the wall. the clock hangs on a shutter for that layered look. if you are having trouble with decorating, try layering, i think it really adds something to the look. love the white shutters on the new paint color.

and ahhhhh. finally a new chandelier for the living room. my husband kept hitting his head on the old one, so i was on the hunt for a smaller one. i won this cute vintage french chandelier on ebay last week. it is so pretty in person, i absolutely love it.

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up next: photos of my christmas decorations.

weekend projects

a busy decorating weekend. but would i want it any other way?! of course not! we will crank the christmas music and put up the tree on friday.
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highly inspired by a photo in french style at home i ordered some cool wallpaper to give my entry a french villa look. Since putting up real stone isn't even in the budget for this decided on a whim decorating project.

saturday i will paint the dining room and kitchen area with sherwin williams warm stone. and the brick/stone wallpaper arrived today so i will get that up on sunday. i did not even pay for two day shipping but the paper came within two days! so thankful for the postal service this time of year!
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happy thanksgiving to all of you! thanks for checking out my blog on a regular basis. i will post photos next week of my completed entry and dining room/kitchen area. and promise to also get the basement remodel photos posted next week.

40 minutes and some leftover paint

this is my dining room table. sorry for the bad glare from the window, but you get the idea. i loved this table when i found it...at hobby lobby about 9 years ago. at the time, i had no where to put it, but knew that someday i would so i bought it...for the clearance price of one hundred and twenty bucks! it is heavy, solid and i really like the carving on it. most people asked if i purchased this while living overseas because it is quite unique.
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lately i have been still liking the table, but not loving it. i have been wanting a round table, i think it would fit the space better. but, since that is not in my budget i decided on a wee little change for the table.


like the title of this post says i literally had 40 minutes before i picked the kids up from school. leftover paint from the basement project...which reminds me, i don't think i have posted any of those photos here yet...i will ...soon! back to the table, i have also been inspired lately by lots and lots of blogs that decorate with all white. i went mostly all white in the basement and love it. that is slowly working it's way upstairs.


so this is the table with it's little 40 minute makeover. obviously i waited until the next day for the paint to be good and dry before i distressed it. i love the look! i am in love, again, with my dining room table.

i just had way too much brown on this side of the room. now it seems more balanced and i love how the table pops off the floor. before it just blended in. i purposely do not have a rug under the dining room table because with two little ones it is much easier to keep clean with out one.

so in true fashion around here, the decorating flood gates are open again. because as much as i love the table now... i am sick of the black diamonds on the wall! i have big plans for the color on the wall and for my entry way. stay tuned!

just be

i do not sit still well. lately i have been running around like a mad woman trying to get everything done. an october sale, a basement remodel, a november sale, being a mom, a wife, you know the drill. though i know that i should, it is rare that i take a moment during my day and just be. but today, i did just that.
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first i pulled this together on my buffet. it has been cold and rainy for the past few days and i just can not get warm. i pulled out the teapot and some tea, put it all together on one of my favorite trays. i also included my favorite leopard dishes that never get used. my hope is that each time i see this little set up that i remember to take a few moments to relax....and warm up!

so i had my cup of tea and relaxed. the laundry was done, the kitchen cleaned, C was napping and M was at school. it was silent and it was beautiful. i even enjoyed the misty gloomy day, it seemed so peaceful. i used to meditate on a daily basis. it has been awhile since i have done that but i tried again today. the hardest thing about meditating is clearing your mind, it usually takes me a good week to get into the groove of it. my mind usually goes to 'what's for dinner?' but since i have been meal planning and creating a menu each week....

the thought came to my mind and then cruised out because i have dinner covered for tonight. then i thought 'what am i missing on hgtv?' a favorite show? i also even thought of the quilt i should get started for C. i am making him a quilt by recycling some of the cowboy material that was used for his crib. my hope is to have it wrapped and under the tree by christmas eve. then the thought of christmas popped into my head....so much for meditating today. but you can be sure i will try again tomorrow. i think it is important to take a few minutes out of our busy days and ... just be. try it, and then let me know how it goes.

how fun it was

the cure of ars gift gallery is one great show! they do a fantastic job at getting the people there to shop. and shop they did...we had a great day of sales! here are some photos of our space before the shoppers came. a full booth most of the day and even a line at the checkout? who knew so much of our stuff would fly out of there. loved every minute of it!
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our space was in a corner, this set up was smack in the front.

the amount of furniture we took just for infrastructure seemed like a lot. but we needed it to show off all the fun things we had for sale. this old shoe rack held my trays.

shoppers were able to walk around the shutters and see this beautiful display.

trays, tuffets, lamps, flea market finds etc. all flew out so quickly that were constantly rearranging to keep the booth fresh. so thankful that we had cashiers to help us out. Thanks Jennifer and Olivia!

the petite gift bar was a big hit. lots of small gifts, all under $15 . perfect for teacher, hostess, girlfriend gifts.

everyday napkins for sale. great for being kind to the earth. so much better than paper towels or paper napkins and prettier to look at too!

more stuff.....

we also had a drawing for 2 hours of free staging services. we're so excited to draw the winner and start on that project. we'll contact the winner this week, but will wait until after the holidays to rearrange, using what they have, a room in the winners home.

thank you to all that came and shopped, commented how great our space looked, and to those dozen of you that asked "where is your store?!" we are certainly going to be on a high for a few days from this event.

new tray line

i think i have mentioned before that i crave change. i need it constantly. so when i was pondering in my tiny creative brain what kind of papers to look for to create my next line of trays something different popped into my head. what if i did not use paper at all this time? ooooohhh....i love the end result! the one says 'bless this house' in french and the handles i had in my stash. so glad i finally got to use them on a few of the trays.

lately i have been de-cluttering, and minimizing and these trays resemble exactly what i have been trying to do with my life and that is to keep. things. simple. i love how they turned out, they are so me. look how cool these two are.....

thanks to my ever so creative mom for helping me hammer out some of the details so that i can offer these unbelievably beautiful trays at the up coming Cure of Ars Gift Gallery. they will be available saturday in the Burlap JunKtion booth! yikes!! only 4 days until set up....i better get back to my studio. hope you can make it to the sale saturday!

special treats

if you trick or treat at our house you will get one of these special treats. i make these every year and the kids just love them. i am including a tutorial here on how to make them...it is so easy! a little late for this years goblins, but these also are beautiful for the holidays, party favors, teacher gifts etc.

you will need an assortment of pretty papers. you can pick these up at your local scrapbook store.

you will also need toilet paper tubes (or paper towel tubes cut down. i save these all year just for this project), tissue paper, scissors, tape, twine or ribbon, and the candy treats that you want to go inside.

start by cutting your pretty paper into strips. they should be a smidge smaller than the width of your toilet paper tube. for the length, wrap it around your tube and leave a little bit of overlap. cut each one to length.

you will want to cut your tissue paper a bit wider, on both sides, than your tube.

fill your tube with your chosen treats,

and then roll up the tube in the tissue paper.

carefully, not to tear your tissue paper, tie each end with the twine or ribbon.

next, wrap the pretty paper around the tube and seal with a piece of clear tape.

that is it....so easy! i think the most difficult part of this project is selecting the pretty paper. there are so many fun choices. good luck!

introducing: Burlap JunKtion

i have participated in the cure of ars catholic church gift gallery for three years. my dear friend joan has also participated in this same sale with her beautiful beaded serving pieces. we have decided to combine our space this year and bring something new to the gift gallery.
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we both enjoy making our homes beautiful by using what we have, and purchasing new items for our homes through junking. we also love to paint, and re purpose furniture pieces, another frugal option for decorating your home.




i am still enjoying tray bella and will have a new line of trays debuting at the gift gallery. joan will also have turtle soup pieces. but we will also have lots of other new, fun, and fabulous home decor items to mix in with what you might already have at home. sometimes just adding one new piece to your mix is all you need. we will be there to help you with your choices, whether for yourself or for a friend.
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we will also have a drawing for one lucky winner..... 2 hours of home staging services!
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Look for us under Burlap JunKtion! coming up with a new name was a challenge and we think we've come up with a name that fits us. the dictionary definition of junction is the act of joining; combining....which is what we are doing; joining tray bella and turtle soup. the spelling of junction was changed to JunKtion to reflect our love of junking and the capital J is for joan and the capital K is for kathi. we felt we needed something to go with JunKtion and burlap popped into joans head. we love the simple look of burlap and it's natural texture, it is fitting to how we both decorate.
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i am so excited to start this new adventure with such a dear friend. equally excited to bring you something new, fun and fabulous! stop by our booth at the gift gallery and enter our drawing!

terrific toffee popcorn

movie night? happy hour? family gathering? bake sale? super yummy snack?
if you are in need of something addictingly (is that a word?) good this recipe is for you.
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it calls for cheerios, but i think the next time i make it i will just use five cups of crispix cereal. you can also use corn or rice chex cereal.
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and when you gain 5 lbs from not being able to stop eating this....i do not want to hear about it. ;)

TOFFEE POPCORN MIX

3 cups crispix
2 cups cheerios
1 bag of popped microwave popcorn (any style/flavor)
1 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts (sometimes i use almonds instead)
1 1/4 cup pecans (or if you don't like pecans, double up on the peanuts or almonds)

1 cup butter (not margarine!)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

grease a roasting pan.
combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup on stove top. bring to boil for 5 minutes.
remove from heat, add vanilla and baking soda. stir for a minute. it should get foamy/bubbly.
pour over cereal mix and toss together.
bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour. toss every 15-20 minutes during baking.
let cool.

last of the garden

i cleaned out the garden this past weekend. what a job that is. my rosemary and thyme plants were still looking really good so i just clipped the heck out of them. i then placed them in small bundles, wrapped them with twine and gave a few away to friends. i have some hanging in my kitchen window, drying and the smell reminds me of summer.
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we had good luck with our garden this year. i am excited for spring to get planting again. i will spend the winter digging through books at the library on ways to make my garden better. i am anxiously awaiting those summer garden days....sigh....oh how i dread the cold winter.

carrot pineapple cake recipe

a super yummy cake recipe for any fall gathering you might be attending or just because.
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CARROT PINEAPPLE CAKE
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup oil
3 eggs
beat well in a mixer and then add:
2 cups shredded carrots
14 oz. crushed pineapple (juice and all)
2 teaspoons vanilla
then add:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
bake in a large bundt pan at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

ICING:
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
beat in a mixer until fluffy.

ice cake once cool and enjoy!

chair redo

these are some old dining room chairs that we have had. they now sit in their new home around our game table in our newly finished basement. we have a few ends to wrap up today in the basement, i will get some photos out this week. until then, an easy project to update these chairs.
for those of you that might have chairs like this at home, and have no idea how to recover them, you will not believe how simple this project is.
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you will need your outdated chair,

your new fabric. i found this last week at a fabric sale. $5 for a piece big enough to redo all four of my chairs...what a deal!

you will also need for this project a screwdriver, scissors and a staple gun. if you do not have a staple gun RUN to your nearest home improvement store. you will be able to do many projects if you have a staple gun available.
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first you will need to flip your chair over and unscrew the four screws that hold the seat on. you can rip off the old cover and use it for your pattern, or simply cut out a new piece by laying your seat on top of your new fabric and cutting, leaving enough of an allowance to wrap around.

then all you have to do is pull it tight and staple in place. screw your seat back on and you are done. so easy! now that i have these done i am wondering if i might like the chair painted white? hmmm...another project on the project list. i will save that for a rainy day.

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piece of cake project! and speaking of cake.....

we went to the neighbors on friday night for dinner and i made this cake for dessert. it is a carrot pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting. so easy to make and soooo yummy! i will post the recipe later this afternoon. for now my 3 year old needs some attention.

and the winner is.....

PAULA!! send me your address so that i can get this in the mail to you today please.
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thanks to all of you that left comments and read my blog.
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have a good weekend!

a little thank you giveaway

in september i hit my two year blog anniversary. i am amazed every day that there are people out there that actually enjoy reading what i have to write. this started out as a creative outlet for me and a way to stay in touch with long distant friends. i had no idea i would meet so many lovely people. and how strange it is that even though i have not met you all personally, i feel like i have known you forever.
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it is a joy to see my 'regulars' leave comments, and to hear from new and old viewers that i have in some way inspired them. hello to all you stalkers out there too! ;)
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so it is time for a giveaway! with halloween coming up i have chosen to give away this cute halloween tray. the tray is black with orange polka dot paper. it also includes two black kitchen towels and a cute halloween decoration.




leave a comment here to enter your name for the drawing. post this giveaway on your blog and i will add your name twice! i will take comments until thursday night at 10:00pm cst. the winner will be announced friday morning. my hope is to get this in the mail on friday so that the winner can have it in time for halloween.
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i thank each and every one of you for your comments, support and friendship!
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Good luck!

MIA

i have been missing in action lately when it comes to blogging. but i am still here. we are still working on the basement remodel and i had to unplug the computer things to get my paint job done. i have hopes of the basement being completed and plugged back in by the end of the weekend. i will then post photos from the friends of a feather sale (huge success, despite the rainy cold weather), some photos of the finished basement, trick or treats that i have been working on, and tell you about a giveaway that i even won from Paula at Oliver's!
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be back soon!

rain or shine

it rained so much here today in kansas city. setting up for the friends of a feather sale was a bit of a challenge but we will be ready to go by 9am. rain or shine! hope to see you there!

loss

Grief that is expressed and experienced has a potential for healing that eventually can strengthen and enrich life.

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saying goodbye is never easy. but when a situation contaminates your life, sometimes it is the only thing to do.

weekend work

i worked hard this weekend on a batch of trays that i will have at this weekends friends of a feather sale. these photos only show a small amount of them. now to get them tagged, priced and packed up. in addition to my trays, i still have high hopes of getting a few pillows made out of some coffee bean bags that i found. looks like i will be up late tonight. back to the studio.....

big fun sale

if you are in the kansas city area, mark your calendars for this fun event! and if you are a blog reader of mine be sure and find me to say hello. back to the studio, i have lots of fun finds to finish up before next week!

outdoor movie night

this past weekend it was our turn to host dinner club. with the weather being so beautiful lately we decided on an outdoor movie night.

we kept the menu super simple by buying and baking a couple of pizzas. i threw together a really yummy salad and dessert was served during the movie....popcorn and your choice of candy.

we tested 'our system' friday night with a kids movie night. they had a blast watching Bolt. all you will need is a white sheet (we clipped ours to the gutter), a projector and then ran the movie through the laptop. my husband brought out 4 speakers to add the surround sound theatre feel.

both nights were really fun and we will for sure repeat this kind of entertaining.

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!

fun finds

i was kind of beginning to wonder if i would ever hit a good garage sale again. seems like lately all the ones i have stopped at have been a bust. aaahhh...but today, so these are actually thursday fun finds instead of friday fun finds, i managed to find a few treasures.

brusha, brusha, brusha. for some reason i am drawn to small brushes. especially those with wood handles. could it be my sub-conscience telling me i should be at home cleaning instead of out junking?! if it is, i am not listening. i dug through some boxes today at a sale and out of 9 boxes discovered all of these small brushes. i also bought that cute metal box you see in the photo.

most of the brushes have stiff metal bristles, but some have soft ones and probably were part of a shoe shine kit. regardless of their main purpose i thought they looked quite content all joined together.

the lone red handled one i really like. i think it is the addition of metal bits with the wood that gets my attention. if you are into brushes, they will be for sale at the big October sale (details at a way later date).

i also found this tattered trunk today. i still need to clean it up. it will be a prop for the sales that i do. i always need a big trunk to display a large portion of my trays in.

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so out of 3 sales today: 2 were good and 1 was a bust. and you know how that song goes....2 out of 3 ain't bad. if you are treasure hunting let me know what cool stuff you have found lately.

signs of summer

vegetables picked from our garden.

cucumber, red onion and vinegar salad.

healthy summer snack.

small hands holding frozen treats.

swimsuits and towels hanging on the line to dry.

a pile of swim goggles.

a shady spot under the banana tree.

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what signs of summer have you taken a moment to notice?

how does my garden grow?

very well! my goodness it has really taken over with the hot weather. it is probably safe for me to say that i put too many plants in. it seems pretty crowded. but who knew that everything would actually grow?!

i noticed our corn the other day. how cool is that? that i am growing corn....!

lots of flowers for cutting.

a few cherry tomatoes turning red. four other tomato plants are doing well too. the lettuce is gone now that it is so hot. we had so much of it, and it was great to just walk out to the garden and pick it and make a huge salad. it was so yummy! cucumbers, jalapenos, tomatoes, carrots and corn will be ready soon. the herbs are doing well to and have been fun to cook with.

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two 4x9 beds just really aren't that big. might need to add another next year....or move to a farm! (i will post about that desire soon.) what's growing in your garden?

nos vacances d'été à Paris

Paris à l'été est si belle. Je ne vais pas vous ennuyer avec tous les détails de la folie de compagnie de retard et des annulations de vols, et de perte de bagages. Une fois que nous avons finalement fait de Paris, nous avons fait le plus de quelques jours, nous avions là-bas. Nous sommes arrivés le Juin 21, qui traduisent également au solstice d'été! Les Français savent vraiment comment faire la fête. Wow! Les rues étaient remplies de gens, de la musique live et tout le monde a eu du bon temps. Nous avons eu quelques attractions touristiques et juste à regarder les gens à faible accrochés à de nombreux cafés. Nous nous sommes promenés partout, le temps était parfait, et pas seulement les Français sont beaux, ils sont si beaux.
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Donc, avec un nouveau timbre de Paris dans mon passeport, je suis le partage de certaines des photos que nous avons pris. Certains sont des attractions touristiques et d'autres sont seulement architectural. Oh, et la nourriture et le vin? Très bon!

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Paris in the summer is so beautiful. I won't bore you with all the crazy airline details of delayed and cancelled flights, and lost luggage. Once we finally made it to Paris we made the most of the few days we had there. We arrived on June 21 which also translates to 'summer solstice'! The French really know how to party. Wow! The streets were packed with people, live music and everyone was having a good time. We enjoyed a few tourist attractions and then just hung low people watching at numerous cafes. We walked everywhere, the weather was perfect and not only are the French beautiful, they are so nice.
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So with a fresh Paris stamp in my passport I'm sharing some of the photos that we took. Some are of the tourist attractions and others are just architectural. Oh, and the food and wine? Very good!

photos from the big june sale

the big june sale was such a success! two great fun filled days, it took me awhile to come down off the high i was on. thank you to all my blog friends that stopped by and introduced themselves! it was fun to meet so many new people too.
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sorry for the delay in posting photos. i had a busy week after the sale, and then i headed off to Paris for a week. i'll post a few photos from my Paris trip later this week, until then, here are some photos from the big june sale. enjoy!

my all time favorite chair....i ended up selling her. i am sure she is happy in her new home!

we will have another sale sometime early october. you can watch for an announcement here, or follow us on the friends of a feather blog.

facelift : : zebra style

country, contemporary, mission, french country ...... are all styles of decorating. but why is there no zebra style category? i love, love, love animal print. you may remember my post about my new favorite zebra upholstered wing chairs that sit beautifully in my living room. i had left over fabric and have had this face lift project on radar for awhile.
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a new coat of cream paint, new foam, and all dressed up in a jazzy zebra fabric. *heavy sigh* but how many zebra chairs does a girl really need? my intent for this chair was to give her a face lift and add her to my inventory for the 'big june sale'. i am not sure if i can part with it. i hate when this happens. i think she turned out beautiful!

this is a before photo. and i thought when i recovered her way back when that 'this' was my favorite. but that zebra....oh. my. goodness. i have such a weakness for it.
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in all of her beautifulness i am putting her in the sale. it was meant to be if she doesn't sell and i will find a space for her. oh, and the ever so cute burlap coffee bean bolster pillow? love it too, but it is also destined for the sale. i always create in my own style and in the color pallet that matches my home. really i just create what i like and every now and then it becomes an occupational hazard. meaning every now and then i really want to keep it for myself.
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back to the studio, i have more things to wrap up for the big sale!

bits & pieces

a few items that will be for sale at the 'big june sale' this weekend. i stayed up way too late last night (did my clock really say 3:30am?!?!) and created these fun things. above is what everyone needs....an organizer. it started out as a boring brown shadow box, i heard it scream for a makeover at a recent garage sale. so i painted it white, lined the back with paper, added two extra wood slates to hold mail, magazines, school papers...you know, all that stuff that is all over your kitchen counter most days. i also added 3 hooks to hang keys and a clip board for a note pad or photo. the bingo card is just there for decoration for when you don't have something for the clip board. if i needed an organizer i would be keeping this for myself because i think it turned out really cute.

this little art piece would make an adorable house warming gift. the house/heart domino is a game piece that i picked up on my mothers day road trip. wish i would have picked up more, but at the time i had no idea what i was going to do with it. so this is one of a kind. the black mat is behind the glass and the other pieces are glued to the glass on the outside. who says all of the art has to be behind the glass?

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what bits and pieces do you have laying around? think outside the box and create something from nothing for your home. OR be sure to stop by the 'big june sale' this friday and saturday!

friday fun finds

oh how i love scrabble letters. and oh how i love all things with numbers. so you can imagine my excitement for this friday fun find!

my two favorites combined into these scrabble tiles with numbers! they are from a game called Numble. i have never heard of it, and i am not sure how it is played. but that doesn't matter because i just bought it for the game pieces.

and this old tool box will be the new home for the number tiles.

they will be joining all of these collected game pieces. and all of these (but not the cool tool box!) will be for sale at the big june sale next week.

the countdown is on for finishing up projects for the big june sale. this chair was also a fun find. it was originally red with an ugly fabric on the seat. this is her with her fresh coat of white paint, all sanded down to have a bit of red peaking through, and a cute stripe to cover her seat. she will also, along with other redone chairs be at the sale next week.

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here is to a good weekend, and to getting projects done!

kid kafe

our street is having our annual garage sales this week. yes, it pains me to wonder what great sales i am missing out on while holding my own. but sometimes, i have to clear the clutter.
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instead of a lemonade stand, the boys decided on more of a breakfast stand. they sold muffins, coffee and cookies. it has been a bit cool this week so the coffee was a big hit! the muffins and cookies? SOLD OUT! next time you are pressed to have a lemonade stand....think of doing a kid kafe instead and let me know how it goes.

backyard birthdays

one of my favorite things is backyard birthday parties. it must be the old fashion-ness of them that i love. i hold out with these kind of parties for as long as i can (see putt-putt golf party post below). so we now have two parties.....one with school friends and a family party.
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the fact that we have summer birthdays makes it really easy to entertain outside. the kids love it because they just run around and have fun.
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good food, good company, and always....homemade ice-cream!
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how do you celebrate your birthdays?

putt-putt birthday party

i have been meaning to add these photos to my blog because this was such a fun and easy party. almost a month later, here they are......

we generally have our birthday parties at home because i just love at home birthday parties. but this year maguire decided he wanted to have a putt- putt golf party. i could not imagine 14 kids in my backyard with putters and golf balls. all i could see were broken windows.

so if your birthday people want to have a putt-putt party, i hope this post gives you some fun ideas. enjoy!


step 1: make cute invitations to get invitees excited about the party.

step 2: find a location. this 18 hole course that i found is close to our home. they had a party room and took care of the pizza, drinks, and paper products. probably one of the easiest parties i have ever done.

we had a beautiful day....warm and sunny. the water was probably the biggest attraction.

the golf balls float if putted (or thrown!) into the water. nets were available to fish them out.

a big hit with the boys.

step 3: make or buy a cake to fit the theme. i usually make my kids birthday cakes. this one is a little bit half and half. a local bakery made the base and i made the golf ball that went on top. a simple flag with a seven was the same flag i used on the invitations.

step 4: send them home with fun party favors! the location we had this at also provided a frisbee and we added iced sugar cookies to them. iced sugar cookies are our standard party favor. the kids always love them, they are relatively easy to make the night before, look festive all packaged up, and are a fraction of the cost of all that trinkity stuff that ends up in the recycle bin.

step 5: be sure to write thank you cards to all your friends that brought such beautifully wrapped packages!

big june sale

for months i have mentioned 'the big june sale' and here are the details for it. if you live in the kansas city area (or anywhere close, or are up for a road trip!), and you love fun sales....then this is one you will not want to miss! me and a slew of my most creative friends are joining together for a great sale. look for the big white tent and come on in to find that treasure that has been waiting for you.

i still have trays to create, furniture to paint and items to be re purposed. big things, small things, one of a kind things. there will also be a bake sale with all kinds of home made yummies, packaged up beautifully for yourself or for a gift. a fun two days....i hope to see you there!

friday fun finds : : cancelled for today

due to an unscheduled visit to the children's dentist friday fun finds have been cancelled for today. my son was eating a slow poke sucker (so sticky if you have never had one of these) and pulled his cap off.
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i will have some saturday fun finds though because i will be spending the morning at the brookside neighborhood garage sales. my favorite neighborhood + favorite sale of the year = lots of fun finds. stay tuned!

a hospital stay

seven years ago, today, i was lying in a hospital bed in saudi arabia. we were living there because of my husbands job. it ended up that i would be in the hospital for 4 days due to a major surgery. the nurses were fantastic, visits from friends and tons of flowers. 9 months prior to this hospital stay i was also in a hospital, undergoing IVF. so this 4 day stay after a major surgery (c-section) was a joyful stay because for the first time i got to meet this little guy.....

our son, whom we named maguire. his hair so white it sparkled and his blue eyes that everyone said would some day change to brown, he was such a beautiful baby. i could not believe that he was finally here. i thought i knew what love was, until i met him. *sigh*

i also remember feeling scared. scared that he didn't come with a manual! but just like making a tower out of blocks, we have taken life one block at a time. each stage just keeps getting better.

such a sweet boy with a great personality,

likes his dessert first,

has a little mischievous grin more often than not,

super cool,

very independent,and a crazy sense of humor.

and that hair and eyes? as blond and blue as ever! i am asked, daily, where does he get that hair? my husband and i both have dark hair and dark eyes, who would of thought and who cares?! HAPPY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY BABY!! i am thrilled to be your mommy, love to watch you grow into a young man, and am so proud of you!

mother's day road trip

i made this invitation for my mom announcing our trip to the flea market in Sparks, KS. the inside had all the when and where details.

a tiny town and so full of junk! we had such a fun day and the weather was just beautiful. neither one of us brought home that much stuff, my husband says 'that's a good thing'.

booths set up in fields and even in some of the run down little houses. what a charming little place for a flea market. vendors were also there selling funnel cakes, kettle corn, corn dogs, all that yummy and oh so bad for you food. it really added to the atmosphere and a funnel cake every now and then is ok in my book!

tons and tons of stuff just packed in everywhere. if you like to dig and hunt this is one sale you will want to attend. they have it a couple times a year. google 'sparks flea market' and you can get all the details.

this was my favorite booth. filled, jammed pack with game pieces, old vintage playing cards and letters. i could have easily spent all day here digging.

letters and numbers..... drool!!!

i selected only a few playing cards. i have a cute idea to re purpose these for a little something for my june sale.

this mirror has since received a dry brush coat of white paint and will be for sale in the june sale. the butcher paper cutter.....all mine! i have been looking for one of these for a long time. you know, to sit on the counter of that store i don't have. so for now it sits on the work table in my studio. still need to get a roll of paper for it and am pondering painting the gold part of it black.

with two boys, there is not a lot of pink around my house. i fell in love with this old ford jeepster. she's pink, rusty and adorable.

she is right at home on the mantel. i would love to have a real one to use as my garage sale vehicle.

i was excited when i saw this sign. thought i would pick a bouquet to take home. once i got around the side of the sign i cracked up. the flowers were all artificial. it is all about the marketing is it not?!

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a fun day with my mom! in honor of all you hard working mom's, i hope your mother's day was a happy one!

friday fun finds : : week three

well here it is friday again and i can not believe it has been another week since my last blog entry. and i thought i was supposed to be getting better at blogging more frequently?! oh well, at least i am consistently inconsistent.
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a rainy friday this morning but managed to hit a few sales. i found a really large pink basket, a large white bowl, a shiny tin and some old keys. that is it. kind of lame but the pickin's seemed slim today, or else i am just picky about what i bring home. regardless, it was a fun morning. i might skip next friday and feature instead what i find on saturday. i will be hitting a fantastic neighborhood sale that i never miss...i go ever year with my dear friend Joan and we find all kinds of fabulous things.
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and how lame am i ??!! i still have not posted photos from my fun day, with mom, at sparks last weekend. we had a great time. did not buy lots of things, but took many photos and will share them with you here sometime this weekend (in between a birthday party, soccer, baseball and MY DAY on sunday!) i promise to get them out here this weekend....so please check back.

may day....ready for delivery

wow...two posts in one day. that is so not like me. don't get used to it...it probably will not happen again. ;)

those garage sale baskets i picked up today, some flowers and home made signs (embellished with little red wood game pieces from the game box i found earlier today) are ready to be delivered to a couple of special neighbors. the boys wanted no part in decorating/creating may day baskets this year. but M assured me that he would ring the bell and RUN because out of all of us he is the fastest. happy may day!

friday fun finds : : week two

a rainy friday here in kansas city and pickin's were slim today as far as garage sales go. but i did manage to find a few fun things.

a wood table and chairs for two. how sweet this will look when i paint it white and add some numbers to the chairs. i will post a photo once it is completed. cool, large, (1970's) galvanized bucket. i love the rope handles on the side. there are so many uses for this baby but he is in the 'june sale' pile. *sigh* i just can not keep everything i find....even though i really want too! an oval metal photo frame that will soon become a pretty little cork board. baskets for our may day baskets that need to be made and delivered TODAY! and a cute, red plaid shirt for M that doesn't even look like it was ever worn. i love my boys in plaid and i could not pass it up....Talbots Kids...for a buck twenty five.

This was also a fun find today. a box filled with lots of different games.

i drooled over all these game pieces. the tiny card sets all have adorable vintage images on them. the wooden bingo pieces and the black and white cardboard letters. oooooh the possibilities.

i limited myself today to just a couple of sales. but my goodness i am craving more. hello, my name is kathi, and i am a junkaholic. the reason for my limitations today is to save some money for tomorrow. oh yes, tomorrow...saturday....i am taking my mom (for her mothers day gift) to sparks kansas. home of a fantastic (twice a year) flea market. i doubt i will even be able to sleep tonight. we will be hitting the road early and spending the entire day there junking. i will have photos and a full report here on monday.