Original Artwork

A couple of years ago I decided rather than buying prints that I would likely see in homes of neighbors and friends alike, I would fill my home with original artwork. Since that time I have acquired a few pieces. Here are a couple. . .

Not as many as I would like, but my money only goes so far and I have a hard time deciding where it will go. Which was a dilemma I ran into whenI saw a painting I loved in a home magazine while getting my hair done last fall. I LOVED IT! I could not, however, afford it.

I was so in love with this painting that I decided to try and duplicate it. I am not a painter, but I do fancy myself a bit of a photographer and graphic designer. And I love paperwhites, which I plant it great profusion every winter in every vase available so that they will boom in December and compliment my red, white and silver Christmas decor. So I took countless pics of my paperwhites and cropped them and layered them on a black backdrop and sent the file to updone.com and had it printed on canvas. The results were not half bad. And even though the original is clearly superior, I'm rather fond of my own little piece of original art. Tell me what you think. . . .

Here is a pic of the file. . . .

Here is the canvas hanging in my piano room. . . .


Maybe next I will try something for my guest room, or maybe my daughters room. . . .

Outdoor Living . . .

When spring gets underway and the weather warms up I tend to drop whatever I am doing indoors and head outside. I may be in the middle of planning a kitchen remodel, but all I can think about is what I am doing to my landscaping. I scour my magazines for inspiration and only watch HGTV when they are airing landscaping. I have to curb my desire to run out and buy plants and stone and lovely outdoor furniture. My current projects are my garden, my side yard, my front yard and a pergola off my back patio. I haven't done much yet, but here a start on my pergola. . .

A pergola I love.

I tore this out of a magazine years ago and I can't remember where.

Another great pergola. . . .

Veranda May/June 2007

So far I have planted a chocolate vine on my pergola and a row of Rhodies beside it under my family room windows. . .


The area directly under the pergola is grass. I want to put square stones under it with grass between them. I will post pics as I make more progress.

Sparse and Tidy or Lush and Grown in . . .

My husband and I are having a difference of opinion over how our yard needs to be landscaped. We bought a house with a grown in yard and large trees. I love the look of a mature garden. Rob claims it's all overgrown and needs to be torn out. I will admit that pruning is necessary, but I don't want my yard to look like it was just landscaped. I love the feel of a garden that has been lovingly cared for and tended to over time. I have a few ideas about what I would like to see happen in my yard. I lost one battle, though I wasn't fighting terribly against it, if truth be known, and a large tree was removed in our front yard. I must say I don't miss it from the street, but I miss it from my living room and bedroom, where the tree once created some privacy. But I plan on replacing what has been torn out with new plants that will eventually look more planned. Here are some pictures of where I am now in a couple portions of my yard and where I would like to be . . .eventually.

The back end of my garden as it is now. (Actually I did weed is since this picture so it is slightly better than above.) And . . . . .

Veranda March 2008

. . .how I envision it turning out some day. I love, love, love Hydrangeas. And ferns grow wild around here, so I am thinking this is not unrealistic. As for my side yard. Here is what I have currently. . . .

Very sad. But I have hope. Here is a pic that shows a little how I would like it to turn out. . .

Veranda March 2008

I think I would like to have my side yard filled in with a little more lushness and more blooming plants than this picture, though I love the circular sitting area and the height of the structured background. I have a vision of all white and green plants. Think white peonies, hostas, hydrangeas, Delphinium, helleborus, ranunculous, white bleeding heart, dahlias, lily of the valley, white dogwood, snowball bush, green mums, camassia, astrantia, mock orange. . . .I am not sure I can fit all of those in there and have structured greens and ferns, but I am going to try!

All the Lovely Kitchens . . .

I am in the process of getting cabinet bids for my pending kitchen remodel. I have a very specific idea of what I want and here are a few pictures that inspired my vision. I absolutely love white flush inlay kitchen cabinets and subway tile back splashes. And I must have a farmhouse sink. My counter top of choice is soapstone, but I may end up with solid black granite--I'm not a fan of granite, but my husband likes it and it is more economical. But what really grabs my attention is the details, the arched toe kicks, the double height cabinets, the crown at the top, decorative legs, and vintage looking hardware and lighting.

Veranda - July/August 2006

I love the chunky leg and arched valance under the island. If I had room for an island I would very nearly copy this one.

Home - October 2004

I love the bead board ceiling on this kitchen and the next. Plus the main counters are soapstone. I love the combo of soapstone on the main counters and marble on the island, but I will have no island.

House Beautiful - October 2007

I also have a thing for white dishes so I am excited about having a few glass front cabinets to show off my lovely collection. Let's just hope my fabulous kitchen makes it out of my imagination and into my house very soon.

One More Thing I Love. . .

The last thing I wanted to add that I love is photoghrapy. I may not be great, but I take a lot of pictures and manage to get a few good pictures. Here are a few of my favorites. . . .

These are but a few of the hundreds of pictures I have taken over that last few years. Each year I take more pictures. I have started printing photo books at Blurb.com. Fabulous site, by the way. In addition to my blogs I also have a running photo journal in the blurb program booksmart. Well, now that my day is nearly over, I will go make dinner. . . .cooking, another thing I love to do.

Things I do, continued . . . .

That last post was getting a little long. Next let's look at. . .

Paper Projects:

I guess this counts as paper projects. It was an invitation to Hannah's 7th birthday party. We were going bowling and the box had a little poem in the lid about bowling and wearing the socks that came in the box. It was the most effort I made for the entire party because we went to a bowling alley with an arcade and diner. We paid for a party package and for the price they included a cake, party bags, balloons, hats, pizza and soda, two games of bowling and tokens for the arcade! After years of party planning, I should have thought of this sooner!

As Personal Progress Leader in my ward, I made these Purses to give the girls on their 12, 14, & 16 birthdays filled with fun stuff that went with each advancement. They are made out of scrapbook paper with Velcro dot closers and a ribbon handle.

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Every year I do a family calender in photoshop for my husband's extended family. I guess this is kind of graphic design, but it is printed on paper! Here is last year's cover and our month:

Below the pic above would be the month part with everyone's birthday and anniversary listed on the appropriate date. Also, on the back I included addresses, phone numbers, email and web pages. On the inside cover every year I include a quote about family. This year the quote was:

If the family were a fruit,

it would be an orange,a circle of sections,

held together but separable -

each segment distinct.

~Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Rob's Grandma paid for the designing and printing of the family calendar. I have been making it for the past 9 or 10 years, but Rob's cousin did it for years before that. His Grandma died this year just after her 90th birthday. It was sad to loose her, but her children had thrown her a 90th birthday party and nearly everyone got to see her in good health before she died. They had all the family calendars displayed at her funeral. It was really neat. They family likes the calendar so well, they have decided to pitch in and pay for it to continue. So I will be making the calendar indefinitely!

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Next we have. . . . .

Decorating:

I love decorating my house. My husband does not like me spending loads of money. So, my house is always a work in progress and I am always looking for cheap ways to get what I want. I am currently getting bids to remodel my kitchen. I have had three bids and am expecting another one today. Wish me luck! In the meantime, here are a few rooms in my current and previous house that are mostly done:

This is the living room in my last house. Notice it has curtains (which I made) and everything. It was DONE. We even added those french doors ourselves--we are not fans of the OPEN floor plan. I need a little separation. And next is the same set up in our new house--not quite so done, or so artfully photographed . . . .

Next is our bedroom. This is in the old house, but it looks basically the same here. We even painted the room the same color. (Coincidentally, the paint in our new living room was already that color! It matches the old living room so well you would have thought we had painted, but-no.)
This next picture is the toilet room. It may be small, but not forgotten! Actually, I am embarrassed to admit that when we first bought the house years and years ago, I tried crackle painting the walls and they were irreparably damaged. I had to cover them in wallpaper for years, then I got sick of the paper, so I did a raised plaster stencil to camouflage the damage and painted it blue to match the bedroom.

And next is the girls' playroom in the old house. It was a pink paradise. . . . .

There are paper snow flakes hanging from the ceiling. Every Christmas we make snowflakes and hang them up for fun. And here is a view from the walk in closet back at the room. . . .

Incidentally, we made that yellow Barbie House too. It is a beast. But I always wanted one when I was a girl, so when my eight year old was three, "Santa" made it for her. It has real oak plank floors and a tiled floor kitchen, and spans three stories with storage drawers underneath. It also has a great front porch and upper storey porch you can't see from this angle. It is rather worse for wear these days and could use a good flip!

Our new/old house has loads of potential and charm, and sits on 2/3rds of an acre--with trees! We haven't done much beyond painting and changing the door knobs and some of the lighting. We also changed the exterior lighting and house numbers and have painted half the shutters from green to black. I have ordered my new front door and will soon have my new kitchen bid. All my new stainless steel Kitchenaid Architect Series appliances are ALREADY in my garage. . .just waiting. Beyond that I have spent hours and hours in my yard trying to wrangle control over my landscaping with little noticeable success to date, but I am hopeful. I will keep you posted on the progress and on what inspires me.

Here's What I do . . . .

Let me start things off by posting a few things I have done. . . .

Sewing Projects:

I have a friend who is constantly making things for her home, but whenever she needs something sewn she calls me for either help or the use of my machine. For this project she simply paid me to make covers for her mother's antique chairs.

After I sewed the covers she took them to an embroiderer and had her last initial sewn onto them.

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I have sewn enough dressups to outfit an army of 3 - 8 year olds. I have two girls who love their dressups. Here are a few I have made over the years. . . . .

Many, many dressups were for friends, neighbors and cousins. We had little princesses running rampant.

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Along with the dressups, the little princesses and fairies and ballerinas needed a place to call home, so "Santa" made them a house. . . . .

Pottery barn holds nothing on me. This little domicile cost a mere $50. . . . .and at least two weeks of my life!

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Over the years I have made a good share of bedding items. I have the curse of getting a very specific idea of what I want in my head and then, of course, I can't find it anywhere. So, I tend to just make it. Here are a few. . . . .

For the girls' room I made the comforter, shams, throw pillows, step stool cover & chest cushion. I loved the coral pink. Particularly because it was not the main color in the room!

The next blanket is Signe's (my youngest daughter) baby blanket. I embroidered the squares while I was waiting at the doctor's office throughout my pregnancy. I had a lot of time on my hands. I often wondered what people thought while I sat there like a housewife from a bygone era, wielding my needle and thread and gripping my embroidery hoop! But I found it soothing and relaxing. Plus it made the endless wait go by quicker.

I also made the trim that edges the quilt. . . .and matching bumpers and bedskirt.

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After I had Signe I decided we needed new Christmas Stockings so the family would match. I couldn't find any I liked so I made some. I also made the tree skirt to match. Here are Signe's and Hannah's, but Rob and I had matching ones too. The snowflakes were all different on each stocking. . . .

I am sure I have made much more. . . curtains, shower curtains. . . .but the pictures are alluding me.

Now . . . . . .

Construction Projects:

We became known in our neighborhood as the family that did projects on the holidays instead of going out of town, camping, relaxing, etc. Some were major, we finished our basement in the last house, built a deck--two actually, ours and our neighbors--remodeled a laundry room, helped a friend update their whole house before they moved in. Some were small, decorative items and furniture. Here are a few. . . . .

When we did the girls' room I couldn't find any beds I loved that were not a fortune, so I designed these. I literally drew the lines where to cut and had Rob cut them out for me (As a small child I saw my sister cut her hands horribly in a table saw, so I don't do large bladed machinery!). The center part is actually MDF, as is the crown piece on top. The side pieces are rough pine lumber I sanded. The finials are actually curtain rod finials. The initials are a raised plaster stencil. I then painted it cream and applied an antiquing stain over the top. Total price: $35 per headboard. You might have noticed the walls in the earlier photos of this room, we put the molding up when we did the room. I loved it. At the time it was my favorite room in my house. Now that we moved the girls' rooms have loads of potential, but need a lot of work.

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On a more decorative level, we have made a few shelves in our day. . .

In our last house we made the white shelves, but when we moved they did not fit between the windows in our living room so we made new ones. They are a lot like the Pottery Barn shelves, but cheaper and longer. I love them. I also love taking pictures, as you might have noticed.

I made these fabric filled frames as a backdrop to hang frames above my piano to fill a big blank wall. The one on the right shows how I decorate with them at Christmas time. They are slightly batted so they look kind of soft. I actually used baseboard and then did a plaster stencil dot line on the inside edge of the frame and wiped it with bronze rub.