Happy 2009!

I know, I'm a bit late on the new year wishes, but better late than never, right? There's been a lot going on here lately, which makes it difficult to be very productive. But things are getting back to normal finally, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I've got a lot of ideas swirling around in my head lately, but it's just a matter of having the time and energy to take action on them!

One thing I'm doing lately is a little minor rearranging/redecorating. Here is my first project, a new arrangement of artwork on the wall of our great room.

I made the two silhouettes in the arrangement of the two kids. Although more often than not, Riley's is missing from the arrangement because he's minorly obsessed with carrying it around! A little annoying, but cute!

I haven't had time to do much other artwork lately. Just a couple pieces in the kids' journals (and a class sample for an upcoming class I'm teaching-more on that in a future post). The first is from Noah's book. It's about his love of wearing glasses, goggles, hats, necklaces, any sort of accessory!

And the next is from Riley's book. It's about how much he is like me in so many ways, sometimes much to both of our chagrin!

Finally, here are my thrifted/antiqued finds from the last month or so. I just love the birthday candle-it's designed to be lit for every birthday until the child is an adult, and all the ages are still intact! I'd love to actually use it for one of the kids, but I don't think I'll have the heart to actually burn it- it's too sweet as it is!

Well, that's about it for now. I hope you're all having a great start to the new year!

No Explanation Necessary, Part 2

A continuation of last year's Santa photo. This year didn't go much better than last...!

So Much Eye Candy Your Eyeballs Are Gonna Rot!

I know it's been a while, but I hope the abundance of photos will make up for my absence! As you'll see below, I've been extra busy! First, the Christmas decorations:

Here's our mantle and stockings. My mother-in-law cross-stitched the stockings for us. Somehow, I sort of began a vintage reindeer collection this year! I didn't really realize I had accumulated several of them throughout the year, but when I put them all together, they made for the beginning of a really cute collection. So, a couple Ebay auctions later, and I had an even bigger collection, perfect for the mantle!

Here they are in detail:

I decided to make an ornament wreath this year as well! Again, over the year, I've accumulated lots of vintage ornaments, and between those and some vintage-inspired ones, I had enough to make a whole wreath. I love it! Every time I look at it, I smile because the colors are so pretty!

Here is where the wreath hangs. We just bought this piece of furniture. It's on a new wall (more about that later) that you see as you walk in the door, so it's the perfect place for seasonal displays. It's great, because I can display all my vintage Christmas decor behind glass, where the kids can't get to it!

Here are details of some of the little arrangements:

To be honest, I actually acquired probably at least half of the Christmas stuff over the past couple months. I am having the best luck finding vintage "junk-y" Christmas stuff at thrift stores lately! The trick is to find the shops that are smaller and less-frequented, I think.

So, in addition to being busy decorating for Christmas, I've also been busy decorating my new studio- that's right- new studio! If you remember from the past, my studio was above our garage, the only room upstairs in our house. It was difficult to get up there to work unless the kids were pretty occupied. Downstairs, we had a large, open living/dining room in our house that wasn't fully been used, because we don't have a dining room table. So my husband (wonderful, handy guy that he is) added a wall and knocked out an arched doorway to separate the space into two rooms, one of which has become my new studio!

It's great, because it's right off our great room, so I can keep an eye on the kids if I'm in there. The only thing that's going to change is the worktable. Currently I've got my old worktables pushed together to create a workable space, but my husband is planning on making me a new table that's all one piece (did I say how wonderful he is??).

So, here is the tour! This is the doorway he made to get into the studio. Notice the child-gate to keep the kids out!!

It's a strangely shaped room-sort of a triangle, but with a couple extra angles as well.

My husband also made the shelving for the bins at the left side of the photo below. I put all the kids' art supplies in there.

All the "bookcases" are from Ikea.

I have a huge window that looks out to our screened lanai, which is great because I can watch the kids playing.

Above the arched doorway:

Well, there you have it! My new studio! We've only just gotten it all set up, but I can tell that I will be using it much more frequently than my old one. And speaking of that, here's the first piece of art I did in there, a simple piece in Riley's book about his cute dimple:

And also, the first "craft" I did in there! These are from the Wee Wonderfuls monkey pattern- so cute! They're going to be in the boys' stockings on Christmas morning!

Okay, well, that's all I've got for now- that's enough, I'd say! It's probably the most photos I've ever posted on my blog!

It's a busy time, so I probably won't be back until after Christmas, but I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Birthday, Halloween, and Other Fun Stuff

Happy November, y'all! I hope everyone's enjoying the fall days lately. It's just beautiful here in Florida-we've been taking advantage by going to the zoo and the park.

I have to keep the typing to a minimum today. I'm having serious issues with my arm lately (I have nerve problems similar to carpal tunnel), and they're aggravated by typing. But I have so many photos to share that I didn't want to put my post off any longer! So I'll just be brief and let you enjoy the eye candy!

Here's a spread for Riley's third birthday. I can't believe I have a three year old now!

And here's a photo I took of him on his big day.

Next is a spread in Noah's book. It's about his desire to be just like his big brother. If Riley does it, then it's "cool", and Noah wants to do it, too!

And here are the two guys on Halloween. Riley was Steve from Blue's Clues, and Noah was a lion. They had such a fun time! So cute!

And finally, here are my thrifted finds for the past few weeks. I've found a new thrift shop that is often a goldmine, which is why had so much to show lately!

Sorry for the brevity of my post today. Hopefully my arm will be feeling better soon, so I can write more next time! Hope you all have a great week, and if you haven't already, get out there and vote tonight!!