Back to School Already?!

My baby goes off to Junior High. I hope those big eighth graders take it easy on my little "sevvie"! Dang, he's cute!

I cannot believe how big these boys are! That's Cody there next to Eric. He is my unofficial son. They have been best friends since diapers. Cody once said that when he was little he thought Eric was his brother! Very sweet.
The boys and I are in the process of re-doing their room. It seems like this picture was taken just yesterday, but this was 2005. Look at those buzz cuts! Since we still have blue carpet, coming up with new ideas for their room has been challenging! The funny thing is, Eric still likes blue best and Max still likes red best. But neither of them wants anything country or Americana. I am thinking of using blue, red, grey, black and white and going very modern. I thought graphic stripe "headboards" painted on the wall would be kind of neat using varying widths of those colors. Not sure what to paint the rest of the walls. Grey? That would be very neutral for them. Opinions welcome! (Of course, we know it will be Christmas before I get it done! I have so many home projects that need attending!)

Hey! What's this? It's Raggedy and Maddie! I love my sweet Raggedy Ann! And Maddie is going to be for sale. Where? Ebay or Etsy- I am having a hard time deciding.

Speaking of decisions- I did restate my position with E. He was so eager to separate in June and since then he has done a complete 180 turnabout. He's even wearing his wedding band and keeps my framed photo on his desk at work. His work ...where I also work. Whatever. Everytime I restate my intentions, we get a little further along in the separation. For the most part, that is exactly what I want. However...all this "alone" time just brings to the surface all my insecurities. I am having to face just how much I "need to be needed" and have thus contributed to state of my marriage. Well, anyway, it's all a learning experience and I am doing the work to get to a happier place. I'm thankful to have this blog and be able to share this kind of thing here in addition to having "in person" support who are helping me find that happier place.

Hugs to all!

For me?

Woweee! Isn't that pretty? That is an award from my friend, Helene. You may already know Helene, she's very chic and talented. She lives in France and eats macarons from Laduree! How glamorous is that? I'm sure she would say she is not glamorous, but Puh-leaze! Paris, macarons, Laduree! I'm just sayin'! She also has a fabulous doll collection and amazingly, has even included a couple of Tender Arts dollies in it! I'm still blown away by that. Thank you so much, Helene, for the support and the award. I am tickled!

Now I have the lovely honor of bestowing this award on five more bloggers! I pick:

1. Eileen at Eileen's Attic
2. Martha at JelliesJamsDolls
3. Lisa at Faerie Enchantment
4. Robin at Thrifty Miss Priss
5. Tracey at Giggleface Studios

You girls are ALL creative bloggers. I'm on my way to let you know to come pick up your award!

How-do Friends!

As you can see, my yo-yo obsession reached its culmination. Pretty cute, huh? I'm not sure if I will sell it or keep it. It sure makes me happy every time I see it. Look at this next photo- all kinds of things to love in one spot!
I got my new pillow, my crazy cat who thinks he is a baby and a new dolly-in-the-works! She will go into the shop very soon.

Speaking of new dolls, after I finish the little cutie above, I need to make a Raggedy Ann! Yes, I must! The amazing Martha of JelliesJamsDolls has just finished a new batch and they are SO cute! Her Raggedy Anns are less about "decor" and more like the character of Johnny Gruelle's illustrations. Here is one of her newest dolls:

See what I mean? Doesn't she look just like she is on a real adventure? She and her sister are listed on ebay here, if you are interested. I would bid if I could afford one, but I know they will go pretty high-as they should! Really wonderful artistry in these dollies.


I've been pretty busy this week getting the boys ready for school. I just can't believe my babies are getting so big! My baby, Max, is starting junior high! His dad took him and Eric out for some school shopping and when they got home they were sporting their first piercings!
Can you see it? Eric got one too. It sure is a tiny little earring...I guess I could live with it. Especially when he looks so adorable. Look at those eyelashes! Lordy, I am so jealous! Eric's earring is invisible as his eyes. That boy needs a haircut! E's been teaching him how to use his bow and arrow which he left here because, well in an apartment there is no shooting range! Anyway, Eric has really taken to it. Check out how close all his arrows are to each other:

It's interesting that E is spending more time now with the boys than he ever did when he lived here! Apparently he has a new appreciation for family life. And for me too, I guess. Not really sure how I feel about that. Well, no, I do know. I don't care for it. And yet, I'm weak enough to be flattered by the attention. *sigh* As Scarlett said, "Fiddle-dee-dee!" Oh, wait, I meant, "I'll think about that tomorrow." Today, I have both jobs to work and a Raggedy Ann to make!

Hugs to all!

Gratuitous Cute-ness

See? Pretty cute, huh? My fingers were itchin' to do some stitchin' last night and I remembered that my poor neglected Dolly Dingle never got her hat finished. When I opened up my little red suitcase, the overwhelming cute-ness slayed me. (You may remember the pillow from my etsy shop.) I finished her hat and took this photo to share.

I've also been stitching up a veritable yo-yo blizzard. I have the blurry photo to prove it!

I don't think I'm going to do a whole coverlet, but I sure can picture a pillow cover with these darling little things.

So...all this to say...I don't think Tender Arts Studio is dead! There still may be hope for this tired old dream of mine. Not really sure how to make it work, but I cannot abandon my stitchin' little fingers and my entrepreneurial dreams. If I can work in a hardware store part-time for part of my income, couldn't I do craft fairs instead and work for myself? Or maybe there is a store out there that would like to carry my humble little offerings? I don't know yet what the answer will be, but I sure want to find it.

Wish me luck, Friends.

Not Quite A Home Tour!

Well, here's an unusual property...

Hmmm, what is this place? Not very well-kept, is it?

Oh my! It's not a home at all!

I very much wanted to participate in Julia's very cool home tour, but I never got to any homes this weekend to get any pictures of. And, Lord knows, my house is not tour-worthy yet! However, I did get to see how some folks "on the other side" get to live!

This is the Sacramento Old City Cemetery and it is pretty darn cool! My sister-in-law, Deborah and I took the tour Saturday and I was just so impressed.

Love that patina!

Is this not a gorgeous view?!

Civil War memorial.

One of many very cool crypts.

Awwww....so sweet!

So even though it is not the usual type of "home", it is very pretty isn't it? I can't wait until the end of October when they have their "Lantern Tours"! Don't you think the kids will love that?

Anyway, go visit Hooked on Houses and enjoy the tour!

Dipped In Honey

Hi Girls! Mary Elise, you asked about my paint color and I have not been able to respond to you because Blogger keeps telling me that your profile is private. I would love to get an email from you so I could give you a proper response- I've enjoyed your comments so much! Anyway... Dipped in Honey is a Dutch Boy color that I got at Orchard Supply Hardware where I have a part-time job. I'm sure Dutch Boy is sold in lots of places, but here's the thing: I think it may be a discontinued color, but when I get home tonight I will at least make note of the number and that could be helpful. I'll add it to this post in an edit.
Edit: The number is DT08 and it is NOT Dutch Boy, it is American Living by Sears (who happens to own OSH)

Speaking of my bedroom which has become such a sanctuary to me, I took a few photos yesterday morning. I thought you guys might like to see it so far!

First, here is my anitque cast iron headboard! It looks even better today than when I first pulled it out of a dumpster seven years ago! When we moved into our house in 2003 we decided it wasn't the greatest headboard for us and we put it in the backyard. Well, the further "aging" in the great outdoors has just made it look even better! I love the little bits of rust. How do you like my crazy mismatched pillow cases? I'm still a little disorganized- bedding is on the list for August, but I have to say that I do kind of like the crazy quilt effect of these too.

The vanity top. Still a work in progress, but I love my little house candle holders- I've had them for probably twenty years! And doesn't Wendy look so cute?! I love that sweet little face! By the way, does anyone else enjoy White Shoulders as much as I do? It just smells so heavenly to me! That fabric is a piece of a fat quarter. I bought a bunch of them at Joanne's a few years ago. I just love the blue and white plates against the yellow ground, but when I try to put it to use, it seems so busy. I'm thinking of just using it as an accent on throw pillows and maybe a bias binding for whatever window treatment I end up with. I have maybe eight fat quarters of it.
Here is the bedside table (with lots of yellow lamplight!). Talk about some chippy paint! This poor table has been far too abused. Those darling ducklings that I posted about here used to live on this table in my grandmother's house. At that time this table was polished, elegant wood. It's one of those graceful reproductions made shortly after WWII. I'm sure my grandparents bought it at Capwell's where Grandpa worked. Anyway, a few years ago I painted it, but I did not prime it and the paint just started flaking off. Not sure yet if I want to try it again or leave it like this.

Lastly, what bedside is complete without a great assortment of magazines for dreaming with? I was recently at a local thrift store and picked up a bunch of Victoria magazines from the late 90's for .30 and .40 each!!! That was a score! Also got a few Country Living magazines for the same price. So they're getting lots of ooooh and aaahhh time lately. The cute "bucket" was also a thrift find. I love the cottage-y look of it.

So, there we are for now. I am still finishing up the painting. (I know, right? It's taking me forever!) and then it's on to the bedding and curtains and getting some artwork on the walls. I am hoping August will be very productive for me.