Love Letter From 1956

That is what this little ottoman is- a love letter! I bought this last fall at my favorite Goodwill. It was one of those silly moments we thrifters all have- you see an object and immediately grab for it, afraid that someone else is about to d0 the same thing! And then...your rational mind steps in and reminds you that the object is a stained and tattered ottoman! It's a real clash of the left and right sides of the brain, isn't it?

Anywhoooo.... this was covered in a beautiful old barkcloth, but it was water stained and ripped. It took many months to finally get around to re-covering it. I think it turned out pretty cute! The very enchanting part of the project came when I had the thing flipped over and was struggling to tug the cover over the foam. In very faint pencil this was written on the bottom of the ottoman: "This was made by Neil and Margaret, Sacramento, Cal., 1956". Awwwww. How sweet is that?

I did some other decorating in the living room too. Since my dining room is now my roommate (and beloved stepdaughter), Kelly's room, I've had to re-think a lot of my home's layout. I originally moved my big craft hutches into the garage, but recently realized that they would be a very welcome addition to my living room! Check it out:

Nice, huh? I think it really brings in that coastal vibe I've been wanting. See the little hope chest under the window? I'm picturing yellow and white cabana stripes painted on it! So bright and happy!

Now I am really itching to paint the walls! Except, I think I will cut the blue in half with white. I really want it to be very soft. In the photo below it looks great, but at night it's a little more colorful than I want it to be.

Just to illustrate how much my poor living room needed this change, this is how this room has looked since Earl moved out last summer:
Ugghh! No wonder I'm ready for a change. Especially since this entire color scheme was chosen to accomodate him. I didn't hate it, but it never felt like "me". Hope you all have a lovely week!

Hugs to all!

Thriftin' Adventure with Carmen

Last week Carmen and I had breakfast with Grandpa, which was very nice. He took us to his morning hangout, The Country Waffle and introduced us to all the other regulars. We were treated like celebrities!
Afterwards, the girly and I decided to hit Goodwill and check out the treasures. I don't know if it was the waffles or what, but we had such a bad case of the sillies! It seemed as if everything we saw was a visual treat. Like this lovely very vinyl purse:

Or this lovely assortment of knick knacks:

Very lovely, yes?

As far as these last two items, I don't think I can say too much here on a family blog! I'll let you use your imagination!

Oh my!

In the Good Ol' Summertime

Can you believe these pictures? The boys and I went to Lake Natomas yesterday, June 9th, and had the whole place to ourselves! What's up with that? It was a little breezy and overcast, but still nice. That's okay- we didn't mind!

Nobody but us and the geeses!

It seems like every week Eric and Max just get more and more handsome! I love this photo- it really shows how much alike they look.


Oh my yes! Very, very handsome! Buddy is handsome too, isn't he?

I hope you are all enjoying your summer too!

Hugs to all!

Janet Hill Studio

What a talented lady! She has beautiful work and her prints are so reasonable! Check out her etsy shop here and her blog here. *sigh* Seriously lovely.

One Third of Three Final Projects!

I'm so proud of this! This is for my Beginning Drawing and Composition class. This is 18"x24" and is done in black and white conte crayons on a beautiful aqua drawing paper. These are all shells that I bought when I visited Morro Bay last fall with my dear friends, Sandra and Monica. I have to do two more very different drawings of these same shells, but I just had to show you guys this one because I'm so pleased with how it came out! This one might even see the inside of a frame in my new living room!

Hugs to all!

Changes Are Coming!

Talk about eager! I just couldn't wait any longer to get a glimpse of my future living room! This is Tracey's Robin's Egg Blue. I happen to think it is exactly the same color as Bettsi's Seafoam Blue! LOL. I even started painting some of the mirror frames in white. I love it, love it, love it! There's a glimpse of the soon-to-be white chenille couch. So pretty.

Now, have I finished my kids' rooms? Of course not! Apparently I think I am Super Woman and that this summer I will get all of my projects done. Well.......I can try anyway!

Hugs to all!

Quick "Bulletin Board", Even Quicker Post!

LOL! Talk about quick and dirty! All I did was tie ribbon to the slats of my closet doors. The knots are in the back. I would have done all four, but I ran out of ribbon! I'm loving it- I finally have an inspiration board, of sorts.

In other news, the semester is almost over! I'm finishing up my final projects which I really want to share with you all when they are done. Then it's sweet, sweet summertime! So ready!

Hugs to all!