Special Delivery

It was back to school today after winter break.

When I arrive home, I was greeted by this box on the dining room table.

Oh, what a surprise!

I had forgotten I had ordered something from Sav -On Crafts.       

About a year ago, I discovered this great on-line company.

I could go broke ordering all of the things I like.

At that time I just ordered this little box for flowers.

It is sitting on my dining room table today with the few flowers I could find in my garden.

I love the anticipation of an on-line order.

Will I like it?

Is it what I expected?

Sometimes I am disappointed with an order if it isn't quite what I expected or the quality is poor.

There was no disappointment today.

I love the  #1 box.

And, inside it was box  #2.

I have no idea what I will do with them, but I saw them about a year ago, and didn't order them.

I was looking on Pinterest the other day and saw that I had pinned them so I went to the site and ordered them.

I like the oval number and

the possibility of using the lid on its own.

I also got this little burlap sack.

And inside the sack were these tin zinc tags.  

I found six Happy Birthday tags and 

eight  I Love You tags.

The order was a little mixed up because I should have received four I Love You, 4 Happy Birthday and 4 Thank You.  

I received no Thank You tags, but there were 14 tags instead of 12 in the bag.

I love that they vary in color and texture.

For now, the boxes are on top of a cabinet in the living room.

I will probably move them to the mantel when I change the New Year's theme.

The tags are on my work desk waiting for me to get started on a Valentine project.

I signed up for the Bungalow Bling Heart Swap so I need to get busy.

I Blame It On Blogging

It seems like I constantly have "one more project" in the works.

I had nearly 3 weeks off from school.

But, there is still so much I wanted to accomplish.

I blame it on blogging.

I finish a project, take some time to look at blogs and get inspired for an entirely new project.

Friday I was looking through a ton of blogs and saw so many beautiful rooms.

I especially love all the white kitchens that were popping up.

And, as a "color" girl, it's surprising that the white kitchens are what kept drawing me in.

We have white cabinets.

We have white tile floor.

So why can't I break away from all the primary color in my house and do a little white?

I have to point out that the kitchen is not my domain - at all.

I win the Gold Medal for World's Worst Cook.

In my defense, I love to bake, but I avoid it because I also love to eat sweets.

So, invading Steve's space has to be done slyly.

In October I moved the bookcase in the kitchen to the entry.

Don't want you to think we are major winos.

The magnum bottles are from Discoveries Wines and the labels are Steve's paintings.

He has given away all the bottles he originally received sio we bought the magnums as keepsakes.

I moved the cabinet in the entry to the kitchen.

I convinced Steve that it would add more work space for him.

And, it will when we add a butcher block to the top.

We found a shop that will custom cut the butcher block, but Christmas, birthdays and vacation got in the way so the butcher block is at the top of Steve's To Do list this week.

The goal of the latest project was to add shelves above the cabinet.

I wanted shelves with brackets like these in my dining room.

I bought them at Antropologie about 10 years ago, but I didn't think it would be that hard to find something similar.

Finding something similar proved really easy.

Finding something reasonably priced was not so easy.

The brackets I really liked were over $100 a bracket and I would need 6, so that idea was thrown out.

I found some wood brackets I liked and wanted to rush right out and buy them, but Steve wanted to go for a bike ride.

The whole time I was riding, I was thinking about new shelves in the kitchen.

And then it hit me.

I have a red shelf on the wall right now.

I have a little blue shelf with hanging Mason jars collecting dust in the garage.

And I have another shelf on a different wall in the kitchen.

I could unite them with a coat of Annie Sloan Old White.

They are all different widths, lengths and styles, but I don't care.

My house is a mish mash of pieces anyway.

I knew it was supposed to rain today so I contained my eagerness to get started and spent the rest of the day with Steve.

But late last night, after he fell asleep, I got busy.

Steve slept away totally ignorant of my actions.

 The only creature bothered by my work was Lolly, the studio cat.  

Lolly likes to sit on the workbench while Steve paints and she was put out that she had to 

move for me.

I pacified her with a blanket on the sofa so she would stop jumping up onto the workbench.

Steve had to stack a cord of wood that was delivered this morning and deliver two paintings to an art show, but he agreed to help me hang the shelves.

The shelves are hung and there are just a few touch ups to make.

One of the Mason jars is missing and the other is a little short, so I have to find replacements.

I am hoping Steve sits down on the sofa to read and falls asleep so I can paint the red cabinet white.

The removal of the white shelf from another kitchen wall has created another project.

I found a piece in the attic last night and I know exactly what I will do with it.

Steve asked what will be going on that wall.

I was non-committal and just said, "oh, I have an idea."

Unfortunately, my winter break ends today.

Everything will have to wait until next weekend.

But, it gives me something to look forward to.

And who knows, the original plan might change.

I blame it on blogging.

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I am linked up at

Thistlewood Farms - Cowgirl Up Party

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

Under the Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party

Boogieboard Cottage - Masterpiece Monday

Be Different Act Normal - Show & Tell Saturday

My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best Features

Fooling Ourselves

Winter is not my favorite season.

I prefer warm days, flowers abloom in the garden and late sunsets.

Despite the date, January 5, it felt a little like spring today and we actually had the back door wide open for the sun to peek in.

In the morning we went for a long walk on the beach.

We took a leisurely bike ride along the beach in the early afternoon.

But, by the time we were back home, tomorrow's expected rain was beginning to make itself felt.

Steve put a fire in the fireplace and we cozied up to read.

When it was time to set the table, I wanted to continue to feel the sun of the day so I chose a spring like setting for the table.

I selected a vintage tablecloth gleaned from my mother's linen closet,

 blue and yellow polka dot Sabre utensils and clear glass dishes.

Next came the tricky part.

I wanted to use my little wooden crate with tiny bottles for flowers.

Our garden, like most other gardens on the street, is bare of flowers although we have had enough rain for lots of green.

I was able to find a few little red flowers, a couple of daisies and even one lone little purple flower.

With the table set, I am back sitting by the fire while Steve creates a feast.

When we sit down at the table, we can fool ourselves that it is almost spring.

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I am linked up at

Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special

Finding My Identity

If someone asked me my decorating style, I would be hard pressed to answer.

I just do and use what I like, even if it isn't in style.

Two incidents occurred recently that made me sit up and think about how others might describe my style.

Someone posted on their blog how to see what photos of yours have been pinned on Pinterest.

http://pinterest.com/source/your website here

I was surprised to see a photo of my dining room and even more surprised when I read the pinner's description.

LOVE the cheerful, laidback, bohemian vibe of this house.

Bohemian?

Me?

I always think of myself as so straight laced.

The second incident was our home being featured in Ventana Monthly, a local magazine.

I was intrigued when I read Lisa Snider's description of my blog.

"Carol's work has also spilled over into crafting handmade books and cards, which, in addition to her designs and decor for the home, are all detailed in words and photos on her whimsical blog."

If anyone asks me my decorating style, I guess I now have to say

Whimsically Bohemian.

Or, is it

Bohemian Whimsy?

Either way, I chose to embrace it yesterday when I started my second project of the new year.

I bought these little stools when we had our dining room table built.

Originally I had a stool at each end of the table and a bench opposite the window seat.

Steve hated the arrangement because he sat on the bench and preferred having seating with a back.

I gave the stools to JP and he recently returned them to me.

They move around rooms -

sometimes in the kitchen

and sometimes in the closet so I can stand on them to reach high shelves.

Lately, we have been using them in the living room while we play games around the fire.

I also have a taller stool Steve uses to hold his can of gesso when he is prepping a canvas.

It was covered with globs of paint,

I wanted to "liven up" the stools so I grabbed Steve's electric sander, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint from the garage, some brushes and I was in business.

I wanted to paint stripes, checks and dots on the legs, but I am not a very good painter so I settled for just doing each stool in two different colors.

My supply of ASCP consists of my color palette  - red, yellow, green, blue and white.

All day, I thought about how to make them more interesting.

Numbers would be easy, but I have sort of overdone it on numbers lately

and

I just order these galvanized number boxes today from Sav On Crafts.

So for the taller stool, I decided to write the word SIT.

I typed SIT on a power point slide using the stencil font and created my own stencil.

I decided on the alphabet for one stool.

I used rub-on letters and it was much more difficult than I expected.

Some rub-ons are easier to use than others.

And, when I waxed the stool I wasn't careful and some of the letters got smooshed (is that a word?) and I had to use a black sharpie to fix them.

My plan had been to use rub-on words for the final stool, but after waxing the alphabet stool, I was afraid it might not turn out.

So, a simple question mark adorns the final stool.

I created a stencil for the question mark also.

With a bit of paint and a bit of wax, I have three much improved stools.

One little stool sits in the kitchen so I can use it to reach the top cupboards.

The other little stool is in our spare bedroom so I can reach things on the closet shelf.

The tall stool is sitting in front of my work space telling me to SIT and get creative.

I will embrace my new identity in another project tomorrow.

Whimsical?

Bohemian?

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I'm linked up at

Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Rooted in Thyme - Simple & Sweet Fridays

The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home

Redoux - Link Party

Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

No Minimalist Here - Open House Party

Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Sew-Licious Home Decor

Off To A Good Start

I am determined to be more creative in 2013.

All I wanted to do yesterday was make a book.

After our morning walk on the beach and a very cold bike ride, I told Steve I wanted to play in the studio.

He was working on a commission so we worked side by side in the studio listening to the music and being creative.

I began a little book in July.

That was the same time I made my slipcovers and after finishing them, I didn't get much else accomplished before school started.

I tried to work on the book in December after Steve let me carve out a little space in his studio, but Christmas took over.

Finally yesterday, I finished the little book.

It feels like forever since I just sat and played with all of my supplies.

It was fun picking papers, quotes, and embellishments.

I have no idea what I will do with the book.

I usually make blank journals as gifts, but one of my 2013 plans is to start an Etsy shop.

Do I paint and sell handmade pillows?

Do I sell handmade books?

Or, do I just continue to create just for the sake of creating and give everything away as gifts? 

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

In the meantime, I signed up for the Bungalow Bling Heart Swap.

I'm just waiting for further details.

I also just joined
VICKI'S "GROW YOUR BLOG" EVENT!

to force me to be creative.

No matter what, I'm off to a good start in 2013.
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I am linked up at

Cupcakes and Crinoline - It's Time to Party

Fluster Buster - Fluster Muster Party

Embracing Change - Creative Inspiration Linky Party

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

Twigg Studio - Sunday Showoff Linky Party