Take Me To Paris

I bought The French Inspired Home recently and it makes me want to sell my house and buy a little cottage in the French countryside. I dream of gardens full of big fluffy sunflowers and sitting on my terrace sipping French wine. One can dream right? I think I've been listening to Julie Child's book, "My Life in France" way too much. Anyway, this book inspires much. I've learned that you don't have to buy new things to furnish your home, there are many treasures out there in antique stores, flea markets and even yard sales. I guess the old adage that another man's junk is another man's treasure rings true.



One thing I would like to do is start making home decor. Throw pillows are so expensive and it's sometimes hard to find what you are looking for. I recently retired my old sewing machine and bought a new one. Actually it is refurbished but works like a charm. Much better than the old one that kept jamming on me repeatedly. The only think I have sewed so far is part of a doll quilt and a butcher apron for a school play.



I've also revamped my creative space a little to make it simpler and not so crowded. I can't work in a cluttered space and luckily have an armoire that holds most of my things.



Isn't this lamp cute? It's pink and brown. A Hobby Lobby find.




A little Parisian inspiration...


My mother's wedding dress hangs in my space. I think it gives it a vintage touch.


Until next time...
Ann

Warning...Rambling Blog Ahead

Okay...deep breath....tapping keys....hmmmmmm....

I always have much to write about but sometimes have writer's block of some sort. Sometimes I just want to post pictures and have them tell my story but what fun would that be without the narrative? Sometimes we just have to slow down, breathe and let our creativity flow. Life is too fast and this week is no exception. I often complain that I am not busy enough at work but this week had an agenda of its own. I'm happy to be busy for a change but a compromise would be nice too. So, without further adieu, pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee; I have a few little things to share....

Before we get started I want to introduce you to Hermie.



Hermie, along with his sister Hermianna joined our family in December. He is the funniest hermit crab ever! This crab is a total ham for the camera and has no fear whatsoever. He is quite the little social butterfly. I say "he" but for all we know Hermie could be a "she". Nonetheless, who knew a crab could be such a cool pet.

After holding on to money I received for Christmas I decided to start spending it and bought this cute little camera in my favorite color RED!

It doesn't replace my wonderful SLR but I wanted something to keep in my purse, strictly for blogging purposes of course.

Last but not least I wanted to share a glimpse of this confection I broke my diet rules for today.



Around mid January these colorful cakes start popping up in stores everywhere. They are called "King Cakes" and are to celebrate Mardi Gras. Most states bordering Louisiana on the gulf coast celebrate their own little Mardi Gras in various cities. The cake is sort of like coffee cake with a very sugary, cavity inducing icing. The meaning behind the cake is very similar to a cake Greeks bake and serve on New Years Eve to celebrate the New Year. The name King is to commemorate the 3 wise kings that visited baby Jesus upon his birth on Christmas. The cakes typically have a little plastic baby (to represent baby Jesus) baked inside of them and the person that ends up with the baby in their piece is said to have good luck for the next year, or in the New Orleans tradition, that person must buy the next King Cake.

Happy New Year!

Albeit it a bit late but at least it's still January! Looking back on 2009 I wonder where it went so fast! I made most of my resolutions when I turned the big 4-0 but have a few more. Most of all I want to approach 2010 with an easier outlook on life and not sweat the little things anymore. Why worry about what we can't change right? Most of all I want to be organized! I am like a dog chasing my tail most of the time. I bought this book last year and never opened it once!
This my friends is about to change! I am making notes, lists, marking pages, whatever it takes to get myself organized once and for all. I am totally organized at work, why can't I do it at home? So along with this I also resolve to not add another thing new to my Amazon wish list until I buy everything that is now on there! HA!

Until next time....Ciao!

Santa's Workshop

52 days until Christmas...but who's counting?

All has been busy in Santa's workshop this weekend. I just need to add the finishing touches and hopefully these will adorn Christmas trees from Texas to North Carolina and everywhere in between. Santa's workshop will be busy for the next few weeks!

In a Fall State of Mind....

Feeling Creative

I've had a hard time lately pouring thoughts from my head into my blog hence the sparse blogging. I did however get a little spark of creativity this weekend I needed to share.

First project was the little rose painted box. I may gift this to my daughter to keep her jewelry in since the pink fits her girly room theme. I have a really hard time with roses but I'm pretty pleased how this one turned out. I had company from a certain 6 year old who announced he would so love to share my paint. I obliged and little Picasso and I spent the afternoon listening to Frank Sinatra and creating. What could be better than that? I did have a good laugh when he tried to sell me his paintings for a buck. What a little business man!

Today I decided to do a little old fashioned scrapbooking. Nothing fancy, just simple little pasting of cut out magazine pictures, etc. before there were fabulous papers and embellishments like the scrapbooking of today. I have a hard time throwing away my cherished magazines so this way I can cut out the things I love most and store them in one book. It's a good compromise to reduce clutter.

My Funky Shopping Finds!

Nana & I spent the day doing girly things and shopping at Sam Moon. Sam Moon is about the only thing I love in Texas. You can walk in with $100 bucks and come out with quite a bit. Just sharing a few things we found today....




I love this flower pendant, looks like art.


It's hard to see the colors in these pieces but they are pretty cool.


Our wish necklaces. Mine is the one with true, hope luck. Nana's the one with Wish.


Peace baby! Nana is loving the peace sign these days. My little hippy! I picked out the turtle and frog jewelry for her. Too cute!


Had to get a basic pair of silver hoops to wear. I finally found a silver chain to fit my buddhist pendant. The pendant is handmade from tibet and the loop to insert a chain is very small. I've had it for awhile but haven't been able to wear it yet. I will wear this proudly, it feels like good karma.


Yes I love purses and how cute is this one???? Nana and her peace signs again!


And finally, my funky purse! I love the vibrant colors in this for summer and nothing wrong with a little bling!