My Polka-Dotted World

My 40th...red and aqua goodness!

2011-08-07T04:18:00.001-07:00

My 40th...red and aqua goodness!, a photo by thislittlepiggy on Flickr.

Valentine's Day Party

2010-02-15T10:39:00.001-08:00

Huge Dose of Valentine Inspiration

2010-01-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

It was a quiet Saturday morning this morning. Two kids are up in the mountains this weekend with their youth group, and although I miss them, the house is much more calm and quiet with only two kids here. Hubby left for work early, and I had a few minutes to snuggle up in my covers with flickr, seeking Valentine's Day inspiration. Although the tree has been taken down and hauled to the curb, it is still Christmas everywhere else in my house. I like to put Valentine's Day up when Christmas comes down so I am gearing up for just that. If I see enough photos of old vintage valentines, candy, pink and red felt hearts, and other creative projects by the many talented people out there in the world of blogs, etc.....surely I will have enough inspiration and motivation to get out of bed and spend the few hours it is going to take to pack the rest of Christmas up and put all the pretties out for Valentine's Day!! right? I hope so.

Christmas Planner Class

2009-10-06T22:10:00.001-07:00

journal 001
Originally uploaded by thislittlepiggy

There is a beautiful shop, called RUSTY CREEK, in a giant barn just down the road from my house. (I love the convenience of this, BTW) Susan, the shop's owner, recently made a section of the store into a crafting area. She appropriately named it, "The Hens' Nest". Love it! Anyway, one day I was browsing and chatting, and she asked if I would teach a crafting class of some kind. I came up with this idea, and I just love it! Every year I read lots of magazines about Christmas ideas...crafts,recipes, cookies, and everything else you can dream up. My idea was that I would love to cut out the things that I like, and have them all in one spot. That way I am not wondering where that great sugar cookie recipe I saw was, or how to make the cranberry punch I made the year before. I also thought it would be a great place to make all of my "to-do" lists and write in new addresses I need to add to my Christmas card list. I decided this would just be the funnest thing to make and keep with me at all times so I can jot down everything related to the best holiday of the year!! So, I went a little nuts with scrapbook paper, vintage images of old christmas cards, old sewing trims, buttons,etc...and here are the results!! The class will be held on Saturday, November 7th from 10:30 am-1:30 pm in Fallbrook, CA. Please email me for more info if you are interested. Or, try your hand at making one at home...fun and easy. The best part of making this the last couple days was listening to Christmas music to keep my inspiration up!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-08-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Happy friends, I have returned from my long vacation from blogging. I thought it would be fitting to return on my birthday. Posting is a birthday present of sorts to myself, as I have been wanting to post again for some time. I have missed sharing my life through this blog, but have spent some well needed time focusing on family and adjusting to our move last summer to Fallbrook, CA. We spent many months having to go online in our office that is connected to a separate garage on the property, making it very inconvenient to do much on the computer. We have been saved from that now by the purchase of a laptop, which I am very grateful for. That's it for now, just wanted to share that I am still alive!! Thanks for being a part of my birthday celebration today! XXOOKristin

How cute is this!!

2008-12-06T09:28:00.001-08:00

I stumbled upon this adorable picture on flickr...and wanted to share! Kristena of thimblythings.com cracked me up with her title on this photo...something to the effect of "pimping her fridge". As you can tell, she is one creative gal!! Scroll down on her blog to find a tutorial to make these sweet magnets. Seems she loves the color red~~ I girl after my own heart.

0rnament Exchange

2008-12-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

I attended my friend Sherry Salvato's annual ornament exchange Sunday night. Here is a look at the ornament I made this time. What a fun Christmas tradition!! I brought 20 wrapped ornaments and came home with everyone's ornament. I love to start thinking about this and planning what I will make. This year I thought about my overabundance of sheet music I have for crafting and that settled it! Hope to post some house pictures soon.... it is getting very Christmas-y in there!! Kristin

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T11:45:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy and Yummy Thankgiving!! I am at my Mommy's house with my hubby and kids, cooking and watching Nacho Libre for the 100th time. (in my opinion, one cannot watch this movie enough times...it stays funny!!) We are going out to take the doggies for a walk here in a minute!!
Happy Thanksgiving friends!! Love, Kristin

Show and Tell Sunday..Share a Vintage Collection

2008-10-28T09:54:00.001-07:00

Wow! I almost missed out, but just noticed that people are playing Show and Tell Sunday today. The topic: share a vintage collection. I chose to share my collection of vintage wedding cake toppers. I love to collect these because I find them so beautiful, whimsical, and interesting. I am intrigued by the fact that each has a story to tell but can't. Each topper belonged to a couple somewhere in time...gracing their own wedding cake. I love how all the couples look togehter. I have received many as gifts, even receiving one from a swap partner because she read in my profile that I collect them.

Happy Birthday Annie!!

2008-10-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is Annie, my youngest child. I cannot believe she is 7 years old....time flies!!! This past Saturday we survived her "Jungle Treasure Hunt" birthday party. Annie and Emma (9) thought up this theme and just told me what to do. The girls decorated safari vests (paper bags), and wore their safari hats (Oriental Trading Co.).

We got some ideas online from Family Fun. They have lots of printable things....like labels for the food for these hungry treasure hunters. My favorite was the live worms, hot dogs cut into four lengthwise pieces each and boiled in water...causing them to curl up and look like worms. They were a hit on top of the macaroni and cheese.

Annie got lots of fun presents!! She even got an ant farm....so we quickly sent off for the ants through the mail. Annie is very excited for those ants to arrive! Thanks everyone !

Party time!!!!

My Mom orchestrated a treasure hunt around our property with rhyming clues. It was pretty awesome! At the end, the girls found the treasure chest, and it was full of toys and candy...including gold chocolate coins! We filled the girls' take-home goody bags with the booty!

Happy Birthday Annie!!! Hope your year is full of fun an blessings! I love you!!

Wordless Wednesday...Happy Fall from My House to Yours!!

2008-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Things I Love About Fall!

2008-10-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

1. The leaves changing colors

2. The crisp, cool feeling in the air

3. Fall colors

4. Decorating with pumpkins, leaves,pomegranates,

pottery, turkeys, cream ware, candles.

5. Making comfort food (corn chowder over mashed potatoes

with scallops, and stuffed pork chops with apples and sweet

potatoes are 2 things I made this past week)

6. Visiting a pumpkin patch

7. The way the grocery store smells

8. Picking apples

9. Making a turkey with my hand (you know...the craft where you
trace your hand and the thumb becomes the turkey's head,etc..)

10. Baking (pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies!!!)

11. Having a fire

12. Hanging out with Rob in our jammies

13. Reading through some of my favorite Christmas

books and planning for Christmas

14. Snuggling in my bed early in the morning with one of my

kids

15. Garage saling when its not hot!!

Vintage Fall Inspiration

2008-10-11T08:48:00.001-07:00

Vintage Fall Inspiration
Originally uploaded by thislittlepiggy

Had some fun this morning on flickr. Hope this inspires everyone with their decorating. I love this time of year! We have had a couple of cooler days now after a dreadful heat wave (must sound strange to those already getting snow!), and I have enjoyed them so much. Hope to take some photos of my hutch all dolled up for fall soon. (Must find all necessary cords....and we are still somewhat living out of boxes). I am craving pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and wanting to make soup and muffins! Happy Fall!! Love, Kristin

We Have a Winner!!!

2008-09-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Hurray! We have chosen a winner in the Great Pyrex Bowl Giveaway! I am sorry I didn't pick on the 20th, my crazy life took over! My daughter kindly pulled a name out of the hat for me today and the winner is:

Ms. Sadie Lou Who !!!!

Congrats Sadie Lou.... you are the new owner of these fantastic bowls! This was a really fun giveaway and I thank everyone for participating! It was so fun to read all of your entries about the things that make you happy! Looks like we all have a lot in common out here in blog land. Always stop in again... I love giveaways! Love, Kristin

Blog Giveaway!!!

2008-09-10T17:50:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of being back online and being able to post again, it's blog giveaway time girls!!

Up for grabs is this set of primary colored pyrex mixing bowls. Just in time for mixing up Thanksgiving yummies or Christmas cookie batter (it is going to be here fast!).

Post a comment here and tell me 10 things that make you happy, and I will enter you into the drawing that will be held on September 20th !!!

Whoo-Hoo! Moved at Last!

2008-09-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

Happy new house! Happy, happy new house. We have made it through the worst part now! The endless hours of packing and cleaning the old place are behind us now. Thank you to everyone who helped us with that huge project! We are now staying at the new house in charming Fallbrook, CA. We are country folk now!! Country living at its finest....giant spiders and all!

I am unpacking and nesting up a storm. There is the fun side of that, seeing all of your things in a new place and changing things up a bit. We are also experiencing some of the stressful side - not being able to find something (several things really) that are much needed. Say a prayer for normal life to resume for us soon!

So, I am happy to be back on line after cable company issues galore. I look forward to showing off some pics of the new place soon. I also have a give away up my sleeve...so check back soon.
Love, Kristin

When it rains, it pours!

2008-08-25T12:25:00.001-07:00

That Emily is an amazing chick! Check out her sugar-coated blog Sugar and Meringe here .
These cupcakes are actually some *fake* treats she baked up and are available at her etsy shop.

Thank you Emily for the Tree of Happiness Award. What is the Tree of Happiness Award? Well, Emily said she gave it to me because the things on my blog make her happy! I love blogs, they are the greatest invention!! I still read magazines sometimes, but blogs have taken the place of magazines for me in many ways. There is such a wonderful community of creative women who blog, and it is available 24/7/365...and best of all...it is free. Being able to check in and read the new posts on all of my favorite blogs makes me happy and inspires me to keep being a good homemaker, to keep creating, and provides lots of ideas to do just that! So, I humbly accept the award and am glad to know I am inspiring people out there in this great big world.
I am supposed to share 7 things that make me happy now. Here we go:

1. Family: My kids, my hubby Robbie(love to hang out in jammies with this guy!), my parents, my church family. I love to have a house full of people, laughter, and yummy food.

2. Retro Kitchen items:
I love old, funky red, aqua, and yellow items for the kitchen! Jadite. Red and white milk glass mugs, plates, and bowls. Mixed up pyrex patterns all stacked up together. Tin canisters with fun prints. Old cookie jars. Crocheted pot holders. Vintage salt and pepper shakers. Old figurines. Old cookbooks with great graphics.

3. Vintage Christmas:
My heart beats fast when I walk into an estate sale because I know there may be boxes full of the Christmas whimsies of the past that I love to collect. They are usually not expensive either. I love the old German glass ornaments, Shiny Brite ornaments and their wonderful graphic boxes, old snowmen and other figurines made from styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners, vintage Christmas cards, bottle brush trees, cardboard houses, plastic light-up churches, plastic deer and reindeer figurines, feather trees. I love how it all mixes at Christmas with my house that already has a lot of red in it.
4. Country Roads:
Drives on country roads make me happy. It just helps me to put things in perspective I see the beauty of the country. I remember life is good. I am moving to the country in a few days too, so I will get that every day and I am looking so forward to it!

5. Autumn:
I love the fall...and it is almost here! My absolute favorite season! I have never experienced it on the East Coast, I know I would even love it more there! I love the feeling in the air, the breeze, the smells of fall, pumpkins, comfort foods like soup, muffins, and casseroles, and the festivals small towns have to celebrate fall. I have a few fall boxes I take out to decorate, and to me it is just as fun as Christmas decorating!

6. Junking:
Thrift stores. Garage sales. Estate sales. Antique stores.Things people leave out for the trash truck. (nice things a lot of the time) I am blessed to have a husband that enjoys all of this as much as I do. Oh, and some best friends that love to go with us too!

7. Cooking:
I love to read cookbooks and dream up menus for parties. I love to entertain and feed people! My husband also enjoys cooking too, so we have fun with it! We watch food network so much that my kids have taken to playing iron chef at home and making us taste their dishes. They have been pretty good as long as they don't use a strange secret ingredient.

Thanks Emily! I am passing this on to Teena of Kitschen Pink!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-08-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well, another birthday has come and gone now, leaving me 38 years old!! As I write this at 12:04 a.m....I look forward to the new year ahead. A new house, loving my family more, laughing hard, and all the blessings and lessons the Lord has for me this year. I spent my birthday in kinda a funny way this year~ packing, sweating, loading, unloading...trying my hardest to make tons of progress with the move. But you know what? It was fun! I had breakfast out with my family this morning, and we ordered pizza this evening with all of our friends who came over to help. I also was treated to a wonderful dinner out by my Mom last night. I'm blessed.

Only a few more days and the moving process will be over, and I'll be nesting at the new place (which is adorable) and sharing fun pictures with everyone. Yay! Love, Kristin

Yay!! I'm a Winner!!

2008-08-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

How fun!! I was given these awards by Teena over at Kitschen Pink . She is such a sweetie for thinking of me and my little blog. I love to share my thoughts and the fun things I find with all of you, and blogging is such a great creative outlet.

I am supposed to pass the awards on to 7 bloggers that I *heart*, and the recipients are in no paticuliar order (drumroll please.....) :

1.My friend Rise' over at Giddy Up Pony who specializes in turning old trailers into fantastic retreats for sewing and crafting.

2. Sarah of Vintage Lily , always a beautiful blog to stop by and visit.
3. Emily of Sugar and Meringue, a real sweetie baking up sweets to share will all of us in blog land.
4.Eunice from The Little Things...one of the first people I met online. She makes beautiful things!
5. Happy of Happy Loves Rosie, who I would have to say has the most inspiring home I have ever laid eyes on. (no exageration!)
6.Susie from Susie Scott Studios, where she combines her wonderful, happy, art and crafting.
7.Heidi of Vacuuming in High Heels Wearing Pearls, a like-minded,treasure hunting gal that shares her great finds!

Keep up that great blogging gals!!

Boy, was this fun!!

2008-08-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

I had a little bit of fun this morning putting this collage together on polyvore. I learned about this on a wonderful blog called Happy loves Rosie. I chose things that make my world polka-dotted!! It is really fun and easy, I did this in about ten minutes!! There is a clipping function that you can use to get other things off the internet that I hope to play with later. You can type in key words of things you want to include in your collage and they appear. Some of the words I used to find these things included: cupcake, red, aqua, shabby, couch, chair, floral, vintage, and of course, polka dots. They really didn't have enough polka dots, they need to work on that. So, if you get bored, go over there and make a collage for fun!

I couldn't help it.....

2008-08-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

When I found out polka dots were a possibility during a pedicure, you know I could not resist!! My toes were longing to match my blog...so I said, "Red with white polka dots,please!". Sorry to scare anyone who can't stand feet, but I had to show you!! Love, Me

I'm with these guys.....

2008-08-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the caption at the bottom says, but it might say "moving stinks!! ". Just need to vent for a moment about my aching muscles and feet, my lack of mental clarity, and my desire to have this whole process be over with. Enough of the negative though, there are so many wonderful things to share too. We got the keys to the new place early and are able to take loads over and try to put things away as we go. That has been so nice!
The new house is much older than the house we are living in now and has tons of character, so I am finding out that all of my old stuff looks much cuter in the new house. The red and white kitchen is going to be so fabulous!

This will be me soon! Em (my 8 year old) and I are planning a big project of getting together grocery lists that have all the ingredients for 5 dinners on them. I want to be able to just pick one to print out when I go shopping because I have been failing at planning meals ever since my 4th child was born (7 years ago). I usually stand in the store staring blankly at a shelf, trying to figure out what I am going to make. Maybe I will share with you when we get the project done!

Have a happy, happy Day!! Love, Kristin

Happy Summer...well definitely interesting anyway!!

2008-08-04T15:34:00.001-07:00

Aren't these gals the sweetest? I am pretending to be the on all the way to the right...she has dark hair like me and I love those glasses!! I am just amusing myself for a moment with a quick post to distract myself from packing. I need a break! I have packed so many boxes I can't see straight and it is very *HOT* here! (it is probably 90 degrees, but much more humid than normal for Southern California) Shoot a prayer up for me to make it through this gals! Thanks for listening. Love, Me

Thrift Store Finds

2008-08-01T09:16:00.001-07:00

Just a few quick thrift store finds to show you!! We are packing to move right now, so everything is upside down around here. Hope everyone is enjoying summer! Love, Kristin

Early Birthday Presents :0)

2008-07-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

I took some pics of the goodies my Mom bought me on our day out in Orange, CA. She spoiled me setting me free in antique stores to pick presents! My birthday is August 24th, but we were together in a fabulous place, so we took care of it all! She also took us to tea at Paris in a Cup, which was wonderful! Thanks Mom!

Show and Tell...I want to play!

2008-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

How fun to play along in this week's Show and tell...vintage ephemera. Funny thing is, I never know if I am spelling that word correctly, or saying it the right way, but I absolutely *LOVE* the stuff! Above is the sweet child's suitcase I keep it all in. I couldn't pass that up being red and polka-dotted!! So, I took some things out of it to share with you today. The alphabet cards here captured my heart. Oh, if only I could find the whole set. The boy by the fire looks like my husband as a boy.
Had to have these! Flashcards from the 50's always guarantee fun, fantastic graphics. The reverse side has the single word in green. Too cute!

I love old greeting cards. It is so much fun to pull cards out from all the different holidays and use them to decorate around the house. These are great for crafts too, to get that special vintage touch.
I am in love with the vintage cards for children. Get a load of that space man...he could not be any cuter!! Some of these cards have velvet on them!

Old wrapping paper is so much fun! I really want to add to my collection of wrapping paper, but I rarely see it in thrift stores. That is probably because most of it was discarded after use. I love the darling graphics!
Isn't this just happy? I especially love these prints with children and primary colors.
I see Little Bo Peep, Jack and Jill, Hey Diddle Diddle, and the Three Little Pigs here.
This cards is so sweet, it actually has a Happy Birthday record inside sung by Rosemary Clooney.
Here are some more baby, birthday, and New Year's cards. I can't get enough of these, and I always feel like I need to give them a good home when I see them at fleas, etc.

That's a peek at my paper collection! Thanks to Cerri for hosting another fun Show and Tell. It's always a fun time!

Downtown Orange, CA

2008-07-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Victoria Co. was amazing!!! The most "me" store I have actually ever wondered into! The owner has mixed wonderful vintage kitchen finds, with wonderful reproductions of 1940's and 50's home goods. The owner and I seem to have the same obsession with chalkware figurines, old metal toy phones for children, tin canisters with lots of red, stitched dish towells, tin picnic baskets, and many other things!
I want that old child's play stove! I might have to snatch it up if it is still there on my next trip! See that pillow to the left, there are piles of these in the shop all done up in whimsical red and white vintage looking fabrics with vintage images on the front. Some are painted with fun sayings too! Talk about cute overload!
Sorry for the blurry pic, but you get the idea! Red goodness everywhere. There is no way anyone could be in a bad mood in this store, it is a cheery, happy place!
Another sweet vignette from another store in Orange. I love these old victorian plant stands, and they did a darling job of layering things inside for the Fourth of July. So cute!
Another booth I like inside an antique mall. I bought some things from this booth too! My birthday is in August so Mom wanted me to find all of my birthday surprises while we were out shopping together. I love my Mom!

Now you see why when my Mom insisted on a field trip to downtown Orange yesterday, I am glad I didn't argue! She wanted to pay for a babysitter and haul me off to a place where there are 30+ antique stores living happily together, with yummy restaurants and tea rooms interspersed throughout. We had a wonderful time! Tomorrow I will post a pic of all the goodies I came home with. Thank you Mom for a fun day out!

A Fun Collection

2008-07-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

On one wall in my kitchen hangs this little spice rack I filled up with salt and pepper shakers. I have to admit, the collection has spilled over to other areas of the kitchen as well. I have picked these up here and there, and have been given some by friends also. In fact, some of my friends are specially trained to know just what to look for! I love ceramic and plastic shakers from the 40's and 50's and am especially drawn to red ofcourse! With the birth of ceramics in the 1940's, salt and pepper shakers became very popular souvenirs because of the variety availalable and the fact that they were inexpensive. Many of the sets I own and see were made in Japan. They are stamped "Japan" or "Made in Japan". Salt and pepper shakers are a great collection to start because they add so much color and character to the vintage kitchen!

Blog Makeover Complete!!

2008-07-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my new look!! The ever so talented Ms. Heather from Bluhm Studios helped me out with all these polka-dots and the new banner up top. It was a very easy project from my side, I just said a few key words like red and white polka dots, little girl in a red dress, and scalloped edge, and she ran with it. I screamed when I saw the proof! So, get in touch with Heather if you have dreamed of a new, whimsical banner for your blog...she rocks!

In My Etsy Shop...

2008-06-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

I made these vintage trim sets for the new etsy shop...polkadottedworld.
I have collected lots of darling, unique, vintage trims and wanted to share them with other crafters. I put these sets together for $10.00.
I made a couple different trim sets to inspire 4th of July crafting.
I also have lots of fun flea market and estate sale finds listed, like these sweet, cottage-y souvenier wall hangings.

My Funny Annie

2008-06-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Just a mish mash of a post before I start a major cleaning day...I have company coming tomorrow. I came across this picture of my youngest daughter, Annie, yesterday when I was uploading pictures. My oldest daughter took it a few days ago, and I couldn't stop laughing when I found it. No, she doesn't always look like that!! She has gotten in the habit of making funny faces because it makes her Grammie laugh. My daughter must have asked her to make one of those faces....this was a great one!!
This is the love of Annie's life....our new doggie, Meg. Friends of ours had to move to Wisconsin, and didn't want to haul three dogs along. I had mentioned that I would love to have Meg if they ever needed a place for her, and my dream came true. She is a joy! She is so smart and loving!
Also, wanted to mention that I am filling up an etsy shop now with fun and pretty things. If you would like, you may take a peek here. I love to share my fabulous finds with you!!

Off to clean, my friends! Have a wonderful day!! Kristin

We Have a Winner!!

2008-06-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Shara from Monkeybox is the winner of my blog giveaway!!!! Yay for Shara!! She will be the new Mommy to Lolly, the sweetest doll on earth. I am sure Lolly will love her new home and living in Arkansas!! Congrats Shara!

Show and Tell Sunday.....Favorite Flea Find

2008-06-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

Well...when I started to ponder what to share for Show and Tell today...I couldn't decide! I love all my junk I bring home! I thought about my hutch, but I have shared a lot about that lately. I couldn't decide between these two things...so I declare a tie!!! I'll just share both. Above, is the pot rack I finally found that would work in my kitchen. I had been collecting things and trying to create a vintage red and white kitchen...but I was missing a pot rack to hang all of my enamelware from that was awaiting a purpose inside a kichen cupboard. When I saw this one, made from a piece of iron fencing, I knew it would do the trick. We painted the chain red, hung it up, hung all of the enamelware from it, and topped it off with an old dollhouse I had. Our home, in and of itself, has NO retro appeal...it was built in 1990 and is full of oak. So, this potrack really helped me to be able to have a focal point in the room, and take away from the yucky cupboards.( I really shouldn't complain!!)
Tied for first is this funny thing I bought....a small greenhouse type case that I change out for the seasons. Funny story...I have some Mary Engelbreit special edition books that are about Christmas that I read over and over again. In one of them, there is a case like this. I would think about how I love the look of it and daydream about possibly making one.
So, when I stumbled upon this, I snatched it up for close to nothing.

Here it is in the fall with some old books, cream pottery, and one of my turkey planters I collect. I love to play and just see what looks cute together in there.
Here it is again at Christmas. I love to make a little scene in there with the choir boys singing outside the lit up church. This is one of my favorite things I look forward to setting up when I take out all of the Christmas boxes.

The man I bought it from told me it is made from old windows and that he built it 25 years ago when he and his wife first married. It had been outside in the elements all of that time gaining charm! I was sure lucky that day!

Thanks for listening...I am off to check out your favorite finds now. OH~ and by leaving a comment here today, you will be entered in my blog giveaway for the sweetest doll you have ever seen in your life (in the post below this post).I will be drawing the winner tonight at midnight. Love, Kristin

Blog Giveaway...Sign up by Sunday, June 15

2008-06-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

Meet Miss Lolly.....a sweet little gal I picked just for the special someone who wins this blog giveaway!!! It could be you!!! She is sweet, soft and plump...and a wonderful shade of aqua.
Just look at those sweet freckles and rosey cheeks!! She can't wait to meet you and find out where her new home will be!!
Just leave a comment anywhere on my blog before next Sunday, June 15th, at midnight and you will be entered to win the fabulous Miss Lolly. Thanks for playing!!

Happy Birthday Grandma Washington!!

2008-05-31T07:40:00.001-07:00

I made this wall hanging for my Mom in-law. I love making these because they are quick and easy for me to make, but special and more lasting than a regular card because they can be hung up. Just combine scrap book paper, vintage wall paper or wrapping paper, old sheet music, vintage trims like rick rack, pom-poms, or ribbon, old buttons, etc.....whatever fun things you have saved up for creating with.....and there you have it!!

I made these with the women at a women's retreat for church once too. It was during the fall so I laid out images of old postcards from Thanksgiving and provided colored trims and paper that matched the theme. They came out so cute and can be hung up year after year! Happy Crafting! Kristin

Show and Tell Sundays....Happy Hutch!!!

2008-05-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

Today's topic for Show and Tell Sundays, hosted by Analise and Cerri, is china. The picture above is of my hutch...and the pastel lu-ray dishes I have displayed if there isn't a special holiday going on. I just love my hutch....especially because I found her at a thrift store, just sitting there, marked $149.00. I thought that was a steal and I wouldn't leave her side until an employee put a big ol' sign on her that read "SOLD".

My hutch gets lots of attention from me because it is one of my favorite places to play! I love to put different displays of dishes up for the different holidays and throw a lot of little vintage extras in the mix too!!
A close up of my hutch at Christmas this past year....my most favorite find ever....the red and white beaded edge dishes....which are Westmoreland. The milk glass holly pattern is from Japan and is made by Termacriso . We use this on Christmas morn for breakfast!!

Here is my hutch for St. Patrick's Day. I placed this cream china on the shelves, and mixed it up with a few pieces of green depression glass and Jadite. I also collect these sweet, glass,rectangular, lucheonette plates that have a little cup that goes with each one.
The cream china is marked Pope-Gosser Rose Point, and I picked all of it up for $15.00 at an estate sale last year. It is heavily crazed, which adds lots of character. I have this urge to collage on it someday. I just picture black and white photos and small typed words glued onto it.
Here is my hutch at Valentine's day. I mixed my pink lu-ray pieces in with the red and white Westmoreland. The red and white striped glasses are hazel-atlas.

I thought I would show you what kinds of dishes I have dressed my hutch up with throughout the year. I guess you could say this is my version of china...not the fancy type, just the cute kind!! Hope you have enjoyed it and feel inspired for all the different holidays! Kristin

Share Your Studio Saturday....

2008-05-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my studio!! I bought this little shelf to sit atop my desk to hold all of my little things that inspire me and make me happy. It was already dolled up with this vintage trim that I fell in love with. I have little jars filled with pom poms, and other goodies, and that strawberry collander full of vintage trims. I love to re-purpose things that I love to be useful in my studio.
I used this beautiful wire cake stand as a multi-level organizer.

I don't know if you have ever run into these little glass jars that are all connected, but I bought this at a thrift store for my studio. These were originally intented for flowers, but they also work great to display vintage supplies all ready to craft with. I love finding old floral picks that were made in Japan and storing them here.
These are little pottery bowls I already had that I had no purpose for until the now. I love seeing these things out in the open...the colors and textures inspire me.
A vintage mini muffin tin holds more supplies. I dream of filling shallow drawers with lots of these someday and opening the drawers up to see all of these cute things looking up at me.
These glass kitchen canister/jars have been painted pink and now hold tons of ribbons and trims.
I love coming home from sales or flea markets and adding more buttons to this large jar. It is easy to see through and pick out just the right button to glue onto a card!!

I took Rosalyn-Sue of The Little Bluebird Diaries up on the offer to share my studio today. She had a sweet idea for everyone to share their studio orginizational ideas today, so that we might glean ideas from oneanother. It is so inspirational and motivating for me to look at pictures of peoples' studios. In fact, a year and a half ago I was completely in the dark about the whole blogging world and the community of crafters sharing their work online via blogs, flickr, etc... One day I happened upon a blog called ButterflyRocket, and followed her links to other blogs, flickr, and etsy. I was blown away at my discovery that day, and a whole new creative world was opened up to me. I immediately decided I needed a "studio", like all of these other gals would talk about. My kids thought I was nuts when I all of a sudden was creating a "studio" in a corner of my bedroom. It has been a lot of fun!! So, I wanted to show some ways I try to keep things organized and cute in this little area of mine. Love, Kristin

Chop Chop!!

2008-05-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to throw something extra in for my swap partner, Rosemary, in the Vintage apron swap I recently took place in. So....I did a little perusing through old magazines and cut out this fun advertisement for breakfast cereal. Paper, glue, ribbon,rick rack, and a couple of vintage buttons, and voila'....a little wall hanging. Just wanted to show you in case you get the bug to create something quick and easy!! Love, Kristin

Show and Tell Sundays...Mother's Day

2008-05-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

My Mommy....Dara Jean Lane. One of our daughters has her "Jean" as a middle name. I love looking at pictures of her when she was a little girl!!
September, 2007. Mom in Paris on her birthday...looking at a rasberry tart.
A little craft for Mom...from me, because I love her!!!

Today, in honor of Mother's Day....I would like everyone to meet my Mommy, Dara. She is the most giving, wonderful person!! She has saved my tush more times than I can count. She is so loveable, personable, and funny. She is very adventurous, infact she and some ladies from work went to France for my Mom's 60th because she wanted to turn 60 in France!!
We have a lot in common...she taught me how to cook, entertain, show hospitality to others, be a Mom, and be a friend. She even taught me about Home Companion Magazine, which taught me my love of all things vintage, flea markets, collecting, etc. She is the best Grammy in the whole world too!! My kids love her to pieces and call her constantly. (she is 3 hours away) One more year until she retires and she gets to move closer to us! Yay!!

10 Things I Love About My Mom......

1. She loves everyone around her unconditionally. She is there for us all 100% of the time.

2. She turns everything around her into beautiful. She always has fresh flowers in different rooms of her house, lovely placemats and cloth napkins, pretty guest rooms for us to stay in, and the most calming, beautifully decorated home.

3. She is sooooooo generous!!! She took us to Yosemite for Thanksgiving last year!!!! She helps us with sports costs for the kids, school trips, etc... We appreciate her so much.

4. She is a gourmet chef!!! Everything I know about cooking, I learned from my Mommy! She always has something fantastic she is making. Last night she served us a plated salad with mango, jicama, avocado,cilantro, pepitos, and a mexican cheese. She made a homemade dressing for it. It was amazing!!

5. She is so fun to hang out with!! We have a list of stores we love to visit together in many different cities!! We love to antique together! I love helping her decorate her house. I love watching movies together and making a meal together.

6. She loves Scrabble like I do!! She is a super competitive player though, which is a good thing because it ends up making me laugh a lot during the game.

7. She is very smart!! She has done a lot in her life and is a school administrator in Special Education. She has great insight and wisdom.

8. She is creative. She is a self-proclaimed floral designer, caterer, decorator. She has passed these qualities down to me, which I appreciate greatly!!

9. She has a great sense of humor!!

10. She has an amazing command of all the freeways in Southern California and can tell you how to get anywhere in the fastest way, depending on the day of the week and time of day!!

Diaper Cake Delivery

2008-05-02T13:53:00.001-07:00

Yep.....this cake is 100% calorie free and made from 100 diapers. My daughter's Kindergarten teacher goes out on maternity leave today, so the teachers all chipped in and asked me to make this diaper cake for her. I had never made one before, but I say just about anyone could do it!! I was amazed to find several you tube video demonstrations also!! So, if you have to give a baby shower anytime soon, keep this idea in mind! It was a lot of fun to make!

Speckled-Egg Spring Journal Swap Completed!!!

2008-04-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful journal I recieved from Alissa Millsap of Emma's Paper Patch. We were partners in the Spring Journal Swap, hosted by Heather of the Speckled Egg. This was a fun swap where we each started out with the blank canvas of an ordinary composition book. I love the colors Alissa chose, all of the vintage wallpaper, glitter, sheet music, pom poms, and that sweet birdie! She also did such a creative thing gluing an image behind that crystal! I love the journal, thank you so much Alissa!!!

Below is the journal I created for Alissa. It came out so chubby....it will be challenging, but fun trying to write in it!!

I was inspired to make a journal that she could pull out to use each spring.

There are four tabbed sections: "me", "celebrations", "inspired", and "family". I thought this could be a great place to glue in spring-inspired recipes and craft ideas from magazines, brainstorm plans for Easter, make lists for spring cleaning, write down family traditions,etc.

On the back page, I included a pocket of goodies and some tags for creating!!

This is the inside cover of the journal. I was so inspired by the beautiful spring images I found in one of my books.
This is the page for the "celebrations" section. I had to put this sweet,velvety lamb in here. She is a very old Easter card. The journal was getting thicker and thicker as I kept adding things!!
This page was created for the "inspired" section. It was fun to give this little girl a crepe paper skirt!! I think this page was my favorite.

This was a great swap! I am always afraid I am missing swaps, so if anyone knows of any, please tell me too!! Goodnight Everyone! Love, Kristin

Show and Tell Sundays...Matilda's Mouse in Valley Center, CA

2008-04-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

In honor of Show and Tell Sunday, today's topic is for us ladies to share our favorite Antique store. This was suggested by Cerri at Little Pink Studio. Next Sunday everyone else will be posting about this, but I wanted to start early, because I have a special shopping place to show next week too!

I have a real treat for all of you ladies today....prepare for a serious case of "cute overload" !!! Feel free to oooooh and aaaaah like when you watch fireworks on the 4th of July!! This is the story of Matilda's Mouse, a barn built in 1880 that is stuffed full of the all the the stuff we love, set up in the cutest vignettes you've ever seen!!
This is from Easter at Matilda's Mouse. So sweet!! Let's pretend it is virtual shopping...I think I'll take the cloche please!
Of course I go running for the red every time!! I think I just want to copy and paste this scene right into my house...is that possible?
Aaaaah.....the serenity of white!! I love all the cottage-style elements here. Look at the white iron!! I love all of the wood, metal and glass mixed together...such a yummy concoction!

I want that cabinet! Is that boat incredible or what? Oh my goodness...I can't look at this picture without going nuts! I love how there aren't any rules of what can go together on shelves to make a fabulous display of vintage things!! May we be inspired to play like this at home!!
What would you like? I want all of those bread boxes on the shelves. I like the green tin picnic basket too!! This is the kind of place where the owner sees me and wonders to herself, "Hasn't that person been in here for hours?". Yes, I have been through the whole thing 25 times now in last 3 hours, filling my brain with notes of things I can do at home, new collections I want to start, just completely filled to the brim with inspiration. This is like my whole lifetime of magazine reading in one place, at one time.
Christmas has to be my favorite time at Matilda's Mouse. Any vintage Christmas collectors out there? You'll be in heaven here for sure~! I have to visit every Christmas, and the inspiration carries me through the whole month!
Get a load of what they have done with these screen doors! I love this! These people are so creative!! Another shot of White Christmas below...what a sweet idea to put one of these white plastic trees already loaded with white lights atop an urn!! It looks so classy, doesn't it?
Now, for the most special part of this story. If you have been wondering while reading where the name Matilda's Mouse came from....introducing Matilada herself:

Matilda is the owners' wire haired fox terrier who is the star of every show!! She has an amazingly calm demeanor for this breed, and can be found dressed up in a special place somewhere in each show. The anticipation is so fun ...where will Matilda be next time? In the photo above, she was in a kissing booth for Valentine's Day. Smoochie anyone?

Here is the bathing beauty now....willing to wear a plastic shower cap. Amazing!! Love the polka-dotted bathtub too! Also, the floor is painted to look like brick, but it is really not. It is an amazing job!
I think she was a winter fairy for this show. What a sweet little fairy she makes. That is fake snow on the floor, another cute idea!!
Ballet, anyone? Matilda is ready in her pink tu-tu. Are you as in awe as I am at this whole thing? I am so lucky to live close to this place!!
My personal favorite...this is Matilda last Easter in a vintage baby crib that has had an Easter basket makeover!!!

Matilda's Mouse is located in Valley Center, CA off the 15 freeway. It is not open every day because the owners travel all over the states to collect these wonderful goodies for us. They have a show once a month on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you are in Southern California, this is worth the drive! It is near Escondido and about 40 minutes north of San Diego. Check their website for their next show here. Also, you can view their albums from all previous shows here. Hope you enjoyed my tour of Matilda's Mouse. I am going to tour your blogs now to see your favorite stores! This was a great idea for Show and Tell Sundays for sure!! Love, Kristin

Flu Bug and a Full Etsy Cart....

2008-04-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Thinking it might be possible that shopping trips to etsy help people with the flu, I found this sweet posie bouquet for myself from Caramelos.

Monday night I came down with the flu...the rotten, ugly, flu bug. The kind that hits suddenly and leaves you feeling like you were hit by a semi-truck. Fever, sore throat, sore glands, body aches, you know the routine. This flu had a special bonus though, after a couple of days of the latter, it suddenly goes to the lungs and the coughing and wheezing start. That part started for me last night. I was wide awake in the middle of the night . I am usually rather immune to caffeine because I am so used to it, but between a new black currant tea I drank to try to help myself, and the symptoms I was experiencing, I was wide awake. I decided to look on etsy and ended up having a really fun little shopping spree. Once on etsy, I did a search for Cottage Style Street Team (or CSST), which is a group of sellers on etsy who have banded together...selling lovely handmade items and crafting supplies that all lend themselves to the cottage style. I thought I would share with you the fun things I found.....

A cute cake topper from popalicioustoo that will be fun to play with at Valentine's Day.

Fun little little vintage letter pieces that spell something that I heart a lot...cup cakes!! This cute shop on etsy is called pinkgrapefruitstyle and there is some super cute stuff to be found there!

These Christmas cut-outs will be a cute addition to the vintage Christmas decortations this next year! They came from the etsy shop called snowflakeoneyelashes.
I had to click "add to cart" immediately when I saw these labels. I am so partial to red!!! Who knows what fun thing I will decide to do with them, but I can't wait for them to arrive. The etsy shop these came from is called imagineart7 .
These brilliantly colored BINGO cards came from oldpaper. I was thinking "Fourth of July" when I laid eyes on these. Maybe I'll make some collages to hang on doorknobs around the house. This is a great etsy shop for buying collage supplies.
I think these were my favorite!! I love these tags from Jenelle at sleepyhollwcrafts. She told me she made some recently for her sister-in-law who is getting married and I thought that was such a great idea!! I love her kitschy style and she has several different cute tags on her etsy shop!!

I also picked up this adorable package of crepe paper garland. This is amazing to be able to buy this to craft with!! I have spent a lot of time sewing crepe paper, but this is already ready to use!! I am very excited to use this in some projects. It came from birdsofafeather on etsy. Her shop is beautiful, I really enjoyed looking at everything she has to offer.
I absolutely love these stickers I found from catlover1 . These will be fun to add to swap packages!! They are from 1950's children's book illustrations. I can't believe how creative these people are!!
The sheet music and these adorable cupcake picks came from leesiebella on etsy. I love her blog~ SUGAR SUGAR, and she is one of the gracious hosts of the Show and Tell Sundays, where lots of gals have been participating in blogging about a certain topic every Sunday. She has a sweet etsy shop I am sure you will love.

Last but not least, some vintage wrapping paper to add to my craft supplies. Love the spring images! This came from the famous Sadie Lou Who's new etsy shop, nickelcandy. Sadie Lou has a lovely blog too, check it out here.

Thanks for enjoying my new purchases with me. I love etsy because there are so many unique things avaiable that you can't just pick up around town! I finally did get to sleep at 4 am. Hopefully only a few more days until I am back to health!! I forgot to mention too that hubby and the four little ones have also had it and are hanging on to the cough! Arrrggh! Hope you all are well out there! Love, Kristin

Weekend Finds....Loving the Red!!!

2008-04-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

My Mom's best friend, Sherry, called me last week and asked me if I might want to come sometime during the next week to take a peak at her garage sale pile before she has a sale in a couple weeks. That's a no-brainer. I quickly responded, "May I come tomorrow morning?". She let me have whatever I wanted....and this darling table was one of the things I gratefully accepted!! I love the curves and the colors!! I picked up the old kitchen utensils and kitchen towell at a sale. I love the sales where people aren't charging outrageous prices, which makes it possible to get quite a few things. Look at that tiny rolling pin all wrapped up snug and cozy in a crocheted red and white cover to hang it up on a wall. I had seen these on flickr and was very excited to find one!!
These ice cream cups were also at that sale. I just plucked up all the red and aqua that I could find there. I love the thick aqua outside and milkglass inside. These are dreamy and I hope I find more to have an icecream social with some of my blog friends someday!! Wouldn't that be fun?
Sherry gave me this pyrex piece too, it was a wedding gift for her quite a few years ago. I have a little collection of this pattern going. I like it with the red in my kitchen.
Last but not least, these little vintage Christmas items. I can't ever pass these up, even though I have so many!! The little girl is a bell and sweet as can be with that spaghetti type edging lining her dress and hat. Every Christmas I love pulling all the little boys and girls out that I have like this and looking at their faces. Their expressions are so cute!!! I have never seen a deer quite like this one either.
Hope everyone is well and those of you in colder areas are starting to see the sun and signs of spring so that the garage sales will start to be plentiful for you too!! Blessings and Love, Kristin

Show and Tell- Vintage Hankies

2008-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

The topic for show and tell this week is vintage hankies. They are great for pops of color and beautiful graphics, I just love them. My collection isn't very big, but I buy them up whenever I see them for sale at a thrift store!! One of the thrift stores I frequent puts several in a bag together for a few bucks. That is the way I like to buy them!!
I made a little cake display to show off my collection today. I love all the different patterns on the hankies. They are such a treasure from the past. Hankies were given as inexpensive gifts, and could be sent easily through the mail. Uh-oh, I might feel a hanky swap coming on!!
Who does that couple represent on top of the cake? That is what I always wonder when I look at the many couples in my wedding cake topper collection. Some special couple had this atop their wedding cake...I hope they had many happy years together.
Aren't these berries sweet? I am attracted to the hankies with interesting things on them. I especially love holiday hankies. Christmas and Valentine's Day hankies are really cute for wrapping up little gift.

These hankies are great for color in little vignettes you might set up around the house. See what you can do with a stack of old books, a vase, and a hanky or two.

Here, I placed a hanky folded in half under one of my favorite things, a little glass luncheonette plate and cup. Instant placemat!! A table would look so cute set this way with many differnt hankies for Mother's Day. Each guest could even keep their hanky.
These are satin hanky holders....they are so soft to the touch and such a special way of to hold these prized possesions.

Happy hanky collecting everyone!!! This has been fun to pull out all my hankies and play with them!! To see more collections, check out the links to other bloggers' collections here. Have a wonderful day!

Come Read a Story with Me....

2008-04-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

I got this at an estate sale a couple weekends ago, but I felt it was so cute it deserved a blog post all of its own! ! So, here it is, the cutest little fabric book on the face of the earth. The illustrations are just dreamy!! This little girl is giving lessons on how to zip, button, snap, tie a shoe, and tie a bow. That little red button is too cute!! I love the graphics on the cover!! You can see why I went crazy when my friend Mandi handed it to me at the sale, saying she thought I might want it! I am not much for sewing, but this would be a fun thing to recreate. It was written by Kay Clark and made by Plakie Toys out of Youngstown, Ohio.

Mega post Monday Continued....Weekend Finds!!

2008-04-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

I accidently found myself at the Pasedena City College Flea Market yesterday. (Ha! Ha!) It is almost a 2 hour drive there for us....and instead of driving to church, we drove there! It is a great flea market... I love it much more that the Rose Bowl because the prices are so much better! These are the things I picked up. A lady had a big bin of hankies for $1.00 each....I am always on the lookout for these for a future valance or something fun. I bought the jadite bowl and the 2 jars from the same gal for $21.00. I thought that was a great price. The amazing steal of the day was the complete set of these pyrex bowls in super shape for $15.00. I thought it was a joke at first....because I had seen the same set in 2 other times within the hour for $45.00 and $60.00. I was not going to argue with him, that's for sure!! I also bought this quilt from the 1940's with lots of red and aqua in it! We had a great day there! Even hubby found some great finds like 2 huge bows (archery), a spear gun, and a unicycle. Sure is funny how different we are created!! Hope everyone else had some great finds this weekend too! Luv, Kristin

Vintage Christmas Finds Part 11

2008-04-07T11:55:00.001-07:00

I have been finding lots of vintage Christmas things, and I want to share even though it is springtime and most of us aren't thinking too much about Christmas right now. If you love old Christmas things though....these kind of finds are exciting anytime of year!! The angel above props up like a frame and stands about 10 inches tall. I have never seen anything like it before!! THe colors are so sweet!

I was at an estate sale with my friend and partner in crime (being at sales when we should be doing housework or anything else productive for our lives), Mandi. From the outside of the house, it seemed that it would be junky.... and we would just be in and out quick. But there was a world of treasure in there for me!! As I found the area where the Christmas things were, I was very excited. I started gathering everything in sight into my box. There was a sign that said all Christmas things were $1.00. Yay!! Some things turned out to be much less when I went to pay.

I sat down and went through a box of cards and picked out these Christmas cards (50 cents each), and a bunch of other old cards too. The box contained all the cards this couple had given eachother throughout their life together, it was really amazing. In that box, I also found a rubberbanded collection of letters that I could tell were from World War 11, and I gave them to the peole having the sale to give to the family. I can't imagine they wouldn't want to keep those.
Here is a close-up of a couple of Christmas corsages. I have 2 others of these...almost enough to pin one on each guest at my next Christmas luncheon. I love these little white, glittery bells who will make their way into one of my crafts in the future.
This old plastic nativity is actually in a book I have of collectible vintage Christmas items. It almost looks like a cake topper. I love it ofcourse because Jesus is the reason for the season!!
These sweet little angels are marked "japan" , and are begging to be tied atop Christmas packages. They have two holes on top of their heads and were probably ornaments.

Vintage Christmas Finds Part I

2008-04-07T10:38:00.001-07:00

I found this Christmas tree at an estate sale. I stood there staring at it trying to decide if it was completely awesome, or hideous. It is built on green felt and literally covered in costume jewelry. It is in great shape. There would have been no question in my mind if I thought it might be possible to remove the jewelry for crafting...I would be in heaven if that were a possibilty. However, it is not going anywhere...it is completely attached!!
Here are a couple of close-ups of the design. This must have been a popular craft at the time it was made because I have seen these a few times. I ended up deciding to take it for $6.00.
Ofcourse, upon arriving home, my whole family made fun of me. They usually don't like my "vintage finds". Well, with the exception of my 13 year old daughter, Maddie. She usually "gets" me, but no such luch with the Christmas tree!! She thought it was hideous!! What do you guys think? I'm curious to know!! More finds to come.....Kristin

This is what I have been up to....

2008-04-03T13:45:00.003-07:00

I have been a very busy mamma lately...mostly carting my sweeties around to baseball and softball. Here are Emma and Annie at their opening day. I love being at the field...I guess because I used to play softball. I love screaming my head off during the games, much to the dismay of my some of my children and my DH. I love seeing my kids in their uniforms. I love the little sing-songy chants the teams sing from the dugout. I must also admit, I love the snack bar!! I spit sunflower seeds the whole game like the best of em'!!

Here's the cutest boy alive....my only son, Andrew. It is his first year playing baseball and when he got that uniform on for the first time I fell more in love with him! He has done well for his first year. All these practices and games keep you goin, going, going. They have pretty much sucked up my internet life, which is probably a good thing. Probably like many of you out there, I can spend way too much time staring at pictures on flickr, reading blogs, checking email. So I am glad I was forced to spend all this time doing fun things with the kiddos.

I have found time to do a tiny bit of thrifting. I also got some fun presents in the mail. My friend Rise' sent me a box recently and it got all spread out before I chance to take a picture of all of it, but I grabbed a few things to show you. I love this little cherry wall pocket. It is going to be so cute it my kitchen. I have always wanted a napkin holder like this. I have red and white crocheted pot holders as a border around my kitchen, so this goes perfectly!! Rise' found it for me in her travels to see her daughter in Texas. I love putting all these kitchen related items from the 40's and 50's back together again in my kitchen. I think they are all happy to be out of the thrift stores and with their friends from the same era. I might be weird, but I think it is true!!
More fun presents from Rise'. A handmade card that is so adorable, and an old photo. Any old black and white photo with a bunch of kids and a dog is great in my book. I am going to dream up something fun for this!
Garage sale score.....a crafty girl can never have too many piles of pom-pom trim!! I scooped all this up for less than a dollar!!
One more cutie from Rise'. She and her daughter made these tags together from formica samples from Home Depot, stickers, rhinestones, and tulle. Cute idea! I would love to make some of these!
I'm thinking the photo doesn't do this justice....but I made this altered rolodex. I picked up the rolodex and a package of new cards for it at a garage sale. There is a reason behind this. I am a P (Myers-Briggs), and I have lost my address book 3 times in the last year. It has been lost since before Christmas, and I didn't have it to mail out Christmas cards. I still haven't found it. So, since this is hard to shove in a drawer, I thought it may be a better replacement for the lost one. Hopefully, it will just sit happily in my studio and never move from there!! I love how it came out!!

Hope eveyone out there is doing well.... hope to post again soon with a peek at my studio.

God Bless, Kristin

Easter Tag Swap Completed!!!

2008-03-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Above are the six beautiful Easter tags I received from Karen Payne, from Tattered Treasures . We were partners in the For the Love of Supplies Valentine swap where we filled decorated heart-shaped candy boxes with fun craft goodies for eachother. That was an awesome swap!! We decided to do a little tag swap together for Easter. I love the look of her tags!! She is going to teach me how to antique paper the way she does. I hung them on my aluminum tree I change out for the seasons. She also sent me some vintage trims and a red and white enamelware plate!! Thank you Karen!!

Here's what was in the green gingham package I posted a few days ago...Karen's tags!! I had a lot of fun making these!!

I tore these blue flowers off of a hat I bought at an estate sale recently. I have a ton of these flowers and I just love them!!
This fabric yo-yo is turned upside down and glued into a small treat cup. I added a vintage blue button to complete the flower.
I found this old image of these gals on flickr in a collage group where you may freely use the images for art. These girls looked so proud of their bonnets!! The end of this vintage cupcake pick popped right off and made this bunny the perfect embellishment for the tag.
This print came out of the cutest arithmatic book I bought that was printed in the 1930's. At the top of each page is a picture of something super cute for the kids to color and look at while they do the problems.

There are pages about each holiday, it is so fun!!
This music sheet background came from the flickr collage group as well. It was posted by my friend, Heidi, for others to use. The sweet little girls came from there as well. It was so fun to dig through all of my trims and see what looked good together while I made these tags for Karen. Too much fun!! Pull a bunch of your own supplies out and make some tags...you will really enjoy it!! Love, Kristin

I Have Been Tagged by Sarah from Experiment Land

2008-03-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

6 interesting or quirky things about me? Hmmmmmm.....well....
1. I never wear socks. I only wear flip flops or slip on shoes that don't require socks. Living in Southern California has a lot to do with it I am sure. However, because of this, my heels are a mess and I am always in desperate need of a pedicure. I have heard all the remedies, I just don't choose to do any of them!! The thought of sleeping in socks is so gross to me, and even more so with vaseline on my feet!
2. I am addicted to Chipotle!! I'm serious, there are times where I just have to get in my car and start driving there. If you haven't been...go immediately. My standard order...a bowl with ciantro rice, black beans, chicken, salsa, corn salsa, cheese, and sour cream. Aren't their chips so yummy too? My family is super sick of me dragging them there...but they still go!!

3. I have a kinda weird ritual of putting one of the two Father of the Bride movies on when I am about to start cleaning the house. I don't like to clean the house and somehow putting a movie on helps. It has great music and I can catch some Martin Short moments that just kill me!! It just became a habit. I will also do the same with The Grinch.

4. I want to write childrens' books. I am in the process right now of studying up on the subject and am excited to submit some stories soon. This means I spend lots of time in Barnes and Noble reading books(with coffee). Fun fun fun!

5. I love to crack knuckles. I will crack anyone's knuckles who will let me. My husband gives in occasionally, but the best sport is my son, A. Cracking backs is fun too, but I better leave that to the professionals.
6. I am a Christian and love for others to meet Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. If you want to know Him today and know that you will go to heaven when you die, click here.

That finishes it for me, and I now tag the following people:
1. Karen of Tattered Treasures .
2. Heidi of Vacuuming in High Heels and Pearls

Farmers' Market Fun

2008-03-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Mandi invited me to the Oceanside farmers' market today. We took a break from work and went to check it out. It is a small market, but there are lots of fresh fruits and veggies to buy! I brought my basket and filled it up with the yummies above. I don't think you can see the chunk of chocolate fudge I bought that is so delicious. We also shared a crepe with strawberries, bananas, and nutella. Whenever nutella is involved, there is never time for a picture~ it is gone too fast!!!
These are my 2 youngest girls on the outsides, E &A, and their super good friend,K ,sandwiched in the middle. Hey~ they're always up for a field trip in the middle of the day.
We also stopped at the post office to mail off a swap package. I'll show ya what's inside that little package soon. Love, Kristin

My hutch is Irish!!

2008-03-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

My little white hutch begged me for a cream and green makeover. She wanted to be just like Rise's hutch. They always have to match!! Easter is coming soon too though, so she will be changed out for Easter in a week or so. I picked up this set of cream china last year at an estate sale for $15.00. I had no idea what I would do with it, but it has come in handy! It went out on loan to my friend Rebecca for her Thanksgiving table last year, and it works perfect for mixing with green. It has tons of crazing and I just love how it looks old. It is very thin and delicate also.

I found these cute leprachauns at a sale in a senior community once. When those types of sales are listed in the paper, I am always there!! Great place to find vintage Christmas items, crocheted pot holders, recipe boxes filled with recipes!
Last weekend when I had the chance to hang out with my friend Sarah, she gave me this old postcard. Thanks Sarah! It is so fun to throw these things together in little vignettes. I spotted the jadite cream and sugar in my kitchen and threw it into the mix and liked it.
I made this banner in 30 minutes or so from printed postcard images off a holiday vintage postcard images cd I bought on ebay a few years ago. It is so easy to make fun things when you have this type of cd to use!! I printed on regular paper and backed the images with scrapbook paper. I whole punched each one with two whole and wove some cream satin ribbon through. So easy!! Rise', don't be sad that your hutch doesn't have a banner, because I am putting one in the mail to you on Monday. :0)

We are off to the opening day of baseball today...hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Love, Kristin

Sweet Little Nest Swap

2008-03-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

I can show you the things I sent Heidi now that she has received her package. The Sweet Little Nest Swap was a big success...so many cute nests were made by all the different gals that joined the swap. You can peek at the on flickr if you do a search for "Sweet Little Nest Swap" under groups. Swaps are so much fun, if you have never tried...why not? If you want help to find one to join, leave me a comment and I will help you. Anyway, this adorable bird couple found their way to this darling, vacant cage and moved in. I wanted to use this Bible verse, because it is so sweet and to remind us all that we are so blessed to have our spouses and all of our friends too!

Good Finds!!

2008-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

That little blue pyrex bowl completes my set! I love this crocheted red and white blanket with hearts, it reminds me of my beloved pot holder collection! Crocheted clothes pin holder, vintage orange juice pitcher and glasses, milkglass pie dishes, cream pottery, red and white enamelware, and all the cute spiral birthday candles a girl could ever want!
These needle packs were all in a bag with lots of vintage sewing notions
for $3.00. Yay!!
Picked (haha!) these vintage cupcake picks up too!!

So here is the story of my weekend...it was amazing. Friday was supposed to be a very productive day for me. On the list was cleaning the house to get ready for our regular friday night party of the husbands playing music and Mandi and I playing scrabble, going to Bible study, and turning in my daughter's high school application for next year. Then....all that changed when Mandi called early in the morning to tell me there were LOTS of sales in the newspaper. The addict in me came out, and all responsible behavior went out the window! We were off to the sales...and we did find lots of treasures! Saturday morning my husband and I dropped our son off for his baseball game. We had a half an hour to kill before the game started and wondered around the Carlsbad neighborhood we were in and hit a few garage sales! Then, as if that were not enough for a 24 hour span of time, I had plans to spend the rest of Saturday with an old friend from college, Sarah. I had mapped out a whole route for us to hit...and lunch...and even a pedicure. I was so spoiled!! It is amazing how many places you can go in a day when not toting 4 kids! We went to 4 garage sales, 2 thrift stores, an antique store, and 3 barn sales in Fallbrook. Phewwwww! After all of that, I am coming up for air and taking the month of March off! Hope you enjoy seeing all the finds! Did anyone else find anything great over the weekend? I would love to know about it! Love, Kristin

Sweet Little Nest Swap!

2008-03-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here is my nest from Heidi-I love it!
Little packages for my little birdies with chocolate eggs tucked inside.
More adorable goodies from Heidi!
These really take the cake!! Oh the possibilities of words to spell here!

Thank you so much HEIDI from Sweet Woodruff Acres for the best package in the whole world. I love everything she sent so much!! It was so fun opening up this package with my kids. Boy were they surprised there was something for them too! Everything had such a cute theme of nesting running though, and lots of scrabble tiles, which is perfect for me because scrabble is my favorite game and I play every Friday night. (and any other chance I get!) THANK YOU HEIDI...you rock bigtime!!!

Happy Leap Day!!

2008-02-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Leap Day! I hope you all enjoy the gift of an extra day! I had some fun estate saling...I'll show you the goodies later. Luv, Kristin

Sneaky Peaky for the Sweet Little Nest Swap

2008-02-26T23:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peak at what I am working on for swap partner, Heidi, up in Coos Bay, Oregon. She won't know who is moving in until the package reaches her, but I think she is going to like her new feathered friends. The birdie couple stumbled upon this sweet, green cottage one day and were happy to see the vacancy sign. The new occupants will be moving in this week sometime! You can visit Heidi at Everyday Cookies at Sweet Woodruff Acres here.

Love Crazy ~Carlsbad Village Theatre

2008-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Last night my hubby and I went to see the play LOVE CRAZY at the quaint little downtown theatre in Carlsbad. We had seen their poster outside the theatre one day last week and we just loved the graphic!! The play was absolutely fabulous! Written by Mark Andersen, a retired clinical psychologist from La Jolla, Love Crazy begins on stage in the setting of a psychologist's office with him sitting behind his desk ready to see patients. During the course of the play, the Dr. sees three patients, each of who give a stand up comedy routine regarding the woes of love. Each of the three men were very funny...and remarkably clean in their language and content. The patients will be changing each weekend, keeping the play fresh with new material. There is also a nurse who brings the patients in and adds her own touch of humor to the play,and even a couple of songs! The Dr.'s real-life story is very interesting and you may read about it here. At the end of the play the cast asked us to spread the word if we enjoyed the play....so I couldn't help myself to write about it here and post their awesome poster. We ended our date at Starbucks right before closing....and the girls there offered all the left over sandwiches and yogurt parfaits to us. We left Starbucks with a big bag of yummies to bring home to our 4 kids!

Party Perfect Entry #1~ Vintage BABY SHOWER!!

2008-02-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Wardomatic

For your viewing pleasure today, I offer inspiration for throwing a vintage style BABY SHOWER!! When store bought decorations just won't do for the retro-minded folk....do it yourself!! Mix pink or blue plates, napkins, and crepe paper with some darling handmade pieces to create a sweet, vintage style baby shower that will be the talk of the town! Have supplies out for guests to create these brown paper bag scrapbooks

for the baby! All Mom will have to do later is glue in the photos.Months 1-12 of the new babe's life would be cute, or have each book have a theme like "First steps" , Things I Like to Eat", and " Night Night Time". The cover page for each book could already be completed ahead of time, that way the guest that puts the rest of the book together will have something to go by. Make a station for each book and include scrapbook paper (cut some of it ahead of time in the right size to back photos), buttons,ribbon, vintage baby images (print them from flickr or from a cd), stickers, glue and hot glue guns. Invite Holiday Jenny to the shower if you want these to REALLY turn out swell!
Vintage planters from the 40's and 50's are just adorable!!The colors are so wonderful, and these are very affordable at thrift stores and even on ebay. Stock up on these and keep them on hand for baby showers. Make centerpiece floral arrangements for each table. Don't forget to send the Mommy-to-be home with one as a keepsake! Fill one with pens for the games. Set them out in groupings for decoration and color. Everytime I see one, I buy it...I can't help myself.
Vintage cake decorating items are also a darling addition to a vintage-style baby shower. Cake toppers like the stork above are another retro pop for your party. Also search for vintage cupcake picks to adorn cupcakes.

Vintage images from baby showers of the past are readily available and once you have these in hand, the possibilities are endless! Photo copy old cards, or better yet...search flickr
for "vintage baby" and download images for free. Compilation cd's are also available where others have scanned wonderful vintage images onto a cd. Here is one available on etsy for only $10.00. The images may be used to make the invitations, print onto onesies for the baby, make posters to decorate for the party, make a garland or bunting, glue onto paper cups. Choose one or two images to be your "theme" for the party and run with it!!

Games are always fun at baby showers! Vintage baby bingo games are available on ebay, or make your own. Gummy bears are fun to use as markers, and yummy to eat along the way too!

As far as the food, I think of finger sandwiches, strawberries and fruit dip, and cake or cupcakes piled high with frosting. Please leave a comment if you have another idea to add to mine...that way people can get more ideas in the comments!! Enjoy...and party on!! Kristin

Party Themes!!!!

2008-02-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

I have this idea for my blog.... to highlight a party theme idea once a month or so. I have this "thing" for themes!! An obsession may be the correct term. I have 4 kids....so we have had many themed parties, but I don't stop at birthdays!!! For some reason my brain goes into full throttle the moment I decide on a theme for something~ all the creative juices begin to flow and I can't stop thinking about every detail. (If there were only a way to transfer all this energy into cleaning my house) So....be on the lookout for the first entry, it's coming soon!!

One Final Farewell to Valentine's Day....

2008-02-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

I made these cupcakes for my son's Valentine's Day party.I love conversation hearts!! I saw a cart full of them in the back of the grocery store today....and everything in the cart was 25 cents. I was tempted to give them all a good home. I stood there fantasizing about how I could fill up a hundred or so jars with them and just place them all around the house. Instant cuteness~~ but then I remembered it is over and I guess I have to move on and start thinking green. To my sweet, favorite holiday, until next year....good-bye!!

In the Mail Today....

2008-02-13T15:57:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to quickly share the cute things that came in the mail today!! Rise' sent a cute little package with polka-dotted cards, vintage valentines and a handmade scrabble tile necklace with my initial "k".( She knows I play scrabble every Friday night.) When you flip the tile over, there is a tiny piece of the map of California where I live glued on, it is too adorable and genius of her!! I also got a Valentine's ornament by the talented artist Susie Scott. You can visit her here and see her wonderful work. I found pictures of her work on flickr, and bid on this ornament on ebay.

Little Gifties from my Blogland Friend!

2008-02-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

The other day I got a box in the mail from my new flickr friend, Rise'!!!!! It was a fun little box full of treasures. Little hawaiian people and other goodies for my vintage hawaiian room, these sweet, sweet tags made from vintage wallpaper, and the coolest funkiest earings I have ever seen! Very kitschy and fun! I told her I am going to wear them next time I go to the Rose Bowl flea market! Thank you Rise'! I encourage everyone to make friends online and swap some goodies, it is so much fun. There are so many people out there with the same interests and it is fun to share collections with eachother. I made a comment on one of Rise's picture on flickr because we almost had the same type of hutch decorated the same way for Valentine's Day, and a friendship was born. You can visit her and say hello at her new blog, Giddy Up Pony . She is a very talented gal!!!

Girls Day in LA!!!!

2008-02-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

Vintage glasses at Golyester on La Brea The gnome family from Novecento Antiques
Luxurious Pom Pom on Melrose Ave.
Toby Mac concert

The evidence
Great vintage fabric from Golyester
This one is for you Rise'!!! So cute!!
The cutest hat in the entire world- Golyester

My thirteen year old daughter, Maddie, and I had a very special day yesterday!!! 0ur good friend Rebecca got us tickets to see Toby Mac and Jeremy Camp at the Gibson Amphitheatre, so we decided to make a day of it and play in LA!!! We got off the freeway at Melrose Ave. and the first store we stopped at was called Pom Pom. When I spotted the store, it sounded really familiar. Sure enough, it has been in a gazillion magazines. It was fantastic!!!! Not the type of place I would would buy from, very pricey! (I'm sticking with thrift stores until my childrens' books are published someday!!) We had pulled out a magazine where Kai and Sue from Country Living had spent the weekend in LA, and were loosely following their route. Novecento Antiques had a map I really liked, and these cute gnomes. We visited two really cool vintage clothing stores on S. La Brea Rd., Golyester, and JetRag. My goodness, two wonderful stores full of goodness!! Golyester had 30 years worth of collecting inside, so amazing! Vintage fabric on one wall, drawers of trims and old milliner flowers...heaven! Vintage glasses and hats galore! The girls that worked there were super sweet and one of them runs a swing dance group and is a talented singer of music from the thirties and forties. The great shopping was followed by a wonderful dinner at Bucca di Beppo, always a treat! My cousin, aspiring actress and entrepreneur floral designer Lauryl Lane, joined us for dinner. Then, in a rush, we were off to our concert to see Toby Mac and Jeremy Camp! The concert was awesome, we danced and danced more than our thirty-something bodies were used to! It was a great day in LA!

Weekend Finds...Pictures of the Booty!!!

2008-02-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

Turned out to be a productive weekend for this bargain hunter! I love the adrenaline on the way to a sale! What will I find? I love digging in boxes for treasures! Friday morning, my hub and I got to hit some estate sales. 0ne of them was a sale we had been to a couple months ago, and I had been thinking about it ever since. I had passed on several things there due to the prices...but prices were much better the second time around! I picked up all the red and cream trims here, and a japanese lantern I had wanted before that was now only $1.00!!! I also got a cute little plastic toy banjo with western images on it for my friend, Rise', that has the vintage western thing going. Saturday, we went to Kobe's swap meet in San Diego, and there were more fun bargains to be found. I picked up a couple little plastic dolls, some tiny handmade clothes, some canape cutters, a basket made of vintage Christmas cards, and my fave find~ a vintage stuffed toy squirrel that I can't wait to decorate my hutch with for fall!!
We got to have lunch with our good friends, Tom and Mandi, at a funky place in 0cean Beach called Hodad's. They make the tallest, messiest burgers you've ever seen, and have been features on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" program. Hope everyone out there had a fun weekend too...maybe you found some treasures too. If you did, please share with me!! Kristin

Happy New Month!!! February is 0fficially Here!

2008-02-02T09:47:00.001-08:00

My Mommy is in town visiting, and I thought this would be a great time to use my new heart-shaped belgium waffle maker. It is made by a company called Uno. I bought it on new on ebay with an ebay gift card my Mom had given me for Christmas!!!! I have been wanting a heart-shaped waffle iron for years because I want to start a tradition of making these waffles every Valentines Day!!! I used a box of Belgium Waffle Mix by Krusteaz, and they came out just perfectly! The waffle iron even beeps when each batch is done cooking. I topped them with mixed berries and whipped cream! Thanks to Mom who was my food stylist fot the photo~ I'm having too much fun on a Saturday morning. Now we are off to the swap meet....I'll show you some goodies later!

Rise's Hutch decorated for Valentine's Day!

2008-01-31T16:38:00.000-08:00

Trying To Stay 0rganized!

2008-01-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of girl! I don't really do things the same way from day to day. Infact, (this will seem really freaky to all you organized people out there), I actually feel stress if I am under too tight of a schedule! To me it feels so confining, and doesn't allow the artist in me to "do it when the inspiration comes". I'm all about inspiration. However, having said all of that, I fully realize that I am not being as effective in my life as I could be if I had more discipline, made more lists, tried harder to have some form of order in my life. So, I am giving it a try. I purchased a daily planner in December when I was Christmas shopping with my friend, Rebecca. We were in Barnes and Noble and saw this beautiful planner! I said to Rebecca, "Let's buy eachother one!".The pictures don't really do it justice. (Especially because I took them!) The planner looks as if it has been scrapped with beautiful vintage wall papers, music sheets, and old buttons. It also has a bird theme, which makes anything beautiful in my book! The pages to write on look like lined school paper, with circular dates that resemble old typewriter keys! It is just fabulous. This work of art inspired me to actually write in it. I have also been chopping up my magazines and adding little pictures of things I like.Imagine the cuteness that can be added with images from all of the differnet holidays! Making this an "artsy" thing is helping me take the plunge into getting organized! I love to look at it, and I am filling in the days with all of my "to-dos" and I do think it is helping me to get more things accomplished each day! I hope this idea inspires someone, and if it does...please let me know how. It may be that cutting up magazines will help you too! Luv, Kristin
P.S. The planner is called "In Tune With Nature" and is done by Jean Lowe and Greg Johnson. http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/

Snap a picture of your Valentines Decorations and email it to me to win this!

2008-01-28T13:51:00.001-08:00

There is still time to play my Valentine's Day Blog Challenge!

2008-01-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

See 2 posts down for details....get your photo in to me at kristinseling@cox.net, and I will post it to my blog and send you a sweet, handmade-by-me, valentine ornament! Free stuff people! I am allowing five winners, the first five to email me a picture! Above is a photo of the ornament I will send you, and my own picture I took of my hutch all decked out for Valentine's Day. I went around collecting red and pink things and displayed them all together.Try to think of things in a new way....you probably have lots of things that would look adorable together but you just never thought of it that way. Glass will match too! Search high an low, can't wait to see what you come up with! It was really fun! Hope you have fun too! Go to it right now and email your photo to me!

I Have Received Something Wonderful......

2008-01-27T10:11:00.001-08:00

I received my package in the mail from my swap partner, Karen, and it was a good one! Swaps are too fun....they really add a spark to life! To be waiting for something to arrive in the mail is fun, and it is even better when you know it is going to be something creative and beautiful! Karen scrapped two heart shaped candy boxes for me and filled them with crafting goodies. Vintage red pom pom trim, old buttons, a glittered "K" for Kristin, some scrapped tags to decorate, red lace, heart charms....red, pink, and white goodness! I will have so much fun creating with the new supplies she sent. We are planning some more private swaps for the future. Thanks Karen!

Blog Challenge! Share Your Valentine's Day Decorations....

2008-01-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

The first pictures for the challenge are in and posted here! They came from Eunice of The Little Things. She has been creating beautiful one of a kind treasures for seventeen years! Please visit her etsy shop here.

I have a challenge for everyone.....please decorate an area of your home for Valentine's Day, take a picture, email it to me for my blog, and I will post it and send you a Valentine ornament for participating. This offer is good for the 1st 5 people to respond, and since my blog is new, that means that I doubt anyone will be left out. Some ideas, gather all your red and pink and white items laying around the house and display them together on a table top. Don't forget old books, vintage toys, china, rolling pins, chocolate molds, candy in jars, old bowls. Please send your snail mail addy when you email or comment so I can send out your ornament! Thank you for participating...I love Valentine's Day and wanted to do something fun to celebrate on my blog. Can't wait to see your pictures!

Artsy Mama's "For the Love of Supplies" Swap

2008-01-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

I joined a swap with 100 ladies recently and have been working to get ready to send the box I made to my swap partner, Karen, in Utah. The directions were to take an empty chocolate box and fill it with 20 small paper candy cups filled with crafting supplies. It is a definite toss up for me which is yummier.....a box of chocolates or a box of colorful crafting supplies! Unless we are talking about See's Candy (nuts and chews of course), then the scales would have to tip slightly to the chocolate! I doctored the box up with scrapbook paper, crepe paper, a bingo card, an old valentine image, glitter, and vintage buttons. It was so much fun pulling everything together to fill the inside! Please let me know if anyone knows of another upcoming swap I can join, this is addicting, in a good way!

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day!

2008-01-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

I love everything about Valentine's Day! I think I get as excited about this holiday as I do about Christmas. For one thing, I love the colors! Red of course, which everyone knows I absolutely cannot get enough of (as proven in every room in my house). I also love all different shades of pink (don't all girls?). Throw in some white, and maybe a little black or brown....and it is such a wonderful palette to work with. I could sit all day (literally) with a big spread before me of paper, doilies, old valentine images, buttons,etc...just creating. (Which is great for my kids too!) Besides the wonderful colors, there are so many other things to look forward to. Baking (with lots of different Valentine-y sprinkles and cupcake picks!), decorating the house, filling out Valentine's with my kids, wrapping something pretty for my Mom, and a fabulous date with my husband are in order too! I am getting excited and I feel a list coming on!
Another super important thing I love about Valentine's Day is the opportunity to use it to teach my kids about loving others. As most kids do, my children (there are 4) fight quite a bit. But we can use this time to reinforce loving one another! Bringing cookies and chocolate dipped strawberries to neighbors with the kids is a great way to do this. This year I would like to start taking them into nursing homes to visit the elderly too. My youngest is old enough now to make it through a trip like that (without needing a diaper change, etc.). Best of all, Valentine's Day reminds all of us of God's love for us. He loved us so much He sent His son Jesus to die for us, and He is the one that enables us to love each other!

Happy, Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

I said goodbye to our two Christmas trees today....so sad! But a new year is here...and that always brings excitement. What's on my mind? A healthier me in 2008. Physically, spirtually, and emotionally. My plan? Read my Bible, read my Bible, read my Bible. Go out and walk and then walk some more.Eat in a more healthy way. Love on my husband, kids, and friends. All of this can only be accomplished by the grace of God ofcourse. Pray for me, I really want some change in my life! Happy New Year everyone! Love, Kristin

2007-12-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

2007-12-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

2007-12-31T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have been making ornaments this month. I had to make 20 for an ornament exchange in the month at my friend Sherry Salvato's house. It was lots of fun...and I left her house that evening with 20 adorable ornaments! This was my first year attending, but the 7th year she has held the event. So, you can imagine how many ornaments Sherry has!

I then made some variations for my girlfriend Chrys who came to visit from Alaska. She loved them. We had a great visit. Target and 0ld Navy were on the list of "musts", since she can't visit such wonderful places in Juneau, Alaska.

2007-12-16T23:31:00.000-08:00

I recently had a luncheon for the ladies I have been having a bible study with on Friday mornings this year.(I am in the red sweater all the way to the right) I wanted to thank them for their hospitality, as 3 of them had been trading off having it at their homes. It makes for such a cozy time to have the study in homes... I just loved it. I served my famous turkey salad with cranberries on croissants, broccoli salad, and a lime ambrosia salad. The ladies brought the desserts. For me, the best part was that we ate on the little rectangular, glass luncheon plates with beaded edges that I have diligently been collecting from thrift stores for some time now. My husband actually started it when he brought some home for me once. They come with their own little cup that fits on the plate, on which I could not resist the urge to attach a red and white polka-dotted bow to. The broccoli salad was served in the cup, and it was the cutest! I am so easily entertained, do you realize that? We had a wonderful time and I think it may be a new Christmas tradition!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2007-12-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

The boxes have all been taken out...and the race has begun. Get everything in place and looking beautiful before I lose my mind from everything being a mess! Maybe I should label each item on the bottom with where I put it this time.....so I don't have to make so many decisions! But when it is all over and every last bottle brush tree and trinket has been placed, it is all worth it! The house is a wonderful red and white world of Christmas! The celebration of the birth of Jesus! The kids are excited, our extremely tall, beautifully flocked Christmas tree is in place and adorned with ornaments, and we look forward to celebrating all of our traditions throughout the month.

Most Recent Estate Sale Finds

2007-11-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

I have scored some cool stuff out estate sales and thrift stores in the last month or so. There is a fever that can come over you on a Friday morning, just knowing that if I check the classified ads, there will be several estate sales listed. The battle in my mind begins.... laundry...or...the possiblity of digging through someone's lifes worth of Christmas decorations. Washing dishes...or... old hankies covered in beautiful flowers or holiday patterns, vintage cookbooks, old sewing notions like rick rack, bias tape, and adorable buttons. Folks, this is not a hard decision. Usually, I call my friend Mandi ,

we are off to discover baubles and treasures. It's all about the hunt!

2007-11-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

Things I am Thankful For.......
1. My Savior...Jesus
2. My Husband
3. My Family
4. Visiting my Mom's right now
5. Decorating for Christmas
6. Our home
7. My desk and art supplies
8. My dear friends
9. My Childrens' art
10. Thrift Stores,Estate Sales, Garage Sales

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

2007-11-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the birthday party of my blog!! I have been reading other people's blogs and enjoying them so much, that I hadn't taken the time to create my own. Until today of course, and I am so glad I did. How fun to see my life go up in lights on the web!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to my new blog, Happy Birthday to me! I love to create, and this is another venue for me to do just that. So, enjoy some of this cute cake(made by Meshell in Australia), and I'll get started.