decor

New Love-ly Mantel

Posted by on 5 Comments

It’s almost Valentine’s day, so I thought I should put up some love-ly stuff on the mantel.  Get it?

I had the great honor of winning these kissing dogs at the annual Christmas party white elephant gift exchange.  We’ve been going to this party for the past few years, and these dogs always make a showing, being passed from house to house, from closet to closet.  Now that I’ve received these wonderful puppies, I know that I’m really part of the gang.

I think people are usually freaked out by these perfectly loving doggies, but not me, folks.  These canines are getting special front and center treatment this year.  I might not even take them to the gift exchange next year.  They might be mine forever.  Deal with it.

I felt that, since Valentine’s Day is coming up, and since it’s all about love, what better way to show my love for love than by a sculpture of two blue-eyeshadowed dogs in a sweet, loving embrace, gently kissing with peacefully closed eyes?  There is no better way.

Mic drop, am I right?

Autumn Decor, 2015

Posted by on 1 Comment

Today was the day.  While the kids were at school, I came home to clean the living room and decorate for Autumn.  How pleasant this task was without little feet underfoot.  Plus, I get the added bonus of surprising them with all the new Autumn decor when they come home!andthenthey autumn decor1This year the mantel is a little more Halloween-y than in the past.  I put our vintage Halloween postcards right in the center, and added some more spooky things.  I love this sphere my grandpa made out of obsidian that looks like a magical eyeball crystal ball or something.  It’s even spookier with my ghostly reflection in this photo… andthenthey autumn decor2 andthenthey autumn decor3I can’t remember if I ever shared a photo of the fireplace all painted.  I ended up painting the inside a charcoal color, and the outside just a plain white, whatever we had in the shed.  I love how it brightens up the room. andthenthey autumn decor4This next decoration cracks me up.  I think my mother-in-law gave this to the girls last Autumn, but I couldn’t find the dowel for hanging it.  It probably became a sword or a wand and had to be taken away.  Anyway, the girls have been playing with this branch and I thought it would a perfectly spooky flagpole.  I doubt it will last long, but it’s funny for now.  Just watch out as you walk into our garage… andthenthey autumn decor5  Here’s our front porch decorations.  The broom is actually my mother-in-law’s; she won it in a raffle and I picked it up for her.  I’m sure she’ll agree that it looks really good on our porch, right?!?  We’ve been collecting the mini pumpkins each time we go out to the farm.   andthenthey autumn decor9andthenthey autumn decor6I’ve also meant to post about our new bench!  Jesse built it and I stained it!  Isn’t it amazing?  We used reclaimed lumber from my dad’s old deck.  I love the nicks and dings and nail holes. andthenthey autumn decor7 I’m so proud of Jesse, following in his woodworking grandfather’s footsteps.  We bought a Kreg Jig for this project and it made the whole thing so easy and perfect.  Now Jesse is inspired and motivated to make all sorts of things.  I love that this is a new hobby for him because he’s really good at it, and I get awesome things out of it!  andthenthey autumn decor8And of course, I needed to get the fairies some new Autumn decor.

Favorite Books Painting

Posted by on 2 Comments

As I have said before, I love having real art in my house.  It feels special to have art that not everyone else has.  While we can’t afford to go to local galleries and buy original paintings, I have to find other ways to fill our house with original (or at least rare) works of art.

I did this painting a couple years ago.  I had seen some like it on Pinterest or Etsy or somewhere.  I decided that I could do it myself, but use my favorite books.  I did it over a weekend when Jesse was out of town (and before I had any babies).

I did it to scale, meaning I just took the book, laid it on its spine and traced it onto the canvases.  I used two canvases because I didn’t have one the right size on hand.  I could have gone to buy one, but this was cheaper and easier.  And that’s the way a roll.  Cheap and lazy.

These are all my favorite books.  Sure, I might be a little embarrassed to admit a couple, (ahem) but I have to live my own truth.  Haha.  Sure, I should have used a smaller brush, or perhaps more patience with the writing, but I like how it ended up.  I like how it looks handmade and imperfect.

It hangs in our hallway, so I see it multiple times a day.  Sure, it might be a little small for its space, but things move around in our house a lot, so I’m sure it will live somewhere more fitting someday.  For now it works, and I love it.