Adios to my witch's little lair...

I am putting up the Halloween haven today and I thought I would share a few pictures o the witch's lair before it was carted off until next year. Hope ya'll had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Now time to gear up for Thanksgiving.

A little eye candy from the shop....

A little eye candy from the shop.
The family and I are in the Smokey Mountians. Loads of pictures to share from our trip when I return!

Back from BellaRustica

We are back from BellaRustica, and putting the shop back together. Only so we can mess it all up again for Country Living at the end of the month. Oh well, keeps me on my toes!

Feature Friday.....

I wanted to share with you this amazing artist!

Linda Pinda is a mixed-media/abstract artist who lives in the heart of southern New England. Linda's work often reflects her faith, love of children, and the wonder and whimsies of life. Her husband and business partner, Michael, is a musician. Together, they are raising six children in their humble home, which has come to be known as Glitter and Grunge Studio. Their children have all inherited musical and artistic talents, and every day becomes quite the melodic, beautiful mess.

The signature of Linda's work is the texture and grunginess, which represents for her all the gorgeous age and history of life and the world about her. But it is touched ever so gently with a hint of glitter representing light and love.

Linda's work can be found at

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GlitterNGrungeStudio

http://www.glitterandgrungestudio.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GlitterAndGrungeStudio Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/GlitterNGrunge Doesn't she and her work seems so very fascinating? Run Check her out! And tell her I sent ya!

bathroom reno update....

An update on the bathroom renovation....

Slowly but surely.

I see showers in my very near future again.

Worth the wait.....

I finally got my light fixtures in

that I had ordered in February,

but were on back order until June!

I think they were worth the wait.

Not to mention the wait

was so long that I forgot about them.

So when they arrived it was like

Christmas morning!

I'm pretty happy with them.

I think they give the cottage more

of a costal feel.

  Next project for the exterior of the house

is new window boxes.

They are just too small for the window,

and need to be replaced,

but over all it is looking more and more

like I want it to.

Things at this cottage may

take longer to acomplish than I prefer,

but I'm ok with that because

My little cottage makes me smile.

 

Blog swap.....

While taking the Creatively Made E-course

from Jeanne Oliver,

a few of us got together to do an art/gift swap....

 This package with all this detail

arrived the other day from Pamla Klenczar,

and I just had to share it with you!

 You can check out Pamla's

amazing work at her blog the world of Pamla Klenczar.

And if all of her purchases are shipped out

with this much thought and effort

you can imagine how much thought and effort

she puts into her art work!

 This is the back of the package.

I love how even the back of the package

had a lovely little detail.

 Check out this amazing

 pen and ink drawing that

she made!

 She is so incredibly talented!

It amazes me when someone can

create something so detailed and life like.

 I tried to capture her talent

in my photos, but believe me when

I say that these photos do not do this

piece of art justice.

Here is a list of all the gals that participated in the swap:

Amber Zaccagni

(her blog address will be coming soon)

Brenda Geiger

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Woolenwears/286450298041584

Carolyn Carelton

http://www.cjcarleton.com/

Cathy Purcell

http://www.catherinepurcelldesigns.com/

Christa Thomas

www.mypenandpaintbrush.com

Deborah King

http://lifewhileimwaiting.blogspot.com/

Jenna Alexander

http://prairiemountainlife.blogspot.com/

Joanne Freeman

http://www.sjjtst.blogspot.com.au/

Kate Gadd

http://KateGadd.blogspot.com/

Lis Dunn

www.papermellie.typepad.com

Lisa Lovestrand

http://aboutthetown.typepad.com/

Mikel Lyman

http://designsbymikel.blogspot.com/

Renee Ortiz

http://www.ReneeOrtizStudios.com/

Renee Sendelbach

http://embracinglifeloveart.blogspot.com/

Sheila Rumney

www.blessedanddistressed.blogspot.com

Stacey Curry

http://starhitchedwagon.blogspot.com/

Check 'em out and,  

 tell them I sent ya'!

Feature Friday.....

It is Friday again, and I have another  Fabulous gal to feature! Her name is Tippy Stockton. She has a fabulous blog and even more fabulous jewlery! Here she is  and here is her story....

Tippy Stockton Jewelry came to be in August of 2009. But I have to back up a bit to explain. In April of 2008, my Dad passed away. He had been fighting Cancer for many years; many more years than the doctors had ever expected him to live. But determination and a fiery Irish attitude allowed him 6 more years with us. While his death was sad, it was expected. What was not expected was the Stage 4 Cancer diagnosis that was given to my Mom just a few short weeks after Dad passed away. My dear, sweet Mom was taken from us in January, 2009. My world was turned upside down. I found myself in the depths of a very deep depression. I had quit my job as a manager of a Home Decor/Nursery to take care of my Mom, so here I was so depressed and with no job, and I felt no future. While tending to my parents affairs, my husband and neighbor built me what is today known as the Tippy Stockton Studio. Yes, upon my return from California, there stood 4 walls to a darling little Studio just steps from my back door. But what to do??? I had made jewelry for myself in the past, but never really gave it a thought that I could actually make a business out of it. With a few boxes of beads, some wire and tools, I started beading. I was the little girl who spent hours pouring through my Grandmother and Mom's jewelry boxes. When I finally opened Mom's jewelry box, I was surprised to find over 20 pairs of Rosary Beads. Before my Mom was my Mom, she was a nun. You could say I had a bit of a light bulb moment. I began making necklaces and bracelets with the medals and crosses from my Mom's stash of goodies. So I made it my mission . . . whenever I was out junking, I would look for religious articles that I could use in my jewelry. But it didn't stop there. I found some amazing filigrees from an ETSY seller that have been the mainstay in my line ever since Lucky Magazine featured my Barcelona Earrings as a Fall Pick in their October 2009 magazine. It was at that point that I knew that this was what I am supposed to be doing.

 

In August, 2011 I launched my very own website @ www.tippystockton.com. I still retain my ETSY shop for the exposure, but most of my time and effort is spent keeping my own site fresh and up to date. In addition, I currently sell to over 30 stores in the United States, and have been featured in several magazines. I'm married to the love of my life John, and together we have a wonderful son Kellan who is 24 and an amazing mini Aussie named Chloe. We live in Edmonds, WA, a lovely little seaside community on Puget Sound. Through sadness, a new life has emerged for me, one that I'm really proud of. I feel the loving embrace of my parents each day as I bead away in my sweet Studio.

Feel free to stop by my blog @ www.tippystocktonblog.blogspot.com where you will find a post about the Giveaway I'm having in conjunction with this blog feature. Simply leave me a note about your favorite summertime activity, like my facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/TippyStocktonJewelry, and I'll enter your name to win one of my Blessed Bracelets (you choose the color and finish). I'll pick a winner on August 15. In the meantime, I hope you'll love perusing my website @ www.tippystockton.com.

Have an amazing Summer, and thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll visit again! Isn't she amazing?  I can not wait for you to run over to her blog and check her out! Don't forget to enter her give-a-way as well!

Feature Friday.....

I have been taking an on-line e-course

 called A Creatively Made Business 

by Jeanne Oliver

over the past couple of weeks.

Since I started the course

 I have gotten to know

some really creative ladies

 that were also taking that course. 

So, I thought I would introduce

some of these creatively ladies to you.

One of which is Beth Cole.

Here is what she had to say about herself....

 

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Hello all,

I am a self-taught artist/learner/maker.  I live with my photographer/metal artist husband in a very, very, very small town  in the middle of Nebraska.  After seven years as a web designer  I pushed back from the computer  and picked up a paintbrush,  something I have always wanted to do. I am inspired by the textures   of living rural -- rust, peeling paint,  old and pretty things -- and the values this life has given me -- family and simple living. You can check out more of  her story and her blog here. She is even hosting a giveaway  right now of the print in the  above and below pictures! Here is what she had to say about her give away.... I would like to give away an 8" x 10" print of my original Ride On painting to anyone who would like to have this little bit of bicycle cheer. Please leave a comment on my blog post referencing the giveaway and I will select one winner at random. So, run over to her blog, check her out,  and enter for this awesome print!   Be sure and tell her I sent ya! Have a great weekend!

The current state of my bathroom...

We r finally getting around to replacing the ultimate

contractor-isn't-really-a-contractor-and-doesnt-know-what-he-is-doing remodeling job

from 4 years ago!!!

We have lived with it for as long as we could,

and we have decided to bite the bullet on the re-do....

Heaven help us, here we go again!!!

Happy Thurday!

Little Miss Busy.....

Here is a picture of me

that I thought I would share with you.

I am sure it is a picture of

everyone reading this as well.

Just thought I would explain why I haven't

blogged this week......

Well, the truth is, 

 because I am busy AND

because of  "50 Shades of Grey" the book.

I'll be back on track next week!

I promise.

the run for the roses....

A run for the roses tv segment

to celebrate the good ole Kentucky Derby!

You can watch it here

this segment is actually from last year.

I did not do a segment this year on the derby.

I have been focusing the segments on decorating

the home for year-round this year instead

of seasonal or holiday decorating.

I would also like to proudly say

that I have lost over 20lbs

since I shot this segment.

And after watching it,

it makes me motivated to loose 20 more!

Happy Derby!

desk/console.....

See my new desk behind this sofa?

I used to have a zinc console table behind it,

but it was only for looks and not functional.

That just doesn't work in this little cottage.

So, I replaced it with this desk looks good,

and is super functional too.

There are two pull out sides on either side

for when those projects get too big....

I love the cross leg design,

and that there is a place for me

to prop my feet up on

when sitting down and working....

and of course the desk drawer

 that is already full of junk.

Looks pretty, but works hard too.

That's just how it has to be in the cottage.

By the way, I have even used this desk

as a make shift dining room table addition.

I hosted my mom's birthday party

at my house, and with a family as big as mine,

the dining room table doesn't even

come close to seating everyone.

So, I pulled it out from the couch,

put chairs all around, added a table runner

and some gorgeous flowers,

and wah-lah a dining table to boot,

and room for everyone to sit!

I'm not kidding when I say

in this cottage you can't just be pretty,

you have to be versatile too.

And this desk definitely meets that criteria.

Happy Tuesday!