Don't pick fights!

I don't know if Smokey will ever learn...He got in a fight with a stray and had a huge infected sore above his eye and one in his ear. Poor guy--I could just imagine that cat having him by the eye and ear and not letting go! Apparently this isn't his first fight. When he came here, his ear was folded back as you can see in the photo. He is so much better in this picture. It was taken a couple of weeks ago so he is well now, just has a little bald spot above his eye where he is growing back some hair. I'm trying to trap the stray to get him fixed without much luck. I had a virus and was sick for over a week, couldn't even get out of bed for a few days! When I woke up with a temp of 103, I figured I better get myself to the dr. I'm better now, but you can really get behind in just a few days, can't you? I'd love to take a hint from Little Bit (below), but just don't think I have time to lie in the yard right now. Maybe soon.....

Oh, hoping to get the new countertops sealed this week so I can get the sink installed this weeked!!

Ceiling Fan Makeover

As I promised, here is one of my projects for my studio. I really, really wanted to find a vintage chandelier & spray paint it hot pink for my kitchen. I looked & looked and just never found one like I wanted. A while back I bought this inexpensive white (boring) ceiling fan at wal-mart. After I got it, I never really loved it. I tried to sell it on craigslist and never could, so I decided to use it. I only paid $20 or $25 for it, so I couldn't really do too much damage, I figured. I took it apart and spray painted the metal parts with Antique Bronze spray paint. Well, first I primed it and I should have sanded it. But it should be okay since it will just be hanging there. ;) I painted the blades black, then did a top coat the color of my cabinets, a kind of putty color, then I sanded & distressed them. I used the same globe that came on it when I bought it. Then, I got a round mirror that I bought at Salvation Army many years ago for $5.00. I broke out the mirror and luckily it has a backing on it. I painted it all black, then the color of the blades and antiqued it too and used it as a ceiling medallion. I was pretty proud of myself for even remembering I had that frame!! A little secret--the frame is plastic. But you can't tell after the paint. I love how it turned out! I really wanted to redo my ceiling with pallet wood, but my husband would have had to do all the work and he didn't think it would work out. :( Maybe some day we can do that.

I can't find the exact picture of the fan before the makeover, but this is pretty much the same except for the globe. It was just all white & shiny.

Related articles

Studio update

Baby shower tables

Ceiling Fan Makeover

Baby Shower Ideas

I've been busy getting ready for a baby shower for my youngest sister! Ever since she told me she was pregnant, I couldn't wait to start planning the shower! She just sent me a message today saying she has 49 days to go, so I guess I've been waiting a while!! I had tons of ideas, more than I could ever do, so just had to pick a few. I'm not sure if pinterest helped me or made things harder us!

This is my great- nephew, Oakley...he rearranged some furniture for us, among others things, and kept us on our toes all day!

I will post some of our ideas, recipes and photos of our decorations. We had an owl theme, plus some old things I had around the house, even some mason jars with candles. I thought it turned out really pretty!

Kitties are still keeping me busy. I actually have new one!  I tried not to, I tried my best to find him a home, but I guess he stayed too long and I got attached  to him. He was here a long time before he let me pet him. He's really sweet and loving now. I named him Smokey. I will dig out some old photos of him when he first came you will be amazed at the difference!!

 And my studio is really coming along too! I will open in October, even if it means just one room!! LOL...really, I think I will have it finished by then. We are almost ready to put down flooring in the living room, then put it all back together. Next, we will screen in the front porch, remodel kitchen and finish the outside. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Studio update

Every year I hope to get my studio open by the fall. By golly, this time I'm going to do

it! Hubby has been off work for a couple of weeks, so we took advantage of it. We have already finished my office, a music room for my husband to get together with his friends, and the back porch enclosed and made into a laundry room/fabric room. So inside, we only have 2 rooms to finish! The living floors have been replaced and new joists put in, floors leveled and new plywood. There were only 2 plugins before and just today, we are finishing getting all my plug ins ready to go, including a double one just above where my desk will go. How convenient will that be? I decided to take all the sheetrock and wallpaper down from the walls, then the ceiling too. I guess that was about the messiest job ever! I am leaving the beadboard walls bare and just putting a sealer on them and tomorrow is the day to pick out the flooring for the living room and get it installed. (Lucky my husband and in-laws are in the flooring business!)

These are my walls & ceiling before they were cleaned. They are still rustic like that, well, you will see sometime. If you can't come in person, I'll be sharing pics.

We still have a lot to do--putting up trim, painting trim & doors, new front door and building a mantel, but we have come a long way. After the living room, we still have to:

1. Finish kitchen

2. Screen in front porch (for Rusty)

3. Paint house

4. Finish roof (waiting for a "cooler" few days)

5. Decorate/Display

6. Landscaping

I may not be completely done by October, but will have it ready to open. I can't wait....if you are out of town or even out of state, I am just down the road from Unclaimed Baggage, so you can make a fun day of shopping & visiting!

Owls!!

Sorry its been so long since I posted! So much going on, I won't be able to type it all tonight. LOL! Seems like that would be the best time to blog, but I guess the days just aren't long enough! We've been really working hard on my studio and that's taking up a lot of time. I will post pics of some progress this week. It shouldn't be long until we are done (I hope)!!

I wanted to share my newest painting...if you want to see more pics, click here. I have been using lots of bright, neon colors. You can really see my 70's influence coming out, I think!!

It has been another long day, so I will keep this post short and hopefully be able to share more in the next few days.

Happy 2011!

I'm back! We've been snowed in a couple of times and I've just been trying to stay warm!! Luckily I had Hadley and the other kitties to snuggle up with. ;) I'm working on listing some vintage linens and patterns on my site this week. I've been cleaning out my studio and finding all sorts of goodies I need to part with, so I'll be putting some on ebay and some on my website. Watch out!! My husband has been off all week so we've made some progress on remodeling my studio. Yeah!!!!

Little Bit...and a new dip recipe!

Look how pretty Little Bit looks now....I am dying to grab her up an pet her, but she let me know that wasn't going to happen. lol! A few months back, I tried to pick her up and I had scratches all over my hands! She will smell of my hand or take a snack from my hand, but that's about it! When I went to the vet to pick up some cat food, I got a nice surprise. Remember Gandhi, the little kitty that wandered onto my porch that was almost starved to death? He had been neutered that day and someone was coming to pick him up! He'll be living inside and never have to worry about going hungry again. I almost cried when I found out he was being adopted. Unfortunately the other two kitties I took are still there, but they are gorgeous now and I'm sure they'll find a home soon.

I think we may get to start on my roof for my studio this weekend--keep your fingers crossed for me that it won't rain all weekend!!

My friend Alyssa at Olde Common Candles sent me this really easy recipe for taco dip. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds good. I was thinking if you wanted to change it up, it might be good to replace the beans with salsa some time too.

Taco Dip

2 cans Hormel Chili no beans

16 oz. package of cream cheese

shredded cheese

 

In a baking dish, spread cream cheese, then chili on top, sprinkle with a good amount of cheese.  Bake on 350 degrees until cheese is melted.  Take out and serve with tortilla chips.

Where do I start?

 I can't believe I haven't  blogged  in a month! I have been meaning to  do it every day,then every day I get busy   and another day has gone by. And so much can happen in a month! I had the roof for my studio delivered last Friday. Of course it rained all weekend and even SNOWED. (All  I had to do was  buy a roof to get snow!) Its warm this week,  but supposed to rain  again all weekend so I  don't know  if  we'll get it put on, but at least I am one step closer! CJ (the pretty blue-eyed kitty above) has started staying on the porch of my studio all day. I guess he noticed how I spend more time here now, so he moved  over  here  with me.  Then  he walks  me home at  night when I get ready to go home.

Such a gentleman!

Little Bit is starting to come around....she has eaten snacks from my hand and I can pet  her if she has her back turned. (I think she does it on purpose!  ha!) She is still  tiny--she hasn't grown much taller but she's filled out and looks really healthy. I guess she'll always be tiny--I didn't know that when I named  her Little Bit, but the name fits!

We had another kitty show up on our front porch a few weeks ago.  I was sick and in bed when my husband went to work. He came back inside & woke me up to tell  me about a pitiful little cat on our front porch. He said, "you migth want to go check on it." I knew it  must be pretty bad if he woke me  to tell me about it...Before I went outside, I called the vet to see if she would take him in her shelter. I knew I'd want to keep him  if I didn't  see  him first. But I was  not prepared for what I saw...this was the skinniest  cat  I have  ever seen. His  ears were black (what I later learned  was  frostbite),  you could see every bone in  his body, his eyes looked terrible, he had a huge abscess on his foot and he was  dirty. What made it even sadder was how friendly he was. I thought he was a kitten, maybe a couple of months old. When I took him to  the vet and she examined him, she said  he was at  least  9 mo. old because he has all  his teeth. I couldn't believe he was nearly grown and still  the size of a kitten! She tested him for Feline Leukemia & FLV....we were surprised it was negative  because he was in such bad shape. She told me she'd never  seen a  cat in such condition that acted like he  felt so good. He wanted everyone that came into the room to pet him. The vet  said she'd give him a few days to see if he improved. She also told me that a cat would not get  that skinny unless it was trapped or locked up somewhere. Hopefully he just got stuck somewhere--I hate to think someone would leave one like that to starve. It appears he has been neutered at some time too, so its a mystery....I've been checking on him when I am there, or if I'm  close by, I just stop in for a visit. He's still skinny, but he is actually starting to improve! He shocked us all....and I hope to see  him healthy and a normal weight one day. I have to go tomorrow so I'll check on him again. Its been over a week  so he should be looking pretty good by now!

Peek into my studio....

It seems like there's always a picture of my kitties to show how I feel....and this is how I'm feeling tonight. ha! After a long day of working, then running errands, then coming back to work again until 11 pm, that's what I want to do right now! I can't complain too much--my husband called me to come home and eat with him because he had made supper!!

I wanted to share some pics of the progress in my studio.  Of course here's my fireplace which is waiting in its gas logs. I may try to wait it out and buy some on clearance this spring. I think my big heater in the other room will be good enough to hold me over if it means saving me a little money! These things are adding up in a hurry!!

And here is my $20 cabinet! I was so excited to find this at the thrift store! I'm thinking the shelves might be a good place to display some of my smaller paperclay pieces. I was thinking books, but I may find another  place for those. It now has some cloth dolls displayed on top and quilts on the bottom shelf. I use the bottom (where the doors are) to store my copier paper, etc. and the drawers for office supplies. Its a challenge trying to combine my office and a way to display things for  sale. But I want stuff for sale in every room, even the bathroom! No matter what you're doing here, you'll see something you can buy!!!

 

Here's the chair I slip covered. Its not perfect, but that's okay with me. I wanted it to look soft and comfortable. And Rusty definitely thinks its  comfy because he sleeps on it a lot! Although its not his favorite place to sleep....you can probably already guess where that is. Its right in front of my monitor! I'm lucky right now that he is lying down. A lot of time he sits  up and meows at me or takes a bath while I'm trying to see  around him!

  A couple of weeks ago, my nephew (Tyler) and I went thrift store shopping and  we found this oil painting at Salvation Army! I knew it would look great in my office and it was only $15 so I snatched it up! There aren't too many bare spots on the walls or anywhere else in my office  by now. Surely I can squeeze in a FEW more things, don't you think?

Working in my NEW OFFICE!!

  I'm really enjoying my new office! Its nice to have room to move around and have everything in its place. I spent a day organizing my supplies...check out how organized I am! I had a lot of these boxes already but I went and bought 46 more at Home Depot. lol....they must have thought I had a lot of shoes to go in these boxes. They never would have guessed I was putting doll hair in them!! I printed  labels and my hubby helped me get everything labeled & in its place. Its much easier when I get an order, now that all my supplies are in one place. We painted the trim today, still needs another coat, then we'll get the doors put back on. I have had  a looong day today, trying to get caught up on graphics  and working on my office in between. Tomorrow, I have more pictures to share. Even some of Rusty lounging around my office!!

Thrift Store finds

Thought I'd share some pictures of some goodies I got at some thrift stores. I found an old cigar box and several rusty old cans. It was kind of funny, in one store every single thing I put on the counter was rusty! I bought all these cans there and a rusty "no trespassing" sign that my husband confiscated! lol! Seems like I got more, but it was before Christmas so I can't remember now! I did get 3 old quilts for $4 each! That was a last minute thing--my husband was looking at an old chest and  he found them in there. I thought they'd be too expensive but when she said $4, I grabbed them up. I love them when they are all worn out! That's a good deal, but once I got one at a yard sale for a QUARTER!

  Don't know if you can tell much about the front of the cigar box here but it looks old. Who knows--I came home with some one day that looked old but when I opened them, I saw they were pretty new! While I was shopping I saw an old cigar display, a wire stand with a space for 4 cigar boxes and a sign on top. I didn't get it and kept thinking about it so I went back for it later. I saw a churn I wanted at another antique store that I had to go back for too. I thought it was just like one Momma has--it was a little different but I still got it.

  Kenyon found this old framed Jesus print....You can see some other old frames, mirrors, etc. I've collected. These are all in my studio waiting for the perfect spot!

Speaking of my studio....I now have internet over there so I'll probably move this weekend! I have a giant ugly heater in the other room now that will keep me warm for now, but I have to get some gas logs in my office and shelves in my closet and that room will be finished! I'll definitely take more pictures when I get closer to being done. I'll still work on my art in my studio in my house while we work on the rest of my studio.

Before I go....I wanted to share this sweet picture of Mr. Spock snuggling up to my husband. Mr. Spock has ALWAYS loved him the best! lol!

Happy New Year!

 I haven't been able to log on to blog for almost a month!! I had all kinds of fun stuff going on and couldn't even get on here to tell about it all. Thanks to all of y'all that emailed and wondered where I was and asked about my kitties. We're still here! I made some New Year's Resolutions and been doing pretty good so far. As usual, I plan to lose weight. I started before the New Year but I've already lost 12 lbs. so that's a good start. The other one was to start working on my studio. We have done some work over there. I have just have a few little things to do before I move over there. I cannot wait! This is my "new" desk. You can tell I'm not done--my walls are never this bare! I have a chair to slip cover, an old white table and a filing cabinet to move over there and maybe that will be it. I'm trying to get down to the basics after working in a cramped up room for way too long. Rusty has been roaming around and he likes it. He just wouldn't be still long enough for a picture in my new office. I have to get him a bed...I can just see him curled up on his bed while I work (or my lap, probably!). We went antiquing on my birthday and got some good stuff. I'll share more pics later, but this mirror is one of them. I'm going through my dolls that were left over from shows and trying to get some decorating done in there too. And notice my new wood floors....those were under the layers of carpet, vinyl and plywood! We had to take out a few bad ones and replace with some that Kenyon had saved up. Then we cleaned and waxed it. I love how it turned out! And I have this big kitty keeping me company in my studio too. Ha! He is perfect for this vintage wooden chair, isn't he? I'm sure I'll be sharing more pics through the weeks. My goal is to have the whole studio ready for an open house this fall and I'll share the progress with you. Almost 2 rooms down and 3 more to go, plus the outside. I shoulda asked for a roof for Christmas!!

If any of you reading are from Scottsboro, I have some of my jewelry at Talk of the Town...if you're down that way, be sure to stop in and look at my jewelry!

Flowers...for me!

Look what my husband brought home to me today! Ain't that sweet? He picked them just for me....I thought they made a pretty arrangement too!!

And as I was working here at the house, he was working in my studio. He decided to pull up the floor in my office and guess what....there is a nice, old wood floor underneath! It will need a little repair in a couple of spots, but I know he can fix that. I'm so excited about that!!

Its now almost 3 am and my allergies are getting to me...gotta go rest my sore eyes so I can get back to the dolls when I get up. And I have to make a trip to the thrift store....for something for my "projects"! :) Tomorrow I will tell you about the new family member (Frazier the Kitty) coming to live with us next week....

Last person without a cell phone?

I think I was the last person in the world without a cell phone! I really didn't care, but I have a trip coming up so I thought I needed one. So....maybe everyone in the world has one now! LOL! I even got a headset although I think it is so strange to see people walking around talking when you can't see their phones. I got mine for driving--maybe I'll be using mine all the time. Even though I'm on the comptuer a lot, I guess I'm not really into technology that much. I don't have a high definition tv, no laptop. We didn't have a game system until my husband bought my nephew's used one. Now I'm kinda up to date--a cell phone and a used X-Box. Maybe I'll even get a laptop one day!! Besides playing with my new phone, I worked on some graphics. I made a new banner for Helena and helped her get her colors matched up on her blog. But mostly I worked on dolls....got a bunch finished that I will be putting on my site pretty soon!

I hate to do it but I am going to have to take about a month off from working on my studio. But my husband worked over there today and took over my job of painting. I'm sure there will be plenty left for me to do even with him painting for me!

And last but not least.....some cute kitty pictures!

 

 

Luke needed a ride....

So last Sunday Luke was coming from Georgia to his foster home in Mississippi. He was coming right through Scottsboro, so I had to give him a ride! He was so sweet--he mostly laid in my back seat and slept. A few times he poked his head between the seats so I could rub his head. I was tired after driving about 5 hours, so I know he had to be tired by the time he got to his new home. Hope he got plenty of rest and lovin' when he got there!!

 

It is soooo cold here--its 20 degrees and it even snowed earlier today! So I haven't worked on my studio for a couple of days. I'm ready to get back to work over there as soon as it gets warm enough!!

Dollies have been getting new outfits tonight--I think by next weekend I will start having new patterns ready! Its about time, huh???

Did y'all know I have a new blog? Its www.2friendsblog.com --I started it for our graphics/web design customers to introduce their businesses. We just started, but its fun to look through all the links on there.....

Antique Store Finds

My husband and I decided to go to one of our favorite antique stores....I haven't been in a while and I found some good stuff!! They were having a sale and I even got the dog photo for half price! The other photos weren't on sale so I had to go through my huge stack and put some back. :( By the way--it is really hard to set up a photo of new stuff when you have so many nosy cats trying to see what you've got!!

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of the dog photo I got! I think its a photo, but it could be a print....I have had my eye on it for a while and its going in my studio!

A crown....I had to have that!!

I got these 3 postcards, the Jesus picture and the one on the far right....I loved the look on the woman's face. (Click on the photo to make it larger so you can see...) She is so stern!

This was my best find--the hooked rug in pinks and roses! It has a small hole in the edge that certainly didn't bother me.... I got it for $18! Its big too!

Also got a vintage doll dress with roses, a printed towel, a cross necklace and old bottle. I think all this is going to my studio....

What about my new mantel decoration?????

I have everything painted in my studio bathroom except the door. I'm so excited!! I have to paint some pictures and I'm looking for a cabinet to hang on the wall. I'll get some pictures for you to see soon, even though the decorating is not done. I guess I can move on to the next room while I'm on the look out for things to decorate the bathroom with.

My new doll designs are all painted now--tonight I'll sand them and start staining. None of them have clothes, so that will be the next step. It seems to take so long these days!!

Last night I was in a cooking mood--I'll share my recipes, but if you're on a diet, you won't want to cook any of this!! I brought my recipe box in here so I could share those recipes and it seems to be buried under a huge pile of dolls! So...after I dig it out, I'm going to share my favorite Sweet Potato Casserole recipe and a recipe for Baked Fried Chicken!

Studio Update

Since y'all are all asking about my studio....I will give you an update, although there's not a lot to tell! I painted the bathroom on Saturday. Painted the walls a color called "Cherry Vanilla". The ceiling is "pale moon"--the same color I will paint the doors and trim. The paint was still wet in the picture and I haven't even been back since they dried! We also have all the tile board up except on the ceiling over the shower/tub. My husband is working on the drain on the tub, then he will install the shower. I have to paint trim, we have to put the sink & toilet back in, put down vinyl and get the door painted and put back up. Sounds like a lot, but its really not! This is the way we usually do the trim--my husband cuts the trim to fit, then I paint it while he is at work or doing something else. When I'm done, he installs the trim and we touch up the nail holes. Keeps me from having to be so careful about getting trim paint on the walls & floor! Anyway....that's not much to look at, but once I get everything back in there, I'll share more & better pictures!!

I can't find a shower curtain I like, so I'm going to make one. I really want some Rachel Ashwell fabric with little tiny roses, or even a sheet would work. But I am trying to spend as little as possible in there. Should I splurge on the shower curtain or try to stay on a budget? I can't even find any fabric I like around here. I'll either have to go to Huntsville or order from the internet. OR....I'm scheduled to transport some kitties to Nashville on Saturday morning. I'll bet they have some good fabric stores. Anyone know of any good places to shop while I'm there? I might as well treat myself if I have to drive that far!!

This is where we're working on the bathtub--had to cut a hole in the wall on the other side to get to it!

 

And this is why I don't have my office painted yet....I have the walls patched and sanded but it got full of tools, so this project is on hold! Can't wait to get this part done because I'll be able to move my office!

Here are my outside kitties at supper time. Left picture is Cricket (black kitty) and Rusty. On the right are Dusty (gray kitty), Dill (black & white) and Elvis (gray & white in the back).