Just Drive

Sometimes Chris and I just drive. We did a TON of driving this summer to visit friends and family. One of my favorite things about driving aimlessly around our own community is that you always discover something new. This mural was CRAZY. It was beautiful and we never would have seen it had we not wandered off the highway.Doesn't it look like you could step right into it!? I had to do a double take and we may have sat through a green light so I could snap a photo. The only sad thing is that I don't remember where on earth we were ... I only remember we had just been to IKEA ... hopefully we'll drive by again someday and take a moment to walk around the town.

In This House #6

This spring we decided that weeds are plants too ...
now we are a little frightened each time we walk by the "flower" bed.

re-arrange

I just can't help myself. We have lived in our current "home" for a year and I am sitting here on my hands to keep from rearranging the furniture ... AGAIN! I'm beginning to wonder if I could ever be settled in one decor. I need to do something to ease the decorating itch that drives me crazy every time I walk through the living room, it's an unavoidable space with our floor plan. I'm hoping pillow covers, a lampshade, and just a few moved pieces will pacify me for more than a month.

Before

After

who knows what's next

Fill in the blank Friday

I'm so happy that today is FRIDAY and Lauren has provided me with posting inspiration via her blanks.

1. The last movie I saw was ... we watch LOTS of movies, but Chris and I have mainly been enjoying Legend of the Seeker and House on DVD/Netflix each night this week .

2. I want to do everything in the sunshine now that its summertime .

3. Surprises are not nearly as fun as anticipation .

4. The best accessory is something with a story - great conversation starter!

5. My favorite warm drink is tea and coffee especially when you have a dear friend to drink it with .

6. My favorite cold drink is really good diet coke if I'm "being bad" or coconut water if I'm behaving myself .

7. Currently loving thrifting for a purpose other than myself. Chris' softball season. The characters in Legend of the Seeker and (can't believe I am saying this)spending time a the gym .

soak up some sun and get a laugh in this weekend!

In This House #5

We don't keep animals in our home, but we always have lovely visits at the zoo.

Roar! Happy Birthday!

Today I accidently made a dinosaur cake for an elegant surprise party ... oops =)

The icing kept sticking to one side of the cake ripping it apart so I thought it best to remove that section. It was a blessing in disguise because thats how this guy was born.

Something exciting is about to happen! Actually, lots of exciting things are about to happen. This week in our house we are going to celebrate a birthday, hang out with a best friend, complete not one but TWO intense craft projects, attend a "broadway" show, Interview, and go on the hunt at the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market EXTRAVAGANZA!

Can't wait til next week so I can let you know how it goes ... actually I can wait because I am going to make this week last as long as possible!

Nevermind

I came across this poem a few days ago. Enjoy!

Never Mind
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Whatever your work and whatever its worth,

No matter how strong or clever,

Some one will sneer if you pause to hear,

And scoff at your best endeavour.


For the target art has a broad expanse,

And wherever you chance to hit it,

Though close be your aim to the bull's-eye fame,

There are those who will never admit it.
Though the house applauds while the artist plays,

And a smiling world adores him,

Somebody is there with an ennuied air

To say that the acting bores him.


For the tower of art has a lofty spire,

With many a stair and landing,

And those who climb seem small oft-time

To one at the bottom standing.

So work along in your chosen niche

With a steady purpose to nerve you;

Let nothing men say who pass your way

Relax your courage or swerve you.

The idle will flock by the Temple of Art

For just the pleasure of gazing;

But climb to the top and do not stop,

Though they may not all be praising.

-------

I love the message. I particularly appreciate the line, "For the tower of art has a lofty spire,

With many a stair and landing". We do our best to reach our highest potential, but this line shows that there plateaus along the way. When we reach a pause for any period of time it can be easy to look around and say, "what the hell am I doing way up here!" and start to doubt ourselves. Sometimes people or situations can be discouraging, but we must carry on with confidence. How do you avoid/fight off those who attempt to disrupt your art and keep climbing higher?

I tend to immerse myself in the chaos of creating a collage and/or head to the nearest thrift store. Sorting through chaos helps jolt my brain into action and come up with new and exciting ideas.

In this House #4

We are SO ready to frolic in the spring sunshine. BRING IT spring ... seriously, pretty please?

I haven't been ignoring you

I have just been CRAZY BUSY. I am happy to report that my schedule has been FULL... and not like I have had so much TV to watch and sleeping to do that I couldn't possibly blog. My schedule has been legitimately full of rehearsals, teaching, styling, and maybe just a touch of must see TV. Its been awhile since I have been challenged and fulfilled artistically. I have just finished directing an 8th grade production of Macbeth at a private catholic school in Ohio ... say what!? Yeah, never imagined I would face a challenge like that. The students I got to work with blew. me. away. Most had never acted before and went above and beyond to make the show the best it could be. During the first performance I paced in the back admiring their courage. My heart almost exploded.

I also thrifted 97% of the costumes so be looking for a treasure find post.

Hope all is well in your world.

L O V E

Shower the people you love with love - and have a sense of humor about it.

Tomorrow I will share the construction of my handmade thrifted valentines with you.

In This House #3

This is our dream freezer.

Treasure Find Tuesday

Everything (other than a paycheck) is cuter in miniature form.

A few weeks ago at the base thrift shop, I took in an order of old tools from a friendly older gentleman. Though I have no idea what half of them were designed to do, each piece was visually interesting. I was tempted to buy all of the pieces and hang them on a wall as art. Tools tell a story. They have purpose. They are made to withstand challenging situations. They make our lives easier. Worn tools send my mind deep into endless wonderings. Who came up with this? Why is this necessary? Has new technology replaced it? How often was this used? by who? WHEN? WHY? HOW? I managed to stop myself and finished taking in the man's order. A few of his items were pricey which helped me rationalize. A splurge on old tools was just not going to happen ... yet. I have daydreams about stumbling across an abandoned barn full of odd interesting old tools and making wall art out of wrenches, but now is not the time.

Now is the time to appreciate what I did buy. One of the last tools in his order was this 1 inch red C Clamp. HOW ADORABLE ... and functional =)

I got it for under a dollar and immediately clamped it to anything I could find in my house. I had no idea they made C Clamps this small.

Right now I am using it to keep my note cards in order. Any other ideas on where I can put my new mini clamp to use and admire it at the same time?

XXV

February 7th is Chris' birthday. We celebrated on Sunday with steelers colored cupcakes even though they didn't win.

We celebrated again today with Japanese dinner and The Kings Speech. This Kings Speech was amazing. We highly recommend it. Now I am off to spend the rest of the evening with my handsome 25 year old.

...ok I tried my hardest not to get to mushy, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt either of us to let you know how loving, hilarious, and all around outstanding Chris is. I am lucky to be married to my best friend. Looking forward to many happy birthdays to come.

fyi I made his cupcakes from a yellow cake mix, but did the icing from a MARTHA recipe. I would have done the cupcakes from scratch, but Chris wanted a fluffy cake and mine from scratch always come out dense. I got the idea for the toppers from my lovely phraner lady friend . I adore her cupcakes.

Treasure Find Tuesday

I enjoy order, but my eye LOVES chaos. That is why ever since I can remember I have been doing collage work.

Back in July, my sister Sarah sent me out thrifting for her birthday present. She gave me free regin "anything creative and thrifted"

We both have a passion for art. I set out to Goodwill Outlet with no idea of what I would come up with. I was taken back by all of the little scraps of paper hanging around in the bins. Who is gonna buy random hooked on phonics cards and children's books with busted spines and water damage? ME! Those scraps of paper and broken down books were inspiring.

Her birthday is 7/16 so I tore out all pages 7 and 16 from the books and used them as borders on either side of the piece.

I liked the end result so much I had to have one for my house, so I made one using our wedding date 6/27/2009.

The final products together.

So you have an idea of scale, my picture is hug on the wall to the left above the pink chair that needs to be recovered. How do you decide what fabric to recover a chair in?

Monday Morning

If this is what Monday morning looks like I can only imagine what this week has in store!

(at last they both have stripes ... that bodes well)

In This House #2

This is what a lap full of relaxation looks like.

Recorded TV

Laptop with endless possibilities

mug of Red Rose tea

Treasure Find Tuesday

I have a thing for glassware. I don't know how I get off collecting so many breakables when I know we will be moving about, but when these four heavyweight tumblers caught my eye at Goodwill I couldn't say no. I didn't go crazy for them just because pink glass is gorgeous light, feminine, and refreshing. These glasses remind me of the glasses pictured below that are a staple at my parents house.

They have light and dark green goblets. I can't believe I stumbled across light pink!

The thick glass bottoms give a pleasant weightiness. I appreciate how substantial they are, it somehow makes every sip seem more important.

This is what the flash looks like inside the glass. Pretty funky huh? Oh and did I mention they were only 79 cents apiece? Yeah. AMAZING!

If I were going to splurge on drinking glasses I would go with these recycled beauties

In This House #1

There is no such thing as too many bubbles.

Fill in the blank Friday

1. I feel happy when my house smells like warm banana bread. I feel happy when I am thinking of my grandparents and remembering all of my special moments with them. I feel happy anytime Chris and I hug – even if it is because I am extremely upset. I feel super happy when I am with my friends - extra bonus if we are in New York or drinking tea.

2. I get silly when I am working. When I am doing what I love and am encouraging others to not be afraid to be creative and express themselves.

3. Something that makes me sad is When people are too selfish to consider others safety and make foolish decisions.

4. Something that makes me annoyed is when people are angry about little things and try to get you to be angry about them as well.

5. A time that I've been truly surprised was when my nephew first spoke to me. I spent a lot of time with him as a baby and was used to talking to him. One day while driving him in the car I asked him a question and he responded like a real grown up person! It was bizarre.

6. I am so thankful for my mom and dad’s ability and willingness to text message. I love being able to keep in touch about the little things going on.

7. I feel loved when I get mail. I LOVE mail.

You can find more blanks at Lauren's Blog the little things we do

Just Make It Up

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This afternoon I will be teaching a class that is part of a six week program without an end goal. I'm going to talk with the head of the program so I can have a better idea of what they want their students to get out of the experience. For today I am just going to make it up. This may seem a little irresponsible, but I guarantee it is not (I still have a lesson plan and training to back me up). We are going to enjoy our hour by learning about and exploring improvisation. We all have to improvise in life. None of our personal daily conversations are scripted ... unless maybe you are on reality TV =). Recently I have observed a few grown people who seem afraid to commit to who they are and make themselves vulnerable. I consider it a shame to be fearful of yourself. I'm hoping that our work with improv will help these kids realize it's healthy to put yourself on the line and see what you come up with. You often are surprised at how strong you actually are. If I could grant people a personality trait, I would def consider granting them self confidence. Imagine what we could do if we were never afraid of ourselves! performing improv in front of a group can be terrifying, but it is terrifying in a good way. I haven't always been confident myself, but I guarantee you I am much happier when I am. I think Julie Andrews via The Sound of Music is a prime example that confidence and a positive attitude can take you far.

Are you a super planner or do you make things up as you go?

How do you boost your confidence in order to accomplish things you are afraid of or timid about?

happy new year

appreciation of little things

My snow boots came in the mail the night before a heavy snow. Tramping through fluffy crunchy snow is a joy when you don't have to deal with sloppy soggy shoes. Bring it on winter. It is easy to complain about snow. I've heard a lot of moaning and groaning. I can't complain because I prayed my whole childhood to get those white sparkly crystals to come down.