makeover magic

 i had two of these funky Ikea ottomans who had seen better days, so i decided to cover them...my mom used to collect antique quilts and a few of them were pretty torn up...so, combine the two, get busy with a staple gun and viola...a little makeover magic!

hmmm, this was pretty easy...if only there was such a simple way to cover up my wrinkles.  

anyway, the red and white one will be for sale at A Room With A Past starting December 15th! i am excited to say i am going to be selling all kinds of goodies (vintage, handcrafted and just plain old good stuff) there once a month. if you are in the walnut creek area, please come! 

hi folks

does it ever bother you how often politicians use the word "folks"? as in "folks need jobs"..."folks need health care"...i find it super condescending, what is wrong with the word people?
anyhow, enough of that...a while back i had a chance to check out an exhibit of folk art. but you know, it was really just people art. i guess saying "folk" means not fancy or educated. maybe that is why i am sick of hearing politicians use that word...because it IS condescending.
ok, enough griping...here is the awesome people art i saw.

 these top two were done by a folk named Mose Tolliver. He lived from 1919-2006 and was one of twelve children. During the 60's he was hurt badly when a slab of marble crushed his legs while working in a factory. to relieve boredom after the accident he began to paint...a lot.  really love his people/folk. they have excellent noses.

great colors

i think this was from a tailor shop

this painting was from a barber shop, i'm considering getting a dollar sign shaved into my hair and now i have the perfect picture to bring to my hair lady.

 doesn't this guy remind you of a few of our GOP hopefuls? (scary.)

i would rather have this bear thing as my president than the previous offering.

more hairdo options


anyhow, i love the colors here and would be over the top happy to have anyone of these folk arts grace the walls in my house...much more so than most fancy people art

welcome aboard!

remember when I made a bright red fire truck for my pal Cullen? well, time FLIES and now Cullen has got himself a little bro, Reed, who needs a blue airplane! 

sweet

 a friend with a baby girl on the way asked me to paint a mural on her nursery wall! she chose a tree with birds and wanted it to be personalized, that is why there is a mommy, daddy and baby bird, all of the family initials "carved" in a heart, a dog print for their "first baby" and mushrooms...(i'll just leave those to the imagination!)
the colors she chose (pink and gray) combined with a FANTASTIC chandelier she found make the room seem sweet and sophisticated. i looooved spending time in a soon to be nursery. it got me daydreaming back to the days of rocking in a rocking chair, nursing baby and feeling completely content.  
anyhow, if anyone out there wants a mural and lives close...i want to do more! i shouldn't be limiting..if you live in Italy and are willing to spring for my flight, i GUESS i could do that also. ;)

felty acorn ball thingies...DIY

Step 1: obtain some of this felt wool stuff from craft store or here.

Step 2: wet the wool in warm/hot water

Step 3: with soapy hands (any soap will do) roll the felt...experiment with what works for you, be patient and roll it like a ball of clay. it will turn onto a tight sphere.(that's what she said;) ) add more thin layers of the felt and stop when you like the size of the ball (again, that's what she said ;) )

Step 3: let the balls dry. (oh no, I have the humor of an 11 year old boy...as I wrote Let The Balls Dry, I laughed like Beavis.)

Step 4: find some acorn toppers and hot glue those balls in...(oh no...if you could read my mind right now you would think I was Beavis or Butthead...not a 40 year old woman. why does the mention of balls send me into a weird teenage boy state of mind? what is wrong with me?)

Step 5: Enjoy your balls HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

treasure from the past

wow wow wow! look at this amazing deal from Walnut Creek's room with a past. $9.00 for this never been worn costume in the original box that looks like it may be from the 50's or 60's!(my mother in law brought up the whole p.c. issue,  to me it just seems like a sweet little costume from another era...am I being naive? what do you think?)
anyway,  i can't believe that room with a past has been open for 8 years and i am just now finding out about it....ugh, all of the treasures...not found by me. but soon...all the treasures will be mine, MINE I SAY! mwhaa ha ha ha.

amish mobile

a friend and I created this mobile together the other day for another friend ready to have her first baby. we made it entirely out of materials that were on hand. it took us five hours (crazy right?) on a rainy day while our 4 kids were cooped up and sort of destroying the house. we just really wanted to finish the thing so our friend could have it before her baby came. AND, there was NO alcohol involved!! i felt like an Amish woman.