Anniversary gifts...

Well tis the season for anniversary gifts. And with our first Anniversary on June 2nd, I have been thinking a lot about what to get the Husband. In true form I might make something, which will be fun and relatively easy considering ours is PAPER!

Here are some gift ideas!

1st- paper.  

    Of course a poem hand written on nice paper would be sweet... or a scrap book, or a cut out paper chain decorating the room... or a drawing, a print- artwork is always nice! And maybe give these gifts at the end of a sweet- romantic themed scavenger hunt that was hand written on... PAPER! Here's a fun site for paper goods- Figments- gifts.

2nd- Cotton.

   New sheets- super high thread count baby! is always nice or a new duvet, go on and deck out your linens!

 Or make (buy) a cotton hammock for the backyard. And if you want to go a little further- make a summer pagoda to accompany the hammock- making your outdoor living space a nice retreat! 

3rd- Leather

     Say what you will, and perhaps keep it to yourself!  But you could always splurge and get that great leather chair you always wanted. Or go simple and sweet with a leather journal, or even leather winter gloves- a fun sporty kind. Think SJP in Sex and the City! OR- go for a horse ride on... those leather saddles!

4th- Silk, or Linen

    Again you could focus on bedding, or heck even drapes! Or go have a picnic at a special place- where you were married or engaged- and use some beautiful linens for your spread!

5th- Wood

This could be another piece of furniture, teak for the yard, or maybe get a little creative and carve something! A funny little figurine... or if one of you is really handy- make a piece of furniture!

10th- Tin, Aluminum

      Get a case of her favorite old school soda, and then when you are done with the soda- make a tin can phone line from your nook in the house to hers! Or search on etsy for something made out of these materials, cus this one is hard...

20th- China

   You could book a trip to China, or have friends and family over for a grand dinner party served on YOUR China! (china themed meal- optional!)

25th- Silver

     Of course something engraved would be lovely. Go to an estate jewelry store and pick up something whimsical, or go modern and try out etsy again for fun artisan made silver jewelry and such.  Or get him or her something very personal from Heather Moore- a key chain or cufflinks, or a silver charm with your wedding date or a quote from your song.

50th- Gold baby

     Go for broke! Get a gold toilet, or gold dentures, or that rolex she has had her eye FOREVER, what are you waiting for? 

60th- Diamond

      Diamond everything at this stage in the game!

Pretty peony

I'm not thee biggest fan of fake flowers, but Diane James' Flowers are the ones to have! You can buy them online from Gracious Home. They are so beautiful tucked in a corner of a room- allowing for the visual of fresh flowers! Maybe buy a few and alternate them through the year to keep with the seasons!

yes, there is a dog in there...

It's been raining for the last two days here which allows me to draw a conclusion- when it rains in Maine it stays mainly.... around for a long time (sung to my fair lady song).

And Poor Millie is not having much of it. Sadly I think I will actually have to invest in a silly rain coat for her! It's in the low 40s outside and barely 60 degrees in our apt (not by choice!). So after finding Millie asleep on this chair and wining about the cold in her sleep. I plopped a bunch of blankets on her to keep her warm. Now she is snoring like a little bear cub.  Looks like I might have to knit some pjs for her come winter!

The newbie of late night

So I know I don't often review things on my blog... I will leave most of that up to Cameron's new blog ( I will post a link to it once he has a post on it!).

But I gotta say I have really been enjoying Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

I watch it on hulu, since we don't have a tv. And it really is a great way to watch a late night show- anytime you want!

WHY I like the show: First off let me say I had my doubts when I heard about Jimmy getting the show, but after the first show I am hooked and here's why.

Maybe it's the similarities I see between Cameron and Jimmy- they both giggle about the silliest things, about everything!  And there is something very endearing about that light outlook on things.  And I think that's why I like the show so much- it's a nice break from the news right now. It's a little escape.  True the opening monologues can be hit or miss, but even when a joke tanks it's still amusing!

And I think that Jimmy has a real knack for transitioning and getting his guests back on topic all while maintaining this very child like amazement at his job, it's sweet.

Some of my favorite moments are 7th floor west- a take on mtv's The Hills. cirque du soleil. And these out takes are super funny I love Maya's Gwen Stefani impression and elmo is cute too! Hilarious.

If you do have a tv it's on NBC at 12:35!  Enjoy!

Kitchen curtains!

Well I made the first of the two curtains for the kitchen- today... and in true fashion I improvised as I went along!
Again- this fabric was left over from a project my mom had in mind for my sister's place... So the same issues arose with the living room curtains- limited amount of fabric, etc. So I had to "problem solve" and make do! (our kitchen is temporarily my sewing area. It will soon be the 7x8 ft room towards the front of the apt.. but I am waiting on some shelving and my card table. Hence the reason I am on a roll with this sewing- I want the kitchen back to normal by the time Cam gets here next weekend!
SO- there are two ways I could have these puppies hanging- tied back like in this picture or hanging loose like in the photo above.. What do you think?

I think the hanging ones tend to look more formal, and a little silly? But silly can be good I mean it's a silly kitchen to begin with- with the slanted ceilings, slopping floors... ALSO ties back allows more light and the feeling of living in the cypress tree outside the window- like the Swiss Family Robinson.

I might add some bobbles to this later tied version- along the hem to deal with the shortness and to add even more activity to them!  My approach with all this color is- if I can't paint I might as well make the most of everything else!

More Curtains! #6 of 8!

(Excuse the mess... still working out those last little dregs that happen while unpacking!)

But here's the room with the curtains! This room sits off of our kitchen and you can see our little hallway that leads to the front room- which is our bedroom. I put my vintage suitcase collection in the hallway which is a nice fit and added storage!
And here is a better shot of the matching curtain I finished today. Again sticking with the rings due to the length issue. And here is "said couch".  

NOW The story behind the couch: a long time ago- my Mom swooped up this couch when we were living on our farm in NJ... she had it reupholstered and eventually 20 some odd years later it became mine 2 years ago when I moved to Philly for grad school!

In order to have it match the one piece of furniture I actually own- ie bought with my own art making  money (the yellow anthro chair- & on sale too!) We had to make sense of it all. So we went to the seconds fabric store I mentioned before- and bought this floral fabric to cover the three cushions. I wanted an english- farm house look- something that would some day be retired to our sunroom for pets and the occasional afternoon nap...

We were lucky and found the right floral fabric that tied in the intensity of the chair and even the green of the couch! Then we got the pinky/ magenta two toned polka dot fabric for the pillows.  My sister insisted on us making big pillows (a trick of the trade- mainly taste I guess- go big or go home!)   

Another decorating tip: when choosing patterns- try and have a variety of size prints to balance it all out. IE the floral is a big print, but the green plaid is smaller, and the polka dot pillows are an even smaller print.  ALSO it helps to mix in some modern prints- to bring the room up to date hence the more modern curtains, the pillows and throws.

The Transformation:

I sewed the once three cushions together with a curved needle and some carpet thread along all the edges and corners and then wrapped a duvet around the cushions- making them one cushion and reducing any three cushion impressions, etc and then I sewed that in place too.  All the while my Mom made the zippered floral slip cover and the pillows complete with trim. And Poof the revived old couch!

Then to down play the green plaid I have a faux fur white throw from pottery barn and an old vintage indian blanket that once belonged to my grandparents- flopped on the back. I mixed in some modern pillows from Anthro and one from Urban and it's all set.

And I must say the curtains do go! But most importantly they block out the roof that is practically smashed up against our window.

Now on to the curtains for the kitchen... 

materrs

I have a to do list for this Holiday weekend... basically a list of things to get done before Cameron moves up here next weekend. Check off tomatoes and basil!

curtain #5 of 8!

I made these curtains this morning from some left over fabric from when my mother and I redid the hand -me-down couch... (i'll share pictures of said couch in another entry) We bought the fabric at a seconds store to make pillows, or a runner, but ended up never needing it.  

So I am making curtains out of it instead- to hang in the room with the couch- to ensure that it all "goes". Since I had a limited amount of fabric to divide between two very small windows I couldn't make the curtains as "cute" as I had intended. IE they would have looked like flood water curtains and would have been extremely short.

Luckily I had these rings from our last apartment- which solved the length dilemma. Another option I considered was sewing some trim or a border to the bottom and perhaps the top to elongate them and allow me to use the rod instead of the rings... and I might still do so but for now it does the job! 

I will post pictures of the other curtains once those rooms are more "photogenic"!

We are headed to Salt tonight to see their documentary exhibit. One of our friends from College recently completed the course and it should be a fun night out on this incredibly 80 degree day!

A hot mess

After much coaching by my mother- we are using the front room as our bedroom. ( the tiny- now studio room was 7x8!) In this front room we put our bed on an angle and I am going for a light, sea scape inspired feel- like a little beach house retreat. You'll see... right now it requires some imagination!

Of course no artwork is up yet, which is usually the first thing done! But I'll get to it.  Also on the list I am going to make some make shift curtains for most of the windows. I have some fun fabric leftover from various family members and unfinished projects, etc. So stay tuned for those fun details! FYI- I am going to make a curtain for my closet door too.
The view down our little hallway to the living room and eventual kitchen at the end. I am going to put my sweater chest and some nice hooks in the hallway to create a little staging area for going out.
Our tiny and very sloping kitchen. As you walk in you literally walk down hill. We brought a large cabinet (not pictured) and a few shelves to compensate for our lack of cabinet space. (ie what you see in this picture is what we got!)

Cameron made the kitchen his priority yesterday as I made sense of the other three rooms.

I still have a lot to do but it's getting there!

My portfolio: scroll down through to the next post, all the slides are in order! (remember you can always click on the image to view it larger!)

My Portfolio - made using "keynote" a program belonging to Office '09

may oh may oh my it's may!

I took a break from packing the other day and went on a little walk with little dog. I took along my camera to gather images for a mural I will be working on sometime over the summer.

It was a nice break from the clutter that is packing.

Strange to think, in my friend's words that- "this time next week I will be living in Portland!"

more paintings for sale!

Again I apologize for the poor photo quality!  (I can always send more images!)

SOLD - White Flower, 16x16

 ON HOLD -Arrangement- 16x16

Paintings for SALE!

Selling my artwork for cheaps before I move! (sorry about the poor photo quality- I am making this post between packing!)  All oil on panel, framed with picture wire on the back!! ready to hang!

ON HOLD - May - 8x12

SOLD - Sister -9x12
SOLD  - Iris- 18x12
SOLD - Sunday morning- 12x12
SOLD - Peony- 8x12

Feel free to send this link along to friends! makes a nice mother's day present or bridal shower present- you name it!

a painting for Zerek and Suzy

After leaving Portland we went to NH to visit Zerek and Suzy... it was a nice little visit and I wanted to share the painting I gave them for Christmas. It was done from a picture I took at the apple orchard that they work at occasionally. It was a quick little study, done over an old painting hence the texture. Cameron finished it off with a little frame and poof it hangs on their wall in their cozy wood stoved living room!

A weekend in Portland Maine

We went to Portland Maine this weekend to find an apartment... Lesley and Steve took us in again, which was oh so helpful and appreciated!!  Here is a shot of the Portland "skyline"
Saturday night we went and saw a roller derby game- the jersey shore girls were in town playing the local girls from Maine. We got a crash course in the rules as the game went along, and I will admit the four of us were really into it by half time!  Funny to think that Obama spoke in this same auditorium before he announced his campaign.  It makes me want to do a little documentary of images and footage from all over the USA of his speeches mixed in with what those venues are being used for 100 days later! funny stuff!
Finally- Our Apartment! it's on the west side and close to some fun stuff. It's actually three rooms (4 if you count the kitchen). This is the dining room (looking into the kitchen which has a set of stairs and a little stoop for tomato plants!)- although I will probably use this room as my studio/ sewing room. We will probably have to put our couch in this room too since the doorway to the main living room is 26 inches wide! Plus the kitchen is big enough to fit our tiny table and chairs... (I mapped out the furniture placement on the car ride home- I am my mother's daughter!)

Then there is a bathroom, bedroom and a very large living room at the front of the house. This is a second floor apartment that is the entire footprint of the house. It has tall ceilings at the front of the house that become slanted towards the back- so the big artwork will have to stay at the front of the house!

We are moving the weekend of the 16th giving me 2 weeks to pack up our stuff! I look forward to posting pictures of our place as we get our own furniture in there and make it our little new england home.

the birthday girl

Little Millie with her Mom last year Millie is officially one year Today- May 4th.
too too tiny
working on a rawhide on her 1st birthday, living it up. Here is the link to her breeder's page!