"A" is for "About Dang Time I Made Something".

Here's a wooden letter A that I embellished with Tuscan Rose stamps, scraps, paint, etc. I've gotten obsessed lately with those shades of robin's egg blue and aqua that everyone else has long since been admiring. As usual, i'm the last one to notice. Usually by the time I catch on to a trend of any type, it's already over. Woohoo! I made it just in time. But hey, we should make what we love, regardless of what's popular. I also love my "vintage" paint chip-y watering can there, that I keep my brushes in.

Well we've been in this house for a while now, and the only room i've really done anything with is this one- the office/craft room. I am slowly but surely transforming it into a cozy studio space.

Lately, i've felt somehow down that I hadn't been making anything. But then I began really following some other artsy type blogs and I realized that they don't always have to make something new in order to post on their blogs... they just post things they like, things they find, places they go, etc. I found that inspiring. I always enjoy looking at pictures of the things that people find on their thrifting expeditions.

Past weekend, I found these prettyful vintage curtains at an antique/thrift store here in town. I think they are barkcloth, but who knows. I just love them.

They have a sweet yarny tassely trim. There's flowers, chickens, etc... But my favorite embellishment is this little colonial horseman:

And here is a weenie dog:

His name is Oscar, he is a mini-daschund, and he's the cutest pain in the butt I ever saw.

New Old House.

Been out of commission for awhile, moving into this lovely old house. Built in 1920, it was originally the main farmhouse of a huge farm in the area that has been sold off piece by piece over the years.

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We are still partially living out of boxes. We went from a tiny place to this one, which is pretty darn big in comparison.

I'm so thrilled to be in this house- but very overwhelmed. We're so blessed. Thanks to everyone who said us a prayer!

This is my favorite, but completely empty room, the dining room. I love the old chandelier. I do not love the weird 70's pumpkin color. Oh well, that's what paint is for. This house has some oddball colors.

We are only the 3rd owners of this house. The people we bought it from were only here for 7 years, and they had bought it from children of the original owners and builders, who, as I understand, both died in this very house. I'm not sure what the husband's name was, but the lady's name was Annie Mae Stockstill, and she died around 1999... which brings me to the next room I want to share....

This is the office/art studio, which I understand is where the lady passed away. It is extremely gloomy, shadowy, and is painted the same awful shade of peach that the outside of the house is. This side of the room with the fireplace and closets is mine. The other side of the room is my hubby's computer area, where I am sitting right now. The weird little closet to the left connects to the other bedroom, which is my son's room. We are going to make this room bright and cheery. All in good time!

On Pins and Needles

Right now i'm on pins and needles. We are about to make what will likely be the largest and most important part of our life- a house. I'm terrified that it will somehow fall through.

Barring any rich folks' houses and historical homes i've been in, this is literally the most wonderful house i've ever had the pleasure of walking through. It's not a large house. It's not particularly ritzy, nor is it full of modern amenities; It was built in 1920, and it has it's own unique beauty that only someone who is meant to make this house a home could appreciate. Even my husband, who favors newer brick-style homes, was delighted the moment he stepped inside.

What's more, it is obvious that, through the entire 85 years that this house has been in existence, it has been loved and cared for as if it were a palace. It has a personality, one that called out to me like i've never felt.

Now I know that I am unworthy of being blessed with such a wonderful place to live, especially with so many in our area who lost their homes to Katrina. The longing that I feel to live in this house, and the fear I feel that I will never be able to, has made me reflective about all the blessings that I have been given by God, even at times when I thought I had been deserted by Him.

I have been poor many times, yet I have never lacked food or shelter. When my husband was laid off from his good job at General Dynamics, and had to work at a farm store warehouse while I worked as a bartender, we were fortunate to find this house we are now living in... with a landlord who was not greedy about rent when most landlords in this area are price gouging shysters. Finally my husband was a able to get a good paying job, and I was able to return to school, where I recently received my Associate's degree and a good job almost immediately. .

While thinking about the possibility of owning this house we want so badly, I have to remember that God is taking care of us, and always has. If we are not able to purchase this home, He will provide what is best for us, even if it isn't necessarily what we wish for. It's a matter of faith to believe that God has our best interests at heart, even when it seems like what is happening is the end of the world. How many times has something horrible happened, that we thought would absolutely destroy our sanity, and after a long period of healing we recognize that the tragedy led us to a blessing?

So, just not getting something we want badly can make us act like spoiled children, railing at the parent who was only looking out for our best interests by denying us our desire of the moment- to protect us from a bad choice that we were too blind to recognize.

I am praying very hard for this new old house. The one we live in right now is cramped and very uncomfortable... but it's so much more than what many people have. So if God removes our desire from our reach, I will do my very best to be obedient and say, "Thy will be done".

One Of The Coolest Things I've Ever Seen

So we've just about all seen the adorable "fairy doors" for sale on the internet and elsewhere; but good Lord, will you take at gander at this:

It came from this awesomely enchanting website: http://www.fairywoodland.com/ . They're rather pricey, but it looks to me as if they are worth it!

Heard about the "urban fairy" doors popping up all over Ann Arbor, Michigan? Read about em' here:http://www.urban-fairies.com/locations.html .

Hehe. What would be hilarious is if someone made some fairy homes for down here in the Deep South. A little tiny mobile home (maybe made of a mushroom or a log or something) with lil' wooden wheels and tiny polyester curtains and a wee clothesline hung with patched britches. Hahaha! Or maybe a nicer fairy house with a blue-tarped roof. After all, wouldn't the Fae be affected by Katrina as well? Just a thought.

If I Could be a Photographer...

This is my favorite photograph, The Mirror of Long Ago, by my favorite (deceased) photographer, Clarence John Laughlin. As I kid I was fortunate enough to be given as a gift his best known book of photography, Ghosts Along the Mississippi. His subject matter often revolved around broken down old southern plantations, graveyards, moss-dripping columns, cracked plaster. Right up my alley, of course.

This is Victorian Phantasms (1946). Even when Laughlin did photograph something other than southern ruins, the photography still had an ominous overtone.

But my favorite photos of his are the ones he is best known for- as I mentioned before, southern ruins. Having grown up in southern Mississippi, one hour away from New Orleans, I can't help but love this subject matter. My parents used to take me to old abandoned houses, graveyards,etc. They are weirdos, so I guess I get it honestly.

Besieging Wilderness.

I also love me some Gel Medium and Glaze Medium.

These are 2 other things I bought that I actually had to get up the nerve to use. But I love em! I used gel medium to make the textured effects, and glazing medium to get the green nice and transparent. Then I used various inks and chalks to highlight the texture.

The wings are made with Cherry Pie stamps on green vellum, and the flourish on bottom is a stamp by Tuscan Rose.

I shall sing the praises of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.

I decided to splurge and get some Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel by Ranger. I have the awesome book "Artist Trading Card Workshop" by Bernie Berlin. A few of the techiniques described include using this stuff.

Well, i'm a pretty timid person, when it comes to trying new things- I just get crushed when I try something new and it turns out looking poopy. I'm the type of person who will buy a bunch of art supplies, only to have them sit there in the bag for 2 weeks while I walk by, wishing I had the nerve to dive right in. (A few things I bought last week never even made it out of the trunk of the car. Har Har!)

Many times I have to just barge ahead, ignoring the "committee" in my head that tries to stop me. (Uh, yes, i'm using art as therapy...)

But anyway, I love the way this came out. I hope the glassy effect is obvious. The bottom got smeared, but that ended up being one of those happy accidents. In fact, I got a paper towel and smeared even more away, creating a fade effect. So what I have here is a background that I like so much, I almost don't want to put anything on it. But I will of course.