image inspiration

ok so... today I thought of a website that I have frequented in the past but haven't browsed in a long time.  they do interviews with cool people from all over the world.  the pictures are what fascinates me so.  i love to see how these people live... not necessarily "those" people in particular.  sometimes one catches my eye.  truthfully, i was looking this morning before any kids got here and had to stop when they arrived so i just logged off the internet but left my browser open to one of the interviews.  it's naptime now and i opened it back up to look through the pictures again and read a bit about one of the interviewees.  i adore the greenhouse... regardless of the rest of the interview.  but i found myself  staring at the inside of her home.  the big tiled floor and dark wooden flooring, her shoes, the baby bed alongside her own, imagining all the while what her life might be like... for real.  people's lives... even mine to you I'm sure... are different than they look online.  you only see the pretty stuff... not the fact that I've had to have more teeth pulled because of my gritting and grinding, and the infection from it, the truck pulls at county fairs we've been going to (came in 3rd at one), the sunshine, the rain, the rotten garden, the dust on my dresser and cat hair on the floor.  people's lives aren't always as sunny as they seem online... just keeping it real.  that ranted over... i do adore the sunny side of this life...  and i did enjoy the interview. (i made myself read it rather than just looking at the pictures... arty people are fascinating, aren't they.)


Where on earth did this couch come from?  It is awesome and looks so soft.

How quaint... a mirror above the table and goldenrod spilling from a chair.

Step up into a different world.

The fronds on her curtains are fantastic.

I truly enjoy the way this room is set up.  The couches (that were once a sectional?), the globes up top, the music station in back, the sunburst mirror, ugh!  I just want to curl up with the blanket and look through the magazines on the couch don't you!?

I do adore the rugs in her home.  And the chandelier over the bed.

The richness in the floor boards.

Ok so you can find this interview HERE.  All of the pictures came from the same website.

 

Let's find another shall we?  It didn't take long.

 

Same website... the photos found were from THIS interview. 

 

OK so there's really no question in my mind why this interior with it's décor captures my eye.  From the plants to the taxidermy and light.  It all seems so alive.
 

The website Fruende von Freunden has so many interviews and other postings that I could browse all day.  Take a visit with them sometime.

 



fall decorating

I personally am not ready for Fall to arrive.  Granted the cooler nights sound appealing from a campfire point of view.  On a look back through pictures, browsing for fair entries, I came across an open house Mary Evelyn and I visited last year that may pose as a bit of inspiration for you.  Some pictures have more and some a splash here and there.  But it all has me thinking a bit forward.

 

 

 

Although her style of decorating her home may be different than yours, as it is mine, it's fun to see and get ideas for even a little place to sit a pumpkin or string up some mini gourds.  I love hers hanging over the oven.



a find it

With craft fair season almost upon us I thought I would get you up to speed in spotting.  I have a few photos from Bellbuckle and a couple from the Nashville flea market last year.  Let's see if you can tune in your keen eye and find the items listed below the pictures.

 

 

Seven peace signs, seven bears, a owl, a tiger, seven skulls, a rainbow, a daisy, an orange ribbon.

Superman, a syrup bottle, a really big smile, a wooden shoe, a football, a scholar, an upside down dish. and a parasol.

A snowflake, two blue birds, a bathtub, a globe, two dancers, a spinning wheel, a wren, a mini bar and a white telephone.

 A baseball, a storm trooper, a deer and four parasols, Santa, Sunbeam Barbie, an eight ball and a baby with no arms.

 

A leaf, smiling faces and a red dinosaur, dancing ladies, a stethoscope, a copper tub and taffy logs, a fish, beaded basket, butter churn and a ball.

A jar of thread, a red hat, Aunt Dea, A wooden whistle, baked goods, a radio, a 5 4, 3 cigar boxes, a water bottle, a spoon and a flask.

 

Awe that's all?? I have so much fun doing these.  I hope you enjoy them too! 



little hummingbirds

And speaking or papier mache... I have always felt that I could create anything using it.  I have made many things in my years with papier mache and love to work with it in all it's messiness and simplicity.  Just mix up a batch, made a mold of something and cover it... let it dry and paint it.  Simple as that.  During naptime one day, after the volcano was complete, I decided to try and make butterflies.  The butterflies didn't turn out as planned so I moved on to something bigger... birds.  Or one bird in particular.  Hummingbirds.

 

There was a lot of messiness in between these steps so the camera was not involved.

Oh, but the wings are simple cut out cardstock with a bend at the body and tape.

I love this little belly.

I used mod podge mixed with fine glitter for the green body and red throat.  I painted the belly white and the beak black and added black sequin eyes.  I also used heavy duty foil... incase you were wondering.



days of our day care

About a month ago... the big kids and I decided that we needed a project.  Something that would involve all of us working together.  We do lots of projects that show individuality, but not many that show what we can do together.  I thought about it and decided that we should make a papier mache volcano... and they were ALL IN!  So we traipsed back to the shop at the house to find a piece of plywood for our base and covered it with aluminum foil.  Then we fashioned a model volcano out of a Pringles can and tissue paper all glued down and together.  Next I mixed up a batch of papier mache as the boys tore pieces of newspaper.  Then we painted our volcano and the base.  And the most exciting step of all was carrying our creation outside and making it erupt by adding baking soda, a little food coloring and vinegar.  Tis was their most favorite step of all.  The big finale!

 

 

Note: this did not all happen in one day.  Our Wednesdays, at the time, consisted of only the bigger boys.  So we used our Wednesday time together to work on our project a little at a time.