Studio Photos

If you have been wondering where I have been, this is it... I finally painted my new studio space, and this time, I took my time. Only that which I truly need, love, and use is here.

Quick tour.. the cutting table under the eaves is set up on bed risers so it is 6" higher than a standard dining table. (I'm short.. so that works fine) The skirt covers a fabulous mess of junk.. maybe I'll show that later. The 'sewing' table is a table we had on our screened porch. I covered it in a white damask vinyl cloth to keep things bright.

I still have space on my shelves to fill but that's a good thing. And, yes, I'm loving my Laura Ashley ironing board cover! It has so much more padding than the cheap ones that come on the boards. The clothe hanging is my cover clothe so adhesives, etc.. don't get on everything.

The clock above once had a tacky puppy dog face on it. The outside color was perfect though, so I took it apart and replaced the face with something much more 'me'.

All of the fabulous, vintage knitting needles my mother in law gave to me. I love having them in a tall glass container so I can see their colors..

More storage.. are you figuring out my color scheme yet? :)

Vintage notions.. I love the look and they are just as functional as 'new' ones.

More storage.. the tins hold a medley of supplies.. I really need to label them though, as I have to open both whenever I am looking for something.

This studio space feels so different than the rest of the house. My goal was bright, fun hues that inspired. I hope they inspire you too..

xoxo~

Abbie

To see photos of the rest of the house click on the label 'house' below.

In a nutshell..

I was outside with the kids the other day and despite my complete lack of creativity, I grabbed my camera on the way out the door. Above is a shot of the blackberry brambles that wrap around our backyard. They are nasty, but have supplied us with many blackberry treats and jellies.

This is a micro shot of the moss and tiny seedlings sprouting on our stonewall. It amazes me to no end how complex and precarious life is.

I spent a few days in Ottawa during the beginning of the month visiting my father. It was the Tulip Festival so I had to throw in a tulip photo.

Our apple trees are in blossom as well. This lovely sits outside my kitchen window.. the spring breeze carries it's fragrance all over our yard.

I had to drag the pots I had on the deck into the 3 season porch the other evening. It got down to 30 degrees and the frost would not have tread kindly on my tomatoes.

Last fall I made the tiny pillow sitting in the little chair. It makes me happy. We also have chickens now! They are so fabulous! They make me happy too.. I'll get some pics up for you when time allows..

Hope everyone is out, enjoying the world!

xoxo~

Abbie

Images of Reality

I thought I'd share with you my 'reality'. So often in Bloglandia we sugarcoat, crop and edit until our worlds are lovely, picture perfect illusions. You get glimpses into my home, when it's clean, organized and unfettered by my children's rampage. The truth is that my house rarely exists in perfect harmony and most often it is a chaotic mish mash of Disney Princess toys, tents and Matchbox cars. With the occasional leaky sippy cup or barking dog dressed up as Tinkerbell. So, for all of you who love before and afters, here is one of my Red Room. Strategically hidden behind the large leather couch are all of the toys... isn't it serene and tidy? Note the very intentional photography so that none of the toys behind the couch are visible.

After the hurricane of my 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old hit. This is the way it looks most of the day.

Now you know why I take pictures when it's neat. Because it rarely is!

So, here is my reality. :) Bright chaos, in shades of pink and princess plastic. In all honesty, I do love this room. It is bright, full of sunshine and it takes only five minutes to throw all the toys over the couch to 'clean it up'. You can get a peek of my PC in the hutch in the corner. the sun is shining and the snow is melting. What could be better?

xoxo~

Abbie

Mad Dash!

I am on a mad dash to finish an afghan that I started way back in November. Nothing fancy, simple double crochet, soft off white yarn. I planned on using it in the family room to brighten up our dark plaid couches, but I didn't plan very well. White afghan, three dogs with black hair. What was I thinking??? It might end up in our bedroom, but perhaps I'll still use it in the LR. It'll just need to be washed every few days or at least run through the dryer. I have also finished decorating the red living room for the time being. Here is a before shot (you can see more before shots HERE).

And here are the after photos.

Let's see.. the brown beast of a recliner came out of the family room to make way for my new chair shown further below. Also added were a pair of lamps to either end of the bookcase for reading or task lighting. The only lights before were the ceiling spots and they were very hard to work/read by in the evening.

I actually really like them, it makes the ends of the cabinet function more like end tables. I love the little birds on the lamps!

The other really wonderful addition is the ottoman. It stores all of my magazines nicely and it is super comfy as a foot rest. Also, there are no sharp edges for small heads to bang into. With toddlers around, have to keep function in mind!
Below is the before pic of the family room before the switch of the chairs. I really didn't care for the leather one. It was too big! My feet would swing and I felt like a school child who just got into trouble.

The new chair is lighter (obviously) and it rocks and spins. Very convenient as now I can swivel it to see the TV or what's going on outside.

I haven't looked for an end table yet. But having spent all of my Christmas money already it'll have to wait. The step stool there now works well and is light enough for me to move it quickly out of the way when I spin the chair. Well, that will be the end of the house pics for a while. Now that my large projects are finished and I am content at the moment with how things look, it's time to focus on my art more.

Anyone else having huge problems with HGTV's new site?? I have lost all of my Rate My Space pages. Not impressed at all! That took a lot of work! Hopefully they'll get the kinks worked out.

xoxo~
Abbie

A wee splash of sunshine...

I didn't add too much, (at least I don't think so) just enough yellow and bright green to freshen things up. We need the sunshine around these parts lately as the winter dull drums have hit me hard. Some glass containers on the cabinets with lemons, new yellow dish towels and a yellow rooster mat for the floor. I think I might paint the cherries on my 'Keep It Simple' sign yellow. Since I made it, I can paint them whatever color suits my fancy! :) I also took down the curtains to let more light in.
The three tiered rack is a new addition to the kitchen too. I think I found that on clearance at Lowe's for $6 last year. It had been hanging out in a closet since then as I thought it might be too tall for the space. I like it. It helps make the yellows, greens and oranges the focal color.
I picked up a package of four place mats, the fun green print above, on clearance at HomeGoods for $4. That's only 1$ a piece! Looovveee a bargain!
The cutting boards I have had for years. When I realized the colors were perfect I switched out these wall plaques for them.

The antique wooden bowl above was my grandfathers. Every family gathering he'd pop popcorn on the wood stove in his kitchen and then put it in this bowl. After he passed away it was one thing I asked for from his home. Can I tell you, the damn thing stinks to high hell! All the years of butter being put in it, are, well, let's just say I can't clean it. I've tried. If it doesn't get touched, its not too bad. I just love to look at it though. So, I bring it out in the winter time, because in the summer heat, it's unbearable!

What do you think? Do you like the yellows and greens or the RED ?

Hope you are finding a bit of sunshine!
I'll have picks of a new chair and also some new pics of the red room for you soon.

xoxo~
Abbie

Wow. White Fluffy Puffy Stuffy. Wow. I tell ya, wow.

We had a foot of snow fall on Friday and into Saturday.

Now, we are having another 12" to 18" fall today. We are precariously balancing our sanity with the thankfulness that we still have power. 25 thousand in NH have been without it for over a week now.

I'm thinking that perhaps I'll BBQ. Burgers on the grill anyone?

As I type, the wind and snow is swirling around the house so quickly that I can't see the grill on the deck anymore. Maybe I'll skip the burgers tonight.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. I went and hid there yesterday for a moment to get away from the two housebound, stir crazy, wild eyed monsters that were once my sweet little girls.

Hope everyone else is surviving!

the trimmings.

I love Christmas time. The sparkle and lights just make me warm all over. These are a few of my favorite things.. shiny red glass ornaments...

Glittery snowmen...

Thankful babes...

Pouting angels...

Peeking santas with polka dot caps...

Tiny snowmen caught under cups...

Antique santas from Christmas past..

Little boys singing carols...

Fancy ornaments too fragile for the tree...

and little girls singing carols.

Happy Holidays!

xoxo~
Abbie

Afghans!

OK, as some of you might of noticed, I am going through an identity crisis right now. My blog keeps flip flopping and if you come back in a little while, I'm sure, again, it will be changed. :) Sorry, I love change, thrive on it actually, and since most everything in life is the same right now, I'm changin' up my blog. Again. Keeps things fresh! You never know what you're gonna get here!

Anyhooo.. I have been on the search for an afghan. Not just any afghan, but a bright colored one with a black border. (We have a lot of black, reds, golds, and greens in our home) I had clipped out several inspiration pics from magazines and was keeping them in case I needed to break down and make own. Well, I didn't have to! After loosing one on Ebay (I tried to swipe it last second and Ebay didn't take my bid! Aaahh! I hate it when that happens..) I did finally manage to win the bid on one a few weeks ago. It is beautiful!! 100% wool, vintage, needed just slight repair, and 80% of the price went to a homeless shelter. (which is a good thing, because it was foolishly expensive) Oh, but it was so worth it! I love my afghan! ♥ Thank you sweetheart. (He is the one who told me to keep bidding, I would have stopped early on.)

The top picture is of my afghan in the rocker in our 'red' living room. The two pillows in front of it are a few I made this season. My favorite is the small plaid pillow with the leaf. I am finding peace in hand stitching right now. It brings sense of satisfaction to make things for my home, not just to buy them. The last two pics are the inspiration clippings I kept.

Have a lovely weekend!

oh, rats..

I have been decorating for Halloween. This year is by far the most done up the house has been. I cut out rat silhouettes from Martha Stewart's Living Oct '07. They now are scampering all over the kitchen area. The one above is peeking down over the edge of the mantel casing. The kids think they are lots of fun, as Ratatouille is one of their favorite movies. The witch profile was also another tidbit from Martha's magazine. I cut it out of black paper, framed it up, then grubbied the frame and glass with brown and black paint.

Hubby has now caught my daughter's (both of them) cold and has had a fever, cough, congestion for days now. Baby A went to the doctor's yesterday and they started her on antibiotics. It has now been over three weeks of sickness in the house and I am going absolutely crazy. I'm wearing baby snot like it was a fashionable accessory right now. I hope everyone is healthy and happy out there, and if you are in the neighborhood, I would recommend avoiding us!

More images from around the farm...

A few more of the shots I took around my aunt's farm. I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

Rate My Space

I have been uploading images of our home to HGTV's Rate My Space. You can take a peek around and 'Rate My Space' HERE. If you have uploaded pics of your space, let me know, I'd love to peek!