holidays and shows

for the past month or so, i have been giving my fingers a work out trying to get prepared for my show at serenbe. i was there from 8 to 4 today, and put so much energy toward this show which really paid off.

i love the way this crystal lamp sparkles!

remember when i bought this (scroll down a bit)? i gave the rack a good coat of white paint and then printed out Linwood Avenue price tags which i inserted into the metal slats on each shelf. the look and storage capacity was perfect!

i am officially done with shows for the season - now it's time to start creating holiday gifts!

and the winner is...

my felted ornament giveaway is now finished - thanks to everyone who entered.
i placed everyone's names into a bowl and had my terribly dirty, tree-climbing munchkin draw a name for me...
blanche and guy, email me your address at info@linwoodavenue.com and i will get your ornament sent out!

if you are local, come visit me at the serenbe holiday festival tomorrow, 1-4.

new moon and a milestone

o.k., i can't believe i am going to write about this for my hundredth post, yes i said hundredth post - woo hoo, but i saw new moon tonight and it actually didn't suck. the directing was much better than twilight, the acting was much better and the cinematography was much better. all in all, quite an enjoyable movie if you are obsessed with the twilight saga. not saying i am though ;)

and more holiday ideas

looking through the december issue of country living, i came across a fantastic idea - use a galvanized bucket to cover up your ugly tree stand. i bought a tree skirt a few years back, but have never really liked it. i feel like i am always struggling to get it to lay straight or worrying that too much water has spilled on it. a bucket has the perfect antique holiday charm and would look great with the rest of my holiday decorating.

i am now officially on the hunt for a bucket like this, cheap of course! any ideas?

photo from page 110 of december/january country living magazine

and a perfect partner for everyone

remember when i bought this a few months ago? who knew that i would find it's perfect companion this weekend. i walked into an atlanta value village and it was waiting for me right at the front door. how could i say no! after a face lift with new wiring and some white spray paint, it will be better than ever.

ice atlanta is happening this weekend. if you are in atlanta, you should definitely check it out. i went to one of their may festivals at centennial olympic park and it was fabulous. the art is fabulous, the swag is fabulous and the people are fabulous - what more can i say!

sales and storybooks

i spent my morning heading to an estate sale that was a total bust. hardly anything for sale and it was all under a tent in the driveway. maybe it's just me, but isn't snooping inside of the house one of the main reasons to go to an estate sale! what i did find is the cutest little storybook house a little bit down the road. the entire house is probably the size of a one car garage, maybe smaller, but oh so cute. i dream of one day having an office in a space like this. a building all to myself that has a commute no longer than the walk across my yard.
since i turned up empty with the sale, i made a pit-stop at the local goodwill and found these adorable sheets. the sheets have the sweetest trim and i must say they are calling out for me to make aprons out of them. i can see it now, the trim running along the bottom of the apron with a hand stitched floral pocket.

doors and jewelry

i have an affinity for glass doorknobs, i always have. they add such warmth and are the perfect jewelry for french doors! i scoured a bunch of atlanta flea markets and didn't find any so i bought these off of ebay. although they aren't perfect (like the description said they were :), they are definitely better than any reproduction that i could have bought at home depot. the metal finish is perfectly antiqued and they are the right size for my narrow office doors.

my office move into our (old) downstairs living room is almost complete. we had french doors installed to keep the munchkins out and i am just getting around to painting them. i used to be able to paint all day every day, but since my experience with our first house which was barely 1100 sq ft and included 14 doors (no lie!), i must say i hate painting doors. and yes, hate is a very strong word as i am constantly reminding the munchkins, but i really hate it! so it might take me more than a few days to finish these babies and add their jewelry, but after that, it will be time to unveil the new space. which, have i mentioned, i love, love, love!

aprons and another show

i have been working hard to get ready for another show on sunday, november 29th from 1-4 at serenbe in palmetto georgia. if you have never been here, it is definitely worth the trip. this community is simply beautiful and inspiring and i could not do it justice by explaining it here - you'll just have to come out and have a look for yourself.

last night the productivity bug hit me and i finished all 20 craft aprons that i had cut. seriously, it feels so good to check things off my list that i don't know why i ever procrastinate! these aprons are a big hit with the vendors at each festival i attend. at the end of a show, when everyone is packing up is when i am the busiest with crafters running over. they are perfect to hold cash, checks, pens and your cell phone while you are selling your wares.

whatever doesn't sell will be available on my etsy site the beginning of december. that is, once i find someone to model them for me. my current model is preggo and probably won't want to wrap these things around her belly!

100th post and giveaway

i am coming up on my 100th post and in celebration, i am having my first giveaway! the winner will be gifted with one of my felted poinsettia ornaments. all you have to do to enter is "follow" me between now and friday, november 27th. that's it, just click the follow button in the right hand column and you are entered. i will post the winner on saturday the 28th. thanks for all your support and feedback throughout the first year of this blog!

junk and pearls

my friend joy and i hit a local estate sale today and had so much fun playing dress up (that's me on the left). i am definitely not a girly girl who spent her youth dressing up as a princess, but in my adulthood, i definitely have a weakness for shoes and jewelry. when miss jean passed away, she left the most gorgeous jewelry. the lady who ran the sale said that she was married 3 times and had no children. by the looks of her closet and the amount of crystal decanters for sale, she must have lived one hell of a life.

we each picked up some fabulous pearls which were love at first sight. i told joy that i need partial custody of hers since i had the misfortune of her eyeing them first. we are very diplomatic about not fighting over pieces. what else are you going to do when you shop with someone who has the same taste as you!

illustration and art

i just signed up for an art class at the callanwolde fine arts center in atlanta and couldn't be more excited. come january, i will be exploring the world of botanical illustration. i really have no idea why i am drawn to creative disciplines that conjure up white haired women in their 80s all sitting in a circle, but such is life. maybe i am really one of those white haired women trapped in a 34 year old body!

i have been eyeing this class for years now and with the munchkins in school and me having the ability to make my own work hours, there is no time like the present. so i am going to dust off my fabulous micron pens and go buy a new drawing pad.

and also pray that the creative gods send someone for me to be chummy with in the class :)

and still more ornaments

gingerbread anyone?

ornaments and memories

i don't know what bug has gotten into me, but i can't stop making christmas ornaments! for once, i am ahead of the game and not stressing out days before christmas.

i started a tradition when each of my boys was born to make an ornament for them every year. not cutesy baby ornaments, but real grown up hand-crafted ones. i have 2 boxes (one for each) tucked away in the attic christmas bins. each year, i deposit their ornament in and the goal is that when they grow up and start living on their own, they will already have love and memories to fill up their first tree.

next on my ornament extravaganza? deer and gingerbread men courtesy of some brown felted sweaters.

sweaters and felting

i've had some sweaters hanging around since high school and yesterday i put them to good use! felting is something i have wanted to try for a few years now and i am so excited that i finally jumped in. i researched a couple of different techniques, but it is really as easy as washing a few times on hot and drying. it does clog up your washer a bit, so if this becomes a new hobby for me, i might take my sweaters down to the local laundromat and ruin their machines.

the sweaters were all different - the pink one, i ran through the washing machine twice and the one on the far right went through 4 times. i guess it all depends on the individual sweater.

now if you'll excuse me, i have a lot of christmas ornaments to cut out of this beautiful felt.

halloween and a lazy day

happy halloween (a day late :). we will be hanging around the house today in a sugar coma. hope some of you are a little more productive with this beautiful sunday!