FreeSourceFull

I'M BACK! And Continuing Past Projects...

2015-02-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

What a blessing it is to have the time to revive my blog! A huge "THANK YOU!" goes out to the heavens and to any benevolent forces that have brought me to where I am. Yay.

Ok, so... Where were we?

Red cabinet! Right!

I decided on a color for the back -- turquoise, painted up some bead board with a wonderful shade called "Seaside Resort" that I got for FREE, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the result.

The two bins at the bottom are plastic dog food bins that I made burlap covers for. They hold recycling. I wish the lids were the same color. One of these days, I'll dig out the plastic paint and paint the red one white. But not today.

I just adore glass jars all lined up in rows and labelled.

More jars.

I like having my measuring cups and spoons handy and visible without having to fish in a drawer or them. And I'm in love with these vintage-looking honey jars from Boykin Apiaries in Mountainburg, Arkansas. So very 1930's -- my new favorite decade!

Fancy, expensive organic spice jars. I peeled off the labels and refill them. I'm especially fond of having toothpicks in a jar instead of in a box that always seems to lose its shape and come apart and gather crumbs in the process.

I loved the turquoise color so much that I painted the French doors to match. And then I made burlap curtains. The texture just really adds something and they're lined so they really keep in a lot of heat when I keep them closed on cold days. That's Wishy (short for Wishbone) on the table. There is at least one cat on the table at all times except during meals.

Above is a shelf containing my beloved thermos collection. My thermos rule was they had to be priced under $1. That's the only thing that kept the collection from getting completely out of hand - which it kinda did anyway.

The fabric celebration banner is the first of many which I will be selling soon. I see these banners all over the place (especially in flea markets) but, for some reason, they are rarely for sale -- so I intend to fix the availability issue for others.

The red and turquoise go together so well that I wanted more red near the turquoise doors. This shelf thingy was some sort of old office container. I found it one the curb, sprayed it red, and VOILA! it's the perfect place for my old-and-not-so-old camera collection. An old red metal retail "clip strip" holds family photos. More red and turquoise tie into the color scheme via the Coca Cola and Fiesta pieces on the shelves.

Ok, now, before I obsess on how not-fabulous my photos are, I'm going to post this!

Time for a New Year!

2012-12-29T16:28:00.002-08:00

Remember that I was all inspired to use the board over my fireplace for different decorations for different holidays?

Good! You've been paying attention! (Fake it if you haven't.)

So...

I saw THIS on Pinterest.

And I had THIS for Christmas.

I had a bunch of clocks and letters around.

So I did THIS for New Years:

I'm definitely liking it. (Though I wish my pictures were clear -- but they never are so OH WELL!)

Now, back to Pinterest to plan for Valentine's Day!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2012-12-12T09:12:00.001-08:00

I'm not big on Christmas. I am a summer girl. Usually, the thing I want most for Christmas is for it to be OVER.

However, in the true spirit of both Scrooge and the Grinch (a stuffed version of which is wired to the front grill of my car for the month of December every year), I do have a tendency to come around -- usually on Christmas Eve.

This year, I am still feeling the usual financial and gift-buying stresses and the general overall dread, but a few things have been different for the better!

I put up the Merry Christmas sign by the front door on NOVEMBER 28th! That's right -- still in the month of November! This even violates my rule that says: "Absolutely No Christmas until December 1st (at the earliest)!"

We got decorations out on the 8th and did most of the decorating. I'm not sure what got into me. Oh yeah! Sara-Grace got on my back about it and marched me up to the attic!

Also on the 8th, Mark and I went on a mission to find a pine tree I could cut a few branches from. This turned out to be fun and boded well for my living room. I think the thing I enjoy most about Christmas is the little, simple, old-fashioned, FREE stuff that is what Christmas was about before commercialization -- using the bounty of the seasonal things that are around and are FREE!

I love how the pine branches add just a simple suggestion of the season to my grandparents' 1939 piano with my mother's huge ceramic pot full of branches on it:

Here is my fireplace as I've done it for the past few years:

And here is my fireplace this year (can you tell from the draped fabric that I'm in the process of making slipcovers for my grandmother's armchairs out of burlap and white mattelasse?). I like this MUCH better!

During the rest of the year, I have a big oil painting that belonged to my grandparents over the mantle. It is a wonderful sea scape that they bought in the 1980's from a well-known artist in Laguna Beach (where I later lived) and, by a second wonderful coincidence, depicts my very favorite beach: Nuestra Senora del Refugio Beach which is north of Santa Barbara.

Every year, for Christmas, I have to take down the painting (which is almost 45" square complete with large gilded frame -- you know grandparents!) and store it somewhere (that is hopefully safe) so I can hang up the Twelve Days of Christmas plates and decorate for Christmas. And sometimes I just get tired of the painting dictating the mantle during the rest of the year too!

This year, an idea evolved. I wanted something that I could put IN FRONT OF the painting so that I wouldn't have to move it. I moved the Twelve Days of Christmas plates and hung them over the window which I like a lot.

Here's an older picture of the plates so you can actually see them. Aren't they pretty? (BTW you can still get them from Williams Sonoma if you happen to like them as much as I do.):

I took a 45" square of particle board that was loitering around as a reject from another project and covered it with white cotton duck/canvas that I had on hand. Then I cut an 84 cent piece of thrift store burlap to size and hot-glued it on. I hammered in a nail and hung my mother's pine cone wreath (that's been around for my whole life and is VERY "my mother") on it and propped the whole thing up in front of the painting. I LOVE THIS!

Now I am entertaining fantasies of how I can decorate this board for other holidays and for the rest of the year: a flag for the 4th of July, a wreath with eggs on it for Easter, something with a heart for Valentine's Day, something creepy for Halloween, maybe a wreath with pheasant feathers for Thanksgiving?, and it could also hold letters that could spell out things like JOY or SUMMER or HAPPY. I have a whole basket full of assorted letters I've gathered over the years when I find them for a dollar or less. Hmmm...

So, for now, Christmas is kind of growing on me. I will REALLY like it once I have my shopping done -- IF that's before Christmas Eve.

And here are a few more glimpses of Christmas from around the house:

The Invasion of the Santas in the TV room (with another of my grandparents' sea scape paintings).

The Invasion of the Nutcrackers. Actually, this year there is another shelf of them up above.
You'll recognize Mother's pine cone wreath in it's previous location!

Torpedo is not at all sure she likes this particular variety of Christmas humiliation!

This is how I like Christmas best -- CONTAINED!

Merry, Merry!

Red Shelves for My Kitchen

2012-10-17T09:36:00.001-07:00

I'm not even really sure how it happened.

Somehow, despite the fact that I have a MILLION other things I SHOULD be doing, I decided that I needed to build shelves for my kitchen.

Actually, I think it happened at the end of the domino chain that started when the house was built in 1995. The contractor put a center island right in the middle of the work triangle -- you know, that scared cow of kitchen design that forms an invisible triangle between the stove, sink, and refrigerator.

At some point over the last 17 years, I detached the island from the floor and put it on wheels. But, most of the time, it stayed in the same place in the middle of the kitchen and in the way.

Recently, I decided to jettison the island unit into the garage and replace it with Mark's vintage Coca-cola cooler which will go in a different, out-of-the-triangle position
.

I put a board underneath and put old metal freezer baskets under there. Then I realized that an old red and while enamel tabletop from the 1930's that I had loitering in the garage would fit the top PERFECTLY. So the cooler now has a top. I also had a couple of white bar stools loitering around so they are now pulled up to it. There's still a debate going on around the house about whether or not to paint the Coke cooler. I think paint is about to win as what you are seeing above is the "good" side.

I think the shelves idea came with the realization that quite a bit of storage was going away with the island to the garage. It dawned on me that I could put all my baking supply jars out in the open shelves (where I can enjoy looking at them!) and that would free up a whole upper cabinet for other stuff.

Here's the spot where the shelves will go (to the left of the fridge). You can kind of see the table top on the Coke cooler in this photo too.

I took some careful measurements and made a plan and bought some boards -- $54 worth! Ugh. But worth it. Free boards of the proper widths and sufficient lengths were not likely to come around anytime soon.

Within two hours, I had this:

FOUR coats of red paint later, I had this:

And now, all decked out in jars, it looks like this:

I plan to put a bead board back on it as soon as I get the bead board painted. Well, ok, as soon as I decide on a color. Mark says turquoise. I love the idea but have to work up the courage and convince myself not to wimp out and used the same yellow that's on the wall. There are other red and turquoise things in the room, so it's not that far a stretch -- especially with the Coca-Cola thing going on in there since red and "Coke-bottle-blue" are the Coke colors.

The empty shelf/space in the middle is eventually going to hold a flat screen TV. Until then, I'll make a framed chalkboard to fill the space.

The feedback from the girls has been good. They all like the color and say it's much easier to get to things and they appreciate not having to climb over the cook to get to the baking supplies like they did when the baking department was in its previous location. The future flat-screen space is currently being used as the "soda shelf" (since we stocked up on 84 cent 2-liters the other day) so the girls arre pretty happy with that!

I love, love, love having everything in matching, labeled jars! This just makes my OCD happy! (which almost but not quite balances out the unhappy from the fuzzy photo).

The bottom section of the shelves, is designed to hold two bins. These trash cans fit perfectly but are WAY too ugly so I'm still on the hunt for the perfect thing. Any suggestions? They will hold either dog and cat food or trash and recycling.

There's been an unforeseen benefit of the baking shelves: more baking is going on around our house. Yum! A coffee cake appeared. There are also some chocolate creations in the works. And I noticed the oatmeal was askew so I'm thinking there are oatmeal cookies around somewhere!

Tank Top Score!

2012-10-04T11:46:00.001-07:00

It's taken me all week to get a free moment when no one else was in the church to snap this photo. The curtain rod that holds the name tag organizer was the perfect spot to display Sara-Grace's new tank tops!

Sara-Grace is 11. She wears a tank top under whatever she is wearing every day so as to be sure to meet the dress code requirements at school. I also think she just likes them.

I happened on to the summer clearance sale at the thrift store and they had all the tank tops priced at 50 cents each. So, this colorful array cost me a whole $3! And will save me the many headaches I would have had when Sara-Grace couldn't find a tank top to wear.

Score!

Hot Pink!

2012-09-26T08:04:00.003-07:00

I think I can manage brevity on this post (for a change)!

I found this at the thrift store yesterday. I didn't buy it because it's still $40 but I'm hoping it's ugly factor will keep it there long enough for the price to drop to $20 or less.

Isn't it UG-LY? I love it when something is so hideous that other people don't even give it a second thought/look but I have a vision for it and can clearly see what it COULD look like.

Why can't I just be still when I'm taking photos so they won't be blurry? Argh!

I have had THIS wonderful hot pink cabinet in my mind for months and have been looking for a piece that would go well with this unusual color. I think the above cabinet might be the piece.

Makes me want to devote a whole room to a new decor inspired by this piece!

This piece is also proof that just the right shade of a color can make even the most outrageous color choice come out looking all gorgeous and delicious!

This particular strange and risky color choice on this cabinet has gotten a gajillion "likes" on the Trash To Treasure Facebook Page so I think that is a good endorsement. It's a fun page. Check it out if you have a minute. The best way to enjoy it is to just scroll through the photos rather than reading the posts. I also love that some of the projects posted are HIDEOUS. Which makes me feel like I can do a whole lot better!

Not sure if I'll ever really get to do this project but I am enjoying the thought of it today!

Proof That I DO Have EVERYTHING

2012-09-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Recently I became enamored with a thought. All those small kitchen appliances that clutter my cabinets and counters and that keep my kitchen from looking like a magazine spread could be put in one place in neat, tidy cubbies with easy access. This very much appealed to my OCD. And to my magazine fantasies.

At first I wanted to build something like THIS which inspired the idea:

Love the Scrabble tiles for labels!

Then I thought a couple of those laminate tower shelves would work perfectly. But you can't just go to Walmart and buy those anymore because, apparently, they are a creature of the 80's or 90's. But I DO love them so -- seven square feet of storage (if you count the top surface) in one square foot of floor space! I have one in my garage that is the perfect thing to hold many sets of plates.

Not the photo from my garage that I had planned
but isn't this great use of a laminate storage tower (black tower on right)?

During last Saturday's cleaning spree, I would sit down periodically with a magazine (or several) for an inspiration break. The cubby fantasy was triggered again when I saw THIS:

The homespun nature of this cabinet made me think: maybe I have something around here that I can make work for this use. So I took a couple of measurements and started walking around first in the garage and then in the house looking for suitable pieces. Being the hoarder that I am, there was plenty to peruse and, as it turns out, I DID have just the piece for the job! Which just goes to prove that I should never go shopping again because I have EVERYTHING already!

(A little imperfect use-what-you-have photography!)

I don't know what the original purpose for this piece was but I think of it as a pie cabinet. I LOVE the thought of having a whole cabinet for pies (and a whole cabinet full of pies)! So just let me have my fantasy.

I got this cabinet for free from a dear friend of a dear friend who moved from one state to another to be with a new love and left most of her belongings in the process of her fresh start. If she ever changes her mind and wants it back, I wouldn't hesitate to return it to her because it is too wonderful to just give away (I really mean that Candyce!). Though I'm happy that it was given away to ME!

We all love the old-fashioned latch and the girls are always volunteering to close it for me to get to use the latch! This is a plus.

The pie cabinet had been in the front hall for just the last few weeks (where it replaced the tower that is now in the garage). It held hats, gloves, scarves, sunglasses, etc. But it was put to better use in the kitchen so I again went looking for something to fill the spot in the front hall.

What I found was this pale blue cabinet that was doing no particular good at the top of the back stairs. It was my mother's shoe and lingerie cabinet in her closet when I was born (and for the first 11 years of my life). I will NEVER paint it because the color is so much a part of what it is to me.

I figured out that the cabinet is blue and the front hall is blue toile so I thought it was close enough. Often I just let colors decide what goes in what rooms because I have a room of almost every color so, for example, anything green goes in the dining room because it has all the green stuff and anything red goes in the library because it has all the red stuff. Etc. Etc. Makes things a bit simpler I think.

Though I would LOVE to have one, I have no idea how some people get all their small appliances into one of those roll-top/tamblor-front counter top appliance garages.

Here is my new multi-story "appliance garage" complex.

The small appliances are now all neatly tucked away -- no stooping or digging required! I may even dig out some Scrabble letters to label them will (because, I DO, of course, have those around too).

Now I don't have to fight/fix that darned spinning cabinet where I should NOT have been keeping all this heavy stuff all these years!

Though the periodic fishing expeditions for the stuff that fell off the shelves into the abyss at the back of the cabinet were interesting. Though not fun.

Kitchen bliss! I needed that!

Alphabetized Soup!

2012-09-20T08:40:00.002-07:00

I'm stalled out on the blog post I have been working on for today due to photo complications. Darn!

But, in the course of searching around for replacement photos (unsuccessfully), I came across a favorite old photo/idea.

This is "freezer bliss" to the OCD Annie! I just happen to LOVE soup! Now I want size/shape-standardized and alphabetized soups! I even have the identical blue plastic basket in my possession already just by coincidence! Time for a soup cooking day, I think!

I hope you enjoy this image/concept as much as I do and that it will tide you over until I get my other post up!

There might be an onslaught of soup recipes posted soon! Just warning you!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

2012-08-27T08:45:00.004-07:00

I ran out of dishwasher detergent.

I HATE buying dishwasher detergent.

I hate it (and wasting water) enough that I give Mark grief about running the dishwasher when it's not completely full of dishes crammed into every possible space.

I did not want to go the store having just left $100 there for what I had planned to be 7-10 days worth of meals.

So I looked up a recipe for dishwasher detergent on the internet and was amazed at how simple and inexpensive it was.

Borax

Baking Soda

Dishwasher Detergent

Use equal parts Borax and Baking Soda in whatever quantity you like or have at hand.

This recipe works just fine and I don't feel the least bit deprived at not having a fancy bottle of Cascade. I love the simplicity of the homemade stuff.

I stored my new dishwasher detergent in an old Good Seasons Italian Dressing (from the mix) bottle that was sitting around in the cabinet but I'm still brainstorming on what a better container would be. There might be a blog post about that when I figure it out!

Meanwhile, you might give this a try.

Resourcefullness...and Brevity!

2012-08-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Brevity is hard for me. I remember being assigned a 20 page paper and turning in 35. I'm just kinda WORDY.

Yesterday's post was just supposed to be a list of the dozen spices I used in my curry dish and a sentence marveling about that. Then I had to add photos and recipes and comments from all angles. I can sure complicate things!

Today's experiment in brevity:

Thep Thai before:

Thep Thai after:

The owner (who's name I have never been able to discern) who did ALL of that himself, gradually, over time. He even grows vegetables and herbs in the parking lot. Amazing!I have enjoyed watching the progress over the years and love to marvel at it all when I'm there. He always inspires me.

Ha! Just blew my extreme brevity! As I was cropping the photo above (that I pulled off the internet) I realized that the woman I was cropping out is probably my friend, Karon! And then I could go on about how Karon was a big part of why and how I got a real estate license which could lead to lots of other topics.

I love this town! I almost never meet someone that I don't have someone in common with -- one or two degrees of separation (I never know how to figure that)! And now I'm tempted to put in a link to "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" or the whole concept of "Six Degrees of Separation" or the research study that I participated in about it years ago (BTW all connections went through my dad who knows EVERYONE!). Oops! Couldn't help myself!

Life is just too interesting to leave fun stuff out!

Bye! (As opposed to "Goodbye". Which is longer.)

Curry

2012-08-23T08:09:00.003-07:00

Mark and I have a date night tradition that means we go almost exclusively to our favorite Thai restaurant, Thep Thai.

When money is REALLY tight, we go just to share an order of basil rolls (glass noodles, scrambled egg, lettuce, carrots, fresh basil, and one shrimp each, wrapped in a thin rice sheet and served with peanut sauce and spicy shiracha sauce). They are divine.

Recently we took on the adventure of making our way through the "Curries" section of the menu (after an appetizer of basil rolls, of course). We liked some, found others too hot for us, and disliked the one that tasted like soap (though I'm sure it's good if that's the variety of curry you like)!

Then it occurred to me that I could make the perfect curry for me at home! I am very impressed with myself as this is not the sort of ethnic food that one thinks to make at home. Have you ever made egg rolls at home? (Shush up if you're the one person who has and let me have my point.)

I searched around on the internet and found a recipe for "Vegetarian Korma" that I modified based on other readers' comments and my own whims. I think it's a bit unfair to so conspicuously label it "vegetarian" as this could scare off some would probably never miss the meat if they didn't focus on the absence of it!

What amazes my most (beyond how INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS this is!) is how many spices are in it! How can something NOT be wonderful with the skillful combination of a dozen exotic flavors?

Here's the spice list:
onion
garlic
ginger
salt
curry
turmeric
cardamom
cinnamon
cumin
cilantro
jalapenos
garam masala (which I would have put in if I could find a place to buy it)
(also: does olive oil count too? And coconut milk?)

That comes to AT LEAST 12 spices!

This dish is very easy to make I love that it is also very inexpensive to make (skip the cashews at $5.96+ a can and you can cut the cost in HALF).

tomato paste .62
coconut milk 1.48
sweet potatoes 2.00
carrots .68
cilantro .98
garbanzo beans .88
onion .30
ginger .15
Total 7.09 (+ tax)
(Plus spices that you probably already have in the cabinet and any veggies, protein, or rice you might want to add in though I did not so I can keep it on my "Cheap Recipes" (under $10) list and make it frequently (I don't miss them anyway). The recipe serves around six which makes it around $1.25 per serving.

I also love that this dish is very healthy! It contains: carrots, sweet potatoes, tomato paste, garbanzo beans, other assorted/changeable vegetables, ginger and many healthy spices (as listed above). In fact, other than the salt (which it really does need) there's nothing in it that's not good for you! It is shown with white rice in the photo but I prefer brown rice for both taste and nutrition. However, I don't eat it with rice because I don't want the carbs or the bulk (and I'd rather just eat more of the Korma!).

Here's my version:

Annie's Indian Korma
(serves six-ish)

4 carrots (sliced)
2 sweet potatoes (cubed)
1 can garbanzo beans
1 small (8 oz.) can tomato paste
1 can coconut milk ("light" if available)(or you can use evaporated milk, fat free evaporated milk, or even
heavy cream depending on dietary preferences and availability)
1/4-1/2 onion (diced)
1-2 cloves garlic
1Tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1-2 teaspoons powdered ginger)
2 teaspoons salt (don't skimp on this)
2 teaspoons curry
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
2 jalapenos (diced)
1/2-1 bunch fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
(Optional: add tofu, chicken, other vegetables, and white or brown rice as desired.)

Preboil the carrots and sweet potatoes while you are preparing everything else. In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add in ginger. Add remaining ingredients (mix the chopped cilantro in or put it on top before serving -- whichever you prefer). Stir and cook for about ten minutes or until you think its done! Enjoy!

I hope you will try this dish! You will be glad you did and harbor eternal gratitude to me for the recipe!

Next, I need to learn to make basil rolls at home!

Now I am REALLY glad there are leftovers and I am going to go eat LOTS now! Bye!

Tour of My Front Entry Hall

2012-08-07T10:24:00.001-07:00

I have had great fun this morning writing a REALLY LONG blog about my front hall. Consider yourself warned!

Alas, I didn't take before pictures again. I didn't really plan on making such a big difference when I started cleaning up the front hall the other day. I love it when a little tidying snowballs into a big overhaul -- or at least something big enough in the change department that I want to get out of bed to go gaze at it periodically!

Picture a black highboy dresser that's missing the top two drawers, a little white 1940's dressing table, the foot board from a queen size sleigh bed, four red legs off a kitchen table, and a box of Christmas decorations. Then sprinkle in some more miscellaneous junk, some muddy footprints, a pile of school supplies, a few stray shoes, and a rambunctious kitten batting a pen cap around the floor. There! Now you have a semi-complete "before" shot! Then add some more junk to your image. Ok, now you've got it.

All of the above is what happens when it starts to rain on my projects and I have to stash them someplace safe. Safe = the front hall. Then things tend to stagnate there. Then we end up having to climb over them to get into the house. I know. I hope a bit of a problem. But not anymore!

Here are a few "after" shots and WAY too much commentary!

View from the front door into the kitchen.

This is the view from the front door into the kitchen. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my blue toile curtain that hides the hall closet and replaced those infernal hollow-core, bi-fold closet doors. I just adore this luscious fabric!

Here's a kinda blurry shot of my little blue ceiling. One morning about 12 years ago, I looked up at this little ceiling section and got a brainstorm. I pulled up a stepladder and painted it with paint I had on hand while still in my nightgown! Then I put gold cardboard stars and brass tacks on it to represent the stars around the "sun" of the light. It still makes me happy!

In another little example of my instantaneous brainstorms, I noticed one day that three door headers converged in this space and realized that, if I had a board the right length, I could use the door headers as shelf supports. I wandered into the garage, found an old chippy gray shutter, cut a couple of inches off of it so it would fit, and made a shelf in about three minutes. Look around your house for these fortuitous convergences and made a quick display shelf! In a bathroom, this would be a great place to stash a stack of crisp white towels to have handy (but safe from everyday use) for guests!

From this vantage point, you can see four of the five collections I have stashed in this space (I am only mildly ashamed to admit that I have 125+ collections): the stars above the closet, the white matte vases above the doorway, a few of my crosses to the right of the doorway, and a collection of framed kids' art depictions of the world to the left of the stairs.

Earth as depicted by my daughters.

There are a couple of other collections around the space as well. Some of my blue plate collection:

French doors to the TV room on the left. Plate collection in the middle. Curtained coat closet on the right.

Here's a more concentrated shot of the blue plates -- plus a couple of iron stone platters in a hymnal rack. What I'd really love is to put a couple more hymnal racks on this wall but I'm going to have to find them first. That should be fun!

Blue Plate Collection

Also present: a gathering of my ancestors. On the wall going up the stairs (see below) are antique photos of my maternal grandparents and their parents and grandparents. I can't tell you how many times one of these frames has been knocked off the wall and gone rolling down the stairs! This is how I've learned to cut and replace glass in frames! Luckily, none of the ancestors are any worse for wear from their wild rides! And I don't panic when it happens anymore but it sure freaks out guests who have wayward elbows.

The view of the stairs.

Below the ancestors is an old church pew that I still love after many years of having it around the house. I whipped up a blue and white striped ticking seat cushion for it and a blue toile pillow so it would match the curtain on the closet. Under the bench is an old yellow drawer and three baskets that hold shoes.

Above the bench on the wall is a bird-themed set of hooks for keys. It is a high offense to NOT put the keys on the hooks (right, Mark?)!

If you're wondering about the baby gate to the right, that's how we keep our vicious dogs from eating visitors -- we pen them on the stairs. It was originally installed to keep little Tessa and the little Sara-Grace from climbing upstairs and plunging to their deaths but now we just use it to protect visitors from the dogs. I must admit I kinda like having an excuse to keep the gate up -- it's kinda nostalgic for this mom of teens to live in the past a little now and then!

Sometimes I look at the view of the stairs while I'm sitting on the sofa in the TV room and I think to myself "That almost looks good enough to be in a magazine!" -- the "magazine-worthy" thing always being my goal. Then I remember that I am blind to the missing spindles in the stair rail. There's a story about that: more years ago than I care to admit, my ex-husband was moving a heavy item of furniture (I no longer remember what) down the stairs. It got away from him and took out the spindles. Well, it turns out that they no longer make that style of spindle so they have to be custom-turned on a lathe by a furniture-grade carpenter. $25-$30 each. Times FIVE! $150 for stair rails is a lot on my budget. It just hasn't made it to the top of the list yet. That and I completely forget about it because I am basically blind to their absence. At least it makes room for the "stair basket"!

I am so blessed that I am also frequently blind to my 90's white tile floor which I HATE! Just picture slate tiles instead. Please.

Halfway up the stair is Juliet's lair. She frequently sleeps on the stairs and jumps up anytime someone goes up or down the stairs (which is a LOT in our house) so we put her bed in the corner where she can safely snooze no matter how busy the stairs are!

Juliet on her pink puff.

Above Juliet on the wall is an old hymnal rack that I fill with book suggestions for my girls who are voracious readers. This works better than leaving books on the kitchen counter and forgetting to mention them to the girls.

I never realized what a church my front hall is with all the crosses and hymnal racks and the church pew! Perhaps we should start holding services!

Juliet's Lair.

Above the front door is more of my cross collection. I love having them en masse! To the right is a vintage jelly cabinet that holds things like sunscreen and sunglasses and jump ropes, the "lost and found' box, and anything else I want to stash out of sight. On the floor is a very old wire wastebasket that I just adore. It just feels like it once lived in an old newspaper office and was "the round file" for early drafts of the next day's hot news!

The front door.

You might have noticed (but I hope you didn't!) that he front door is only partially painted with black chalkboard paint. I started out planning to just paint the inset panels in the door and then, when that looked stupid, I decided to paint the whole door. Then I ran out of paint. This will be remedied soon, I hope! It's been interesting to have the door go from white to black. At first, we would all glance at the door and panic thinking the door was standing open. It even faked out the dogs a couple of times! They really thought they were free to go explore the neighborhood! Everyone wants me to paint the door back to white but I'm determined to see the project through because I think they'll like it in the end. If not, I'll paint it back to white -- or some other color if I get a better idea! Any suggestions?

And, one last unfinished corner:

I love drawers!

I spotted this little set of "closet drawers" while driving 50 mph past a yard sale on a rural highway. I knew they were mine before I even got out of the car! Good thing the price tag complied with my budget -- $11.
They hold scarves and mittens and hats and umbrellas and socks and stuff like that. Apparently, we have way too much "stuff like that"! They are about to be painted with black chalkboard paint like the door. I think they will be fun like that and that the silver knobs (that I added) will look good against the black!

Here's one last hall photo that I just had to add because the kitten wandered in and wanted to be in the photo (and on the blog)! This is Topaz. She is a wild thing. She is wondering where that really fun pen cap went!

Find the kitty!

Now that the hall is clean, I can let people in the house! Come on over!

Back-to-School Shopping

2012-08-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

I wrote this post on Friday. Then I didn't post if because I felt like it needed more photos. Now I'm kinda glad it doesn't have more photos so I'm posting it late.

*****************************************************************************

Ah, Friday! Today is off to a lovely start!

There are gray, rumbly clouds outside that made a wonderful backdrop for a morning walk that included a cup of coffee in my hand and a cute boy by my side. And that new boingy haircut that I got a couple of days ago!

I got a lot of sweet, wholesome things done before work this morning. I fed and watered the chickens. I watered the tomatoes, pumpkin, herbs, morning glories, and monkey grass. I put ingredients in the bread machine for a loaf of "Heavenly Whole Wheat Bread". I ate Lucky Charms with a frail old cat on my lap and a spunky, mischievous kitten pawing at my back for attention while Mark ate eggs and leftover Onion Soup Bread which he complimented me on heartily as he ate.

I put on a new shirt that I found yesterday. Gotta love a new $3.50 shirt! This is my first item of gray clothing. I grabbed it off the "reject rack" to try on with some pants I was trying and ended up liking it more than the pants. Expect to see more gray in my wardrobe! My girls tease me that my whole closet is black, white, brown, and pink. It is. With a little green as well. No gray.

Ugh. I hate photos of myself. But, after taking 50+ tries, I had to put SOMETHING in!

Speaking of clothes, Tessa and Emily and I have had great luck shopping for school clothes the last couple of days -- ALL thrift store, of course. Gotta rave about the goodies and the bargains!

On our first round, for something like $52, Tessa got:
2 dresses
2 pair of jeans
1 pair of pants
1 cardigan sweater
2 shirts
1 pair of boots
1 pair of sneakers
2 belts

Then Emily wanted to go so we hit the Goodwill last night. Taking two teenage girls clothes shopping can be very terrifying to the pocketbook! We got out with three HUGE bags for a total of $84. Whew!

Emily's $29 got her:
an Aeropostale coat ($5)
2 hoodie jackets ($4 each)
a pair of jeans ($3.50)
a pair of boots ($4)
2 shirts ($3.50 each)
a pair of zebra fleece pajama pants (that she's so excited about she planning to wear them even though it's August!) ($1.50)

For $21, I got:
a nice pair of black brocade slacks ($2)
the gray shirt mentioned above ($3.50)
a black sweater with ruffles ($4)
a long brown cardigan ($3.50)
a pair of black boots so I won't be skating or landing on my butt the next time it snows -- like last time! ($4)

Tessa got a huge bag of clothes the specifics of which I lost track of but I was greatly relieved that the total was only $37.50 (and that there are a couple of things in there I plan to borrow)! From the receipt, it looks like she got 3 t-shirts ($2 each), 5 shirts ($3.50 each), 2 hoodies ($3.50 each), and a vest ($2.00).

That works for me!

I really have zero need to ever buy clothes at retail stores/prices ever again (except for underwear). The savings is obvious but, also, the selection is larger and I get better brands at thrift stores than I would ever buy retail. For example, I would never pay Banana Republic prices. But I have a bunch of $3 Banana Republic items in my closet.

The only downside of thrift store shopping is, if you like something that's the wrong size, they are NOT going it have it in your size. But that's ok, cuz there's LOTS more to choose from!

I am almost always dressed head-to-toe (including shoes and belts) for $10-$12 (often less). Sometimes this even includes a coat or jacket.

My girls, who were all a little hesitant at first, now happily fill their closets from thrift stores with the same satisfaction at getting more for less that I feel.

We all basically feel like WE WIN! Game over! Until the next time we feel like playing! Which we can afford to do almost anytime we want because it's CHEAP!

Yay!

Now, go buy yourself a $3 something at the thrift store!

August Roses

2012-08-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I adore my little rose garden. Mark and I baby it together so it's very meaningful to us.

The bushes have finally gotten established enough that they are pretty self-sufficient. Two heat waves and two ice storms and the hearty survivors are just that, hearty survivors!

The roses seem to have two seasons -- the bloom like crazy in May and then, again, after the heat, in October. If we are lucky (like were were last year), we get a few November roses!

This pretty pink rose is called "Perfume Delight". It is well named because it has that strong, heavy, old-fashioned scent that just screams "ROSE!".

Here is promise of another August rose!

I missed the sale this year but I usually buy the clearance roses at Walmart when they are marked down to $5 each. Next year I'll try again. I would love to have a Tropicana (orange/yellow), a yellow, and a couple of whites.

My favorite is the New Dawn climbing rose that grows up the arbor we used at our wedding reception. It has small, pale, peachy-pink tinted white blossoms. Here's a photo of it from last year. Isn't it just luscious?

At the moment, it has an ant den under it so it's not exactly healthy right now. Gonna have to fix!

What is your favorite rose?

Volunteer Pumpkin

2012-08-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Every Halloween, when we carve jack-o-lanterns, we throw some of the pumpkin seeds out in the yard somewhere. Most summers, we have a pumpkin vine as a reward. This year, one grew out of the clay pot we set the jack-o-lantern in. I don't remember there being any seeds, but, apparently, there were!

You know... now that I think about it, I seem to remember Sara-Grace (who has such a green thumb she could grow crops for profit!) asking me if she could put a pumpkin seed in the pot. Figures! I make her do all my seed-handling!

I don't know if I'll really get a pumpkin off this vine but, even if I don't, I love the lush, green, heartiness of it in all its volunteer enthusiasm!

There's a blossom! Could it be that I might get a pumpkin eventually?

I planted some butternut squash seeds this year and had one good vine. But the squash beetles killed it -- as usual! They kill my squash EVERY year. I have never had a squash vine survive. This year, I sprinkled cayenne pepper around the vine. It seemed to work at first but the beetles won out in the end.

I hear that autumn squash is more successful so I think I'll try growing some this year. Autumn gardens are a totally new concept to me! I always think I've missed my chance if I haven't planted by May 1. Now I can try again in mid-to-late August! Yay!

You know what amazes this grocery-store-girl about vegetables? You can take the seeds out of a squash or a melon or a pepper and put it in the ground and grown more squash or melons or peppers. This truly amazes me! I know it's kind of obvious but I see it as miraculous!

And, one of the many neat things about it is that it's FREE (except for the water maybe)! Love it!

Basil and Mint

2012-07-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

I initiate every summer by planting a bunch of herbs in this washtub. Now the chives and the mint are established and regrow themselves every year.

Chive blossoms

Mint

I can't walk by the mint without pulling off a leaf and wadding it up between my fingers so I can smell it's minty wonderfulness! Other than wadding it up between your fingers and putting it in iced tea, what do you do with mint? Recipes please!

Last year, I planted basil seeds and was SO excited when I managed to grow lots of little tiny basil plants!

Some of them even got to be kinda BIG basil plants. I still aspire to have huge basil BUSHES someday!

This year, I kept forgetting to buy basil seeds. But then, recently, I was in the produce department at Walmart and had the choice of buying three sprigs of fresh basil in a package for $1.50 or a 14" tall basil plant with 8 stems in a pot for $2.50. Easy decision!

Basil

Isn't fresh basil glorious?

My favorite basil recipe: Fill a large ziplock bag with about six chicken breasts, some olive oil, some garlic, some basil torn into pieces, and one lemon squeezed into the bag and then slice what's left and throw it in too! Refrigerate while it marinates for anywhere from an hour to a day. Then bake. It is wonderful!

Then, if you have leftover chicken, shred it up and add mayonnaise and raisins for a wonderful chicken salad!

Hmmm... maybe I'll make some pesto too! I usually make it with pistachios instead of pine nuts. Tastes the same to me!

Tomatoes

2012-07-27T14:04:00.001-07:00

I am not a gardener. I can kill plants just by looking at them. Or, it may be that thing about forgetting to water them.

Recently, I heard that thirsty plants "cry" for water by making a high pitched sound that humans can't hear. That makes me so sad I just might remember the water thing a little more readily from now on!

I plant tomatoes every year because I adore fried green tomatoes. It's hard to procure green tomatoes unless you grow them yourself or talk the tomato guy at the farmer's market into bringing you some.

Usually the tomato guy method is the most productive because my tomato plants rarely grow actual tomatoes. And not until late September if they do.

I love this shot! It just glorifies the tomato plant to new heights for me.

I have four tomato plants this year. They are in stair-step heights. I think it has to do with the progression of the sun and the shade from the redbud tree. This is the tallest one. I almost threw it a party when it reached the height of the picket fence!

I learned something about tomato plants this year from my friend Don Bennett who runs Tri Cycle Farm, a local community garden. He told me to pull off anything that grows out of the V where two parts of the stem split. He said these sprouts are non-productive and they sap strength from the rest of the plant. I've been doing this and these are the strongest plants I've had in years.

He also made me pull off the first set of blossoms so the plant could grow stronger before it starts producing. That was hard but I did it. Now I have new blossoms!

And another favorite shot -- reaching for the sun!

Wish me tomatoes -- the green kind!

Free Kitchen

2012-07-03T10:20:00.002-07:00

I've got that itch again.

It's the itch to play with houses.

I used to get to play with houses for a living. I renovated my rental properties (sometimes over and over again -- because it was necessary). Then I moved into flipping houses. It was wonderful fun -- except for that moment about 75% of the way through when all the problems have shown up and the money's almost gone and I would always think "WHAT HAVE I DONE?" But it always came together in the end. The panic was just part of the process. I watch other flippers go through that same stage on every episode of house flipping shows on TV. I learned to remind myself that the panic was normal and not reason to never renovate another house.

I still itch to play with houses. Someday, maybe I'll get to do that again...

For right now, what I am just CRAZED to do is to challenge myself to create a whole kitchen FOR FREE!

I don't mean pot holders and area rugs and pictures on the wall.

I mean I want to create a WHOLE kitchen in an empty space that has no cabinets, no appliances, nothing. Just an empty box with some pipes sticking out of the floor and some wiring available.

It would probably be pretty easy to get my hands on someone's discarded kitchen cabinets -- someone who's upgrading and just wants to get rid of the old ones (and who hasn't taken a sledge hammer to them in the removal process -- it always drives me nuts when people do that).

BUT!

I kinda like the bigger challenge of doing it without real kitchen cabinets. I like the idea of freestanding and flexible pieces. Who says a kitchen has to be done the "normal" way with cabinets bolted to all the walls? In fact, 100 years ago, kitchens were ALL freestanding pieces. That's why Hoosier cabinets were invented. I'm ready to be a rebel and to embrace some old-fashioned elements and some new-fangled style!

I really like Katie Brown's non-traditional kitchen. Remember her from HGTV? All the pieces are movable so that thing could be repositioned for filming purposes. But hers is a little more built-in that I want to do -- though I do LOVE the rustic, reused cabinet doors. I'm also not planning on pouring concrete counter tops (though it COULD happen I suppose!).

That's her daughter, Prentiss. I think that's SUCH a cute name! Don't know the dog's name.

This is the left side of it.

See how the dish storage is just wood cubbies?

I also love this very simple, RAW bathroom.
Love the old school sink with FOUR faucets! And the peely mirror!

As for appliances, I don't think they would be too hard to procure for free. Everyone is crazed about stainless steel appliances right now. I have them so I'm kinda over it. Non-stainless appliances have become the red-headed stepchild of kitchen design lately. Heck! I wouldn't even mind some good, ole, bullet-proof, avocado green models because you've just gotta love a chalkboard paint fridge (though I would use black chalkboard paint)! I could go CRAZY with the chalkboard paint! Might just have to do a whole wall -- or two. Or more.

I'm also thinking I could paint a stove with black appliance paint.

And the front panels of lots of dishwashers are removable. I wonder what fun material I could think of to put on the front of a dishwasher? I wish corrugated tin wasn't quite so... corrugated/bumpy.

Counters present a challenge but, with freestanding pieces, I would need less counter surface. I've also seen them done with painted plywood or even glass. Or there's always concrete. But there are other possibilities as well!

Sinks and faucets are findable. Maybe not porcelain farmhouse sinks that cost several hundred dollars but white or stainless sinks are out there -- often with the faucet still attached.

I don't need anything top-of-the-line (in fact, I think the concept is wasteful and the phrase is offensive to me!) but I would intend for the end product to be cool, functional, and magazine-worthy. As is the goal with all my free projects, you can gets lots of stuff for free, but the real fun is to end up with free stuff that doesn't look like it was free! There are lots of dirty blue velour sofas on the curbs of America. That is not my idea of good freesourcefullness. Neither is just slapping in stuff to fill the spaces. I love to really have my creativity challenged. I love to elevate free junk to unexpected heights.

I saw a kitchen ceiling in a magazine recently that was sheathed in old garage door panels. Sounds gross but it was really great! I'll have to look through a ton of magazines and see if I can find that photo to show you But it just goes to show that you never know what you might find or how you might use it.

There will be more on this free kitchen stuff. I should warn you. I'm obsessed.

Does anyone have a gutted kitchen and about six months before they want to do any actual cooking?

I could make it pretty for you!

Woman Country!

2012-06-15T09:38:00.002-07:00

This blog was originally about furnishing and decorating my house for FREE. There's a long and very creepy story about why we don't have that house anymore that's detailed in the post called "The Bitter End" (http://freesourcefull.blogspot.com/2011/08/bitter-end.html) if you want to read about it.

Lately, this blog has been about cheap/free projects and general frugality.

But, sometimes, I post things on this blog just because they make me happy! Usually, this things cost me little or nothing or even made money so they fit with the general FREESOURCEFULL theme.

This is one of those posts!

I will admit it. I am sort of a hoarder. And I included the "sort of" part just to make myself feel better! My garage is the bottle neck of my life. If I can only get it cleaned out and organized and functioning the way I need it to, it will solve many problems in my life. Really!

I'll spare you the explanations and excuses. You wouldn't buy them anyway. But do keep in mind that I had/have a staging business and also that I have emptied four storage units in the past couple of years. So, I really HAVE made progress -- even if it doesn't look like it!

On Wednesday night, in the midst of a very busy, wall-to-wall day, I walked into the garage for something. Well, actually, I had to climb over some stuff to get into the garage. This photo was taken after after I cleared a path.

I don't even remember now what it was that I went in there for. And I don't really know how it happened. I just started moving things. After a while, I decided that, regardless of all the millions of other things I SHOULD have been doing, I was going to get the most done if I stayed with my muse and worked on the garage while I was on a roll.

Several hours later, I dragged myself in the front door to find some dinner. Two of my girls met me in the front hall and asked: "Do you know what time it is?"

"No."

It was 11:29 p.m.! I had no idea!
But it was worth every second I had spent out there. And it was worth starving for!

In 2002, when we added onto the house and re-oriented the garage to open to the side, I turned the previous front entry into a little bumped-out workshop. It's about six feet deep and 20 feet wide. My ex-husband claimed it as the only area in our girly, female-dominated house that was "HIS". He dubbed it "Man Country".

Well, now we're divorced and I'm well on my way to getting the worst dregs of his motor-old covered car junk out of there and making it MINE! So it is now "WOMAN COUNTRY"!

Now that I write this, I remember the subliminal image that must have started me on my garage-cleaning. It was this glorious magazine photo of workshop heaven which I had taped to the wall in the garage for inspiration and hope for future transformation:

Isn't it glorious?

That must have been what got me started. I think it happened when I realized that there were shelves in the photo and I had THESE sitting by the front door on the way to the trash:

And then they just happened to be the perfect length and then one thing led to another and now, still far from OCD/Martha Stewart perfect but a vast improvement over my previous garage hell, here it is:

I haven't made the labels yet but the shelves from the top down are "Construction Materials", "Cleaning Products", "Care Care", "and Auto Repair". Then, below the shelves, are places to hand power tool cases. Beside the shelves to the right are extension cords, a nail and screw organizer, and other "flat" things that won't impede the door from opening.

There's a workbench under the window. It holds a chopsaw on top and, underneath, the shop vac and a chainsaw case. Here a two crappy photos that,if put together, might give you an idea of what it looks like:

Here's the other side of the workshop:

It contains my beloved table saw (which I use ALL THE TIME!), lots of little drawers for small items, my fun old red magazine holders (lest ye thing I'm just a magazine hoarder, I REALLY DO go back to these magazines over and over for inspiration), and some other junky boy stuff that I still have to sort through which is over and under a fun old black-topped school science lab table.

Anyway, it's not perfect (yet!) but it makes me happy. I keep catching myself standing in the garage just admiring it or finding excuses to go through there now that I can walk unimpeded!

Speaking of impeded... There's still the REST of the garage to be dealt with:

UGH!

Dijon Viniagrette

2012-06-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

Per Missi's suggestion in her comment on my previous post, here's a quick recipe for our favorite salad dressing. Truth be told, I stole the recipe from my gourmet friend Sarah! Thank you, Sarah!

Dijon Viniagrette

1/2 cup oil (olive when I have it around, canola or vegetable when I don't)
1/2 cup vinegar (white, cider, red wine, or rice wine vinegar -- whatever's available or suits my mood!)
1Tablespoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk or shake well.

I use this for chopped veggie salads -- cut up whatever veggies are in the fridge (carrots, cabbage, brocoli, cauliflower, zuchinni, green onions) and add dressing. Sometimes I add lentils or beans. Cilantro is always a great addition. Just use what you have! It works on lettuce too, of course! And also makes a good marinade/sauce for chicken.

Sorry there's no photo. Maybe later!

Stuff Being Broke Has Helped Me Learn How to Do Myself

2012-06-14T09:30:00.003-07:00

I've been keeping this list in my head for months now! I think it's time to write it down and free up some brain cells for other activities (like thinking and creativity and catching typos, perhaps)!

Here's a list of things we now make from scratch instead of buying ready-made or eating out:

Fried Chicken
Hamburgers
French Fries
Potato Chips (sometimes)
Corn Dogs
Chicken Strips
Asian Orange Chicken
Rice
Stir Fry
Fried Rice
Pancakes
Waffles
Muffins
Biscuits
Cakes
Cookies
Brownies
Salad Dressings
Chili
Soups
Soup Stocks
Whipped Cream
Laundry Detergent
Furniture Polish
Giant Gummie Worms!
I'm thinking I need a bread machine now too!
(I'm sure I'll be adding to this list as I remember more!)

And heres's a list of things I've learned how to do:

Change the brake pads on my car.
Change the battery on my car.
Repair iPhones.
Repair washers and dryers.
Replace kitchen sink faucet.
Replace light fixtures.
Build a TV antenna out of household items (that WORKS!).
Build a chicken coop.
Upholster furniture.
Sew slipcovers.
Make pillows.
(I'll add to this list too, I'm sure!)

My 18-year-old daughter has learned all manner of auto mechanics and auto body repair from her father in our driveway. She can now diagnose many problems by engine noise alone! I am very proud!

Luckily, I already had some skills in my pocket. I can paint (rooms and furniture) well, sew just about anything, and I know a lot of construction and home repair from flipping houses in the past and I've used those skills a lot -- though not as much as I'd have liked to because of a lack of money to buy materials! I'm still researching cheap/free flooring ideas! Mark wants to do a whole floor in bottle caps! Wouldn't that be fun!

Alas, these skills have gotten me into trouble because I think that, even without money, I can still find a way to have most things that I want.

Oh wait! I CAN!

With time, patience, optimism, luck, creativity, and FREESOURCEFULLNESS, I can usually find a way!

And I'll tell you a huge secret: it's more fun and vastly more satisfying to have to find a way and then to "win" by succeeding despite the obstacles!

First Impressions

2012-06-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

If you had told me when I woke up yesterday morning that I would be on the local news by evening, I would have probably locked myself in my room all day for fear of horrific car accidents or deranged random shooters because those would be the only ways I could have imagined myself being on TV in the course of the day.

Note to self: when you comment on the local news stations "fishing-for-stories" post on Facebook in the morning, try to sound boring unless you really want to be on TV! But I couldn't fight it much because I knew that the subject matter was something that I feel myself to be a bit of an expert on and, though I know that there are many who have struggled much more than I have, I hoped to share some hope with others who are going through hard times. That's a big part of what my blogs (this one and www.thegreenbackanaconda.blogspot.com) are about.

I'm a writer. Broadcast media is SO not my genre! I majored in English and Communications in college. In the Communications department, I tried very hard to focus on PRINT media. I even fought them a little on some of the ways they wanted me to "round out" me degree with broadcast stuff. So right now the writer in me just wants to go hide behind reams of paper. Or a keyboard. Guess that's what I'm doing right now!

Addtionally (if you'll indulge one more anecdote), when I was in the 9th grade and it came time for The 9th Grade Play and I HAD to be in it, I worked very hard to get a spot as an Act Director because the Act Director's job was the stand, blessedly, BEHIND the curtain and whisper the lines if anyone forgot their lines while on stage. Today, I'm looking around eagerly for red velvet curtains to hide behind! I am just very, very uncomfortable with the entire concept of being on TV. Apparently, I knew that in both the 9th grade and in college. And now.

But I WAS happy with the story. When it finished airing, my oldest daughter turned to me and said something like, "Mom, you don't look OR sound that good in real life!" Thanks, honey! I'm glad it was there when I needed it!

All that said, I have one major observation about my 90 seconds on TV. The very talented Garret Krier did an amazing job of editing and summarizing and I do feel that I was well-represented. However, seeing the story made me realize all the more that EVERYONE'S life is infinitely more complex than anyone will ever know. I'll be careful not to think I know all about someone just because I saw them on TV from now on. And then I will go back to the novel I am working on where I get to play with trying to make my characters deep and complex and, hopefully, almost REAL and where I get 300 pages to try to illustrate them rather than having to try to do the impossible like Garret did and try to catch something in 90 seconds! The thought exhausts me! But the projects and the blog posts DON'T exhaust me so STAY TUNED!

My Tesily-Grace Website!

2012-06-12T09:34:00.001-07:00

Check out my other website where I sell furniture that I have fixed up!

It's called Tesily-Grace (a combination of the names of my three daughters: Tessa, Emily, and Sara-Grace).

You can find it at www.tesily-grace.blogspot.com.

This is what it looks like:

My Kind of Fun!

2012-06-12T09:16:00.002-07:00

Two very dirty red sofas: $12.99 each

Power washing at the car wash: $3.00 each

Now listed on Craigslist (15 hours later), two very clean red sofas: $150 each!

Delicious Edwardian Fashions

2012-06-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard me say, lately I've been researching Edwardian fashion for the book I am writing. This is because part of my book is set around 1915-1917 and I have to dress my characters, you know!

In the course of this research, I have come to realize that I have had a lifelong passion for the styles of this era, I just didn't know what the exact era was and what it was called.

Here's a sampling of the best stuff I've found today:

You may have noticed that these are very Titanic-esque. This is because the Titanic sank in 1914. This also gives me an excuse to plunge into some Titanic costumes/fashions -- like this gorgeous coat which I just might have to try to make someday:

Which goes over the beautiful "swim dress" as it's called because it's the dress she goes into the water in (the pink coat is called "the swim coat").

Here are a couple of replications:

This last dress (which I think looks a bit too nightgown-y) is from a webpost called "How to make a Titanic swim dress on a budget". (http://www.vintagedancer.com/how-to-make-a-titanic-swim-dress-on-a-budget/).

So we did.

To be historically accurate, the black underdress would be long. But Tessa wanted to wear it short today. We bought a robe with lace-edged sleeves for $2 and a wide black belt for 97 cents at the thrift store and voila!

And then there are the wonderful vintage shoes! I found this picture of these fun 1913 shoes online.

I had these in my closet which are basically the same thing ($4 from Goodwill):

And a couple of other relevant pairs ($3-4 each) just to prove that the passion is consistent!

And, of course, I still want THESE:

Don't you?