Halloween Inspiration

1. Witch Cupcakes, 2. halloween swap bracelet, 3. Halloween Baskets, 4. Art Erratica's Halloween dangly swap, 5. Halloween Gift Tags, 6. NEW!! Halloween 2009 JUMBO Cupcake Diecut! (Witch Hat), 7. Halloween Houses 016, 8. Halloween Orange Organza Felt Bat 1, 9. halloween pumpkin and ghostie, 10. halloween frankenstein house, 11. Vintage Style Chenille Halloween Ornaments, 12. Vintage-style handmade Halloween elf ans black sisal trees, 13. Halloween / Fall shadow box, 14. Gothic Chic Slipper, 15. Vintage Halloween Book, 16. Halloween Paper dolls for some friends...

As October 31st gets closer and closer, there's lots of Halloween crafting going on. Just look at all these fun projects I found on Flickr - so much inspiration to soak in. And for more Halloween ideas and inspiration, don't forget to check out the Joli Paquet blog.

Southern Living's New Look

Have you seen the new look of Southern Living Magazine? It's undergone a make-over to a brand new modern design. I've always loved Southern Living for it's delicious recipes. But today there's a lot more to love about the magazine.

Like the new feature, Done In A Day, pictured above. In this fast-paced world we live in these days I am really appreciative of projects that I can complete one day or even a few hours.

There's lots of ideas for Halloween entertaining, like the recipe for these easy Owl-Ween Treats that the kids will love.

And don't forget to check out the decorating section for the details of this gorgeous gothic inspired Atlanta home. To find out more about the fabulous new redesign of Southern Living Magazine from the editors themselves click here.

Chic Halloween Treat Bag

Photo Courtesy of Ellen Mueller

Need a new bag to hold all your Halloween treats? Well Ellen from One Ripe Peach has got the directions for making this pretty vintage-style one over at Joli Paquet. It's a far cry from the unimaginative white pillowcase or plastic pumpkin containers that the trick or treaters use around here!

Now I'm off to work on the never-ending studio destash project I started yesterday. I've lots of piles sorted into categories. Now the trick is to find a place to put it all!

Journaling With Friends

I've been working on a journal collaborative with some talented and fun friends I met at ArtFiberfest out in Portland this summer. Cindy, Tammy, Juanita, Linda and I were "neighbors" in the dorm and spent most of time together laughing as we walked around the campus, ate meals together, attended workshops and just hung-out. In fact Tammy's laugh is so infectious I can still hear it now if I close my eyes and reminisce about that weekend! Love those fun memories! We dubbed ourselves the "Naughty Meadow Girls" (for reasons too complicated and crazy to go into here!) and made up a wild story to go along with that title which seemed to get funnier and juicer every time we added to it! It's hard to explain here but as Cindy says, "It's one of those ya had to be there things."
Anyway, we decided to stay in touch and continue our friendship (and silliness) by working on a journal round-robin collaborative together. We each created a journal, completed several pages and then sent it on to the next person to add their artistic touch.
These are a few pages from my journal which is now in Tammy's hands for her to work in. We'll be posting our pages periodically in our Flickr group here if you'd like to follow along with us.

Bewitched!

The fun continues over on the Joli Paquet Blog! Kit sales began yesterday here and here. (Thanks to all of you, my kits have sold out!) Now today is MY turn to post my Bewitching Tutorial for the little witch shown above. I love working with rusty old bits and bobs, but sometimes it's hard to find just the right old piece for a project.  Well, there is a way to make new things look old, rusty and aged and you'll see how by clicking right here.

It's Time!!!

Today is the day the Joli Paquet kits go on sale! My Witchy Shadowbox, complete with glass window, is in my Etsy Shop now HERE.  Ms. Witchy may look spooky, but don't be scared - she's really easy to put together! So hurry and pop on over before they're all gone!!!

B-O-O!

I'm so excited to show you my Joli Paquet kit, which goes on sale tomorrow (10/7) in my Etsy Shop.  This fun little kit includes all the supplies needed to create this glass front Halloween shadowbox. Supplies are limited, so be sure to shop early! All the Joli P girls worked hard to bring you lots of fun and bewitching kits. You can check all of them out along their links right here. Happy Haunting!

Happy Sunday

It's a beautiful Sunday here today. A nice sunny autumn day. My favorite seasons are spring and fall, mostly due to all the colors and the weather of course. I don't like it when it is too hot or too cold. 

I've been working on stuff for Joli Paquet. Kit Previews start tomorrow. Kit sales begin on Wednesday.  And my tutorial is coming up on Thursday. Lots of fun things are coming your way! 

GIveaway!

Hey guess what? We have a fun GIVEAWAY going on over at the Joli Paquet blog, so be sure to check it out.  Kit previews and sales will take place next week.

Welcome October

1. letter O, 2. C, 3. wood type letter T, 4. Sparkley Pumpkins, 5. Amish Country, 6. Ripe

Day 3:Joli Paquet

- Photo courtesy of Melissa McCobb Hubbell -

Oh my goodness!  You absolutely MUST get yourself over to the Joli Paquet blog today and check out Melissa McCobb Hubbell's adorable Halloween Garland! Go now!!!!

Latest Vintage Find

Here she is - my sweet little pink frosted glass dresser lamp. I found her at the flea market a couple weeks ago. I fell in love with the little pink girl who was sitting there with the shade laying nearby and no way to attach the two together. Neither the vendor nor I could figure out how the two pieces would go together. But I still liked the pink lady and for the low price I figured I would be able to do something with her. 

I brainstormed ideas like adding a candle-shaped bulb and using the shade for something else. Or perhaps I could remove the cord and place a glass hurricane and real candle in the socket. She sat in my studio for a week while I pondered various ideas. Then amazingly, I stumbled upon her twin at an antique mall - for four times the price I paid for her!  Her little pink sister sat with her shade fully attached and voila, I saw how the two pieces fit together. For less than $2, I purchased one of these at the hardware store, screwed in a bulb and topped it with the shade. Doesn't she have a nice warm glow when lit?

Latest Project

I've become obsessed with journaling lately. I've always had a weakness for journals and would purchase pretty ones that I come across on my shopping sprees. I probably have accumulated more journals than I could possible fill in a lifetime! They vary in size and type - small, large, hardbound, soft cover, spiral bound, hand bound. . . . 
Lately, I've been having fun making my own journals from scratch - binding and all. It is a bit more time consuming than taking sketchbooks and altering the covers. But I still like to do those for certain types of journals.  For these journals I tried to stick with materials I already had on hand - scrapbook papers, chipboard from cereal boxes, old buttons, etc.
I made these little journals the other day with a purpose in mind. I wanted to have one to carry around in my purse to jot down notes. And one to keep by my art table to write ideas that come to mind. And one to jot down quotations whenever I come across one that hits home with me. 

And this one I keep by the telephone for doodling. I tend to doodle while gabbing on the phone and this is usually done on bits and pieces of scrap paper lying around. Some of my best sketches are done at this time. So why not keep a special book so that I can contain all these mini pieces of artwork in one handy spot.

Day 2:Joli Paquet

Photo Courtesy of Beth Quinn

Hi everyone! It's Day 2 over at Joli Paquet and Beth Quinn is teaching us how to make this special Boo Banner! If you've ever seen her soldered jewelry creations, you know what a talented artist Beth is. It's such a "treat" to have her as one of the Joli Paquet girls!

Ready, Set, Here We Go. . .

Photo courtesy of Brandy Faulkner

TODAY IS THE DAY!  Brandy Faulkner is kicking off our Joli Paquet Halloween Event today with her Creepy Crawly Candle tutorial. It's great and I'm sure you probably have all the supplies for this project in your house right now!
And while you are checking out Brandy's candle tutorial, be sure to sign up for the Joli Paquet  Trick or Treat Swap. Sign-ups are being taken through 9/23.

Joli Paquet Kickoff!

Have we got a special treat for you!!!  Joli Paquet is hosting a fun little swap to get us all in the Halloween mood for our tutorial launch on Tuesday. It's called the Trick or Treat Halloween Swap! Sign-ups are being taken now through Wednesday, Sept. 23rd over at the Joli Paquet blog. So get on over there NOW to join in on the devilish fun!

White on White

1. Handmade by me, 2. orchestral ledger 3, 3. Ivory Frangipani Wedding 1, 4. like whipped cream, 5. Greys Of Court, 6. blooms in white, 7. Cream Mirror, 8. Three shelves are filled with the many the tints and shades of white, 9. Vintage Apron Swap, 10. Farrow & Ball Paint: White, Cream, Pale and Mid-tone Neutral Colors

I adore the look of 'white on white' decorating. How about you? It's so simple. So fresh. Such a clean and restful look. None of the rooms in my home are decorated completely in this monochromatic color scheme. My family room is the closest to having this look with it's cream walls and white painted trim, but it's more of a white & black designed room. 

There are so many shades of white out there. I think that is the secret to using the color successfully. Using all the various shades of white creates the depth and texture that is needed to pull it off. Look at how Jennifer from The Old Painted Cottage did it here with her amazing cottage redo.  Another great place to see the use of  'white on white' is at Aina's Modern Country blog here.  Her Norwegian style decor is so refreshing. 

The photo above from Seasons For All shows how bright and elegant a 'white on white' decor can make a room.  

And the warmth that can be created by using a variety of creamy white vintage items like in the photo above from Country Living,  

Or maybe you prefer to punch up your white decor with a pop of color like in the photo shown above from Freshome.  Do you have a favorite photo of 'White on White'?  If so, leave a link to the photo in the comments section on this post. Your photo doesn't have to be limited to home decorating. It can be photos of food or fabric or artwork, etc. Use the mosaic at the top of this post for inspiration. We can all have some fun checking them out.

Shabby Chic Returns!

This lovely book is now available. . . earlier than expected! I found mine at Barnes & Noble. And it's everything (and more!) that I thought it would be. And in related news, Rachel's store in Santa Monica has reopened under the name, Shabby Chic Couture. Isn't that exciting!  Oh how I wish the one here in Chicago would reopen too. There's more info and photos on Rachel's Blog here.

Drum Roll Please

Here are the winners of my birthday celebration giveaway:

Dawn won the handmade journal

and

Amy Elise won the book, A Note To Self

CONGRATULATIONS GIRLS!

And a great big hug to everyone for all the lovely birthday wishes and comments!

Last Chance!

Here's a fun new swap that I recently signed up for. Natasha Burns has designed this one with a little twist. Check out the details on her blog here.

This is your last chance to sign up for my Birthday Giveaway. One winner will receive a handmade Follow Your Dreams Journal and a second winner will receive the book, Note to Self.  To read all the details and sign up click here. Sign-ups end at midnight tonight!

Are you a Design Star fan? Did you watch the finale last night? I was very disappointed that Dan didn't win. I thought his house was much better designed than Antonio's. Just as I thought Lonnie's room was a hundred times better than Antonio's the week before. Dan's house was gorgeous and the mother/daughter homeowners truly loved everything he did for them. He really listened to everything they said and executed it all beautifully.  Don't get me wrong - I like Antonio and his rough-tough-teddy-bear personality. I think because of that he will be a refreshing addition to the HGTV line-up. I think HGTV thought that also and feel "the fix" was in weeks ago that he would win, regardless of his design skills. What do you think?