Halloween 2013

It has taken forever for me to post but I wanted to document another Halloween.  These are just a few pictures of this year's Halloween.  I got rid of some of my decorations.  I decided that I had too much and got rid of a couple of boxes.  Luckily Marissa took most of them so it was easier to let them go.  I'm trying to keep life a little simpler.  Simpler you question?  Yes, this is simpler for me.  I didn't even unpack several boxes.  My husband felt cheated.  He likes all of it.  He was so sad when I put it all away for another year.  He likes how homey it makes the house feel.  (He's a keeper.  He'll even photograph all of it for me but he is probably cringing at my photoshop attempts.  I have so much to learn in that area.)

These pictures are some of the shelves in the cupboard in our dining room.

This is our dining room.  I love how big it is and yes, my husband and I usually eat at this giant table.  Yes, it is just the two of us most of the time.  I still love it.

  A close up of the Halloween mantel.  It's my "Ode to Edgar Allen Poe."  There are lots of birds and owls up there, old books, old cameras, a beaver skin top hat, player piano music, negatives on glass hanging from black ribbon, and watch faces.  I'm sure he would have had all those things.

 A close up of one of the negatives we found last year at Round Top.  Candice had the idea to use them as Halloween decor so she bought some too.  My husband taught me how to use copper foil and lead solder so I could use them to hang from the chandeliers and from the mantel.  Kind of spooky don't you think?

 I bought this typewriter for Candice and then couldn't part with it.  Good thing we found another one at Wimberley while I was there.  We made the crows last year.

Pumpkin pillows on the couch.  My girls and I all made the goofy ones on the right one year.

This is my pumpkin gourd collection from Jenny Gouchner.  A very talented local artist.

This is the centerpiece on my dining table.  You can see the glass negatives hanging from the chandelier in the top of the picture.  Again I stuck with the photography theme and used old pictures, feathers, old keys, and glass cloches.  I made the pictures holders by sticking wire I formed through wasp nests I glass glittered.  I think they are pretty cool.  I think you can click twice on the picture and see them better.  This is definitely not your typical Halloween decor but who wants to be predictable?

I hope you had a great Halloween.  Mine was filled with memories as I dressed up and made witches' brew in Logan's Halloween class, took grandkids to a neighborhood Halloween party for games, ate mummys (like pigs in a blanket) and tater tots for dinner with the family, and went Trick or Treating with 6 of the 9 grand children.  It was an almost perfect day.  We needed the Stringhams and Eli and Brenna for it to be perfect.

The Furniture Has Arrived Finally...The New Office Space

 I finally was able to get my furniture I bought while at the Round Top show last March.  (I actually bought one of the pieces in another room last September.  After 3 other shippers flaked on me...one who cashed my deposit and kept it...I finally found a shipper who would/could deliver.  Roll'en Hills Delivery is the company you want to work with if you need shipping from Texas.)  This is my old dining room.  We took out the carpet and put in hardwood floors, took out the chair rail and patched up the walls, added new wider baseboards, new curtains, and a new computer.  We still have to add the fan and get rid of the chandelier, and add some more lighting.  My husband will also install a flat screen tv over his desk if he can figure out how to get cable service in there.

 Here are the after pictures.

 I bought the Graflex camera at the Marburger show.  A few of the cameras my husband had collected, and I bought a few more at the flea market in Wimberly.  Did I tell you my husband is a photographer?

 Trying to make the bookcases look interesting but stay functional is difficult.  I took off book covers and put the books in all different directions.  The really ugly paperbacks I put on a closet bookshelf.

 I camouflaged some ugly books behind this little poster. 

 Others I hid by lining them up in an old locker basket I bought at Wimberly.  I wish I would have bought more.

 Other books worked as book ends and display risers.

 Here is what the shelf looked like in its entirety.

 I found two corbels for $10 each.  I think they made great book ends as well.

 These gears I found at Marburger.  They add interest to the shelf.

 More cameras displayed.

 The Graflex I bought at Marburger.  It is such a great looking camera.  It was the only one I paid very much for and even it wasn't bad.  The other cameras ranged from $5-$20 each. 

The new desk and computer.  We are in process on this side.


Link to Jennifer Rizzo's "Pretty up you plain jane party.

It is Finally Here!

 My antique bookcase is finally here.  I bought it last September and it took this long to get it shipped here.  It was worth it though.   I absolutely love it.  It is so unique that even my daughter who like modern furniture asked to inherit it.  It arrived Thursday morning and I've been working like crazy to get the office, living room and this room all sorted out and styled.  I know that probably doesn't sound like a big job but it was.  I have a ton of dishes I had to stash away plus all the books in the office.  (I only need a new chandelier to finish this room.  I'm looking.)

 I was going to paint the inside first thing but once it got in, it matched the doors from France perfectly so I decided to live with it for awhile.

 And...oh man, it barely fit.  It literally goes from ceiling to floor.  I think it was made for my space.  I wish I knew more about it.  The women I bought it from said it was from a general store but didn't know where or how old it was.  It was made without nails.  The whole thing is doweled together.  The shelves are all adjustable.  the back isn't original.  I actually don't think it had a back because the bottom cabinet is not backed.  It weighs a ton too.  Good thing it is on a concrete floor otherwise it might cause the floor to sag especially since it is full of dishes inside and out.

 I decided to display my black and and white dishes.  I didn't know I had so many.  They were here there and everywhere.  I didn't spend too much time on them because I'm going to change them for Halloween and then fall and then Christmas.  Can't wait.

 And just so you can appreciate the changes, this is what it used to look like before we did the addition.  I think it is much improved.

 And this is what it looked like for far too long since we had to get everything out of the living room and dining room to add the wood floors.  I'm so glad I don't have to live with this mess any more.  We are finally back to order around here...ahhhh.  It feels so good.

The Most Recent Project At Candice's House

This is the kid's home work computer area (along with the kitchen table). Candice wanted to come up with something interesting to use and create interest above the desk. We bought this desk at Round Top 6 months ago. (We love that place in case you haven't noticed.)

We looked for wooden crates to create a grid but never found what we were looking for or if we did, it was too expensive. So, Candice found some locker baskets at Marburger that were flat enough to create a shelf. (Some locker baskets have very slanted sides. Candice has a collection of "S" letters and we found another great one at the Bar "W" field that we added to this wall.

I laid out the arrangement on the floor and took a picture with my phone to remember how everything was supposed to go. I'm a wing it kind of girl and didn't want to bother with putting it on newspaper tracing the outlines of each object and then putting the paper on the wall as a pattern. Mark and I hung everything after getting Candice's approval.

We filled the locker baskets with: 1) rolls of tickets with 3 printers blocks with each of the kids first initials. (There is even an "S" in there for the latest Stingham due in July.) The "5" stands for the # of people they will have in their family soon. 2) has a red polka dot tea pot being used as a pencil holder. 3) has a clock face, a gumball machine, and a carnival type mask. 4) has some Hardy Boy vintage books with Grant's pinewood derby car on top. Simple but fun and it will be easy to change the whole look by changing what is in the locker baskets.
The other project was to decorate the mantel for Spring. No easter rabbits were used so it could stay up longer. I'll post pictures soon.

Round Top 2011 #2

This is one of the camera's I didn't buy. I now glad I didn't too because Brett had some that he found after I came home and I also found some that were a lot less expensive at Wimberly. (A monthly flea market they have the first Saturday of every month in Wimberly. I don't have any pictures but it was very fun.)
An industrial table I bought to use as my husband's desk. (I took this picture on my phone so it isn't great.)
A large camera I did buy. I will use these as display pieces on top of the book cases, I think. My husband does photography.
And two of these bookcases are coming home too. The shelves are recycled 100 year old oak. I also bought one of those antique glass candy jars, some small gears, some locker baskets (1 old and 3 reproductions from Pottery Barn outlet), an old tray used for collecting maple sap in the 1800's (I want to use it as a magnet board), some more piano player music rolls (too inexpensive to pass up), a big printers block with the #6, a pillow made out of an old bus sign (think subway sign), and a few other odds and ends. Candice and I had lots of fun. The hard part is trying to check everything out before buying. We are always afraid we will buy something and then find something we like better or less expense somewhere down the line.

I went prepared with inspiration pictures, a diagram of room layout and room measurements, my tape measure in hand, and then tried to stay open to possibilities and stay within my budget. We took pictures and emailed them back to my husband getting his input as well.

I want to take out the chair rail, paint the room, change the lighting and window treatments, and maybe take up the carpet and put in hardwood floor to match the rest of our house. I'm not sure that is in the budget but would hate to get the room all done and the bookcases filled and arranged and then decide to redo the floors. I want to do some kind of unusual treatment on a focal wall. I have a list of possibilities. Since this room is our old dining room just off my living room space, I will probably repaint that room too. I like change.

Round Top 2010

I arrived in San Antonio with my mother-in-law a week ago Thursday. Friday we were off to the junky fields of Round Top. It was a come as you are party. It's a 3 hour drive from San Antonio so we were off and out very early. We didn't want to miss anything.
It was so humid and hot that I had a hard time taking pictures. My camera lens kept fogging up. Not a good thing for pictures or my camera. (This is a picture taken with a fogged up lens. I didn't have anything in my camera bag to clean the lens with.)
(This is what a picture looks like when your camera has acclimated to the weather conditions.) Candice's friend, Michelle, came with us and is checking out one of our favorite booths.
I'm not sure what kind of spider this is, but it looks dangerous. Creeeeeppyyyy! This spider was probably 3 1/2 inches long. We had a problem with fire ants too.
See that bookcase back there? It is from an old general store. I'm now the proud owner of that beauty. I'm hoping to see it in the near future but I haven't heard from my shipper guy yet. It is always a scary thing. He did deliver my last shipment though (after several months had passed) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I think I'll paint the shelves a medium gray instead of that mustard color. I would have loved to take home that industrial light too but for $750, I had to pass on that big boy.
Those cupboard doors are at least an inch thick. Very hefty. We emailed my husband a picture from Candice's phone and got his approval before purchase. It was a steal. I couldn't believe the price.
What do you think? There might be one little glitch...this cupboard is the exact height of my ceiling. I might have to do a little sanding. It is in two pieces so I'm hoping it will fit just like a built in. My fingers are crossed.
We had lunch at a little restaurant in Round Top called Royers. It was interesting. Every wall and even the ceiling was covered with something.
But my salad was delicious.

Cute Michele with her eyes closed. It's the only picture I got of her. I didn't get any of my MIL.
Candice eating her sandwich. We had a great day and lots of fun even with all the heat. Candice was disappointed that she didn't find a desk and some side tables, but we had better luck when we went back again on Tuesday for the opening of Marburger. It is always an experience. The best part is watching all the people. It is very entertaining. (Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of everyone's purchases or the entertaining people. Sorry.)