before & after

From average run-of-the-mill framed corkboard to beautiful, stylish,

one-of-a-kind custom idea board!

The picture doesn't do it much justice however.

I needed a start-to-finish afternoon project to get lost in for awhile... but I wanted the sense of accomplishment that comes from fully completing a project in a short spell. I didn't need a mess on my hands for days on end, right? So, after hmmming and hawing for the last few weeks about how to treat this corkboard I just decided to act.

I painted the frame a white wash (using acryclic paint from my art supplies) and used samples from a wallpaper book that I patchworked to create sections and texture using photo mount. I was determined to keep it super simple and didn't even trim one piece of the scrap wallpaper. I just layered where I needed to.

I added the vintage ribbon frame along the inside of the wood frame and finished the corners with upholstery tacks. The teal blue ribbon detail is velvet, edged with a tiny white lace. The lace doily was a gift from a dear friend, pinned to the board with a sewing pin.

Oh, and I must include thanks to my studio assistant, Bailey.

I love creating something entirely new and wonderful using only what I have on hand. Free is a very good price. Now I just need to put some ideas on the board!

love thy neighbor

The sweet (shall we say) "older" couple across the street have lived in their home for 38 years. Theirs was the first home built in this newer neighborhood of a very historic town. So, imagine my delight when I saw their garage sale sign last weekend. Old folks! Lived in the same home for almost 40 years! Garage sale! SCORE! Problem being, it's Saturday and the sale actually started on Friday- I saw the sign on my way to work on Friday (huge disappointment- what did I miss? I'll never know) and on this Saturday morning I have just $3 in the wallet. Darn it. Double darn it. But I grab my $3 and head on over just as it opens at 10am, unshowered, no makeup, hair not even yet brushed, in my not-at-all cute sweats, sacrificing vanity and pride for the hope of good score. Pretty much everything was just a quarter! Yep, twenty five cents. YAY! Now, understand that I need to have a garage sale myself so I am judicious about bringing more "stuff" home (until I start doing etsy and/or ebay) but here's what I spent my money on: 5 pillowcases, one twin sheet and a nice leather belt. The pillowcases and sheet will be used for some future sewing projects yet to be determined. The belt, added to the collection. I know, this wasn't the greatest score ever, but it was the my first garage sale of the 2010 season and I felt satisfied.

infancy of a blog...

It's been almost a month since I started my blog and I already have that bloggers guilt of "oh, I haven't blogged in two weeks now!". I only have 5 posts in my first month! Bad Blogger!

Which is pretty irrational and somewhat hysterical considering I have only given my blog's address to one single solitary person (are you there, my friend?). But it raises the questions that other bloggers before me have had to answer for themselves. Why blog? For whom? When and how do I put myself "out there" as a new blogger? Why would anyone even care to read my blog? How often would I like to be blogging? And how often will I actually blog?

For myself I think the answers will come in time.... and I can answer the first two questions with one easy answer: I am blogging for my own inspiration. So for right now, the answers to the other questions are largely irrelevant. There are no rules here. I will blog however often I blog. I didn't start blogging to add another "chore" to my to-do list. Or to add something to my "worry list". Worrying and being inspired are mutually exclusive in my world. I trust that I will put myself "out there" to other bloggers in my own time, in my own way....

But today, I feel like an infant in this world... a little baby blogger just getting her sense of herself in this new blogging world.... learning to crawl before walking.