Holidays, Ornament Swap

Our Thanksgiving was great . My daughter in law cooked for all of us. and it was great!!!

It was great to be with all the grandsons.

I have to do most my shopping my internet. Not going to do much decorating.

Too much work.

My headaches have been bad. Last night was a bad one.. but I'm better today .

I don't get out of bed until I feel I HAVE TO.

I'D love to do an ornament swap?? But I won't be able to head it up, if someone would arrange it I would love to be part of the group.

20% off Anything at Made by Girl...(Via Made By Girl)

SALE starts right now. Visit MadeByGirl to shop.

If you have any questions, email me at jen(at)madebygirl.com

Glimpse into My Thanksgiving Weekend Trip...(Via Made by Girl)

Isn't it FRUSTRATING trying to get into the swing of things after getting back from a Holiday trip?!? I've got a TON of emails to catch up on amongst other things & all I want is to be outside in the sun (even if it is cold). 

Well, for those of you who weren't aware, my guy SURPRISED ME with a Thanksgiving wknd. getaway to California. He planned the whole trip, every single stop! 

He knew I was dying to visit the Getty as well as the MOCA and he took me straight there! It was such an amazing experience to be around all these great paintings. Of course.... I LITERALLY got goose bumps when I came across Mark Rothko & Franz Kline (2 of my all time faves). 

above: A Franz Kline original painting....I was mesmerized.

below: the delicious carrot cake we bought at the Getty cafe

These 2 paintings of Jesus were especially touching...

Below: I was so excited when I got to the area where the HUGE Mark Rothko paintings hung, wow.

Below: don't ask, I totally forgot who did this....

P.S. it's by Cy Twombly, thanks to Devon.

below: the Getty had several outdoor areas with SPECTACULAR views of the city, my jaw dropped when I first saw this. Trust me, this picture doesn't do it justice!

Besides paintings, they also had a ton of sculptures and old European decor items.

I'm so grateful that I got my dose of culture because LV is seriously LACKING in that department! Have you visited the Getty or MOCA? What museum would you recommend??


We also headed to Palm Springs to see the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway.  After seeing it featured in Rue Magazine, (I expressed my interest in going) my guy decided to take me there! 

Stay tuned for those pics soon! 

Japonicas Jewelry.....(Via Made By Girl)

Hope you all had a fab Thanksgiving weekend. My guy surprised me with a weekend trip to California, he planned the whole trip! Will show you some pics of the trip later. 


Now.....If you're looking for pretty girly type jewelry, check out Japonicas creations! Japonicas meaning Japan white windflower is run by designers Jet & Ace. They create a handful of intricate pieces that any girl would love for her collection! They've appeared in several magazines including Seventeen Magazine this past May and are quite popular on Etsy! After looking through their shop my favorite is DEFINITELY the Chimes & Whispers necklace, made from antique brass with a very vintage feel to it. 


For those of you doing your HOLIDAY shopping now, Japonicas is offering 15% off of all necklaces with this CODE: Made By Japonicas. You can ONLY get this discount by shopping at their main site here.  Enjoy! 

 images via japonicas 

Withdrawal......

I love the holidays and buying gifts for others, but right now, like in years past, I am going through a bit of withdrawal as I've been staying away from my favorite antique shops until I get all my Christmas shopping done...

Seems like it's been forever since I've allowed myself the pleasure of wondering through the antique shops looking for some new pretties to bring home with me. Christmas shopping is almost done though thank goodness, so in a week or two, once the bank account as had a chance to recover a wee bit, I'll be rushing to my favorite shops to see what can be found.

Until then, I'll just sit back, relax and enjoy some of the beautiful treasures I already have.

Hope you are all having a great post Thanksgiving weekend and that you're getting some things checked off your Christmas lists too.

See you soon !!

My Early Christmas Gift..........

Well, I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon or as quickly as it did, but sometimes, life circumstances force a person into making a pretty serious decision rather quickly or risk being left stranded, with no means of transportation.

This happened to me just two short weeks ago when my old car began acting up again and needed to be taken to the auto shop for service and where I unfortunately found out that the cost of the mechanical work needed plus the new tires I also needed to get before winter set in were going to end up costing me more than my vehicle was even worth in dollar value so after nine years, it was time to say goodbye to the old and hello to the new..

So.......... six days ago I became the very happy and giddy new owner of a brand spankin' new Ford Escape mid-size SUV in a lovely "Sangria Red" color. Ain't she pretty ????

It actually stayed clean for 3 whole days before Minnesota was hit with some ice and snow storms which of course turned the roads into a sloppy salty mess leaving my new car coated with a thin layer of gritty white salt residue. Oh the joys of living in Minnesota !!! A trip to the car wash will be in order once the temps warm up a bit..

I can already tell in just the few short days I've been driving it that it's going to handle the snow and ice much better than my old vehicle did which will be a HUGE relief as I was always terrified of having to drive on the dangerous roads in my old vehicle which never really felt very safe to me and never seemed to have very good traction, even when the tires were first brand new.

I have much to be grateful for during this holiday season, this being just one of them.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you have much to be grateful for too during this holiday season.

Your Weekend.....(Via Made By Girl)

Time for me to get ready for our EARLY THANKSGIVING dinner....we're eating out since our ZGallerie table hasn't arrived yet!  It would've been our 1st THANKSGIVING in our new place... so I'm a bit disappointed. However, I'm certain the CHEF at the restaurant we're heading to will make a lovely meal! After dinner we'll be going on a WEEKEND GETAWAY.....finally!!!


Hope you ALL have a great thanksgiving & remember the things you are thankful for today & always...

I'm thankful for:

• that my mother and father are alive & healthy
• when my guy makes me dessert
• my 2 dogs in good health
• a man that cares about me & shows it
• weekend getaways when I need it the most
• a lovely place to live
• being able to meet others that share the same beliefs
• wood floors
• my business is doing well
• God in my life
• my blog readers & the support they have given me for the last few years
• going out to dinner on weekends
• an upcoming renovated kitchen
• gorgeous weather
• new friends at my church
• the invention of tiramisu
• other bloggers i've met online who are super nice
• the gift God gave me to be able paint & draw
• the gift God gave me of creativity
• the friends i havent seen in so long who still stay in touch
• the fact that i'll get to eat a nice meal on thanksgiving
• serving at my church
• my best friend
• art & music 
• care for those in need
• that my mother & i talk almost everyday on the phone

There's alot more i'm thankful for but these are some that came to mind this year. Talk to you Monday!

So tell me, what 2 things are you REALLY thankful for??!?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

pic by jen

 

Happy Thanksgiving.......

Several of the things I am thankful for during this holiday season ...

My good health

My job

Having a home to call my own

My wonderful family

My wonderful friends

The wonderful friends I have made here in Blogland who inspire me with their kindness, creativity and talent and for the encouragement they have given me along the way.

That with a sigh of relief I can start the cold, snowy and icy Minnesota winter off with a brand new reliable vehicle that won't end up in the auto shop every few months costing me lots of money for repairs.

I could go on forever, but I'll stop there and wish all of you a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving.

Have a great day celebrating with all your family and friends.

Rebecca Omweg Stylish Cases for iPhone... (Via Made by Girl)

Of course, I keep finding things to put on my HOLIDAY wishlist....poor hubby. LOL What is he going to choose?!? I wonder.

Either way, I'm on a Python craze and I'm obsessing over all things PYTHON. I came across designer Rebecca Omweg who designs STYLISH handmade snakeskin cases for electronic devices (that means my iPhone too).  I don't own an iPAD but if you do check out the pretty bright pink python case, now that is cute.

On my wish list is the classic python ivory case seen here. It's subtle, yet chic. I swear APPLE really needs to get on board and offer cases like these....I have visited the APPLE store a bazillion times and can't seem to find a DECENT (nice looking) case for my iPhone 4. Almost IMPOSSIBLE!

images via rebecca omweg

Thankfully there are designers like Rebecca out there catering to people like me with a design sense....know what I mean?!?

ALLEGRA HICKS Book Review ...(Via Made by Girl)

I'm a BOOK FANATIC!  I own a ton of them & STILL find myself buying more!! It's really hard not to when so many amazing titles keep popping up all over the place.

I also get BOOKS sent to me by publishing companies, but when I'm in IMPATIENT I'll buy a copy myself! 

Today, I'm reviewing ALLEGRA HICKS, 'An Eye For Design' by Abrams Books.  I love textiles & am always so INSPIRED by them... this book was a must-have for me! This title contains 224 pages of full COLOR and is only $26.

Here's a little info on Allegra Hicks: She's a London-based fashion & lifestyle designer whose line of luxury  homewares, and accessories is sold all over the world in department stores and boutiques as well as in her namesake store in London! She's quite well known for her unique textile designs, which she uses in her interiors as well as her popular fashion line.

The minute I SAW THE COVER of ALLEGRA Hicks, I fell in L-O-V-E.  Don't you just love a book cover that reminds you of textile?? Very appropriate in this case.
Another book cover that remind me of textiles is 'Glamorous Rooms' by Jan Showers (Leopard Print cover) which I blogged about here.

images by jen

You can buy your copy of Allegra Hicks here.

Happy Thanksgiving

My dear daughter in law is cooking

It will be great . I will cook a bit too.

Enjoy family

DIY doggie socks...

This is what I see when I look down almost every morning. Yes, those are baby socks converted into dog booties. They protect the wood floors better than the original booties I bought them & were super affordable!!

My dogs don't hate these as much & can walk in them just fine. We bought velcro strips and sewed them onto the tops of the baby socks, so glad we thought of this. They look funny at first glance, but so adorable.... They work!

P.S. make sure they are non-slip socks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone'

Thank You Siren Magazine..

Thanks to Siren Magazine for interviewing me....I enjoyed it very much and hope you all will read the interview. Siren Mag is a magazine covering community, home, faith, fashion and culture from a progressive Christian world view.

siren magazine

Ikat & Suzani at Material Recovery (Via Made By Girl)

If you love Ikat and Suzani textiles from East & Central Asia you'll be excited to check out Material Recovery on Etsy. They carry several antique embroidered textiles along with a few vintage and antique pieces of furniture. I selected a few of my faves below... 

Take a peek at their shop, the cushions they carry would be a great addition to anyone looking to bring some color into a DRAB looking living room! 

Do any of you already own ikat or suzani cushions??

images via material recovery

Becky's Basement Re-do....(Via Made by Girl)

Hello everyone! How did YOUR weekend go? I had an amazing weekend & it looks as if we now have plans to go away for Thanksgiving weekend, which will be fun! Can't wait....I DESPERATELY need a break. Then hopefully when I get back it's kitchen RE-DO time!!

This MONDAY I'm bringing you Photographer Becky Kimball's home which was featured here on my blog back in March.... & I loved so many aspects of it. It was simple, cozy and stylish. Becky slightly re-did her BASEMENT, making it more interesting by adding wallpaper & a few gorgeous accessories! 

So, if you're looking to decorate YOUR BASEMENT, take some inspiration from Becky, she did a FAB job! You can also check out Becky's blog here.

What do you think??

images by becky kimball

Your Weekend...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Check out: The Loaded Trunk....(Via Made by Girl)

I was sent some info about a shop called "The Loaded Trunk" and immediately fell in LOVE with their unique PREDATOR staplers. OMG!  

How cool are these staplers?? 

I've just placed one on my WISH LIST.... I think one of these would look amazing in my office!! Check out their entire shop to view interesting items from all over the world including the popular Mexican Coverlet! Oh...the holidays are just around the corner, hope YOU TOO are gathering gift ideas!

images via the loaded trunk