I Should Know Better

I should know better than to go to the antique mall to find a Dirty Santa gift . . . I picked this great pincushion doll for just that purpose, but she looks too cute on my foyer table.

I think she's going to have to stay.

I did not buy my cherub tonight, I just thought he looked so cute next to the table. I bring him inside for the winter where he will be nice and toasty and NEVER in the garage!

I put my older chalk kewpie with no arms, not to be confused with my newer chalk kewpie with no arms, on the mantle with the antlers I found tonight. I've been wanting some antlers for a very long time and these were perfect. There was another one and I'm afraid I will have to return to the mall to take it home.

I always make a b-line to Beth Leintz's booth at the Mission Road Antique Mall (where I got the pincushion doll) and felt my heart beat faster as I walked up tonight! Not one, but TWO great boudoir dolls! Many of these dolls are French are were made between 1920 and 1940 not for children, but for grown up ladies to adorn their beds. Now I'm not sure Jason will go for that, so I have put them on prominent display in the family room. My mother-in-law is going to flip OUT!

Isn't she lovely against my newly papered shelves?

And I put this wonderful doll on an old English military chest. Dash asked me why her face was, "all cracked up". Doesn't he get it by now?!

Her little shoes appeared to have been made with wood and paper. How excited am I?

And I posted a pic of a shallow little wooden bowl I found at Savers a few nights ago and here it is all done up in pinks, grays and black. I got this great pin in St. Joe at the Rusty Chandelier.

I think the button came from a bag of goodies I bought a long time ago, again from Beth's booth at the antique mall.

Look at the gray and white china toward the bottom of the bowl. It was a print with old castles.

I kept the inside as-is, not wanting to paint over the wood. And below, I papered the bottom with an old pattern. This bowl will be making its way up to Iowa soon to be with Sharon at the Junk Asylum. Now off to the studio to make more!

I Heart Creepy Dolls

I want to start out with a HUGE thank you to Casey and Sloane Simmons, owners of Stuff in Brookside. Some time ago, they invited me to be one of their "Artists in Action" for the Brookside Art Fair. I had the pleasure of hanging out in the gorgeous weather, doing mosaics and talking it up with some awesome people. Here are Lori Buntin, super cute chick and artist extrodinairre (yes, Lori is with Hoop Dog Studios and the one who does the terrific dog chairs at Stuff), and The One and Only Casey Simmons. To say I had a blast at this event is an understatement!! I really really really (please) hope that Casey and Sloane allow me to join them next year! We received many requests for mosaic classes and have picked some dates, so check the Stuff website for more information coming soon.

And I actually got some things finished while on the sidewalk hanging out! Some of it was snatched off the table and bought just as I was finishing it. Thanks so much to everyone who came by to say hello!!!!

Now, for the title of the blog. The cottage has been for sale for about a month now and it's so difficult to live with everything stripped down and depersonalized! Gone are the rusty bird cages, the dress forms, the armless chalk cupie doll, and (most of) the tarnished silver. I haven't been junking because I really want to know what new space we're in so I can picture where everything will go. I feel like my life is on hold!

But today, I could stand it no longer! After spending some time with Sweet Repose I felt inspired and cruised on over to the Mission Road Antique Mall for just a few precious moments. I found this wonderful doll . . . (it was music to my ears to hear Jason dryly say: Great. Another creepy doll).

A funky, rusty bucket . . . (the rustier, the better) . . .

And this holy water dispenser. If you were raised Catholic, you may remember these by the entrance of the church. I thought it would look so cool on the wall in a cluster of antique photos and empty frames. I can hardly wait to decorate that new space, no matter which one it will be. This week I'm going to ask some blog owners if I can post some of their photos to show you where I'm drawing some of my inspiration. I feel like I want to go truly funky French country with at least some of the rooms in my new house. I don't know how some of these people featured in magazines with children do it with cream, light gray and white decor. Come on?? My children eat corndogs (not the vegetarian child), chocolate chip cookies, and fruit roll ups. What planet are these people from where their perfect children make nary a mark on all of that light furniture? The Stepfords, we are not.