KEITH IS IN THE HOUSE...

I am so excited... Tonight the fabulous KEITH JOHNSON returns for season two of MAN SHOPS GLOBE on the SUNDANCE CHANNEL. If you aren't familiar, he is the head buyer of all things fab for who else? ANTHROPOLOGIE...

For me, and this is JUST ME, American Pickers can't hold a candle to this dude. I tried to love the Pickers but enough of the gearhead stuff already...

So if you are lucky enough to get the Sundance Channel I hope you will tune in...

Can't wait to see what Keith's buying this season.

OH AND....

I forgot to mention I turned 51 on Sunday...

I would say it wasn't my most memorable birthday but maybe it was.

ROAD TRIP REFLECTIONS

So, back from the reunion and I have to say it used to be MUCH easier to do a turn and burn road trip...

And factor in a two year old passenger to make it more...well...interesting.

How many times can you watch Monsters Inc. or Finding Nemo in a thirteeen hour period... Or better yet how many times HAVE you?

Not as many as me I bet...

It is an art form to take a two year with you at EVERY bathroom stop, she goes potty, you go potty and she never touches a single dirty surface...

It was super hot in West Virginia... I think it was hotter than Florida...

Not good when you're having forty~five hot flashes a day... Makes group pictures less enjoyable...

But you know what? Unlike here where our air vents are in the ceiling, theirs are in the floor... Do you see where I'm going with this?

How delicious is cold air up your dress when standing over a floor vent during a hot flash?

It truly is the little things in life...

THE WILD BLUE YONDER

Just a quick note to let you know we are off tomorrow bright and early for Mr. Sweet Pea's family reunion in WILD WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINIA. 13 hours in an SUV with a two year old... I wonder how many times we'll watch Nemo or Monsters Inc... Do you remember family vacations in our day as children? No DVD player that's for sure... My parents used to put a mattress in the back of the family truckster (station wagon) and we (the four of us brats) slept in it all night the night before so they didn't have to deal with us in the am... How times have changed... I'll let you know how it went when we return...

Still making my way through the WBC posts. And appreciating all your sweet comments.

Amazing number of creative women in this world...

Until we return...

Hugs,

Shelley

DID SOMEONE SAY PARTY?

It's time for the second annual WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY hosted by the uber talented KAREN VALENTINE of MY DESERT COTTAGE blog. I'm pleased to join all the other talented party goers in presenting my studio to you...

Come on in...

After you've checked out my creative space, please head over to KAREN'S to see all the other fabulous studios.







One of my DIY projects... The stripes are off... I like it anyway...






I love nature stuff. Nests, wasp nests, butterflies...














Remember when I made this coin purse necklace? Started a trend among bloggers... Thanks Anthro for the inspiration...


I love my zinc top work table...


These fab boxes from Tuesday Morning hide a multitude of stuff...


My chalkboard I made from an old huge mirror frame. Used to hang over the counter in my shop... Recently painted grey...








My baby pic in an old pocket watch case.


I love this saying...














My inspiration board. A DIY that turned out right for once...




My reading nook. The old painted cupboard in original grey paint houses some of my many decorating books...






Some of my flower frog collection...

Thanks for stopping by...

SO LONG MY FRIEND

My childhood friend Pam lost her battle and passed today around 5pm...

Thanks a million times over for all your kind words, your strength and compassion...

Hugs,

Shelley

DO COME IN...

I bet you thought the day would never come... Finally the reveal of the interior of the GARDEN COTTAGE. Let me give you a brief history of how the GARDEN COTTAGE came to be...

I had saved pieces and parts over the years of being in the antiques biz. You know porch posts here, a zinc dormer there, pieces of tin ceiling tile, architectural fabulosities. A lot of them were used as decor in my shop which I closed in 2008, and I saved all of them without any real plan. Until... I got the inspiration for a GARDEN COTTAGE that I could have home sales in. So I used the COTTAGE as a mini shop and sometimes just as storage. What a waste... After last fall I had decided to end the home sales and thought that it was too darn awesome to use as storage. So I set my sites on bringing it to be as a little place that I can sit in and enjoy just for me. The ceiling is all hand~pieced rusty crusty tin ceiling tiles, and the floor is hand~painted by moi to look like stone.

I hope you love it...