Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Tea Tuesday Giveaway Winners!

It's a dreary, rainy sort of day here and the first full week of summer break for the kids.


Instead of tea, I made coffee this morning because my son likes it (with lots of milk and sugar!)
He is moping because his older sister went out on the road with Dad (the truck driver) and he has to wait until next week for his turn.


The weather isn't helping his mood today.


But in Blogland there is happy news--


the winners of my giveaway!




I wanted to show the stained glass window I created (in the same Hallmark Cards employee workshop) that later became the rabbit cards. It's now hanging in my butler's pantry.



But now without further a-do...


The winners are:


Ann (you will get tulips in the mail)


and Judy (you will get bunnies!)



Congratulation, girls!



Send me your snail mail address so I can send you your cards!


For more Tea Tuesday posts, visit our hostess Kimmie.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Tea and a Giveaway

My "new" kitchen has wonderful light, unlike my "old" kitchen which was just plain dark.



The weather is almost too warm for hot tea now, but the mornings are still cool enough to get away with it. In any event, I think beautiful lighting knows no season, so this May morning you get a steaming cup from me. Hot tea feels good on a throat still battling sinus drainage due to allergies. Iced tea just doesn't sooth the same way!







Now onto the the GIVEAWAY part.
While desperately rummaging for 3 blue glass canning jars I sold on etsy (and could not find until late yesterday morning!), I ran across things I thought had been long ago disposed of (moving will do that). I will never get around to using it all, so the next best thing is to give it away.
SO, leave a comment on this post between now and next Monday and Tuesday I will announce two winners who will get either these batik cards, right, or the rabbit cards below. I haven't decided whether you will get 4 or 6 of each design. I have to make sure I find enough cards and suitably sized envelopes. You will just have to be surprised!



The cards are blank inside, so you can decide whether it will be a birthday, "thinking of you", sympathy, shower, Mother's Day, Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Summer, or a gift enclosure. :)



Both designs were created by me in a workshop while I worked at Hallmark Cards and are a limited run.






These rabbits look good with ribbon or twine tied around their necks.



I have much more to give away, so tell your friends!






For more Tea on Tuesday posts, visit our hostess Kimmie!





Thursday, May 19, 2011

Where Butlers Buttle

My favorite room in the house. And my favorite window/ niche in the house too. Lovely lighting (northern), nice breeze and a beautiful view of the neighbor's property (grape vine growing on the property line).
This is where I will be photo styling a lot of my etsy items.
How nice to have a "spill over" cabinet for the things that won't fit in my regular china cabinet. I need a spill over to my spill over because this one is pretty much full!









My drop front desk is right at home here. It stores my cookbooks, boxes of stationary and the step stool (plastic but functional) doubles as a seat for writing quick notes. The blank wall just above the desk is waiting for just the right picture. Or artwork.












"Lots of storage", you say?







Yeah, well, maybe for you, but I already have these cabinets packed!

Maybe I should have decluttered/ photo styled the counter for this picture...
Clutter happens.

Don't know where this tour will go next.

You will just have to come back and see!







:)



















Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Levitation and Other Dramatic Devices (It's Tea Tuesday!)

The view from below.


My china and chochkes are floating effortlessly.


(You may not see the glass shelves in my china cabinet this clean again!)





The view from above.



It's a china jungle in there!




I have a ridiculous amount of crockery.

May have to do a giveaway or two.



For more Tea Tuesday posts, visit Kimmie's blog.









Monday, May 16, 2011

Showing a Little Leg and other things

First Blogger went on the fritz and deleted this post I labored over for an hour.

Then we had wireless internet issues in the house.

(We bought a new router. Voila! Fixed!)
So this is why it's taken me so long to start "show and tell" on the fabulous "new" house we live in.

And today all I am showing is the upstairs bathroom!



I know! A claw footed tub and waiscoting.

I have died and gone to antique architecture heaven.

I love that the floor in the room was not covered over by tile.

Hardwood in the bathroom is so warm.

And old fashioned looking.


The previous owner was an artist and painted clouds on the tub.

Dreamy.





On the bathroom door.
So you won't mistaken it for the linen closet







The wallpaper is peeling at the seams from many steamy baths, but I plan to keep it up, because it is too charming to take down. I like children's books. The wallpaper is so 1980s.








I don't recognize any of the stories or rhymes, but find myself reading the walls every time I brush my teeth in hopes of finding something I missed the first time.

Not pictured...

the laundry chute hidden in the bath's closet.

It has definitely cut down the dirty laundry clutter in the kids' rooms!

And the laundry waits patiently for me in the basement.

Just wish there was a way to get the clean laundry back upstairs just as easily!

I must say that I am losing weight climbing stairs!









All of the door knobs in the house are metal and oval, but the downstairs bathroom has the fanciest escucheon plate. It was an outside door leading onto a porch, now a bathroom with an ugly stall shower (which is why you are not seeing photos of it). The room needs some work.


Next time-- the Butler's Pantry.












Wednesday, May 11, 2011

FINALLY!

Hurray for my father-in-law who helped me move my studio furniture to our "new" house and got my computer assembled and running!!!!

I have some "normal" back.

It feels very good!



So for my first post "back" on-line, I have to show you a bit of what I did on Carole's hoop.

It wasn't all moving that I did!
I enjoy sewing and hand embroidery, but I don't do much of it unless forced to. Ha!
Thank you Carole for the opportunity!
I loved the materials she sent and it shows in what I created from them.
I thoroughly enjoyed the process and the colors (red and green)!
The hoop should be reaching Carole any day now so you will enjoy a full reveal on her blog.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Happy Tea Tuesday!




I am so desparate for photos, that I am digging through my daughter's folders. Yep, I am still working off one of the kids' computers. WHY haven't I moved mine over yet?! Because I have been concentrating on setting up the kitchen and now am unpacking boxes into the butler's pantry. Really, I promise to have decent visuals next week. Scout's honor. Cross my heart.




In the mean time, here's our recently departed Scooter (basset hound) and our darling Lucy at our old house. Funny thing is, as big as Lucy is, she is more "to scale" in this larger house we are in. She definitely has more room to sprawl!




My cough is improving (for those keeping tabs), but now my oldest is home "sick" with sinus drainage. Since this is Tuesday, I must report that I am just about to brew my second pot of black tea (my comfort) and my daughter has just finshed a huge mug of Black Cherry Berry (Celestial Seasonings) with honey. Wish I could cozy up on the couch with her and watch TV, but I have boxes and boxes waiting for me. And when those are emptied, I have to go to our old house and refill them.




I promise, promise, promise, photos soon!




To see more Tea Tuesday posts, visit Kimmie's blog!