I Won the Give Away....

A while back, I won this cute little baby shoe nest from Treasures from the Heart. (still haven't figured out how everyone is linking up to other blogs using the cute blog buttons! Someone email me the secret!)

Barb makes the cutest little bird nests! She is even kind enough to share a tutorial with everyone.

At any rate, I won this cute little shoe to display on my buffet, along with family photos, to welcome Spring.

Who doesn't just love a little nest of birdy eggs?

I've been collecting little baby shoes for a long time now. Not so many of these little white ones, 

but tiny leather ones, little boots, patent leather ones, etc... 

The one thing I begged my mom for, was my baby shoes - just because I can't believe my feet were that little once. They're not huge or anything, but they aren't size 6 either!

I am also fond of big 'ol leather work boots. You've seen 'em. All planted up in the garden. Too cute!

And....for some strange reason, I seem to find singles. Little abandoned shoes here and there. On the sidewalks. In street gutters. In the park.

I found one little shoe on Thanksgiving morning years ago up in Washington. It rains in Washington nearly everyday. This particular day was no exception. We had to go to the store for those forgotten dinner items, and they had just built a new grocery store and the parking lot wasn't draining very well.

So, there were little fast moving rivers and big puddles everywhere. And lo and behold, a little leather boot making its way, like a little boat, through the river. Of course, I had to save it.

Some little guy out there was single-shoeing it on Thanksgiving. Something about little ones. Their shoes just fall right off their little stocking'd feet, and are let loose upon the world.

I have quite the collection of little lost "soles". Someday, I plan to create a garden of lost "soles".

So, THANK YOU BARB! I have been looking like crazy for little white baby shoes for you, as a thank you. I have found a couple pairs - but neither of them are quite as cute as this one!!!

Happy Shoe Hunting!

All Wheel Drive.

Today, I was in ALL WHEEL DRIVE.

The daylight basement, below the dining room, got tackled. 

I called in the Army Corps of Engineers to help me "excavate" the space, ie: my I-pod stereo docking port,

my mocha, the house phone, some super-huge garbage bags, the vacuum, totes, 

a space heater, some Excedrin and a whole lotta ambition.

The space that was pretty much empty when we moved in the Summer of 2004. 

It has become a dumping zone for all things. 

Boys' bedroom cleanings, old clothes & linens, shop/office

leftovers, piles of remodeling tools, old doors, new doors, removed bathroom fixtures ie: a toilet

and a pedestal sink, boxes of life keepsakes, crafting crap, garage stuff, and even some

trash - believe it or not!

 

I have plans for this space. 

I want this space to create in.

I am earning this space (trust me, 

the way my body feels right now...I'm earning!)

This space needs a lot more help. But, I have a really good start on it.

These photos are what it looked like when we bought the place. The previous

owner used it as a pantry. WHAT A PANTRY!!!

I had EVERY intention of showing the NOW (before) photos, (even at the risk of laughing, 

finger pointing, gasps!, and jeering) but honestly, I can't find my

camera. I promised myself the other day, to keep my camera close by. I want to take more random pictures. I put it in my purse and went to work...I'm sure it'll show up somewhere....

Onward. I had planned on my craft room being upstairs next to the family room. The nice room

with all the windows. BUT, after-after much consideration, I've decided on the daylight

basement space. It stays cooler in the Summer. It's not right next to the T.V. hub-bub.

It'll be more private when/if I have company over to play creating.

AND....It has a concrete floor (not carpet - not so good with paint) and an outside entrance - through

the garage (bigger painted projects!).

I haven't done a floor plan yet, but I have a few quirky ideas for the space.

The laundry room is between the stairwell to the upstairs and this space, so I'd like to re-purpose

a set of 3 vintage windows I scored from an old house that was being torn down in the wall between

the two rooms. They are multi-paned, wood framed, single hung windows in the original 

casing. Three little windows all-in-a-row. That way it'll let some light into the laundry room 

and give it an open feeling. Plus, doesn't everyone have old exterior windows built into their 

interior walls? Now, I just need to scrape and re-paint those babies. That'll probably

take longer than framing them in the wall. 

Next up. I'd like to get my old screen door in shape to use as the laundry room door between the rooms. 

It doesn't really need a door, but I am bound and determined to get a vintage screen door in this house

somewhere!!! AND...once I remove the old 70's wooden door, I can't just leave a big hole, now can I?

So. Day One. Trash thrown away (well, piled in the garage anyway!). Like items sorted into sections for the family to claim, throw away, donate. Floors vacuumed. Walls de-cobwebbed (it is a basement!), and many creative wheels a turning....ALL WHEEL DRIVE!!!!

Wish me Luck!

** All Wheel Drive emblem. I treasured this one at a yard sale last Summer. I plan on putting it on the back of my little vintage wagon - like a license plate....cause that's how I roll......

What A Nightmare.....

Nightmare Before Christmas, that is.

This tote-full is just the tip-of-the-iceberg when it comes to my Nightmare Collection. I have shirts, 

jackets, book bags, Disney "ears", framed art, dimensional art, holiday decorations, window clings, 

dishes, magnets, music boxes, and even breath mint tins and lip gloss. Yes, lip gloss!

I am a HUGE Nightmare Before Christmas FAN!!! I love everything Nightmare. Actually, I am mostly

smitten with Jack Skellington - as the Pumpkin King and as Santa Jack. 

I LOVE the MOVIE. The stop-motion animation. The music. The story.

I love Disneyland's Haunted Mansion when it's decorated for the October-December Holiday season.
Whoever thought that up, was a genius! Now, if only someone would do a
Cirque du Soleil-type show. I would be the first in line to buy a season pass!!!

Jack even appeared as a Pirate in the animated movie, James and the Giant Peach. He is SO cool, 

as a skeleton pirate with a skeleton parrot on his shoulder - I even have that toy sculpture.

If I could, I'd deck-out my Jeep in full Nightmare regalia - with a big 'ol Jack skull on the hood 

and the song lyrics pin-striped around the body! Yeah, there'd be no mistaking I was a fan then.

I plan on displaying my whole collection in my new office - we'll be moving this Summer. 

Oh yeah. I guess, I haven't shared that yet. We (and another business) are in escrow on a 

new-to-us old building. It's a 50+ year old structure, with lots of quirks 

and character, aka. needs a good re-habbing- and it will be a longer commute, but I'll have a bigger office. I haven't nailed down the final design yet, but it will be Nightmare based. I can't wait!!! 

I can't. I can't.

** photo: Me in one of my Nightmare jerseys. Taken by Phillip at lunch. Mexican Food. One of

my other ALL-TIME favorites! Yum!!!

Who's Behind Those Doors????

We spent the weekend with our friends, the Swanson's.
They are visiting here from California...and will be our "neighbors" soon.

We've known them since high school.
We've laughed.
We've cried.
We've shared our lives.
We've grown from two young couples learning how to be adults and getting the hang of life; to two couples in our 40's with 5 young men - 22, 19, 19 (just a week apart!), 16, and 13.

When I made reservations for dinner this past Friday night at Tap Rock Northwest Grill, here in Grants Pass, I reserved the conference room. Yes. The conference room. 

 (Photo: TapRock photo taken Summer 2009)

Lotsa space. 

Lotsa privacy. 

Lotsa plates. 

Lotsa food. 

Lotsa stories. 

Lotsa laughter. 

Lotsa LOUD!!! 

Lotsa fun....

Lotsa testosterone!!!

The doors to the conference room are beautiful wood with glass inserts. 

The whole time we were in there, we kept seeing "faces" peeking in through the glass. 

Quite entertaining.

After dinner, I used my phone to snap a memory of the night....

 Left to Right:

Phillip, A.J., Ty, Zac, Alex, Ginger, Kyle, Darrin

Not Pictured:

Me

Here's to Family and Friendship!