glitter star diy

A new year, a new round of makign the bed and maybe a new round of art. I figure if I make art for the bed each motnh then I will have at least made something each month. My idea list is pages and pages long with ideas from 2010 still spilling into 2011 and so on. So far this year is not what I was going for. I filled my brain with positivity for the new year every moment I could during the last week of the old year and rather than begin anew with astounding success and happy dances I have been walloped over the head as if I were a whacka mole with psycho allergies that came from nowhere. We think I might be allergic to the tiny casa. Sigh. With a list pages and pages long, so far I have crafted up one small bit o' glittery glory...stars! If you are looking for a step by step with photos, hop on over to scrumdilly-do! for the details. Thank you! 

the january bed

My camera lens was in repair so it took me forever to take photos of the january bed. This bed for the new year is loaded with blankets as it has been chilly here in central California. It probably doesn't help that we live in an uninsulated building with a sad wall heater. Thank goodness for a roof over our heads and lots of blankets! That nifty bedspread is a gift from Tara and it is quite dandy hanging out there with all the other bits of color. The New Year's stars were made from an empty box of cereal and that top pillowcase there is the flipside to this one made by me.

2013 will be the year i buy art

I have decided that 2013 will be (among other things) the year I buy art. There are far too many talented artists out there not to adorn my walls with and thus I kicked off this resolution with two Christmas gifts to myself...

This lovely Harold & Maude print is by Nan Lawson and is so completely joy inducing I smile each and every time I see it. Ms. Lawson's shop is brimmng over with fantastic small artworks, I do believe I will be adding quite a few more.

This dapper fella is Nick Cave, arted up quite nicely by Summer Allen of Design Is Mine. It is a part of her Men Who Rock series and Nick Cave most definitely does indeed rock. Swoon! 

making the bed: 2012

In 2012, I brought back making the bed with a so much purpose I created a new bit of art each month. It kept me crafty, creative and sane. Here's to 2013! The new january bed photo will be up as soon as my lens comes back to me. Not taking pcitures is trying and no, I don't own a smartphone...or a tablet...or an ereader. Just call me old fashioned you know...or funds challenged.  

the kitchen cart, the craft cart, and the army of ants...

It's only the 4th day of the new year and already I feel behind. I am sort of without camera right now. The everyday kit lens that came with my new Rebel was acting all cranky and so it is being worked on at Canon so for now, my camera is stuck with the long lens until the everyday lens returns. I hope it is soon, it isn't easy taking wip shots and project shots in this tiny casa. I have to stand at the far end of the living room to photograph anything o nthe table and there is simply too much clutter in the way to take a decent photo. It's fun clutter, hanging-on-the-walls clutter...you know, random things taped to the wall with washi tape or paper lanterns hanging fro mthe ceiling dangling every-which-way. I'm also a smidge on the sick-ish side. I either have allergies or another sinus infection. Oof. It's not too bad, I've lost my sniffer again and I'm super wheezy but not too clogged up.

This year is going to be the year I grow up (ahem) and get organized. I'm reorganizing the kitchen and craft carts...by reorganizing I mean there is a HUGE pile o' partially finished craft projects from 2011 & 2012 heaped on the living room floor. The kitchen cart however is organized as is the "silverware" drawer that now holds utensils and vitamins (hey, it works) which now frees up a shelf in the above cabinet for tea without having said tea fall on your head. The kitchen cart used to be my craft cart but now that it seems we share this space with an army of ants we've had to rethink how we organize the tiny kitchen. Anything that makes ants happy, no matter how sealed it is; is now aranged on the cart. We are seriously thinking of adding tanglefoot above the wheels of the cart to keep those pesky buggers away from the honey, sugar and peanut butter. Man, who knew ants could get all bacchanalianon peanut butter?  Sure we could put traps out but we prefer not to. An ant here or there doesn't trouble us, it's just when they hold a rave in the butter dish or invade the cupcake sprinkles that we get a bit skeezed out. It seems we are never able to purge the party as a few drunkards manage to stumble around long enough to attract the next crowd. Our plan of attack now involves keeping temptation away. Crossing fingers this works.

There is a pile of scavenged boxes made of wood on the kitchen table waiting for the mister to add hardware to the back so I can add them to the wall of wonder. It drives mr. a-go-go a bit batty that I bring home these raggedy bits to use as shelves but if that is all it tskes for me to weed through the pile of kitsch for a new shelf shindig then the mister somewhat begrudgingly complies.

So Happy New Year to a new and slightly improved tiny casa. A tiny casa that we are thinking of leaving when our lease is up. The space while better than our L.A. digs still has a lot to offer. The funny thing, what we want more than larger digs is a place to garden. I also really want a screen door so I can have the door open. Thoughts like these make us madly nostalgic for the old tiny casa. In the meantime, I will stitch up  yo-yos, cut fabric for projects, misplace the iron more times than I should admit, continue my ant purge, and weed through this pile of stuffity stuff that is heaped at my feet as I type and take a break every now and then do dance to the tinny tunes coming from the computer on the other side of the room.

And yes, that was Gun & Roses that was just playing...albeit a bit loudly...as they should be...

2012 in review

One day into 2013 and I cannot wait for all the fun mister & I are going to have. I certainly hope we manage a raod trip or two and a camp out and much, much more. 2012 had us hiking, trekking and creating..here's a looksie:

January: Most of January was spent in the newish tiny casa. We trekked out to test drive cars and spent more than a few days at our favorite beach and I created my last project for Craft.

February: Was a scary month in a-go-go land. My brother was in the ICU due to respiratory failure and was not responding to care. Thankfully he did recover and is still recovering. I am so very glad for that. Other than that ick, I made paneer for the first time and added another year to my forties. Yikes! 

March: Mister and I got a new car and did our eighth jump (I write eight because we jumped at our wedding) at the fountain.

April: April had us itching to get outside. It was a tiny bit rainy but we still managed many hikes and one chilly campout.

May: In May we hit up our favortie tea house for Mother's Day tea with the family, and had a blast checking out the solar eclipse.

June: June involved more hiking, the mister's birthday and rootbeer taste test, and a lovely paper doll party. It also involved saying goodbye to a dear friend who will be missed greatly.

July: In July I managed another 31 Days of Red, White, and Blue. Mister and I went on a mini road trip to Reno with a quick stop to see Tara while she was visiting California. 

August: August was a month of visiting and traveling. We love having visitors and well these people are my most favorite. 

September: In September, mr. a-go-go and I drove across five states to visit with my sister and see my nephew get married. We camped ourselves silly and enjoyed our first long trip with Dr. Eleanor Teeth.

October: For Halloween, mister constructed some awesome Day of the Dead masks for us and we picked up more pumpkins than I knew what to do with.

November: November saw a return of sweet november and we hit the road and spent four days up in the tiny town of Three Rivers with the family a-go-go celebrating Thanksgiving with hiking, cooking, eating and many rounds of exquisite corpse. 

December: No traveling in December, just hanging out with the family a-go-go, baking cookies and taking walks. I also completed my final bed of the year! 

Looking back it was a tremendous year, our first in the new tiny casa and our first with Dr. Teeth. Here's to 2013 being most extraordinary!