December 11, 2012

I'm in St Louis today, visiting my good friend Elizabeth for her birthday and to play nurse maid as she has had some devastating effects to standard knee surgery. Send her your well-wishes won't you? (email her here). With crutches, wheel chair and canes in tow I plan to zip her around the antique malls, restaurants and coffee shops to get her mind off things. I got a chance to see her little house for the first time and it is just as wonderful as all her pictures in all the magazine show. Her husband Randy made us a classic steak dinner from a wonderful Julia Child's recipe. Yum-my.

This week I have been shooting and shooting, doing pictures of new items for the website (take a look) and then on Thursday I headed to Bottoms Up to shoot random pics of dealers booths for their Facebook page. I was back on Friday to actually shop and as usual, found some great goodies there and at other First Fridays venues in the Bottoms.

I have two decent looking trees at home but I could not get myself to decorate either of them although the vintage ornaments (all gold & silver of course!) kept piling up in large bowls around then house. Then I walk into Liberty Belle and they had a rare white half tree that I could not stop thinking about. So took it home and by midnight it was adorned and displayed and I was thrilled! Since being in retail for the last 12 years I cannot think if when I last put a tree up in my home. I glued the trunk into the base, rewired the white lights already included and straightened and trimmed every branch. Then I carefully added over 50 ornaments of all shapes and sizes, silver ball garland and tinsel. It's about 4' high and how perfect that is hugs right up against the wall for easy display. 

 

I also ran across this old photo of the tree many of you have seen in this season's Matthew Mead's Holiday issue. Left, the original tree. All black, heavy wire with paper wrapped. I kept as-is and decorated it for Better Homes & Garden's Christmas Ideas issue in 2009 (I think). Then i did the yarn wrap for myself.

I also did some projects for the Kansas City Star and they appeared in the paper December 2. They asked me to come up with some ideas on how to decorate with old Christmas Cards. One is a wreath I created with a large snowflake paper punch. Of course I would do this for myself with all white textured paper but it would not reproduce for the paper very well.

A found these images on Pinterest last week and love them both, especially the fire pit. Who would have thought?!

Check out all the items just in at curioussofa.com. Unique gifts and 75% antique, one of a kind!

 

 

And leaving you with your Sunday message:

December 3

Welcome to December everyone!

This month has already started off with a bang for me by speaking at Carol Spinski's entrepreneur event, SHINE. Carol, Karla Nathan, Amy Barickman and I stood before a wonderful, inspiring group of ladies to share, teach and guide them to the next move in their artistic businesses. We learned a lot of what worked and what didn't and were pleasantly surprised that all were there to take there crafts, talents and ideas to the next level. 

An original creation for SHINE as designed and taught by Karla Nathan.

If you missed it, we are happy to present it again for your event (just email any of us). We learned it could easily be a two day affair and I, being the long-winded one, learned I could speak for 8 hours due to all I have learned as a business owner. Trying to condense all the topics on financing, location, landlords, signage & branding, hiring, training, buying and pricing, events, display, marketing, networking and then maintaining it, staying fresh, closing your business and going online... well as you can see, a lot of topics to cover in two hours. But it was all so rewarding for us to see women wanting to learn and put their ideas into action. (I am available for private consult too, by the way! Shameless promotion).

Carol's farmhouse as the sun was setting and the guests were leaving.

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As promised, a quick story on Matthew Mead's HOLIDAY 2012. You must go online and order this amazing 250 page bookazine because it is a keeper. As always, filled to the brim of inspiring photos, ideas, recipes and beautiful stories to inspire during this season.

Back in May, Matthew contacted Carol with an idea to come to Kansas City and shoot a story with the three of us (Carol, Amy and me) and our friendship which is grounded by our respect, ideas and dependency on our creative businesses.

 

We began by determining a color theme to decorate Carol's 1900's farmhouse. Coral and brown came to mind as it seemed fresh, worked with all our tarnished materials and well, to be honest, wasn't being used in any other story of the magazine!

Carol Spinski, Amy Barickman, Debbie Dusenberry

Above is Carol's amazing kitchen which is always the hub of the home. It is light and bright, filled with wonderful primitive hutches as storage and antique country decor. We ran outside and clipped pine branches and all of us brought a stash of our personal xmas items from ornaments, to trees to garlands. I scoured the craft stores (thank goodness for Xmas in July) to find the much needed coral color ornaments and other embellishments we needed to match our color palette.

My tree above has been used in many a photo shoot. Originally ivory I sprayed it with pink craft paint and all of us sat around and decorated it with Amy's patterns and handmade ornaments for this great shot.

I wish I could say we also cooked all the wonderful foods you see in this spread, but we didn't! But I will add, finding just the right item at a bakery is an art in itself.

Carol has a collection of these etched mirrors she sometimes uses down the center of a table like a runner. We stacked them on the mantle instead.

In Carol's spare bedroom is this wonderful blue tufted chair. Matthew rearranged some of the furniture and Carol lined up her trees in the background. I also found this little pink umbrella to use but it was Matthew who turned it upside down and filled it with ornaments. This is my favorite shot from the spread. Genius!

Above, just two of Amy's many projects you can make anytime of year. (She's has great patterns for clothes too!)

If only you could see this cabinet in person because it was amazing. Sitting proudly, upstairs in Carol's studio space I had to claim this for 'my shot'. Matthew allowed me to empty it out and restage it with all these wonderful beads, baubles and collections. I added a few items I have for sale at curioussofa.com.

The wicker deer head basket above (for sale here) we added to Carols hutch in the kitchen. The glittery clock is also an amazing large ornament (for sale here).

And throughout the rest of HOLIDAY are amazing ideas and endless projects:

 

 

 

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This month I designed a new header for my Facebook page, which I try and do every month depending on the theme of the season.

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I am personally a little crazy for this new jewelry I just got in. A little steampunk, a little Victorian, and a little vintage. Above a rosary style necklace with OVAL BRASS BEAD & LEATHER FLEUR DE LIS.

Above a pale green glass bead chain with cast iron CROSS PENDANT BRACELET.

LOCK & KEY NECKLACE

TASSEL EARRINGS made with 6 different chains

SHOE BUCKLE NECKLACE with glass bead chain

ROSEBUD EARRINGS

I am also loving this IRON FARM FRAGMENT. Two pieces of heavy metal that make up one amazing, found object centerpiece. Use it together as shown or separately as a large bowl and candlestick.

Everyone needs one SMALL FEATHER TREE (especially ivory!) to display all your finer mercury ornaments. A perfect Xmas addition when you just don't want to put the big tree up this year. Also available in GREEN FEATHER.

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THIS WEEK'S PINTEREST FAVORITES 

(FOLLOW ME HERE)

How cute and clever is this? Adding bottle brush trees to old door knobs
(LETS MAKE SOMETHING)

There is nothing better and more unexpected than to add fresh greens to your dining room chandelier. I especially love adding the sage color ribbon (instead of red) for a classic tone-on-tone appearance.
(CHRISTMAS IDEAS)

For all of you crafters: How easy to cut and fold a music sheet, cut out a pretty face and glue to a stick for an instant fan. Make them small and add to gift wrap.

I loved how these skinny narrow pinecones could be made into a perfect snowflake.

I know we love our mannequins so why not take on a project like this? Cut, glue and go to town adding your own custom skirt.

I have a Pinterest board titled HOW TO DO FLOWERS because this is right up my alley. Freshly picked, haphazard, informal but somehow perfect.

There are so many things to love about this kitchen: all white of course, the industrial stove, the wall of spices, the giant hood, but especially the built-in shelf for all the stuff that seems to get in the way. Sigh.

Now this is what every neighborhood, shopping mall and car lot should do with old cars every season!

Finding great paintings, collage and original art on Pinterest always keeps me thinking.

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And my SUNDAY MESSAGE