More of my Favorite Things

...about our new house. These pictures were also taken on closing day when I was here for cleaning without any real stuff.

If you missed my last post, go here to see my first edition of Favorite Things. (I feel like Oprah except not liberal. :) )


Here's our fireplace, mantle and hearth.

I love that it looks like it was salvaged from an old Church...wait...no, it's just shaped like a Church. I love it! Shaped like or salvaged from, I don't care.
I don't really love that hunter green tile around the fire box. It looks ok in the picture, trust me...it's not ok in person!

Look at this little globe I got at an estate auction for $6 (and a bunch of other junk that I left there).

I know it looks lonely up there but it happened to be in my car and Stevie thought it looked good up there. :)

And look at this pretty, pretty girl!
That's up and to the right of the fireplace. The balcony is off our extra bedroom. I'm sure our {someday} children will try to jump off there so I am going to enjoy the doors until I have to baracade them to keep the little stinks safe!

Here's the view from the balcony.


One last part about the living room. I didn't discover this light until we had lived here for just about a week. I am in love!!
I love that it shines right over the door. I love that it gives us a bit of extra privacy from the front by shining at the door. Moreover, it's my favorite light to leave on when we aren't home...just so sweet to come home to. Well, I guess...I come through the garage but if I did use the front door, I would think it was sweet.


It's hard to take pictures at night, of lights and not be all weird...but I wanted to toss in this last one so you could see the green tiles prevail!!! Ahhhhh!

In do time! I have a couple of projects for this winter but for the most part, we will be doing some major landscaping and Jj has a few places on our wooden siding to fix.

A few of my Favorite Things!

About our new house of course!!

I took these pictures the day we closed while I was here cleaning...so there is basically nothing here except what I brought in my mini-SUV and what my parents brought in the trunk of my Mom's Caddy... Prepare yourself. Just kidding. :)

First off! Check out my kitchen window!

Not really the ugly valance or the outdated back splash... but the window! There is all this space between my sink and the window...stuff, plants, herbs (wait, I'm not much of a cook). You can sort of see through the window that it looks out over our backyard...and I love it!!

Then, I have this cute little nook.

In the foreground, you see the bar/counter in the kitchen. To the right are the french doors that go to my sun porch (more on that another day).

Much better without those dang curtains!

Here's the view of the back of our house through the trees.

I was walking back from Jj's shed for his tractor and decided that I like this view... a lot!!

I'm going to show you some of my favorite things about our upstairs/main level living room next. It is a post ALL to itself!!

I'd love to hear about your favorite place at your home!

Giveaway

My friend from CardMaker, Teresa, is having a giveaway on her blog. Click here to read all about it!

Anyway, I'm showing you my favorite expansion packet. Of course it's Christmas!!

It is called Christmas Traditions and I love, love it!!

Today is the DAY!

As you are reading this, I am pretending to be Cinderella...I'm cleaning and shampooing the carpets at our new HOME!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes, I'm yelling. Nope, I'm not mad!)



I just wanted you to see that darling little dormer one more time!


Lots more New House pictures to come I am sure. I am just dying to show you guys everything!!!

My Love Affair...

...with suitcases. Oh how I love thee!!!

Several, several years ago, in a magazine somewhere, I saw a bedside table created from vintage suitcases and so the love affair began! I think I have close to ten and I stash them all over.

When we first moved to the Rental, I had two conundrums. The first: where to drop off the mail until mail opening day (Friday). The second: where to stash that stuff you need in the bathroom but you don't want people to see when your bathroom is only this big: (not even joking...I was standing in the hallway).

Enter Juanita's House Antiques at Main and Ohio in Sedalia, MO (I just love that woman! She invited me to my first auction in my new work town, her shop was one of the fist downtown shops I discovered, her shop has this sweet little entry to the second floor, and to top it all off! She is just sweet as pie!)

So, down to see Juanita's House I head on a random lunch hour in July...after Jj already said we couldn't get anymore stuff until we had a new space to accessorize...well, this one needed just a bit. And, suitcases can help us in the moving process :) and...really...they can "go" in any home that I'm in. State law!

First, I found this little cutie:
It had a luggage tag with someone's name on it; I thought that was cool. Juanita said it belonged to a local doctor's wife...kinda neat. I just knew that with a little elbow grease, I could get that thing slicked up and it would be a great mail holder!

Wouldn't you know! I walked upstairs and look what jumped into my arms!

I know! Hopped right in! (Look! Someone's initials! MC. How cool if it would have been LJ??)

I just used hot water and Pine-sol.

Cleaned up like a dream!



I decided this blue one would have to go in the bathroom.

I was afraid the white one would just disappear with the white walls, white throne, white, white, white!

I just tucked it right down next to the wall.

I feel like the cute little case is kind of hidden but... it's the Rental...it's only temporary.

The white one is in the living room next to our entertainment center...err...coffee table that's holding up our TV. :) I forgot to snap a picture of that...sorry. I promise to show you their locations in our new house; when I find the perfect location!

And! It was the white mail holder that busted me. Jj saw it the second he walked into the Rental. I said sorry but explained that we NEEDED it and that he knew how much I loved suitcases and didn't it look great sitting there? He laughed, hugged me and made me promise that we didn't need anymore stuff. Man he's a keeper!

Come here, sit down. Let me fill you in!!!

Ok. You are not going to believe this!!! In May, we decided it was time to put our Columbia House on the market. You read all about it! Well it sold crazy, crazy fast. We closed on June 17, 2011. Less than 30 days after I (yes me, we sold it ourselves, no Realtor helped me at all, one stinking bit, it was all me)!!

So... we moved to a rental... no pictures. You wouldn't even believe it!! I think I will just forget now. Because our offer was accepted today for our New Home!!!

Yep, you heard me correct. Pending inspections, we purchased a new (to us) home! Holy cow!!! I can't wait to show all of it too you!


Taken from my iPhone. When we went back for a second peek, the people were home so.... yeah. Anyway, when I was looking on the internet, the house had me at the front porch!
I mean just look at the banister, the hanging pots, our Nation's Pride hanging in the breeze!

Hello, Home, it's me Laura Jones!


And that cute dormer. Eeekkk! I could just spend the night tonight!

I also loved that the garage door had a slight arch at the top...a little hard to see in this picture but... it was my phone afterall.

I should also tell you that the house had me at the mantle, the balcony and then again with the property! I can't wait to show you all about it!

What about your home had you at hello? Or how have you made it have you at hello?

Old Cards...Revealed!

I seem to do this more often than not; I have a blast at an online crop, making tons of cards...and I forget to share them on here. Shame on me!!

These cards were made back in May for CardMaker's CardSwap online crop. Remember, I participated in the Somewhere Over the Rainbow Blog Hop?

Anywho! Here are the cards I made:







I was messing with some of my camera settings and didn't realize that frog one was so, so bad until I had already packaged up the card to be sent...oops...bad! With the palm tree card, I had it focused on the rope part which way, way threw off the rest. Sorry for the blur.

Thanks for stopping by to see us!

Would you get a load of THIS!?!

I took this picture myself. I promise it has not been photo-shopped or otherwise had the content edited!



Get a closer look why don't you?



Yep, that's a compact car with a trunk FULL of scrap metal. I tried to get a closer picture but all I had was my iphone and I was driving. Eek!

Anyway, it made me laugh and I thought I'd share that with you. I guess as long as you are recycling, your methods are acceptable??

Happy Anniversary!

Two years ago today, I married my sweet husband. He truly is my best friend!

I couldn't imagine my life without this sweet little joke-ster!

Here's to many more; I love you Monster!



(PS - these pictures are from my Sister's wedding, May 14, 2011.)

A Serene Christmas

A couple of weeks ago, my good friend Lora and I spent a nice Friday afternoon making cards for my Grandma's Bazaar. Thank you Lora; my Grandma will LOVE them all!!

I made a card pack (of 6) for Grandma's sale. It will be the first weekend in November.


Of course, they are all slightly different...that's how us random girls roll!


I also busted out my Patterned Pines stamp set and made these. I just remember how this set totally had me at hello! But then so did the Serene Snowflakes. Perhaps my "hello"s are pretty easy to have. Well, I do talk to strangers!



Oh Merry Christmas in June!!