hello december!

 

i hope it's white and merry and peaceful and cozy and everything else you're hoping and dreaming it to be...

so eager to start my december daily album to capture the moments, big and small, that make this a special and heartwarming season:)

december daily 2012...a revelation:)

 

it will sound funny to you, most likely. but it has taken me 3 years of december daily albums to finally realize something that to me is "big". i love monochromatic schemes when it comes to albums like this. i crave a sort of 'minimalism' to keep things calm and cohesive.

 

in retrospect, i did this unconsciously with my 2010 album. and even my 2011 album - mostly monochromatic. (which reminds me - i've never shared any of the 2011 album here...i'll do that over the next month or so).

 

it may sound silly, as i said, but it's a big "aha" moment for me to realize what works for me. because i love so many of the december daily albums i see around blogland and message boards - they're bright and vibrant and multicolored. but i just haven't been able to articulate that in my albums. so glad to have the clarity:) i can still admire and enjoy those other beautiful albums - but for me, it doesn't work to have many colors.

 

so here is my simple cover. i embossed this stamp and then added silver Thickers. then i misted over the rest of the chipboard cover.

next i covered the brown fabric with white duck tape and added a strip of silver and white washi tape.

i'm new to misting - i see imperfections. it bothered me for a day or two...but now i'm truly buying into ali's mantra to "embrace the imperfection". it's really ok - nobody but me will even take notice.

here's my little collection of supplies (which has since grown a bit) that i started out with before finally deciding on very simple, repetitive foundation pages. i'll be sharing those in the next day or two - just waiting for some decent light to take photos.

this makes me happy. it resonates with me in terms of being simple, calm, and cohesive.

thanks for stopping by:)

december daily 2010

 

as i start putting together my foundation pages for another december daily, i am also finishing up my albums from 2010 and 2011. i just wanted to quickly share my favorite page from my 2010 album. it makes me happy to look through these pages, finished or not. i really continue to enjoy this concept and process...

this day just included outtakes from a quick photo shoot i did of our boys for our annual holiday card.

this was the year i went with a monochromatic, vintage look to my pages, the base pages which you can see here, if you'd like.

i'll be back before long with some photos of what i'm putting together this year...think white, silver, gray...with touches of sparkle and metallic paper:) i'm sure i'll add an accent color or two - maybe aqua? not sure:)

autumn...and holding

 

 

yes, we've had a bit of snow...and yes, my thoughts are turning towards christmas. but - i'm still enjoying the last of autumn and these pumpkins still adorn our table. it just doesn't seem right to change the decor until thanksgiving...

 

 

this old and water-damaged art is something i pull out every fall and place on the mantel or prop against a wall somewhere. this year, i found the sweetest little owls in the target 2.50 bins and added them to the mix.

 

 

they just caught my eye and tickled my fancy:) especially for 50% off - why not?!? with $3.75 invested in this little vignette, i don't feel too guilty if they only stick around for one season;)

are you still enjoying autumn...or have you moved on to winter decor? either way - hope you're happy and healthy!!!

cinderella pumpkins

i've been wanting to share photos of the beautiful pumpkins we received from my parents again this fall. i've fallen completely in love with the many varieties of pumpkins i've been learning about lately. the cinderella pumpkin is absolutely a favorite.. it has a gorgeous deep red orange color and the shape...oh the shape! it is truly like cinderella's coach in the old storybook illustrations!

these three cinderellas are nestled by a lumina pumpkin, that strangely enough, is more light aqua than white this year:) just beautiful.

i found a little information about the cinderella that i'll copy and paste here:

Cinderella Pumpkins are a unique French heirloom whose correct name is "Rouge vif D'Etampes". The source of their nickname it that they resemble the pumpkin that Cinderella's fairy godmother transformed into a carriage. This pumpkin is recorded as having been the variety cultivated by the Pilgrims and served at the second Thanksgiving dinner. There is something magical about them. Cinderellas make a delightful decorative accent for the fall season, but additionally their flavor is good for any pie or winter squash recipe.

i loved stacking a few pumpkins in my white planters this fall. they're still out there and still bringing me joy each time i glimpse those gorgeous orbs out my front entrance:)

november 6, 2012...election day

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves -- and the only way they could do this is by not voting.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, The Wit and Wisdom of Franklin D. Roosevelt

scenes from our halloween{s}

oh my. we've had quite the shenanigans around here. for starters, look who crashed into our front window. and made herself quite at home.

 

 

and this cantankerous dude has taken up residence on a table in the front entry.

 

i forced myself to serve witches fingers at a recent party - what else was i to do with these tasty morsels?!?

we caught up with her and trussed her up in the garage so the children could treat her like a pinata;)

and...finally...something cute!!! this darling little book of halloween memories arrived last week from paper coterie. so glad not everything has been spooky around here!

have a wonderfully cozy, spooky, sinister, and sweet halloweeen!!!

slipping through my fingers...

 

be still my aching heart! where. does. the time. go?

 

i'm busy, busy today getting ready for halloween festivities. but after uploading some photos from a few weeks ago and seeing the passage of time, i had to pause to record this. now.

 

this photo of my son and niece was taken in the fall of 2007. out in the grasses of my parents' beautiful home in the country.

 

 

precious, precious, innocent faces. the lyrics to abba's 'Slipping Through My Fingers' are running over and over in my mind, sometimes with "he, his" in place of "she, her":

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl ...



Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone, there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
Well, some of that we did, but most we didn't
And why, I just don't know...


and here they are now...fourteen years old, standing in almost exactly the same spot as five years ago. i'm so thankful they're healthy and relatively happy and that they're here with us. safe. loved. but still...


Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time

Slipping through my fingers all the time...

little white things...

that are bringing us joy around here. i filled this glass box with the pretty white pumpkins we got from my mom's abundant pumpkin harvest...

and the nosy, cozy puppy who is wherever we are:)

although he'll occasionally find a warm spot for a little nap and ignore the happenings around him.

 

 

what is making you smile and bringing you joy these cozy autumn days???

 

 

(linking up with Blissful Whites Wednesdays at 'TIMEWASHED')

making me smile today

 

 

every single time i pass by...

junk bonanza 2012

 

 

enjoy these glimpses of the one and only junk bonanza, fall 2012 edition! the really good news? there will now be a twice-a-year bonanza...what more could any vintage loving girl ask for?

 

see you in April?!? thanks for stopping by:)

lumina love

 

enjoying my first lovely 'lumina' pumpkin of the season...grown in my little square foot garden. these gorgeous white pumpkins have gorgeous (and apparently tasty - i haven't tried it) orange flesh...making them especially pretty when carved and illuminated!

happy fall monday to you:)

september...how i love you

 

 

oh, september...you are my favorite, i think...

you make me think of cozy things. like turning leaves and cooler nights and apples and school supplies.

you make me long for things i don't even particularly like...like football season and sweaters and politics.

you make me sad that the photo above is already four septembers ago...

september. you are one of a kind and i want to cherish every minute of you...

happy september:)

haute couture;)

 

 

i just can't go another day without a new post on this blog...it's downright wrong to see my last post was in may. and the photos are of winter topics:( yikes.

 

so today i thought i'd share this pretty little handmade dress - my recent thrift store find. true - my thrift store forays have been infrequent over the past year, as i continue to bring less into our home. but that doesn't mean i'll never have any vintage treasures to share:)

 

will i wear this? i doubt it. but maybe i'll resell it or gift it to someone looking for a vintage dress with some extra special touches;)

 

found it hanging with the halloween costumes. caught my eye because of the unique little accessories, all lovingly handmade.

front view...simple lines. wrinkles included at no extra cost.

love the tag...

look at this pretty little headpiece with attached comb

i'm sure someone wore this with great excitement for a special occasion

this flower with attached velvet ribbons intrigues me. it was pinned randonly to the dress and i thought it must be a belt...but the dress doesn't lend itself to a belt. and the ribbons both drape down from the flower in a "non-belt" way:)

so who knows how the piece was worn or attached? if you have a hunch as to how it was meant to be used, please leave a comment:) isn't it a pretty little outfit from days gone by?

project life - simpler yet...

i've been saying it for several years on this blog and in real life. i love less. the process of living my 'less is more' ideal is ongoing. it will be for a long time - maybe for life. most people who are truly living a minimalist life say that it's a continual process. i am glad to be on this journey, even knowing that i have a long way to go. that's okay.

i want to share two more project life pages. simple. simple. simple. photos and words and very little else. i think this type of memory keeping is really me. photos, memories, words - they mean so much to me. i will always love and enjoy all the papers and embellishments and mists and masks that go with traditional scrapbooking. i will still make those pages when i feel the desire. but this album is capturing the essence of our everyday lives. simply.

this makes me really, really happy! have a wonderful memorial day week-end:)