Where Did She Go?????

Its Unbelievable!!
Its been over a year since I last blogged.....

Many of you have emailed and asked me what happened???

Where did you go???

When will you blog again???

We miss you!!
I just want to say thank you so much for all your care and concern.
Im ok but not ok if that makes any sense at all....

I will attempt to explain in this post
whats going on with me...
some of if sad news but of course we
wont dwell on that and I will try to make you smile too.

First something to make you smile!!

Yes this is Pugsie taking a nap!!!!
I didnt have my camera but did have my cell phone.
He is the most unique and funny dog I have ever had!
He gets himself in the most unbelievable posistions.

Look at his tounge....always sticking out
makes him even more the clown!!

Their is nothing like a pug!

and if anyone out their is considering

getting a dog I highly recommend

the Pug breed.

that are sweet, loving, gentle and

will always make you smile!

So Now on to more serious subjects and
the happenings of my past year.
As you all know my father passed away last year.....

When I came home from California I felt almost dead inside...

Its hard to explain but I felt numb and
just didnt feel like doing or seeing anyone.

I forced myself to do what I had to for my
family responsibilities but I
seem to want to do much more.

Then my Lymes Disease was still quite
active so I also had those issues to deal with.

I saw several new doctors and the
good news is that one found a treatment
that seems to have brought me to a
much more functional place.

But then as life goes....Bad news hit again.

You remember my big brother Ed??
He was in the Urkle post a while back,
the one who teases me merciless and the one
I return the affection too. :P

Well he was diagnoised with Lukemia.
It is a very rare form.........
The doctors can find very few cases or research on it.

They dont no how he will respond to treatment or if he will.
I flew out to California a few months ago
to see him while he was in the hospital.......

This is a picture below of me my mom and brother
the day I left to come home.

He was in the hospital the entire time
I was their but was released the
before I left.

This picture below was in the hospital....
as usuall we were teasing and laughing at each other.

Its going to be a tuff battle ahead and I
be making another trip out to be with
him and my mother for support.
So as a result I wont be doing any
of my handmade vintage creations
for a while on my web site.

I cant seem to have the mental energy to focus right now.
The web site is still open with items that are in stock,
but I just wanted to let you know
why you wont be seeing any of my custom
work for little while since many
of you email asking me when????? :)

I truly appreciate your patience,
I want to thank you all for your support, care and concern.
I hope to get creating again soon in the very near future.


Now to change the subject and
lighten things up a bit I
wanted to share some photos of my kitchen.....
It possibly is the the slowest
redo I have ever done....
Im still not finished with it,
but here are a few shots of the finished
buffet and hanging shelf above it.







And last but not least a closing picture
of Pugsie when he was a baby!!
I came across these pictures that I had forgotten about!

He got ahold of my sons pacifier and ran with it....



This is the picture I was able to catch...
its priceless and so captures his personality!!
He makes me smile everyday....
Its incredible the joy animals can bring to your life.

I never thought I would be one
of those "dog people" but I am!!
and im lovin it!!


So I will close for now
thanking you again for your
care and concern.
The human heart reaches out far.
thank you so much
hugs,
Sandy

EEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

Well girls I have some more before and
after pictures of my kitchen redo!

I know its going slow but after over a
year in the making its getting there!
Its still a work in progress and
I will eventually show
whole room pics after it is all done,
but for now ill just focus on areas that
Ive been working on.

So here we go.....
This first shot is of the dining area in my kitchen...
you can see the old pink
wallpaper in the background
and in this shot I have begun
adding the new wallpaper.

This shot is of the corner pretty much before I started...

I know what your thinking.....

your thinking that the fabric on

those settees is rather ugly!!!

and I have to agree!

I bought them like that with the

intentions of having them recovered.

I like the shape, style and size of

them for the corner,

and of course the price was right:))))

I bought them at Marshall's Home Goods

one of my favorite stores!!!

I had slipcovers made for them,

Changed the mirror above,

I am temporarily borrowing the mirror
below from my friend Ruthebelle,

It was down in her basement

not being used so I took it

home to try out, and then

I painted and hung it up

Im thinking she is going to have

a hard time getting it back from me...giggles...

Hope she isnt reading this :P
Here is a shot with the wallpaper done

mirror hung and slipcovers made

and on the settees.....

Here is a full version of the settee before...

If I lived in Florida it might be considered pretty....

But I'm sure you will agree the after

picture is soooo much more scrumptious!!

I had slipcovers made so that I can wash

them easily since these are in the

kitchen and we will use them alot.

I washed and dried the fabric

before I had them made.

Notice the beautiful lace and

chiffon ruffles I had made for the pillows.

Beautiful yet not practical at all!!! :((((((

If these settee's weren't going to be

used often then these would be fine,

but since we sit here every day

they are not going to work!!!!

So these will have to go in

my living room and Ill will have my
magnificent pillow lady Michelle

make smaller square throw pillows.

This will make it easier to sit

down and get in and out of the settees.

I had Michelle take this wonderful lace that looks

like vintage french net and stagger

the layers for a double ruffle.

Then I had her add a pink chiffon ruffle

behind it to give the lace some

color and a little more weight.

I'm very happy with the end results.

Now on to the other side of the kitchen

in particular my stove and

back splash area......

This is the before shot.....

Isn't it something how you get used to

seeing something every day

and you forget how ugly

it really is....giggles....

Now looking at these pictures I'm

thinking to myself....
'what was I thinking???

what took me so long to beautify that area????

In a second I'm going to show

you what I had made for the new back splash.

You've heard me speak about Nancy

the incredibly talented mosaic artist from

Romancing the Rose Studio

Well in my opinion she is the greatest

mosaic artist ever!!!!!

I love everything she does!!

I was thinking of what to do
for a back splash... at first I

was considering subway tile or bead board...

then I thought why not have Nancy

make a back splash like she would cover

one of her table tops but put it

on a board for me that I can hang.

I asked her if she could and

to my delight she agreed!!!

Here is Nancy on the right in the white

when we finally got to meet in person.

I'm on the left, then my friend Ruthebelle and

friend Trish whose home is the

current jewel of the month.

Trish had bought several pieces from

Nancy and she drove about 4 hours

to deliver them and so we could meet.

She is such a doll and we had such fun that day!!

When she brought in the furniture

we were deciding where to put the pieces

and the next thing you knew we were

all rearranging Trish's

family room pulling out accessories etc....

it was so funny we just met and

this was how we spent our time together

but we all enjoyed it so much...

To us it wasnt work it was entertainment!

Since we all love to do things like

that so it didn't seem odd to us.

anyway back to my back splash.......

here is another before shot of the area....

Now the after!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't it incredible!!!

Truly a work of art!

Some people spend there money on

artwork from Monet, Picasso or???

to me Id rather spend my money on this!

An original piece of artwork from Nancy.

She has such a way of arranging her

china that her work cant compare with many.

Everyday as I cook I can look at this beautiful piece full of the finest

antique china I could find for it.

You should really take a look at Nancy's website.

Perhaps you can own one of her pieces of art!

Now my last delima.....

Do you like the green tea kettle or the pink????

Let me know what you think,

and stay posted to my website, Ive been working on new treasures

and hope to list soon.

and of course will be working on the kitchen more so stay tuned for updates on that as well.

hugs,

San

Kitchen Before and afters

Well here it is....
Reveal day!!.....
Wellll partial reveal day.......
As you know Ive been planning on and talking about my kitchen redo for over a year now.
But because of various obstacles
It has been delayed, :(
The good news is that I have finally
started it and my kitchen is
getting there slow but sure.
I wanted to start showing you
some of the photos so that you can
see the transformation as it unfolds.

So Lets get started....
In this photo below you see the
original pink striped wallpaper,
I started to strip it already.
The china cabinet I had painted green with an
antique glaze a few years ago..
I liked it but I really wanted to have my
vintage china more open and displayed prettier.....
plus I desperately need more counter space
and since we cant do a major remodel at
this time I have to work with what I have.
So my brilliant brainstorm was to remove
the top of the cabinet to open up the top
of the buffet so that it could be used as counter space.

But my brilliant idea was not so brilliant because when we lifted it off we found a gaping hole!!!!

But it was hubbie to the rescue he filled the hole in with wood,

and for now I have the wood covered with a runner,

I'm hoping to get granite counter tops and also put a piece of granite on this piece to make it seem like part of the cabinetry.

I put up this scrumptious pink and cream

toile floral wallpaper from Grammercy.

I hung this shelving unit that someone

was throwing away on the wall.

I think it was part of some type of bedroom set.

I painted it white, and could now display

my china openly but still keep the counter space.

But the display part was a bit of a challenge!!

I can usually go into someones house and

tell them exactly what they need to

change, hang, rearrange...etc.....

but sometimes when it comes to your

own house you can get a block.

I didn't know where to start or what to do.

I stared anxiously at the wall for a long time.

Then decided just to start and let things start flowing....

Well things didn't flow too well.

Everything looked too blah..

too white on white....

I love that look when others do it,

Rachel Ashwell does a more neutral pallete with touches of color,

and Karla my new Jewel of the month does a more neutral color scheme,

Her home is beautiful!

but for some reason when I try to do the look I cant pull it off.:(

I realize along time ago that we can get inspiration

from different sources, we flip through magazines, go blogg hopping etc.. we see ideas that we love but the key is to take the

idea and make it our own,

Come up with our own interpetation of the look.

I dont consider my house shabby chic, or Victorian,

I have found the best way to describe my style is

.......English Cottage......

Its more embellished than shabby chic and has more color, it is full of china, roses and elegance but still very cottage and relaxed.

Not too overdone dark and heavy like Victorian sometimes can be.

I had some friends visiting last week from Paris and when they

saw my house they immediately said "oh your house is so English"

that is what I always thought but it was nice to have it confirmed.

I tend to need more color,

I like soft pastel color but I need more punches of it.

So I decided to paint the back of the shelving

unit a beautiful shade of green.

Its Martha Stewarts Index Card Green paint

that I had mixed at my Benjamin moore paint store.

Just so that the china stood out a bit and

not got so washed out against the white.

Immediately when I saw it I new I like it!

Now I had to arrange the china better,

At first I was arranging it and it looked like china soldiers all lined up.

too predictable and uninteresting.

I started adding other pretty display pieces in

with my limoge china to add interest and more color.

I cut up some pretty hankies into 4's and

used them as little shelf runners.

I decided not to use the rose canisters on this wall after all,

I will use them somewhere else.

I put the pink lemonade canister on the top of the shelf.

That is one of my favorite pieces...

It came all the way from Australia,

Mandii one of my previous jewels of the month

found it for me and sent it.

Notice the mosaic shelf above the

buffet hanging in the shelving unit.

That was made by my friend Nancy who

is the greatest mosaic artist ever!!!!

I will be blogging about her more soon and

also showing another piece she has

custom made for me for the kitchen that

is to die for gorgeous!!

When I saw it I told her I had died and

gone to pink china heaven!!

wait until you see her work!

She is unbelievable!

for now you can look at her website found at

http://romancingtherosestudio.com/

look at her gallery and you will see what I mean about her work.

I still have to get the top of the buffet decorated,

its still not right or the way I want it but stay posted

for more updates on the kitchen and I will

be showing other sections of it as they get finished.

Take a look at the new Jewel of the month for April,

Its Karla's Cottage, and it is beautiful!!

you can see it on my website, just go to jewel of the month.

Hope to post more soon,

things are starting to get better for me,

its been ruff but I'm getting there.

thanks for your support and patience!

hugs,

Sandy

Mushinessss The 3 Stooges Way!

How can I explain to you my dynamics of my family,
When I say family I mean with my parents and especially my brother!
We are not an overly gushie, mushie, lovie type of family,
Though there is no doubt that we love we each other,
And There is nothing we wouldn't do for each other!
We just show our love in different ways.....
We tease all the time and there is not many subjects that isn't fair game!
I kinda think of our family as displaying our love the 3 Stooges Way!

We are just very goofie and show our love in a goofie way!
Especially my brother Ed!
He is the lead stooge!!!
But in the past years we have been faced with much family heartache
that has drawn us together in a way we never were before.
When your young you think nothing will ever happen to you,
but as life goes on you realize things do and will happen.

Life becomes more precious and
we value each other more.
So as a result We have started to
become more mushie with each other,
which I have to say is nice but also difficult to accept at times.
But my stoogie brother did something for me last month that I will truly always cherish,

Let me start from the beginning.....
In January when I had gone to California,
My brother had taken off from work after my father passed away,
One afternoon we drove down to Laguna Beach,
We drove down PCH which is a beautiful drive along the coast!
Its one of my favorite drives.
The California coast line is gorgeous!

We went with our cousinRoxanne,
who is really more like a sister.
We spent almost every day of our lives growing up together,
our moms are sooo close.
Together we make up the 3 stooges,
Her being Moe!
Which I suppose makes her the lead stooge...heehee....
Ooopppps sorry Ed youve been demoted!
anyway......
we went had dinner,
walked around the town and shops
and came across this really pretty shabby style
store that had lots of things but one thing caught my eye.......
it was this pillow.....

It saids "Twinkle Twinkle little star what a gift from God you are"
I saw it and in a serious voice said to my brother......
"Ed I think you should buy this for me"
Rox and Ed walked over to see what
I was referring to and they both silently read the pillow
and then after a pause of silence burst out in laughter!!!
I have to admit I laughed too!!
As I said before we know we love each other we just don't express it in mushie terms.
and for my brother ever to say or refer to me as a gift!!
well that would be as the

saying goes....'when pigs fly!!!'
That was the end of that and of course we
teased each other for the rest of the day and week.
Then about a week after I arrived home from California I received
a box from my brother,
I had no idea what was in it and was surprised to receive it.
I opened it and I'm sure you can guess by now what was in it!
Yes the pillow,
but even more wonderful was this letter he included in it.


(Sorry about it being sideways for some reason that's the way blogger uploaded it and I have no idea how to correct it.)
So Ill just tell you what it saids.

"Sis, just wanted to let you know the pillow is right you are a gift and I'm very lucky to have you as a sister.
It was really nice being with you last week I couldn't have done what you did.
Please don't let that cow of a dog use this.
I love you
Eddie
PS If you tell anyone I called you a gift ill kill you."

It was definitely a Kleenex moment and
I will always cherish this pillow and letter,
because it was for this moment that we stopped
being the stooges and became the Walton's!!
(ok now I'm laughing right now too!!
that is a bit to over the top the Walton's we
will never be but I think you know what I'm trying to say!)

And I promise Ed,
The pug will never get his slobberie tongue on this pillow!!!
I love you too my big bubble bass!!

Since its been such a long time since my last post this is going
to be a long one I have lots of things to share with you.
First Ive finally after over a year of planning and shopping started my kitchen redo.
and these are just a few of the before pictures...

This is one of the walls I have this green china cabinet but because I need more counter space I am removing the top of it and doing something different as you will soon be seeing.
the pink stripe wall paper is the old, Ive started to strip it here.


We took off the top which revealed a whole in the top which is throwing a wrench in my idea to use it as a counter top,
but hubbie came to the rescue!!
he put some wood to fill in the hole for now and later we will cover it with tile or perhaps a mosaic??????


Now don't look at my hubbies little bald spot in the back of his head!
He isn't going bald its just the angle and lighting...hee hee...
You know how a camera makes you look 10 pounds heavier,
well it also causes bald spots to appear when there are none!!
I am in soooo much trouble right now!!!!!:P

Ill be putting some after pictures in my next post, I am sooo excited as to the turn out!!
and I think you will to!

We have had a couple good snow storms lately so I wanted to show some pics I took the day after,

It looks like a winter wonderland!

Now last but not least I will close with the pug!

In this picture Pugsie is very upset because my brother

referred to him as a cow in his letter to me!!

Don't worry Pug, I set Ed straight!!!!

Your not a cow!

your a piggie boy!!!

This shot below was the Pugs response to Ed....

He was trying to blow raspberries to him.....

pppppfffffffttttthhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Which made him tired so

Then he took a nap!

Here he is below striking a pose....

looks like he is trying to be a fashion model or something!!

We will close with this,

thanks for all your care and concern and emails,

It really has meant so much to me.

I have been working on new projects for the website,

and hope to list soon.

thanks for your patience and remember Good things come to those who wait!

hugs and smiles,

Sandy