Folk Art House - Part Two - The Living Room

So if you missed Part One, of this home, here it is.  

This is a little more than the dining room, 

but why worry about these details?

Just bring on the pictures!!!!!!!

Lit Folk Art Filled Cabinet

Top of Cabinet - Anthro deers, but, of course

Detail inside cabinet

More of local artist Monti Mayrend's ceramic work
These three vessels are his - love how this Santa's
hat and beard mimic the pieces

Detail of banister I posted on Instagram

My little helper, Lucy Lou, and the whole reason I do this blog

All Black Skeleton Nativity - I thought many times of swiping

Hope you enjoyed the quick tour.

Folk Art House at Christmas Time - Dining Room

I get to help decorate a house every Christmas, well

more than one now. When I say help, I want 

to be clear that these are not my ideas.  

They belong to two very talented creative women:

Susan Jackson, the interior designer I work for and 

a very talented stylist named Lisa Sacaris.

The table setting is all Susan.

Faint if you must, it was breathtaking.

I snapped this picture before Christmas, and posted pictures, but was disappointed at not being able to show you more.

I wanted you to be able to see how the Mason Jars

would fit into a centerpiece setting and those 

gorgeous angels at the very end of the table,

I had to get better pictures of.

Look at the detail on the silver glasses.

The plants are miniature Christmas cactuses in 

ombre vases that Target carried two years ago.

I'm glad I got a better picture of this, because 

it was S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G.

So, now you have seen it without plates and glasses,

and then what it looked like in all its shiny glory.

Working with these women is a dream come true for this project, 

I learn so much and it always gets me motivated to come

home and get my own house done for Christmas.

 Above the dining table is a decorated chandelier.

I wish I could get a really good shot of it, but

the dimensions of the room, sort of prevent it.

So, I took a bunch of close-ups of what is in it.

These white ceramic cones are new this year by

local ceramic artist Monti Mayrend.  I will be showing

more of his work when I do a post on the living room.

These ornaments were my favorite of all.

These mercury baskets with elves and trees in them hang down from the fixture along with three mercury glass votives that get lit

This must have about 50 ornaments on it.

They are wired and a boxwood garland is also added.

I'll be back another day to show you the living room, kitchen

and more of that devil banister.

One Person Read My Blog & Wrote Me A Letter of Gratitude

During the summer, I ventured into writing 62 letters of gratitude honoring Maya Angelou.  There was no hashtag for this or ways I was promoting it, I was merely trying to honor Maya and to ensure that when I died, I had said the things I needed to say to people. You can read about my journey and progress.  I even received letters in return: some from my childhood heroes who thanked me for writing to them.  I even got one from Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks (I fainted at the mailbox - really).

But nothing could prepare me for the one letter that I received this Christmas.  The letter that while I was sick in bed with the flu, I would open and reread over and over again.

I read something Joan Didion wrote once that all writers wonder if anyone is reading their work.  You can't help but wonder this when you blog. But after reading this one letter, it did not matter to me any more whether numerous people were reading what I wrote or not. Because one person did.  And that one person, just from reading my blog, wrote me a letter of gratitude that I will never part with, and that I put in my coveted box of items that is labeled "IN CASE OF FIRE."

I thank you dear Sally Huffer.  You made my pursuit in this blog a special one.  

My New Organized Office Space - It's My Bitch

This is my new improved office space.  It's my bitch.  Everything is now where I need it, and not in crate after crate on the floor. Wonder boy (aka my hubs) made the most amazing bookcase for me (from scratch) and used a milk paint with an antique something or other on top of it.  I love how the finish matches the painting over my desk.  

I gots room for all my notebooks.  Look how tall that one is on the very right....it's a French ledger with original blotter - yea I know, you probably have a better one.

I even have room for my clipboards.  BTW, the artist who did these, was told they would never sell.   They are her number one product.  I love stories like that.

Design books that I reference, like Sibella Court's, The Life of a Bowerbird (which is a whole other post), are easy to grab.  I can even put a picture of me with my old horse, Sammy, and no one can tell me that I can't - Ha!

I have a little cart that houses all my tools...and yes, I use that calculator and will NOT get rid of it.  I have the three-tiered thingie behind my photo printer labeled with Action, Pending & Filing, just like the Organizer, Denise Hughes, told me to do, and I am managing it.  If you need an organizer, I will tell you, she is it.  I did this all myself, but not without her working and teaching me in a former house. She should be a life coach too.

Now here is the most AMAZING thing.  This is all the paper I NOW have in my life.  This is it.  One top of the cart.  I spent most of December getting rid of all the crap I do not need, taking better care of all the stuff I do need to be The Online Dating Cheerleader. It's pretty amazing, but don't feel bad, because I still have this below on my dining room table.  LEGOS. I am trying hard to embrace you, I really am.

Heavy Metal And A Girl Named Kathleen

Since posting a picture of my sister, Kathleen's, metal lamp on Instagram & Facebook, she got a lot of positive comments.  It's hard when you are an artist to promote your own stuff, something I love doing for others. You might remember I wrote an article about her last year on her current painting project. And I promised, after posting the lamp, I would share photos about the metal Christmas tree she made this year.  Here it is in all its glory (and not an easy thing to photograph, I might add). 

It is a metal structure where she added magnolia leaves (to green it up), lights, and ornaments.  The picture below is a close-up of the abstract design on each one of the tiers.  There is open work in the design, where you can conveniently hang your ornaments, or chose not to.  I love the flexibility of making this structure fit any type of design aesthetic; from traditional to uber-modern, it marries outstanding deign to sustainability.

A picture from the floor looking up to the top.  The tree is about 6 feet tall, this one is on a metal pedestal, that she made.  She is also going to make a 4 foot tall version.

The one thing I was not successful with was capturing the top of it.

The picture below does not do it justice.

These will be available to order, and I have one on my wish list for this year.  To not have to go out and get a tree, have the design flexibility to change its look from year to year, own something unique and know it is green are all the reasons I think this would be a valuable addition to our home.