Cat Food & Coconut!

I thought that title would get your attention!

Yes, cat food and coconut flakes is what was under my stove and other appliances when I swept my kitchen this morning and I just chuckled to myself and said "Now THAT'S a blog title if I ever heard one!"

Muncher, or half-feral kitty is responsible for the scattering of cat chow all over the kitchen and the coconut is what accumulated from my frenzied attempt to make a bunny cake on Easter morning. It also shows you that its been a week since I actually swept my kitchen properly.

Now onto the rest of my day...

Today was the first really good yard-saling I have been able to do in 2011 and I was so into it!

I dragged my mom and son with me as we went the rounds of a community yard sale across town. A whole development nearby was having one big garage sale and I was in heaven as we bopped from house to house looking at all the great stuff being sold.

I actually controlled myself pretty well and only bought what I really liked.

Although I myself could have gone on visiting every house in the neighborhood, our empty stomach got the best of us and we took a much-needed break to go to Chili's for a tasty lunch.

Below are some of today's great finds:

MOST UNUSUAL FIND: this 1" cast iron monkey ~ if anyone has any idea what it is for or why it is thumbing its nose, please let me know. I just adore him and for fifty cents he was an amusing purchase.

BEST FIND OF THE DAY!

A genuine Italian Deruta Pottery plate! I love, love, love Deruta hand painted pottery and I snatched this up at the same house as my little monkey for just $2! 

Deruta

Here it is already hanging in my living room. It goes perfectly with my tuscan finished walls.

ANOTHER ITALIAN HAND PAINTED DISH:

Gimignano Pottery

I will post the rest tomorrow. I found so many more wonderfully affordable treasures. Who knew my neighbors had such great stuff?

A Blessed Easter To You & Yours

My Insurmountable Task For This Spring!!

Have I mentioned my husband has turned over his office/computer room to me so that I could have an art studio of my own?

Yes, I am married to the most wonderful man in the world!

Sorry, girls, I got ’im…

The list of pros of this new arrangement stop there, however because

THIS ROOM IS A COMPETE MESS!!!

Yucky, smelly and just downright gross!

My man WAS a smoker and this office WAS the only room in the house designated for his disgusting indulgence, always with the door sealed shut.

Needless to say, the room when I received it, smelled like a stale ashtray. Because of the nature of the room’s use, I never went in to clean it after it became clear it was a hopeless situation. Now I regret that decision, though what I really could have done is beyond me.

Hubby tried his best to clean it and ripped out all the old shelving I wouldn’t be using. But even after several moppings and airings, it is clear that drastic measures are required.

The nicotine coated walls and ceiling will need to be scrubbed and repainted a clean white. Any other heavy-duty cleaning advise would be appreciated from my friends in blogland.

Warning, if you have a weak constitution, you may want to look away and scroll no further…

I was going to show you a picture of when the room was my son’s nursery vs. what it became after my love took it under his smoker’s wing, but it is all too sad.

Yes, the degradation of the room is disgraceful, but I am determined to reverse the damages!

Click on the image for a larger view... if you dare!

Join me this spring and summer as each week I embark on a new cleaning and decorating adventure as I seek to turn this sad, little room into the art studio of my dreams!

Can I do it? You KNOW I can!

Do YOU have any good heavy duty cleaning tips to share???

NEW ART PRINTS COMING SOON!

Good news!

I will be adding a new series of giclee

prints of some of my artwork to my Etsy shop soon!

I'll post more on that in the coming week, so stay tuned!

Sunday Art Journaling 5

Just back from a five-day field trip with my son to Nature's Classroom in Ivoryton, Connecticut, I am feeling closer to nature as well as to my son.

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I co-chaperoned twenty-four 6th & 7th graders as they "experience education from another perspective, outside the walls of the classroom." They took classes like building a sturdy rope bridge they could walk across to dissecting a shark. They took active roles in serving one another at meals and learning to appreciate and respect one another.

They even had a nighttime simulation of the Underground Railroad that had the children play the roles of slaves as they tried to run to freedom through the woods led by "friends of a Friend"(us chaperones) while pursued by the bounty hunters and the law (the councilors). It felt so real at times that it unnerved even me.

I was very happy to have been given the opportunity to be a part of my son gaining such a wonderful sense of community with his schoolmates while learning about being ecologically responsible.

I walked more in just these five days than I have in the last year! It was a wonderful experience for us both.

I'll have pictures to share of our journey soon.

Sunday Art Journaling

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