hb to MEEE

~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEE!!! ~

Have an *AWESOME* day everyone!

I know I will - largely cuz of YOU!

Thank you so much - xoxoxo

*More "List Tuesday" lists can be found HERE!!!

in the tiki room

HAH! I fooled all you Disneyland lovers!

Okay, I'm not really in the Tiki Room...

(though I would have no complaints about being there!)

... but I *did* have some requests to show the fabric I found!

~

But first, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My oldest son Daniel and his partner in crime Alissa CAME HOME!

That's right, those stinkers drove 10 hours without saying a word,

showed up at our door, and surprised & delighted the guts out of us!!!

Needless to say, we are having the best Thanksgiving weekend EVER!

I hope all of you dear readers had a lovely day too - 

I know this old world is having an awfully hard time right now...

but I do believe we still have so much to be thankful for :)

~

SO. Back to my chairs and The Fabric I found!

Feast Your Eyes! Isn't it just TOO FUN!?!?

I've been looking for fabric to recover a pair of wing back chairs -

and I wanted to have some fun by turning them on their ear so to speak,

and use a cool, retro fabric to twist the stuffiness right outta them!

Nothing like zapping an old style chair to lighten and brighten it!

And to me, retro means bark cloth - a nubbyish fabric made popular in the 1950's.

It came in lots of styles and weights, from cottage roses to tropical patterns.

It also came in cool atomic and tiki type designs, which were very popular

with the mid-century modern wave of decor that was taking off in a big way.

 And that's exactly what I found! On eBay! YESSSSS!!!!!! 

This fabric is a reproduction, produced at the same mill where it was originally made.

I had a dang hard time choosing what color I wanted - it came in several!

In the end, I knew this would look amazing alongside my light tan leather couch.

We'll be getting the chairs back in a few weeks and I will post pics of course!

WHEEEEEE!!! :)

giving thanks list

To be read as the hymn "For the Beauty of the Earth" 

is humbly and sacredly hummed... 

and your hand is tenderly placed upon your heart...

❤

... and last but not least... MY COUNTRY :)

(did you really do all that other stuff I said to do? suckers, hehe)
eeek! I forgot to link to the List It Tuesday hostess with the mostess: Aimee!
P.S. I have NO IDEA why my font is turning out so small!!! :(

hyperbole

Happy Monday! I'm gonna make this short and sweet.

My Facebook friends have already seen this, so OH WELL...

But it's so funny... oh my gosh, it's just SO FUNNY I have to share it here.

Here are a few pics to get your ATTENTION.

This is the latest post from Allie Brosh's site 

click here --------------> HYPERBOLE AND A HALF <------------- click here

She is a genius and she makes me laugh my face off.

She also uses very, um... colorful language at times - but not in this post!

 Now, I realize most of you are not into your dogs as much as I'm into mine.

But anyone can recognize the nutsy cuckoo ways of their pet.

And you'll still love this post, because Allie's hyperbole mixed with her illustrations

is JUST HY.STER.I.CAL.

You'll laugh out loud. You think you won't, but oh, you will. 

Enjoy!

*all illustrations copyright Allie Brosh and Hyperbole and a Half

friday fun

from the Museum of Communications in Auckland, New Zealand

every sheep is made of old phones and cords - 

AMAZING! (look at their feet too!)

*click on the pic to see it best!

Happy Friday!

fall

~ finally some fall color! ~ 

Fall color has been even more elusive than usual around here this year.

There are countless trees shedding crunchy brown leaves, of course...

But where is the color? The crisp air? The show that is supposed to be fall?

I'm sad to say I can miss my very most favorite season just by blinking.  

Then the other day I was driving down the main neighborhood street to my house,

and in between all the huge, crunchy trees, some beautiful colors caught my eye!

There stood a smaller tree, with it's little leaves like gems of fire and rubies!

The sun was hitting the top of the tree just enough to make it glow,

and the turquoise sky behind was the perfect backdrop!

You can't get much better than that! FINALLY!

Ah, now how lovely is that contrast? 

Leaves in their vibrant stages, on a canvas of green.

I just can't get enough of the beauty that is fall.

Now, I know ours can't hold a candle to a "real" fall -

and I hope someday I can see several up close and personal.

But no matter what, remember: always find joy in the little things!

Cuz the little things are really the big things :)

late list

'Nuff Said

more sweet feet

 ~ Ahhh, little sweaters for your toes! ~

This post is dedicated to my friend Wendy, who introduced me to Toe Sox.

Wendy has her finger on the pulse of All Things Cool.

She's a talented gal too, so make sure you check out her NEW BLOG.

 Toe Sox is a great little online company that does one thing and one thing well.

They take care of the needs of your feet and toes (especially if you're into yoga)

Some sox come with non-slip pads on the bottom, some are made with half toes.

They just came out with new double-wicking sox - cute holiday sox too!

They're all well-made, affordable, and doggone adorable :)

 For those of you saying 'what the heck! you're always HOT!'... I know, I know.

But when the southern California temps finally drop at night 
for a combined total of 30 seconds, my house actually stays COLD inside! 
Hey, don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining!

I wait all year long for it, and I love being cold. I need to live in Newfoundland.

But my toes don't love being cold, so this is the perfect solution for them!

Tee hee - like I'd EVER stop wearing my flip flops just cuz it's cold!

Have a happy feet day everyone :)

friday feet

~ Happy Graphite Toes ~ 

Happy Friday! I had a lot on my plate this week and today was the last of it -

my yearly check-up. Yes, that check-up. So a pedicure was my reward of course!

How genius is that!? I love being in charge of my own reward system :)

I know I usually go for the crazy colors, but I'm feeling a bit melancholy.

My dad would have celebrated his 100th birthday this week... 100, wow...

He led a long and happy life - passed on at 85 - but of course he is still missed.

So he has been a constant thread woven in and out of my thoughts this week.

I decided to go for a beautiful charcoal color with a little sparkle in it -

it just seemed like the natural choice. And the hint of sparkle is cheerful.

~

Have a GREAT weekend everyone! 

I guess if toes could wave this is what it might look like...?

hehehe :D

calendar girl 2

Calling all calendar girls! 

I have been receiving repeated requests for my custom calendars.

To be honest, I was NOT planning on selling them again this year - 

but how can I disappoint loyal fans who have come to love them?!

Personally, I would be a total disaster without mine (shudder!)

So I've decided I'LL MAKE THEM, but ONLY by taking advanced orders.

(now is when you start whooping and hollering and calling me a saint)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my custom calendars,

make sure you -----> CLICK HERE <----- to see how they work.

(*please note, you fill in everything yourself, yo. Including holidays)

To see last year's calendars -----> CLICK HERE <-----

To see what's up this year, keep reading below......

So if I'm going to do this BECAUSE THAT'S HOW NICE I AM,

I'm definitely going to SIMPLIFY! Meaning 2 choices. Just TWO.

These are the 2 most popular calendars from last year:

"Butterflies"

"Flowers"

I will take orders for the next 2 weeks - until Nov. 24th.

The sooner the better, would be most helpful to moi.

My calendars are $30 each and that includes the shipping.

Yes, I will take your check because I know where to find you :)

If you want one, comment in this post, or e-mail me, or message me on FB.

Or call me, or text me, or yell at me in the grocery store.

Or wave me down in the Megibug, or trip me at church.

You get the idea :)

a dog tale

 My dog Luna is the best dog in the world. 

I'll never forget the first time I saw her when we went to the animal sanctuary.

We went to see another dog, but Luna knew her family had arrived.

She stood out from all the rest, with her white fur and her excited smile,

jumping up and down like a spring because her family had arrived.

She had to make sure we knew we were her family.

Eyes glued to us, she kept jumping and barking for our attention.

All the other dogs were barking too, but Luna was barking for us.

She had such a happiness about her, something special in her countenance.

I knew right away that she belonged in our family.

The Mouse found out she loved to play fetch. And she could run like a bullet.

She was an American Eskimo dog, and Daniel named her Luna for her white fur.

She was pretty quiet and shy went we first brought her home with us.

We could tell someone had been hitting her... but she learned she was safe now.

Her favorite thing to do is run on the grass and chase wild bunnies.

She could sleep in a warm bed at night with me holding her paw.

And I love how her paws smell like buttered popcorn - exactly like it!

That was over 8 years ago, and Luna remains a constant source of joy.

Her funny ways and her silly antics are so endearing to me.

I can't imagine life without my Luna ❤

First days at home - Davy is holding Luna, Mouse is peeking from behind

More early days with her new family - I love Luna's little mustache :)

Smiling & chillaxin' - thinking she's got a pretty good gig with this family

❤ ❤ ❤

List Tuesday - curiouser and curiouser

Welcome to List Tuesday, the brainchild of Aimee of Artsyville.

"Curiouser and curiouser!", as Alice stated upon her arrival in Wonderland.

Today's list is dedicated to my dear friend Liam, who is in London

perfecting his accent, making taco salad, loitering at Top Man, going to concerts,

eating bangers & mash, drinking, carousing, getting no sleep attending art school.

Just recently on *HIS BLOG*, he revealed a list he knew I would love!

He made it as part of his process in researching & creating an assignment.

It was a lovely surprise, and I immediately wanted to include it here :)

Clearly, Liam has the mind of an artist through and through!

If you'd like to see some of his genius projects, click on 'his blog' above.

AND

I liked this idea so much, that I'm going to join him in a list of my own curiosities.

BTW Liam, my favorite part is in your far right column:

~ eyeliner, clocks, handwriting ~

Eyeliner for Davy of course, clocks because I can never have enough of them, 

and handwriting because it's a favorite hobby of mine and I LOVE typography!

And so, grainy as usual (!@#$%^&*!), here's my list:

Have a great day everyone - and please feel free to join in w/ a list if you like! 

get the lead out

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

~ 

After receiving these unique and astonishing photos via email 3 or 4 times now,

I thought perhaps it would be fun to share them with you here on my blog.

Even if you've already seen them, art like this is always deserving of multiple views! 

I also did a little sleuthing on the artist - a man as interesting as his artwork!

You can find out more about him below. In the meantime, ENJOY HIS ART!!!    

Carl David LaBianca for The New York Times

 The talented and visionary man behind all these painstaking creations is Dalton Ghetti.

Dalton, 49, lives and works in Westport, Connecticut. He's been doing this for 25 years!

His tools are mainly a razor blade, and a sewing needle. No magnifying glass!

Some projects take days, many months, or even years to complete. And patience!

Dalton's main income comes from carpentry, though his artwork is his special talent.

If you'd like to read a bit more about Dalton, you can click on a great article *HERE*

I found several good articles, but this one seemed to have the most information.

 * article credits: By PATRICK VEREL for the NY Times

P.S. my favorite is the old boot!!! :)

NOT for the Mouse

Alright, alright, ALRIGHT. I know I already shared this on Facebook.

SHEESH.

But it's just so good I can't stand it. Everyone has to see it. At least twice.

*MOUSE: HAH! I knew you were here. You are NOT allowed to watch this.

Please take the plastic recycle bottles outside. For 5 minutes and 8 seconds.
And the trash bag from the kitchen needs to go out too.

WASN'T THAT FREAKING AWESOME!?!?!

(*MOUSE: I'm just saying that to make my readers feel better.

It was actually really boring. Really nice job taking the bottles and trash out)

~ ~ ~

Okay you guys, here's another one - thanks to my friend Greg!

This one will totally BLOW YOUR MIND!!!

You'll recognize some clips from the above video.

*MOUSE: I need you to change your laundry from the washer to the dryer.

Then put your next load in the washer. For exactly 5 minutes and 38 seconds.

OH MY GOSH, what a DUDE!!! DUD....... oh gosh, that was just awful, wasn't it.

*MOUSE: it's a really good thing you didn't see it. It was totally lame.

You'll be so much happier having clean laundry than watching this loser. 

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!

Mac's bonz

Oh. My. Gaaaaaaa! Coolest. Package. Ever.

My friend Bev of Hillcrest Cottage Life is SO THOUGHTFUL and TALENTED!

Look what Angel and Luna just received in the mail! Holy Cuteness!

 Bev bakes her very own doggie bones ("bonz") for her dog Mac the Labradoodle!

(and her new puppy Lucy too!) She said she would send a few to my girlies...

and would you look at the ADORABLE package that arrived! My goodness! 

 Little bitty personalized brown paper treat bags with "bonz" for each of my girls!

 Bev's *beautiful* greeting cards featuring Mac in her favorite pose...

the picture is so lovely it looks more like a painting than a photo! I love it!

 And look how CUTE the back of each card is!

Love Bev's doodles, love the font, love Mac's definition of contentment!

And Bev's Etsy store is at the bottom - check out her artwork!

 Shall we see what goodies await inside the little bags, Mac?

Luna and Angel can definitely feel (and smell) the excitement in the air!

 Aw, Bev even wrapped them up so sweet and tied them with baker's twine!

She thinks of everything! This woman knows how to make everything special!

 And Mac has even included her card to Angel and Luna! Good girl!

Would you believe Mac has her very own blog? Well, ------> CLICK HERE!

You've seriously got the check it out - just the photos alone are PrEciOuS!!!

 OH WOW! THE BONZ ARE REVEALED! ARE THEY TOO CUTE OR WHAT!

They smell amazing too! And Mac even wrote a little note! Awww :)

Hey! Bev sells Mac's Bonz! Now your best buddies can have some too! 

 "HAND OVER THE BONZ, WOMAN!!! WE KNOW YOU HAVE THEM!!!"

 Oh my gooosh... IT'S SHARK WEEEEEK!!!!!!! HERE ON ANIMAL PLANET!!!!!!!

ONE JUST FLEW OUT OF THE WATER AND NEARLY TOOK MY HAND OFF!!!!!

Planning their next mode of attack... wild-eyed with predator-like skills...

ONE LUNGES AND LATCHES ON TO IT'S PREY WITH IT'S MIGHTY JAWS!!!!!

THE OTHER FLAILING TO THE SURFACE, A MILLISECOND FROM ATTACK!!!!

 IT'S LIKE A FLASH OF WHITE LIGHTNING AS IT GOES IN FOR THE KILL!!!!

THRASHING IT'S HIDEOUS HEAD AS IT DRAGS IT'S SPOILS DOWN UNDER!!!!

Never to be seen again...... Poor Mac's Bonz...... hardly had a chance......

(I live a rich fantasy life. obviously) 

Angel and Luna absolutely *LOVED* Mac's Bonz, Bev!

Thank you so very, very much for your generosity and FUN!

With love from all of us! xoxoxo