Because I worked a half day today, and Rich was off, and we live and Florida and it was therefore a sunny 75 degrees, Rich took me on a picnic! It was such a relaxing, lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Yes, that is a t-shirt and yes, those are bare feet. There are a few advantages to living in a place with two seasons (hot and hotter).

Because who couldn’t use an assistant when you’re working?

I did several projects last weekend and the one before, but it gets dark so early and I haven’t been home in any good light to get photos. Here’s the mid-point of Project #1: the dingy, thrifted yellow lamp. I started to like the original lamp color after (AHEM) several weeks (months?) of it sitting in my studio. Rich was strongly opposed to the yellow, and on closer inspection/ cleaning, I had to agree – not salvagable. It was dingy down under the paint job.

Icky before:

So I gave it FIVE thin, even coats of navy blue spray paint; here’s the classed-up after:

And a closer look:

I’ll post more photos once it has a shade and is up in the house!

1. Tree of Life pillow cover from The Hunger Site, $12.95

2. 3-D Drawing Pad from Flight 001, $9.00

3. Charley Harper Flash Cards and Floor Puzzles from Barnes and Noble, $14.95

4. Sleepy Red Forest Fox from Sleepy King, $24.00

5. Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix from Vosges, $12.00

6. Scribbles: A Really Giant Drawing and Coloring Book by Taro Gomi from Amazon, $13.59

7. Hand knitted iPod or iPhone case in Blue Grey from onaroll, $14.00

And one extra, because I just couldn’t resist- definitely not under $25 but worth it:

8. Handmade Marigold Flats from Smartfish, $95

And now that I look at all of these items together, I’m picking up on a subconscious primary color theme. This calls for watching The Grinch, drinking hot chocolate, making paper snowflakes, and channeling my inner kindergartner!

Many thanks to CreateGirl for including my record player on her recent post about color (Behr‘s Brilliant Sea). Be sure to check out her round-up of lovely blues on her blog! I am especially loving the stunning blue coat she included.

Ahem. Pardon the pun.

But I really think you should all go and check out my husband’s newest site for his trio, The Mars Trio, here. These guys are incredibly talented, and the site is lovely.

DISCLAIMER: The following post has absolutely nothing to do with design, decorating, art, or crafts, and contains several outbursts of overwrought emotions. Proceed with caution.)

So I have this aromatherapy lotion – which smells fantastic – that touts as a benefit that it is proven to “calm your senses.”

The back story: I was walking aimlessly through Target a few months back, feeling overwhelmed and frantic from work, when I saw IT. IT was in a shimmery purple tube and even lookedrelaxing. It was inexpensive, so I bought it. (Obviously. Since I said “I have this.”) I figured that even if it didn’t ACTUALLY calm my senses, just thinking it might should do the trick. (Confusing, eh? That’s how I end up with so many body care products.)

I used this lotion all the time – at night before bed, after a long day of teaching, the day of a yearbook deadline. Fast forward to today: I pulled out my lotion, feeling like a need a small clone army to keep up with all my responsibilities, slathered it on my hands, and then…. FELT MORE STRESSED. My brain missed the association of “lotion” with “calm and tranquil”, and instead now associates wonderfully scented shimmery purple salve with “outright panicking anxiety.”

We had a day off today, and a friend of mine had asked if I wanted to go thrifting (answer: heck yes!). So we drove around to a few thrift stores, finally reaching the verdict that most of the thrift stores here are hugely overpriced. For example, why would I pay $700 for a small kitchen table and 4 chairs – at a thrift store?

After four hours and one purchase (a pair of striped green knee socks) and one massive “duh” moment, though, we remembered that the best vintage and antique shops (if you’re willing to dig a little) are right by where we both live and headed over there. She picked up a set of six little melamine bowls, each a different color – red, aqua, mustard, gray.

A couple weeks ago, we had our second annual “Spotlight on Berean”, our school’s open house. Albert, who teaches upper school art, and I set up a gallery in the hallway of student art. It looked so good that we left it up. Pardon me while I brag on my kids a moment.

Paul Klee study:

Kindergarten and first grades’ salt paintings:



Abstract portraits:



Perusing art journals and 3D works: