My Grama's Soul

Here is a photo of my new lampshade from BALLARD DESIGNS.  I added the fringe, of course, and I painted the lamp base which used to be clear glass.  I love, love, love these new patterned and pleated shades.  I'm seeing them in all the British Design books....which happens to be one of my favorite designs.  I think the Brits were decorating in the bohemian style long before we ever thought of it.  hahah Thought it was pretty enough to share. Jo   

I have shown this work of mine in a previous post. Like most things I do....I'm always revising and refinishing until I achieve the desired result. Still not done here but wanted to show my progress on this little wall piece.  Painted with Behr paints you can by at Home Depot and worked on a little at a time when the spirit moves me. I could not do anything like this when Brad and I were traveling back and forth to the San Juans and out to our little place in Montana.  I was not able to get the supplies easily and it seems as though we were ALWAYS on the move.  Anyway....now that we have settled in our little spot....I can pretty much experiment any way I want as long as I don't rip out walls and attempt to do any major construction.  This is a little slow going as I get older...but it does bring me such joy just to be able to work creatively. I try to be patient with things like this now as new ideas take time to gel. ...

At my age it seems like it takes forever for me to get a project done.  But I keep plugging away at it a little at a time. You can see the changes in the above photo and if you check my last post you can see where I began.  Still have some mantle painting to do...doing a green wash over that black and then coming back with a final light, light wash of gold. Still have to finish up the edges and do a light wash over the face I have decoupaged.   I did a slight wash on the right side panel just to see what it would be like.   As I said Still working........ Hugs. Jo 

William Morris As a woman of a certain age I now feel as though I can pretty much do what I want in my sweet little spot.  I have had these porcelain glove molds for years.  Used to display jewelry on them but every time you touch one of them the darn thing would fall over and I was always afraid it would get broken.     So I put my thinking cap on and decided I could use them in another way that would make me laugh every time I walked in my front door. I had Brad super glue them on wall mounts and will use them to hold various pieces of art  as the mood strikes.  This particular is by Maria Pace-Wynters and is called "The Dreamer".  Anyway I made the spacing wide enough that I will be able to change out the art at will without covering much of the art itself. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....I GET THAT....and don't know if these glove molds are particularly beau...

It does not matter what age one is......you can still have fun with color. I have lived in 10 houses during my lifetime and I have pretty much decorated everyone of them myself.  Now, mind you, I am NO DECORATOR.....but I do know what I like and how I want to live. Each time I have moved, I certainly have not been able to afford new things....so I just keep recycling them same old things I love. Getting out the paint and changing up my color scheme to match my mood is something I have done in each home.  Lately, my mood has been pretty lively if I do say so myself. Little table above used to be a boring brown...lamp...a navy blue..got tired of both..so changed the color on both. Yellow chest below used to be red....then a rusty orange and now sunny yellow. Have used all the art from my other houses in new rooms and in new ways...just to mix things up.  I like shopping from my own home to change my feel. My beautiful husband accuses me of ...

Since we are in the process of putting our house on the market to sell, some of you have asked me to see some shots around here.  I've taken a few shots with a few little things we have changed this summer....it is so hot outside that all you can do is stay inside and do little projects there.  The round mirror above the little table used to be antique gold and hang in our powder room.  I loved its shape and wanted to change it so I painted it a wonderful shade of dark, dark blue...which actually looks purple in the pic.  The cloth on the table is one of my Kantha cloths from India.  I actually have started becoming a collector of these things.  I can't believe it, as I have almost NEVER been a collector of any one thing...but I have fallen in love with all the color.  They are actually made from old Sari's and hand stitched in the little villages in India. This is a shot of the other side of the living room.  Th...

I am a firm believer in displaying the art you, yourself, make.  It doesn't matter whether it is fabric art, painted art, mosaic art, jewelry art, junk art or any other kind of art you can think of. By having your personal pieces around you it gives you inspiration to create additional pieces.  It doesn't matter whether the piece is great or mediocre ...... JUST PUT IT OUT THERE SO YOU CAN VIEW IT... I may have shared these pieces before.....made from old junk wire found in my Father-in-Laws tool box....incorporated long beads I made and other pieces of junk earrings.  Milagro....made totally from recycled material (sounds so much better than......junk.....doesn't it?). Each time I pass this little display in my home it encourages me to think creatively.....I often can't go to my studio to work then and there....but it does get those "juices" flowing.   How about you.....do you display your creativity around your s...

so simple....... so lovely......... ~~~~~~ Hugs, Jo sign by Style Carrot

Many, many years ago I purchased this painted floor cloth......I think all of you remember when they were all the rage. At that time I decided to turn it into a work of art.....as it was much too beautiful to put on the floor and it would be destroyed if I did so.  Each time I look at it....it still gives me the same thrill as the first day it came to us....and I am so glad I decided to use it as I did. You know.....you really can make anything into a piece of art.....if it thrills you to the core....and you spend just a little time thinking about how you can use the piece....the solution will come to you and the piece will become one of your most prized treasurers. I know this one has become one of ours. ~~~~~ On this Memorial Day....please remember.... Hugs, Jo Plaque:  Pininterest....Gypsy Rose

I am absolutely in love with all the Moroccan and Indian influences we are seeing in decorating as of late.  Since it was 108 degrees in Phoenix yesterday....I think that anyone living HERE would feel right at home with the current trend.  Since trends are short lived....I really don't spend any money changing out my decor....but I will alter some of my existing things to make them feel a little more like we are in Marrakesh (sp?)......besides anyone who knows me knows of my fondness for color and accessories. Got out the spray paint and painted an old, old elephant plant stand that used to be an off white color.....sewed a bead square on a existing pillow........brought another pillow from another room and put it with a wonderful Indian quilt that I found while traveling..... Used my hot glue gun and glued on an old cross to a seltzer bottle.....don't know if that has an Indian feel....but I liked the look... Wrapped an iron lantern with ...

Here it is.....just where I had planned it to be.  I couldn't be happier! ^       ^ O {~~~} Have a wonderful day.... Jo 

I believe creating anything....is about letting the child that is inside of you come out to play.  Remember as a kid you could daydream for hours and your imagination would go wild!!   Well.....I believe that is just what we need to do when making anything creative. I spent time in the studio this weekend just messing around with junk.  Had an old mirror I bought at a yard sale...many moons ago...lots of jars of buttons...and decks of old game cards that my 8 year old grandson no longer plays with....so...I decided to put it all to good use. Now if you know me....you know my home is all ABOUT COLOR....any kind....almost anywhere..... This is what I came up with.... Haven't put the sealer on it yet as it needs to dry overnight....but I think it is pretty cute....especially for a young grand child or baby's room....OR for a grandma who is still very young at heart!! I'm going to put this right in my living room among the other very co...