A Burst of Colorful Bloom

Obviously, I love all things pretty pink/green and girlie. I found these in a magazine and fell in love...or the idea of making one that is. Is there anything cuter. The only problem: How do I fit diapers, wipes, toys and snacks into it? Hmmmm.

Inspiration Station: The most exhibited artist in the world.

As I was scrounging through some old art magazines, I stumbled upon an artist I'd like to share a little about with you. Dan Robbins. Many may not know who he is, but when you take a looksie at his work the lightbulb will flick on.

Inspired by a story about Leonardo da Vinci assigning numbered portions of paintings to his assistants to complete, Robbins believed such a paint system could appeal to adults. The timing was certainly perfect. Following World War II, Americans experienced an age of prosperity and an abundance of leisure time. Millions moved to the suburbs, and signs of conformity were everywhere--from the mass-produced homes in housing developments to the shiny red Fords parked on the curbs. He created the original paint-by-numbers process, known as the Craft Master System more than 50 years ago. During his hay day, his idea became a national craze, selling more than 12 million kids a year during the 50's making his the most exhibited artist in the world.

Today these painting, once banished to the attic, are all the rage. Many are treasured collectibles. By the way...a major exhibition was staged at the Smithsonian a few years ago.

The Pink Door

Ideas can be life-changing.

Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.

Last year at the church auction, I purchased a case, yes case, of pink spray paint. Sweet Pea to be exact. Michael wanted to know what I was going to do with it. Never fear!

So....This morning, I decided to start using it. I needed a backdrop for some pictures and was trying to figure out what to use. I went out to the barn and rummage through the top floor and found an old door from our house. It was painted green and white from years gone by. I asked Michael to haul it downstairs for me and I was off.

Within an hour or so, I had it washed, painted and polka dotted with a pink that I mixed with a pearl paint to give it my Pink Pearl flair. I shabbied it all up and added a pretty glass door knob I bought at the Greencastle Antique Market and walla! All ready to show.

Give Me A Little Squeeze

Just had this come through in an e-mail. So excited for it to hit the shelves!

Happy A Little Late Fourth

Welp...we made it home from our beach trip and I must say, we had a wonderful time. My children sat quietly for 2 1/2 hours while I stuffed myself with crabs. Lazy Susan's in Lewes has the absolute best crabs around. They were only $31 for a dozen of X-Larges, which is excellent! I did enjoy every single last one of them~slop running down the arms and all!

Part of the Boat Parade that goes through the Lewes canal. All the locals decorate their boats to show off their Patriotism.

On the Fourth, the historic downtown had their annual 4th festivities which included the annual Sidewalk Art & Artisan Show. There were so many gifted artists there. Below is a picture of Sarah Palin put together by a fiber artist. This was a huge picture.

A shell encrusted table in a window display....hmmm...IDEA!

A Little Hope In Your Garden

As I am finishing gobs of shoe orders, I just did my first Hope Garden pair. It kind of surprises me that this is the first as the breast cancer patterns usually do very well. It seems people can't get enough of the Pinwheel Pink.

Vera Bradley gives 10% of net proceeds from their breast cancer awareness patterns to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and other breast cancer projects and services. In January 2009, they unveiled their newest color – Hope Garden. To unveil it, they entered a 30 foot float in the Tournament of Roses on New Years Day.

My shoes are in no way affiliated with the Vera Bradley Company. They are just Made to Match by me. They are available with a pink or white strap. Blue is available at a small additional charge.

XOXOXO

Sending You Buckets of Sand!

In a few days, the family and I will be headed to the DE shore. Lewes, to be exact. It's a little quiet town across the bay from Cape May, NJ. My husband, Michael, and I have headed there every summer since we were married 11 years ago. Our first trip was during a hurricane and we tent camped~what an adventure! Three kids later, (5, 2, 5 mos.), we are headed off again. We are camping as we always do. For as girlie as I am, I enjoy tent camping as long as I don't have to cook. I'd rather graze all day and go out for a nice dinner of Maryland Blues. The added bonus this trip is the Old Fashioned Fourth of July that the town puts on. Tons of games like Ice Block Races, Pie Eating Contests, Egg Tosses, Bike Parades, Boat Parade through the canal and the list goes on. At the end of the day, they bring in the local fire dept. and they hose off the streets and the kids run through the water.

There are certain smells and noises that just feel so right near the ocean. As soon as the waft of salt air hits the nose, it's like you've come home. I've always loved the ocean, as it's one of the only frontier that man hasn't completely destroyed. It's wild and untamed and brings back memories of spending summers at my grandparents on Chincoteague Island. In the morning, you'd go out on the porch and watch the ships go out to sea to collect their lot. We would leave in the morning on their boat. We'd fish and crab all day and then come back, clean out the crab pots, cook crabs, eat crabs and smell like crabs. After we ate even more crabs, my grandmother would stay up and pick the leftovers to freeze. Those were some of my best memories of my childhood.

My brother Bo and I~1980.
Next week, I'm looking forward to catching up on some reading and just hanging out with the family without thinking of all the other things I need to do. My goal at the beach is to relax, look for pretty shells to craft with, go junking, read, play with the kids, hold my husbands hand and make great memories. I look forward to sharing some of those memories and finds with you.

Thank you to my 3 followers!

XOXO