happy birthday...

happy birthday to my love! i can't imagine life without you! i know you will hate that i posted these, and i will definitely get this look... but i couldn't resist (and i know you will love me anyway;)!

xxxxxxxooooooooooxxxxxxxooooooo

love, cary

(and jack henry and sidney, who i think took these photos that i found)

little projects around the house...

i've been working on a few projects around the house lately, just little things on a long list i am trying to get through (before taking on a few bigger projects). i have been hanging up some new prints. this one above is from abby try again, whom i love (and she just had a baby, congrats!) i love to buy prints from artists on etsy and other places, but often it is difficult to buy frames that fit... plus, i'm lazy... and cheap:) so, i had this frame but the print was slightly too small, so i added a lovely piece of grey linen. i actually really love how it came out! i think it looks even more special! this one is hanging in my kitchen, above a shelf. you can also see to the right is my "new" living room. we decided to move the living room to the room next to the kitchen and it gets used way more often now. i also love the bay windows and fireplace in here...

i'm currently recovering one of the couches, which is taking forever (because i rarely work on it). so it's looking rather shabby, or i'd show you a larger picture. i'm going to paint the walls grey, hang some art and find a new light fixture... eventually. 

another little project... i liked how the print in the kitchen looked, so i decided to do another in the hall. i framed a calender page from the month and year i got  married. i have been hanging onto it for almost ten years now! see, i eventually get to things. i like the little personal touch of something special and unique to us, that people will see when they first enter our home...

you can see a little bit of the "old" living room, which will become the "library". also, see the lovely temple bells i have hanging on the front door? i found those at a local vintage store and they make the sweetest sound when someone comes in. i need to replace the old twist doorbell though. it no longer works but people still come to the door and twist it thinking it does... all you hear is a little mechanical grinding noise to know people are there!

i found this little tobacco box at the same vintage store (my favorite kudzu). i have been searching for a nice little shelf to hang over my kids' play kitchen, which is in a corner of our kitchen. i was going to make something but decided this little box would make a perfect shelf...

it is right outside the playroom, which is my children's favorite spot in the house. they spend so much time here. i don't think i have really shown it before? here are a few little peeks in. the fall mantle and their little book and music shelves...

this is probably my favorite piece of furniture in the house and the most used... my childrens' art table, which we bought from some neighbors. they previously used it in their speciality foods store, but i think it is an old bakers table. the zinc top is perfect for art projects...

finally, i have been fixing up the downstairs bathroom a bit. we will eventually make this into a smaller half bath, and extend the space to use as a dining room. so, no major changes will happen to it now... just making it a little prettier in the meantime with a little sink skirt and new curtains, which i made just this week...

we have a long weekend ahead, as it the fall break at school. we are going camping and it is my husband's birthday! unfortunately, my daughter is home with a fever, so i'm crossing my fingers that all will go on as planned. 

apple picking...

we have found a very nice apple orchard since moving to georgia, b.j. reece. this was our third time going and although it was the busiest so far, it was still a lovely visit. it is not too crazy touristy, which i like. my kids love everything about it. the apple cannon... where my son hit the target this year (finally) and got a little prize...

eating as many apples as possible... and possibly more than we took home...

they have a little animal area. this guy was hilarious... he totally answers you when you gobble at him. have you ever seen a white turkey before? plus, the cutest baby pygmy goat! i have never seen such a small goat before...

plus, apple cider doughnuts and hot apple cider to go with them! how can you go wrong with that...

i love that these memories will last forever!

now, i need to get busy baking...

faded grandeur...

i love the article and amazing photo slide show that accompanies the story of two artists, ersy schwartz a sculptor and josephine sacabo a photographer,  living and working in new orleans. be sure to go check it out! here are a few more peeks from sacabo's home and work ...

credit: sara essex bradley for the new york times

here's a little peak at what i have been working on this week. a pair of lion twins, for a special order. ready to mail off... 

fun!

have a lovely weekend. i'm planning to buy some pumpkins and pick some apples!

etsy favorites, for the love of fall.....

rustic rag rug

how long has it been since i have done an etsy favorite? too long. i'm feeling inspired by my favorite season to share some etsy love. i am going apple picking this weekend. hopefully it won't be too crazy with people. i usually go too late in the season because i am on new york time still, but it is a good way to avoid the crowds. this year we are going a little bit earlier so that my son can be sure to get a chance at the apple cannon! i like the place we go because that is about as touristy as they get. my son's cub scout troup is having a pumpkin sale this weekend also, so i am planning on loading up on pumpkins. yes, it is weird for me to write that my son is in cub scouts. the other day i heard myself actually say "finish your homework so you can go to to cub scouts". it is amazing where life can take you:) 

what are your favorite fall traditions? enjoy some etsy goodness and let me know!

copco tea kettle

vintage navajo rug

regency stripe red cotton cushion cover

fuchsia ruffled bib

the rolston bag

happy fall!!!

one perfect egg...

well, after a bit of sad news in the last post i am happy to report some good chicken news today. i found my first egg! i let the chickens out this morning and did some work in the yard. after a few minutes rosalita left on her own to go back to the coop. they always travel in a group so i knew something was up. when i came back later i found this! it's nice to finally see the whole process come full circle:) the kids will be so excited... maybe i should put it back so they can find it too?

i promise this isn't turning into a chicken blog, but we did go on a great backyard chicken coop tour this weekend. we had so much fun seeing all the different styles of coops, chickens and owners. we met someone close by who is hatching rare birds and offered to sell us some anytime, which is great, so i won't have to mail order next time. if you are thinking about chickens or even already have them it is a really fun way to learn more and meet others in the chicken community!

in work related news, i have sold a few things in the shop and i'm working on some more. my sister and i will make a limited number of nativity scenes this year also. last year they were very poplular and sold quickly. we have already had some interest for this year, so if you are thinking about getting one just let me know! can you believe it is already fall and time to think about these things?

r.i.p...

we lost our first chicken last week. i know it is part of owning chickens and i had prepared myself and the kids for the possibility, but it wasn't until it happened that i relaized just how attached i am to them. it doesn't help that she was one of my favorites. this is her on the day we lost her.... the chickens like to come up everyday and say hello and even tap on the glass door as if they are asking to come in or just to stop by and chat. it was also extra hard because it was the first time i have forgotten to close them in at night. i was surprised the next morning when they were waiting for me on the porch when i came down in the morning. i had a bad feeling and when i went outside to check, one was gone. it took a little searching and i found her in the yard... i think an owl got her. poor dear. i hope it was quick. the kids took it really well when i told them after school... much better than me in fact. we have been chasing off hawks as well, on nearly a daily basis now. i have friends who have lost so many chickens. i don't think i can stand to see them picked off. so, the next project around here is building a little pen to enclose the coop in. we have quite a lot of space in the back so they will still have a lot of freedom. i will miss the little taps hello though.

“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

my thoughts are with everyone this weekend, including my fellow new yorkers. part of me will be forever tied to that beautiful resilient place and the people so filled with love and courage.

have a lovely weekend!

little grey elephant...

i have a new little elephant in the shop! i love this little one, she is so sweetly shy. she has a little plaid blanket and floral ears. i feel a little rusty taking photos (and i haven't figured out the best spot in my new house yet) and i don't think i even did her justice. she has sweet little black lashes that were hard to capture. maybe it's time to actually work on my photography skills too?!

i have some new items i'm working on this week (though i have a little one home sick today so it may be a little slower). hope you are all well. we have a high of only 70 degrees today! heaven! it's also rainy and leaves are blowing around... i love it! this is my favorite weather... until i have to pick up my son this afternoon on my bike, perhaps;)

ah, september...

when i moved to new york, oh so long ago, one of the things i most looked forward to was fall. and boy, new york did not disappoint! each year was a spectacular show of loveliness, starting in september. you would wake up in september one morning and find the most beautiful blue skies you could imagine and a hint of something in the air that gave you this renewed sense of hope. after eleven years of that i will always wake up on the first day of september and remember that feeling. fall will always be my favorite season of the year no matter where i live. fall in the south is a different experience and i am still figuring it out. they do not have that sudden burst of showy color that lasts a few weeks and then fades in a blaze of glory like new york does. it is a slower process that is more languid and drawn out.... just like the south itself.  you don't have the intensity perhaps, yet it also does not fade quickly giving you plenty of time to enjoy it. in new york, thanksgiving generally looked like winter, while here you will still expect the lovely autumn scenes you see in books. i'm a little nervous about fall this year as i look out my window and see brown leaves already filling the lawn. too many hot days and little rain will have its effect i'm sure, but i can still look forward to the bounty of apple picking, pumpkins, fall gardening, festivals and walks in the woods. september is a welcome sigh of relief, even if the weather takes a while to catch up to the images in my mind!

now that the children and i are starting to settle into a routine i am finding myself with time to get my hands busy sewing again. look forward to some new items shared here and arriving in the shop soon! maybe i will have to do something fall themed... but for now you will have to settle for a little look ahead to winter!

look for this little dapper fellow in the shop very soon!