August Was A Busy Month!

The neighbors stopped in for a nibble. The black raspberries were delicious! Then they got a drink at the birdbath. 

We sat outside on the deck enjoying the breeze!

Steve got a bug up his nose and painted the kitchen floor in diamonds. He's a fun guy.

Here he is holding down the beach.

We gave birth to this baby! Cut out the side of the house and took it away on a forklift. If you go to my Instagram I posted a video.
 

The bounty from the roadside stands kept us in vegetables and fruits.
 

Guests came and went.

Omena Cut Flowers kept us in blossoms the whole month through.

Schumacher showed up with their own bouquet of color.

Ever wonder how I can get a 10 x 12' rug to an install? The back of my Jeep to the dashboard all the way to the front. 

What a month. This little arrangement needs to be painted.
I will get right on it soon.

How's that for an August? It's not even over! Putting on a Labor Day estate sale in the heart of Northport, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

See you there. 

 

Second Swede Road Barn Sale

Hello there! Another barn sale is in the works!

Look at all the interesting items for sale!

We have everything from lamp shades to rug swatches.

Wall decor and rugs for your floor!

7170 N. Swede Rd, Northport. August 2nd and 3rd, Friday and Saturday from 10 until 4.
Look for the big red truck at the top of the driveway.

 

Having Fun With My Watercolors

I am so happy with my watercolors. I was using watercolors found at garage sales and Goodwill. But when I invested in Case for Making, out of San Francisco, water colors, all I want to do is paint! Funny about the painting up top is that I bought the frame at a garage sale and decided to paint a small, round painting just for this frame. 
 I used the Lands End Mini Palette for the Pyramid Point watercolor. The mini palette consists of six paint colors and fits in the palm of your hand!

The paint colors are so saturated. A mix of earth or synthetic pigment and honey. The colors are rich and vibrant.

 Garen and Tim went to San Francisco, this spring, and bought me five more paint colors. Indigo, which is fabulous, silver and gold, which I used in the painting above and two different reds, a peach red and a brick red. 

It is all I can do not to look at everything as a potential painting!

Swede Road Barn Sale

Ha ha! This is God's garden. Take note, on a Sunday, that when you don't have time to garden God will help you out. 

Dishes with provenance. Yes, there is a story better told at another time. The yellow dishes and the red dishes are my cousin Michelle's. She is in the U.P. at the moment and couldn't be here, in person, for the sale. 

I had my favorite people bring their odds and ends and stayed to help with the sale. Thank goodness, because customers came in waves and we were slammed at times.

This sale was because I had cleaned out the studio and had all this discontinued fabric and rug swatches.

The two day event was a party of neighbors. Northport, Omena and up and down Swede Road. The chit-chat was floating like confetti on a breezy day. 

I think I am having another sale towards the end of July. May have to serve Ice Tea and Watermelon just for the fun of it! Life under the big top. A barn sale party. Hope to see you then!

 

I Cleaned The Studio

Well, hello! I have been working on flipping the studio. Removed two humongous fixtures right out of the space. It all started with the rug swatches. Going through them, one at a time, to make sure they are all current samples. Out went the rug swatch rack!

Then on to the fabric swatches. Again, one by one, I took them down and ran a check to make sure the fabric samples are still available. Out went the big fabric sample rack.

See the sea grass rugs? I didn't take them off the floor! I moved everything in the studio, over to one side, and laid down new, cotton rugs on top of the seagrass rugs. 

While I was working it was getting rather warm in there. I opened the doors to let some cooler air flow through. Of course, immediately, the Chipmunks strolled in! Along with some honey bees!!

What could I use for a screen door? Why not a pair of woven sheers? Lovely, with the soft light coming in. I am not taking them down, ever! They are so beautiful.

Looking into the studio, through the French door. The rug is fabulous! The light is exceptional. I needed a natural light source. When I moved the large fabric fixture the light came flooding in.
 

The long view. Fresh and uncluttered, up to date and tidy!

The rug swatches all stacked up on the rolling rack. Easy to take out for show and tell!!

I am one happy camper, decorator, to have everything organized and at my finger tips. So if you have wondered where I have been, besides incredibly busy, I was cleaning house!