Becolorful

Look Who Came to Dinner and a Motivated Monday

Isn't she delightful?

That is how I would also describe our Thanksgiving holiday.

We spent the weekend at the Galena Territories.

Those of you who know me are aware of my culinary challenges.

So to save my family from the train wreck that is my cooking ability, I made a phone call.

Yes, I had dinner delivered.

Who am I kidding.

My kids have always thought that Thanksgiving dinner came in a huge cardboard box.

This time, though, we mixed it up and celebrated in Galena and had our dinner delivered by the Pilgrims and Indians.

An interesting twist on what for us is an old tradition.

The days of having everybody together are few and far between so the big guy and I just relished having all of our babies with us.

These people are the loves of my life.

They make me laugh until I cry,  pull on my heartstrings, make me unbelievably proud, amaze me with their talents and yes, occasionally frustrate or annoy me but not very often.

Family. It really does make the world go round.

These are the two that know their way around a kitchen and we let them have at it.

The rest of us are more interested in our cameras

or getting our pictures taken. :)

Doesn't he look thrilled?

Ta Da - the dinner

It came from The Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort and it was amazing.

The containers don't look too pretty but clean up was a dream.

The menu:

Turkey Breast

Smoked Corn and Sausage Chowder

Waldorf Broccoli and Grape Salad

Bourbon Creamed Corn

Green Bean Shitake Mushroom Casserole

Roasted Garlic and White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Baked Praline Brandied Yams

Cranberry Orange Zest Relish

Sweet Potato Walnut Bread

Carmelized Pear Onion and Sage Stuffing

Pumpkin Pie With Fresh Whipped Topping

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm

Easy and sweet.

Very simply, a weekend we won't forget.

Thanks ladies.

I hope you will be back next year and please bring your men folk!

I can't believe it is Motivated Monday again already.

If you have a project, recipe, decor idea ... whatever I hope you will share it with us here.

You know the drill and please by kind and comment on other posts too.

xoxo,

P

 

 

 

 

Pillow of Week # 36 and Motivated Monday

 Linking up this post here:

 

With holiday decorating upon us and another Pillow of the Week post to write, I thought I should most definitely feature a Christmas pillow.

But there are just so many wonderful and unusual pillows to choose from that I had a hard time picking just one this week.

So look no further if it is pillows you need.

As my gift to you, I offer you holiday pillow OPTIONS! :)

Each one has a link to make your shopping just that much easier.

I know, you're welcome. :)

I really should have been getting some other work done but this was so much more fun.

Check it out. 

I love them all.

This throw pillow is from Posh Tots and sells for $48.00. You can purchase it here.

It would be great in a child's room but I can see it in a family room or anywhere in the home of a cycling enthusiast.

Loved this set from The Smithsonian Store  and for only $21.99!

Or how about creatively going green with this recycled Christmas sweater pillow that I saw on by Spring Water Designs.

The simple design of this winter tree from Rain Drop Designs just stole my heart. It didn't hurt that it sells for only $18.50

This pair of 20 x 20 pillow covers spoke to my Nordic heritage.

They are available HERE on Etsy.

If light turquoise is your color you will love this from Sew Lucky Girl.

Pretty for the holidays but this winter theme could hang out with you through January too.

It made me smile when I saw what she did with the flip side.

For that neutral palate. I thought this could be perfect. Made of imported linen with vintage button closures from Rosiebuddes Designs.

For more details click here.

December and Christmas trees just go together.

So pillows and trees are also a given.

I loved this whimsical Frontgate version

and this little lovely from Alisa Jacobs that was featured in Better Homes and Gardens.

It sells HERE for $40.00

...and I am crazy for this look from Designs by Nancy. How fun are these?

They remind me of Buddy the Elf. :)

Christmas, it's all about the presents. :)

Here is an especially pretty one from Cottage Ruffles.

Then there is this star pillow. It would bring an easy holiday touch to any room.

This bright and bold delight is from a store of the same name. Amazingly it is only $20.00.

There is even a Holiday Pillow for the cupcake lover in you.

Find it at Amazon for $52.99

Hooked Pillows offer a great textural element to a space.

I loved the casual but contemporary feel of these two from Garnet Hill.

Accent pillows, I'm a huge fan.

They are such an easy and usually inexpensive way to change up a room or bring in seasonal flair.

My love affair with them, though, is getting a bit out of control.

I am running out of storage space for all of my off season lovelies.

I may need to either edit or think about going with more pillow covers that I can use with inserts.  

All of these tempted me though.

Maybe I have room for just a couple more. :)

Which ones were your favorites?

I'd love to hear.

Like you, I am gearing up to start decking the halls.

I know you will be inspiring me in the next few weeks with your holiday decor and gift ideas. 

I can't wait to see your posts.

You know the drill.

If you are not a follower, I would be flattered if you would sign up.

Please be kind and comment on two other posts while you are visiting here.

Everybody loves a nice comment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for visiting and I hope you will consider linking up a project of any type, they are all motivating.

 

Beribboned Tree Toppers

 

I am part of a group of five women artisans that call ourselves The Traveling Door.

We put on an event twice a year.

We don't have a permanent venue so we painted and embellished an old door and we use it as our logo and our signage for our events.

We each work in different mediums and I usually show my painted furniture and altered or functional art pieces.

This time the sale was scheduled for November so I thought a few holiday items like these tree toppers would be a fun addition.

 

 

I saw something similar to this last year but then I couldn't find it again so I had to just go with my own version.

I purchased several tree toppers from the Hob Lob and then took them to the next level.

I embellished them with lots of ribbon streamers and topped them with stars, flowers, or globes.

 

 

I had fun adding some bling to the ribbons in the form of bells, balls, and Christmas lights.

 

 

I tried using a fabric glue to adhere the ribbons but in the end resorted to a hot glue gun.

I would then finish off the inside of the topper with another piece of ribbon.

This size topper is pretty on a full size tree but if you live in an apartment or if space is an issue, they look fantastic on a table top version. The ribbons come to the bottom branches of a smaller tree and it is all the decor they need.

Simple. 

Love that.

I do have a lot of ribbon left over. 

I am not a detail person and never took the time to do the math.

Even if I had, I suck at numbers so I  probably still would not have gotten that part right.

I'll use a lot of the overstock for gift wrapping but some I may incorporate into some mobiles I'm thinking of doing for the spring sale.

Thanks Courtney for that idea. :)

I'm already dreaming about decorating for Christmas.

How about you?

I will be hosting a Motivated Monday Deck the Halls party here at   be colorful on Monday the 6th of December so take some pictures of your holiday decor and share them here.

I will be linking up today's post here:

 

TV Trays. You Know You Want Some

 

Motivated Monday #10

Linking up here:

 

TV Trays.

My parents had them.

They were metal with some pastoral scene or maybe they were black with a gold tole pattern "painted" on them.

I don't remember.

I do remember, though, that they had hollow metal legs like these.

                  

             and they would fold up into some sort of storage set up like this set.  

 

         

Flash forward four decades.

It's one of those things you don't see much of anymore.

In my home, though, it is usually just the two of us again for dinner.

We have what everyone says is a show stopper granite table in our kitchen but it seems we are always dragging out plates out into the family room in front of the bigger TV while we eat our dinner.

I bought some lap trays in an effort to save our couches from spills but the plates would slide around every time we moved.

So when I was pulling  together ideas for The Traveling Door Sale I came upon some plain wooden TV trays.

I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them.

I decided I would resurrect the idea of those iconic trays from the 60's and recreate them for today's spaces.

I painted one set black

 

and another set red. 

** FYI  This photo was taken at The Traveling Door show. We were lucky enough to have our show in a terrific condo that had just come on the market. Since they had just installed new carpet we thought it would be a good idea to protect it from the traffic.

I didn't want you to think I was so neurotic that I cover the carpet in my house with plastic. :) I was going to photoshop it out but that looked like a lot of work. :)

To make this place setting look I went to a dish site on the internet and found the perfect layout.

I printed out the picture and placed the print out under a sheet of clear mylar so I could cut out and make my own stencil of the fork knife and spoon.

I painted a round circle for the plate and then added the flatware.

Voila a TV tray with a nod to the past but with that graphic look that looks so 2010.

I made one more set but instead of the silhouetted place setting I just wrote the names of some of the more popular shows on the top and added some pattern to the legs with a paint pen and then polyurethaned everything to protect it and so they would wipe off easily.

 

So what have you been up to?

I can't wait to see what cleverness you come up with this week.

If you have a moment be sure and top by Ms Bingle's Vintage Christmas. Her trees that she posted last week are incredible! Double click on the image to enlarge it and see all the detailing. Amazingly gorgeous.

                            

Okay readers, bring it on. Inspire me. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Sofa Hunt

I have been major busy with The Traveling Door Sale.

So busy that everything else in my life just kind of got tabled.

Now that the sale is in my rearview mirror, 

I am refocusing on the house.

And when did it become the middle of November?

I just realized,  that it is only about six weeks until Christmas and

my living room still looks about the same as it did a month ago.

Other than the piano and a couple of rugs that I want to change out,

this room is virtually bare.

I'm really rockin' the minimalist look these days.

Once I started this metamorphosis I realized that a lot or actually most of the furniture was not going to be coming back into the room.

It is one of the perks of getting older :)

You have the option of clearing out and moving on.

To bring you up to speed,

the room looked like this in September.

I said my good byes to the formal red damask chairs

and the fringed floral swags.

I lost the yellow walls

and had the room painted in creme with a copper ceiling.

( This photo is obviously midway through the paint work)

s

I'm still going back and forth on whether or not I should paint the fireplace mantel.

Thoughts?

I would love for this room to be a show stopper with a touch of the dramatic

since it is one of the first rooms you see.

Hey, there is my yellow front door off to the left.

Still loving that.

Can't wait to decorate it for Christmas.

So anyway,

back to the living room.

Painting finished, I added  off white drapery panels.

So far so good.

I am the cheerleader of color so why all this white?

Well, my plan is starting to gel in my head.

I see a lot of neutrals here in the big pieces with the bursts of color coming in the accents and particularly the art work.

The first big piece I need is the sofa.

The sofa I choose will determine what kind of chairs I want.

Then I can think about the side tables, lamps, and rugs.

 

But first, I need the sofa.

I saw this one in Chicago at Crate and Barrel and really liked the look of it and how it sat.

I like the lines of this one from Thomasville.

I feel like it would be a safer choice - less of a commitment to one style or another.

It is a bit less contemporary and could lean more either more or less formal depending on the case pieces.

I've always liked the cleaner lines of a two cushion sofa. I guess it's just a personal preference of mine. That and we had a three cushion a few sofas back and it seemed like when somebody would stand up the cushions would be all askew. It drove me crazy.

I also saw this one at a local furniture store.

(Smulekoff's)

I have always loved a camel back and I have had several couches with that treatment.

I don't know why but I always go back to it.

As I remember, though, it had some very limited fabric options.

None of them very good.

Check that one off the list.

This one I just found on a website of a local store.

(Phelan's - gorgeous things)

Hmmmm.

I'll have to go look at that.

Even with the three cushions, I would consider it.

I like the lines and the wood trim.

It has a bit of drama don't you think?

 

This is on the site too.

I love love love the looks of it but I think I saw this the last time I was in the store and it was way too squishy.

Seriously? I sound like Goldie Locks. :)

Maybe I could order a different cushion.

Well, I'd better clear off my desk.

Get some work done 

then maybe I will have to time to head out.

It really is fun,

a sofa hunt.

I figured it out.

I've purchased over a dozen sofas in my lifetime.

Most of them I loved.

A few were missteps.

I will never buy floral again -

or plaid.

Yes, I did, twice.

Yikes.

:)

Cross your fingers that I come across the urban myth sofa that is in my head today

or at least I am able to decide on one of these beauties.

Have a great weekend and I hope you will check in Sunday night for the Motivated Monday Linky party here at Be Colorful.

XOXO,

P

 

Silhouettes For Everyone on Your Gift Giving List

Yesterday I featured a silhouette that I created after I was inspired by a West Elm piece I saw on their website. Well once I got started I haven't been able to quit.

I found this figure on the internet in the royalty free section.

I printed him out and then put a piece of cardstock behind the printed version and cut them both out. 

I placed him on a pre-painted wooden canvas, added a quote and sealed the top with a clear sealer.

Simple graphic art.

Another option is to take a picture and increase the contrast when editing so that the image appears in something close to a silhouette. Print it out and again put cardstock behind your print out and cut through both images at the same time.

Then I pasted this one onto a piece of cardstock that I had already printed a quote on and framed it.

I found some of these frames at TJ Maxx. I painted out the centers and then added my silhouettes and a quote.

This one would be perfect for the golfers on your list.

Shoppers? I made one for them too.

You could do musicians, artists, cars, things around the home. The options are limitless.

Now if my family members are reading this, well don't be surprised if you find something similar to these under the tree for you this year. :)

 

 

Are you inspired?

I'd love to see where to take this.

Maybe you could show me your creations on next week's Motivated Monday here at Be Colorful.

Thanks for visiting,

XOXO,

P

LInking up Here:

 

  

   

Inspired by West Elm and Pillow of the Week #35

 

I think it was last summer when I first saw this image on West Elm.

The "I can do that" wheels began turning.

I knew I could do it for less than $79.00

I was seeing silhouette images all over the internet.

They are kind of an extension of the subway art designs.

So I came up with my own version.

I found a number of free or royalty free images on the internet and used them as my template.

The angle of the photo makes this appear like a flat canvas but it is actually a one inch deep 12 x 12 wooden square  picture I bought at Hobby Lobby in the clearance aisle. I painted it black, cut the figures out of card stock and arranged them on the painted frame.

I like to add words or quotes to my pieces.

Like I did on this clock.

Originally I was thinking of something with some statement about standing out or being original.

The more I thought about it the more I thought that then one of the figures should be a different color. I only had one canvas though and I didn't know whether to go with a male or female lean.

So I looked at my cut out figures again and discovered that for some reason most of the people I had chosen were talking or appeared to be listening. 

That's when I decided to go with the simple Listen to your heart phrase.

I used a paint pen to add this and then let it dry overnight before sealing the entire piece with Modge Podge.

So, I'm very sorry West Elm. I love your stuff but I won't be buying that silhouette piece.

In fact, I am so hooked on silhouettes I thought I should also do a silhouette for my pillow of the week this week ( I've actually missed a couple of weeks) :)

                                 

Isn't it fun?

You can find it here.

Hmmm. At $100.00 I may have to learn to sew too. Hehe

I think, though, I am drawn to the graphic bold look of silhouettes and that is why they hold such an attraction for me.

I have been creating a number of them that I will feature tomorrow when I have a bit more time to load pictures.

Today I need to get caught up around home.

Thanks so much, though, for stopping by and visiting.

Don't forget, it's still not too late to link up to Motivated Monday here at

be Colorful.

Until tomorrow,

XOXO,

P

Linking up this post here:

 

  

Motivated Monday #9

I'M Baaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk!

Well almost.

This past weekend was our Traveling Door Sale.

This is one of the pieces I did for that sale.

The before:

It was hard for me to commit to painting this piece.

Mr. Rosie and I bought it when we were first married.

It is part of a two piece set.

I'm still using the buffet but this piece was no longer serving a purpose for us.

It has been in our living room for over twenty years as a kind of filler piece.

Now that I am redoing that room and going for a more cross over to contemporary look I decided it was time for this piece to move on.

Still, I am old enough to remember when we were cursing those people before us for painting these beautiful wood pieces and now instead of stripping them I am committing the same painting crime. The piece was in in great shape and is probably from the 1920's to 1930's but was it valuable? No. So, yes, and cover your eyes if this bothers you but I finally after several years of going back and forth decided the only way I was going to update it was to paint it. So I did.

Here it is as it looked at our sale.

I striped the front and did a damask stencil treatment to the sides and top.

 

Then for interest I did a bit of distressing and painted the interior a pale aqua.

For the last two weeks I have been surviving on coffee and Halloween candy.

Will I ever learn to pace myself?

Doubtful.

It gets crazy the last couple of weeks before a show.

By then I am working on four or five projects at once.

I will be putting red paint on something and set my brush down thinking "I'll come back to this". I will move on to paint something else black. Move on yet again and coat something with Modge Podge or poly. By the time I get back to the red piece the brush is all dried up and crusty. I don't even want to think about all the brushes I ruined. Good thing I buy them on the cheap.

With all of that said, here I go with Motivated Monday # 9.

I didn't have time this week to thank you all individually for sharing your motivating posts so I will say it here. - Thank you, loved them all, love you. :0

I haven't even had time to read all of them in depth but in my first "once over" I was intrigued by Scribbleprints' blog buttons. I need to figure out how to get a page for my blog on facebook and then I will be asking her for a button for sure.

 

I was enthralled with No Minimalist Here's kitchen tour. I loved her mixed finishes, open floor plan, color choices and collections of green glass and copper. Stunning.

And what a great project for Breast Cancer Awareness month at My Scrapbook Life. Check out her altered bra. Spectacular.

Then I saw these two projects that I can't wait to try myself.

I loved the ribbon mobile at Between U and Me

                    

 and the paper weave art at Can't Stop Making Things.

 

 

Both of these creative endeavors could be perfect for the next Traveling Door show in the spring. Love them

Be sure and check out all of these sites. You will be totally inspired and motivated.

As for me, I will now have more time to bring you some of my own functional art projects.

Thanks for visiting.

I hope you will join in today's party by submitting something you've created, or something you are motivated to try. I'm thinking ahead to the next show. Please, inspire and motivate me. 

    XOXO,

      P

Linking up here:

 

 

  

    

Motivated Monday #8

Oh how you have motivated me.

My Scrapbook Life reminded me of how even the most mundane items can be brought to life with a little TLC and some rub ons. Lordy I love rub ons.

While Pink Postcard has me inspired to throw a Wine Tasting Party.

If you've been here before then you know how I love an unorthodox paint update to an old or ordinary piece of furniture. This one from House To Your Home stole my heart.

So what have I been doing?

I can't believe I haven't posted since last Monday but life has been crazy busy.

I have a show this weekend.

One of the things I made this week were some tree toppers.

The picture isn't the greatest.

There will be more and better images soon.

I promise.

 

They are pretty on a full size tree but I took this picture on a small table top tree and I kind of liked the effect. With the long holiday streamers it was all this small tree needed. Voila! Easy instant decor. Gotta love that.

The other thing I did was some shopping.

A lot of it.

I spent three days in downtown Chicago.

Yes, right on Michigan Avenue and the big guy had all day meetings.

Dangerous.

I can't show you everything.

Mr. Rosie occasionally reads this blog. 

:)

Let's just say I stopped by Lucy.

This was one of my finds.

So comfortable and how I dress.

I had never been there before but thanks to my daughter, I am totally hip and up to date on the latest and greatest.

I also made two stops by Saks for sunglasses.

I have a sunglass fetish.

Dior calls them cat eyes.

I just thought they were so Mad Men.

Love them.

Alas, those three days have thrown me even further behind so it might be a quiet week here at beColorful but hang in there.

This time next week the show will be behind me and I will have so much to show you.

xoxo,

P