A Spider-ific Day

I won a giveaway from Elizabeth at Bluebirds and Bubbles. It was a halloween spider themed giveaway and I got it today! I love it and my kids had alot of fun with it also! She showed the goodies on her blog but when I got the package, it was all wrapped up and there were extra surprise goodies in there! What a fun package to come home to! Thank you Elizabeth! Here are all the goodies:

A Somerset Studio Magazine(My favorite!) Black and White note cards, A spider candle holder and yankee candle, Apple Cider Potpourri envelope ( Love it! ) Spider web dishtowels, a spiderweb etch a sketch, a large spider, a spider web and paper spiders, rubber spiders, and in the wrapped box- a Michaels gift card- WOO HOO! You know where I will be going soon! Just so much fun!

Well, I also went house -stalking today on my way to work! This first house was simple but I like the decorations:

This second one was really nice and I wanted to get a better view for you but a man was walking down the street looking at me funny so I just went on my way... Humming like a dummy!

And this last one is just plain pretty and decorated wonderfully for the holiday...My favorite of the day:

Well, that's all for today! I ordered some hats on ebay for the millinery flowers and will post pics when I get them! Have a safe and really fun Halloween tomorrow!! karen.....

Flea Market Fun

Today I went to our local street faire with Robin and I really enjoyed myself!

Again, I forgot my camera but I did get a few small treasures and had alot of fun visiting with my favorite vendors and running into friends.

Here is a really sweet box that will become one of my inspiration kits:

And a sweet Valentine:

Then, I think my favorite purchase of the day, a vintage childs hat. I am going to give this little pretty a steam and will be adding it to my etsy with the vintage crinolines I bought last month.

Here is a little doll who needs a bath but I just thought he was darling. I believe it is from the 50's or 60's, it is made of rubber but I just couldn't leave him behind:

Then another frozen charlotte, she was hanging out with the little clown and also needs a clean up but how cute is she with her knit cap and sweater?

I also got an antique ledger book that is filled with recipes and some awesome old wooden puzzle pieces that will somehow be a part of my etsy art kits....Just fun little goodies! Well, I hope you had a fun weekend! I have been working on Christmas goodies for gifts and for my shop but this week I will be working on putting one more shabby/vintage collection in my shop before I do a big Christmas Shoppe Opening.... I have marked down Halloween so go take a peek!!! Have fun and be safe! karen.....

Artsy Mama's Autumn Gathering

I am so late posting! My computer (modem) is on the blink and my husband figured out the weirdest way to get it working...call our cell phone!!! #1 What made him think of that? and # 2 How in the world did he figure that out?

Something about the Direct TV people using something of ours which is connected to the phone line???? So...if you come to our house you need to call my cell phone to use my modem....go figure!

Now! On to the fun stuff!

You have all seen alot of my halloween goodies from the swap but now they are in my house and here are some pics of my little vignettes:

This is a picture of a BOO banner I made last year. It is hanging on a mirror in our living room, looks like it is in the middle of the room huh?You can see my mom sitting in her reading chair in the background!

Here is the coffee table...I like to keep it simple. There is a vintage black feather plume and a large vintage white flower, my candle and plate from Jenny and a cute little pumpkin and tart warmer!

Some Autumn pretties on my mom's side table. The vase was from Jenny, the bird a gift from Italy from a friend.....

My favorite Cat pillow!! I have had him a few years and love to bring him out!

Another old friend, She is made of felt...just makes me happy!


My sweet tattered angel with some fall flowers in a painted watering can:

And...our biggest display on top of the entertainment center:

And a close-up of some of the goodies there:
I made the hat last fall and the little cat was from a swap...I love white pumpkins!
Here is the other side. My awesome tree from Jenny, my beautiful shadow box also made by her (which will remain in my decor long after the holiday!) My long skinny pumpkinhead (TJ Maxx in June $3.00!) Frankensteins bride (this is for the kids) and more little goodies in between:

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! I will be decorating our credenza soon and you know me...I will probably post a picture!

Go visit the other wonderful people, and thanks Kari for having a fun Autumn party for us all to go visit!

karen.....

Fall Drive By

I have been enjoying some of the fall homes near work and thought I would show you a couple more:
This first caught my eye yesterday morning. It is all decorated in black and white! It would have been perfect for the Sweet and Sinister Swap!
Check out the black feather boa's that are threaded in and out of the picket fence and the black wreath....
There are some orange pumpkin lights hanging from each window to add a little color...I just love this!
I spotted this next one on my way to work today. Love the leaves around the door...nice wrap around porch...

Well, it is a short post...Please stop by on thursday for Artsymama's Show us your fall home....You will see my fall goodies out....Maybe I will find some more homes to show you tomorrow...(I get kinda shy to take pictures of homes when people are around, I don't want them to think I am up to anything sneaky!)

Have a Happy Wednesday! karen....

Show us Your Art Bits....

Today I am participating in Show and Tell Sunday, I am so happy it is back and I have goodies to show you! We are sharing our little art bits and ways that we store them.
First off is an organizer from Shabby Chic....I believe it's a cosmetic organizer but is hangs on my closet next to my computer and I love looking at the goodies inside, especially the little "Marie" powder box... I have ribbon wound around old spools for my art inspiration kits in here also:

Next is a pretty little dish that I have shown you before. It holds my favorite sparkly bits and sits on my computer table...again to inspire:

I love these satin glove/hanky boxes for storing my art bits....It all looks pretty when surrounded by satin! This one holds various pieces that I use for my art:

Here is a pretty button and buckle organizer:

And more buttons and jewelry pieces......

Since I don't actually have an art studio, I often make little vignettes with my art bits to inspire me throughout the house. This little winking guy sits on our banquette in the kitchen....

I also keep my art bits in mason jars and pretty tins. I try to put them in things that make sense for storage but are also pretty so I stay inspired by them....In gathering these goodies for you, I realized that I am a button horder! I still have tins and jars I haven't shown you!...Hmmmm....maybe I should join the button floozies blog also!

Go visit all the other participants to see their pretty art bits at Little Pink Studio and thank you Cerri for hosting this event!

Well, this was fun for me! I hope you enjoyed it and have a wonderful Sunday!

xoxo karen....

PS. I would love if you leave me a comment, my comments form has been missing for a couple of weeks and I miss hearing from my blogging friends!

It's Heeere!!!!!!!!!!

My Sweet and Sinister Package arrived today!!! Yipee! Woohoo! I know you probably think I am off my rocker for loving halloween so much but I do...so go with me okay? Jenny was so generous! She spoiled me with wonderful things!

Here are the packages all wrapped up with a cute tag and card and the wonderful spooky tree :Along with the darling tree, Jenny sent some glass orange and black balls to decorate it and here are some yummy treats also, a pumpkin chocolate treat and some corn on the cob popcorn!

Here is a wood wallhanging...the picture doesn't show the details as well as I would like but isn't it wonderfully witchy?

Next is an AWESOME shadow box. I couldn't get a really good picture of the inside but it is really cool. With it are some really cute nut cups with Jenny's cupcakes on them and a bat garland...

Here is a close up of the shadow box...still doesn't do it justice! It has a 3D black glitter heart and a collage inside....Just love it!!!!

Now for a lovely black vase (didn't have one and I saw some flowers at JoAnn's that I now have an excuse to buy! ), a darling treat cone- I love the Charlotte image! And a great smelling candle and cute trick or treat plate...

Isn't this fun???!!!!And last but not at all least....A wonderful signature piece of Jenny and Aaron's!

I'd secretly hoped I would get one! Love it!!!

I think you can tell, even through the computer that I am thrilled! Thank you Jenny and Aaron! I can't wait to go put everything out and maybe eat a little chocolate (yummy!)

PS....Please don't count how many times I used the word wonderful...I just can't help myself!

Hugs and Boo's (in a spooky way!) karen.....

PSS.... blogger is not showing my comment button so if you would like to email me, I would love to hear from you...I am hoping this gets fixed soon, my first issue with them. Here is my email addy: kben1334@sbcglobal.net

The Sweet and Sinister Swap-What I Sent Out

Jenny got her package so now I can share! I had so much fun putting this all together and I think she was genuinely happy so I am happy....


For her sweet she got a witches hat filled with See's chocolate pumpkins and some hot cocoa...



For her thrifted, I added a white millinery flower and buttons to a vintage black purse and inside she had some halloweeny cupcake pics and a bridge card.



My big handmade project was her boo banner:

Here are a couple of close-ups :


And this....
This was the purchased for the home item....a nicole sayer box..it has a little paper mache pumpkin inside. I put it in the black box it is sitting on:

I also made a black and white matchbox ornie and a handmade halloween pin and this pretty lady was something sinister along with a finger candle that oozes green wax!

She is standing in a little pumpkin name card holder... She says: Forget the ghosts, beware of me!

I know some of you are not as fond of halloween as I am but bear with me! I will be on to something new in a couple of weeks!!!
have a boo-tiful week! xoxo karen....

Fun Workshop and a walk in Redondo Beach

Today I went to a workshop at Robin's...we had alot of fun! She had lots of yummy food, mimosa's, cheesecake and fun projects for us all to do. We tried out the new Big Shot from Stampin' Up, that puppy is cool! It is a die cut machine that even cuts plastic and wood! Above is a little hanger that I bought from her, I love it!

On another note: I have been taking my camera during lunch and photographing houses that I love...It has been hazy down at the beach lately and some of the pics didn't come out so well but here are a couple:
This pretty porch is right down the block from the school where I work...Just add some pumpkins and some cozy cushions to those chairs and I would be a happy camper!

And this little gingerbread house would make an awesome haunted house...We don't see many victorians in Calif. and I found this beauty the other day and thought it would be fun to show you...
I was across the street and I don't have a wonderful camera so I tried to get a close up of some of the gingerbreading....(is that a real word?)

They have some goblins on the porch...hmmm maybe it is haunted!

Well that's all for today! Hope your weekend is wonderful! karen....

My vintage finds from last week

I told you I would post pictures of my goodies and then I came down with a cold! So, I guess better late than never! Here are the fun finds from the antique fair last week. I found a lady who carries all kinds of vintage party supplies and her prices were a bit high but I had to have some of the halloween goodies and the nut cup was to die for!

The noisemakers were from a friend who sells there and the framed pieces are charming scenes of winter with victorian ladies all decked out in their beautiful winter finery. I just love these, they are matted in fabric and the large one has a little water damage so I am going to add a flat millinery flower in that corner...I want to save the beautiful matting.

I also got a couple of Santa scraps and a cute little photo...fun fun!

Here is a frozen charlotte that had to come home with me (sorry for the pitiful photo!)

And then the best find of the day! 2 vintage crinolines! I was so excited to find these! I will probably keep one and put one on etsy but for now I am enjoying their girly frilli-ness... Someone will have to pry them out of my crafty little hands first!
I can't wait to show you the goodies for Jenny for the Sweet and Sinister Swap, that will be next but I want her to get them first and we both arranged to ship today so here is a little sneek peek:

I am off the go blow my nose again! Hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

thanks for stopping by my little world! karen.....

Gratitude and a mean heat wave!!!

It is blazing hot here in Southern California! And...most of us don't have air conditioning (usually don't need it!) It makes one grumpy (okay, okay! I mean it makes me grumpy!) Nothing like being a 40 something, way too fluffy person chasing after toddlers for 6 hours a day in a heat wave.... Uggh!

Now where, you ask, is the gratitude???? I just needed to get that out of my system and now I will share my gratitude!

I have had the blues lately...alot going on in my world at home, at work, as a parent...the kind of stuff that isn't fun most of the time...It has been hard and sometimes you just don't know if you are gonna get past it or is this your life....

This morning, while blog hopping before work I read a funny saying on Four Sisters in a Cottage blog. "You can't outstink a manure pile" I love this! It just cracked me up and I can apply it to one particular person in my working world... Well, a laugh was what I needed to snap me out of it a little...I have always tried to find one little something to be grateful for in my day even when my day was poopy. So I thought I would share with you a couple of things that have given me a smile lately:

Stamp Club...went last night and took Robin a Birthday/halloween crown and some apple pie ala mode...Here she is being silly with her crown on:

And here is the awesome project we did: A Brazen Hussy's Victorian Halloween Book...fun,fun,fun!

Robin always has the best projects for us to do!

Another thing to be giddy about: I won this beauty from Amy at InspireCo.
Thank you Amy! I love it and can't wait to put pictures of my kids in this little paper bag album!

Hope you can find something to be grateful for in your day too!

xoxo karen....