On the subject of chairs....

Another great piece of original art via etsy

this one by uniqueseeker

I Love Chairs!

I never met a chair I didn't want, love, or want to love!

I wish I would have thought of this

but James Hopkins did and it really

made me smile!

Happy Halloween!

I'm not much of a baker but after tuning into "Top Chef : Just Desserts" for the last few weeks I got inspired and decided to break out an old cookie recipe for Halloween. I found this one on the Internet ages ago but its been so long since I've made them and I don't know why, they are so much fun!

Black Cat Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup of water

2 eggs

1 package chocolate cake mix

plain M&M's

Red Hots

Beat together peanut butter, eggs and water. Gradually add cake mix. Mix well. Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Pinch out 2 ears at the top of the cookie. Add M&M eyes, and a Red Hot nose. Press a fork into the dough to form the whiskers. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

These cookies are fun to make and were so easy my kids could make them on there own!

Enjoy!!

...not far from the tree!

Another Goodwill transformation! My daughter has a tiny bedroom, just enough space for a bed and a desk and that's about it! She was stacking up books on her nightstand which quickly became cluttered with all the things that 10 year old girls clutter things up with. (I was once a 10 year old girl who collected clutter, so I know this all too well!) When I spotted this tall, narrow shelf at Goodwill the wheels in my head started to spin. For $4.99 I could make this into a book shelf that would fit in to a tiny corner of her bedroom and organize the clutter at least for a while. I sanded it down and primed it and after much consideration and conversation with my daughter, decided to keep it simple and paint it white! To make it a bit more interesting though, I painted the inside grey, the same grey as the wall color, I think it adds depth and a more modern touch. We'll see how long it stays uncluttered, but if she is any thing like I was it won't be long!

I Heart Spray Paint: Part II

I got this tiny Foo Dog at Goodwill for $4.99 and with some leftover silver spray paint gave him a new and more dramatic life! I came up with some super clever titles for this post: Everybody was Kung-Foo Fighting, I Pity the Foo, Foo Man Chu.....ugh...I know! Instead I wanted to once again exalt the wonderful transformative virtues of Spray Paint! I heart it so much!!

Quick-Fix

A quick, fabric fix for a little stool I found at Goodwill for $2.99.

It will find its home in one of the dressing rooms at

"Rock It! Resell" my sister Mary, and her friend Anita's new store.

I'm Hungry!

Blame it on my low-carb lifestyle, but I love me some bacon!
I may need to get this poster for the shrine to swine in my kitchen.
(Kidding, I don't really have a shrine!)

Lonny # 7

October-November Lonny!

Happy Birthday!

How Bazaar!

My kids had no school today so last evening we headed up to the Lake House for the night. It's just a little over an hour away so we can do that: just pick up and go. I sat by the fire reading People Magazine while my kids watched "Uncle Buck" upstairs. Pretty high brow stuff I know but that is my idea of a vacation! On the way home today we stopped at the Plum Tree Bazaar, an annual craft/gift show put on by some of the craftier folks in Silver Lake this time of year. There are home made candles and soap, chalkboards in old frames, lots of handmade jewelry, Christmas and Halloween decorations, small furniture pieces and more. Its a fun stop for us, we get to support local crafters and we get to walk around in a cool old barn!

ShowPDX

images from showpdx

If you live in Portland, or are here in the next few weeks, check out this great art/furniture design show. My daughter and I went to the Preview Party last night not really knowing what to expect and were pretty blown away! There were so many amazingly simple, functional and really beautiful, tables, chairs, cabinets and lamps, made mostly out of wood, metal or glass. Really cool and innovative, one-of-a-kind stuff by local craftsmen (and women)! All the way home in the car my daughter was coming up with great furniture ideas of her own, I guess that is the point of art: it inspires. We were inspired! Check out ShowPDX!!

I Heart Spray Paint!

One project down, 13,782 to go....ok, it just seems that way! I have so much going on in my head that it feels great to actually get something out of there and done! I'm happy to say that after a little trial and error, I love how this chair turned out! I had planned on using a matte finish but after one coat I knew it needed to be glossy. I found the best deal on spray paint: Lowes has generic cans of black or white paint in glossy or flat for .99 cents, so it was no problem to pick up more, and the 1st coat served as a primer. I ordered the fabric from Calico Corners online so I wasn't aware that the print was so large! I thought this would be a problem with the size of the seat cushion, but I think it looks great, more graphic and modern then if it were a smaller repeat. From start to finish this project didn't go as planned but in the end it turned out perfect and I think it may become a permanent home for the hippo pillow, he looks at home sitting there don't you think?

Great Idea!

A fellow blogger sent me a link to this chest she had seen on the blog Little Green Notebook. She said that it reminded her of the little cabinet above, that I had posted about earlier asking for ideas. I love this! It looks so sharp and modern but also looks like a piece with a little history. Thanks Tiffany!