bella!

pretty, pretty for a gloomy february afternoon
~karla

patchwork project of the day

an entire day in the studio yesterday....

a lot of cleaning and organizing had to be done before i could get to work.

i had some leftover leather from an earlier project and decided to see what i could do with it.

this tote is the result of those scraps.

i'm loving it!!

and today, my first compliment from a girl in the grocery store!!

i almost gave her a hug for even noticing!

i love people like that!!!

inside i attached a hook for my keys.

something i desperately need.

now the problem of the cel phone.

well...it's a work in progress.

old school

i am in love with chalkboards!!

i love to make chalkboards out on the driveway for greetings and celebrations. sometimes just to play.

i have a chalkboard in my kitchen, but i wanted more.

i always see these great rooms with large walls of chalkboard, but just haven't

found a space that was right for me in our house.

until now...

the laundry room door!!!

perfect!!

i always keep sports schedules and random odds and ends.
now the space is functional and completely beautiful!!

(just look away from the mismatched washer/dryer

new washer-23yr. old dryer.

can't replace it until it dies.)

 the funny thing is that the dryer gives us less trouble than the 1 yr. old washer....

i love my new space!!!

below are beautiful spaces found on pinterest with some great chalkboard art.

vintage wallpaper, glamor included

re-do.....done!(well, almost)
and as always there were "challenges" along the way.
for some reason i thought this one roll of paper would cover this entire 2 wall space.
not that i measured and calculated...i just eye-balled it,  looked like plenty.

as you can see from the finished product, i had to go to plan "b" when i realized that i would not have enough.
and....actually, plan "b" turned out to be better than plan "a".
i found another roll of vintage paper that i bought at the same time and decided it was a perfect compliment.

i love this large floral print and i love, love mixing patterns!!!

problem #2....i didn't have enough of the second paper to finish the second wall!!!
un-real!!

i called my "wallpaper friend" and she found another roll of paper #2in her barn filled with wallpaper and other vinitage treasures.
i've been saved!!!
so....a successful project, almost done.

i decided to leave out the mantel and just stick with these pretty pieces.
the mirror more functional hanging vertically and the bench a perfect place to catch my clothes that i don't feel like hanging up.

happiness!!!!

xo, karla

new year...new project

finally....it's time for me to make get going on a project that has been "on deck" for sometime.

today is the day!

beautiful vintage wallpaper will be on two small walls in our room.

currently, it's a nice space with pretty fabrics and pictures, but we have never taken the next step (actually it should be the first step) and worked on the walls.

this project will just cover the closet walls, but i know it will be the beginning of a bigger project....painting the room. painting the room doesn't seem like that big of a deal....we just have never put the time aside to do it.

and this will be the paper!!!

awesome right??

i'm hopeful that everything goes smoothly.

better get back to work!

until next time....

merry christmas!!!

i love days like this when the only thing on my to-do list "play"
tweaking my holiday home, baking cookies and working on cards.
things most people have done....but, this is just the way things are around here.

one thing that was not on my list of things to do today was work on a post for my blog!
but, i finally have a new camera (thanks mom!) and i just felt excited to get something fresh out there.
so.....short and sweet!

happy, merry
~karla

holiday shows!!

it may seem as if i have abandoned my work because i have not been doing any blogging in what seems like forever!!

but i have been working!
working without a camera!
it's just no fun to look for blog ideas and photos that are not my own....but that will be changing very soon.
for now, i will rely on some old favorites from amy parrish.

the most important thing is dates...dates for 2 upcoming holiday shows.
this weekend November 12th grandview holiday show

and next weekend November 19th and 20th...ChristmasFair at the aladdin shrine.
check out the links for all the details!!
i'd love to see you!!

xo  ~karla

in a kitchen kind of mood

just a little thing like a new dishcloth has me kitchen happy!
i may not have a camera right now....but there are tons and tons of beautiful kitchens to enjoy out there.

pinterest is my favorite source of beautiful inspiration!!!
it can be a little obsessive....too much time pinning!!
if you haven't explored pinterest yet....you can't believe the beauty you are missing.
and the ability to put together your own personal "journal" of inspiration in every category under the sun.
i have magazine pages everywhere!!! and i've created several notebooks with pages i cannot part with.
i love, love going back to look through them!
that's what pinterest is....only online and much more organized!!! love it!!!

happy pinning!!

~karla

simple beauty

i picked up this fabric at a thrift store ages ago.
with just a scrap i had laying around, i finished the edges and put it to good use in my kitchen sink.
it is sooooo pretty!
i love these simple surprises!
and it helps that i have some pretty vintage dishes and cups!
styled just right for my not-so-great picture
still working on getting a camera
used my phone for this one.
have a good day!