Home improvement near...dare I say?

If you look back to my previous posts you'll see the photo of the disaster this room was LAST WEEK. I've been hard at it as I've had a deadline, which I usually find helpful . Paul's friend from high school and undergrad school is coming to stay with us this weekend following a conference he's been attending in Baltimore this week. He's a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. Great guy and I wanted to get our new guest room up and running for him. I always use company as a good excuse for really cleaning. It's not that I'm that vein or insecure, I truly need the motivation to really get it together.

So here are the fruits of my labor. It's like the Lincoln Bedroom, special guests are always welcome.

Okay, CHECK THIS OUT! I ran out of time and space to clean my supplies out of the small closet in the room so I had to pad lock it. So, OF COURSE, I had to have somewhere that Tom could hang his clothes. Tammy of Sweet Finds, new at THE PINK CABBAGE, had this shutter/mirror/hooks/box assemblage that fit the bill perfectly. It had been painted perfectly-chippy pink and green but I had to paint it a charcoal gray for it to pass muster with the guy with the wallet. Still too cute, eh?

Look at this area rug I found at Target for $25. I just covers all the bright pink paint I'd gotten all over the carpet when it was my work room.

And remember all those great pictures I posted of my new, fab studio? Well the bomb from the guest room blew up in the studio. The first room I finished now has to be re-done!!!!!! Door closed for a few days.

The Shift

ttp://theshiftmovie.com/index2.html

If you haven't clicked on the link on my blog to view the movie The Shift, you can click the above link to watch it. Contrary to what I was saying previously about how the battle here in the streets at home was taking up my front burner, I still get discouraged by the seeming apathy regarding the war in Iraq around here. I know there are small groups that gather and do the best they can and there are certainly large groups of folks in DC who are working very hard as well. But when I visit the West Coast there are bumper stickers, signs, t-shirts everywhere with people speaking their minds and getting the word spread. I've felt intimidated here about bumper stickers. I have my one little "If You Want Peace Work For Justice" bumper sticker. My very conservative husband "approves" of that one. He was mighty unhappy with the one I used to have that said, "What's Our Oil Doing Under Their Soil?". I always think the snottier the better. Sooooooo, recently I've been seeing more and more cars with great stickers, this one yesterday was one of the best. I just happened to be at a red light behind her and got the pic. The day before I'd seen an older woman with "A Village In Texas Has Lost Their Idiot", a classic which I like 'specially 'cause they could also be referring to me just in a differn't way. Anne Lamott mentioned one in her book, "It's About 1/16,000,000,000th About You". I want to get that one, I love it. All these sightings have caused me to think about THE SHIFT, I really seeing it happening and today I'm encouraged. Check it out.

Rot roe Rorge, fall's a comin'

Fall has always been my favorite time of year especially having grown up in Texas where summer was the longest season. We could finally get out our sweaters even if it was just for the walk to school not after. Texas A&M football season started, Halloween was coming and was a favorite holiday for me. We had the best carnivals at school for Halloween. So the other day while I'm out sweatin' like a pig cutting the lawn, I saw this leaf. I had just mowed in that very spot which meant I'd have ground it up had it been there a few moments before. I have no idea where it came from as none of the trees in the yard have red leaves, so it seemed like a whisper. I don't like the heat but the growing season here is so much shorter than Texas and California that it's a hard transition for me now. Everything is in full bloom and is just flourishing, then the sign; enjoy it now 'cause it's gonna change real soon...

Update on new shop...

Again, sorry for repetition but I finally got my space at THE PINK CABBAGE just as I had planned. What I hadn't planned was that I would need to restock twice with full car loads during the first week! Kawabunga dude!!!!

I finally got my signs up, it's official.

And my little map valances on the windows.

Lighting and fillage in the closet.

Look! Live, paying customers, and a steady stream of them~yippie!!!!!

Obsession with the head...

So sorry but I'm going to have a couple of update/repeats then I promise to give you more new stuff to see. Okay, you remember that Bettie Mellie moved upstairs when I created my new studio and she was replaced by another "head" in the "head"? Well, this new gal at The Pink Cabbage, Tammy, had these crowns for sale and, come on!!! Since there's a chance that I might call attention to myself, especially by police, if I wear this in public Anika gets to wear it as the new reigning queen of the "head". Not to worry, come November she's gonna have to loan that bad boy to me on my birthday!