Saturday :)

  Happy Saturday.  It's just after 1pm and I've not been super productive.  I've got tons I need to do before Diane shows up.  She's teaching a workshop that lasts until 4pm and I'm assuming she'll be taken to dinner, but just don't have a clue.  It's been so awesome planning for company because my hubby has finally held up his end of a long ago bargain which consisted of me mailing out playing card decks and cleaning all my art stuff out of every room in the house and he, in turn, would paint our dining room and entryway.  He's worked his little buns off and has done a beautiful job.  There's more to be done upstairs, but it'll have to just wait.  I'm going to post some thumbnails so you can get an idea.  We went with color.  I wanted to get rid of the dirty white walls and have our downstairs use a Tuscany color theme.  I made curtains for my family room a couple of years ago with the fabric that inspired this...it was filled with all the colors that will be incorporated in each room....here's a peek... This was the first room we painted...a golden color that really warmed up the room... (I didn't clean up before I took these pics, do please ignore the clutter.  I have had to take down shelves and pictures, etc in all the other rooms and they're basically scattered around this family room....

so, you can get a peek into the kitchen nook and kitchen which we painted in a brick red that turned out beautifully....my sweet mom made the curtains.  *hi Lily!*     If you've looked at my studio album photos to the right, which is the front of the house...this is the back of the house... You can see in the 2nd kitchen photo where my computer is and the hallway that leads to the entryway with the dining room on the left and my studio on the right.  Kem painted the entry which leads upstairs and will eventually be painted on the walls of the landing, a khaki green...very muted and not something that you walk in and think.."DANG THAT'S BRIGHT!" :)  The last photo is the dining room.  I've hung no pictures, haven't made the curtains, etc...but you can see it's a blue/purple eggplant color that makes the room work well with the color of the furniture and oak moldings.  Mom, what do you think??  We will eventually rip up all the carpet here and continue the entry hardwoods into the room with a nice area rug under the table.  Will remove the light fixture *blah!* and put a more rustic but nice Italian looking fixture  :)  When we have money, which who knows when that'll happen.  I'll be spending the day decorating...hanging artwork and shelves, getting it ready for tonight.  I need to do the same with the guestroom, as we had pulled all the furniture into the center of that room for painting and never got to it.  fun fun.

The first photos above are two pieces of jewelry I made and wear and feel happy every time I do.
The bracelet was made first.  It's sterling with a mixture of fresh water pearls, peridot, beautiful faceted blue quartz teardrops, rose quartz and some little light blue glass leaves...it's filled yet looks so delicate.  I made the necklace starting with a piece of an old faux pearl chain and I filled the little loops between the pearls with gems, vintage brass filigree beads, pink quartz teardrops, and some round faceted crystal beads.  I joined this to some of the most gorgeous trim I bought downtown Portland.  It's handmade, silk and I was told it travels through three different countries in process....silk from China, hand dyed somewhere else that I don't remember and finished in France.  I only bought one yard as it was way spendy but will be able to get two necklaces from it.  At the end of one ribbon, I added more of the vintage pearl chain with a crystal dangling at the end and a lobster clasp on the end of the other ribbon so that the necklace can have optional lengths.
I'm proud and actually, this has been the artwork I've been doing just for me, although, I've been gift giving them too. :)  oxox

Comments

[Heather]

Tracy, your jewelry is so yummy!!!

[tracy]

Okay, I do see that you can't see my clutter! The truth is, #1, before I took each picture, I'd grab the crap and either throw it behind the couch or anywhere out of the line of camera vision...also, once I finished with the photos, I loaded them to my computer and cropped out much of the mess....ooooh, the joys of photoshop! oxoxoxo

[PJ]

Thanks for your sharing your house-very pretty decor!...you said excuse the clutter?..er, what clutter? Very neat and cozy!!

[Deb Trotter]

Yowie, Tracy. Nice colors! Your house is gonna be so cool when you are done. Hope you and diane have a swell time...I am soooooooo jealous! I do so admire her work...the 2 of you together outta effuse fantastic chemistry and creative energy! Deb