DISCOVERED IN 1602...

and I was there!  No, you sillies, not in 1602 (I know I am "elderly" but I am NOT THAT OLD!  LOL  Santa Catalina Island has quite a history.  Located about 20 miles off the coast of Southern California, you have to take a boat to get there.  Well ,maybe there is an airstrip but I don't know for sure. Anyway, we (Mr. S. O.) and I flew to Long Beach and jumped on this wonderful boat for the trip over.  Takes about an hour...we were moving right along...

here is the boat...

and here is the dock with a map of the island...

This is typical of the scenery...can I say: "VERY HILLY!"

Here's how you get around on this island...

on foot or possibly a golf cart

You can rent bikes but.

There are hardly any cars

isn't this Hotel a beauty!  Really PINK!

and of course on a walk we found this sign

so I HAD to get a picture of

Mr. S.O.!

Cute, eh?

This was the view out of our window right in town.  I don't want to say the houses were close together sideways...but front to back as well!  Cozy,

and you better get along with your neighbors!

This huge sea gull was begging for food all the time!  Even followed me all

around the beach.  I couldn't help thinking of the movie, "The Birds" or whatever it was called.

Catalina is beautiful and a fun place to go!

Now if there was only a "Honeymoon" in the future!

HA, HA, HA!

I already have my next post "in my head" and hope to get to it quickly.

Have to allow you sweeties time to leave me a comment on my "Travelogue"

so do your part and I promise to post MUCH, MUCH sooner.

And I even used the new "Interface!"  Whew, it's hard to hold your breath 

all the way through.

Thank you to all my new followers, some of whom I have NOT been able to thank

properly, but I appreciate each and every follower and comment.

Please come back soon!

{{HUGS}}

"LITTLE LAMPS" AND A "MIRACLE!"

I thought I should explain the "Miracle" first!  Now you have to realize I am not a "techie" person but can get around on the computer pretty well.  However, I have a "brand new" laptop as my old computer has been dying a slow miserable death!  LOL.  So this is the first post on the "newbie" and I have to say, 

"Calling all men, women, children of all ages and all the ships at sea...you are seeing it here and if this post comes out any way right, it will be a "Miracle!

So bear with me, I made it a really easy one as the thing with the pictures is another area that I had just really figured out on the old one, and now this one is soooo different...

So here goes...wish me luck!

So here is a partial selection of the many "Little Lamps" I have and love...

Here are three I use for night lights in the kitchen...

no, not all at the same time!  LOL

Here are a couple that are above my cabinets that make for a nice soft light when I don't want those ugly florescents on...remind me to show those to you sometime...I covered them with white lace with a "Star" design and they don't look too bad at least till I can find something very "prim."

I should tell you about this one; first of all it used to be brass...nothing a can of black satin spray paint can't fix, right!  It used to belong to my MIL waaaaaay back when I first met my husband...in 1950.  (I I know, I know, some of you weren't even born then...sigh!)

And, don't miss the Rooster Cookie Jar...It used to be on her kitchen table  filled with stick pretzels all the time!

Here are a couple in the Great Room that help me "get" the "Prim" look...

this one is a favorite as the base is the color of my feature walls...

Got this one at Lowes and just put a different shade on it

The following two I got in Iowa "On Sale/Clearance" for $5.00 each.

This one is pretending it is a "bookend" and...

this one is on the top of an armoire...again, makes a nice "little light."

Well, friends, when I publish this I shall probably close my eyes and say a prayer that it comes out anywhere near readable and right.

Let me know what you think about my technical ability and my "Little Lamps!

Until next time when I will continue my "Mini Home Tour."

Blogging sure makes one "work on those projects" so they can be shown!  LOL

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention...these are the first pictures I have taken with a brand new camera!

To "The Lights of my Life" my blogging friends, thanks for visiting and please leave me a comment!  Love those!

Until next time...

A MINI HOUSE TOUR...Part 2

Hi again all you wonderful followers and commenters!  You know I appreciate all your comments and love to read them each day!  And I try to get around to you, too as often as I can!

So here we are again, and this is the view when you step into the entry and look straight ahead.

BUT, BEFORE WE START THIS TOUR....DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

WHEN I OPENED MY APP MAGAZINE AND TURNED TO PAGE 4

WHAT DID MY WONDERING EYES SEE BUT 

"My Primitive Place Bear" just as comfy as he could be 

sitting in his own high chair!

He was made by LANA TESTA and she does a fantastic job!

A BIG "THANK YOU" TO APP

Now to get back to our tour...You are standing just inside the front door and if you look right across from the table is this clock and lots of  Primitive samplers from many sources.

Now take "10 Baby Steps" forward and look to the right and you will see the dining area of my Great Room!

Not very big but we make it work

Now continue straight ahead and you will be in the cozy living area of the Great Room!

I did have to show you these two new chairs!  I would rarely recommend to a client to purchase chairs with a print, but these are "Bird Toile" which is so pretty, AND they swivel (to the TV, of course!  LOL)

So Mr. S. O. is so happy to be able to be right in front of it!  HA!

Now we have come almost to the end of the room so we look to the left, and...

you can see the proportions of the fireplace, beadboard, & boookcases and the hutch.  

The old red hutch was too small, even for a fairly small room.

So my dear friends, that is Part 2 of my mini house tour.

I will do part 3, soon but thought I would give you a 

SNEEK PEEK of what is to come!

That new green "Frog Tape" is really great! 

No, he isn't real...just pat his head and he purrs or meows...drives my REAL cat crazy!

Thank you all for becoming followers (who I haven't been able to thank any other way) and for taking time to 

visit me here.  PLEASE COME BACK...YOU ARE SO WELCOME!

Until next time...

A MINI HOUSE TOUR...PART 1

So far I have only ever shown you bits and pieces of my home or projects and thought you may want to get a better sense of what it is really like (mostly) LOL all put together.  I am usually in the middle of a project or two and can't take a picture until it's done....

So

here are a few pictures for you to start a mini tour of my home...ENJOY!.

  

Here is my front door, (red, of course) and my potting bench which is great for seasonal displays.

You can see the "bricks" I sponged on several years ago and this spring I will do a tutorial on how I did it and pics of the whole porch.  It is quite easy to do and only took me two days.

And, no I haven't gotten tired of it. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

.  

This is a "rug" I painted on the other side of the porch where a table and chairs sit.  Done partly with stencils and partly "freehand."  It was easy to paint, (but hard on the KNEES!)  LOL.

Now, since I put the "entry picture" in the wrong place (and am terrified to try to change it!) LOL I will just say come in my front door and make a quick LEFT into my Sewing Room.  Now I don't want to say this room is small but it was supposed to hold my washer and dryer...and that's all.

So you can see it is only 6 ft long by 4 ft. wide.  But it is big enough for me if I have a project that needs sewing done!

Just wanted to show you the "Chickens Rug" in this room.  See you can see the "funky" chickens fabric I did a tutorial on it a while back just to the left.  That red is also the door to the garage.

So, here's the "entry" picture, so back out of the sewing room, step into the entry, (say hello to the "cat") and turn around to the right and see this little display.  There is a mirror (to check me as I go out the door, LOL) and 

a little stitchery... 

I love this display...got the metal flag from My Colonial Home a long time ago

But I thought you needed to see this message closer...for when Mr. S.O. goes home each evening he needs a reminder!  HA!

So leave the entry, turn around and see the kitchen dining area. It's not very big

 but just right for Mr. S.O. and me (but mostly he cooks at his house!  How lucky can I be!)

But, IF I do cook, this is where I do it.  The upper cabinets are BM "Monroe Bisque" and the lower are Ralph Lauren "Hunting Coat Red."  They originally were "ugly" oak color in the beginning and I hated them.

I lined the (glass door) cabinets, including wrapping the shelves, with a great all-over pattern fabric in red and cream,

Here's a close up of the "Floor Cloth" I did a couple of years ago.  Since my "business

 involves "houses" I thought it appropriate to do this type of pattern.  Partly stencils and partly freehand, (with a ruler. LOL)  They are so fun to paint; I'd like to do one for each room, but that's not gonna happen!  Well, at least until I see a pattern that would be "just perfect!"  Again, LOL

So that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a Mini Tour of my house.  I hope you enjoy it enough to tell me

 and soon you will be able to see Mini Tour Part 2.

Thanks so much for visiting.

I hope to see your comments.

{{HUGS}}

EASY - PEASY VALENTINE FOR DINNER

HAPPY FEBRUARY 

TO MY WONDERFUL BLOGETTES!

I needed a very quick and easy craft to use as a fill in at a women's group meeting next Monday! 

I found this book in my stash and what do you know: on Page 78 there was a 

Sweetheart design that was just right and takes about 

1 minute to do!  Perfect!

So I thought I would share it with you.  

Your Kids and Grandkids will learn in less than a minute!

Lay your napkin (design DOWN) if it is not a solid color.

Flip up the bottom...

Now fold in the sides but you don't have to make the creases sharp; soft will do...

Now take the lower right corner and fold it diagonally so the corner meets that soft crease

So it looks like this, and then

take the lower left corner, fold it over so the right sides are even.

See, easy - peasy and so quick

And here we are...all ready for dinner!

Oh, does that mean I have to cook???

Lave me a comment but don't tell me you have been making these since Kindergarten! LOL

I have another post "in my head" and pics for it in my computer but this old Computer is heading off to "Computer Heaven" next week.  YEA

so wish me luck with my new Laptop!    BIGGER YEA!

Happy Valentines Day and until next time...

{{HUGS}}

Joy

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! (and Some New Projects!)

ATTENTION!  ALL MY DARLING BLOGETTES!

AN EMERGENCY HAS OCCURRED

IN

MY COMPUTER!

If you have been trying to leave me a comment, and you know I hope you have, and it didn't work, please try to use another browser like Google Chrome or Safari

(and maybe Firefox) because INTERNET EXPLORER doesn't seem to want to accept comments!

I am having this looked into so in the meantime don't forget me and e-mail me if you want to.

Sorry for this problem, but Lord knows, I am trying to get it resolved.

I am no computer whiz but I do have Mr. S. O. who you know is a programmer, and he is rather stuck, too.  So until I get it fixed, keep trying, OK?


** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **

This jelly cupboard was in my living room but it also, (like my old red hutch looked too small) I felt like the room was getting cluttered with too much SMALL furniture.

So, in that same Consignment Store (that I really need to stay out of) LOL I found this Cherry Armoire that was "just like new," actually looked like it had never been used.  I got it for less than $250 and saw almost an identical one in Macy's for over $1,500!  How about that!

So here it is with the door open and my quilt collection (no, I don't quilt, I buy.  LOL)

And here it is with the doors closed

It just depends on my mood as to how I display it.  

Originally planned to have beadboard  inserted in the doors and paint it all black, but I have a friend who threatened "my demise" if I did that.  So for now it stays Cherry.  =)

** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **

This is a picture of my old couch before it went to the Consignment Store.  A wonderful "too light in color" Ethan Alllen piece, 6 years old and too deep to be comfortable,that sold for a lofty $249 at consignment. =(.

And here is the brand new Macy's couch!  WOW! I haven't had RED upholstery since I was first married.

And the Dachshund we had at the time TORE the entire bottoms off those chairs.

(That was a bummer, I was pregnant and had just quit working, using my last pay-check to buy chairs!)

But we loved him anyway! =)

** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ ** ~ **

I hope you like seeing the little bits and pieces of the projects that have been happening at my house.  I still haven't shown you several more; there is still some painting to finish up and shelves to hang and I hope to do a couple of tutorials on some stuff.

In the meantime, please don't forget me and try to comment.  Mr. S. O. said today, we have to get my new computer SOON.  

Now I just have to decide between a P.C.and a MAC.

Any suggestions???

Hope to hear from you soon and you can believe I am out there reading BLOGS a ton!

Until next time...