alabamakate

french press koozie..

2012-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

homemade french press koozie!!

this i made from an old sweater, a piece of felt, ribbon and buttons.

this bad boy will keep your coffee warm while you get dressed in the morning!

cute hu??

i want to make my sister one but she won't send a pic of her french press!

scrabble for the bedside..

2012-02-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

well this is one of the best ideas i have ever had!

i have been looking and looking for the perfect bedside table.

after waiting forever i came up with this idea.

a scrabble board bedside table.

bc i like being super thrifty this whole project cost around $14!

that is a great price to pay for one of a kind!!:)

the scrabble board and perfect piece of scrap wood came from creative reuse!

creative reuse inspires me every time i go in.

it is def my top crafty needs shop!

the bottom half of the bedside table as you can probably tell is an old vintage

fruit box. i have been collecting these every time i see them.

this particular one came from our thanksgiving trip to mentone, al!

this project was so fun and easy. the scrap wood wasn't painted when i bought

it so i painted it a bright blue and the nailed the two wooden pieces together.

i also added wood glue to reinforce the nails then wood glued the board on.

i think i may add one shelf to give me just a little more room for magazines & books.

over all this is one of my favorite things i have done ever!

what do you think??

pictures in the window..

2012-02-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

this is my answer to no more holes in our bedroom walls.

when we moved into our new place we painted one room and that was our bedroom.

it is this beautiful color green and it kills me every time i nail holes in our walls.

sooo this is my answer i saw this some where online, i can't remember where.

projects in the works..

2012-02-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

Forgive the ugly paper in these pictures and also

forgive the paper towels. as the title says this is a work in progress. I bought this tiny gold lamp for my bed side table. it has now been spray painted periwinkle. so that it kinda matches my bedside table. I paid $2 for this lamp and today i bought a lamp shade for it. the lamp shade i will decoupage alabama things on. maybe a map maybe some magazines the sky is the limit!:)

a garden i desire..

2012-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the thing our back yard is concrete & i am counting down until spring when i can fight w/it. However i want a garden just like the one to the left there. i love it. if you notice there isn't any flowers in it. maybe bc it's winter or maybe bc it's bc it doesn't need it. all it needs are beautiful succulents and greenery. this is the garden i desire. i love that it is rustic and filled with things other than flowers. i am sure that most people wouldn't love this in their yard or flower bed. but me so there ya go, i am the kinda gal that loves rustic and green. so concrete enjoy your winter I'm coming for ya in the spring!:)

spray paint sunday..

2012-01-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

it has been slightly warmer here however it was a little too cold

to spray paint outside and it actually dry at a normal rate.

so i spray painted in our basement.

it stunk for a while but these projects were well worth it.

this was something i had wanted to do for a while and finally

had a few hours to knock them out.

here is my very first iphone case.

it was a dark grey.

i really wanted to use a teal spray paint so for it to show up i sprayed

the case cream colored before covering it with a small piece of lace.

then sprayed it with the teal blue.

the hardest part was making sure i didn't spray too much at once.

BOOM newly crafted case.

i love the way it came out.

the other big project i took on this sunday was a coffee table

that came with our house. it was from ikea and it had a few koolaid stains on it.

so before i could even start on this it had to change colors.

our house has mostly brown and tan furniture so i sprayed this baby cream.

after letting that dry for an hour i covered the top with lace

and sprayed it with a salmon color. this process took about 3 coats.

i let it dry for an hour before peeling off the lace to reveal the pattern.

this is a close up of the table after it was totally done.

this was a fun project it takes serious patience and lots of space.

i like the way it turned out.

i might do another color on top of this one.

i haven't quite decided yet.

what have you spray painted lately?

katie

if these don't make you laugh...

2012-01-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

and make your day better...

i don't think we can be friends.

this was the highlight to my crazy stressful week.

the funniest thing is she hasn't napped correctly all week until today.

thank you Jesus for that nap. she is being so fun.

she took this one. haha just by hitting the computer.

happy accident.

i love this and hope you do too.

this has truly been the best day yet this week.

my second favorite part of today is that the sunlight is so bright

it is filling the whole house which means no need for fake light.

its the littlest things today,

xo.

2011 gone but not forgotten...

2012-01-01T12:52:00.001-08:00

2011 in review..

spring of 2011

began in the south with shea's family and our brand new nephew, cole.:)

next i helped welcome baby clare into the world by caring for her brother.

she has forever changed my views on babies...thanks clare.

the twins turned a year old and began turning into little boys.

summer of 2011

began on a sad note for my family but a happy note for my grandpaw & Jesus.

my sweet grandmother went to live with Jesus and see Grandpaw again.

i still miss her but i am glad she is no longer lonely or in any pain on earth.

henry turned 3 & i turned him into a mini astronaut.

i turned 26 this summer and i don't feel any older.

my antiquing and thrifting def was at its best during this summer.

fall of 2011

the biggest change for our family came during this time.

we moved into a real home. one with space and a yard and a roomie.

whom we have come to love as one of our family.

we found a new church family to worship with & i couldn't imagine life w/o it.

the fall also brought lots of visitors which was great![i love company]

my mom came & met all my kiddos & fell in love just like me.

i finally was able to visit my sister in nashville.

also our family thanksgiving was a great one this year.

*note to self for next thanksgiving don't go anywhere in a car once you get to your fam.

winter of 2011

this winter has been a warm one but full of adventures.

shea began a new job.

we had our first christmas in the new house which felt a lot like christmas

in my house growing up. i loved that.

i displayed my grandmother's vintage glass christmas tree.

it got so many compliments which allowed me to talk about her, love.

i learned a lot this year. this year had lots of ups & downs.

the Lord is def doing big things in me and i cannot wait to see

what's next...here we go 2012.

my around the house favs..

2011-12-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

this is my most favorite piece in our bedroom.

i paid $5 for it while traveling with my momma this summer.

i love it!:)

these babies are in what i call the "brown bathroom".

the horses were painted by shea's aunt and grandmother forever ago.

i love them, they are a paint by numbers on velvet.

amazing and perfect for the "brown bathroom".

this is my favorite idea.

when we moved into our new place there was only one towel holder

in the "brown bathroom". our great friend had five beautiful antique ladders

that needed a new home. so i placed one as a towel holder in

the "brown bathroom". the others are in my craft room with my

fabric hung on them.[it helps display them, eeppp love]

this table cloth is from my mothers stash.

i love it.

it may stay on my table for stinking ever!!

readers i'd like to introduce you to my beautiful mother.

well my mother way back in the day.

isn't she amazingly gorgeous??

i found this picture and the frame, it now hangs in our family wall

where it belongs!:)

i hope you enjoyed seeing my favorite things.

i will one day get around to doing a grand tour of our new place.

i just haven't gotten everything just right.

a christmas find..

2011-12-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

this week i had a half day of work.

so i went out antiquing w/shea which was such a fun adventure.

this is my best find.

this baby was a little more expensive than my normal finds, i felt it was worth it.

it can hold lots of ornaments.

i already owned these small ornaments and i love the way

they look on this cute tree.

i am such a sucker for christmas decor.

our christmas card for 2011...

2011-12-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

from our family to yours.

ornament love..

2011-12-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

i mentioned in my other post how much i love vintage christmas.

well the ornament below is without a doubt my favorite find ornament wise.

she is so pretty and looks amazing on our tree.

she reminds me of the angels that were on my grandmaw & grandpaws piano.

i love this ornament she is my current favorite.

in close second is this ornament i found with my sister in franklin, tn

i love it bc it's so witty and cute the back of it has the toomers trees on it.

and in third place of my favorite ornament is the clay hedgehog.

i got him from handmade arcade and he is just adorable.

i love christmas a lot, mostly the decorations, lights,

getting dressed up, the music & the fellowship it brings.

saving amazing chairs..

2011-12-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

So at the end of the summer I bought three metal chairs
for our backyard. they weren't the best colors but
they are just my style.
for all three chairs i paid $25 then found out for the price
of one new one at lowes it was $25.
being crafty sure does cut down on costs.:)

this picture is of all three chairs.
the non matching chair had the most rust and i am still working on
getting into better looking condition.
however the other two got a wipe down some sanding and
a new vibrant coat of spray paint.
i love mixing crazy colors for backyard decor so that is what is happening.

this is chair number one which is a bright teal!:)
this color makes our whole backyard a brighter spot to hang.
this color covered the hunter green really easily and with paint left over.
[please forgive the ugly yellow paper in the teal chair picture]

i really wanted a yellow chair so i bit the bullet of many coats with this chair.
it was worth it. i love these colors together.
the third chair will be a bright green and creme color.

i hope this post encourages you to try and find something old
and reuse it rather than just going out and buying something new bc its easy.
xo

our christmas decor..

2011-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

well christmas in my house growing up was always TONs

of decorations and i won't lie in my home now it is just as bad.

i try to stick to homemade or vintage items but a few newbies get thru

the cracks every now and again.

so here we go a sneak peek into our festive home.

first is one of my most prize possessions.

this christmas tree was my grandmaw's.

she passed away this year and i inherited it.

i love this tree.

this is how i chose to display our christmas cards this year.

here is a fact about me...i LOVE christmas cards.

our first one was from our dear friends the "betterman's" back in AL.

i have a feeling every year in this house our cards will be in a different place.

this is our 6.5 foot frasier fir christmas tree.

i love everything about them their smell and their look, amazing!

i am also parcial to an angel being on the top, not a bow or a star.

i am sure one day we will have two trees one fakey one real.

that day has not arrived yet so our lovely ornaments will rock this baby.

this to me was the perfect place for our stockings.

back in alabama our stockings are on a mantel but this is the best i've got.

also the first three stockings were made by my amazingly crafty momma.

my stocking was from when i was a baby.

mom made shea a stocking during our first christmas

and kristin got a mommy made stocking this year to match ours.:)

this tree is towel rolls cut to size made by my Gran.

i love this so much.

it was made with love, my Gran is an amazing lady.

this tree was made by our roomie kristin.

it is made from a wine bottle, old book pages, a knitting needle and an angel.

it turned out beautiful and makes a great centerpiece on our table.

i hope you enjoyed this peek.

what are your favorite decorations for christmas?

thanks freakin giving..

2011-11-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

first i must tell you i am sooo obsessed with my family.

i love them so very much. they are the perfect people to spend

thanksgiving with and love on.

the pictures below are from my 10 days of thanksgiving vacay.

here is where we stayed in men tone, alabama..the most beautiful cabin.

[actually three cabins full of my big ole family.]

this year we were so fortunate to be in walking distance of all three cabins.

the weather was warm during the day and chilly at night.

we went canoeing, cooked, adventured, antiqued and ate a ton!

i could not ask for more.

this is a picture from my wonderful visit with my sister.

this is the night we went out for sangria with her roomies.

i liked the food and the drink however the service wasn't wonderful.

also for some reason during my vacay when we ate out

the waiters threw my food at me. i am not sure why

but it made me crazy. who throws food??

this is from the day before thanksgiving. we went to chattanooga to

pick up my sis. this is point state park.[i think]

it was super confusing going around and around the mountains.

the view was amazing as was the sky..

i am thankful for a husband that loves my family.

i am thankful for a fun and amazing extended family to take

such good care of us and spend such great quality time with us.

i am thankful for a sister who would work extra so we could hang out.

i am thankful for the truth.

i really cannot put into words the love i have for my family.

in my eyes they are perfect and i hope to make a family

that strong one day.

Halloweenie

2011-11-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

well folks here they are three halloween costumes that
i either bought or made. due to these three monster kiddos
and planning a halloween party i did not come up with a
creative costume for shea and i.
which bugs me some but i am over it.;)

anywho the pictures below are of my monster creations
and a fabulous astronaut. who wore an adult hockey helmet bc that's what
his parents found for him.
here is seber monster showing you his best monster RAWR!

here is xander monster showing the playful deer
in a headlights face.:)

monster creeping in for yummy treats.
this guy learned how to say trick or treat just in time
which was the CUTEST!

as you know from my older post i gave henry that cool suit back in may.
the monsters i thought would be perfect for two fickle afternoon
18month olds. you never know what to expect so hoodies
were the best and cutest option for this halloween.
i love my boys!!
xo

worlds largest??

2011-10-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

well at the end of september my momma came to visit.
i flew home for one day then the next morning drove with my
mom back to pittsburgh. we did this to clean out some stuff from
her house and turn it into $$$. which means watch
out there is a huge yard sale on its way to the burgh!:)

so on our way to pittsburgh we stopped at maybe 4 or 5 places.
the above picture was one of them.
see what the sign says..i hate to say this but for this gal that sign is a lie.
flea market means old old stuff..well not at this place located in ky.
it was full of fake gucchi purses and puppy mill puppies
and just super redneck new yucky things. i was grossed out.
i did buy two pins one for shea it is a banjo the other is the
state of alabama and it's GREEN. anyways don't go to the
"the most awesome flea market in the world" if you are looking for vintage
or antique bc you will not find much of it there.

this is a pic of baby a and i at reuse pittsburgh.
it is probably one of my top favorite places in the burgh.
i love crafts and i love deals and this place has both.
i have been inspired and surprised everytime i stop by there.

so now that you have some info on two new places.
one of which you can find yucky junk
the second you can find amazing creative junk..my favorite!:)

i love this..it's so true

2011-10-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

pin cushion

2011-10-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

so for months i have been looking for the perfect planter piece.
i really like donkeys alot.
so i made this little donkey pulling a wagon into a sewing pin cushion.

the price was so right on this little guy at $2 i was SOLD!

then i already had this vintage piece of fabric and some stuffing.
the vintage fabric i found in a stack and bought the stack for $1.
big spender, right?
then the stuffing and some hot glue..and...there he is!
cute as he can be. i am so glad to have this project done.
:)

my list..

2011-09-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

this is the beginning of my christmas list. hehe
might as well get a head start, right?
the theme for this year is old school..the above polaroid camera is from amazon.
i have been eyeing them for a while and i think i want this one.
they are in my price range too.
i may not wait until christmas to get this tho..ha!

these are from etsy
however i think i am going to ask my gran for these for christmas.
she is on a tight budget and what i really want is...
local florence, alabama businesses match books.
they can go in my alabama bathroom!:)

this is also from etsy but i don't need this exact one.
i'd like a few pieces of folk art. i love the ones done on wood..however
im not that picky. the first folk art piece i'd like is of a church.

i also wouldn't mind a few vintage art pieces.
not the creepy ones of people tho, i just can't get into those.;)
maybe the Lord's prayer vintage and framed!:)

i am hunting currently for metal vintage baskets or bins.
if i can't find those maybe some one in nashville could find me one or six?
;)

a few to add to my crafting to-do list..

2011-09-20T08:53:00.001-07:00

currently i am growing out my hair which is really hard as you ladies know.
i have had short hair for two years now and i think it is time.
well i have so many things i'd like to do with my hair.
like
1. braid it myself
2. braid it into a fish tail braid then do this.
3. possibily bleach pieces of it then dye it turquoise like this.
4. i can't wait to have a real solid ponytail again.
5. i cant wait to have my natural wave back!!:)

while searching some of my favorite blogs i came across this.
in our ladies cave aka the basement craft room we have a beat up coffee table.
i am so doing the above craft to make it amazing instead of yick.:)
i love finding new and amazing things to do!

i am planning on trying to put yarn in my hair sooner rather than later.

ps sister you should do it too.;)

last week crafting..

2011-09-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

last week we made elmo masks.
yes they are just silly paper ones but so much fun came out of them!
all the kiddos under 3 i know love love love elmo!

here henry is showing off his mask which he wore all day!;)here seber is elmo.
i think i made adult sized masks for baby sized heads, oops!

since the boys got to be elmo...i decided clare should be a flower girl.
isn't her homemade head piece precious??
it matched her outfit so well!:)
she didn't mind wearing it at all.

just some silly kiddos crafts from last week!:)
i hope you enjoyed them.
xo

see ya summer!

2011-09-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

at the beginning of the summer these sweet boys played
with their new water table for the first time.
it wasn't that long ago but they have grown so much over the past 5 months.
here are some see ya summer pictures from the
start of our first summer together.

here is baby a with his amazing hair.
he wasn't able to stand/walk just yet, but he started two months later.:)

this is baby s thrilled about the water!
he was such a crazy baby when it comes to water and he still is now!

here we are our first summer together and our first hot day.

this was such a fun day.
today is a rainy pittsburgh day. this may be a theme for the rest of the week.
we are excited about fall and welcoming it!
we can eat pumpkin flavored stuff, go to on hayrides and play in leaves.
this fall will be an exciting one as the boys continue to learn more
and grow. however id like them to stay 1 and 1/2 forever.
:)

once upon a wednesday..

2011-09-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

today was make teddy bear bread day.

when i was little my momma use to make these with me and my sister.

this bread is adorable and i remember it from my childhood.

so i have passed it on to my favorite kiddos.

here is our bread making day.

the hen man did great with adding the dry ingredients!

this brought me such joy.

he just loves to be a helper and i try to be patient and today was perfect.

putting the bears together after we let it rise for an hour.

adding ears, nose, feet and hands.

then we let these rise for 45 minutes.

the waiting process about killed henry he wanted to eat these bears so bad.

the bears before the rose.:)

the largest bear is the one henry built.

i thought it was hilarious that his was so large!

putting the cranberries(bc we didn't have raisins) in the bears.

the eyes and buttons. i was nervous about their sizes but they turned out alright.

these are looking just like they are suppose to!

this really took me back to being a kiddo.

i loved it, probably more than the kids.

oh man these were a BIG hit! this big huge bear was almost gone by the end of the day.

he was in love with eating this!

the bears(well there were 7 total). the littlest one we call clare bear.;)

little seb liked his alot too! he was thrilled about the cranberries!

this was without a doubt my favorite thing i have done in months!

so glad i could bring my kiddos a little taste of what being

a kid in my mom's house was like!

i brought one home for shea. he was impressed!

a saturday thrift...

2011-09-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

so today my roomie kristin and i ventured out to two flea markets.

one of our favorite ones is in verona, pa.

i found these treasures there!

this picture is a pring of yard that is 5x7 and will be hung in our craft room.

:) i love the colors in this piece.

this is one of the two rugs i bought.

this one is a runner that is in our upstairs hallway.

i fell in love with it and the price was right!:)

the other rug is round and blue and white. its at our front door.<3

this is my new hat box which i made my button collection holder.

it is turquoise with paisleys all over it. it's beautiful!

this is a bench i love.

there is a bench theme going on inside me right now.

i think im over chairs and only want benches.

this one was wayyy too much $$$!

but it's super duper old and i love it.

there was also a wooden white bench i love.

it was covered in junk so i didn't take a picture, but it looked nothing like this one.

i love benches.

this was such a fun trip. i spent 2 hours in the flea market.

no lie i couldve spent all day there.

it is hands down the best place in pittsburgh that i know of.

diy clean dirty signs..

2011-08-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

with our new house comes a "new to us" dishwasher.
so we needed a sign to let all in the house know what's
going on with the dishwasher.
here is my answer..a tiny clothespin w/a magnet
and a piece of card stock w/stickers.

i also will put clear contact paper over both sides to
make a cheap laminate to keep the stickers on.

i will prob add more stickers to the dirty side. i like the colors.

i thought it turned out pretty well considering the hardest part
was hunting my craft supplies out of boxes.:)
i love these new house crafts!!

last week...

2011-08-28T20:16:00.001-07:00

our first house guest to sleep at our new house.
sweet baby samuel was so tired.
love sweet sleepy babies.

this is one of a few pictures i took last week that i really like.
this one is just great colors!

these sweet angels were watching school buses go by.
this was on our long walk which they can now do without a stroller.
these boys are growing up too fast.
everyday i ask them to stay this size forever...one and a half is the best age.

this picture cracked me up.
look at his teeth, his eyebrows and his hat.
to me this picture says yehaw yall wanna go fishin'??
i love it! he is such a ham!

this was my week in picutures.
i love my life so much.:)

the alabama bathroom..

2011-08-28T19:56:00.001-07:00

with a new home comes new decorating ideas.
this is the beginning of the alabama bathroom.
just to clarify...this is the state of alabama not the football team.
[no crimson and grey in this house;)]

the picture below is my alabama angel which helped this come to life
in my head. she was in my craft room but i would like everyone
to see her.:)

my next favorite part of the alabama bathroom is the vintage map
i got off etsy. i love it and it fits this bathroom perfectly.

there are also two pictures on either side of the angel
one of a building at my college una.
the other is popes tavern a site to see in our little town.
this bathroom is a work in progress but i love it!
i already have a great friend who has found some art for it!
i cannot wait to post about that piece.
it's a vintage alabama picture her dad took!(amazing!!)
the other piece in this bathroom is a kids book called
A is for Alabama...it goes thru the ABCs of the state of Alabama things.
i love it. it was a gift from my sweet momma!
i am from alabama and i love my state now those that visit can
see my love for it. hurray!:)

this bench was a great find this weekend.
it is 25 years old and was handmade by the husband of the lady we
purchased it from. my husband found it and it wasn't what i had
in mind of the bench i am looking for but i said sure.
we love this bench. it was the only thing worth talking about
from our thrifty weekend.
i am still on the hunt for a long long bench for our new big kitchen
table, but this one will be a nice seat for now.:)

new house posts coming soon!
xo

yarn bombing in pittsburgh

2011-08-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

ok so i told you guys i would be on the look out for this

and here it is!! a yarn bombing in pittsburgh.

as you can see this is a beautiful statue of pittsburghs own mr. rogers.

has been yarn bombed with a beautiful red crocheted sweater!

what a wonderful idea! this statue was put in 2009 our first year in the burgh.

we also went to the last time mr. rogers neighborhood was setup at WQED.

so here's how i found it. we were showing shea's brother around pittsburgh

and went by the steelers stadium on the north shore.

then i said and there's mr. rogers statue.

i then screamed "STOP! OMG I have to take a picture he has been bombed!"

this kids mom fussed at him for getting in my picture and i said that's

what he's here for.:)

this real great lady was asked to make a sweater for him!

i am stoked i got to see this and take pictures to share!

i think mr. rogers would have loved his giant red sweater!

For Rent

2011-07-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

so we[shea, cooper(our dog),my friend kristin & i] will
in about a month be moving into an amazingly huge duplex.
we have been so blessed to be able to make this move.
cooper will finally have space of his own, the backyard included!
our half is on the left side of the picture.
our future home!:)

built in 1959 & believe me the bathrooms scream 50s!
so i watched this great show called "for rent" on hgtv yesterday.
i love it. the chick on the show takes you apt/duplex/house hunting
but for rentals. what a genius show idea.
during the show yesterday she showed the girls three places
then when they chose a place and signed a lease she redoes a room
in the new place.
i want to be on this show but not the apt hunting part just the redo a room
for me please.:) anyway one of the things they recommend
is if you want stuff remodeled or changed. to first check with the
landlord and if he/she ok's it then do all you want in the first two weeks.
otherwise you probably will never get to it.
i have been working on projects and just gathering things that we
will need or use in the new place. it is soooo much fun.
i will be blogging about our new headboard i will be making.
we will be painting our bedroom so i will blog about our
house progress with before and after pictures.
stay tuned...
:)

one of my favorite dudes..

2011-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

so since i am without the hen man for about 3 weeks
this post is just to make you smile and to help
me deal. he is a crazy handful but he is a great kiddo.
i miss him.

this was on a trip to the zoo.
he picked that statues nose all on his own.
what a kookie kid. he was made to hang with me.
:)

button earrings..

2011-07-13T19:54:00.001-07:00

well folks when i was home in alabama two weeks ago
my sweet little cousin [face] asked for button earrings.
she was really asking for them for her bday, which is in november.
haha. she gave me plenty of time to go crazy and oh did i!

the beauties below will be hers.

these are mine.

as you can tell i went a little out of control on the amount i made.
who cares tho they are earrings you can never have too many, right?
my favorite ones are the blue plaid ones!
face's collection is more youthful while mine are funky and fun.
i hope you like them.
they were super fun to make.
my vintage button collection looks amazing on my ears!
:)

happy berthday amurica!

2011-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

to celebrate the fourth of july ie amuricas berthday!

my friend kristin and i made head bands.

the fourth of july is my favorite holiday!:)

so make some awesome crafts today.

you can't see it which is good but my headband is the strechy kind.

while kristin's is a hard yellow headband she covered with fabric.

soooo cute!

we made them with vintage fabric i had which makes them even more fun!

kristin & i with our festive headbands!

happy berthday amurica!!:)

birthday celebration..

2011-06-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

so i turned 26 this year!

i love parties and party planning so throwing parties for bdays is my fav!

here are some shots from my party.

enjoy!

this is me & the twins momma stacey.

she's the best!:)

me & the henster...he's crazy!

alexander & i. sweetest baby.

i hung balloons in the trees.

the kiddos wanted them so at the end i cut them down and gave them away.

it was a super hot day so i put up umbrellas in the not shaded tables.

this is robby and the pick your own nose cup.

his was a zebra. haha best cups ever!

my birthday cake/fruit tart. best one ever!!:)

thanks food glorious food!

the birthday spread was an avocado bar.

which had all kinds of stuff to make guacamole with.

we also had chicken, salsa, fruit and i made a mango salsa!

it was truly a wonderful birthday!!

oh me oh my yarn bombing

2011-06-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

my newest obsession, yarn bombing!!
national yarn bombing day was June 11th!:)
i have been keeping an eye out for yarn bombing in pitt
but haven't seen any yet.
we have beautiful murals but not wonderfully colorful yarn bombings.
here are some of my favorite bombings i found online..how awesome would it be to see this cool hat in the dark
deary colors in winter. it would change my wintery cold attitude.

i love this web like crocheting!
i think without a doubt this is my favorite because it is so
amazingly gorgeous. just imagine wedding photos with a tree like this.
amazing!

how precious are these yarn flowers on a construction fence.
this would be a perfect pittsburgh yarn bombing bc we
have so so so so much construction.
i will admit now in my post that i cannot crochet or knit, yet.
one day i will find the patience inside myself
and learn this wonderful craft.

sooooo many wonderful colors.
such an amazing form of graffiti which takes the greys and blacks
of a city and brings bright bold colors in.
i love this so very much. someone in pittsburgh do this in highland
park bc it would look amazing!:)

if you wanna see more cool yarn bombings check out...this site

photo credits
one. two. three. four.

my burday wish list..

2011-06-14T07:46:00.001-07:00

these are on the top of my bday wish list.
these are in no order as far as most or least favorite.

1. is old old old like 1900s Jane Austen books. I prefer a hardback
these are hard to find but could be discovered at an estate sale.:)
2. new make up hopefully from somewhere like sephora. i will be
26 and i think it is about time i have makeup from somewhere other
than walmart. ha!
3. a large vintage fiestaware pitcher
4. a vintage or vintage looking lock it. nothing too big but something
ornate is what i am hoping for.
5. a formica table hopefully green or turquoise with it's leaf and four
or more chairs. my mom had one of these growing up hers was yellow.
i love them. what a beautiful table.
6. these are just two bowls that i love. i would like a large size bowl
either handmade or vintage. something decorative for parties.

i would like a new camera but an affordable awesome one.
i am in need of a pedicure in the worst way. hopefully i can get one for my bday.
:)

sources
five.

vintage clothing...

2011-06-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

two weeks ago i started collecting vintage clothes.
i love the styles of the 60s and 70s.
so my collecting has a purpose...i am going to stock my etsy shop with vintage clothes.
this is just a preview, i have about 15 pieces now.
i am saving the best piece for last in this post.
i know all these pieces will look better on a person
so i found someone to be a model for them which i'm stoked about.

this first piece is a dress that fits really well and is comfortable
and fashion for today.

this is a close up of the design of the dress.

this jacket kind of fits me but is a tad snug.
i love the plaid and the style is so fun!

this shirt is fun.
it is a cool pattern with an awesome tie around it.

this is my most favorite find.
i found it last week at an estate sale.
this ladies style was crazy, i always love finding people
that hang on to vintage pieces like this one.
my sister says it's very mary tyler moore.
ha.
i think i love this dress the most bc its green.
i stinking love GREEN!;)
here is the thing about these clothes as you can see they are wrinkley.
also there are some minor tears that i will fix.
then wash and get these wrinkles gone before i start the real photography
for selling. i really love hunting for these clothes.
i am kind of picky too.:)
i hope you enjoyed this post!
:)

thrifty finds...

2011-06-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

on saturday shea & i got up early & headed to estate/yard sales.

so the first estate sale had tons of fabric almost too much.

it was very overwhelming. i just couldn't dig any more

so i just got a few bc i have to be real w/the amount of space we have.:)

so we just got a new couch that is also a twin bed.(no not a futon)

these fun vintage sheets were 3 bucks.

so we now have a vintage set of sheets for our guest couch.

hint hint..lauren we are ready for you to visit!;)

how amazing are these super vintage patterns.

i think i got 13 of these bad boys.

the plan is to sell them on etsy prob 3 at a time.

i'm keeping the little kiddo pattern tho.

also check out the cool vogue patterns...love them!!

shea cole is super surprising during these sales.

i never know what he will come out with & these were his picks.

these funky fun buttons. we might be making some into magnets.

he usually goes for the books so when we laughed about all these buttons

i was sold.:) such a cute lil husband.

so one of my favorite movies is pride & prejudice.

i have been hunting for old jane austen books bc i love the language & the love.

the copy of mansfield park below is from 1965.

i'd like hardback but for now i'll take what i can get.

i don't read much but i plan on reading this one starting this summer.

hello beautiful! this is my favorite find! two rot iron chairs!

i love the lime green & the floral patterns are incredible.

these are now our most comfy lawn furniture!

these are low to the ground & amazing!

it makes me think of old 70s movies.

this one is my fav of the two!

the lady from this sale was really friendly & gave us a great deal.

both chairs for $45.

they are in good condition the rot iron has hardly any scratches on it.

endless possibilities for these wonderful chairs.

they could be repainted & recovered & reawesomed.

i love love love finding vintage treasures.

the hunt is half the fun & i get soooooo excited about saturday

mornings that we go a hunting.

diy silhouettes

2011-06-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

these silhouettes were made for the twins first birthday.
i figured since they are just one and don't know the difference
this was the perfect gift for their parents.
sebastain is on the left and alexander is on the right!

things i learned from this diy project.
do not do this on the floor if you have a dog that sheds.
sebastain's was 10x cuter but it had dog hair all in it so i had to remake it.
these frames were purchased at a thrift store, i recommend buying from there.
girls/babies with more hair make for a more interesting silhouette.
alexander's is super cute bc the top of his hair was sticking up.
the twins momma was so excited about these.
it took me about two hours to make them.
i wrote the boys a note on the back of the frame.

i hope when i have kids they too will have cute silhouette pictures.
:)

welcome...

2011-06-01T21:00:00.001-07:00

welcome..june!
iloveyou.
not only bc your my birth month but...
bc you are so warm & sunny.
bc you are filled with yard sales & flea markets.
bc csa's start.
bc all the tastiest most beautiful fruit begins being cheap.
bc you allow for shorts/skirts/dresses & flops everyday.
bc you contain father's day & i love father's day crafts.
bc bbq's/hang outs randomly happen at our apts almost everyday.
bc the pools come out, including mine! eeeepp!!
bc i get to go home to see my best folks & my fam.
bc my toenails can be so bright & match 90% of my outfits.
bc you bring perfect night time running weather.

what are your favorite things in june?

photo credit

a colorful crafty sunday.

2011-05-29T16:21:00.001-07:00

i love having a center piece on our kitchen table.
so i was inspired by some pictures this weekend
and i made the above center piece for fun.:)
all the colors look great in our living room/dining room.

i have a huge button collection.
those that know me know i love love love buttons.
some very beautiful buttons are shown above.
i wanted to make them into hair clips for some summery
fun hair dos.

these are so fun and colorful.
i made them a couple of months ago but i really wanted to share their
bright color with this post.
i think colorful light switch plates are so stinkin fun!

i hope you enjoyed this!
happy memorial day weekend!
xo

the help

2011-05-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

have you heard of the movie coming out this summer called the help?
no. you should and here's why.

my very very great friend avent clark spent a large chunk of time
helping make this movie.
she helped emma stone in the movie learn how to talk w/ a southern accent.
avent has the most amazing southern accent. i love it!!
i think that alone makes avent the key to this movie.
haha. in my eyes anyway.
i think this movie will be awesome and i can't wait to see it.
avent was also in some of the scenes we won't know until
the movie comes out if those scenes made it in.
i fell like everyone should know avent and how amazing she is.
this would be a great opportunity for them to see her beautiful face!!

i love this movie already.
one. it's oozing with southern accents.
two. the amazing friendship.
three. the story is incredible.
i cannot wait to see this.

here's a link to the trailer go check it out, then go see the movie! :)
it comes out August 12th.
we will be seeing it opening night w/o a doubt.
:)

a little astronauts burday!

2011-05-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

i have to blog about this kiddos burday!
this is henry the astronaut guy.

i know a ton of kiddos and not one of them at 2 and a half years old
know about astronauts. well this little now three-year-old does!
he has for about 6 months now been desiring to be an astronaut.
he says, "when i get bigger & bigger i will be an astronaut."
"katie you have a boo boo, oh astronauts can make it all better,
[insert him kissing the boo boo] there katie!
"when i go into outer space i will take you and the babies in my
spaceship." i think this all came from a book.
he is so stinkin smart!!
so for his 3rd bday party last weekend i [with the help of my sis]
bought henry a space suit. he is now really an astronaut!:)
he has worn it everyday since he got it. it has stains on it already.
i love it! he has the best imagination this outfit will get tons of wear.
i wish he could go to the space and rocket center in huntsville, al.
he would totally freak out and never want to leave.
i don't think i have ever seen a cuter astronaut!!
:)

shopping funnies about me...

2011-05-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

this picture is from last summer at an amazing flea market in mississippi.
this lamp now hangs over our kitchen table.

i love shopping vintage, but this post is about funny shopping
things that happen to me.

in normal stores like tj maxx, target, giant eagle, etc.
i get mistaken ALOT for these stores employees.
so i guess bc i look so professional
or
maybe bc i don't look lost in the store.
this happens once or twice a month.
whatever it is it cracks me up.

this one happens every two or three months.
people in the burgh mistake me for someone else.
yesterday at target a lady spoke to me heard my "accent" and said
where are you from? have you lived in pittsburgh your whole life?
pittsburghers have a HUGE accent which is why it
surprised me that she asked that.
i guess i look or act like a pittsburgher.

whether in a store or at an airport people ask me for help.
i think this is strange but then just think i must not look threatening.
they also ask me for directions
to other locations around the burgh. which is weird
bc we have only lived here two years. this usually happens
while shea & i are walking somewhere.
i didn't feel like this happened at all back in our small town.
but being in a big city everyone needs a little help.;)

once when i was in middle school i was at the mall with some
friends shopping. we were in claire's i wasn't paying attention and walked
out w/a toy mouse. i realized it and ran back to the store.
i wasn't brave enough to tell the workers what i had done.
i just threw the mouse back into the store and walked off quickly.
i think of this story often while shopping!

i hope these made you laugh.
when these happen it usually makes my day.
it's the little things.
:)
xo

Celebrating 90 years of Life

2011-05-17T07:21:00.001-07:00

This as you know from my last post is my Grandmother.

Dottie Wissert
She went to live with Jesus on May 12th 2011.
The day she passed away was the day my Grandpaw(her husband)
was buried 5 years ago. She was so ready to go and be with him.
She was from Queens, New York & had the most incredible accent.
She is amazing at bridge & loved having us visit her.
I remember summers as a kid at her house with my family.
It was some of the most fun times we had.
Her house was so close to the beach & she had a pool in her back yard.
Her house was always full of food and love.
Some things she said were totally inappropriate but b/c
we knew her she meant nothing by it.
She was just being herself.
She told really great jokes & said made up words daily.
The picture above it from my sister's graduation from High School in 2006.
Grandmaw loved being around family esp the Cox family(my mom's fam)
She called them her family all the time & i always loved that.
We went to take care of her belongings this weekend as a family.
i am so blessed to have an Uncle George that helped out
so i could be there for this time.(he bought my plane ticket, he's the best)
the shock of losing Grandmaw was super sad b/c she was suppose
to be moving to Alabama & i was going to get to see her on my
next visit home in June.
She didn't want to move but she did want to be closer to our family.
i am so grateful that i was able to talk to her on mother's day.
She was lonely but she wasn't alone.
Grandmaw you will always be alive in the hearts of mom, dad, loo & i.
i love you & hope you are taking good care of Grandpaw again.

happy mothers day!

2011-05-08T18:01:00.001-07:00

when i think of mothers these are the ladies i see...

my super silly fun moma.
my mom has taught me so much and i am still learning w/her helping me along.
iloveyoumommy.

my gran.
my hero where i learned what crafty is.
she is the most incredible person and no matter what she is tops!
look how beautiful she is!!
loveyougran.

my grandmaw who is 90 & 1/2 years old.
she has always been a source of wonderful laughter in our family.
i miss your house as much as you do grandmaw.
iloveyou.
my mawmaw.
who makes the most beautiful quilts.
i am so blessed to have such a talented lady in my life.
she took such good care of me while i lived in tennessee.
loveyoumawmaw.
my mother-n-law rene.
who is teaching me with every visit more & more about my
new family.
iloveyourene.
i am so blessed with so many wonderful women in my life.
as examples and as guides in my day to day.
they are such keepers!
happy happy day of mothers!!

diy first birthday decor...

2011-04-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

if you know one thing about me you should know

i love party planning!

any type really but esp birthdays.

in march the twins turned one which is a big birthday deal.

there mom and dad wanted a low key party because they had so many folks coming.

the first idea i had was this banner i made from brown grocery bags

i taped them on yellow yarn and it was a big hit!

i think this was my favorite idea.

this hung on their front door and greeted the party guests.

i read it like this alexander & sebastain are one!

i posted the pictures on fun craft paper then put all the pieces on a thick ribbon.

this was the most time consuming but i felt a must have.

little yellow and blue ones for the cupcakes.

also i baked all 50 of the cupcakes w/help from the hen man.

this is just one of the eight windows that a clothes line of pictures is on.

i say is because their moma liked it so much she is leaving them up for a while.

yay cute!!

so i did themed windows the one be low is tiny newborn.

there is also a window of sleeping friends.

which has the friends and family members taking naps w/the boys.

as you can see i used clothes pins and yarn for this.

these one onesies turned out way awesome.

they weren't identical the one below is navy blue and orange [war eagle] ;)

the other was brown and baby blue.

these boys will probably wear these babies for a few more months.

[fyi for his party he did wear pants, i know you were worried]

then for their gift i made them silhouettes of each of the boys.

i will do a separate post for those. :)

i love that their mom just let me do whatever and she loved all of it!

the other decor i did was display their bday cards

all over the entertainment center.

i also picked up 12 balloons for the kiddos at the party to take home.

kate

happy resurrection sunday/easter!

2011-04-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

the cooper bunny would like to wish you a happy happy easter! :)

during easter i often miss my family.

it is such a big celebration & i just feel it is a time to be with family.

however today was busy & fun

shea preached at the 7am sunrise service & in my opinion did grrreat!

then we had a breakfast at church at 9

then shea did the 11 o'clock service while i read & rested.

then we went to lunch at our friends house with a group of folks.

i will admit in our house we give easter baskets.

i think it is helpful so when we have kids it will be something we've always done.

i think for next easter we will hide eggs around the house for one another.

i miss hunting easter eggs!

when thinking about easter it is amazing the blessing we have as Christians

to be given a gift like Jesus death & resurrection.

so today i am thinking of the other blessings the Lord has given our family.

•having amazing loving family.

•working a job i love for people i love.

•living in a city & being kept safe daily.

•a great group of friends that are always loving.

•down time when shea & i get to just be together.

•the constant challenges in our faith that help us grow.

•the time and ability to create & be creative.

these are just a few of the ways we are blessed but man the Lord has been good to us.

He is Risen! i am so thankful!!

my little goodies...

2011-04-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

ok. so here are some of my antiques i have acquired.

this is one of my favs. my hedgehog planter.

i found at an flea market for .50.

random but precious!

this was a killer find.

i got these two cans that are full of circular puzzles.

i found the three of these at a yard sale for $1 a piece.

the lady i bought them from was like these i prob worth something...

you should take them to the antiques road show. [awesome!]

on the left is an andy warhol then a woodstock on the right.

also there is a third can that is a bee hive. i gave it to my baby sister.

i found the middle planter on the side of the road.

i found the candle sticks at a mississippi flea market for $2

my goal is to collect yellow glass as pieces to display all together as set one day.

these awesome books about sewing i found for $1 each at construction junction in the burgh.

the red book doesn't have a date in it but the pictures inside are 50s looking.

then the yellow book is from 1922.

welp ya'll i hope you loved a peek into my collection.

also all photography was done by shea cole.

he had a blast!

flop...

2011-04-02T19:51:00.001-07:00

welp the flea market antique sale was a flop and here's why.

the weather was super cold, extremely windy & they were calling for snow.

there was about 15 vendors there when it is usually 50+.

they also starting packing up at 10am after getting there at 8am.

to their credit. they had some unique amazing antiques.

i will go back but not until may.

so due to no newbies to blog about i'll show some of my favs.

one. this amazing lockit that i love.

two. this dress. the shape & style wow.

three. old books. oh geez my new obsession.

four. this arty bright card set.

five. vintage pittsburgh, awesome! go bucs!

i hope this post was fun.

i am planning on getting pictures of some of our other little vintage items soon.

so stay tuned.

also we are headed to hunt some estate sales. fingers crossed for treasures. :)

love.

katie

sources.

one. two. three. four. five.

the weekend..

2011-03-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

well considering it's wednesday we are only three days away from the weekend!

i normally have very low key weekends.

not this weekend though.

this weekend my friend caroline, her son & i will the traveling to washington, pa

for a HUGE antique flea market.

here is the link to the site for the fair.

i have been waiting since last fall to go to this baby and i am stoked!

also this weekend my sweet babies alexander and sebstain are turning one!

there birthday was planned by yours truly and i will be posting all the items i cooked up for them.

ilove love love birthdays!!

and the last thing going on this weekend is going to a big kiddo consignment sale!!

i know it may be weird but i have been collecting vintage baby clothes for our kiddos.(who aren't here yet)

it is super fun to find things and i feel like it is better to slowing collect over time.

i am beyond ready for the weekend!

what are ya'll getting into?

vintage findings..

2011-03-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

so this past weekend shea and i explored a new town.

uniontown, pa

it was amazing! such a cute town and full of thrift & antique stores.

here were some of our finds.

this is an awesome lamp.

it is now at my bed side and i love it!

it was a steal at $4.50

i have started collecting kids books for our future kiddos.

if i find any oldies or ones that pertain to something i love then i snatch it up.

[perfect example is the Pucasso book]

each of the books above was $1.25 each.

this i didn't find in uniontown but i had to share.

this is a set of childrens books that were marked $5 each.

i asked if i could get them all for a set price and paid $25.

it may sound like a lot but these stories were some of my favorite as a kid.

ever heard of "bere rabbit" ?

it is a tough book to find and it is included in this set.

it is currently my favorite vintage item.

these frames will soon go to the twins.

for their first birthday i am giving them silhouettes of themselves.

it prob is a lame gift but they will get plenty of gifts this is a treasure gift.

i am so stoked about starting this project.

each of these were $1.99

these ball jars were soooo stinkin cheap.

we decided to only get two but it was hard.

we are starting a collection to use as drinking glasses.

they were $1.00 each.

our vintage collection is growing.

if it were up to me i'd sell most of my newish housewares and get vintage.

they are so well made and the style is right up my alley.

valentinish..

2011-02-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

well today is valentines day.

until we have kiddos this holiday will be observed by
purchasing one thing each for one another(meaning my hubs and i)
oh and sending cards to my mom, gran and grandmother.
(those cards just saying that i am thankful for them bc...)

shea found his present already.
it is a westerns box set.(he is obsessed with them)
i have no idea what he is getting me but this is just a fun day for a surprise.
that is how i see it.
however this day/"holiday" has fun things in it.

first is vintage valentines. the one above i love but this one is my most favorite.
once when i was in 2nd grade i got a ninja turtle valentine from a boy.
it say cowabunga i like you as much as pizza.[amazing] it's on the front of my journal.

second is conversation hearts(fruit flavors only please)

third. cupcakes. red velvet to be exact.

i plan on having a nice quiet dinner and a movie at home with my precious husband.

i also plan on baking red velvet cake bc cupcakes won't look as good on my vintage cake plate.

have a happy one.
make sure all your important people feel loved always.
xo

florence, alabama iloveyou.

2011-02-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

well lately i have been missing the warmth of good ole southern weather.

i have made two ilove florence alabama crafts this weekend.
one of which i can't show you finished until after may 5th.
which is my sisters bday and she will be receiving it!:)

i made a state of alabama pillow. with some special love in florence.
here is some help if you'd like to make one for yourself.

first find a xerox copy of whatever state you are attempting.
black & white is fine. now for al i free handed
a large scale pillow by simply looking at an 8x10 copy.

next cut out your copy in the fabric of your choice.
i love green and i had an old ruined shirt i used the back of.

this pillow turned out huge which i love.
if you are buying fabric you will need about a half a yard.

next cut out the back side of your pillow i chose a checkered material.

then take the two and pin them..

then the fun begins. my sewing machine and i have a love/hate relationship.
i am getting better and better at using it but the time between each use is long.
i would recommend a small stitch and not a zigzag stitch. (i learned the hard way)
while sewing remember to leave a small opening for your stuffing.
i chose not to use a ton of stuffing bc i wanted it to be extra squishy.

here is the finished product.

oh and i added a heart over florence ofcourse. :)

my next state will be mississippi, which is where my husband is from.
happy crafting.
xo

true grit...continued

2011-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

ok. so our new years eve was lame in mississippi.
worrying about tornadoes drinking blackberry wine and watching true grit(the real).

i guess what shea & i decided was that the john wayne true grit had a better story line.
in the new movie you wonder how the marshal and the ranger meet.
among other things.
so we would give the john wayne true grit a better rating story wise.
the new true grit has incredible actors and i'm glad they didn't make them exactly the same.
i feel like after seeing the original the two movies don't compare.
i mean 1969 to 2010.
obviously we have come along way actor wise and over all feel of the movie.
the coen's did a good job making an old movie look old.
the only other problem i had with 2010 true grit is
ugh jeff bridges you are so hard to understand.
like he has to much dip in his mouth and just cant control it.

so as confusing as this kinda comparison sounds...that's all i got.
go see both back to back tho before you say one is better than the other though,
please for my poor mothers sake. ;)

xo

merry southern christmas!

2010-12-28T20:49:00.001-08:00

the cole family christmas card 2010.

vintage adventures...

2010-12-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

i was given three of these beauties in three different colors and two different sizes.

from my great friend taniya.

she is my favorite antique shopper.:)

i got two amazing vintage pyrex bowls in jackson mississippi at an antique shop.

i also got one fire king bowl that is a tad different but im diggin these colors.

i have been looking at these for years now and finally made the leap.

these will not be decor. they will be used and loved.

i got two of these amazing frames from the same antique store in mississippi.

they are two different sizes and i fell in love.

i'd like to say i'd make a craft out of them or try to sell them.

to be real with you..i want to put some pictures in them and hang em on my wall.

finally i have been eyeing the saturday evening post art of norman rockwell.

so this years kitchen calendar is a saturday evening post..norman rockwell.

(this image is from the 2008 calendar, but you get how vintagey cute they are)

i also got two poka dot headband wrap things.

which i love.

rockin this short hair and a headband is just the ticket this summer.:)

we had a great christmas.

shea got me some cool vinyl albums for my turn table.

my gran gave me a vintage cross stitch my dad made in 81 of the state of LA & a pelican.

my mom me some vintage inspired ceral bowls, coffee cups, a pitcher, a platter & plates.

that was my vintage christmas gifts this year.

true grit vs. true(r) grit if you will...

2010-12-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

well we went and saw true(r) grit on christmas day.

with aunt dotsy, my in-laws and shea everyone loved it.

i call it true(r) grit because a ton of folks are claiming

it is better than the first true grit. the john wayne style grit.

my mother was deeply upset by this statement. why?

bc she like others are die hard john wayners. so on this

cole families to do list is to see/own the true grit.

we will make an assessment of this statement after we have all the info.:)

something else we found...we enjoy westerns. we are watching one now.

i haven't decided my feelings about westerns. i'll get back to ya.

(my mother loves that shea is diggin on some western...oh lord the brownie points)

halloweenie decor as promised..

2010-11-18T18:14:00.002-08:00

i realize i am the slowest blogger ever.

and for that i am sorry.

i love blogging but cannot make myself get sucked into the online world after work. :)

here is my terra cotta dracula

he is a much smaller scale then the ones my moma made growing up.

but for the space i have he is perfect.

the only things he is missing in the picture is his cape and ears.
i gave him a trash bag black cape and just left him w/o ears.

i free handed all his painted areas which was fun.

as you can tell you just need two bottom pot pieces and 3 varied size pots.

also at my moma's house her big daddy drac is used as a candy holder outside.

[sorry about the poor picture quality, poor lighting and iphone pic]

my terra cotta jack

there is this wonderful place called the union project
in our neighborhood.

they had a pumpkin carving of leather hard pumpkins.
i brought my handy ceramic tools & after a week picked up this baby.

they fired it for me.

and instead of a real pumpkin that rots i have forever halloween decor.

we did carve pumpkins this year.

i made the mistake of not taking the finished project.
shea & i made our silhouettes on our pumpkins.

[just use your imagination, sorry guys]

the next project i took on was this mum pumpkin.

[as you can easily tell this is not my picture, photo credit is on pic]

anyway this was an amazing twist on flower planting for me.

i hate planting flowers..this was fun.

i used redish mums and yellow and planted them in white pumpkins.

this could also work for your thanksgiving decor.

if you aren't a gardener i recommend it.:)

alright that is all.

i will try to blog a bunch more on my vacay.

no promises tho.

;) xo

gnome sweet gnome..

2010-11-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

mrs. & mr. garden gnome

our makeshift "halloleen" costumes.
just made hats and shoes.
everyone thought we were elves. :( we didn't have pointy ears.
oh well.
we had a big halloween party that i planned at the seminary.
it was great!
all the themed halloween dishes everyone made were amazing.

one was these babies...
squirmy wormy sandwiches. guess what that is??
yep. hotdogs! i love themed food.
the party was way fun for kiddos and grown kiddos.

happy halloween 2010!

another post coming soon of halloween crafts from this year.
xo

wedding gifts

2010-11-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

lovely birds.

here is the finished product. of wedding present a la the mckee's.
folks this is what you get when you tell me i'm not allowed to get you a gift.
it's hanging in their kitchen.
the colors on the birds are purple and & orange which were her wedding colors.
i did this in about an hour.
remember how i said i was going to decorate their door.
well i did. only they came home to fast so i had to makeshift some stuff.
there will be no pictures because i was not thrilled.:(

their wedding was incredible a perfect southern wedding.
reception at a plantation house the works.

it was an amazing weekend get away & amazing southern weather.
[can you tell i miss the south]
xo

there's gonna be a hitchin

2010-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

welp our really great friend Michael is getting married this weekend.
so here is a sneak peak of the making of his presents.
here is are the samples i am going by.
mine will be way more personalized.
i plan on decorating their door to welcome them to their first home.:)
here's the link for credit
here's the link for this one.
this is a cheap, quick and easy gift for anyone.
i think this can go just about anywhere.
i love baby food jar crafts.

i will also be making them a love birds painting for over their bed.
i am hoping they love it.
we are off the nc for the wedding this weekend.
yay mini vacay.

busy week this week.
i'll post pics of my finished projects.
xo

conGRADulations!

2010-05-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

here are some cupcakes that i made for a great friend of mines graduation party!

they are fun and everyone loved them.

the one below on the far right is supposed to have curly looking hair.

her hair is a curly blonde. can you see it?

they also have cherrios for ears.

i did some with chocolate sprinkles on top of chocolate frosting.

there is one in the back that has big red for hair.[that one was the hardest]

i did some chocolate frosting in ziplocks to make it look more like hair.

then i made two with cherrio hair.

the reese cup turned upside down is between the cupcake and the cookie.

the cookie is a chocolate covered peanut butter cookie i was able to find at the grocery.

on top of the cookie is a mini m&m and i made my own blue frosting out of white frosting and food coloring

for the tassle. which i also squeezed out using a ziplock.

i hope i got these out in time for you to take a try at them for your grad!

hope ya'll enjoy!

first friday florence, alabama

2010-05-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

on may 7, 2010 i participated in florence's first fridays.

i wasn't in florence. i just sent a ton of my crafts for my moma to sell.

so i guess it's kinda a big deal that this was my first craft show.[eventho i wasn't there]

my mom said that the fabric flowers & button flowers were a big hit!

which is awesome to know that my creation was loved.

thanks to all that supported me! i couldn't have done this without ya!

the picture below are my gran's hand knitted purses than are boiled wool.

cool, hu? if you are interested in them contact me!

[that little lady behind the figure in the pic is my mommy.:)]

this is one of my earring frames.

with this piece you can get your earrings up on a wall and displayed as art in your room.

these are a few more of the earring frames.

if you are wanting a certain color or style we can work on that together.

these frames are all recycled.

all these photos were taken by a first fridays photographer.

here is a link to there site. http://www.firstfridaysflorence.com/index.html

a big thanks to my moma & gran that worked the table!

be ready pittsburgh! i will be selling my crafts at the bryant street festival (in highland park) on Sun June 6th.

xox.

obession..

2010-04-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

ok. as a kid i always remember my mom dragging me to flea markets.
it was kinda cool to go because my thoughts were always.."what will she buy me?"
now as an adult i find myself drawn to them and other places to find "treasures".

i am most def obsessed with yard sales, estate sales, flea markets, consignment, thrifting
and anything vintagely awesome and retro.
i have yet to pick a era that i just love.
i am drawn to the 50s, 60s and 70s.
while at the same time the 80s being when i was born always brings back cool memories.

soo for this blog i wanted to let you in on three things i stumbled upon recently.
first being flea market style the magazine.
my wonderful husband searched high and low for the best magazine for my easter basket.
flea market style is what he stumbled upon.
they also have a blog you should def check out.
http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/
the magazine has all sorts of cool re purposing that you can easily do and also some
cool crafty ideas.
if you happen to find a copy of it snatch it up!

the next thing i found recently is a second hand store called...common thread.
http://www.commonthreadpgh.com/
it's a cute little shop on butler street in lawerenceville.
which is just down from where we live.

the last place i found was one of the coolest i have ever seen.
a store called who new?
http://www.who-new.com/index.html
the mister and i went and explored in there yesterday and we were hooked.
i told him he could get all my birthday gifts from there. ha

i plan on hitting some flea markets soon and also keeping up with all other sales of vintage
things around us in pittsburgh.
i would have to say one of my favorite things about pittsburgh is we are

always finding new and fun things to do and see.

have a great week ya'll!
xo

creative creations..

2010-04-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

this is my favorite of my latest creations.

its a teal headband with a pink flower topped with a big white button.

there is a theme here i guess.

the theme being flowers.

this is was my first of this type of flower.

see its leaves :)

here is a floppier flower i made that will probably be a pin

or go on a headband. i made my sister a headband with a flower just like

this on it for easter. she loves it and so do her buds down in auburn, al.

this is my second favorite thing i have made lately.

its a sweet little bobby pin with a fabric flower on it

topped with a baby blue button.

both this and the very top project are made from recycling an old tshirt.

ok. so i am not a photographer as you can tell by my pictures. i get frustrated by the whole time consuming uploading process. i feel like until we get a real deal camera and a tad more space this may improve.

i love making these little flowers. they are so sweet and look great in your hair. shea even said that they look awesome which is saying alot since he's a boy.

i have two big craft things coming up. in may my moma and gran will be selling my crafts at first friday. which is sooo much fun. all you florence folks go check them out and buy all of it! :)

then June 6th i will have a table at the bryant street festival. it should be really hot fun. i think i am going to bring some sweet tea to give away to people that want it.:)

yesterday my friends and i went up to the craft fair imadeit. it was awesome. a ton more venders than i had seen at ones in the past. i got these sweet yellow flower earings. i think you could say i am on a yellow kick. when we left imadeit we went to construction junction. i hit the motherload. i found two different huge pieces of tule to make tutus out of. then got some solid fabric scraps, a painters palette for my cupcake bday this year and last some bright green wrapping paper. all of that was only $6.75. which is a great price and what is also great is it was unwanted unused craft supplies. i am in love with that area of construction junction. i can't wait for my moma to see that place one day.

ok i hope this makes up for keeping you out of my crafting loop. hope you enjoyed it.

nepal goodies as promised..

2010-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

so everywhere we go we collect a christmas ornament.

this is a nepalese bell.

cute, hu?

this is one of like 4 pencil pouches i got.

this one is green my favorite color!

this is my most favorite thing shea brought back.

i can't exactly tell if its an all black watercolor or if its ink.

either way its fabulous and i can't wait to add it to our art

collection. he did so good with this one!

so shea, jon, james and robby went to nepal to check on the state of the church there. they were gone for 2 whole weeks.(which felt like forever) they had a great time and learned alot. this mission trip changed these men for the better and i am so glad they were able to go. i am so thankful to have them all home, esp shea cole!! shea brought back some super cool stuff. these were just a few of my favorite things.

a little of this a little of that..

2010-03-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

by:bumblebird@etsy.com
i want one of these for my future kiddo. sooo freaken cute.
two of my great friends here have had kids this week. so i was just searching..
this inspired me!! i saw a fabric one in a store but i am going to look into making a paper one tomorrow. this photo came from makentake@etsy.com

[we have a giant window that faces the apts courtyard. this banner would look amazing hanging in it.:) i am so stoked about making it]

here is a wreath i made for spring. i took some peaches and cream yarn about one and a half of the smaller sizes it comes in. i wrapped it tightly around a straw wreath. then topped it off with some ribbon made into a bow. this is my first project for our easter decor. i really like spring/easter decorating. the stuff is almost as cute as christmas.

by:bumblebird@etsy.com
i want one of these for my future kiddo. sooo freaken cute.

in the cole household which consists of shea, cooper and i. we will dye eggs, bake cupcakes and give each other easter baskets. no hunting eggs that will come when the kiddos do. shea isn't use to holiday celebrating so i have to help him along. :)

outside today it is a beautiful springy day. the temp is in the mid 60s!

go out and play!!

p.s. my next blog will be of all the cool cool things shea found me in nepal!!:o]

surprises for you and me..

2010-03-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

handmade w/love.

love from friends & fam.

small fam love.

mushroom love.

march 7. 2009..true love.

So the first thing i got when i got home is that sweet new purse. my gran knitted it and my moma felted it. i am pretty stoked because it goes with everything and well to say the least im in love with it.

next those are a few of the sweet anniversary cards i got on sunday! it was a great day with an anniversary breakfast with friends the it ended with climbing on a roof of a local business. ahhh small town you are so good to me. :) one of my favorite quotes from my anniversary was "here throw that on too(takes my travel contact solution and throws it into his groceries then says do want some candy? get some!" i picked up a huge hersheys with almonds. then we both say happy anniversary. haha random just the way it should be.

today my gran taught me some stained glass techniques. i did the mushroom and eched our little family on the other piece of glass. so just an fyi that is prob going to be my next baby. she wanted to pass that on in our family and i will proudly carry that tradition on. she learned to do it when she was 50 so i am getting an early start. it just goes to show how much i could do with just a little more living space in pittsburgh. i need a studio. real bad.

the last pic i am attaching is a picture of our wedding rings we never posted until this week. enjoy.

the photography is by armosastudios.com check them out they are our great friends.

ilove the south. this visit makes me sad for some folks that never get out of town. then makes me miss like crazy watching all the kids i use to know grow up. i am soaking up this time at home. i can tell my mom is loving it.

welp its starting to warm up here. i feel toasty.

snowstorm..blog time.

2010-02-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

the headband above inspired me. i am totally making headbands tonight along with my spring wreath which will look similar to the one in the picture.

the other two images are my crafts that will be going up on etsy while my husband is across the world from me. so lots of free time for me. until i go to alabama on thursday. which i am stoked about this will be real time to spend in my home town. i haven't gotten to do that since last june.

also our house is out of control dirty. mostly our living room that my crafts have taken over. the couch is covered in snacks and crafts. good thing for bones on dvd. keeps me on taskish. i hope i get a ton of scrapbooking done tomorrow. also get some cool bloggin in for you guys to read. i have some cool ideas up my sleeve and seeing as i have about 40 to 50 crafts going at one time it should get interesting.

one more thing. i have been watching it snow big all day. word is the streets are bad(im not leaving to find out) and we have more snow to come. this should be a fun one. a good way to start my husbandless time.

stay warm.
xo
katie

ps the first two pics are by vita designs
http://www.vitadesigns.showitsite.com/

real quick..

2010-02-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

first off a preview of what i am working on...

it is just a pic of one that is close to what i am making.
i only have about 7 flowers made as of now. i am aiming for about 25-30:)
here is a link to credit them http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37651524&ref=sr_gallery_10&&ga_search_query=purple+button+bouquet&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=2&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

some great music you should def check out..
joshua radin - nowhere to go [i love his song sky too check it as well]

also check out..
patty griffins new album downtown church [its amazing]

so tomorrow i am going to erie pa for the first time. im so stoked!
three reasons why i can't wait..
1. taking pics with my bff mandy mae.
2. sleeping at wanmaws w/moey mae.
3. hanging with the rimmers all weekend.
:)

stay warm this weekend folks.
xo
katie

first time in a long time..

2010-02-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

welp this is where i start..so here are updates on life lately.

pittsburgh holds things i love like..bubble teas[from rose tea], Italian ice, incredible consignment shops, bakeries [tons to chose from], parks parks and more parks, snow, construction junction, imadeit, oh yeah![its fabulous ice cream],the strip district, paris 66, urban outfitters, kards unlimited and $5 movie nights.

there is much more i could list but this stuff is the most important in my opinion.
feel free to add some. i love trying new places and things.

one of the most important things pittsburgh holds for me is incredible people.
people i know i will keep in touch with after this experience is over.
some of which i don't know how i would've made it through this year without!:)

last week at bible study was told the most interesting fact...
pastors wives do not have pastors. this really is sticking with me.
so the women i am meeting in seminary will be my go to women.
they are who i confide in and trust and it will only grow after we get a church.

there is so so much that i have learned about myself and shea this year.
i am excited to see what's up next for our family.
one of the things that is new for me this year is numerous girlfriends.
which is sooooo not my norm. i usually have a max of two not including my sister.
i feel like since our move here. i have ten or so which is nuts and i love it.
another difference here is i really feel like i am having an impact.

i hope to one day be able to work a half day at a "real job"
then the second part of the day go into "my studio" and create.

oh and my wants for after our graduation from seminary are..
a real bed with a headboard and footboard.
our anniversary that year going to disney.
my art stuff to have its own space.
a video camera..maybe a real camera.

ok folks this is my new deal. i want to keep this up.

i will post crafts i am working on and even some for you to work on.
also here i will post updates to my etsy page.

stay warm.
xo
kate