Busy End of Summer Days

One reason I haven't posted in so many days is because I'm too busy DOING to sit still long enough to blog!  I've painted my window casing bright red...took me about 2 weeks to finish it. 

These days are so very very busy.  I am rarely home and so today is a special treat.  A cloudy, cool, rainy day to stay home and be cozy.  I am looking forward to fall days.  Everything seems to calm down around this time of year.  Days are shorter and cooler and I always feel like my life kind of takes on a more relaxed pace.  I hope this fall is no different, because I could sure use a more relaxed pace.

Lately I've been on a book-buying craze (for lack of a better term).  I just can't seem to stop buying books!  Cheap, beautiful, enticing BOOKS!! 

"Books to the ceiling, books to the sky.

My piles of books are a mile high.

Oh, how I love them!

Oh, how I need them!

I'll have a long beard by the time I read them." -Arnold Lobel

This is only the tip of the iceberg!  My house is overrun with books, and all I seem to want to do is READ!!
I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and I'm currently working on a collection of sermons by John MacArthur, C. S. Lewis' The Four Loves, A. W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God, and yesterday I found Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey for about $7 with my AC Moore coupon! 

I've also been cooking a lot of Italian food after having finished Peter Pezelli's Francesca's Kitchen.  All these are highly recommended.  I think I'll go have some homemade spaghetti now following Francesca's easy sauce recipe... But first I will leave you with a few paintings/sketches I've managed to do:

Don't forget to sip some tea or coffee on this cool, cozy, September Saturday... Enjoy!

Bargains! And Some Weekend Decorating

I'm finding many outlets for my creativity lately other than my usual two dimensional art.  This weekend was filled with yard sale and auction sale purchases and arranging cozy spaces in my home. The rocking chair below was $22.50 at an auction sale - it's beautiful, comfortable and solid wood. The little magazine/book stand beside it was from a prior auction sale. The small lamp was only a buck! I got two for $2.00!  By the way - the lamp is sitting on a monitor heater (eyesore). We now have central heat and air, so I covered the monitor with a pretty scarf of fabric I bought at a flea market or yard sale several years ago.

My favorite, long awaited purchase is this corner bookshelf for my bedroom.  I had to pay $65 for it, but I have wanted a bookshelf forEVER and this one was absolutely perfect for this corner and so I kept bidding until I got it.  The rocking chair in front of the bookshelf was from a prior auction sale for $5!



 The shelf below was only $8 at a yard sale, and now holds almost all my art supplies and lets them be out and visible. I need that for inspiration. I got so tired of those plastic rolling carts with drawers. 1.) I couldn't see my supplies, and 2.) I was forever opening the wrong drawer, so I spent most of my art time opening and shutting those drawers looking for the right thing. Arrgh! But happily, problem solved for only $8.

And then there was this great unexpected purchase: I got two chairs just alike (pictured at right) for $1.00 each! The pair for $2.00. No one was bidding on them, so I thought why not! I love the pattern and colors on this and much to my delight they are extremely sturdy and comfortable!

I spent too much money, but I got all the things I've been wanting and thinking about, and at great prices!

I loved creating these cozy spaces throughout my home, and can't wait to enjoy them.  I can see me playing musical chairs not knowing which one I like best :-)