That Is Home

Made some art today.  Had this frame from IKEA and decided to create something to hang by the front door.  I recently created a large canvas art piece for my last issue of Scrap n' Art (I resigned as of the June issue), but I can't share that just yet due to it being artwork for the current issue.  The canvas is also hanging by the door, and needed a "friend" to hang with it.

Here's a picture of the little piece I created today.  I just love the sentiment; it has personal meaning for Brian and me.



It was great to create something fun "just because," and not for a design team assignment.  I am planning on opening my Etsy shop in the coming months, and hope to sell similar handmade art pieces, canvases and other handmade items.  So let me know what you think!  Thanks for looking!  :D

IKEA

Just a quick catch-up post. I wanted to share some pics we took at IKEA when we went on March 28th. Brian, Ginger and I drove up to IKEA Atlanta, and later, Billy met us for lunch and some shopping.

Five minutes into the store, Ginger made herself at home in one of the model living rooms:





Some green bottles that were interesting:



Me:



Ginger and Me:



Brian:



More bottles:



Silliness:





Oooh, pretty:



Billy and Brian:



Can't go to IKEA without getting some yummy Swedish meatballs for lunch!



Ready to shop!













Those were just a few of my faves from the day. We had a great time!!

Wow, What An Exciting Week!

This week, Brian was on vacation. Monday was our anniversary (13 years!). Tuesday, Mama and Ginger came to spend the night for...Wednesday, which was IKEA Day!! Thursday was a rest day (and I had an awful migraine the whole day, ugh!) and then today, Friday, we got SNOW in Middle Georgia!!! Again! For the second year in a row! That is extremely rare. Today's snowfall was much more than last year's, however.

Here are some photos to recap the highlights of the week:

IKEA!!! We took our new 50 mm prime lens with us and captured some really great photos.

Here is IKEA from the car as we were driving up. I was so excited to see my IKEA again that I had to snap a picture!! :D



Here's a shot Brian took of me at one of the dining room settings in one of the sample rooms. I'm a little out of focus, but I think it looks cool.



Here are more similar photos, of Ginger and Mama:





Here's one I took of Brian:



And one he took of me:



Here's a shot of our awesome lunch at the IKEA Restaurant:



Oh, IKEA, how I love thee.



There are more artsy and cool photos on Brian's blog. Check them out!!

Then, today was a very rare snow day!!! This happens so infrequently in central Georgia. We did have snow last year, but this snowfall today was a lot more than that. We had so much fun, taking pics, video, and building a snowgirl named Maude.

Here are some photos from the day:



















So, those were the highlights of our week. It was fun, but it went by way too fast!!

Hope you all had a fun week as well.

The Post In Which I Gripe About Georgia Weather And Post Some More Layouts. And Ramble. :D

I cannot believe it is almost Spring. Ugh. Pollen and nastiness. Also, Spring lasts for like five minutes here. And we haven't even had a decent Winter. It was hot at Christmas, and we have had a few weeks of cool weather, and maybe a few DAYS of actual cold weather. Other than that, it's been mild-to-hot. I am a Winter kind of girl. I might have to move.

Right now, the weather is nice. It's in the 70s during the day and down to around 40 at night. But it won't last, noooooo. This bearable weather will be fleeting.

Because Summer is coming, and fast. I hate a Georgia Summer. Hot, muggy, humid, gross, nasty, HOT, disgusting and did I mention, HOT? From May to November. It truly sucks. We have two seasons: Summer and Not Quite Summer.

Anyway, just wanted to vent a little.

Here are some new layouts I got done this week. The first one is of Brian and me. One of the pictures is from our wedding, 12 years ago, on February 8th, 1997. The other pic is on our anniversary this year, February 8th. We are 12 years into Forever....awwwwwwwww....




The next layout is of Black Kitty, posing like a little kitty supermodel. She very rarely poses and sits still like this, so I had to do a layout using these pics.




And another of Black Kitty, enjoying some windowsill time. :)




There is a lot we want to do with the house this Spring. We have already started buying stuff--new blinds, light fixtures, etc. We want to paint just about every room in the house. We rented it for 5 years before we bought it last September, so we can finally infuse our style a bit more. We would also like to do something with the Weedy Wasteland that is our yard. But that'll be Brian's job, mostly--I kill any plant that doesn't kill me first. And some have tried. :D

We are also in the process of getting a new dining table and chairs from IKEA; we're just working out the logistics of getting it to our house from IKEA Atlanta. Renting a truck or van is always an option, and was our first thought. But our friend, Billy, has offered to bring it down the next time he comes this way for a delivery (he manages a bakery that supplies breads to Georgia and a couple other states). So, yay! That was very nice of him.

Also, I need to Spring clean. Bad. This time of year gives me the urge to purge and scrub and clean. But I procrastinate. Bad. I usually go online and read tips about organization and cleaning, and get so sucked into that, that I don't actually DO any of the organization and cleaning. I want to do better this year. At least I did already clean out a huge walk-in closet that was packed to the ceiling with crap from when we moved in FIVE years ago. That was a huge undertaking. There's still a few boxes from that ordeal to sort and donate.

So, I guess that's about all that's going on right now. I should probably go scrub something. Or at least read about it. :D

A Few New Layouts

Here's some layouts I've been working on lately. Trying to get those Christmas pics scrapped!

This first one is of Brian opening his gift from me, a Lansky hone/sharpening system. I had to make his yellow shirt work for a Christmas layout. :)


Next, is a layout of me opening my Slice (from Brian)! Yes, that's a pic of me hugging it down in the bottom right corner! I am not ashamed!! :D


And this last one is of some paper bells I made when I was little. Mama has kept them for well over 20 years and always puts them on her Christmas tree each year. That is so sweet!!


Got a big weekend and week coming up! Saturday is our first weigh-in for The Biggest Loser competition (our subdivision is having its own contest). Then, Sunday is our 12th wedding anniversary!

Next week, Brian is on vacation. Monday, we're going to spend the day with my parents and Maw.

I am so excited, because on Tuesday, we're going to IKEA!!!! Yay!!! I can't wait to see IKEA again. It will be awesome.

So I will be sure to update with pictures after we get back!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!