Hey there!

Whoops! Just realized that some people are still checking/landing on this blog which clearly has been defunct for awhile now.

Please check out my new blog Curry Kay Designs... something lovely for your life and my Etsy shop Curry Kay Designs... something lovely

Something Lovely For My Craft Closet...

I was reading Country Living the other day and these beautiful millinery flowers caught my eye. If you remember from my earlier posts that I'm a sucker for flower hair pieces so I had to look up the source. Low and behold I found my new favorite store (apparently it's Martha's too....) the Tinsel Trading Company. First off you have to read their About Us because I'm also a sucker for a good family story...

Then you have to peruse all their amazing eclectic mix of vintage and new crafting stuff. They have a whole category dedicated to Fringe! At the moment I'm not in the market for guinea fowl feather fringe (I already have a bag of individual guinea feathers that I'm trying to find a use for), but I really wish I was....

Velvet 7" Flowers, Tinsel Trading Company, $10.00
Glass Glitter Sampler, Tinsel Trading Company, $20.00
Feather Fringe, Tinsel Trading Company, $15.00/yd (love the guinea feathers!)
Dresden Paper, Green Dots, Tinsel Trading Company, $11.25/sheet

Something Fun for My Table...

Here's the promised Cowboy Themed napkin set. Even better yet, as you can see in the bottom corner... I found a fabric pattern of a Hoe Down! It probably make me way too happy... And while you may look at this and think that I missed the mark, imagine them all on a long wood table (preferably of reclaimed barn planks like my Dad makes) with bright white plates and some sort of fun napking ring like a bow made from leather (preferably fake leather of course). The beauty isn't in all of them stacked together but how they will work together spread out over a table! (Have I pleaded my case enough so that you like it too?)

(Left to Right)

Gibson Pimento, Tonicliving $8.95 per yard
Buckaroos, ReproDepot $4.95 per half yard
At the Park Pindot Blue, Fabric.com $7.98 per yard
HoeDown Fabric, ReproDepot $4.75 per half yard
Mod Large Swirl- Mustard, ReproDepot $9.95 per half yard
Pretty Please, Purl Soho $9.00 per yard

First I Rant Then I Rave...

I'm home sick, bleh. Could it be that it's raining and 65 degrees in the middle of JULY? Or that the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor shot decongestant up my nose yesterday just to tell me that I have a severely deviated septum and that's why I have never breathed through my nose? I did not need to pay $25 to find that out and the decongestant spray has made me feel like I'm underwater ever since.

Now the rave... I had a fabulous wedding shower last weekend which resulted in many wonderful things. First, two of my favorite ladies gave me "Visions in White" by Nora Roberts (one is a big Nora fan). It set me off into dream land about the wedding planning company I keep planning on starting (before I realize that my current event planning job prevents it due to scheduling) but it was a lovely dream land.

Second, I was reminded of the rockin' ladies I have in my life that would give up a gorgeous Saturday afternoon to celebrate with me. Including one incredible chica who drove from Syracuse to Connecticut for a 3 hour shower and then back to Syracuse all in one day. Not to mention my girls from NYC who came up the night before to thoroughly make this a "bridal weekend".

Third, my sister made a beautiful video of photos of A. and I throughout our lives that was absolutely perfect and unexpected.

Fourth, A. and I were literally showered with amazing gifts. For the record, I like to think that we are fairly immaterial people, which sounds kind of funny since most of this blog is things I like and want to own, but that aside. We very much go with the idea of your "presence is the best present" especially with our wedding. Nobody has the cash in this economic climate to shell out for gifts and we love nothing more than to spend time with our faves. Ok, now that that's out of the way... the gifts were super cool!

The shower had a baking theme since I do love to bake and everyone brought baking/kitchen items and recipes. Love it! I have new fabulous pots and pans, and baking supplies, and cake decorating supplies, and aprons, and a new 1930's mini cookbook about Jello (I do love my 30s cookbooks and plan to excerpt soon).

I was completely inspired to start "creating" things again. Baking, cooking, interior designing, card making, letter pressing, you name it. I want to do it... right now. Part of my love for the creating is the conceptualize stage, that excitement before you actually bring it into reality. I'm neck deep in wedding crafting, but it's all been planned for so long I'm looking forward to non-wedding crafting in the future.

My next post will be photo happy I promise!

Something Lovely for My Table...

I've love the look of a mix matched dining table. There's definitely a time and place for refined elegance or true simplicity, but I appreciate a table set with some whimsy and fun. Enter my Napkin Collections. My Napkin Collections don't exactly exist yet due to (a) lack of time, (b) lack of funds, (c) lack of convincing A. that having a napkin with a Cowboy motif is necessary (sometimes it just is).

But someday it will be a reality. I want to have a huge pile of napkins made from random, fabulous fabric. So random that you can dress your table with endless combinations of napkins to fit any type of soiree. For example, when I invite my ladies over for some cupcakes and tea-- who am I kidding? Cupcakes and champagne-- I will serve it wearing the apron mentioned here and set the table with these fantastic napkins. In case you can't tell, the bottom left has frogs on it which I find wonderful. Chances are I will be serving aforementioned champagne out of my multi-colored Depression Glassware tea cups. ... Because I feel like it.

(Top Row L- R)
1. Drawing Room Sketchbook from ReproDepot $14.95/yd (see what I mean about not having the moolah for this project?)
2. Michael Miller Ginger Blossom Vintage Dots Breeze $8.98/yd
3. Sweet Mod Floral in butter at Repot Depot $8.50/yd
4. Yellow Frog Prince at purl soho $18.00/yd
5. Vintage Cherries, Spring at tonic living $8.95/yd
6. Vintage Stripe Blush at tonic living $8.95

Up next... more Napkin Collection fun, including the promised Cowboy motif!

APOLOGIES!!!

I'm sorry for not blogging in just about forever. When I got Welshie's comment requesting my return, I couldn't believe I hadn't blogged since the end of April! Shame on me... In my defense life has been ridiculously crazy, as I'm sure it has for everyone. I worked every day from May 11th to June 4th. Partially in Chicago, partially in CT and partially in White Plains, NY. Most days had me coming home around between 9 and midnight, if not working overnight. Plus working on wedding plans (holy cow 114 days!?!?!?!) and getting ready for my friends wedding last weekend.

Okay, that was a pretty good "woe is me, I have no time to do fun things anymore" rant. But things should be calming down somewhat now. I'm off to Anaheim next week so hopefully I'll have time to catch up. I'm flying out on my birthday (booo) so I think I'll have to buy myself an airline cocktail. Though, truth be told, I fly so much I have coupons galore for free cocktails.

Now with my rant and my promise to be better complete, I will spend my lunch hour looking for something fun to post about!

Something Lovely For My Yard

I love this weather!! Love, love, love it. It's hot but not with the humid and bugs that summer brings. More than anything it makes me want an Outdoor Living Area or at least windows that do more than open 5 inches!

Inspired by the weather I started scouring Country Living's website for this article in last month's issue. (A note on Country Living: My mom gave me a subscription for Christmas and I was very hesitant about it, but it's turned out to be fantastic! There's always 4 or 5 articles that I love.) There was a fabulous OLA space created from an old green-house. It may be a little more Indoor than a true Outdoor Living Area, but that just expands it's possibilities for other seasons! Run electricity out there and it would be easy enough to hook up a space heater for chilly nights or imagine curling up with a book during a rainstorm!!!

{via Country Living Greenhouse Makeover}

I'd make a couple of changes if it was mine of course. I'd have to nix the flowery shabby chic. Shabby Chic works well for this space but floral prints aren't really my thing. The chandeliers would DEFINITELY stay though! I'd also make the window walls so that they could all open up. like restaurants that open up to sidewalks. As always the couch would really need to be a pull out or a futon for all the naps I plan on taking and I would include a flip top table in the corner for impromptu fun: dinner parties, board games, puzzles, and the like!