Song of the Day: Up in the Clouds/ Sun/ Night Train

Not much to say or write about today.
I unfortunately am still tying up lose ends in the renovation of my art studio {Ugh}.
A process I was only too overly-ecstatic about last week.
Now I just. want. it. DONE.
Good thing for fun tunes to keep me moving along!!

♥

Song of the Day: Move Over Jack White

Image created by Hugh Jarse

There are certain bands that I love dearly and deeply. They take their turns in my rolling music-go-round. Sometimes they take a back seat, but that doesn't mean I don't love them any less. They always return, when the time is right.

Jack White {and a giant Elephant head} made a cameo on American Pickers {History Channel} last week and seeeerrrrriously sparked my acquainted fondness and devotion to Mr. White. ...

In this episode {start @the 35min mark} Jack trades his jukebox and a totally rad black and white photobooth ....{... I WANT that booth so badly. James asked me where I would even put it? I told him I'd sleep in it if I had to.}

Nevertheless:

James 1, Me 0

For one, I love watching Mike and Frank dig around in other peoples junk. 
{I myself have a 'picker' heart...Thrift Stores. Yard Sales. Flea Markets.
Grandma & Grandpa's Attic....c'mon now.}
Who doesn't love digging around in somebody else's treasures?

{Said photo booth here in this vid}

My affection began years ago. Back when I was still in high school. 

I think it was the Stripes first TV performance on a MTV/VH1 Music Awards SomethingOrOther. 

Whichever it may have been, they sang "Fell in Love with a Girl"

 ...& I certainly fell in love with it.

We've spent some really awesome times together, 

{{whether he be aware or not}}

I totally dig him, his music, his artistic abilities, and his diabolical bad-ass nature <per se>.

In the midst of reconnecting with the White Stripes I've fallen in love with his counterpart of the Dead Weather, a certain Ms. Allison Mosshart  & her partner in crime Mr. Jamie Hince of The Kills.

I ask myself,

How did they pass under my radar?

How I never paid this duo any attention before?

Move over Jack White.

Hello Jamie Hince.

 

 Can't. Stop. Listening to:

 

 So, for the time being, enjoy the noise.
I'm off reconstructing,
renovating,
& reforming my art studio.


{{Some Sites Concurring}}

{{The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Jack White, The Dead Weather }}

PS....{{I still adore you Jack White}}

♥

Song of the Day: Princess Chelsea, The Submarines + Holiday Goodness

I'm starting to freak out a bit. 

Am I ready for this? Are you ready for this?

OK.

Just inhale deeply.

Relax.

You have all this holiday extravaganza under control.

 

Feel free to dance it out a little :)

I don't want to give all my holiday secrets away; but here's a tiny preview of all the cheery goodness that is to come!

PEACE

JOY

&

LOVE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

♥

Mood Board + HGTV Challenge

Who likes making Treasuries on Etsy? This girl.

So as you can imagine I was really excited when I came across this Treasury Challenge via HGTV.com

SLICE II - Original... Spreggo $70.00	Vintage Repurposed ... junkyardlighti... $89.00	Mid-century modern ... labdesigns $890.00	Large 20 inch Natur... 5LittlePiggies $60.00
Two Upsala Ekeby As... bitofbutter $60.00	30-pc vintage flatw... ModishVintage $110.00	Mid Century Restaur... WiseApple $20.00	napkin, geo lineacarta $14.00
Vintage Saarinen Tu... thevintagesupp... $350.00	Sarouk Rug / Vintag... OakParkAntique... $339.00	20% OFF SALE - Mid ... HousingAuthori... $2600.00	Woodland Chic BROOKLYNrehab $22.00
The "I am Only... TheFrameAndMir... $280.00	FIREPIT Plodes $1190.00	Triangles Removable... leahduncan $38.00	Abstract Landscape ... siiso $1600.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.
  
I have boatloads to do today, maybe I'll post again later when I have some free time! I hope you check out HGTV.com and create something yourself!

Bloggy Buttons!

Sometimes I simply amaze myself.

I hardly consider yours truly as 'computer savvy', yet I'm finding my way and realizing I might be a bit more than I can give myself credit. 

Htmls. Java Script. &lt; and &gt;....whaaa?

But just look at me. Making my own bloggy buttons. AND! Scroll boxes, mind you.

I could NOT do this all on my own. I must give recognition where it is due. A certain Ms. Jenie Shell at Jenieshell.blogspot.com has the most wonderful and easy to fallow tutorials on creating buttons and scroll boxes for your own blog!  

Blog Button Tutorial
Scroll Box Tutorial

Now...I know I said it was all very, very easy, But- while making a scroll box I ran into a complication. Where she gives the details & the how to's, the part that says "YOUR TEXT HERE" you need to take your photo HTML code you've created and tweak it slightly. 

Otherwise, you end up with another picture/button. Check out the code decoders at JavaScriptKit.com {Wow. Just looking at the front page gives me a headache!}

click HERE and add in your html what-have-you to switch it up. Add that into place of your text and I believe you're good to go!
Woo-Hoo!
Thanks to Ms. Shell & the people at javascriptkit for being there to help poor, pathetic, technically unsavvy people such as myself!!!
{I would not have been able to do this with out them. Literally.}


Happy Button Making!!
♥

Fresh Batch

If these aren't the cutest darn things I've ever made....

 

Here at Black Heart Revolution, there is a plethora of vintage fabric & textiles. I love collecting beautiful prints of yesteryear, giving them new life, then sending these pieces out into the world where they can be loved affectionately by someone else.  

Trouble is, I sometimes get really attached to a particular print. I'll love it so, I'll make spectacular plans for transforming the fabric.{But} What if I never, ever ever ever find this again?? Or on a side point of that, I don't want to mess up and waste the fabric either. It's a funny contradiction, I know. Eventually I get over this phase and get on with my work, still, the first scissor snip is always pretty rough.

I made massive amounts of cocktail napkins the first time I spotted them on Design*Sponge. I was hooked on these cute little things & I made them for everyone I knew. Hostess gifts, house warmings, family events....from Hop-Ins to Pop-Ins uninvited. I was like a little cocktailnapkin-fairy-gnome spreading a cocktail napkin frenzy. Maybe a bit rampant, I admit, but geez.....how could people go on not having any??

Whatever the case, they are adorable, & I'm still quite obsessed. 

There will be no end to whipping up a fresh batch as long as there are cocktail parties, afternoon tea's and everything in between!

♥

November: Through the Looking Glass {A Linky Party}

 

I had a pleasant read this morning over at the Kanelstrand Blog. 

After indulging in a bit of chunky knit scarves then hopping and bopping around her site I came across some great buttons to add to my site and a chance to join in on her linky party featuring the beauty of nature through out the seasons. 

Sonya's beyond-gorgeous photos of Norway just blew me away. I fell in love with her image above. {& the one below. I'm a sucker for the sea}. As soon as I saw them all I could imagine was these turning into large scale oil paintings, in an impasto style, & hanging over a stone fireplace {which I unfortunately do not have}.

But a girl can dream, can't she?

For my own 'seascapes' & nature wonders, I found myself perusing through folder upon folder of photos. Ones I'd really like to start with were taken last November. Seems like a good place to start!

 My husband, Jamie, and I took the girls down to the lake to rest assure our summer memories of beach combing and picnicking. One last look before the grips of ice and snow would befall the land.

The wind blew hard, sending streams of sand transpiring the the shoreline into a flat, smooth plane.

{{   Presque Isle on the shores of Lake Erie {Erie, Pennsylvania} may be one of my all time favorite images I've ever captured. }}

It was only for a moment, as we reached the car parked near the end of this pathway, that the sun penetrated through the unyielding sky of cold, voluptuous clouds. The sleepy grass illuminated. Golden and brilliant. A fervor of yellow brass.

Often, this particular photograph reminds me of the movie James and the Giant Peach. When James is celebrating his birthday with his parents on the beach. This was the only still I could find from that part of the movie, but if you enjoyed this movie as much as I have, you'll know exactly the parts I'm thinking dearly of. 

A moment of blissful happiness verging on the cusp of a giant rhinoceros stampeding into their lives, unraveling everything as James knew it to be.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

So, there they are folks! My mish-mash of nature. Bound into all their glorious beauty!

♥

Back in Biz

A quadruplet of sisters fresh from the studio. For as cute as they turned out, I was having a helluva time creating their faces. I just couldn't decide what to make them look like. I always like to do "test faces" on a scrap of fabric I'm working with. Since they are made of flannel instead of the usual cotton, I had some challenges facing me {oh my, I just couldn't help it} beginning with the application of paint.

So I chose both faces!

These are so darling I can't even take it.You can find all these little Indie Rag Dolls in my Shop.

{{{I also take custom orders! Feel free to send me a message!!}}}

♥