Traveling IH 77

Traveling over Labor Day we took time to get off the road heading to Kansas .....the easy and quicker trip is taking IH 77 but this old road still has some interesting little towns along the way, some could actually be labeled as "Ghost Towns" by todays standards. One stop I have wanted to take....was a quick glance at, is Guthrie Oklahoma.
This former Oklahoma capital, is a town which is so quaint and picturesque, I hope to make more time in the future to actually stay a day or two.

Due to the early hours as we drove thru, many of the stores were closed, but this town is known as an Antique/Collectors dream.....known for its destination shopping.

Driving thru the many streets I could definitely attest to it.

Vintage Mexican Silver

I know quite a few Bloggers and Pinterest love to collect vintage jewelry and I'm no different.
The creative beauty of fine vintage jewelry makes the hunt more of a "love journey" than just a passion when adding to ones collection.
I have found that to be true when collecting vintage Mexican jewelry. It seems to be endless in its style, some are copied by todays designers and are sought after those who want to stand out in a crowd.
I can assure you, the later, is the most fun when I head out with my husband or just go out to do my grocery shopping.
The interesting looks and inquisitive gawkers, make it fun for me to just add a piece to my everyday jeans or dress up for that romantic evening.

This is a new favorite piece made from Mother of Pearl, what makes it fun is its Crown design, my husbands sense of humor has him smiling as he makes the Jaws theme sound and shouts "Sharknado!"

I just laugh, the colors go with everything, so it's an easy choice when I get ready.

The popular "Clamper" bracelet has more vibrant Blues and Greens

This fun Cuff also works with the Southwest look.

Anyway, these pieces have brought me lots smiles this summer and I hope to keep adding to my new found addiction.

Here's the finished house, I think my new fondness for the colors in the jewelry lead me to paint the house a more vibrant green, and now the house is finished and ready for the market!

Another "Crazy" Adventure...

Here we go taking on another crazy idea right in the middle of the scorching July heat wave, have the church remodel in Kansas going on and adding new water faucets to our own landscaping.....my husband decided that we should get one of our properties ready to sell.

Yuuup....he wants to take advantage of the Real Estate upswing and the recent neighborhood development in downtown SA, so why not jump in and make the bungalow ready????
Easy for him to say.....
but here we go....

This is the front of the Historical Bungalow getting a new fresh coat of paint after the front lawn was cleaned and readied for new sod and landscaping next week.

This is the back screened porch over looking the rear garage and the extra surprise found in some historical homes.....

This is the surprise....it's a little guest cottage, next to the detached garage, where the original owner who built it, used as sleeping quarters, as to not wake his family when he arrived home in the early hours...as you can see, we are working on the electrical and water lines to make it ready for those who would like to use it again, as a studio or guest quarters.

The main house  has 2 refinished bathrooms

Refinished hardwood floors throughout the home with original built ins.

In the process of having new countertops over original cabinets....black granite with a porcelain apron sink, something that would have been seen in similar era homes.

We're working on age appropriate lighting as well.

Can't wait until the landscaping is done next week......we get lots of drivebys and looki-loos...noticing something is happening, especially those young couples and families taking a Sunday drive.

 

This home is located in a "Hot" area of downtown, where the Pearl Brewery has had lot's of activity, converted spaces into shopping and living spaces, a new Boutique hotel under construction, lots of new dining spots and proposed trolley system.....all close to Muesums and Fort Sam.

 

It's nice to see their excitment.....so I hope we finish up soon and get it sold ASAP so I can continue with "MY" home projects.

Cross your fingers!!!

 

Look at what you can find on Craigslist!

Well friends alot has happened since my last post....so much that it has made it difficult to stay in touch let alone take a breath.
Just like many of you, the New Year brings new ideas and scheduling all the new projects becomes a bit more tight but we seem to manage....especially if we have plenty of caffine LOL.
Still, I find that this post will surprise some of you .... "Why?" Well how many would do this?
Yes many of love to shop and find those special treasures on Craigslist....furniture, Antiques maybe an antique car or vacation cabin?
But what about a Church for a vacation home!
Friends.....my husband and I found a beautiful Church in Kansas, sitting and waiting for someone to be crazy enough to buy her.
So I guess we're crazy....because we bought our church late last year and this is what I have been dealing with for most of this year so far.

 

The original church was built in the late 1890's, with this brick building being built in its place in 1904. The church also comes with an additional 2 story school building which we have begun to remodel for our vacation home and Parsonage which we have rented out to a nice family.

 

What we found delightful was all the original stained glass windows that are found throughout the church, the light and tranquilty of this church is just wonderful.

 

The Rose Window sits over the alter and the large original organ.

 

Can you believe how lucky we were to find the church came with all the pews and other church supplies.

It was sad to see the church closed up when we first walked in....the vast open space gave us a clue that it was indeed the best find ever.

I'll be posting more pictures when I can, but the remodel of the school will take sometime to complete, but we have already made some changes and have vacationed there several times already ...for Easter....we had our own little service with coffee and the morning sun shining bright into our church as if to say Welcome Home!

 

One dream I have for this place is to find itself being a part of special memories as a Boutique Venue for weddings or parties or other events for the locals and those close to the area.....the school classrooms would be great for special Crafting/Blog weekends....or if you have any other ideas, please free to send them to me.....we're just starting this adventure and would love to hear your ideas.

Have a wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

New Year & New Endevors

Happy New Year to all and warm wishes to those who find themselves looking forward to new ideas and dreams for the upcoming year.
I thought I would try a new approach to New Year resolutions and focus more on my personal creativity and not just the professional one.
I always focused my art as the "Job" aspect, a profession and a way to pay my bills....not really looking at it as a representation of my gift...we all have gifts that we were blessed with in one way or another but I'll speak for myself, I never really took my talent to another level.
I have found many gifted artists sharing their journey on their web sites or postings, but really never understood the other facet to their art.
So now I want to try to tap into that special place many of these artists have shown and shared with others....it will take a while to get there but I do hope to reach a new part of that journey this year.
So what better way to try it but to create something entirely different, so here I am, trying to paint for my Love, my husband and his passion for cars.

Here is an Original picture of "Rose" one of his favorites, a Cadillac.

Here is my interpretation done in Acrylic

Here is a restored Austin Healy

His review and note taking before he starts his restoration.

Giving him a bit of encouragment by painting one already finished.

After working on these 2 paintings, I'm finding I'm having fun working the details of the metal and chrome....I've always liked trying something new and I might of just found it.

 

 

Christmas in Colonial Virginia

I just returned from a short trip to Williamsburg Virginia.....what a wonderful experience.
This area of the country was completely new to me, what I knew of it was thru school books and old black and white classic movies, but actually being there was amazing for all the senses..especially smelling the fruits, garlands and roasted chestnuts.
The scenery was amazing, the tall trees and the old shaker homes, transported you back to the founding fathers....but what brought you back to today was the glorious christmas lights and majestic natural decorations.
                                 
Here are a few pictures of the interesting sites I saw this weekend...this was the  Christmas market in Yorktown along the Virginia coast...it kicked the Holiday season with festive music and demonstrations....they even shared how to roast chestnuts and braid your own green garland.

Natural decorative garlands...

Colonial-styled dressed musicians

even their pets were in the Holiday mood!

Front doors decorated in festive wreathes.

Happy Holloween...At Gatherings

Sorry for advertising sales found in the booth....but the Holloween decor was to fun not to photograph.
Whenever I'm in Austin Texas, I make it a point to stop by "Gatherings" just north of the city in Georgetown. It is worth dealing with the traffic....because when you walk into the store, you loose yourself in the fun and beauty this store offers.

Just look at the festive Witches hat!

Happy Holloween