IF: Stargazing

An oldie that fit the bill…

Another oldie…

He made his way into the shop along with a bunch of new prints.

xo

nessa dee

New Prints!

Here are the new prints:

They’ll be making their way into the shop along with this original painting. I think I’ll call him Patches.

Keep your eyes peeled for this stuff making their way into the shop over the next couple of days.

xo

nessa dee

These boots are made for walking…

and climbing…

and sliding…

and swinging…

and lounging…

They may not be the most ideal footwear for outdoor play, but how can a boy choose tennis shoes over the coolest pair pair of boots ever?

xo

nessa dee

P.S. You may or may not have noticed a few new items showing up in the shop. I’ve been gradually adding items, and will continue adding more throughout the week. I’m super duper excited about some new prints, and will reveal them all on this blog pretty soon. Keep checking!

Getting Ready…

Guess what I’ve been up to this week. Here’s a hint…

Yep! I’m prepping for school. I can’t believe summer’s almost over. I can’t believe school’s about to start. I can’t believe we’re over half way through 2010. My how time speeds up each year.

This year should prove to be interesting. Not only am I starting Finn on a more formal school schedule, but I’ve joined our homeschool cooperative. We’re going to meet every Friday, and each of the kids will be taking three classes. Finn will have some regular preschool classes, while Audrie will be taking a sewing, Ancient Rome, and literary class. I’ll even be teaching an Exploration in Art class which will probably be frequently documented on this blog as I’ll be using my kids as test subjects for the art projects I’m planning for the class [aka Crafty Friday will return!]

Well, I’ve gotta run and do the soccer mom thing. Be checking back for new shop updates. I’m awaiting an order of a bunch of new prints, and I’ll have some originals ready as well.

xo

nessa dee

I Love…

… hearing my daughter read to my son.

Such sweet moments.

xo

nessa dee

Harvey the Robot

Little Harvey here just made his way to The Wondercraft airstream trailer, and is waiting for someone to take him home.

Harvey joined some more small birdie paintings of mine, as well as a plethora of handmade gifts and goodies by local Austin artisans, which are all housed inside Stella, the airstream trailer. If you’re ever in the Austin area, you should definitely stop by and see all that The Wondercraft team has to offer.

To learn more about The Wondercraft and what they do, check out their site.

Also, check back later this week. I’m finally going to update my Etsy shop with more goodies. And now that I’ve told you here on this blog, I have to do it, which means I’ve got to go make the stuff now.

xo

nessa dee

Trash Chair

I don’t know about you, but I love a good deal. If I can buy something for next to nothing, I’m super pumped. If I can get it for nothing, well then I’m just giddy. Based on that information, you’ve probably deduced that I like garage sales, I shop at thrift stores, I welcome hand-me-downs, and yes, I’ve been known to rescue things out of trash piles. I’m not afraid of the bad and ugly. I actually like taking an old piece of junk from shabby to chic. Here are a few of my finds…

*An antique chair I found on Craigslist. It’ll probably get painted black and recovered of course.

*Some doors from an old house in Dallas. Someone was selling them at a garage sale in my neighborhood.

They’re going to have a future life as red track doors in the bathroom between my kids’ rooms. Hopefully they’ll look something like this…

Above: A San Francisco entry by Feldman Architecture.

[photo courtesy Southern Living]

The best part is my heavy, solid wood doors cost me about $22 a piece!

*A vanity that my grandparents retrieved from one of their rental properties. It’s in the process of getting a new shade of watermelon pink and will find a new home in my daughter’s bedroom to join it’s matching chest of drawers.

[Here’s the mirror being painted by moi. Just look how happy I am probably because I got this set for free. Or maybe I’m just high on paint fumes.]

Eventually we’ll get the matching double bed in with the set, but right now it’s serving as our guest bed.

* This light fixture I found at a garage sale for $3. I don’t know where I’m going to put it yet, but how could I pass it up for $3? Plus I saw the same fixture, just slightly larger on Craigslist for $250. Maybe I should just sell it and make a profit. Shh, don’t tell anyone what I paid for it.

*And finally, this post’s namesake…the trash chair. I found this little number out on the curb with the trash. I was actually on my way to go to some antique stores with my moms when the chair caught my eye. It was the only thing I brought home that day. Cost = free.

It will soon look something like this and join all of the other brightly painted pieces in Audrie’s room:

photo by bhg.com

So now you know more about me and my obsession with junk, I mean, bargains. I’ll update you soon with finished pieces.

Until then, I’ll leave you with one of my re-dos. This was a hand-me-down from my Aunt and Uncle. It used to be a shade of cranberry and my husband was not too happy about my bringing it home.

I ignored his complaints, and like most of my furniture finds I painted it black and distressed the edges. It’s now one of my favorite pieces, and I’d say it looks fairly similar to this piece from Pottery Barn that retails for $1,499:

Did I tell you how much I love good deals?

xo

nessa dee