I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Day.  We sure did.  And now we’re starting a-fresh.  Not only am I working out (most fun workout EVER), but I’m packing all our stuff up and we’re moving in less than a month!

New house, new friends, new city.

It’s all quite bittersweet, but we’re always game for new adventure.

By the way, I got a serger for Christmas (from my wonderful mother-in-law who is also responsible for the above gingerbread house).  I can’t wait to bust that out.  Maybe I can sew a T-shirt that’s got some stretch to it.  Unlike this one.  (Dear Cal Patch, I haven’t forgotten you.)

I also scored some great books from Evan and his brother.  They love me.

I wish that I could share piles of handmade gifts I crafted for everyone.  Alas, this was not the year for it.  Evan’s mother did make some adorable pajama pants for the kids though.  And his grandfather made Jacob a beautiful wooden highchair.  Like this one that he made for Evan nearly 30 years ago.

It’s a little busy, perhaps.  But I’m kinda starting from scratch here and have a long way to go.  The living room in our apartment is a bit awkward.  The window is smack-dab in the middle, and it’s way too high on the wall.  I’m trying to make it work!

We’re borrowing the sofa from my Mother-in-Law.  And the little dresser.  I’ve thought about covering the sofa in bleached muslin or something of that nature, but I sort of love the 80s charm of it.  Is that weird?

One of my pictures was on decor8 today, which just made my heart leap with glee.

(Top left is our bedroom, right alongside some of my favorite inspirations on the internet.)

Thanks, Holly, for the mention!

We’re just starting to feel a bit settled here.  This corner of our bedroom is filled with favorite things: a vintage Luxo lamp ($3 at a yard sale in Blacksburg), a vintage GE alarm clock ($3.50 on eBay + $7 shipping), robin’s egg blue table ($20 at an antiques mall in Tulsa), and refashioned vintage hankie art by me (hankie = $2).  Oh, and that Liberty of London mug  is new but still a favorite ($6 at Target).

I love finding a good deal on something old and pretty.  Especially when that old, pretty thing is still quite useful.

But altering an old, pretty, and useful thing can be rewarding too. :)

I hope you enjoyed this tiny peak at our new place.  More show-and-tell to come!

And Friday, we officially set out on our journey to Virginia.  Tulsa has been a fantastic home for us for almost 5 years.  Evan made his first short film here.  I began to blog, sew, crochet, and take pictures of it all right here.

We had two babies here.

And we bought a house.

And we made some really great friends.

We are sad to leave our friends and home–but always game for new adventures!

Goodbye, Tulsa!  We heart you.

Just to give you a frame of reference for the new wall arrangement, this is what the “art wall” looked like last year in July:

(Photo by my friend Sarah)

And have you seen the site Art Wall and its Flickr group?  Tons and tons of inspiration there.  And I’ve contributed to it probably more than I should have. :)

Enjoy!

P.S. Here’s what I was talking about last year on Cinco de Mayo.  I sure don’t seem festive.  Weird.

Don’t stop.

Don’t stop ’til you get enough.  -MJ

Apparently, I haven’t had enough yet. :)

Whilst cleaning out the cabinets to prepare our house to show, I found 7 little cupcake liners in pretty pastel hues.  For a moment I thought about tossing them in the trash, then a thought occurred to me.  Why not refashion them?

So here’s what I did:

Step One: Fold liners.

Step Two: String ‘em, space ‘em out, knot ‘em, and fluff ‘em.

Step Three: Hang garland.

The garland is so lightweight that you can tape it up with Scotch tape wherever you please.  Perfect in a little girl’s room or as a last-minute party decoration.  And with the multitude of cupcake papers available, you’re sure to find some that fit your style and color scheme.  I used a thin cotton crochet thread and a large needle to string mine. :)

We just put our house back on the market.  I don’t think I ever told y’all that it was off the market for a couple months.  Selling your house is stinkin’ hard work!

But we’re giving it another go.

Please pray for it to sell fast!