the old white house

Thanks Debra!

words to live by...

2012-01-19T09:25:00.001-05:00

Source: createfindadmire.tumblr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

One of my favorite things about pinterest are the wonderful and insightful quotes that I find to add to my Words To Live By pin board.

I just thought I would share one of them with you today...

Happy Thursday!

love,
Theresa xoxo

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the story of a simple piece of string...

2012-01-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

How does something as simple as cotton string create a whole new room?

My drop cloth curtains in the dining room needed new tiebacks,

so I grabbed my butchers string from the bucket that it resides

and crocheted some new tiebacks for the dining room!

It was a nice sunshiny day and that coupled with the new tiebacks led to a fresh, clean room!

(o.k. that coupled with some window cleaner, a vacuum,

and a bucket of vinegar water and some elbow grease!)

The tiebacks were just the excuse I needed to rearrange and freshen things in here.

Last years boxwood wreath bit the dust while decorating for Christmas

and this old mirror frame with last springs wreath took its place.

The metal basket filled with blue jars was a special Christmas gift...

as was this little frame, I put one of the few pictures that I have of my mammy in it.

( I love it, even if it's small and a bit blurry... she is feeding a puppy)

I balanced all of the light colors in the room with this black dresser on the short wall

before the living room.

AHHHHHHHH gotcha!

I wasn't "balancing" anything on purpose!

This dresser was put here when the Christmas tree came in the room

and I liked it so much that this is where it stayed!

(that's the truth, the whole truth!)

During the holidays, when everyone was showing all of the Anthro inspired snow globes,

I made one of my own.

A vintage wedding cake topper on a small silver coaster

on top of a candle holder.

It will probably stay out way past Valentines Day.

As for this girl, she made it safely to Atlanta and the happiness in her voice

is music to my ears!

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers. xoxoxox

These are pics that I shot through the window in the comfort of my semi-warm (old house)

kitchen of her and Duane tying down all of her must-have treasures.

She doesn't miss the cold at all!

so that's the story of how a bit of cotton string can create a whole new room!

(Who would have thought that something as basic as curtain tiebacks

would force me to redecorate the whole room?)

ohhh you, of course!

Thanks for stopping by!

love,

Theresa xoxoxo

linking up to:

Primp your stuff Wednesday

What's it Wednesday

Thanks for the parties girls!

newest creations...

2012-01-14T13:14:00.003-05:00

Thank you everyone for your advice and kind words over my last post...

I see that many of us suffer from the same "problem" of wanting to create in so many mediums!

Last night I turned to my latest venture...

many, many years ago, when I was about 20, or so I found this picture at a garage sale,

I fell for this grandpa-man immediately... he just looks so approachable, doesn't he?

(it's gotta be the mustache!)

Last night while we watched a couple of movies,

I finished stringing a few more necklaces.

It was a great night spent with some of my favorite people in the world,

a good movie, old jewels, old silver, and glass beads,

and homemade popcorn...

enough to make a girls night complete!

Happy Weekend!

If you would be so kind as to keep Danielle in your prayers I would appreciate it,

she heads out for Atlanta tomorrow,

a mama's gonna need some prayers too!

thanks <3

love,

Theresa xoxo

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what to do, what to do...

2012-01-12T07:54:00.002-05:00

I love to visit pinterest and all of my favorite blogs for inspiration, but recently I decided to

check out my own pics for a jolt of inspiration

(like a walk down memory lane)

and I think it's time to plug in the soldering iron again...

could my kids recent moves be what draws me to this one?

and then I came across this bag, and now I want to plug in my sewing machine...

I have more sweaters...

and more skirts for more pillows...

but I also have a few more of these vintage trophy ribbons in my stash...

is this starting to sound like one of Deb's squirrel alerts?

and then Santa brought me a dremel for Christmas...

(we are now eating with plastic silverware!)

At the moment, I am making a few special orders with special phrases

of this Valentine heart...

Is it a bad thing to want to create with so many different mediums?

I didn't even bring up the collage work and assemblage that I want to do...

At times I question my direction as an artist and small business owner.

Am I really doing myself any favors by going in so many different directions?

When I have tried to concentrate on only one or two things,

I find myself feeling antsy,

or feeling maybe a bit more squirrely than antsy actually.

There is that one thing that always comes into play when I make something,

making something new from something old, creating something it was never intended to be.

Did you know that when you type in repurposed it comes up as misspelled?

It's not recognized as a word except with those of us

who can't help but look at something

and think...

what if I did this to that, and then put this here, and cut this off...

you get the picture, right?

I knew that you did :)

you get me... thank you for that!

so be it upcycled, repurposed, recycled, or whatever the spell check will accept,

I will surely be doing more of it starting next week!

Gotta get my head back in the game so to speak.

til next time,

love,

Theresa xoxoxoox

linking up to:

Thanks for the parties girls!

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I love homemade gifts, don't you?

2012-01-08T21:28:00.003-05:00

The kids draw names for Christmas every year, and this year John got Danielle's name.

Not all of the kids make their presents, but I love it when they make at least part of it.

John and I tossed around a few ideas, He really wanted to make her present, and while shopping

at the Good Will he spotted this black lamp and it even had a great shade on it, so to

personalize it for her we used the transfer method of photocopying an image on a laser printer,

covering the image with gel medium, and then placing the image face down

on the shade, canvas, fabric.. you get the idea.

When the gel medium is dry you rub the paper off with water and waalaa

like magic the image is transferred to the shade!

(Danielle LOVES old Hollywood and vintage pin-up girls)

so he looked for a good one for her and found these two girls in full pin up attire.

(Well, as full as pin up attire goes!)

We then added some pleated satin and velvet trim around the top and the bottom of the shade

to give it a more finished look.

I think it turned out fabulous!

It is sooooooo her style!

and she loved it!

What do I love most about it?

Collaborating with this guy to make it!

I loved how determined he was to make at least part of the gift that he would give his sister

for her new apartment in Atlanta.

While John was home for Christmas we went thrifting,

Christmas shopping, visiting relatives, out to lunch with my dad and sister, Molly, played Yahtzee, we

cooked, (he taught me how to be a better vegan cook and new items to shop for),

In fact, he cooked our entire Christmas dinner - except the ham for the carnivores!

we laughed, we had great conversations,

(the first night he was home him, Cameron, Max and I

stayed up until 4:00 in the morning talking, it was fabulous!)

and we created art.

It doesn't get better than that!

I had a hard time telling him good by the other day, and I hope we

are able to see each other again soon,

cuz as all you moms know,

when your house is missing one, two, or even three of your babies,

a piece of you goes with them.

Can you feel the love? I see it in all of these beautiful faces.

Duane's birthday is New Years day and we had a quiet dinner at home.

per his usual request. John and Cam couldn't make it, but this picture

says it all for me... love.

I love this lil family that I was blessed with.

Danielle moves to GA. on Friday, so this week will be

an emotional roller coaster ride for me.

Good thing she makes me laugh like crazy,

I'm gonna need some humor!

Gotta let them fly...

and I know she will soar!

love,

Theresa xoxoxoxoxo

A BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

2012-01-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

I have been having major problems with our internet... I am really going through some tough

blogging withdrawals...

it's not pretty people, not pretty!

Seriously, someone needs to mend this quickly so I can do all of the things I want to do on the blog.

I have so many ideas to share,

posts that I NEED to post.

I have been thinking of ways that I would change up things over here.

Post more, tutorials coming your way, lots of fun things on the horizon...

now I just need our router to cooperate!

As soon as it does, I want to show you some of the fun I have been having over here!

(Right now I am sitting in the public library in the young adult room,

acting like a young adult,

and whining because I miss all of my friends!)

Until this gets worked out these librarians can expect to see much more of me around here!

I don't let myself whine for too long though

sooooooo

on to happier things...

This was one of our presents from Hannah...

another reason why her and I love/stalk

Pinterest!

She saw this idea on there and then proceeded to make three of them to give as presents!

I think it turned out beautifully, I love the little girl that Hannah painted, blowing bubbles

under a rainstorm of green and yellow.

Also, before Christmas I won a giveaway from Jeanine over at

Okio B Designs

I received a box stuffed with crafting supplies and oh my gosh,

I cannot wait to show you some of the creations that come from

Jeanine's generosity!

She is not only generous in her giveaway but she give us doses of inspiration on a daily basis...

go and check her out,

you will be so glad that you did!

Hannah, Max and I were all digging through the box, coming up with ideas for all of the goodies!

(Jeanine's picture, we tore the box open like wild animals-

I think we are lucky the mail lady will still deliver to our home!)

For instance Jeanine put a paper mache' dress form in the box

and I snagged it before the kids did, because a couple of years ago

I made this silver platter assemblage and it sold on etsy,

and I have been wanting one of my own for a while now

so THANK YOU Jeanine for contributing to our crafting habits!

I think my new one will be wearing some of the hand stamped ribbon that was in the prize box!

THANK YOU JEANINE!!! XOXO

You see, I have so much to share with you...

but the girls just flickered the lights over here and I think that must mean last call

or something, so I gotta say good by for now.

Please know that I'm thinking about you and wondering what you have been up to!

You can bet there will be a great game of catch-up the next time I can link up,

whether here at the library or hopefully in the comfort of my own home, where people

won't look at me weird when I laugh out loud or ooooh and ahhhh while

oogling all of your beautiful creations!

I hope you have a fabulous 2012, full of love, laughter and many blessings...

in other words...

may your cup spilleth over!

and when it does, may you have a super sized

SHAMWOW

to mop up the excess!!!

love,

Theresa xoxoxoxoxoox

Thank goodness it's a season and not a day...

2011-12-26T21:24:00.002-05:00

I hope that all of you had a beautiful Christmas day full of love and time spent with those you love.

Mine was wonderful.

The last few days leading up to it...

not so much.

too much stress, even though I didn't want it that way, it seemed impossible to avoid.

all is not lost.

Christmas is not a day,

it is a season.

I will be spending the rest of my Christmas season reflecting on its meaning

and how my own life is a reflection of the love that has been given to me.

We have always celebrated "Little Christmas", the Epiphany,

and so I will be celebrating Christmas

for 11 more days!

Lots of time for relaxing and taking it all in!

I hope that you all had a most blessed and joyful Christmas day and that the rest of the

season brings more of the same!

fa la la,

Theresa xoxo

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keeping it simple...

2011-12-21T12:55:00.002-05:00

keeping it simple this year.

My time for decorating has gotten away from me this year,

I had a busy time with my etsy shop (yay!) and some of the other events around here and so I'm thinking that keeping it simple will keep the season in perspective for me.

In years past, I have pulled out tubs and tubs of ornaments and tried to recreate

the 'perfect' Christmas, only to feel deflated afterwards.

I have decided that for me the perfect Christmas is the one where I can

look around the room and see the smiling faces that I love so much.

(that is truly enough ornamentation for me!)

I love decorating this mantle most of all.

This urn of white branches has come in pretty handy...

It was used in the show that I did as an ornament display,

and then it became the Thanksgiving tree...

I hung a piece of scrapbook paper cut in a scallop shape with

everyone's name on it and then left a bowl of more circles for

us to write what we are thankful for.

I have enjoyed it so much that I decided to hang ornaments from it for Christmas!

My Advent candles from last year, the ex voto lockets that hang from them

are from none other than Rosemary from Ozma of Odds

they are truly a work of art and I have kept them out all year long.

I added some greens that my friend Julie and I scavenged from around town,

we had a fun time clipping greens from her friends house and from an abandoned building in town,

and it is now a favorite Christmas memory...

thanks Julie!

I painted this angel for my mom many years ago and when she

passed away it came home with me.

I can't help but think of her, and when I look at this I relive the Christmas that I gave it to her.

my attempt at bringing a little JDA into the house...

This huge tree top was something that Julie and I brought home that day.

She knew of another friend that just trimmed the tree for their house and we picked up some

of the clippings... I have not seen their tree, but if this was a clipping it must be huge!

I dragged it to the truck and it was the first thing to get carried into the house!

I shopped the barn and put it inside an old galvanized cooler,

my family hasn't commented and that usually

means that they think I have finally lost it, but I love it :)

I wish that I could tell you that these next pictures are from our excursion to get

our tree this week, but unfortunately it is unseasonably warm here in Michigan

and we have not had the snow that I look forward to for Christmas.

These are actually from last year,

we missed the horses and the snowfall, but we did manage to get a really

pretty tree and I finally got it in the house and put the lights on it last night.

Today will include getting some ornaments on the tree,

although Hannah says that she is good with just the lights!

I do love those old fashioned C7 bulbs...

sooooo pretty :)

and last but not least...

we were able to visit Santa this week too!

whew!

These people are so sweet and have this little shed

turned Christmas wonderland set up in their yard for the local kids to visit with Santa!

(not sure what the caterpillar has to do with Christmas and you know that I soooo

wanted to do a little restyling in the shed, but as for Mr. and Mrs. Claus...

they are perfect!

Danielle brought John home from the airport last night...

I had all 5 kids sleeping under my roof and it would have been just perfect if Duane would have been

home but he had to go out of town on business.

I felt terrible for him, I know his heart was here with us.

He will be home tonight, not sure that I will be able to keep the 4:00am

bedtime that I did last night, but the conversation was worth every minute of lost sleep!

I hope all is well with you and yours, and that you are

enjoying every minute of this precious season upon us!

I hope to be back one more time before Christmas!

fa la la,

Theresa xoxo

linking up to:

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

What's it Wednesday

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one ornament at a time...

2011-12-14T21:16:00.001-05:00

todays mantra...

I seriously need to get more decorating done around here!

It has been so crazy that although I do have a little more finished than

putting an ornament on Louise here, it's not much, and certainly not photo worthy.

Plus, I absolutely couldn't take a wide shot,

cuz then you would SEE the crazy that is happening in my house!!!

(and in my head)

I just had to stop by and say hello,

I've been missing all of you and our little chats!

fa la la,

Theresa xoxo

linking to

around the house...

2011-12-08T12:03:00.002-05:00

we say this.

and seeing that everything becomes a competition,

even telling one another how much we love each other,

you must win the competition with

I love you most.

This was a special order for the shop

I loved making it and added the design to the rest of the "keeping Christmas simple" heart ornies.

I couldn't believe I didn't think of it first...

anyway I'm so glad that one of my shops visitors did!

*********

The last couple of weeks have been frustrating to say the least.

Danielle's car broke down and so I lent her my truck to go to work.

(she works 2 hours from her house-I work 5 min. from mine)

We got her car running over the weekend

(or so we thought)

Today I make plans to go see my dad, and am so looking forward to a long overdue visit,

go to get into her car and now there is something dragging from underneath it.

ugh.

really?

so you know what this means, besides not being able to see my dad and miss out on a fun outing with him?

yep, I haven't done any shopping either, except for the things that I have gotten online,

mostly from etsy I might add!

Looking on the bright side,

(cuz that's what I do)

good thing we kept her car here for a trial ride to make sure that it was going to run for her,

or else she would have been stranded with no way to get to work!

(and she leaves in the wee hours of the morning)

things work out for the best.

for some of us anyway.

fa la la ing

my way through this.

fa la la,

Theresa xoxo

take good care of this moment...

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Lynn over at Blue Skies is having a wonderful new linky party.

The kind that makes you reflect

on a moment in your day.

I just loved this idea, the thought of keeping a moment

in a safe place, taking good care of it.

My moment happened as I was making the advent calendar with Hannah and Max.

The Christmas Carols were playing and we each had our assigned job.

As we were finishing the calendar, I stopped to look at each of them, all caught up

in the task at hand, and thanked God again for allowing me to be their mom.

I am blessed.

my family knows that they hold the key to my heart.

It is strange some days, having only the two of them home now.

If I could, I would go back in time and relive the moments

with all 5 kids home and make sure that I was taking good care of each

and every second that we were all together.

Good or bad, each moment that we have had has given us a bond

of love that I hold dear.

Sometimes as Hannah, Max and I do a project together,

I have flashbacks of doing projects with Danielle, John and Cam.

Hannah and Max weren't old enough to make cookies with us then,

or create a new Christmas ornament, so this is their time.

The circle of life so to speak... my life anyway!

Soon we will all be together for Christmas,

and we can wear our paper party hats and celebrate

our family and all that it means to us.

O.k.... truth be told getting everyone to agree to wear a paper party hat

will not happen, so I will just imagine them wearing them.

Kinda like imagining the audience in their underwear as you give a speech!

I hope you will go and visit Lynn and read her last few posts about

taking good care of this moment.

They are so inspirational.

Thanks Lynn for the party and the reminder to stop and take it all in!

just click on the button to take you to the party!

fa la la,

Theresa xoxo

our new advent calendar...

2011-11-30T18:31:00.001-05:00

one of Max's favorites

Hannah's favorites... the H for Hein (or Hannah) and the ballerina

I love the red shoe... thank you Barbie!

and of course baby Jesus... a favorite of all of ours.

My inspiration came from the Junk Drawer Advent Calendar over at

One Lucky Day

the first time I saw the one that they made, I just knew that one day I would make one.

Well, that day was actually a few days

and I didn't even make mine as detailed as theirs is!

I stamped the small tags with a script stamp in red and then stamped

the days onto them, and then I scrounged through all of my doodads to

find the treasures for the tags.

I tried to make sure that there was a good mixture and that they would

mean something to all of us.

I wanted our calendar to have pockets of some sort so that I could put treats in them for the kids.

(they would not have been so eager to help me assemble it today if there wasn't going to be treats involved!)

I folded an envelope in half and then I sewed a square of burlap onto the front.

Then I glued the tags on top of the burlap and the twine into the inside corner.

A friend of mine gave me the idea to string the tags onto a large frame,

and when I told Hannah the idea, she thought the chalkboard could be the huge frame.

So we stapled the twine to the sides and tied the tags to it.

We had an assembly line going as I glued, Max sorted and handed me the pockets and tags,

and Hannah cut string and tied them up.

family project for a sick day for the kids.

Hopefully they are good to go to school tomorrow!

We had our first snowfall last night, we only got 2" or so but the

communities around us got hit pretty hard with about 10"!

We were one of the only cities in the area to have school today.

excuse the screen but this is the view from my kitchen window,

I haven't put up curtains in a while and this is why...

it gives me the opportunity to keep an eye on Max when he is back there playing with his buddies!

fa la la...

Theresa xoxo

linking up to:

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

What's it Wednesday

etsy love...

2011-11-29T05:52:00.000-05:00

'dear Santa' by theoldwhitehouse

I may need to make myself a bigger stocking!

FREE SHIPPING Christmas Gift... lonkoosh $89.00	Roses crochet neckwarmer AOD... Ayca $37.60	Felted slippers ROSES and 2... ing00te $75.00	circa 1845 Hudson Valley NY ... goseek $145.00
Circus Sideshow Lampshade SpookyShades $45.00	Arctic Fox Ornament Needle F... fancytiger $14.00	Stardom Seeking Slip Dress- ... janethillstudi... $55.00	two cement acorns unpotpourri $36.00
Be Present Every Day groundwork $20.00	20% OFF - French Farmhouse T... ARTISANIEeurop... $45.00	Vintage Inspired French Grav... PetiteMichelle... $10.50	city lamp umbu $175.00
Clay Art Dolls -The Seamstre... MarysGranddaug... $225.00	mitten15 dadaya $240.00	Divine Vintage No.3 Necklace... alabasterrosed... $138.00	Antique Shabby Chic Edwardi... GossipGirls $34.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I promise...

I've been mostly good!

see you later so I can share some new Christmas goodies with you!

love,

Theresa xoxo

blog love weekend sale

2011-11-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

FA LA LA

from me to you!!!

I have taken the pushing and shoving of the weekend out of the equation for you...

Stop by

The Old White House

this weekend for these and more Christmas treasures

for you and those special people on your list!

and because you are the special people on MY list

use the coupon code

bloglove

for an additional 5% from the already 20%

I am offering for my

Black Friday-Cyber Sale Etsy Weekend!

( these are the items that I will be listing today

so be sure to hop on over throughout the weekend to see them as soon as they appear)

Thank you for your friendship and blog love!

love,

Theresa xoxo

xoxo

2011-11-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

May your day be full of more blessings

to be thankful for!

love,

Theresa xoxo

meet violet...

2011-11-23T15:37:00.006-05:00

All of the planets lined up and I was able to collage this morning!

Last night I dyed the ribbon and could not wait to use it on something.

I laid the gauze over the photo and sewed and sewed,

then I snipped around the photo so she could peek through.

Then as I looked over the table to find something for the bottom of the piece

my eyes wandered over to the wax paper that I used for the ribbon dyeing.

WAALAA a pocket, I stitched it to a doily that I sprayed with a little

glimmer mist and then I tucked a few special items into the pocket.

A vintage monopoly card-Indiana Avenue, a snippet of receipt paper,

the definition of lady and a metal V...

I'm naming her Violet.

A scrap of blue fabric tape measure topped with an old key and a

silver bird hanging from a little hook that I fashioned from a bit of wire.

WOW that felt good!

I have also made us a batch of body wash...

thank you Pinterest

Source: familyoffarmers.blogspot.com via Theresa on Pinterest

So now we have a whole lot of wonderful smelling soap!

I didn't use Mrs. Meyers, I used a vegetable based lavender soap

and then I added a little lavender essential oil to it.

It is marvelous and just look how much money I'm saving!

I just love that part! ;)

So if you too would like to save some of your hard earned dollarinoes

then go check this out! It really is very easy to make, I promise!

I took a ton of pictures this morning while the sun was shining, of all of the goodness

that I am listing in my etsy tonight. I will be having a Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Extravaganza at The Old White House and I would love it if you stopped by!

Lots of deals to be had... take that Wally World!

One last photo ~
at the show last week I traded with my friend Debby ~ a beautiful poinsettia for a couple of

my Santa ornaments. I'm hoping she will enjoy the ornaments as much as I am enjoying my

beautiful flower!

O.k. back to getting ready for tomorrow...

Have a wonderful night!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking up to:

Primp your stuff Wednesday
Vintage Inspiration Friday

advent candles...

2011-11-17T14:21:00.000-05:00

please excuse the quality of the photos,

it is a very overcast day with the tiniest of snowfall,

but I wanted to share something with you before it gets packed up for the show.

I just knew those wooden boxes that I bought last year at a garage sale

would come in handy!

One candle for each week of Advent,

not your typical Advent wreath but

I'm not that typical either!

(or at least I like to think I'm not!)

Happy Wednesday...

I need to get ready for work now,

gotta see if I can shake all of the glitter off of me!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to:

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

joy...

2011-11-14T19:04:00.002-05:00

joyful heart.

This was the theme of my crafting today.

I really didn't give it any thought,

it just came naturally to me.

lucky me

I'm hoping your heart is also full of joy today!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to:

Creative Things Thursday

is it just me?

2011-11-10T22:28:00.001-05:00

I have a soft spot for the old stern St. Nick photos of the past...

(imagine being a small child and wanting THIS guy to show up in the middle of the night!)

...and he is the kinder gentler version!

If you were on the naughty list, this might be who showed up...

I know, right?

not scary at all!

guess what?

I have some exciting news for all of us burlap and typography lovers...

see that burlap behind the scary Santa?

I found it at Joann's the other day while I was gathering supplies for my upcoming show

and stopped. right. in. my. tracks.

whaaaaat? printed burlap?

gaaaaaaaa!

(insert another version of the happy dance)

the one that come to think of it, probably looked like I needed to use the bathroom!

(man I hope their security camera is fake)

The clerk told me that they just got it in, so run... don't walk, to your nearest joanns for your share!

I just bought a small amount of it so as not to go crazy and wrap my whole house in it!

Some of the print is quite heavy but the possibilities are enormous!

no. really. enormous!

So back to the stern Santa...

Is it just me or do you have a love/fear relationship with him too?

As you can see, I have been rufflin and glueing and sewing over here.

I have more to show you but honestly, if my tired brain spells one more word

wrong I might do something to put myself on the naughty list.

and I don't think we want that to happen, do we?

Sweet Dreams,

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to:

WhisperWood Cottage Burlap Party

Show and Tell Friday

remember these?

2011-11-07T19:28:00.001-05:00

Karen from The Graphics Fairy did and she brought them out of her

archives to feature them on her blog today!

Imagine my surprise to see a picture of the Christmas ornament that I made last year,

and my name on Karen's Face Book status!

I am beyond thrilled!

Wanna do the "Happy Dance" with me?

I really don't like to dance alone...

but you know I am dancing over here!

Thanks Karen!

fa la la

love,

Theresa

homemade doughnuts...

2011-11-06T16:41:00.001-05:00

mmmmmm doughnuts.

As I was making our 'Famous Sunday breakfast', dubbed that by Max,
Hannah and Max made our favorite special breakfast treat... homemade doughnuts!

These are one of those recipes that my mom used to make,

and are really too simple to taste as good as they do!

here's all you do:

Purchase the 4 pack of refrigerator biscuits,separate the biscuits, and use the cap from a bottle

such as a water bottle to cut the doughnut hole out of the center.

Pour some oil (we use canola oil) into a heavy pan,

about 1 inch or so worth

let the oil get hot enough to fry the doughnuts and place the dough gently into the pan.
when you see the bottom of the doughnut turn golden brown then gently

turn them over for another couple of seconds.

We put about 4 or 5 in the pan at one time, you have to watch them closely, they cook really fast.
I don't think they take more than a minute or two to cook.

Be careful... we are talking about really hot oil!

Then scoop them out with a long handled slotted spoon

and put them on a plate with a towel for draining.

Now came Max's job...

roll them in cinnamon sugar.

we also like to use powdered sugar,
and even warm up a little chocolate frosting and frost the doughnuts with that.

yum.

no kidding.

they are delicious!

So while I supervised the kids while they made these
(Hannah really did a great job, she even fried them for the first time!)
I made the rest of the breakfast, both scrambles... tofu and egg and we topped it off with
apple cider.

Famous Sunday Breakfast!

Now I just have to figure out what I'm making for dinner!

Have a wonderful Sunday night!

love,
Theresa xoxo

fa la la la la

2011-11-04T17:56:00.002-04:00

too soon?

maybe just fa la?

skip the la la la for now?

I'm gearing up for another show on the 19th so

I'm fa la laing over here!

la la

Theresa xoxoxoxo

linking to:

Vintage Inspiration Friday
WhisperWood Cottage Burlap Party

knit one*purl one...

2011-11-01T17:15:00.002-04:00

On a quest to teach myself something I have always wanted to do...

When the chill of the Autumn nights appear I find myself drawn to the fiber aisles at the craft stores.

I cannot help myself~

the colors, the softness of them,

the creative possibilities...

I am hoping to learn how to follow a pattern sometime in the near future!

( I am not a very good pattern follower but am holding out hope that I can remedy that)

I have crocheted since I was a teenager but never really followed a pattern,

I have taught myself how to do a flower but mostly I crochet scarves,

lots of scarves.

I like scarves, but now I want to maybe make a hat or two to go with them ;)

I watched a few you tube videos on how to learn how to knit

and once again I am so thankful for the ability to press a button and

learn something new!

So while I am watching tv and need to keep my hands busy and out of the

treat bags, I will finish this scarf.

Sure to be one of many in my near future!

(hey you gotta walk before you can run, right?)

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to

Although I should be ashamed to show you what a dork and novice I am,

I will tell you anyway...

I just edited my title because I spelled purl ~ pearl.

"yup, shuck me an oyster, cuz I'm gonna knit me somethin!"

trick or treat...

2011-10-31T21:11:00.000-04:00

Max the werewolf.

Hannah the baby.

the baby gang...

the gang.

The treat bags were full when we finished.

Max let me take way more pictures of him than Hannah did,

plus I was one of the parents walking with this crazy group!

Hope you got your favorite candy in your treat bag,

I know I'm raiding the kids bag for a bit of chocolate!

Happy Halloween,

love,

Theresa xoxo

Happy Halloween...

2011-10-31T15:37:00.000-04:00

may you find the tricks to be few,

and your treat bag full!

although sometimes a bag full of tricks is welcome too!

love,

Theresa xoxo

ch.ch.ch.ch.ch. changes...

2011-10-29T15:08:00.002-04:00

Please excuse the enormity of the giant header,

but I was hoping to get your attention!

I have had this change on my mind for quite a while.

I started the blog 2 years ago as 612 Riverside and kind of regretted it not long after.

I thought I would only talk about the things that I make.

not family, nothing personal.

Well, you seasoned bloggers know how hard that is to do!

So then I wanted to change it, but was hesitant.

Would I risk losing followers?

I certainly hope not ;)

For now I won't be changing my address but just my name.

baby steps.

With my shop name as

the old white house

I have been trying to do more and more social networking and so I want

everything to have the same name.

I can't believe it myself but so far the baby steps include

twitter, a facebook page, handmade spark, pinterest, and today tumblr

I don't know how I'll keep up with it all, but I'm going to give it a whirl!

I don't even know if this makes sense, to only change the name and not

the address but like I said...

baby steps.

I do have a blog reserved as the old white house

so that change may soon be on the horizon.

this is one of those things that Eleanor Roosevelt suggested for our lives...

Source: google.com via Theresa on Pinterest

I would really appreciate any advice, feedback or helpful hints from those of you

who may have already changed your name or address.

well, here I go....

I hope you'll stick around, I promise there is more fun on the horizon!

love,
Theresa xoxo

linking to
Funky Junk Interiors ~ Tell Your Story

grungy pumpkins, the tutorial...

2011-10-26T11:05:00.006-04:00

pinch pot by Max

cinnamon pumpkin by me

want to make some?

here's another new favorite from none other than

Theresa Easy Peasy Hein

of course being as excited as I was to make these,

and being the bad tutorialist that I am, I did not take step by step photos.

(that is another reason why I like easy peasy)

step 1. buy some inexpensive faux pumpkins

step 2. melt wax in a GW small crock pot

I had some beeswax at the bottom of mine from last years beeswax collages and so

used that, but you could use broken white candles.

and you could use a double boiler over the stove but I like using a crock pot instead of my gas stove

step 3. Add some cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and maybe

a dash of nutmeg for good measure into the wax.

and by add I mean dump. I wanted mine kinda grungy so I used quite a bit.

step 4. stir.

step 5. using an old paintbrush 'paint' the wax goodness onto the pumpkins

I did a few coats to really cover the pumpkins.

I also dunked the bottoms into the wax... whatever works!

step 6. while the wax is still warm and sticky sprinkle more cinn. on the pumpkins

and by sprinkle I mean shake vigorously.

I started doing this step over the crockpot and I have to say that I loved

how grungy the last batch came out.

yes, I said batch, they were that fun to make!

the response from the visitors to the show was wonderful.

They smell like what autumn smells like to me.

well, minus burning leaves, which I love, but have recently discovered that Hannah thinks is awful!

awful, really?

Well, there you have it easy peasy and all autumn-like!

I'd love to know if you make these and what you think :)

I bet the craft stores will be having a mad clearance sale on the pumpkins

after Monday, and just in time to get some on the cheap for your Thanksgiving decor!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking up to:

White Wednesday
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Transformation Thursday
DIY Fall Festival Friday
Vintage Inspiration Friday

inspired...

2011-10-24T13:20:00.002-04:00

I don't think it's any secret that I love Pinterest...

it is a wealth of inspiration.

like this particular pin that I found and then repinned...

Source: houzz.com via Theresa on Pinterest

very cool.

Although I loved the idea, and the tape may well be worth the 7.00 price tag

that is just more than I can pay for tape.

I thought to myself,

"self, doesn't that look like first aid tape?"

"yup"

So, yesterday while grocery shopping, I perused the first aid aisle

and WAALAA!

now mind you, this is not eco cotton tape, which of course I would love to use,

but it was only 3.50 for two rolls. So I will make it work.

and the whole idea of stamping on it is fun and easy!

You know me, easy peasy is my middle name.

yup, Theresa Easy Peasy Hein ~

kinda sad that it only pertains to crafting ;)

Anyhoo...

As you well know, one thing leads to another and let's just say

that the ideas were churning!

I know, I know, Theresa Easy Peasy Hein,

it is TOO early for Christmas!

but I just couldn't stop myself!

this one is actually made with the paper version of first aid tape

I bought both the cloth and the paper tapes.

Both are fun to use!

oh wait, I'm not done yet...

o.k. now I'm done!

(for today anyway, this laundry isn't going to wash itself you know!)

The paper tape doesn't have the bit of sheen that the cloth tape does,

but the cloth tape has the tiny ridges on the edges.

love them both.

So thank you pinterest for the inspiration!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to;
Tutorial Tuesday

winner winner chicken dinner...

2011-10-23T22:24:00.000-04:00

Congratulations..

Ann of Tin and Sparkle!

send me an email with your address Ann,

and I will get your prize out to you!

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments everyone,

you really know how to make a girl feel special!

love,

Theresa xoxo

still time to enter the blogiversary giveaway...

2011-10-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

tiny bouquet from Max.

there is still time to throw your name in the rusty bucket!

I will be drawing the winner tonight!

love,

Theresa xoxo

2 year blogiversary giveaway...

2011-10-20T08:13:00.005-04:00

I have been rambling on now for two years, today.
Before that I was what is referred to in Blogland as

a lurker.

I couldn't help myself...
there were so many incredibly talented people
that willingly shared their ideas with me, that I just had to visit them regularly.

Then one day I got up the courage to hit 'publish'.
and that changed everything for me.

You all helped me to see things differently,
kinda like this light on the porch does for our visitors at night.

I have made some marvelous friends in Blogland and am ever grateful for all of you.
Some I have been able to meet this past weekend,
like Maggie and Barb.
Barb's story is kinda funny.
After she read my post about getting ready for the show,
she emailed me to say that she follows my blog and had in fact gone to the show last year,
and had shopped my booth!
She asked how to contact Jill so that she could get a booth
and there she was on Saturday morning setting up her fabulous artwork!
Barb needs a blog.
c'mon in Barb the water is fine!

I would love to meet all of you,
wow, that's quite a bucket list isn't it!

We could have a big party where we solved all of the worlds problems.

Sometimes a phone call between girlfriends can do the same thing...

thanks, Z!

We would eat delicious food that all of you wonderful cooks create,

and talk home decor like there's no tomorrow,

and well, we would have fancy table settings...

no paper plates allowed,

and repurpose all of the treasures that we picked up on the way to the party,

then we would take lots of photos of everything and everyone!

lots of photos...

we like our photos... :)

If you have made it to the end of this long post,

then you know the best is yet to come...

I'm having a

"happy blogiversary to me giveaway"

It's my thank you to all of you who stop by

to lift me up and bring a smile to my face with your comments.

I do love me some comments!

If you are a follower of 612 then leave me a comment on this post

and I will throw your name in the hat,

if not, then join in the fun and hit the follow button.

and I will throw your name in too!

(o.k. it will probably be a rusty bucket, but your name will be in there none the less)

I haven't decided on the surprise yet,

but I will make sure that it's extra special!

The winner's name will be drawn on Sunday.

Thank you all for reading, for commenting, for raising me up, for the amazing amount of inspiration

that you all generously dole out on a daily basis,

but most of all thank you for your friendship.

love,
Theresa xoxoxoxo

linking to:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

white wednesday...

2011-10-18T22:07:00.000-04:00

You know how when you make something

and you step back and do the happy dance?

It doesn't always have to be elaborate

or excessive

sometimes simple is best.

This little happy dance is called the crafty four step...

step one:

find a beautiful old bakelite brush

step two:

glue a gorgeous vintage jewel to the brush

step three:

place a very special family picture gently into bristles of brush

step four:

step back and admire your 5 minute transformation!

easy peasy.

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to

it's show time...

2011-10-18T14:23:00.005-04:00

come on in!

I'm going to try to not say too much here and let the photos do the talking...

and let me warn you, there are a LOT of photos!

reminder, you know who I am and I did say try.

I want to find a place at home to hang this banner that I made with help from my

friend Julie. Thanks Julie!

Hannah found a little time to crochet a potholder for Jill

I love that girl so much <3

Do you think Jill would notice if I moved into one of her outbuildings?

The Granary

This is Nancy and Sharon they had the granary stocked with beautiful things!

Nancy has a local decorating business called The Garden Gallery in a near by town, St. Johns, and holds annual sales at her place as well.

see? gorgeous!

This is Dorothy's space, she had some amazing finds as well, along with some creations/ marriages

of her own... check out the sweet "junk pumpkin" in the little wheelbarrow!

This is Jill's space (the creator of the show)

here it is from upstairs, she has 1/2 the barn full of gorgeous finds!

I wish that I had more photos of the other vendors outdoor booths, but as you can see I took

these when nobody was around, once the show started it was impossible

to get any pictures as we were all too busy.

I wish I had gotten pictures before they broke down their booths!

It was a fabulous show full of lots of great treasures, one of the best around!

I had some great 'blogging' moments as well...

I had one lady walk into my space and pick up my card and announce

"I know you, I read your blog!"

I was recognized people! My family got a big kick out of that!

A couple of the girls that have taken my art classes in the past came by,

Sharon was one of them!

and to top it all off

Maggie, from The White Farmhouse came so that we could meet!

What fun to meet someone that I visit on a regular basis!

Thanks for coming Maggie!

I can hear you now...

"hey you're supposed to be blonde!"

Well girls, I have found that when the hormones go all wack so does

coloring the hair! So now you know, this is 'closer' to my actual

hair color and when we tried to color the blonde last time

it went all wack. no other word for it.

The color is different everytime even when we do the same thing! ugh.

When Maggie showed up,

she was looking for me and I was right in front of her!

So if any of you have any good tips on coloring menopausal hair and

making it 'sparkly' again, I'm all ears!

I'm missing being all sparkly!

Hannah was a huge help both days, but by the end of the show days, this is where

I found her... all curled up with Dickens the barn cat!

Thanks for all of your help BOO!
I really have to say THANK YOU to my friend Val also, she stayed
all day Saturday and her and Hannah took care of people while I visited
with everyone!
(man I did a lot of talking!)

just added... one of my favorite fashion/design blogs
Pretty Little World
was also at the show and she has some great photos to share.
and the bonus? she always has some gorgeous vintage fashion for sale
and I do mean GORGEOUS
so do yourself a favor and give her a visit!

So there you have it... it was a great weekend and so far the past couple of days

have been pretty uneventful and so I better get some dishes washed

so that we can eat dinner on clean plates tonight!

love,

Theresa xoxo

chalkboard love...

2011-10-17T19:53:00.000-04:00

I'm still going through the photos that I took at the show and can't

wait to share them with you!

In the meantime I had so much fun making

vignettes at the show that as I have

been putting things away I can't resist doing a little redecorating...

Jill, the show's creator, cut a couple of branches from her crab apple tree for

me to take home for some gorgeous fall decorating.

Thank you for everything Jill!

after moving the dresser into the living room and putting it in front of the

chalkboard, this little spot was too bare. I like the bench in place of the

dresser so much better. Above it is one of my favorite pictures,

The colors are extremely dark, but I just love that about it.

So, while I gather my thoughts,

(which is code for I am mentally exhausted)

I will finish cleaning the messes that I made around the house

before the show, and then share pictures of all of the fun we had at the show.

I even met a blog buddy!

fun! fun! fun!

see you soon!

love,

Theresa xoxo

what's in your toolbox?

2011-10-13T07:03:00.001-04:00

Why pumpkins of course!

2 more days of busy, busy, business!

My agenda for the day?

Too scary to look at all at once...

(so I just peek at the chalkboard, through my fingers, with one eye shut!)

Have a fabulous day!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to:

thanks Debra!

thought for the day...

2011-10-11T15:10:00.000-04:00

As I spend my day painting everything that is not bolted down around here,

with the chalk paint recipe provided by

Carole from the fabulous blog Maynard Greenhouse a few weeks ago,

this will be in my head.

I am outside and although working like crazy,

I am taking in the beautiful fall day that has been

gifted to us here in Michigan.

The colors are spectacular and the warm breeze is very welcome while I paint!

I got the kids off to school and then Duane and I went on our daily bike ride, and

I am finishing up my lunch of a peanut butter, apple, honey sandwich ~

my new favorite.

life. is. good.

I hope you are able to take the time to really live today.

love,

Theresa xoxo

keeping busy...

2011-10-05T09:25:00.002-04:00

I have been gearing up for my favorite show on October 15 and 16
at
Jill Albert's Centennial Farm
Antique Harvest Festival
4410 W. Howe Rd. Dewitt, MI.

To be honest, I don't do many

but this one is and always will be my favorite!

This was my space last June.

It's fun to see it and the things that I was making back then.

This time it will be focused on the upcoming holidays.

I know each of you would love Jill's home and property.

It is the kind of place that makes you

want to slow down and take it all in.

Her home is featured in the latest issue of

Vintage and Victorian

I just love her porch.

This is a better view of the inside of the hay barn that I set up in.

She painted the inside white and hung gorgeous lighting throughout!

It's amazing what a little white paint will do isn't it? :)

I would live in here. in. a. heart. beat....

This is the grainery, she will have a vendor in here too,

plus more on the lawn.

I would live in here too.

A girl after my own heart...

a chandelier dripping from a tree outside.

So you can see, I have a lot to do...

paint furniture, sew, sew, sew

and solder, solder, solder.

and then when something shiny catches my attention...

make that too!

I better get back to the work table, but I just had to stop for a minute and say hello!

Happy Wednesday!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking to:

Thanks Kathleen and Debra for the fun and inspiration!

etsy love x 2

2011-10-02T09:29:00.001-04:00

'VINTAGE' by lookonmytreasures

Word Vintage Hand Carved Rub... SweetSpotStamp... $7.99	Art Deco Shabby Chic Handpai... keepsies $10.00	Neo-retro coffee cups, aqua ... Nickadizzy $5.00	Antique Straw Handbag Purse dabblinginthed... $10.00
Older, Coro, copper brooch, ... brightbaubles $6.50	2 vintage crocheted aqua pot... theoldwhitehou... $22.00	Vintage Pottery Red Wing Art... CinfulOldies $120.00	Vintage Aqua Trash Bin with ... WoodleighCommo... $16.00
Greyhound Glasses tumblers F... robolady $9.50	Antique Amazing ART DECO Set... VintageTreasur... $54.40	Vintage Pepsi Cola Tray - 19... redposie $65.00	Vintage Pillowcases, Embroid... cushgoods $14.50
Massive Dots Skirt in White,... nashvillefille $15.00	Aqua/Red Cottage Tablecloth SnowyCreekDesi... $25.00	Set of 4 Regaline Bowls - Re... JustSmashingDa... $23.00	Vintage Christmas Bulb Ornam... mverdi $22.50

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'old-fashioned Halloween' by PeruLilyCrafts

Antique Crow with aged earth... gothicrow $21.00	Homemade Pumpkin Pies primit... pattisprimitiv... $10.00	Sepia Tone Halloween Art Pri... frighten $15.00	Kitty Mini orange cat Hallow... kathrynmuse $11.00
baby pumpkin - 8x8 fine art ... shannonpix $28.00	Macbeth Trinity of Witches O... VictorianLowbr... $14.95	6 Primitive Halloween Grungy... oldgoatprims $15.00	Halloween Tree Art Print Owl... collageOrama $6.99
A Grave Situation - 8x10 Me... StudioLPrints $49.99	altered clock assemblage clo... theoldwhitehou... $22.00	Sepia, 5x5 Inch Black Cat Fi... olivetto $10.00	Gothic Dress - Little Red Ri... KMKostumes $92.00
moth leaf specimen jennyleefowler $10.00	Milk glass vintage tea light... Fun2designs $15.00	Enter - Doorway to Nowhere, ... irenesuchocki $30.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

feeling the love...

Our Sunday looks to be sunshiny,

I hope yours is too!

love,

Theresa xoxo

Thank you so much ~

LOOK ON MY TREASURES

PERU LILY CRAFTS

art prize ~ round two

2011-09-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more of my favorite pieces from our field trip to

Art Prize...

This piece was called Mother Earth.

Each of the dresses are hand felted wool.

truly amazing.

crazy cool.

I was mesmerized.

loved watching him work, he spun his canvas around and painted from every angle.

so cool.

This man created sand art... a new piece everyday of the contest.

We first saw him sweeping up from the day before and then

before we left we checked in on him and this is what we saw.

amazing.

This entire piece was created with a splatter paint technique.

crazy amazing.

OK I better stop now, I have overused the word AMAZING

enough for one post!

Seriously, there is so much talent all in one city until the 9th and we only

saw a fraction of it and we were there for 7 hours walking through venue after venue.

So we are talking about going back!

I was talking to a friend of mine today and she went over the weekend,

and as we were comparing notes, we didn't even see the same artwork!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Art Prize

as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you...

love,

Theresa xoxo

art prize...

2011-09-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids holds an amazing event called

Art Prize

Thousands of artists come from all over the world to compete.

Duane and I took the kids today for a family field trip.

(meaning we took them out of school for an important addition to their education)

I am so glad we did, it was incredible!

I'm just going to show a few of the pics that I took today.

I still need to go through the over 200 that I took.

ball point pen drawing

paper pulp sculpture

wool felted gown... mother earth ~ more of these to come

who doesn't love a cowboy?

gorgeous polar bear oil painting

gorgeous sculpture and mosaic piece

amazing hand made paper sculpture.

So many pieces were indoors so the lighting was a challenge

but I really thought you should see

the incredible talent that I got a peek at today!

If you live anywhere nearby, you really, really must go to G.R.

before this ends on Oct. 9th

you will be so glad that you did.

I just shared a few of the mostly white pieces that I loved,

wait until I show you some of the other pieces that blew my mind!

love,

Theresa xoxo

linking up to