Camper Dreaming

When you move you start driving down new roads.  So it's been what?  3 months?  I think that's right.  3 months of traveling new roads.  One road we travel on pretty much daily.  And I have no idea why this hadn't made me wreck yet.  Yep.

I was traveling alone....and had my ipad handy.  So I pulled into a stranger's driveway, got out of the Jeep, ran down and peeked in at this little cutey!  It looks just like the one I love to paint!  Inside it has been totally gutted.  Which I can already see it now.  A traveling comanion.  A show stopper indeed.  I way to sell my wares at shows without a tent to blow away.  Oh man......and it's for sale.  Santa...dear?

Naked Art Gallery Craft Bazaar

So where are you going to be this weekend??  Because peeps, I'll be here:

 With loads of new jewelry, and other goodies!!  Yep....goodies.  Come see us!!

 The new heart design is definitely puffy heart worthy.  Yep.

At first everone in my house was supposed to go with me and us make a weekend adventure out of it at Dad's lake place.  That is until oh.....night before last. When my Mother informed me that Mailey had a singing engagement Sunday which of course Mailey did not want to miss (more on Mailey's recent coming out of her shell wanting stardom in singing adventures).  Then William ended up with baseball practice and a sleepover invite.  Then of course there is the issue of Ellie the cat that got beat up and has to be monitored...and then there is Lily.....and her evil sidekick Graham Cracker.....so..........I am going alone.  ALONE!!!  Yooooooohoooooo!!  I can not wait to see my girlfriends and have a real girlie dinner and maybe a martini (or 2)!!  I am super excited.  Ok...selfish I know.  I love Birmingham so much and miss it and all its' magic. Sigh.....So I am going to make the very most of the time away from the family and soak in as much Birmingham culture as I can muster in the 36 horus I am there.  Oh, and hopefully Sunday there will be sales in abundance for all artisans participating in the Craft Bazaar.  So, until Monday.....hoping you have a lovely....and perhaps magical weekend as well!

Hometown Holiday and a Camera Trick....

Every year in downtown Newnan Santa makes a GRAND arrival on this vintage firetruck the Friday night after Thanksgiving.  Sweet right?

Yes, Newnan is the City of Homes.  A beautiful city with a square that is chocked full of yummy food, amazing antiques shops and adorable gift shops.  I love downtown Newnan.  And had Billy and I visited it while we did our original house shopping 16 years ago, I have a feeling our lives would be very different.  Very.  Like we'd probably be living in an over 100 year old home different. 

 It's charm never grows old on our family.  We absolutely love being here.  And secretly I miss having a little studio down here to come to everyday.  Look at this courthouse:

So here's the thing though.....it appears that Santa's arrival is a colossal deal for many in Newnan......colossal!!!  The line to sit in his wooden sleigh and give your Christmas list was wrapped around the above courthouse.  Which takes up an entire block.  Yikes is right.  So we made ourselves busy while waiting in such a line with our cameras.  By the way accompanying us on this excursion and the whole reason we were excited to see Santa was my sister Molly with her husband Mike and their 2 year old wild man Fielding.  Oh, and Nana, Billy, William, Mailey and Me.  We were all decked out and excited to see Santa.  I should also mention that I have 1 photo of my kids with Santa, and that was from last year.  You see, I had the two kids with fear beyond recognition of Santa.  Thus why we had NO IDEA that Santa's arrival on the square in Newnan was a colossal affair.  Yep.  So the story continues.....

I was determined to get photos at night of all the lights around the square.  We took turns waiting in line for Santa and watching Fielding run more miles around the courthouse than any little legs should be physically be able.  But here's the thing.  I have this fancy pants camera that I know how to take amazing pictures of my art and jewelry with.  But outside that bubble....well.....let's just say I take a bunch of these:

 Which led to this....urgh.....

 Which gave the kids and I an "A-HA" moment once we hit the Christmas Tree for some family photos:

I have NO idea how we did this technically speaking.  But basically I had the camera on too slow a shutter I think and then we wiggled the camera to get the squiggles.  After we figured it out....well William, Mailey and I were lost in camera heaven.  And forgot about Santa.  Oh, and Fielding was more interested in running around the block than seeing Santa.  So we gave up our place in line.....took a bunch of photos in front of the cool squiggly light tree and headed home.

I think it looks like neon on crack.  Technically speaking of course.  HA.HA.  So, have you learned any cool tricks on your camera you want to share?  I think the shake the camera on the wrong shutter speed is definitely note worthy. 

Yes, I pinky promise the above photo is of the Christmas Tree in front of the courthouse.  Yep.

You're Invited!!

Tiffin, Joyanne and I below at the Country Living Fair had an "A-HA!"  moment and decided to do something a little new together......

And YOU are cordially INVITED!!  To our little Handmade Holiday Show!!!  We are thrilled to be doing this together.  We each have so much to offer you in the way of handmade.  For a very special person to that must have just for you, you are sure to find something just right.  So join us.  And the cool part.....it's in my new home.  Eeeeeeeeeee!!!!  I can not wait.    Please email me if you'd like the address:  jennihorne@ymail.com.  I hope to see many of you here!!

Seriously?

Sisters.  They rough and tumble together, they eat each other's food, they snuggle together, they are peas in a pod these two.  The puppy blanket however was given to Lily by her Gammy to help with the white hair on the gray couch issue.   Lily knows this.....and so does Graham.  Graham thinks that sharing with her sister is fun.  Lily on the other hand is thinking in her little head that she would prefer to keep the blanket that Gammy gave HER to herself.  Although I keep catching them both asleep on it.   We'll see.  Knowing Gammy, there will be one just for Graham Cracker in her stocking.  Hehehe....

To Be Thankful

Today as I set the table for the first time in our new dining room, I realized in abundance what I have to be thankful for this year.  It's hard to sit back and reflect when you are in the middle of it, but our lives are rich with so much joy these days.  Now, it's not perfect....nah....but somehow the bad is always overshadowed with the goodness our family consistently surrounds ourselves with. 

Today I placed dear Faye Horne's china and crystal on the table for the first time.  You see, there are many first's here at 120.  It's the first time yes to have Thanksgiving in this house.  But more than that...it's the first time we are hosting it period, with the china given to us as a lovely wedding gift from my mother-in-law.  It has literally been packed away since we married 16 years ago.  Now not only does it hang in an amazing pattern on the pink walls, it fills the gray cabinet.  Oh the dinner parties Mrs. Faye must have had.  There are 24 place settings and enough bowls and gravy boats for 3 Thanksgiving tables!  So I just beamed as I set the table with it today.  On top of the table Billy and I bought together at the Country Living Fair this year....which is covered with the most beautiful piece of orange lace I've ever seen.  Just perfect. 

You can only imagine the frenzy I've been in since deciding to host the family this year.  You know....the last minute details and all the things you want to complete?  Well, they are done.  The only thing missing from this lovely pink room is our family first.....and the curtains (which are being crafted and promised to be ready by Christmas) and a new chandelier.  This room definitely needs a crystal bauble hanging from the ceiling to catch the light coming in and make the walls sparkle!

The tiny pink dresser I found at the Country Living Fair as well.  I love it's dainty size and crystal knobs!  I need Tiffin to get a hold of the boring white lampshade. 

I love that finally I have a place for some of our favorite pieces given to us as remembrances of our ancestors.  The sugar and creamer was my Grandmother Adkins'.  The painting was done by an art friend.  Fits perfectly in this room.  The crystal candlesticks were a favorite item we sold at the Flea.  The tin shelf my Mother gave us as a Christmas present early in our marriage.  It too had been hiding in the attic.

Yes, hanging the plates was a challenge, but man I did it!  I was determined to have a unique pattern of the plates in the walls.  And yes, the chandelier HAS to be replaced with a crystal one...asap!

So today, we join the Horne family, the Lewis family and the Wiggins Family to celebrate a day of thanksgiving.  The noise will fill our home like a symphony the home has never heard.  I look forward to enjoying the day and creating a lasting memory of our first family gathering in a home we plan to grow old in.


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Hunting and Gathering

I am currently taking another online class.  Yep.  I recently told a friend I am in the "hunting and gathering" stage of my art career.  I can best describe it like this for you.  I have big ideas for my work.  But honestly have not the faintest idea as to how to get the dreams out into reality.  So I keep mushing along, dreaming.  But as someone told me, until you tell you dreams....they have no way to survive.  And that makes total sense.  So this new class is giving me the little kick in the pants to start the doing and not just the dreaming.  What is the class you ask?  Well, for the fiirst time in blog history for me I am going to keep my lips sealed.  I know, mean.  But, I will share this with you.  The course has nothing to do with painting, and yet it totally inspired me to get my paints out and start these two paintings:

 Which I am beyond smitten with.  The pics were taken with my IPAD, so they are a tinge fuzzy, and are totally in the beginning stages.  But I wanted you to see my current direction.  This past summer I took the online class with Mati and Lisa.  It was great because it pushed me to look and study the works of others.  I've been influenced by the works of Flora Bowley since.  And since I can not for the life of me figure out how she creates her paintings with the layers and depth and negative space use, I've come up with my own style....inspired by hers.  But ya know, that's what it's all about.  Taking something that inspires you and making it your own.  Not copying, not becoming Flora.  Rather, becoming Jenni.  And right this second....this painting is making me very, very happy.