technical difficulties

You may have noticed but we the people over here @ Full House have been experiencing some technical difficulties.  Finally worked the little Photobucket issue out.  In the meantime all is well but things may not be posted as frequently due to the fact that we are all wrapped up in making fun holiday memories.  Oh I'll still be around but I can only do so much.  I also have quite a few more accessories to get posted in the Etsy shop but again not enough hours in the day.  For those that have purchased items, I hope you like them.  Hayley gave me the opportunity to create a fun piece for an "Old Galveston Glamour" gala that she will be attending.  Look @ the dress she will sporting.  

Of course we had to make something glamourous to adorn her beautiful chignon or french twist.

  

inspiration

Oh for the love of photography and prop styling...a beautiful combination. Just throwing this out there but I would love to be a prop stylist someday. I find so much inspiration from all of these photos found here.

Another thing that inspires me almost on a daily basis is Nie Nie. I think it is safe to say I am not alone. Did you see Jaimee Rose's story on Stephanie? She did such a beautiful job writing the story. Check it out here.

I'm going to hug my children a little tighter today. Except if it's much tighter I may squash 'em.

winner

GeneratorMin: Max: Result:51Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The winner of the "tarnation" is Brooke Webb.

Thank you again so much for all the comments. It really made me feel good and I am truly humbled that anybody would take an interest to things I say & do....it's kind of weird because if you know me in real life then you know how darn silly I am.

It's the weekend so go drink some hot cocoa or something fun.

A nice mountain retreat {chic country daydreamin'}

The coldest I have ever been in my life was when my family lived up in the beautiful mountains of Wyoming.  Being a native Arizona girl, I never knew that ice could stay permanently on some of the roadways for months, or that cars had to be plugged in to stay warm or else they wouldn't start, and any bodily fluid would freeze if not covered.  A runny nose is not such a good combo in negative 25 degree weather.  Where else does it snow 6 inches on the 4th of July but Wyoming (Yellowstone @ the continental divide to be exact).  Even though it is very cold up in the Tetons on down to Star Valley, I have a very warm place in my heart for that spot on the map.  I am thankful for all of the time I had to spend up in that country basking in God's beautiful creation.  Anyway when I saw the below house located in Jackson Hole that was designed by Barbara Barry, it left me longing for a winter mountain retreat all bundled up and sipping some hot chocolate.  I came across the below home in Veranda & this is in part what was said about the project:

"The Jackson Hole Valley, bounded by the Tetons, has long lured outdoorsy types. Among them is a Wyoming couple who bought eighteen acres and then asked Barbara Barry, a prominent Los Angeles designer, to create their home from the ground up. "They wanted something that would suit the setting and their casual, active lifestyle," says Barry. "Their intention was to build an unpretentious yet refined farmhouse that would stand the test of time."

I think Barry nailed this with her choice of mixing traditional country with contemporary.  Barbara managed to bring in style with tailored silhouettes while making comfort a priority.  I loved that she borrowed the color palette for the house from nature.

Want to have a sneak into the home?  It may also leave you with a yearning to have a mountain retreat.  To think I am usually not of fan of country decor.  Scroll down for a nice hot chocolate recipe to go with the house.

all photos courtesy of Veranda

Now if you are ready for some Mayan hot chocolate then go here.

Have a wonderful weekend!!  What places do you dream about going to?

I'm still learning that you have to pick your battles & so yes I let my girl wear an elf hat to school today (I thought it was cute) and yes her teacher said that she was a very "unique child".  I agree, except maybe teacher & I's definitions of "unique" are a little different.  I just hope she is as confident in high school as she is now and would still wear an elf hat if that's what she felt good about.  Now on to teach her what doing good in life really means.  Motherhood really isn't such a cinchy job after all. 

***Oh and it just dawned on me but I didn't say when I was going to pick a winner.  Hmmm, how about if the name is picked tomorrow afternoon***

the shop...

Here's the scoop...I use to sell hair accessories and shoes in boutiques.  Then I got pregnant with the triplets & it was a done deal.  Well back when I was trying to come up with a name to call my little endeavor, I thought I had settled with one, until my sister called me the next morning saying that she had a dream about what to name my little thing.  She started laughing and said that it should be "Madame Pumphrey".  I thought it was a little silly sounding but as the day wore on it kind of grew on me.  The name presented a good mix of refinement & whimsy.  I think the two words that establish my vision would be "granny chic".  Modern glamour mixed with vintage handicraftness.  Pretty much all of the pieces that I make have been and are adorned with a sparkly jewel....hence the glamour.  Other elements like vintage trims, ribbons, netting, tulle, felt & appliques bring in an element of edge & crafty-ness.

Well I am so excited to share the below pictures my friend Michelle from Sweet Moments Design took. Perhaps I've mentioned her before:-)  Honestly I had never thought about doing a full on photo shoot just for some little clips and bands but one day as I was on the phone with my dear friend Michelle I just blurted out, "Want to take some pictures of my hair accessories".  She replied by saying "yah when".  I then said, "How about in a couple days".  "OK", she said & that was that.  Rather than taking just a quick couple of shots of the product we opted for a FUN, creative, image setting shoot.  I lined up a blonde model and a dark model (who also happen to be dear friends).  At the last minute my little dark haired friend couldn't make it so of course who else was going to step in, tis I.  Almost every single outfit that I brought were vintage and purchased @ thrift stores.  One of the dresses only cost one dollar bill.  I love the thrift store.

Honestly when Michelle sent me the photos I couldn't believe what a beautiful job she did.  I think somebody should hire her to shoot for a creative catalog or something.  If you have a vision or need somebody that does have vision, then perhaps you should consider her for your next photography session.  She loves to travel too.  I've heard she would even consider going to Hawaii just to take your pictures...if she must.  If you want to see more of Michelle's work then go here. 

Well without out further ado I present Madame Pumphrey the Etsy store.

I started out last night by posting 11 items. I have quite a few more that I need to post so if you don't see something that tickles your fancy then check back.


Again thank you so very much for your interest, nice words and support. It means the world. Man I tell you what, every time I've got the blues I'm going to do a give away.

Love,

Christina

P.S. - To whoever bought the below, thank you for being my very first Etsy sale. It will be in the mail with love.

Is this what life has come to..

As I walked out the door @ 9:30 this morning trying to race the girls to preschool I thought to myself, "I sure hope I do not see any living creature, not even a cat".  That's when I looked up to see not just one visitor but two.  One of them being a man friend of husbands and the other a girlfriend who had brought me over some shampoo and conditioner after I complained of not washing my hair for 5 days because I ran out & had not been to the store...Yep, you read that right...5 days.

I'm pretty sure by not combing hair paired with pink polka dot pajama pants and purple suede wedges is the new IT....it's just got to be.   Hey at least I found the black shades from the 90's.

Anyway I attribute all of the above to being busy (or something like that) but come back this afternoon for the link to the Etsy shop because I posted a few things until I got tired.

In the meantime I'm feeling pretty good about the following images:

What are you feeling good about?

She feels good about vitamins in the morning and popcorn in the afternoon.  Good stuff!

what in the tar..nation {giveaway}

What do you get when you combine tartan with a carnation???? A tarnation accessory of course.

Well without my camera I have been at a stand still with opening up the shop. I finally borrowed one and promise to get the store up and running REALLY soon...like hopefully tomorrow soon.  

In the meantime, how do you feel about a GIVEAWAY?.....

To the winner:   You will receive the below festive handcrafted accessory made of a ruffly felt carnation, a jewel & sequins, all on a plaid band.  This piece will be equipped for usage as a belt or headband..your choice.  Also it can be in child or adult size.  

Tis the Season my friends!

P.S. - I wouldn't at all be offended if you want to spread the word about the giveaway and the new shop.  Thank you so much for all of your support.

xoxo

Being that is is Christmas time, I was very inspired by the below photos while making an accessory.  Tartan is very festive.

Anyway I hope all had a lovely weekend and Thanksgiving.  Boy do I have so much to be grateful for.

Reality: Ziggity Zag

Life is kind of like a zig zag. You go up and then you go down.  Sometimes you can make the decision to ride the top of the zig zag a little longer even when life throws you a downer.  One thing I have learned is that on many occasions happiness is a choice (sometimes a hard choice).  Now hopefully I will not forget that...especially when I feel like I have been enrolled into a torture camp and everybody will not stop screaming.  I apologize in advance to my poor nerves.  Patience is a virtue, right? 

When I found the the above fabric, I knew it was mine. I thought I would make pillows or something but then family pictures came around. You know the dreaded family pictures. I told myself that since I already lacked control over the situation at hand then I was just going to have to surrender (AGAIN) & we were going to have fun no.matter.what. Well I guess I did have control over one thing and that was what we were going to wear. I pictured a zig zag skirt made of tulle & netting, I mean why not, right?...after all the mission is to have fun. Then as my friend put it, "You are channeling Cindy Lauper". Well I love Cindy Lauper and Girls Just Want to Have Fun, so we went with it. The only problem was, pictures were a little out of control. "I just need one picture to send out for Christmas cards" , I thought. When one of the coolest photographers around posted a picture from an"out take" I thought, "This IS reality & captures our family quite accurately" and I love it. Pictures were fun. Mission accomplished.  I can't wait to see the other pictures.  

Now I need to take the skirt and turn it into pillows.

Time for a few pictures that I thought matched the photography event quite nicely.  You know a tad bit C R A Z Y!

I am ready to relax with a very calm neutral setting.  Which probably means no over the top, like in the above pictures.  Well except the bathroom designed by Mary McDonald,  it certainly created a calm space that incorporated the zig zag so I'll take that one. 

May your holiday season be at the top of a zigzag:-)

3 things...

{above images via Sweet Moments Design, J. Crew & Coach }

...and 3 - a shout of great glee for friends who are amazing photographers & amazing models.  

The above picture is just a sneak peek but more unveiling of the amazing pics that my friend shot of the hair accessories. All of the above is making me really excited.  So excited in fact, that I might even have to go to the movies tonight...something about vampires (or was that werewolves).  I'll admit it, I've read 1.5 books out of the series and fell asleep after husband & I rented the first movie (from Redbox..only $1.00). I seriously have friends that have rented out theaters. Any excuse for a GNO though.

Are you going to see the vampire/werewolf movie? What's the name of it anyway? haha

Anyway, hopefully the shop will be up and running in a few.

Oh and I had to throw in a picture of the below room because it matched the above pictures and is inspiring me today.  Plus my camera is still broken & I can't blog about my first and favorite items of business (the kids).

{via Habitually Chic}

Thanksgiving before Christmas

I know, I know we haven't even made it to Thanksgiving yet.  This season I am really attracted to gold. 

Speaking of sharing...I'm looking for a new yummy sweet potato recipe to try out on Thanksgiving Day...so don't hold out on me.  I could certainly google recipes but I want something tried and true.  You can even send the recipe via email and I will forever be grateful.

A lovely day to all!

{beautiful knots}

So my little girl loves to tie everything in knots.  Last night as I sat in my chair she came over & gave me some love as she caressed my face and told me I was the prettiest mom (they learn early).  When I got up I heard a big rrrriiipp as I couldn't move away from my chair very easily because a tie from my dress was connected to the chair.  "It's those darn knots she ties" I thought.  I really did not have any recollection of her tying me up to the chair.  I was a little perturbed but then the below image came into my mind.

It's all made from knots.  Now if only I could guide all of her knot tying energy to help her to make something beautiful.   Hmmm just maybe I will.  Isn't life just like a bunch of knots anyway and if we can learn to make something beautiful from all of them then we'll be just fine, right?  So today I am celebrating all of the knots life gives me.

If you know anybody who has a knot tying problem or just merely wants to learn how to make a beautiful flower...like, say to embellish things for Christmas stuff, then may I suggest going here. 

Dearest friends,

Have you ever heard of the Hostess With The Mostess blog?  If not, you may be missing out and if you go there today you just may see something a little familiar...wink...wink.  Kind of fun.

Also, sometimes I really do get overwhelmed by all of the very nice people out there.  Last week there were quite a few people that were very good to me so thank you.  A couple of them are even locals.  Whether or not AZ is where you may reside go check out their blogs here & here.  

Michelle - Thank you for your friendship & where'd you get those skills...

Kellie (with an i.e.) you are always way too good to me.  I really do wish you could be my neighbor so we could craft and throw parties.

Happy Monday!

Wow, it's Monday again.  Where does the time go?  Did you know there are only 4 more Mondays (not including today) until Christmas?  Besides the fact that I am cameraless & besides the fact that I lost my car in a mall parking lot for an hour while I had all the kids by myself on a Saturday, I'm good.  Life tends to get a little more busy this time of year & just as long as I remember this season's buzz words, we are good...right?  If I were to say it was a moody Monday though then I wouldn't mind spending the day in any one of the below rooms.  Just a hint of dark blue always seems to stir the moody pot a bit.

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

Oh just had to throw the below Christmas photo in.  It is after all blue.

{via here}

How could anybody ever be moody after seeing the below photo?  Goodness that little sweet bundle of cuteness makes anything look good.  Are you even kidding me Lisa?

{beautiful baby Goldie}

The Etsy shop is almost up and running.  I can't wait to share some of the most fabulous pictures my friend took.  In fact she did such a great job that I almost can't wait for our upcoming family pictures;-)

{tutorial for paper sunburst mirror}

Hi there...I had a few requests to give a tutorial on the sunburst mirrors.  Well anybody who LOVES convex mirrors, sunbursts & paper crafts are in luck because this is so easy.  I originally thought about making sunburst mirrors out of recycled utensil ends to make Christmas ornaments. When I found out that we were going to use an antique green velvet sofa for the blogger's lounge @ Blissfest I thought about Anthropologie and paper crafts so that is when I came up with combining the convex mirror with paper instead.  Anyway I love the look of the paper with the mirror that I have actually halted my search @ the thrift stores for silverware and will now take the smallest convex mirrors & cut the paper in half to make ornaments for the tree.  Who knows maybe I will hang the leftover sunbursts from Blissfest around the house.

The supplies:  glue of your choice, convex mirror from automotive department (they have a few different sizes & I bought mine from Wal-Mart for about $1.60 a piece) & an old book (I bought an old dictionary from Goodwill).

Now just be sure to not let the old lady @ Blissfest see that you are ripping apart an old book because she might get all disgusted.  I had to assure her that I was actually doing the planet a favor by recycling an old book that was almost falling apart rather than buying new paper...actually I just smiled & didn't say a word:-)

Start rolling the page so that one end will be smaller and one larger.

Should look something like this.  Put a little glue on the end of paper  that you roll to fasten.

Peel the paper off the back of mirror to reveal the sticky adhesive.

Dab the glue on the black plastic where you want to place the rolls.  I found it is best to make a plus sign and then work all of the other paper rolls from there.  Also place roll down so that the back of the top point on paper roll is facing backwards.

Should look something like this.  I then traced a circle on felt  (but you could use any material) and glued it to the back.  If you want to use them as ornaments then make sure to have your ribbon or trim ready so that when you glue the circle onto the back you can place the ribbon down first then glue that circle.

Here's the end result.  I actually love the look of the sunbursts plain but feel free to add glitter & trim.

ENJOY!

May this holiday season be merry & bright, sprinkled with bursts of sunshine (and a little snow on Christmas Day).  Although husband has a very hard time with Christmas in the desert because he claims the holiday isn't quite right without snow.  When we were dating he tried to factor this into the equation with prospects of potentially spending a Christmas in the desert.....I tried not to take offense because that's all I had  known & I had survived just fine.  In fact, I told him that Christmas in the desert was truer because that was more like how it was when Jesus was born.  Hah, I got him:-)  No really pls. snow when we go up north for the holiday, please. 

gratitude & abundance

The other day I felt like as was going to be on the verge of a mood.  My camera WILL NOT work in the sunlight.  Nope not on manual, not on TV, not AV and certainly not automatic. Playing in Nana & Bacca's backyard brought some beautiful lighting & the boys were so happy swinging, picking the metal cricket out of Bacca's garden (shhh) & playing catch but my darn camera would not operate properly.  I was pretty sure it was because the boys (or girls..either which grouping of children) dumped water on top of the camera the other day.  I went inside to see if the camera worked indoors.   

Hmmm, still a little blurry but much better.  The first place I went to snap a picture was Nana's dining room.  A room in the house that really only gets used a handful of times a year.  One being none other than that great day of thanks that is really just around the corner.  For some reason I had a little extra gratitude in my heart right then & there just thinking about celebrating Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving should actually be a daily occurrence in my opinion  You see, I have been given so much, an abundance in fact.  It's amazing how in an instance replacing gratitude for any negative thought can lift ones spirits or diminish thoughts that even are on the verge of going down negative lane.  After that I followed those cute little chipmunks around the house.  I am amazed & grateful @ the chance to be their mother.  Perfectly healthy normal boys who teach me so much,which I am grateful for (even if they break & ruin things).  Is it normal for little boys to live trucks up on a wall;-)

Of course it wouldn't be normal if I thought more about the food served on Thanksgiving as opposed to decorating the table.  I can't help it.

{1st image unknown, 2nd image Eddie Ross, 3rd Image unknown, 4th & 5th image Martha Stewart, 6th image studiohousedesign. 7th image,}

Speaking of giving thanks....thank you so much for anybody who has sent a nice email or left a nice comment.  

A cool, clean & calm home

 

Usually for the holidays I crave a warm, textural, layered, chunkier space but I was going through some of my old magazines and was reminded that somewhere in my split personality I really think this cool, elegant, uncluttered home is beautiful too.  Come Feb. or March I will really crave a very light & clean home.  I'm not trying to get ahead of myself too much here because I can't tell you how excited I am for the holidays.  

Is setting up the tree this weekend too early? 

Anyway want to go inside and tour the beautiful above home located in sunny L.A.......here we go starting in the entrance.

{above photos via Homes & Gardens)

Speaking of a cool, clean & calm home...sometimes not a one of those three qualities exists in my home.  Somebody was asking how I managed my home and I sort of laughed because this is how I manage sometimes...

Want to see?

Imagine 5 kids getting into everything as my wheels just spin in place, trying to problem solve for all of these chitlings who must know we are trying to get out of the house in a timely fashion.  It's past time time of even making it to our destination on time but nonetheless somebody feels the need and even insists on going back to fetch an old zoo hat that is clearly too small and some mittens because 70 degrees is freezing.  I do what any desperate Mom would do and say, "That's it, everybody go line up and sit by the door and don't move until Momma is ready to go".  It sort of worked (at least for 4 of them...the 5th is always attached to my pant leg).  Pls. observe.

blissfest

I had such a fun opportunity to style a small space for what was called a "Blogger's Lounge" for an event put on by a local boutique (Domestic Bliss) here in town.  It was so much fun but could not have done it without the help of a couple friends.  Angela from Seesaw designs came to the rescue and hauled furniture, hung fabric panels & printed out some beautiful cards to hand out with the names of local bloggers.  Not only that she donated some of her beautiful cards & calenders ( I am in love with that calendar).  Oh and I almost forgot she was so brilliant & made a really cool strand of printed photos on paper from some of the blogs featured in the lounge...if you look close you can see that she even stitched the paper.  Angela has such a great eye for design & just in case I haven't thanked her enough...thank you Angela. Then my friend Stacey & I stayed up so late listening to Michael Jackson as we made felt flowers, spray painted a faux light fixture & some twigs.  All of the paper chains were made by Stacey from an old book (Stacey you are one fabulous friend). One of my favorite parts of the set-up were the sunburst mirrors also made from an old book.  I will be using those for Christmas now.  The bust form was a score @ Goodwill the night before.  I like the bust form's paper skirt and matching sunburst necklace.

The real highlight though of the day was having Christian & Stephanie Nielson come for a visit.  Who doesn't love them?  I've also come to the conclusion that there are many nice people out there.  Good thing or else I would have to get a mean people suck bumper sticker.  

Go here to see some of Angela & partners creations for their company Seesaw or go here to read their blog.  Letter press is so beautiful.

How does your mustache hang?

I am so glad the mustache hangs low on the girls. It means they have a while until they actually fit into the glasses/mustache/nose combo thing. Phew I think that means they're still little.

This week we were trying to find things that started with the letter "G" to bring to school for show and tell.  Hence the glasses.

P.S. - If you are a local Arizonian and you like to wear masks, dress-up, buy pretty things, and see lots of nice people then why not consider going here.  Everybody will be there even these fine people.

P.S.S. - I'm thinking about selling the below for Christmas (not the little girl because I didn't make her....my sister did).  Does anybody else like Etsy:-)?  Wouldn't that be funny if somebody did try to sell kids on Etsy..I mean after all they are sort of homeade.

Not enough hours in the day..

Do you ever feel like you have so much you want to say but not enough time to say it. Well that's about where I am at. I am working on just a couple of little projects that have a deadline and the following images really helped my brain juices to flow (that doesn't sound very appealing). Anyway, I will be back to credit some of the images but for now @ least I got them out there and I can get busy and go to work...that is after I get the kids all snuggly @ preschool & then for naps.