Mr. Prof designer home

I am loving these Christmas cards by Anna Griffin that I found at where else... Target! Gotta love Target. I am off to get a second box of the WISH design as they will be saved for next year. The Snowflake design will go to friends and family this season along with a beautiful set of pale blue ones that say Fa La La. Happy White Wednesday! Be sure to check out all the participants at KATHLEEN'S blog, Faded Charm.

Bet you all thought I’d given up on blogging – well so did I!

It has been such a long time since I’ve been on here and I miss reading all my friends comings and goings and all the wonderful pictures of  your decorating for the holidays – of which I need to do this weekend.

Our home show last weekend was a huge success – everything we had hoped it would be and more.
We were set to open at 4 pm on Friday but there were so many customers waiting at the door at 20 minutes to 4, so we let them in….and from that moment it was non-stop until 7 pm, then after that there were a few more up till closing at 8 pm.

Doug manned the cash register, while my brother and sister in-law wrapped and bagged. This helped me be with the customers going from room to room greeting and answering questions…and offering wine to anyone wanting a little cheer – which were many! We had soft Christmas music playing throughout the house and screen room where the check out was.  Oh, our Candy Cane entrance was a success – it kept it separated very nicely.

Saturday was just as wonderful and customers started coming at 8:45 and never stopped till 3 pm and then a few here and there till 5 at closing.

We decided to have a SALE on Sunday from Noon to 2 and it was HUGE!!! We put approx. 80% of our merchandise ON SALE and told the customers at check out what we were doing and I couldn’t believe how many came back for those 2 hours.

And as far as pictures during the show…NO TIME!

So here are a few photos my brother took as I was setting up areas….I wanted more detailed pictures but didn’t have time to get my camera so I had to rely on him – I think he did a pretty good job.

FIRST IS THE DINING ROOM SET-UP

KITCHEN

WE HAD DIP TASTING, CANDY AND LOTS OF KITCHEN TYPE THINGS IN HERE LIKE PRAIRIE APRONS/BONNETS, TOWELS

WE SOLD OUT OF OUR JAR TOPPERS IMMEDIATELY!

DEN AREA HAD THE MAIN TREE PLUS ORNAMENTS, POTPOURRI, CANDLES AND THINGS LIKE SANTA’S AND SNOWMEN

THE BATHROOM HAD ALL OUR SOAPS, MELTING TARTS, SPRAYS AND SMELLY THINGS
This is our tub area and Doug made a board to cover it so we had more use of the space

OUR FAMILY ROOM HELD ALL THE REALLY PRIMITIVE ITEMS I WAS SELLING FOR A COUPLE OF FRIENDS….ONE WAS OUR FRIEND AND BLOGGER ‘ROBBY’ AND I MUST SAY HER ITEMS FLEW OUT OF HERE!
AND ‘JEANNE’ WHO I HAVE MENTIONED BEFORE HAS ITEMS AT THE CRAFTERS MALL AT THE DELLS AND I REALLY LOVE HER WORK. I BUY MY PRAIRIE APRONS/BONNETS FROM HER…..AS WELL AS THE BEAUTIFUL ‘SUGAR COOKIE’ MELTING TART PANTRY CAKES

HERE IS WHERE THE ENTRANCE AND EXIT WAS IN THE SCREEN ROOM – THE PICTURE DOESN’T DO THE ROOM JUSTICE…IT REALLY LOOKED NICE AND SMELLED WONDERFUL WITH ALL THE GREENERY AROUND THE ROOM AND THE HEATER KEPT IT NICE AND TOASTY WHILE GUESTS WAITED TO CHECK OUT AND SNACK ON TREATS AND COFFEE

Well that’s it for photos – sorry there were so many!
Yesterday we packed up lots of merchandise and took it downtown to a consignment shop I take things to and as we were putting it out on shelves we started selling things. When Doug took some more things down about an hour later the girl said we had sold over $100 already! Good move to take the products there, huh? And today is her Open House so it should be a good day all around.

Now today it’s getting the house back to a ‘normal’ state….going to finish putting out our Christmas decorations and work on some orders….the holiday is fast approaching and I feel behind. Maybe after this weekend I will feel more in control.

Hugs to all who read this…have a wonderful week and hope to hear from you.

P.S. – have you ever had a true friend that IS ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU?….my best friend of 30 years just phoned me to ask if she could help me with ANYTHING….like cleaning, groceries, cooking, errands, whatever.

She was here on Friday picking something up and we had the nicest visit. She said when she was here she noticed I looked beat/tired and it bothered her all weekend. WHAT A TRUE FRIEND RENEA IS TO ME AND I LOVE HER DEARLY. She has gone through the best of times and the worst of times with me. Our kids were classmates and I met her when I got my job at the Hi-Liter 30 years ago.

Anyway….I didn’t take her up on her offer because I feel in control now but I guess I am a bit tired and looking dragged out….my back and hip/leg have been killing me, being all tense with Darren’s two surgeries, many orders, the show and life in general it has taken a toll on me I think….BUT IT WON’T GET THE BEST OF ME!
Thank you Renea for being there for me as always.

Karen

If you haven't seen Mr. von Slatt's tour of the Rosenbaum's very steampunked home, go see it. Now.

Like many of you, I like to decorate my holiday trees with their own unique personality. This year I wanted something different for my big tree in the living room, so in addition to the silver and white ornaments and white berry garland I used some of the fabulous tags I have collected from various talented artists. I love how it turned out and hope you do as well. Here is a tour of trees in my home...


The "tag" tree. A 7' slim pre~lit tree in an old concrete urn. The tags are all from etsy sellers.





The dining room tree is a table~top tree in an old crusty white bucket. This tree gets a mix of new and old silver ornaments and creamy cotton icicles.



This is a new addition to my home this year and I call it the "bling" tree. It has seam binding with old buttons, an old watch and a collection of old pins. It sits in a crusty old light fixture.




I love this old bottle brush tree.


I have a pair of these silver trees on the mantle in black iron urns.


This tree is in the kitchen on top of the refrigerator. It looks good just bare I think.


I adore this "Charlie Brown" tree.


I couldn't resist a night shot of this twig tree on the porch, shot through the lace curtain.

I love a white Christmas. Living in Florida requires some improvisation to accomplish that. My decorating style for the holidays is all about whites, silver and neutrals in very simple trees and ornaments. Enjoy this week's WHITE WEDNESDAY...

It turns out scientific themed housewares is not a new idea. I found these based on X-ray cccrystallography from the 1950s on An Aesthete's Lament. Clockwise from top left they are Peter Wall's Beryl 8.9 plates for Wedgwood, Hazel Thrumpston and Peter Cave's Aluminum Hydroxide plate for E Brain and Co, and Thrumpston's Festival plate for RH and SL Plant.

In 2008 the Wellcome Collection featured an exhibit called From Atoms to Patterns, and included the following history in it's press release:

The 1951 Festival of Britain provided an extraordinary platform for British ingenuity and creativity in science and the arts. One of the boldest initiatives within the Festival was the Festival Pattern Group, which brought together adventurous manufacturers and forward-looking crystallographers (scientists who analyse atomic structures by taking X-ray photographs of crystalline materials) to create a collection of quirky and influential furnishing designs.

Inspired by the intricate patterns of crystal structures, leading Cambridge crystallographer Dr Helen Megaw came up with the novel idea of using them for textiles. As scientific consultant to the Festival Pattern Group, she collated crystal structure diagrams from eminent colleagues and ensured that they were interpreted in an accurate and authentic way. Spearheaded by the Council of Industrial Design, the Festival Pattern Group enlisted the manufacturers, vetted the designs and organised special displays at the Festival of Britain - notably in the Regatta Restaurant on the South Bank, which was decorated with crystal structure-patterned furnishings, and the Exhibition of Science at South Kensington.

The 2008 exhibit of these works included:

- Rayon dress fabrics and nitrocellulose-coated ‘leathercloth’ printed with the molecular structure of haemoglobin

- Tie silks woven with ball-and-spoke atomic structures of chalk and china clay

- Plastic laminates and wallpapers adorned with intricate insulin motifs

- Lace embroidered with the crystal structures of beryl (emerald) and aluminium hydroxide (hydrargillite)

- Carpets emblazoned with patterns derived from the chemical compound resorcinol

- Relief-patterned window glass evoking the atomic structure of the mineral apophyllite

- Fluid abstract-patterned curtains based on diagrams of afwillite, a hydrated calcium silicate formed during the setting of cement

Two good reviews (with more pictures) of the exhibit are at frieze and the Nature Network. The book about the exhibit is out of print, but you may be able to find a copy if you search around: From Atoms to Patterns: Crystal Structure Designs from the 1951 Festival of Britain