~ Spring Time ~ Fairy Houses & Mushrooms

Several years ago, when we had our shop, I found a most delightful artist who made little fantasy & fairy houses. A lot of our artwork featured fairies and even mushroom houses. So I kept 3 of the mushroom houses and a strawberry house for us. They are so special and I'm am quite happy I still have these. Each one was hand built from clay and fired, and each is one of a kind. Her attention to detail and fun is just amazing. Do you ever have things that you really wish you had kept or purchased after time goes by and it's too late? These would have been such goodies. I would have been so sorry now if I had not kept them.

I thought it would be fun to set them out on the living room mantel with the vintage style bunnies for Easter this year. Aren't they amazing in the details?

~ Boo...Boo Dahlia, California Bunny Girl

As soon as Booie opened her eyes she loved California. It was a little different than she expected, but this city was a beauty. Jan were the most welcoming women.
At Michelle's, Boo joined right in with the business and the play. She helped Michelle pick color schemes and answered the phone. She was positive there would be an increase in business due to her amazing customer relations skills. She went to work with Jan as well, but she found that Jan's desk was a great place to nap.

She discovered that she had remarkable strumming talents with her ears to go along with the fabulous singing voice she already knew she had. Michelle's Honey just loved to hear her sing.

It was amusing for her to be able to shake her new skirt while solving their computer problems, from her unique perpective, upside down. She kept quite busy doing so many things for these sweet people as you can see from Michelle's pictures in the journal.

But then everything changed. It was time to go to the Rainy Place. Jood was sick and Boo Dahlia knew she needed to be there, right away.

~ On the Road Again with Boo Dahlia

It was so good to get a little flirty skirt on that bunny body, and she felt more like a lady now. Booie packed up her new clothes and her journal which now had a new cover made from a 25 year old wedding dress that Kimi so sweetly used for it.

A chill came over Boo Dahlia even as she was getting lots of big hugs from Kimi and her daughter wishing her a wonderful trip. Everything had been fabulous here with Kimi, but Boo couldn't put her finger on it, and even if she had one, she still couldn't know what it was.

She had intended to go off to the Rainy Place, Seattle to see Mistress Joody next, but instead she went to California to see Jood's sister Jan and niece Michelle. She felt an urgency to get to the Rainy Place, but she needed to go to California first. She wasn't quite ready to go to Seattle yet.

Kimi wished Booie a fond farewell, but Booie still had a terrible feeling something was in the air. She didn't know what it was, nor could she have been prepared for it if she had.

~ Favorite Things ~ Bird's Nest Gift

A few years ago, my hubby brought in this sweet bird's nest which the birds had left behind at the end of the season. It has been used for lots of Holidays, from Christmas to Easter, and each of the 4 seasons. Whenever it gets a little remodel and is displayed, it's one of my favorite things all over again.

I have no idea where she got what looks like unbleached cotton for the center, but it adds so much to it. Look at all those big branches added by the original owner. She was quite a worker.

~ A Little Bit of Fluff in TX

This Big Tx place was certainly that, BIG. A bit distraught from the confusion of being lost, having to leave New Orleans and the long trip, Boo Dahlia waited at the door to the lovely home. But when Booie met Lady Kimi, she felt right at home again. After a delicious meal, Kimi began to transform Booie into a bit of fluff.

A skirt, befitting a lovely Lady Bunny it would be. Booie spent a considerable amount of time admiring herself in the mirror, according to Kimi's journal entry.

~ A Girl Needs a Good Pair of Legs & a Locket

Ms. Boo Dahlia is so delighted to hear from you. If it weren't so close to Easter I think she would be taking off again to visit her new friends and eat brownies & fried greeen tomatoes, see antique shops and flowering trees, and maybe a touch of snow! This time of year she stays close to home, because it is her time of year to shine.

When Boo arrived on Kathryn's doorstep, she said she knew exactly what that Bunny needed. A little guidance! And some arms and legs, but the arms would wait. Kathryn whipped up lovely legs and added some flower trim. She made Booie's jacket from a linen that had belonged to her husband's grandmother. The locket came from Kathryn's collection of old costume jewelry. This was again a display of the loving care I had come to know from these women who create art.

It was hard to say goodbye, but then she was off again and Booie was on her way to Big Tex. She would not mistake it for Paris.

~ Beyond the Window

Boo Dahlia was quite happy in New Orleans. Lil' Ms. Isabella could hear her quite plainly even if no one else around there could. Must have been the sweet innocent child's heart that she listened with. Thank goodness she had someone to just chat with. Nothing got in the way of Lady Kathryn knowing exactly what Booie needed though. She did wonders for her.

Still, looking out the window past the beautiful wrought iron, something was calling out to Booie. What was beyond the window?

~ Wrong Turn ~ The Right Path

First Pages of Boo Dahlia's Journal:

When Booie called to say she had arrived, she was so excited. She was sure she had landed in Paris. Everywhere she looked she could see the beauty of French touches. And she was sipping wine. Whoops...this was not B'Ham. I think the wrong directions was my fault.

Then Lady Kathryn got on the phone and explained that Booie had found her way to the *New* Orleans, not the old one. She couldn't understand Booie, they didn't speak the same language for some reason. Booie didn't have a voice to anyone except me.

But this was to be the best kind of "wrong" turn. Kathryn knows magic, too. She can make a sewing needle sing so sweetly, and she collects old lace and fabrics. Was Booie a lucky Bunny!

~ Boo Dahlia's Journey Begins

Oh, I needed a little brownie break. As Booie was packing for her trip we munched on brownies and I made some for her long trip. I guess that's what made me think of baking them today.

Back to the story.

~ There were well meaning people who thought Boo Dahlia should not go on such a long journey. People who were only looking out for her best interest of course. It would take an arm and a leg to make such a trip they would say, or she doesn't have a leg to stand on now does she? Booie refused to listen. By this time in her life she had planned to have visited France and Italy for sure, and many other places as well. No matter, she would make this a trip of a lifetime. In spite of those who claimed her brain was like clay for directions, we knew she could figure out the directions of where to go.

Booie and I were very excited about the whole adventure. I knew she would come back a new woman. It didn't matter that she forgot to take anything with her. As Booie said, she always knew she could rely on the kindness of others.

Something in her heart was calling her to Cindy, Mistress of B'ham. Cindy is a wizard of a woman, with so much creative magic she simply shines! Ms. Cindy was waiting with open arms, in the land of Ala Bama.

~ Story of Boo Dahlia

Every Easter Ms. Boo Dahlia comes out and takes center stage in our home. She is an amazing Art Doll which was created through a collaborative art project with a group of 7 astounding women. Here is her story.

Once upon a time there was a Bunny named Boo Dahlia. All her friends called her Booie. Although her life was very good, Booie decided to set out on an
adventure from one side of the continent to the other. She listened to the stories her friends told her of this same trip and she was so excited to travel to all the fun places they had visited and meet the wonderful people there. But this would be no ordinary trip, this was the kind of Journey that makes a mark upon the Heart.

Snapshot of Booie as she began her Journey.

~ Beautiful Fireplace & Room

This weekend we went through a neighborhood that I've never been to before. It was a gorgeous area, but being "changed" by people building huge monster size houses. Too bad.

But somehow they had the good sense to keep the real charm of the inside of the country club. One of the girls said it looked totally different than when she had her wedding reception there a few years ago. But it all looked nice and old, not new at all.

Isn't this fireplace beautiful?! I loved it.

Click Image to Enlarge.

~ Few More Details & Colors

Since I forget to answer all the questions here or in emails, here are a few more bits of information that I was asked about.

• Colors for the Dining Room and Living Room are from Sherwin William's, Torchlight, darkest main base coat in DR, with Harvester and Inviting Ivory glazes and dry brushing. The LR is base coat of the Ivory, with glazes of the Harvester. These are all on the same paint strip. (I said different colors before, but they were not the final ones used.)

• The iron basket on the front door came most likely from Marshall's because I've had it for years. Joann's and Michael's usually get some nice ones in during the summer season.

• In the kitchen, the original cabinets were all solid birch made on site in 1959-60. You will see examples of them more up north, but this house was built by workers who came south for work at the time. The quality was better than buying new today without spending a huge amount on solid wood ones. So I painted them.

• First redo, they were white, then I painted them to look like aged pine or light cherry. You can find some books by professionals showing how to do this. Some nice non-professionals have done it quite well, too. :)

• Andi, click on the edit button on the bottom of the large blog post box on the page elements page. There you can change the comments title.
• And yes, I am a designer and artist, having done both professionally. Now I'm taking some time for us at home.

~ Kitchen - Finished Pictures

Thanks again for stopping by and the nice comments

about the kitchen.

The Finished Kitchen:

Window Treatment:
1st Remodel with White Painted Cabinets:

To say this was a "remodel" on a budget is an understatement! I probably had a total of $1,000 for all appliances, countertops and paint. The counter in the foreground was wood. It had benefits, but some drawbacks as well since it is a porous surface.

So this white kitchen looks a bit vintage? Well, yes, this picture is from the early to mid 90's. Before the big trend of white kitchens hit blogs anyway. The white was a lot of work to keep clean and back then only crisp, clean white counted. There wasn't much glazing going on in the commercial lines.

~ Kitchen Thursday

Thanks for your notes on the kitchen!

Handpainted mural on tumbled tile, with bronze accent tiles.

Niche built above existing cabinets. We also cut out the middle of the cabinets and had a vintage looking glass installed at a stained glass shop.

We removed the top one third of the existing cement block peninsula and rebuilt it so it has some shallow storage for baskets of onions and potatoes and cookbooks on the other side. The new wall cupboard we built helps with storage and is great for display.