I’ve been asked a lot lately about my pale blue & white antique dishes, specifically about the handleless cups and the pattern, so I thought I would share the details with everyone. I found my first handless cup several years ago.  I’m not generally a lover or collector of teacups, but I loved the more functional shape of these.  They are taller than traditional tea cups, making them suitable to be used for small potted plants, candleholders, pencil cups, all sorts of things.  And, since they don’t have a handle, they stack easily. By the way, they are cups, not egg cups or pudding molds.  They are from the 1800’s and that was the fashion, I suppose.  I don’t often think about the fact that these are well over 100 years old.  Oh, the stories they would tell… Anyway, the color of this transferware also caught my eye.  It is

My mom and I hit one of my favorite local antique shops last week in hopes of finding a few furniture pieces for the rooms we were working on while she was visiting.  As I shared earlier this week, we found a new art cabinet for my studio, which was on the list… …but we also found a few smalls.  (“Smalls” are just little things, accessories, that you find at an antique/retail store.) One thing I miss about having my studio, selling online, getting ready for an antique fair, etc. is shopping for smalls.  I really don’t need much for my current house, since I already have years of collected smalls.  I could probably stand to sell some, even!  So, I try to stay focused and not buy things just because I like them.  I try to think of how I’ll use them to make sure it’s not another thing

Remember the art cabinet I bought and fixed up last year?  I really loved that cabinet, but I decided to part with it when it came time for us to move.  I was going to consolidate all of the pieces in my home as well as in my studio and we didn’t know what house we would be moving into, so it made sense to let go of as many of the large pieces as we were willing to sell. Now that I’m settled in my new (much, much smaller) studio, I am learning how I use the space and where I need to make some changes.  One of the main things I needed to change was where my easel was located in relation to my palette.  My palette has been on my left, which is a little inconvenient, given that I’m a righty. I was also finding I needed

I have felt a little bit like I’ve been in a bubble since we moved here this summer.  I have the places I know and can get to without a GPS and then there is the rest of Minnesota.  When I lived in PA, I made a point to get out and about every couple of weeks.  It was important for creativity to step away from my computer, studio, and home for a while.  I’ve made little trips here and there, but there has been so much to keep me busy at home, that I haven’t done as much exploring as I would like.  So, that bubble is pretty small right now. I decided I really needed to get away from the house this week, so I checked out a local antique store and I am so glad I did.  Not only did I find some great stuff, but I

I remember the very day I typed “home decor blog” in the search bar for the first time.  I didn’t know such a thing existed until a friend told me about them. That’s a thing?  I thought bloggers were all guys in their basements ranting about politics and sports!   Well, obviously, I figured out that wasn’t the case.  That first search was like inserting a key and opening a door to a world where my people were all hanging out together. Sarah was ripping the carpet off of her steps, Layla was renovating her small cottage in Alabama, The Nester was sharing about the desire to clean and organize that accompanies fall, and Melissa was sharing all of her decorating wisdom.  I was so inspired and immediately wanted to be a part of it.  So, I started a blog. Fast forward to now and, while many things have changed, I