My inner gypsy

This room brings out my inner eclectic with it’s travel inspired finds that are drenched in rich color.    love,  love…

Found this at serena and lily

now off to work

xo-jj

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Can you keep a secret?

The secret is almost out…

It’s time for the 3rd annual Mad tea party, join us this Saturday .

xo-jj

Quickie in Chicago

This image was borrowed from a flicker friend

The last few weeks have been fast and furious,no time to savour or reflect on anything. I’m getting ready to embark on my yearly spring break in just a few days and I’m overwhelmed with must do’s before I go. Even so I had to make good on a promise I made to a little girl (the princess) that I would take her to the Chicago American Girl store to spend  her Christmas money. So on Sunday I did just that. Packed up the car with mommy princess, baby princess, grammy princess and great-grammy princess. We left very early morning and returned very, very late at night.  It was a long way to go for just a few hours of fun but totally worth it.

She was so exited and over whelmed at first it was fun to watch. Even at the young age of two princess Giselle is addicted to dolls, jewels and all things girlie.  The cutest part of the whole day was when we entered the bitty-baby room and she let out a gasp and then grabbed her doll and said look…. your friends. It almost made me cry and definitely made the trip worth while. The store is amazing at three stories tall. It’s also exhausting.

Lanie the doll of the year was Giselle’s pick-she’s adorable.

We didn’t make many other stops except my fave store- Anthrolpologie- love it like no other.  As I entered the store my heart raced and my palms got sweaty. I looked, I drooled and I dreamed but I didn’t spend. I’m so proud of myself. This trip was for the princess and besides I have no funds to spend with vacation just 3 days away.

Now if I can only smooth the bags under my eyes and guzzle enough coffee to get my butt out of this chair and off to work… Need sleepy and a comfy pair of shoes to get me through this day!

Happy Monday

xo-jj

got shovel-check, got mittens- check, gone crazy-check, check

Pink, Pink and more Pink!

It’s a winter wonderland out there today, nothing but white, cold, not a car in sight. So what’s a winter-hating, cabin feverish girl to do? Day dream… pretend, drool and indulge in a little color therapy. I think I could live in Betsy Johnson’s world of pink heaven.  Could you? I love the quirky fashions she creates and I’m envious of her beautiful penthouse and very bold choice of color.  Do you ever wonder what drives a person like her, how do they step out of the ordinary, get noticed and become an icon.

The dogs are in a hibernative sleep and the cat keeps looking at me, out the window and then back at me, as if to say, do something would you.  His faint meow is filled with desperation on the verge of insanity. Get in line Ricky-bobby!

This is the perfect day to get caught up on indoor chores and office organizing, oh sure, perfect for someone who doen’t lack discipline and motivation for such things. This girl is feeling non-productive and she certainly can’t bear another day of incarceration,  instead she’ll hop into her tiny, little sports car with 2″ tires and run a few errands. What would Betsy do? If she (me) makes her way through the seven plus inches of snow she will be sure to be first in line at the post office and most likely the only one waiting for a hot cup of mocha, tall, non-fat and no whip, please.

Wish me luck, I better throw in the shovel. he he…

xo-jj

PS: All my love to our friend Renee and her family!

Snow Day

 

 

Saturday afternoon a cute little package arrived on my door step, covered with curious stickers and a beautiful label addressed to me. To me? Yes, to me!  Well you know how I love surprises, so I’m sure you can just imagine my excitement.  Inside the box was a few fanciful goodies from the fabulously famous MS. V and the cutest little bug I’ve ever seen. I’m not a fan of bugs but this guy is sweet as far as bugs go.

Milo the infamous millennium bug from our fun and fabulous friend Deborah was finally here for his visit to Michigan, as part of his world tour. Well right away his appointment calendar began to fill with tea parties and play dates. Today was to be his big debut with the princess and her under study, princess number 2 but a terrible snow storm blew in and wiped his calendar clean. The poor fellow ran out and threw himself into a snow bank. His photo shoot and fun is postponed for a day or two.

I hope he likes the snow because I plan to send it all home with him when he leaves. They’re predicting 12 to 18 inches before this storm is over. I sure hope Deborah’s lawn boy knows how to use a shovel!

xo-jj

A little chit chat on a slow Thursday

I’m thinking about making a change with a pallet of  seaside colors. My house is painted in Tuscan hues and it suits me well but lately I’ve contemplated  somthing a little more Zen for my master bedroom and bath, colors that resembles a spa-like atmosphere.  A hint of sand and a whisper of turquoise might do the trick but I don’t want it to stick out like a  chicken with lips. It has to blend with the rest of the house. That might be tricky.

The little vintage chair in the picture above is my inspiration for the room. I found it at a garage sale for 3 bucks. It has been partly stripped which left fabulous layers of ocean blues and sea greens over a base of sandy  brown. The shift in colors are subtle and light and just perfect. I bought it and left it as is. I’ve paired it with a creamy white vanity, accented with a green vase of peacock feathers. I love the look but not so sure I can fit it into my decor on a larger scale, any ideas?

If I were to go on a total splurge I’d buy a new bedroom set in creamy white and paint my walls in the lightest sky blue, new paintings, new duvet cover,etc. $$$  I don’t see that happening any time too soon.

No matter…. it’s the people and pets that make a house a home, right?

On that note I thought I would update you on the beautiful Manx cat I dreamt about before he showed up on my door step and adopted me. Ricky-Bobby has gone from a frequent visitor to a full-time resident. He still spends much of his time in the woods and meadow that surround the house but comes inside to eat and sleep and kill my Canary but that’s a whole other story. I needed a new pet like I needed a new hole in my head but I’m a sucker for a sad face and somebody out there knows it.

The other kitties (only 2 left)  that followed him here are still wild but we spent the time and money to capture and neuter them. Mr. Java has the bite marks to prove it. They peek in the windows and sneak through the doggy door to sleep in the garage when it gets too cold. Remember how Mr. Java had such a fit because I was feeding them? Guess who feeds them now, he caved.

Well, thats all for a slow thursday. Hey Deb guess what? The suns out. Thanks for sending it my way. Now how about those lemons? he hee…

xo-jj

I’m getting ready for a trip around the world

When I first entered blog land a few years ago I hopped in with both feet by joining One World One Heart.  I loved the idea of people connecting from around the globe. It was an opportunity to share my world and something I made with a complete stranger who could be from anywhere. OWOH introduced me to some truly wonderful people and artists from around the world. I missed my opportunity to join last year but I have jumped on the band wagon just in time to take part this year. 

I already have what I think is the perfect treasure to give away. It’s something I made a while back with the inspiration for freedom and the hope of living in a world of peace and acceptance. I can’t wait to become a part of this inspirational group once again. In 2009 there were 911 bloggers who participated from a total of 28 different countries- that’s amazing! This international event brings kindred spirits from all walks of life together and spreads a wave of love that’s hard to describe.

This could be a wonderful experience for you to meet new people and an opportunity to receive something lovingly made or bought by a kindred spirit from around the world. So stop by on January 25th when OWOH begins and sign up for my drawing. On that day’s post I’ll have a link to the whimsical bohemian so you can take a magic carpet ride around the world. Pack your bags for this fabulous trip that begins on January 25th and ends on February the 15th.

I can’t wait!

xo-jj

Stand-by for a moment while I lose my Zen

This pic was borrowed from myopera.com

Warning this may be hazardous to your zen!

Ready, set…..rant!  I hope you’re up for this because I really need a moment to go on and on about a few things that have been really messing up my mojo.

Okay let me start out by saying, I love the age of technology and all  the instant gratification it brings. I take full advantage of the convenience it offers but… yes, there is a but in there. I miss the human contact and sometimes need to ask questions or know that what has just transacted did the job or solved the problem.

It all started with all that automated crap which made me wonder- who is running the show? Then everything went digital and  leapt into cyber space- the rest is history. I admit that I love the ability to work from home and never have to venture out my door to shop, pay bills, google the answer to almost anything or be entertained for hours but… there’s my but again. There are times when I need a human voice so I can ask questions,  or a live person to just plain reassure me that everything is okay.

Just today I tried to pay my son’s college tuition bill and it was damn near impossible. They don’t except a debit card, they no longer take any credit cards except MasterCard and if you do use a MasterCard,  a 5% processing charge will be added to the bill. The payment must be done on-line- there’s not a live person to process payments via the telephone.

I could drive over two hours one way to pay the bill in person with a personal check (they don’t take cash) but there is a window of five days to do it in before incurring a penalty which doesn’t exactly fit into my schedule. This institution prefers to take their payments electronically from  financial institutions as in a Citibank student loan. Well, we did that and now that we’re many of thousands of dollars in debt we’re done with student loans, done, finished, no more.  How badly do they want my money,anyway? Obviously not bad enough to hire someone to process my payment or to inconvenience their schedule just a little.

But wait, I have a beef on a totally different subject as well- here goes…  Just a few hours ago I returned from a trip to Target, which by the way was one of my favorite stores until something happened to the shopping paradise where quality met with moderately low prices on almost everything you could ever need. 

When I entered the store I was greeted by a plethora of dollar store items from no doubt China, then, as I ventured to the women’s department that used to offer halfway cute apparel, I was stopped dead in my tracks by drab colors with no style what-so-ever and what looked to be very low quality. As I manuevered my cart through messy displays and on to the back of the store, I noticed that it was bombarded with  bulk items and off brands. Now I’m all for saving a buck but there’s a time and place for that kind of stock. Target, home of the shabby chic decor is now filled a lot of shabby that’s not so chic.

I do occasionally shop the dollar stores and pay a visit to the Big Lots chain but that doesn’t mean I want this kind of merchandise all the time, everywhere.

I’m willing to pay a little more for the items that call for quality. I want the choice to buy low, medium or high cost goods. I live in Michigan and yes I’ve been hit by the recession but that doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t pay a little more to get something a little nicer or a little more reliable from time to time.  

I’m feeling as though technology just keeps getting more and more expensive but our goods are  getting really cheap and disposable.  While many of our goods are lacking quality, the service industry is in dire need of an overhaul. I think our world is getting a little too big and a lot too impersonal. 

I want conveinence of speed with all the bells and whistles technology allows but why can’t it be delivered in a kinder,  gentler manor with a personal touch. I still need a little quality from time to time in a clean well merchandised store.

Perhaps I’m asking too much and maybe my expectations are a little over the moon but I don’t really think so. Am I the only one who feels lost in a sea of automated machinery and cyber drones? Does anyone else long for a little quality while perusing the isles of their favorite store?

Tell me what you think. Do you feel it… or am I just a little too hypersensitive?

Thanks for listening to my rants. Breathe deep and just chill…..

 I feel better after letting it fly, on-ward and up-ward we go.  Sorry but I warned you 😉

xo-jj

Snow Day

As I sit here chatting with you I’m reminded of my a day in the ’70s when the snow came with a vengeance. The drifts were so high we couldn’t see out our living room window. The roads were impassable, even the highway we lived had become a sledding hill. I was a child so this predicament was no inconvenience to me, it just ment no school for a week.  Wahoo!!!

We’ll we are definitely not that point today but the 5 or six inches across the lawn is both beautiful and very inconvenient. The trees looks gorgeous all dressed in white and the ground is so pristine under a thick blanket of fluff. The skies are heavy and pasty and the chill has sent a couple wild cats into my garage for shelter. They sneak through the doggie door and make themselves comfortable. My dogs are baffled at the audacity of these creatures who lay in their doggie beds and snarl at every passer-by.

It might be a couple more months before we see the sun again and I hope I can last that long. Hey, Deb maybe you should get my room ready, just in case I decide to make an emergency trip to the desert. Hee he…

There is plenty to do inside and when I feel a little cabin fever setting in I can just fire up the wii and go for a run. I have never been a fan of winter but I don’t remember it bothering me nearly as much when I was young. 

I had to share this picture of the princess in her “Snow White” jelly pumps,( she has the entire set of Disney princess shoes) flipping through a book. Her hair had been in tiny pony tails but after she removed the ribbons they remained as little stubs upon her head-too cute!

Enjoy your day no matter the weather- if you’re some place warm and sunny please soak up some warmth for me. I’m headed off to work.  We have transformed the store to look like springtime-love it!

 

xo-jj

A simple Life without the Smoke and Mirrors

It’s a new year filled with hope and resolutions. After weathering the storm of 2009 it seems most of us are very optimistic about 2010. I do believe that this year will be infinitely better than the last but this belief is clouded by a tiny worry. Every cloud comes with a silver lining, so to speak and I think the silver lining of 2009 was perhaps a life lesson.  I believe the previous years led many of us down a path that was headed for the land of excess, a world of material bliss, and an era of me, me, me and yes, please more for me. I think we forgot what was really important and how we can enjoy life in a simple way.  Did we miss the point of our downward spiral and will we hop back on that lavish bus headed for tinsel town? I hope not!

I think this moment is an opportunity to take a look at a simpler life with a little less of the excess and a little more quality time with the things or people who matter most. We could use this fall from grace as a push to go a little greener and become aware of the natural spaces laying just outside our back door. Perhaps we should do something different, perhaps we already are paying attention and making the appropriate changes. I’m just concerned that what has been said is a lot of smoke and mirrors or that we will forget what we’ve learned all too soon. I want to remember and make the appropriate changes, even though I’m not too sure what all of those changes are ro should be, as of yet. 

I hope the world will slow its pace just a bit, take the time to breathe a little deeper, spend a little less and save for any future stumbles. Perhaps we could learn not only to recycle but to repurpose the unwanted things that we own. I think the repurpose thing may be a good theme for girls night. Everyone could bring an unwanted item that they no longer use and together as a group we could come up with a new, more purposeful use for it. I know it sounds a little silly but that’s what girls night is all about, silly fun with no rhyme or reason just a little companionship and a lot of laughs. 

Notice how I didn’t list any definite resolutions for the new year, just thoughts and ideas (rambles). My resolutions never last anyway- they’re just a little diversion that end up as a lot of smoke and mirrors. I decided to skip the illusion this year and just ramble out my thoughts to you.

I hope this New Year brings about all the changes you need and fills your life with simple pleasures.

Happy New Year!

love, love-jj