Soon it's gonna rain...

STORM WATCHER, by lewfoster

What a storm, eh folks? You know, I don't think I've seen this much wind and rain since December 14th, 2002. Know how I know the date so precisely? It was the very day of my wedding to my dear husband Mark. The rain and wind started first thing in the morning, and was so furious that it was actually raining sideways. SIDEWAYS. The storm caused such a hardship for some of our family members that they were unable to attend, as they had to travel so far. Some folks barely made it to the end of the ceremony. Our reception hall was without power for most of the afternoon, and they had to set up in the dark (which fouled up the seating arrangements, which is a fiasco I care not to expound upon).

There is an Irish superstition that rain is lucky on your wedding day. If that's the case, then Mark and I should be set for LIFE. Seven years - so far so good!

Days like this make me want to curl up on the couch and watch Merchant Ivory films (hopefully the power will stay on through all this wind!). Enjoy these items from our friends at Etsy, inspired by "rain"...

Why does it always rain on me
by lunetmuse

get off my cloud earring
by sirenjewels

PDF-Amigurumi Happy Weather Mobile Pattern
by AmyGaines

Crystal Rain Earrings

by LizardiBridal

Raindrop - silk-lined clutch bag
by redrubyrose

The day It Rained For Romance Art Deco

by JANETLILY

RAINY DAY WITH MY UMBRELLA silver necklace
by LycheeKiss

The Hostess With the Mostest!

Miss Spooky Pant Apron, by AnniesAttic

Hostessing the perfect party is an art, which I have YET to really master. Usually something or other falls through the cracks, no matter how much planning and preparing I do in advance. Paige, however, is an ARTIST when it comes to hostessing a party, leaving me wondering if she's really a 1950's hostess with the mostest reincarnate. Every detail is expertly executed, every guest feeling like an honored attendee - no drink glass is ever empty at a Paige party.

In April of this year, Paige's mom Mary Ellen turned 70, and to honor the event, Paige threw her a wonderful suprise party at her house with a "Spring Chicken" theme (Mary Ellen's birthday being so close to Easter this year). For the event, Paige and I put our skills together to whip up delightful little easter chick hostess aprons for herself, daughter Ella, and myself to wear at the party, and they turned out REALLY STINKIN' CUTE! (I will post photos of the finished apron on a later post, as I haven't had time to iron it and shoot it yet - more on that subject later).

I have been a collector of vintage hostess aprons for the past 7 or 8 years, and have a lovely little collection that I display in my kitchen at various times of the year. My favorites are the ones in my Christmas collection - my entire kitchen is done up in vintage mid-century Christmas kitsch, and it is the only time of year that my kitchen feels like a lovely place (more on THAT subject at a much later time.)

In honor of my husband's 38th birthday, I am hosting a barbecue party at my mom's house this afternoon. This is a beer and ribs party - nothing I can get frilly and hostessy with, so no apron for me today, but I am hoping I can channel the hostess goddess within to make sure that everyone has a good time.

Enjoy these lovely hostess aprons from our friends at Etsy - they make me want to run out to an estate sale!!

black and white polka dots with CHERRY APPLIQUE hostess apron, by loverdoversclothing

RETRO TO HELL with HOUSEWORK APRON, by VintageDove

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS APRON, by SWEETKATHLEEN

Sweet Candy Cane Christmas Vintage Apron, by SerendipityTreasures

This is SHARKS TERRITORY

I'm so excited, because I have the honor of singing the national anthem tonight at the home opener for the San Jose Sharks! Doubly excited because they usually only call me in for games against Canadian teams (I know their anthem), and TRIPLY excited because it's my husband Mark's birthday, and he and his friends will all be there at the game!

Here are some vicious bits from our friends at Etsy using the search terms "hockey mask". Enjoy!

Halloween Hockey-mask, by nakittaa

Jason Friday the 13th Leather Keychain, by leatherprince

Hockey One Necklace, by andreacorson

Tshirt - Tokyo (men), by AkumuInk

And I think I have to get this sock yarn - dragoneyarnes makes colorways for 14 different NHL teams! (This one's the prettiest, if I do say so myself...)

San Jose Sharks Sock Yarn, by draygoneyarnes

Paper Houses

Gingerbread House, by thesaltboxcollection

You know what I love? Paper houses. You know, the kind like your grandparents had (well, not mine, but I can imagine) lining the mantelpiece at Christmas. These little confections were crafted of cardstock, mica snow, glitter, bottle brush trees, chenille pipecleaner santas and snowmen, and colored cellophane in the windows that would glow if you put a light behind them. I would love to have an entire village of glittery paper houses and stores and churches, all in pinks, whites, blues and greens - and then I'd sit and make believe I really lived in this frosted little wonderland.

I did a bit of surfing on Etsy to see if I could find paper houses, and was suprised to find that there aren't many listed. I did, however, find a great seller who has a number of adorable ones, including the gingerbread house above. The creator of thesaltboxcollection started off by repairing a few inherited vintage paper houses, then went on to creating a whole new village using the same time-honored techniques. The result is a charming mix of buildings that leave me wanting more and more!

Enjoy these items by thesaltboxcollection on Etsy!

Village Schoolhouse, by thesaltboxcollection

Mail Pouch Barn, by thesaltboxcollection

Pink Farm House, by thesaltboxcollection

AAAAAAANNNNND she's over it.

oh, boo-frickin-hoo sign, by gotmojo

Okay, for those of you who have been reading the blog these past two days and have wondered, "What in the (insert favorite expletive here) is wrong with Annmarie?" I would like to state for the record that I am now officially over it.

Done with the gloomth psycho-betty sturm und drang.

Done with worrying about things that are out of my control.

I only can say that life sure throws you curve balls from now and then, and you gotta be ready to SWING, sister! You have to be willing to surrender your fear and have faith. Spring always follows the winter, etc. etc., blah blah blah. Maybe some of it was PMS, I don't know...

ANYWAY

Here are a few goodies from Etsy that illustrate my new mood - enjoy!

Suck It Up And Get Over It, by figure22

Happy Place Found hand painted glass, by geekdetails

PUT ON YOUR BIG GIRL PANTIES AND DEAL WITH IT, by pizzazjewelry

And my new personal favorite - this is SO ME!!

I'm Wearing My Big Girl Panties And They Are Starting To Bunch Sign, by icehousecrafts

(plus, icehousecrafts is vamp friendly - we love that!)

We Wear the Mask

Day of the Dead SUGAR SKULL GYPSY Mask

by illustratedink

We Wear the Mask

Paul Lawrence dunbar

(1872 - 1906)

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--

This debt we pay to human guile;

With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,

In counting all our tears and sighs?

Nay, let them only see us, while

We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

A Kind Of Pale Jewel
by TotusMel

Sweeney Todd vs. Beethoven, Adult Mask
by Masquefaire

The Golden Sprite Mask
by MeddlerandMeddler

Art Nouveau swirly leaves leather mask in black
by TomBanwell

Owl Be Seeing You

Owl Winner 2, by nayarx8

I have mad love for birds (in the wild - not as pets, they poop everywhere). Birds are the physical manifestation of my soul - they are beautiful, they can fly, and they sing when they talk. Every summer, several pairs of tiny birds build their nests in the eaves of our front porch, and we get to hear the sweet frantic chirping of baby birds when they are demanding their breakfast.

Owls, in particular, have always been very special to me. They are very stately creatures - the royalty of the birdie kingdom. There is something very old-soul about owls, and whether the moniker "wise old owl" is accurate or not, these birds' very nature implies a certain level confidence and intelligence that we can only wonder at.

Enjoy these lovely owl items from our friends at Etsy:




Autumn Hoots lampwork owl pendant neckalce
by dkjewels

Owl and Lace Pillow, by TrackandFieldDesigns

Late night Operator, by DistrictThirty

I wonder if these guys were separated at birth... ;o)



Twit, Twoo - Owl embroidered Cushion, by angharadjefferson

Eastern Screech Owl Winking, by StevesPhotos

Baby Burrowing Owl 5 x 7 Print

by NaturesCall

And I LOVE this pillow - see the owls? Genius...

Funky Wood with Funkier Modern Owl 20x20 pillow

by Pillowphyte

Driven to Abstraction

I Think We're Being Followed - GICLEE PRINT

by shawnaerback

I had an entirely different subject in mind for today's blog when I ran across this abstract painting by artist Shawna Erback. I was planning on discussing the upcoming release of New Moon and featuring fellow Twilight sellers on Etsy, but upon browsing with the search term "moon," I came across this seller's store and stopped dead in my tracks.

This painting is from Erback's Chronicles of a Journey series, "a modern allegory that takes the viewer on an emotional adventure with a girl and her pet. I paint a story of love and hope which envelopes the viewer with passion, remembrance and contemplation." (excerpt from Erback's Etsy profile).

Her paintings are exquisite, enchanting and at once heartbreakingly haunting. Even though you never see the face of the little girl in the paintings, you can feel how she views this bizarre and macabre world through bright innocent eyes. The overall effect is so uplifting - I'm going to be riding this high all day!

Erback's work reminds me of another abstract painter that I have loved and followed over the years, artist Ora Tamir. On our second Christmas together, my husband Mark gave me a large giclee painting of hers entitled "The Unexpected," that I had seen and fallen in love with at Tapestry in Talent in San Jose. I have been unable to feature it as of yet, but am planning to design our master bedroom around it.

The Unexpected - Giclee on Paper

by Ora Tamir

Perhaps I could add some of Erback's works to our bedroom plan and create our own little abstract art gallery. I'm inspired - I hope these artists can do the same for you today!

FALL in Love!

Autumn Leaves print, by sarahsetsy

Today is officially the first day of autumn, and I couldn't be happier! Fall is my favorite time of year - the weather finally starts cooling down and turning crisp, the trees turn heartbreakingly beautiful colors, and Starbucks starts making their Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread lattes.

Celebrate the autumnal equinox in style - decorate your home with fall colors and spiced candles, get out your favorite throw blankets and cozy sweaters, and relax over a yummy latte or cup of chai tea to some lovely classical piano music. Ahhhhhh, heaven.

Here are some beautiful items to get you in the mood from some of our friends at Etsy - all on sale TODAY!!

Pumpkin Soaps by thesoapseduction

Orange Pumpkin Scarf/Boa by kiamichi7

Autumn spice necklace by sparklecouture

Autumnal Fire Stacking Set by CreationsbyCat

And this seller, who has the most ethereal and lovely costumes I've seen in quite some time - BEAUTIFUL!!

November Fairy Costume by TheBohemianGoddess

Sing out, Louise!!

Sing Out Loud Every Day print

by pleasebestill

This delightful little print is by a seller that is featured today on Etsy, and I couldn't help but to share this with you!

Jen Renninger is an artist living in Tampa, Florida, who has had a great amount of success with her illustrations in magazines and other publications, and who now is selling her beautiful works of art online through Etsy. The one above immediately spoke to me this morning, and I would like to remind all of my dear readers that regardless of what life throws at you from day to day, remember to take the time to nourish your soul (or sing out, as it would be in my case!).

Please visit Jen's shop by clicking on the picture or link above, and enjoy her other lovely works of art - I hope they inspire you, as they did for me this morning.

SING OUT LOUD EVERY DAY!!!