Little Red House in da houzz!

Just checking in for a quick note: Little Red House is featured today at the terrific decorating website houzz! If you haven't already discovered this amazing site, you are in for a real treat. Just a warning, though -- you can lose track of time when you start wandering through all the inspirational decorating photos here. :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks for all your sweet comments and your support. For those of you who are at the mall -- happy shopping. :)

I'm Truly Grateful

Just a little fun magazine cover that I made up last year. Things are getting a little crazy around here with the upcoming holiday, and the fact that I hurt my back while bagging groceries earlier in the week (Gah!) so I'm just going to take a few days to focus on family, and see you on the weekend.

May you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. And to everyone outside the US, enjoy your week, and know that one of the things I am most grateful for this year is the gift of your comments and friendships. Thank you so much. I am blessed!

*****

By the way, make your own magazine cover at Big Huge Labs. :)

Mosaic Monday: 2010 Calendar

Here is an unusual mosaic for you today. I've been busy making a calendar! I found the templates at Shutter Sisters, and added my own photos. The pages for each individual month are sized to fit in a holder made from a CD case. You gently remove the top of the case, turn it around, and reattach it to the base. That gives you a stand up holder. Then you simply slip the calendar pages in where the liner notes normally go. Voila!

They would also look really cute hung on the fridge with a magnet-backed clothespin or binder clip. I'll be getting some printed up this week, so I'll let you know later in the week how they turned out. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:

Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
Click on "Enter."
Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net. I can't wait to see your mosaics! Here is Mr. Linky:

Inspiration

I guess this has turned out to be a week of posts about my kitchen. I didn't really plan it that way. In fact, I rarely plan much about the blog at all. I tend to take photographs and then build my posts around them. I know it would be much better to have a plan, but I just can't seem to do it that way. Inspiration is important to me, and you can't really plan for it. It just happens.

This is the carved tile that is centered in the backsplash behind our kitchen range. I had actually considered putting an antique fireback in there, but couldn't find one that fit in with my cheap renovation plans. And I wasn't entirely sure that it could be attached to wallboard without pulling down half the wall. So I went to Home Expo for some inspiration, and came home with this tile. And it turned out just fine. :)

Today is my daughter's eighteenth birthday. I can hardly believe it's possible. I would post a picture, but she won't let me near her with my camera. Happy birthday, Pookie! (Yeah, even though Mom can't embarrass you with a picture, she can still use your baby name. And no, you cannot get a tattoo for your birthday!)

*****

I hope you will all consider joining me for Mosaic Monday. Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30pm Sunday night. Just a reminder for those of you who are new to the meme -- there is no set subject each week. You may create your mosaic on any subject that catches your fancy. I look forward to seeing your creativity!

Yellow and Green

Just some yellows and greens for you today. I've been busy cleaning out closets and drawers in my kids' rooms. Oy! But once it's done I'm sure there will be a great sense of accomplishment to be had. It's just that until then there is a royal mess that spreads across several rooms. You've got to break some eggs to make an omelette, right?

In the meantime, the light was so beautiful in the kitchen the other day that I had to record it. Isn't it funny how light can make such a difference in your attitude? Here's hoping we have a bright and sunny weekend.

Happy Friday, dear bloggers! :)

Feelin' Gravy

I probably make gravy about twice a year. We're just not a gravy kind of family. But I love gravy boats or sauce boats. I've already shown you my silver-plated collection. Here is a small creamware grouping in my kitchen.

I found this one in HomeGoods. It's from the Hera Collection, made by Roscher & Co. I love the twining leaves, and the curvy handle. It's such a pretty pattern that goes with any other creamware, and also with my brown transferware.

Isn't this little cabbage leaf sauceboat adorable? I found it a few years ago in my favorite thrift store. I've never actually used it for gravy, but I love to display it, and it makes a sweet little container for flowers too. It's ironstone, from Shorter & Son, Stoke-on-Trent, England.

This simple little beauty is another thrift store find. Very plain, but with quite beautiful lines. It looks like it may have been a piece of restaurant-ware.

Here they are, all lined up on the mantel above my kitchen range. That beautiful black iron cornbread mold was a gift from my dear friend, Robin. I love decorating with culinary antiques. And old iron makes a beautiful dark counterpoint to my soft yellow cabinets.

So, have I converted you yet? Are you feelin' groovy? Or maybe feelin' gravy? ;)

Mosaic Monday: Pink and Gold

We had an absolutely beautiful sunset on Sunday, with the sky shading from soft blues and golds to pinks and roses. Gorgeous! There are still some beautiful leaves clinging to the trees, but most have fled before the north wind. Darkness falls by early evening, and we turn inward to sit around the kitchen table and share a casual dinner. These are the quiet evenings I love, before the craziness of the holidays sets in. Sweet autumn. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net. I can't wait to see your mosaics! Here is Mr. Linky: