The Color Purple…
My sweet cousin was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After the chemotherapy, she lost all of her hair. For Valentine’s Day, I made her a crocheted hat to which I attached a sparkly, foam crown with its own stretchy headband. It may be a little big. (She’s petite and without the volume of her normal head of hair this may be a little loose. FYI: consider that if you make one for someone in a similar situation!) I got the instructions for the hat off the internet but added the crown and my own scalloped trim. The crown was basted in place with BIG stitches which can be easily removed so that she can wear the hat without the crown.
Valentine Madness!
I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day and when I found some vintage Valentines similar to those we used to hand out when I was in elementary school, I just had to decorate our den for the occasion!
‘Nuff said!
I just had to do it!
An old flat, water hyacinth basket (Goodwill) became the background for an assortment of Valentine elements.
The focus of our den, done up in hearts and flowers.
…a series of close-ups…
…champagne dreams…
…cavier wishes????
…a touch of country…
…wearing my heart(s) on my tablecloth….
…a serving of flaming hearts1…
…a new pillow with a heart-felt statement! (The pillow is a custom order item that is new in the Thirty-one Gifts Spring and Summer Catalog!)
Flossie Christmas 2015
The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. It may be a ridiculous dream that I harbor but this residence is a continual inspiration for me.
Our den and the hub of our home.
Over-the-top? That’s part of the charm! This is our den and the year-round color scheme is red and gold.
I found this painted metal reindeer head at Goodwill and it set the theme for Christmas 2015.
It’s always fun to open the holiday decorations I’ve kept stored to find the perfect thing for this year’s theme wrapped and waiting to be uncovered!
Although difficult to see, almost everything on the tree is reindeer or sleigh themed.
I just had to “see” my Mr. Bear Snowman this year regardless of my chosen theme.
The wonderful, woolen, stuffed reindeer is a treasure I’ve had for years as is the red, wooden sleigh with brass runners. The “bag of goodies” is actually a Hallmark presentation sack for an over large present.
This set of small trees stays out all year (as does our Christmas tree, which is remeniscent of Italian cypress) and are again decorated with reindeer, some in the form of cleverly designed gift tags.
These “snowy” magnolia leaves were a post holiday bargain a couple of years ago. I added shiny, silver curly-cues for glamour.
The painted, wooden reindeer cutout was another post holiday bargain from last year.
In late October, I found these cloth covered reindeer at Target and couldn’t resist them. I also found the perfectly sized sleigh for them.
The “cypress” tree lives in this corner all year.
This door received the musical, gold angel/musical notes/Santa treatment.
My desktop tree also has some reindeer elements.
Not a reindeer and not exactly a cooked goose but graceful swan that was welcome to the table.
Another view of the dining area of our “great” room.
The sofa table gets one of my fav finds: the little, candy striped, cake pedestal which is holding my bronzed booties under glass.
Our largest bathroom also gets treated to some holiday cheer.
I love the recent development of tiny, battery-powered lights. Case in point: this snowy tree which can stay lit even with the lights out.
The lovely embroidered winter scene was created by my sweet mother-in-law many years ago and it perfectly reflected the wintery tree figure (from the Biltmore House) right down to the silver star broach that I added to the embroidery piece. The silver tea service (another family heirloom) suits the icey feeling of the vignette.
Not even our master bedroom can escape the Biltmore influence. The partridge-in-a-pear-tree figure was purchased from the shops at the Biltlmore House.
The headboard gets a touch of class.
I combined three different small decorative items into one delicate, small “wreath”.
I’ve fallen in love with the trend to use lots of mirrored surfaces in decorating and have chosen our bedroom to explore that trend.
The colors in our bedroom required some beautiful tinted glass.
I may have shown this before but again here is my sewing room wreath. Naturally, it showcases pincushions, needle sharpeners, spools of thread, tape measures and various fabric creations. This concludes my 2015 holiday offerings. On to the New Year!
Getting Down & Dirty
Well, I had not participated in a race in quite some time; however, my BFF and I decided to sacrifice our non-bruised limbs for the 2014 Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run.
Before the Down & Dirty Mud Run
We took off around 9:45 a.m. and climbed over wooden hurdles, rope walls, and inflatable slides. We ran through tunnels, up horse trails, down granite terrain, and through a muddy creek. And we conquered the final obstacle of crawling through a mud pit – joy of joys. This was my third mud run and believe me when I say that the mud somehow finds its way into places you never imagined.
But we definitely had a great time! And believe it or not, Mrs. Flossie didn’t even recognize her daughter in the photo below.
After the Down & Dirty Mud Run.
May you find the joy of bonding in any way possible, but I’m glad my BFF doesn’t mind a little mud.
~ Miss Fancy
New Feature: Belle of the Bargins
Time: Fall. Place: my bedroom. Action!
With sweat dripping down my nose and a scarf flying over head, the job of cleaning out my closet has gotten out of control. Between ill-fitting clothes and those that are no longer desirable, I quickly fill my donation bags.
That said, I’m going to attempt a different strategy borrowed from another blogger, Franziska, who writes franish, partly about thriving on a budget of $150 a month to spend on clothes and cosmetics. For purposes of my own challenge, I’m going to include jewelry and accessories in this budget as well.
Wish me luck as October has just begun and I’ve got a fall clothing itch to scratch.
~ Miss Fancy
1960s Ranch House with 1980s Owners
Here is a photo of our little house during the decade it was built. I used my iPhone to photo shop the 1980s couple (my husband and me) into the foreground. We’ve added a larger den and dining room to the back of the house. We also added a wrap-a-round deck and a screen porch. A small front door portico was added but needed to be rebuilt when we recently had a new roof installed. You can look at some of my other posts to see the new gable end, front porch portico and the new white posts.
Approximately 1200 Sq. Ft. of newlywed heaven
Another Bulletin Board
Look closely at the “iPhone”. The apps represent things found in an elementary school library. Some of the images were downloaded, some were photos I took and some are drawings I created. Check out Siri’s conversation with an observer!
Very ubiquitous object catches observers’ attention.
Flossie’s Penchant for Bulletin Board Design
I was lucky to have had ten years to exercise my fledgling graphic artist talent while working in a public elementary school. I’d love to share with you some of my creations. There are those for which I was given complete creative freedom and there were those whose themes or purposes dictated their content. The last three years, the lovely lady who was my boss and creative in her own right, often had a pre-conceived designs which she allowed me to execute. Whatever the circumstances, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. In this board, I used leftover processed laminating film to make the lens in the magnifying glass. Let me be the first to point out that anytime you have young students’ work to spotlight, the result is less static and so much more alive!
Celebrating Nature
Renovations to Flossie’s Residence #2
Today our wonderful contractor and his co-worker installed the new columns. What a difference they made! He even did away with the need for one of the original posts to be replaced thereby cleaning up the appearance of the whole front porch area. I am thrilled because I wanted it gone so badly. Next we have to decide whether or not to use the fish scale siding on the short carport wall or use the Hardy board siding we’re using on the other exterior, non brick areas. We shall see.
Renovations to Flossie’s Residence
We desperately needed a new roof which in turn called for structural improvements. We expect a radical upgrade to our 60s ranch. Here is a photo of our work in progress featuring our cement sentinels.
Fancy & Flossie 