Happy Weekend

We have company coming this weekend, in less than 24 hours to be exact, and while I should be cleaning, I'm taking pictures of fall décor...doh?!

I think that's the beauty of getting older, you don't care if everything is perfect, just whether or not you have good food, good wine, clean towels, and a calm disposition to offer your guests.  Or maybe it's just that as you age, you only invite people to your home who you know will like you for you...not how well they can see their reflection in your shiny mopped floors.

This will be the first time I've met this person in real life, though we've been friends for several years, thanks to blogging.  Her blog was one of the very first ones I ever visited, and one of the ones that inspired me to start my own.

So, unless she turns out to be an axe murderer, or I do, I should be back next week to tell you about how it all went. 

I hope you all have a very Happy Weekend!



Change

It was great hearing from so many of you that I'm not the only one who is tearing apart my house and going through change.  In fact painting and closet cleaning are not the only changes that have been going on around here.

When I went to purchase the domain name "Bay Studios" a few days ago, I realized it was already spoken for, so that meant that Mary Beth and I needed to come up with a new name.  After sending a few ideas her way, we both agreed on Ebb Tide Studios.

I like it, and since both she and I live on the water, it seemed fitting to have a water related name.  So from here on out we will be known as Ebb Tide Studios.  For now we won't have our own website, but we're hoping that will change sometime in the next year.  We would love to offer up different goods with our artwork on them, like guest towels, dishes, and fabric, but that's a ways down the road.

We are super excited though, and we've been plugging away on some artwork for autumn.  Both of these images will be for sale as wrapped canvases very soon so we would love to have your feedback on them.  

We wanted to capture the essence of Fall, and with this second one we were really going for a vintage feel.  I wanted to create something that had an old oilcloth feel, so I even added the golden checkerboard background reminiscent of tablecloths from the 40s and 50s.

Along with the new artwork, we've made some good progress on the house stuff.  The guest room closet is now neat as a pin...well as neat as it will every be, and the black cabinet in the living room has a brand new look that I'll share with you very soon.

We have bags of stuff to drop off at the donation shop tomorrow, and one of my dear friends is taking a black and cream toile bedding set off of my hands, so we are moving in the right direction.

And I would like to give a special shout out to my friend Papa Jim.  You may recall that he had surgery awhile ago and has had a very long road back to recovery.  Today is his birthday, and I know both he and his family are happy to have him home and to be celebrating his special day together.  

Change can be a very good thing sometimes!  I hope you are each having a lovely weekend and that whatever changes you have on the horizon are for the better!

If you would be interested in either of the images above as a wrapped 12 x 12 wrapped canvas (other sizes are also available), you can email me at kgwhouse@gmail.com for pricing and more info!

Good To Know

I bought this skeleton years ago, I can't even remember where, but I love the cute sign that hangs around his neck and the cheeky little smile on his face.

When I have him out during the Halloween season he reminds me that friends are always welcome, even if his sign says "fiends"...

We all need friends, they are the family we get to choose and the ones who are often there for us the most during our lives.  Kind of the way you all were when I had my grumpy day the other day...so thank you for always leaving kind comments that make me smile even on the dreariest of days!  Sometimes I may not be able to reply to all of your lovely messages, but please know that I appreciate each and every one of them!

In my last post I mentioned that I had picked up a bracelet for the fall.  I bought it at Lola Belle Co.where I always seem to find the best jewelry at really great prices!  We are very lucky here in southern Maryland to have all sorts of wonderful shops where you can pick up something as a gift, or those special things for ourselves without breaking the bank!

I also told you about the pumpkins I picked up last Saturday from one of my favorite Mennonite farms.  Here are some of the miniature white pumpkins all lined up along the bench on my front porch.

They still need a good bath, but it has been raining the last couple of days, and today it's sunny but a little nippy, so I'll wait and do it this weekend when it's supposed to be a bit warmer.  Besides, I kind of like their fresh from the field appearance!

And here are the johnny jump ups from my friend and talented floral designer Doug Vogel!  Doug recently took a job with a shop in LaPlata, Maryland called Studio Three, so if you need flowers and live in the area be sure to give him a call!

Last week was a busy week, and this one is following suit, so I am WAY overdue in giving thanks to Michelle from the blog Emerald Cove!   She gave me and several other bloggers The Versatile Blogger award!

If you've never visited Michelle's blog then you don't know what you've been missing.  She is always full of inspiring design ideas, and her fun loving personality and sweet nature come through loud and clear with every post!

Thank you Michelle for this wonderful award!!

Well as the recipient of this award I'm supposed to share 7 things about myself...of course first and foremost I love my family, but I thought I would share a few other things this time, so here goes, try not to get too excited!

1.  You may have figured this out from the last post, but I am married to the greatest guy in the world.  My great aunt once said "Wow you have him trained well!" to which I replied "He came pre-trained!"

2.  I've always had a little voice that has guided me throughout my life.  Call it a guardian angel or whatever you like, but I haven't always listened to it.  Once when our daughter was little the voice told me to double check her high chair tray to make sure it was securely fastened...I was rushing around and didn't check, and sure enough she pushed on it and toppled out of the chair.  Thankfully she wasn't hurt, but after that I never ignored that little voice ever again and it has served me well over the years!  I always say to my family, listen to your gut, and that is why!

3.  I am a HUGE procrastinator!

4.  I love a clean house, but I don't always have one.

5.  I go by lots of different names...Katherine, Kath, Kathy, and Kat...and I answer to all of them!

6.  If I won the lottery I would set up a fund to help others travel, I think there is no greater teacher than a trip to a foreign land!

7.  I secretly think Martha Stewart was invented by a man to make women feel inadequate about themselves...hehe!  Hey it could be true! ;-)

Now I'm supposed to pass this along to several other bloggers, but my policy on that is that I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by leaving them out.  So consider this an invitation to all of you to share 7 things about yourselves...either in a post, or in the comments section!

I hope all of you have a wonderful day and I look forward to reading your comments!

Getaways and Giveaways

Tomorrow, I'm driving a few hours to go to a photo shoot, Mr. Tide will be tagging along and I love it when he is able to go with me on a shoot.  Even though I know I'll be fine without him, and usually have to do these things on my own, it's nice to know that he'll be there to help me out with a techie question or some lighting issue if I find myself stumped for any reason.  We're a good team that way!

After the shoot we'll be heading back down the road to help our daughter move into her new apartment.  She showed it to us last weekend and all I can say is...I want to live there!!!  I know she will be very happy there, it's right in the middle of the action, yet not party central like her last building.

Before I head out though I wanted to tell you about a Giveaway I'll be hosting with CSN Stores to keep you busy until I come back.

I thought that since I would be gone for a few days I would also leave you with a few more pictures of my fall decor.  I used yet another font on these and although I love the scripty font, I'm not loving the fact that my copyright symbol shows up as an ugly rectangle.  But it's late, and I have packing to do, so it will have to suffice for now!

This decor will last me all the way through Thanksgiving...there are no spooky witches, or ghosts to be had in these displays.  I like being able to put something out that will carry me through not one, but two holidays...I'm getting lazy in my old age I guess, hence the reason why I didn't correct my watermark!

I love white pumpkins for both Halloween and Thanksgiving, and pairing them with silver, brown, gold, or rust colored accessories makes a perfect vignette for either holiday.

And of course acorns in all shapes, sizes, and colors are a staple in my fall decorating.  I found these large white acorns years ago and I still love pulling them out each year!  

And I love this little silver squirrel nutcracker.  It was given to me by my brother and my sister in law and I just think he is the cutest thing, arms waiting to crack that perfect nut open!

I found all of the mercury glass leaves on clearance last year after the holidays.  They are actually Christmas ornaments, but I thought they would look pretty hanging from the various vintage decanters I have on my dining room buffet.  They add a little shimmer and elegance, and they look so pretty next to candlelight.

Now you're probably thinking to yourselves...that's all well and good Kat, but what about the Giveaway...I mean you did mention something about that in your title and at the top of the post right?!  Yes, yes I did!

Well you see, I've been trying to think of a clever segue to tell you about CSN's many wonderful furniture pieces.  They have a lot, trust me I've looked, and I even know some people who own pieces from several of the great lines they carry! 

And then it hit me, I decorated a table, so with the $65.00 gift card you could win with this giveaway, you could decorate your own end table, coffee table, kitchen table or anything else in your house that you want...that's the beauty of a gift card right?!  See, wasn't that clever of me afterall?!!!

Ok, so it might not have been all that clever, but the fact remains that you could win 65 smackeroos to buy anything your heart desires from CSN Stores from an end table to an egret (no not a live one silly!)...and just in time for the holidays...so what's not to love about that?!

You know the drill...

1.  Visit CSN Stores by clicking HERE and then come back and leave a comment telling me what you can't live without, or what you would buy your Aunt Ethel with your gift card!

2.  Leave a second comment telling me what you plan to give me for Christmas...oops I mean that you are a follower...Please Make Sure That You Leave Me A Second Comment for that second chance to win!!

3.  Tweet, Facebook, Blog, or put a Billboard up about my Giveaway and then come back and leave a THIRD SEPARATE comment (I know you'll be tired by then so just write I Tweeted, etc.) and you'll be entered for 3 BIG chances to win!

In all seriousness though, this Giveaway will be finito come Midnight PST next Friday...October 1, 2010...So hurry, don't delay!  The winner will be announced October 2nd...but first you gotta play to win!

**For more Fall inspiration head over to the fabulous Cottage and Vine to get your Fall on with her Falling Up Link Party!**

Frightful

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and support about my article coming out in Romantic Country, it truly means the world to me!!!  I am working on several more articles and I'll be sure to let you know when those come out as well!

With all the wonderful fall decor floating around the interwebs, I just couldn't stand not pulling a little bit out myself.  So I asked Mr. Tide to lug the big bins out of the garage for me, and I got busy!

 

And today I thought I would share with you some of my halloween decorations that I arranged on my dining room table.  I love this little crackled pumpkin...it is made of cloth and has almost a leathery feel to it!

Aside from Christmas, Halloween (and fall in general), is my favorite time to decorate my house each year!

And although I've had some of my Halloween decor for years now, I like to add to it each year and arrange things in new and inventive ways.  I inherited these footed silverplate compotes, and I love how the faux candy corn my sister M gave me looks in these tarnished dishes!  They remind me of something you'd find in a haunted mansion where no one has polished the silver for many years!

My mother was a bit of a holiday-a-holic and had all sorts of wonderful things to fill her house with for every holiday imaginable! 

I almost passed on this sweet witch, whom I've since named Esmeralda, when my sisters and I went through my mom's decorations last year...but I'm so glad I took her.  I love how unique and special she is!  And I love looking at her and thinking of how much my mother enjoyed decorating for this time of year!

And I bought this jar from Hallmark a few years ago, and have filled it with simple white beans this year instead of the usual candy corn.  I love how the label says "A fright in every BITE! Treats An INCREDIBLE edible... or is it???"...kind of like my beans which aren't much of a treat but still pretty!

And what good Halloween display would be complete without a black crow....or two?!

So there you have it, my Halloween dining table, topped with black cats, pumpkins, witches, and mysterious treats alike, all set to welcome ghosts and ghouls this holiday!