Remodel On A Budget- The Dining Room

Now remember, this is actually a before and almost after. We are not finished but I wanted to share how far we have come.

Before- there was a big wood stove in the corner, and I didnt get the picture but there was also a cabinet that was dark and hung down low in the pass through to the kitchen. The floors have already been removed too.

After- I am so happy to have a dining room. We not only eat here, but homework is also taken care of on the table. My new table actually will extend so I can seat 10 people if needed. I can not imagine cooking for that many, but you never know.

Take a Peek Into My New Art Studio

I know, I know, it is so crammed full of fun stuff that it doesn't look new, but it is. In our old house I did not really have my own space. In fact, I pretty much worked at the kitchen table and we ate at the coffee table in the living room. Our old cottage was only about 800 sq. ft. so when the opportunity came to move I was all over it. I really wanted this new house because of the extra space for my art stuff and the additional bathroom. What more can a girl ask for?

This cottage is about 1000 sq. feet. Not much bigger, but it is definitely obvious to me that it is. We took everything down to the studs, but did not move any walls really. Opened up some doors that had been closed and just resurfaced everything on a limited budget. (Thanks to my parents, they are so generous, there is not enough thanks in the world to thank them.) Oh, and thanks to mom I got the lovely sewing table from France for mothers day. How lucky am I? The shelf above is hanging to the right of my table. Lots of little buckets for working supplies like scissors, adhesives. All in easy reach. Some vintage trims also.

By the way, we now dine at the dining room table where I actually provide meals for my family from my nice, big remodeled kitchen: http://mytangerinedreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/kitchen-remodel-before-almost-after.html

To the left of my table is lots of storage for stamps, ink pads, punches etc. I have not decided what to hang on the wall yet. Do I need more storage or just some pretties? I do watch/listen to TV or a movie sometimes while creating. I also love books on tape and my itunes blasting funky music.

On the left wall sort of behind me is my hubbies work station. Actually, I am on that computer right now. This is where I blog and do all my image editing and check out your blogs. I think I use this computer more than he does. His is all for Quick Books and sitting while filing the dreaded bills.

The blue shelf was salvaged from a thrift store and hung over my desk. All my ribbons and buttons are within easy access there. And no, I did not clean up before taking these pictures. I have no shame.

The orange shelf is full of ready to be altered stuff. Old books, and misc. I also have my papers, embellishments, alpha stickers, old envelopes,and sheet music here. That hallway to the left of it goes to the girls room, to the right is my "extra" bathroom that I did not have in the old cottage. This has saved many fights over who gets to use the tiolet first. LOL

The little white computer desk is the where the girls play webkins and barbie girl.

So there is your little peek into my studio. I also was given the beautiful cork flooring by some friends of my parents that had just enough left over from their remodel to fit into my room. Imagine my happiness! We have so many generous people in our lives. What a blessing.

Now you can picture me creating and typing in this little space. I love how it just works and all my loverlies are out where I can see them finally.

Halloween Wreath on Craftzine.com

I was perusing around the internet and came across a picture of my Halloween wreath
here:


http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/10/craft_flickr_pool_roundup.html



So happy to be acknowledged over at Craftzine. Thank you! It is an honor when others appreciate your craft.

Penelope- The Movie

YOU MUST WATCH THIS MOVIE!

I watched today with my sick 8 year old. It was wonderful! A great fairy tale with good lessons. Enjoy!

French Tags

Happy Birthday: Thank You Very Much:

Crafty Little Slumber Party

So Mia has been begging me for a slumber party. She really wanted to have just 3 friends spend the night and go see "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". Well, as you can see, I gave in. She had her 3 1st grade friends, and Claire had one friend. And yes, they are all on my bed. And yes, they slept there all night while I slept on the couch. LOL It was the only way to get them to sleep without someone being scared, or upset that they weren't sleeping next to who they wanted to. It was so funny to listen to them play, and interact. Loved it, but do not want to have another one any time soon. Lets just say that I slept 11 hours the next night and still felt tired. LOL

I went to this site www.familyfun.com and we made these super cute and easy ghosts and we also made the spooky paper bag trees. It was perfectly messy and fun. A great halloween craft for the kiddos. I will definitely use this site again. It has some great ideas for crafts for kids.

Are you ready for Halloween? We aren't, but our house is decorated like we are.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Okay, since I am a mammography technologist at my other job, I must share this with my readers:

Now, quick, click on this link- http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/ and then click on the big pink button on the right side of your screen. It only takes 3 seconds of your day and it will make your heart feel good for the rest of the day.

And then go to the phone and schedule your mammogram for your annual screening if you are age 40 or older and have not done so already this year. It may save your life. I know, I know- "I hate that exam, it hurts." Well, just think of what the outcome may be if you decided not to do it and then you find a lump? If it is a cancerous lump it has most likely been there for atleast 2 years if you can feel it, and probably longer. The longer you give that breast cancer time to grow the less likely your outcome with be positive, the more chemo and radiation you will need. So which is a better choice- going through a few seconds of pain, or finding a lump at a late stage and having to endure the surgery, chemo, radiation and possible bad outcome because you did not find that breast cancer at an early stage by having a mammogram? You tell me what the right choice is, hmmmmm.......

I have been doing this job for 20 years and I can say without a doubt-

"MAMMOGRAMS SAVE LIVES!!"

If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in comments. I will do my best to answer them with the knowledge I have.

Christmas in October

Some gift tags I have been busy making. Lots of vintage goodness here. I have finished 5 different sets of 4 in the last 2 days. Man, I hope the roll continues.

Loving The Leaves

Loving them so much that I decided to bring them inside and make a garland out of them. It turned out so pretty that I made 3 of them. Of course they are starting to shrivel a bit now, but it was worth the few days I got out of them.

The colors are glorious right now, and the air is crisp and clean smelling. It is funny that I enjoy fall so much but it is the time of year that I also tend to get a bit of a depression started. Someone mentioned Seasonal Affected Disorder- which is probably the source for me. I decided to try going to the tanning bed atleast once a week and seeing if that helps. No, I am not planning on getting a tan, but getting the light and the vitamin D in my system. HOpefully it works. The up side of the depression is that I have been glued to my work table creating away. Funny how it has stirred the creative juices a bit.

HAPPY FALL!

Getting Organized For Once

Okay, this is not the prettiest organization area I have ever created, but when you are in a pinch you make due. This is in our front entrance so as we leave in the morning we can double check everything that is on the schedule for the day or the weekend etc. I am so proud of Paul and I. I mean, we actually are organized for the school year. YES!!!

Surprise Photo

Ummm yeah.....I was uploading some photos and found this little number in the bunch. Looks like a shall be nameless neice that babysat on Saturday so I could go and see the movie The Duchess, decided to do Mia's hair crazy, add some makeup and jewelry and have her pose absolutely silly so her auntie could have a good laugh. It worked too. LOL

In Our Window

Made these last night. Quick and Easy Lovelies for a little Halloween spirit in our house.

Porn For Women

This was just too funny not to share. LOL

Home Rules

Here is a little plaque I made for our hallway. I love these Home Rules- even if they don't always get followed we do aspire to them. LOL

Birthday Card For Dad

My Dad is a very special Man. He turned 74 on Monday and this is the card I gave him. He is actually my "step" Dad, but I have been adopted in every way since my parents married. I never refer to him as anything else but Dad. He and my mom are the ones that walked me down the aisle at my wedding. My "bio" Dad did not even show. He is a wonderful role model of what a good man should be. He has taken Paul (my husband) under his wing from the beginning. I can not put into words how he has changed my life. Love him more than words can say. So, if it is hard to tell- this is a mobile. He likes to hang the stuff we give him in his office. Normally just on his cork board or somewhere on the wall. I thought it would be fun to make a mobile that he can hang from the ceiling.
Yes, the above picture is blurry. It is not your eyes.
I collected sayings and quotes that make me thing of him and then the rest of the artful inpiration came to me.

Dream Quote

"I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering."

Vintage Books Galore

A family friend, Patty has known me since I was probably 6 or 7 years old. The father of her children passed away and left her with 1,000's of vintage and rare books. So she opened this shop- http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BooksBrowse?vendorclientid=2960700&page=CLIENT and I wanted to get the word out to all my readers.

Maybe you know someone who collects rare books- Patty has them.

Maybe you want a book to alter- Patty has them.

Maybe you just love to have old books around- Patty has them.

Maybe you wanted to fill that empty bookshelf with vintage spines showing- Patty has them.

Get a good cup of coffe, click the link and take a browse around her book store. You never know what good book you may find. Enjoy!

Barack Obama In Portland, Oregon

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - Albert Einstein





This is definitely beyond 'I Have A Dream'. This is a revolution being televised.

I received this in an email from my mom. I still always get chills and teary eyed when I see or read something about Obama. I recently heard that Caroline Kennedy basically said that Barack is our generations next JFK. And that my friends is exactly what I have been thinking for over a year now.

I am not normally a very involved sort of voter. I go to the poll or send in my ballot, but I have never been very excited about it. Nor do I talk politics with others usually. But this campaign has gotten me excited. Barack Obama has opened my eyes and helped me see how important our vote really is. I see hope for our political future in him. He is the change we need. I want to tell everyone who I am voting for. I want others to get excited, and to learn more. Go to his website- http://www.barackobama.com/about/ and see where he stands on the issues. Take a look here- this is a nonpartisan site-http://www.votesmart.org/

Last, but most important....keep him and his family in your prayers. I know I do.

Okay, I will now step down from my soapbox, lol.

Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams
Originally uploaded by MyTangerineDreams

This is my addition to www.inspiremethursday.com challenge for this week. I immediately thought of this photo as I read the following poem by Rumi.

Out beyond ideas
of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.

I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down
in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language
- even the phrase “each other” -
do not make any sense.

This poem really is speaking to my soul today. I am in a bit of a low mood and this fits me right now. It wraps around me and soothes my soul. If only I could go and lie down in the grass. I know that it would be good therapy for me today.

Kitchen Remodel, Before & Almost After

So as most of you know, we have been remodeling an old cottage in the Old Mill District in Bend. It has been quite the adventure and it is not done yet. I thought it would be fun to share some inbetween pictures before everything is actually all finished so her we go. I will start with the kitchen. This two pictures are walking into the kitchen back in May. We had already pulled up the nasty old linoleum, put in a new sink and faucet, cleaned and prepped the dirty-slimy with cooking oil walls, and taken the doors off the cupboards. I think the refrigerator was in the living room at the time and the stove was not able to be cleaned due to all the baked on crusty food etc. So that was gone. There never was a dishwasher or washer and dryer.

BEFORE #1 BEFORE #2ALMOST AFTER:

We got a great dishwasher, cleaned the refrigerator, added the new stackable washer/dryer and the new cabinet shelving that we salvaged from a recycle center and I painted to match the cabinets. I also painted all the cabinets, added new drawer and door pulls, and we put in hickory floors. There are a few things left to do yet. I was hanging fabric swatches by the window to try and make a decision on what to use on the windows and under the sink. I have decided to just buy some red ticking for that. Paul still needs to frame in the dishwasher, we have a center island that will eventually get put in, and a fan for above the stove. Originally the stove was electric but we prefer cooking with gas so Paul put a gas line in and we bought a new gas stove. Fabulous kitchen to cook in. Our other kitchen was about 1/3 of the size of this one and I really did not like cooking in it much. This new, huge kitchen is much more user friendly- therefore, I tend to cook dinner almost every night. BONUS!!

BEFORE- this is where the stove resides now and the handmade cabinet we made is now on the left hand wall.

Below is the cabinet that my mom and I completely made ourselves with salvaged materials from the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The bottom cabinet was originally a bathroom sink cabinet that was painted salmon pink with an old counter top and sink still attached. The upper shelves were from a book case and they seem to be meant to be together. Don't you think? This wall was originally empty and we needed more storage so VIOLA! A pretty little storage cabinet.

BEFORE

AFTER We made the lower counter area out of a peice of scrap wood my dad had laying around. He actually made the counter top for us. It is currently our little french press coffee station.

AFTER

BEFORE

Above is another BEFORE looking into the dining room through the pass through. Originally there was a cabinet that hung from the middle of the pass through so you couldnt see into the dining room and it made the kitchen feel small and dark.
And the almost finished project. I truly love my kitchen as you can tell. The green on the cabinets is perfect and the red touches add a little pop. I will share the full AFTER pictures once we get to that point. It will probably be in 3-4 months. We plan on working more on the inside finishing touches once the snow starts to fall. I am most excited about getting my kitchen island in.

Also, stay tuned for more Before and Almost Afters. I have recent pictures of all of the other rooms in the house that I plan to share.

Girl With A Pearl Earring

I was able to do one of my favorite things while driving by myself to Portland last weekend- listen to a book on CD. I managed to finish this one and truly enjoyed it. I also watched the movie today while doing some catching up on the computer and working on some art. I definitely recommend both.

I am also dying to see the latest costume drama with Keira Knightly. There is no better escape from reality than a beautiful movie. These types of movies seem to inspire me with my art also.

You have to check out this gorgeous etsy shop full of photography that I envy. I could not choose just one image. I must have them all, I must have atleast one, I must buy one for my birthday gift to me. I can only aspire to this as an amateur photographer, but she is definitely inpiring me to get my camera out today.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=13988

RIP 39

When I first saw this my mind read it as R.I.P. (REST IN PEACE) 39. And the sad thing is is that today- Oct. 7th is my 39th birthday. I actually do not feel like I am slowly dying. LOL I am looking forward to my 40's believe it or not. I truly feel that age and maturity have brought a wonderful perspective to who I am and what is important. If it wasn't for the extra pounds I am carrying right now I would not feel 39 either.

I will not be 39 and holding, I will be celebrating in a big way next year with my BFF as we both ring in 40 and enjoy the perspective of middle age.

So happy birthday to me and cheers to all the women that are proud to be 39 or older. The women that see each new wrinkle as earned. The women that do not feel the need to hide their age with facelifts, liposuction or boob jobs. The women that love themselves inside and out at 39!

Decoupage Delirium

I promised I would share some of the decoupage I did this last week. First the stool-And here are the light switch plates I did- My Studio
The Girls Room

Near the Girls Computer
The Living Room
And One In The Kitchen

Where I Have Been

I was able to get away from the family for 3 days and head up to Portland to visit my very best friend. I have not seen her since I said goodbye to her at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, France last year at this time. Needless to say it was a loooonnnggg over due visit.

I consider her more my sister as we have known eachother since we were 11 years old. Which is 28 years to be exact. She is that person in my life that loves me with not strings attached and no judgements. We always have a fabulous time together no matter where we are or what we do. We were the two girls in high school that everyone got confused- calling me by her name and her by mine. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum so to say.

We took all day on Saturday and went to this awesome little town http://www.auroraoregon.com/ just south of Portland and we shopped our little antique lover hearts out. I found some great buttons and lace.


I also found a great stool to use at my work desk here- http://www.auroramills.com/ You want to talk about fun? I found a great old stool that was already painted tangerine and was all vintage goodness just waiting for me to come and buy it. When I got it home I decoupaged it up with some cool vintage italian poster paper and viola.....I can now officially sit when artsing. Love it! I will share a pic of the stool soon. We also spent waaay too much time here http://www.craftwarehouse.com/

Being from a smaller town I was in heaven with the selection of papers, ribbons, ephemera etc. We actually went there two days in a row. Hence, the decoupaged stool. I also have been decoupaging my little heart out on my switch plates. I must take some pics of those too! I am in the crafting groove and coming back full steam. I am much more of a cold weather crafter so I am sure to be blogging and getting more on my etsy site, http://www.tangerinechic.etsy.com/ in the coming months. The weather is turning us indoors and my little studio is full of sunshine and ideas.