Posted at 11:43 AM in Blythe, Me, Remodeling | Permalink | Comments (5)
Technorati Tags: blythe, DIY, my life under the bus, patty gasparino, renovations, summer reading, things to do
Living in the Northeast
one of the spells that captivate us
is the change of seasons.
Winters depressing snow, ice and grey
landscape collides into Springs manic phase.
Each brings with it it's own color
and enjoyment.
Each has it's own travails.
The grey on grey endlessness of the winters
explodes into the lush green jungle that is spring.
I had no trouble finding green.
I had trouble finding green that stood
out in the endless montage that is all green!
My hosta won.
The variegated leaves definately stand out
amongst all the lushness
and until the deer make a buffet of it.
I always imagine they make up the
grand flowing bouquet of a floor length skirt.
Then I thought of the contrast
of all that blooms in Spring.
We don't have much at this house
but these peonies and their hot pink
make everything POP!
A bunch of us took the green challenge.
You can too.
Hop on over to blog with
Happy Saturday!
Patty
Posted at 11:14 AM in Challenge, Focus On Life | Permalink | Comments (13)
This weeks subject is soooo appealing to me
I wanted to run out and find some good typography
ASAP.
Then the rains came -
and I'm not talking about the gentle pitter patter
of dainty drops.
I'm talking blow the dirt off you body,
break your umbrella,
shrivel your toes to nubbins,
monsoon sort of rain.
I multitasked this week and did my
grocery shopping
and showered at the same time.
That kind of rain.
So I looked inward.
No I'm not being deep -
I looked around the house.
The photo up top combines two of my
favorite fonts -
"Illegible Script Which May Be Foreign"
and
" Old Books That Make Things Look Cool".
This deceptive little cover was blog winnings
at one time - it houses a new notebook.
The real winnings for was turned out
to be the cover as I use it
all the time for my jewelry background!
It containes another great bit of typography
I like to call "Old Label".
My next shot combines my favorite
"Illegible Script Which May Be Foreign"
with another favorite
"The Typed Word".
This is my banner I have hanging in my
creative space and take down for shows.
Notice I also have a penchant for
R.P.B.'s and B.A.O.P.
( Randomly Placed Birds and
Butterflys Affixed in Other Places)
but that is a post for another day.
Last but not least yet another example of
"Illegible Script Which May Be Foreign"
(and yes techinically R.P.B and B.A.O.P.)
this was a table runner I cut in half to decorate my tent.
Seriously I have a problem...
If you would like to make a confession...
or um... share some typography
join in with
You can also check out my
board on Pinterest.
It's an addiction.....
XOXO, Patty
Posted at 10:11 AM in Challenge, Focus On Life, Me | Permalink | Comments (12)
Technorati Tags: focus on life week 23, humor, my life under the bus, mylifeunderthebus, Patty Gasparino, put a bird on it, Sally Russick, Studio Sublime
Our Focus on Life mission this week
was to capture something we were eating.
Food is so much more then food
isn't it?
Comfort food, diet food, cold food, hot food,
spoiled food all bring immediate images.
Worst of all the absence of food.
As I looked at this picture it hit me
for me it's about pretty food.
I don't spoil myself with much -
no manicures, pedicures, etc...
but pretty plates are a must.
I grew up in the house of a hoarder.
Meals were never pretty -
nor was much of anything else.
I think I appease that small soul
with a pretty plate and a bit of parsley.
It makes me feel good
and celebrates the food
and my existence.
It tells me I AM worth it.
A small tiny thing
that makes me feel happy.
I am guessing for most of us food
is not just food but so much more.
My favorite food?
Artichoke Heart Francaise
buttery, lemony, slightly nutty goodness
makes my heart go pitter pat....
What is your favorite meal?
Do you have favorite plates or will paper do?
Happy Saturday!
You can join in with us
on Sally Russicks blog
Posted at 09:49 AM in Challenge, Focus On Life, Me | Permalink | Comments (19)
Technorati Tags: food, foucus on life, hoarding, mylifeunderthebus, patty gasparino, sally russick
Lord it's Monday...
hold on to your pants I feel a long
meandering post coming on.
Renovations are in full swing.
I know it looks like *Hell*..
and well it is....
but this does constitute progress.
Some drains topped with gravel
and we are ready to pour!
Maybe even by the end of the week.
PROGRESS!
Unfortunately my space,
she still looks like this.
Did you shudder?
I have visions of spinning around
in my Julie Andrews dress -
however
it ain't happening in here.
We still have all this to
put up on the garage walls as well.
Blrugh.
In other news I did have some
awesome finds this week
in the clearence section of Homegoods
and my attic!
The mannequinn I started to redo last year?
...and ran out of speed...
it's made of wire under all the paper
and stinks for display.
I'd like to cover it in linen and
maybe give her a bustle?
The step stool we lost when we
moved here and I had given it up for gone.
Lo and behold searching for something else it popped up!
It reminds me of my eldest
so I hate to paint it
but may use some starch
to adhere linen to it.
When I get tired of it it should rinse right off.
The cabinet was 10.00 - woot!
The hat box 3.99!
The bowls as well -
because who doesn't need a pretty bowl?
Last but not least some stacking boxes
with a coupon from Michaels
which are fantastic for display.
I can dream about where I'll put them.
In other news our membership with
"Little Dogs Who Eat Out of the Dishwasher Anonymous"
or
LDWEODA
has been for naught.
They line up like it's a buffet -
even if I open it with fairy wings and unicorn breath.
It seems hopeless.
Definately NOT renewing that membership.
So I have plans for the week,
lets see how far I actually get!
Have you got plans?
Does your dog run for the dishwasher
like it's a lifeboat on the Titanic?
Tell me about it.
Happy Monday, Patty
Posted at 12:26 PM in Current Affairs, Display, Jewelry, Me | Permalink | Comments (12)
Technorati Tags: DIY, dogs, humor, my life under the bus, mylifeudnerthebus, Patty Gasparino, renovation, upcycle
...like dog kibble from the sky.
First in the small tap,tap,tap, of
tiny pieces leaking out,
then the loud barrage of emptying buckets.
No matter these two are not getting out of bed.
The exhaustion a good rain brings on
permeates everything.
The bed ...it calls me...
zzzzzzzzzzz
Two sick kids and two sleepy dogs-
what am I really going to get done today?
Hope your cozy and dry!
Happy Wednesday, Patty
Posted at 10:55 AM in Me | Permalink | Comments (5)
Technorati Tags: dogs, my life under the bus, patty gasparino, rainy days
This weeks focus was
abstract.
Meh...what the heck is that?
It sort of made me itch.
I'm not abstract at all.
Eeek...what to do?
Well I wasn't even going to do it
as I had no inspiration all week.
Then at about 4:30 this morning I
had to wake one of the boys up for a day trip.
Stepped out the door to the sun coming up
and thought hmmmmmm.
Then I got on Picmonkey and played a bit.
Originally I thought the trees looked
a bit like coral and was going to put
some sort of fish in there.
Well that was before coffee...lol
I also thought of the colors and a painted sky.
That was easier to achieve.
I am still not sure if it is ABSTRACT.
I am off to look at other posts.
You can join in
Happy Saturday, Patty
Posted at 06:00 AM in Challenge, Focus On Life | Permalink | Comments (19)
Technorati Tags: abstract, focus on life, patty gasparino, sally russick, the studio sublime
Gasparino residence - side entrance.
We bought this house about 6 years ago
as a major fixer upper.
That is to say
it was more of a disaster
then we even originally suspected.
Things happened.
Things I never want to speak of again.
Things we laugh over at parties.
Like the 1/2 a Xerox machine the previous
owner buried next to the driveway
so he didn't have to pay to get rid of it.
...Or the pipes that got eaten away
because he didn't service the
water treatment equipment.
...Or the tub drain - that separated from the tub
when it was full of kids and water.
I still don't have walls in my laundry room.
The kids never took baths again
and have a fear of seventies bathroom fixtures.
Well time has come to fix some of those
cosmetic issues since the underlying issues
have been corrected.
Remember the boiler blew a few months ago?
...yeah....
Well the garage basically needs
an entire overhaul
as it was never poured correctly.
Since the basement was gutted
we decided to just bite the bullet
and fix the entire mess.
Floor was severly damaged and laid
smack on the dirt so it's
broken up waiting to be hauled away.
Buh bye.
Five hours of sawing and jackhammering
accompanied by dogs barking was awesome.
Now to have it hauled away
and recycled.
Of course the house looks like
a cocaine factory after a bust.
And these two are fit to be tied.
We've already lived through one house being renovated.
This is the first time for the girls.
I think their first comment was,
"woowoowoowoowoooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooof ."
Oh yeah.
So as soon as this garage work is done -
it's on to the basement-
which means....
CRAFTROOM...
woot!
Anyone else out there renovating this year?
Hope your having a great Friday wherever you are.
XOXO, Patty
Posted at 12:58 PM in DIY, Me, Remodeling | Permalink | Comments (8)
Technorati Tags: craftroom, humor, my life under the bus, mylifeunderthebus, patty gasparino, renovation
I have a running joke on my
Facebook page about my love for bacon.
Really I don't get it as much as I used to
but my love remains true none the less.
You know what they say - those that
are talking about the bacon
are probably not getting much bacon at all.
Well a lovely Facebook friend sent me
a bunch of bacony goodness including
DANCING BACON!!!
So now I can have all the guilt free bacon I want
AND
a new assistant.
I am having some issues with the other two.
Sleeping on the job AGAIN!
That thing in the lower left?
That would be my chair wheel.
I push them back...
they push it close....
I push them back...
they push it close....
all.day.long...
...and seriously there's two more perfectly good beds...
So the four of us ( cough)
will be listing today.
Some fun ephemera necklaces.
Oh and Party Pug Necklace...
how cute is he?
...and last but not least some fun charm necklaces!
You can find them all here!
Happy Wednesday!!!
Posted at 09:22 AM in Bead Table Wednesday, Etsy, Jewelry, Me | Permalink | Comments (0)
Technorati Tags: Bacon, ephemera, fleurparlejunquerie, jewelry, mylifeunderthebus, patty gasparino, pugs, the junquerie
This weeks challenge from
Sally Russick was color.
Sally wanted us to note how color affected
our moods or perceptions.
It's been a very long winter here
and Spring has been delayed so all
the color I found was in these vinca
and some forsynthia on our property.
My eyes just soak up the color
after a long grey Northeast winter.
They make me feel happy.
We are still waiting for the trees to bloom!
I love how - depending on the light -
these will show up as blue, purple or lavender.
If I was a sawing girl I would make
the first photo into a silver pendant
with little leaf dangles.
Join in with your photo.
Happy Saturday,
Patty
Posted at 12:36 PM in Challenge, Focus On Life | Permalink | Comments (10)
Technorati Tags: flowers, focus on life, mylifeunderthebus, patty gasparino, sally ruissick










