emilia's vanity chair.

My daughter wanted a dressing table like mom.  I was lucky enough to find this pictured one for very cheap at a yard sale.  I was then on the hunt for a vanity seat and found this dusty, unloved beauty at a summer estate sale.  I had fabric left over from making over the vanity stool in my dressing room.  My daughter picked out this sweet lavender shade of paint and we made her a coordinating dressing area in her room.  She is getting lots of use out of her new space "like mommy's."

dressing room makeover.

handbag bar.

dressing table.

details.

my wedding dress, artwork, 

cameo collection, great grandma's church gloves, 

crystal doorknob & Fenton shoes.

my beautiful shoes.

Vintage dress magazine from my sister-in-law, 

vintage hand mirrors and Fenton shoes

Even after my hit and miss postings I still have readers! Ones who are requesting special topics at that. My dressing room has been under construction much of the summer and I am happy now to share pictures of the finished product. I am lucky to have this space in my home, but now it really suits me.  The lighter mint walls, freshly painted floor and better organized walls and spaces make the room more useful and pretty.  I have featured pictures of some of my favorite things: including  my vintage hand mirrors hung on the wall, a few of my glass Fenton shoes, artwork that has been gifted to me by friends and family members, my cameo collection and perfume bottle display.  I have also shared pictures of the more useful pieces: including my new handbag bar, shoe shelving and scarf bar. I love being a girl and think the space in which you work throughout the day should be inspiring.

scarves.

southwest retreat.

 

My daughters and I recently flew from our home and below freezing weather to a week away at my parent's house in Arizona. We did leave their house and enjoy many other things, but I want to highlight the amazing job my parents do with their yard. As my photos illustrate, you can spend all hours of the day in their backyard. We enjoyed garden gazing, sunbathing, pedicures by the pool, using the indoor/outdoor kitchen, eating the fruits of our labor and finally a cozy backyard fire and family game night.  They are so inspiring!

baby hiatus.

For anybody who follows me, you may have noticed a break in action. I have been busy since late October with my third bundle of joy and plan to continue decorating, gardening, cooking, photography updates now. Enjoy these sweet snippets of 

Vivianne Lou.

senior pictures.

    My twin cousins are graduating this Spring.  My aunt asked me if I would take their senior pictures.  I love to fiddle with photography and enjoy using Adobe programs and my Apple computer to do editing.  I have a Nikon Coolpix L810 that I have been experimenting with for about a year. I was excited to take on this task and enjoyed every minute of this learning process.  My aunt and cousins seem happy with the outcome and I thought I would share a few favorites on my blog. Congratulations girls!

    As a side note, it is difficult to mess up two beautiful, cooperative girls and a perfect Michigan Fall backdrop.  Pretty sweet gig ;)

 

 

for the love of pyrex.

I have been collecting vintage Pyrex for a few years now.  I have accumulated about 100 pieces and my family has contributed in helping me find pieces to expand my collection.  My kids and husband enjoy "the hunt" for them at antique stores, estate sales and thrift shops.  Parents and grandparents pitch in and many occasions for me involve gifts of the Pyrex genre.  I fell in love with these beauties because I quickly found that each person selling one had a story about how many meals they had prepared in these dishes and how many decades ago they were a wedding gift to them.  They remind me of a "suzy homemaker" lifestyle of decades ago that I enjoy keeping alive in my home.  These are the perfect dishes to prepare family recipes in and bring to meals with family and friends.  I mix and match pieces to decorate for birthdays, holidays and meals at home.  They are perfect for a fancy Thanksgiving dinner and a Monday morning cereal bowl.  I hope my children continue to help me collect these dishes over the years, attribute memories of mom's cooking to each one, disperse between their families, and cook for their children in.  I am sure I have over-thought each piece of Pyrex I have in my cupboard, but to me they symbolize so much about my goals as a wife, mother and homemaker.  

canning season 2012.

Canning season has come to a close in the Fulton household as the weather changes and a new babies' arrival is near.  The whole family and great grandma pitched in this year.  The results include 58 quarts of carrots, 80 quarts of tomatoes/goulash, 10 quarts of pickled cauliflower, 12 pints of pickled spicy peppers and about 24 pints of salsa.  My husband is in the thick of hunting season now and between his meat and all the canning we can be proud of all the homemade goodness we can share with our family this winter.  Thanks to all of our extended family who has shared and carried on all these recipes and traditions that we can now teach and share with our children.