Mums, Peonies, and More Blog Theft

Most of my projects, lately, have been "house" related, but I recently squeezed in a new singed flower design.

Many of you are familiar with the burned edge poppies...

...and the burned edge peonies that I designed last year. 

Well, I've had it in the back of my mind to do a chrysanthemum for quite a while.  I wanted to see if it had already been done, and did some Google searches for burnt, and burned, and singed flowers, and guess what?  Images from my own tutorials were popping up for another blog.  I'm not talking about when other bloggers feature your project, with a link and a credit.  I'm talking about out and out theft.  I would encourage other bloggers to randomly search for content from their own blogs -- especially popular posts, to see if your own content is being hijacked.

I have begun the long process of watermarking my photos, starting with the woven star tutorial (yes, it's been hijacked by multiple blogs).  This doesn't actually stop the hijackers, but it will at least take away their credibility, right? 

For now, I will just make a quick pass over the most popular posts, and watermark the most important images, but eventually, I will need to watermark everything.  It is going to take months.  Seriously.  Especially with two renovations in progress, and several burnt edge chrysanthemums to finish up for our Thanksgiving place settings :)

Here's a peek at the project:

No pressure.  Just a few handmade fabric mums to whip up between painting some cupboards and preparing for house guests.  Easy peasy, right?  What kinds of projects and dishes are you working on to prepare for Thanksgiving? 

Painting the Trimwork Black!

Do you just love the surprise and contrast of black trim work?  I think sometimes we get so used to just painting all our trim white that we forget there are lots of other options, including black.  The black window frames in the kitchen below provide a nice contrast, without overwhelming.  They work because they reference some other dark elements in the room.

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The beautiful historic architecture of the space shown here is accentuated by the boldly painted trim work.

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Who doesn't love a black door?

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This room feels light and airy, but the pops of contrast provided by the dark trim keeps it from being to precious.

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The dark painted trim in the traditional room below makes the space feeling elegant.

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So, what do you think?  Do you like black trim?  Would you ever try it in your own space?

Thanksgiving Wreaths

Are you just loving Pinterest?    House Revivals has several boards, organized by categories, such as "staircases" and "mudrooms".

I love having an online bulletin board for storing inspiring images, but Pinterest is also great for searching for inspiration.  Today, I had a few moments while waiting for joint compound to dry at the condo renovation.  I could either pay some bills or surf Pinterest....  Well, the bills won't be late for a couple more days, right?

Today, I was totally taken by these fall wreaths.

LOVE the creativity of the book page oak leaves and the bright fall foliage against the blue door.

This yellow yarn wreath is so cheerful and welcoming.

These rolled felt rosettes are too darling.

Be sure and check out Pinterest, if you haven't been there..., but I have to warn you:  It's addictive.

 Love the mix of clean, crisp yellow and grey yarn, with the simple exhuberance of the flower and curly branches.

Happy pinning!

Stolen Blog Content

It happened to me.  I have discovered that content from House Revivals has been hijacked by one of those "fake" blogs.  As I look around this fake blogger's site, I am finding lots of what appears to be stolen content from other blogs, as well. 

This is the blog that contains the hijacked content:

http://howtomakecraft.blogspot.com/

Has any of your own content been hijacked?  If so, be sure to use blogger's "report abuse form" to submit a complaint. 

Unpacking Priceless Artwork

I've been holding out on you guys.  I'll bet you didn't know I had a collection of priceless artwork?  I do!  It's been in storage for over a year and a half.

Little by little, we have been bringing things out of storage, as we begin to settle into the beach house. (And, no, the beach house reno is not completely finished, but the major construction part is done, and we have officially begun moving in).

Imagine our delight when we came across this large portfolio in one of our storage lockers!

Our art collection consists primarily of pieces from three of our favorite artists, two male, and one female.

Each artist is comfortable working in a variety of mediums, from pastels to oils.

We began following the work of these artists more than two decades ago!  It's crazy how the time flies.  We've managed to amass a rather large collection of their work, representative of many different periods in their careers, including this example from the "dark period" of one of the creatives.

That particular artist made a new discovery a short time after the above canvas was completed -- a discovery that brightened his outlook...

He discovered beautiful women, and his outlook on life was forever changed....

His work -- and his world -- was filled with a new kind of promise...

... and, so he began to mature... and he joined the Navy and started doing grown up things, and he put the dark years behind him.

Another of the artists we favor had a remarkable talent for faces, even in her earliest years...

She still does....

One of the three decided not to pursue the visual arts after a time, moving instead into the sciences, so his pieces are particularly rare and treasured.

I know you all want one of his pieces, but I have to tell you, I wouldn't part with this artist's work for any amount of money.

So, there you have it.  Our secret is out.  My husband and I collect priceless art pieces.  We are fairly discerning in the artists we follow, preferring to follow just a few artists throughout their entire careers.

Do you have a favorite artist whose work you collect?

Wild Pants Lamp Gets a Make-Over

Remember the Wild Pants Lamp I shared about here?

Well, the Wild Pants Lamp got another make-over.  Remember Dexter, my one year old side-kick?

Well,  the lamp and the pup had a little collision....

His Mommy tried to fix it with duct tape...

Maybe Gorilla Glue would work better....

Shower Tile Ideas

I'm still here!  My posts have been a bit farther apart than I like, lately, as we continue our moves into the new city condo, and the beach house.  This transition involves a condo, an apartment, a beach house, two renovations, and four storage lockers in two different states.  It made me tired just to type that....

Our big urgent project this weekend is to finish tiling the condo shower.  I won't share a picture of that, yet, as it's just a big ugly mess.  Instead, I will share some inspiration images from Pinterest (are you just loving Pinterest)?

This tile design stops. my. heart.  

I love how cheery and unpredictable this colorful shower is!

I'm loving the play on rhythm in this elegant bathroom -- from the quatrefoil tiles, to the running bond pattern on the ceiling, to the herringbone parquetry on the floor.  Understated, without being boring....

Basket-weave floor tile and white subway tile in a running bond pattern.  It doesn't get more classic than this.

Does this shower conjure images of mermaids for you?

The dark grout in this shower lends a rustic, casual feel....

Clever use of space....

And finally, how about some heat sensitive shower tiles?  I think it would be fun to have these in a guest bath -- and not tell your guests they were heat sensitive, so they could experience the surprise.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!  I have move-out cleaning and tiling a shower on my agenda :)