This week-end.

I have...

a single-wide to clean.

I haven't dusted in... well, let's just pretend the paint company invented a new paint color... with lots of little dust particles (including but not limited to: gravel road grime, lint, freshly mowed grass and fields, smoke damage, fire extinguisher stuff) - and a cat hair (or two or twenty).

I have a 10' shelf that has been half aluminum silver / half linen white for... well...
a. while.
The shelf could be the test dummy for the dust colored, textured new paint invention.

I have summer clothes - I have winter clothes - mid summer and mid winter, spring and fall - they are all sitting... somewhere other than where they are supposed to be hanging.

I have a new (old) dining table that has the beginning of a new look...
I have to dust it now.  Then finish stripping it so that it can gather more dust I can get it to it's designated special spot.

I wonder if they make lint rollers out of duct tape?

My new curtains for my bedroom are GORGEOUS all rolled up on the tube the fabric came on a few months ago - matching thread hanging from the end of the tube.

My living room / dining room / laboratory... and all rooms in between look like a purse snatchin' crime scene.  Purses hanging (ceiling fan blades are excellent hangers). Sitting (isn't that what a couch divan is for?). Piled (please beware of the volcanic purse eruption).... piled some more...

Needless to say - I'm holin' up in the single-wide this week-end. And I had to go looking for some bright and cheery inspiration 'cause did you know that dust is gray?  And - it's supposed to be over-cast and dreary here in the boondocks this week-end... give me some sunflower yellar!!!

What are you going to do - do you have big plans?  I have an extra duster thingy... and I heard you can drive a mean vacuum cleaner...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide... hee-hee
;-) robelyn

And

The Party Never Ends!

Seriously.
Destination: McKinney, TX
Travel Time: A whhhhhhiiiiiilllllle
Purpose:

Had to.  Really.... I HAD to go meet Millie the Moose (you know me!) - the Mascot of the coolest shop on the square in McKinney!!  Oh - and Lisa and Susan!  The owners of Millie... and the coolest shop!!!

And what a GORGEOUS shop it is...

 just my style!

All they need are some more strips of duct tape - a few cinder blocks - a skeeter zapper...

oh - wait, no - it's perfect and WORTH a road-trip - even a 4 hour one (or is that ESPECIALLY a 4 hour one?)!  Are you on your way yet?  Wanna know more about it?  Check this out!!! As if THAT'S not enough to get you in your car, let me tempt you with this...

very very very large - cooler than cool shag rug
upside down drawers
vault doors that i want in the single-wide
cows - lingerie - cowgirly boots - sparkles

oh yeah! Pictures speak louder than words - oops!  Look here and here!

Annnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddd.... because you know me so well...

the road trip (the not-enough-garage-sales-road trip) HAD to be documented in SOME way!

Please excuse "mrs. fran.cis" for being bashful - she's making her on-line debut!  This is the second bag (with many more to come!) of my newest pattern design... it really is comin' to you live!

“mrs. Fran.cis – drivin’ ms. Daisy” is the by-product of a road trip that was SUPPOSED to take 56 minutes… but instead took 4 hours!  Why?  Well… garage sales (where the lace was adopted from), more garage sales (where the up-cycled belt was adopted from) and a thrift store (where the up-cycled suede skirt was adopted from!)!  ‘nuf said?  Hee-hee

Go visit "mrs. Fran.cis" - she's found her new home in the "primitiques meets red.neck" mini-shop on Etsy!

Do you think the Mindy thought she was driving Ms. Daisy?  hmmmm...

What have you been up to?  I have to tell you - I miss makin' my rounds and givin' you some grief - so just a warning... I'm on my way over...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where I have discovered coconut m&m's... they are NOT melting in my hand!  yummmmmmmm!) ... hee-hee
;-)  robelyn

Thelma & Louise

Oh my gosh - I'm ready to repeat Saturday again!!! (Aren't we all?  Mondays... Mondays are the pits!  LOL) I was Thelma (The Mindy said so!) and she was Louise... and yep - we burned some rubber and tore it UP on a road trip... that was only supposed to take 56 minutes...

but ended up taking 4 hours!!!  And that was just one way!

Thelma: You said you 'n' me was gonna get out of town and for once just really let our hair down. Well darlin', look out 'cause my hair is comin' down!

Wanna know why it took us 4 hours?

Well... let's just say it involved The Mindy, a GPS (I HAVE to get one of those so I can daze and confuse it like we did hers on Saturday), a 1995 Ford F150 that corners like it's on rails and some garage sales... and more garage sales... a few thrift stores... a few more garage sales... well, you get the picture.

Thelma: Driiive Louise! Drive! Drive the car! Go! Go! Go go go go go go!
Louise: What is it? What happened?
[Thelma holds up money]
Louise: You robbed the store? You robbed the whole store?
Thelma: Well we needed the money.
Louise: Oh shoot!
Thelma: It's not like I killed anybody for Goodness sake!
Louise: Thelma!
Thelma: I'm sorry, we needed the money, now we got it.
Louise: Oh shoot! Oh shoot, Thelma!
Thelma: Louise, get us to Mexico (really...McKinney).
Louise: Allright, oh shoot! Oh shoot! Oh shoot

Seriously - need I say more?  I think at one point I wanted to jump up and down on my seat saying, "more! more!  let's stop at some more!!!"!

Now.  Did we take pictures along the way?  No.  This is where you are just gonna have to let your imagination run wild (make sure you picture some mud climbin' 'cause there was interesting stuff in the ditch on the side of some road). Ha!  We came back with some GREAT junk!!!  All the lace pictured?

Funny story...
the first garage sale we stopped at there it was in all of it's feminine glory - just waiting for me!  The price was a tad higher (and this is a quote from the garage sale lady) "because the gold and the eyelet are worth quiet a bit".

Uhmmm... okay?
The Mindy pointed out later on down the road that I should have said, "how much WITHOUT the gold and the eyelet?"
Anyone need any gold trim and flat eyelet lace?  'cause I'm DROOLING over all of the fantastic GORGEOUSNESS that is the bridal lace!!!

Have you ever been to downtown McKinney, TX? I was Smitten by Spoon's... and The Party Never Ends (just WAIT 'til you see "The Party"- I'll be back with THAT story!) McKinney really was our goal... and we made it... eventually.

I'm goin' back to paw'n through my lace - but before I go - have you been in to Primitiques lately?  You HAVE to make that a destination... and SOON!!!  The Mindy has it full of the COOLEST of cool stuff... and she added some more from our... uhmmmmm... excursion.  And Debbie didn't even have to come bail us out... but she would have I feel sure of it!!! heeeeee HAW!

Comin' to you LIVE from a very lacy single-wide...heehee
Happy Monday!!!
;-)  robelyn

Honey's Home+Style

Do you remember when I posted about Waco and all the attractions Waco holds? (Get to her beautiful store now.)

And when I got all soft voiced and misty-eyed

while talking about Honey’s Home+Style?

Oh wait... you couldn’t hear me or see my “this is my idea of home+style bliss” face. Hmmm... sorry you missed that! (Get to her beautiful store now.)

If you had a camera on me now right at this very moment you would see me 150 million times blissed out. Right. At. This. Moment.

Can you see why? (Get to her beautiful store now.)

All of this GORGEOUSNESS and AWESOMENESS

PLUS so much more... all in ONE SPOT! I know... can you believe it? (You need to see it for yerself – get to her store now.)

I still can’t. 10 years ago “the Mama” took me to her fav.o.rite shopping spot – I’m still a goner.

I haunt, I loiter, I stand around with my jaw on the ground (could be accused of stalking) – I’m even guilty of holstering the duct tape. (When you get to her store in a few minutes – you’ll understand.) Honey’s Home+Style is very aptly named. Honey doesn’t follow trends... oh wait! That’s ‘cause she SETS the trends! Uh huh – you read that right... all the luxurious gorgeousness that you see all around – straight from Honey’s creative imagination! Yep.

NOT only is Honey the resident style setter – she is also an AWESOME business ownerette and someone I’m going to duct tape down when I start up red.neck Chic "tha bowteeeeek". (Don’t tell her that – she’ll run me off right now and I value her business acumen. Ssssshhhhhhh) Here’s a little peek into who she is (you need to get to her store right now): “A vacation in France, highlighted by a shopping spree through the flea markets of Paris, deeply affected Honey’s style. Honey blended this dose of European sensibility with her primitive roots and produced the elegantly relaxed decorating style that is now her hallmark.” (Get to her store now.)

So. Since you are on your way to Honey’s Home+Style due to my subliminal messaging (Get to her store now) I will see you this week-end, right? You’ll know me – I’m the one furtively peeking around the spot light – or trying on the jewelry... or hiding under the bed.

I’ll be see'n you when you get to her store.

Comin’ to you LIVE from a single-wide... I’m gonna knock out some walls... I just gotta have more space...hee-hee
;-) robelyn

All photos are copyrighted and courtesy of Honey's Home+Style

Look! Look! Look!

Can I get a High Five!

A Fist Bump!

Something – ANYTHING!
I baked!!! I baked ice cream cone cupcakes! AND! Not the “buy some pre-made cupcakes” ice cream cone cupcakes... scratch-from-the-ready-to-go-cake-box cupcakes! Using the oven!!!

I’m STILL running around with the triumphant fist in the air!!! Heck – I think I drove to the “real job” with the triumphant fist in the air... after I SLEPT with the triumphant fist in the air!

The Mindy (she gets me – and accepts me for the pyro I am) had given me an antique fire extinguisher – I had it on the ready (Thank You Mindy!)... as well as my phone for any emergency calls that needed to be placed...

But do I call 911 or the captain of the neighborhood association? One of the times I had accidental flamage I used water and a couple of fire extinguishers to put it out... the captain of the neighborhood association (across the gravel road and a field or two) was mad at me for weeks for not calling him...

So I guess I was ready to call him. hahaHA! (I could be their very own comedy club... single handedly. Sporadic flamage – stairs are my nemesis – and though slip dresses are en vogue, I could be a tad tooooo literal in my translation when I’m late for work - I could be their very own comedy club.)

I have it on the greatest authority that these here ice cream cone cupcakes are even EDIBLE because I had to borrow (and traded some ice cream cone cupcakes) the First Lady's (of the Neighborhood Association) cake plate (who knew home baked goodies don't come in a re-sealable bag? huh.) - and both the First Lady and the Captain said they were tasty! On top of that? The resident teen ate TWO!

Thank You First Lady (and here’s to hoping you are not in the hospital for food poisoning due to missing ingredients or anything...)!

In HONOR of this momentous occasion – I even busted out THE Kate Spade demitasse set that "the Mama" gave me! (ooooohs and aaaaahs can be heard ‘round the world.)

There you have it! I’m going back to high-fivin’ perfect strangers and fist bumpin’ poor unsuspectin’ citizens – ‘cause I baked – uh huh... BAKED!- MINUS the “in distress” smoke signals that are my norm! Perhaps I’ve found a new calling...

No – not the 911 operator. Geesh.

Comin’ to you LIVE – where I did NOT know I owned a mixer, but how fun is that thing! – from a single-wide... hee-hee
;-) robelyn

I like.

I like Ice Cream.

I like Cupcakes!

Look at THIS!

It's the best of both worlds!!!

Since I'm not allowed in the kitchen I'm thinkin'... buy some cupcakes, buy some ice cream cones - and then I can just go CRAZY with the frosting and sparkles!!!  If I "make" some - wanna share with me? I understand if you don't trust my "cooking" - so here you go:

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) package vanilla frosting
• 1 ounce colored candy sprinkles (do they come in duct tape color?)

Cooking Instructions

1. Prepare cake mix batter according to directions, or make any standard cake recipe batter (i.e. white, chocolate, etc.).
2. Place flat-bottomed ice cream cones in the cups of a regular muffin pan. Pour enough batter into each cone to fill from 1/2 to 2/3 full.
3. Bake at time and temperature as recommended for cupcakes. After they have cooled, frost with your favorite canned or home-prepared frosting recipe. Decorate with sprinkles or other decorations of your choice.

And... since fire extinguisher dust isn't listed as a main ingredient (I just don't get that at all) and "100 ways to put out a cupcake fire" isn't in the cooking instructions... I guess I'll leave the baking to you!

Enjoy!!!

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide... where I can have my cupcake and ice cream too!!!... hee-hee
;-)  robelyn

Don't judge.

Don't judge a red.neck girl

by her fine china.

Just because it LOOKS like I lean towards cottage/shabby/chippy/girly/romantic/victorian/feminine gorgeousness

doesn't mean that I do.
Although - I could spend WEEKS upon WEEKS gazing at all of the pure beauty in blogland!  Flower prints and/or patterns in my house?  No - not really (but I looooove to look at it in YOURS!).  The ruffles/lace/more ruffles/chiffon/silk/more ruffles - it's all relegated to the wardrobe. I am all about textures and funky patterns in my home dec fabrics.

I lean more towards modern/industrial/deco/danish/quirky/mid-century/(perhaps a touch of regency...a girl's gotta have her bling)/urban/lofty/fun...

with color.  Not pastels - bright/bold/in-your-face/feisty/solid/rich/passionate/BRIGHT/crayola box exploded on each wall - color. With a whole lotta black thrown in.

My vignettes tend to be very linear -----------

with something really odd thrown off to the left or the right - just to make you go hmmmmmmmmm.

You would never guess that if you judged me by my new china!!!  I am such a SUCKA for ANY of the Homer Laughlin patterns that even HINT at this floral pattern!  These aren't Homer Laughlin but mix and match - that is my motto! I found these over the week-end and RAN for "the Mama" who is a much better price negotiator than I... now I'm trying to figure out where to show them off amongst my place settings for 36 and counting OTHER pretty goodies!

The glass....ah... the shimmer and sparkle of the glass... that's my other pattern that my Grandmother started for me - the Fostoria "Tumbling Blocks". "The Mama" added to my collection with some cereal bowls (candle holders - but they make great cereal bowls.  HEY!  I'm a red.neck!  Don't judge.)!  I'm thinkin' "the Mama" - she's a keeper!

Someday I'll clean my house up enough finish all on-going projects and take you on a tour of the single-wide.  In the mean time?  Don't judge me by my new china...

Comin' to you LIVE (where I could be suffering from bi-polar decorating tendencies) from a single-wide... hee-hee
;-)  robelyn