Saturday Spotlight: Tina from What We Keep

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

      

Today my guest is a fun blogger named Tina from What We Keep.  Tina has a wicked sense of humor, and she's not afraid to use it! :) On her blog you might see a project that she's working on, or pics of her furry family.
Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Tina better!


Hi, I'm Tina from What We Keep.

I'm so happy to be here at Susan's today!

In this series I am supposed to tell you a bit about myself, so please try to remain awake and alert.

You might just miss something important.

Like that my shoe size is a 7.5.-

or that I haven't conquered my not-so-secret addiction to dill pickle chips.

Or that I hoard mulling spices.

I do.

I'm a southern girl from Austin, Texas.

I spent much of my childhood running through the woods and along the 

limestone cliffs of the Texas Hill Country.

The creeks were my playground, I read books on the branches 

of huge oak trees and I liked to play Jungle Woman with my best friend.

This involved making a wardrobe from giant elephant ears found growing on the side of her house.

We created our  jungle homes from whatever we could find.

I had very early DIY tendencies. Please don't hold this Jungle Woman business against me. And if you didn't create outfits out of plants, I don't think we can be real friends. So, moving forward...

I have been married for almost 30 years

and WOW it seems crazy to see that written down! LOL

We have three grown sons and two dogs- we recently lost our Corgi, Henry.

Here we are....Mr. and Mrs. Magoo.

Our boys are now men...hmmm, sort of.

And they never let me take their photo anymore.

Can you guess who poses for me now?

 If you are already familiar with my blog, you know that I love animals and 

generally tend to gravitate towards woodsy and animal themed projects.

 I spend a lot of time with a camera in my hands.

It's my quiet time and I love it.

Fall is my favorite time of year and once the temps drop, 

I'm ready for pumpkins and open windows.

Living in Texas, it's one of the best treats of the year in my book!

It's one of my favorite times to make things, too.

Something about the colors and smells and the crisp air

just gets me all tingly inside.

Nature girl...that's me.

I suffer from pumpkin love.

I have become very interested in rescue dogs in the last few years and 

make it a point to contribute to the wonderful rescues and fosters

that work so tirelessly to help pups in need. It's a cause that is very near and dear to my heart.

We are in the process of adopting and hope to add a big boy named Sully

to our fur herd very soon.

If you don't know me, I do machine embroidery and recently opened a shop

that I had to put on hold almost immediately when I cut my thumb down to the bone

by shattering a glass garden globe in my hands.

Did I mention that I'm a spaz?

As soon as I have healed, I'll be back in business!

You can find The Keeping Room HERE

I love my  Texas home, but I love the San Diego area- 

this photo is at La Jolla Cove and one of my favorite places to just sit and be.

My dream home would be a cottage on Coronado Island.

Give me a bicycle, my hubby and my dogs and I can imagine

a very happy life there enjoying a slower pace and leading a simpler life.

One of my other favorite places is Asheville, NC.

This photo is at Chimney Rock in winter...it snowed later that day and 

the Blue Ridge Pkwy was closed due to weather, 

but I hope we can get back up there and continue exploring the area.

Yes, I do believe I could live in North Carolina.

Two coasts.  Totally different, but I would be hard pressed to choose!

Random crazy skydiving class photo for your entertainment.  ;)

I also love collecting all sorts of things.

I share some of them on the blog and love learning about what other bloggers collect, too.

I hope you'll stop by and visit!

A big thanks to Susan and Kris for inviting me to be a part of their Saturday Spotlight series! Happy Fall, Y'all!

Tina, thanks so much for sharing!  I love the heart that you have for animals!

Please visit her at What We Keep then head to Kris's blog to read about Gee from Simply Me (Designs by Gee.)

Have a fantastic day!

My Back Stoop and Favorite Country Living Find

Happy (almost) Fall everyone!

If you missed it, I went shopping in Columbus and to the Country Living Fair last week, which I talk about here.

I wanted to be more discretionary in my buying this year.  There were a million things that I loved, but my house (including my hoarder's basement) and shop are filled to the brim with treasures already, so I wanted to bring home only really special, unique items that spoke to me.

Well, this fun canvas bag fit the bill!  It was my favorite find of the day.

It was tagged as an 'apple picking basket' but I'm not really sure if that's what it is.

Keith thinks it looks military-ish.  It's got some writing on it, but it's so faded that I can barely read it.

All I know is that when I saw it hanging in a booth filled with these cotton stems, I was smitten!

I decided to begin my official fall decor this weekend, and I kicked it off out on my little back stoop.

Like I've said before, this may be a small space, but that doesn't mean it can't be BIG on style!

This is what the space looked like through the summer.

I started by hanging my new bag on the barn door, then placed a little cream colored bench in front of the door.

I added a little wooden tote (that I just purchased in Columbus)...

...and filled it with real baby boo pumpkins. Don't you just love these?  I can never get enough of them!

For some height beside the tote I brought out my vintage sign holder from the basement and made a quick little 'fall' sign to fit inside.  All it took was some textured paper and glittery gold chipboard letters.

On the bottom of the shelf I put another new Columbus find...

...a perfectly crusty, rusty old tool box!

Many people would think I'm crazy to buy this, but I just love it!

I needed something tall and thin beside the bench, so I brought another item out of storage from my basement, this little metal plant stand.

It fits the space perfectly!

I topped it with a twig pumpkin, for some texture.

So put it all together...

...and voila, there is my first 2014 fall vignette!

I went a different direction this time and kept it all neutral...

...but my little stoop makes me happy all 'dressed' for fall! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I'll be showing you some more of my Country Living finds soon.

Have a wonderful day!

I'm sharing this at:  the 'Porch Party' at Chateau Chic
                                                               Coastal Charm
                                                               Thoughts From Alice

Saturday Spotlight: Marsha from Tattered Chick

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

      

Please help me welcome my guest today, Marsha from Tattered Chick (love that name!)  Marsha is a true artist, and I'm in awe of her talent!  I don't think that there's a medium that she isn't phenomenal at using!

 I know that you'll enjoy seeing her various creations, and getting to know her better.

Thank you so much, Susan, for inviting me to be your Saturday spotlight!

Hmm, not sure where to start! I'm very eclectic in what I create. There was a time not too long ago I was all about creating miniature dolls. After several years of making dolls I burnt out, matter of fact I just sold my kiln and the last of my doll molds!

I returned to my love of junking and prim and became interested in other creative endeavors . . .

Which led to me selling my wares at a local flea market . . . .

And for a short period of time at a shop  . . .

I dabble a little bit with photography

Making jewelry

Nowadays my focus is more on assemblage and mixed media. I even took the plunge and submitted Spike in an art competition at the local art center and to my surprise I won second place in my category!!!

I've attended some fabulous art retreats.  My last one was in Arizona where I made this journal.

I still make dolls . . . although cloth ones . . .

And of course I continue to scour flea markets & estate sales!!

Something I thought I would NEVER been interested in, drawing and journaling!!!  Never say never LOL I am HOOKED!

Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday and fall my favorite time of the year . . . could be because October is my birthday month!  If I were younger I'd be totally into goth and steampunk!

I  lived in Portugal and Spain when I was young.  I love horses but have always been intimidated by them, hmmm, I can see  where that fear started!

I am a native California gal and now live in the Sacramento area with my husband and fur boxer girl Sophie (who we adopted from the Nor Cal Boxer Rescue)

If you'd like to keep up with my Sunday drives, creative endeavors and flea finds, you can find me on my blog . . .

and in my Etsy Shop!

Thank you so much, Susan, for this opportunity to share a little bit about myself with your readers!

 

Marsha, thank you for sharing with us!  I think 'Spike' is so fun, and can see why he placed high!
Please visit Tattered Chick then head to Kris's blog to read about Patty from Creative Ideas Cottage Style.
Have a great day :)