Happy New Year's Eve!

Whether you party it up tonight or keep it low key, I wish you all a wonderful New Years!  Tomorrow will be the start of a brand new year, and I hope it starts out with laughter, smiles, a toast, and a kiss!  I'll see you all in the new year (and LMS will be back to regular posts). Thanks for sticking with me!  Have a great time tonight!

Xo,
Kathy

Happy New Years from our crazy family to yours!

(Ryker's fit for tonight)



A Heartfelt Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

Hi Everyone,
I'm sorry I've been MIA for a while.  The holidays are always so busy and it's nice to take a break to spend quality time with my family and friends.  My kids are growing up so fast - I can't believe that my little man is almost 6 months old.  Also, aside from that, I've been noticing just how much more grown up my daughter really is since I can now carry on an adult conversation with her.  It strikes me how incredibly amazing she is, how intuitive she is, and especially how she is able to connect with people despite how young she is.  Before she goes to bed at night I brush her hair and we chat about our day and she tells me what part she liked the most and what she wishes she could change.  In those moments that we share together, our connection is so strong that I just want to hold her tight all through the night. With everything that has been going on lately, especially with that horrific tragedy in Connecticut, I can't imagine a world without my kids and it's incredibly unfortunate that although the holidays are supposed to be a joyous time of the year, to others is may be the complete opposite.  My heart goes out to all of those affected by this tragedy, I pray every night for the victims and their families that they find the strength to get through this time.  A friend of mine told me a story the other day about her 5 year old nephew, who had seen what had happened on the news on that very sad day, and this is what he told his mother - "Maybe God wanted those kids to spend Christmas with Him in Heaven."  This brings tears to my eyes and reminds me just how amazing children really are.

This Christmas, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter, and good cheer.  We all deserve happiness, so be sure to treasure each moment.

Love you guys and I'll see you in the new year,
Kathy

Ho Ho Ho!!! ;)

VTD Shop Update

My Kate Spade abstract art collection is ready to be purchased in my shop.  If you order by the 19th, it should be able to still get to it's destination by Christmas.  Oh, and don't forget to save 15% off by punching in the discount code VTDXMAS at checkout.  I hope you guys enjoy it!

-Kathy

Kate Spade L-O-V-E - VTD Series

Kate Spade has always been one of my favorite brands because everything there is just beautiful eye candy and every time I go in their stores I feel like a kid in a candy store!  It's been my inspiration for quite a while now and I wanted to do a series of paintings inspired by the one and only, Kate Spade.  

Image via

So, here's a glimpse of what's to come of this wonderful, colorful, feel good, Kate Spade inspired collection. It should be launched by this Tuesday in my Etsy VTD shop, so please stop by!

image by ME

Kathy

Find the Perfect Present & Save 15% off Velvet Throne Shop today!

Hi everyone!
Please come and check out some new pieces from my shop and enjoy 15% off with discount code VTDXMAS at checkout. If you have any special requests for paintings or accessories please email me here - the discount still applies for custom orders as well, so if you have any questions or ideas please don't hesitate to contact me.  My inventory is slimming down a little so I'll be adding a few more babies soon, even some wearable art pieces which I'm super excited to show you.

All my pieces come wrapped nicely with tissue paper and are ready to give as a gift right out of the box.  So, if you're planning on having it sent directly to another address as a present, please send me a message and I can include a personalized card in the box addressed and signed by you with a personal message. :)

ho ho ho & xo's,

Kathy



Hello December!

Wow! The last month of the year is already here and I can't believe it's time to bring out the Christmas decorations once again.  It's unbelievable to think that this time last year Ryker was just a tiny little thing inside my tiny little belly bump! It's hard to believe how fast he's grown.  At his last Doc visit she said that he is in the 97+ percentile in height and the 90 Percentile in weight....the boy's BIG and a part of me is sad that he's growing so fast!

Ryker in my tummy just last year...

Ryker outside of my tummy NOW!

Last year, we got a larger Christmas tree and I decorated it with Peacock feathers and jewel toned ornaments.  This year, we let Keira pick out the tree and she picked out a smaller Douglas fir which I thought was so cute and just perfect for us. Great job Keira!

I originally wanted to decorate the tree with Black & Gold Christmas ornaments, but decided to save some money this year and go with what we had before since our personalized ornaments collection has already started to grow.  In my opinion, what better way to decorate your family Christmas tree than with your own sentimental family ornaments... so I thought I would continue on that tradition going forward.  Hmm...what should I do this year? 

I have some DIY project ideas for Christmas ornaments and gifts I also want to share with you so please stay tuned.  I apologize for the slight delay in posts last week the holidays are always so busy, but I promise more posts this week :)

Also, I've added more paintings to my shop, please stop by and check it out HERE.

xo,

Kathy

DIY: Dining Room Chair Makeover

Hi LMS readers, Breanne here again to share a DIY Dining Room Chair Makeover I just completed with you all. 

I started by removing all the seats with my handy electric screwdriver. Note: Every homeowner should own one of these! My husband helped me sand them with an orbital sander or you can use a detail sander, both are great tools to have for refinishing furniture. We first used a medium grit sandpaper to strip off the finish and went back over it with a fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the wood. The second sandpaper is especially important when you are lacquering or using a high gloss paint. The glossy paint will show every blemish in the wood. We hand sanded the detailed part of the back of the chair.

We primed the chairs using the Black Krylon paint from Ace Hardware for $4.50 per can. Each chair took about 1 can of primer and one can of paint. I recommend letting the chairs dry overnight. Tinted primer for whichever color paint you use is best. Then we went over the primer with the Krylon Black Gloss spray paint also $4.50 per can. Be sure to use long even strokes because as we found, if you spray too much in one spot you'll get drip marks.

I wanted the fabric for the seats to be a contemporary print, but wanted to keep my black and white theme. So, I found an upholstery fabric in a great Ikat print at JoAnn's. I purchased 3 1/2 yards for $30 and still had some left over which I can use to make place mats or a table runner with. I didn't get fancy with upholstering them. I simply lined up the fabric and pulled it tight around to the under side and stapled the fabric with a staple fun. I screwed the seats back on the chairs and Voilà! My "new" chairs were done just in time for Thanksgiving.

Now I just need a bold print rug and some curtains and my dining room will be complete. If you're willing to put a little elbow grease into it, you can create some really beautiful custom pieces!

Enjoy!
Breanne