christmas decorations...so far

i put up some of my christmas decorations over the weekend...i kept it pretty simple, and am not quite pleased with everything quite yet. i plan to go buy martha stewart's christmas magazine for some inspiration in the next few days. i need something new! (maybe i needed that white christmas tree? hm...)

anyway, here is a little taste of what i've done so far:

little white tree from target placed on my bamboo console (from target, this year. it was only 2.50!). i had those little tiny ornaments from last year, and i kept it to only orange and silver ornaments:

also, one of my favorite things i have for christmas decor is my collection of vintage christmas cards...i tucked a few into this drawing, and also into my mirror above my TV.

here is the tree. it looks pretty much the same as last year. i need something new! i love my red vintage tree, but i think i just keep thinking about a white one! orrrr, i kind of want a regular old christmas tree. i don't know...i love all my vintage ornaments, so i don't want to change up the ornament scene. i think the white one is just calling my name...

here is where my vintage santa and reindeer collections are right now. i will probably move them. i just don't like a lot of knick knacks sitting around, jumbled together, creating clutter, so i kind of put them all to the side:

you can't really see very well in this photo (it's super dark in this little corner of the house, plus it's a dreary day), but those 3 little plastic reindeer are soooo cute! one of them is missing his bell around his neck, so i think that i am going to paint him a red nose and let him be rudolph. i need to do that today! i'm not really sure how i started collecting vintage deer, but some how it happened, and now i have 5 of them. i love old stuff!

here are all my santy clauses. i love them too, but am still not quite happy with my arrangement. i'm sure i'll change it up here soon :)

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i am thinking of doing some kind of garland with string, ribbon, etc...it just hasn't quiiiiiiite hit me what i should do. stay tuned! (i'm sure you are all on the edges of your seats)

what i did this week

a sweet lady had me paint a table that has been in her family since she was born in 1944. the table was used by her, then her children, and now her grandchildren, so she had me paint a little family tree on it.

here is the "before"

here are the stages of painting the tree, leaves, birds, and then the names and years that each of the birds, ahem, children, were born:

nancy, the grandmother, is the mother bird that is at the bottom of the tree, then her two children and three grand-children. i thought it was a sweet idea

home inspiration

i really looooove this home featured in apartment therapy. all of the white with pops of color is just my thing, and i love his furniture and restraint used in the decor. i think all the lamps keep things cozy when you are dealing so much white and modernity.

this is a studio, but brian did such a nice job with space planning...

fun pillows! i could never get away with this many pillows on the couch (silly boys, not understanding the need for decorative pillows), but aren't they all so much fun? i also love the fabric the sofa is upholstered in. the homeowner says that he bought all of his furniture off of craigslist, and most of his items are from places like target, CB2 and marshalls. a man after my own heart!

in my opinion, the two best things about this apartment are the giant lamps to the left in this photo

i also love everything about his bed, and the little sitting area at the end of the bed.

if i were the homeowner, i'd probably sit and look at this arrangement with a glass of wine and pat myself on the back.

leaves in the bathroom

today, i painted our bathroom. i have a few small jobs this week, so this left me time to get something done that i have been wanting to complete since we moved in...

here is the bathroom before. yellow, just like EVERYOTHER FLAT SURFACE in our house. anyway, here you go:

(mika loves toilet water)

aaand after! i painted it this dusty blue color a few months ago, but have been wanting to paint the pattern on for a while. i actually planned for the color to be a bit dustier, and a bit grayer, but whatever. i just don't care enough to repaint the bathroom! if it were another room, i probably would, but it doesn't really bother me in here. the color and lighting look a little off in this photo...the following photos show the wall color and vibe better.

i also hung this small shelf (from target) in here above the toilet (does anyone else think it's weird/gross to have things resting on the toilet back? like, using it as a display shelf? i think it's gross, but  a lot of people do it.) i am keeping simple things like my toothbrush and little rings and things on it. 

the amazing atomic ranch

i have always had a thing for anything '60's or '70's. i'm not really sure why, but you could even ask my mom about this peculiarity. in 8th grade, i wore solely clothes from this era (my mom took me to thrift stores and even asked around to her friends about clothes they may have had left over from their teenage years), and have just always appreciated the colors (oranges, mustards, avocado greens, etc) and quirky styling of this bygone era. i wasn't alive during this time, so i don't know why it appeals to me so heavily; but for some reason, it does. 

anyway, enter the ranch-style home. 

here are some interesting facts about the ranch style house from "wikipedia:"

Ranch-style houses (also American ranch, California ranch, rambler or rancher) is a uniquely American domestic architectural style. First built in the 1920s, the ranch style was extremely popular in the United States during the 1940s to 1970s, as new suburbs were built for the Greatest Generation and later the Silent Generation. The style was exported to other nations and so is found in other countries.

The style is often associated with tract housing built during this period, particularly in the western United States, which experienced a population explosion during this period, with a corresponding demand for housing.

The ranch house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and minimal use of exterior and interior decoration. The houses fuse modernist ideas and styles with notions of the American Western period working ranches to create a very informal and casual living style. Their popularity waned in the late 20th century as neo-eclectic house styles, a return to using historical and traditional decoration, became popular. 

cool, huh? so the other day, i took jordan to the airport, and in order to escape the scary atlanta traffic, i put in my GPS to take backroads home, and it took me through the cutest little '60's/'70's ranch house neighborhood. i think i just love all the fun, weird details these homes have, and for some reason they seem really home-ey to me. i never lived in a house like this, but i would love to own one one day!

this room makes carpet look so chic! it'd be really disgusting to keep the original carpet though - that'd have to be replaced :)

how cute is this little garage?  i also love the placement of the fire place in front:

this is a photo of an updated ranch home in malibu...LOVE the pink rail, the handles on the door, and the plants in the in-ground planter.

i really love the see-through iron (i think it's iron? or maybe brick?) work on the front of this home, and the matching area where the little trees are planted:

cute roof!

it's also fun to think that all these homes have super-cool pools as well:

the uncommon color choices for this home are great. i always love a good, punchy door-color choice:

the tall windows to the left on this house are awesome! it looks like they are actually smaller windows within the big frame. i think i would like them better if they were giant windows inside those huge pillars. perfect for christmas tree placement! 

cute "shutters" and i like that tree to the left of them. 

again with the awesome pattern to the left. REALLY AWESOME.

so while most of my friends probably dream of giant traditional homes, or craftsman style homes, i shall continue to dream of long, flat ones with orange doors and giant brass handles. fortunately, one of the first conversations jordan and i had was about how he likes ranch homes, so maybe we will have one one day! and i hope it has an indoor planter for some cacti.

because i also like apparel:

i painted my thrift store brown oxfords G-O-L-D, goooold today. used a bit of gold spraypaint i already had. i have been meaning to do this for a while (remember the 'domino' issue with kelly wearstler on the front, wearing gold oxfords? no? well, it happened) i sprayed it into the can topper, then brushed it on with an old chip brush. (you may be questioning my taste now, but the holiday season is upon us, and incase you didn't know, oxfords are all the rage)

the oxfords were already pretty awesome, but i'm ordering  a new pair, so they got a paint job like everything else i own.

 1. those are my painting pants, and 2. i didn't get a tan all summer, therefore my legs are pasty white. good for my goal of not getting skin cancer, bad for photo sessions. 

i might switch the laces out with something a little sassier pretty soon here...like maybe...some pink ribbon? or brown ribbon? i dunno. i can also imagine them with some cute ankle socks worn with a short little skirt. HAPPY HOLIDAYYYYYZZZ

made by girl | room service LA

do you guys read made by girls blog? if not, you should. her photos are always very inspirational, and she has cute little shop as well. i love all her white with bright pops of color and modern feel. anyway, she blogged about these pieces of furniture from "room service" in LA ... a home furnishings store that seems to kind of remind me of "pieces" here in atlanta. i guess this style is popular nowadays, and i love it! check out this cute chair and awesome desk:

i think i am foregoing a desk in this little condo (i never really need one), but if i were to use one, i might want it to be bright red with a highgloss finish. check it don't wreck it:

accepting pet portrait commissions for the holidays

i am doing as my mom says, and accepting some pet portrait commissions for the holidays :)

i think i am just going to accept five commissions, so if you are interested, please email as soon as possible (especially if you live out of state and want it mailed)!

portraits are $200 per work (on 16 x 20 canvas), and $50 extra for each additional pet! (can do all animals)

email me at kristen.fountain@gmail.com

here are some examples of my previous work: (i work from digital images that clients send me via email, to keep costs down!)

cutie patootie smiling weiner dog:

HOW FREAKING CUTE/SWEET IS THIS DOG??!?

and here is an example of the kinds of images i work from (aka: red-eye welcome :) )

tee hee

i wanted to show you guys a couple of little cuties i just got. i ordered this little gourd vase along with my jonathan adler pillow (the thing in the lower left hand corner...doesn't it look like a mini-version of my home depot lamps? eek), and i got these two sweet vintage-looking birdie ornaments at hobby lobby today. they're ohhhh-so-cute in person, and i can't wait to move them around during the holidays (and year 'round? probably.) 

mika keeps trying to eat the blue one's tail, so i'm kind of nervous about how long he will last, but hopefully he cant get to him very well on the shelf he is now on.

also, this came with the JA box: