Beautiful Wall Decor and Art: Plates: Part II

Hello world!

Here is Part II of the Plates feature of my ongoing series titled Beautiful Wall Decor and Art.  Most of these images show plates used as wall decor, but there are a few that also show the use of platters... both are lovely, just take a look!  Also, for more just check out Part I right here or any of the following posts for more wall decor inspiration:

Beautiful Wall Decor and Art: Plates: Part I

Funky Wall Decor Vol. I

Artful Arrangements

Artful Arrangements Part II

Doing this post reminds me of the obscene amount of decorative plates I have at home in a box....  Most are small teacup plates that I've collected over time for 25 cents here and there at Goodwill and Salvation Army, but they were each so very pretty that I could not resist taking them home.  Each time I justified my purchase with the idea that some day I will make art out of them by hanging them all in a beautiful and elaborate pattern on a wall - most likely in my dining room.  I think it makes fabulous art.... I have a good feeling you do too, so that's why I continue to find these sweet images for your inspiration! :)

A word to the wise: you don't have to run out and buy lots of art and wall decor.... just look around your home for items that can be hung on display.  Pull art and frames from other rooms, bring them together in a swirl of personality by mixing in a bunch of different objects together (such as antique keys, candle holders, plates, crosses, mirrors, shadow boxes, etc) for a warm and eclectic feel in any space!  Remember, just do it, it's really amazing what an interesting art wall can do for a space... and your mood!  It will serve as constant inspiration! 

 

              ....xoxo

 

(All images in this post were found through a Google image search, I do not claim ownership of any of these photos.)

Stand Up and Be Counted?

Arcadia--"Election Day" (mp3)

Yeah, I'll be voting today, though I don't really know when, where, or why. Just because.

I know I should be more fired up, I know the reasons why I don't like the Tea Party or, most of the time, the Republicans, and I know that I would prefer the Democratics stayed in power. But I'm really not fired up, and I'd guess I'm not unlike most of the other voters of my ilk, that being liberal and informed and well-educated. Except that I'm guessing a lot of my types won't bother to vote at all.

Part of it is because I feel pretty disenfranchised here in Tennessee. I'm a Blue guy in a Red state and I don't have a whole lot to vote for. My supposed candidates for Governor and the House of Representatives don't have a cat's chance on a coyote farm. And I haven't even bothered to find out what they're about because they aren't real contenders. The dirty little secret of a state like this is that because a Democrat has so little chance, the candidates that actually run tend to be weak and uninspiring. And, yes, I am fully aware that such a mindset is self-defeating.

The other thing is that sometimes I think people need to get what's coming to them. That's part of why I'm a liberal.

Liberals criticize their own. Liberals eat their young. That's why you saw Jon Stewart ripping into Obama on The Daily Show the other night. That's why MSNBC has been one of Obama's harshest critics.

So when when people want to "vote the bums" out, I have a hard time disagreeing with them, as much as I deplore what will take their place.

The blind obedience to conservative values is what helps the Republicans and Tea Partiers so much. There isn't a whole lot of questioning going on, and even though there is some dissension in the ranks, it's not about ideology. They'll still all weigh in pretty much the same on the key issue of President Obama being a socialist.

If this were about Obama, then, yes, I'd be fired up. I support the president as much as ever. I will the next time that election comes around. But does the Democratic National Committee really think I'm going to give them money to help out Harry Reid?

Voters on either side of the aisle have had to deal with crappy candidates in most races for so long now that no one can be surprised that they are fed up. What's disheartening is that those "renegades," those "mavericks," those "outside the Beltway" candidates aren't going to be better and will likely be worse.

Perhaps the biggest problem of all is that voters, rather than addressing the ultimate weariness, which is one side getting into power and trying to undo what their counterparts had previously done and causing us to spin our wheels again and again and again, willingly accept the pattern that when the other side wins, they become "the enemy." This means that every two or four years, the political bosses can get us all fired up about how we've got to get the other guys out of office and push our own agenda.

Well, this ain't one of those times for me, either on offense or defense. Hang in there, Mr. Obama, learn from this, and get better.

My thanks to Popdose for the last-minute, peppy Election Day tune.

Halloween 2010

 

Hello... how was your Halloween?

Mine was great...  My boyfriend and I had dinner with my family and then we got the front door all spooked out with scary music, a strobe light, candles and some carved pumpkins in preparation for the trick-or-treaters...  Speaking of pumpkins, I actually carved the two at my mother's house like I said I might (in this post) - just in time for Halloween night!  I think they came out great!

Oh yeah, and I finally broke the hippie costume trend!  I figured since the little kids coming to the door were so creeped out by the scary music (cackling witches, howling wolves, Halloween theme song, etc etc) that I might as well throw on an old grim reaper black hooded cape that I had for added terror.  My aunt had some glowing red glasses that I wore for an extra demonic touch....  Also, the change in costume afforded me the luxury of being a kid again... well, sort of....  My boyfriend and I took my little sister trick-or-treating and I pretended to be a kid and covered my face... HAHAHAHA... so I knocked on the neighborhood doors with my sister and we each got a nice bag of candy..HEHE :)

I hope everyone out there enjoyed their Halloween as much as I did!

This is the first pumpkin that I carved...

Here it is on display...

And here is the second..... obviously he had a little too much vodka and candy corns that night.... hehe...  By the way, I spray painted him because he came free from Home Depot and had an ugly face drawn on him with a sharpie, so I needed a clean slate... plus, I think it looks cool black because the orange interior pops more, and so do the guts... errr. vomit!  :)

By the way, that's a collector's doll that my aunt gave my sister a long time ago... my mom thought it's be a creepy touch...

LOL... that's me...

Trick-or-treating....

 Now you see me....

 Now you don't.... MU HAHAHAHAHA... just my red devil eyes.. hehe...

(All images in this post are my own personal photographs)