a bit of kitsch

I have never been a needle point kind of gal and when it comes to Leila I'm not much of a fan for anything "princessy."  However...exceptions can be made.  Although long, it is a gorgeous 5 hour drive to my parent's house through the Shenandoah Valley...Bath County, Va and more.  If you take the time to stop, you can stumble upon some really fabulous places in the towns you pass.  Karen's Emporium in Churchville, VA is just one of them.  So Mom and Pop she has no website and greets you with a warm "Hey, how you doin'?" in her thick Southern accent every time.

I had passed her store time and time again.  Finally, Leila and I stopped...just the two of us.  I needed to nurse her, change her diaper, etc...she was only a few months old.  Karen welcomed us with open arms and let us do everything we needed to while we talked and I learned more about her.  She and her husband live in an old church they are renovating and her husband makes signs for her store

 (read more about this below.) 

During that visit I found this needle point piece that I had to get...every home should have one piece that has a little kitsch.  As we left, she gave Leila a little stuffed duck and told us to come back.

Got rid of the 1970's look and painted the frame a taupe:

The next time we stopped at Karen's her husband was there.  He is an incredible artist who free hands custom signs for personal and commercial purposes.  Probably most well known for creating all of the signs as you enter the town of Princeton, NJ...he is also old school...no website : (

As we left, he insisted we have this sign for Leila which he made:

I am working on my own kitschy painting at the moment.  I had an urge to paint roses and some funky happiness...and this is what happened.  Will post photo when done.