On My Mind Monday...MMM!

I think I might do an "On My Mind Monday" every now and then. Because I have lots of stuff in there and the need to share it, haha!

First of all, I had a nice relaxed weekend with my dad. The weather was awesome and we enjoyed our backyard.

And... here is one of the things that have been on my mind lately. And it's once again one of those things that I used to hate but now am kind of digging. Just like the cuckoo clocks and the gnomes.

When I first came to the US of A I was kind of annoyed (please don't tell me I'm mean again that's not what I'm trying to say) with older people coming up to me and talking in Pennsylvania Dutch and expecting me to understand them. "Hey I'm German and I remember my grandma talking to me in German...." Then they'd ramble something which sounded really strange to me and I had no clue what they just said. It's not German and sounds like a mixture between English, Dutch and German.
And then I'd check out the roadside Pennsylvania Dutch stands and their designs and roll my eyes. I wasn't really ever a fan of Americana, folk art and similar styles.

But you know what? Times have changed. And I'm starting to dig the Pennsylvania Dutch Hex signs.
Do you know what I'm talking about, if not, then check it out:

{image via Wikipedia}

Of course I would want my own spin on them. A little something different like the painted cuckoo clocks.

Hex is supposedly coming from the German word Hexe (meaning witch). Which gets me sidetracked again because a random fact about me is that when people asked me as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, they got the answer a witch. LOL, not kidding and I know my husband would say well that explains a lot. I'm married to a German witch! .... If you are German then you maybe remember "Bibi Blocksberg":

Gosh I loved her! She was my idol for years and I spent hours and days flying around my (pretend) broom and perfecting spells. What's there not to like about a story of a little witch and her powerless little brother? Hey boys didn't have any magic powers only girls! My little brother hated to be a pretend powerless helper that could get turned into a frog at any moment. I'm getting back into the groove here. Love those memories, haha.

But anyways back to the Hex signs.

Check out these designs:

Hex sign rug and skirt by "Made with love by Hannah"
I can so picture this rug in a fun kids room or even a kitchen!

Love this pillow as well

"Made with love by Hannah" also makes really cute other items that remind me a little of Germany. Check out her toadstools and her kissin critters ornament (with a free printable).

I also found these hex sign pins on etsy:

You can find them at "Yesware" on Etsy

Or these wood slice hex signs:

{image via DesignSponge}

So do you think I'm too cuckoo again? Or do you kind of get it?

Talk to you on Wednesday, I have another furniture makeover to share.

Tschüß

(Youleeya)

Block Chromatics

It feels pretty good to say that this is my 100th post today! And it's my mom's birthday. Happy birthday Mama, but she doesn't know how to use a computer, so she probably won't read this unless my dad shows it to her. My birthday is two days before her's and she always said that I was her early birthday present. I hate being so far away from my parents and I miss them everyday...

If you are wondering what I got for my birthday, well, I did get the silhouette cameo, but I didn't have time to play around with it yet. I need to order some supplies for it too. Can you believe that I spent my second tech appointment at the apple store yesterday for this week? This time for almost 2.5 hours. 

I also went to an auction this week that really frustrated me. There were so many goodies that I wanted and I wasn't able to get any of the items that I really wanted.

They had a huge collection of quality mid-century modern furniture but it all went for a lot of money. I was eying up the day bed, bar cart, dining room set and desk... the dealers got it all again.

This mid-century Copenhagen Danish sofa bed might look boring to some people but I really would have loved to get my hands on it and reupholster it:

What I really wanted to buy was the 1970s Block Chromatics (made in Germany) dishes that they had for sale. It was a multi colored set, but when I heard the starting bid of $250 and somobody bidding over the phone, I knew I wasn't going to get it. Especially since 2 plates had chips. No cheap thrift store prices at that auction!

Aren't they gorgeous though?

image via {etsy: LuckyDogsGarage for $45}

image via etsy: MidCenturyGirls, items sold

image via etsy: SucresDaintyDish for $95

image via etsy: ModandMore for 32.95

They had the dishes in multi-colors, meaning red, pinks, blues and greens....swoon! 

The above dishes are all available for sale in the linked Etsy stores. So if you are thinking about pinning any of them please do so from the original source;)

Do you know what I ended up buying?

Well, I loved Karl from the minute that I walked in but I kind of don't have room for him. When I got outbid for all the other stuff I was focused on bringing him home. May I say frustration purchase? I even gave another lady the evil eye while bidding and I spent way more than I actually wanted to spend on him.

Here is Karl, the large stag.

I was thinking about painting him but when I saw him on the top of my fridge next to all the white stuff, I wasn't so sure anymore. Look how big he actually is? Isn't he cool?

Have a great weekend and stay safe. We have a lot of snow coming!

I will announce my giveaway winner on Monday.

Animal Illustrations

How was your Thanksgiving?
I'm still full from yesterday and I really have to exercise today! I have been procrastinating and the P90X videos are collecting dust. This happens every winter!

I wanted to share an Etsy store with you today that I ordered presents from last Christmas season. You all know how I love silly things around the house and that I have a huge crush on animal heads and busts (non taxidermy). Well, I'm  an animal lover in general.

Berkley Illustration sells different sized illustrations of animal busts in human clothing. They have so many different animals and I think they are just so cute.

Last year I ordered the squirrel, hedgehog, lady rabbit, skunk and gorilla for my sister-in-law as a present. She is a vegan, animal rights activist and loves these illustrations. They make a great present for an animal lover with a quirky side.

Here are some of my favorites: 

And remember, please pin from the original Berkley Illustration's Etsy website!

Some of you might think that they are just strange and I agree, they are but I love them. So cute and silly! I can imagine them in a child's bedroom or nursery, can't you?

I wish you all a great Black Friday and weekend.

Talk to you on Monday.