House of Fifty

So there's this new E-magazine that I've just fallen for, and I wanted to share it with all of you! (And I'll do anything I can to keep from doing this looming homework that's staring me down on the couch next to me.) It's great! I was up until 3 this morning looking though it because I could not put it down! (That and I'd had a bit too much caffeine yesterday.)

It's called House of Fifty. It is full of inspiring home designs, and wonderful pictures. I just stare at each page for minutes on end taking in every aspect of each featured room or project. If you love interior design, beautiful things for the home, fashion or design of any kind, you will love it! The best part- it's totally FREE!

It's written by both professional designers and regular ol' Sally-schmos who just love beautiful things, and making their lives inspiring and beautiful. You should check it out! Beware though, you might need a few hours to savor each and every beautiful page. So grab yourself a treat and a glass of wine & be whisked away to beautiful places that will take you away from the piles of laundry and homework that plague me...I mean you! :)

*Click here to go to their website so you can catch up on last season's issue. It was a beauty as well!

Love,

What's in a name

I have this thing...well I have a lot of things.
Like my thing about all 50 states you may have read in my profile- I'll tell you all about that sometime. Or my thing about teeth, and mouths, and spit, blech! I get queasy just thinking about it...

What was I talking about?

Oh yeah, I have this thing about names having a meaning or a story. For instance, when we named our son, we picked it based on the meaning. We had about 10 girl names picked out and zero boy names when we found out...it was a boy! Doesn't life just work like that sometimes? :)
So, we went home and back to the drawing board. We came across Isaac in an online baby name book. We instantly fell in love the meaning: "he will laugh" so Isaac it was!

                Here's a pic of baby Isaac. Isn't he just the cutest?!

Even our fur baby, Mailey has a story to her name. Not really a meaning, but the story has become meaningful to us, and we love to tell people who ask us about it. This is Mailey, she's my sidekick, my buddy, and I love her to pieces!

And my shop name, The Red Tulip Shoppe, I wanted it to be meaningful. It comes from a combination of meaningful things. Isaac's favorite color was red. Many babies are drawn to this bright color, but Isaac really loved red. In fact, we release red balloons to heaven on his birthdays because of this.

                                This was last year on his first birthday.

I wanted to bring him into it somehow, as following his passing I was inspired in a new creative way, which led to my shoppe. I thought this was the perfect, subtle way to do that.
Tulip- my favorite flower of all time. I think many other flowers are beautiful, but tulips shine above them all. I have no idea how that started, it just is. period. amen.  :)
So yeah, The Red Tulip Shoppe.

And now, this blog, Just down the Hall. I have always made jokes playing off our last name, Hall. For instance, when I was teaching dance, I would say if I ever opened a dance studio, I would name it "Dance Hall". Hahaha I just think it's hilarious.

And people have always joked us that we could never name our children or pets "pool". (Get it? Pool Hall. I know cheesy huh?) :)

So, I thought it would be fun to play off our name. Then one day my dear hubs mentioned something about my craft room being down at the end of the hall in our house.
                                    That was it!
I slept on it, and decided that would be a cute name. After all, that craft room is where I get a lot of my inspiration, it is where I love to spend all my free time. You could say it's where all the magic happens hahaha. And my crafts are a big part of what inspired this blog in the first place!

So, when you read this and see what I've been up to, you can know that it probably happened just down the hall in my craft room. And while many of us are separated by a slew of miles, thanks to technology, we can be just as close as if I were just down the hall!

Love,

Unveiling

Welcome to my blog! I know, it took me a while to jump on the bandwagon. I kept thinking, "Isn't it a little narcissistic to think that people would read this thing?" But then, I realized how many people's blogs (and lives) I spy on & I love it!

This blog will be a little bit of everything. I love to make things with my hands, I always have a number of projects going at once. From sewing, crafts, home decor, building, baking, cooking, etc...I love to do it all. It's so rewarding don't you think? That way, when I have 15 people ask me how I made my (blank) I can just point them here.
So, I'll have a lot of those projects on here, and you can learn to be just as awesome as me! haha, I'm kidding! But really...you can learn how to make the stuff.

I also wanted this blog to be a place to connect myself with other parents out there who have lost their children. It is a very lonely thing to go through, and I am now realizing the importance of surrounding myself with the support of those who can relate, and also be there for those who are going through it as well. I especially want to use this as a place to find those few parents whose children had the same genetic disease as our son, ARC syndrome. It is so rare, that it is extremely difficult to find families who've dealt with it. So I will have a page about all of that.

I love adventures and try to make the most out of everything. You will get to hang out with me (and who wouldn't want to?!) :) on all those adventures. I do have to say, in my 29 years, I've experienced and done a lot- bad, good & fun and lived all across the country. So join me as I share my life, my heart and my projects.

Love,