southern fried gal

First things first – Happy New Year! I can’t believe it has been almost a month since I posted. 2012 is already going way too fast! Thank you to everyone who has dropped me a note while I was away. I appreciate your friendship!

I’m so late on doing a recap I almost decided not to do one. After taking the time to do so today I’m glad I did. It was a year full of inspiration, lessons learned and healing.

In January I was fortunate to attend the Willow House Leadership retreat in Birmingham. I fell in love with this gorgeous dining room. The simplicity of the centerpiece along with the textures of this room inspired my decor for the remainder of the year.

Inspiration continued to grow while at the doctor’s office in February. I snapped a photo from a magazine  and then took what I had around my home to mimic the look in my family room redo.

In March I finally got around to putting up a tutorial for the diaper tricycles I have been crafting for expecting friends. I’m glad I did – it has been one of my most popular posts to date! I recently sold the one pictured above. I think it is my favorite boy trike so far.

In April I found myself bored and uninspired with my front door – which is unusual for me. Thankfully a bunch of twigs and a bird’s nest led to my favorite Easter Door Decor ever. I even sold a few of these sweet crosses to some gals around town. That made my heart happy!

In May, I scored too many bags of mossy rocks at our local Dollar Tree and was inspired to craft this Mossy Rock Wreath. I’m glad I did because it would be what I would be forced to see every single day for months to come after my surprise hysterectomy in mid May. I needed those happy little rocks!

In June I learned a valuable lesson – how to accept help from others. I was humbled by the outpouring of help, love and prayers from our church, from our co-workers and from friends and family (those close and far away). I hope I can pay forward all the blessings I received during this difficult time.

In July I was still down and out but had a little fun virtually at the Willow House convention. Flat Carmella traveled with some friends to the event. She was much more popular that the real deal…hmmm.

In August I was back to work full-time and feeling better. I finally got to get in the pool for the first time since the surgery. It was very hard to not join in the pool fun throughout summer.

I did not do a single post in September! I cannot believe that – especially since I missed out on sharing my family coming down for Labor Day weekend. It’s always a joy to have the cousins all together. They are creating some fun memories for this old gal.

The creative mojo began to return in October with a lot of coaxing from BBC. We created our Halloween door together. It is by far my most favorite Halloween door because we did it together and well, because it looks really cool!

A miracle occurred in November. I finally found a Cornbread Dressing Recipe that got rave reviews, was super easy and wasn’t dry!

December rocked. It is the best December I have had in years. I couldn’t commit to the usual (craft fairs, paid decor engagements, home parties, etc.) due to my health. I kept my decor simple. I purged, donated and/or consigned SEVEN buckets of Christmas decor, SEVEN bags of clothing and two car loads of other decor items. Our Christmas was slow, quiet and enjoyable. I pray I remember how lovely the month was and follow it’s example throughout 2012!

Well – enough about me! I hope your 2012 is off to a fantastic start. I’m ready to get back into the bloggy groove – whatever that may look like this year!

~Southern Fried Gal