NumberNineteen

Gettin' Crafty

I went to Joann's on Saturday & was in fabric heaven.  It seemed like every bolt gave me more ideas, every bolt wanted to get into my basket & come home with me.  By the time that I was done in there, I had imagined several purses & totes, a summer dress, vintage style aprons, pillows & more.   

What I purchased is above.  I had something totally different in my basket at first.  Something much more along my normal colors--pale pink & blue.  But, that red & white floral just popped out at me.  It looks like Cath Kidston, like a 1940s kitchen, like a vintage picnic.  I saw it & immediately thought, "red gingham".  I found just the right gingham & then I knew that I needed a plain red.   And, a tote bag had formed in my mind.  And, a throw pillow.  And, maybe a quilted potholder.  And, maybe an apron.  OK, I'll have to get more fabric if I want to do all of that, but you see how it inspired me!  I'm currently working on the tote bag and will probably get to most of the work over the weekend. I  still need to find some red gingham ribbon for the trim on the bag.  Joann's was out of the width that I needed.

Not only that, but I also started to steam off the wallpaper in the kitchen.  I had forgotten what a big mess it can be.  I wish that I had taken a picture.  There was a huge pile of wet strips of paper all over the floor.  And, I had only done one wall!  I've realized that the wallpaper/new paint project is going to take longer than I thought.  I recently found out that I'm eligible for a winter floating holiday that must be taken by the end of March.  So, I think that I'm going to take a day to devote to this project.  Next time, I'll take pictures so that I can show you the progress.

PS-the toile fabric in the background of the photo above is the comforter on my guest bed.  Its not meant to go with the new fabrics :)

Snow! Snow! Snow!

Yippee! Yippee! Yippee!  (Imagine me, jumping up & down like a kid) We finally got snow!  Real snow!  Not "it looks like snow, but is actually sleet-y ice" or "it should have been snow, but its just rain", but snow!  The view above is of our street, taken from our front walk. 

This was the first time that we could take Hope out in the snow for some frolicking.
We bundled her up (super cute hat, knitted by my sis )....

....and took her sledding....

....and, she hated it!  Can you believe it?  She cried the entire time that we were outside...

Poor thing.  She just didn't know what to make of it.  Hopefully, next year, she will think that its fun.  Glenn & I got a few rides down the little slopes on the golf course behind our house before heading in...we could have sledded all day!

Here is another picture of my sweet little lady, to leave you with...

Ooo!  I could just eat her up! :)

Tomorrow, I'll post all about my weekend projects.  I've been a busy girl!

The Sweetest of the Sweeties

My hunny did the *sweetest* thing for me today!  He sent flowers to me at the office, as I've been back to work for one month.  He knows that it has been a tough adjustment & thought that these would make me smile. How right he is!

I should point out that Glenn does not send flowers  to me often.  In fact, in 7 years of knowing him, this is only the second time that he has done this (he does plenty of other romantic & nice things, though!).  So, that makes it even more special.    For those of you who have worked in an office, is there not a more special thrill than getting a call from the receptionist that there is a "package" for you up front???  It made a S-L-O-W Friday afternoon perk up considerably!

Here is a close up of one of the roses...blurry (I hate to use the flash). But, you can see how pretty it is.....

I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend. 

Every Kind of Cream

So, I'm actually going to do something about the hated wallpaper in the kitchen that I wrote about here .  This weekend, I'm going to start steaming off the wallpaper.  Today, I went to Lowes to get some paint chips.  Can you believe how many different kinds of cream there are?  And, I didn't bring anywhere near all of them home.  Greyish cream, yellowish cream, beigey cream. 

You would think that deciding to paint a room cream would be the easiest color to pick, not the hardest.  And, I hate to try to choose from one of these little pieces of paper.  I usually pick 2 shades that I like the best & buy the smallest container that I can get (usually a quart) of each.  I paint a few foot square space, wait until it dries & then get a gallon of my favorite.  I know, I'm wasting nearly a quart of paint that way, but its better than spending years annoyed that a wall isn't quite the right color.
I've seen that some companies have started to offer sample sizes of their popular colors, to try out at home.  I am hereby requesting that all paint companies do this, right now.  You hear?

Meet Aunt Mildred

I've realized that I've never introduced you to my dear Aunt Mildred.  Here she is. 

The truth is, the lady in this picture is not my Aunt.  In fact, I have no idea who she is.  But, one day, many years ago, before I had enough money to be paying my bills, let alone buying art,  I stopped in front of the window of a favorite antique shop.  I saw her & I could not look away.  The look in her eyes was so sympathetic.  The store was not open, so I walked away.  And thought about her for the next day.  I went back the next evening & she was still there.  The lady in the store was apologetic--"its not in very good shape...it has a few mildew marks", but told me that it was $98.  I bought her without hesitating.   I remember that I had about $200 in my savings account & spent half of it on her.  And, I've never regretted it.

Everyone thought that I was out of my mind for putting up a portrait of an unknown woman.  I was about 26 & most of my friends were still living in group houses & had futons as couches.  They thought that I was crazy for spending my money on her.  But, I know that every single time that I have looked at her in the years that she has been in my home, she is a reminder of who I am.

 

The first time that my parents visited me after I purchased her, my father said "Bye, Aunt Mildred!" on the way out of the door.  My mother & I said "who is Aunt Mildred?" and he pointed at the portrait.  And, so she was named.

Weekend Finds

The weekend is winding down & I thought that I'd share a few of my thrifting & estate sale-ing finds.  Pictured above is a set of apothecary jars (new) that I found at Salvation Army for $4.50 for the set.  I was going to use them in our bathroom, but then realized that they aren't the right size for what I was going to put in them.  So, they will become inventory in my booth.  One of the very nice things about having a business in vintage pretties!

We went to 2 estate sales this morning & found a few things.  Look at these lovely plates:

Those will go into the booth as well.  And, below is a collection of glass jars that I found.  I found one of the candy jars at the Salvation Army & the other came from the same estate sale as the plates.  Isn't it funny how you find similar things all at once?  If I had set out to find old-fashioned candy jars, I wouldn't have found a thing!
And, I couldn't resist the glass jar with the rose decal.  I mean, it has pink roses on it...I don't think that I need to say more!

I just realized how dirty these are!  I'll have to give them a washing tonight!

And, last, but not least, I found a pretty mug for my desk at work (Tiffany & CO, for a dollar!!!).  I'm firmly convinced that a prettily decorated cube makes my day happier :)

My parents are visiting with us this weekend & are having a grand time with Hope.  And, she with them.  Nothing in the world makes me happier.  They will be taking care of her tomorrow, as her daycare is closed for in-service.  My favorite babysitters :)

Blue & Green

The results of a recent puttering session....a gathering of blue.....

So pretty with the plates that were already there....

And, in the living room, a gathering of green...and a home for the
birthday roses painting.

This was another one of my shopping at home/lets move things
around yet once again sessions.  So much fun!  Since I started making
these little displays around the house, I think that things are feeling so
much more home-y & finished.

I hope that you are having a wonderful evening!

A Very Talented Lady

Look at what Glenn brought back with him!  No, this is not a Valentine's gift from him, but the creation of one of our most talented friends, Leslie.  Leslie is the wife of one of Glenn's high school friends & from the moment we met, we hit it off.   Although she & her husband live 10 hours from us, we try to get together every time that we are near to each other.

One of the main things that Leslie & I bonded over is cooking & BAKING (it doesn't hurt that she loves to go antiquing, either!).  While I love to bake cookies & other treats, Leslie is a true artist in confectionery.  Leslie decorates cakes that would rival ones found in Martha Stewart Weddings or InStyle Weddings.....look at this....

(I apologize for the quality of the photo, as I had to scan it from a hard copy)

Every one of those flowers are hand-formed from fondant.  I was at her house one time while she was working on a cake & she had rows & rows of flowers sitting on her counters.  And, the cake that is shown above is one of the simpler wedding cakes that she has done, if you can imagine!  And, she doesn't just do wedding cakes:

(again, this scan is not doing this justice)

Every single thing on this cake, aside from the upper half of the mermaid, is edible & created by Leslie.  Can you imagine? 

Then, I got the box of chocolates...they look like something from a chocolatier.  So beautifully presented & delicious!!!

The most wonderful thing about Leslie (and her husband, Brian) is her incredible generosity.  She does not charge a thing for the cakes that she makes.  They are her present to the bride, birthday child, whomever.  And, she has a demanding, full-time job, so she does this in her free time.  The only thing wrong with Leslie & Brian is that they live too far away from us!!!!

Tole Trays/Happy Saturday

I have only one true collection (though many other started!) and it is of tole trays.  It started with just a few & then snowballed from there.  I find them everywhere, but I have strict criteria--they must be in good shape, pretty, a little different from what I have & be a great price.  That last one is what keeps my collection relatively small, haha! When we moved into this house, I saw this wall, with its akward vent, and knew that it would be the perfect place to display my trays.  I didn't have enough to cover the entire wall when we moved in, but I've been filling it in over time.  And, last year, I had to move to a second wall:

I just realized that the last tray I purchased was early last year.  I'd better get shopping!

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On a more newsy note....
Its a girl's weekend, as Glenn is visiting relatives.  So, Hope & I have been hanging out, drinking cosmos & painting our nails....:)  OK, really, we've just been doing house stuff (laundry, etc) and attempting to find some vintage goodies, without luck.  2 estate sales & one thrift shop & nada.  Some days, you've got it & others, nothing.  I hope that get one of those good days again soon, because I've got a lot of inventory to replenish.  And, its just plain fun to find treasures!

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A big hug & a thank you to all of you dear, wonderful, sweet friends who gave me such words of encouragement regarding my last post.  I feel like I just returned from having a good talk with each of you.  I'll figure out how to make this working mommy thing work AND still remain happy & true to myself.....!

Worker Bee

I've been sitting here, totally wiped out & wondering what I should write.  And, I realized, I should write what has been going on.  This whole every day, getting back to work, trying to fit it all in, trying to keep true to myself THING I've been doing for almost 3 weeks now.

The job itself is fine, as far as jobs go.  I'm settling back in, remembering what to do, enjoying the people that I work with.  Its life around work that is the trouble.  More specifically, its that I have to now fit my life, the real life, the important stuff and the important people around this job.  That, I'm having a really hard time with.  Both practically & philosophically.  Practically, it has been pretty rough trying to fit in all of the daily tasks, spending time with Hope, spending time with Glenn & actually getting some sleep.  Philosophically, this bothers me.  I've always, since I was very young, been acutely aware that we only have one life to live and that we must not waste it.  I have a very hard time not having the focus of my time be on the things that are the most meaningful to me. And, it can be easy to get caught up in the "stuff" of just getting through the days and forgetting or diminishing the things that are important to me, that make up the true me.

I have to say that I completely realize that there are literally thousands of  women (and men) who feel just as I do.  That most people struggle through this working/parenting/being yourself thing and do it because they have to.  And, that this blog entry may sound whiny.  But, this blog world is full of friends to talk to & ask for support.  And for me, my blog is one of the things that keeps me grounded in who I really am.  Corporate drone or not.  It reminds me of what is important to me and what I want to focus my life on.  It reminds me that while I may not be able to make a living at selling and displaying vintage pretties, its a real part of who I am and even a real business.

Thank you, my dear blog friends, for listening and being out there.  When I read your blogs & your comments on mine, I know that there are people out there who are kindred spirits.