NumberNineteen

Book Love

This is my HAUL from the AAUW booksale, held in State College 2 weeks ago.  I came away with enough books to keep me happy for a long time, not one of them over $4 & most of them about $2.  Have I mentioned how much I love the AAUW booksale?

Loads of decorating inspiration from classic Mary Englebreit books as well as some organizing inspiration from the guru of good things, Martha. 

Gorgeous old books from the 1900s & 1920s...I just love the covers & the feel of them in little vingettes around the house.  It kills me that they put the sticker over the paper cover of that one book & taking it off further would rip the book...but, what are you going to do?

Check out this 1940s primer.  I just love primers, mostly for the illustrations:


Judging from the rosy-ness of Father's cheeks in the drawing above, I think that he should cut back on the Manhattans before dinner.

The books are already being worked into my decor....

Weekend Treasures

Just look at this treasure trove that I found in State College & on the way home this weekend!  And, the most expensive item in the group was $6!! To start off, I ducked into the Goodwill, which happened to be running a 50% off everything in the store promotion!!  I was thrilled but also a little amused -- as if Goodwill isn't cheap enough! But, I wasn't complaining! I got the lamp, which is going to be perfect for our screened in porch once the wood has been painted white, the wooden organizer (which will also be painted -- white? black? red?), the silverplate tray & the clock. The whole lot came to about $10. The clock has a photo frame on the other side that is missing it's glass & backing.  No problem -- I think that I'll just put in little decorative paper with a monogram & not even bother with glass.

I told Glenn that all that I wanted for Mother's Day was to stop at antique shops on the way home from State College (he got off easy, huh?). The first one at which we stopped is one that we have visited previously & has a great back room, full of junk & treasures.  Those who are afraid of dirt & digging, don't bother.  But, if you are willing to dig, you are rewarded! I found the little oval ironstone plate ($1!), the mixed up silverplate flatware (50 cents each) & the postcards (also 50 cents each) there.  I thought that it was wonderful to find that "To Dear Mother" card on Mother's Day!

The second stop was a dusty old barn that has been converted into a flea market/antique shop.  This place is a real mixture of true goodies & true junk.  1970s magazines anyone?  How about plastic promotional items?  But, also to be found was the silver container (tarnished, but look at that detail! For a dollar!), the white footed dish, another green Ball jar for my kitchen & the tole wastebasket, which was a STEAL.  It is something that I don't need, don't have a place for and may just end up selling, but I could NOT leave that sitting there, at that price!

The red & white kitchen towels are just from TJ Maxx, but they look so pretty with my other finds that I threw them into the picture :)

Now, I just need some time to put all of my finds into cute displays around the house!

Baby Shower

We are back from an absolutely wonderful weekend of family & baby goodness & mommy celebrations & bargain hunting & book buying!

The shower was a wonderful success, full of lots of family & good wishes for my sister & my nephew.  I created the decorations, invites & favors around a pale blue & chocolate brown color scheme, with an adorable elephant die cut as the accent.  My mom made elephant shaped cookies as part of the dessert, which were also adorable. I can't decide if my favorite project was the banner (I just love those sparkle-y letters!) or the favors.  My mom & I pitched in together to make the food & we got a to.die.for carrot cake from Wegmans.

Here are photos of my glowing sister, the honoree:
 

She is all preggie-beautiful & my nephew is already just the most adorable thing!  How do I know?  I got to feel him kick (or nudge or punch or whatever he was doing) & it was one of the most special things ever!  I think that he knew that it was me, his very special aunt, on the outside, giving him a tickle.

My bloggy friends, I have so much more to show & tell about the weekend! Remember how my yard sale-ing was a such a disaster?  Well, this weekend more than made up for it! Thrift shopping, flea marketing, antiquing & book shopping added up to a weekend full of treasures. More to come later this week!

Yard Sale Find

I was really looking forward to this past weekend, as there were 3 or 4 neighborhood-wide yard sales right around my house.  I've been searching for good blog topics & I knew that I'd find a treasure trove to share with you.

Or, not. Almost 2 hours of yard sale-ing & I ended up with TWO things.  And, one of them, I can't share here because it's a Christmas gift for a faithful reader (yes, you, Mom).

So, here it is, my one treasure...
That cute little red ceramic pedestal.

From another angle....

Right there beside my color-coordinated jar of ribbons.

Well, so this is not what I'd hoped to be able to show you, but I'm really hoping that I can show off a true treasure trove next week. We are headed to my hometown, State College, PA for, among other things, the AAUW Booksale.  See that picture at the top of the page of the link?  Those are just a fraction of the books for sale & for cheap.  We normally come out of the sale with bags of books. 

I'm also co-hosting the first of two baby showers that my mom & I will be throwing for my sister.  I've been working feverishly on the decor, favors & invites  & I'm excited to share them with you!