NumberNineteen

Bunches of Notions

While we were at my parent's place last weekend, my mom was going through her sewing supplies & asked if I wanted anything.  Just look at this gorgeous stash of ribbons, trim & seam binding that I found!  In my mind, I immediately imagined projects -- a Halloween card with the orange seam binding, an Easter decoration with the lilac velvet ribbon, something for the 4th of July with the navy blue trim.  I'm a lucky girl to be the beneficiary of these beauties.  Thanks Mom!

Family Weekend

I'm back, after a short absence.  We've been pretty busy around here.  My sister & her family came to visit 1 1/2 weeks ago & we went to visit my parents last weekend. It was so much fun to have Terri, Ezra & this sweetie pie at our house.

He & Hope got on like two peas in a pod. When she left the room, he would whimper!

We spent one day at our favorite local winery, where the weather was gorgeous & the view more so.

The next day, we went to the zoo!  It's been long time since I've been there & it was really interesting.  We saw a lot of animals, including DC's famous pandas:

 

Cutest baby boy ever:

As usual, I took the opportunity to get a family photo.

As soon as they left, we started planning our trip to see them in Boston.  We can't wait to see you guys again!

Vintage Wallpaper

There seemed to be a lot of interest in the wallpaper pack that I gave away, so I decided to put together another pack to see if there is any interest.  This one has larger pieces & a few designs that didn't make it into the give-away pack.  Here are some pics:

All of the florals shown above...

...and two fun kids designs.

Close ups of the florals:

Most sheets are approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches, withe exception of the yellow & pink floral & the kid's designs. 15 sheets in all. $18 plus $2 shipping.  Just email me if you are interested!

Winners!

I'm happy to announce the winners of the give away packages!  The first package (small luxuries) goes to Paula of Virginia Sweet Pea & the second goes to Jo of That's My Story.  I'll be emailing both of you to get shipping information.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who played!  It was so fun to hear from readers that haven't ever commented.  I truly appreciate that you visit my blog. 

Accessories of Old

I discovered the most wonderful shop this weekend, Accessories of Old, in Frederick Maryland. Accessories of Old specializes in old trim, buttons, buckles, beads and most any kind of notion that you could think of. Seriously, this is the most drool worthy shop that I have come across in ages.  Take a look at the displays:

A wall of vintage buttons, both on cards & individual buttons.

A wall of hairclips.

One of the stunning vintage display cases. (This photo is from their blog, as I couldn't get a good photo)

I think that it's safe to say that my favorite part of the store was this wall 'o ribbon:

See that second section over, with the white spools?  ALL velvet ribbon, in every shade & width that you can imagine.  Just heaven.  (This photo is also from their blog)

If you live in this region, try to check it out.   The proprietor was so friendly & nice and you'll really enjoy your visit.

300th Post Give Away!

Every blogger says it when they hit their 300th (or 500th or so on) post, "I can't believe I've written 300 posts!".  Isn't it the truth?  I started blogging in late December of 2006, after a year of being a frequent visitor & commenter on many other blogs.  I felt like I had something to contribute to the community that had given me so much.  My blog has changed somewhat over that time, but one thing is the same -- the blogging community still makes me feel like there are others out there like me & continues to inspire me.

As a way of giving back to you lovely blogging friends, I'm hosting a give away!  It has two components.  First, some wonderful little things to make your day brighter:

A faux mercury glass votive holder from Anthropologie, a tin of french candies, a small bar of Mistral Lait soap, & a tin of old fashioned Rosebud Salve.

The other component is a package of gorgeous vintage wallpaper, ranging in age from the 1940s to the 1960s:

All that you need to do is to leave a comment by midnight Friday the 14th & tell me which package you would like to win -- the items in the first photo or the wallpaper.  While you are here, take a look around!  I love, love, love new blogging friends.  

I will choose two winners, one for each package.  Good Luck!

Happy Mother's Day!

Look at this!  We actually got a photo where everyone is looking at the camera, has their eyes open AND are smiling.  We took a few shots before we headed out for our Mother's Day celebration.  Here is one of just Hope & I:

We had a wonderful brunch at the Bistro Bistro in Shirlington.  There was a huge buffet of all kinds of brunch foods as well as omelet & waffle stations.  Not to mention the dessert buffet!   I think that I took one of each little dessert.  I had to test them all, you know.

Afterwards, we headed to the Kennedy Center for a performance of the musical version of the children's book Knuffle Bunny.  The Kennedy Center is such a lovely venue and the show was a wonderful introduction to theater for Hope.  Some photos of our visit:

Glenn & Hope on the terrace that overlooks the Potomac.

Hope inside the Kennedy Center.

Glenn & Hope, waiting for the show to begin.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Mother's Day!

Teacher Appreciation Card

Just a little post to show you the card that I made for Hope's teacher for Teacher Appreciation Day. I scanned the image of the children from an old primer & the rest came from my stash.  There is a whole week of teacher appreciation activities at Hope's school -- breakfast on Monday, notes on Tuesday, treats on Wednesday, flowers on Thursday & lunch on Friday.  A week of goodies for the people that are teaching my baby her ABCs!  For all of you teachers out there -- THANK YOU!!!

Sunday Night

I'm sitting here as the Sunday routine goes on...dinner is done and Hope is pretending that she is getting ready for bed.  I'll be going to her room to urge on the process shortly.  I'm mentally praising Glenn & I for fitting so much into the weekend.  Friday & Saturday mornings, I made the rounds of the estate sales & the monthly flea market in Arlington.  I uncovered a few finds:

I just love, love, love the fan & the little platters. I will exercising great restraint by not keeping them.  "They are for Etsy, they are for Etsy"...must repeat to myself.

I'm kicking myself over the typewriter.  It's a great typewriter, but I pretty much ruined it when I tried to clean it up.  Note to self: rubbing alcohol takes paint off of old typewriters.  I think that Hope will be inheriting it as a toy.

After returning from the flea market, Glenn & I attacked our yard with a vengeance.  We showed no mercy to weeds, long grass or overgrown bushes.  Hope "helped" with her play hoe.  We then cleaned ourselves up & spent a great evening at a friend's house for one of the first barbecues of the season.  They have an incredible tree house & the kids absolutely exhausted themselves by playing all over it all night.

Finally, I went to the farmer's market this morning.  I wish that I had taken my camera...all of the produce is so gorgeous.  I came home with asparagus, spring onions, lettuce & tiny sweet strawberries. 

And, that wraps up our weekend. I hope that you had a great weekend too!