Little Beach Designs

When "perfection" is the enemy of "good enough".....

2012-01-25T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well hello! I had a bit of inspiration this weekend...always a good thing but you never know when it's going to hit, right? I found this vintage horse show ribbon and thought it might be the perfect thing to alter for either a Valentine's day item, or just s shabby romantic goody to hang in your studio...

I started with finding all the shabby items I wanted to include...and although I love the color red, I knew I wanted to tone it down a bit! So out came the creams, and the image I adore from a gorgeous shop on etsy called ArtCult (her images are digi and so beautiful!) At first I thought of sewing on my fabrics and crochet pieces, then I decided to glue them on instead.....much quicker and I guess I was feeling lazy yesterday. I really wanted to achieve a layered and shabby look here....and I think I did.

Some glass glitter to finish off my image at the top and she's all done....or is she? As I sat looking at this creation I wondered if I should add more....maybe some buttons, maybe some more tags, maybe some ribbons? I think those of us who create fall into this trap a lot (at least I know I do!) of not knowing when to walk away from a project. It's hard to see it with fresh eyes when you've been gazing at it for awhile, isn't it?
I decided to walk away, and also to add this to my Etsy shop later today....after all, I have 3 more of these vintage ribbons in my stash to play with (I know I must keep one for myself) but they are so fun to make! Do you have any of these old ribbons that are just begging to be "gussied up". It's a really fun project, trust me!

Etsy on a Saturday night~~~~~

2012-01-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

beautiful reversible apron

amazing doll's dress

handsewn doll's slip

awesome french/english phrase book from 1800's

original 1940's dick and jane book

fantastic stenso lettering co. stencils

set of 5 jelly jars with angels and crowns.......

Most of these are new in my shop today, some will be added tomorrow.....I do hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.
Here in Oregon, we're busy building our Ark! We almost needed earplugs last night it rained so hard....;).

My latest find.....destined for a big makeover!

2012-01-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

Good day! I just wanted to make sure I took some photos of my latest makeover challenge before I went ahead and did it and forgot to take pics! I'm very guilty of doing that....

We headed for our local recycling center this a.m. (note to self, I need to shop there much more often! So many cool items!) So although it was very chilly to be shopping outside today, as most of this recycling center is outside) we had an old ceiling fan to drop off and I was on a mission to find an old cart to go under my craft table in my studio to hopefully house a ton of my etsy items that are for sale in my shop. Well, as so often happens, I didn't find what I was looking for but I did find something else of interest!
This old case which doesn't look like much on the outside (although I knew it would be a piece of cake to doll it up some) it was the inside that won my heart!

Really heavy army green canvas with all kinds of cubbies and zippered compartments (and the zippers still work!) The part with all the pouches is double sided....

And when you lift it up, look at all the space here underneath!
So what are my plans for it? Well, if you've seen the latest issue of "Somerset Life" you probably saw the little suitcase that has been made into an artists case to take with you...that's what I have in mind for this little case...I'm cleaning it up...(very, very dirty!) and we'll see what inspiration I can weave on this case. I think I see some wallpaper in it's future, and some pretty fabrics....and tags....

Stay tuned....pictures coming of my artist suitcase makeover!
And if I decide not to keep her...she'll end up in my etsy...:).
Have a lovely long weekend, and go make something pretty!

My favorite doll head...ever....meet sweet Maggie Mae

2012-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

So if doll heads freak you out you may want to skip this post (but who could be afraid of this little cutie?)

I found her on etsy (of course) in a wonderful shop called reginasstudio...love her shop!

She sent me Maggie Mae and then a little extra surprise! Isn't that just the cutest little frozen charlotte?

Check out Maggie Mae's luscious curls! And she has lots of original bobby pins in her hair to keep it under control....and here's something special about her that I've never had with any of my other doll heads, her eyes actually move from side to side! It's awesome...:)

I added the little hair bow...she's currently living in my kitchen window so I can see her every single day and smile! And when my studio gets more organized (I know, I know, how many times can I possibly claim that that's gonna happen before I get booted out of blogland as a BIG FAT LIAR?) Ha, but you just wait, it will happen, promise!
Anyway, you'll see lots more of Maggie Mae on my blog (sorry for those of you who just aren't that into her). What can I say, I love doll heads and I'm not ashamed of it! I was blog hopping this morning and read on someone's blog that Gloria Vanderbilt loves doll heads too, and has them on display prominently in her home.
Who would've guessed that? Not me, that's for sure.
After all, she has a fairly sophisticated style (understatement) so I guess I'm in good company.
TTFN~

Shopping your own house...I recommend it!

2012-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry, this won't be a pretty post, just a practical one.....we just put Christmas to bed and the house is getting in order, slowly but surely.

And as I look around, like many of you this time of year I find that I like the "less is more" pared down look. So I'm going through my rooms looking for items that I can live without. Now don't get me wrong, these aren't exactly junk! After all, I loved them enough to buy them once, right?

But after awhile it's time to let things go and get organized, and I'm so at that point right now.

And most of all I'm most excited to dig deep into my studio and really clean that out as well so that I can start creating again....it's been way too long.

part of the contents of one of my studio drawers..headed for etsy

How about you? Have you been organizing and cleaning too? Any good online creative classes on your horizon to keep those juices flowing? I've contemplated a few of them but haven't made any commitments yet...who knows...maybe tomorrow?

Brand spanking new in my Etsy.....

2012-01-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

gorgeous antique lotto game....the graphics on this one are amazing, shells and waves and coral....
~SOLD~

another vintage lotto game shaped like a suitcase....

ditto from above.....

beautifully aged picture cards from an old lotto game...hmmm, do I sense a theme here? Must be all the board games I've been playing with my dd! She goes back to school tomorrow and I've gotten a head start on re-organizing my studio which means I'll be listing more items soon.
It's de-stash time!
Hope you're all getting off to a wonderful (and organized) new start to your year! It's gonna be a good one!!

A New Year's wish for us all....

2011-12-31T16:14:00.000-08:00

~ Inner peace
~Freedom from fear
~Good health
~Patience
~Kindness towards others
~Friendship

May the new year bring you all of these.
This is my wish for you all...:)

~Why my house smells heavenly right now.....

2011-12-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

I'm making gifts for two very special people.....

They'll remain unnamed for the moment (shhhh, don't want to give away their gifts!)

I'm sure all of you are familiar with Tracey's beautiful blog
French Larkspur
She shared a wonderful recipe that I knew would be the perfect gift for my dd to give to the unnamed two....!
I've adorned them with a couple of ornaments from my Etsy shop, a couple of antique spoons, and possible more embellishment to come because I just don't seem to know when to stop!
We've had so much fun in the kitchen this afternoon and the smell, well it's just amazing!
Off to make her some hot chocolate....cheers!

Why our Christmases are so happy!

2011-12-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

We had just the best day today going to see Santa. Dh had an appointment this a.m. so we had to go this afternoon and by the time we got there Santa was on lunch break ( he needs his energy you know)
So we went and grabbed some sandwiches at Honeybaked Ham in our mall (highly recommend by the way) and then we got in line.
My dd is 11 and still believes. (At least that's what she tells us.)
She was really excited to see Santa and our tradition is that she tells him her 3 very most favorite wishes for Christmas. Funny thing that, she usually gets them all.....:).
Then we went shopping for her Dad and came home and wrapped gifts......I just love this time of year.
Hope you're all able to enjoy the simple moments of this season.
I think I'm doing a better job of it this year than in years past and it feels great.
It's all about family and traditions and passing those on.....
hope you all have a peaceful week.....:)

A highlight of the season.......so far

2011-12-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Well hello, I do hope this week is treating you well so far!
I have one lone shot to share (and un-edited at that!) of some decor for the Christmas season...you see, we have a storage unit and all our decorations are in it. A couple of weeks ago we decided to go get our outside lights to put up, and that was it.
I'm kind of liking the fact that I can't get my hands on my decorations and start stressing out about decorating my house!
That will happen this coming weekend when we put our tree up and I'll decorate a bit inside, but I'm not feeling like going crazy with it this year, more simplified.
As for my blog title, I'm referring to our lighting of our Advent wreath each Sunday...our dd insists on partaking and saying a prayer, which is priceless! You never know what's going to come out of her mouth, what pearls of wisdom, and she's really very spiritual. (My dh was wishing we had recorded her words but once you put that recorder on it's a game-changer).
Have a peaceful rest of your week....:).

~TGIF~

2011-12-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

So it's been a drama filled week and I'm over-the-moon happy that it's Friday! That means normal family time, festive activities, and good food!
This weekend will be the start of our family stroll through the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights.....we normally drive but why not walk? We can watch the progression of new lights each weekend.....and get some exercise!
And when we get home, hot cocoa time! Maybe with something special added? O.K., use your imagination here.....lol!

Two beautiful books with floral covers in my etsy...

Very cool dictionary in my etsy...

Gorgeous old bible in my etsy...

Vintage oak file box in my etsy.....

Beautiful vintage floral ticking in purple in my etsy.....

I do hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season so far!
Remember to take some time for yourself to enjoy............!!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care~

2011-12-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Beautiful vintage stockings....all found
here....www.etsy.com/shop/littlebeachdesigns

Unexpected treasures.....

2011-12-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

What a fun day today was! First off, it's sooo cold here that it's really starting to get me in the Christmas spirit...our goal today was to get our lights up outside so we went to our storage unit...on the way we saw a sign for an Estate sale. Sweet dh asked me if I wanted to go. Ummm, o.k., twist my arm. As we drove up he said, "It doesn't look like a very big or very nice house, are you sure you wanna go in?" Silly man, those are the best sales! You know the ones, the older homes where the owners (we can only hope) were packrats! Oh, and did I mention it was Sunday so half price day!
(My dd pointed that out to me, she's such a good shopper).
So on the wall I saw the two gorgeous prints above....couldn't grab those fast enough. They're stunning in person and quite large with really nice creamy wood frames....so pretty.

Wonderful books....we'll see what I can part with...

A package of the sweetest tiny, tiny Dennison stars, and a really cool oak file box with index cards included...

Lovely large bunch of lace and a gorgeous purple roses pillow tick.....

and last but not least....an ancient old testament Bible that is literally falling apart and a very cool old dictionary.
I left that sale so very happy...plus we got our lights up today outside, went to church tonight, and had a great Chinese meal.
Happy week to all!

New in my Etsy shop!

2011-12-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous antique book

and another

upcycled shoe forms

vintage shoe forms

vintage doll with angel wings

stunning roses tray

We've had such a busy day! Mostly organizing and cleaning out our master bedroom, trust me you don't want to see the before photos on this one! It feels so good though to get it all organized how it should be and get rid of things we don't need. So much more to be done but that's o.k. When it's finished we'll breathe a sigh of relief and feel so good about it!
What have you done today?

It's been a funny day, ever have one of those?

2011-12-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

I was struck tonight, while letting my dog outside into our front courtyard, how breathtakingly gorgeous it is outside tonight.....we had no clouds today even though the day started out very foggy and spooky this morning....then the sun came out but it's been VERY cold all day.
I looked up into the sky and saw the moon.....my very favorite thing to spy in the night sky, always has been! And then seeing it through the bare branches of our redbud made it look otherworldly....

I was out raking leaves (we have a ton of them right now!) when the plumber drove up....once again a clogged kitchen drain....happens far too often, and $150 later (that's o.k., money grows on trees right?) I decided not to let that bother me.....too many far more important things to focus my time and energy on that a lowly drain....!
Tomorrow we'll put up our Christmas lights outside because I told my dh that we just need more light out there this time of year! The sooner the better, I say. As for the tree, that's going up later this year than normal because we leave our tree up through the epiphany in January....so no need to rush.
I would like to get some decorations inside though, so that will probably happen this weekend too.
Hope you're all enjoying the season so far!

My new French items for Etsy......

2011-11-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a fun day adding some items to my Etsy shop for the Francophiles out there (you know who you are!!!!)
Why is it that the French do everything with so much panache and style? ~sigh~
I die for the vintage (1900 publication) of the famous Baedeker's Paris travel guide...who wouldn't? It's filled with interesting information and maps for the traveler....even has some stains on the front of it that I've convinced myself are wine stains while it was resting on a bistro table during a leisurely lunch one Spring in Paris......!

A lovely map...one of many.

And my last french dictionary...am I crazy? Perhaps...but there are always more out there, right?
~Sold~

And I just know that someone out there will adore this dictionary filled with illustrations! It's an old one for sure!
I'm glad I only had to go out for a short time today (for more mailing supplies) because it's darn cold here today...a good day to be inside working on my shop. I've never had a happier "job"!
Hope you're all staying warm......:)

~Happy First Day of Advent~~

2011-11-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

Since the message of Advent is to be "constantly on the watch" I thought this pretty card would be appropriate today....and we are blessed every year at this time with our lovely camellia...aren't it's blooms pretty?
I do hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and/or friends! Ours couldn't have been nicer. We traveled up north to be with family for the day and it was wonderful.
The only down side was that the drive home was a white-knuckler....so much rain we could barely see through most of the trip home. But we made it safe and sound.

I hope this peaceful Sunday finds you all content and ready for this wonderful new season.....!!

GRATEFUL

2011-11-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

To be grateful is not something I take lightly...it's a gift to be nurtured each and every day. If we somehow "get out of the practice" of feeling grateful I think it becomes apparent in so many ways......to not appreciate what He has given us is a sin.
I appreciate so much about my life right now...here are few things I'd like to share.

My faith in Him (Seems whenever I pray, He listens, I'm fortunate that way!)

My Family ~ They love me, even when I don't deserve it...:)

My home ~ With so many losing theirs right now it makes me all the more grateful to have ours.

My health ~ You should never underestimate the importance of this one! Without it perspective can fly right out the window.

My creative abilities ~ I say this not to toot my own horn but to admit that without my creative outlet I'd be somewhat lost. I think we all need our own "thing" that we adore doing.

My good friends who "get" me, we all need those so badly!

I'm wishing all of you the happiest Thanksgiving! Make sure you take some time for yourself and think about what you're grateful for......He's always listening.....:).

Why details matter......the beauty of old things

2011-11-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

So a delivery was made this a.m., and I couldn't be more thrilled! In a previous post I had mentioned my search for a hat case, not to be confused with a hat box....got plenty of those!
Well, it came today and it's simply stunning. I've been pouring over it's details this morning.
The leather outside, the incomparable fabric lining (wish I had a never-ending bolt of this fabric, it's the prettiest I've ever seen!), the rusty latches, and the center part that snaps off to keep your hats in place.

It really is the details that set these old things apart, and the beauty. Can you imagine walking into a store these days and finding an item for sale like this hat case?
I'll have fun finding room for it in my studio (wish me luck, hahaha!) so it can house some special linens and lace

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, Thanksgiving is almost here and I can't wait!

Never say never!!!!!!!

2011-11-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends!

Two new listings today in my shop, items I vowed never to get rid of....what's up with that?
Why am I changing my mind? Don't really know, other than the fact that I always see "new" old things I have to have and still need to be able to have a path to walk through my house, ya know?

Actually, I'm proud of myself for opening my Etsy and selling my items that I no longer feel the need to hang onto. It helps to de-clutter, while at the same time giving me a good excuse to buy more!
Hahahaha, sounds like I have a problem, right? Please tell me you have the same one....:).
I'd hate to feel all alone in my addiction!

Festive new cuties......and a purchase I can't wait to get...:)

2011-11-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

So I've added a couple more holiday items to my shop. While cleaning my studio I came across these items that I purchased last year....ever do that? Forget that you bought something because you had tucked it away? Of course you have, that's why we're friends! We so "get" that behavior, don't we?

In other news I've been looking for awhile now for one of those awesome old hat train cases...you know the ones, they have a buckle, not a zipper! To me that was one of my criteria in looking for one of these cases, I wanted one that had a latch, not a zipper. To me, having a zipper automatically dates it to the 60's......so NOT the era I was looking for!
So I was on ebay the other day and saw one that made me gasp out loud....it was black...check!
It had a buckle...check! Oh, and my other requirement? It had to have an awesome lining! I know, I don't want much, do I?
So anyway, I came across on on ebay, and she was selling 4 hats along with the case. I wrote her and asked (and remember, you don't get much if you don't ask!) if she would be willing to sell just the case, not the hats. They were o.k., but just o.k.
I told her that I REALLY wanted the case and if she would do a Buy It Now option that I would, well, buy it now!
And she did, and can I just say that when you see the fabric lining inside this case, well, I'm not sure what you're gonna do except beg me to sell it to you, it's that good!

So stay tuned, as soon as I get it, I'll be posting it in all it's glory right here on this blog!

Until then.........

New in my Etsy.......

2011-11-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

It's really hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this early in the season, but being in retail for as many years as I was.....I understand the importance. So here I go, listing Christmas items in my Etsy for those early buyers? Are you an early buyer or do you wait?
Some lament the "forgotten" holiday, Thanksgiving.
I'm not doing that this year, I love Thanksgiving and all it stands for. But I'll also try to please those who love to buy early for Christmas....and for a lot of people this isn't even early! They've been buying gifts for awhile now. Suffice it to say, I'm not one of those people!
And that's o.k., to each his own.....for me I'm going to try to have a very relaxing holiday season......
How about you?

This is fascinating to me....

2011-11-06T16:47:00.001-08:00

I saw this on an email and can't wait to read this book! I've long been fascinated by old ruins, truly old ruins of ancient European homes and castles that have been abandoned. How interesting would it be to go to Europe and explore some of these old abandoned homes....?
Some might find strange, this pull towards the old, tattered, and decrepit. I find it interesting.
Have any of you read this book, did you know about it? I can't wait to get it.

It's called "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"....great name, no?
Written by Ransom Riggs.....

A beautiful gift from a friend....and what's on my work table...

2011-11-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

So today was a very happy "mail" day...my dd came running in telling me there was a package for me....a few days ago Rhonda, from the blog "A Little Bit French", posted on some wonderful gem tintypes that she had fallen in love with, and got creative and decided to make her own. I told her how I loved them and she sent me some. Look at the cute burlap bag that she stamped with a crown....and she wrapped them in tissue and taped them with a piece of french script tape.

Look how cute these are! Don't they look just like the real thing?
They're really tiny with the cutest jump rings to attach them to whatever you like! Thanks so much Rhonda, I'll treasure these and can't wait to use them around my studio....:). Do yourself a favor and go check out her blog (she's currently having a beautiful giveaway) and also check out her Etsy and her online shop, both which are super easy to find on her blog...:).

And this banner is almost ready to be shipped to England for a wonderful customer....I just need to add some extravagant ribbons to hang it and it's all ready to go along with some other goods she's ordering from my shop.
I've had a great week creating some special items for my lovely customers in the U.K. One of them even told me that one of my ribbons will be in a BBC magazine (the Christmas edition) so I was so happy to hear that. I hope you've all had time to create some lovely things this week!

A small peek into our Halloween world...

2011-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the less than stellar photos but I don't have time to edit them today. Lot's of pumpkin carving ahead.....! Luckily my dd has today off school so she can help put the finishing touches on our outside decor....hope you all have a "bewitching" Halloween!

For the love of French!!!!!

2011-10-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

So earlier this week my printer ran out of yellow ink...no more printing for me until that gets replaced which means no more printing shipping labels when I sell something in my shop...which means I get to copy the label to a pdf then email to dh's office where he gets to print it out for me.
Still with me? So I've finally gotten all my packages out but with one of them I had to send it from the P.O. (won't bore you with that story!)
The good news in all this is that there's an awesome used book store right across the street from our P.O., and I thought since I had to be there anyway I might as well look around.
I found the two gorgeous dictionaries pictured above! Not one, but two of them!!!!!
Now if you look on Etsy you'll find all kinds of people selling just the illustrated pages from these dictionaries, which is fine if they're so beat up that they can't be salvaged. But both of these are so awesome, one is listed in my shop already. The other I'm afraid I must keep!
I'm in love.........................................:).
It's so much fun to find a treasure, or even two!
~~~~~~~Update~~~~~~~
Well, someone snapped up the first one and I'll be holding onto the other for awhile, yay!

Jonesin' for a great read.....and a pet peeve~~~~~~~~

2011-10-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I popped on over to my local B&N to, hopefully, find a new and exciting something to read.
I started in the magazine section....zip, zilch, nada.
Gosh I miss the days of going in and grabbing 3-4 different magazines (at a reasonable price mind you!) and leaving the store happy! Miss, miss, miss that.
Even the new "Where Women Create" didn't excite me....I know!
But because of the price I need to be overwhelmed by it, kwim?
Otherwise I just don't pop for it.
Left that section with nothing.....:(.
Then I decided to check out the decorating section (which I might add is dismal). Why oh why don't they offer more books?
Now I have my eye on the three books above, and I know the first one doesn't come out until Nov. 1 so I wasn't expecting to find that one. But I'd love to flip through the other two on my list to see if I'd like them or not. They weren't there, but there was a woman who had all but set up a tent in front of the decorating section, she was quite large and it irked me no end that she didn't even offer to move out of the way so that someone else could get a look at the shelves. Why do people do that? Why so self-absorbed? I normally wouldn't have a problem asking someone to please get the he double hockey sticks out of my way (nicely of course..:) but I just wasn't in the mood yesterday. It was my first day out of my house in 5 days due to illness and I guess my expectations were a bit too high and maybe, just maybe, I got cranky?
Anyway, have any of you got an opinion on the books above?
I'd be most indebted to know your opinions on them. It's no wonder the big box bookstores are going out of business! All they push now, it seems, are Nook's not books.
Whew, I feel better, thanks for listening to my whine....:).

A sweet touch for display.....

2011-10-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Being a huge proponent of "pretty", I've gussied up some plain wood clothes hangers and added them to my shop...I see many more of these in my future. If you have a special garment you like to display, why not do it in style?
It's a wonderfully chilly Autumn evening here tonight and I'm loving it! My favorite season, for warm sweaters and cuddly blankets, hot drinks and chocolate chip pumpkin spice muffins!
Oh, and let's not forget....All Hallow's Eve...so much to look forward to:).

One of my favorite things to make......

2011-10-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

are these paper banners...they can say just about anything you want them to say and each one turns out differently, which I love.
I'm not one who likes to crank out the same identical item over and over again. I love putting a different creative spin on something, don't you?

Here's the back of it. This one is already promised to a lovely customer in England but I plan on making lots more of these for the upcoming holidays.
I've also been busy organizing my life, cleaning up the house, and finally organizing our garage. Be thankful I'm not posting a before photo of that space! No.....really!
I've been holed up at home here since last Thursday with Shingles.
Never thought I'd see the day....it's been a very painful experience to say the least. I do believe it's trying to go away, hopefully.
I've never felt so incapacitated before, and darn it I have things I need to get done!!!!
Here's hoping the upcoming week is a fun and productive one for us all.......:). I can't wait to get out to the thrift stores once again, it's been waaaaay too long, I even missed the flea market today...:(
Hope you're all doing well my friends!

New in my Etsy.....wow, it's been awhile since I posted!

2011-10-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite awhile since my last post but I have a good excuse....I've been sick...blegh! Hate that! My dh had to leave town for 3 days, leaving me in charge and a bit under the weather.
So last week was a bit of a lost week for me, but that's the way it goes I guess.
I haven't added tons to my shop lately because of not feeling well, but I just added the above items in one listing.
My shop has been doing well, thankfully, so I have lots of shipping in front of me this week, something I'm grateful for..:).
My goal this week is to get some more items added, thrifting, cleaning, etc. you know the drill!
My sweet pea is off school Friday so that will be a fun day for us. No plans yet but I'm sure we'll come up with something!
Hope you all have a stellar week!

New in my Etsy shop......

2011-10-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well now, seems I had a pretty good nose for the good stuff this weekend! I found a new source that I'll have to keep on the down low, but what a treasure trove it was! I had the best time in this shop....they had a little bit of everything as you can see from my pictures.....the sooooo sweet and pretty book above....

These glasses just made me smile!

And I've never been lucky enough to find these old-fashioned paper drinking straws, this cute box has 100 of them! (Am I nuts for selling them? Probably!)

Goodness, look at the colors!

And then there was this beautiful set of stamps (they're sold btw, they didn't last long!) They have huge letters and numbers, someone's going to be very happy! I already have a cool stamp set, otherwise these would have been keepers for me.
Hope you all had a good weekend, make this a fabulous week!!

2011-09-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there! I do hope everyone's had a great week and is ready to enjoy a relaxing weekend....I know I am! I didn't feel like going to garage sales today (I know, alert the press!) so I decided to go to an antique mall instead, knowing the prices are higher...I had fun looking around but came out empty handed, always a disappointing turn of events, no? So since it was almost time to pick up my dd from school I decided to head home and went past a storefront that used to be a wonderful treasure trove of a store, but now sits empty.....however today there was a sign in the window for an estate sale. As luck would have it there was a parking spot almost right in front so I whipped out of my car with my hair on fire and made my way in....it wasn't too impressive all in all, but I did pick up the fun Beano game for $1, and the 3 old Raleigh bottles for .75 each.....after paying I walked over to an area that had some old clothing and saw these ribbons.

They had a wonderful feel about them, almost like silk but I'll have to test them for that to find out....they look like old theatre belts....they each have a name on the area behind the bow.

I think they look pretty hanging just like this, don't you?

The colors are just amazing! They did smell very musty and old, however, so I plunged the lot of them into some Woolite and they're hanging outside to dry...I'm racing the weather because right now we have some nice breezes and sunshine but that's all supposed to go away this weekend...:(.

So after spending a total of $5.25 on this loot, I feel pretty good!
I think these ribbons would look really pretty just hanging in a window on a lovely clothes hanger, so time will tell what becomes of them.....have a great weekend!

"I'm so glad we've had this time together".....

2011-09-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Isn't it pretty? There are lots of pretty things out there, some we have for a really long time, others a short time.
(make sure you click on the pics to get the pretty details)

I purchased this gorgeous decadent french jewelry box from a lovely seller on Etsy.....had to have it. The inside was in awfully poor shape, but I knew I'd had fun reviving it..and I think I did.

I added the green velvet and the trims and wallpaper to the inside, whereas before that it was just either wood or cardboard.....now I've put her in my Etsy shop, all gussied up. It makes for a fantastic shadowbox effect with your favorite items inside.
It's truly swoon worthy, but it's time to move on to a new home...and if it takes awhile, that's o.k. with me ~wink~

It's time for "Shopping Therapy Thursday" again....

2011-09-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the week again! Stacey, over at A Sort of Fairytale Girl offers up a cool linky party so you can visit her blog and click on whatever items pique your fancy....hope you have time to visit!
These are some of my newer items in my shop....

Think I need help yet? Many would probably say YES....!

2011-09-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

so I picked up the big scary baby doll in the picture today at St. Vinnies....she just seemed to "go" with my other two scary babies...the sweet gal helping me in St. Vinnies said, "Oh, do you restore old dolls?" Hahahahaha! Didn't have the heart to tell her, "No, I like them just like this, the scarier the better!"

and I DO have big plans for them for Halloween.....

the best part is.....I don't have to dress them up, they're already scary! No comments necessary on this post, I'm sure lots of you will be rendered speechless anyways!

Fresh goods today!

2011-09-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

I must be in a heavy metal mode today! I've added two new "metals" to my shop, the super cool jadeite green bread bin above with a darling tea towel with crochet trim,

and this pale creamy german chocolate tin (I'll probably be sorry to see this one go, doubt I'll ever find another like it!).
Oh well, things come and go, right? That's just the nature of this business.....:). Hope your week has gotten off to a great start!

A tiny out-of-town trip.......

2011-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

I do hope you've all had a relaxing weekend! On Saturday I talked, o.k., forced dh to take me up to Salem for the Vintage Antique Faire being held at the Historic Deepwoods Estate....oh my goodness, this home and grounds are simply spectacular! We were lucky enough to get in on the last guided tour of the day and this home is so incredibly beautiful, inside and out. I love hearing the history of old homes, don't you?

Check out this darling gazebo....I made sure to take a few pictures just in case dh feels industrious some day and decides to build one for me....:).
I was so excited to attend this Vintage Faire because I've never been.....I was looking for an extra work table for my studio....

And as luck would have it, I found one! I'm sure I gasped when I saw it, can't remember now because it was all a fog...I approached the table and didn't see a sale tag on it, story of my life...the one item I really want is not for sale! But the table was butted up against a tree (did I mention this was an outdoor sale?) and as I walked around the back side of it I saw a price tag...couldn't quite believe my eyes, so I kept looking. $30, could that be right?

I loved everything about it, the cream colored bamboo detailing, the vintage wallpaper on the top, but mostly I loved the fact that the legs came off and we could fit it into our car to get it home!
It measures a perfect 3ft. by 3ft. square and about 32" tall, the perfect height for me to work on.

Some of the bamboo detailing up close....

One of my requirements for a table in my studio was that it be able to roll so I can easily move it out of the way or wherever I needed it to go, so dh put casters on it today. Rolls like a dream.
I know this table will be so handy in my studio.....I'm so lucky to have found the perfect one so quickly after deciding I really wanted one....I could have looked for months and not found the right table for me. I think the fact that the price tag on this baby was facing a tree so that no one could see it definitely worked in my favor!

I also found this beautiful wallpapered sewing box for a song! Prices were really reasonable at this event, I'll definitely be going again next year.

Signing off for now, hope you all have a wonderful week!

~Etsy update~

2011-09-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

a masculine book display...

a halloween collage....

2 leather bound books on British poets....

a gorgeous leather book on the history of France....

and yet another leather bound book on Abe Lincoln....
still more to come as soon as I can get them listed!

A must-have when dealing with scam phone calls...and a cool Halloween-ish ledger!

2011-09-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

So Wednesday morning was the very first day of school here. That means that I have to actually get up at a normal time in the morning, something that doesn't set real well with me. And around 5 a.m. our phone rings, which is next to dh's head and not mine (there's a real good reason for that!) He picks up the phone and says in a voice that sounds like he's been up for hours, "Hello"?
Some weird phone #, which he later "googles" and tells me that it's some sort of scam call, they tell you that there is money waiting for you in some account, yada, yada, yada....
Well, we're up now! And the calls continue, as I'm already cranky and most irritated. If you want to block calls with *78, apparently you have to pay more money for that service! Forget that s**t!
So this a.m., at 6 a.m. this time, the calls keep coming and I pick up and have a dialogue that I will spare you from......apparently my harsh tones did NOT do the job, because they had the cajones to call yet again. I warned my dd (who hates loud sounds) and I warned my dh standing right next to me....cover your ears! And my trusty whistle came in mighty handy people! I highly recommend it..if you're getting phone calls of this nature that you don't want to be harassed by, get yourself and whistle and practice blowing it as loud as you can.....hmmmmm, haven't had another call all day...silence is bliss!

On to happier new, this came today, a fabulous ledger that I want to use for Halloween decoration in my home.....

Check out that handwriting.....what?

It has just the right amount of age on it, and I adore it and can't wait to use it somehow....

This is the back of it, I love everything about it, even it's musty smell!!!!!
Thanks for listening to my rant about scam phone callers, take my advice, it seems to work.....:).
I'm so sick of people who take advantage of others who work hard for their money....if by chance they call back (and I'm not naive enough to think they won't, I'm going to put my 10yo Mario fanatic on the phone with them and tell her to just keep on talking about Mario incessantly and not to give them a chance to get a word in edgewise......methinks that may work also!

Pretty in Pink...really pretty!

2011-09-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've seen a lot of things in my many years of antiquing and thrifting, but this one takes the cake!! Really....I was in an antique mall today and spied this beauty in a locked case (you know the ones we all hate because we can't see a price or touch the item).

Well, I went to get one of the owner's so he could open the case for me and I could take a closer look at her, she looked to perfect, you know? Not a chip, not a stain, not a rip, I'm talking MINT people! Then I thought, "Maybe my mind's playing tricks on me, maybe she's a ~shudder~ reproduction! Could it be? No, as far as I know these chalkware beauties haven't been reproduced.

She doesn't even have any pin holes in her dress....amazing!

She came with this plastic case (not kidding!) without a lid...hahahaha! Hilarious, but it's probably what's kept her so clean all these years...and she fits p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y inside of it, like it was made for her. Now I don't know about you, but I don't think when these were produced way back in the 20's (or thereabouts) that there were plastic containers to house them, do you?
Weird how she fits so perfectly in there though, don't you think?
Oh.....and she's in my Etsy tonight....call me crazy! I'll probably change my mind before the weekend over because I can't stop looking at her.....it's obsessed I am....:).
Have a lovely Labor Day weekend my friends!

Pretty maids all in a row.....

2011-08-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

If you saw this lot of beauties on ebay, would you bid on them?
For .99?

Well, I did, and obviously I won! Unbelievable! Now to be fair, they did all have that ugly gold hair that some people decided to paint on these cuties (what's up with that?) So I took out my nail polish remover and banished the gold!

Like a little girl, I can't stop playing with them! I know a lot of artists use these in their work, I just haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with them, other than probably clothe them somehow....maybe with some crepe paper or old lace.

This amazingly old wicker and leather sewing basket was at one of our local antique malls, I almost didn't open it because I knew it would cost more than I wanted to pay.....but that wasn't the case so off it came with me. It's my favorite one to date. The lid is all a marbled leather like the edges in this photo and also on the scissors holder on the lid that you see above.

And the lining, well, just stunning!

How about these unusual items? My head whipped around so fast when I saw these I think I might need some physical therapy!

Hmmmm, photographic cards in weathered old boxes, this needs further exploration.....be still my heart!!! Have you ever?

Super thick matte photography boards, the type that they put old photos on waaaaaay back in the day. Perfect for so many paper projects, collages, journals, etc. etc.!

And I saved this for the last, because if I put her up as the first photo I know I'd lose a lot of you! She is the creepiest doll I've ever seen and I found her on Etsy. Her eyes open and close which just adds to the creep factor (that and the fact that when they do open and close there's an eerie sound also!) I kid you not! Go ahead and click on her picture to make her bigger, I double dare ya!!!!!!! She's guaranteed to give you nightmares tonight...
This doll will be front and center with some of my Halloween decorating this Fall. And yes, she came with the rhinestone "dance" pin already on her. I wrote to the seller asking her where she found this doll, if she knew any history on her, etc. and haven't heard back from her.....she's probably just so thankful to be rid of her! And I adore her......different strokes and all that.
Whew, long winded today, hope you all have a great rest of the week! It's cool here today, about 71 degrees, and I'm in Heaven..:).

A baseball game, the Pooh movie, antiquing, and Sailing...

2011-08-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun weekend, packed with all kinds of Summer!
Friday evening we attended the last baseball game of the Summer for our local baseball team, the biggest attraction (besides the food of course!) being the fireworks after the game....spectacular!
On Saturday we did a little antiquing, then went to see the must see movie of the Summer for us, The Pooh Movie. It was so cute, our dd loved it (she's the biggest Pooh fan in the world).
Then on Sunday we were invited by a very good friend to go sailing on his boat. Took us less than a nanosecond to say yes!

Some of the boats in the harbor....

When we first started out it was sketchy going because there was no wind.....ummm, kinda hard to sail without it! But with patience, the trusty wind came up and we had quite a ride!

A shot of the sun going down as we headed back in.....to eat dinner and have some wine on the boat.....such a relaxing time.
I would so love to have a boat someday!
Hope you all had some time to relax over the weekend...not much of Summer left here before school starts again....wish we had two more months of it....:).

A New Mascot for my studio......

2011-08-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our eyes met across the crowded aisle, and she seemed to be beckoning me....I ignored her for as long as I could, but seeing as how she was pretty much the first thing that you saw when you walked into this particular antique mall...well, I couldn't get her out of my mind. She "spoke" to me like no stuffed toy ever has before, and I will covet her forever.

Her name, appropriately, is Swani and she's a vintage Gund.

I'm telling you, they just don't make things the way they used to folks! The attention to detail on this swan is amazing to me, not to mention the colors! Muted and wonderful, except for her beak and feet which are a vivid orange...

Her close up! Trust me, she looks so much happier in my studio than she was in the shop....her tag said "needs a new home".
It was serendipity.....

It seems to be a creative time for me.....

2011-08-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

So my newest Halloween puppets (from Rhonda's Originals on Etsy) are so fun to make. She provides the patterns, and I get to embellish to my hearts content! Above you see Bronwyn, an elegant witch.......

And this is Hermione, another elegant witch! (both in my etsy tonight!)

An an awesome find today, an ancient business book (soon to be in my etsy).

And a gorgeous French/English dictionary (soon to be in my etsy)

And some fabulous vintage Dennison parcel post adhesive stickers (soon to be in my etsy)....thanks for looking!
More fabulous finds coming soon! I've been lucky lately....!

New in my Etsy!!!!!

2011-08-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got away by myself for awhile and followed some estate sale signs.....found the most fun swim cap ever! It makes me smile every time I look at it.....:)

I found this old file box while thrifting and decided to make it prettier...for recipes and such.....

Awesome antique book, found at the same estate sale as the swim cap.........as was the amazing quilt below.

Isn't this a pretty quilt? I've always loved this pattern, and this one has the pretty jadeite green borders....all this and more listed in my Etsy today! Hope you're all having a relaxing Sunday....I also had time to make a fresh blueberry pie with my dd today....we'll be eating well tonight!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program.......

2011-08-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Just a really short entry today.....to talk about a passion of mine.
TOMATOES!
I adore tomato based dishes, of all kinds!
One of my passions is to preserve tomatoes so that I can enjoy them in the dead of winter. I love making pasta sauce or any Italian dishes more than anything.....
So I googled how to preserve fresh tomatoes (short of canning them) because I don't have the desire to use a pressure cooker, etc.

So I came across a site that said to merely toss some of your tomatoes (preferably Roma's if you want to make a thick sauce) into some boiling water for at least 45 seconds, then put them in ice water to peel the skins off......then squeeze out the seeds and put them in a ziploc bag (make sure you squeeze all air out of it).
Then, come November, when your dying for some fresh made spaghetti sauce, there you go. Take your bags out of the freezer and make your sauce.

I'm all over it, can't wait. Sounds so much better than canned tomatoes....don't you think?

New in my Etsy....back to school time....being sick in the Summertime

2011-08-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well hello! It's been awhile, no? I've been busy trying to figure out Etsy's new "search"....never a dull moment on Etsy! I've also been busy creating my favorites....journals. Mine are all one-of-a-kind because, quite frankly, the skies the limit when it comes to designing journals. And since I really don't like to repeat my designs, they're a perfect fit for me...:). The journal above is a "Dreams" journal, meant to sit beside your bed (or wherever you do most of your dreaming!) It has mostly a French theme with lots of crochet lace and pretty fabrics added in, not to mention wallpaper.

And this is my "think happy thoughts" journal. These both come with their own bookmark so you can mark your place...I'll be listing them both this afternoon in my shop.

We've also been doing a lot of back to school shopping for clothes and supplies...usually my dh takes our dd out for her school supplies but this year I tagged along (more fun than you can imagine!). We're very lucky because she adores school and can't wait to start back (I was the same way).
Isn't it amazing how much variety there is nowadays with school supplies? I'm astounded at all the choices with binders, notebooks, even the scissors have decorated handles!
I've also been working on a special project for a wonderful customer who is getting married in September and I was flattered that she wanted me to make a personalized notebook for her wedding....I'll be starting on that probably tomorrow.

I've also been sick, courtesy of my dh (he loves to share...:)
It just never feels right being sick when the weather is beautiful outside, does it? I'm hoping I kick it to the curb right away because he was sick (and is still coughing) for more than 2 weeks now! Wish me luck friends, hope you're all well!

Beach finds.......Part Two

2011-08-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with my vacation/birthday beach finds, most courtesy of my fabulous MIL, MaryEllen. She gifts me with a gift certificate every year to Yankee Trader and it's just so much fun!
Chris owns Yankee Trader and it's a fantastic and huge antique store....needless to say I don't have any problems......ever....finding enough to buy in this beautiful store. Check out these gorgeous platters....did I need more? Of course not! Could I resist these?
Of course not! (double click to look close up).

Beautiful!

Velvet hangers, couldn't resist.

Pretty old deck of cards....

This item is hard to explain...I'd never seen anything like it. At first I passed it over just thinking what a cool box with pretty graphics, etc. On second glance, after opening the box....oh my word!

A gorgeous booklet.....

Measuring items and charts....

A gorgeous soft doll that looks ancient and so beautiful

Two amazing old books, the blue one is Joan of Arc, the other has the most amazing drawings inside!
I didn't do a whole lot of shopping this trip, but when I did I was very fortunate.....this trip was more about spending family time at the beach and sight-seeing, which we did a lot of also....
when we were in Astoria for the second time this trip we happened to be there when a Coast Guard ship was returning home after 6 months on the coast of South America doing some drug containment work....it was so cool to be there to see them re-uniting with their families.
What great work they do for our country!

Beach finds.......Part One....)

2011-08-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

So we're back from a week at the Oregon coast, which is always much anticipated, and we really needed it this year. My dh got a wicked eye infection just before we left so I got to drive...and what normally takes about 3 hours took us 4 1/2 because of two accidents we passed on the way....:(.
The photo above is the stunning Vintage Hardware store in Astoria, which is in the historic and awesome Astor Hotel (I should say former Astor Hotel, now it's a decadent crumbling beauty!) As I was oohing and aahing my way through the store I happened to look down and see an incredible vintage trunk drawer sitting on the ground with a few items in it.....I was praying that it wasn't there as someone's "stash" and took it up to the counter.
The nice lady said they had just gotten it in from an estate sale and, "How about $15"? Ummm, "How about, o.k."!

Inside it were these two boxes, one an old candy box with amazing graphics, and the other is an old men's stockings box. I love how someone took the time to actually stitch the edges of part of this box together!

Another photo of the trunk drawer, isn't she pretty? I love how the outside is faded and the inside is still bright with the most beautiful roses, here I show it with some laces I bought in another store, a huge bag of crochet lace for $6. I washed them all and let them dry in the sea air (which I miss already)!

Ooops, can you tell I'm a bit obsessed with this? They also had another one just like this one that they had attached to their wall as a shelf, I'd love to do this if I can find just the right spot.

The first thing I found (and quickly grabbed because it was only $5, was this all leather binocular case with awesome velvet lining inside. I love how someone did a make-do with an old garter to keep it closed.....works perfectly. I plan to do a neat project with this case.......

This old print was purchased in another store, it's an old Seaside beauty contest....this will probably go in my dd's bathroom since she has a Seaside and vintage theme in there already.

Another amazing find in the Seaside antique mall, this vintage roll of wallpaper.......for $5! Couldn't grab it fast enough.....

Anyway, it is good to be home even though we did have a great time (and even though my poor dh developed a horrendous cold shortly after we got there). I felt so bad for him but he tried to rally most days and rest on some others.....all in all it was a great time and I'll be back later in the week to share more finds with you.

So today was one of my lucky days........

2011-07-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last night was a hard one sleeping wise, you know the kind. You wake up around 4 a.m. with a headache and can't get back to sleep.....lets' toss, let's turn, let's really hurt our back in the process! Yep, that was early today....then the mail came.....:).

Then I was all smiles because I won Hope's fantastic giveaway with wonderful goodies added by Michelle....brace yourselves!

I don't think I've ever seen more wonderful business cards...front and back are so artistically thought out...hmmmm, I need a new business card...who to ask for help.....?

Please excuse this photo, I mucked it up completely....doesn't do these pretties justice!

I was thrilled that Hope wrote on this bundle that these were some of her favorite old papers to create with...good enough for Hope?
Yep, good enough for me! They're gorgeous, thank you Hope...

The coveted "little bits" bundle from Michelle's shop,
that's right, you can go get your own right now....all wrapped up in a beautiful Moleskine pocket organizer...what a wonder.

A glimpse inside, I was so excited at this point!

Thoughtful.....how nice is this? My name in old game pieces and tiny envelopes....sigh.....

Tons of beautiful cut-outs of pretty papers and wallpapers, old labels....

More pretties to create with....

Look at all this ticket wonder!

Hello, my name is Happy!

Wrapping up, I just love all of it and it has truly inspired me to pull out my old journal and incorporate lots of these bits and pieces into it.....and since we leave for vacation on Sunday for the beach my journal is definitely coming with me, along with all this wonder.....can't wait to show you what I do with it all!
(Now if I can just find those pens that Hope loves.....)
Thank you so very much to Hope and Michelle for such a great giveaway!

The office nerd strikes again....no office supply is safe from her!!

2011-07-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

So my Goodwill was good to me today....I found yet another of these old office file boxes, an entire bag of old Boston clips which I adore and have been dying to acquire more of.

There are all kinds of sizes and even some really old ones in this bag...I love finding these clips, especially in bulk!

And then I turned around and saw these beauties! I may have gasped, I'm not sure....

And right next to the chippy wonderful doorknobs was an awesome galvanized two tier basket, and not one of the new ones..this one has some age on it and is going straight into my studio to hold either millinery or ribbons, heck, maybe both!
I did hit several other thrift stores today but came out empty handed so I'm glad I went to GW first and found some goods I can use...hope you're all having some luck out there with your thrifting!

New supplies, quick project, new member of the family.....

2011-07-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning! Hope you all had a great weekend...it was finally hot here! 90 degrees, our hottest day so far this year. I made a run to Michael's and found these great supplies from Tim Holtz...trinket pins (they have words on them!), reinforcers (those little round things that go around the hole punches in your journals), a big sticker book, and some very cute pockets (not by Tim) that are lined and scalloped and will be very cute in journals.

Now I'm not normally a girl who will buy new supplies, I always prefer the real vintage deal....however I can easily make an exception with these lovely items!

An oh-so-fun project are the tickets above, purchased on Etsy from ArtCult. I fell in love with these beautiful tickets and had to have them...they're a digital download. However, I wanted to make sure I could cut them out properly with the perforations but didn't have proper scissors, nor did I even know if there was such a product out there.

Well, I'm happy to report there is! They cost $1.49 at Michael's on sale....I bought two pair and was able to cut out my tickets.

And now, for the new member of our family. A "new" antique upright piano....our dd, 10, is learning piano and we've needed one for awhile now. Isn't she pretty? I always thought that we'd just have her use a keyboard, but she's got some real talent (according to her teacher, not me!) and we wanted her to be able to practice on a full piano.

So, do any of you have a piano in your home? Do you like having one? Is it hard to decorate around or is it an asset? Inquiring minds want to know....

A bonus is now I can take some lessons, I've always wanted to know how to play!
Have a wonderful week.....:).

A Cool and Rainy Weekend.....in July?!!!!!!

2011-07-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's craziness, I tell ya! We've had so much cool weather so far this Summer....I know, I know, quit complaining because some poor souls are burning hot with tons of humidity!
I've been busy creating and adding to my Etsy shop...the french style album above is new today.....
~SOLD~

A lucky find, boxes of Dennison file folder labels...new today.
~SOLD~

An adorable, very old child's trivet, new in my shop.
~SOLD~

Very vintage wonderful old darning threads, new in my shop.

Shabby vintage wallpaper tags, new in my shop.
~SOLD~

A darling old arithmetic book (my 10yo dd had to ask me what "arithmetic" is!) Yep, they don't call it that anymore! New in my shop...just click on my Etsy on my sidebar to be whisked away to my shop.....more coming later today! I do hope you all have a creative and wonderful week!

Where Bloggers Create 2011~ how exciting is this?!"

2011-07-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I will be brave and invite the world inside....:)

Hello, and welcome to my studio at Little Beach Designs! This photo shows just a small sample of the types of art I love to create in my studio space....journals, collages using new and vintage elements, and some mixed media pieces also.

Welcome inside my studio...aka "my happy place".
My name is Gail and I'm lucky to have had my own space for creating for about 3 years now. I'm a self-taught artist who adores working with old paper and vintage finds. I love altering items and assemblage art, and I collect tons of things some of which I sell in my Etsy shop.

I adore old wallpaper lingerie chests of all kinds! I also adore old trunk inserts (thanks to my best friend Melanie for gifting me some of these!)

She also gifted me this awesome old luggage piece with a floral lining...

I feel blessed to have an entire room of my own to create in...I've filled it with thrifted goods and boxes of all kinds to hold my old things..

This room didn't used to have any cabinets, they all came from my dh's old office....can you say lucky? Tons of storage in here..however I did feel the need to take the doors off, just makes it easier to access things down below. These are Simply Shabby Chic curtains found at Value Village for a song and re-purposed to fit where the doors used to be...I sewed on some vintage glass buttons for interest.

I always buy old spools of string when I find them...I re-purposed the newer craft box by covering it with my favorite old wallpaper and then putting a spool of string inside...pretty and practical.

I love finding old cigar boxes with pretty graphics for storage, you'll see a lot of them in my studio.

Some of the paper ephemera I love to collect.

I also took the doors off the space right above part of my workspace, I find it helps me a ton to be able to see what I'm searching for, either in labeled boxes or see through vintage lockers...you can also glimpse some small vintage jewelry boxes on the bottom that are all labeled with more supplies that I use frequently.

I was lucky to find all these charming ladies at a thrift store!
I re-covered the old wooden organizer with vintage wallpaper.

These items are in my window, all my cabinet cards and some buttons (the storage drawers are yet another thrift find that I covered with wallpaper).

A shot of my work desk and thrifted footstool that i found for $10. I usually stand while I work, but sometimes I need to take a break!

Yet another fabulous gift from my best friend Melanie! This is a great old barrel covered with gorgeous old wallpaper that I store my wallpaper in (at least some of it)! I've acquired a ton of old wallpaper, it's my favorite medium to create with.

A little vignette on my dresser....doll heads and old leather doll bodies...I know, not everyone's cup o' tea, but I love them! These are being displayed in another trunk insert that I found at Monticello in Portland.

I added lots of old photos of my mom, whose been gone for a few years now...it's comforting to me to have her presence in my studio.

This window has always been a problem for me! Although I love it because in the afternoon the sun streams in here like crazy (lucky, I know!), the window itself is not pretty and it's surrounded by brown paint! Some day I'll paint it, but for now it's covered in old paper pages......:).

This wall right behind my wallpaper stash is covered with old ledger pages from an old Mason's ledger...just taped up for now.

My newer small dress form is all dressed for the party! My sweet friend Amy made the paper crown for me and I love it!!
The necklace is a treasured piece that I won (did I mention I was lucky?) from Shari Replogle, a fabulous artist!

This is the other side of my room, again I've removed some of the doors so I can see my supplies. Tons of paper and books...

This awesome metal cabinet came from my best friends store (it used to be green) and it holds a TON of supplies for me, mostly paper. As you can see, I'm also a sucker to floral wallpaper storage boxes of all kinds.

Lots of old sewing machine drawers hold all kinds of items that I need to finish labeling.....

This is a notions corner, it's where I keep a lot of crochet trims and bakers twine (can you tell I love it?) The blue chest on the right is one I found at a garage sale and it was covered in some ugly 80's wallpaper....I wondered what was underneath...glad I looked!

I found this great old barkcloth shoe bag years ago, it holds a ton of ribbons and trims...I also love the old floral knitting bags, I only have two so far.

My "VINTAGE" pennant that I made using old wallpaper and sparkle letters...

I try to use each and every inch of my studio, behind the door I've stored more stamped ribbon and vintage trims..

One of my inspiration boards....unfortunately it has to go behind the door because I literally have no wall space in here because of all the cabinets (no, I'm not complaining!)

A further off shot of my workspace, I love to decorate the doors with old photos and postcards, etc....

I was lucky to find this chippy mint green dresser at a local vintage mall for a good price, it holds tons of supplies.

Some of my cabinet doors with old ledger pages, put where I can enjoy them every day!

My closet doors used to be louvered bi-fold doors that were a pain to open....now they're history and I've added some Simply Shabby Chic shower curtains for easier access. I'm lucky to have two dress forms, the small one was my first found at the flea, the second came via ebay from the east coast...

Love these old children's cases for small paper goods...

Lots of white buttons....

I found this tiny pink mesh wire 3-tiered hanger at the thrift store.

This old wooden cash register drawer is a recent find and I love to have it on my work desk holding different items I like to use...

This box is one of my favorite finds ever! It combines all my favorites...tattered silk ribbon, red and white paper, a gorgeous print, and some fabulous trim.

And last but not least, I found this stunner at Goodwill, glad I checked out the inside, otherwise I would have kept on walking!
I'll be using this beauty to store all my "Where Women Create" magazines....:). Thank you so very much for coming to visit my space. And thank you so much Karen for hosting this fabulous party once again! It's just the kick in the pants I need to get my space organized!!!!

Would you buy it Wednesday......:)

2011-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest offering for "Would you buy it Wednesday" over on junkernewbie
Well, I did buy it and here's the story.....I was in St. Vinnies and noticed this very long suitcase and it had some blown glass grapes inside it. I asked if the suitcase was for sale and was told no, it's just for display right now. I have to tell you how odd I find it that our St. Vinnies here do this, put merchandise out just for display only, and if a customer expresses interest, well "no, it's just for display". Do they not understand that I want to pay with real money for their goods? Oh well, at least she let me leave my name and phone # in case they changed their minds and decided to sell it. So fast forward about 1 month and I was in that same store, over in the outdoor area and there she was...$12.99! I wasn't exactly positive I wanted it now, but decided to take it...plus it was on sale so I paid about 9.00.

Obviously at one time this housed some sort of photography equipment, probably a roll down screen? This box is 39" long! I like the tweed type covering on it and took out the ugly brown suede that was covering the inside because I want to line it with either vintage wallpaper or sheet music.

It will actually be a great storage box that will be able to hold a ton of stuff when I'm finished with it....what say you? Would you have a use for this odd item in your home?

So totally out of control!

2011-07-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

That's exactly how I feel right now...anyone else?
I'm totally reorganizing my studio space to get ready for the Where Bloggers Create party and feel like I'm spinning my wheels...anyone else? Please tell me I'm not alone! I make changes, stand back and take a look, and I'm not happy with what I've done!
Start over....the bottom line is to make my studio totally functional for me, nobody else, just me. I'm the only one that's working in there, after all.
When you have so many different elements in your work: paper, jewelry, game pieces, wallpaper, ephermera, vintage flowers, office supplies, ribbons, lace, fabric, etc.....it becomes overwhelming. Time for a break tomorrow...I'll be back at it on Monday with a fresh outlook....
If not, you'll hear from me! Hope you all have a relaxing Sunday.
We have a softball playoff to attend for our dd after church, then a fun afternoon.....hopefully.....:).

Would you buy it?

2011-07-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

While blog surfing this a.m. I came across this cool blog
www.junkernewbie.blogspot.com with a great idea!
She calls it "Would you buy it Wednesday", the premise being when you see something while thrifting but aren't sure whether or not you should buy/or should have bought it you can post the photo and get others opinions....kind of a virtual shopping trip with friends.

So while I was out thrifting with my dd I saw this old fold-up bed....I've always wanted one to put out on my back patio to just lounge on, fill with cool linens and pillows, etc.

My best friend encouraged me to go back and buy it....for her! So I did, what do you think? Would you buy one of these if you saw it? It's actually extremely comfortable and I love the fact that it adjusts in the back, so you can have it sitting up to read if need be.
I'm linking this post up to www.junkernewbie.blogspot.com to see what other people would do if they ran across an old fold up cot.
Then I'm off to continue work on my studio because the Where Women Create blog party will be here before you know it! Yikes!

Happy Fourth of July.....:)

2011-07-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

What a fun holiday the 4th is!!!! We get to celebrate our freedom..:). This old children's book is one I've had a long time and can't even remember where I found it.....it's "for little men and women".

Look at the back! When the 4th is over I can merely turn it over for the rest of the Summer....

This is a collection of items I made last year to decorate my home with....I believe the "firecrackers" were a pattern in Country Living magazine, perhaps it's even still on their website. They were super easy to make out of old paper towel rolls.

This wooden piece I made out of old children's blocks that have the perfect worn in patina that I love...all I had to do was assemble it.....don't think I can ever sell this one!

this is the back side of it...all the words came out of a vintage children's music book.
Have a safe holiday friends!

You know it's a happy shopping day when.........

2011-06-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

you need to go get a cart!!!! My hands were getting very full...of course, the office supply area gets perused early on and I saw this oh-so-cool Globe-Wernicke heavy cardboard letter file for .99!
That's a good sign, right?

how about this adorable little red english-french phrase book? It measures about 4x4 and has all the interesting words, phrases, and their translations on the coolest old weathered pages.

the inside cover picture of this old school reader left me breathless so I had to have it....gorgeous pictures inside, from 1901.

fantastic old receipt book that has never been used with absolutely gorgeous writing on it...a hint as to the age are the options at the bottom....return call, wire, or write! Wire? hmmm, it's definitely been awhile since I've "wired" anyone, how about you?

and one of my very favorite children's books that may be turned into a journal.....

and perhaps my favorite find of all, there are yards of this unknown trim. I don't know what it was used for, it's about 2 1/2" wide and it used to be white before I dyed it with coffee to "age" it a bit...

it has a silky/satiny feel and it's just scrumptious.
The rest of the day was spent with my dd, who seemed to need my attention more than normal today so I was happy to oblige her!
I do hope you all have fun weekend plans with lots of good food and drink included.....:).

A new Etsy offering........

2011-06-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Out shopping with my dd today I decided to stop in to a local Arts & Crafts store that I haven't visited in quite some time....

I found this stunning swallow stamp that I just had to have!

And I knew just how I wanted to use it....on some large shipping tags and some gorgeous ribbon....sometimes it doesn't take much to make me happy! I just wanted to create a little something today so thought I'd share...hope you're all having a peaceful Sunday.

Loving the unusual and different.......

2011-06-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

After dropping my dd off at her golf class yesterday I visited a Goodwill nearby.....on one of the endcaps I saw these four tiny creamy frames with what look like oil paintings on top of the glass..

and while I find the paintings somewhat interesting when I turned them over to check out the backs I couldn't believe the paper that was covering them!

It's really thin paper and at first I thought that the flowers were handpainted on the paper as well...but no, it's just some gorgeous old backing paper...

I'm going to doing something creative with these beauties by adding my own twist on them....

stay tuned......oh, and have a marvelous weekend! Get out there and find some treasures....tis the season!

Trying to get in the "summer" groove.....

2011-06-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

after all, it is officially summer now, right?

got out my favorite of all time vase...found at the Salvation Army, of all places...it was one of those serendipitous moments, you know, when you turn around and there it is? Think I paid $2 or $3, can't remember now...

it has violets and hydrangeas on it...what could be more old-fashioned or charming than that?

love it to bits....!

here she is in all her glory holding my peonies that are blooming like crazy right now!

happy ant, what is it with peonies and ants anyway?

And the winner is...........!!!!!!

2011-06-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sweet Thespa from vintiquitiesworkshop! If you haven't been to Thespa's blog yet, you must treat yourself. This is one fabulous artist and I'm so happy that she (hopefully) will be using some of these fun elements in her lovely works of art.
Thanks so much to all of you who entered, I promise I'll be doing another giveaway....Thespa my dear, please send me your address so I can ship your goodies out soon.
Happy weekend to all!

A before and after white stool makeover and a couple of finds....

2011-06-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

So I went to my Vintage Mall today hoping upon hope to find just the perfect stool for my studio...mostly I stand when I work in there but sometimes it's nice to have the option to sit down....I've wanted one of these old Cosco stools forever but they always seem too high priced for me (not that I'm cheap or anything, but, well I really am!)

Today I saw this "beauty" for $9.95.....and it's a really old one that is structurally sound, all I needed to do was to tighten a couple of screws and get out my sander. This used to be red, then green, now white. And a former owner's attempt at artwork just didn't cut it for me....:).

So I just added a decal and sanded off the "offending" flowers...

I even added a couple of my favorite stamps to the back of it....

At the same mall I found this awesome green breadbox..........................

and this awesome cutter quilt with gorgeous florals on it...it was a good shopping day for me..
I'm linking up to white wednesday here.
Hope you come over and join in the fun, and don't forget my giveaway (it's 2 posts back..... you have until Friday to enter!!!!

~Girl power~ and some great advice from my best friend

2011-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

so sometimes collections can just happen without trying....these books about "girls" are one such collection for me....

I've had the top two books for a very long time, purchased for the subject matter and the graphics on the covers.....

I mean, seriously, who would have thought back in the 1800's of writing books like these for women...we surely didn't wield a lot of influence back then....but someone had the forethought to do so.
The third book "But yet a Woman" was found yesterday at the thrift....soooooo very perfect to go with the other two that I already own....and I happen to have a "thing" for daisies!

This old suitcase was another find yesterday.....and here comes the advice from my bff.....always open the suitcase to check out the inside!

Ummm, o.k., so glad I did!

It's filled with this gorgeous blue and white paper....makes me swoon!
Don't forget to scroll down to my previous post to be entered in my giveaway.....I'll be drawing a winner at the end of this week..:).

It's giveaway time!!!!!!! Step right up for a chance to win......

2011-06-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

It's a giveaway of epic proportions! O.K., so I embellish a bit!
It's a mixed media extravaganza.....!

Still too much?

O.K., it's a lot of fun stuff to create with.....

Vintage velvet goodness.....

Lily of the valley and french stamped ribbon all wound around an old clothespin....

Some fabulous tally girls......

Scads of romantic ribbons....

Wound around a vintage spool.....

Tiny box that is so sweet to put a gift in....

Very cool vintage Boston store tickets to do with what you will...

All packaged inside (well as much as I can fit anyway) into this simply awesome Meloto piano roll box. Have you ever? When I was researching piano rolls on Ebay and came across these beauties I about died! This lovely lady had a ton of them and lived in my own state, so shipping wasn't too bad. I ordered all she had because I thought the box graphics were incredible.
And of course, this will all be shipped in a very large padded envelope so I'll be adding more, count on it!

Here's what to do.....comment on this post. If you tweet about it you get 2 chances, just let me know that you tweeted so I can enter you twice. I'm new to Twitter and don't really know what I'm doing yet over there but you have to start somewhere, right? So I'll be tweeting about my giveaway and we'll see what happens, maybe nothing so that just means your chances are better of winning! I just so appreciate the comments I get.
The drawing will be on Saturday, the 18th, and I will have my 10yo dd pick a name out of a hat...we like old-fashioned around here.

Thanks so much for looking....love you all!

Awaiting Summer.........

2011-06-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Freshly cut from my garden.....

The fragrance is unbelievable! I don't have many roses, but the few I do must have a wonderful fragrance!
Otherwise, what's the point?
I remember when we first moved into this house about 16 years ago and I was craving a garden and plantings with all my favorite old-fashioned flowers, all of which must have heavenly fragrance. My dh knows my love for lilacs so he ordered a very large bunch for me from an upscale market here in town. When I received them I was so shocked and disappointed....no fragrance! How did they do that?
Oh well, it was the thought that counted and he was so sweet to indulge me...even without the fragrance!

Stay tuned my friends, tomorrow will be my big giveaway......
~pinky swear~

For the love of a book...........!

2011-06-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Some days are diamonds and this was definitely one! I hit thrifting gold today....nothing attracts me more than old antique books...like the one pictured above....it's in my Etsy shop right now and has every quality that I look for in an old book...leather, marbled pages, marbled endpapers, marbled covers.....did I mention that I love "marbled" in books. It also has a leather gold embossed spine and leather corners.......and it's title is ...
"Bittersweet"
It's from 1858, the oldest book I've ever found, and if it doesn't sell..........ahhhhhhh! No worries...:).
Stay tuned for more info on my giveaway mentioned in my last post....it's coming up soon ~ promise!

I'm feeling so thankful and ready for a giveaway!!!!

2011-06-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

So I'm feeling very thankful for blessings in my life and want to pass my good feelings on to my blog friends! The photo above is just a small sneak peek of what's going to be included....I will share that if you love lace, fabric, and ephemera you won't want to miss out on this giveaway....stay tuned, details will be coming in the new week. In the meantime I do hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!!
Blessings to all.........:).

What is it about ~floral~ ticking........?

2011-06-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

i think it's just the MOST romantic of fabrics, don't you?

like most things, it looks best when grouped together....

there's just something so appealing with the thought of laying your tired head upon such a soft pillow....

this one is my very favorite, i know i've shown it before in all it's faded grandeur.....

i keep looking for another one, what do you think my chances are?

no seriously........

i tucked another one under it and sewed on some vintage glass buttons i had....i'll keep looking because i covet it so....i'm headed over to debra at common ground to link up with her vintage inspiration party...come join us, won't you?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

2011-05-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

~took my favorite dolly out for a walk today~

~purple rhododendron~

~peonies~i'm waiting in anticipation!

~climbing rose~

~snowball bush~

~doublefile viburnum~

don't you love the old-fashioned flowers the best?

I'm so honored to be interviewed today....

2011-05-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

by sweet Amy at www.mittensathome.blogspot.com

She has the most beautiful blog and is featuring different artists and hosting a giveaway, and today it's my turn....here's what I made to give away.
Please pop on over to Amy's blog and follow her to be included in this giveaway! Amy also has a stunning Etsy shop that you can link to from her blog where she makes gorgeous paper concoctions that are so creative, along with many other items.....

I do hope you all have fun plans for this holiday weekend...we don't have any and that's just how I like it. No commitments whatsoever!!!!
Enjoy yourselves...............:)

What I could never sell......

2011-05-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Do you have a collection that you would never think about selling?

I certainly do! This is a partial glimpse of some of my vintage candy boxes.....

I love them beyond all reason.......:)

As I look around my house, trying to decide what stays and what goes.....

I have to admit that my eyes gloss right on over these sweet boxes....don't think I could ever entertain the thought of selling them.
See, I've been in a purging state for about 3 months now and my house is decidedly less cluttered.
This is a good thing, trust me on that!
However, when I see certain items, well, they just make my heart happy~
I know you know what I mean!
They'll always have a place in my home somewhere...
What makes your heart happy that you couldn't even imagine getting rid of?
Please share......:).

New in my Etsy!!!!!

2011-05-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie today, too much going on! I think Friday's are always like this, the week catching up to me!
Anyway, I've been adding to my little Etsy, that's not so little anymore, I think I have almost 200 items in there...yes I've been letting go of some of my beloved things because that's all they really are....things...you can't them with you, right?
My philosophy is, take them in...enjoy them for however long your soul needs them, then pass them on so someone else can love them! And I get a cleaner house in the meantime...:).
And I really have been enjoying having less, purging etc.
Well, the sun is shining so I'm off to enjoy it, hope you all get a chance to do the same~

Is it Summer yet?!!!!!

2011-05-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, not quite but check out the picture of my bff, Melanie, and moi above on the beach...we're certainly ready!!!!
O.K., so it's not really us, but don't they look ever so happy?
We had a beautiful day of sunshine for most of today and a great temperature of 66 degrees. A funny thing about me? I love the sunshine, but despise HOT weather, so 66 is just about right for me......

So I hit the thrift today and found this awesome frame for 2.99, it was one of those "how fast can I grab this" type of purchases. And it's big and look at the corner detail!

O.K., one corner is missing but so what? I'll have fun figuring out where to place this beauty...!

Where I've been concentrating my attention of late......:)

2011-05-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

my dh had his birthday yesterday....and he was blessed, i should say we all were blessed, with a bright and sunny day! he took us out to lunch for pizza and we sat outside by the river (did i say it was sunny?)

then i came home and made what he wanted for his birthday cake (ummm, it was actually a raspberry pie) while he spent a few hours with our dd, hiking and spending a bit of time outdoors. it was so cute to see them both come home with a bit of a sunburn!
then we fired up the grill and had his meal of choice ~ ribeyes, baked potatoes, baked beans, cocktails, etc.
he had a great day and the best part? he gets two more days to enjoy before going back to work!

we've just decided to expand his celebration all weekend!

~white wednesday~

2011-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

i'm participating in white wednesday today (in between errands that is)
this is my perfect white, chippy, folding chair.
complete with faded roses decals...

and rust!

i was so thrilled to find this in a local vintage mall, i snapped it up.
it's my favorite prop for when i take photos for my etsy shop...
pop on over to faded charm and take a peek at all the lovely whites!
well, i was trying to participate but the linky won't work for me! enjoy your wednesday my friends!

The important things in life.........

2011-05-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

Truth be told, there is a lot going on in life right now that is so wonderful.......my post today has no pretty pictures, just words.

I just had the most fantastic Mother's Day, and it has everything to do as far as gifts go.

I slept in.....was out of coffee....dh and dd went to get cinnamon rolls and coffee for me....so sweet.

Then I got to open a gift from dd (10yo) that she made at school, that I can't wait to frame. It's a note that she wrote to me (a poem, actually) that is so sweet I want to remember it always!

And she and my dh picked out some photos (many photos) for a digital frame for home that I've wanted for a long time. We've had the frame for some time, so it wasn't a new purchase.........

I cherish this frame with all it's wonderful photos......it's our life!

Then we built a fire in our fireplace, ordered a wonderful pizza, and watched a Harry Potter movie.

IT WAS A PERFECT DAY!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

A lovely sentiment from a motto I purchased last year...it's the prettiest motto I've ever seen....love the muted colors and the picture of the elated Mom holding her baby...and of course the sentiment. Happy Mother's day to all you wonderful Mom's out there, and to my own sweet Mom, I miss you each and every day in more ways than I can count....love you!

Don't you just love......

2011-05-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

A sunny day that lets you dry your newly dyed laces and trims outside?

It's simply perfection!!!!
I do hope the sun is shining wherever you are!!!!!

I "heart" antique birthday books.....

2011-05-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

these are all from a Shakespeare birthday book...
enjoy your week!

Well, hello!

2011-04-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

i do hope you all had a fabulous Easter! We had family come down and it was so fun!
Other than that, I've been very boring and just trying to work and keep my etsy shop going...it's fun but can be time consuming. I've added a few goodies today, the album above which I know I'll probably regret selling, but can't keep it all!

a cute wood caddy to store some things in your studio.....

well, what can I say about these? They're just plain fun!

and a sweet little vintage measuring tape made in Japan. Hoping you all are having a fun week so far, and that wherever you are that the sun is shining!
xoxo, Gail

Wishing you all a blessed Holy week.......

2011-04-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

and a very happy Easter! See you next week.....

What I made yesterday.....thanks graphicsfairy!!!!

2011-04-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

not much time today, lots to do but i wanted to show off what i made thanks to the graphics fairy!
she always has the prettiest images and i fell in love with this french handwritten music.
this little album is for sale in my etsy...have a great day!!!

Little Beach Designs

When "perfection" is the enemy of "good enough".....

Etsy on a Saturday night~~~~~

My latest find.....destined for a big makeover!

My favorite doll head...ever....meet sweet Maggie Mae

Shopping your own house...I recommend it!

Brand spanking new in my Etsy.....

A New Year's wish for us all....

~Why my house smells heavenly right now.....

Why our Christmases are so happy!

A highlight of the season.......so far

~TGIF~

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care~

Unexpected treasures.....

New in my Etsy shop!

It's been a funny day, ever have one of those?

My new French items for Etsy......

~~~~~Happy First Day of Advent~~~~~~

~~~~~~GRATEFUL~~~~~~

Why details matter......the beauty of old things

Never say never!!!!!!!

Festive new cuties......and a purchase I can't wait to get...:)

New in my Etsy.......

This is fascinating to me....

A beautiful gift from a friend....and what's on my work table...

A small peek into our Halloween world...

For the love of French!!!!!

Jonesin' for a great read.....and a pet peeve~~~~~~~~

A sweet touch for display.....

One of my favorite things to make......

New in my Etsy.....wow, it's been awhile since I posted!

New in my Etsy shop......

"I'm so glad we've had this time together".....

It's time for "Shopping Therapy Thursday" again....

Think I need help yet? Many would probably say YES....!

Fresh goods today!

A tiny out-of-town trip.......

~Etsy update~

A must-have when dealing with scam phone calls...and a cool Halloween-ish ledger!

Pretty in Pink...really pretty!

Pretty maids all in a row.....

A baseball game, the Pooh movie, antiquing, and Sailing...

A New Mascot for my studio......

It seems to be a creative time for me.....

New in my Etsy!!!!!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program.......

New in my Etsy....back to school time....being sick in the Summertime

Beach finds.......Part Two

Beach finds.......Part One....)

So today was one of my lucky days........

The office nerd strikes again....no office supply is safe from her!!

New supplies, quick project, new member of the family.....

A Cool and Rainy Weekend.....in July?!!!!!!

Where Bloggers Create 2011~ how exciting is this?!"

Would you buy it Wednesday......:)

So totally out of control!

Would you buy it?

Happy Fourth of July.....:)

You know it's a happy shopping day when.........

A new Etsy offering........

Loving the unusual and different.......

Trying to get in the "summer" groove.....

And the winner is...........!!!!!!

A before and after white stool makeover and a couple of finds....

~Girl power~ and some great advice from my best friend

It's giveaway time!!!!!!! Step right up for a chance to win......

Awaiting Summer.........

For the love of a book...........!

I'm feeling so thankful and ready for a giveaway!!!!

What is it about ~floral~ ticking........?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

I'm so honored to be interviewed today....

What I could never sell......

New in my Etsy!!!!!

Is it Summer yet?!!!!!

Where I've been concentrating my attention of late......:)

~white wednesday~

The important things in life.........

Happy Mother's Day!

Don't you just love......

~Happy First Day of Advent~~

GRATEFUL