Crater Lake Lodge...heaven on earth.....:)

I've wanted to go for years......YEARS. Dh surprised me with a trip. Here's the thing about Crater Lake Lodge...you need to make your reservations at least a year in advance. Crazy but that's how popular it is. These first 2 photos are the view out our window.
I gasped when I walked into the room.

Our weather could not have been better. The sun was shining the entire time! With snow on the ground it was an unbelievable combination......and the utter quiet is hard to explain.

One of the HUGE fireplaces in the lobby area. You could claim a chair and wait for the waiter/waitress to come and take your order....heaven!

This is a view towards the dining room.  The lobby was a great size, not too big and not too small....just right.

My dd LOVED the snow.....so much of it still. With the lodge in the background I love this shot.
We had an unbelievable time and can't wait to go back. The boat tours to Wizard Island don't start until the end of June so maybe next year we can make that happen. As long as we don't wait too long to make reservations.
I highly recommend this gorgeous work of nature.

The happiest of Mother's Day's......!!!!!

Dd and I went shopping yesterday for my sister whose birthday is today.....happy birthday Debbie, the best sister ever! While in a thrift store my dd heard me say "OMG", not the words but the letters.....:). Spotted inside a case in St. Vinnies was this sublime vintage Coach Stewardess bag.....but as I wasn't shopping for me but for someone else I let it go.

Imagine my surprise when I opened this Mother's Day gift today! And my dd said, "And I hope you keep this one". That's because I re-hab these fabulous bags and then re-sell them.
I let her know that this is one bag that I will always treasure because she gave it to me from her heart!
I also love the fact that she chose a gift bag with an "OMG" on it .
I call that perfection!
I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

My newest obsession.........

Re-habbing vintage Coach bags! What does that entail?
I'm so glad you asked? It starts by finding an older bag at a great price.....does it look flattened, scratched, sad in general?
Then that's the bag for me! I wash them, dry them and re-shape them, condition them and then they're ready to go.
Some I keep (too many..lol) and some I sell...yay!
The older Coach bags are built to last and such classics.
Keep your eyes open when you go into your local thrifts, they'll be in the case under lock and key and if you're lucky like I was yesterday you'll find two at the same time! I found the tan bag pictured above along with the RARE green Willis bag at the same thrift!
They're sunning themselves today and relaxing.
Some hang out laundry, I hang out bags!
So what's your latest obsession?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy happy Sunday~~~~~~some progress

The studio is coming along.....never said I was gonna be quick about it...LOL!

Miss Sassy on the right is wearing her new silk and lace bonnet that I found at the flea today for $3....she's so happy now.

My best find of the week (well, of last week) was this beautiful wool area rug for my studio. I never thought I would find just the right one and truth be told this one is a bit large for my room. But I remained undaunted and simply folded one edge under my cabinets because it's not a super thick rug but oh the colors! It covers the floor and is oh so shabby chic! I was thrilled to find it.

They may have lost their heads but can still be pretty with pearls and flowers.........

I still have some more work in this room but it's already functioning so much better for me.
I'll be back soon to show some flea market treasures.

Reality bites......aka the domino effect......

I just couldn't take it anymore. My studio has been in a death spiral for quite some time now. I know you all get it (at least most of you do, I'm hoping!) Except for the ultra-organized, ultra-disciplined out there our studios get a real work out and don't always get cleaned as they should (or at all for months on end!)

I realized that my studio had become a liability instead of being the asset that it should be. And I swear, if my dh says one more time, "Sometimes I wonder if you would have less stress if you didn't have your studio" I may take drastic measures! He's actually said this many times to me. I need to keep my anxieties to myself, obviously! I had WAY TOO MUCH stuff in there because I have that hoarder's illness which is not being able to say "no" or to have that essential 'edit' button. After all, editing is no fun! We all know that more is more, and whoever dies with the most toys wins..........right? Ummm, but in the meantime there is a fair amount of stress involved. Stress like not being able to find what you're looking for? Please tell me you've done that too! No matter how much I want to be that organized person who always knows where everything is, in the back of my mind I know how futile that is for me.

So I'm sharing my 'mess in progress', please don't judge me. It is what it is...............................

See that measuring tape in the foreground? It's my lifesaver. Most people panic when they can't find their cell phone (yeah, I do that too) but when I can't find my tape I go into full-mode panic!
It's an essential every day tool that I use.
So wish me luck with my studio update, won't you? And better yet, if you have any words of wisdom or can commiserate, I'm all ears!
And have no fear, I'll share my after photos as well. After all, I can't leave you with this dismal impression of me and my workspace.
I like to think I have a bit more on the ball than this!

Have I mentioned that my tastes run toward the eclectic?

While perusing a favorite haunt lately for a side table for my bed (yes, I found one!) this beauty caught my eye....the price was ridiculous in a good way. I purchased it.

Bonus pink silk inside...so pretty.

Unlike many of these victorian celluloid boxes, this one is remarkably unscathed.....lucky for me.

Another item I've always lusted over....an original Dandux canvas cart on wheels....so many possibilities. Dd and I went to one of our huge St. Vinnie's that we hadn't been to in a loooong time. They were lined up out front and I was determined to ask an employee if I could buy one of them. But wait, what's this I see? A price tag on each and every one of them? Surely my eyes deceive. But no, they each were priced at $29....but since they were yellow tags they were an additional 25% off!

Some had rips in the bottom but this one was in great shape except for the stains.....I think they're supposed to have those anyway, right? I'll do my best to clean them off and have no idea where I'll put this monster but I do love it so!
I'll figure it out.
It was a happy thrifting day!

Warning, this post is all over the place....kind of like my life!

Let's start with my pretty wallpaper lined trunk discovery....
can you believe I looked at it and left without it? Me either....but I did which means I just had to go back a few days later and buy it.

How do I love thee, let me count the ways.
Perfect size, not too big, not too small.
Gorgeous wood inlay giving it a victorian look (which it is).
Sigh, vintage wallpaper....SOLD. I'll take it and 10 rolls of that paper please! What, you don't have any more? Figures!

A gorgeous eiderdown...love it. Small size, just right to cuddle up with.

Hey, it looks great in my new trunk!

Discovered this magazine the other day....so utterly charming.

An antique ledger that I'm working on that will be in my shop soon.....with a decidedly 'French' flavor.

What I've been up to......

This is but a very small fraction of what I've been up to.

This is the first day in 3 weeks that I haven't had a sore throat. Yay!
I went through a terrible spell of being sick. Laying about in bed, not leaving my house (not even getting dressed, shhhh!)
Then my dd got it. She's missed this entire week of school.
So I've been feeling a bit better, having had this illness for a few weeks now and am on the mend thank goodness. So since I've been house-bound I've been creating. Mostly with my vintage wallpapers.
But I've also been using my sewing machine and have had a lot of fun creating for my shop.
Admittedly some of my creations will remain with me.
That's just the way it is. Some things I make I'm not ready to part with right away.
My shop has been very busy (thank goodness) so it keeps me hopping.
I've also been contemplating some other business ventures in different areas such as consignments and so on but not thinking that will work out for me right now.
I'll be back very soon to share some new treasures with you.

In the meantime, have a marvelous weekend!

My most favorite Valentine card in the world~~~~~~~

Dreamy, right? It's a Nister card and fairly delicate. I added the maroon ribbon in order to hang it in my studio.
Wishing you all a positively lovely Valentine's Day!

A new button box creation and a fun swap~~~

It's a wallpapered button box! I love making these little boxes so much....just take a simple papier mache box in whatever shape you like and put some lovely vintage wallpaper on it...it's transformed!

This photo shows the one I just made and one I made a few years ago. I put a small hole in the lid to house my string which I seem to use every day. You can also put some ribbons or seam binding in it.

I spotted this shabby wallpapered box in a lovely etsy shop. I could never in a million years have enough of these boxes! They are the perfect storage in my studio.

This shop owner was a dream to work with and we actually ended up swapping items to each other and it was so much fun.

She's happy, and I'm happy.
Off to create some more boxes...hope you're staying busy!