It's ALL Karen Valentine's Fault!!!!!!!!

IT'S ALL KAREN VALENTINE'S FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I'm stickin to it!

Do you remember when I had Karen(same as Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage) of Valentine Design create my new LOOK for my blog? Well, when we were talking in the design part of all this process she would say "do you like......(whatever she was talking about)" & I would say "where I don't see what you are talking about". And after much further discussion we came to the realization that my monitor, which was quiet small" did not display all the wonderful things that many blogs have on the side of their design. She teased me that "THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD OUT THERE YOU ARE MISSING GIRLFRIEND" Well darlin.... not anymore. This weekend I went out & splurged on a new 34" monitor (can I send you the bill? hee hee just kidding). What are ya thinkin now girlfriend? I'm thinking there is a lot of difference between a 17" & 34" monitor. The only good thing I can say about the 17" one... it was free. But, it is gone & I can see sooooooooooooooooooooo much more! Karen was right! Speaking of Karen... Are you ready for the Where Bloggers Create II Party coming up this coming Saturday June 19? Click on the button on my sidebar for more information if you don't know about it. Karen had this event last year & it was wonderful! I only posted about my jewelry design desk because my regular studio was a mess... Well.... I tried to get out of participating this year for the SAME reason! For the most part I am an excellent housekeeper & my house is ready for company any time. But, the studio for some reason is ALWAYS a mess. It's like this is the one room I let myself slide because I can shut the door & no one sees it including myself!

Did you think this was it??????????? WRONG!!!!! Oh how I wish this was it. But, this is Karen's studio from last years event. NEXT YEAR BABY!!!!!!!!!!! I'll blow your socks off.

Sadly, below is my disaster. I am ashamed & embarrassed because blogs are supposed to be PRETTY. I kept telling Karen it's a mess! I can't do it. And she said "GET IN THERE & WORK ON IT". Did I start early enough to do everything I wanted to (strip off the wall paper, get some cute pieces of furniture)? NO! But, next year Ms Karen you just wait & see.

Sad So SAD! SHAME!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is my workspace... It is a disaster of piles & sacks. They just SLIDE from piling. Such a large easy space to DUMP STUFF when you come home. Shut the door & walk away! SHAME!!!!!

Unfinished projects everywhere. And HOW would you know what you own????? YOU DON'T!

But, the process has begun. The sorting & cleaning & purging. The wall paper is here for this time but, after spending the time in here I have this past week I AM OVER IT! AND IT IS OUTTTTTTA HERE! My space is looking much better & I will actually be able to work on my swap projects for my upcoming Les Sirenes Art Event. Yes, Cathy that is next... getting out the glue, glitter, & shells to start creating the Mermaid treasures for this will be a treat.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad to get off that UGLY story & move onto something beautiful! Have you seen the Carolyn Westbrook's Book called HOME? Well, she has written a new one & Deborah of Common Objects has a Give Away where you can win a copy HERE. Be sure & rush over to put your name in to WIN! Good Luck.

Have a great week my friends & I hope I didn't scare you to death!

Silly me... at the end of this post I had put two Give Away/Event posts & forgot all about my sweet friend Riki's Give Away HERE . AND IT IS A GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!! After the loss of her precious fur baby & constant companion Chester... she has been in a "healing" mode. And trust me sweetie I know how long & difficult that road is!!!! So go by & see Riki, sign up for this beautiful box that she has made (let me tell you she is an amazing artist & has been featured in Somerset Magazines MANY times) & show her some blogger love. Bloggers are some of the most amazingly sweet supportive folks out there. LOVE YA Riki!

And here is the post that I did before this little brain slip.

As promised, I wanted to share a few of the goodies I have picked up at the different places I have been hanging out. I am sorry but, somehow the loading of the photos got out of order (does that ever happen to you?) & I can't seem to move them after the have finished loading. Let's begin the shopping flurry...

These sweets are just 2 of a set of 11 cut crystal stem pieces I picked up at Suzie Q's Antiques in Fayetteville, TX. I went into her tiny adorable shop after my class with Diane Cook a few weeks back. These hand blown beauties beckoned to Hubby & I. If you know me well, you know he has an antique bar that he loves to collect treasures for. These are tiny at about 3.5" tall. The one on the left was purchased for our Violet Liquor brought to us from our neighbors from France. A little in the bottom of this glass & filled with champagne.... YUM. The other is for his Pear Liquor. You say "Pear What"? Look at the photo below & see the bottle with the full sized pear in it. Again brought to him by Pierre. This is a very STOUT liquor at about 90 proof. The bottle is put on the tree when it is in the flowering stage. It then matures & is pulled off & the liquor is filled into the bottle & capped. You must keep it full at all times so the pear stays immersed in the liquid. So... refill bottles come about every 6 months. Tiny glass are a good thing with this LIQUID LIGHTENING!

And this beauty was picked up last weekend on our way to Diane's house. We stopped at Nothing Ordinary in Belleville, TX & found this vintage RUBY glass cocktail shaker. It is a beauty! It is a large size & I can't wait to see what he SHAKES up in this!

And this is a strange photo but, it is what I bought when I visited Linda of Willow's Nest Farm in Burton, TX. Again, it was the weekend we were down for Diane's class & we stayed at the B&B in Round Top (check previous post for more on that). Linda said this was from a Neiman Marcus Store & she had it sitting on the counter of her little studio. I SEE BOTTLE CAPS & JEWELRY... what do you see? I will be setting up an Etsy Shop in the near future but, if you are interested in a few of these BEAUTIFUL crystals before then let me know.

The glue has failed & they are coming off the base. There are three different sizes.

While in Tyler a couple of months ago Hubby & I picked up these two pieces of Royal Winton. I have seen photos in magazines & have always thought this pattern was so CUTE! It comes in green & yellow. Although I prefer the green it was not available in this cute small (about 9" tall) Tea Pot or the Mild Jug at this store. A girl has to JUMP on opportunities. And Hubby was with me & while I was hemming & hawing over the purchase he said "What is my rule"? Answer: "When you see something you love BUY IT because I don't want to hear all the complaining when you go back & it's not there"! Now that was "cleaned up" version of what he says but, you get the drift. Sooooooooooooooooo SOLD! Problem solved.

Milk Jug

And dog gone it these next two photos are reversed too....SORRY! This shows the close up of the amazing Cut Crystal Hard Cider Pitcher we bought at the shop in Belleville this past weekend.

Nothing makes me swoon more than cut crystal (or vintage lace/linens, buttons... don't get me started) & when we saw this we were excited. Hubby had almost bought me one of these for Christmas & I KNOW the price tag for that. YIKES could scare you with the truth. But, we saw this marked "AS IS" Yes, it has a slight crack you can hardly see, running along the handle it does not go all the way through & since we don't plan to use it much (& we will be sure to support it) we had to have it. The total price was $795.00 LESS than we saw it at Christmas. A DEAL FOR SURE! Yesterday I was on the phone talking to my Les Sirenes roommate Cathy & told her that my shells had arrived for my creating of SWAP GIFTS. I had to order them. Cathy was appalled at the idea of paying for shells. I told her I AM A FRUSTRATED MERMAID LANDLOCKED HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS! She laughed until I told her I paid OVER $100 for my shells. SHOCKED! FLABBERGASTED she was. So, the promise to show her what $100 buys in shells.... no enhancing done for this Cath just the ugly facts. Now, if I ever get my studio clean (Yes, Karen Valentine I AM WORKING ON IT) I will start with the glue & glitter for Mermaid Creations for Les Sirenes Art Event. Now, Cathy are you truly appalled?

Have you ever been in a Sorority? Well, my sweet friend Karen (another Belle from Petticoats) has created our very own! And if you click HERE you can learn how to be a part. She is having our "RUSH" party on June 25th. Hope to see you there. A beautiful bracelet Give Away by Jody. This little treasure was made as a "Healing Gift" after loosing her Momma. She made this & is giving as a gift & says that in doing so she is the one who has been blessed with healing through sharing. What a precious idea. Hurry over to enter HERE Have you been to see the beautiful things Rebecca has on her Blog? She is so talented. On June 13th she will draw a winner for her Give Away for this sweet sachet & painted sewing drawer. Go HERE to enter.

I hope all of you enjoyed seeing my new treasures & I hope these Give Aways will be fun for you. Also, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. HUGS!

Leftovers Antiques Brenham TX

What did I do this weekend????? I went with Hubby to Houston. Originally I was going to go down & take Deryn's Resin Class with my buddy Diane Cook. But, in packing the supplies I thought "WHY are you taking another resin class you've taken THREE"(well learned to work with resin in three different classes with three different teachers). But, in talking to Diane she said "come on down anyway because I've got the guest room all ready for you". And then she suggested we (Hubby & I) go with her sweety to shop for RVs. We have been looking for one & since they have one... there was LOTS of "nuts & bolts" the guys needed to discuss. The picture above is a shot of the outside of the one we have chosen. See that outdoor kitchen? I think Hubby will be "Grill Daddy" even on vacation. Hmmmmmmm I'm seeing us parked along the central coast of California, Oregon & Washington staying cool during the summer while it is so HOT here! Do ya see it happening?

And this is the inside. Now, all we have to do is get the offer accepted (they were off by a bit more than Hubby is willing to pay). And if we can't get them to come off their price the hunt is on to find one at another location. We looked at probably 50 or more different RVs & let my aching legs & feet tell you that is a lot of climbing stairs IN & OUT. And Houston was HOT & HUMID! But, we had a wonderful time. Thank you to Diane & her Sweet Hubby for their hospitality. OH MY HER HUBBY IS QUIET THE COOK FOR BREAKFAST! Two days of huge breakfast & then lots of eating out for lunch & dinner I can tell you I didn't work off any pounds tromping through trailer lots but, I did have a blast!

After we left their house late Sunday morning we headed to Brenham, TX to go back to a shop we saw a few weeks ago. LeftOvers Antiques is amazing (click on the name to visit their site)! Diane showed it to us when we were down there for our class (HERE & HERE) & I know Theresa also did a post a week or so ago so be sure to visit her & see more. The photo above & below shows the entrance into this HUGE store which is full of treasures & wonderful displays. I hope you enjoy the tour.

As you walk into the entry that beautiful vignette with the bed is on the right & you can see how deep the isle goes into the next room.

To the left is there kitchen. It is a working kitchen (so it wasn't staged for a photo shoot meaning... please disregard the box, coffee pot etc) yet, has been decorated with such CHARM! I LOVE all the vintage plates & tableware in these amazing cabinets. Click on the photo to enlarge it to really see how wonderful these are.

Here's another shot to enlarge & see all the details. Isn't that light fixture great?

And this room shows different beds dressed in a few of their wonderful lines of specialty bed linens. They have an entire department for this so check out the website. I loved the bed in the middle. The blue & brown comforter & pillows were wonderful!

And oh so LOVED this white linen set.

See all the pleats & ruffles. All soft WHITE LINEN! Love it but, not practical in my ALL BOY WORLD!

Loved this linen slip cover on this chair. Click to enlarge & see the details!

This wonderful shelf runs alllllllllllllllllll the way across one LONG wall & is covered in amazing goodies! I wish you could see the detail on these items. Some great cake stands & brown transfer ware.

This is a shot going into the opposite side of the store. This area has more rustic things. See the BIG canoe in the corner? It is tipped on end & shelves have been added to make this a display unit. To give you proportions... that chest on the very left side of the photo - the top hits me at about mid shoulder. AND I AM six foot tall. Now do the math on that canoe all the way across the room. I would guess no less than 20 feet tall.

And a bike hanging from the ceiling with that wonderful rock fireplace in the background.

I thought this little guy was a hoot. You know my feelings about stuffed animals from the previous post but, he was soooooooooooo cute & they had a pair of glass perched on his nose. Better than a huge buffalo staring off the wall at you................................

And this vintage bar had all sorts of old goodies. For those of you who know me well know that my Hubby LOVES Jack Daniels & has quiet a collection of things. This bookend set was unusual & is in the "to be considered" category. It is white limestone carved with Jack's bust in one side. A nice accent to his collection don't you think? Go HERE to see his goodies.

Speaking of Hubby... Here he is petting Gracie. She is the stores Mascot. What a sweetie she is for sure. Since loosing our sweet Sheltie in February we pet every fur baby we can & Hubby was loving sweet Gracie. I tried to take Gracie's photo with Pat (the manager of the store) whom I really enjoyed talking with.

I hope you enjoyed my post with all sorts of things. Sorry it is a bit long but, it's been over a week & I had a lot to share. Next post I hope to show you the treasures I have been buying over the last couple of weeks. Have a great week. HUGS!

Happy Birthday to Me !

These boots were made for walkin... Well, that's what the song said. I had read a post on my friend Deryn's blog a few weeks after ADORN ME & she was telling how she had fallen in love with not ONE pair of Cow Girl Boots but, TWO! And how she bought them both(& I just read she found a vintage pair so that's THREE). I LOVED the Teal colored ones she got & sent her an email/comment on her blog that I wanted new boots too. Not long after that Hubby & I were down in Brenham, TX & while browsing in a cute little Western/Design Shop I spotted a pair of boots that I totally fell in LOVE with. They had a HEART & WINGS! And I love both of those things so this was a total meant to be!

But, they didn't have my size (yes, size HUGE). The person helping us found out that the boot was made in my size & that a store in the Stockyards in Ft Worth had a pair.

When I got up this morning..... I HAD A PAIR!!!!!!

What do you think Deryn? And of all things, I MIGHT be going to College Station to take a Resin Class with Deryn this weekend. Want to guess what I'm wearing? And won't they be grand for Paper CowGirls Art Event in June (check 2 posts back for information on that if you don't know about this fun Texas Event). And the boots were just a surprise gift... Look below for the BIG GIFT! I'm fainting & screaming with happiness!!!!!!!!

This gift is THE ONE that I had on my list for #1 most wanted thing for my Birthday.

As anyone who knows me well KNOWS I LOVE MERMAIDS! I always have but, after falling in love with the Central Coast of California last year this has become an obsession! And when I saw the Artistic Affaire LeSirenstalked about on Kim Caldwell's beautiful blog I wanted to go so badly. But, I had just returned from Petticoats & Parasols in Savannah & didn't think I could ask to go to LA, California & another expensive but Soul Inspiring Art Event. When sweet Hubby asked "what do you want for your birthday" I sheepishly replied "truth" & he said "Of course" to which I said "to go to LeSirens Art Event" I had to explain that one but, once he got past the name He said "OK" SOLD! The next day I went to Kim's site & signed up. By the way, she is closing registration this week & there are only two spots left so if you are interested in joining me hurry over. Once again, I can't believe I am blessed enough to be able to go & I am simply OVER THE MOON WITH EXCITEMENT!

Sweet Christine from Dollybelles (you met her in my posts from Savannah) is hosting a Mermaid Necklace Swap that I am so excited about. We are to make 7 ribbon flowers & send those plus some bits & bobbles (mermaid based of course) we have & she will combine six different swap partners items together & create a ONE OF A KIND necklace for each of us! THANK YOU SWEET CHRISTINE!

And then there is this adorable button to add to my side bar because Joy & her roommate Terri are hosting a cocktail party in their room which sounds ever so FUN! Mermaid Martini's oh I can't wait!!!!! I love the art work & think I need a shirt with this on it.

Now, I want to share a couple of cute things I had found about aging... all in the fun of this birthday you have to look at things in the RIGHT PERSPECTIVE! Hope you get a chuckle out of these as I sure did.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1. You believe in Santa Claus.

2. You don't believe in Santa Claus.

3. You ARE Santa Claus (in my case Mrs. Claus).

4. You look like Santa Claus (again... Mrs. Claus).

SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is... having dry pants.

At age 12 success is... having friends.

At age 17 success is... having a drivers license.

At age 35 success is... having money.

At age 50 success is... having money.

At age 70 success is...having a driver's license.

At age 75 success is... having friends.

At age 80 success is... having dry pants.

Since we are taking care of Hubby's 87 year old Dad with Alzheimer's I KNOW how very true this last one is. It is funny when you read it but, oh so very true & sad. So, since I am pondering my age today & reflecting on how wonderful my life is & so very full of blessing... I just want to say THANK YOU to my precious Husband for the gifts he gives me every day. For his love, his laughter, his kind & giving generous heart. And to each of you my friends that share my loves, life, interests, & adventures. I look forward to another year of sharing fun & ideas with each of you.