No More Snow/A Year in Review

Not much to report, but I noticed that I last posted a week ago so I thought I would check in with y'all. We are back from our trip over the mountain to visit my in-laws. We had a great time eating and loafing around. I managed to finish one book and catch up on my magazines too.

I was so happy to see that my car was no longer buried and I could actually get it out of my driveway. We are now back to our regularly scheduled rainy Oregon weather which is just fine with me.

Time to put Christmas away. A job that always makes me a little sad, but it will give me a chance to do a little rearranging too.

A couple weeks ago we got a letter from the Home Owners Association in our neighborhood stating that I could not use my front porch to store furniture. What the heck? Well, I guess I was surprised that I didn't get a letter sooner. So, I finally cleared off the excess furniture on my porch and I have to admit, it does look quite a bit better.



Hopefully they won't take issue with the furniture I am using to "decorate" my front porch.

This is the last week the kids are home from school. I'm sure by the time they go back, their brains will have turned to mush. Three weeks off from school is just too long if you ask me, but I have say that I have enjoyed a lot of lazy mornings these past few weeks.

Heading over to Monticello tomorrow for a much needed re-stocking/re-arranging. I have a pile of stuff ready to go. I guess with all the snow it has been a little quiet over there, but now that the weather is better, hopefully people will be coming out to shop.

Cindy, has invited everyone to do a "Year in Review." As usual, I am late to the party. Here are some of my favorite pics from my 2008 blog posts.

They are kind of dinky and hard to see. You can click on them for a better view.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

More Snow

Wow, it's been over a week since I last posted. Not much is going on here except the snow. It is the main event in our neck of the woods. I wish I could say I've been getting lots of projects done, but I can't. I've been pretty lazy to be honest. Watching movies, cooking, reading are my main activities this past week. But yesterday we decided to brave the snow and headed to the mall to do a little last minute Christmas shopping. Before we went shopping I did this

The first time in my life that I have ever shoveled snow. It was kind of fun.

Here's a picture of my car.

And, if you're not sick of snow pictures here are some more just outside our house.

This weather is just crazy. Hope you are all staying warm and cozy this week! Not sure if I'll be back before Christmas, but in case I'm not, I want to wish all of my blogging friends a very Merry Christmas to you and your families.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Yesterday it started snowing at about 8 in the morning and it didn't stop all day. It was a perfect day to stay home and bake Christmas cookies for my neighbors. I made four different kinds and I want to make a couple more so I'll probably be doing that today.

Now, for those of you who get a lot of snow in the winter, you won't understand how much we here in the PNW love the snow. We don't get it very often and usually if we do, it's not much. Here are a couple pictures I took just outside my house.

After the cookie making was done for the day, I decided to bundle up and go for a walk. My daughter had to go to a friend's house to work on a school project so we walked together part of the way. I have been a really good girl lately and have been walking a lot, but let me tell you something. Walking in the snow is hard work. I was really tired when I got home, but it was a good tired.

I still had to decorate the Christmas tree we got last weekend, so I had hubby bring down the Christmas boxes and I went to town decorating. I miss the days when the kids use to help me, but there's something to be said for getting to put things where you want them. This year, I only used the decorations I really like and I'm very happy with how everything turned out. Here are a few pictures I took of my Holiday Home.

I got this adorable ornament from Michelle. Last year I bought two similar from her (one shown in the picture directly above this one), but I think this one is my favorite.

Well, the kids will be home from school today. It will be a great day to work on some projects. Have a super Monday!

More Flea Market Treasures

I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one with a button obsession. I couldn't believe how many I found last weekend until I dumped them all out on the table. Should have got a picture of that, but I didn't. I did get some pictures of the other things I found at the flea market.

Cute little tractor & trailer with three bottle brush trees.

Five adorable antique baby pics.

Two sweeter than sweet vintage doilies, rhinestone pins, earrings and buttons, pair of vintage angels, four glass knobs, tiny glass bottles (hard to see on left), adorable vintage garter and teeny tiny green cup and saucer.

Bag of misc. pearl necklaces.

Miscellaneous jewelry for craft projects.One of the dealers there that was selling jewelry said I could dig through a couple boxes she had and gave me a baggy to fill for $5.00 which I thought was a great deal.

And finally, I got another pretty chenille spread. This one came out lovely after I gave it a good soak and wash. (Sorry, no picture.) I sure seem to be finding a lot of chenilles lately which you may have noticed. Some will be sold as full spreads and some will be cut up to be sold in my chenille bundles.

This last picture shows my thrifting finds from last week. Got the clock and four rose butter pats at the Salvation Army, the blue rhinestone earrings came from the GW, the knob from the Union Gospel Mission Thrift Store and the rhinestone bracelet from the American Cancer Society Thrift Store.So, are you tired of looking at all the stuff I've been getting lately? If so, you will be happy to know that in my next few posts I will show you some projects I'm working on and some other things as well. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Weekend Fun/Button Crazy

Saturday morning was beautiful so we (my family) headed out to pick out our Christmas tree. For the last three years we have been going to my friend Julie's house to get our tree. She lives out in the country and always has a good selection to choose from. I'm not too picky about our tree. We always get a Douglas Fir and it can't be too big as we don't have much room for a big or tall tree. It didn't take long to find one that was just right. My son opted out of cutting it down this year so that left the cutting to my main squeeze. Isn't he so cute?

Saturday afternoon my girl and I went to Northwest Portland to do a little shopping, have lunch and get her hair done. It was a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for strolling outside. Here's a picture of her new hairdo.

On Sunday, I headed out early to the Polk County Flea Market. This particular flea market is held once a month and is about an hour away from where I live. I arrived there at 7am and was surprised to see very few vendors set up. Fortunately, it didn't take long for everyone to show up and set up. I stayed until 9:30am going back through several times to make sure I didn't miss anything and I'm happy to say that I found lots of goodies.

I was on a mission to find buttons and jewelry I could use in crafts and I was lucky enough to find both.

Today I thought I would show you my button collection. Included here are tons of buttons I found on Sunday at the flea market, some I got on ebay and some I found at antique shops.

Before I show you the buttons, I have to tell you that for the last couple weeks I have been craving buttons. It's weird, but I just had this incredible urge to find a large amount of buttons so I could sort them. I blame her. Reading her posts about sorting buttons made me want to do the same. There is just something so gratifying about sorting buttons, and it's always fun to discover those special buttons too. Kind of like finding buried treasure.

So, without further ado, my buttons.

Before I went on my button shopping spree last weekend, the jar on the left was only about 1/4 full of white buttons. The jar on the right was empty. My hubby decided it would be fun to sort buttons with me and I graciously let him even though I wanted to do it by myself. The colored buttons will have to wait to be sorted, but we did pick out all the pink buttons to add to the other pink buttons I already had. Here they are.

These rhinestones buttons are on display in my bedroom in a little glass/brass box were I can see them every day.

These are all my old glass buttons. They hang out in my very favorite hand painted rose box which if you've been reading my blog for awhile you have probably seen before.

And finally, some bigger cool looking buttons. I'm saving these to use on some tote bags I want to make someday.

I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I have two more tins of vintage buttons coming next week that I bid on on ebay. After I get those, I think I need to take a button buying break.

I guess the moral to my story here is that if you are looking for something (like buttons), put it out there (in my case just thinking about finding buttons, lots of them) or tell someone that you are looking for a particular item and chances are good you will find it. It has worked for me on many occasions. Then once you find the object or objects of your desires, it's on to the next thing. Let see... can't think of anything at the moment, but given time, I'm sure I will come up with something else I just have to find. ha ha

On my next post I'll share with you some of the other fun treasures I found at the flea market on Sunday. Until then have a great week!

Winners!

Just a quick post this morning to let you know the winners of my giveaways. The winner of the pretty vintage style cone is:

Sandra B. (no blog, but has beautiful pictures on her flickr account)

The winner of the little jewelry bottle is:

Michelle from Country Vintage

If you would both please email me your addresses, I can get your goodies out to you in the mail.

Thanks to everyone who commented. I wish I had something for everyone as I really appreciate you all for taking the time to comment on my little blog. Hope you all have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend!

A Day at at the Auction

Yesterday Isabel and I met up with Joy at the Auction. I had gone not that long ago, but for Isabel it had been quite awhile. We were so excited to get there and even more excited to see all the goodies that were available to bid on. Not being experienced auction goers, Isabel and I were kind of nervous about the whole bidding process, but we muddled through and ended up bringing home several neat things. I'll let Isabel tell you what she got on her blog but for me, here is what I came home with.


My first buys of the day were the little multi colored bed side table/cabinet and the little blue child's chair. Isabel bid and won for me the cute little glass and wood display cabinet. The old mirror frame (hard to see in the back), wood tray, little primitive table and sewing cabinet were all great finds. The creepy baby doll was a freebie. I can't imagine why she was just left on the ground in a pile, can you? ha ha

I also got this box of miscellaneous items for really cheap. I wasn't sure about what all was in there, but I had fun going through it when I got home.

Here's a close up picture of the display cabinet. Of course I will give it a little makeover with some vintage wallpaper on the inside.

After going through the miscellaneous stuff box, here is what I found to be "photo worthy."

You can click on the picture for a more close up view of the items.

I found the headless doll thingy interesting. Maybe we can call her a dress form. The other doll is unusual too. Other random things here include two vintage candy tins, an enamel candle holder, old bottle, old door bell, some vintage ribbon and twill tape, a fabric rose (of course) on a wire, hole punch, mini bell, wood easel, gold frame, beaded trim and my favorite, the hand door knocker. I have seen a picture of one of these on Corey's blog. Very cool.

You just never know what you will find in those crazy boxes at the auction.

On another note, I forgot to mention that Karen of Apples & Antiques has finally opened her store. Isabel and I went first thing last Saturday morning. She has an outbuilding behind her house all fixed up and looking so lovely and festive. She is currently only going to be open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Karen has Christmas collectibles, shabby chic items, primitives, one of a kind gifts, garden antiques and more. Her shop is located at 25050 SW Baker Road in Sherwood if you are interested in stopping by to see what goodies she has.

I picked up a couple little things like this cute rhinestone butterfly pin and a set of four lace edged napkins. Just love them!

Don't forget to leave a comment on my post from yesterday to be included in my giveaway!

Happy Wednesday all!

A Day Out With My Girl and a Fun Giveaway

On Saturday, my number one girl and I headed out to do a little antiquing. Let me start off by saying that my daughter doesn't like vintage stuff or antiques. She does, however, like to ride in the car and always brings along her ipod to listen to. I always complain that she should leave it at home so we can talk, but if bringing it means that I get to spend time with her, then it is a small price for me to pay.

The Stars Malls in Portland were having a sale so we started out there. It has been a couple months since I had been there last so I was eager to see what goodies I could find.

Here's what I found at the first mall (there are two Stars Malls, right across the street from each other).

A barkcloth type pillow and a baggie of vintage rickrack. My daugher found a cute monster doll that she had to have. I was feeling generous so I bought it for her.

Just as we were leaving I ran into the adorable Paula who has a fabulous booth there currently filled with vintage Christmas goodies. It was fun to see her and introduce her to my girl.

Across the street at the other Stars, we ran into Kay who I know from the Oregon City Antique Show. Isabel and I use to set up right next to her and her husband. She also has a booth at Stars. I last saw Kay at an Estate Sale last summer. When she saw me she said, "Hey, it's one of the Pink Girls!" Isabel and I are kind of known around these parts by some as the "Pink Girls." We don't mind a bit.

Anyway, I was thrilled to find this awesome piece of barkcloth era fabric. Huge bouquets which will be perfect for some pillows I plan to make.

The next stop was at a Mexican restaurant called "Cha Cha Cha" as we were starving. My girl had what she said was the best chicken and cheese quesadilla ever.

Next, a visit to Randy at Madison Park. Randy was happy to see us and meet my lovely girl. His shop is just amazing and filled with incredible eye candy. You can read and see more about Randy's store here. I was good and only bought a few things.

I just love these chippy curtain rings and this handmade cone was something I just couldn't pass up. I love how it's made with a silk hankie and the little birdy is an adorable addition.

Our next stop was just down the street to see Shelly at the "Why Not Shop." I met Shelly a few years ago when she had her shop at her house in a little barn out back. She is just a super sweet person and has fabulous style.

Here's what I found at her shop.

She gave me a great deal on the two vintage rose wallpaper band boxes. I just love them. They are from Hannah's Treasures. You can read about Hannah's Treasures here on Heather's blog. She paid a visit there with Natasha , Karla , and Andrea recently and they bought some gorgeous vintage wallpaper. I so would have loved to tag along on that trip.

I actually ended up going back to get this 1920's garter. It is a perfect addition to my wedding topper collection. I just love it!

Finally, our last stop was at Melanie's shop, All My Favorite Things. It was my first time there and we were getting pretty tired so I just did a quick look. I defintely need to go back and look around more, but I did find this adorable vintage perfume bottle that had a soldered rhinestone piece added to it.Overall, it was a very fun day spent with my daughter doing what I love doing best. Shopping!

If you've been patient and read this far, you will be glad you did. I thought it would fun to do a little Pre-Christmas Giveaway. I'll be giving away to one lucky winner the little vintage cone I found at Madison Park. This would look lovely hanging on a Christmas tree or you could leave it out all year long. The creamy palete is neutral so it would work with a variety of decorating styles. If you would like a chance to win this cutie, please leave a comment on this post. I will do a random pick on Friday morning.

And, just because, I will do another drawing for the little perfume bottle pictured above. Sound good? Good! On my next post I will share with you a trip to the auction with Isabel. So much fun! Have a great Tuesday!

Thrifting Update

Last week with the kids and hubby home, I didn't get out for any thrifting, but I still haven't shown you any pictures of my finds from the week before. I made a trip to Monticello which usually means that I have to stop at every thrift store between my house and Monticello. I made the mistake of putting some things away without taking pictures so I'm sure there is more that I'm not showing, but here are some of the items I was lucky enough to find.I found this cute little doll stroller at the Deseret shop. It was a steal and I don't even care that it's missing its hood. I think I'll add a little floral decal to the sides.I was thrilled to find this lovely mirror. It has great detail with bow at the top and all the little scrolly stuff. Even though it is quite stained under the plastic thingy, the mirror part is in good shape. If I took the plastic part off, that little medallion would have to go to as it is sitting on top. What do you think, leave as is or try to fix it?That same day I found not one, not two, but three chenille spreads. Actually the top and bottom are authentic vintage chenille spreads, the middle one is a queen sized duvet cover (newer). I can never say no to a chenille spread if the price is right. Actually, that's not true. I am a little bit of a chenille snob. They have to be a nice color and they absolutely have to be 100% cotton. In my early days of collecting chenille spreads, I bought a couple that were a blend (with polyester) and they were awful. See, I'm a chenille snob.

Once I got to Monticello and did a little rearranging, I had to do a little looking around. I bought this adorable tole painted trash can from this fabulous dealer. Debbie has great taste and style. I always love the items she chooses and she is a master at display.

I also got this roll of vintage wallpaper and some vintage ticking from my good buddy Sue's booth.

Another dealer had this adorable couple planter. I have seen these a lot and always wanted one, but I just had to have this one as I love the colors on it and the price was right.

The day I was suppose to work on soldered charms with Joy, I stopped at thrift store I don't normally go to and found this adorable vintage glass hobnail lamp and these cute vintage hangers.

And finally, I found these two fluffy pink velvet hangers and a large piece of vintage rose fabric at the Trading Post Antique Mall in Sherwood.

On my next post I will share with you the day I had yesterday out with my sweet daughter, more vintage finds and I also have another giveaway planned, so come on back!

A Portable Studio and Destination Challenge

The other day I was directed to Phyllis' blog to participate in a Portable Studio/Destination Challenge which was to be held on Tuesday (yesterday). Well, I didn't quite get my act together in time, so I am posting it today.

Last week Joy invited me over to work on a craft project. We decided it would be fun to make some soldered charms as it had been a very long time since either of us made any. Okay, I have to be honest. I haven't made any since I took Sally Jean's class. Pathetic, I know, but I think it has been even longer since Joy has made any.

Anyway, I decided to pack up some art goodies to take over to Joy's and fortunately I had just the right container to do the job. My new little handled tin I got at the All Saints Church Christmas bazaar.

As you can see, I packed it full of all sorts of neat items. Buttons, lace, old mini keys, ledger paper, ephemera, rhinestone pieces, millinery flowers, etc.

Not as pretty, but just as functional, is the vintage tackle box that is home to my soldering supplies. I love old tackle/tool boxes. They are great for holding all sorts of things. I use one for a money box when I do garage sales or small shows. I have another that I use for my rubber stamps and another for my tags and pricing items.

I was all set to go to Joy's (my project destination) but when I got to her house, she wasn't there. Apparently we got our days mixed up and she was off running errands. She told me to go ahead and get started, which I fully intended to do, but then I got a call from my daughter telling me her school had a bomb scare and they were sending everyone home, I got in my car and headed home. I guess those soldered charms are just going to have to wait. We might try again next week.

(An old picture of my sewing room, it looks way messier than this right now.)

I do have a guest room/sewing room where I could work on projects, but it is a little cramped and I prefer to be where the action is, so I will sometimes take stuff to work on at the kitchen table which drives my husband crazy because I am naughty and sometimes leave my stuff out on the table for weeks.

Crafting is fun, but so much better with a friend so I like to be able to throw stuff together to craft on the go. Totes are great for this too. I have lots of totes that I use for sewing projects that I'm working on either at home, at a friend's house or when we head over the mountain to see my in-laws.On a completely unrelated note, I want to leave you with this picture of a bird in a bush. I was in the drive through at McDonald's when I spotted this bush that had at least 6 of these birds in it. By the time I whipped out my camera, all but one flew away. Of course, after I pulled forward a bit in line, and could no longer get a good picture, I looked back and they had all returned. Silly.

I hope you all have a truly wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends tomorrow!