The Little Things

Junkin Monday !!

2009-11-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

In my area it is too cold now for flea markets and garage sales , makes me sad ! But I thought I would share a photo of my finds from area thrift shops!

I found this adorable tiered metal container, I plan to use this in my studio as I can never have enough "storage" containers ! The clear glass container is large , and heavy ! Was still covered in dust when I purchased it so it had to have a bath when it came home ! I love it & not sure what to do with it yet... still deciding ! And this sweet little glass dome with a wood base , I have already painted it with a base coat and I have plans to use as a display , I love the shape of the glass dome !!

I am linking to Cottage Charm and Family Inspiration's blog for the Junkin Monday , don't you just love looking at every one's "treasures" !?

Tiny Lamp Re-Do

2009-11-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

I have had this lamp forever , my sister gave it to me many years ago because she didn't want it . It has been one of those things always thinking ... need to re-do that lamp ! Well I finally did! It was a gold and I painted it with a Nickle spray paint, had to take the lamp apart to do which is easy. Also covered the shade with a burlap type fabric that I had stamped on . It is on an antique sewing machine, that sits at the bottom of my steps ( I live in a split level home) so is a dark area and hard to take a photo , even if there is a light above it. The sewing machine was my grandmothers, my dad is 96 years old , so that probably tells you that this sewing machine is also old ! Oppps , guess that would include me too !

Hope you enjoyed looking at my little re-do and sorry for the bad photos! Have a fabulous day !

Will be posting this on The Shabby Chic Cottage also !

Vetrans Day

2009-11-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today , I just want to say a great big thank you , thank you to all of our nation's veteran's ! Because of them and all of their sacrifice's is why we live in a land of freedom still ! Our soldiers and their families who give up so much to serve our country! They are the amazing one's !

Saying thank you seems so small , I honor all of our veteran's and soldier's now serving our country. God Bless you and God Bless the USA !!

Monday's Junk !!

2009-11-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Nice and Easy Antiques gal's are having a Junkin Monday , so I thought I would join in , except my junk is of things I recently found and am using in my home !!!

The top photo is of my table in my living room ( the table was a junk find also a long time ago ) I purchased a low clear glass candle holder and a clear glass vase from the thrift store.... glued them together and ...tada, it is holding a "birdie nest " !I also came across this large apothecary jar in a turquoise , blue tone , I knew it would go in my office , so there it is sitting by a stack of white pedestal dishes I have also acquired via garage sales! The walls in my office are a robins egg blue ( on one wall only) the other walls are a brown tone, the sweet little vintage kitty is a gift from a friend !.

Another repurposed little treasure is on a table in my living room, I had found this little dome with a bottom , not sure what they are intended for , may be butter, but I glued it to a candlestick and turned it into a pedestal dish with a dept. 56 kitty inside that a friend gave me many years ago , it is sitting in a bed of white vintage buttons.

I also snapped a shot of some frames I had found at the thrift shop and a silver tray that I am in the middle of repurposing !! So I better get back to my projects !! Have a wonderful day ! And check out the other Junkin Monday Posts !

A Giveaway !!!

2009-11-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

Please check this out !! The Design Girl is doing a "1000 Followers Giveaway" ! So if you go to her blog here and you may be the lucky winner of this little repurposed snowmen "DREAM" created by me ... The Little Things !! So take some time today & give her blog a visit and sign up !

A big Thanks to Danielle for including me in on her 1000 Followers Giveaway ! Good luck to everyone and thanks to everyone who enters !

Soups On !

2009-11-03T03:52:00.000-08:00

Now that the days are starting to get colder ( I am so not looking forward to winter ) I love making a big pot of soup ! Soup has been one of my most favorite menu choice's ! I had recently purchased a Goose Berry Patch Christmas 2009 book ( because there were several recipe's in it that seemed so yummy ) so last evening I made the Wild Rice Soup ! Mmmmm good !

Wild Rice Soup

1/2 cup wild rice

1 lb. bacon

1 C. onion, chopped

1/3 C. green pepper, chopped

3/4 C. celery, chopped

2 14-oz. cans chicken broth

2 10 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup

4 oz. can sliced mushrooms

1 pt. half and half

Wash wild rice thoroughly ; then, boil for 15 min, drain, rinse and set aside.

Cut bacon into 2 inch pieces and fry until crisp in a large Dutch oven. Remove bacon from pan and discard all but 3 tablespoons of drippings. Saute' onion,celery,green pepper in bacon drippings until onion is transparent. Add rice, broth, soup, mushrooms and bacon. Cover and cook over low heat for one hour. Before serving pour in half and half and heat. Makes 10 cups !

Have a blessed day !!!

Time and Finds

2009-10-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

I was out and about this week and stopped at a local thrift shop , I came across this .... I love it ! Of course when I got it it had dirt and "stuff" all in the inside on the glass insert. Now I need to decide what I want to put in it ! Any ideas??? Let me know in the comments , would love to hear some ideas !!

It is also that time of the year .... fall back an hour in time tonight !!!! A decorative clock in one of my rooms that a friend gave to me awhile ago because she didn't want it , so there it sits ! It is all decoration and does not even tell time !!

I listed my chandelier painting on Etsy , can be found by clicking here.

Featured Seller

2009-10-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

I was doing my daily check on all the sites I have an interest in , and was surprised to see that I was the featured seller on Lollishops today ! How fun & thanks to Sadie !!! I have been listing some new things in my shops , now that I am done with my craft sale !! I feel like I have been burning the candle at both ends ! I also am listing this adorable little bird plate , that's what I call it , but it is just too sweet ! The colors on it are just perfect for any shabby or cottage style decor ! It is in my SecondTreasures shop ! Click here for a link !

Gotta go... but hope everyone is having a great & creative week !

Crazy !

2009-10-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

That is the only thing I can come up with !!! I woke up this AM to a dusting of snow on the ground , which does not make me happy .... brrrrr , but I was also amazed at how the tree in my front yard had all the leaves on yesterday & today they are all in my yard , they never had a chance to change colors, there all green ! I am hoping we will have some warmer fall days ahead !

I have been working on many projects , I have less than a week to finish everything up for the upcoming sale ! A photo line-up of some of the paintings I have done , not such a great photo ... I just sat them on the floor against my tv cabinet in my studio !

Projects In The Works

2009-09-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a lot of different projects getting ready for up-coming sale in Oct ! Last night I finished these, they will be magnets! In the background ... things waiting to be soldered! My home is surrounded in projects , kitchen table is the snowman project , my counter top I am using to cut large paper board for some books I will bind, and not to mention my studio ! I guess it is a good thing my two kitties dont mind a mess !
Fall is in the air ( I hate to admit it ) because I know what comes after fall .... WINTER ! I am so not ready for winter yet !

Fabulous Etsy Shop!

2009-09-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

Because of my small town location it is sometimes the pits to buy crafting supplies, oh how I envy when my sister will call me and tell me that she just went to her favorite fabric shops or even one of the major chain crafting supply stores! The closest town that has larger shops is two hours away! I am so thankful for the internet because it gives me the freedom to shop online and then my treasures are delivered to my door !! Looking for some items on Etsy I came across a wonderful shop Divine Moments , I ordered a few things and in a few days there was my order! If you love paper and all of the great products that are available now you need to check out Amy's shop and her blog also ! I was looking for a certain item and she ordered it for me , how is that for service ! The photos are of a mask I got from Amy's shop , love those things , they are a lot of fun to work with ! Below are some paper flowers I made using up paper scraps !!

Cookies !

2009-09-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

Just had to post these adorable cookies ! My youngest daughter was hosting a shower for one of her friends who had just been blessed with a new little baby girl ! For the shower she made special cookies for everyone to take home as a favor, I think they turned out soooo adorable ( I had to sneak two away ) she decorated them in pastels and each one stored in a sweet little cellophane bag , easy to take home in.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend !! I am off to creating ... need to get a lot more made for my upcoming craft sale!

Creating

2009-09-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend, after this it will be chaining my foot to the studio and making myself stay on task ! I am doing a craft sale in my home town in October( which I have not done in many years ) ! So I need to get a lot of things created! I have way too many things I want to make and it always ends up .... not enough time !

I have created a pile of altered journals , larger ones and mini size.I have used paper, vintage paper,fabrics, and whatever else I find in creating these ! So will share a photo of some of them and get back to creating !

Have a fabulous & blessed weekend !

Re-Do !

2009-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Where do the days go? Sorry about not getting back to my little ole' blog for more posts , but it has been crazy busy !I could list it all , but you would get bored! Took a before photo of a chair I have in my living room , was a flea market find many years ago , I painted it and recovered the cushion . Well that was a few years ago & children and kitties , so I "re-did" the chair ! I had a chandelier stencil and painted on some linen fabric and also on the back , had some chocolate brown fabric ( same as my drapes) and made a small pillow. I have so many projects to catch up on and I am also trying to get a lot of things made for an up-coming craft sale, will post some photos at a later time of some of those things !
Have a blessed day !

Organize and Inspire !

2009-07-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with all the usual things , extra yard work and get together's with family that I have not posted as much ! I have been trying to organize my studio some more , that can be a never ending project! Photo below is some of my ribbons , I have more stored in drawers,all of my wider ribbons, but I love the handy little holders for some ribbons ! I really need to liquidate a lot of things , but that also takes time!

I made some little "signs " from scrabble words , to sit in a special spot to encourage you !I have this one listed in my Etsy shop.

Off to do more errands for the day !

Independance Day !

2009-07-04T06:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth Of July to everyone ! I am so thankful that I live in the USA , and that we have the freedom to do so many things that we take for granted! Some are small things , like the ability to even post a blog ! This past month I did follow some of the election in Iran and the development's after it ! All of the Tweets on Twitter from some of those brave souls touched my heart , I know that many of those that chose to speak their voice are now probably being held , imprisoned and even tortured ( many even killed) for only speaking their opinion ! My heart and prayers go out to all of them and the many others in this world facing hardships because they do not have the freedom we are so fortunate to have ! And we are able to have this freedom because of our soldiers who give and have also paid with their lives that we can enjoy this freedom today . God bless the USA !

I am off to the usual picnic and boating ( oh help , I am a big chicken & no I dont water ski and all that , I love the shore ! ) with my family , just hope the weather cooperates and the bugs dont get us !!!

Vacation Is Over !

2009-06-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for quite some time as I was on vacation ! Oh what fun it was ! It is always great to get away , but vacations always come to an end too ! The main reason I went out to Spokane was to see my oldest grandson graduate ! He is a sweetheart and also handsome !

While I was in Spokane we also spent a few days in Seattle for some shopping and lots of eating ! One of the fun things my daughter and I did was get a makeover at Sephora, at first I was a little hesitant ( I am not much for a ton of makeup and was thinking I may end up looking like a street walker when I was done ) Not so , we had a fabulous color artist and I so enjoyed the whole thing ! One of the products she used was HD High Definition Powder , this is so fabulous , it is a microfinish powder that you put on after your foundation , it feels wonderful and makes your makeup last all day ! Love it & just wanted to share this find to all of you ! We ended up with a lot more than the photo shows... oh dear , but it was a lot of fun !

Vacation Time !

2009-06-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

Vacation Time !!!
Have been planning a vacation for quite some time , headed out to Spokane to my oldest grandson’s graduation !! Oh how fast the years go by & not to mention that it really dates me too ! So right now I am on the train headed on out ! Love taking the train , as it gives me a chance to rest , relax and catch up on a whole lot of reading ! And not to mention the snacks that also are stashed in a bag waiting to be devoured . I am sure they are all healthy and with zero calories! Will wait for the dinning car call for dinner this evening and eat my evening meal , makes for a great break in the trip. In the past I have had pretty good luck with the food on the dinning car . I have also met some interesting people in the past while eating , otherwise I usually try to keep to myself and read, eat, sketch and nap !
While I am on my vacation I will also be celebrating a big ole birthday , so when I return I will also be doing a giveaway in honor of that! My daughter & husband are taking me to Seattle for my birthday to downtown to the art shops, ect ! So I will try to take lots of photos and share some !

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

A Happy Memorial Day to all !

To help celebrate, I am offering a special today ! Purchase any item in my SecondTreasures shop and a purchase also from my other shop The Little Things I will ship for FREE !

My SecondTreasures shop is full of vintage goodies and also some destash items !

Such as this adorable vintage jewelry lot ! My other shop The Little Things has my handcrafted treasures ! This altered art creation , The Keeper ! A one of a kind !
I hope you have a wonderful day and take time to think on why we have this holiday ! I am so thankful for all of those who have made a sacrifice for our country. Many with their own lives.

Furniture

2009-05-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I posted ! How can life get so busy ? I could make a list of all the crazy things that go on , I know in every one's lives sometimes the regular everyday things can consume our time ! I am so glad that spring is here , have done some yard work ( where is that Gardener when you need him? ) !! I love spring and more so this year as we had a very LONG and cold winter , so everyone is so ready to enjoy the weather now ! Last weekend a local furniture store had a sale and I ended up buying two matching chairs, so unlike me to just go in and find some furniture and purchase ! My home is furnished a little eclectic , with older things but yet I love the clean sleek lines of furniture , not ornate or floral ! So this is what the chairs look like , I had my lamp on and made for a nice glare ... but I have chocolate brown sheers covering my window behind the chair ! And the vintage luggage was some that one of my aunts had , I love the handles and they are in fabulous condition ! The basket holds my daily reading , a devotional book , my Bible and journal !!

Have a fabulous weekend !

He Is Risen

2009-04-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

I pray that you will have a blessed Easter !And that you will understand the TRUE meaning of Easter, the most amazing gift available to each one of us, because He died we can live! Iam so thankful for this and pray that you also will know the sacrifice that was made for each one of us!

Some litte "nests" I made !

Etsy and Lollishops

2009-04-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have to admit it .... Iam a magazine-aholic ! I was at the store the other day & picked up this Better Homes and Garden issue on 100 Decorating Ideas under $100 ! While paging through this issue I thought it was so great that Etsy was also mentioned in several articles as to where to purchase some of the treasures they were featuring !Some wonderful vintage letterpress letters !

and one Etsy shop where you can purchase them ! So great to see Etsy's name getting out there more and more in major publications!

This past week my paperclay bunny I have in my Lollishops shop was on the front page of Lollishops...my little bunny was so happy !!
She is in the bottom row , second in from the right. And I also made a collage of some of my creations that are available in my Lollishop store !Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Speak Life Ito Your Dreams

2009-04-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today I listed this altered plate in my Lollishops shop , The Little Things ! In these troubled times for many , we need to be reminded sometimes that we also need to "Speak Life Into Your Dreams" ! We need to re-evaluate what is important in life and also what our purpose in life is ! I hope as you are reading this you are having a blessed day and may God bless you & keep you in His arms !

HUGS !!

New Addition

2009-04-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

On April 4 th at 3:16 A.M. a new arrival to our family arrived ! My youngest daughter and husband are the proud new parents of a little ( 8 lbs.13 oz. ) boy ! I was honored to be able to be there as he was born, ! His little sister was able to meet him later that day .... I am sure she is wondering if this is something that could push her off the throne , although she has been saying "bebe" very well in the last few months, now it is real !

A Giveaway !!

2009-04-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

You need to go check out this giveaway !

Kristin Hubick is having a wonderful giveaway on her blog Retro Cafe Art Gallery , those paper cuts are the cutest thing ever ! You will be able to choose two packs of paper cuts ( a $25.00 value ) , now how fabulous is that ! But really .... I hope I win !