Indulge Your Shelf

I had to giggle at this vanity plate the other day: I guess that's why they call them "vanity plates."  She just had to make sure we know she's an ex-beauty queen, if I'm reading it correctly! And then I saw this one yesterday: It really got me wondering.  Is she a seamstress?  Quilter?  Sewing implement salesperson? It reminded me of a shop I used to visit in Burlingame, CA, called The Status Thimble.

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words about Kyra.  Someday soon I think things will feel back to normal -- but never the same. After much hard work, the front of our house is put together again.  I got rid of a ton of stuff so now it feels less cluttered.  (I don't think I'll ever be able to describe anywhere I live as un cluttered!) I love the look of the floors.  I also like the openness of having the desk instead of the computer armoire.  This is the living room.  Since we're always in the family room, and have no need for a formal living room, we use the space more like a second family room. I still haven't decided on artwork, so for the time being I've installed my husband's favorite print, Raphael's The School of Athens, over the desk. None of this, nor the great weather, has left much time for blogging or writing of any kind.  I guess that's just the way of summer! I have managed to do some estate sale-ing lately with my neighbor, w...

 Rest in Peace, Kyra We did what is so hard for pet owners to do, this past Wednesday.  Kyra's chasing butterflies in kitty heaven now.  Ben was away at Camp when it happened -- this was either easier, or harder, depending upon how you look at it.  She was one sweet cat.

The first thing I ever started to collect as an adult was penguins.  Yes, penguins. It started when I was 20 and worked in a large office.  For some reason we were having an office party and one of the games we played was to answer a bunch of questions about ourselves, such as our favorite animal.  I answered, "penguins, because they always look like they're dressed up."  Everyone in the office thought it was a hoot, I don't know why.  After that day, I began finding penguins on my desk.  Penguin candy.  Penguin book marks.  Penguin coffee cups.  A collection was born. I finally stopped buying penguins about 10 years ago.  I gave a whole bunch away before we moved to Colorado, and brought only my favorites with me. And now, I'm getting rid of all but a dozen or so of them. These are the ones I'm keeping: The card in the back and the box with the penguins on the beach are special to me because they were painted by my  husba...

Now that our floor is finished... we are moving furniture in.  I sold our big computer armoire and replaced it with a simple desk.  Now I have this lovely large wall space over the desk and I'm looking for something rather modern to fill it with.  The rest of the living space has more traditional touches -- especially that dining room with all the antique china. Here are some pieces I liked on Etsy this morning: the san francisco experiment--original oil painting--traciebrownart SF streets canvas - the artist,  Stephen Fowler, said he could do it for me with an aubergine background Coffee in the City by Linda Woods I still dream of San Francisco down at the waterfront by Gina Louise What do you think of any/all of these?

I've restocked the shelves at Indulge Your Shelf ; here's a peek at some of what's new: Perfectly sweet terrier bookends Baret Ware tin From one old heap to another! Gorgeous embroidered bell pull Wow! mod tall ice bucket What a find!  24 Speedball nibs, all on a card! Wade ashtray Vera napkins Christmas Lights (the box is the real prize, though!) I may give eBay a try again with some of my collectibles.  I'm close to 500 feedback, and would like to get that new star on my eBay profile; plus, it's always good to keep your seller account current and I don't think I've sold anything on there in 6 months or more.

All creative endeavors in my house have been at a standstill for the last week because, as you know, we're having floors installed.  It's hard enough anyway in the summer, isn't it?  There are so many outdoor things calling our names. Ben helping with another Scout's Eagle Service Project yesterday; the Scout's installing a flagpole at a church. So...while I have nothing new to tell you about, I do have some odds and ends to show you: This is a little desk that I seriously almost bought from a thrift store.  I finally decided it was too expensive, though, for the work it needed.  Plus, I'm not real competent in wood refinishing. It sure was cute, though -- look at those legs! This was another one, right next to it.  Not quite as adorable, but still tempting! I found another one of those little sewing boxes -- this one has kitties on the front! And since these were half price, I had to have them -- vintage linen cocktail napkins with an English Pub...

This weekend I grabbed a friend and went up the highway an hour or so to see the newest summer antique event, Towne & Country Market.  Being right across the street from one of my favorite stores, The Barn , I knew we couldn't go wrong.  Mother Nature had another idea, though.  I felt very sympathetic towards the brave artisans who shivered in their lovely booth areas during the unseasonably cold, rainy Saturday. As we strolled past the booths, I noticed some beautiful things that looked very familiar.  Sure enough, it was a display by a favorite blogger of mine -- Jeanne at A Bushel and a Peck ! I was jazzed to be able to pick up one of her handmade journals: Look at those huge rings!  I can fill it with some thick and bulky pretty things. Here are some of my favorite pages from inside. Best of all, I had a chance to meet Jeanne and we even took a photo together: See...I'm holding one of her pretty ruffled bags.  Don't mind my rain-drench...