Indulge Your Shelf

Well, this hasn't happened in a long time: I was tagged by Linda of Pruitt Handcrafts , who is a member of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team, as I am, to answer some fun, getting-to-know you kinds of questions! 1. How did you meet your hubby (partner or boyfriend).  I met my husband when we both worked for the same company; I worked in the headquarters office in California, and he worked for them as a Field Service Engineer, based out of his hometown of St. Louis, MO.  I used to talk to him on the phone whenever he called in, and then finally one day he came into the home office for some training.  That was almost 21 years ago now! 2. What is your dream for this Christmas/Holiday Season? I would really like it if my husband could have a new job to look forward to for the new year.  He's been underemployed since we moved to Colorado 8 years ago and it's been hard on him (although he's a real trouper.) 3. What was your favorite pet as a child? I only really had on...

We’ve had some very chilly weather lately; here’s how Pikes Peak looked, covered with snow, the other morning… The clouds eventually lifted, though… and soon we had our typical, lovely (if COLD) fall day, with lots of sun.  I am someone who needs a lot of sunshine…which is why we live where we do! When it’s cold out, isn’t it so much easier to stay inside and work on your projects? It’s official: I’ve finished all the swaps and other projects I needed to complete for Silver Bella !  And because I’m not big on spoilers, I’m showing you just a few peeks of how my two altered silver bells turned out: I also decided that I needed to make a bag for each of the gals participating in my swap so they’d have something to carry their bells away in… I was real happy with them!  Now, all that’s left is packing for the trip, and I still have two weeks to do that.  Can you tell I’m getting excited? Christine encouraged me to try Windows Live Writer for my b...

Sophie at Her Library Adventures is having a blog party in which we all get to post about our favorite flea market (or thrift store...) find of the year.  That is a hard one, because I've found so many delightful things this year!  But, I've narrowed it down to one in a few different categories: Most Surprising Find: a pillow cover made from antique cigarette silks, in perfect condition, priced at $1.49 Most Practical Find: this wonderful tea cup display rack Something-I've-Always-Wanted: beautiful English red transferware pitcher Most Delightful Find: antique glass trumpet ornaments Most Lucrative Find: a railroad china plate that I bought at the flea market for $1.66 (or, $5 for three plates including this one) and sold on eBay this month for $177.50 To play along, visit Her Library Adventures !

I am in heaven with all the thrifty finds I've purchased and am just getting around to unpacking/organizing!  It's also wonderful to be warm and cozy inside this morning while outside the sky is gray and the wind is blowin' a gale! Snoopy keeps me company with his snoring on a blustery day! This is a fun BINGO set I found at an estate sale; I love that the cards are green (and there are so many of them!) And, from the same estate sale: a vintage Christmas kitschy elf ornament, an old corsafe, and two bird-themed pins. One is plastic and the other painted metal.  I LOVE the bluebirds. Do you ever wonder if the thrift store/estate sale clerks think you're nuts with some of the stuff you buy?  I sure do! Okay: the above is a piece of I-don't-know-what that I found in the Halloween costume section of the thrift store last week.  It is all hand-sewn, and looks like it might have been something like a decoration someone wore around their neck over a leotard, l...

I was matched up with a veteran Bella in the Big Sister/Little Sister program for Silver Bella newbies!  Her name is Elizabeth , and she's been to Silver Bella each year!  Over the last several weeks, she's checked in with me, given me Bella advice, and offered her help in so many ways as the big weekend approaches. Then, last weekend, she sent me this surprise! Elizabeth does paper collage, and is an avid stamper -- she embellished this beautiful old book that had belonged to her grandmother, for me! The book was perfect, don't you think? I'm in awe of all her details... and the special touches...  like this buffed celluloid button! Not only that, but she included some linens, felted wool sweater pieces, and trims that she knew I would love! I am spoiled.  (And, I'm in good hands for Silver Bella, don't you think?) In other wonderful news : Barbara's having a giveaway to celebrate her new online shop , BuntyBarmcake.co.uk!   You can win o...

Linda Sue sent me another package the other day! A big, heavy box full of all the things I love... things that make me swoon... and make me want to drop everything , get out the sewing machine, and get lost in linens. She is becoming my muse! My muse from the Pacific Northwest! What a wonderful friend!

Well, six walls, actually, not four, are getting the treatment.  This is what has kept me away from the computer a lot this week: Here's Ben painting the entryway wall; beyond it, you can see the green in the family room that is getting covered up today!  The new color is, as you can see, very neutral.  It's called "Timber Mist." I've already done four of the six walls that need to be finished, and I'm sick. of. painting.   Muscles I had forgotten I had are aching!  I can't wait to be finished!

Have I ever talked about what a safe driver I am? It's not something that comes up, I realize, in everyday conversation.  And of course most people who read my blog have likely  never driven with me. I am one of those overly-cautious drivers -- always have been.  Very defensive.  Part of that comes from driving the the SF bay area most of my life.  But mostly, it's my personality coming through. I drive my speed-demon friends crazy.  I will stick to the speed limit because I know that it's not a suggestion, it's the law.  My neighbors joke about it, dismissing the fact that their children are the very reason I drive as slowly as I do along the big bend on our block. Which is what makes what happened the other day so ironic: I got a speeding ticket.  On a major highway.  Where I was clocked, according to the CSHP, going more than 25 miles over the speed limit! There I was, driving along when a highway patrol car came racing up behi...

Wonderful news: my friend Barbara of Vintage Bunty has opened an online shop! There you will find lovely ephemera and project packs, vintage linens and lace, and finishing touches (which are like what we call incheys)!  Rush on over to BuntyBarmcake.co.uk and say hello!

When my son is home on break like he is, the days fly by like nobody's business! And, with the weather turning cloudy and chilly every couple of days with bouts of sunshine in between, I've had to be deliberate to catch the good morning light to take some photos of my thrifty finds for you -- you know how that is!  So...what do you think of him? Scary?  Halloweenish? Nah!  When I saw this guy, I thought of William Shakespeare.  I decided I had to have him.  He, along with my Jane Austen Action Figure , will be my muse. He's standing by, documents in his clutches, willing me to sit down at the computer and write more than blog posts and emails.  He's nicely weathered from being outdoors, and I think I'm going to tack him to the wall of my office.  (He actually came in two pieces and I had to wood-glue him back together!) On a more practical note: here is a box of plastic coin holders by Franklin Mint -- there are 40 of them, tops and bottoms....