Indulge Your Shelf

Thank goodness for art, and vintage treasure hunting; what would I do without them, to take my mind off of life? January has been like this (my front yard); even when there's no snow on the ground, it's so cold, there should be. Here's a larger version of my Living the Dream collage I used some of the really good stuff -- like this photo of women on the porch that shows their big butts, er, bustles. I love the look on this ladys face. And, of course, I had to add some Barbies. I painted over the smaller Living the Dream collage, and I like it better this way. I spent an inordinate amount of time shopping at the Goodwill Outlet yesterday; above, my two favorite finds of the day.  More on those later! At another thrift store, I found this lovely, valentine-y hankie! And these postcards were thrifty finds at an antique store, for 25 cents each. They were especially fun because they were written on; above, she asks if there "a...

I think Valentine's Day may be my favorite theme to create around, and it's coming up!  The other day I went with a friend to an antique store and they had a big box of valentines from the 1950s.  I almost didn't buy it, but at the last minute I couldn't resist. They were obviously from the collection of a teacher back in the day, so most were "teacher" valentines. Still with the wonderful graphics that make you smile! There were also some more "formal" greeting cards that were valentines to teachers:  I kep a few for myself, especially the ones I had many duplicates of, but otherwise I have listed all of the above teacher valentines in my Etsy shop already, in two different listings here and here .  These were the ones I kept to use for crafts and just plain enjoyment! I think this Hallmark one, very traditional, is my very favorite.  There was also a felt heart in the lot that was attached to a hair clip. As a bonu...

I, like so many others, am so  happy that a new year has begun.  But maybe for different reasons than most; I don't blame 2016 for the "bad" things that have happened during it, but I did experience a lot of personal loss during it and am thankful it is behind us. Our Christmas was lovely!  We had a yummy dinner with family and close friends, and relaxed and enjoyed the day.  Look at our tree -- it has ONLY lights this year, because of the kittens.  (They still climbed it!) I love this Santa T-shirt I bought for Ben -- it makes me laugh!  We binge-watched TV together and chilled (literally!) during the whole Christmas week.  It was lovely! New Year's Eve was all about comfort food... and games...  and cuddling with the kittens! Rebecca and I made New Year's Day a craft day; which is becoming somewhat of a tradition.  I think it's a good one! I worked on a couple of things that I will use to decorate my new...