Indulge Your Shelf

Some of the earliest, fun things I listed in my new job with shopgoodwill.com were five negative books from the early 1900s; they belonged to a gentleman named Howard Whipple who had a real love of amateur photography...and his family. What I found so endearing about his collection of negatives was the note he wrote on the inside of one of the folders: Jane is putting the finishing touches on a pink silk night gown she has just made for her Mother.     She and I have just returned from a walk to deliver Mrs. Miller’s sweater to her.     I have just finished putting into this book the first 10 negatives.     I wonder whether at some future date these negatives, which I now prize so highly and which I am trying to preserve for use – if ever there may be any – will be valued by anyone.     If our 2 albums of pictures taken from Jan 1, 1915 to March 13, 1920 should ever be burned or otherwise destroyed, then this system of negative preservatio...

Will someone please explain this to me:  My son just spent his ENTIRE summer as a Camp Counselor.  During those weeks he came into contact with hundreds, if not thousands, of Scouts from all over the US and even the world.  He was far, far away from me, without the benefit of hand washing reminders or my insistence on regular meals and good nights' sleeps.  He breathed smoky air from our Colorado wildfires nearby for weeks.  He slept in the rain.  Yet somehow he stayed healthy and well all summer long. Now, he's been back at school for just one full week and is already home sick with a bad cold. How does that work? That's Ben at the top of the pyramid Here's another one for you: he and I ate the same Chinese food last night; as aforementioned, he was sick with a nasty cold so I offered to bring him home some of his favorite won ton soup.  He asked for a full meal instead.  (Feed a cold.)  So I picked that up and asked for a noodle dish ...

I took a day to do what I love, today!  I took some photos so you could see, too. So pretty and chippy! My friend and I thought this looked like an outdoor market scene A sewing stool Where the guys usually hang out; there's a TV there, too A Hull piece in a pattern I've never seen before 1960s Mikasa I'm sorry I left this covered cake plate behind. It was in such good condition! And, the under plate was pink. glass. I got home just in time to avoid being out in this... the first/only hailstorm we've had this summer! I hope you had a nice Sunday, too! Oh...you're wondering what I brought home?  That's coming up!

I couldn't believe that I found a fish image that inspired me for Tag Tuesday!  In this case, Un poisson d'Avril .  Isn't she adorable?  You can read about it over at Tag Tuesday ! Today's my buddy Rebecca's birthday and I'm surprising her with a piece of architectural salvage I found at a friend's sale downtown yesterday; I added a very simple burlap tag I made in place of a birthday card.  I couldn't get a photo of the whole thing, but it's quite a bit taller than I am.  I can't wait to see what she does with it! Tomorrow we're remembering the 11th birthday of the child we sponsor through Compassion International; he lives in Peru and is getting so big!  Little boys have a way of doing that. Of course, this birthday made me very happy this week as well.  The emotion I felt was unexpected, but they are young and their lives as a family of 3 are just beginning; it brought back many, many happy memories of when Dennis and I were...

I'm having a BIG SALE in my Etsy shop.  As you know, after beginning work with shopgoodwill.com , I have to liquidate my vintage shop . It's hard to part with some of the stuff, but it would be SO MUCH EASIER if I knew it was going to friends! And friends of friends!  So tell everyone!  I am close to 600 sales -- wouldn't it be great to hit that and liquidate the shop before I become "permanent" at Discover Goodwill?  That's my hope.

I thought you'd like to see the progress I've made on a couple of recent projects: You may recall the holder I fashioned a while back from old architectural trim and fencing; here it is, with a few tags hanging from it; I decided to add the wreath I made at Birdsong III in the center.  I really like the look of the two projects together! Here's  that trunk I bought a few weeks ago, chalk painted.  It's a work in progress, but I am liking it so far! If you get chance, please visit the Tag Tuesday blog ; I'm playing along with many other contributors with a different theme each week.  This past week:  The Roaring Twenties I must admit I'm having a bit of difficulty being inspired by the most recent tag themes; but, that might just be because I'm not doing as much creating these days so it takes me a while to find my muse.  Especially with this week's theme: Fish.   Fish?   I'm sure I'll be blown away with what everyone else com...

A few weeks ago I went on a little shopping trip with Rebecca; first, we hit an antique sale in Black Forest.  I think the gal who was having it had just closed her booth at a local antique co-op.  There wasn't much to tempt me except a little table she had: everything on it was 3/$1. I chose these three goodies. I thought this vase had lovely lines.  Of course, at that price it had one chip -- but only one and it's not noticeable. How cute is this little china doll?  I love the way the previous owner sewed a little dress for her. Speaking of antiques in Black Forest: I am so sad to tell you that I learned last week that Deanne,  an antique vendor I have long enjoyed visiting , has lost everything in the fire last month.  It's not just the beautiful antiques that filled her barn but all the family pieces she had and used everyday in her home.  My heart weeps for her. Later that same day, Rebecca and I headed to Castle Rock to visit T...