Small Changes create a Comfy Home

Happy Wednesday! I have a medical appointment today so no school for me. Since I have a few minutes before I have to go I thought I'd share a few small changes we've made in our living room. If you'll recall I mentioned a new love seat I found for $125.00. It was not the upholstery I fell in love with but the style and the fact that it rocks! Yes I said rocks! It is such a comfortable piece to curl up and read or watch a bit of TV.


I remembered a piece of artwork we had stored because it just didn't seem to have a place. It does now...

And on the walls that flank our patio doors I placed some wrought iron pieces I almost got rid of.

The last bit of change was adding an area rug in front of the new love seat. Hubby wasn,t sure of the pattern but I love how it adds pattern, scale, and color.

                 “Home is the most popular, and will be the most enduring of all earthly establishments”
                                                                                                                                     C. Pollock
                 Until next time...may your home be the most popular, enduring place for you and yours.

It's All In The Routine

Everyone needs a little piece of the outdoors to call their own sanctuary. My retreat comes in the form of a balcony off our living room.

I've had one week of summer break from school and I was concerned about what I would do with the lack of a routine. I know myself and I don't do well without a routine. So I took advantage of the foresight into the change coming and did some things I'm really enjoying. For starters I am up at 7:00am, I walk from 8am-9am, have breakfast, 30 minutes of  inspirational reading and meditating and then on with the rest of my day.

Some of the other activities include:

Cleaning, Decorating, and Putting on a Fresh Face:

I started by taking one area of the apartment daily and began a deep clean, then changed up the decor in simple ways to freshen the look for the summer.

The area I decided to work on first was our balcony.  I have a bistro table and two chairs at one end and a chair and small end table at the other end. The furnishings work for coffee, tea in the afternoon, reading, and writing but it had no personality so I found two crockery planters for $2.00 a piece and purchased purple

and yellow petunias. I placed one on each table.  In addition I found the candle touchier. It adds such fabulous glow in the early evening.  The last thing I'd like to do is a small outdoor carpet to tie it all together.

The next stop the office/ guest room.

Crafting:

The addition of items that are unique, pretty, or simply speak to me often requires crafting, painting, and refurbishing. My latest project is a triptych of funky 1970's buildings. Each is in a different degree of distress but I have begun to clean, repaint, and eventually I will frame them.  Notice the scratches in the roof; that scratch ran the length of the picture. Restoration continues!

I also came across eight wooden houses in different styles for .50 each. I am thinking about ways I can display them other than setting them on a shelf. Any ideas?

These are just a few of the Painted Ladies. I'm thinking a part of a collage? I'll update you on my decision later.

Hope your having a wonderful Wednesday, and now I'm off to plan dinner and catch an hour of reading.

Apartment Redo: Day 2

Day two of the Apartment redo.
Our new (used) table and chairs arrived today. I really like it.  The wood color is warm and inviting and it gives the kitchen a whole new vibe.  A happier sit, have a cup of coffee, relax, talk, laugh, kind of vibe.

As you can see sorting and more sorting is the activity of the day!

It feels good to purge the stuff that seems to take hold and wears me down.

These are the plans for the wall unit Hubby is having built for me!  What a guy!

Who would of thought I could get so excited about shelves.

The shelves will be 13" s square making it 7 feet tall by 9 feet wide.  In addition there will be a work table attached at the center.  I can hardly wait!

Go ahead change it up.  Make it your own.

Life Eclectic

I am finally on the mend.  I haven't been this sick for this long in years. Teaching puts me in the middle of germs galore. I generally feel that my immune system is strong but the past almost three weeks proved otherwise.  My husband has been wonderful.  He cooked, andd cleaned, did laundry, and went to the grocery store and basically took care of me.  What a lucky girl I am!

I got to run a few errands after school yesterday and stopped to see one of my favorite thrift store owners who had set aside a few treasures just for me. Thanks Granny! (of "Granny's Attic")

The first of the items was this pair of vintage glove stretchers.  They were used to reshape gloves after washing them. (2.00)

The second item was this pattern. I am definately going to make this doll.

As a little girl Mary Poppins was one of my heroes.  I watched Julie Andrews adaptation so many times I couldn't possibly count.  Her disposition, her voice, and those beautiful songs...I just may have to rent it this weekend. (.25)

And the last of the treasures was a collection of artificial vegetables.  I not sure how I will use these yet but I have faith I'll figure it out!

Like this eclectic collection of goodies...so is my life.  I have learned to surrender to the moment I am in.

It may not always feel like it flows or that I even can make sense of it sometimes but if  I surrender and live the moment I am in I am always happy at the end of the day.

Gratitude is the Attitude that will provide the joy and contentment in knowing all is right.

May you have moments that make you smile today. :)

Nostalgia printed on the pages of time...

Wednesday brings a stroll through yesteryear.  Hope you enjoy yourself...

All of these wonderful pieces were purchased at a local thrift shop for 10 cents a piece.  It was a very small price to pay for nostalgia that dates back as far as 1925.

Dollhouses Come in All Shapes and Sizes

I have become infatuated with the whole idea of creating dollhouses.  I have just about completed my second house and am waiting for two one room house kits to arrive.  A surprise from Hubby John the other day.  He was watching me explore the net for a new project and low and behold he ordered not one but two!  I had showed him pictures of the kit done up and mentioned how it would be fun to create a mercantile and maybe a bakery. (It will have to be a fusion of French and Polish desserts and breads.I must honor both our heritages.)  The book pictured below is a find I picked up awhile back for 10 cents at our local Salvation Army.  I pulled it off the shelf last night to read a bit.  We are setting aside at least one evening each week where the TV is off and we read. (Loving it because I just don't get enough time to read for pleasure.)  Anyway, I was taken by the photo on the cover.  Transform a bookcase into a dollhouse; what a fabulous idea!  I will have to start hunting for just the right one.

I apologize for the picture quality my camera (or the operator) is just not working well.  The exposures just don't look focused and crisp. But you can at least get the idea.  Isn't it fun!  I can just imagine decorating for the changing seasons and holidays throughout the year.

This is another favorite.  Remember the old woman who lived in the shoe?  This is a permanent display but oh so cute! The entire scene is enclosed in a glass sided box that is a lamp base. I simply must go shoe shopping.

Hope you are having a day filled with discovery, creativity, and fun!

Tiny Little Faces

I was at the Saint Vincent DePaul Store today and found these beautiful little tins.  They are about 1" in diameter and have such pretty pictures.  I am sure inspiration will invite creativity and who knows what they might be transformed into.  Time will tell... 

Magnets, pendents, pins, ornaments, ring boxes, oh my the possiblities are endless!

What would you create?

Buttons, wire, and a little creativity...

This was really a fun project.  Buttons, chain, wire and "Wa La"...funky jewelry.

Button Jewelry what a cool idea!  As you may have read earlier I made an awesome purchase of a ton of buttons.  I wanted to do something with them I've never done before...hence the jewelry experiment.

The above picture is the first necklace and earring set I've created.

It looks lovely on a black sweater.

My second piece is a bracelet.  I'm not quite sure if it's finished.  I may add a few smaller buttons for a fuller look ...I just don't know.

I think the next piece will be muticolored.  A long piece that can be wrapped around multiple times.

If you had a ton of buttons what would you create?

Hundreds of Buttons

Button, button, who's got the button!  I do!   Yesterday I took a couple hours and went not to the "After Christmas Sales" but to my favorite second hand shops.  With my favorite coffee in a cup-to-go I kissed hubby and headed out the door.  I was at our local Salvation Army store and found a rusty tin filled with buttons.  Being a sewer and a crafter this was a real find.  The sweet lady working sold it to me for a $1.00!  I was thrilled.  Now, as you can see by the photo my treasure was a mess of dirt, pins, tacks, and other assorted sharp things along with the buttons.  Not to worry!  I seperated the buttons by color while using a magnet to capture the pins,needles, and assorted sharp pieces.

The old muffin tin came in handy to keep the colors seperated.  After seperating them I gently washed my

little treasures and laid them out on a couple of old towels to dry overnight.

There are so many opportunities to come...embellishments, scrapbooking, sewing, quilting, and possibly some button jewelry.

I especially love the collection of white buttons- the majority are shell and glass.

For a wonderful collection of tutorials on Button Jewelry take a look at the following site:

http://crafts.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_to_Make_Button_Charm_Jewelry

Here's wishing you a creative day!

A Carload of Treasures-Vintage Rocks!

I promised yesterday to share the finds of my treasure hunt and the bounty of my thrift store shopping excursion so here they are...

Three pairs of vintage ladies leather gloves. These are the tiniest gloves you've ever seen!

This label is the trademark of my next vintage find. I am sorry for the out of focus picture by my camera has been acting up and I need to look into getting it fixed.

Adolfo of New York and Paris sounds so couture.
This hat is black, glossy, and tips to the front when worn. I can just imagine how beautiful the woman who first wore it must have felt. A fashionista of the 1950's, a chat for Sunday services, a night out on the town, the possibilities are endless.

The next thing that I uncovered was a pair of vintage earrings. I have a pin that matches these earring and I am looking forward to wearing them.

A soft pink peshmina really grabbed my attention. It is such a feminine touch to any outfit.

This plaid scarf is going to line a basket to be filled with pine boughs and pine cones come Christmas time. Apartment living doesn't allow us to have a real tree so it will be a way to bring in some natural items.

Again this is a poor photo but the pin and earring set is from the 50's and will be so pretty on a soft brown sweater.

I found two of these boxes and I think they would make a wonderful way to share a gift card with someone dear during the holidays. Or maybe a they will become hostess gifts filled with some special candies.

I can see a number of ways to enjoy this vintage scarf. With my winter dress coat, over a simple dress or a black sweater and jeans.

The next two photos are show casing a vintage dress with black crystal drop bead trim. How pretty for a special holiday event.

This dress also has a red matching belt. But I wonder how a black one would look?

This is a close up of the fabric on a skirt I found.

And here is the skirt.

These next photos are of the details of a vintage coat I purchased for two dollars. It needs a little work such as button repair, and a good cleaning but it has such nice detail and the lines are so flattering to the figure.

Sleeve detail...

Collar detail...

Pocket details...

And here is the coat!

Now as if that wasn't enough I was at an auction on Sunday and spent $4.00 on the find of the year! A portable Brother sewing machine!

I can't wait to use it...more to come on this treasure.

And always remember that one woman's junk is another woman's treasure. Recycle, reuse, and rejuvenate the spirit in all you do for yourself and others.