About Me

July 29, 2016

Treasure #4.


I'm a huge Susan Branch fan and one of
my goals is to own each one of her books.
I have a lovely little collection now and
love searching for more as we treasure
hunt! I was just about to leave a booth
at the Boot Sale, items paid and safely
tucked away in my bag, when I spotted
the edge of this book in a ratty box. Yes!
One of her books I don't have and one that
is hard to find. Price: $28.99 but I paid
just $8. Didn't even haggle for it. I'm
saving it to read later on this weekend.

Treasure #3.


I'm always on the hunt for writing paper
and this was my find from the Boot Sale.


The tag on the bottom of the box says $24.99
but I paid just $2. The box was sealed but I've
since taken the wrap off. My apologies for not
figuring out how to rotate the pictures. My non
technical side showing it's force again today.
Now to get some letters written this weekend.

Treasure #2.

 Treasure #2 from last weekend's Boot Sale, 
this sweet vintage girl is a music box.


She was up for grabs for $10, I offered
$5 and the vendor accepted $6. It's on our
mantel today but will likely end up in our
master bedroom as the colors are perfect.

Blog Reno.

My blog template suddenly disappeared a few days ago. This happened one other time but after doing some research, I discovered the site was down and would be back up within a day. And just like that, my blog template returned. But this time, the site is up, so I'm not sure why my favorite background has vanished. I just spent an hour searching the site this morning but couldn't find it. I'm sending a note to the creator but in the mean time, I've chosen a new template for now. I may try out a few others to see which one fits my style. Just like our old house, which is in the few days of a big renovation before the renters move in, my blog is a bit under a reno for now. Be patient while I figure it all out. And enjoy the new theme. Hope you like this one for today!

How did you design your blog?
Do you make changes to it often?

July 27, 2016

Wordless Wednesday.

Summer Rain.

We've developed quite a pattern here
in our area. Each day, it's sunny and
deliciously warm (but not horribly,
unbearably hot) and then it changes. 


 The clouds begin to form, moving fast
and then the wind picks up. The thunder
rolls and the lightening strikes. Finally,
the rain begins to fall, gentle at first.


Then the downpour begins. These shots
are from the veranda and I took them on
Monday night. I'll have to download the
ones I took last night while in town. I'm
sure it was a mini tornado that went down
the street I was on. Crazy all around and
then the clouds drifted off and the sun 
came out, like nothing had happened at
all. At least it's keeping our nights nice
and cool, great for sleeping and ever so
lovely for anything growing in gardens.
Not too many storms in the middle of the
night, which is when I truly hate to
listen to thunder and lightening!

How is the weather in your area this July?
Lots of warms days with storms or cool and calm?

July 26, 2016

I'm so NOT Technical.

I started a separate Instagram account today to have my blog be a focus for my blogging buddies. Tried 4 times to link it to my blog. But because I do NOT have a technical bone in my body, it won't sync. For now, I'll just post the link and hope that later, when my kids are awake, someone can help me sort out how to post it correctly. 

Hope if you are on Instagram, you'll follow my posts. And feel free to share yours here or by emailing me so I can follow you!

July 25, 2016

Treasure #1.

We had a great time at the Boot Sale
on Sunday morning, a very sunny day.
I promised to write about all the treasures
we found and here is the first item we bought:


This beautiful framed print we haggled 
on ~ a "Welcome" picture for the hall.


In the picture, there is a girl reaching
up to pull on the door knocker. From the 
back, she reminds me of the young girl 
from the movie and stage play "Les Miz".

A perfect addition to our vintage look.
And from $15 to $10, I love it even more!

Sea Glass Counters.


This showed up on our feed today in an article about different materials that are available for counter tops. I absolutely adore our new house and ma really very happy with all our choices. We have black granite in the kitchen and main floor bath. I believe it's called Black Pearl. Love the specs that look like little diamonds and the variation in pattern. The natural look is what we hoped for and got.

Down the road, we will build again. And our hope for our retirement is to find a tiny little plot of land, overlooking the ocean, where we would build a tiny cottage, just the two of us, with a little path to a tiny art studio, just for the two of us! So even though the dreaming for this house is now complete (well, I do still have to figure out curtains), we can dream a bit more for the cottage. Lots to ponder. I love This Sea Glass counter top would be amazing in a seaside setting, don't you think?

Achy.


Life is full of sweet moments and difficult times. Most of the time. there seems to be a balance of the good and then a bit of bad thrown in. I often think the bit of bad is so we appreciate the good that much more. Right now, I have a bit more than just a bit of bad .... lots of stress, lots of worry. The god thing is I'm working through each bit, slowly, piece by piece. It's really the only way I can get through it all. Tedious and not what I'd like to be doing on such beautiful summer days. But the reality is, the stress and worry doesn't go away until the things I have to deal with right now are solved. Something I've learned from many years of trial and error.  Many, many years!

The downside to all of this is that I'm finding I'm holding my stress in my body. And for me, this means I hurt from head to toe. Ouch!! My toes hurt, my hair hurts, my fingers, my jaw, my back, everything hurts! I ache and it's not very pleasant. I know once life settles again, that the hurt, the aches will subside. But until then, I have to just keep pushing through to get to my final goal of peace and no worries again. Can't wait to get there! 

Does your body hold your stress?
How do you deal with the aches?

July 24, 2016

And we're off ....

.... to the 3rd Vintage Boot Sale, being held 
at the big Antique Mall in the city. The 
house is clean, chores are completed, we
worked hard yesterday and this is our treat!


Since the last sale, I've been saving our
pennies (ok, so no pennies in Canada
anymore), took in bags of bottles for
refunds and found $50 in our latest
purging of files and boxes. With a sum
of $80 in my pocket, we're off! We have
no idea what we'll find but the "treasure
hunt" is so much fun. Will post later ....

July 22, 2016

Not a Fan.


It's another night of bright lightening,
followed by rolling thunder that builds
from a small rumble to huge crashes,
right over our house, it seems. I am most
definitely not a fan of these storms. When
we lived in town, the odd light show and
some accompanying noise wasn't too big
of a deal. But out in the country .... that
is a whole new adventure and one I don't
like to be part of. A trade off, for sure!

July 21, 2016

Not Ready Yet.

Yesterday, a co~worker brought her new kittens
in to work. And look who landed in my lap!


A sweet little tabby, a purring girl who loved
to cuddle up with me for her little nap.


I've thought about having a cat as a mouser out
here in the woods. But we're not quite ready yet.


Our pup died two years ago, at the age of 16 and
we haven't gotten to the point of having a new one.


Maybe next year. It was was so tempting to
just scoop this little one up and bring her home.
But our garage is getting a make over soon and
until then, it wouldn't be fair to have this tiny
mite live in that chaos. I'd love her to pieces
but would also likely worry about her being
outside in the cold, and then I'd want to bring
her inside, which isn't our plan for a cat. Ah ....

Do you have a kitten or a cat?
Is it an indoor or outdoor pet?

Organic Raspberries.


We stopped at our old house today to do some
more preparing for our tenants to move in next
week. And took a peek at our raspberry bushes
in the back garden. What a haul! So plump and
red and very sweet. I don't think in all the years
we lived there, we got so many berries in one
picking. The rain we keep getting has helped
for sure. Wish our garden was in already!!

Do you have berries in your garden?
If so, are they as lovely as these?

July 17, 2016

Boot Sale #2.

A trip to the Antique Mall Boot Sale in June
netted quite a hall. The value of all these items
was over $220 ~ the value the vendors had
listed them for, not the true worth of course.


I had saved and saved as this was the largest
boot sale of the year, so I knew we'd find some
amazing treasures. We left home early and I
had a tidy $200 tucked away in my wallet.


But after careful and fun negotiations, our
final total was a very lovely $160. Success!


A pretty petite point, two tiny English tins,
sweet rose votives, a pretty pair of frames
with attached planters and finally, a colorful 
print for our bright and color filled guest room.


A tiny ballerina dress, a yellow floral patched
pillow for one of the window seats and a frame.


Sweet smocked dress, a pair of Irish salt and
pepper shakers, two vintage books for our
growing collection (pink and purple), a
tiny box from Russia (I have matching ones
from my trip there at 16), a vintage planter,
a unique round biscuit tin and a painting.


Love this painting for our master
bathroom. It has all our colors in it!


On my wish list forever, a Boston Fern
plant stand and here it is! It was listed for
$45. I'm sure this is the same one at the
last Boot Sale that was listed then for
$85. I offered $25 to start and it was
accepted! I had many comments and a
number of gasps as we walked it out to
our car. So happy with this purchase.


A shot to show how big the frame
is. And a steal at just $8.


It's actually a chalk board and what caught
my eye and made it endearing was the
vintage glass knob on the end. When I saw
the price tag, I was sure it said $100, which in 
my head I was justifying because of the work
that would have gone in to it to turn it from
an old frame in to a working piece for our
kitchen. And the know is well worth that
amount. Then the lady who made it and
approached me and said I was welcome
to make an offer as she could see I was very
interested. I took the tag in my hand and it
was then that I realized it said $10, not $100.
I was going to just pay that and she said
she would let me have it for $8. Sold!!
She was happy it was going to be loved.


Close ups of the smaller items that
rounded out the larger pieces we chose.


The black iron pieces are a hanging plant
stand that we are going to put on the porch.


Such soft colors in these matching frames.
Trying to decide where to put them now.


A tiny teddy for my tiny collection.
And a depression era green jar with lid.


Finally, the first piece we picked up ~
another wish list item to cross off!

Have you attended any Boot Sales lately?
Is it something you have in your community?

July 15, 2016

Favorite Flowers.

While we wait for the storms to end,
we have been able to enjoy the small
pots I planted early in the spring. A
favorite pot is this one. I love how the
sweet pink blooms move so gently in
the breeze. The purples are delicate
and smell so delicious! Lavender is
my all time favorite but love these too. 

Our Bo.


Weeks of intense thunder storms and constant
rain have made our pup one nervous little
guy. He is always wanting to watch out the
windows now to see what's happening out in
the gardens. Rain everywhere, loud thunder,
big lightening and only bits of sun here and
there. I hope soon we'll have a reprieve so this
sweet pup can play outside with his boy.

July 12, 2016

Farm Fresh.


Our recent small haul from our local
community Farmer's Market last week.


Crunchy, tasty and oh so delicious!
One day, our garden will look like this.

Do you shop at your Farmer's Market?
What is your favorite item to buy?

July 10, 2016

The Antique Mall.

A favorite place to visit and search
for vintage treasures. A really great
place to go on a rainy, cold, thundery
day when the chores are done ....


Love this old wooden tool box that has 
been re~purposed with old ribboned jars.


In a heart beat, if I had a bigger budget,
this would have gone in to my basket. I
 have fallen in love with anything that is
Beatrix Potter but $42 was not attainable.


I collected Holly Hobbie glass ware as
a kid and still have some favorite pieces.


And Bunnykins too! But I've never seen
this classic piece before. Very expensive.


Love this vintage china cabinet.
The style of it is so amazing.


For Mother's Day, my dh bought me 2 
garden obelisk's for $60, for both. Mine are 
quite detailed and very tall. This one is much
smaller and at $115 for 1, not a bargain!


 Love this piece! Love the curved
glass and the little mirror. Sweet!


Lovely display. Next to the claw foot tub,
I love the little garden box under the boat.


I got really excited when I found this
wicker hamper but sad when I found
the price tag hanging inside. It's in such
great condition but at $96, not mine!


Hat, anyone? A lovely basket with
a variety of vintage hats to wear.

We truly love visiting the Antique Mall
and often find great prices. There are
many items that I'm sure the vendor
may not know the true value or they
want a quick sale. Some items we see
months later and know then the vendor
is holding out for the true value but it
really isn't true value if no one is buying
it at the price listed. We go in with a
budget in mind and can come out with
nothing in our hands. Or we nail the
budget completely. Sometimes we go
a bit over but then we don't visit for
a while if it was a piece that was worth
stretching the budget for that visit. If
we didn't have a budget, I'd be broke!

Do you have a Antique Mall in your community?
What's your favorite thing to look for at the AM?