Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Milk Glass - when is enough?

I found another sweet piece of milk glass at an estate sale this past weekend for only $4.00 - I am beginning to think I have enough now...but how do you know when enough is enough??

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

My New Teapot

I am drawn to black and white, and especially red - and when I can get the three colors together I am thrilled. I have been eyeing this teapot at Marshalls. I certainly didn't need it, so I waited for it to go into the clearance aisle - and lucky me - this patient gal got it on sale:

and when I saw the cherries, I decided to link up to Rednesday at A Very Cherry World
Its sitting on top of the stove and is a cherry cheery sight!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pray for the Gulf...

The ocean has always been a special part of my life. Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park hold memories from my teen years....
Along with Horseneck Beach and Cape Cod beaches - and the dreams of someday surfing in Hawaii...
And as I grew older, the Florida Beaches that warmed my body and soul on February Breaks...
And most recently the wide open seas on cruises to Alaska and Caribbean...
It saddens me to see what is happening in the Gulf...I can't imagine not being able to enjoy the sea, to smell the salt air, to escape reality in its beauty.

Read Leigh's touching post here

Sunday, June 27, 2010

From a Key to Inspiration

So I hung the frame on its side, and hung a plaque inside of it:
Much better:

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Summer Cookin' ~ and my new chef

Since my husband has retired he has been cooking dinner quite often. The other day when my Better Home and Garden magazine arrived by mail, he apparently was "browsing" thru the pages and came across a recipe he wanted to try - go figure, reading my BHG mag!! So he grilled zucchini and yellow squash on the grill:
and pork - but the best was the salsa recipe for the pork: 1 orange cut up and added to chipotle salsa:
and my contribution was a side of pasta salad:
I just might leave my Taste Of Home magazine out on the counter, in case he gets the urge to find some more great recipes!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

My thumb might be turning a bit green...

Remember, I don't like to garden, but I love flowers....
Not too bad, huh?
Everything seems to be growing well in my yard this year:
SO FAR, that is...

Monday, June 21, 2010

Boots of Flowers

Leigh, From Tales from Bloggeritaville, took her niece's old rain boots and planted petunias in them....I thought this was so clever that when I saw these children's boots at a garage sale for $.50, I had to buy them and copy her idea:
As you all know, I do not have a green thumb and I do not enjoy gardening, but I am trying to create a rock garden in the back of my yard to take away from the ugly drainage area. I don't tend to this area very often because my husband saw a HUGE snake there the other day...he described it as being "huge and very long" and I asked him if he was sure it was not a dinosaur!

But either way, the boots are fun to look at rather than the rocks...thanks Leigh for the great idea!


Lucky me!

Look at what I won from Cindy at Creations by Cindy:
A necklace, earings and a ring! Lucky me - thanks Cindy, I truly love it!

Stop by to visit her blog...one of my favorite posts over there was about her invitations to her Lemonade Party and the Party.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy 1st Father's Day, Ray

My son in law has wanted me to feature him on my blog for quite some time now...Often our conversations go something like this:
Ray: Hey, I haven't been on your blog yet!
Exasperated mother-in-law: What do you want me to say?
Ray: How wonderful I am!
Irritated Mother-in-law: How wonderful are you?
Ray: Hey, I'm the best
Annoyed mother-in-law: So you want me to post about how wonderful you are?
Ray: Ah Ya, you got a problem with that?

So, here goes......This is Ray, my son-in law, practicing for Fatherhood a little over a year ago:
(Note the puppy in the carrier)
Here he is, clarifying the rules of my home since becoming a dad:
Ray and son on Christening day...
And this is the greatest gift he has given us - Carter, with Grandpa
Now...there are a few more things you need to know about Ray:
*He's a lawyer (please forward all lawyer jokes to me)
*He can't stand for long periods of time (like during labor) or his feet get tired
*He should never adjust the wheels of the lawnmower without a paramedic nearby
*His cholesterol level is sky high, bragging he has beaten Obama at something
*He named his son after "Jimmy"
*He has a lovely singing voice, especially singing Christmas carols
*When he calls on the phone, and is telling a story, I actually have time to put the phone down, go to the bathroom, flush, wash hands, and return to the phone without him knowing.
*He's a great DADDY!

Happy 1st Father's Day, Ray!

Love,

Saturday, June 19, 2010

A QUATA?

I stopped at a garage sale today and spied these Dr Suess books ...This is how the conversation went down:
Me: What's the price of the Dr Suess books?
Nice garage sale lady: a quarter
Me: I'll take them, counting out three dollars for the 12 books.
Nice garage sale lady: No, just a quarter!
Me (in my Boston accent that comes back when I am excited): A quata for all 12?
Nice garage sale lady: Yup, just a quarter!
Me (doing the happy dance): Great, here's a quata. Thanks!!

These are for Carter, of course...books to read when he visits me in July!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Recycled Totes from "everyday throwaways"

Allison at The House of Hepworths had a post yesterday that reminded me of a recycling project my high school fashion design students were challenged to a few years ago. Their task was to create something out of an everyday item we toss away. I demonstrated making the following items to give them a few ideas:
Alison made a lunch bag similar to these, but without the handles:
I also took 8 empty packages of muffin mixes to create this tote bag:
These are sewn together and grommets were used to adhere the handles:
And I made this tote from laminated magazine covers:


So, what did my students make? A cell phone case from old dish cloths, a necklace from soda flip tops, a pillow from an old flannel shirt, a wallet from a cereal box, a child's pinwheel toy from a cardboard box, beaded earings from old scraps of fabric, a jean skirt from a pair of jeans, a headband from giftwrap ribbons, a vest from an old blanket and many more clever ideas!

House of Hepworths has links where she has given credit, so stop over to see her lunchbag and link over to see where she found her idea!

Joining these parties this week:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Sunday, June 13, 2010

A quick change...

A $10.00 garage sale table...
and a $4.00 can of black spray paint...
Sara...here's your new end table! - Ray, I just saved you a few dollars!

QUESTION: Has anyone ever printed out their blog?
Tell me about it!


Joining Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Blogging Question

Has anyone ever printed out their blog? If so, tell me about it

(Bruchetta-to-be)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A Bit of Irony...

Remember this lampshade I covered?
I have been searching the thrift shops for the "perfect base", without luck - until today!! I ran into the Christmas Tree Shop for plastic forks and VOILA...on the sale cart was this lamp base for only $.97:

Ironically, it was missing its shade!! And mine looks perfect on it!

This past weekend I found this cherry end table at a garage sale for $10.00. My daughter needs an end table so it will be sprayed black for her family room....Stay tuned to see how it turns out and also to see my latest purchase from Salvation Army (I am blaming this new "Thrifting Obsession" on all my bloggy friends - yes, that means YOU, too - I can't take the blame all by myself). I'm joining Thrifty Thursday at Tales of Bloggeritaville and Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage