Lovely gifts....

I've been remiss. Sorry. In the past few weeks I have received some lovely little gifts from fellow bloggers:
Jackie at Once Upon a Fairyland sent me a cute note with a handmade tag and some stickers. Audrey from Audrey's Country Crafts sent me some wonderful handmade soap. And Lisa from the Davis Dialogues sent some adorable handmade tags!

You might be wondering why I received these lovely little gifts - JUST BECAUSE!! I have met some wonderful blogging friends in the last year and I just wanted to share these wonderful gals with you! I visit their blogs almost daily and enjoy their talent, wisdom and tales. Visit their blogs and please let them know that I sent you!

My Get-a-way to Cape Cod...

I played hooky and went to Cape Cod to visit one of my best friends, Denise. She lives on a pond in Sandwich and this was my view every morning:
She lives only a few miles from the ocean (and the ocean is the best cure for any distress or ailment!)
We ate and drank our way thru the town as we laughed and walked down memory lane together. Hemisphere is on the bay side of the Cape, right where the canal begins, and we began Happy Hour at the bar overlooking a sun glistening sea.
The Daniel Webster Inn was our next stop for a few more cocktails:
Right down the street is the Belfry Inne, an old church, where the the back of the bar is in the confessional area of the church!! The rooms upstairs are lovely:
Next door is the Painted Lady, a lovely victorian home that was once the "rectory". The tiny bar is very "homey" and the dining rooms are in each room on the 1st floor - so quaint!
One day we had lunch at Beth's Tea Room - quiche and salad - and they have the best Cape Cod cranberry vinaigrette!
And you can't go to the Cape without a stop in Centerville at 1856 Country Store for "penny candy" - my favorite are candy cigarettes!!
We ended day two at Kettle Ho in Cotuit- and as the story goes, the town of Cotuit was purchased from the Indians for a kettle and a hoe:
We ate and drank some more at Tomatoes in Sandwich:
On the way to the Cape, I stopped at the Wrentham Country Store where the Cottage Muse has a booth. It was very easy to identify her area in the store after visiting her blog many times! She has a wonderful display of "shabby chic/paris flea" items, many of which she has painted or hand-made herself.

On the way home I stopped in Natick at Anthropologie, Crate and Barrel and The Container Store. There are many links in this post, but if you are planning a trip to Cape Cod, you'll certainly want to visit some of these links.

A wonderful 5 days - what I refer to as "CAPE COD THERAPY" - lovely scenery, lots of laughs, great food, mouth-watering cocktails, great shopping, sunshine and the ocean breeze, all spent with a great friend!Imagine waking up to this beautiful view every day? I get to do it a few times a year, lucky me!

"Beautiful You Jewelry"

Might you be interested in buying some jewelry or scarves? If so, mention Pandora's Box in the email and you will receive free shipping - visit Beautiful You Jewelry and see some great accessories!
I'm on a blogging break - off to Cape Cod for a get-a-way!

Third TIME's a Charm...

Do you remember the post in March where I received my clock from the florist shop in Palm Beach and it was damaged...then they sent another one that was in worse shape. Well, this is the 3rd one and it is finally "up and running":
It was worth waiting 3 months for it! Now we can see the time without our glasses LOL

The Columbus Zoo with Carter...

Last week, while visiting in Ohio, we went to the Columbus Zoo. We had a wonderful time - not just because of this guy:
But because we went to the zoo with this guy:
Carter might live in Ohio, but he'll always be an Orangeman!

I like to brighten things up in the spring...

My husband just can't understand why I change the bed linen in the spring and fall.

But when you can go to Macy's and get a comforter, euro shams, sheets and pillow cases, bed skirt, pillow shams, 2 toss pillows, sheers, and valances for under $100.00 it should be quite easy for him to understand - don't you agree?

I'm Joining Thrifty Thursday with Tales From Bloggeritaville

I will not be beat by a plug...

This is an area in my kitchen that I call the "bar". I keep the liquor in the lower cabinet and all my stemware and crystal above. Look at the placement of the telephone and electrical outlets:
Why do builders do things like this? If I designed this house, I would have put these two outlets closer to the left wood cupboard - and one above the other. They are unsightly!
I was not going to lose this battle! I found a canvas which had a lime green cupcake in the center and I covered the center portion with a wallpaper cutout. The canvas is stapled around a wooden frame, leaving enough depth to cover the telephone plug:
A quick solution to hide those ugly plugs!
Don't you think it looks better?

Teak Headboard

I've been looking for a headboard for the guest room. I wanted something to paint or refinish, something cheap. A quick trip into the Rescue Mission Thrift Store led me to this teak headboard made in Denmark, and in excellent condition:
A little Murphy's Oil Soap, some Old English polish, and it looks brand new. I haven't decided if I am going to paint it or not, but for now it is serving its purpose:
What did it cost? Only $10.00!


I am joining Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm and 2nd Time Around Tuesdays at a Picture is Worth 1000 Words and Always Nesting's WooHoo Wednesday Party

I'm Hooked on Making These!

These are so much fun to make and I am blaming Sherry from Creations From My Heart - it's all her fault. I.am.addicted. I am a "lampshadaholic". Yesterday I found this shade at the Christmas Tree Shop, for only $.47 and it actually "JUMPED" into my cart:
I went into my stash of fabric samples and cut 6 different panels to glue into place:
Because I thought I was such a "pro" at this, and jumped right in without thinking, I actually cut the panels too short in the width - Not to worry, I just made "fillers" for each seam out of another piece of fabric:
I just cut strips and pressed them into thirds and glued them over each seam.
Do you ever iron on your counter on a placemat?
I dug into my stash of fringe and glued it on the bottom as well as the top:
Now, I didn't NEED this shade, but we all know how addictions affect us. So I walked around the house trying it on numerous lamps. The Great Room:
The Foyer:
I'm not sure where it will end up, all I know is that I want to make more!!

Hello, my name is Patti, and I am a lampshadaholic - wwhheww...the hardest part was admitting it!

I am joining Made It Monday at the Persimmon Perch
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Spring Gardening - not my favorite hobby

I'm not sure if you remember this post about my dislike of gradening and dirt but I still hate gardening. We just had a landscaper put in shrubs and we (that would be my husband - as I supervise) will add the annuals and perennials.

I was lucky to find this great "white chippy paint" chair at a garage sale today - only $2.00! So I bought a geranium and place it in it's missing seat:
I also planted some herbs in a tin planter:
I LOVE herbs and use them all summer:
And this tin looks so cute on the wall of our new patio!
That's the extent of my gardening skills and interest, unfortunately, because I love a garden! My favorite garden is Susan Branch's garden on Martha's Vineyard If I could only get Susan and her husband, Joe, to come to NY to plant one for me, I would be in heaven!