Treasure Box

I got a box of fun stuff in the mail this week. Lots of ideas for crafty projects...if there were just more hours in the day. My mom enjoys the hunt for junk as much as I do...then she enjoys packing it up and sending it to me! Here is the plunder!

Lace, doillies, pillowcases, tablecloths, dish towel, tags, bracelets, goose, chicks, tray with a map of Colorado, pocket of roses, folding yardsticks(for DH), Christmas post cards, Santa book and vintage Christmas sheet music...........I am sure I left something out. I guess this should take care of my thrift store addiction this week! I did go to "Kids Clothing Connection" this week. It's a twice a year sale that is held in an empty store. It started out with just clothes, but it has expanded to include furniture, household goods and books. Usually I end up with all kinds of bargains. Not so much this week....I got a 1929 Geography book....everything else was too pricey! The last day of the sale is 1/2 price day but, even 1/2 price on a lot of the stuff is too much this time! I do think this is a great way to recycle things for kids. There are tons of great toys and clothes that have been outgrown and are still in great shape....My kids are just too old for all that good stuff!

Show and Tell Sunday- Belated Edition

Analise on Sugar*Sugar hosted a "Hankie Show and Tell" on Sunday. I planned on taking part but, due a dead camera battery and forgetfulness, I am doing my post today. Maybe I will get my act together for next week's topic! I'm starting with a chenille purse I made with half of a hankie as trim. The inside has a lining that matches the blue roses in the hankie.

Next is a hankie hanging out with a box that matches it on the mantle of my guest room.
I love the lace on this one with some of my Grandmother's things on the vanity.

A lady never goes anywhere without her hankie!
Finally, a few more with a funny little paper lady that a hankie can be threaded through! I don't have a big collection - every now and then one catches my eye! Many of mine are packed away with Christmas decorations or other holiday things. I did get many ideas from looking at other hankie collections- for display, and crafting, and even for wrapping gifts.....more reasons to add to this collection!

Application ( To Norman)

APPLICATION FOR GIRLFRIEND

Name: Wallis Elizabeth C______(Sorry,my parents don't allow full disclosure!)

Nicknames: Bitsey, Bitty, Bitsey Bitts, Beetch, BeBe La Hussy

Age: 5+

DOB: May__,2002

Place of Residence: Alabama

Personality Traits: Loving (freely gives kisses), Sharing (bed, not toys or food), Strong Willed(usually will not come when called unless it is to her advantage), Obedient ( will sit for treats as long as a pillow is available to rest rump on), Protective(will bark to defend parents from doorbell, people or animals walking by territory, TV)

Talents: Licking, Boot-Scooting, Chewing eyes off Stuffed Animals,Prancing,

Snoring, Chasing cat (playfully, of course)

Physical Attributes: Petite -12 pounds, Jet Black with white toes and chest, Big Eyes, Long tongue

Pet Peeves: Never touch my toes! Must be warm and will crawl inside your clothes to achieve goal. Will also sleep next to cat in emergency.

Dear Norman,

I would like you to consider me for your girlfriend. The only boy pug I've ever known is my brother, Eli. But, I have worshipped you from afar. I find your humor and appearance very attractive. I will give you all my broccoli, since carrots are my favorite treat. Since we live so far apart I know it will be a long distance relationship but I can accept that.

All my love, Bitsey

A Walk Around the Neighborhood

Our neighborhood is a great place to live if you like vintage things. It is part of the city's Historic District. During the Spring the dogwoods and azaleas are magnificent. The other great time is Christmas when the Victorian Porch Tour takes place. For one week the porches are all decorated with Victorian displays. We stood in front of our house one year at Christmas and wished we could buy a house in this neighborhood. Almost 5 years later the dream came true. Today I took a walk around 3 blocks with my camera to capture the sights. Come take a look!

Across the street the Azaleas look full ...unlike mine...

My buddy lives here-look no azaleas...like me.... Governor Samford owned this house and lied in state in the front room when he died in 1901.

Love the sidewalks!

This house has the City Beautification Award right now.

The swamp.......getting back toward my yard....

The back of my house...no, those are not my azaleas. They belong to the house behind ours but, maybe people driving by don't know that!

My Mr. Lincoln- my favorite rose bush. I wish I had a greener thumb. He looks good in spring but the summer is just too hot and dry for him!

My azaleas ....those that DH let me keep....they will bloom next week...after the Azalea Trail is over!!!!

Back home....I love this oak tree....It has survived hurricanes that took a lot of the older trees in our city. It covers our yard in shade and leaves and acorns.
Thanks for going on my walk today..come back the second weekend of December to see the Victorian Porch Tour!

Accidental Collections and Boxes

Jayne at Country Cottage Chic wrote about her "accidental" terrier collection which got me thinking about some of my "accidental" collections. These are treasures that seem to find you and gather at your home! Things that you never set out to collect, but one by one they arrive until you have a collection. I have many of those! One of my favorites is vintage kitchenware in shades of light green. I include jadeite and things with green handles and linens. There are two reasons that I didn't plan on collecting these things - first - I'm not a cook and - second- I never really liked green! But, life changes you...... and the next thing you know ...you've moved into a hundred year old house with a green kitchen. And to my surprise, I Love the color! To be honest when I first saw the kitchen I thought that I would quickly paint over it. The kitchen needs a lot more than paint so we put that on the back burner. Then I began to find a lonely piece of jadeite at thrift stores or my Mom gave me a cookie cutter with a green handle. And there was the time a box of green linen tablecloths called my name at an estate sale....I began to notice a trend. And it grew....

These little jello molds just joined the crowd. My aunt in FL sent them by way of my cousin last week. Thanks, Marge!

Isn't it fun to come home and find a box on your porch? I did today. My cousin from NY sent me a treasure box of things that belonged to Mom's sister. She knew that I would love these things and I do! Three needlepoint books and a box of patterns from Woman's Day 1961, bunches of crochet and knitting needles and a half finished quilt - which is just perfect to go up in my guest room! She also reminded me of her invitation to come visit ....I'm working on that....I'd love to go...just have to convince Southern Boy DH to go past the Mason-Dixon Line!!

Details

Mary at Little Red House has asked for pictures of decorating details around the house that you love. I've had fun today taking tons of pictures and deleting most of them. It's a learning experience! I hope over time blogging teaches me to take better pictures. I finally picked two I liked. I've learned that I tend to take pictures with too much clutter and my hand is not very steady! The first is a picture of me with my parents in about 1956. I keep it in my dining room with the feather that is on my Mom's hat in the picture.

The second picture is some old English pottery I love. It is Upper Hanley Pottery in the Trellis pattern. The first piece I bought was dirty and chipped, but it was love at first sight. I paid very little for it but to me it is priceless!

Junk Attack

I took the day off sewing today to feed my junk addiction. Since one of my favorite thrift stores closed in March I had to stretch my usual route to include the next city up the interstate. I enjoy looking as much as buying so I had a good time, even though I didn't buy much. Everything I got was really cheap -most things $.50 - $1.00. I only bought one thing over $1.00 - the cute wire pot holder was $6.00 and I had just seen one at another store for $29.00!! One of my favorite shops has "Austin and Ashley" denim kids clothes-irregulars for $.50. I bought up a stack on an earlier trip and got a few more today. They can be appliqued and dressed up easily. They also had big bags of covered buttons for $1.00!!

Some other junk I brought home today:

6 books (buy one get 2 free)

3 hemstitched linen napkins

a sweet embroidered baby pillowcase

white sugar bowl

paper mache duck

2 Christmas ornament frames

2 tin planters

2 ceramic roosters

yellow Texasware plate(for a friend who has a collection of pastel

Texasware)

shabby plate and cup -to glue together to make a desert stand

small white ironstone bowl

3 bottle brush trees

2 paper mache angels