Show and Tell Sunday -Mother's Day

I know that I inherited my love of all things vintage from my mother. I grew up with antiques and sewing and creativity. I took it for granted when I was younger, but after moving into this old house, it really took hold of me. This year for Mother's Day I gathered some fun stuff and filled a box with goodies. If the mail is slow Mom may read about her gift before she gets to open it!

I was born in England. Dad was in the Air Force, stationed in England. The Queen's coronation was the year before I was born so when I saw this little dish at Angel's I knew it had to go in the box. The tag has a vintage broach, also from Angel's, with Mother printed on the Mother of Pearl. The lace on the tag came from the last box Mom sent me!
I saw this little 1/2 doll and knew she would be a great pincushion. I made a skirt for her and attached it to cover the pincushion. Some baker's twine. old buttons, tags shaped like cats, a sweet old handkerchief, some vintage birthday candle holders and some dried flowers from my daughter's wedding filled up the box.
I also bought an old school music book from the 40's and used the pages from "Would You Like to Swing on a Star?" to decoupage the box. I hope Mom has as much fun with her box as I did!!

Seven tried her best to fit in the box - just not enough room!!! Once again thank you to Cheri and Analise for hosting Show and Tell Sundays!

Staining the Mantle

After trying several different stains we found the one that best highlighted the grain of the wood. And the winner is....Minwax... Early American. If I remember correctly this is the stain my Mom has used quite a bit. You can see how it looks- before and after here:

I'm lovin' it!

Wordless Wednesday

Show and Tell Sunday- Favorite Shops!

This week for Show and Tell we are taking a look at favorite places to shop- antiques, vintage, thrifting or junking! Come with me and take a look at Angel's Antiques and Flea Mall!

Welcome to Angel's

Today I spent 2 hours at Angel's shopping and taking pictures and I did not even go down every aisle. That's how big it is! There are over 450 booths which means there is something for everyone. It is located one block from Alabama I-85 on exit 62. The building was once a Wal-Mart. I have never left Angel's empty handed. I can always find a treasure and plenty of inspiration. Many of the booths have sale signs and the merchandise is updated frequently. Although I don't have a problem going to a junk store that has some cleanliness issues and have been known to go to some that have no heat or air conditioning-

Angel's is one of the nice ones! I like things cluttered enough to be interesting, but orderly enough to be able to see things! Come take a look with me.....
This booth looks crowded in my picture, but it is one of my favorites! I always find something to use in a craft project here-buttons, trims....

But, if you need a more organized view there are many display cases that are up in the front of the store. Each booth has it's own personality - from pricey antiques to shabby chic to 50's Retro to Flea Market.

I took this picture for inspiration. Maybe I will do this with all of our paintbrushes when we finish the house.....and that will be......let's see.......NEVER!! It would look cute hanging in the garden room in the meantime.


For those of you that love vintage linens, there are plenty of booths to check out.

These chairs would look great in my house. Love the wheels on them!

I don't know where I'd put this but I could find room somewhere. Yes, that's me and my camera in the mirror,

I could make place for this piece too!
Thanks for visiting! There is so much more to see in person! I just realized that I didn't take a picture of my buggy and purchases -a bunch of jade-ite colored MelMac, an old school book, bag of unfinished needlepoint, vintage broach and a hat!

Go Fish!

Last night the pond welcomed 25 small goldfish! We aren't getting Koi because we can't stand to see an expensive fish go belly up or be dinner for a passing predator! Last year we were visited by the most beautiful blue heron. We watched him and admired his huge wings until it dawned on us that he was dipping his beak down and munching on our fish! He really cleaned us out before we ran (screaming) to stop the feast! We had some of those fish several years and they were big. They also would come when we fed them and eat out of our hands!

Pond

The pond is just about finished! I can sit in my chair and listen to the sound of the waterfall. Just one thing missing - the fish! Eli is inspecting the waterfall. For some reason Bitsey will not go near it. I had to drag her away last year. She loved to have a drink of "fish water"!

We will continue to fill in more plants as we find things we like. And I'm going tadpole hunting soon at the park ! I only have to work 3 days next week to finish out my contract. That means more time to sew and thrift shopping! I've enjoyed this job: 1/2 days, small groups of children, tutoring reading and math. It made me remember what I loved about teaching for 25 years (the kids) and reminded me why I retired! A full day with 20+ kids and all the paperwork to go with them is for younger people!