Monday, April 28, 2008

Monday Morning Madness!

My head is spinning with all the many things calling for my attention this morning, like most of my mornings, and yours too no doubt..., so why am I sitting here in front of the computer?? Well I need to finish my diet coke, and sure it takes a little longer to serve it in my new/old silver, but why shouldn't I enjoy the finer things?? This is what happens when I am without internet for a couple of days. It takes time to catch up!
I do love old silver, but there comes, a time when you have to ask yourself, where am I going to put all of these?? Perhaps in my booth for sale??

We took Dumbo the RV for a weekend at the beautiful Oregon Coast. The color of the curtains, wasn't the biggest issue. Hmmm, one of the reasons I was happy not to have one of those adorable little vintage airstreams was the problems they would certainly have due to age... Well you don't have to be vintage to have issues if you are a RV... I think Dave the driver/mechanic got it worked out.
I took my sewing machine, thinking I would have lots of time to finish some projects.. Nope not so, we still have some bugs to work out with organization... In other words I couldn't find a thing so I spent all weekend looking for whatever it was I needed...then of course I had to remember what I needed it for??
The weather was fabulous, and I would be sharing the photos, except the camera was one of the things I never did find...

That means these blank pages will have to be sold!!
The baby had a great time this weekend, what that's not Sam?? Oh well cute baby anyway.

Here are a few of the other things I have been collecting and need to price and pack.

The key to organization is to get things put away as I get them, so I am not overwhelmed when it is time to do a show.. I kind of doubt that will happen, but dreams are important.. I have been hoarding suitcases,
thinking I will price like items and then display them in suitcases. Probably ones that you can open and see inside but this one is so cool, I had to show it...When I get to a show all I would have to do is open the suitcase and whaa laaa... ready !!

What is not to love about buttons?
If you didn't inherit family photos you can always get some like these and who would know the difference??
Well enough procrastination time to get on with the fun!! Hope you have a great day!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Picture This

The more I consider it the more convinced I am that I should have chosen a circus theme for the new rv. It seems awfully long and it is red white and blue, oh what the heck here's the picture..


I was going to wait until I had a better shot, maybe one without Sam in it, but seriously when will Sam ever not be in a picture of the RV?? As if the RV isn't long enough and rather obvious, picture a 20 ft. covered trailer behind it...I think you get the idea.. Yes, definitely a circus train coming to a town near you, maybe a little music piped outside... I'm thinking Dumbo might be an appropriate name for the RV. I wonder if we could find a cowboy hat for him??



The first official business trip will be June 7th and 8th when we motor down the road to Spokane to the Farm Chicks Show.




Cindy and I will be carpooling to Farm Chicks on the Circus Train. She thought maybe we would look more like the Clampits, but the trailer is covered so I'm hoping the treasures will be inside and not tied to the top!! I will repeat what I said from the beginning, I will not be the one driving with the trailer hitched to it, that would be my husband/driver Jed, I mean Dave!



Here are some shots of the fabric and accessories I have chosen for Dumbo. I have got a couple of the curtains sewn and they are much better looking than the original..


Here is the site that I was getting inspiration from, keep in mind she is doing those adorable vintage airstream's.. Not a white elephant! Are they not the coolest thing ever??


As you might expect I have switched everything around from how I originally imagined it would be, but it is so much fun to just go for it and everything is so small that it wouldn't be that big of a deal to change, if on a whim I decide to mix it up and change it all ..

The curtains aren't going to sew themselves, and if I want Dumbo dressed in his cowboy finest I better hit the trail and get busy!

Have a great weekend I will be back soon with more pictures..

Monday, April 21, 2008

3 Choices

When an opportunity presents itself, do you automatically say yes?? It might be worth remembering there are 3 choices, yes, no and maybe ... If your like me and just say yes to every good idea or plan you hear, then you can feel my pain. I spent all last week literally, every waking moment doing an estate sale. I mean really, how hard can it be, price every little thing, put up a couple of signs and collect the cash..

I can't stand going to sales where nothing is marked and you have to ask the price as if you were interested in buying the object not just curious about the cost of every thing you touch?? So I wanted to make sure everything had a price...Okay, I admit it, it's much harder than it looks. Not only time consuming, but also thought provoking... I kept thinking about what I have and the fact that NO ONE would take on my estate for any amount of money!! One of my apparent heirs has informed me that, they will get a BIG dumpster when I die... Of course this is the same son that always wants the really cool things I find, before I can sell it!! But in the back of my mind as I was pricing the 4th egg slicer thinking why would anyone need 4 egg slicers, I would flash to, why would anyone need a million buttons, or 20 totes of fabric or...

Whew am I glad that's over and I can get on with my regularly scheduled life...you know the one where I lounge on the sofa all day eating bon bons.. The lesson learned is, think about the 3 choices before you commit, it might be harder that it looks.
Last week was also the birthday for 2 of my favorite people in the whole world!!
April 17th the biggest brother turned 26, and Miss Adelaide was 2! We celebrated with Addie the week before while she and her mommy were out from Michigan.

What a ball!

Lucky for us the Red Power Ranger was there, he sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday, similar to what you might expect from a musician trained on Guitar Hero..




Do you get the impression she's not all that amused?
Well thankfully the cupcakes made up for the entertainment!! She would rather have seen the ballet performance!
No Power Rangers at Dusty's birthday! He is definitely not amused! So, do as I say or I will shake you into submission!!
A big brother is going to give his opinion, perhaps a little advice on cooking his birthday dinner... Some ideas are met with lack of enthusiasm!


Some are better received... Get on kids I'll take you for a spin on my "new" wheels!

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Thanks to The Farrier's Daughter, I found a western magazine with ideas for remodeling RV's I have already bought 5 different samples of fabric for the curtains, and will be taking some pictures to share with you soon. I will get to that as soon as I finish this last box of bon bons...

Saturday, April 12, 2008

What kind of USED are we talking?

Have you ever noticed there are several different kinds of used? We have barely, gently, very, over, slightly and hardly ever used just to name a few. Not long ago my driver/husband decides we should buy a used motor home. Of course I say.."are you kidding!!!" And I ever so sweetly and calmly list why that is a really lame idea. Well, naturally we bought a "used" motor home, the plan is to pull the trailer that we take to antique shows with the motor home and save money on fuel since it uses gas instead of diesel and will get the same mpg.... Not to mention the comfort and expense we will save on hotels... hmm I say. Naturally he will do the cooking, and packing not to mention the driving...oh sure...
We spent some time looking at used RV's and the one we got is a portable palace compared to some. Overused is not strong enough to describe some we toured. With the exception of the hideous curtains and blue carpet I am so excited with our gently used little RV. I have big plans for decorating. One of the big brothers told me that I would want to go easy on the decorating because I want to be certain to keep the resale value... blah blah blah I think what he was saying is ...please don't put pink ruffles in the RV. Like I would be tempted to do that... Of course that would keep the macho ones from wanting to borrow it ... I am letting him sweat it out, but I think it would be fun to do a vintage cowboy theme..

These are the seriously outdated country blue and mauve curtains, they are everywhere so that will make a big difference when they are replaced. They look more gray in the picture but they are definitely country blue ...I also see a ruffle and a pink flower..
If I were going to "do" pink (which would be fun!) I would use these!
I love the price, just $1.49 how could I resist?? Just kidding you know I paid slightly more than that..but after all if you are buying an RV why worry about the cost of a curtain!!

Oh my goodness I couldn't believe when I found more paper curtains... what are the chances of that?? I had never even heard of paper curtains and then twice in the same month?? These are so beautiful, and they even come with hanging instructions...

These curtains are begging to go in the guest room where there is lots and lots of pink and ruffles so they will be "just the thing". I will smile every time I walk in there, they are so cheerful!
With much confusion and fanfare we took the little RV on it's maiden voyage last night, we went 14 miles to Silver Falls State Park, I thought it would be a little tacky if we stayed in the Walmart parking lot for our first outing... and it was the same distance.
We arrived about 10 pm, we might want to invest in some big lights that come on bright while backing...actually as long as the professional is driving it won't be a problem. He is amazing, I am so impressed when anyone can whip a trailer around like its nothing, so this was a piece of cake for him. The first time I pulled a trailer I hit a car in the church parking lot...apparently I need a little more practice.
There wasn't time for packing, so with a box of pop tarts, a couple bottles of water, a box of 'strike anywhere' matches and a case of diet coke we did fine. There was no manual to be found so when we figure out how to turn on the refrigerator and heater we'll be like seasoned RVers. I'm just waiting for someone to say we need to use our inside voices...

We took a hike through the woods at the crack of dawn this morning and look what I saw





I asked Dave if he could picture me with a plant identification book traipsing through the forest...

Monday, April 7, 2008

More, a place for...

I bet you have guessed my motto if one is good, many is very good, not to be confused with my mantra a place for everything, and everything in its place. Together those 2 ideas could change it all... So with that said, my newest obsession, vintage jewelry boxes.. It is fun for me that I find them often, they are mostly in soft colors, always under $10, usually less and there are lots of different styles. My mom has had one for as long as I can remember, which she still uses... I love them for holding just about everything. Naturally they can be used for the obvious, holding jewelry.... This little one with light blue satin lining is simple but still sweet. I bought it with the jewelry in it...
Here are a couple of pink ones that I have in my bedroom.


With all their great little cubbies they can help keep buttons, price tags, beads, trinkets and all those little treasures that would be more useful and tidy, separate and contained in their own little space!
I have sold several of these in the past, but I am keeping more these days as I must have, a place for everything, and everything in its place.
This sweet little blue case was one I found this weekend. It is just a little different with how the sides go out when the lid goes up. I was so surprised when I checked out Lisa's blog and she had also found the same case!! The difference was hers had a precious little dancing ballerina.. and mine didn't...well you can imagine my dismay.!!!!

Today I had a little outing with Sheila we went to the Goodwill Outlet... much like dumpster diving, but more people jumping in...naturally we had a terrific time... We found all sorts of great treasures. I found a cream jewelry case and offered it to Sheila since I have so many, it seemed like the friendly thing to do. A few minutes later... I found this ...
The lock is broken but that is an easy fix.

Oh my gosh!!! A ballerina with legs that dangle, it dances

and plays music!!! Just like Lisa's!!!
It has the prettiest pink velvet lining...
Look what I found when I opened this one!!!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Quilts, pieces and other bits

Now that the dreaded paperwork is off to the accountant I can have my life back. One of the things I wish I could have but apparently won't ever is.... whatever it takes to keep the paper work up to date! Maybe that is called organized...well then no wonder... At any rate YIPPEE I'm done for another year!!! My new mantra is a place for everything and everything in its place. I keep repeating it, we'll see how it works..

But on to the brighter side of life.
Here are some quilt blocks I got with my last box of treasures.
These little postage stamp size pieces are hand stitched.
These are hand appliqued..
This is actually a block that Lisa gave me this summer, there were 2 of them and I thought they would be great under a clear plate with a silver tray for a charger.

It is probably rude to ask her to whip up a few more, so I could have a place setting for 12...
As you can see, my new quilt blocks won't work..

Too bad..
It would be a shame to cut apart this beautiful quilt, to have enough..Which one would I cut out?? This one...

No this one...
How about this one???

Well I'm not crazy... we could just sit on the bed and put our plates on the block we like best!!
Still probably not going to be a place for 12....


I just got this Wedding Ring quilt, I'm not sure if it is called Double Wedding Ring or if that is different?? Either way I love these quilts and this one in particular since it has so much pink and green...
Here is one that I can't believe how beautiful it is, some might say it is red and white check, I choose to call it pink.. since it is faded and what is pink, if not faded red?

I don't think we will use this one as a table cloth!!
If you aren't a quilt lover perhaps this is more to your liking..

This is one of those comforters that you find on the floor every morning because it is soooo very slippery.
I love this tag, maybe it's the name?? This is closer to the actual color.. I have 2 naturally they are in perfect condition...

And lastly I knew you would want to see what I am getting as opposed to a kitchen remodel..

notice the 8 drawers, that more than doubles what I have in my current kitchen.. I wanted to keep it gray, because I love the old paint but it looks hideous in my house so I will paint it white to match the other cabinets. Behind those doors are lots and lots of shelves, just begging to be filled.. My new mantra is a place for everything and everything in its place, a place for everything and everything in its place, a place for everything and everything in its place.