Quote of the Day

I was looking at some quotes I had on hand and found this one that completely suits where my head is at today:

"Do the best that you can in the place where you are and be kind."  ~Scott Nearing

Sometimes it is nice to have an oh-so-gentle reminder.  Thank you, Mr. Nearing....whoever you are.

Weekend Woes

I am truly feeling my age this morning.  I took a spill off our front steps yesterday afternoon that has me limping and gimping about today.  After a 15 minute downpour, I took some things out to the recycle bin in our carport.  My sandal slid on the tile of the front steps.  In my head I knew I was slipping, but the next second found me face down in the grass.  My right knee was so kind as to break my fall on the concrete sidewalk.  And somewhere in the mix, my big toe must have gotten in the way too as it is swollen and bruised as well.  So....a bag of frozen peas and a big bandage later, I am feeling quite foolish and like an invalid.  Still, I am quite thankful that I was not holding my almost 8-month-old granddaughter.  How tragic that would have been!!  So, for that reason, I will bear the pain with my head held high (or as high as I can get it with the limp going on) just in knowing that she is fine.

As I heard my husband say this weekend, "This getting old stuff is GETTING OLD!"  Yes, I agree!  Maybe I get credit for getting my carcass out of bed this morning, when I really just wanted to lay there with the knee propped up instead.

Okay....enough of my woes.  Here are a couple pictures I took in my back yard a month or so ago.  I love this copper chandy hanging from the big ficus tree.  When the weather is more tolerable, I am going to put candles in it and serve dinner out there.  I can see it now!

 

Window box, old window, and two climbing roses on the side of the shed. 
The roses have grown up to the next rung already!

It looks as though, like my feet yesterday, my fingers were in the wrong place at the wrong time and I already published this thing once before I was done.  Oops!!  I'm going to pretend that did not happen and carry on!!

"You desire to know the art of living, my friend?  It is contained in one phrase:  make use of suffering."  ~Henri-Frederic Amiel

I think I will do just that as I hobble through my day, and most likely, this week. 

 

Newly Sharpened Pencils

Yesterday was the first day of school in the county in which I live.  School busses are back on the streets.  It took me 10 extra minutes to get to work this morning due to the extra traffic.  However, the phrase "a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils" has been playing over and over in my head for a couple of days.  Do you recall it?

   "Don't you love New York in the fall?  It makes me wanna buy school supplies.  I would send you
   a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.  On the other hand, this
   not knowing has its charms."  Joe Fox, a.k.a. Tom Hanks from You've Got Mail.

Okay, I admit it.  I'm a sucker for the romantic comedy.  My mother and I would both say that even though we've seen this movie a thousand times, we have to watch it whenever we run across it on tv.  And what better movie to pop in the dvd player on a rainy afternoon...after the millionth viewing of Pride and Prejudice, that is.

But....I digress.  Back to the pencil bouquet...

Memories of my first days of school arise.  My mother, with her camera (always!), taking our picture in our new clothes to mark yet another school year.  I did the same with my son, although, shamefully, I did not catalogue them.  I find myself longing for just one more school year....mine or his.  I checked in with my granddaughter, Reagan, who started her first day of third grade with her pretty new dark blue glasses.  I started wearing glasses in the third grade also.  I can't wait to see her picture that I know her mom took.

More school memories....high school football games when I was a Lancerette (drill team).  We are all lined up behind the bleachers at "attention."  Our sponsor, Mrs. Davis, and our captain, inspects us all for the proper hairstyle, makeup, panty hose, no spots on our white boots or white gloves.  Me standing there, pre-contact years, without my glasses as I could not dance with them on, so everything was blurry. 

Maybe I'm just longing for fall and the hint of cooler weather.  That could be.  Regardless, I've enjoyed my "school days" reminiscing these last few days.  I hope all who have little ones in their lives enjoy a happy first day of school, whenever that day may come, as we all dream of cooler fall days ahead.

French Larkspur/The Ardent Sparrow Give-a-way

While tootling around the blogosphere this afternoon, I clicked on the French Larkspur button on my page, then went to her blog.  Really....it is one of the more beautiful blogs out there.  Anyway, Tracey mentions she is having a give-a-way as a pick-me-up.  How sweet of her to give a gift to make her feel better.  Won't you please bounce on over to French Larkspur to find out how to play, and then over to The Ardent Sparrow to pick your favorite? I made my choice.  I picked Love Will Find a Way earrings, but I also thought the Tinkerbell earrings and the Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day necklace were equally enchanting. 

I wish Tracy a better week (all three of her children were sick over the weekend) and thank her for offering this great give-a-way.  I, too, had a sick sweetie pie at my home this weekend.  My seven month old granddaughter, Kloe, had her first illness....a nasty stomach virus and fever.  Not fun, but she is on the mend today.  I can't imagine three kids all sick at the same time.  I can't imagine having three kids....period.  I know many who do have, my own mother included, and I am awe-inspired.  So.....enjoy the chance at a gift....courtesy of Tracey from French Larkspur.  If you do nothing else but browse around, you will enjoy her website and blog immensely.  It is truly gorgeous!

SOLD!

Sold to Kim in New Jersey.  How exciting!!  I will lovingly pack this beauty and get it shipped to her by the end of the weekend.  I also like to include a handmade tag as my thank you, so I will create that tonight. 

I just had to share the news!!

New Blogs and Painted Furniture

Remember the commercial from the 80's?  It was for a shampoo of some sort.  "They'll tell two friends, and so on, and so on..." Pictures of the same girl kept multiplying across the screen.  That is what came to mind this morning when I was visiting My Desert Cottage.  I saw a link to Miss Mustard Seed.  Yes, she is awesome.  Since painting and repurposing furniture is really my favorite creative thing to do, I was in heaven.  Marian is an artist.  There is no other word for it.  I can tell that I will learn a lot from her. 

And so on, and so on.... From that site, I went over to Erin's site:  Welcome Home....because of THIS:

This has my name written all over it!!  Erin will walk you through the process of creating this on her blog.  There is nothing I don't love about it.  I see something very similar in my future!!

So needless to say, I have become "followers" of these two new blogs.  As I prepare to refinish/repaint a friend's dresser, I will do a little more studying of these two blogs to see if there is something new I would like to try.  I believe there may be.  I'll be sure to take lots of before, during, and after shots of this upcoming project to share.

I do hope you'll check out all three of the blogs mentioned in this post.  It is one of the happiest parts of my day...to see what all my bloggy friends have been up to.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Books

I finally took pictures of my found books for my Etsy shop:  Provisions.  I still have to put them in there, but at least I am half-way there.  They are ever-so charming.  More favorites that I will have a hard time parting with, but at the same time, would love to share.  Here are some previews.

Look at the date:  1881!!

These articles are pasted to the inside of this book. 

I can't find a date on the clippings,

but they are on the author.  I've never seen anything like it.

Sorry to make you look sideways at this little charmer. 
I guess I forgot to flip it.

1902 ~ Wow!

Another head tilter...sorry. 
I just love the edges of these pages.

We are enjoying another rainy afternoon here in South Florida.  Some may be tired of it, but my forever wilted garden has not yet had its fill. 

Anyone who says sunsine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.  ~Unknown

Love it!!!

Churchill Downs

I happily finished my second Green Paper challenge this afternoon.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute, but I had a lot to stuff into this weekend.  I did a little research on Lady Churchill, but could not find anything I could latch onto artistically.  She was born in the U.S., but lived in the U.K. when she had her two sons.  Winston, of course, we are all familiar with.  She married three times in her lifetime.  Her last two husbands were only a few years older than Winston.  She was a most generous, philantropic woman, but still....I was having trouble.  So, I took artistic privilege with her name and went down the "Churchill Downs" path instead.  I had visions of more items to add to this piece, but the weekend slipped away from me and I decided to use only what I already had on hand.  Here she is:

She is a collage mounted on a tab divider page.  I used the three provided  images, plus some other images I had on hand and some torn pages from old books.  Here are two of my favorite parts of this piece:

 

I love this picture of the two girls with the new horse that Mom (the Lady herself) bought with the big check ($70...what a bargain!).  I also love the layering of birds here and the hand-stamped words on the tab.

I printed Lady Churchill's picture on velum as I did in the first challenge and hand-colored the sash and bows.  What I love here is how the torn pages layered beneath show through her image.  Some distress ink smudged on top finished it off nicely.

I put rings in the three holes and tied some old ribbon to each.  I had a few other images I would have loved to attach like an image of a loving cup or an actual small blue ribbon.  Time was not on my side, but all-in-all, I am pleased with the results.  So now....I'm off to post this with Green Paper and check out the other entries as well.  I hope to see yours there too!

Weekend Plans

I have so much to accomplish on this last three-day weekend of my summer work schedule.  Tomorrow I will be running a client's trim to the workroom (pictures will follow), touch base/meet with two other clients, work on my project for Green Paper (due by Sunday and my story only today popped in my head!), and ....... study every last word in this:

I had read on the Curious Sofa blog that it was coming and was thrilled today to find it on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.  I had to sit and take a quick perusal.  Two of my favorites:  Debbie Dusenberry of Curious Sofa and Laurie Lenfestey of Bittersweet.  (I am proud to say that I have a few necklaces from Laurie and love them!)  I am sure to find a few more favorites in the mix. Wait until you see the pet bed on page 73.  Love it!!!  I have a sweet kitty who would love it.  She may have a time keeping the dogs off though.  I'm going to have to try this or something very similar.  Just what this magazine was hoping to do...inspire ideas.  I continue to become inspired by the talented women featured in this publication.  It is amazing and makes me feel as if I can do anything! (Click on the WWC button on this page for more.)

Also in the mix for the weekend....a hair appointment!!  You know how we love that.  I am sorely overdue and can't wait to be shorter and blonder by mid-day on Saturday!  I might even spring for a pedicure.  All will be well in the world after those two occur.  (Can I get an "Amen!") 

And at some point, I really want to get my books loaded on my Provisions shop on Etsy.....but, I have misplaced the camera.  Oops!!  Must, must find it.....

And finally....I just came across this free clipart on The Graphics Fairy and just had to share it.  It is adorable!!

I'll check back in by Sunday evening....Green Paper challenge deadline.  Hopefully I will have accomplished all that I have set out to do and am all the better for it!!

New Challenge!

Yippee!!  It is new challenge day at Green Paper. Won't you join in??  I have already begun printing the images on many different mediums and will let them stew a day or two while I work on her story.  I really enjoyed the last challenge and have been waiting for this one to come about.  I know you will love it as well.  The deadline is Sunday, August 8. 



















Look at these lovely images.  I'm thrilled there is a bird there too.  Six people have already submitted their work, so if you need a little inspiration, click on the link above and take a look.

Hope to see you there!!