Some Handmade Bling

Felt the need for some new bling.

The kind that I put together myself with some of the parts and pieces I've gathered over time.

I needed something blue as it is my favorite color these days.

 This one is mixed metals, stone and glass.

 And this one is ...

 horn and stone, metal and bone.

A little something odd is fun sometimes.

karen

Autumn Decor

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder.

Autumn is upon us.

Time to bring out the Fall decorations.

karen

Lost The Creative Me Someplace

Today I tried to force creativity.

It didn't work.

Found frustration instead.

 The best I could do was a few photos.

 Enjoying blue.

 And coziness.

karen

Pretty Blue Glass

Swirly blue glass on a chippy white table.

karen

Spider Lace and Natures Jewels

The spiders are busy making lace between the spindles on the deck.

 The nights have been chilly here and the webs were heavy with dew this morning as I stepped outside to have my morning coffee.

 They sparkled like jewels in the sun light.

It seems kind of sad to sweep them away.

karen

A Shabby Loft

For years the space overlooking our great room has not been used.

It housed a sofa where occasionally one of the kids would sleep during the Holidays.

Recently my daughter and her husband bought their first home and the sofa went to live there.

All of a sudden there was nothing in the loft.

It didn't take long for me to figure out what to do with this wonderful empty space.

I purchased a little, old, chippy, white table with a drawer in it to use as a desk.

I filled the space with my shabby chic girly things.

Candles and flowers and everything pretty.

It's the perfect place for my vintage laundry cart.

All of my shabby things that I didn't have a place for now have a home.

It's a soft, quiet place for me

and a magical kind of space

where my grand daughter can play dress up when she gets a little older.

I'm really happy that sofa went someplace else to live.

karen

Three Months Old

My sweet grand baby is three months old already.

 Oh, I wish she lived closer.

Thank goodness for iPhones and computers.

karen

Oh POOH

As time goes on, visits to my favorite antique and junk shops yield fewer things worthy of being added to my collections. The STUFF has taken over and I seem to spend more time sorting and throwing things out than I do bringing things in.

This is a good thing!

It's amazing how quickly the STUFF can accumulate.

I'm careful now to try to choose things that I am certain I will use, like containers for storing things.

Jars are always useful for keeping the clutter under control.

Yesterday I happened upon this:

Classic Winnie The Pooh

 The sweetest little jar 

with a lovely pewter lid.

The perfect container for my favorite clay beads.

Looks so much better than the plastic bag that they were in.

I'm learning that in order to bring something new into my home, I must remove something old to make room for it.
I fell in love with this pretty little cup and saucer. They aren't a set, but to me they look perfect together.
So, I brought this one home with me and found a chipped one that I'm throwing out.

 Handmade pottery is a tough thing for me to pass up.
Especially when I find a piece glazed in pink and blue.

 Just right for holding my vintage crochet hooks.

 I usually have a coffee mug with me at all times, so at $1 I couldn't not bring this home with me.

 And this one is just right for my kombucha tea.

Now I must donate two old mugs that I don't especially love in order to keep these.

In the process I'll probably remove more than two of my lesser favorites thus freeing up even more space.  

karen

A Day With Anna

On Tuesday I was treated to a wonderful day of shopping and lunch with my sweet sister-in-law Anna.

We spent the day browsing shops in the historic town of Ligonier, PA.

I was in heaven.

Boutiques, art galleries, a bead shop, two wonderful yarn shops, antiques and an amazing lunch.

What more could I ask for?

Better photos maybe, but the day was perfect and the experience was fabulous.

 This lovely Victorian home had gardens that I only dream of.

 I so wanted to sneak beyond the gait to have a better look.

 This old building was once a hospital and now houses multiple little shops.

We stopped in to do some shopping in the yarn shop.

Can you see the life size sheep standing on the wall?

 This art gallery was closed the day we were there, so I must make a trip back there sometime soon.

 Giant handmade sculptures capture your attention outside.

 And the sights through this beautiful stained glass door made me giddy with excitement.

I must return soon as this was the place I wanted to see the most.

If you are ever in PA, it's worth the trip to Ligonier.

karen

Happy Flowers

The last days of summer have brought an end to my garden.

A recent storm knocked over the only thing left.

The beautiful sunflowers.

I've always thought of sunflowers as happy flowers.

I love their brilliant color, the way they stand tall looking toward the sky and the happy way they dance in the breeze.

Ready or not, these ones were salvaged from Monday's storm.

The few left standing are making the bees happy now and will make the birds happy later.

Have a happy day!

karen