Dressing for Autumn

I'm working with an existing wardrobe...trying to make it
transition into fall successfully.  I'm limited because of some pounds I've gained, but decided to add browns to my plaid blue skirt that I bought this summer.

I added my trusty gold belt and a gold necklace.

A rust colored jacket and brown shoes, and I was ready to go visit a friend in the hospital this morning and to teach a piano lesson later in our home. 

Everything - and I do mean EVERYTHING - was a thrift store purchase!

 I carried this bag - a gift from a friend a couple of Christmases ago...

accessories are all the rage!

 She always finds a hat appropriate for the occasion...

 and an apron adds some femininity to an otherwise casual outfit...

Accessorized from top to bottom.

Grandma's shoes and boots work just fine!

Of course a basket over an arm is important, too.

 ...and a Great Smile is the BEST accessory one can ever wear
and it goes with ANYthing!
(You've gotta love the hair stuff going on here, too!)

the "bigs"

 In my last post, I showed you some "littles"...

 here are the "bigs"!

 I purchased these two life-sized dolls at a church rummage sale for $1@.

I was told that they arrived naked at the church. 

One of the workers promptly clothed them with donated clothes.

 We think THIS one is Haley Mills.  She is a marked "Disney" doll.

 I was excited to find this tilt-top child's table at my favorite thrift store last Saturday.

I know I'm blessed to have this skilled and capable repairman living with me!

He has removed the rough paint on top.  I'm trying to figure out how to finish the table.

more littles

I was happy to find this plate.  I already gave away the one I found earlier this week.

It cost less than a card and (loaded with a few mini-muffins)
made a simple thank you gift for a friend.

 My fascination with wooden objects is unending.  I brought home the bird napkin ring,

a "wide-bowl spork" and a honey dipper from my favorite thrift store today.

 What REALLY fascinated me was this molded nut dish!

The tools were missing, but I knew I had an extra set at home.

Now I'm waiting for a special on some walnuts-in-the-shell.

My husband shopped with me today. 

I have some more treasures to show.  

They are larger and in the garage.  

I'll show them next week, but I couldn't wait to document some of my new "littles"!

eighty cents!

I have a weakness for simple, hand-made pottery.  

I couldn't resist this bowl yesterday at my favorite thrift store...

 ...nor this white creamer...

 ...nor this small plate.

Better than a thank you note!

I'm having a difficult time getting the picture of a  Marjolein Bastin (Hallmark) paperweight 

I also purchased.  (The artificial light is creating a bad glare.) 

The shell, flower, and butterfly images in it are blue.  SO beautiful.  

When I brought all of this and another small plate to the cashier,

she announced my total to be $.80.

Eighty Cents!

the longer...the more

 The longer we sit in this room with this arrangement, 

the more we like it!

(We sit in two recliners across the room from this view.)

 While looking for something else, I found these autumn leaves.  

(A thrift store purchase, I'm sure.)

I brought them out and placed them on our "new" round coffee table

alongside the candle.

 Behind the black chair in the first picture is this old, standup radio. 

The slide-out drawer holds a small CD player that supplies some mood music now and then.

 

The fabric at the bottom of the radio hides some miscellaneous items 

and matches the seat covering on this bench that stands just inside our front door.

The bench is where the red contingency of my tin collection hangs out.
I think I've successfully created my "nest" for cold weather now!
(The longer I live, the more I am content to nest...)

Half a Dollar

 Friday, I checked out two church rummage sales--my favorite kind of sale...

I spent a total of $9.00.

This heavy, ironstone bowl was far and away my favorite purchase.

All fifty cents of it!
Half a dollar still has purchasing value.

It's about 9" in diameter...

It will definitely find a place in my stepback cupboard!

free and finished

You might remember our "free" table (curbside find)...

 (above) refinished and still in the garage.

 Finding its place in our living room...

the box on top of the table a thrift store find,
also repaired and finished by my husband.

 Home, at last (for now)...

I'm standing here...

waiting for the hands on the clock to move and

dressed in my signature thrift store style. 

There is a church rummage sale today.

I need a new (used) robe!
Check out WHY here.

lighting the autumn night

 My husband wired one of the lanterns we found at a garage sale recently.

 Last night, we checked it out!

I'm very pleased with the look.  

It shares this table top just outside our front door 

with a garage-sale-purchased goose decoy and a fresh squash.

autumn table dressing

These three tablecloths dress our table variously throughout this autumn season.

All are thrift store purchases.  

I also purchased this large pumpkin 

and two smaller ones at a garage sale over the weekend.

So far our autumn has been absolutely perfect weather-wise.

It's difficult to concentrate on indoor chores! 

Splurge

After our roadside "freebies" on Thursday,

I felt ready for this splurge!
(Usually I deal in dimes and quarters
AFTER I check out the "free box".)

All for $5 at a garage sale Friday!

They've already found a place in our flower beds.

 Speaking of $.25 - that's what I paid
for these Aerology by Aerosoles!
One. Quarter.

 In this case, I splurged on comfort!

fortuitous finds

Some of you can imagine my ecstasy at spotting 

these items on the side of a country road last night!

We were driving to meet friends,

enjoying the gorgeous fall colors,

(and I confess to having been reading a book out loud)

ALL at the same time!

It's a wonder I saw it!

My husband had to back up.

It was SO worth the stop.

A good cleaning and some wood refinishing, 

and we will have some fine items to enjoy!

I think it worth a heads up to mention 17 Benefits of Being Yourself over at The Simply Luxurious Life.  If you need a little boost to your self- esteem or find yourself wavering under the tides of current trends in decorating or fashion, this post is for you. 

I'm off to enjoy what is predicted to be a wonderful autumn weekend!

Hope you enjoy it, too.

free and reasonable and repaired

FREE!

I'm thinking a child's potting bench here...

Stay tuned.

REASONABLE.

I'm still thinking about the pair of these.

Large; heavy; ornamental.

They had too many possibilities to pass them up.

We found these items at a garage sale on the way

to our Sunday afternoon outing.

I was thrilled.

 REPAIRED.

I found this box some time ago at a thrift store (I believe).

My husband constructed the missing "handle" on one side

and brought it into the house today,

cleaned and shined.  

I like its simple lines.