cider

Thankful for the sweet, persistent kindness and generosity of friends! 

This may be the best cider I've ever tasted.

hard to explain

 This collection of mine

 is difficult

 to explain

 at almost every level.

 So I won't try.

 I can't remember how it started

 and have no idea when it will end.

 All I know is that it has cost me little

 and leaves me a little speechless...

idea harvesting

 I spent a couple of hours "idea harvesting"

at Barnes and Noble this afternoon.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of new magazines on the stands, and 

(though I shouldn't have been)

by how many Christmas issues there were already.

 I was attracted to the first photo because of the layers of color,

textures, and patterns.  The room is full and interesting, in my opinion.

The last photo was attractive to me because of its simplicity.

If I remember correctly, it appeared in an article about 

savoring silence and "alone" time during the holiday season.

As usual, I returned home with fresh ideas

and enthusiasm to tweak my personal surroundings.

With many decorating blogs becoming so cluttered

and many resorting to advertising,

I found the current magazines an enjoyable alternative today!

for a quarter...

In spite of its flaws I couldn't pass it up for a quarter.

I've tried to find another like it on Google images.

So far, no luck.

It's heavy.  I thought ironstone perhaps.

It's blue and white.  That's a winning combination in MY opinion.

Additional information welcomed!

Changing the subject a bit,

we sold the second of two "sofa tables" my husband constructed out of an old dinner table.

They really DID turn out beautifully with their pale grey painted "body"

and natural wood tops.

I wonder what project he'll work on next????

smitten

 From the bare-bones bookcase purchased for $5 at a garage sale...

...to this sweet beauty, fashioned by my husband.

It is painted a very pale baby blue, slightly distressed and waxed to a smooth finish,

I'm smitten!

a stop at the shop

On the way to spend the afternoon with my mother last week,

I stopped at my Favorite Thrift Store to select a birthday card for a friend.

(For $.45 I find some very beautiful and appropriate greeting cards!)

 Then I made my quick pass through the store.  I was happy to add the blue and white tin

to my blue tin collection ($.10),

and how could I pass up this sweet, unmarked pottery dachshund ($.25)?
I found this puppy on ebay with a pincushion on its back!  What do YOU think?

And you!  What unexpected "treasures" have you stumbled on recently?

the magic of framing

Yesterday morning, my husband and I took a walk in a local nature preserve.
(You can see some photos here...)

While transferring the photos to my computer, I noticed

how much THIS one reminded me of an amateur painting I'd bought a long time ago

(probably at a thrift store).

I took it out of the small, nondescript brown frame it was in

and painted the frame black.

It fit beautifully into another frame I had on hand - again purchased

either at a thrift store or garage sale.

By the time I returned home this afternoon from a pleasant lunch and visit with a friend,

the inner frame was dry and the whole deal ready to be assembled.

Ta Dah!

What a difference framing makes..