still here

 

 Yes, I am--

 still here... 

older AND stiller.

 Still loving wooden objects

but listing (and selling) these old croquet balls.

 These golden, stackable tables came to me from my parents' home

three years ago.  I still haven't used them.

So they are listed for sale now...

I will miss them.  But not really.

A gentleman will pick these five miniature plates up

this afternoon while we are attending the pony parade.

(Maybe I'll post photos of the parade here or on

my other blog which is updated more frequently these days...)

This is what I'll wear to the pony parade--

thrifted pink top and an even older thrifted black skirt.

(I don't visit thrift stores as much as I used to,

but I still wear thrifted clothes!)

Yes!  I'm still here!

sorting and selling

 Sorting

 and selling...

my new chair

Simple,

straightforward,

comfortable

and blue.
(And no, the tags aren't off of it yet.)

here today; gone tomorrow

 We have meetings today with purchasers for these items.  

They sold on a local Facebook site.

This means some extra cash AND some extra room!

Encouraged by my success,

I've gathered and washed up a bunch of blue crocks.

I think I'll post them and see what happens.

generous hospitality

 A Christmas tour of a friend's home

 included a delightful luncheon.

 I didn't know where to BEGIN to take photos of her beautiful Christmas decorations

and came home with sweet memories

but a disappointingly few photos.....

She will never know how blessed I was by her generous hospitality.

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????

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?

moody blue

 We brought it home from the thrift store with a plan to repaint and sell it,

but the longer I looked at it, the more I fell in love with its "moody blue" color.

And so after removing the paint from the top, the rest was sanded gently,

covered with wax and buffed to a soft, smooth finish.

A part of my heart is hoping no one answers the ad I placed offering it for sale..

a little blue

 In the process of not simply de-cluttering but de-owning,

 I emptied (and sold) two small hanging spice racks (with doors, etc.).

 Inside one were these miniature bottles.

 They are awaiting my decision about whether to de-clutter or de-own them.

This is HARD!

snow day projects

 Home-bound yesterday meant projects...

like bread-baking,

 tweaking the painted mattes of these

soft-blue vintage pictures,

and adding a few more touches to the dollhouse.

Thrift store and garage sale finds for me

usually require some type of repair or finishing touches...

and there's No Day like a Snow Day for getting them done.

the blues

I started out with my scarf THIS way...

but changed it around when I saw a friend wearing hers THIS way--

(This scarf was a gift and one of the prettiest I own.)

Do you have a favorite scarf?

And do you - like me - ever feel awkward about tying them?
While showing a bit of blue today, I might as well show you the closed curtains over
our kitchen sink....

 While usually open and looking through the back enclosed porch into the back yard,
when company came Saturday night, I decided to close them
to block the view of the cluttered porch.
It makes for a cozy feel in my kitchen, and I rather LIKE it.

(At least until I get the porch straightened up!)

blue and white

Seems like blue and white are popping up EVERYwhere in Blogland lately.

And here in our house, I've surrounded myself with blue!
(This is just a sprinkling of what's here!)

See a little more "blue" on my Pinterest Board HERE.

The Big Reveal

 The Big Reveal: I "settled" for different fabric a couple of weeks ago, thinking I would never find blue & white fabric at a thrift store or garage sale.  Then I found this fabric in a ready-made bed ensemble at a garage sale.  I disassembled it and sewed up these curtains for over our kitchen sink.  Yes!  This is what I was hoping for!
A couple of secrets about thrift store/garage sale decorating are (1) to be patient
and (2) to see beyond what "is" to what COULD be.

And here is where the gate-leg table ended up.  

Just right!