Happy New Year AND Happy Birthday Everyone!!!

I just had to do it: wish everyone a very happy New Year AND birthday; because....you see, you can't escape it. It's the start of a new year and everyone on the planet will get to celebrate a birthday sometime this year!!!! I got lucky, my birthday is the month of Jan. so it comes first. Some will be excited ( if you are 5!!) others will want to bury their heads in the sand and re-emerge sometime later. It all depends on how you choose to look at your birthday. I choose to celebrate every last minute of mine, take all the congrats I can get, eat all the cake I want, and generally be happy and elated for the day. This reminds me of the glass half full or half empty question. I was thinking about this the other day and unfortunately for me, I learned of this question way back when I was in college. I was in a psych class and read about the question of half empty or full as an experiment. I was never actually asked the question. I often wonder what my answer would have been if asked, would I have looked at myself "without enough" as in half empty, or would I have answered "half full"? What does it mean if you look at the glass as just a glass of something?? Not full OR empty??!! That probably would have been me, a fence sitter.........pondering both sides of the question. I tend to do that, much to the dismay of people around me.
This brings me back to birthdays, celebrate yours!! You can't stop it, it's coming, so enjoy it. What's the alternative? and who wants THAT!? Step up to the plate (literally) and eat cake, enjoy your day to the fullest, you are the boss, it's yours to enjoy, and just think, when it's over, you have a whole year before (if you are lucky) it's back again!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing Everyone A Very Merry Christmas!!

We spend all year waiting, planning and trying to stay ahead of the holiday season. We plan parties, write our Christmas cards, wrap our gifts and want to be stress free. My hope for all of you reading this is that you accomplished those plans and are all ready for the big day. This year we are going to Cabo for a week. I had no choice but to get it all together, because when we return, there is no time and no looking back. It's over, and all that will be left is the what if's. My packages, or most of them, are bought, wrapped and under the tree. I have a ham in the refrigerator for dinner Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The one big thing that didn't get done this year are my Christmas cards. Yes! I will be taking them with me to have them completed and ready to mail as soon as we return.

I am already asking myself "where did the year go?" Hard to believe that 2008 is coming to an end. Every year I think it goes faster and faster, and with it goes another year of my life!!! At this rate I will be an old woman in no time....I have to admit, I enjoy life each and everyday. I often wonder what else can I do to enrich and enjoy the days to their fullest. You know how people say enjoy each day like it is your last? Well, no one ever says what you are suppose to do if you are already doing that!!! What comes next?? No matter how much you live life to it's fullest, love your self and your family, give to the less fortunate and try and do good deeds, father time comes and steals seconds, minutes and hours from your day. There just is never enough of it.

My advice is this, just have fun this holiday, stay safe, enjoy yourselves, don't worry about eating too much because you already know that you will. You can worry about it during the New Year when you yet again have a chance to make all those resolutions you won't keep anyway. My big promise to myself was to lose weight, me and every other woman out there. It's Dec. and I still haven't lost anything!!! So it begins again, I will get more exercise, eat less and get healthy....yeah right!!!

From Thanksgiving To Christmas, Move Over!!

Thanksgiving, Christmas

What Happened in Between??

Yep, that's my lucky husband ( lucky, because he is married to me!!) getting ready to carve the Thanksgiving turkey. Next to him is our nearly 3 yr. old grand-daughter with her mother on her side. See the smiles??? It's always fun at grandma and grandpa's house. We had a wonderful day and one that brought many blessings to all of us. Just being together and enjoying a lovely meal is a blessing. We are all healthy, safe and enjoy each others company. I can honestly say that I know parents and children that don't want to be in the same room with each other. Such a complete and total loss. Anyway, lets move it along, shall we??!!

Before I knew what hit me, Thanksgiving was gone and Christmas is upon us. I had most of the tree up the day before Thanksgiving and even had some wrapped gifts under it as well. Unbelievable you say? It's true, but I must confess, this is the first year that this has happened. You see, I am one that loves fall so much and the wonderful tradition of giving thanks, that our tree never goes up until Thanksgiving is behind us. This year is different tho because we are going on a trip and there would be no time once we return. This too is a first. More about that when we return. Where are we going, you ask? It's a secret to be revealed upon our return. I have to say that I did like having the tree up this early and may repeat the process next year as well. We all get so harried this time of year and don't enjoy the festivities as much as we should. Lets not forget why we are celebrating in the first place. Lets enjoy our families and spend time together doing things as a family. Lets watch less T.V. and have less computer time. Let's keep the doors open to our rooms and be accessible to one another for chats about what is going on in our lives. A new year will be here all too quickly and this glorious holiday season will just be a memory of the past. Let's make it one to be remembered always.

Graditude

It's that time of year when we start to reflect on the past, search our hearts and question "where has the time gone?"
November is the month when we plan to get together with the family, eat way too much, and generally feel good about ourselves. We spend time with people we don't see often enough, and vow we will see more. We will do better next year. We make promises we know we won't keep, but hoping somehow that things really will be different in the future. Deep in our hearts, it's what we want, but there is never enough time for it all. Time does indeed fly by faster and faster with each passing year. I think that is because we become busier and busier with each passing year. We should be doing the opposite: slowing down and heeding the warnings of not enough time spent with family. In this great big world we live in, isn't family the only people that truly care about us? Yet we give them the leftovers of our time, just like the turkey sandwich the day after.....but, we do love that sandwich, almost as much as the Thanksgiving meal we had the day before!!!
If you read the book, The Secret, then you know that gratitude is something that needs to be a part of your daily life. Be grateful for another day, another meal, people to love you. I often joke, if I can get out of bed, breath on my own and remember my name, it's going to be a great day! My family laughs at that, but what is the alternative? None of us knows when that day will arrive, lets celebrate each and every day, every family member and friends, just like it's the last. We don't need Thanksgiving to remind us of how very lucky we are to be alive, we just need to realize and be grateful for each day we have on earth, to love one another, to help one another, be kind and considerate. You wouldn't think that would take a conscience decision, but it takes practice and lots of it. This is a fast paced and hard world we live in. When we sit down to our Thanksgiving meal of roasted turkey, potatoes, and other delights, lets take a minute to really reflect on our lives and think about what we could do to improve not only our lives, but others as well.....we have so much to be grateful for.

VETERANS DAY TODAY

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have served this great country in the past, as well as the present. Without you we would not have the freedom we have today, or the future of a great tomorrow. Many have given their lives so that we could live free, thankyou just does not seem enough. I pray that today we all take time to honor the fallen and the brave. Say a pray for the men and women that are risking their lives today so that we can have a tomorrow.

The Cutest Twins In The World!

These beautiful baby twin boys are our daughters sons. All dressed up for Halloween and ready to party. They a 1 1/2 years old and so not too sure of what is about to happen. Jack, on the left is Captain Hook, Kyler on the right is dressed as a pirate from the movie, Pirates of The Carribean. So cute and just adorable. HEY!! Where's the candy??!!

Could This Halloween Baby Be Any Cuter??

Even tho this holiday is behind us, who could resist this sweet angel, baby girl. This is my newest grand daughter, Jenna. So cute in her little costume, she was a pumpkin that turned into a princess.....

I AM HONORED TO RECEIVE A MARIE ANTOINETTE BLOG AWARD

I was given the honor of this blog award by my good friend Debbi. I want to thankyou so much for this. I will certainly pass this honor on. You can view Debbi's beautiful blog at: http:cgtreasures.blogspot.com

Here are the list of rules for this award: Here are the rules:1. Please put the logo on your blog2. Link it to the person from whom you received the award3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs 4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog 5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them (I'm letting them know here too)And the winners are:~
http://carolannesboutique.blogspot.com/
http://brandywineboutiques.blogspot.com/
http://pinkbuttercreme.blogspot.com

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Our grand-daughter was a fairy princess for Halloween this year. She didn't need the costume tho, because she is already a princess in our eyes. She reminded us of all the excitement of this wonderful holiday when you get to dress up in anything you can imagine, be anyone you can imagine without someone thinking where you really belong is the "nut house." I walked with her and her father for 1 hour and 1/2. I don't know how she did it!!! I don't remember how long I used to be out when I was her age, but I can tell you I got my exercise last night and would not have traded it for anything in the world. We had a great time. When you got home, she did what we all did and still do, dumped out the loot and dug in!!!! It's nice to see some things never change!

Fall In Gatlinburg, Tennessee

I spent the last seven days in the beautiful city of Gatlinburg, TN with my husband and two of our closest friends. We were invited to stay at a resort for the week. I couldn't say no to an offer like that one, as you see, fall is my favorite time of year and I didn't want to miss the gorgeous colors of the changing vegetation.

I was amazed at how much decoration there was.....it was EVERYWHERE! Pumpkins, scarecrows and cornstocks. They were tied around anything standing, even had the corn still on the stocks!! Beautiful, large pumpkins were outside buildings, all decorated in the theme of fall. I must say it was very beautiful.

We spent 3 great years in Georgia and loved every minute of the south. There is just something special in the air, the friendly people, the food, a feeling of coming home. Safety maybe? It's hard to explain unless you have been there. I am a city girl, born and raised in the great state of California, but the south has my heart, I must confess. It was hard to leave, but like I have said before, home is where the heart is, or should be...........hummmm??? Has me wondering....

The Great Smoky Mountains were as beautiful as you would imagine. We did a lot of climbing and even saw a black bear. Needless to say, I would love to return some day and repeat the experence......to be continued for sure.

I've Been Very Busy

I have decided to take a break from ebay for awhile. I hope to be back there selling at the end of the month.

I am concentrating my efforts on other sites right now, as there are only so many hours in a day. I am focusing most of my time in my etsy shop, the Friday Flea Market and soon to be opening, Lollishops. On top of taking all of this on, I am happy to announce that I am also selling through the Market Square on Shabby Lane, and am a guest seller on VintageToChic. WHEW!!! That seems like a lot to bite off, but I am having so much fun. This keeps me very busy designing and creating beautiful things for you, and that is what I love to do. Please check back often as I will be adding new items weekly to my shops.

The Friday Flea Market is a concept where talented artists come together on one site, for one day a week, and offer you the best of the best. If you would like to visit us on Fridays, please just click on the red button on the right of this page.

The holidays are fast approaching, so I have been coming up with items for your shabby cottage home and also for use as gifts. Many of my designs would be perfect for teachers gifts, hostess gifts or keep them for your own use. Please sit, enjoy a cup of java, tea or any other beverage and look around............you are always welcome.....

Fall Pumpkins

This is the reason I just love fall. How can resist decoracting their homes with beautiful pumpkins, whether they are fresh or handmade?! The fall leaves, scarecrows, witches and all the Halloween decorations, not to forget the candy and scary movies. BUT, that's just a warm up for the real thing: Thanksgiving....a time to pull out all the stops. I get to use my orange pumpkin soup tureen with matching bowls, beautiful leaf napkin rings and lovely dishes. Family comes over and spends the day...now I ask you, what more could you want??!! I can answer this question with one simple word: cold weather. We are in the desert, so we usually are still wearing shorts and tee shirts. It's still in the 80's during the day and not much cooler at night. All in all, I am beginning to get used to it. I have found that you need a day trip to the mountains to get into the fall mood, otherwise, this holiday will come and go and leave you wondering if you fell asleep and missed something!
You can find my pumpkins on ebay and on etsy, thankyou and Happy Fall Everyone.

FAIRY SWAP ON ETSY COTTAGE STYLE

This darling baby shoe was given to me by my fairy swap partner Barbara. It is a pin cushion, but I will not use it for that purpose. It's waaay too cute to be stuck with pins!!!! This will have a place of honor on a night table for all to see. Barbara did a great job and was a wonderful swap partner. I am now on a quest to make one of these baby shoe pin cushions to sell on ebay or in my etsy shop.

This little shoe was painted with a pink crackle paint and also is embellished with a small news print in the german language. The toe has pretty silk flowers and a baby with lace wings, thus the "fairy". A pretty pink ribbon is used for the shoe ties. I just can't tell you how much I appreciate the time it took to create this lovely piece for me. Thankyou Barbara, I will always treasure this gift.

Fall Is In The Air??!! OH BOY, Another Swap!!

I had the wonderful honor of being in a swap this month, and low and behold, I am lucky enough to be in another one. This one is a Halloween Door Swap, and I think that speaks for itself. I already have my project picked out and am ready for action. I probably don't have to tell you that fall is my very favorite season of the year. Oh the colors, I don't think anything can beat them. The rusts, burnt oranges, browns, reds and the yellows, all so beautiful. It is the whole season that I love, corn stalks with pumpkins on the porches, cool brisk air and the start of fires burning in fireplaces. Apples and all that goes with that word: pies, cider, the list goes on and on. October is the start of the best 3 months of the year for me. It's also the best month for candy and t.v. movies. Just think of any other time during the year when you can choose and buy such a variety of candy. Bite size candy.....candy that was around when I was a child. That must be what makes it so special for me, I see candy that you don't see everyday during the rest of the year, brings back great memories of growing up. What a treat.
Movies: now this has to be one great month for those of us that like horror movies. I remember being dissapointed last year because the selection was not like in previous years. What happened?? I find it hard to believe there was no interest in horror movies or great mysteries. What would Halloween be without the Jason movies, or Friday the 13th, or I know what you did, Scream, Hitchcock, the list goes on and on. I'm getting so excited just thinking about all of it.
I live in the desert. During fall months, we are still wearing shorts, tee shirts and flip flops. We still have green grass that needs to be mowed, and we still run our air conditioners. It is still in the 90's here. Cooler at night, but summer still the same. The leaves on the trees don't begin to turn until Dec. so it's hard to get into the mood for Halloween. There is one option tho, and that is to head for the mountains, just under a 2 hour drive away. The elevation is 5 and 6,000 feet, so fall has landed, even if not in the valley. I guess you could say we are very lucky and can have our cake and eat it too.
The best news for me is that I get to spend a week in Oct. in the Smokey Mountains at a resort with friends this year. Yaaahoooo. I am so excited to get back south with all it has to offer and just enjoy ringing it all in. My bags will be packed and ready to go long before it's time, I will have to dig deep to find long pants, sweaters, sweatshirts and socks. I don't think I have seen any of those clothes for years. Hey, maybe I'll just go shopping??!!! BUT, right now I'm off to get ready for my swap and all the fun it'll bring to both me and my swap partner.

Swaps~Such Fun~Find One And Join In

I belong to a group of very talented women called Etsy Cottage Style. One of the things going on was a sign up to do a swap with the theme: fairies. I had done basket swaps in the past and so I felt this would be a fun swap to join. The way the basket swaps worked was, weave a basket, mail it to your swap buddy and receive a basket in return. Now, I have to tell you this was great fun. Altho I am not into fairies so to speak, I knew I could come up with something that would, hopefully make someone else happy. One of the rules was to use any medium you wanted as long as it contained the theme, fairies.

I had taken a couple of scrapbooking classes and so I thought I would use paper as my medium. I must tell you this was great fun. I had supplies on hand, but also needed to purchase a few things as well. This adventure is what led me to the world of tags, hanging tags, gift tags if you will. Now, this is a very fun item to make. I already had all the essentials at hand, just needed to get it together and start creating. I took pink cardstock and my oh so chic french stamps, some black ink and began my quest. I cut shapes, stamped and glued until my little heart was full. I could have gone on for days.....now what? I asked. What do I do with all of these stamps!? Why, sell them I said, and that is just what I intend to do. We shall see how this all turns out in the end. It just may be the end of my little career, or the beginning of some wild ride that has no end in site. Only the imagination knows for sure. Stay tuned for more of my little adventure as I progress.

YUM......COPPER...COTTAGE? NO, BUT WHO CARES!!!

This pot rack hangs in my kitchen over my island and is loaded with?........yep, you guessed it: COPPER!!!!!!! My absolute favorite pot and pan. I started collecting copper when we lived in Greece back in the early 80's. We lived on the island of Crete, and when we traveled to Athens, I would hit the back alleys for all the great copper I could carry. If my husband was lucky enough to travel to Turkey, he knew the one thing in the world I wanted, (besides his safe return) was a piece of copper. Men would line the streets with liquid tin just waiting to line the inside of a pot or pan so it could be used for cooking. What fun this was.

Polish you ask??? Are you kidding me!!!! This happens about twice a year and I hate it. Oh, not the polishing, but the effect that copper has when it's cleaned. All nice and shiny, just like new. That's NOT for me. I am a patina girl, and love the look of a dark, rusty orange copper pot that looks like it's been around for a long time. A pot that has been loved, and used to cook great family meals....lots of memories. I not only have pots hanging in my kitchen from the ceiling, but also on the walls in my kitchen, dining room and family room. I think like antiques, it's the hunt for a great piece, one you can't find anywhere else.

I inherited my grandmothers Paul Revere ware, you know, the ones that are stainless and copper on the bottoms?! When my husband and I first were married, we bought our first set of Revere ware with copper bottoms. There is a huge difference between the weight of my grandmothers pans and mine. You can absolutely tell the difference between the old and the new. I haven't seen revere ware with the copper bottoms in years. I have no idea if you can buy then any more. I cherish grandmas pans and hope my children will see, in time, that a pot not polished shiny bright has value hanging for all to cherish and enjoy.

I've won an award

I feel so honored to have been chosen for this award. It has been given to me by Kellie of papercatdesigns. When you are new to blogging or the the computor, unsure of what you are doing, but trying none the less to make a statement, change the way people may view a certain craft or item, or just making yourself heard, this is over the top for me and I am profoundly grateful to have been given this. Thankyou Kellie so much. I now have the duty and the honor to pass this award to others that I think are well deserving. Here is my list of bloggers that I bestow this honor on. Ladies, you are well deserving of this:

Ms. Connie....Ms. Mona.....Ms. Cleo.....Ms. Debbi......Ms. Suzanne.....Ms. Denise......Ms. Peggy.......

Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou!!!

The rules for receiving this award are:1) Put the logo on your blog.2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.4) Add links to those blogs on yours.5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

To Weave Or Not To Weave

That is the question I am asking myself this week. Believe me, it's a very valid question to ask. I have been a weaver of baskets for over 15 yrs and have seen this craft's popularity come and go. In the 80's, weaving was huge, and today I have to say, it's gone by the way of inexpensive imports. What a shame....baskets have been around since the beginning of time. They have been used as vessels to hold all sorts of items, from food to clothes. I can't think of a room in your home that wouldn't be better off with some sort of handmade basket. Hang one on a peg, hook, off the side of a chair, on the wall, or door knob. AND the gifts!!! Who WOULDN'T want a basket just by itself or filled with some sort of wine, muffins, plants, cookies, candy, decorator napkins, the list could go on and on. The above basket was made for my 2 year old grand-daughter's Easter basket. It was the perfect size for her to handle, and what a keepsake. I could have gone to the craft store and bought a basket that was just like a million others, but what would have been the point? I suppose if it doesn't matter, and is just a throw away vessel, then that's fine. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with store bought baskets, it depends on it's pursose in life. I think most baskets bought from the craft store probably serve there purpose and then end up at a garage sale or in the trash. If that is what you want, that's your choice. I on the other hand love something that was carefully created and crafted with love by another and is made to be passed down from one generation to another. Baskets that take on a patina with age, and like wine, get better and better. Call it appreciation from one weave for the work of another. I think maybe you may feel you have no choice as to where you select or buy your basket because it's hard to find weavers now a days. If you live on the east coast or down south, there are numerous craft shows where weavers come and sell theirs goods. That is where I would sell most of my handmade baskets. I have participated in many juried shows in VA, AZ, GA and Maryland. I loved it. So many beautiful things are offered by so many talented artists. My hope is that baskets make a way back into our lives the way it used to be. I am trying to do my part to keep this craft alive and well. At Christmas I bake lots of goodies, pack them into my handmade baskets and share them with my neighbors. So far everyone has always been home to receive them with a smile. I guess the writing will be on the wall the day all the window shades are drawn and the doors locked when they see my coming. That would be a sad day indeed.

Cottage or Primitive Style?

This sweet raggedy annie doll symbolizes my cottage style in a dolls body. I guess you could say the pink hair says it all!!! Dresses in gorgeous fabrics showcasing roses, vintage quilted pieces, buttons and lace, just to name a few. Annie looks like she could be at home in any little girls room, (big girls and little girls, it's all the same.) In this picture I have her sitting on an antique childs chair I was fortunate enough to buy while I was visiting England. When I think of cottage, the color pink just comes to mind. I have to admit that I am not a pink person. My favorite color is and always has been yellow. I am not a pastel person either. I love the fall colors of burnt orange, deep colors just like a ripe pumpkin in October, red and rust with lots of golden yellows thrown in. This is my favorite season of all, and to me, the most beautiful colors of the world. When I envision a cottage, all white with large wooden porches, wicker chairs and cushy cushions, I envision the inside being light, bright and the type of place you wouldn't want to leave. Lots of roses both in fabrics and fresh, the smell of spring in the air. This is where it gets complicated for me.

Now comes the primitive part:

This is where it becomes tricky for me. I love primitive everything!!! The oldness of something that you know has been loved before. The patina antiques take on with age and time. The darkness of the wood and fabrics. Oh, the textiles, rich with color. You can have a typical looking cottage on the outside, all white with lots of greenery and beautiful roses blooming everywhere, but the first step inside and you know, this is not the typical pink cottage you see in the magizines. Primitive, dark aged furniture, cushions in deep blues, rusty reds, and yellow orcras. Fabrics on the walls, hanging for all to see, homemade candles, pip berries in wooden bowls, lots of rusty tin objects...the list goes on and on. Quilts everywhere and the smell of apple pie instead of lavender. Come on, need I say more?! If I had to pick one or the other, I am afraid it would have to be apple pie over lavender. Sorry my friends, it's me, it's in my blood, but it's not the life I live. It's my dream some day, but for now, it's the desert with a little of both thrown in for comfort. It's too hot in the summer to have the oven on for pies, so I smell lavender in my home, with a mixture of citrus, then in fall, I break free, and bring home the scents of heaven.

The Desert Is Warming Up, Summer Is Here

We were lucking enough to have a wonderful week in the 70's with 3 days of rain, but that was then and this is now......in the 90's this week and it's here to stay. Get out the suits everyone because pool time is getter closer....it would be very difficult to live in this type of heat without the help of a hole in the ground, filled with sparkling blue water. The problem with summer in the desert is that it doesn't cool off at night. There is so much concrete, roads, walls and stucco that retain the heat, you can't get away from it. It's a wonderful life if you love being outside 12 months of the year, playing golf or just playing, bar-b-queing, swimming, fishing, hiking etc. The problem with all of this sun worshiping is that it is just too long. Summer will last around 5 months before we see a break in the 100 degree temps. Oh well, better go find that suit and the sun tan lotion.......it's a rough life, but someone has to live it.

Lazy Blogger

I must say that I am probably the worst blogger known to mankind. I really have the desire to write, share pictures and let everyone know what my opinions are, but it's the time factor that leaves much to be desired lately. There just isn't any of it left in the day for me. Why? you ask?? Well, our son and family just bought a larger home and sold theirs. We all got together, both sides of the family and pitched in to help. We are now fortunate enough to have them with us until their new home closes and the finishing touches are in place. That should be about 3 weeks or so. We love having them here, because we now see our 2 yr old grand daughter every day, and what could be better??!! Thus the time factor.............between listing on ebay, etsy, vintagetochic and now I'm on icraft....I know, but don't despair, I haven't listed on there yet, there is little time to create beautiful cottage and primitive items to sell. I have so many ideas and need to get busy. So, with that being said, I promise to return with pictures to share and ideas to give.............................some day soon!!!!

Painting Ebay Pretty Friends

I just returned from a trip to Colorado and found a comment from one of my P.E.P friends about my writing style and my blog. She liked it!!!!!!!!! Hey Devonia, you liked it!!!!!! I must admit, that made my day. We had been driving for 13 hours and I was tired, needed to check my selling sites, and found a friend had something nice to say to me. Devonia has a blog herself and I must add, a good one, filled with lots of pictures and mucho information. There is a part of me that envies her.....she clearly knows what she is doing with the computer and is one savvy artist. Thank you for the kind words. Ebay is full of talented artists and anyone who is worth their weight in salt has searched P.E.P and found this out themselves.
Our trip was wonderful. While most of America is still cold and chilly outside, we in the desert are heading into summer and already in the 90's. Colorado was indeed a treat for me. Green trees, snow on the mountains and snuggling under lots of blankets at night. At home it's a sheet for me and I still sweat!!!!! It's going to be a long summer.........my roses are already beginning to show crispness around the edges from the heat. Not even the aphids can't stand it. It's not a bugs world here, if the insecticide doesn't get you, the sun will for sure. The garden is alive with flowers and a heavenly scent that will please all the senses. Right now it's the smell of Jasmine, oranges, honeysuckle and roses. What more could a person ask for?????? Give me a minute, I'll come up with something for sure.......geez....never happy!!!

Blog or Website

To blog or to web, that is the question of the day. I'm ready to venture out and open a site of my own for selling my shabby, cottage one of a kind pretties, but how? Some say a blog is the way to go, it's free, just sell off the blog. Others tell me a website is the only way to go, but there are so many to choose from and that decision is not an easy one. After much debate among friends of mine on Painting Ebay Pretty, (for those of you that have never seached pep in the ebay search, you are truly missing out on a lot of talented artists!) I have decided to go the way of the website. Only time will tell if I have made a mistake. But even if that is the case, mistakes can be retified and blogs will be around for a long time to come.......to be continued

Pretties I Made

I added a slide show today to showcase some of the work I have done. Some of these items are for sale and some have already been sold. To be truthful with you, I wanted to see if I could upload the pictures and get the slideshow running with no help from anyone else. I did it!!! I thought it looked good and so here is stays. I hope you enjoy the show. If you should see something you like, please let me know, and enjoy the show. Sorry, popcorn not included.....

How much is too much??

It has come to my attention that it is possible to put too much information on your blog. I do want to ask the question though......can you really? How much is too much? And can you be possibly putting yourself "out there?" Someone close told me that too much info can be dangerous and can lead undesirables to your door. I have pondered this question and have to admit that having read others blogs, there is quite a lot of personal info out there. Too many details of your life could be a danger to you. Am I the only one considering this, or am I being way too paranoid? I don't give my address, family info and personal details, but I would assume in this day and age of electronics, anybody with interest could find just about anything they wanted. If this were to happen, I would diffenently have to ask the question, don't you have anything better to do with your time, fore if you are here reading me, you certainly are a person that needs a life!!
If you love roses, gardening, anything vintage, antique and most diffenently old, you are in the right place. We now have loads in common. My grandmother had the most beautiful rose garden and having lived in downtown Sacto. all my young life, I was surrounded by roses. We were down the street from the Capitol building and Capital Park. Not far from there was the McKinley Park, both having gorgeous, come to Sacto. roses gardens. They are still there today, even more beautiful if that is possible. Roses of all colors and petal size. Something that should not be missed if visiting. If roses are not your flower of choice, how about Camelias. The bushes are so high, you could kink your neck straining to see the tops. Such a lovely flower and no smell. What were the heavens thinking??!! I suppose when I create something using rose fabric, it takes me back to a simplier time, a time of running barefoot, eating popsicles playing hopschotch and just being a kid with no worries or cares.......oh, the good ole days.........remember when?

Friends

This is the first day of spring, the sun is out and I am very grateful to be here, able to enjoy all my life has to offer. Today is a good day, and because of someone thoughtful enough to help, I was able to share with you a couple of baskets I wove. I have some of the best friends anyone could ask for on chat groups located on ebay. The 2 groups I belong to are P.E.P which stands for painting ebay pretty and RRSC which is RaspberryRoseSellersClub. Whenever you go into ebay, just type these initials in the search area and you will see some of the most talented artists you can imagine. I really don't believe I could have achieved what I have without the help of so many talented and friendly ladies. Their hearts and minds are always open, there when you need them. For this I say a huge "thankyou."
I love selling on ebay and I love this group of artists. My love of roses is what brought them to me. I believe there are no accidents, and it was no accident that I found them....or they found me. The one thing we have in common is the love of shabby, cottage, vintage finds, anything roses, that can be sewn, or painted. Anything that isn't nailed down becomes fair game once there is a paint brush in someones hands. I had to laugh and will always remember when one of my P.E.P girlfriends shared a picture of the aftermath of a huge ice storm. One of the wooden posts to her garage was painted with a vine and roses! Forget the fallen trees and all the debris, I loved that post!!!
There are many changes occuring on ebay right now. I guess you could say they are going through some growing pains. There are many of us that are not happy with all this. We have taken to search for other selling venues and options. Don't get me wrong, we are still to be found on ebay, but we are also conquering many other avenues as well. You can find me on a wonderful website called Etsy. This is not an auction, but a great place to find handmade items created by wonderful artists all over the country. Just go in and have a look, you buy your item out right and it's yours. You can find me there at www.SomeplaceInTime.Etsy.com. There is nothing more satisfying that embracing something that someone put their love and time into creating. My wish is for you today is to enjoy peace, health and happiness.

what's a blog anyway??!!

This is my first post and I just have to ask the question, what the heck is a blog and what am I suppose to do with one? It seems everyone I know has a blog and just loves it. They tell me, write your thoughts and opinions, tell others what you think about things. Again I have to ask, who cares what I think or what my opinions are on anything? This is suppose to be fun and so here I am. As of yet, the fun has not begun......to be continued.
Just about everything I know about the computor, I have had to learn on my own. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love to give credit where credit is due and some of that has to go to my husband and son, with a little spread to my daughter as well. You would think with all these people on my side, I would have a lot more knowledge as to what I was doing here. I make many mistakes, some I can fix and others that I have just given up on. In all fairness, it's not that bad. I like finding my way around and it brings me great joy when I finally solve a computor problem and feel like I have acomplished something big. In reality, I am waiting for my 2 year old grand daughter to grow old enough to talk in sentences so she can show me how to work this machine. I am sure she will have no trouble teaching me.
I sell cottage, shabby, vintage and romantic items on ebay under the id of someplace*in*thyme. That is what originally sent me on this quest. I love making something beautiful from something vintage, old or on it's last leg. Hopefully this will be something fun I can do for many years to come. Only the economy will tell.