It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

My sweetheart and I took a sunny, late aftenoon stroll yesterday... it was beautiful! We feel lucky to have such pretty places to visit within walking distance of home. There's a disk golf course in this park too, but I've never mastered the art of throwing a Frisbee. btw... did you know that Frisbee is a brand name? So is Band-Aid. How's that for digression? Now that's something I've mastered :)

I was so tickled when I saw these steps! The bright red paint looked quite charming in the middle of this little patch of woods... like something out of a fairytale. My fella smiled and rolled his eyes a little at my giddiness. That's him with the backpack, top left, waiting patiently for me :)

Vibrant tulips in beautiful colors... the little things in life can bring such joy, can't they? I hope you enjoyed this little walk through my neighborhood with me. Happy spring!

From Blah To Ta-Da!

I bought a few of these 18" metal stars at Joann's a couple years ago. They were from one of those seasonal lines that doesn't stick around long and I got them at 75% off... about $1.25 each! How could I not buy what they had left? I started painting one white, but fell asleep half way through. Just kidding :) but I did want to do something more fun with one of them.

{ok... this is actually quite nice, but that doesn't rhyme with ta-da}

I made a wonky-triangle template out of file folder paper. There's only one shape... I just had to flip it for half of the pieces. I arranged some papers out on the floor in a pleasing pattern which I ended up changing completely as I started cutting. I was going for a scrappy quilt look. I quickly discovered that I need more floral paper and I have lots of polka dots! 

Here it is... my new, scrappy star :) I ♥ Mod Podge.

Just for fun, I'm going to try something new and post this over at The Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday!

Pocket Change Pastime

One of these days, I'll sync up with some specific days of the week blog posting criteria { Oh, such lofty aspirations I have! } but I haven't yet, so... today I feel like sharing some thrifty finds :)

I've been on a window shopping budget lately, but last weekend I was in the mood to indulge a little so I headed to my local thrift store and this is what I found. The little things in life can bring such happiness... I find this to be so true!

First of all... yes, I know that I use this quilt in the background of just about every photo that I post here lately, but I can't help it... I love it! Basically, if I really like something it will 'go' with this sweet, old quilt. Maybe, eventually, something new will come along sweep me off my feet the way this cutie has!

I found an old hobnail chenille bedspread... twin size with just a couple small spots and lots of cute, twisty fringe. It has fun, lollipop style flowers, swirly vines and something that looks sort of like big tulips in tiny pots. :)

I'm not sure how old this chippy, enamel pot is but I love the pretty color! For some reason the color is a little 'Dijon' in the photos though ~ lol  It's a happy, pastel yellow and I can picture it in a garden planted with red geraniums :) When I found it, there were still a few evergreen tree doo-dads in it like had been stored in a shed or a porch. I imagine that it may have been used to put up some beautiful, summer fruit or sweet, bread & butter pickles like my grandpa used to make. Imagined history or real, this one makes me smile :)  

I also found a bright pink, linen skirt with little tulip flare at the bottom that was made by Banana Republic ... so cute and happy. I waffled a bit about the second skirt that I bought because I thought it might be too 'young' for me, but I decided I didn't care. I like it and life is too short to worry about silly things like that  ~ lol  I used this skirt in a photo for a listing in my Etsy shop. I think I love it and I think this outfit would look great with my orange converse! I definitely need to keep one these necklaces for myself :)

Thanks for taking a peek at my thrift store finds! Have your found some treasures lately? I'd love to hear about them if you'd like to share!

Cheers to junkers, thrifters and lovers of vintage everywhere! I hope you have a happy day :)

Happy Easter!

So sweet :)

Mod Podge makeover . . .

I keep a donation box in the house that I add things to as I find them, and when it gets full, I take it to the Goodwill. What comes back with me, well, we'll save that for another post. :) Sooo anyway, I had put these shoes in the box awhile back because they're not all that comfortable, I only wore them a few times last summer and I got them on super-cheapy sale so I was ok with the cost per wear. lol ~ I just made myself laugh because I also can keep a piece of clothing FOREVER. I was recently looking at some old Etsy photographs from about 3 years ago and I looked down at the shirt I had on and, yep, it was the same one I was wearing in the photo. A fashionista I am not ~ lol

Ok, so back to the shoes.

I got this idea while I was trying to fall asleep one night last week. I've been scoping out the trends for this spring and summer and florals are everywhere. I LOVE florals, especially mixed with other patterns. I'm certain that it's for the same reasons that I love scrappy, vintage quilts. It's just such a happpy look :) Anyway, so I thought it would be fun to have flowery shoes and these were a perfect canvas for my experiment. And if they didn't turn out that great... no biggie!

I have a confession to make. I had already started the project when I took this photo. The clouds let a little bit of evening sun peek through so I took a quick 'before' shot. The shoe on the left is actually already Mod Podged to the paper under it... I just added more paper for a consistent background. :)

Here they are after their makeover... I think they turned out really cute! I wanted to use a pattern that was pretty forgiving as far matching the pattern at a seam and I had several pieces of this paper on hand. I completed them while watching a couple hours of tv last night. They're surprisingly sturdy, though I won't be wearing them on a rainy day. :) I might even make a pink flower clip to add on when I wear them with a skirt. Don't be surprised if you see another Mod Podge posted in the near future... it's such a fun and easy way to transform something ordinary. I'm already looking for my next project!

While walking through the forest this morning I happened upon a wee gnome. He was whistling a happy tune as he tapped in time with his cobblers hammer. I imagined that he was doing a repair in exchange for a freshly baked pie or some new striped socks knit by the tiny hands of one of his gnome friends. He hadn't noticed me there and I didn't interrupt his work to ask but simply walked toward home whistling a happy tune to the tap, tap, tap . . .

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Years ago, I found this little fellow while digging in the dirt. For the life of me, I cannot remember where. I wanted to post a simple, happy photo today so I posed him in a flower pot filled with a moss and weed 'forest.' The silly little story just sort of happened. It made me smile . . . I hope you like it too :)

a vase only a mother could love . . .

* Updated . . .

Lol ~ not really but I couldn't resist that title! Yep, I'm a nerd. Anyway, I found a handful of little bud vases packed away in a box today. I think they're pretty cute 'au naturel' but I thought it would be fun to brighten them up a bit!  

 I scrubbed them up with my designated craft toothbrush . . .

and dried them off pretty well. I didn't want to thin the paint with water.

  

I poured some acrylic craft paint into a vase and turned it this way and that until the inside was coated. It didn't take much paint . . . but too little and it took forever for those little drips to travel around the inside of the vase. I poured out the excess and wiped the rim. Then I put them in a warm oven for a few minutes to dry the paint faster ~ very low heat & oven already turned off. I was worried that the paint might scratch off easily but it didn't ~ woo-hoo! 

I didn't have any little flowers to do a glamour shot with but I'm really happy with the way they turned out! If you have a moment, I'd enjoy hearing what you think of my impromptu project and I'd also love to hear what fun projects you've been working on . . . leave a link if you like!

It's so nice of you to stop by :) Thank you!

* A quick update :) As this was an impromptu project . . .  done on a whim and with no planning, I used the paint that I had on hand. These little vases still look just fine as I use them, but now I use enamel paints that are more suited for durability on glass when I do a glass painting project.

Pretty bloomers . . .

My sweetie gave me this beautiful orchid for valentine's day in 2009. I'm happy, and a little surprised, to say that it is doing beautifully in its home by the kitchen window. After she blooms, that blossom stalk shrivels and turns red, I snip it off and voila . . . a new one grows! Easy-peasy! And that's a good thing because, while I love gardening outdoors, I don't really grow houseplants. I love a vase of fresh-cut flowers though! The light today is pretty murky for taking a photo, but I've convinced myself that it adds an artsy look to this just-opened bloom :)

Going through boxes of 'stuff' ~ wheee!

I came across a box of quilt tops and blocks that I've made over the years. I'm not sure if they'll become finished quilts any time soon... it seems that I enjoy choosing the fabric, deciding on the pattern and doing the piecing. Adding the backing and doing the quilting don't really seem like fun in comparison. So I guess I'm sharing my unfinished projects. As you can tell, my life is super-exciting! lol... Well, I guess I'm just having fun going through these boxes and taking a walk down memory lane :) 

I was surprised to see that I'd left notes to myself pinned to this top. I'm so glad (and lucky) the pins didn't rust! I hope I can still decipher those notes.

Cute spool pattern :)

I really like the way black (and dots) make things pop!

I can't remember why I made this top. Aw, I forgot how cute this lamb is :) There's also a dog and a cat but they looked a little amoeba-like so didn't take a photo of them.

I don't like to iron unless it's absolutely necessary so the poor bunny has a wrinkly neck ( happens to the best of us ~ lol )

My photography assistant :)

I also found a box of old stuff like a little Ziggy doll dressed in a graduation gown and some old photos from proms and camp. There's me, probably about 1973-ish, I still can't resist playing in the flowers!

Love these little painted rock shoes. They were always on my dresser in my childhood bedroom. I still like this mix... girly tomboy! That's me :)