Happy Mother's Day!

xo,
Vickie

More cowbell.

Since I'll be spending most of my time in the kitchen the next few days,
I thought I'd make it more enjoyable for myself by decorating a
shelf I hung over that awkward space between the stovetop and the microwave.
(This is what I do under pressure when I should be cooking and cleaning.)

I found this adorable tea set recently and it fits perfectly on the shelf!
It's missing the teacups, but who cares?


I needed a few smalls to fill up the shelf, so I added a
cinnamon scented pinecone, and in keeping with the cow theme....

an old cowbell.

I think that old cowbell is going to come in mighty handy to signal the cave dwelling
 football fans that dinner is served....or it's time to take out the trash, or make a quick trip to the convenience store to pick up something I forgot.  :o)
 Clankety-clank!

Autumn is the one time of year that I still like my wall color, but I'm truly hoping
to use my vacation time wisely and get this kitchen painted before Christmas!
*Deja vu.  Haven't I said that every year for the past 3 holiday seasons?

Time's a wastin', so I better get busy with my baking and cooking!

Now, where are my Google instructions from last year?

It should have been thawing in the fridge 2 days ago?
oopsie.


Happy Thanksgiving!
Vickie

We'll miss you Julie, Jeremy, Maggie, and Mack
and we hope everybody feels better soon!   :o(
xxoo, DeeDee

Reindeer games.

As is our tradition, the "big" people in our family purchased an inexpensive gift

 for the dice game we play on Christmas Eve after the "little" people go to sleep.
 In the past I've been known to spend a tad more than the allotted amount of $20 or less,
 but this year I wrapped up a thrifted find that was actually under budget!

You've got to toss doubles, sevens, or elevens to choose your prize.  After each person
has a prize, we unwrap our gifts.  Then we set a timer for 5 minutes and pass the dice around
again.  If you toss doubles, sevens, or elevens, you may exchange your gift for another.
  It's always fun to see the prizes family members bring.

Here's the prize I wrapped up this year:

Do you remember the old screen I bought for $3 way back

in the spring of 2012 at the Tavern estate sale?  I'm sure you do.  :)
 I cleaned it up and ordered 2 sets of magnetic letters and numbers online for $3.99 each
 plus shipping, so the grand total of my gift was only around $15!

 I got the idea for my gift when I saw the magnet screen (below)
that Debi at Real Simple Style repurposed for her grandchildren's room.

(Photo source Real Simple Style)

(Real Simple Style)
So cute!  Check out more of Debi's farmhouse style here.

The winner didn't have room in their car for the prize, so we'll deliver it
 the next time we visit.  Until then, I'm having some fun with it myself!

Menu board.
The only thing missing is fine wine and candles.

Our daughter Julie bought us a bottle of the good stuff.
Read the name out loud.

As long as you're here, I'd like to wish you a..

Thanks for stopping by!

*I'm joining the parties at:
Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday
 Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday

Blue Easter

If Elvis (and Porky Pig) can sing about a Blue Christmas,
I see no reason I can't create a b-b-b-b- Blue Easter!

It all started when I came across this old print while cleaning out a closet.

I bought the framed print last year for our youngest daughter whose husband grew 

up with dairy cows.  Well he didn't share a room with them, but you know what I mean.
  

The print is part of a 1915 advertising calendar for the De Laval (cream) Separator Company.

 Before I give it to my daughter, I'm planning to add archival glass to preserve the pretty colors,
but until I do, I may as well enjoy it on my mantel!

I found these 3 chicks still in their original packaging just last

week and perched them on top of some eggs. ( Actually, all of the eggs in our
refrigerator.)  I added a few blue and yellow malted eggs for color,
 and the chicks seem happy as can be in the basket.

  I hope nobody wants scrambled eggs for breakfast.

I filled my wood caddy with Pottery Barn plants

 and, of course, a few blue canning jars.

My blue ice cream maker has been
 transplanted here for the season.

My Blue Easter mantel.

Yes, that's a blue egg carton I used to elevate the picture.  Recycling is good, right?
Sometimes you just have to make due with what you've got available when the decorating bug bites.
If you're wondering why there's no candy in the jars, our girls our spending the holiday
 with their in-laws, and I know I'd just gobble up the candy all by myself.   oink oink

Around the corner on the dry sink, sits my 1940's American Bisque cookie jar.
Just a few short days ago, the canning jar was filled to the brim with pastel M & M's.
 Now who do you suppose has been eating them?

"N-n-n-not   m-m-m-me!"

Hmmmm.  I have my suspicions,
after all, she is a pig!

These two are each keeping a close blue eye on the

temptation right in front of them.  

 They have a lot more will power than I do! 

Well, ble-ble-ble-that's all folks! 

 I wish everybody a Happy Easter!

Vickie

I'm joining the party at:

Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Creative Cain Cabin Budget Decorating
Common Ground Be Inspried

Hello.

Hello. 

It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post

and may very well be just as long before I publish another.

It's a very busy time at work and that leaves

little or no creative time for moi.  Sad face.

My newly acquired vintage bunny is holding the inspiration

for my latest project.  The hello card is actually part of Finley's

birthday invitation that our daughter Megan made.

I thought it would work in the top part of my trumeau mirror,

but it was a bit too small.  It did, however, give me an idea for

a spring insert to replace my Valentine's button heart.

As you can see, buttons came into play for this insert, too.

I drew leaves and stems on my fabric with an embroidery marker,

and stitched along the line with my sewing machine.

The marker comes off easily by dabbing the fabric with a wet cloth.

The flowers are yo yo circles cut from fabric remnants

and stitched to the background fabric along with the button center.

I attached the fabric to a square of foam core with double-sided

carpet tape and inserted my new art into the mirror frame.

On the shelf below, I filled my silver teacup with malted eggs, and

wouldn't you know, along came a pair of fuzzy chicks in

just the right colors!  

  peep peep

I'm trying to think spring, even though we just got

another 8 inches of snow!

I hope you're enjoying spring-like weather!

Thanks for hopping by!

Vickie

I'm joining the parties at:

Common Ground Be Inspired Friday

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday

Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday

Reflections

One must take into consideration what will be
reflected when deciding where to hang a mirror.
hehe

When I hung my trumeau mirror, I was none too happy

with the part of my anatomy I viewed each time I passed by.

So I raised the mirror up another 6 inches which left

a big gap between the mirror and my telephone table.

I filled the space with a thrifted shelf that I painted to match the mirror.

  For now I've got a vintage art deco perfume atomizer

 and some faux tea roses sitting on the shelf.

Flowers and perfume for Valentine's Day.
And 3 extra holes in the wall behind the mirror.

I originally painted the mirror to lean on the fireplace mantel,

but it looked too busy.  I scouted around the house to find

something to fill the space between the windows, and decided on

an oval etched glass mirror which was hanging in the basement.

I didn't want to pound any more holes in my newly painted walls just yet,

so I leaned the mirror against the wall to reflect the chandelier.

I especially like how it doubles the light at night

when the chandelier is lit.

I filled the mantel with things I had around the house.

The tulips are from Michael's, and the mercury glass canister is a recent gift,

but I've had the February Lefton angel and percolator coffee pot for years.

I really didn't spend much time on the mantel

because I've been much too busy painting everything in sight!

I painted several colors of white on our dining room chairs,

and I think the third color's a keeper.  I used washable 

latex semi-gloss because I know little fingers, and big ones too,

will surely leave food fingerprints.

This thing is a work in progress.

It started out looking like this:

Apparently the manufacturer underestimated

how hot pressurized steam can get, and the whole

rad cover became warped from the extreme heat.

I took the front section apart and cut perforated metal to fit

the two openings and then gave everything a few coats of paint.

It's still rather unattractive, so I searched online for

photos of more appealing designs.

Now this is more like it, but way out of my price range!

And a bit too fancy pants for our dining room.

 I'm going to see if I can find an applique that's a little simpler 

than this one to spice up my rad cover.

That's what's going on downstairs.  I've also made some

progress upstairs in the guest bedroom, so stay tuned for

updates.  Hopefully sooner than later.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Vickie

* I'm joining the parties at:

Common Ground Be Inspired Friday

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

Puttin' on the Glitz

What will you be wearing to your New Year's Eve gala tonight?

Believe me, my days of freezing my toes off in strappy high heels

while slipping and sliding on icy sidewalks are a thing of the past.

I probably won't even be awake when the clock strikes twelve!

I'm not much into shopping for clothes, which is surprising,

 because as children, my sister and I spent years dressing up our Barbie dolls

and fantasizing about their glamorous lifestyle.  We created houses from

cardboard boxes.  Their purses were the plastic containers used to hold

rain bonnets.  Their telephones were the little trinkets meant

for a key chain and given away by the telephone company.

We used our imagination.

I've got oodles of old junk that belonged to complete strangers, but

very little of my own.  The one thing that's been stored away in my closet

all of my married life is my Barbie collection.  The four dolls and their clothing

were in pristine condition until I let our girls play with them.  They had

plenty of their own dolls, so I packed mine away to save for future generations.

*Still waiting for the name of our newest granddaughter.  :@

Update:  Her name is Maggie.  :)

I think my bubblecut Barbie was manufactured around 1962.

Other than the swimsuits the dolls came with, most of the clothing we

had for our dolls was sewn by my mother, with the exception of

a few pieces I'm featuring today.

This satin gown shown above was stitched up

by our very glamorous neighbor, Lila.  She was a single woman who looked

like a movie star to us girls, with her platinum blonde hair and beautifully

manicured fingernails.  Of course I can't find the photo of her

 I planned to include in this post.

 * New Year's resolution:

Organize old photos!

Just look at the sequins and beads she painstakingly hand stitched to the bodice

of the gown!  The threads are almost a half-century old, so a few have 

come loose from the straps. 

The dress has a pretty lace embellishment at the waistline and Lila even made

 a matching shawl and handbag.

Now, Midge is more of a casual gal.

She's wearing a hand knit sweater and skirt.

I myself am a knitter, but imagine our neighbor knitting 

this snowflake designed sweater and pencil skirt for a doll this size!

Barbie also has another ball gown stitched by my mother.

She's decided to wear this floral print gown,

 because it goes so well with her winter coat.

Look at the quality of this coat, also made by our neighbor, Lila! 

 Fine wool fabric, covered buttons, satin lining, and hand-knit mohair collar and cuffs.

 The knit hat has the same embroidered detail as the collar.

I guess that's the extent of my dressing up for New Year's Eve.

In reality, I'll be toasty warm in my flannel jammies, but if you're

heading out into the cold winter's night, be sure to bundle up because......

Baby it's cold outside!!!

Happy New Year!

Vickie

I'm joining the parties at:

Knick of Time Tuesday
Common Ground Be Inspired Friday