marta's room-- fall 2009

ok...(big sigh)... i have been meaning to post these pics for sometime now, but they accidentally got filed in with my kids pumpkin patch pics (as they occurred on the same day). sorry marta. so here we go. i stole a bow tie from another arrangement and place it with this little guy...it seemed the perfect addition at the time. i think if he's still for sale next time i drop by, i 'll buy him.

funny thing sometimes, is that i find i "shop" while i'm editing my pictures. i suppose that's a sign of a bad photographer because i'm not paying total attention to my "subjects"...my attention is mostly on the arrangement. later when i work on editing i notice a basket here...or a pillow there, and i think, "how in the world did i miss that gorgeous piece?"

i must admit that the places where we all shop, these antique and "junk" stops, have soooooo much to look at that it is easy to miss this or that (at least the first time around).

beautiful dreamy-creamy creams...

(this lampshade within a lampshade is mine girls!)

oh my, aren't those clocks something!?!!!

artfully homemade....and i want those black pins below, marta. i'm waiting for you to be back!

if i had a creative use for this, i so would have bought it! isn't it lovely?

this little find too, is FANTASTIC! if i only had a little girl! ...and this doll, too, is spectacular!

marta has such talent to arrange all of her finds so artfully. i am in love with her place and am honored she is my friend...one of the kindest, happiest, gentlest spirits i know.

this was so marvelous in person. the pics don't do it justice!

i have been meaning to find a scottie for a friend, emily, at crop paper scissors here in waco. she collects them and i can't help but think of her every time i see one!

will and zack hanging out at the store...

i was taken aback when i came across this black dress. it is the epitome of vintage style. can you say, "yuuuuuummmmmm"?

sweet brides abound!

i cannot say enough for what this woman does with this store...and she does it all ALONE! no help, except for her mother who shops with her. she had pulled this all off on her own!

that is quite a feat considering that she does the shopping, organizing, painting and refurbishing, pricing, arranging, checking out, opening and closing the store, attending on all the customers (98% of the time, and....what else is there one does when one has a shop? well, she does that too! yes... all by herself! when i grow up...i want to be like marta!

beautiful!

i am so happy when i am here. i forget that there is a world outside...a world where cars crash, banks go under, and homes are taken away from people.

here...there are only treasures from the past. the things people cherished. when times were far simpler. and people were more brave than we are today. we live in a disposable society of quick-fixes and "conscientious objectors". i find great comfort knowing that things weren't always this way. maybe that's why i collect these things. it's my attempt to "remember" that there is another way.

...or maybe it's just because they are objects of beauty...

...and i'm addicted to beauty....

...everyone has a weakness for something.

this is mine :-)

the happy end!

ever forgetful...

ok, guys. amy from Bloom and Bee had her open house last night, but since i've been blogging so often...i forgot to put the card back into the camera!!! the gorgeous pictures are saved on the internal memory, so i have to figure out how to transfer. it won't be a big deal, but i have been busy rearranging the house for fall. ALSO, i'm headed to carol caroll's in the morning. yep, i have the camera, the card, and batteries ;-) see ya'll soon!

Lola Luna

lola luna is my new teacup chihuahua...she's 7 weeks old and soooooo teeny-tiny! i adore her and so do the boys. i can't ever keep them off her, the poor thing. she has the most amazing temperament and already goes "potty"! the easiest of my four dogs to train! wow! she is already super spoiled. cries when she's not hanging out with me~! i never had a baby girl, but now i have lola!...she only weighs one lb.

yes...i am totally going to dress her up in vintage pearls and rhinestones. i was actually thinking of designing some pcs myself. who knows, i might have a new career in vintage jewelry designs for pets!...four of my loves!

she's so cute with her little teddy...she licked him the first time they "met"!by the way, i think i'm going to take her everywhere i go now...so if i'm shopping in your neck of the woods, i might just have her with me!

the happy end!

christmas crafting

i made these the other day...they came out all right... they are very sweet and romantic for a vintage feather tree.

i painted the birds with watercolors and the adhered the glitter...or diamond dust.

added a small bunch of vintage flowers and some seam binding ribbon... here are some ornaments i made from old book paper, sheet music, curtain rings, and ribbon...

i was disappointed with the frame...i thought it would look nicer than it did. don't you hate when you imagine things coming out way nicer than they do?

sweet birdies

-- Post From My

jr. league of waco, Deck the Halls--part 2

the entrance theme was very girlie and sweet...pink and lime green.

amy's Bloom and Bee Swanky was at the entrance and took our breath away. she outdid herself this year! sheer creative elegance.

fyi: my camera, even with the flash, takes terrible pictures...always so dark, so i use picasa to improve the quality. brightening the pics always gives them this look (above). of course i add other elements to change the pics, but the "yellowness" or "creaminess" of the pics...well, i can't get around that. sorry.

this is what they look like before i edit them on picasa. pretty terrible.

anyway, these are the pillars or posts to amy's corner...she covered them up with antique piano paper. ingenious and so romantic. her set up.....yummmm! i want to copy the whole thing now!

just beautiful. of course, i did buy the white houses.

aren't these precious?

her "salt of the earth" shakers!

this is the one i snatched up... lavender sachets...

jewelry and candles...i have my eye on the drawer thingie. (you know how i have a thing for drawers and organization!)

carmen...i think she was checking out. one of amy's girls has also been making she most beautiful "lockets" from old pocket watches. somehow, i missed taking pictures of these. i'll take some at her open house, Thursday, Nov. 12th.

you can't tell in my picture, but this is a "bubble tree". down the center, runs a thick plastic tube with water and bubbles. forgive my description, i'm not sure how else to describe it.

carmen after lunch. they happened to have served the most delicious chicken salad i have ever eaten...in my entire life! cheers, ladies! bright, fun, and very girly!

oh, you know i bought these!!!

...and these teeny houses, too!

and, of course, this one too! it looks like a christmas barn-church. so sweet!

this booth was set up by a group of girls led by vonda krup. apparently, they used to make stuff and sell at "home shows"...you know the type of shows i'm referring to. well, vonda was asked by a jr.leaguer to set up for "deck the halls". carmen and i loved everything they had. i picked up a rectangular magnetic tray in pink (for the guest bedroom), candlesticks... these frames...

carmen took this cute lamp for her daughter's bedroom...

and they had my kitchen green...i adore this color!

picked up this cute little frame in the center for christmas pics...

the entertainment...christmas carols by sweet children.

...and carmen watching them.

this booth belonged to emily from Crop, Paper, Scissors here in waco. precious handmade garlands. happy garlands.

cute little book markers.

ok....now pat at Laverty's outdid herself this year too! she had the most amazing booth filled with glorious junk!!!!! HUGE smiles here!!! now, i don't know if you can tell, but pat covered a glass-top garden table with white christmas lights. then she covered the lights with rock salt (it was heavy enough to hold down the light and keep them from moving, but also allows the light to softly shine through). it had the most beautiful effect. i totally want to steal this idea from her!

all vintage and antique ornaments!

reader, i bought it! this antique goose-feather tree was in excellent condition! it doesn't even look like feathers because it is so full, but it is! purchase... a mere $40! cha-ching!!!

now this "straw" tree was not for sale, but it was the coolest ever! very country looking. and the boots at the bottom totally "made" it! all it lacked was a cowboy hat to crown it...or maybe some antlers...maybe.

aluminum tree sticks made into a swag...

you have to click on this picture to fully appreciate the rustic beauty of this wreath. i have seen this wagon wheel at her store for well over a year, but this was genious! i loved it! the boots, antlers...wow! and the actual ornaments have so much character to them! i was floored. bravo.

this "kitchy" wreath was cleverly done as well. pat is very talented.

...and something sweet to end with. a sock-puppet reindeer. isn't that novel? the happy end!

jr. league of waco-- Deck the Halls... part 1

honey's homestyle: she had a gorgeous collection of kd vintage homes......

these two are for me! i bought them to add to my collection this year! yea!!!just a quick show of the wonderful things that honey had to offer this christmas. i'm not sure who the designer of this jewelry was...but, I LOVE IT!!!!

the happy end!!!

the junk exchange!!!

so i guess this officially kicks off the holiday "spendo-rama" for me... the junk exchange was a blast. i only wish i had arrived earlier in the morning. things went fast!...but i managed to find lots of wonderful junk!

...also got to meet troy and becky. they put a lot of work into this event...i can only imagine. they had lots of vintage christmas decor, several of the items were crafted by them...including these cute ceiling tiles used as picture hangers.

i picked up some of these too, though i am not quite sure EXACTLY what they are...ornaments, hangy-decorations, gift card holders (they have pockets in the back). whatever use you can find for them, they are adorable.

loads of fabric and linens...i actually made off with 2 large bolts of vintage silk taffeta (cream and soft pink) for $2 each!!! oh, the things i will make!

my friend and i took apart their halloween display with all the stuff we picked up... this is the after-photo...still nice, but you should have seen it before! (i forgot my camera in my car. had to go back after the fact).

this little basket i found upon making a second sweep of the place. i adored it! would love to top it off with some pink, velvet, vintage strawberries, some ribbons and lace (for spring)...stash some sweet pastel easter eggs,...stuff it with old mercury ornaments for christmas...ahhh

i bought so many flags off of this tree that it just doesn't look like it did before it met me. poor tree!

this little guy needs a bead board backing....and some red paint. it would make a perfect shelf for my boys' room...some stray dinos and die-cast cars need a home.

now this....was actually so gorgeous in real life, but my pics just don't do it justice. with a little love, this swing would be "season of cannon falls" worthy!--really!!!

i missed these the first time... thanks, anne :-)

ok...that was it. i did stop by bloom and picked up three white frames i've been drooling over for weeks now...i am sure i have a pic...somewhere...

by the way, don't tell my husband where i was all day ;-)