Finds for White Wednesday and a Late Summer Bouquet

I don't have much to blog about right now, but I was out and about a few days ago and came home with these three treasures.  When I sat them on the table, I realized I had a little bit of creamy white beauty to share for White Wednesday.  I love the rusty topped bottle.  I have an idea for some Halloween decor.   We'll see if I actually get a ROUND TUIT.  As for the little bust, I can't resist these precious beauties.  I have an idea for it too.  I'll keep my mouth shut for now in case it looks stupid!  And then there's the deep ironstone bowl.  I am sure I could think of a hundred ways to use it.  It may end up on my Etsy site but...maybe I'll love on it a little first. :-)

As for part deux of the post,  I have to tell you that the mister has done an excellent job this year of getting us constant color in the garden.  It is just as beautiful now as a couple of months ago.  These zinnias and black eyed susans looked so pretty together in the white ironstone pitcher that I had to share them.  I feel like a kid trying to come up with stuff for show and tell in school!  Oh well, sometimes things flow easier for me than others.  I hope you enjoy the flowers...for now, I must run and get back to my HOME work.

Sharing with Kathleen for White Wednesday.  Pop over and catch some talented bloggers sharing their pretty whites.

Until next time,

Happy Anniversary on White Wednesday

On a beautiful September morning, 15 years ago, I married a wonderful man in front of friends and family in a glorious garden with the Rocky Mountains standing proud and tall in the background. It was the most perfect of perfect days. I am happy to report, that we are still married and  celebrated the occasion accordingly on another beautiful September in the Rockies. ♥ With that in mind, I hope you don't mind a re-post of my wedding cake topper collection.  I am sharing this with Kathleen over at Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

It's been a little while since the rhinestone clock collection post, so I thought today would be a nice time to share one of my sweeter collections with you. I started out just collecting any vintage wedding cake toppers that struck my fancy, however, with Ebay and all of the other online shopping possibilities out there, I could see that this could quickly become an overwhelmingly large collection. Not a problem if you only collect a couple of things...ahem, that would NOT be me though, so I had to reign myself in a bit. I decided that since my most favorite toppers seemed to be of the 1920-1930's era, I would limit myself to just those. I proceeded to sell the ones that didn't meet the criteria and then spread out my remaining little pretties so I could appreciate them fully. Then I put a couple of them under glass cloches which is a way I love to display all sorts of things. Not only does it put them in the spotlight, but it also keeps them from needing to be dusted!

I love the ones that still have their bases and flower arches, but I'm also partial to the little bisque "Kewpie" looking ones. Wedding toppers have become increasingly popular in the collecting circles and the prices have definitely gone up, up, up. Once in a while though, you can still find them at thrift stores or estate sales for a reasonable price. ($10 or less). One of the most striking toppers I've ever seen was offered on Ebay this last September. It featured a very well dressed 1920's couple and the bride's dress went up in the front as was the style back in the day. Even though many flapper brides wore that style of dress, the toppers depicting the dresses that way are very rare and this little treasure brought over $200, if memory serves. OUCH! Needless to say, that one is NOT in my collection, but boy I wish it were. Most of the more "normal" ones can be had well within the $20-50 range. Now these prices I'm spouting off are for the older, say pre-1940 toppers. If you like the toppers from the 1950's on forward, you can probably cut the above prices in half unless there is something particularly rare/unusual about it. I don't personally own any reference books on the subject, but I've just ordered a Schiffer collector book titled, "Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers" by Penny Henderson, so it should be interesting to see if she agrees with me! If you like reference books on collectibles, Schiffer has books on almost any item you can imagine. They are usually fairly well done and have lots of pictures on the subject of interest.

This little couple might just be my favorite. Look how cute they are hugging each other, cheek to cheek! The little girl reminds me of one of the little girls in my baby son's Kindergarten class. I hope you enjoyed this brief little visit into the sentimental and sweet.

Until next time,

I wasn't going to do a 9/11 post...

I just felt it better to reflect on the day privately with my family.  Today when I was at church however, we sang a beautiful old song which touched my heart and struck me as especially poignant for today's 10th anniversary. So, I share with you the words of this hymn and a Youtube video which I thought was so beautiful although it was originally put out there in cyberspace for Independence Day. So enjoy "This Is My Song" and please pray for healing, forgiveness, and peace in our world.

This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,

A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.

But other hearts in other lands are beating,

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight too and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.

May truth and freedom come to every nation

May peace abound where strife has raged so long;

That each may seek to love and build together,

A world united, righting every wrong.

A world united in its love for freedom,

Proclaiming peace together in one song.

Until next time,

Feeling a Bit Better OR "How I Spent My Day Off"

So, this is what I spent my day off doing. Dear husband thought he was clever to hide my heat gun. Something about me going all rogue and just arbitrarily stripping paint off of our house. ONE TIME years ago, I put the baby down for a nap and started stripping the paint off a window...sheesh! Let it go already. OK, maybe I MIGHT have slit a little 3 cornered area on the carpet on the stairs to see what was under there and MAYBE I've been known to rip wallpaper off just to see what was under there...well, hey, I'm CURIOUS.  Anyway, he didn't know I had a backup heat gun. I think I used to use it for embossing in rubber stamping.  Gotta be prepared for anything... :-)

Isn't this pretty (NOT!)?  But it WILL be, I assure you.  And yes, I will be repainting.  I like white woodwork...so sue me.  But I don't like 90+ years of bad paint and chippiness and me trying to repaint over it.  Funny how a table or something that was all alligatored and chippy would be an awesome find, but the trim around your house being in that condition...not so much. 

At least I have a nice view out the window.  Thanks Mr. FL!  The flagstone path was last summer's project.  I love it!

Just popping in to let you know I'm still alive and kicking.  Thanks for your kind comments on my last post.

Love y'all!

Until next time,

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

via

Do you ever see a photo that sums up the way you are feeling just perfectly?  This one does it for me.  I love the ocean.  The light sparkling on the water and the sand beneath my feet, waves crashing, all make me feel alive, peaceful, and grateful.  But that same ocean, when viewed on a stormy day is another thing altogether.  I feel small and insignificant and vulnerable. Suddenly the life that exists below the surface which at another time might be interesting and delightful becomes disconcerting and scary, dark and unknown.  The beach becomes a place where I feel very unsettled and fearful, afraid of what the storm that lurks may bring.    

This life that I love and live has been flip flopping a lot for me lately.  One day, it is the sunny beach where everything seems possible and the next day (or sometimes even the same day), it becomes the stormy sea where everything seems so impossible.  I feel so incredibly inadequate and wonder if I can keep my head above water.  I feel fragile, yet I know that I possess inner strength.  I feel alone and yet, I know that I am never alone as I have my family and my heavenly Father with me.  I feel scared of the unknown, yet exhiliarated by the possibilities that exist in the unknown.  Maybe this is what it is to really experience life, I'm not sure.  I've had bouts with mild depression, but it doesn't really feel like that...it isn't quite that hopeless and sad.  It's more scary, but in a reflective way if that makes any sense.  Maybe it's my age.  Maybe its menopause (highly likely).  Whatever it is, I am sure, this too, shall pass, but for now, I'm going to try to see what I'm supposed to be seeing.  I know that God has ways of showing us what we need to look at if only we open our eyes.  I'm going to try to conquer my fear and open my eyes to really see. 

You know I lurk your blogs a lot, many times not commenting, just reading and pondering.  You gals (and a few guys) are a great community and a great support group.  I am not always the best at communicating it to you, especially when I feel a bit overwhelmed, but know that I appreciate you putting yourselves out here in Blogland and I feel your love and light, even though I've never met most of you.  I'll be back with more light fare one of these days, but for now, thanks for letting me get out of my comfort zone and take an uncharacteristic swim in the deep end of the pool.  It's where I am right now.

Until next time,

Can Ya Help a Blogger Out?

While doing a little surfing market research tonight, I stumbled upon an online store I'd not seen before, VivaTerra.  They have some very cool things and I like their philosophy as reflected in their "about us" section of their website:

"Our name VivaTerra or living earth is inspired by our dedication to living in harmony with nature - for a healthier life now and for future generations. All of our products reflect a commitment to:
ecology and elegance: The finest goods that uniquely fuse exceptional quality and design with eco sensitivities.
organic, sustainable sources: The purest ingredients and sustainable resources possible - selected to be the best available.
earth and people friendly: Partners and suppliers who share our values and work to make a positive difference in the world.
handcrafted by artisans: Distinctive goods of uncommon value, handcrafted by passionate designers and artisans.
celebrate life: Celebrate life and human spirit by honoring traditions from cultures around the world."

Gotta love that, right?  Anyway, the little 3 bin wire basket shown above is calling my name, but the $169 price tag is not.  Does anyone know where I could get a similar piece with a more "consumer friendly" price?  You guys are awesome resources and I just thought MAYBE someone had come across something like this in their travels.  If not, no worries, I'll probably get over it, but I thought it would look SO cute in the little man's new room (still in progress).

Oh and BTW, little man and I went to our first IKEA store on Sunday. Denver FINALLY got one, the first in the state of Colorado which had opened 5 days prior.  HOLY COW!  It was like going to Disney World...all sorts of traffic directing from the signs at the interstate to the gazillions of neon green vested workers pointing the way.  THEN we got in the parking garage and shuffled in the building along with several hundred of our closest friends.  :-)  It was crazy...talk about feeling like you were stuck in a herd of cows.  MOO!  But it was SO cool.  I got a set of 6 juice glasses, a long ceramic tray that they showed with 3 small pillar candles on a bed of small river rocks, one of those cool metal plant pots that look they are edged with lace on top, and a vanilla candle. All for under $13 bucks, including tax.  Not to mention the awesome ideas I got for future reference.  Sweet!  I see why you gals are so crazy for IKEA. 

Thanks in advance Bloggie Friends!

Until next time,

Have you seen "Patina Style" yet?

Just me here doing the quick check in.  The Colorado mountains were lovely but now it's back to the routine.  We rode horses, rode an alpine slide, the boys climbed the climbing walls and jumped on the bungee trampolines, we rafted, we boated, we swam, and we ate (a lot!).  Good times were had by all, but boy were we pooped!  Anyway, thanks for your comments on my last post.  I will try to get around to visit you in response, but it may take me a while-bear with me pretty please.

So, when I saw that Brooke Giannetti of the blog Velvet and Linen and her talented husband Steve had a book coming out called "Patina Style", I wasted no time pre-ordering it from Amazon.  It came just before we left on our vacation and it does NOT disappoint.  I would highly recommend it if you are a fan of Brooke's style as there are many beautiful photos to salivate over.  I have not had time to savor it and read it cover to cover as I would like due to all of my irons in the fire right now, but I have no doubt the text will be as interesting and wonderful as the photos.  There are MANY inspiring rooms and vignettes using antique and vintage treasures for you to ponder and delight in.

Just a quick sampling to tease you.  Must get back to big baby boy's new room.  I'll check in as soon as I can.  Enjoy the wonderful summer while it lasts!

Until next time,