Prized Demitasse

I always remember hearing the story when I was a child of these lovely demitasse cups and saucers. A little lady who had no children of her own left this set to me, and my mother kept them safe and sound as I grew up, saving them for me. When I got them, the box was old and worn in spots, but what a treasure! I've had them now for well over 20 years, and they have always been special to me because of a sweet little lady who hoped I'd love them for her. I don't think I ever met her, and if I did, I was too small to remember, but I do know that this gift of love from her will always remain one of my most prized possessions. Now...I don't have a daughter but I have 2 sons! Perhaps one day I'll be a grandmother to a little girl, and she might be the one to next own this sweet treasure.
By the way, if anyone recognizes this pattern or has any pieces that match, (and would be willing to sell), please let me know. I need one more saucer!
Doni

Great Blog Giveaway

There are some truly inspiring blogs out there, and I am trying to hit them all!!!
Kimberly at Irish Rose Creations is having an awesome blog giveaway until March 7th. Be sure and go over there to see her lovely crocheted creations! They are splendid! Those are some of the most beautiful doilies I've ever seen!

http://myirishrosecreations.blogspot.com

Dollhouse Nostalgia

When my sister and I were very small, I'd say around 4 or 5, we each had a dollhouse. They were metal, and they served our purposes. We used them as step-stools!!! (We were also the type of kids who took our baby buggies filled with all of our dolls and ran headlong at each other down our long hallway to crash them together!!) Eventually we crushed them, but I remember mine. It had plastic furniture, and sometimes it scratched me! Well, on a recent Flea Market hunt, I found it!!!! It's not in the best of shape, but I think my hubby and I can get it straight again. I know I'm not the only one who had one of these...There must have been hundreds of you that did too. I distinctly remember the 2nd floor on the right side. It has an outdoor area with painted on flagstone. Isn't it strange what our minds remember after all those years?? I was so glad that I saw this. It really does seem to bring back some of those memories of childhood when the sweet joys of playing with a toy were fun. No gameing systems on the television, no cell phone, no microwaves, no i-pods. Just the looking forward to the mailman coming to the mailbox and daddy getting home from work. That was the life!!

Of course, when I walked in the door carrying this is my arms, my husband looked at me quite strange. "What is THAT?". Well, he just didn't know how special this hunk of shaky metal was! After I explained it to him, he became interested. I know that having it sitting on our hearth with some other toys is going to be a lot of fun. Already I've had someone else my age look at it and say, "I had one like that!!!". Another girl remembering her childhood. My hope is that you all can remember your childhood innocence with joy.

Doni

Outside Beauty

Old barn wood, rusty metal roof. Tons of character! A perfect mix for a perfectly old building in Texas. Located on a some dear friends land, I took this picture one day when my husband and I went to visit. After printing it out in black and white, it has become one of my very favorite photos. I plan on "trying" to draw it with pencil. Wish I was talented in that area!!

One of the most wonderful aspects of living in the country besides the multitude of cows and horses is the barns that dot the land. I just love old barns. There's something so nostalgic about seeing one. Who built it? How old is it? I just wonder about the people that lived there and used it day to day for their animals.

Although inside faves are obvious, my outside favorites must include the old wood of an old barn or building. I like windmills too. And old tractors, fencing, and flowers. Lots of flower! The more the better!!

Roses from our garden cut and brought indoors...not right now, but a wonderful memory of beauty from a few years ago. The sun was shining through the window and make them glow. I can still smell their fragrance. When we moved, my husband lovingly brought every single bush over to our new house and transplanted them here. Thanks honey...I love you too!

Doni

Thoughts of an old Friend

Sometimes you remember an old friend. One who made you laugh, who did silly things, who listened and who really cared. I have an old friend who I haven't seen or spoken to in years, but I haven't forgotten her. One year for Christmas she MADE this for me...I was speechless at her act of kindness and beauty. One of a kind original...and for me! My mother gave me the glass globe to hang it from. Isn't it beautiful? Carved lovingly and realistically. She too plays the violin and we went to college together for 4 fun years. Thanks so much Robin. I've always treasured this.

Found Treasure!

I'm so excited! Saturday was a perfect day for seeking out new places to find hidden treasures to bring home. Finding the "perfect" stuff is always so much fun, and I've met some wonderful people along the way too!

Not too far from home I've found a wonderful newly built flea market area. I scored a HUGE find, actually 2 huge finds, from the same vendor!! One of them is the group of 3 violet tins!!! The other is an old metal (yes they made them of dangerous metal when I was a child) dollhouse!

I'll show pics of the dollhouse later, but the tins are in the currents shots. But those were not the only finds! I even found 3 Victoria magazines that I did not already have, and some lovely rhinestone screw-on earrings.

Hymn Books, Buttons, LACE edging, more rhinestone stuff, glassware, oh my goodness the treasures I've found. Always looking for more though...will I ever have enough??? I guess when there's no place to sit or walk or sleep I'll know I've got enough. Hmmmm......I just thought of another idea for displaying. I have a little notebook I keep close to jot ideas and drawings in to serve as my brain. I can't remember everything!

Many thanks to the ladies who blog about their finds and their fave's. I've had so much fun looking at your treasures!

Doni

Vintage Blogger find!

I have been so excited! I've been spending a lot of time visiting a number of blogs for Vintage things. They are beautiful sites and I have one to share:
http://mydesertcottage.blogspot.com

This is going to be one of my fave's I can tell!!
Congrats on your almost 600 followers!!! (I'm sure by the time I post this it will have made the 600 mark!!)

Be sure and check it out...she's having a lovely giveaway!
Doni

Cobalt Blue...one of my favorite things!

It had snowed and been sooooo cold...and I was at home for what seemed like WEEKS! I just had to get out and SHOP! So, I went to a small town near my own small town in hopes of finding the Antique shop open. It wasn't. So instead, I stopped by a small shop that I knew carried "new" stuff that was interesting. It just so happened that as I was looking around, browsing over the myriad pretty gift ideas, etc., I heard two ladies who were shopping together say something about the Cobalt blue in one area. My ears listened closer to what they were saying and my eyes shot across the large room to a booth set up with antiques and TONS of Cobalt Blue glass!!!! My husband laughed about my thoughts as I told him about it later, he knows me well! I could only think, 'Oh, don't you dare buy something I might want!!!'

So carfully, I got closer and took another look. Uh oh...she picked up a wonderful little jar! Oh no! She'll want it! I just know she will! But no....she put it down!!! Yea!!! Then, they started to look at other pieces...one was a set of four gorgeous goblets that I KNEW needed to come home with me!! Thankfully they were drawn away from the area by asking some questions about some other items, and soon after that left the store altogether. They did however mention that they'd be back later....

Well, not only was there once section of antiques, but 2! I browsed and hunted and carried Cobalt Blue glass to the front for quite some time! I asked the proprietor to please not mention that it was me who had bought all the Cobalt Blue!!

Do you think they came back? Do you think they got mad at me? I truly hope not. I had a BLAST shopping over there and will go back soon I hope! So many more things over there had my name on them!!!!

Enjoy the pictures! I have more to share later. And that little jar? It is now safely home. The Glass sets above are wonderful! One is the set of 4 water glasses that I saw, and the group of 7 juice glasses are so thin and pretty! I love them all!

Doni

Blog inspiration

I've just found the most awesome group of bloggers out there! Lace, Old Music, Dishes, oh my goodness...the fun is never ending! I'm going to have to redo my whole house because of what I've just seen these talented ladies doing in their own! The picture I'm sharing today was taken a few years ago at my Church. I took my violin and put it on the table at the front of the Church and snapped away. Here is what I got. Sorry it's so dark. I decided to share this picture because of a blog I found.

When I saw the blog by Lisa at tarnished and tattered here: http://tarnishedandtattered.blogspot.com/

I was astonished with her creativity. She is having a giveaway on her blog this week because she's reached 200 followers! Congratulations! I'm adding my name to her blog! She's giving away some beautiful items including old sheet music, lace, and an exquisite candle she made herself! Thanks Lisa for the inspiration I've seen on your blog. With 3 babies, I don't know how you do it!

God is Awesome!

These shots were taken on Friday, February 12, 2010 by my wonderful husband and I'm so excited to have them. We had one of the "Once in a Lifetime" snows here in the northeast Texas area. It was really beautiful.

The pond is located just outside our back door, and off to the right. We watch the ducks come and go in the Winter, and the Blue Herons during the rest of the year. It's so pretty with the lacy snow patterning the tree limbs and brances. Even the barbed wire fence has a beauty that only the snow can give! I wish the sun had come out so that it sparkled and shone. That would have been glorious! With all of the beauty we see on the earth in all its different forms, whether snow or sun, pond or ocean, I am thankful that God allows us to be a part of it. Don't you know that heaven is going to be more glorious than anything we've seen yet or can even imagine! I can't wait!!

Isn't She Adorable?

You know, I can't decide if I should keep this little girl or not...she's just so cute! She's from our very own stock too. Her grandmothers are Prelude and Minuet, and her grandfather on both sides was our Metronome! We are really proud of the grandbabies, and this one in particular. I guess time will tell. I always have one it seems that I wish I'd kept...maybe this one I actually will!!

I have a picture of a collection of stumps I've used for blending my colored pencils. I use them with "Goo-Gone" to give the pencils a softer and more vibrant look. I really like the way it smooths out the pencil lines and makes the color look almost like it was painted. The stumps used with the Goo-Gone give me a lot of control, although I do still need to practice!!

The hummingbird and flowers stamp was stamped first with Close to Cocoa ink, then colored with Prismacolor pencils. Last step was to blend with the stumps. I am really looking forward to using this method a lot more in the future. I'm also starting to watercolor more and more...it's been a long time since I had those out, so it's time to work on that again too!!

I just took some pictures of one of my works, a tatted doily! I made it a few years ago, and then entered it in our local county Fair. It won first place in its category, then won the Champion for the hand-made crafts category! I was so excited! I have another one I'm working on for another entry, but have a lot left to finish!

I learned how to needle-tat by going to a site on the computer and following their directions. It was so easy even I was able to learn how!

I know...it's not Spring yet. But I just LOVE flowers, and spring, and warm but not hot or cold weather. So I thought a picture of one of my many favorite flowers would be pretty! I'm not the greatest photographer (obviously), but I try my best and hope to get better in the future!
One of the many projects I have in the back of my head to work on is a scrapbook of my numerous photos of flowers. I should have already started it, but it's such a huge project, and I don't know what size book to make it, or how to do it! Should it be by flower? Roses on one page, violets another, or should I do it by color of flower? Pinks, whites, purples, etc... So many decisions. So, I'll just keep on taking pictures and maybe one of these days I'll just jump on it and start it! Enjoy the picture!

My First Blog Post!

I'd like to welcome you to my blog! At least if you happen to get here, there is something to see at this point. I guess any new blogger has to post something for the first time, so I'll just start sharing a few things at a time.

I've been working on organizing my scrap room a lot over the last 2 years since moving into this house and getting my own scraproom! I've had a blast!

This is the way I store my Stickles, upside down, so that the air bubbles are at the bottom of the bottle and accidents are minimized while using. I used the plastic canvas cut to size as dividers to hold the bottle up.