Treasure Box Wednesday: Quacking Up With Spwing Fever

The daffodils have sprung up in the yard, and I admit-- I'm feeling a bit daffy! The fever has crept in, and I find the sunshine distracts... the warm wind whispers in my ear of antiquing roadtrips westward. But alas-- practicality wins out. Weekends await.

And I was, at least, very practical about the cost of these pretty aqua and pink placemats from Big Lots...

At $1 a piece, you can't really go wrong. I like them very much with the current diningroom theme. Just about the right shade with the McCoy planter and the glass on the mantle, I think.


Can I offer you a cup of tea?

I found another thing I thought you all might get a kick out of. Is it a Nancy Drew book?...


Nope! It's a nice lined notebook, precisely novel-sized. And look at the attention to detail with this. The inside cover is a replica of the endpapers in the original 50s book...


And then the nicely lined pages are filled with little illustrations from the novel...


I do so much writing, this just seemed like it would be really handy.

At the St. Vincent de Paul in Monroeville, I found this large Imperial Harvest centerpiece bowl in amber carnival glass...

My friend Scoobie had gotten me one for my birthday a year or so ago-- and I love it-- so I was thinking when Fall rolls around, it might be nice to have this second one. At $5, the price was right.

And so, I bet you're wondering... what's all this about quacking up?

Well, I was rooting around in one of my cabinets and I found a few of my feathered friends for Easter. How cute are these little ducklings? So realistically painted and whimsical, right now they're hanging out on my entryway lamp table, but we'll see where they turn up for the holiday.

They're there with these little ladies...


You may remember, they're the chicks I'd dubbed "the MacGuire Sisters" last year. They make me smile, too. Hey, would now be a good time to mention, I'm on Twitter?

Oh, and I found a little freebie for you folks, for this Treasure Box!...

You can download some public domain audiobooks for free-- one of which is a favorite of mine:

The humor story Right Ho, Jeeves, by PG Wodehouse. If you click here, you can download all or part of the MP3 files of this book. I actually ride around to this version on my commute sometimes.

Listen as Bertie Wooster and his brainbox of a butler, Jeeves, twist and turn in a hilariously confusing plot of angry aunts, wishy-washy chums in love, Mephistopholes costumes, Market Snodsbury Grammar School prize-givings, inebriation, and 18 mile bike rides.

Or, if you didn't get a chance to check out Sunday's post, Some of Your Favorite Things, click here.

Guess I'd better waddle on out of here! Take care!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Quacking Up With Spwing Fever

The daffodils have sprung up in the yard, and I admit-- I'm feeling a bit daffy! The fever has crept in, and I find the sunshine distracts... the warm wind whispers in my ear of antiquing roadtrips westward. But alas-- practicality wins out. Weekends await.

And I was, at least, very practical about the cost of these pretty aqua and pink placemats from Big Lots...

At $1 a piece, you can't really go wrong. I like them very much with the current diningroom theme. Just about the right shade with the McCoy planter and the glass on the mantle, I think.


Can I offer you a cup of tea?

I found another thing I thought you all might get a kick out of. Is it a Nancy Drew book?...


Nope! It's a nice lined notebook, precisely novel-sized. And look at the attention to detail with this. The inside cover is a replica of the endpapers in the original 50s book...


And then the nicely lined pages are filled with little illustrations from the novel...


I do so much writing, this just seemed like it would be really handy.

At the St. Vincent de Paul in Monroeville, I found this large Imperial Harvest centerpiece bowl in amber carnival glass...

My friend Scoobie had gotten me one for my birthday a year or so ago-- and I love it-- so I was thinking when Fall rolls around, it might be nice to have this second one. At $5, the price was right.

And so, I bet you're wondering... what's all this about quacking up?

Well, I was rooting around in one of my cabinets and I found a few of my feathered friends for Easter. How cute are these little ducklings? So realistically painted and whimsical, right now they're hanging out on my entryway lamp table, but we'll see where they turn up for the holiday.

They're there with these little ladies...


You may remember, they're the chicks I'd dubbed "the MacGuire Sisters" last year. They make me smile, too. Hey, would now be a good time to mention, I'm on Twitter?

Oh, and I found a little freebie for you folks, for this Treasure Box!...

You can download some public domain audiobooks for free-- one of which is a favorite of mine:

The humor story Right Ho, Jeeves, by PG Wodehouse. If you click here, you can download all or part of the MP3 files of this book. I actually ride around to this version on my commute sometimes.

Listen as Bertie Wooster and his brainbox of a butler, Jeeves, twist and turn in a hilariously confusing plot of angry aunts, wishy-washy chums in love, Mephistopholes costumes, Market Snodsbury Grammar School prize-givings, inebriation, and 18 mile bike rides.

Or, if you didn't get a chance to check out Sunday's post, Some of Your Favorite Things, click here.

Guess I'd better waddle on out of here! Take care!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Best Things in Life Are Free

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The world has gone bright with blooms, showcasing some of the treasures in life you just can't buy.

Well, okay, yes, sometimes you have to buy them to plant them. But not always! Like these little fellows in my neighbor's yard...


I don't know what they are (anyone know? Greg?), but I love how they've just nestled themselves in her grass and then run rampant. The reason she hasn't mowed the grass yet is because of an attachment to these free-roaming little purple and white lovelies...


And who can blame her? When nature puts on a display like this, forcing it into submission just seems wrong somehow.


And here are some more rogue flowers. Little violas that have infiltrated the neighborhood, and have embedded themselves wherever there's dirt and a drink of water-- even between the cracks in my driveway...


I just can't move myself to root them out. It's so cheery to come home to a driveway populated with little purple blossoms. :) As you're probably already getting the impression, I try to roll with nature's whims a bit; I like to think we're both happier that way.

The backyard has also given forth a pretty amazing display of mossy phlox. Here they are after some morning rain, dripping down my back wall onto the plaster seat. I wish they stayed this vibrant all summer long.


Also, the bleeding heart this year has gotten large, and is loaded with hearts. No Victorian garden is complete without one!



And lastly, here you can see the front yard, filled to bursting with more mossy phlox-- and the infamous mosaiced stepping stones.


Well, I hope you enjoyed this somewhat different Treasure Box Wednesday. I think it's nice to take a step back and appreciate all the natural beauty around us now and then. It's not all about the thrift store. (Though that's fun, too!)

Oh- for those who have children of your own, or who just remember being a kid, I thought you might enjoy a post this week on my humor blog entitled, "Stealth Mom and the Mayonnaise Infiltration of 82."

• If you've ever tried to make your kid eat something he or she didn't like-- or if you were that kid (pick me, pick me!)-- I believe you'll be able to identify. Click here to check it out.

• Also, if you didn't get a chance to see Sunday's post on the Cottage Living forum's spring swap, you might find something of interest by clicking here.
  

May there be an excellent day ahead of you!

Treasure Box Wednesday: The Best Things in Life Are Free

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The world has gone bright with blooms, showcasing some of the treasures in life you just can't buy.

Well, okay, yes, sometimes you have to buy them to plant them. But not always! Like these little fellows in my neighbor's yard...


I don't know what they are (anyone know? Greg?), but I love how they've just nestled themselves in her grass and then run rampant. The reason she hasn't mowed the grass yet is because of an attachment to these free-roaming little purple and white lovelies...


And who can blame her? When nature puts on a display like this, forcing it into submission just seems wrong somehow.


And here are some more rogue flowers. Little violas that have infiltrated the neighborhood, and have embedded themselves wherever there's dirt and a drink of water-- even between the cracks in my driveway...


I just can't move myself to root them out. It's so cheery to come home to a driveway populated with little purple blossoms. :) As you're probably already getting the impression, I try to roll with nature's whims a bit; I like to think we're both happier that way.

The backyard has also given forth a pretty amazing display of mossy phlox. Here they are after some morning rain, dripping down my back wall onto the plaster seat. I wish they stayed this vibrant all summer long.


Also, the bleeding heart this year has gotten large, and is loaded with hearts. No Victorian garden is complete without one!



And lastly, here you can see the front yard, filled to bursting with more mossy phlox-- and the infamous mosaiced stepping stones.


Well, I hope you enjoyed this somewhat different Treasure Box Wednesday. I think it's nice to take a step back and appreciate all the natural beauty around us now and then. It's not all about the thrift store. (Though that's fun, too!)

Oh- for those who have children of your own, or who just remember being a kid, I thought you might enjoy a post this week on my humor blog entitled, "Stealth Mom and the Mayonnaise Infiltration of 82."

• If you've ever tried to make your kid eat something he or she didn't like-- or if you were that kid (pick me, pick me!)-- I believe you'll be able to identify. Click here to check it out.

• Also, if you didn't get a chance to see Sunday's post on the Cottage Living forum's spring swap, you might find something of interest by clicking here.
  

May there be an excellent day ahead of you!

The Big Easter Lambie Whammy

Sheep happens.

It started with one planter, in a display cabinet at the Good Samaritan thrift store in North Versailles. The sheep's funny, smiling face and pink color cheered me instantly. I bought it and took it home.



The next time I visited the store, there were more sheep prancing on the shelves. In different styles and colors... All from around the 50s and 60s... And all in nursery room pinks and blues. I chose two. The nice lady behind the counter smiled as I presented my wooly friends for payment.


Over this last year, it seems more and more sheep have trailed back to my place-- like I was Mary of "Had a Little Lamb" fame, and these fine fellows were sure to go if I were. I have since become well-known at the Good Samaritan for my regular lamb procurement. I have rounded up sheep from the L&L Fleatique. I have shepherded them from the Salvation Army. I have gotten them by-hook-and-by-crook at Junk for Joy. But I hadn't quite realized just how many sheep there were until I opened my plastic tub of Easter goodies and let loose the flock.

So there are sheep on the mantle...

Sheep on the table...

Sheep carting eggs...

And sheep chaufferring chicks...


One year of thrifting, and I'm knee-deep in sheep!

And for folks who were asking how the varnished Marshmallow Peep garland fared from last year, I have to say, it's held up fairly nicely. The topcoat may have yellowed slightly, but the Peeps are all still in good shape and are currently decorating the mirror over the sheep-ladened mantle.


Next week, I hope to be finished with a brand new Peep Project I want to share with you-- one with a bit of a trash-t0-treasure spin. (No, really, it will all make sense when you finally see it...

Maybe... :)

Well, I'd probably best be off. With all this Easter decorating and sheep counting, I SERIOUSLY could use a nap. Hope you see you back here on the Blogspot for Treasure Box Wednesday. (If you missed last week's linens, lamps and lambs, click here.) And if not, then I do hope you'll be baaaaack again soon.

The Big Easter Lambie Whammy

Sheep happens.

It started with one planter, in a display cabinet at the Good Samaritan thrift store in North Versailles. The sheep's funny, smiling face and pink color cheered me instantly. I bought it and took it home.



The next time I visited the store, there were more sheep prancing on the shelves. In different styles and colors... All from around the 50s and 60s... And all in nursery room pinks and blues. I chose two. The nice lady behind the counter smiled as I presented my wooly friends for payment.


Over this last year, it seems more and more sheep have trailed back to my place-- like I was Mary of "Had a Little Lamb" fame, and these fine fellows were sure to go if I were. I have since become well-known at the Good Samaritan for my regular lamb procurement. I have rounded up sheep from the L&L Fleatique. I have shepherded them from the Salvation Army. I have gotten them by-hook-and-by-crook at Junk for Joy. But I hadn't quite realized just how many sheep there were until I opened my plastic tub of Easter goodies and let loose the flock.

So there are sheep on the mantle...

Sheep on the table...

Sheep carting eggs...

And sheep chaufferring chicks...


One year of thrifting, and I'm knee-deep in sheep!

And for folks who were asking how the varnished Marshmallow Peep garland fared from last year, I have to say, it's held up fairly nicely. The topcoat may have yellowed slightly, but the Peeps are all still in good shape and are currently decorating the mirror over the sheep-ladened mantle.


Next week, I hope to be finished with a brand new Peep Project I want to share with you-- one with a bit of a trash-t0-treasure spin. (No, really, it will all make sense when you finally see it...

Maybe... :)

Well, I'd probably best be off. With all this Easter decorating and sheep counting, I SERIOUSLY could use a nap. Hope you see you back here on the Blogspot for Treasure Box Wednesday. (If you missed last week's linens, lamps and lambs, click here.) And if not, then I do hope you'll be baaaaack again soon.