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Monday, October 29, 2012

Tag Sale Treasures

In my last post, I said I would show you the goodies I found at the town-wide tag sale "tomorrow". Well, "tomorrow" didn't exactly happen the way I'd intended. You know how it is; schedules get rearranged, priorities shift and we don't always get to do what we had planned. I can get a ton of things done during the course of a day, but not one of them from my to-do list! I guess that flexibility is key to sanity survival!

Now, on to the goodies! When we first arrived at the sale, I spotted this pretty little jewelry cabinet. I'd wanted one for a long time, but they usually are a bit expensive (around $200). This one was marked $35! Hmmm...I decided to see what else the sale had to offer and come back to it.
My daughter, the grand babies and I walked around, looking at everything. The kids made a few small purchases, but most of the items were from dealers and their prices were higher than I thought a lot of them should be. There was nothing that really spoke to me, so after a little snack picnic, we headed towards the exit. I had completely forgotten about the little cabinet until I walked by it again. I decided to ask the dealer if the $35 was the best he could do. He offered to sell it to me for $25. Deal! He even carried it all the way to my car and loaded it up for me!
It's a really nice piece with tons of storage. There are 5 drawers, one of which has small compartments in it. It's all lined in deep green velvet.
There are also doors on the sides which open up and have hooks to hold necklaces! AND, the top opens, there's a mirror on the lid, a large open area for big pieces and slots for rings and bracelets!
Please excuse the ugly ceiling fan in the picture
I'm thinking that I may paint it at some point as the finish is not really to my liking, but for now, I'm just thrilled to have a proper place for all of my jewelry! I have pieces in a dysfunctional jewelry box, in small boxes, in my vanity drawers, hanging on hooks, in a little dish and in vanity jars (mostly earrings-I'm an earring junky). Some pieces were inherited from my aunt and mother, so I'd like to have them safely tucked in this new treasure chest.

At another location, there were tons of antique dealers and a few craft vendors. Many had glassware on display - I don't know how many times I said "don't touch" to the kids and made them walk with their hands behind their backs like my mom used to make us. They were really good, pointing out things they found interesting but keeping their hands away. I found a box of old postcards and picked out this one while looking through them. I like the fact that it has a message on the back, but oddly, it was never mailed as there is no post mark or address on it. Still, I think the writing is charming and the picture is so sweet!

After a hot dog break, the kids were about done for the day, so while my daughter took them to the car, I roamed around one more group of vendors and found this incredible Italian Demijohn wine jug! I was thrilled as I had recently seen a few on Pinterest and thought that they were just beautiful in their rustic design. It's big, measuring 17" in height and has a great wooden bottom! I really was tempted to keep it but decided to sell it and it went quickly!
I also picked up a sock monkey for Jamison and Abigail because every kid should have a MeeMaw that gives them a sock monkey! My grandma made each of us one when we were little and even gave one to my parents when they were first married as their "first born"! Both kids were very excited and the sock monkeys have now taken up residence in their beds for night-time cuddling. As I was typing this, Jamison came in with Sunny, so I took their picture. Abigail's Rufus looks about the same, but he's red instead of orange.
So, those are the treasures of the day for that outing. The following Friday, my daughter and I went to the annual rummage sale. I always make a great haul there - more on that soon! (Notice I didn't dare say tomorrow?)

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day! A special note to my fellow east-coasters - stay safe from Sandy! It looks like we're in for quite a wild ride between now and Wednesday!
Hugs, Leena

Sharing with From My Front Porch To Yours Treasure Hunt Thursdays
French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday
Fox Hollow Cottage Power Of Pinterest

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Changing Seasons

It has finally started to change to fall here in Virginia. While our temperature keeps fluctuating from around 80 degrees on some days to the low 60's on others, the leaves have caught up with the season and are displaying their fall wardrobe. The gorgeous colors are always a welcomed sight and remind me of chilly childhood evenings filled with the fragrance of wood-burning fire places and burning leaves (yes, my dad used to be able to dispose of leaves by burning them along the curbside). There is something so homey about these scents and I still get that warm, cozy feeling when I smell a fire place in the neighborhood.

My daughter and I took the little ones to a nearby town recently for their town-wide tag sale. More on that tomorrow as I need to take a few pictures of what we purchased. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed wandering around the booths, looking at all the wares for sale. On the way home, I remembered that I had brought my camera, so decided to take a few pictures of the lovely color-changing leaves.
One of the things I am very fond of in our area is the abundance of back roads. Our town was founded in the 1700's so avenues of transportation were carved out of the woods. Some are still dirt, some gravel, some have even been paved. All are charming to travel and are my preferred passages, even though a modern, three-lane highway runs parallel and would be a little faster to use.
There are many horse farms and tons of trees. I always enjoy seeing signs with the names of the properties on them. This one had the cutest little road leading up to the house. I've often thought it would be fun to have a name for my property, but living in a neighborhood doesn't lend the same type of charm that these farms possess.

One of my favorite things is to drive along while being bombarded by falling leaves. When my kids were little, this always solicited a cheerful shout of "leave attack!" followed by much giggling. It's nice to now be able to teach my grandchildren these silly little things and, once the leaves fall and I get them raked, I'm going to introduce them to the joy of diving into a huge pile of leaves and tossing them up into the air! I remember when my dad, brother and I did this with my kids. Even our dog Shoni got involved in the fun!
I'm planning on taking another little jaunt down this road and attempt to get more leaf pictures and some of the horses that live along it. That's the one downside of back roads; there aren't too many places to pull over when a photo opportunity comes along.
Thank you for joining me on my little road trip! I hope you enjoyed the view. Have a wonderful day!
Hugs, Leena

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost
 
Linking to: Savvy Southern Style, Wow Us Wednewsday



Monday, October 22, 2012

Font-A-Mania!


 
I love fonts! I enjoy using different styles, depending upon my mood or the subject of my post. Thanks to Bell JarVintage, I am now going font crazy! She recently shared her love of fonts and the link to where you can find 100's of them DaFont.com I've only installed two so far, but I know I will be online grabbing more and more over the next few days! Get ready for some creative craziness! Hugs, Leena

It's Overflowing Silhouette Give-Away!

Be sure to hope on over to It's Overflowing, wish her blog a Happy Birthday and enter the Silhouette give-away! You can create all kinds of fabulous things, like the project pictured below (I want this!) LOL! This is awesome! Good luck! Leena

Thursday, October 18, 2012

My Favorite Neighbors

We have these really nice neighbors that Jim and I love to see when we're out. They live about half a mile away and we often pass by their property. They're very polite, friendly, they don't make much noise, although we do hear them every once in a while. At least they don't throw loud parties and forget to invite us! LOL! We were driving by the other day and they were out in their large yard, so we stopped for a quick visit and to take their pictures.

Aren't they sweet? The one came over to greet me and check out my cell phone that I was taking pictures with. Then I gave him some grass to eat and he went about his business. Jim was a little afraid of his horns, but I love cows so never gave it a thought. The other two greeted us from a distance and continued eating. I guess we caught them during their lunch break. I love sitting outside on days when they are particularly active and vocal. I can hear their "moos", which always makes me smile.

I hope that you have some nice neighbors nearby that make you smile too! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! Moo! Hugs, Leena

Monday, October 15, 2012

Angelic Give-Away at Villabarnes!

Rosemary at Villabarnes is an extremely talented artist, working her magic on everything from paper tags to glass bottles! She is generously offering several of her creations in a fabulous give-away! You won't want to miss out so please click the link above and enter asap! While you're there, enjoy Rosemary's wonderful blog, filled with inspiration and great tutorials! Good luck!
Thanks for stopping by! Hugs, Leena

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Vintage By Nina Book Give-Away!

The wonderful and talented Janet at Shabbyfufu is holding a give-away for the fantastic book, Vintage By Nina!

This book has been wildly popular and is now available in English! Over 300 gorgeous photos adorn the 164 pages!

Head on over to Shabbyfufu for entry details. You don't want to miss this one!
 

Monday, October 1, 2012

A Taste Of The Season

 
Pumpkin Bisque Soup
 
Wait, soup? Pumpkin soup? I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, but never had tried pumpkin soup. I was somewhat hesitant but one spoonful and I was hooked! I discovered that it was the most delicious, creamy, warm-your-tummy goodness ever to grace a bowl! If left it to cool just enough so that it didn't burn my mouth, it thickened and allowed all those tongue tingling ingredients to meld together. Oh such a wonderful delight to the palate! I placed crushed saltine crackers into mine, which I think gave it just the right touch! Soon, my bowl was empty and there was nothing left to do but look up the recipe and make some more! Hope you like it as much as I did - enjoy!

1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 c. pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

1 1/4 c. chicken broth

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper

In medium saucepan saute onion in butter until translucent, not brown. Add pumpkin, chicken broth, 2 cups water, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add cream. Gently heat bisque until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This would be so great in a little pumpkin-shaped bowl or, I was even thinking of serving it in a hollowed-out pumpkin! Wouldn't that be so cute and festive?
 
Thank you for dropping by! I always love your visits and appreciate your time! Have a wonderful day! Hugs, Leena

Linking to: Etsy Cottage Style "What's Cookin' In The Cottage Kitchen"
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