Nice Weekend and Nice Finds

     This was a real find. Only $15.00. I will probably use this for fresh flowers.
                      This was such a pretty pitcher that I couldn't leave it behind. 
                                             My finds from several different places.

I had a nice relaxing weekend. Shopping with my friend Nancy. We always get into trouble when we shop together.

Last Chance To Enter My Giveaway !  

Enter either on the 100th post on the side or below.

Just wanted to add, to all us California Girls. Don't forget, July 1st, the law for handsfree cell phones goes into effect. This means you can not have a phone up to your head while driving. The fine for this is $20 for the first offense, and $50 for thereafter. California Handsfree law. This also affects your children under 18.

So don't forget !

 

Weekend Break

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I am taking a break this weekend.  Don't you just love this little cottage. It's from a website Summer Hill Seeds.

See you all when I return. Have a wonderful weekend.

Freshly Painted Staircase

    I realized I had never shared the pictures of the stairway redo.
As you can tell the before was the renters white, I am not a renter. Why did it take 10 years to paint this. Well I had a lot of things going on in my life. 

My son painted the stairway before he left for Santa Rosa this summer. As you can tell I like the older pictures more of the 1940's. The baby picture isn't me.  I hope I don't wait another 10 years to paint other things. I just need some inspiration. 

Don't forget you have until June 30th to enter my GIVEAWAY see to the right and click on the picture. Good Luck !

My Heart Is Complete

Here it is. I finally finish the button heart project. I kept running out of buttons. Who knew it would take so many. I finished it off with a blue ribbon. I'll probably hang it on the inside of my front door.

I've been asked to let everyone know how I made this :

I bought this foam heart from Joanne Fabrics. The buttons from different places, put on with hot glue. The ribbon was not glued on. I pined it so I could change it out if I liked.

Don't forget to sign up for my 100th post giveaway !

My 100th Post Giveaway !!

In honor of my 100th post I am having a giveaway. That's right 100. Can't believe I am really there. What this giveaway consist of is, an cupcake recipe book for you bakers, a small pretty pink cake plate to display your cupcakes after you bake. A thermos for you early birds to take coffee with you on your yard sale and flea market days, pretty pink flower note pad with pencil to write down your list of what you want to find or do, pretty dishtowels, and light blue candles, and pink colored sugar.

All you need to do is leave a comment here and consider yourself entered. Those that sign in as anonymous will have to leave your email, so I can get your address if you win. I will be pulling the name on, Tuesday, July 1st.  

Pray For California

This must be a really scary site to see near your home.
At last count, California had over 700 wildfires that started as a result of lighting strikes. They are mostly in the Northern part of the state. Gov. Schwarzenegger has request additional resources from other states to help contain the fires. At present their are over 4000 firefighters from all over the state helping to put out these fires. Some are near containment and others are not. We in Northern CA. are on heightened alert and cannot have any fires such as BBQ's going. Southern CA. is also on alert and have been asked to not have any open fires. 

We are so dry here that the hillsides are primed for fires.

It's either flood or fires in the USA now.  Lets all pray for relief from all this.

The air is thick with smoke where I live and is making my throat sore. 

What's Your Dream ?

Beautiful English countryside.

What is your dream ?

Is it to go to a foreign country ?

Mine has been for years to visit sometime in my lifetime, Europe. I would love to visit the English countryside. Go to their english gardens and just soak it all in. Go to Paris to see the sights and  country sides. I would love to go to Venina.  And to also go to the Tuscany countryside as well. 

I do hope some time before I am to old to go, to be able to visit at least one country.

What's your dream ?

Just Something Else to Share

This is a summer memory for me. We as kids would load up in the car and go camping almost every summer. This is Shaw's Shady Acres, in Clearlake, CA. We got to know the owners over the years and became friends. 

Our Father would hook up the trailer to always a big Cadillac and take the winding roads to this spot. Now it's changed over the years. This is the boat dock that looks very much as it did years ago. It was something my sister and I had to do for one more time when she was here in 2007 to clean out, our parents home. These are wonderful memories for the both of us. I just wanted to share a Summer Memory in honor of the first day of summer. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

I've Been Tagged !

Joanne, from My Little Cottage In The Making, tagged me the little devil.

The rules are that I have to answer 5 questions, and then tag 5 more people and then they tag 5 more people and on and on. So here I go.

1 . WHAT WAS I DOING 10 YEARS AGO.

I was working in a Dental Office. Purchasing my townhouse, and raising my son.

2. WHAT ARE 5 THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST.  Yikes this changes daily.

Refinish furniture.

Get new carpet.

Tile the Bathroom floor.

Clean up the Backyard.

Sell my parents home.

3. SNACKS I ENJOY

Peanut mm's, Grapes, Goldfish snacks, Chocolate.

4. THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE

Take all my friends to Hawaii.

Sell this house and buy a cottage.

Pay off my car.

Hire a fitness trainer to help me loose weight.

5. PLACES I HAVE LIVED

Oakland, Richmond, Oakley and Hercules. All in California.

So, there you have it. You know a little more about me. I am not sure if I'll pass this on.

My Some What Garden

For Cielo's Show Your Garden 

I simply don't have much of a garden. I mostly have plants in the front. After the bigger dog ruined the backyard I haven't much back there. But it will be redone in the future. Here is my garden.

Pretty Lace Sheers and Nearing My 100th Post

I found these lacy sheers at Thrift Town some months back and decided to put them up today. I love the way they look. I have a weakness for batten lace. I am thinking I want to paint my living room now. I need some cheering up and maybe a brighter color would do the job. 

It's getting closer to my 100th post and I'll have a give away. So stay tune for the post.

Before and Afters

The bench in all it's yellow and gold glory.
And now painted and fresh looking. I washed the fabric it came with and turned in the opposite to have a more faded look.
The planter originally.
And now the planter. It took a primer and two cans of white spray paint in matte finish with just a little gloss spray on the top. I think they turned out Ok. I might in the future change the fabric on the bench. It's so easy to do. 

Hope everyone's Fathers Day was nice.

Isn't This Beautiful !

I was sent this image. And it said that the area was Bakersfield, CA. I think this is just beautiful. I would love to see it. Has anyone ever seen this in person ?

Fathers Day

It's fathers day today. So, what do you say when your father is no longer with you. You think about the good times and sometimes the bad.

What I remember about my father is, that he was loving in his own way. He was a quiet man and really did not have a lot to say. It wasn't until years later that I really did get to know him But I do remember the things he taught me. I would watch him for hours working on a car  engine. I was thankful for that years later when I would own my own car, and if things were going wrong with it I could narrow it down, because I had watch him and he would explain to me the functions of parts. Or, when he was working in the garage and I always wanted to know what he was doing and how it was going to go together. He was always tinkering with something. I guess that's were I get my need to take things apart and put the back together again. 

I too remember a man who took care of my mother 24/7 before she died. He would go days without shaving or bathing because of the demand to take care of her. Sleepless nights and endless days of making sure all her needs were meet. He would only complain if he had to go to the store, that he'd would be away from her and that I needed to come over if it was convenient. Never wanting to put me out. All the while he was tired and weary over her needing him. My sister had asked him how he felt about all that he did, and his reply was "That's what I signed up for when I married your mom". A true gentleman in his own way. I never saw my father show emotion, except the day my mother died he didn't want to be alone with her when she died, so I was there. He cried on my shoulder something I had never witnessed from my father. And also on the day of her funeral. Those were endearing times for me. 

I miss him for the things he taught me. For now when I get into something that I can't figure out I say what would dad do?.

Miss you and love you dad. 

Chairs Completed and Thrift Finds

So, with the chairs completed and reassembled I am on to the next project.
I found this bench at the Salvation Army. It's painted a yellow with gold. 
Now the pattern on the fabric is pretty so I am taking it off and will try to wash it up. And then paint the bench white. If the fabric comes clean I'll just put it back on.
Now these sconces I found at Thrift Town.  Can you believe $15.00 for the pair. I've been looking for some like this. The shades are a little dirty, but I might try cleaning them, will see. I'll probably hang some crystals from them. I think white, or maybe something else. 

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Re-Painting the Dining Room Chairs.

Re-painting the two chairs for the dining room. Next is the table. I really don't like these chairs much. I would prefer something different but haven't found it yet. I like the Duncan Phyfe style of dining table and chairs. But my dining room isn't that big. I'll keep searching. Maybe I'll get lucky like Cindy at Romantic Home. 

It's starting to cool off here. It's been in the high 90's and that makes it hard to refinish anything.

Vintage and a Great Find.

This vintage claw foot tub was at Ray's Trading in Sebastopol, CA. I thought it would be great to get into during our very hot weather. If only I had a place to put it. Oh, well.
A nice chippy green medicine cabinet.
I just thought this was a nice cabinet, that you could put anywhere.
It had a light blue applique. 
And a great find at Thrift Town yesterday. It's in perfect condition. I'll spray paint this white with a flat finish. What gets me is the entire time I was looking for one of these I couldn't find one in the thrift shops and ended up finding one online. Mine online was $79.00. This one $24.99, that just makes me crazy.