Auction Exhaustion and Favorite Find

There will be a definite delay on posting my favorite new find for Rhoda's special event. I was at the auction for eight hours today...trekked home with purchases...packed a suitcase...traveled out-of-state and am now just realizing I forgot to post pictures of my most recent favorite find. Bought some goodies at today's auction, but will not be able to post photos until I return home.

Out all day tomorrow to find a "grandmother of the groom" gown for my mother to wear to the upcoming wedding. Pray for us! I'm sure I might squeeze in a little consignment or thrift shopping as well since I'm in the "big city." Thanks to everyone who has visited the blog in recent days.

Finds From Auction

Carved Table - India - Dorm Room Bound

View of Top of Carved Table

Statton Bedroom Table

Shown above are two of my more recent auctions deals that I talked about last week. The first two photos show the little coffee table, probably from India that my daughter and I got for her dorm room. It was $2.00! The top has a little wear, but also has the "inlaid" design. This is for them (daughter and her rooommate) to "drop their keys on" and to "set cups, glasses on," as I was informed by my daughter.

The third photo shows a table that I won at the auction at the beginning of July. It is a piece of Statton furniture, which is a high end furniture line based in Hagerstown, Maryland. My dining room furniture is Statton and I shudder to think what those pieces cost us! This little find was $5.00! It is solid cherry and was always painted since it was part of a former bedroom grouping. It just happens to a very good match in color to our new kitchen cabinets. Don't quite know what it will end up, but it was "too good a deal" to pass on it! As time permits I will continue to post photos of more recent finds. My son and fiance arrived to stay with us on Saturday. They are in the process of unpacking and re-arranging rooms that they will stay in while with us. Just 3 1/2 months until the wedding and the countdown really begins!

Our bridal shower is in 3 weeks and not including the "thousands" of ordinary preparations, we have to finish painting areas, complete the range hood/chimney, tile a bathroom, tile a sunroom and lay pavers on a new patio, as well as get my daughter ready to return to college. Will the insanity ever stop? Good thing we work better under pressure!

Looking forward to the upcoming "Share your Favorite Yard Sale/Thrifting Find" party sponsored by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. Especially since it is scheduled for this Thursday, the same day as our next auction!

Auction Fever

My daughter and I spent most of the day at one of my favorite auctions. My daughter came to look for items for her new dorm room. Vicky was also in attendance with her husband. The evening before, during the preview, I had spied a large, handpainted entertainment/armoire (approx. 4 ft. by 7") that I had seen before in showrooms at the "Mart" in Atlanta. I decided I would love to have, but felt it would be way out-of-bounds for my pocketbook.

Since it was "new" and a designer piece luck was with me. The first bid actually went all the way down to $25.00! Anyway in the end it was mine and even though it fits so well into an "Old World," Tuscan, or European theme, it might end up in our "formal" living room because its colors are perfect for that room as well as the new rooms. Once it makes it into the house from our Suburban (gas hog, but invaluable for hauling!) I will include a photo.

We also found a small, carved coffee table ($2.00 - probably from India) to go in front of the dorm room futon and a console cabinet ($4.00 - go along the wall to hold the dorm room TV, DVDs, etc. (How different dorm life is today!). We hadn't pulled the console away from the wall at the auction or tried to lift it. When my husband removed it from my car outside of our house I was able to see the back of it for the first time. It was a piece of Drexel Heritage furniture (and was extremely heavy). I then informed my daughter that we would not be painting it (it is a soft yellow with accents of blue/green, which actually fits with her Tri-Delta sorority colors) and that I would probably find a place for it at home in the future!

I found a great end table ($5.00) for the new great room (once the new sofa arrives) and a "pick out" group of 4 milk glass pieces, a white rippled milk glass "Silvercrest" Fenton vase and a Lenox tidbit dish for $5.00. Vicky and husband purchased a beautiful Sheraton, inlaid and burled server/hunt board for a family gift. She also picked up lovely china, rugs, compote, art glass cake stand, wrought iron lamp, small table/chest at great prices. We are both quite frugal and try to control "bidding fever" whenever we attend auctions! Watch out, because there is another auction at the same location next week and we are already getting excited!

Two nights ago, at Home Depot, we were able to find a porcelain tile for the new sunroom floor. It is a ceramic tile which replicates a brick herringbone design. The tile was on clearance and we pounced on it even though we just ordered the tile for the new bathroom and have that to put down as well.

Decisions, Decisions

Solistone "Jakarta Moon" Pebble Stone Tile

Botanica "Had To Have" Bag

Belgard "Mega Bergerac" Pavers

Close-Up of Mega Bergerac Pavers

Daltile Pattern for Remodeled Bathroom

Brancacci "Aria Ivory" Tile

What a long day we spent today. Starting out at 7:30 in the morning we began our quest. My daughter and I dropped my husband at work and then went to breakfast at Bagel City. Lots of goodies to choose from and very filling. Afterwards we made a quick trip to Home Goods and found two pillow shams to coordinate with the lovely ivory quilt/spread that I purchased two weeks ago for my son's redecorated bedroom.

Next, on to the Unique Thrift Store for their "Monday only" 25% off sale. We had only a limited amount of time but were able to find a great bath rug and assorted current magazines for me and a Ann Taylor Loft dress, American Eagle and Key West skirts for my daughter. We have decided that we will try to return on another Monday before she returns to school.

In the early afternoon we joined my husband and went to select tile for our remodeled bathroom on the first floor of our home. We decided upon a Daltile pattern called Brancacci in the Aria Ivory color for the room floor and walls of the new walk-in shower. We decided on a pebble tile from Solistone, "Jakarta Moon," for the floor of the shower. We will probably find a accent border to go around the inside wall of the shower.

After this, we then went to view and decide upon pavers for our new patio. We had decided to go with the Belgard brand, but needed to decide a specific design. Ultimately, we chose Mega Bergerac in the Fossil Beige color scheme. We will also need a small retaining wall around 3 sides of the pation which will more than likely be the "Celtik Wall" design in the same color scheme. Now we have to make a final decision on the layout of the patio and begin with the bed of stone dust, etc. that will be the base for the pavers.

We stopped at the Mall at Columbia (Maryland) for a brief period of shopping for "back to school" outfits and a quick lunch/dinner. I decided to buy a Vera Bradley bag in the Botanica pattern which I have admired for about two years and since they are retiring it I just had to have it. Back to Charles Town, dropped our daughter at home and then on to Home Depot for various and sundry things, including faux wood blinds for our son's room. By 9:30 we were finally back home and ready to drop! Of course the week is still young and there will be other places to go, I'm sure.

My Favorite Thing

One of my favorite bloggers, Cindy at My Romantic Home, is hosting a "My Favorite Things" weekend. It's such a great idea that I decided to join in!

Of course, the difficulty for me is making a decision as to what to choose! My post title should really read "My Favorite Thing....Today." And today, that would be the lovely milk-glass basket that I found at an auction last month. I bought it to use for a bridal shower because I have been collecting black and white dishes to use at the shower. Vintage milk glass pieces were perfect, although hard to find! I love the shape and the texture of the pattern of this basket and will use it in many different ways for years to come. In the top photo, you will see some of the other pieces that I have picked up this summer which I think fit together quite well.

I would have loved to find a three-tiered stand as beautiful as Cindy's to use at the shower, but I will have to be content with clear glass and silver plate....unless I have a magnificent thrift store experience within the next three weeks. I can only hope! I am thoroughly enjoying viewing other bloggers' favorite thing postings and will continue to check it as other people join in the fun.

Flower Color Change

Today I finally got around to changing the flowers in the urn that usually sits in the center of our great-room dining table. The spring arrangement had been bothering me for weeks but I had been unable to find "true red" silk flowers to accent the new look. Yesterday, at A.C. Moore, I found some red geraniums that were 70% off. They were in rather short stemmed bouquets, but I cut them apart and fastened them to longer stemmed flowers to make the red "pop" throughout the arrangement.

Now that I have finished this task, I have to find live flowers for the window baskets on the windows of the new addition. All spring and into the summer, we had lovely pansies which decided to die all at once about three weeks ago. Hopefully I will find temporary replacements that will survive the August heat until I am able to plant mums for the fall.

Works In Progress

Laundry room whites against Valspar "Bliss" blue

Laundry room white hutch against Valspar "Bliss" blue

Range hood chimney should be similar to fireplace chimney (not faux finished yet)

Range hood and chimney under construction

The photos above show some of the ungoing progress described in yesterday's post. Apologies for the lighting problems in some of the photos, but I didn't take the time to stage things or perfect lighting! I will post other photos as the work progresses and/or is completed.

The other day I visited a new (to me) thrift store in the Montgomery County, Maryland. It is the Unique Thrift Store. They had quite a collection of all kinds of items, from apparel to household. Some of the prices were way out of line (too high for "previously used") but there were many deals to be found. I was able to pick up bed dust ruffles (in wonderful condition) for $1.99 and below and a pair of red leather sandals (Moda-Spain, also in great condition) for $3.49! According to their advertising, on Mondays everything is 25% off. It will be added to my lists of stops for future trips, especially if I'm there on Monday.

At the end of that day, we ordered a new slipcovered sofa for the great room. In about 6-8 weeks, we will be able to do away with the sofa we have been using "temporarily," which survived 2 undergraduate and 2 law school years with our son...and I had found it at an auction when he first moved into an off campus apartment...so it has seen its day! I've always wanted a slipcovered sofa so that it can be cleaned and I will be able to change its look without purchasing an entirely new sofa. Hopefully once things calm down I will learn to make a decent looking slipcover!

Tasks Are Mounting

Black and White Checkerboard in Laundry Room

Valspar Billow Blue

Posting has become more difficult than I imagined during this summer. We are involved in lots of projects on our new addition as well as plans for our son's upcoming wedding. That does not even take into consideration trying to keep up with Ebay, Etsy, website, sewing and decorating projects and time spent with my daughter while she is home for the summer.

Updates: We have almost finished painting our great room, former kitchen and upstairs back hallway. I have used the "Tobacco Road" color that so many other bloggers have used and/or suggested. We love it. We have had to use a double tier scaffold and our "Little Giant" extension ladder to reach the many high places since the great room has the lofted ceiling. We have also been painting all of the trim (a soft, bright white) around the many windows, some that are about 2o-25 feet in the air, which is extremely tedious work. My husband has begun to build the stove hood/mantel/chimney over our new range (which will have to reach high into the air).

We installed black and white vinyl tiles in our new laundry/mud room. I was never able to find affordable porcelain tile in the black/white "faux" marble checkerboard look and went with the vinyl "peel and stick" tiles that we found at Lowe's, which were suggested in a former post at Southern Hospitality. I used a white-washed wooden hutch and three shelf units that were displays in our store for storage along the walls. I decided to paint them with a soft white semi-gloss paint so that they would be more striking and easier to keep clean. We are almost finished painting the walls a Valpar satin blue color, "Billow," which has turned out great, especially since the white furniture pieces and appliances, Closet Maid shelving and trim paints are great contrasts against it.

My husband has been trying to get control of a large portion of our backyard by tilling and re-seeding sections in hopes of at least installing the floor of our new patio, that will be outside of the french doors of the new sunroom. Of course, we are also trying to at least tape and prime the walls of the sunroom so that it may be used for the bridal shower at the end of August. We might be able to finish the window and door trims, but I doubt that I will be able to finish-paint them in time.

We are trying to at least install the new frameless glass shower stall in the former downstairs powder room, which we have gutted and enlarged a bit. Finding a porcelain/ceramic tile that I am happy with has been grueling. I am trying to stay away from too much gold and brown. Finding a "white" tile that incorporates some gray or gold tones has not been easy. I wanted to use 2" by 2" or 4" by 4" tiles inside of the shower but the cost is ridiculous. I have compromised with a 6" by 6" tile instead. We will re-position the toilet and old vanity so that they may be used until we continue the renovation as time permits.

Our son and fiance will be coming to stay with us the first of August. I have to finish small paint touch-ups and re-decorate his room during the next week. We have had major air conditioning problems in the older portion of our house up until two days ago and it has made working in his room insufferable up until now. Thankfully, they have made a "temporary fix" to the wiring of the system (disconnecting the heat...no heat come fall?) so that we can get through the rest of the summer. Why do I have the feeling that a new system may be on the horizon?????????

The bridal shower is scheduled for the end of August and the pressure of construction/decorating is mounting. Finally, both Vicky and I have been able to find "mother of the bride" (in her case) and "mother of the groom" (in my case) dresses for our upcoming fall weddings. We were down to the wire for ordering so that we will receive them in time for the weddings. In fact, this coming weekend is the first bridal shower for Julie, Vicky's daughter, so the time is flying fast!

Time to finish my tale and get back to work. Will update on shower preparation and recent thrifting "finds" tomorrow.

Happy 4th of July!

Shopping Expeditions

Memo Board Bargain

Sweet Treats at Green Dragon

Green Dragon Produce

Just over a week ago, my daughter, good friend, Vicky, and I took an overnight trip to the area around Lancaster, PA to outlet and thrift shop. Although it is only about 2 1/2 hours away we've learned from past trips that one day is not enough. We started in York, PA with stops at the Historic York & Architectural Warehouse which is stocked with architectural salvage items from the York County area. They have moved into a much larger facility and had many pieces that I was interested in, but will have to return with husband and measurements to make definite decisions. As usual I brought my camera, but forgot to take any photos! Next time! The next stop was Gabriel Brothers, a chain of discount stores in the surrounding states. You never know what you will find there, but you have to look at everything very carefully. My daughter was able to find two lovely dresses, including one from Ann Taylor Loft for $5.00! On to our favorite consignment store in York, Mish Mash. Located in a stately stone house, it is one of the loveliest consignment shops you will find. Everything is organized by size and color and the shop is laid out like a high end boutique. A place not to miss if you find yourself in the area. We checked several other of our consignment and thrift haunts and then.....

On to Lancaster....Near one of my wholesale vendors I had noticed a Habitat Re-Store, but had never stopped in to look. This time we did and were pleasantly surprised with what we found. This stop has also been put on our list of stops when we return with spouses. After time spent in the nearby wholesaler, we decided to check into our motel, which happened to be right in the middle of one of Lancaster's largest outlet centers...how convenient!

After a very short stop, we visited the J.Crew outlet, my daughter's favorite, and the Polo outlet. My daughter had a great time spending her first summer paycheck and getting some great bargains. Eventually we made it to our favorite Goodwill, which actually has a bargain center as well as regular store. Because it was so late in the day we really did not have the stamina that we usually have and probably missed lots of bargains. My daughter was able to pick up a Lilly Pulitzer skirt below $5.oo. But before we called it a day and went to a late dinner, we stopped into the Hartstrings outlet, just before closing, and drooled over the beautiful baby clothes.

The next day I was down for the count and stayed late at the motel while Vicky and my daughter hit the outlets. Later in the day, I had recovered enough to visit several outlets before we moved on.....We stopped into another wholesaler and then visited the Flower and Craft Warehouse in Blue Ball, PA. I picked up large cupcake baking cups and a cute "cupcake" shaped cookie cutter for the bridal shower. Our last stop was the Green Dragon in Ephrata, PA. If you have never been there, it's definitely worth the stop. We have gone there for over 30 years and although it has changed quite a bit it still offers wonderful Amish and Mennonite treats, produce, plants, auctions and tons of "flea market" style stands. The food is great! We rolled back into Charles Town late Friday evening and are already planning our next trip.

This past Tuesday my daughter and I went on a mini shopping expedition in and around Rockville, Maryland while my husband was at work. With gas prices this high, we are trying to combine as much travel as possible. My first stop was Home Goods, where I perused the available apothecary jars. There were quite a few, but I decided to wait until next time where I have a specific place to put it. I was able to find a great cloche at a great price and it came home with me. I also checked out their other glass containers that we might be able to use for the candy bar at the upcoming wedding reception. My daugher was able to find a lovely Vera Bradley French memo board for her dorm room and a cute fabric bin in the same color scheme. Later, we picked up two fabrics at G-Street fabrics for dresses I will make for my daughter. She was able to re-stock some of her make-up and browse mall stores. A late lunch with Dad at the Cheesecake Factory and then a visit to the local Habitat Re-Store and a great new consignment store find in Gaithersburg.

Collection of Old World Items For Use In New Room

Chippy Mantel and Mirror - On The Way To Completion

Painting Projects

It's hard to believe that it has been over a month since my last post. Things were unexpectedly hectic around here as the summer began. Our daughter has been able to find a part-time job which is not so easy this year. We have tons of outdoor projects to complete this summer and the rain has slowed us down drastically.


We have been painting our new great room/kitchen addition. Since the main room has a loft it has meant perching 20 feet in the air to paint the edge between the wall and ceiling. We began by painting the upstairs back hallway, back staircase and former kitchen in the old part of the house with "Tobacco Road." We were very pleased with it and decided to carry it throughout the great room/kitchen and loft. We have painted the woodwork white and it really pops against the "gold/brown."


The decor of the room will slant toward Tuscan/Old World. During the past year I was able to buy a very "chippy" mantel with mirror at an auction which came out of a brownstone in NYC. We are leaving it in its "natural" state since it definitely has an Old World look. The fireplace that it surrounds is propane fueled. My husband built a Tuscan style "faux" chimney above it way up to the roof. I intend to do a rustic Venetian plaster finish on the chimney. I am having a difficult time locating the appropriate plaster in a retail store. I have found examples for sale over the internet, but not in a store. Lowe's had Venetian plaster, but it was a thin type that was to be burnished and have a finish like polished marble. That is not the look that I would like. We will also have a similar chimney over the Wolf range in the kitchen and I would like to finish it in the same manner. We would like it to look similar to the examples at this site. If anyone has any experience with this type of finish and/or suggestions as to what product to use please drop me an email or comment.

Another major project will be to continue planning a "couples" wedding shower for the end of August for our son and his fiance.

On The Road Again

Today we returned to Spartanburg, South Carolina to bring our daughter home from her freshman year at Wofford College. On our trip south, I was able to stop at 3 Goodwill Stores that I had looked up on TheThriftShopper.com. I was able to find a few things at each stop, including a brand new kit to make lovely black and white favor boxes that should work well as part of the upcoming wedding shower decorations. After a year of visits to Spartanburg, I just found out that there is a Hobby Lobby store in one of the shopping centers by the mall. I have read many posts by bloggers who frequent this store, but there are none located anywhere near our home. Tomorrow morning I will check it out before we begin to load up for the drive home.

Our daughter has loved her first year at Wofford and we have been very pleased with it as well. Having spent countless hours of research with help from "Colleges That Change Students Lives," "Colleges of Distinction," etc. and miles of travel to many college campuses, we chose Wofford for its academic program and reputation, its beautiful campus, student activities and fantastic "village living" concept for upper classmen. Our son had a wonderful experience at Washington and Lee University and then Vanderbilt University Law School, so we have been very blessed with great choices in education.

As much as she has loved her freshman year, she is anxious to get home and we are looking forward to having her back with us! Monday morning will begin her first summer job search, so we will cross our fingers that she lands something soon! I was able to finish valances in her room the other day. Not too bad, considering her drapery panels were custom made through our gift shop approximately 5 years ago. Because I wanted to save money (even at wholesale cost!) and knowing that valances were easy to make, I decided I would make the valances myself. Well...the remainder of the fabric has been waiting for me to sew into valances for quite a while. Now her room has draperies without naked continental rods at the top!

Since tomorrow is Friday, maybe we'll pass some yard sales or flea markets as we head back north!

A Lawyer In The Family

Today we attended our son's law school graduation at Vanderbilt University. After two days on the road and little sleep we are now taking a break before dinner. Late this afternoon we took a very brief trip to Gaylord's Opryland Hotel so that my parents could see their beautiful gardens. Below this post you will see a few of the beautiful settings inside the huge hotel. We were lucky enough to escape the rain during the graduation ceremonies and it has gotten quite hot as the day has progressed. Tomorrow we will be back on the road to Spartanburg to return our daughter to school and her end of the year exams!

Nashville Gardens

Ready, Set

The yellow tea rose was my sorority flower and has remained my favorite over the years. A lovely bouquet of yellow roses awaited me this past Saturday morning for my birthday. With so much work to do around the house, we opted to bring in Chinese for my "birthday" feast. We watched the Kentucky Derby and tried to catch a glimpse of our daughter (LOL), who was there with friends in the infield.

During the weekend, my husband finished putting down the black/white tiles in the laundry room, putting down shoe moulding in various areas, cut grass and countless other tasks. I concentrated on finishing printing the "Save The Date" booklets and website cards, waxing the hutch I painted white, painting woodwork, beginning to sew "long overdue" valances for my daughter's rooms, changing summer for winter clothing, sneaking in a few yard sales and so on....

In the middle of this week, after picking up my parents in Maryland, we take off for South Carolina to pick up our daughter and then travel to Nashville for our son's graduation from Vanderbilt Law School. We will be back in town by the end of the weekend and then leave again three days later to return to South Carolina to bring our daughter home for the summer. What a life!

We plan to take my parents on a tour of Charlotte, N.C. where we lived many years ago. They haven't been back in about 20 years and I know they will be shocked by the way it has grown. The country road that led to the high school I would have graduated from now is a 4-6 lane road running through the upscale South Park shopping area. I was shocked several years ago to see it sitting so near the road when it used to sit off in a field!

Hope to post photos of our travel and maybe some shopping finds along the way.

April Showers Continue

A page from my old all-time favorite Mary Engelbreit calendar




Over the weekend we had a brief respite from the rain. On Friday I rode along with my husband to work in order to shop nearer to the big city. I started my quest in a new (to me) thrift store in Kensington, Maryland. It struck me as the kind of place that you would need to check out quite frequently in order to catch a treasure. Friday was not my day for finding my treasure. I decided to move on to Home Goods, a place I could browse in for hours. The clearance aisles were beckoning! I was able to find lavender water for my vintage linens. I had picked out several "black & white" items for the wedding shower, but eventually put all of them back because the backgrounds were more ivory than white. Spent a considerable amount of time going through the clearance aisles, my absolute favorites, but came up empty handed.


On to Marshall's just to make sure there wasn't anything hiding there that had not turned up at Home Goods. No such luck, but enjoyed looking. A.C. Moore was my next stop. I have been trying to find wood or "plastic" shabby embellishments for a hutch I am re-painting and trying to tone down its primitive country look. None to be had at A.C. Moore, but I did purchase a tool for attaching snaps to my "vintage" baby bibs, etc. I have destroyed countless snaps while trying to attach them with several different brands of "snap sets." This tool cost a lot more, but if it works it should save me money in the long run if I don't destroy as many snaps!


Joined my husband for a late lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Had a great salad and didn't get dessert! After futile attempts to find embellishments at Michaels, Home Depot and Lowe's, I've decided to follow the recommendations of Cindy at My Romantic Home and order them from Do It Yourself Chic.


Saturday morning I got a late start going to a community yard sale. I was able to find a few "buys." I decided to check out a yard sale that had begun on Friday and figured that I would be too late to find much. I was excited to find an assortment of very old books. My lot included three old geography books, a copy of Cicero's orations, several history books and a lovely 1902 poetry book which will be wonderful for collages, scrapbooking and framing. Rain began again in the evening!

Rain continued on Sunday, but we were busy working on our "old kitchen," which is the oldest part of our house. After the Victorian part of the house was added, it was used as a servants' kitchen. Unfortunately for me, during the first 20 odd years of living here the servants were long gone and it was far from the kitchen of my dreams. Our plans now are to turn it into a small library/office.

On this gloomy Monday I have wedding related "to dos" to accomplish, orders from our website and Etsy to package, lots of ironing, continue painting hutch and the list goes on.......

RAIN...Day Three

It's been raining since Saturday evening and the sun is now trying to push through the heavy cloud cover. The gloomy outside conditions are making it a little easier to keep on track with creating the "Save The Date" cards that I must complete.

After much searching all over the net, I settled on paper from papersource.com. Because I wanted to feel the paper and envelopes I chose to visit their store in Georgetown (D.C.). It's the kind of store that you wander and buy things whether or not you need them... just because they look so good. Two stories of walls lined with lovely papers very much like a quilt fabric store. Fortunately for me, the wedding colors are black and white so that I was able to resist the temptations of the multitude of beautiful prints and rainbow of colors.

I've edited all of the text. Now I have to fit the various parts together so that they will fit into the envelopes that I've purchased. There will be 5-6 small white sheets tied with ribbon to the black card stock background. I am slowly but surely perfecting the cuts so that the cards will slide into the envelope without crinkling.

Goal is to finish the "Save The Dates" in the next couple of days.

For the bridal shower that my daughter and I will be giving for my future daughter-in-law I have been inspired by the amazing shower given by friends for Jennifer Skog as well as a bridal shower showcased on HGTV's "World's Longest Yard Sale 2006" episode. Instead of the lime green accent in Jennifer's shower, the accent color for "our" wedding will be red, but since our bridal shower will take place in August we may use alternate accent colors. The bridal shower highlighted on HGTV was given by a lady who seached for "yard sale" finds in blues and whites. Everything from milk glass, depressions glass, linens were accumulated during the three day event. She managed to snag many lovely items, including a forlorn chair that she was able to transform into a "shabby chic" wonder for the future bride! Anyone with ideas for unique "black and white" shower or wedding decor, please leave comments or links.

The sun is definitely pushing through these clouds. Hopefully it will provide better lighting for all of the photographs I need to take to post items on Etsy and Ebay later today!

Vicky's Secret Garden

Collections Rule!

I'm getting ready for a weekend of projects. One of my obsessions is collecting....all kinds of things...and having a very hard time letting go. I am very eclectic as to what I might decide to collect and how I choose to decorate areas of our house. As far as architectural design is concerned, we live in a predominately Victorian house, but Victorian furnishings are not high on my list as far as design and comfort. So, there is not one theme in our house, which may make many designers shudder, but I am quite happy to have it that way. If I had multiple houses, perhaps I would have a single theme in each, but until our "money tree" bears fruit, I have to be happy with various themes throughout the house that we have!

I've included photos of one of my collections...Molly Dallas Pottery. When attending trade shows featuring "Country" handcrafted items, I was always drawn to their booth. Whether it was the blue and white background (one of my favorite color palettes) or the cows, roosters, sheep and pigs, I finally decided to carry it in our gift store and of course pieces began to find their way home! On one shelf, two of my favorite roosters guard Molly and other blue "treasures." You may catch a glimpse of another collection/obsession, bowls (vintage and repro).

This weekend I will be working on editing and beginning to print parts of the "Save The Date" cards for our son's wedding. Because it is a destination wedding, we are including individual sheets on various topics which will be incorporated into a "bow-tied booklet." Wish me luck and patience!

It's finally going to reach the '80s today! Most of my warm weather clothes are still in the attic....another weekend project! I'm also including some photos taken in and around my friend's lovely backyard. Her yard has not been invaded by "bobcats" and construction crews. These little nooks offer a much needed escape for contemplation and relaxation.

The other day I registered at the PaperBackSwap website (see sidebar). You list books that you are willing to swap. In the beginning you list 10 and receive 2 credits towards books you order and from then on when you send out a book, you will pay to mail them and receive one credit per book that you may redeem to request books from other people (they pay to mail to you). This is a great way to recycle books and replenish your own reading material at a very frugal price. Within 12 hours, I received two requests for books and will now have 4 credits to use for books I find. I tend to read fast and hate to pay the current rate of $8-$10 per book at bookstores.

On to the projects at hand!

Sunday Musings

I thought that a little tour of the area in which we live might interest others and perk someone's interest to visit the area in the future. The photo above, of Zion Episcopal Church, was taken on a much brighter and warmer day. We are in the grip of another cool and dreary stretch of weather, even though spring began weeks ago. Zion has long been a landmark on the horizon of this historic town, Charles Town, West Virginia. The main body of the church was built in 1815 and its graveyard is reputed to having the largest number of graves of the Washington family (George's family) in the United States. George Washington surveyed this area for Lord Fairfax and later his brother Charles founded the town. Jefferson County was home to not only his brothers, but nephews, nieces and so on down through the years. Can you tell I am a former history teacher???

Charles Town is in the extreme eastern panhandle of West Virginia, only about 6-8 miles from both the Maryland and Virginia borders, and therefore has become a bedroom community for D.C. and northern Virginia. We are not natives to the area, but transplants from the metropolitan Baltimore-Washington area over 25 years ago. Ironically, after moving here, one of my other obsessions, genealogy, led me to discover that some of my Tidewater Virginia ancestors were some of the earliest settlers in the area.

Jefferson County includes Harper's Ferry, infamous for John Brown's raid, Charles Town Courthouse where John Brown was tried and the spot where he was hung is several blocks from our home, the banks of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, many historic Washington homes, Shepherd University, orchards, mountains and a growing population from all parts of the nation.

We bought an old home in town, affectionately referred to as either the Manor or the Money Pit, take your choice. The oldest portion of the house dates to about 1790-1800 and the larger, Victorian portion to 1889. As I have said earlier we are finishing an addition to the house at this time to provide more "modern" conveniences.

Just recently I joined the Etsy community and have begun an attempt to "de-stash" as well as market my own creations. We have operated an Ebay store for quite a few years and also maintain a new website, but I found Etsy to be a pleasant addition to my business. I hope to add a link to my Etsy shop to this blog as soon as I can figure out how to do it! The last week or so I feel like I have had an endless course in "computereez" (is that a word?).

My daughter just called to let me know that she is safely back at her college from a weekend at Myrtle Beach. She said the weather was great and I am quite envious. She chose a Southern school and is loving it. Although born in Maryland, I grew up partially in North Carolina and love the South and most all things Southern. In the future, we hope to retire in the Carolinas or perhaps Georgia.

My long list of "To Dos" is calling me. Hope to post a little closer together as time goes on.

Where To Begin?

It's taken a few days to collect my thoughts as to what I would like to say at the beginning of this blog adventure.

For over twenty years, while raising two children and renovating a colonial (c. 1800 /Victorian (1889) home, I operated a gift store. With our youngest leaving for college last fall, I decided it was time for a big change. We have closed the "brick and mortar" store and opted for a website as well as continuing to operate an Ebay Store and opening an Etsy shop. It was creating my own designs that originally led to opening the store, but over the years the time that remained for my own "creating" dwindled to a trickle. Customers were always asking..."remember the arrangements...wreaths...pillows...jewelry...bibs...etc...that you used to make?" So now we will continue to liquidate store merchandise while I re-build my own handcrafted lines.

As anyone will tell you, I love to collect and have an awful time letting go of anything. Consequently, the full floor attic of our Victorian home is filled to the brim...no matter how many attempts we have made to "clean it out." So not only do I have the small farmhouse, that we used for our store, to empty, but I have tons to sort and clean out from our home.

My favorite past-times usually involve auctions, estate sales, thrift and consignment shopping. No matter where we travel, I will map out the possibilities for thrift shopping along the way and throughout the area where we stay. Buying for the store demanded frequent trips to "Market" in Atlanta and many regional gift and craft shows. These buying trips were very tempting and many times my husband would ask, "Is this for the store, or for you?"

Another big change in our lives is the upcoming wedding of our son this coming November. He and his fiance will be graduating from law school this spring and then begin to cram for the bar. Plans for invitations, bridal showers, rehearsal dinner, etc. are growing and because it is a destination wedding in Florida, many of the planning is long distance. I welcome anyone with prior experience as "mother of the groom" or "wedding planner" to offer any tips or advice. More about this in future posts. Our youngest child is female, and this will be great experience and practice for that future (far, I hope) event!

We are also finishing a large addition to our old home. Most people have said, why do you need more room? These people have never lived in an old house. For over twenty-five years, I lived without a modern kitchen, adequate bathrooms and laundry room. It seems like it will never be finished, but it's getting there. More on the progress later....

I have found many entertaining and delightful blogs as I researched decorating techniques, etc. and will include them in my "Legacies From Others" section. Hopefully, I will be able to keep up with blogging and still run our new fledgling web businesses.