Strawberries, Treasures, & a Paper Clip....Oh My!

Hello everyone! Just a quick post today. I've had training every day this week and tomorrow as well. I have been pretty brain dead and just haven't gotten around to posting in a couple days. I feel like I am back in college with all the new information I have to learn! Anywho...I have a quick tablescape to share and a few treasures I found today after training. 

So, you may remember my strawberry plates I found a couple weeks ago. Well, I have been wanting to do a tablescape with them since I bought them home and finally got around to it today. I cleared off my 

beachy themed table and searched for things to go with the strawberry plates. It is nothing fancy, but here is what I came up with!

I started with my everyday dishes. The dinner plates are white with a green rim and the salad plates are green with a white rim. They worked perfectly with the strawberry plates since they have the same shade of green in them. Everything in this place setting was thrifted except my everyday dishes (TJ Maxx) and the flatware which I have had for over 25 years. My hubby earned points through a safety incentive at his job when we were dating and he was able to get this Oneida flatware and a tv with his points! I placed them in my hope chest and we have been using them since we married...almost 25 years ago!

I bought the napkin rings on my Pennsylvania trip for $0.99, the napkins were I think $0.25 each and so were the glasses. The plates were $1.59 for the set. The placemats were $4 for a set of 6. The topiaries were left from a bridal shower I helped hostess and were $2 each. The floral flower pot in the center was $3 and I have had the bird and other items for a long time. So...around $15 total for what I think it a sweet and simple table...:) Any ideas for what I could place in the flower pot? I'm brain dead!!!

After my training today, I ran into my favorite consignment shop to reward myself for sitting through 6 hours of torcher very informative information! I found a couple treasures...I'm sure you are really surprised...lol! First I found this Diamond brand enamel bowl for $2. It is so pretty and has some chips around the edge which just gives it character. It is living in my craft room for now.

I also found these two bowls/candle holders with ocean creatures on them. They will be pretty in a future tablescape....probably next summer since I just removed my beach/ocean themed tablescape. They were $1.50 for the pair.

The last thing I found and my favorite is this adorable old blackboard. It is hinged and has these chains on the side to keep it from sliding open and falling. It is double-sided as well. I think I am going to paint the frame aqua blue (kind of like this one) and place it on my desk at school. On my side I can write a quote or list or whatever on it and on the side that faces the students, I can write something they are learning. I just love it....it was $2.99! My friend Kathy who owns the shop commented on how neat she thought it was and told me she had just put it out today....boy am I glad I decided to go in and look around!!!

This next picture is something I won at school in a drawing on Monday.

You are probably thinking....big deal, it's a paper clip! But.....it's not just any old paper clip.....it's a giant paper weight paper clip! I got to choose from several small prizes and this immediately jumped out at me! I LOVE office supplies...:) I love back to school time when the stores get all the new school and office supplies in...I am seriously like a kid in a candy store! I love the way everything looks and smells....the crayons, pencils, you name it! I can browse those aisles for hours! So, I just had to have this awesome paper clip! See how big it is...:) You are probably thinking...she has lost it....that training must really be getting to her! 

Nope....I just love office supplies! Another little obsession with office supplies is that I ONLY buy Crayola brand crayons, Scotch brand tape and real Post-It brand post-its.....and, I prefer Ticonderoga brand pencils! No cheap stuff for me....period! There's a difference folks....no, really there is! 

I'm an office supply snob...lol! 

OK....enough about office supplies....you really didn't need to know all that! Maybe this training has gotten to me...maybe I'm just really tired...maybe both! Sorry I am now rambling....I really didn't mean to ramble! I promise I didn't.....please forgive me & until next time.....

Awesome Deals & a Makeover!

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful and restful weekend. I got a lot done and managed to squeeze in a little time to do some thrifting. My hubby had some work to do at his mom's house Saturday morning, so she and I decided to see if we could find any yard sales. We only found a couple, so we made a quick run to the flea market and one thrift store as well. I managed to get some really super deals! Let me show you what I bought!

First up are these coffee mugs. Now...I normally don't buy mugs because I am not a coffee drinker. I use them occasionally for hot chocolate in the winter, but that's about it. But...I had to have these! Not only are they white, but they also have words on them in raised lettering...love it! I also love the cute little handles! They were only $0.49 each so into my cart they went!

Next up is a mug I picked up for my daughter, Miranda. She had three of these already and now she has a set of 4! I told her one day when she gets married, she and her hubby can plan all their trips while enjoying a cup of coffee or hot chocolate in these mugs. She loves anything map or globe themed! She has a Bachelor's Degree in Social Science and loves to travel and learn about other cultures...:) It was just $1. Next is the little wood box with rope handles for $0.89 that will come in handy to hold something in my craft room or at school. Last is a lemon keeper to store a cut lemon in. It was still in the box and was just $0.49.

I found a sweet set of 10 Currier & Ives Low Water In the Mississippi steamboat dessert plates for $1.99! A couple have minor damage but overall they are in great shape.

I also found these sweet brown transferware dessert plates in mint condition. I have been wanting some of these for a while now and think they will look beautiful in a fall tablescape! They were just $1!

This was my best deal of the day...and the first thing I bought! A set of six Blue Velvet Rose dinner plates and salad plates by Corelle. They are so pretty and immediately caught my eye! I could not believe it when I saw the price tag said $1.50! Seriously....a dollar and a half for these beauties...:) My tablescaping collection is growing by leaps and bounds!

I found this gorgeous 8 x 10 ornate, gold frame for $0.99 and this brand new sweet little gold sequined change purse for $0.79. 

This was another awesome deal today! I found this really large, old briefcase type bag at a yard sale for $2! I looked it up and based on my findings, it would have been used by a salesman, lawyer, Dr, or pilot back in the day. The inside has a pocket on one of the flaps and two dividers inside. The flaps are hinged all the way down both sides. It is such an awesome old case and in excellent condition! My daughter will most likely end up with this piece too...:) If she doesn't want it though, it will make for good storage in my craft room.

I found this metal basket to go with my collection of metal flower pots for my future porch. I love the color it is already and may not paint this one! I have quite a large collection, now if I just had the porch! :) It was $0.99.

Last thing I found was this cute little pop-up book. I normally wouldn't pay $2 for a used book but it was like new and the pop-ups are so adorable...:) I will use it in February during dental health month. So stinkin' cute! I was thrilled with all my finds and only spent around $15 total! Awesome if I do say so myself!

I also have a little makeover project to share today. You may remember this little piece I bought recently for $3. I thought it was so cute and could just picture it painted white and living in my craft room. 

Here it is before.....

And here is after.....:) 

I love it! I used some washi tape from my stash and gave it a little trim around the edges. I also used a small piece of pink and yellow floral on the handle inside. Isn't it cute?

And here is what I decided to store in it....my glitter filled salt and pepper shakers! It works perfectly for this purpose.

Well friends...I'm off to a Common Core Standards training today at school. I have three days of training this week...but it's a good thing since I need to familiarize myself with the new curriculum standards we will be using and I get paid well for attending.....so double win! 

Hope you all have a lovely Monday and until next time.....

Living In the Overflow of God's Love

 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,”What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

1 Corinthians 2:7-9

You may want to click on the video above and listen to Mercy Me sing I Can Only Imagine as you read. This is one of my all time favorite songs. It is simply beautiful. 

As spectacular as this phenomenal home we call planet Earth is, it is nothing compared to what we will some day call home. We can only imagine how glorious Heaven will be. 

While looking through the photos from my walk earlier in the week, this is the thought that ran through my head. As the scripture above says....there is none who can imagine the glory. Can you just try to imagine though how amazing it will be when to me, this Earth we now call home is truly amazing. Hard to believe anything could be more spectacular...but it will be! I hope you enjoy these pictures I took as my mama and I braved the heat.....and mosquitoes, and took a walk a few evenings ago.

As soon as I set out on my walk to mama's house, I spotted  a fallen tree limb. Wrapped around the tree was a wild grape vine with several grapes on it. They are so pretty and I was intrigued with this cluster having only one ripe and the others still green. The others are from a different vine.

When I got to mama's, we walked on down to the pasture to check the wild grape vines down there. The Black-Eyed Susan's are blooming right now. Such a simple little flower, but so pretty. Love the twisted vines growing up the tree and the pretty cedars and pines down in the pasture.

As we walked around mama's and my sister's property, I was truly in awe of all the different types of mushrooms we saw. We have had so much rain in the past month and the mushrooms are growing in abundance everywhere! My favorite was this little red capped cutie below. It was about an inch tall...so adorable!

And here are several more. The one in the top right corner is holding water.

As we meandered back to mama's yard, we were greeted by her beautiful grape arbor my dad built. Look how pretty it is! Upon closer inspection, we realized there were several ripe grapes just waiting to be picked. Mama went to get a bucket and we picked and ate several grapes. Yum!

We discovered a vacant bird nest hiding under the foilage. I wonder if another bird will come along and make it home.

After we picked the grapes, we wandered over to the citrus trees to have a look. The lemon tree is laden with fruit this year. I can't wait until the lemons are ripe! Sassy is enjoying laying in the shade the tree offers.  Look at the grapefruit in the lower right corner. There aren't as many as the lemons, but they are really pretty grapefruit.

I almost forgot the fig in the first photo...it was over by the grape arbor. We also checked on the container garden and found several ripe eggplants and purple bell pepper. The jalapenos are ready to pick but I didn't get any of those. 

Purple seemed to be the color of the day...purple grapes, eggplant, and bell peppers. I kept adding to the little red bucket until it was overflowing with goodness! 

As much as I enjoy the abundance this little overflowing bucket of fruit and veggies offers, I am so so grateful to live in and enjoy the overflow of  God's love. It is the one thing that never fails.

And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 

1 Timothy 1: 14  (NKJV)

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). 

John 10: 10 (AMP)

I hope you enjoyed reading and looking at my pictures. I always try to find the beauty in the ordinary. I hope you will too...:)

Until next time....

Craft Room Redo.....Take 3!

Hello and Happy Saturday everyone! I have missed posting the past couple days, but I have been busy as a bee! I don' know why (since I have a million and one other things I NEED to do), but I got a wild hair and decided that my craft room needed to be slightly rearranged and reorganized. Now, the room was already a mess (no I didn't take before pictures) and then I proceeded to take most of my junk stuff off the shelves and find new homes for it, so the room looked like  tornado had hit for a while! I spent the better part of two days working in there, but I am really pleased with how it turned out. You can see some before photos here and  here. 

So, if you will, please join me for a tour...:)

This is the view from the door. The biggest reason for the rearrange was to make more room for the ice cream table and chair set you see below. I got a great deal on this set earlier in the year. You can read about it here.

Here's a little welcome sign for you. I decided to put a little back to school themed vignette on the table since I am in school mode and have been busily preparing for my new kindergarten classroom.

I just love my aqua blue ball jars I ordered from Amazon a while back.

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Here is my desk....nothing really changed here....except you can now see the top of the desk! lol Oh...I did add that pink frame around the other frame at the top left of the photo.

This is the view from the window side of the room. To the left of the white vintage record cabinet is the door. To the right is the closet. I used a vintage tablecloth and a clearance shower curtain to make the curtain. You can see the medicine cabinet turned chalkboard above the record cabinet and the top holds apothecary jars full of stuff , my glitter filled salt and pepper shakers, and a framed photo of my two grannies...:)

This is the view from the closet side of the room. One of the big changes came in here. I moved one of my white shelf units to this end of the room and created an L shape in the corner to create another closet type area. The shelf had previously been on the wall where the ice cream set is now and it sat in front of it. This made it hard to get to anything on the shelf. You can see the back of the shelf here covered in chevron drawer liner I ordered from Amazon a while back. It makes a wall which I love because it gave me more storage areas.

Here is a picture of the two shelves together. The one facing holds lots of craft items. I want to label the canisters but am still deciding how to do that. I thought about painting them all with chalkboard paint but can't decide. I guess I could make tags to hang from the knobs. What do you think? They hold random things like batteries, coin wrappers, old prescription bottles (yes, I have a plan for them), and a couple of them are still empty!

  

Here is another view. The shelf on the right holds all the things I am EVENTUALLY going to get around to listing in my ETSY shop. That is extremely time consuming, but I need to do it. I have lots of things to list! Anywho, on the end of the shelf are some galvanized containers I ordered from Pick Your Plum a few months ago and had not put to use...until now. One thing I did in this reorganization project was to use lots of things I just had sitting around. 

In this view you can see the lower shelves and  my basket of wrapping paper.

Here's another view with my file cabinet I redid a while back. 

Here is the side of the shelf. You can see here how it divides the space and creates a little corner storage area. I had to get really creative in my small room. I have several pieces of furniture in here. The top of the file cabinet holds my ticket jar and a few other things. I have kept every ticket from every event , movie, play, concert, etc, that I have ever attended since I was 17 years old (when I started dating my hubby).

I love the new "wall" space the back of the shelf provides. 

I hung my recently thrifted and painted watermelon pink wall basket here as well as a cute little vintage painting taken from the wall above my white desk. I trimmed the chevron "wall" with a roll of Martha Stewart craft tape I ordered from Amazon. 

Here is the left side of my huge desk. I bought this from the post office where I used to work as a mail carrier for $50. It is solid wood and was built in the fifties.....or maybe it was the thirties. I really can't recall but it is stenciled on the underside of the desk. It was a mail sorting case. It used to have 4 shelves of little slots to sort mail in. You can see some of the slots although I have removed most of them and left large spaces. I want to do more with this piece someday, but I'm happy with it for now. For those of you who follow me, you might recognize several recent thrifty finds displayed here on my desk. Pretty much everything you see is a thrifty find though. There are a few things I purchased new, but very few!

Here's the right side of the desk.

Here are a few collage pictures of some vignettes, storage areas, and things that make me smile...:)

My jute and baker's twine. I really need to order some in different colors...I love baker's twine! I bought this sweet little aqua blue dish a while back at a thrift and couldn't figure out just what to do with it...but inspiration struck while I was working and it hit me that it would be perfect to hold a pin cushion and pins! Love it...:) One of my aqua blue ball jars holds my fabric scissors and rotary cutter. The little jar beside it holds buttons that belonged to my grandpa. 

The freezer basket holds white fabrics and the vintage file box holds canvas wrist bags that I am eventually going to decorate and sell. Here's a close up here of the craft tape I trimmed the chevron wall with. It's kind of blurry but you can see the pretty colors in it. The strawberry bowl on the desk is to hold scraps and trash as I create!

Notice the little Fire King cups from my trip to Amish country I hung! There is a tray full of tags, and tons of apothecary jars full of goodies!

Here's my color coordinated fabrics. This wouldn't hold all my fabric, so it's spread around and about.  I love my big baskets (of course, a thrifty find). I labeled them with Tim Holtz brass plate label holders. I love Tim Hotlz products. My glue basket and fabric scrap basket are in this photo too.

This next to last photo (yes, I'm almost through rambling) shows some floor storage. This is on the floor by my file cabinet. You can see in one of the photos above. The blue basket holds wood slats...the ones that used to be in the mail sorting case. I am going to find a use for them some day! The two tiered basket holds wood blocks of all shapes and sizes, and the tall vase holds small rolls of wrapping paper and shelf liner. The next pic shows old ink bottles my Granny Valentine dug up on some of  her adventures. The bottom left photo is one of the shelves that hold the glass top desk. It holds stationery and cards, a variety of paper, stickers,  and office supplies, and my yarn and looms. The bottom right is my plant shelf in the window. Below the window is my sewing chest and another chest I bought for a couple dollars a few months back. It was a jewelry box, but I repurposed it and am using it for a toolbox. It now holds all my tools, picture hanging supplies, screws & nails, a variety of hardware, and a few other miscellaneous items. Don't know why I didn't think of this before, it works perfectly for a toolbox!

Here's they are together. They make a cute couple don't they...lol!

Sorry that was a long post, but I wanted to share what I've been up to. I have some more things to share but they will have to wait! Hope you have a blessed evening.

Until next time.....