Brooch Bouquet - Handmade for this Beautiful Bride

In January, my daughter was engaged. She showed me a photo of a brooch bouquet and asked me to make her one to carry on her wedding day. Her sisters and I collected brooches for a few months, and realizing that we needed many more, we tucked a note into the Bridal Shower invite asking friends and family to help.

 

 

These brooches were lovingly and generously given to Liana for her special bouquet.

 

 

 

After weeks of wiring, twisting, glueing, forming and arranging, all the individual pins became one beautiful bouquet.

 

 

For this beautiful bride to carry down the aisle.

 



 

 

And to celebrate with her sisters. 

 

 

 

Friday Finds - Green Glass

Beautiful little footed bowl with a sweet scalloped edge. I couldn't pass it up for only $4 at a local vintage store. The yellow-green color was a bonus. I served chicken salad in it last weekend.

Fun and Games!

Loook what I got in the mail!! I'm sooooo excited!

Scrabble is my favorite game! I ordered 2 sets of tiles from Ebay to play

our favorite version- Speed Scrabble.

I had fun just organizing the letters into rows to check the letter count> Looking

forward to playing at our next family gathering. Don't know how to play Speed Scrabble?

I'll post rules soon, you will love it!



Friday Finds - Yellow Box

I found this cute little wooden box a few weeks ago at a local shop. I bought it because it was yellow, I am a sucker for anything yellow. I've moved it around from room to room trying to find some useful purpose for it, then I realized it would be perfect in the family room on top of my yellow desk. Inside I put my Scrabble Flash Game and a few decks of cards, all ready for fun.

Friday Finds - Turquoise Cross

I found this cute little cross at one of my favorite local shops.

It's metal with small blue beads, and I got change back from my

five dollar bill!

The cross and these dishes I gave to my 4th daughter who is

leaving for college in a couple weeks.

The dishes were a great find from a discount chain store at only

$1 for each piece. She will have a bright and cheery

table set for 1 or 2.

I don't use aprons often, but I had to get this one for $4.95! Pink and white and

hand crocheted, it looks like it has never been used. I would be afraid to get it dirty, so I'm

thinking about re-fashioning it into a halter top for one of my girls.

Friday Finds - Jewelry/Mug Tree

This started out as an avocado green, coffee mug tree.

Painted bright yellow (I love yellow),

it now holds my favorite casual jewelry.

(sorry no before picture-I forgot)

What?!! No before pics?

I rarely go into an antique/vintage/thrift store looking for something to make over. I stop in these little stores to look for a treasure - something different and unique. I am also a little bit of a collector. I  love maps, colored glass vases, oval platters and serving dishes, and vintage pyrex. Useful, practical things. Many times I bring something home and think, I would like this so much better if it was yellow (or orange, or pink, or...).  My husband, always quick with the spray paint, gets it done for me. I don't always remember to take a before picture, so here is a few photos of the afters!

A Few Finds

A new antique shop opened in my hometown, so I had to pop in and take a peek. It is a cute store in a tiny historic building, freshly painted and neatly organized. It didn't take long for me to find some unique items to load into the van.

Right inside the door I picked up the yellow book table,

then made a beeline for the little chair in the corner.

I love how the chair had a low back, and the seat was already covered.

Perfect in my daughters room.

I always look for kitchen items too. Mostly I love pyrex dishes with glass lids,

 from the 50's and 60's, in bright colors. Today I found these mini Ball mason jar

salt & pepper shakers, and got a great buy on some stainless.

Rodgers Stainless 32 pieces - $3.95, really $3.95!

Added one little bottle with an orange top, (I love orange), and I was done.

On the way home I drove by a shop that is only open at the owner's whim.
 The door was open so I stopped.

This shop has been around for a long time. It is full, I mean full. Things are crowded into any available floor space and piled on top of other things. You have to look under and behind to find the treasures. She carries all kinds of stuff, lamps, artwork, knick-knacks, books, clothing, china, jewelry, and much of it is genuine antiques. I found three things I couldn't leave without, and she took half off the total.

Must have been my lucky day.

This solid wood 4-panel screen is very sturdy and has nice moulding detail. I am not fond of

the crackle paint finish and the flower art, but my husband is always willing to sand and paint.

I love this chest! It has immaculate cedar on the inside, and the original finish. Even has the original

manufacturers sticker and warranty card on the inside of the lid. The finish is that light danish-modern sixties style. This I am not going to paint. I placed it by my bed for a quick photo, but it has a date

with some steel wool, TSP, and elbow grease to clean it. Then a new clear coat to freshen it up.

Lastly, I took home this globe. Just like the globes we had in school.

I love globes and maps of all kinds. This globe still has Chechoslovakia

and the USSR on it. Funny thing though, I was looking at it with my three youngest kids,

and I asked my 17yr old daughter who was recently accepted to several colleges,

to show the younger kids where Europe was and she didn't know! She has never

taken a geography class, not required. Funny, but a bit sad.



Grand total in shop #2, 3 items - $112

It was a good day.



Thrift

I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.
John D. Rockefeller

Pretty Desk

Remember the little desk from this post ? Here it is all fixed up and in it's new place in our family room.

BEFORE: This is how my cute little desk looked when I brought it home.

AFTER: This desk was once a dreary green, and now is a soft, lemony yellow with new glass knobs.

I love the pretty carved details.