Good Summer So Far?

Hello everyone! It's been a good summer so far, but very warm & humid. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves.

(You can click on any picture to enlarge.)

I've been working on a few cards (sets of four.) These particular ones are blank inside. The sheet music is from a book that is 103 yrs. old!

And so are the laundry ones. They each come with coordinating envelopes. :o)

Do you need more vintage buttons? Here are a gazillion of them; mostly white.

Here is a very unique set of nesting luggage cases (for decorative purposes only.) I think they are adorable. Made of heavy cardboard.

Made in Spain.

Note the stitching.

Close up of clasp. The handles are plastic. There is very little wear on these. I'm not sure how old they are. The smallest box measures 8-1/4" x 5" & is 2-1/2" deep.


Thrifting hasn't been the greatest this summer for some reason. Garage sales are hit & miss. It's too bad, because I really enjoy getting out & finding treasures. Right now we're working on disassembling an old box spring from years gone by. I'll post pics of them if anyone is interested. Lots of coil springs too. Nice & rusty & delicious! (LOL) I'm trying to figure out a way to make Christmas ornaments out of the little coil springs.

Thanks for stopping by. I really need to be more attentive to my blogging! Bye for now.

This and That

Hello everyone. I've enjoyed visiting your blogs & have neglected to keep mine up! Everyone has been busy posting and I've truly enjoyed reading the wonderful blogs out there. I get so caught up I lose track of time. Does that ever happen to any of you? Please tell me I'm not alone. It's been so long since I've done a new post that I had to figure it out again. It's taken me alot longer than I thought. I've changed the header but I'm still trying to figure out how to do additional tweaking. I thought the picture was appropriate since my son calls me the "Crazy Cat Lady." He might have a point, I dunno! I display this vingnette on my dresser (when it's not sitting on the front porch bench.) :o)

Flower frogs ~ what do you do with them? Found these at an estate sale. Some seem to be old (I think one is made of copper) & there are a couple of plastic ones.

Silverware ~ I've had these for years and just happened upon them today. The 1st fork is dated 1847. I look at it in awe and imagine who used it and what they ate with it 163 years ago.

Now these next few pictures are ornaments that I found last summer. I can't sell them, but I was wondering if any of you out there know anything about them. I've googled them, checked on Ebay, everything. I'm not sure if they're from Germany, Poland, or wherever. They are very large (7" long) and very fragile. When I came across the box of them at a garage sale, the guy had them all tossed in a box. Many of them were already broken and I was able to grab these two. (Click on the pics to enlarge.)

Side view:

Front:

Pretty blue roses:

And a vintage tree skirt. The yellow is the backing material.

Close-up of the hand appliqued candycanes.



Thank you for stopping by and not giving up on me. I'm looking forward to garage sales starting soon. It seems like it's been a long winter. I hope to be out & about thrifing very soon. I hope you are all enjoying your spring so far.

* Stranger Danger *

Hello lovlies! Yep, that's me ~ the "stranger" (but not IN danger! LOL) I've been neglecting my blog & hope to get back up to speed in 2010. I hope you all had a nice Christmas & it's good to be back. ♥

I've got a few things up for grabs. First, are two Valentine tags. I'm trying to be frugal & use up what I have in my stash. You'll NEVER believe what they're made of (or maybe you will?) The measure 2-1/2" x 4-1/4". This was a deep thought 'idea' that came to me in the middle of the night. I don't think I've seen anyone do this technique YET. But you never know out there in bloggyland. (HINT: the backside should explain...) Don't forget to click on the pic to see it closer.

And here are the backs...

Can you say "Flower Power?" Crazy, lovely, vintage 70's paper. These are blank note cards that will be sure to brighten anyone's day. Check out the cool green flowery envelopes.

"Just a note" (set of 5) "to thank you" on the inside. I designed these for sending those thank-you's for after Christmas. However, they could be sent anytime I suppose ~ in the winter of course!

"Happy Winter" (a set of 5.) Cheery yellow cards to brighten up those winter doldrums. And cute snowmen matching envelopes.


Thanks for stopping by! I wish you all well & hope to visit with you soon. I'm off to make Valentines ♥♥♥ ! Hugs to all ~~

Wow, It's December Already

Hello everyone! I'm sure you're all very busy now that the official countdown to Christmas has begun. How on earth does time fly so quickly this time of year? For me, summer drags on & on & on. I'm not much a fan of hot weather. But boy, once Halloween is over, time passes so quickly. Speaking of passing quickly, it took me all day to complete these two sets of cards (5 each.) To be honest with you, I didn't have any Christmassy type paper, so she got PINK boots & a PINK scarf. Her snowflake tiara is very shiny gold (I don't think it really shows in the pic.) She's a true Diva Snowlady. And the envelopes match. :o) (Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge.)

I will hopefully be posting more things in the next few days to come. Perhaps more cards. I'm not sure. I haven't been to the craft store since February & I'm desperately trying to use up what I have...we know how that is, don't we?!

Enjoy all the fun that this wonderful month beholds. We'll "see" you soon!

Whoa, Where Have I Been?

Hello everyone! I sure have missed you. I've been busy enjoying this wonderful fall weather we've been having here in WNY. Here's my son, William, enjoying the leaves & his "motorcycle." Love that expression on his face. Ha.

And here is "Socko" also enjoying himself. He's the one who got his head stuck in that hole. Oy.

Do you give a hoot? Well, I do. I made one card & then ran out of the brown craft paper craft cards. Bought another pack at Michael's (my 1st trip since Feb.) Came home with a pkg. of 20 with NO envelopes. I was so disappointed. That's what I get for trying to rush. No fear, I'm making more of these fun cards & they'll have envelopes. I was inspired by a cute owl from one of William's coloring pages he brought home from school. Also ~ his fat little body is made from original 70's wallpaper. I love that stuff! My aunt started collecting owls back in the 70's & her house was like a museum. We never ran out of ideas of what to get her for birthdays & holidays. She is another inspiration for this card.

Here's a lovely cup without a saucer. :o( However, I still think it's gorgeous & could hold a tea light or sit upon your dresser for little what-nots. It's marked "Spode's Tower Copeland England" on the bottom. The detail is stunning & I love that it's decorated on the inside as well. No chips or cracks.

Wire carry-all for glass milk bottles, vintage plaster of paris (?) ducks with a signature on the back & dated "June 12, 1949." A lovely set of maple leaf shaped rose plates. The largest measures 5-1/2" & the smallest is 4".

This cute little cherry cup & saucer caught my eye. There are little tiny holes in the top of the handle & on the plate. Perhaps for hanging? The cup is 2-1/4" tall & the saucer is 3-1/2".

Scrapbooks ready to be embellished! I made these lovlies a few years ago with great hopes that I'd fill them to the brim with great photos & memories. I have 4 available (& yes, I'm keeping one.) The covers are made with brown craft paper & the pages are a very good, heavy cardstock. The pages are acid free. The pages measure 5" x 5-7/8".

Lots of books for your viewing pleasure. Just in time for the holidays.

Oldie but goodie McCall's Needlework & Crafts magazines. Fall & Winter 1967-1968 & 1969-1970.

I love all the fun pictures & projects. If you love retro, you'll love these. :o)

Can you dig this outfit? She's styling & ready for Christmas! The look on her face is funny ~ "Oh no! I've forgotten my Christmas list!" (A side note: William has just exclaimed that she looks "DIVINE!") I didn't even know he knew that word. Oh my.

"And my little stuffed animal has on the cutest, matching mittens!" :o)


Thank you all for your continued support. You're all a blessing to me & I am very thankful for all of you. I've been hitting some "road blocks" in finishing up some crafty goodies. Hopefully soon. :o) Now that the holidays are fast approaching, things are going to become even more busy. Please take a moment to give your loved ones a squeeze & a hug and let them know how important they are to you...and how much you love them. As always, give your thanks to the Lord. Bye for now.

Kitty Cards

Happy Monday! I LOVE Mondays!! I know, weird ~ huh? Well, there's a method to my madness ~ ha ha. Worked on a few note cards over the weekend. Blank inside, but I can customize. The envelopes coordinate also. :o) My oldest son calls me the "Crazy Cat Lady." He may have a point there...tee hee.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great week. I'm enjoying our "warm" 50's temps. Hope all is well & wonderful in your corner of the country. I'm soaking in my 70's music & it feels great! Gotta love Pandora's. (Thanks dEE.)

Vintage Books & Odds-n-Ends

Hello again! We got our first snow of the season this morning. Brrr! My son was very excited & it was the only reason why he wanted to get out of bed. I slept with my winter jacket on last night since we have no heat in our bedroom. Let's just say that was a bit uncomfortable! Ha.

Here is a small Susan Branch book and a very old pair of children's gloves. The tag inside says, "Hand Knitted in Switzerland." I imagine they were very special to a little girl once upon a time.

A couple of Mary Engelbreit books (also small), dated 1996. I bought these from AVON that many years ago. Cute crafts & recipes. Also an assortment of time treasured baby cards. None are written on. Great for scrapbooking or card making.

If you enjoy US history, these books are for you. The top one, "The Story of American History" is dated 1900. It's full of very interesting reading & many drawings. It's in wonderful condition considering it's age. Another one is entitled "Leading Facts of American History", dated 1890. The two smaller red books are entitled "The Pocket University" (1925.) The first one is the autobiographys of Great Americans: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton & Abraham Lincoln. The second book is a handful of writings by Nathaniel Hawthorn.

This book is called "The House That Jill Built" (1899), and it's a very interesting book of how the woman (Jill) had her house built the way SHE wanted it. Probably something that didn't happen very often back in those times. Lots of drawings & house plans throughout. Pretty neat.

Here's a cute serving dish ~ perhaps from the 1950's? I love the veggie lid. It measures 9-1/2" across.

Made in Japan & "oven proof." There is a very small chip on the bottom (you can see it better if you click on the pic.)

And here is the side view. I had this thing so packed away it took me a month to find it! I knew it was somewhere...ha ha.


I hope you all have a wonderful, fulfilling weekend. We're going to try to keep warm. We haven't turned the heat on YET. Again, my many thanks to all of my lovely, faithful friends in blogland. You're the best!