My Thrifty Fall Mantle And A New Treasure

         

To my new sewing room.  Today I'm going to give you a little teeny tiny peek of what I've been doing . . . 

Some of you know we've just moved into a house from an apartment.    

Everyone thinks I am silly but I am just so happy to have dirt!

                    

I'll be doing this in the spring.  But right now I'm and tweekin' things and making everything cozy.  

Today I worked on the mantle that is now in the sewing room.

This is my pretend antique mantle I got for my birthday last year.   

I've always wanted one the Cowboy found it on craigslist in a town 45 minutes away.  It's not old but I love it.   It needs a paint job. 

And someday I'll buy some fancy paint and pretty her up. But for

now I just cover her with pretties like this . . . 

My thrifty $1.00 frames.  The welcome sign was .99 I think. 

The clear container my mother got free and gave to me.  

Probably the most expensive thing here are the macrame beads The Cowboy bought in about 1980 for me for Christmas.  

Do you know what macrame is?  HeHe.  

The gold sconce that is still awaiting for me to hang is one of a pair. They were donated for a garage sale.  No one bought them so I kept them. 

I added a couple of really big pine cones.  I didn't even realize our neighbor had a pine tree.  We were driving down the street and I saw one in the middle of the street!  I startled The Cowboy when I kind of yelled 'Stop' but he's used to it!

I love the collection of thrifty Fall.  Can you see the drawing of Fall leaves? 

My DIL did this for me last year.  I need to find a frame.  But I think they look good just resting on the frames. A little 

'unexpected'.

Every Fall I always bring out my pumpkin wagon.  It's Department 56 and was part of the Dickens Village collection.  I don't think it's actually Dickens they have so many different collections.

The wagon and those beads are probably the most expensive part of the mantle.  

The orange bird was  $5.00 on clearance at Big Lots.  

Part of this vignette is actually priceless . . . 

Adorable Turkeys made of hands and feet.  The big one is my 15 year old grandson.  The two smaller ones are my DIL and grand daughter.  My son was a scrooge! 

The little pumpkin on the box I got last year from a student.  it's really cute.  

The wooden box is old.  I got it in 1976 when I graduated from high school.  It is a mini Land cedar chest.  A furniture store in town gave them away.  

I love having my mantle in my sewing room.  Which is not together yet.  But I'm working on it.  

And today I got a treasure.  My daughter rolled her eyes but she carried it out of the store and set it securely in my grandsons car seat. He was at school. Thanks goodness! HeHe. 

Here's what I got.  Guess what I paid for it. . . 

I know.  It is so ugly it's cute.  At least to me.  It is cream but I think it blends well with the white look I am working on in my sewing room.  The fringe is really shabby and needs to be replaced but for $1.00 who could pass it up!  Not me!

It made my day to get to go thrifting with my daughter. 

And The Cowboy offered to go back to the same store tomorrow!

Linking with Blue Monday, Mosaic Monday,  The Art of Homemaking
  No Place Like Home, Share Your Cup, Party In Your P.J's,
  The Homemaking Party, Vintage Charm,  Home and Garden Thursday, 
Frou Frou Friday, Simple Fridays, Share It One More Time, Create With Joy,
Thoughts Of Home, Feathered Nest Friday, Best Of The Weekend

Thrifty Thursday--Sharing Parties

I've had a Thrifty week.  I love finding things for my home at awesome prices.  Don't you? 
                              
We went thrift shopping on Monday and I got this . . . 
                                   
I knew I really paid too much for it but I wanted it! HeHe.  
It was marked $50.00 FINAL but it was nicely framed (although I didn't care for the frame). 
                                      
The clerk (who is a volunteer) said "Oh do you have a Victorian house?"  I replied "No."  She was a little confused why I would be buying a print and I didn't have a Victorian house.  (I think that's another whole post topic.)  I smiled and thanked her. 
                                          
When I got home I looked it up and found it sells print only at the artists gallery for $55.00.  It was still a good deal but not a real bargain.  
                                  
And speaking of post topics.   I have a post planned to share this...



The house I grew up in.  We drove by a few weeks ago.  It was so cute the way the new owners have changed it up!  More photo's to come soon and a few thoughts and happy memories. 

      Have you visited the house you grew up in?

Please click on the tiny google+ icon just below this post to leave a comment.  
Linking with Share Your Cup, The Art Of Homemaking, Idea Box Thursday,  Show and Share,
Katherine's Favorite Things.
   

One Thing Leads To Another

It all started when . . . 

The Cowboy exclaimed in a slightly frustrated voice "My shoe is wet!"
My first sassy thought was "Well if your shoe had been in the closet it wouldn't be wet!"  Can I hear a 'Whoop' 'Whoop' or an 'Amen Sista'?  

But being the good wife that I am I bit my tongue.  And began thinking.
                And the Good Wife in me thought.  'Well the poor Cowboy needs more space so it's easier to put away his bajillion no exageration shoes.' 
                     The Bad Wife in me giggled and thought 'If I change closets with him then I won't have to look at clothes hanging on the door and shoes and etc. etc. etc.
                       And that is how it all started.  I decided(The Good me or Bad me) one of us did.  Maybe both because we agreed.  to switch closets.  And so a week plus ordeal began.  

Last Saturday I completely purged this . . . 
   
And this . . . 
 And this 

And my creative space became his  'En Suite' . . . 
                     
First Things first I went to the garage and dug out his coyote head.
I found a skull with antlers while I was there.  

He has a collection of wooden duck decoys so I grabbed a few.

And a photo of our grandson.   It's still a work in progress.  I have one shelf  left to purge.  You can barely see over on the left some of my stuff.
 
I moved his clothes in and the bjillion shoes.  At least part of them.
                      
You thought I was kidding.  There is one more Ikea bag and two dry cleaners bags!  Right now they are just dumped on the floor
I still need to clean the space on the floor on the left.  Which is where I planned to put them but the Cowboy had another thought. 
                        
I left my sewing table chair to give the Cowboy some place to sit to put on his shoes.  Or to ponder which pair to wear.  I brought in a pillow from the couch to make it more cozy looking. 

All this I did last Saturday afternoon while he was at work.  The night before I had the idea.  Our anniversary was Saturday and so I thought what a nice surprise for him.  He was speechless.  

I didn't get everything done I wanted to.  I wanted to put my wedding portrait on the shelf and couldn't find it.  And I wanted to put the Station Wagon replica of his 'new to him' daily driver and just didn't get around to it.  I figured I'd do it during the week. 

I went into his new space on Monday afternoon and look what I found . . . 
                   
Great minds think alike!  He'd gotten the car from the living room. 
And added my baby pictures.  He couldn't find the wedding picture either!  

Over all I'm super happy with his new closet.  He has much more room and I think he's happier too.   

Now to get after my crafting space(s).  Time's ticking!  I hope to join Karen V. for Where Blogger's Create.  
                                     
I hope you enjoyed the Cowboy's En Suite.  I'd love for you to leave a comment but blogger and/or google took my comments away. You might be able to click on the Google+ icon at the bottom of the post and comment over there. 
                   Please vote on my poll about comments.   

Linking with my regular favorites and a few new ones.  Here's the list.  Links are on my Parties page.
The Art Of Homemaking, Meet Up Monday, Monday of Many Blessings, Busy Monday, Show and Share,
No Place Like Home, Love It Tuesday, Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesday With A Twist, Wake Up Wed.,
Wow Us Wednesday, Dream Create Inspire, Before and After, Share My Cup, Homestead Blog Hop,
Creatively Unleashed,  and Home Matters Linky Party.

Thrifty Thursday

Sharing a little of my Thriftyness today . . . 
          
A super cool garage sale find.  I love iron thingies!  This will hang in the entry way above the door.  The only place it will fit in a Smallish Space.
And my dumpster dive treasure . . . 

This jewel will sit in the corner of the tiny entry way by the stairs. Which I am standing against the last step.  Yes that is how small this space is.  Too small for a big dog.  I'll use this cool stand (that I can't believe someone left by the dumpster)to hold my purse etc. while I take Daisy out before I leave. 

I shared this already in my Holiday Weekend post (here) but in case you missed it I wanted to share for Thrifty Thursday.  I think this is super thrifty.  You can't buy plastic this price.  10 glasses for $7.00 at Big Lots my new place favorite place  to thrifty shop!

I was also a little thrifty in finding interesting things for an 8 year old to do . . . 
 
The cardboard insert from a roll of wrapping paper is perfect for practicing your 'swing'.  Look at that face!

The Cowboy visits the resale stores and finds bargains.  Brand new in the box.  The inside was un-opened.  Marked $4.00 everything was half price.  A lot of fun for $2.00.  That's thrifty Cowboy!
Now the challenge is finding thrifty prizes because the 8 year old expects prizes!  It never ends.  HeHe.

I picked this up for the prize tonight . . . 

He learned to blow bubbles awhile back.  This is his favorite gum for bubbles.  

My thrifty substitute for a fancy smansie Journaling Bible.  Draw illustrate/Journal in your journal!    Now that's thrifty if you ask me!

Well that's my thriftiness for the week.  

How about you have done any thrifting?  

Have you had a chance to enter my book giveaway.  All you need to do is follow my new book blog to enter.  Check out my blog 
here and follow.  And here is the giveaway form!  

Linking with  Katherine's Favorites, Friday Feature,  The Art of Homemaking ,Share My Cup, Best of the Weekend ,Anything Blue Friday

My Blue Balcony Garden/Dreams

Many of you've seen a few of my balcony garden posts.  The patio is in transition.  Sharing probably one of my saddest looking shots . . .                                
I'm doing some changes.  I wanted my entire patio color theme to revolve around this Blue and my thrifty dumpster dive chair. 

 I love it. I know it's sad looking.  Someday I'll recover it with the same bright Blue.  I also need to paint it.  

This chair has some history.  We I did find it in a dumpster. Actually beside the dumpster . . . 

The Cowboy did drag it home complaining the entire way.  Put it on our patio.  Still complaining how dirty and ugly it was.  The next morning we found this in the chair . . . 

It became Rascal's chair.  The Cowboy didn't want to bring it when we moved but I had to remind him that Rascal needed it to sleep in on the patio!  The chair came.

I love that shade of Blue but my color theme wasn't coming together because I needed something to put pots on or in. 

 In or actually out to the came the vintage red wagon.  Also another 'freebie' The Cowboy found it in a trash pile.  Originally it held the succulent garden that we bought with a Christmas gift card from The Home Depot.  Most are dead now.  So the wagon recently held some of the zinnia's, tomato seedlings and carrots.  But I just wasn't happy with the red wagon.  I love vintage and all but it just wasn't speaking to me.  

Last week I added a few Blue pots from Dollar General to go with the terra cotta pots.  

And then I found a few  'newish' ideas on Pinterest . . . 

                                                            Source
I probably won't do this since I have no place for stepping stones. 
But I love this Blue version.  Would be perfect for my theme.  

But this I want to do!

So here's my idea.  Take a few of the terra cotta pots I have and cover with beautiful Blue jewels/stones.  I have a few from Dollar Tree.  Tomorrow I'll see what I can find at Hobby Lobby.  
 
This idea was also found in the same article.  Love this.  I doubt I would tackle it but who know's. 

 I've found a complete service of 12 set of dishes by the dumpster.  Maybe I'll start looking for cool mugs!    

                                  Stay  Tuned
Linking with Blue Monday, The Art of Homemaking  Outdoor Wednesday and Share Your Cup,Garden Tour at Art and Sand

Books Here, Books There . . .

. . . Everywhere I turn I see books!  
                                                And
                     I love it!  Are you a lover of books?  
                                    
Do you have stacks and stacks of books sitting around?
                                         
There are books in our little office/desk space . . . 

Little groups and collections on the glass shelves below our t.v.
 
I love gardening and rabbits so I displayed a few books with one of my favorite rabbits. 

Cowboys and Horses are favorites too . . . 


A few magazines are displayed . . . 

I just love Mary Engelbrett.  I have a few magazines I bought 'back in the day'.  I think they are almost vintage now. 

A few more gardening books sit under a lamp on a side table . . .        
Stacks are always sitting on the desk where my computer lives . . . 

Sometimes it's a really clean and neat area.  Sometimes  Most times not so much...
                                                    
Sometimes there is an invasion . . . 

Opps I that Lego fisherman had too much sun!

And then there's just a few of my collection of cookbooks . . . 
                                              
A few favorites sit on the counter between our kitchen and living area.  

And then sometimes a few might sit on the mantle . . . 

I'm always moving things around and tweekin' the little cottage.  

Looks like I do have just a few books.  Yep.  That's just a few. 

                           Someday I'll show you the rest!  

     So do you have a few books laying around?

Linking with Home Matters Linky Party