Blizzard Warnings

We are under blizzard warnings today and tomorrow. So I am getting one last chance for a cozy day at home in front of the fire. After I finish our homeschooling day, I think I am going to polish silver. I just got the best silver polish - MAAS. It really is as good as they claim. I am going to carry this in my store. Everyone should have this product in their home!

Hope you are enjoying your spring or winter day, whichever one you happen to be having!

Shannon

Spring Centerpiece

I am not real big on decorating with bunnies and eggs for spring and Easter. Mainly because it just doesn't really go with my decor.

But I really like these two egg centerpieces that I found on the Better Homes and Gardens website. I love the compote above. So simple. Lettuce or cabbage leaves, and white and brown eggs. Wouldn't that be pretty on the breakfast table? Or how about for your Easter lunch?

And the centerpiece below could be done with whatever color combination would work with your kitchen or dining room. What about white carnations and brown eggs? Green carnations and white eggs? White carnations and blue eggs? Pink carnations and different colors of pastel eggs? The possibilities are endless.

Both of these centerpieces could be done with real, hard-boiled eggs. But if you don't want to be constantly popping your centerpiece into the fridge for a cool-down, go to Hobby Lobby. In the craft section you can buy brown and white bisque eggs. They really do look real. Leave them in their natural colors, or paint with watercolors to get that look of dyed Easter eggs.

While you are in Hobby Lobby, grab some carnations in your color preference. Voila. Maintenance-free materials for your spring centerpiece.

I think I will shop while I am at work tomorrow!

Shannon

My Favorite Piece of Furniture

My parents ran across three of these old church kneelers at an auction many years ago. Thankfully, they won all three of them. So now my mom, my sister and I all have one.
It's my favorite piece of furniture I have. Ever since they found these, I have watched for other similar pieces. I haven't ever seen another. Maybe someday I will run across some other kneelers. It would be fun to buy a few more so I could give some to my kids.


We are on spring break this week, and have a lot going on, including my nephew's wedding. So if I don't post, or get around to see you this week, I will be back next week.

This post is my 93rd! So you know what that means! Please be watching. Give-away coming!

Shannon

Advice Needed, Please!

I am trying to decide on a "motto" for a new business I am in the process of setting up. I created a little voting poll. I tried to put it inside this post, but that would not work. I have no idea why. I was able to finally get it installed over there --------> on my sidebar.

I hope it actually works and lets you vote. Please remember that I am the one who created this. Since I am so highly proficient in technical computer skills, there is a slight possibility that it will not actually work. Or maybe you cannot even SEE it. I can see it. Can you????

Please vote!!!

And if you have some other ideas for a motto, please feel free to leave a comment on this post!

Thank you so much!!!

Shannon

They are just gonna have to

without me

Because I can't figure it out.

I wasted half an evening recently trying.

I read an article about how big twittering has become. It said that our Congressmen are regularly seen twittering on their blackberrys. While they are in session. Huh? Aren't they supposed to be paying attention to the matters at hand?

This article said that EVERYONE is twittering.

So, for a short moment in time, I panicked. I thought I must learn how to take part in this new venue. I didn't want to get left behind. I needed to twitter. I discovered that you have to follow people to see what they are saying.

But who in the world would I follow? And who in the world would follow me? I can post a bunch of short little snippets of my day. But who cares?

I would be posting little comments. On an empty page. Somewhere. Out there. It would float around out there somewhere in the space that is called "online." No one would see it.

And I couldn't figure out how I would find someone to follow their comments. Who in the world would it be?

So, I decided that I did not have the time to learn a whole new online activity. I have learned how to blog, and I love keeping up with all my new blog friends. And that takes a lot of time.

I'm just not smart enough to learn how to twitter. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that I could not even initiate an email. I could reply to an email, but not compose and send. So, you see, I have come far!

I can blog. I can connect with you here.

But not on twitter. I just wouldn't know how to find you out there.

Apparently the whole world is on twitter. And they Stumble things. I don't know what that is. But I can't do that either.

So they are just gonna have to twitter without me. And Stumble without me.

Shannon

A Huge Thank You to

Flea Market Studio

Lilia at Flea Market Studio drew my name for her give-away, and I got a wonderful package in the mail from her today! The photo above shows it before I unwrapped it. She had made such a cute tag for the package! And there was SO much inside!

Inside were four packets. One was labelled Vintage Ephemera Pack. One was Red Border Labels.
The third was a Lady Cupid Kit, and the fourth was an Easter Kit. They were all so cute!

The tag below was the label for the Easter kit. It's really cute.

And all this stuff below was in that Easter kit - ribbons, laces, papers, picks, flowers, sparklies, and the tiniest little doves and eggs! So many cute things for some spring craft projects!

Next, I opened the Lady Cupid kit. All of these items, plus the instructions to complete this heart hanger, were in the kit. It will be so fun to make!

Then I opened the Vintage Ephemera Kit. It was full of the most wonderful papers - old sheet music, old book pages, vintage wallpapers, bingo cards, some lace and doilies, and several old photographs. I love old papers! It will be so fun to use these bits and pieces!

The fourth packet had these red-bordered labels. When I was a kid, this is what all labels looked like! Just think of all the thousands of labels and stickers we have now.

I will find some great uses for these vintage labels in my studio.

Thank you so much, Lilia. This was such a fun package to open! I really appreciate it! Can't wait to make some things with it all!

Shannon

Cheap Curtains

When we moved into this house, I did not have a lot of money to spend on new decor. The black metal curtain rod and the black metal tie-backs were already on the sliding door. I did not like the curtains that the previous homeowners had up, so I got rid of them, but kept the hardware.
I bought two of the crinkly camel-colored panels, and two of the wine-colored beaded valances at Lowe's. Both the panels and the valances have a pocket to slide onto a rod, but I used ring clips to catch the top of both fabrics because I wanted to be able to easily slide them open and closed.


Sometime later I ran across the strings of beads. I just draped them around the ring clips. It adds a little more sparkle and interest to some otherwise plain window treatments.
And at Christmas (a year ago) I bought two tassels in the Christmas ornaments at Hobby Lobby for half off. I think I paid about $2 for each tassel. They added just a little more interest.

It was all cheap. And I have been happy with the results.

I have some windows in my house that are in desperate need of some interest and sparkle. I think my studio might be next. After all, that is Francesca's room. I just know that she would like pretty window treatments!

Shannon