VEISHEA 2010

Good VEISHEA morning to you all.

We are off to the land of Cy to celebrate our alma mater!!!! Go CYCLONES!!

And we'll eat lots of these too. ;-) It's tradition....and you just don't mess with tradition.

Can it Be?

Hello Little Lovelies. Do you remember how I went on....and on.....and on about how I NEVER win anything and oh whoa is me and everyone should feel SOO bad for me?

Cancel that order.

I think my luck is changing! Over the weekend I was delighted to learn that I won the Inspired by Charm giveaway for these beautiful little birdies. And promptly insisted my husband get ALL THE PORCH FURNITURE OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!! The birdies are flying our way and we needed to be ready for their arrival to sit on our porch!!

Please chirp on over to Michael's blog...Inspired by Charm! Be prepared to drool a little though...he makes the MOST.AMAZING.YUMMIES.EVER.

An Auctioning We Will Go.....

Have you ever been to an auction? They are wonderful....just wonderful. Until I think about the person who owned all these things.....then it makes me a little sad to think their life's collection is being scattered to the wind. But then.....each person who bids on a particular item REALLY wants that item...so maybe it's for the best. Wow, this post got heavy quick, huh?

Let's get back to the wonderful part. People own really interesting stuff....and auctions are the place to get the very best deals possible. I can say I've been going to auctions for nearly 30 years....and no, I'm not ancient (unless 34 counts as ancient these days...okay, maybe I'm ancient). My dad has been taking me for years (and teaching me the nuances)....and then there was the auction I attended, at the age of 7 or 8, a block from my house, with my little best friend.....and wanted to bid. Who knew, they won't give a 7 year old a bidding number (I asked). I had a dollar....and the item I wanted to bid on didn't even get sold...I would have given them my dollar. Their loss.

Since then I've learned a lot about auctions....how it all works, what to listen for...etc. It's great fun.

The auction Dad and I attended this weekend was very fruitful. A box full of chunky candlesticks and candles....all for a buck!

Snack trays....I can never resist these little pretties....and they are going to have a fun purpose....you'll have to keep an eye over there on the right at the Mill Creek Cafe blog....elegant little girls' tea parties are on the horizon. :-) AND, a nice little gal came up to me after I bid on these ($1 per box) and asked if I'd like SEVEN MORE SETS!!!! FREE.

This box of zippers immediately caught my eye....zippers aren't cheap people! And all those cute little bags I have rattling around in my head could benefit from zippers. There are dozens here....and some really cute vintage trim....crocheted pillow case trim...WOO HOO!! A buckaroo folks....that's it.





Oh and I couldn't resist these GORGIE GORGEOUS ball jars. These aren't the quart size....these are the whopper big size. One with a zinc lid, one with the glass lid and wire closure. These are great to organize with....like we did here.



Since we've lived in our home we've never had a flag. This does not reflect on our level of patriotism...please don't send hate mail. ;-) This beautiful flag was left at the END of the auction...the auctioneer was pooped, the crowd had dwindled and he threw out the offer.....IS THERE ANYTHING ON THIS TABLE THAT ANYONE WANTS.....A BUCK FOR ANYTHING. The flag (and pole...and mounting hardware) were rolled into a box...with a string around the box. This is my little auction tip to you...be snoopy. Open boxes, look inside things, etc. I think I was the only one who knew what the box held. I immediately threw my number in the air and said I WANT THAT ONE. This gorgeous flag, with stitched stripes (not just printed) that is as tall as my mom, holding the flag in the photo, came home with me for a steep price of.......$1.

Tis the season of thrifting....
Attend an auction soon....you won't be disappointed!!



Linking to:
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Hanging on the Line

Sunshine + Wind = The most wonderful sheets you've ever slept on.

YAY SPRING!

The Coupon House

When the weather looks like this......

And a pile of this spills out of the cupboard first thing in the morning.....

It's time for a fun project!!

Clipping coupons is all the rage again....because let's face it....everyone needs 25 cents off a bottle of salad dressing. It's the prudent thing to do. AND, I have the most awesome mom who clips coupons FOR ME. She knows exactly what we use, clips the coupons, sends them to me in the mail. Is that not awesome?

Projects using up stuff I already have in my craft room are even better....because my husband thinks he's going to drown in fabric samples...they're just all so pretty, I can't turn them down! Obviously, my coupons need a new home as well...so....here we go!

On a side note....have you ever shopped for craft supplies at the hardware store? I know you have, because you're all SO crafty and thrifty. :-) True Value is my F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E. hardware store....oh and I love Ace too....but at True Value they have those fun little bins of hardware that you can poke through and buy one of this and one of that. I know, I'm a weirdo. Well anyway, they have really pretty d-rings and other things that look GREAT on bags!

Oh, and at True Value approximately 73 people will ask if they can help you find something...awesome. I think they giggle at girls in the hardware aisle digging through the goods though. ;-)








So, on to the project. I wanted my coupon house to have a square bottom....this took math. I don't advise math and crafting at the same time. I stared at this piece of fabric for a while....and then had to cut a little more.







Sew it all together and the coupon house was born.
And that cute little D ring was only 30 cents in case you were wondering. Love it.

Sorry, no tutorial here....seriously I just keep sewing until it looks right....
while trying to avoid the math.






The first coupon found it's way inside the house pretty quickly! I used chipboard (from the back of paper packs) as dividers.






The coupon house and I then wandered around the house looking for a spec of decent light to take a photo. There's not much light to be had when you're living in Forks, WA for the day. (That's for all you Twilight girls ;-)....speaking of...I think it's a good day to start reading from the beginning again. ;-) I digress......








Oh, and by the way I had a little corrugated plastic scrap in my felt food supplies...perfect to hold the bottom straight and rigid.

Meet all your new friends Miss Coupon House! :-)

Linking up to:

Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design

Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home

Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple

Get Your Craft on Thursday at Life as Lori

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Favorite Things Friday at A Few of My Favorite Things

I WON?!

Let me begin by saying I have possibly the worst luck on the planet Earth. Have you ever heard of the Walters' Curse? It's an honest to goodness affliction....that I had the chance to marry out of....but then I was one of those girls who couldn't leave her maiden name behind...and slid it into my middle name....Jennifer---Marie Walters--VanOort. I didn't abandon the name...and therefore am still ORDINARILY afflicted by the curse....(we won't even get into my luck with travel....just let me say, don't travel by train or plane with me...you're taking your life into your own hands.)

UNTIL TODAY!!!



I.WON.A.GIVEAWAY!!!!!! Not just any old giveaway.....the 100th Post Celebration Giveaway at The Charm of Home....for.....

wait for it....wait for it........



RACHAEL RAY BUBBLE & BROWN BAKEWARE!!!!!!



YAHOO!!!! Thank you Sherry for pulling my name out of the blue and ending my curse...
for today anyway. ;-)

Easter Holiday....and a lesson

I hope you had a wonderful Easter holiday. Ours culminated in a candy mine field....

just as it should. ;-)

And before the candy...was the road trip. The boys are getting old enough to enjoy our crazy excursions and we decided to head out on Friday...destination unknown. In our pre-children era we would often jump in the car and drive...to where exactly? We didn't know. But we ALWAYS found something neat...on a back highway, down a mud road, up a farm lane...we were adventurers ;-)

Now we have two extra special adventurers-in-training. They are cool, and silly, and say the funniest things that make us laugh all the way down the road.

Our adventure took us west....to the land of covered bridges. AKA Madison County. They are beautiful, if you've never seen one. The craftsmanship, the presence...beautiful.

What good adventure is complete without a castle? We found one. WAY WAY WAY back in a park....we probably hiked a hundred miles to find it.....okay, maybe only ninety nine.

Look at the Iowa countryside behind that adorable adventurer-in-training.

Amazing...even without leaves.

Lastly, we were left with a poignant lesson from George Washington Carver, who unbeknownce to us, had found his way to Winterset, Iowa, before his scientific breakthroughs and fame. He found his way there, dejected and downtrodden, but was lifted up by the fine people of that community and shown the way.

The quote on the monument says the following:

"It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success." --George Washington Carver

Service. It is simply service that measures success. I love that. What a wonderful sentiment...if only everyone believed that, what a wonderful place the world could be. Money does not equate success and success can be had without money.

Have a great week.