Merry Christmas!

I didn't join any official home tours via blogs, but took a few photos tonight to share with anyone who is interested!

You should be able to click the link Christmas Slideshow to get there, but here's a sample!

29 Days of Giveaway

Go visit this great blog by Christi who shares TERRIFIC images for free over on flickr. She's in the spirit of the season and this amazingly creative person is participating in 29 Days of Giveaway -- you can win great stuff just by visiting her blog! :)
http://chrysti.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/29-days-of-giveaways-for-you/#comment-22284

My Great-Nephew at the Store!

How cute is he????

Bring on the turkey!!

A sneak peek at my table set for Christmas. It's a little plain (yes it is -- it needs MORE MORE MORE!) but I'll continue working on it. The rusty sleigh I bought for cheap ($8) ended up costing a bit more because I had to have some reindeer to pull it and some stuff to go in it, but ain't it PURDY? :)

It's nearly Halloween... and that means....

...it's time to decorate for CHRISTMAS!! Yes, we have our annual town-wide Holiday Open House the first weekend in November, and this year it's the day after Halloween! Which means the store will be decorated for Christmas starting later this week. Big sigh....

Ahhhhhhhhh, but in my HOUSE it's still fall! That cool sign above is a gift from Tina Wright, my good bud & NotSoSecret Pal for 2008. Oh, and check out these other photos and let me know what you think.

Just thought you might be sick of daylily photo

Time has passed since I posted that and I suppose life keeps me too busy to post. A common excuse. Perhaps later today I can get something up!

Daylilies in the ground

.... and I timed it perfectly just before a nice, gentle rain. I got a photo before I planted to show the SIZE of these things. When I've bought daylilies before, one fan meant one plant. With Funderburk's it meant a huge clump!




Aren't they gorgeous just sitting there? Kathi from Funderburk's recommended that I cut them back to about 8 inches high after planting because being dug would stress them and that would let their growth go toward blooming. I'm sure with so many big clumps I'll have enough to share from these varities before long. Anyone want to line up now? :)


The varities I just put out are: 2 Yazoo Frances Heart, 6 Pandora's Box (on sale for just $1 each, and a steal!) 2 Strawberry Candy (the biggest clumps -- one with 5 plants in it!!), 3 Fairy Tale Pink, 3 Dewey Roquemore (also gigantic clumps I ended up splitting!), and 2 Pardon Me. I promise photos as soon as they bloom.

Who else was sick of my bottle tree?

Which is what my friend Pat said to me today that finally got me off my duff to find something new to post. She was the third person in a couple of days to tell me I needed something new up, but no one else had quite her "eloquence"!

I guess I have allowed myself to stay in that creative funk I wrote about -- not really creating, but I have been doing a log of yard work. I guess I'd better get busy taking some shots of that (which do NOT include the bottle tree... ahem) and get them posted, eh? I have planted two blush Knockout roses, some hostas (Love Pat, Guacamole, Glacial Lake, Silver Bay, Paul's Glory, Earth Angel - and a bonus from the seller Rainforest Sunrise).

I also have a HUGE bunch of daylilies to plant thanks to a very generous local nursery (Funderburk's Daylilies) -- when I ordered 6 plants, I was thinking 6 plants. They mean 6 clumps -- and each clump has multiple plants. FANTASTIC, healthy-looking plants. Have to get to those tomorrow.



Right now, the only thing I have on my computer is this one of the front porch (and front door to the right) showing my metal wall planter thingy with the new greenery I have in it. I put it up last fall & had live mums in there, then fake poinsettias & holly for Christmas, but nothing since then. It looked all sad & lonely, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted in there. Luckily, I was on a buying trip for the store last week & found these great faux plants. I don't know what the trailing thing is, but the others are cycads (like a primitive fern) and I thought they looked good.

Now, here's my little secret. Nothing in there is secured... I just tuck & pull & put some through the bars, and let them camouflage themselves. I do the same thing when I make wreaths. I never glue anything in. Just tuck & twist & use the wires in the flowers themselves to secure them. That way I can change out wreaths with a minimum of trouble! Shhhhhhhh, it's a secret! :)

I've been in a creative funk lately, and can't seem to think of anything to make or create when I look at all the work there is to be done in my yard! And my house, too, but I'm ignoring that for now....

Just look at those azaleas... you'd never know from that shot that I need to rake around & under them desperately, and then mulch, and cut back the dead wood, and pull the briars out of them and..... SIGH And that's just the azaleas. I haven't even mentioned the roses I bought & haven't put out yet because I haven't pulled the vinca vine out of the way to make room for them either! Egads. Maybe I can get to some of it this week.... if I can climb over all the dust bunnies in the house and get out of the house to do it!

See why I don't have time to be creative?

Sharing What's Good

I originally titled this post "Sharing My Goodies" but decided that wasn't quite right. As you can see, I was lucky enough to be the recipient of Sylvia's generosity in the Bellatoria Queen's Tea Swap & have nejoyed my treasures soooooooooo much. I wanted to share some photos of what I've done with them so far.


This adoable little bluebird is now perched in the arrangement on my dining room table (pictured here) and the nest he originally came in looks great in my new cabinet that houses some of my pottery collection.


Look at the cute box to the right of that nest!! Sylvia embellished that herself and had lots of goodies tucked inside. I loved them all, but my favorite was the 4-leaf clover pin which I'm wearing tomorrow to bring extra luck (interpret that as sales ha!) at the store. The tag in the nest is also one of Sylvia's creations and it all looks perfect together.

Now, I have to tell you why I changed the title of the post to "Sharing What's Good". The other day I was feeling a bit "show-off'ish" (I'm not sure that's a word, but bear with me...) about posting photos on here. One thing every adult family member I had cautioned me about growing up was how it wasn't appropriate to brag on yourself, to live your life so that others would do that for you. And not to be a show off about my "things" which were just that -- things.

Then it came to me that I am really proud of my things -- my own finds and things others have given me. These items my friends and family have given me -- well, it shows a real effort on their part to connect, to try to find things that will be especially treasured. I am sharing photos of these things but what I really hope to share is appreciation for those connections. And I have to say, I have some pretty great things, just none as valuable or beautiful as family & friends.

Big hugs all around! :)

Get Over Yourself

This morning, I clicked on one of those tempting articles that MSN offers before it lets me into my hotmail account. The header was "Get Over It - 6 Tips for Letting Go". No earth-shattering revelations there, but one of the things plays off of what I had intended to write about this morning anyway.

Tip one from the article: Distract yourself.
Put on music and dance, scrub the bathtub spotless, whatever engrosses you—for at least 10 minutes. "That's about the minimum time needed to break a cycle of thoughts," says Nolen-Hoeksema, who's been studying rumination for more than 20 years.

I tend to ruminate a lot. I am a ruminator. Not a ruminant which is a hooved animal who chews a cud. Hmmmmmm, perhaps that's the derivation of that word, ruminate -- to chew things over in your mind, no? :) I know, I know... I'm hung up on words and word origins. Annnnnnyway....

The other day I was once again ruminating about some personal issues that I can't seem to let go of and I spied a cute little clear glass elephant that my husband had just bought me at a thrift store. He was sitting beside the sink waiting for a bath (the elephant, not my husband), so I took his label off, scrubbed him up well & took him to the study to join my collection of glass and crystal animal figures and paperweights. He stood out like a sore thumb.

He was so clean and shiny and sparkly he made everyone else look dingy by comparison. I started loading my own little glass menagerie into my t-shirt-turned-apron and prepared a sink full of hot, soapy water. It took two trips to get them all and then I carefully washed and rinsed and dried each one.

I spent time thinking about where I'd gotten this one, who had given me that one, and then made another two trips with loaded t-shirt to put them back on the shelf where they all looked so glorious I couldn't help snapping a photo.



I didn't even realize it, but for those 30 minutes or so, my mind was on the animals and then how I wanted to share them on my blog, and not on my personal issues that had been so obsessing me earlier. That was a nice feeling.

I was also a bit surprised to find that this one little Heisey glass horse was giving me a toothy grin ---


I had no idea he cared. :)

Bellatoria Swap

You know, this Bellatoria Queen's Tea Swap has me really bummed and depressed and sad. Why??? Because *I* have the best swap partner in the entire world, and everyone else had to make do without her!!!! I cannot believe all the goodies she has sent me, and it will take me days to post them all.

I want to start with another photo of what I sent her, and it doesn't begin to compare to the generosity and thoughtfulness of my two boxes of goodies! Thanks, thanks, thanks, I-can't-say-it-enough-thanks, Sylvia!


The whole shebang that I sent to Sylvia -- a vintage crocheted doily (in pink), embroidered antique dresser set with lots of pink, Limoges demitasse cup & saucer with tiny blue flowers, blue crackle plate/tray, antique porcelain wall piece, bird collage on a blue fan, and framed art work shown previously. Pink & blue are her favorite colors, and if you knew me during the house remodel which I termed "The Great De-Pinking" you know they're not my faves! It was fun to find them for her, though!


Locket with detail of the handsome gent in the art piece and another vintage crocheted lace doily.

Feel better, Sylvia....... and hope you're enjoying your goodies half as much as I am mine! Oh, and here's a sneak peak at my treasures. Details on what I did with them and better photos are on the way!

Easter flowers

It's quite chilly here today & I'm still recovering from a migraine, but had to take some photos of the beautiful flowers that are blooming on this miraculous day. The first is an iris that I transplanted two years ago. No blooms from it last year, but it is the first iris to bloom this year. Don't you love that bright canary yellow color?

I was just reading the blog of the talented Mississippi porcelain artist Penny Sanford and she has a "thing" for yellow tupperware. I'm betting when she sees this iris, she's going to want wish her yellow tupperware was half so vibrant! :) Hi, Penny!!

Next is an heirloom plant that belonged to my great-grandmother (b. 1897). I have seen these "flowering almonds" quite a bit larger than mine & the horticulturists say it can reach 4 to 5 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet tall. They also mention the "fruit" although I've never seen any of that. This plant has been rooted from one of her originals and moved no telling how many times. The botanical name is Prunus glandulosa. I always like knowing the correct botanical names of plants, even if they do (like this one) sound like a surgical procedure to one's lymphatic system.

"What's wrong with me doc?"
"Oh, it's nothing really! We just need to do a little pruning of your glands... a simple prunus glandulosa and you'll be good as new!"

Aren't we all Queens?? :)

I mailed off Monday my swap box to my partner in the Bellatoria The Queen's Tea Swap. Here's a sneak peak of a couple of things I included in the box. I will post full photos when she's had time to get it (just in case she's reading!) so I won't spoil her surprise!



This collage is in an antique Italian frame I found (beautiful patina that didn't photograph that well!) and a vintage photo from the net. Don't you LOVE that photo? Oh, and Tina??? I used the stencils you sent me to make that crown! THANKS, girl!!

I have a confession....

yes, as many of my online friends have been telling me, I do indeed have a plate addiction. I can't help myself and no, I am not interested in an intervention. I just want to get it off my chest & show you what I've done now! :)

I redid my dining table for spring. It is now set with the Lenox Butteryfly Meadows plates I snagged at a real bargain (the box was marked $22 & they were 75% off... but there were supposed to be $22 EACH, not per box!) and look at those gorgeous not green/not blue just right placemats. Found those this weekend at the local dollar store! These are not my normal colors for dining room, but just a little of it for spring looks okay, huh? :)




There are about 40 other things I could be doing today, including folding the mass of clothes piled on the freezer, but this was so much more fun!

Happy Un-Birthday to ME!!!!!

Wow -- what a box of goodies I got from my Not So Secret Pal on Friday! My fwend Tina sent me so many pretties, it's hard to pick a favorite. I love the banner with my name on it (yes, I know it says ANN, not Lizbeth, but that's because I'm Ann in real life.... shhhhhhhh). I had seen it on her blog & claimed it, not realizing at the time that her neighbor is also named Ann, and she could have meant it for her! Oooooops. Oh well, it's mine now!


These shots show just a sampling of the other neat stuff in the box. She is really inspiring me to create with all the "altered" stuff and to collect with the Christmas ornaments. So yes, I guess you could say that Tina is a big ole' enabler! THANK GOODNESS!





I got a call from a great new customer who wanted to bring her sister-in-law to shop with us today (Sunday) if it wasn't too much trouble. It wasn't. I went down & opened up for them, rearranged to move the sold things from yesterday, and as they shopped, they asked if there were any good local pottery places.

I said, "yep." and called up my friend who just opened one last summer & she said she'd be glad to open up for them today, too. I told her we'd call when we were on our way and after they finished shopping led them to her place.

And dontcha know I had to buy something too!?? HA! I hardly ever get to go shopping, and I found these two great pieces with creamy white, brown & just the right "not blue, not green" color for my bathroom. I think they look mahhhhhhvelous!

Wow -- 2 in one day??

Well, I did get away from the computer, after a quick trip to Fred's Dollar Store where I ran into some people I hadn't seen in a while & we blocked the aisles catching up with each other!

AND... I did some more with the great Lazy Day Creations bird collage sheet items. These print out so well and I'm not finished with them -- more to come!




And one view of the great bookmark using Ranger inks, sewing, the Lazy Day bird graphics, and some other goodies.


Now, off to bed, trying to pretend I didn't eat 2 chocolate chip chewy cookies and two HOT MACADAMIA AND WHITE CHOCOLATE FRESHFROMTHEOVEN WHO CAN RESIST SUCH THINGS cookies.

It's about time

Just in case anyone is reading this (and you might be if I'd start linking to my blog, huh?) I'm sitting here finding 8,009 things to do on the computer to avoid going & actually doing something else!

I'm off to work on something now with the beautiful bird collage sheet from Mel at Lazy Day Creations, where I am honored to be a member of the Design Team. Here's a little sneak preview of what I've done so far:


I love these birds!! These were printed on parchment, I'm off to work on some now on regular paper & ....well, you'll just have to wait & see!

Welcome to my trial site. Ugh. Something new to learn. My head may explode.