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!