A Little Bit of Everything

 

Well, the "Williams Girls" (me, my sister Debbie, and our niece, Tessa) had a weird visit last week.  They arrived late afternoon last Sunday to a big, nasty, "Thunder Sleet" occurrence.  I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.  We were iced in until Thursday morning.  And, although we managed to enjoy our time together...well, it would have been even more fun if we could have gotten 'out and about.'  They left yesterday morning, undoubtedly happy to be going back home.  I sure did enjoy seeing them though!    Today I went to the Neighborhood market and brought home these beautiful tulips.  Pretty....and about as opposite "Thunder Sleet" as you could get.    I thought you might enjoy seeing them too!  (Thank you, sweet girls, for coming to visit!!)

 

Love this pretty pink color....and love the weeping tulips no matter what their color.   I wanted to say that I actually crocheted that tablecloth one summer when my kids were small...five and six.  It took me six weeks....and there has not been another.  I'm proud of it.  And, you know what, it seems like yesterday!

 

 A close-up of one of the tulips.  Don't you think pink and yellow look just great together?  I love roses sharing those colors also. 

Tessa just graduated from college recently...degrees in ceramics and photography.  She made this bottle and I treasure it.  Hoping she finds a job and gets to do what she loves....I wish that for everyone, don't you?    I found this 6" x 6" canvas at the flea market...recently.  It's parked here until I figure out where I really want it.  The greens in these items just made it really stand out.   And, the sentiment, given past history at my house, made this piece extra meaningful to me. 

 

This is a Kelly Rae Roberts print....I have shown my little collection on the blog before.  My daughter has given me several pieces of Kelly Rae's work.  (Funny that my daughter's name is Kelly also!)  I may show you those again pretty soon...and this one may join the others OR be placed somewhere else in my home or studio...who knows...as you know....my mind changes often.  However, I will love this piece where ever it lands here.  Remember to breathe deeply....and enjoy the little (and very big) things of life while you are doing it.  You never appreciate them until you don't have them any more.  By the way, you can visit Kelly Rae and read her blog if you click here. 

 

My daughter and her husband were eating chips with a sandwich week before last.  She reached in the bag and pulled this potato chip out.  Crazy, huh?  Rick said, "Call your mother!"  So, they saved it for me.  I guess you can find a heart shaped thing just about anywhere!

 

No kidding...I think it's pretty neat.

  

One more little thing.....bought this big old spoon at the flea with the intention of doing this very thing....using it as a 'dipper' for a bowl of buttons.   This bowl is ten or twelve inches across.  Lots of buttons.  One of my biggest pleasures...finding them any and everywhere.  Wanted some color in the bowl, so added the Christmas red Cardinal salt and pepper shakers I bought at WallyWorld for the holidays.  Pretty cute, I do believe.  The spoon is extra big...almost like a shovel!

 

So, there is what I call "a little bit of everything."  From flowers, to buttons, to artwork, to potato chips.  Never know what you might find at my place!  Y'all stay warm, safe, and have some fun.  See you soon.  Big hugs, pat

PS.  Are you as annoyed by the time change as I am?

Playing around with furniture

 

Hi out there!  I hope you are warm.  Seems this winter has been especially hard on all of us and I will certainly be glad to see Spring.  My little blackboard by the front door says "Spring ?"  As in, is there going to be one?  Right now we have rain and it could turn into something else, they say...so hoping they are wrong.  My sister is on her way here from Texas....sure would like her to arrive without mishap.  She is bringing my niece, Tessa, my youngest brother's daughter.  Haven't seen her in several years, so I am looking forward to having them here for the better part of a week.  Three "Williams Girls" as we call ourselves.    I wanted to post something, anything, today as it will probably at least another week before I have the time to do it.  Plan on enjoying the girls as much as possible.  So, I thought I'd show you the result of playing with furniture around here.  Seems I have been trying to  busy myself with some of the things I used to do before the old navy man became ill.  I rather enjoyed puttering around with some of my 'old stuff' as he called it.  So, I hope you enjoy it too!  (When I would go to the flea market, he would always say "What are you dragging in here now?" Smiling.  After he had been ill for quite a while...he would say..."Don't you want to go to the flea?"

Before he passed, he told me to KEEP going to the flea, it would be good for me.  He was DEAR!)

 

There are two alcove like places when you enter my front door...one left, one right.  A total waste of space if you ask me, but being a junky person, I have to put something in them.  I change them every great once in a while and yesterday I decided they needed a change.  The old navy man thought it was work I didn't need to do (smiling, of course) and I think it is fun, so enjoyed the little bit it took to put all my stuff in it.  He gave me the antique writing desk long ago.  It's been in just about every room in the house except this alcove and so far, I like it here.  (Remember, I just moved it yesterday.)  I found that old typewriter for $15...it works fine...and on that enamel tray is my collection of dipping pens and inks.    One of the things I love to do and haven't done in a long time is writing with those pens.  I hope to get back into doing some of the things I always loved to do.    

  

When he bought this writing desk for me as a birthday gift, it did not have a chair, but he didn't give up...years later, he found this one....really 'goes' with it!  It has a leather embossed seat which I love!  I don't think this desk has ever been closed since it came to live with me.  It now houses my sketchbooks, old ink bottles in a wooden box, all kinds of papery things,colored pencils, a little watercolor set, some books.

 

Over top is a watercolor, my friend Jim painted for me long ago.  I love it and it, too, has moved around my house.  And, then, there is that old screen door.  You may remember that I have an old screen door going into my laundry room/pantry.  Both were given to me by my son-in-law and are two of my favorite things ever.  This one has been on the front porch for a good while, but yesterday, I decided to move it inside (on a whim) to become a sort of bulletin board next to the desk.  I know my family thinks I am nuts.  Fortunately, that has no effect on me at all...I just keep doing "Pat things."  I like it here and had fun gathering all the 'stuff' held in place by clothes pins.  I have an assortment of really aged pins, but didn't want to look them up at the time, I set this up, so some are brand new and I'd rather they look old and dirty.  When I am through with this post, I'll be taking more old ones  from the Nest into the house to replace the new ones.  Silly, isn't it?

 

Not a very good photo, as I was hurrying, but you get the idea.  Sketches, postcards, photos.  Love it all.

 

I guess there is no telling how much fun I could have if I just let myself  'go' with playing around with furniture and odd stuff.  Now that I am living in a house, empty except for myself,  I guess I've no limits with how silly I can get.....and that's ok, I suppose.

 

 Oh, here is a little booklet about Camp Polk, Louisiana.  Found it one day at the flea market.  It caught my eye because it is the only thing I've ever seen in print about Camp Polk...that is where I was born.  When I opened up the little book, I was amazed to find it was printed in 1944, complete with the calendar for that year.  The year I WAS BORN....isn't that just crazy?

 

  

Close ups of some of the 'stuff.'  Notice the postcard of San Francisco...love that city!!!

  

OLD postcards, a couple of photos Jim gave me, and some of my doodling around.

  

And, here we are, back to the beginning.  It's a small space, but plenty big enough for me.  I will enjoy it until the urge to play with furniture hits me again!  Hope you enjoyed it.  I will post again, when the Williams girls have gone home.  So looking forward to having them here for the next week.  Hope you have a good week too, a safe and warm one.  Thanks, always for stopping by...love hearing from you.   Big Hugs, pat