By Lynn, on January 11th, 2012%
Oh, my, the joys of leading a busy life! Last night, dear friends, I was at another hockey game with coworkers. A girls’ night out! The Carolina Hurricanes played the Philadelphia Flyers, and it was a pretty exciting game! We got to see a fight (not unusual in hockey) that nearly turned into a pile of men on the ice. As well, Canes defenseman Spacek was hit in the chin by a deflected puck. It was painful to even watch!
Ladies, I highly recommend outings, when you can, and I am not saying you have to have ME time away from the kids all the time (although if you need it, that is fine too). What is good about it is the getting away from the house, and all there is to do there. Even a walk in nature WITH the children will change the scenery, help you clear your thoughts and come back with renewed energy! This fun girltime outing was so good for me!
Now, for SHOP news. More pins going into the shop, A Bit of Birdsong, over the course of the day and evening.
Recycled image of Cupidon by Chaplin.
Recycled — or maybe I should say UPCYCLED — image of A Beauty with Doves by Chaplin.
Doves and angel wings, anyone?
Yes, friends, these will make their way into the shop as time permits. It’s not easy some days, running around on breaks, trying to get things done, loving my REAL job working for the hospital and yet knowing I have to be wise and hustle with my time off to keep on top of the other things that make up my busy life.
And now, without another moment’s hesitation, some news on ALICE and THE ALICE TREE!
Yesterday we read chapter 6, today we will read chapter 7, or in other words PIG AND PEPPER and A MAD TEA-PARTY!!
I have some catching up to do on the ornaments, but fear not, that will come! The reading itself has been a good diversion for me. Yesterday I read a chapter right before I took my afternoon nap. Oh, and that TEA PARTY! Poor Alice, being caught in word riddles until she stormed off from the A MAD TEA-PARTY saying it was the most stupid tea party she had ever been to!!
Fortunately for me, and just in time, Michaela’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND board game came home from school. Lo and behold, this little basket of game pieces and game cards looks adorable tucked into the pink tree branches!
Then the board game itself was photographed and printed as a little MINIATURE board game, with a nice picture of CHESHIRE CAT on the back. Pictures of completed ornaments to come.
Well, dear friends, I must wrap this up. Time flies when we are having fun! There are all manner of things on my TO-DO list for today, including organizing my thoughts about a MAD TEA PARTY for Princess of the Universe and her friends. What do you think? I think they would LOVE it!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on January 9th, 2012%
Happy Monday, Dear Friends!
Oh my, how I love beautiful art work! I guess we all do, eh? On one hand I am working with the beautiful old Alice illustrations for the Alice Tree, and on the other hand I am making pins now with lots of images from paintings by John William Waterhouse. Does crafting get any more beautiful?
This beautiful image of Knight by Waterhouse is going into the shop today. John William Waterhouse was an English painter, born 1849, died in 1917.
This beautiful brooch with Juliet by Waterhouse will go into the shop some time today.
One of my new favorites, The Lady of Shalott by Waterhouse. Also headed into the shop today.
Now, as far as THE ALICE TREE, I will be back either later today or some time tomorrow with more pictures of more ALICE ORNAMENTS added to the tree. My!! Did Alice meet a lot of characters and creatures in CHAPTER 4!!
She goes to the home of The March Hare.
I love this Victorian rabbit! No, it is not from Alice, but a bun-bun just the same, and probably drawn about the same time that Arthur Rackham was doing his illustrating for children’s books.
Alice got ADVICE FROM A CATERPILLAR, which is the name of the chapter. She met a blue caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the Fish-Footman, the Frog-Footman, the Duchess and the Pig Baby! Poor Alice! She is overwhelmed with creatures and vanishing cats and sharp-tongued people who think she is constantly clueless! I think she is beginning to feel clueless!
In case you have not figured it out (which I am sure you have), the artist showcased with this chaper is Arthur Rackham (1867 – 1939), and I love his illustrations! His frontispiece for Alice is my favorite, and you have seen it before!!
FRONTISPIECE: frontispiece is a decorative illustration facing a book’s title page.
Enjoy this day! Will return with more ALICE TREE stuff!
xoxo
By Lynn, on January 7th, 2012%
My Dear Friends,
Here we come to the end of the day, and I have yet about 3 hours of typing work to do, but I wanted to take a break and show you some things that I have done today. (Well, not all was done today, but some of it was finished up today!)
Some of you have mentioned through the years that you’d like to see our local thrift stores. I said I’d try to start sharing some pictures, so here goes! This morning I had a chance to visit a thrift store in Chapel Hill called PTA. Just as it sounds, it is affiliated with a Parent-Teacher Association and helps to raise money for the schools in Chapel Hill. If I am correct in my thinking, the school parents volunteer and make donations (the public can donate too) and at least part of the money raised goes back into the schools. I have been visiting this thrift store for many, many years! Since Daniel was a baby!
Clean store.
Love the old trunk.
This place gets TONS of books! Sigh. You are only seeing one cove of books! There are many.
And some cool furniture.
This is a quilt that hangs on the wall, I believe representing the schools that benefit from the store.
This store is not jam-packed but they do get a lot of old and unique things. As I mentioned, they also get a ton of books. As an added bonus, they are right up the sidewalk from Whole Foods. What a treat!
Now, these next pictures were not taken today, but I recently took a few pictures of a G.W. Boutique (Goodwill for those just tuning in) in Mebane.
Just look! They get tons of clothes! Yes, the short-sleeve white shirts alone take up this much space. All the clothes are color-organized season-organized and there are lots of them!
Handbags. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. They have a display like this at the end of nearly every rack.
Clothes, clothes, clothes. You really could spend HOURS in there. Really.
I wish you all who want to could come with me! Wouldn’t we have fun!!
ALICE??
Now, no Alice stuff today. The weekend is a break and we’ll catch up with Alice on Monday. However, I did want to show you the latest additions to my shop, A Bit of Birdsong.
John William Waterhouse, The Crystal Ball.
A pretty upcycled image — dove in foliage.
John William Waterhouse, from Flora and the Zephyrs.
John William Waterhouse, La Belle Dame sans Merci (French: “The Beautiful Lady Without Pity”), a visual depiction of the theme from poem La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats.
And finally, John William Waterhouse, Soul of the Rose.
Ahhh, I love John William Waterhouse. Whenever I find discarded books or images that bear his work, they take up residence at Rose Cottage.
You can expect the shop to fill up with brooches, dolls, mushrooms and other such whimsical stuff!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on January 6th, 2012%
Welcome, Dear Friends!
You’ve heard me speak of running errands. Well, I will no longer be “running errands,” friends. I will be “going messages“!
“How queer it seems,” Alice said to herself, “to be going messages for a rabbit! I suppose Dinah’ll be sending me on messages next!” ~Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Chapter 3 — The White Rabbit
Going messages! Does that sound a bit strange to you? Me too, but I love it!
Okay. I had hoped for us to learn more about the various illustrators who put Alice’s face on paper. Illustrations can define the way a person sees a character forever! I mean, I cannot think of Alice without thinking of John Tenniel’s version of Alice with her blond hair and serious scowl in The Shower of Cards.
The following sheds some light on how we ended up with so many delightful Alice illustrations:
In 1907 the British copyright on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland expired, and any publisher was free to create a new edition. Several did, and to differentiate themselves from the others (as well as to create copyrightable property of their own) many chose to produce new illustrated editions. Luckily, this event coincided with what Richard Dalby calls the peak of the Golden Age of children’s book illustration, “the decade from 1905 to 1914 when dozens of opulent large quarto gift books with mounted colour plates… were published every year.” Of course, American publishers were not so scrupulous, and new illustrated editions predate 1907 (e.g. Newell 1901, Kirk 1904). ~http://www.exit109.com/~dnn/alice/ (Please note that I have not explored the entire referenced website, but they do have some lovely Alice illustrations!
With that thought in mind, there is only one tag ornament going on the Alice Tree today. It is the illustration of The White Rabbit’s House by Mabel Lucie Attwell. (Marqueta, if you are reading this, I couldn’t help but think of your little Becky Button Nose — Mabel, who seems to already aspire to be an artist herself.) I would like to end up with many illustrators on the The Alice Tree, but we’ll only cover one at a time. There is a Mabel Lucie Attwell club, apparently, if you want to read more about Mrs. Attwell.
And the other side…
You know, the more I think of it, an Alice Tea Party would be a lovely thing to have once the tree is done! I think Michaela and her friends would love it! I know I would!
And now, for now, onto other things happening at Rose Cottage.
I am working to fill up my shop again, A Bit of Birdsong. Yah. I stayed home all day yesterday, except for going messages — only the necessary ones, and I did get a lot done! These are in the final stage of creation and there are more on the assembly line! Will all be in the shop soon. I also added three bun-buns to the shop yesterday.
I cooked a healthful meal…
Healthful. You like that? Can food be healthy? I don’t know, but I read that it cannot. I, myself, have always said “healthy” foods, but far be it from me to publish something that’s incorrect! That would be incorrect reporting! (Like I don’t make mistakes. Ha ha ha. “Earth to Lynn.”)
I browned porkchops in an iron skillet with blackening spices until they were really golden on each side and then put them in a large pot with water to cover and, of course, all the iron skillet scrapings, and let them simmer until they were nigh unto falling apart. This made an amazing broth! I steamed carrots and bell peppers and made a large pot of jasmine rice with some broth from the pork chops added in. It would be safe to say there is only a bite (or two) left.
And now, friends, last but not least, the fabric from a newly found dress.
I love this one! So feminine and sweet. It fits well. The fabric is soft and very flowing. Gotta love dresses.
Well, it is off to work now. I will use my breaks today for going messages and a bit of working on pins. Remember that today we are reading ALICE IN WONDERLAND chapter 4.
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on January 5th, 2012%
Dear Friends,
Today is day 3, wherein we read Chapter 3 of Alice in Wonderland. Oh, poor Alice! Yesterday she cried herself into a pool of tears. She nearly shrunk herself away and had to swim with a number of wonderful unexpected creatures (I love creatures) to get to shore. She wore a pair of kid gloves belonging to a rabbit, for goodness’ sake! My oh my! The white rabbit still runs around!
Perhaps this is one of my favorite ornaments so far, something made to represent chapter 2. The white rabbit on a clock face! I found it simply by search for images on Google and then printing it. I printed two of them, glued them together and then covered them in Mod-Podge.
Another much-loved tag is this one with the vintage-y image of kid gloves! I also cut the definition of kid gloves from an old dictionary I use for crafting.
Kid gloves. Yah. I like this one bunches! And all three new tags are hanging on THE ALICE TREE.
You know, this book has inspired me so! If I had had a BLUE ALICE DRESS this morning, I would have put it on! And oh, if I had white leather lace up boots! But alas, I had to go with the sweetest thing I had on hand.
This is a sweet white cotton dress I found recently at G.W. Boutique (Goodwill for those of you just tuning in) for only $4.00. Love at first sight, I tell you!
This dress is so sweet! I love the fabric covered buttons, the ribbon around the waist, the off-white creamy color!
I decided this morning to make a millinery type flower to go on the dress since I had to have a touch of BLUE!
I think it turned out rather lovely. Do you?
Today will be a crafting day for me. Not going anywhere, no. Except karate later this evening. I am going to work, work, work on finishing up brooches, crafting projects, my funky skirt, and getting some things in order here! I am staying in my rabbit hole today, friends! I must! If I head out to The Scrap Exchange or to G.W. Boutique, the day will be done for! No, I am staying home with my craft supplies.
Today we read Chapter 3. Join me, if you please. If not, keep tuning in to see what goes on THE ALICE TREE NEXT!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on January 4th, 2012%
Yes, my friends, today is the day to read chapter 2 of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. I am so enjoying this, and I hope you are! Please check in every day to see what we have added new to the Alice Tree. We will show you the whole tree when we are done with the book!
You will immediately notice a bunny in a teacup! The teacup was a gift from my sweet friend Marqueta. I must say a teacup looks adorable nestled into the tree branches with a little RABBIT sitting in it!
Yesterday in chapter 1, of course, Alice fell asleep, saw a rabbit with a pocket watch, fell down a rabbit hole, found a key, drank a potion, ate some cake and ended up very sad! She wants admission into a lovely garden (and I know how she feels!). She has no idea what awaits her!
I absolutely had to make cards that included an old key and a watch charm! Ditto for the most recent ALICE “BLUE DRESS” which was featured in a Disney movie redo of Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska. Ahhh, that blue dress. Absolutely lovely!
I JUST LOVE that blue dress and those boots!!
Please read chapter 2 to me!! Please, please! I want to know what happens in Chapter 2!!
If you like, join me! We are reading Alice in Wonderland by the schedule in the righthand sidebar. Today is day #2! We are adding ALICE bits and bobs to a tree and calling it THE ALICE TREE!
And now, for a fashion moment. Do you remember when I came home with that load of fabric scraps from The Scrap Exchange and threatened to make a funky skirt from scraps?
Well, I started it yesterday, but it is SO not done yet. I need to take it in a little around the waist/hip area and add elastic to the waist. (Right now it just has a tie in the casing.)
Also right now it is not hemmed, and I wondered actually if I should even hem it because it has such a scrappy look, but the more I look at it, the more I think I should. Do you see the fabric rose I made and added to the front?
Come on! Advise me dear readers! What sorts of things should I add? Lace anywhere? Chains? You know how outrageous the new STEAMPUNK clothes are. What say you?
Do you see how Annie stands up on the bed beside me? I got in a chair. She jumped up on the bed.
Well, it is off to work now! But first a hot cup of coffee and ALICE IN WONDERLAND chapter 2. Please come back tomorrow to see what we’ve added and what I might have done to the funky scrappy skirt.
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on December 30th, 2011%
I wondered about a post title, yes I did, in looking for something that made sense. But why should anything make sense, since we are going on an adventure to build an Alice Tree and make January the month of Alice in Wonderland? I figured welcoming someone to the end of a month was every bit as good as welcoming someone to the beginning of a month!
Come closer, friends, and let’s talk about December coming to an end! It has been a beautiful month indeed! We have had lovely weather on many days, making it seem not so winterish, but then other days with evidence of Old Man Winter’s frosty breath on the grass and our windshield. We have had food and warm beds at night and friends nd family. Is there anything else in this present life that a person could want?
Lavender, perhaps?
And lavender we’ve got! I want you to know that my Princess of the Universe bought me the most beautiful Crabtree & Evelyn lavender gift set. It smells delightful! Reminds me of the lavender in my Little Wild Garden.
All items have been lovingly removed from the box and placed in my bathroom. (Hear that? My bathroom? With lots of counter space? New bathroom? Bright, white, and no leaks or hard-to-clean fixtures.) I digress. The box is being used to hold things that will be incorporated into the Alice Tree.
Oh, look! The bun-buns are SO excited over being included on the Alice Tree! Thank you to the readers who suggested it! Lily. April. And others, if you thought it and didn’t speak it, or if you said it and my mind has already cleared out and is onto some other bunch of words whirling around in my head (as is so prone to be the case).
These little bun-buns are playing hide and seek behind the roses.
Anyhoo… Where were we?
Oh yes! I am absolutely flattered that Michaela thinks so much of me. Actually, I am humbled.
Thrift store shopping continues. Ah, G.W. Boutique, I love you. In honor of Alice Month, I have pinned on an Alice brooch.
Old Navy dress 4 dollars; striped turtleneck 3 dollars. Black leggings — an old wardrobe staple bought new a few years back.
BEAUTY TIP, ANYONE?
When winter weather gets here, it seems my skin just won’t stay moisturized. Really. I feel that fair, freckled skin is prone to dryness and wrinkles anyway, but the winter cold combined with the dry heat going on inside just wreaks havoc!
Enter the avacado. Every morning, I peel a slice to eat and peel up a slice to put on my face. I mash it up and smoothe it over face and neck, leaving it there until it dries. I then wash it gently away with warm water and pat my face dry. You’ll have to try it to know how good it feels. And eating avacado, well that’s not hard!
Avacado has a strong anti-aging antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione increases immune cells and breaks down bad fats.
Of late, I have really been trying to snack on healthy things when I am in the mood for something sweet. Sweet potato fries with honey. A smoothie made of yogurt, bananas and frozen strawberries. Yogurt with fruit stirred in. You get the picture.
I have to admit though, I have a weakness this time of year…
Looks like it might be whipped cream on top of hot chocolate, but it is actually whipped cream on top of coffee. Yeah. With cinnamon sprinkled on top. Since I live in WONDERLAND, why not also pretend that I have My own Starbucks right off my office? Actually, I am trying not to do this 10 times a day. Just one. Or two.
Well, dear readers, tag making is in progress. I have cut handmade tags which are currently being readied for the Alice Tree. I think this will be a major learning curve. I do . I am wondering if Michaela’s school would want to see the Alice Tree when it’s done. Maybe I am asking for a lot of work to have to haul this thing to her school.
A girl can dream.
And I say, dream big, or go home!
Here’s to this day. Enjoy this day!
OH, AND PS!! Here is a website with Alice in Wonderland, including illustratrations from various illustrators! It’s a treasure! Alice in Wonderland.
By Lynn, on December 28th, 2011%
“Only an ugly thistle,”
I heard you say
Of a pretty purple blossom
Beside the way.
But that was before the pastures
Were bare and brown,
Or Frost had cut with his sickle
The flowers down.
Here now is this self-same prickly
And ugly weed,
But its tufts of purple blossom
Have gone to seed.
And forth from their dingy covers
Come lovely things –
The tiniest of creatures, flying
On silken wings.
These are the seeds, and hither
And thither they go,
Light as the downiest feather,
White as the snow.
Loitering, or blown and drifted
About the air,
They make dull days in November
Seem almost fair.
~Clara Doty Bates
I read this earlier today in a very, very old children’s book called Seashore Chats, published in 1898.
I could not help but think of my own life — marriage over, buckets of tears left behind, and a garden of 23 years overgrowing from neglect these days. But on the winds of change (yes, they are a blowin’) I see the tiniest, most beautiful seeds.
You see, life is precious. And we only get one of them. Are we to be selfish with our lives, saving every last ounce of energy and time and thought for ourselves? No! But when a person becomes so sad and so drained as to have no peace, and when little ones are caught staring hard at their mother, wondering if she’s okay, then self-preservation must begin. That is when it should begin. That is when it does begin.
And what are seeds, except self-preservation? There are so many lessons in the garden, dear friends. I am humbled and amazed at the lessons that are indeed there!
And, dear friends, it does not take disaster to bring out the delicate seeds of beautiful change. Seeds of change can take the form of better eating habits, commiting to daily outdoor walks, or vowing to speak in a softer voice to one’s children. Seeds of change are beautiful!
My “flower of the day” today is not a thistle, but a white silky rose, pinned to a white Ann Taylor sweater, a recent thifty 3-dollar find. If I see perfectly clean and delicate silk flowers at the thrift store, I buy them up if they seem to match my purposes for them.
You can take a bloom apart and use as many or as few of the petals as you want. Put a smaller flower (paper flowers are good) inside and pin it all to your sweater with a safety pin coming from the inside of your sweater. Just be careful and don’t get stuck!
Another recent thrifty find, which I am absolutely LOVING, is this long (sweeps the floor) denim Arden B. skirt. I should have photographed the hem (or lack of one!) because it is the type of skirt that looks as if it had been hemmed and then it was all let out. Very cool. A few strings. I love it!
Perhaps I should learn not to swing all my weight onto one hip right before the flash. Sorry! I really mean it! Sorry! But I did want you to see the lovely V-shape set into the back of the skirt, so I am including this picture anyway! It’s a very pretty and flattering skirt! Skirt = 4 dollars.
Here is wishing you joy and wonder, and delicate seeds of change!
And now…
I accept your dare! The Alice Tree will be! The month of January is Alice Month at Rose Cottage! More lights! Alice tags, Alice tarts, Alice roses, Alice ornaments! It will be quite the tree! You are invited to join me! And we will share our trees come the end of January!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on December 27th, 2011%
wonder (wun’der) — n. …7. the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising;
I find that a person has to have a bit of wonder in her life, or life loses luster. Just a bit of wonder will do! A bunch of bright red berries on a gray day. A snowflake melting in the palm of an ungloved hand. A smile from her sweetheart.
Sometimes wonder is all that sustains. And when wonder won’t rain down on its own, it has to be sought for and made up. Like clay mushrooms. Like treasures from the past. Like words poured out on paper.
I am proficient at spinning a cloak of wonder to throw over that which surrounds me. It’s a gift I am thankful for. Truly.
Even now, I have formed a habit when it comes to putting one step in front of the other each morning. There is a fresh, imagined wonder over what the day may bring! One of the first steps into wonderland I take each day is getting dressed.
Life is too short to dress ugly.
My dear friend Marqueta said that, and it’s a quotation I take to heart. Do I look frumpy at times? Well, of course. But I love to start the day out looking the best that I can. Every. Single. Day. It makes me very happy!
A skirt practically bounding away in pleats and tucks found its way out of the closet this morning. Layers of pink topped it off, because this morning was one of those “but I’m still tired!” mornings, and I thought the soft pink would be good for my complexion today. I wore tall black boots with the look of riding boots. One never knows. Especially since Jane Austen’s Emma has been on my mind.
A bit of hair gel ( I love Studio Line by Loreal) makes that pouf look shiny and keeps loose hairs from tickling my nose all day. Ahhh, pretty clips — just more wonder from wonderland.
And speaking of wonderland, let’s stayon the topic of all things wondrous. Shall we?
My little sweetheart daughter had the project at school of reading a book and then making a game to go with it. I think her game turned out to be absolutely and most colorfully inviting!
Just look at the little game pieces she baked from clay!
Her book, of course, was Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I think she did an amazing job. I am of the belief that this “board” should be framed and put on her wall!
More Alice! More wonder! It shall not cease!
You know that I have a fascination with little Alice anyway, as I have fashioned more than one brooch with Alice on the front…
John Tenniel’s Alice
Arthur Rackham’s Alice
A.E. Jackson’s Alice
My own rendering of Alice.
Shower of Cards by John Tenniel
Come to think of it, I am wonderfully inspired! The clay calls, the paper calls, the sparkles, the glue, the pencils, the wonder of what can be made! It all calls! In fact, I am thinking some sort of pink Alice Tree (refer to last post with pink Christmas tree) would be most fun!! January could be Alice month ’round here! Oh yay!
Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.
~Lewis Carroll
Here’s to finding the wonder in your own life!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on December 20th, 2011%
My Dear Friends,
Is there a list of horrible bloggers? Am I at the top of that list? Oh my! I say I am going to do better and then I disappear off the face of the earth, or so it would seem.
I am trying to decide which little ‘shroom face will most get me off the hook. Is it the tired mushroom in the front? The sleepy one who is worn completely out and has done too much? Is that me? Will you forgive me, if I look so tired?
Or is that me in the back, sort of hiding under the beard of Old Man Mushroom, scared that I have totally blown my blog by being absent for TWO WEEKS!? Which is it? 
Ahh, well, I think we are all still happy members of The Standing and Staring Club. Are we? (Please say yes.)
As you can see, I have been busy, busy, busy making mushrooms from clay, with their funny and sweet and sleepy and most serious faces!!
Some were for gifts, some for selling, and some sit sweetly on my kitchen counter, making me smile while I am steaming my vegetables and talking to John and Michaela.
And just to show you how busy I have been, here is me going not slo-mo but fast-mo across Rose Cottage, in my hurry to keep everything done!
Actually, I wanted to share this picture because you can see the red and white afgan in the back of the room, which I pull out for Christmas only, because it was handmade by my late maternal grandma, Jewel, who I miss so much! It makes me think of her to see this bright red and white gracing my couch.
Yes, busy time of year it is and busy time of my life it is. On a sad note, but a note of update (since those things are necessary), I have been gone from the old house for 9 months now. Does it seems so? No. Not to me either. And my legal separation papers are signed. And life seems to be moving on for me, and for the carpenter, in different directions. I won’t discuss the carpenter here. No. It would not be fair. But some things must be so. I hope my update is not offensive to anyone. I know many of us have different beliefs and different guidelines… Friends we all are, and you deserve an update from time to time.
I must say, one of the little material things I miss most from the old house is my rustic spice cabinet which had quite the story of love behind it. I am sure you remember the old spice cabinet (referenced in linked post as my most favorite thing).
Yeah, there is is. Still bolted to the wall. Not mine anymore.
Alas, I got in the mood to make another rustic sort of space for my spices, and a recent trip to The Scrap Exchange gave me all I needed.
Between a vintage dresser drawer, discarded heavy cardboard boxes, and a wooden box with one drawer missing, I ended up with a spicy storage unit to sit on my kitchen counter. I love it!
The drawer itself has personality plus! The decoupaged boxes sit inside, all bright and cheery, holding my ever growing spice collection.
I mean, I had to start from scratch with the spices because the carpenter has the spices that were (are) in the old cabinet as well. (Well, I did take my large bottle of vanilla extract.)
Every new thing, every new-to-me old thrifted thing, every day — it all becomes a part of Rose Cottage and me and my children and seems to take us one more step from the sadness that was a huge part of my life.
Paper, paper, paper and more paper. Love paper! Yes I do!
I ended up making about 150 gift tags. It feels so good just to look at them! I love the sweet Victorian children in their nightgowns holding lanterns or candles, the old homeplaces surrounded by farm and snow, the deer in the woods, and the Victorian couples! I love it all!
It’s so much fun to hand someone a stack of 10 or 15 gift tags, just because.
Yesterday I gave some to my mom and my aunt. Today I passed some on to a dear friend.
As well, the little clay man I made not too long ago, was dressed and given a tray of flowers, and his story came together as it happened. He is American, but has a Japanese grandfather. (Can anyone say Grandfather’s Journey? The lovely book by Allen Say.) Anyway, this little man just made me think of Japan. He has a lovely Japanese garden and grows the most lovely flowers to place in his simplistic home. His wife loves them! The only thing, I want him to have two names: an American name and a Japanese name. What in the world will they be?
He’s my new favorite. At least for now. Seems every time I make one of these dolls, that’s what happens.
Yeah, the more this little man came together, the more it reminded me of the lovely story, Grandfather’s Journey, and the times I read it to my children. It was one of our Five In A Row books we used in homeschooling.
Oh. I really have to go. Work calls. And so does so much else!
Let me say in closing that I am still have way too much fun with clothes! I go into G.W. Boutique several times a week and usually find a new dress. It’s a habit I can afford. Actually, since Michaela and I can share clothes, we have both had so much fun with this! She wears the new dresses too and we both think it’s just the best thing!
I hope your day is wonderful! Until next time…
Enjoy this day! Take joy!
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About Lynn 
Approaching-50 mother of four. Thrifter. Content with lots of clothes bought for very little money. Loves retro. (That could be styles from the 40s and 50s. And sometimes stuff even older than that. And sometimes stuff from all time, all mixed up together!) Bluffs about decluttering but secretly loves STUFF. Goes through stages. Has standing and staring spells before rearranging the entire home. Just because. Tune in each day to see what new outfit comes home from G.W. Boutique next. (That's Goodwill, by the way.) Oh, and she owns a spoiled beagle named Annie. And this blog.
Grab A Button <div align="center"><a href="http://www.amothersjournal.com" title="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong"><img src="http://www.innatelygray.com/images/abitofbirdsong_120_200.jpg" alt="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong" style="border:none;" /></a></div> The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 21
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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