Monday Mini Effort

Hello, everyone. I hope your weekends were fun and relaxing. It was too cold Saturday morning to find any yard sales--a statement never before heard in the month of May-- so that was disappointing. Still, the longer the intense heat of summer holds off, the better.

Today was occupied with getting birthday wishes off to my younger son (Hi, Theo!) and remedial cleaning after Mr. B was home for 48 hours. When it was time for a break, no ideas at all sprang to mind for a project or anything to make. Until a small pile of ??? who knows, handkerchiefs for children, maybe, turned up. After a quick press and rummage through my stash for the right color of seam binding, voila! A cheerful little banner to show you:

These are all bright, folk-art looking cloths in primary colors.They seem vaguely Hungarian to me, but that may not be right. There is a sixth piece but it was oddly faded compared to the rest, so didn't make the cut. It certainly is an easy way to add some interest to the edge of a shelf or over a mirror and a simple way to display small bits of hankies, scraps or quilt blocks. 

Here is one more shot:

Now, back to real chores. Have a great week.

Michele

Weekly Wrap Up

Hi, folks,

We are enjoying very cool weather for May, such a pleasant surprise. Here are a few of my recent buys, some for us and others to resell:

There are some books, Pottery Barn place mats, striped place mats, a new wallet because  my old one came apart, a sunflower tablecloth, Molly Brett matted picture, new pincushion, cat embroidery, Ralph Lauren sheet, toy binoculars, a enameled metal can for sugar, girls pants new with tag, Smith and Hawken metal basket new with tag and a two pack of small notebooks. One is labeled "great ideas" and the other "crazy ideas". Oh, and one of those silver plated casserole holders people in blog land make cool things from.

There is also a ziplock bag full of doll furniture and accessories, like miniature books behind the sugar can, which I'm hoping will be  the inspiration to make something soon.

Flossie wants to know where the cat toys are. Sorry, Floss, no kitty fun from this week's haul.

I thought the  pants with horses on them were cute and should be salable  since they're new. The RL sheet has bears on it. I've sold mugs with the same bears--hockey, cowboy, captain, etc. several times so perhaps this will arouse interest too. I like the black cat embroidery for its whimsicality. The Molly Brett illustration has bunnies, a bird and flowers; I'm sure there is an empty frame  somewhere it will fit into. 

Not shown: a curb picked chair that's still in my car, grabbed en route to get a haircut. 

Have a great weekend, whatever your plans may be!

Michele

May Small Change

Hi, all,

I'm still more than a little aMAYzed that it's May already. I've nothing big to report, but did want to shift my April showers front door decor.  It seemed like a fine time to break out the hydrangea wreath bought several months ago.

Hydrangeas are beautiful; I wonder why we have had no luck growing them? My grandmother always had big bushes and she didn't  do anything special,  they just grew.

That's my small effort for Thursday. Or, as an old friend of mine used to call it, Friday Eve.

Have a good one!
Michele

Mini Fix Up

Hello, everyone. We are thoroughly enjoying unusual spring weather here. Normally temps go from all right to blast furnace overnight, sometimes as early as February. 2013 is giving us a little reprieve, which is most appreciated.

Most years lately June and July is all about sea shells and a beachy theme. That's why this little clock leaped out at me on a recent thrift shop trip:

The price  was right, under $2.00, and with the addition of a AA battery it works. That mauve-ish color, though, wasn't doing it for me. So after sticking a piece of paper over the glass and deploying some harbor spray paint, it is now:

a cool, serene way to count those summer hours. Look for it to show up in a vignette or on a shelf somewhere next month.

It's not always possible to do a major transformation, but small ones have their own satisfactions, too! Have you done any five-minute fixes lately?

Later,
Michele

Fairy Spruce Up

Hello, everyone,

With the weather continuing to be warm and summer barreling towards us like a bullet train, it seemed like a good idea to get a small, simple fix done outside before it gets hotter. Our fairy garden was  showing the effects of winter weather, as you see:

The path had washed away, the tree was seriously overgrown and there weren't a lot of amenities.

That's not a great picture because of the lighting. Let's try again:

That's a little better. The  path has been neatened up and resanded, a pond element added, a birdbath and a gazing ball.

The tree has been pruned and a couple of mushrooms have sprung up. It still needs a couple of more size appropriate plants, but at least now the fairies have a much prettier area to enjoy,should they come to visit.

Till next time,
Michele

A Bit More Spring

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A PS Post

Hi, folks,

Are you t-ing gif today? Mr. B certainly is.

This is a kind of follow up to the nesting tables tale. A couple of years ago I got this silverware chest for under $2.00 because it was so beat up:

It was every bit as scratched and bunged up on all four sides as you see on the top.

Flossie saw the problem with glare and tried to assist by blocking the light, but was too small to be very effective. Still, the effort to be helpful is much appreciated.

One application of this magic elixir, though, and voila:

No more damage visible. Is this the greatest product since sliced bread or what?  I'd hoped to do something a little more ambitious, but a lack of sleep last night did away with that plan.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead, with time to enjoy family, friends, yard sales or whatever you find fun. Breakfast tacos and yard sales would make me happy.

See you next week.

Michele