Garage Sales this weekend.......

I had not intended to go to any garage sales. We passed one on the way to the store on Saturday and just had to stop. Well, let me tell ya.........awesome. The lady had a whole bunch of china. I could not resist at least some of it. She also had an old singer sewing machine table for 40 dollars, said she would come down on it but I could not think where I would put it. Silly me. Oh how I wish I had just got it. I always find a spot and have always wanted one. She was not open next day. Some of the things I found at her place................ This little lamp. Replaces one that needed a new shade. This plate fits right into my environment.............. I had to get this tiny tea set...........its so cute. I will keep it to give to Reina when she is older. I found more Violets, a plate this time and a tiny plate too. I have not washed them yet. Some of the others are really pretty too. I will be glad when I can get back to doing collages so I don't use so much space. Lovely hand painted things This one is a lovely colour and beautiful painting. At that sale I also got some really nice winter tops. She has great clothes and they are lovely. The second sale I found some peach glass like I have been collecting. I wish I could have got more. She said she will be having more sales and you can be sure we will go. Laura got an antique table and chairs for 75 dollars. These are my finds. This lady had really good prices and so I bought quite a bit of stuff. I wont post it all here as its rather diverse. A rock with a hole in it (don't ask)A big basket, a wicker doll carriage that I bought some ivy to put in it. A white bird cage to hold a plant when I get it back together. So much stuff. Why am I thinking of going back I might ask?. I got this plate from my in laws and also the dish and bowl. They went with what I had already collected. I got one other dish from them. I am sharing this post with A Delighsome Life Enjoy some other lovely blogs featured there.

Petoskey Stones..................

Where we live here in Northern Michigan, one of the fun things we get to do is to search the beaches for Petoskey Stones. This one I found at a building site. A Petoskey stone is a long dead coral that lived in Lake Michigan, unique to our area. It shows that the water was once much higher and inland. There are many sea corals and fossils in our soil here. When we walk the beaches we always have our heads down looking looking looking for the illusive Petoskey stone. It also is a knack. It becomes easier once you find your first one. Why the fuss? Well when polished it is quite pretty and as its so rare it is becoming valuable. When walking on the beach this is what you may often see. It takes just a little getting used to but once your spot your first one it does get easier. Often its easy to find them when they are dry............. When polished they all look different. Some are really worn because they are soft, the wash of the waves rolling them on the beach will wear them down. They are all unique in design and can be made into jewelry and many other things. Find a big one and it becomes worth a little bit. They are becoming more rare each year. A lot of local craft people have made jewelry, usually silver. Clocks and other things are common and pretty for tourists to pick up as a real souvenir. Certainly not made in China..............so if you come to Michigan, to where I live this is a fun thing to do. You will see people walking on beaches with noses down and now you know why.

Beautiful mystery............

How much more beautiful could anything be than the Unicorn. The mythological beast. Is it really a myth? Take a look and you tell me.......is it wild imagination, or something from a perfect world of long ago? We see the crests of waves break against the shore and can almost see those White horses............... especially when the crests are blowing in the wind throwing up clouds of mist above the wave. It does not take a lot of imagination to see them. This beautiful grove could be the home of any of those beautiful creatures but looks like a fairy is hanging out there today When I was little I remember reading a book "Rupert the Bear" and one of the stories was about the Mare's nest. Well for some reason it really sparked my imagination and so for that reason I must include the Pegasus among those beautiful beasts of yore. Mystic Horses Mystic horse with rainbows run, Golden horn that shines in the sun. She hides from humans watchful eye, The very last refuse to die. They dwell in hidden secret glen. Remnants of a time when..... Eden was right here on earth. Gone now till man can prove his worth. May 2012 JKS

Unfinished business...............

I never seen to get the time to sit and actually accomplish much these days. Having a two 1/2 year old just does seem to dive into my craft time among other things. I am actually getting lots of photo's done because I can download those and play with them at night. That is usually when I work on my blog. As this is supposed to be about crafts as well as just my collections of "stuff" I am feeling a bit guilty. I did record some 1/2 finished drawings in my photos so I will show some of those for now. Then of course Photobucket changed and so did blogger, so that means relearning everything that came naturally to me before and takes more time. I have to get out into the garden this afternoon so this post will be short and sweet. I just want to show ideas I am playing with. Things I just did for the heck of it so I don't forget the "thought".......... A long time ago I drew this mermaid, with the idea that she would be in peacock colours but more muted than that. This rough sketch is just the idea behind what I would like to accomplish. She has her back turned as I think one would only get a picture of a Mermaid if she were unaware of our presence. She is dreaming and so she was captured by the viewer. This lady caught in April showers is the idea for a cushion to be made and embroidered. A pencil crayon sketch of Geraniums. I need 3 pictures to do a triptic for my bathroom. This one was done long ago and does not have the look I want. SO I think I must do it in watercolour. This is just to remind me I need to get that done A rough sketch of my Granddaughter Alexandra ............In posting this I see the problems with the sketch. I can redo it maybe a little more accurate. I was just inspired at the time but it's just not good enough. I am never happy with my work. This to remind me that all pictures do not have to be realistic looking.............sometimes just draw for fun.

Lavender............. I love Lavender

Lavender blue dilly dilly
Lavenders green
If I were King dilly dilly
You would be Queen.

Lavender is still one of the most refreshing and clean smells ever......its still as popular as it always was. I just love the look of it, the smell of it and use it for sachet's and soaps. I like it to mist bedding before guests come to stay.



Imagine walking through lavender fields, or passing by on the road. Can you even imagine that?


I love to have dried lavender to make sachets with. I bought some just to keep in jars in the house to look pretty until I make the sachets.





ladies fair, I bring to you
lavender with spikes of blue;
sweeter plant was never found
growing on our english ground."
Caryl Battersby




And lavender, whose spikes of azure bloom
shall be, ere-while, in arid bundles bound
to lurk admist the labours of her loom,
and crown her kerchiefs witl mickle rare perfume."
William Shenstone The School Mistress 1742



Lavender
Author: Alfred Noyes
Lavender, lavender
That makes your linen sweet;
The hawker brings his basket
Down the sooty street:
The dirty doors and pavements
Are simmering in the heat:
He brings a dream to London,
And drags his weary feet.

Lavender, lavender,
From where the bee hums,
To the loud roar of London,
With purple dreams he comes,
From ragged lanes of wild-flowers
To ragged London slums,
With a basket full of lavender
And purple dreams he comes.

Is it nought to you that hear him?
With the old strange cry
The weary hawker passes,
And some will come and buy,
And some will let him pass away
And only heave a sigh,
But most will neither heed nor hear
When dreams go by.

_Lavender, lavender!
His songs were fair and sweet,
He brought us harvests out of heaven,
Full sheaves of radiant wheat;
He brought us keys to Paradise,
And hawked them thro' the street;
He brought his dreams to London,
And dragged his weary feet._

Lavender, lavender!
He is gone. The sunset glows;
But through the brain of London
The mystic fragrance flows.
Each foggy cell remembers,
Each ragged alley knows,
The land he left behind him,
The land to which he goes.

New books..............

I was at Joanne's the other day and I bought two new books. I just can never resist books. I always hope they will inspire me to actually do something.



Here is a glimpse inside. There are some really cool projects.


I like the idea of small projects. Gifts, that sort of thing.




Just a few things to begin with...........just to inspire. I need inspiration don't you.

Dollar Store Find.......

I really liked this set of plates. I found them at the local dollar store.



Arn't they cute? If they have a set next time I go in I will get some for a gift.

Bunnies....................

With Easter just around the corner I would like to say this.......PLEASE do not buy bunnies unless you intend to give them a forever home. Not one in a cage at the bottom of the garden but inside with you. Be sure you have a place for them in your heart and home. A warm place for winter and cool for summer. They make wonderful pets, can be litter box trained. They are NOT good pets for small children. Most do not like to be hugged or held unless you sit on the floor. They do not like to be held when they feel insecure and could fall. Never pick up by the ears. You can do that if you have you arms firmly under their bottom. Hold close to your chest if you must carry them. Rabbits like for about five years unless they are special breeds. They may have longer life spans. Rabbits as with all animals are NOT disposable, they are NOT toys they have feelings just as we do. They need love and attention.Most children are not willing to give them that after the novelty wears off and most adults will not follow through and do not have the time.
I once had a couple of rabbits. I raised them from babies after rescuing them from the stew pot. I had a horse at the time and the guy decided to raise rabbits to eat. Well first batch of babies, my friend and I begged for them and took them home. My two were Baby and BoBo and I sure did love those rabbits. They were litter box trained and had a long and good bunny life. I will talk about them again on my other blog.






Meanwhile. I have a few Rabbit items around the house and now seems a good time to take a picture or two. Everyone should know Peter Rabbit?

Maybe they don't tell Beatrix Potter stories anymore?



Then there are these 4. I got those from my Mum's house after she died. I can never seem to get them in the correct order. People are always shuffling them and correcting them. Me? I have no clue so they sit as they are. I used to have them on the coffee table but not anymore since Mr Sticky Fingers lives with us he is at 2 1/2 the master at breakage. A whirlwind of destruction.






These two cuties were reminders of Baby and BoBo.......

More Pretties..............

I have collected quite a few bits and pieces and it will take a month of Sundays to get through them all, but here is a start.
A honey pot and cup/saucer and some plates in the back. All either garage sale stuff or on the odd occasion I may get something at an antique shop. Not very often though due to the cost.

More cups and saucers.



I found several that had the little legs on the cups, quite unusual.


I like it when the inside is as pretty as the outside.



I love the little cottages for the teapot, milk and sugar.



This is an antique. I'm not sure now what it's markings are. Will have to get back on that.


This little pretty I brought with me from England, its for jam. Was my Mum's


Salt and Peppers are fun and I will have to go through and take some pictures of those next. Here are two that happened to be with this batch of pictures.

Linking up to Table Top Tuesday at A stroll through life