White Wednesday...whites at Lone Star

Hi! And welcome to another White Wednesday.... hosted by Kathleen @ Faded Charm. I was @ one of my favorite antique haunts last month, Lone Star Antique mall (located on Hwy 377 in Haltom City) looking for a very special tea cup for a very special little girl. I gift my granddaughter Caralyn, w/ a tea cup every year...on her 13th birthday, I will gift her w/ a tea pot. What a great idea, huh? ;o)

While there, I snapped a few pics of my favorite booths & wanted to share the "all white" ones w/ y'all today for White Wednesday. This is Dream in Cream's booth although it looks totally different now.

click on any picture to enlarge for details

Look at the mannequins she has up above!

Bountiful...I think her's is the most beautiful booth!


The Shabby Y...this is one talented, creative lady. I always get lots of great ideas from her booth!

She blinged out this cross...I'll try to copy her somewhat w/ the cross I bought, while thrifting last week.

How clever of her to use pattern paper rosettes as candle stabilizers, huh?

Love the sheer shade on this lamp!

Ruby Grace's is another of my favorite booths but she mixes in red or blue or pink w/ her whites so I'll feature her another day. But I did want to share this gorgeous wedding dress she had in her "red booth". Lovely! I just bought a vintage wedding gown in the Halloween section of Thrift Town yesterday...it's not quite this lovely but it's still very beautiful. And it was only $20!

I didn't buy much that day.... I was on a mission. If it wasn't a pink tea cup then I didn't have time. ;o) I almost didn't find one....in an antique mall as large as Lone Star. The guy @ the counter told me that I really lucked out cause the Red Hat Ladies were in that week & bought up all the tea cups.

Caralyn's tea cup is not white but I'll share it anyway...she "just luvvvs it!" LOL


Visit Kathleen for more stylish whites!

Junkin' Monday

Hello & welcome to another Junkin' Monday, hosted by Clara & Marcela @ Cottage Charm & Family Inspiration. We had football games on Sat & Coleson's 3rd birthday party on Sunday, so we didn't go to any flea markets this weekend but I did go thrifting last week so I'll share those finds. Lots of smalls.... w/ a couple of true treasures. Can you spot them?

I love these brass & glass boxes! They're the only brass allowed in my house. ;o) I bought another, larger one that you can see transformed in the post below this one. The chile peppers will be used in tablescapes. Don't know how I will use the legs but I always buy them when I see them....set of 8 for $5.

The embroidery detail on the placemats...the set of 12 was $9.

The rose topiarys in the back are velvet...$5.99 a piece. I'm going to bling the cross out & I don't know why I bought the little wire basket but it was only a buck.

The fish net will be a good tabletopper for a beach tablescape & the orange checked napkins will be "oh so cute" for Halloween.

These are the treasures! A "frenchy" framed print ($1.99!!!) & safety pin baskets ($2 & $1). The black one will hold a dead hydrangea blossom for Halloween & I've put the white one outside so that the brass safety pins can patina some. Look at the intricate handle on teh black one.

Couple of mercury glass votives & an old shaker.

Old suitcase...for only $8! It's really deep....I should be able to get a whole season of magazines in it.

Tart pan, placemats, & scallop shells.

Cheap plastic frames that will look great once they're whitewashed & have the prints replaced w/ a letter C or old postcard.... 99 cents a piece.

You'll find lots more junkers & the treasures they find @ Cottage Charm & Family Inspiration's Junkin' Monday post. Have a great day everybody!

Oh what fun I had!

Lately, I've been jumping feet-first into unleashing my creative side. Cami's getting her groove back! ;o) First, I signed up for the Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat (I'm so excited about it...I think there's a couple of seats still open if you're in Texas & would like to come), then I also signed up for Heather's online art journal workshop & this week, I barged my way in joined an art group hosted by Jana @ Collected Treasures. It's held @ Jana's antique shop, Collected Treasures in Arlington... if you're in the metroplex, you must check it out! It's seriously, one of the most charming antique shops I've ever been in....how proud you must be of it Jana.



My first meeting w/ the group was Thursday night & I cannot tell you what fun I had. It was exactly the way I picture Silver Bella being.... only on a smaller scale, of course & we all worked on different projects. Charlene gave mini-tuts to Pat & Carolyn on soldering jewelry charms; Rochelle, worked on crocheting a scarf; JoAnn made glittered altered spoons (adorable!); Jana played hostess, serving us a wonderful chicken noodle soup & then she made some darling pumpkins out of chenille; Lisa worked on a shadow box of her own & what did I do? I made this.....

out of this!

This little brass & glass boz was a recent thrift find & as soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew how I would transform it. I ripped out the old contents & rebuilt it w/ a little girl-witch (complete w/ broom) a glittered skull, spider webs & spider & then I backed it all w/ a piece of sheet music. You can see in the first pic above, that I also wrapped it w/ some polka dotted ribbon. The "black glob" you see at the witches feet is a couple of little black flowers that don't show up well in the pic.

Spooky...but in a sweet way, don't you think?

I wish that I had taken the time to get some Martha Stewart glitter but I didn't & I'm not happy w/ the skull. It won't be any big deal to redo so I think I'll rip this one out & put a better one in.

Her "brooch" is actually the clasp off the pearl necklace I used for the broom handle. The pearls had come unstrung, I'm never gonna restring them so I put the clasp to use.

I know I sound redundant but I just wanted to thank Jana, Lisa, Charlene, JoAnn, Rochelle, Carolyn & Pat again for your hospitality...you made me feel very welcome! Looking forward to our next get-together & I'm on the look-out for a stool. ;o)

Ooh La La!

Aren't these little rooster plates just darling? I won them in a give-away from Cindy @ Fairy Tale Cottage . I didn't get a picture of the package cuz my son brought the package in to me (mailman leaves them on the front porch) & he had his girlfriend w/ him ....and, well you know. I'm told that "normal people don't do that" & they are still in the stages, where he wants us to appear normal. Whatever! *grins*

Love the antique shoes!

Thank you so much Cindy...I can't wait to do a tablescape w/ these sweet rooster plates!

If y'all are wanting to learn some really frugal tips, visit Cindy's blog, Fairy Tale Cottage. She's done a couple of very helpful posts recently.

Make Your Monday...Gizzy's heart

Happy Monday to you all! Kim @ Twice Remembered is back back from her blog break & for today's Make Your Monday, I wanted to share my first needlefelting project. I've been wanting to attempt needlefelting for some time...I've seen some darling little bunnies, pumpkins, etc. And when I heard that you can use pet hair, I knew what my first project would be. I always saved my beloved Gizzy's hair (my shih tzu I lost in April) to put out for the birds to nest with & while going through some drawers a while back, I found an old stash of his hair. *wiping the tears away*


I used his hair & bonded it to a heart-shaped piece of white felt w/ a felting needle. His hair was kinda stinky but I didn't wash it...the smell of him was strong enough to keep me in tears through-out the whole project. I was emotional the whole day in fact... I longed for him so much as I worked w/ his hair! But I think it had a cathartic effect on me & enabled me to truly let go of my grief. For the most part anyway.... I will always long for Giz, he was that much a part of me.

Here's the finished heart w/ a favorite picture of Gizzy & his leather collar. Gizzy wore that collar his whole adult life & it was sad but fitting that after he died, it fell apart in my hands...no lie! The leather where it connected to the tab was so worn that it broke in 2. It held on as long as it could, just like Giz.

I shared a lot of treasures & heirlooms in my last post, but I tell ya, this stinky fur heart & this old collar ranks right up there w/ them.


I haven't shared a picture of my "new" (he's 7 mos old now!) shih tzu, Rudy in a while & thought y'all might enjoy seeing him now. I let his mophead grow longer than Giz & I have them leave "boots" on him when groomed, but you can't really see them in this pic. I'll try to get a picture of his boots soon...I get so many compliments on his cut.

Doesn't he have just the sweetest face? And his disposition is even sweeter! Because he's so sweet & such a "sissy-dog" I bling him out & doll him up more than I did Giz. Gizzy was just too much of a tough guy to pull off the look, plus I was likely to get bit dressing him up. LOL I'm training Rudy's hair to lay to either side so that it can stay long & not cover his eyes but as you can see, he has an adorable, stray lock that refuses to behave. In case you haven't gathered, this little boy has stolen my heart already....he's really special!



Vist Kim @ Twice Remembered for more crafty projects!

Heirloom Party!

Hi everybody! Marie @ Emma Calls Me Mama invited me to her Celebrating Heirlooms party. I'm big on tradition & heirlooms so of course I had to come.


I'm going to start w/ the oldest heirloom I have. I don't know the exact age of this lace fan but it was my great-grandmother's & she died before my father was born. He was born in '28 .... so late 18th century, early 19th century. My grandmother framed it many, many years ago & it hung on her wall for as long as I can remember but when she moved into an assisted living home, she gifted it to me.

I believe in displaying my heirlooms...even the smalls. Inside this apothecary jar is a lace doily crocheted by my maternal grandmother, Memaw. I have very few of her things so I treasure what I have. I have a vintage tablecloth, her recipes & this doilie bearing her name. She lived clear across Texas from us so we didn't have as close a relationship as I did w/ my other grandmother. Most of my memories of her are after I became a grandmother myself, when she moved into a nursing home here in the metroplex. Sharing the jar are 2 handwritten recipes of my paternal grandmother....orange marmalade & watermelon pickles.

This purse was my Mam-Mah's (my paternal grandmother)....she needlepointed it herself. Next to it is a picture of Mam-Mah w/ the same purse.

Mam-Mah did a lot of needlepointing. She did all her dining room chairs (wonder who got those!), a rocker (I was lucky enough to receive it...she rocked my father, me & all my kids in it but it's in storage right now) & this bell pull. It's been eaten up by moths or something though as it's missing some yarn.

My husband's grandfather was an entrepeneur & had many business endeavors. We were lucky to have scored the signs that hung in his businesses. This one actually reads "no dogs or cats" but I changed that w/ pics of my dogs. Gizzy (shih tzu on the right) is no longer w/ me but I can't bear to take his picture down.

Another one of his signs.

This was a lucky, lucky find! After Papa's death, hubby was helping to clean out his garage & Papa was using this old sign bearing the family name, upside down as a shelf. Hubby is soo proud of it!

I've talked about my porcelain birds before ...hubby's grandmother collected them & left them to me because of our shared love of birds. I have many more that I don't have out right now...ducks, a pheasant, roadrunner, baby chicks, etc. but I only display the ones that work for me @ the time.

I shared that same love of birds w/ my Mam-Mah. This peacock reminds me of her because she had a live pair on her farm. They made such an eerie sound at night sometimes.

Love this tiny jay...he's only about 2" tall.

This oriole feeding his young is very old.

I treasure this old letter from my grandfather, Colonel, written to my father when he was 16. It's the only thing of Colonel's that I have. I keep it in a glass display case...next to it are my father's cuff links that he wore when I was a little girl. I can remember loving the sparkly blue gems.

It's dated 1945 & Colonel was away fighting the war. Dad was in his formative teen years...a hard time to be w/out a father. In it Colonel advices, "All dads have to give advice you know, so I am going to give you mine. Take advantage of your time... work while you work, play while you play. Pass up no opportunity to improve your mind & your body". Later on he goes on to say "The person that knows everythng you do is yourself, so guide your actions such that your own self will be pleased. So that you can say to your self in the mirror, 'you have done nothing cheap, little or mean' & you will be proud". He goes on w/ other wise council & idle chit chat & finishes it off with "One more bit of advice & then I will stop the lecture. Be straight forward in all of your dealings, establish a reputation as a square shooter, that will overshadow many minor faults one might have."

He was a fine, fine man & I miss him so. He always seemed larger than life...he was huge, his hands were huge, his voice was huge but he sure knew how to make a little girl feel special & treasured.

here's the poststamp on the letter.

The most valuable heirloom I have is this ruby & diamond pin that was my Mam-Mah's.

But my most treasured family heirloom is this book, written by my grandmother about her life. I just wish she had bound it in any other color than red. ;o) Wait! It JUST occured to me that I should recover it in something nostalgic....a collage sheet w/ pics of Mam-Mah, copies of recipes, etc.

Mam-Mah was a very interesting, accomplished woman. She was vice-president of the DAR, she was crowned "Texas Mother of the Year" in 1975, she traveled abroad extensively & she did a stint as a Washington socialite when my grandfather was appointed to the cabinet. But don't misunderstand, this book is not a fascinating read. LOL My grandmother was very talented at many things but writing was not one of them (she paid to have the book published & she only published enough copies for her descendants). Plus she wrote the book when she was nearing 100 & even though her mind was still sharp as a tack, it still tended to wander. In the same paragraph, she'll jump forward & flashback between the decades. It's a hard, exhausting read but ohhhh, how I treasure it.

See how shaky that handwriting is? She kept a note taped to her front door that read "Have gun & I'm not afraid to use it". Seeing that written in a shaky, old-lady script was probably enough to deter any burglar. *grins*

Inside I keep some mementoes...a rose from her casket & her obituary notice.

A birthday card given to me on my 16th birthday. She was such a wise woman & had this advice to offer a young girl...."The 16th birthday comes to every one just once in a lifetime and it's a milestone to prove our worth to our fellow man. It's sweet 16 time for girls and a warning to us all that it is time to take stock in our lives and see where we hope to go and what we hope to accomplish in the time our Blessed Lord has allotted us on Earth . My wish for you is a long, happy, useful life full of the joys of many friends & loved ones. And a feeling of satisfaction in your own abilities-which are many. God bless you, much love"

Oh how I miss that woman! She was such a wonderful role model...both as a woman, a citizen & as a mother & grandmother. She made a huge impact on all 16 of her grandchildren....I think each one of us would count her's as one of the most influential relationships of our life.

Also inside the book is my favorite picture of my father & my grandmother dancing. And an old mother's day card that my father gave her long ago.

Except for some of Papa's tools, a McCoy piece of hubby's grandmother's & my Mam-Mah's rocking chair, these are all the heirlooms I have from mine & hubby's grandparents ( we are very fortunate that all parents are still living!). But I am filling my house to the brim w/ future heirlooms for my descendants. ;o) Yeah! That's why I have all this stuff...so there will be plenty to go around. That's my story & I'm sticking to it!!!

Visit Marie's Heirloom Party for more heirlooms & traditions.