~dumpster diving~

~Do you do it?~

No, neither do I. However............

last Friday

{garbage day}

I was routinely driving my kids to the bus stop at 8 am and there I saw it!

She had chippy white paint and a great old patina, and it was in someones garbage can nonetheless!

{gasp!}

I embarrassed the heck out of my kids, getting out of the

car in my pj's and rummaging through this persons

garbage to salvage this piece of old wood.

You would have thought the world was coming

to an end by the looks on their faces!

But, I got it, and even emailed my neighbor to say I had taken it.

Yesterday I got it out, cleaned it up, and painted the words

Guest Cottage

on it.

I love it.

I am thinking it will go over our bed in the master,

haven't really figured out the details yet.

But I love it.

Did I say that?

This look is not for everyone. It's very rustic and chippy,

but to me that is what makes it so full of character and

appeeling!

{no pun intended}

Have a great almost Friday, hey wonder

what will be in their garbage cans tomorrow?

xoxo

~a backyard party~

I want one so bad I can almost taste the sandwiches!

This is the time of year I start to long for the long summer days. I want to get together with friends and have

a good old party,

country style!

I want to decorate, decorate, and decorate some more.
I want to have tables filled with home cooked food and forget the diet.

I want to break out all my vintage dishes.

How easy would these be to make?

Scrap booking paper comes in so many beautiful colors

and patterns now, you could do anything!

I want to serve drinks from old buckets and pails.

Have fresh flowers on each table.

Give a little gift to all of my guests;

a cd filled with my favorite country tunes.

I want to pick flowers from my gardens

and put them in mason jars....

....and eat and talk until the sun goes down.

If I only had a big old rustic barn.

We could dance.........

or I could sit and watch you dance,

because I have two left feet.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

If you'd like some recipes made with fresh strawberries click here.....

and here......

and here......

and here.

Photos 1 & 2~the cottage nest

Photos 3 & 4~Modern Prairie Girl

Photo 5~Hooked on houses.net

The rest~Country Living

xoxo

~Important Women's Health Issue~a non decor post~

y/n ~Do you have feelings of inadequacy?

y/n~ Do you suffer from shyness?

y/n~ Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions.

Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.

Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone.

Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas.

However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:- Dizziness- Nausea- Vomiting- Incarceration- Erotic lustfulness- Loss of motor control- Loss of clothing- Loss of money- Loss of virginity- Table dancing- Headache- Dehydration- Dry mouth- And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNINGS:-

The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.-

The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.-

The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing..-

The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas.

xoxo

~inspiring sustainable garden products~

With Mothers day coming up shortly I may

have to introduce this website to my husband!

I wouldn't mind being the proud owner of any of these products!

On another note, I have just received a shipment of the most

wonderful French Lavender flowers for my sachets.

If you don't remember reading, I am planning on

making these yummy sachets out of vintage

feed sacks! I can't wait to show

them all to you and put them in my etsy shop!

For now, it is giving my home the lovliest scent!

I hope you are having a great Monday!

xoxo

~mail sorter~

~I have been so fascinated lately by all the crafty people out there~

And when I find a tutorial for something I get even more excited!

I love this mail sorter by bright and blithe. Check out their fabulous blog for lots more tutorials,

that is, if you are feeling crafty this weekend.......

Have fun!

xoxo

~feeling a bit bohemian today~

Loving this eclectic BOHEMIAN look today......you?

PHOTOS:

unknown

high fashion home

made by girl

Heather Thompson

xoxo

~planning my window boxes~

It's that time of year.

Time to plant the window boxes and I have a ton of them!

One of my favorite things to plant in them is nasturtium seeds.

They were my Grandmothers favorite flower.

I get the trailing kind.

They are full and beautiful and hard to kill. They are susceptible to bugs though,

so you do have to watch them closely for that.

This year I am adding to the mix..........
New Zealand impatiens
English ivy
sweet potato vine
purple lantana
In hopes that they will look like the one in the picture!
I love how full they are and the colors are so vibrant!
Wish me luck!
The seedlings should start popping up in a little under 2 weeks!
photo source
xoxo

~a local antique mall fave~

If you live in the area and have not yet been to Tuxedo's antique mall in Duvall, you must go!

It's one of my favorite places to shop. There are hundreds of dealers, a little something for everyone! My friend Kiama has a space there. She does wonderful upholstery on French style chairs and makes pillows and dog beds out of burlap sacks. I went home yesterday with the gorgeous dog bed featured top center with the crown! So cute!
Here is the address:
15918 Main St Ne Duvall, WA 98019-8581
Also, check out Dreamy Whites for a fab stationary giveaway!

xoxo

~quote of the day~

To my sweet Cody............
"Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you
believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must
do, even if it's a long way from here. Hold on to your life, even if it's easier
to let go. Hold on to my hand, even if someday I'll be gone away from you. - "

Pueblo Indian Prayer
xoxo

~are you going?~

A few of of last year at the Farm Chicks......

This is an event that I get so excited about every year!

100's and 100's of vendors all with the coolest vintage goodies!

People come from all around and it's the funnest girls weekend ever!

Hope you can make it!

Check out this too!

xoxo

~sewing~

I got a new sewing machine.

Well, I actually got it for Christmas 2 years ago,

but just this week got it out to mess around with.

I have been making pillows and lavender sachets like crazy out of my new favorite thing~grain and feed sacks~

{The pillow in the front I made yesterday, the 2 in the back were purchased previously}

I have also made a few of these fabric pennant garland banners.

This one I made entirely out of Cath Kidston fabrics.

I love the colors and patterns in her fabrics!

I got this hammock at a garage sale a couple weeks ago.

It was $5!

Brand new in the box!

It has been a great place to lounge

around in our warm

weather we have been experiencing

from time to time here!

Here is a closeup of one of the pennant garlands.

And another I made out of various Cath Kidston fabrics.

My goal today is to make a seat cushion for that blue bench!
Wish me luck!
xoxo

~featured on Dreamy Whites and a fabulous fridge~

My friend Maria over at Dreamy Whites was kind enough to have me as her guest blogger.

I was honored when she asked, as her style is something I dream of achieving someday! On another note.

I saw this kitchen in Beautiful Kitchens magazine and about had a heart attack.

Serious.

If that is not the coolest refrigerator I don't know what is!

If I ever win the lotto, I am building this kitchen!

Have a wonderful day friends!

xoxo

Mayweather-Mosley can they get a fireworks

It's April and like most that enjoy Boxing at the highest level I too am excited by the fact that Mayweather vs Mosley is approaching. If you're a fight fan of a certain age you've been wanting this showdown for years, you even tucked it away in your "it will happen too late file," next to Hopkins and Jones. Thanks to the timeless wonder that is Mosley, the fight is not only viable but some could say the winner enters a possible battle with Manny Pacquiao as the recognized "man" at 147. We will argue and debate the merits of both champions for the next month and some of us in the media will become notorious "flip floppers." I stand guilty as charged; I've flipped more than John Kerry in the last month and on all social media platforms! Since you, the fan, deserve more, deserve men of conviction and knowledge who can provide perspective, I've come up with a solution to this dilemma of faulty "Intel" and conviction. And trust me, I'm doing this because I love ya'll -and also because the only person I can think of who can match me for hot air is me.

Remember a slugger like Cotto was able to outbox Shane and make him look ineffective in cutting off the ring. Cotto! How in the world is Shane going to play high speed chess with the Bobby Fischer of Boxing?!? How Martin? Floyd is the deluxe version of everything Shane tried to be; not only is Shane's suit “off the rack," but his ideas on how to attack Mayweather may be just as unimaginative. The only thing Shane will provide Floyd with is a platform to show the boxing world that he can get nasty and put a tough guy out of his misery. If Cotto is accurate enough to bust him up with combinations, Floyd is sure to paint a masterpiece on Mosley with relative ease.

Floyd likes to take an opponent's losses and chime that this figure is the number of "ways" to beat him. Shane's loses may add up to 5, but only 3 men beat him and none of them utilized a passive-aggressive style. Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest, 5' 11" and 6' 0" may have boxed but they came forward behind stiff jabs and gave Shane something to think about when he got aggressive. They showed him they were the bigger men, so how does a guy who took 10 rounds to dispatch a smaller foe (Hatton) running at him with his chin stuck out have the "stones" to come forward on Shane? Even Oscar, (5' 11") in 2003 in my opinion beat him -but I'd take that version of Oscar to beat Floyd! Miguel Cotto came forward, engaging Mosley and putting his punches together but by the end of the evening was doing his own Boricua version of the shoulder roll. Factor in Floyd's "scheduling" and you have a great talent who is mentally unprepared to deal with resistance and that ain't good against a genuine tough guy like Mosley.

Genius is so captivating that it engraves a unique "signature" style into our psyche and when the geniuses evolve -we find it hard to see them as they are. When Jordan was winning with post-up fade always, we still assumed he dunked on everybody. When Ali started standing flat-footed and hitting harder, we still believed he stung like a bee. It's natural and it takes a while to wash off. Floyd Mayweather is not as mobile as he was at 135 and 140 and the idea that he can avoid Shane Mosley and just "outbox" him is based on a 2001 fight we all recorded in VHS. He is a better boxer, but Shane is the better "fighter" and there will be moments on May 1st when Floyd will have to fight his way out of a jam, and that's exactly what Mosley is counting on. Remember, one man "had" to take this fight and the other man "wanted" this fight, and inspiration beats obligation every time.

~we have a winner~

Congratulations!

Sylvia (at) Lily's Pad and Petals

You have won these clock hands from Wisteria!

Thank you to all of you who participated!

I wish I could have given each and every one of you a gift, you guys are the best!

xoxo
















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xoxo