A Little Touch of Blue

I have two special pieces I'd like to share with you today. They are both gifts from my mother, the first she gave to me as a graduation gift, it's a Lladro. It was my first piece and one I truly treasure. She is so delicate and the scene is so serene.

The blues are such a soft shade.

 I think it's the intricate details that just amaze me: 

the bench...

...her little basket and friend.

Even her hand is so dainty!

The second piece belonged to my great aunt.

It's also a Lladro.

So cute...with a little touch of blue...always makes me smile!

I'm joining Smiling Sally at her Blue Mondays. Be sure to stop by for all things blue!

Thanks for dropping by to visit.

Enjoy your day!

They're Multiplying!

I was treasure hunting, not really looking for anything in particular when I spotted these little cuties!

I just couldn't resist. They look so happy. I like the one on the right with his little foot propped up.

Then I spotted these little ones...they remind me of snowbabies...you can almost see their noses twitch!

I also found this plate...it's a such a pretty shade of green and makes a great stage for these bunnies.

The plate with violets is the third addition to a new collection...I'll post that soon.

I loved the color of the blue candleholders...not sure how I'll use them but I'm thinking that they will surely cast a friendly glow.

And I just can't resist silver trays!

{It was a fun day!}

I'm linking with Diane at A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words and her 2nd Time Around Tuesday. Be sure to stop by for a visit.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Enjoy your day!

She Sells Seashells...

I'm participating in Three or More Tuesday over at Tam's, The Gypsy's Corner. Drop by for all the collections.


Don't you just LOVE seashells? I love looking at them with all their intricate designs and fascinating colors. It makes me think about the stories they could tell: where they've been, who took shelter in their structure...can't you just imagine?




Thanks for visiting...enjoy your Tuesday!

Wishful Thinking...

Please join Diane for great finds at 2nd Time Around Tuesday. Here you'll find participants that will amaze you with their treasures!

I have been a bit leary of picking up "silver" at my local thrift shops. I haven't wanted to take something and not be able to make it work for me. However, I picked up this cute shell dish and it turned out beautiful! I have shells here and there, so this will be used quite a bit.


I also dug around in the "silverware" bin. I was leery, but once I got started, I couldn't quit! I found these souvenir spoons. I just loved their detail.




Not too sure how I'll use these spoons, maybe I'll just put them on my wish list of places to visit!

Peacock Splendor...

Please join Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday party. It's always so much fun to see all things "blue"!

Today I'm sharing a centerpiece favorite, my peacock. I saw him in a decorating boutique several years ago. The decorator had used a life~sized mannequin with a Christmas tree as her skirt. The skirt was all things blue, purple, green and with peacocks scattered about. It was breathtaking!

I purchased one...here he is in all his splendor!


He's made of tin and sprinkled with glitter. I just love his sweet face.



I have a rectangular mat placed under his feet...it's the prettiest shade of baby blue.



I hope you have enjoyed seeing something blue today...
Enjoy your Monday!

Sisters, Sisters...

If you are fortunate to have a sister, then you'll be able to relate to this post. You see, I have only one sister. She is six years older than me and has always had the role of my "big sister". With that title comes a lot of responsibility. She has to look out for me and love me no matter what.

Now, I will admit, we didn't always get along. Especially since I was the little sister with "cooties." I'm sure that I was always in her things, always playing in her room, and always embarrassing her. {Wasn't that my job?} As the years have progressed, our age difference has disappeared and now we rely on each other for just about everything. We are best friends, truly.

This week is my birthday and for my present, she found the sweetest things, two flamingos. They are absolutely gorgeous! They are the work of Brad Keeler. I hadn't heard of his work before, but since have read quite a bit. He studied art at USC and opened his own Glendale studio where he created naturalistic figures of birds and animals. His work is air~brushed and enhanced with hand~painted details. Especially popular were the flamingo figures. Now, I'm the proud owner of two!!

Sadly, in 1952, Keeler suffered a fatal heart attack. His company didn't survive the loss and closed its doors in 1953.

The second gift from my sister was a book she put together about our beach cabin. After Hurricane IKE, trips were made to the area to look at the property and to recover any items left from the storm. She had taken all pictures of the disaster and complied them in a book for both my mother and me. You see we all had a hand in building the cabin, however, it was the dream of my father and mother to have a weekend getaway. It is missed.



This is a picture of my father on the back deck of the cabin overlooking part of his land. He loved his cabin and the beach.
We miss him too. {1931~1987}

Thrifty Monday

I'm officially back at work, so my available time for thrift store shopping has been dramatically cut. However, after my question and answer session, I've learned a lot about everyone's thrift store shopping strategies. My favorite was to just go when you have the money! Loved that! However, now I'm also more keenly aware of the thrift store's discount days.

Here's my plan: I'm going shopping on Monday afternoons. By Friday afternoon, things are very picked over and the traffic here is horrendous!!! On Monday, I think that people will have dropped off their things the weekend before and by the time afternoon rolls around, the workers will have had time to process the things and bring them to the floor. I'll try this and report back.

Here are a few things I picked up this past week. We'll begin with these white plates.


I will freely admit that I don't need any more white plates, but these were priced at $0.79 each. I liked the basket weave around the rim and there were 8 of them. I just couldn't resist. They are Williams~Sonoma Marketplace ~ I think this is their outlet brand? If anyone knows, please let me know.

I also picked up these cups and saucers.




There were six in the set. They are so sweet and delicate...I think they'll be nice pieces to put with pink depression glass.

I also picked up this large pitcher. It's the color that caught my attention.

{It isn't spotty like this picture shows, it's actually a solid color.}


Here's my favorite part, I love the handle.

This is a glass picture frame. The back part was missing, but I thought I could use it for a tray or pedestal for an arrangement. For $0.49 I took it.


And finally, I picked up this easel. I loved the scroll work and the color. I'm planning on using it in my kitchen to hold my favorite cook book.


I hope you have enjoyed looking at my treasures. Be sure to check out Southern Hospitality for her weekend update. Here you'll find other participants as well and their finds while treasure hunting...you'll be amazed at all the terrific items!

Three or More Tuesday

This is my first post to The Gypsy's Corner's Three or More Tuesday. Please visit her for all kinds of collections!

My first "three or more" is based around a clock from my grandfather's collection. It is proudly displayed next to three frames. The two smaller frames are birth announcements for my children. The third frame is one of my favorites...a picture of a guardian angel watching over two children.



My second "three or more" shows another of my grandfather's clocks - it's another favorite. Beside this iron clock is a small collection of books. This vignette is sitting on my television cabinet. I enjoy seeing these things while my husband enjoys his television!



I hope you are enjoying your Three or More Tuesday!

Blue Monday

Today is my first post on Smiling Sally's Blue Monday. I wanted to join this blog, but blue is not a color that I think of when decorating my home. Well, after closer inspection and more blue "awareness", I've found that I do have blue! And I like it! Thanks Sally for being so inspirational! (I love her Blue Monday logo! - Isn't he beautiful?!)

This post is about a gift from a group of children that I taught several years ago. They surprised me with flowers in this neat planter. I loved the mosaic on the sides and the rich blues.

"Imagine" is the word for this side...do you see anything else?

I've had this planter for about three years and I hadn't seen the butterfly before...

Here's the second side... "forget me not".

See the flowers? Are they "forget me not" flowers?

This is the third side. The word for this side is "dream".



Notice the stars...

And the final side.



I have always loved this planter...now I have a new appreciation for it!

Enjoy your Monday!