ANTIQUECHASE

Bird Nests, Cloches and Camille ~

2012-02-24T09:23:00.001-08:00

THIS RE-POST IS DEDICATED TO MY GOOD FRIEND CAMILLE WHO IS 13 YEARS OLD. MANY OF YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THAT SHE IS MY SWEET FRIEND & NEIGHBOR THAT BRINGS ME BIRD'S NESTS. SHE WAS JUST DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKEMIA AND IS IN THE HOSPITAL. WHILE THE PROGNOSIS IS GOOD, I ASK YOU TO PLEASE PRAY FOR CAMILLE and HER FAMILY. THANK YOU.

I am having a love affair with nature...especially birds nests! I have them displayed though out my home.

I really do love all birds, with the one exception being black crows, who have decided that my bird bath is a perfect place to bring dead animals..we'll save that bit of goodness for another post shall we... moving on...

I started collecting bird's nests about two years ago. Before I get hate mail, I will tell you I never disturb a nest, but am happy to take the ones that are abandoned or fall from trees.

The nest pictured above is from my 11 year old friend, Camille. She rang my doorbell and asked me if I wanted it. I keep it separate from the rest of my collection just so I remember her sweetness!

The cloche was $1.00 from a local Thrift Store.

The nest pictured above is a hummingbirds nest..tiny, tiny thing. It is softer than the others and is a much deeper nest. This was a special treasure from Elise, my favorite 9 year old neighbor...

Once you get the word out that you collect nests, they magically show up at your door!!

I put the ruler behind the hummingbird's nest so you could see just how small it is!

Again, I keep this nest separate from the other nests because it's so unique and a gift from a good friend.

This cloche, was 50 cents at a Thrift Store. I'm not sure if it really is a cloche or what is was originally intended to be. Anyone know?

The nest pictured above is the BIGGEST nest in my collection and must be from a really LARGE bird. I don't know what kind of bird called this home, but I like to think it's an owl's nest.

It might be from a black crow, but I'm hoping that's not the case {shudder} !!

Here is the "owl's" nest, uncovered. The silver tray was a Thrift Store find and under $5.00.

I purchased this cloche from a local Garden Center. I love the large glass finial.

Keeping with the bird theme is my favorite Italian tole lamp... see the little yellow bird on the branch?

he looks so happy guarding all his nests ...

Moving out of the family room and into the entry... what do you know... more nests!!

This cloches hold a big collection of smaller nests... there are probably 15 nests under this one cloche...

This cloche was purchased at Home Goods (love that place). It originally had a wooden base with it but I swapped that out with another silver tray. Did you notice the blue birds (or swallows?) on the Victorian oil painting?

The bird theme never ends...

The handle on this cloche is really beautiful and unique....

Again, the tray is a Thrift Store find.. they are always under $5.00..

Here the nests are uncovered. I had few more, but my niece and my nephews always ask to take one home (parting favors?) and I can never say no..

Here are some little eggs (real) that I purchased and put in a jar just to continue the 'bird theme'.

Entry way filled up with treasures...

Hope you are inspired to collect a nest or two and display them in your home..

They really are works of art!

Vintage Crates ~

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I am not the only person who struggles with paper pileup.... Some days, I don't even want to go to the mailbox... more papers to sort! Ugh....

We have a built-in desk in the kitchen. In theory, this is a great place to pay bills, place incoming mail and sort paperwork... In reality, the desk has become

the junk station!

Yes, we do place incoming mail here...

lots of it...

piles and piles of it!!

Oh, and the bulletin board above the desk??

far from an inspiration board...

We pin up everything we don't want to loose in the paper piles!

Recently, I was working on rearranging my kitchen decor and accessories. Sadly, I completely ignored the desk area. If you missed the post on my kitchen updates click here.

This entire desk space was becoming increasingly embarrassing when friends came over to visit... I don't want visitors seeing all my bills, paperwork, and my mammogram reminder notice on display...

I was determined to find a paper pile-up solution. I went to the office supply store for a file box. I was looking for an attractive storage container... Something open and without a lid.

There were two choices, cardboard or plastic... I left the store empty handed because I didn't want to spend $18 on a plastic file box.

When I came home, I looked around for something I could convert into a file box. I remembered I had a couple of vintage deposit box crates my neighbor gave me... I was using one of these crates in the family room for CD storage.

If you missed that post click here.

I still had another crate {or two} in the garage that was not being used. I brought one inside to see if it would work as a file box...

This was the character I was looking for!

Perfect because it was sitting empty in my garage and was

FREE!!!

At Target, I found some pretty file folders in the office department....

I liked the colors and thought they would look good in the open crate. I made some labels on my label maker so the files would look tidy...

I placed my folders inside the crate, and truth be told, I was a bit unhappy with the outcome... The folders looked pretty but they just flopped over, papers were falling out and becoming unorganized.... again.

Since the files were just a bit too small to stand upright in the crate, Mr. AntiqueChase suggested I try some hanging folders...

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

I measured the interior of my deposit box which was 12 x 14 inches. I purchased some basic green hanging folders that I thought were a nice vintage color...

Came home and placed the hanging files in the box...

what do you know...

they are a perfect fit!

I slipped the pretty files into the hanging folders and they are secure and don't flop around. Everything stays neat and tidy inside the crate!

There's plenty of storage space inside the crate...

I call these my working files...

papers that need to be organized

but not filed away yet...

Some categories I set up:

Action

Follow Up

Bills

Receipts

To File

Cheer

Football

A file for each family member

Coupons

Inspiration (clippings from magazines)

I have been using this crate system for a couple of months and it's working well... Since the box is open, without a lid, it's easy to drop papers in and find exactly what I am looking for quickly!

AND it has the vintage look I love....

I keep it in the kitchen and it still looks attractive.

I was lucky to have a neighbor gift me her unused crates.... But, they are very easy to find...you can purchase them at flea markets, thrift stores and antique malls. I see similar vintage crates all the time at the flea market for about $15.00... I would much rather have a piece of history as my file box than an $18.00 piece of plastic from the Office Supply store... Don't you agree ??

I have been hearing rumors about 'Google Friend Connect' changing and possibly disappearing. This may affect some of my readers who follow my blog. I would like to invite you over to my Facebook page.

No matter what happens with GFC,

we can stay updated on Facebook!!

I always alert my Facebook readers when a new blog post is up...

Would you please take a moment

and click thru to the Facebook page??

AntiqueChase on Facebook

Hope to see you there!!

Marcy :)

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My Online Tag Sale ~

2012-01-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

I have a few pictures for sale... These are items I have loved and were displayed in my own home.

First up is a wonderful old paint by number of Dogs. Very nicely done, vintage and in great condition. The frame is old gesso, missing a bit here or there but displays nicely. Glass is very old, WAVY with bubbles and has a wonderful reflection. Measures 20x24. Frame has an old chain attached to the frame for hanging. Could use a few new nails in the back to secure the glass. Price is ~~$85~~

Reduced to $ 60

Sorry for the blurry photo below..

Also for sale is an antique yard long picture of flowers. Very soft and muted tones, lightest pinks, soft hint of purple and white with soft green leaves. Beige background with slightest hint of blue. This was in my kitchen above my cabinets. This print is by Mary Hart, see lower right corner. Has beautiful old wavy glass, creamy frame with decorative metal corners. No water damage. Print has a slight wave to it. Measures 36x10. Price is $80

SOLD

I also have a Victorian Oil Sunday School Painting for sale. Very good condition from the late 1800's. Of hollyhocks. Background is a soft green. Very well executed. From my personal collection. I have owned this for years. Signed and dated BC '86. Painting has old nails and canvas is stretched on original wood. One small repair that is not noticeable. Lower right corner could use a new nail. Measures 24x12. Price is ~~$125~~

Reduced to $100

If you would like more information on any of these items, please email me. At this time, I am not really looking to ship the items with *old* glass. I will mark the items sold when they are. Pickup is available in Thousand Oaks, California. The oil painting can be shipped. Email me for a shipping quote by zip code.

This is my first time posting things for sale so I will see how it goes! Thanks for stopping by :)

Decorating above Kitchen Cabinets ~ Why is it so hard?

2012-01-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

With the New Year, I decided I was ready for a change in the kitchen. Something a bit more farmhouse, more rustic, and less fussy. Here is a picture of our kitchen taken by Jennifer at "The Old Painted Cottage" when she featured our home on her blog in August 2010.

I wanted to remove most of the floral elements, tole trays, bird houses, white accessories... It's a New Year and I'm ready for a change!! I decided that I would do this change without buying anything new, just use what I have on hand. When watching decorating shows they always tell you to remove everything so you can really see what needs to be done. So, I removed EVERYTHING from above the kitchen cabinets and placed it on my center island.

{Of course I didn't think this was going to be blog-worthy so I never photographed that mess...so sorry. I may never learn!}

I also didn't plan ahead because this wasn't really a smart move late in the afternoon... Taking everything off the upper cabinets at 5:00pm... Not only was there ~~crap~~ antiques all over our kitchen counters but my family decided they were hungry and I should feed them! Do you believe this? Can't they see that I'm very busy??

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese anyone??

(don't judge!)

After cooking a gourmet meal, I went around and "shopped my house" for rustic, farmhouse, vintage accessories I already owned. Opened closets, took pictures off walls, made a big mess... You know the drill! I put all my inspiration pieces in the kitchen and started to feel very overwhelmed.

What had I just started??

My kitchen cabinets are staggering heights. Since our home was completely rebuilt a few years ago, I often get asked if we designed the kitchen. We did not. We purchased the home after it's completion. I didn't choose any of the kitchen finishes although I would say the majority are my taste. Since the ceilings are very high, the builder went with a staggered look to the cabinets. I'm not sure I love this look and it certainly makes them hard to decorate. Nothing I place up there seems proportioned or well balanced. I really struggle with decorating this space.

I decided to take a few minutes to search blogs, Pinterest and magazines for kitchen ideas. You know what I found?? Everybody struggles with "over the cabinet" decorating.... It's Hard!!

So here's where I'm at today....

My Puritan Bakery box, which I found at Flea Market Wednesday, made the cut... It stayed in the same spot. I tried a few other pieces (a big basket, a large wicker trunk) but decided to stay with the wood box. I did remove the floral tray that was behind it.

I'm going to move to the "right" for each of the photos

so I can give you a tour...

The area over the microwave...

This area was the hardest in the entire kitchen. I originally had an antique tole bird cage and floral tole tray above the microwave (both for sale soon on Etsy). I replaced them with an old sifting screen, large scale, chunky glass/silver salt shakers, brown transferware platter, and a concrete baby chick... still not sure about this... does it look too staged?

Moving right again....

This area was a bit easier... I placed some lattice pottery, another (smaller) scale and a brown transferware platter. The platter is one of my favorites and it was hanging on the wall next to my kitchen table. Look at that empty nail....

I now have to find something to hang on the wall in it's place....

I also added an antique pickle jar which I purchased last year from Restoration Hardware in Woodland Hills, California. When that store was closing, RIP, I got this jar at 75% off... It was still expensive but worth every penny. I filled it with Vintage Silver plate which was purchased at a Thrift store. My family doesn't care for the dainty utensils but when I have a party, it's nice to have extra silverware...

Moving right again, you can see my favorite concrete chap...

Given to me by my mom...

after I begged her for years!

He's all decayed from being in my mom's garden... perfect patina!

The kitchen looking towards the {winter bare} backyard...

An antique fragment hangs over the sink. Probably from an old iron fence. I don't love the hooks that Mr. AntiqueChase used to secure it to the wall, but it's up for us me to enjoy.

It has remnants of old green paint which I just love...

A couple of vintage cement chickens

can watch over me while I do dishes...

An antique french basket over the fridge...

It has a fake ivy in it for a hint of color...

Wait... is that the phone ringing??

Yes it is!

1980 called and it wants its fake Ivy back??

Tell me...

Should I ditch the fake ivy or is it acceptable up there??

Now, looking back towards the sink...

Notice anything??

I moved my chicken crate

(which was under the coffee table in my prior post)

and it's now a plant stand of sorts....

Holding a real plant...

a succulent ring left over from my Thanksgiving table.

Just when you told me you liked the chicken crate under my coffee table...

I was too embarrassed to tell you I had already moved it!!

I removed the antique the bread boards that were propped over my stove...

I loved the bread boards there

but it started to feel too heavy.

To see that post click here

For now,

I added a simple old drying rack...

I love the weathered wood...

the gray patina is fabulous!

I added a rustic tin chalkboard to the kitchen. Purchased in December from WUSLU. My teenagers always leave their dirty dishes in the sink...

they say

they can't tell if the dishwasher is 'clean or dirty'.... It's not that hard people!!! Open the dishwasher and look!

However, I am onto them...

and now there's no excuse!

I was using chalk to mark the "status" of the dishwasher... but Mr. AntiqueChase suggested using a magnet which works well. I need to find a cute magnet, or take some vintage do-dad and make one!

The wicker tray on the center island is new... I got it this week! I received a gift certificate to Restoration Hardware for Christmas. The tray was on clearance with an extra 10% off which make it a great price! The wicker is a grayish tone which matches my drying rack by the stove... It has a large rope detail on the top which looks beachy, like spring!! I placed three old demijohns in it. The demijohn bottles came right from my dining room table....

Old remnants of wicker and rope....

Some curly twigs thrown in...

I love the generous size of the basket on the island.

It's just what I needed!

Wow, it looks so clean right now...

deceiving!

Did I ever show you these little french prints above my kitchen desk?

I have 8 of them...

All purchased at flea markets

and I found four at the Salvation Army.

The glare is so bad on them, I'll show you more later...

Antique bread boards back in their french artillery basket...

And the pile on the floor by the fireplace...

the mess I am left with today...

stuff that didn't make the cut...

I will be

~~stuffing this all junk in the closet~~

selling this all at my next garage sale!

So, tell me...

Do you struggle with decorating over cabinets??

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Good Morning 2012 ~

2012-01-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Friends!!

Thanks for dropping by today.

There are some rooms in my house that have beautiful morning light. My family room has windows that face South and the morning light warms the entire space... This room is connected to the kitchen and is a wonderful place to have a cup of coffee and plan my day... or in this case, the New Year!

The sun is beaming through the windows,

and reminds me that each new day

{and year}

is filled with possibilities...

My candles seem to glow even though they are not lit...

My iron horse is galloping on the window sill..

Hey what's that under the coffee table??

My new {OLD} chicken crate...

holding my extra family room pillows

Under the window sits an antique desk. It has a wonderful mission style. I adore its antique wicker combined with the patina of old oak. It displays ever-changing vignettes...

My favorite antique tole lamp...

If you look closely

you can see the metal birds on the lamp....

My favorite bird nest and a large glass cloche...

and some succulents in silver!!

Read more about bird nests under cloches

by clicking here

My New Armoire ... A Love Story ~

2011-12-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

Can you LOVE a piece of furniture

An inanimate object?

I'm talking about

TRUE LOVE...

As in

"I love it so much I want to marry it..."

Is it possible to love an armoire??

I think so and

I'm in love....

But it didn't come easy for me...

there was some rejection involved,

some heartache

along with some very painful waiting....

Let me share my love story....

Back in September, I was perusing Craigslist and came across a pair of wicker trunks that were from Pottery Barn. Big trunks... Trunks I really didn't have a place for. Trunks I didn't need. But they were Pottery Barn and I decided to check them out. I emailed the seller and somehow I ended up on her porch looking at trunks....

It was fate.

Feeling quite proud of myself for recognizing that I didn't need the trunks, I decided to pass... to leave empty handed... And that's when it happened....Out of the corner of my eye...

I saw IT!!!

The most beautiful armoire I have ever seen...

Grand

Charming

Good looking...

It was love at first sight....

A sexy voice inside my head said to the armoire

"Hello Lover"

Trying to keep my cool, and taking a gulp, my heart racing, my voice shaking, I asked "Are you selling the armoire?"

"I'm not sure, I think so" the seller stated... She wasn't sure? Wasn't sure she was selling it??!!!??

I inspected it carefully. It was in pretty good condition for being OUTDOORS on her front porch, exposed to the elements... I was talking to myself at this point... "She has this on her porch, she wants to sell it"... "It has sports equipment in it, she's not serious about the armoire".... "I would be a better owner!!"

We talked some more about where she purchased it and it's history... She hemmed and hawed and while she didn't commit to selling me the armoire, somehow we were taking measurements and I was writing them down.... 86" tall x 46" wide x 22 deep...

I snapped a few photos of the armoire on her porch ...

The details....

Her current use...sport storage on the porch??

I drove home...

dreaming about the armoire...

In love...

I'm in love!!

In my mind, I thought for sure we would strike a deal and this armoire would come home with me. Home with me very soon....

Somehow, I would need to convince my husband that I needed this giant 7 foot armoire. I was in deep... In my head, ~~my husband was~~ I was already moving my entire living room around...

I measured the living room and found that I had a spot. I showed the photos of the armoire to my hubby and to my surprise he liked the armoire. We talked about renting a truck and maybe picking it up on the weekend....

But all my dreaming was premature,

very premature....

I called the seller to discuss a price....

That phone call was like nails on a chalkboard... Between the time I was at her house and the time it took me to drive home, the owner wasn't sure she wanted to sell the armoire. She told me she loved it too. She knew she needed to let it go, but wasn't ready yet. She told me that when she decided to sell it, she would let me know....

September and October passed....

I thought about the Armoire everyday.

I AM NOT KIDDING.

I emailed the seller and asked "are you thinking of selling"... I got an email response "not yet, but I'll let you know".... Meanwhile, it started to rain and the thought of the armoire on her porch, possibly getting wet, made me sad...

I sent another email and was told "Maybe I'll be ready to sell it in early December"...

Towards the end of November,

I phoned the seller and left a message...

no reply.

Admitting that my love affair was one sided and I wasn't going to get the armoire was painful... but I told myself that I would find something else. It was just a piece of furniture. Maybe something better would come along.

I told myself all these things,

but I'm not sure I really believed them.

Thanksgiving came and went and I was still hung up on the armoire. My birthday was approaching and it was almost December. My dear husband asked for the armoire lady's phone number. He was going to call her and see if she was ready to sell it. Mr. AntiqueChase is sweet like that.

He phoned, she answered, they talked.

I wasn't getting the armoire.

She said "Maybe after Christmas I will be ready to sell it, but not now."

There was some crying, and I may have even thrown a temper tantrum or two... But it was so sweet of Mr. AntiqueChase to try and that's what really mattered. A birthday gift in itself.

That afternoon, we decided to hang our outdoor Christmas lights. Mr. AC high up on the ladder and his cell phone was ringing. He took the call and it was our neighbor asking for some sprinkler advice... Then the phone rang again, and again... Mr. AC let it go to voice mail. We were busy with lights. Later that night, he listened to his phone messages and it was the Armoire lady.

She decided she was ready to sell.

OMG let's get a truck NOW, I pleaded to Mr. AntiqueChase. My husband didn't recognize the urgency of the situation... It took a few days but we got it... all 7 feet of it... in our living room.... and be still my heart...

I'm in LOVE...

The creamy paint color and patina of the finish...

French design...

I adore the love birds in the nest...

The large brass knobs with "outdoor" patina...

Large brass hinges and pediment carvings....

I stuck my big $3.00 trough

from the Wednesday flea market up on top...

If you missed that post, click here

However, I would really like to get an old rocking horse to place on top....

Love the rocking horse Deserae has on her large armoire (photo above). You can see more of Deserae's beautiful home on her blog Peeking thru the Sunflowers. Until I find a rocking horse, I'm happy to have my big wood trough... Still deciding if I should place fake greenery in there... It's too high and dark to water up there... This room faces North.

As for the sofa table and mirrors that were previously on this wall, they have swapped places to the other side of the living room..... Such an overcast day today, my photos are dark, sorry! I promise to share more photos on a sunny day.

Thank you Mr. AntiqueChase for the wonderful birthday gift. I love my new armoire!

Back in November, I got news that

I won a FANTASTIC giveaway at

French Farmhouse 425

Not one but TWO ruffled linen stockings!!!

Dreamy!!!

I felt so blessed to win this giveaway!!

Have you been to Rachel's blog

French Farmhouse 425

Her decorating and photography are inspiring

and her blog is one of my favorites!!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog to visit!

I am busy with my holiday decor and hope to share some photos soon.

Warm Wishes to you and yours!!

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Flea Market Wednesday HAUL ~

2011-11-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

A trip to Flea Market Wednesday was long overdue...

It seems like I haven't been to the mid-week flea market in weeks! Between my daughter starting school an hour late on Wednesdays (teacher planning meetings) combined with some bad Wednesday weather, I wasn't getting ~~my weekly fix~~ to shop. I'm sure my husband was conspiring with Mother Nature and sincerely appreciated her wind and rain on Wednesdays!

My friend Bethany and I did some serious shopping this week....

My car was really loaded up....

Packed to the brim!!

Once we unloaded the car, I made my pile...

Do you ever unload your purchases from the car

and notice that they have a theme?

Once again, it looks like a container sort of day...

Wood, galvanized, and wicker containers!!

First up, I purchased this tiny little wooden sign

because the sentiment was so charming...

"The place where were treated best

and grumbled most ~

HOME SWEET HOME"

Collected some more old green books...

If the price is right, I always buy green vintage books!

Old seed crates or something... What I will do with them?? Maybe corral all the remotes on the coffee table in the family room? I'm not sure but they are super cool and have fabulous paint and very old {tiny} gauge chicken wire in them...

An old tool box carrier with the best blue paint and fabulous patina. This one is going on my kitchen table with some fresh herbs in each compartment!

Weathered wood bottle crate picked up for $5.00...

I have an old glass bottle that will fit perfectly inside the crate....

Oh, and another old wicker basket...

I just can't pass those by!

This crock was my favorite purchase of the day. The seller had it on her car... when I inquired about purchasing it, I was told

"Not for sale"

The seller had bought it early that morning from another vendor... grrr!!! We took another spin around the flea market and could not stop thinking about the crock!

So I went back and ~~begged~~ asked the seller "are you sure you don't want to sell me your crock"... she told me to make her an offer, which I did, and now I own the crock!!

I have some smaller crocks (with number markings 2, 3 & 4) but love this one because it's huge!! I'm talking a potted tree could fit inside....

So what am I gonna do with it? Not sure, but I do love it!!

Okay,

I lied....

Clearly,

my favorite purchase of the day...

A GINORMOUS wood container...

Maybe an old wood trough?

It hard to see just how big this baby is...

[about 4 feet long]

I'm telling you it's HUGE!!

and it was only $3.00...

yes,

three dollars...

as in 12 quarters!

It's gonna grace my dining room table with flowers inside!!

I just need to clean it out and maybe wax it up... Not sure if I will add some colored Bri-Wax to it or just apply some clear wax...

What say you??

Hydrangeas also from the flea market. They are large potted plants are only $5.00 each. I can usually keep these plants blooming in the house for a month or two... When the blooms fade, I will plant the live plants in our garden. I haven't had much luck getting the plants to grow in the ground but I haven't given up and continue to try....

At Christmas, I think the trough will look nice on my dining table with greenery and poinsettia's inside!

A very successful Flea Market Wednesday... perfect weather, great finds and a wonderful time with my dear friend!!

Thanks so much for the blog visit!

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Bare Naked Books ~

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

You've seen them in magazines and catalogs, read all about them on blogs... and you probably gasped at the prices Restoration Hardware was charging for them...

Bare Naked Books...

Found at every garage sale and thrift store...

Usually with a 50 cent or $1.00 price tag attached...

Don't like the cover?

Rip it off...

stack three...

or wrap them with twine...

Call it a

BOOK BUNDLE..

(Photo credit: Picture 1 & 2 Ballard Catalog)

You know the drill...

Right?

But are your book bundles looking a bit tired?

Remember the stencil I used to embellish my vintage bread board? If you missed that post

CLICK HERE

I was walking the house looking for more quick and easy stencil projects and spotted some bare naked books...

I wondered

could I stencil them??

Sure... why not!!

Pulled out my Grain Sack Stencils, a paint brush and craft paint...

After a couple of taps, I got this...

Super fast and easy...

To avoid the stencil moving or sliding while I was painting, I decided to use my kitchen drawer as a vice.

This worked well until the phone rang and I jumped...

My 'No 2' stencil moved a bit

and resulted in a double shadow.

This imperfection is perfectly acceptable to me..

The bare book before...

...and after.

This project took less than 5 minutes

for all three books.

I'm loving everything numbered

and this project is no exception..

It was cheap and so easy!

I used "Very Black" paint and I think it's a bit dark... If I stencil more books, I might try a softer black paint. Or maybe I could sand the paint a bit to soften the color...

I decided to move my numbered books

into a cubby in our hallway...

Gives just a bit more interest

with the stencil on the spine...

So, if you are getting bored of your plain naked books... give them a little stencil love... I got mine on Etsy from EuroStencilDesigns.

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Embellishing Old Bread Boards ~

2011-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have an addiction to antique bread boards. The old wood, knife marks, heat rings and patina always speak to me. I have a small collection as they are very hard to find.

When I do come across them, they are so expensive. I usually see the large ones priced in the $75- $200 range. How about you??

Previously, I showed you my vintage bread board collection and how I was storing them in my kitchen. I had found a French Artillery Basket that displayed them perfectly...

To read my previous post on Bread Boards

CLICK HERE

If you look closely, you can see a small bread board in the front of the group... Since the basket is deep, I have stuffed newspapers under the board to prop it up.

I purchased this small bread board from Ebay.

It was nothing really special in size or shape

but the price was too good to pass up.

So, I bid and won.

If I remember correctly,

I didn't closely read the seller's description...

I thought the bread board

was going to be much larger...

my bad.

It's cute but certainly not my favorite.

Not sure how old it is...

It does have cut marks and a deep patina.

Very simple indeed...

I have used it as a trivet

for a hot dish

or my coffee pot

on the kitchen table.

Recently, I was on Etsy and came across some unique stencils. The seller is EuroStencilDesigns.

While I do consider myself somewhat crafty,

I have never really stenciled before...

at least I don't remember doing so...

EuroStencilDesigns has a line of stencils

called "Grain Sack" which are my new favorites.

I believe there are 15 to choose from...

Warning: You will want them all!!

I ordered the stencil called Lucas Moller.

I was so excited I wasn't sure what I wanted to stencil first.. I walked around looking for ~~victims~~ projects...

Nothing in my house was safe...

Everything became a possible target...

Cloth napkins, pillows, boxes, old wood, burlap...

BREAD BOARDS!!!

So... my first stencil project was that old, simple, rather dull, bread board...

I used regular craft paint I had laying around the house

and I stole a junky paint brush

from my daughter's craft supplies...

I used a small amount of paint on the brush and went for it!

Just two minutes later....

I was sooooo excited

when I lifted my stencil and found this...

Do you love the German Grain Sack writing??

I think it's dreamy...

Took my plain,

nothing special bread board

and embellished it!

I think the German font looks so expensive...

For Fall, I decided to move my bread boards behind my stove...

I love the rich Fall colors they bring to the space...

My disclaimer is that I used regular craft paint and I haven't sealed the board... I'm okay with this since I am only using it for decoration.. I'm sure there is probably paint made for food prep or a sealer use that you can use if you want to serve with your old bread board...

I loved this using this stencil. I had no bleed through. The plastic used to make the stencil is flexible enough to bend around projects.

I was so pleased with my project that I ordered 2 more stencils from EuroStencilDesigns. There is also a website you can visit for more stencils at Maison De Stencils.

In my next post, I will show you a few more stencil projects I completed.

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Spring into Fall ~

2011-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'm back...

I took a very long blog break!!

I missed you...

and I'm finally ready to jump back in.

Lots happened over the summer. My two teens are growing (too) quickly and I am realizing that I only have a few more summers with them in my nest. So I took time off to enjoy every second of our summer ...

There were graduations...

my daughter's 8th grade promotion

and celebrations...

my grandmother Mollie's 95th birthday

and just some wonderful lazy summer days...

My daughter started high school this year...

She worked very hard and made the Freshman Cheer team along with some of her very best friends.

As any cheer mom will tell you,

this is a full time job for the mom!

But, I'm loving every minute of it!!

The girls are so sweet and full of life... and seeing them cheer the football games is truly a pleasure!

My son started his Junior year of high school

[before I know it, he will be off to college]

sigh..

And just to mix things up

or keep me on my toes...

my kids chose to go to

different high schools.

This has made me ~~crazy~~ really busy...

Because...

while my daughter cheers for football at one school,

my son plays football at a different school ...

It took a little while,

but we finally have our routine in place.

Things have calmed down a bit,

which leaves me with some free time to blog.

So I am officially back!

I hope you will continue to check in. I have some great decorating projects I want to share, room updates and of course I have all my flea market finds from the summer I can't wait to share with you!!

As always, thanks for stopping by to read my blog and checking in on me!! I loved all your emails over the summer!! I also appreciate your follow and I always love your comments and questions!!

Have a great weekend

and

see you soon :)

The Birds & The Bees ~

2011-06-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Remember my cute birdhouse?

To read the original post, click here.

I promised to give an update blog post

when it was complete in my garden...

Well, it's up...

Although, this wasn't exactly the post I was planning to do!

I didn't even get to finish my post painting...

Notice anything????

Seems that some honey bees are pretty confused...

Apparently,

these bees did not get the memo

that this is a birdhouse

not a bee motel!!

The bee-man is on his way...

I sure hope he can save the bees

and I don't loose my birdhouse!

(fingers crossed!)

Garden Roses ~

2011-05-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day to everyone! This year, I hosted Mother's Day Brunch in my home. I am lucky to be blessed with a great mom and a wonderful 94 year old grandmother.

When we moved into this home 2 1/2 years ago, we inherited a front yard with mature white rose bushes....

While I enjoy cutting the 'White Iceberg Roses' and bringing them inside,

sometimes I prefer to bring in a bit of color ...

Last summer. my husband and I planted a cutting garden in the backyard. I picked Modern Tea Roses as well as Old English varieties. My favorite color is pink so I picked out a {few} dozen roses in all different shades of pink...

My rose cutting garden is finally producing it's first blooms this season. Rather late but certainly worth the wait...

I picked an armload of roses for my Mother's Day centerpiece....

I purchased this cast iron urn about 5 years ago. I have no idea about it's age. It has a great rusty patina. The top holds four candles and has holes built in which acts like a flower frog....

Perfect for garden flowers!

The inside is very rusty and I wasn't sure if the urn would leak... I didn't want any surprises of dripping water on the table! I found an old ironstone bowl to fit snugly inside and I filled the bowl with water...

Slipped all the roses in the holes and the bouquet was complete...

That beautiful golden yellow rose was given to us as a house warming gift when we moved in... I usually don't go for 'yellow roses' but this one stole my heart! It's called "Strike it Rich" in case your looking for a wonderful yellow rose...

Other roses shown are Sweet Surrender, Tournament of Roses, Bewitched..

Memorial Day...

Guy de Maupassant, Morden Blush....

Double Delight, First Prize...

There are others but I can't remember the names right now...

If you see something I didn't list and you need to know,

just email me and I'll try to help!

Remnants of old candles left in the urn

too pretty to remove....

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Vintage Junque & My New Trunk ~

2011-05-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Flea Market Wednesday did not disappoint this week!! By the way, did I tell you I had a friend email me to complain that I really shouldn't talk about FMW on my blog anymore... "I'm ruining it, too many people know about it now!" I did agree with her but I'm sorry but these finds are too good not to share, so here we go...

These are my finds for the week...

I found this tiny soup tureen. I collect large tureens but this is my first small one. I wonder if it was an individual size used at each place setting or maybe it wasn't for soup at all?

I love the crackle crazing....

Stamped Ironstone...

Complete with a ladle which is always a plus...

Many times, ladles are broken or lost so the value increases with the original ladle.

Small (glue) repair to the lid handle didn't bother me..

I collect brown transferware

but decided that this grey transferware teapot

might start a new collection...

Love the muted grey of the flowers...

the crackle patina...

the darker the crackle the more I love it!

Nice stamp...

I will probably display this with garden flowers tucked inside...

A box of tiny Christmas ornaments was too good of a deal to pass by. I like to buy my vintage ornaments 'off season' because the prices are much cheaper!!

Jumbo flower frog...

I have a small(ish) collection of metal flower frogs

and this jumbo will make a nice addition.

My heart must have skipped a beat when I found this old metal horse...

I'm sure I was inspired to purchase this by my friend

Alison at The Polohouse

{Alison has a horse like this in her kitchen}

Her home has me very Ranch Inspired and she has a great blog!

My new pony has great patina to his old white paint..

and he's about 2 feet long!

Just enough chippy to make me happy...

This is the back side and I found a marking when I got home

Anybody know anything about these marking and my new pony??

Going to hang him on the wall or prop him on top of an armoire...

I'll be sure to take a photo when he's placed..

This is my score for the day...

week...

year??

A ginormous old wicker trunk

purchased from my friend Kathee

Check out her great blog Chateauetjardin.

I met Kathee one day at FMW

she introduced herself and told me she reads my blog...

It was so exciting for me to meet a reader!!

Kathee told me that this trunk was from Europe

but I don't remember exactly where...

It has only one of it's loops remaining...

The basket weave is awesome...

Large enough to be a coffee table...

But I won't be using this as a coffee table.

My teenagers (and their friends) sit on all our coffee tables

This one would get crushed...

So,

I think I am going to use it as a side table in our guest room

or possibly on top of the armoire in the master...

Look at these authentic worm holes...

Just a wonderful basket that I am so happy to own!!

{thanks Kathee}

Can't wait to fill it up with lots of JUNQUE!!

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DIY Vintage Sign Restoration ~

2011-04-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I felt so lucky to spy this old business sign at Flea Market Wednesday.. The wood has a absolutely gorgeous grey patina from years and years of being exposed to the outdoor elements...... Only a few speckles of black paint remained on it's surface... A faint outline of the original letters lightly graced the weathered wood...

A full 8 feet long, I wasn't sure it would fit it in my SUV...

so I walked away...

A few minutes later,

my heart fell into my stomach and I panicked...

I thought...

"Why didn't I buy that sign???"

"Hurry go back"

I told myself!!

Since I was an early shopper this past week,

(the kids were on spring break)

my sign was still there!!

The seller refused to negotiate with me (grrrr...)

but I bought the sign anyway...

Love the soft driftwood color!!!

You can see a very faint outline of the original letters

which had virtually no paint remaining....

It 's ghost appearance spelled out:

KINGS COUNTY ABSTRACT CO

A slight indent revealed that the letters were once pressed into the wood...

I knew I would want to paint the letters back onto the sign...

So I traced each letter's outline back onto the wood

with a regular lead pencil...

This gave me a foundation outline to repaint each letter...

I bought acrylic paint from Joann's Fabrics.

It was called "stencil paint" and was about $2.00 for the bottle.

I painted the letters in pure black

knowing that I would be sanding and distressing them back off...

Here's the sign

before I distressed the paint...

I bought some sandpaper specifically made for paint removal...

It was very coarse and did a great job at removing just the paint

without scratching the wood all up!

I went over the letters till I removed just the right amount of paint. I could have gone a bit heavier and taken more off, but since I was going to hang the sign very high, I stopped while the letters were still somewhat dark.

The black edge shown above is the original paint....

I have high ceilings in my kitchen

with some niche areas that were empty and undecorated.

At 8 feet long,

this sign was a "statement piece"

big enough to fill the empty space...

I added my vintage tea tin

which I purchased a while ago

at Flea Market Wednesday....

and dropped in a (fake) ivy...

I also added 2 glass bottles to balance out the other corner...

For two years, I never knew what to put up there. I bought this sign because I loved it. I never guessed this is where it would end up.... It just seemed to work out! I love when that happens!

So glad to finally have that space decorated!

It was such an easy project,

I want to make another sign!

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Flea Market Wednesday - The Good, The Bad & The Rather Ugly~

2011-04-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna lie...

Flea Market Wednesday wasn't fun....

It seems that every dealer and their sister were snatching up the goods. I can never get to the Wednesday Flea early enough (to find the really good stuff) because I ~~have~~ need to drive the kids to school. Those darn kids! Don't think I haven't wondered if they could just walk to school on Wednesdays....

(I'm kidding!)

There's nothing worse than parking your car and seeing treasure after treasure being loaded up in somebody elses truck! Okay, there is something worse.. bad flea market behavior!!

I saw it on Wednesday...

(we will get to the "bad behavior" in a minute)

It was about 9:00am and I had just arrived at the flea market... A perfect morning to stroll about the flea market... 68 degrees and sunny... So, I was casually browsing the first aisle and feeling pretty good since I had already found and purchased a vintage brown transferware bowl/pitcher combo....

I added the brown transferware bowl to my collection....

This was GOOD!

Back to the flea market...

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a new seller arrive. She got out of her truck and started to unpack her merchandise... all of a sudden she was surrounded... other dealers started pulling and yanking stuff right out of her unloaded truck... There were masses of people all trying to "pick" this seller's goods...

It was overwhelming to watch... The seller could not keep up with the crowd and I felt bad for her... People were yelling prices and snatching her things left and right... I watched from the distance... not even sure what I was seeing..

I turned to another shopper and jokingly said,

"What's she giving away???"...

I was told

"She just arrived and

she's got fresh merchandise"...

Fresh??

I looked over again....
I envisioned a pack of coyotes swarming their prey...

Have you ever seen behavior like this???

It was BAD!

Now are you ready for some
UGLY??!!

I found this Rooster - Chicken concrete statue

at Flea Market Wednesday

just sitting an a seller's van...

You know what that means right??

When an item is sitting in plain view

"In the Van"...

It's an unspoken flea market rule

Let's call this

Rule #2

(Interested in reading about Rule #1 click here)

Rule #2 :

"I bought this item at the flea market

very, very early this morning,

(when you were busy taking your kids to school...)

and it's for sale...

but you're going to pay me

DOUBLE

what I paid for it"

Since I have a thing for chickens

and

I really like this dealer

I was willing to pay his price...

which was still a bargain in my book...

even if he did double his money!

But there was an ~~unsightly~~ ugly problem with the statue.

Some of the paint was wonderful

and very chippy

which I loved.....

And some of the statue had been repainted

in a horrible shades of

red

and

brown...

The white paint seemed to be original

with a great crackled patina....

but

the brown base looked so ugly with it's repainted finish!

To make matters worse,

the red areas were newly painted

a horrible shade of

clown red!!

So, I debated whether or not I even wanted the statue....

The red part was the color that bothered me the most.

The clown red was much brighter and uglier than my outdoor photos show. I expressed my concerns to the seller, not because I wanted him to knock some more $$ off the price, rather, I just wasn't sure the colors of this statue was going to work in my kitchen...

The seller gave me the best tip EVER!

And now I'm going to share it with you....

EASY OFF OVEN CLEANER!!

He told me to spray the 'new paint' with EASY OFF

and then scrub it with a brush...

Guess what?

IT WORKED!!

Here is the before....

Notice the brown base above....

The Easy Off bubbling up the paint....

and the old, original paint starting to appear!!

Look at the yellow and green original paint starting to appear!!

I did a total of 3 Easy Off coats on the brown base

and I was very happy with the results!

BASE AFTER:

Next, I started to work on the red paint

and it was sticky and a bit more stubborn...

I ran out of oven cleaner after the first coat...

But,

I am very impatient

so I brought the statue into the kitchen anyway

just to check it out...

I think the red areas could use

another coat or two

of the Easy Off...

and possibly some sandpaper!

But I think it's a BIG improvement

after just one coat of the Easy Off!!

The statue is a nice compliment

to the needlepoint cushion on my settee ...

Next time you see a great statue

with a bad repaint job...

don't be afraid...

Get some Easy Off and strip the paint!

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Beachwood Wicker Hurricanes at Target ~

2011-04-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is a Public Service Announcement!!

Get in your car and go to Target

RIGHT NOW!!!

These are the cutest wicker hurricanes with glass inserts...

Something you would see at Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn...

The Wicker is a driftwood color

wrapped around a dark zinc color metal...

Glass insert is included!!

Smith and Hawken I {heart} you!!!

I added flameless candles so I don't need to worry about them indoors...

I love them outdoors as well!!

The price was AMAZING...

$14.99 for the small

and

$19.99 for the tall...

I bet you could see these at Restoration Hardware for $89 and up!!

They are on the Smith and Hawken end cap...

GO NOW!!!

They are sure to sell out!!

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Imperfections vs. Patina ~

2011-03-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

When I first started decorating, I wanted everything to be perfect....

A perfect coffee table with no scratches, a perfect frame with no chipped edges, no distressed paint, no tattered edges, no staining...and certainly no rust!!

I only wanted perfection....

I look around me now and see that things have changed...

Really changed!!

Somewhere down my decorating path

I started seeing imperfections as "patina"...

Here's a sampling of the patina from my family room... All these photos show vintage items that have the original patina that comes from years of use.... All authentic patina!!

Lovely lady garden statue that graces my family room,,,

She doesn't need any botox...

I think her weathered appearance is priceless...

Years and years of outdoor elements

creates perfection

at least in my eyes.

Her paint looks chippy but is not flaky...

When bringing garden items in, if the paint is flaking off, you can get spray paint called "Clear Coat" which will preserve surface and keep the paint intact... Be sure to get "flat" not gloss!

Old wood table

probably Italian...

Scratched and worn from years of use...

It only gets better with time...

This concrete piece is an old column topper...

It is wonderfully decayed and while Restoration Hardware is now reproducing them, you just can't beat the real thing!

I purchased this from my good friend Jennifer

years and years ago...

You can see this in my mast photo which Jennifer took when she photographed my home for Cottage of the Month back in August 2010. CLICK HERE FOR A TOUR

I have lots of different sized candles on top that were all purchased at Target. I love their unscented candles and they are long lasting and cheap!

When I was a young bride,

I would have never displayed dripping candles

or thought wax fragments were pretty...

but now...

PERFECTION...

These tattered book edges show history

that they have been loved and well read...

With all our electronic devices

(Kindles, Nooks, iPad, Sony Reader)

I fear that books will be a thing of the past...

Please stop ripping the covers off of your books!

An old oil painting with some bumps and bruises...

and scratches....

only adds to it's charm!

Old brown transferware....

YUM!!!!

The staining and crazing may turn some collectors away...

but not me...

The more the better !!

I love using old chamber pots as plant containers...

Buy a topiary and slip it in...

when you water your plant,

the saucer is already built right in!

Mine happens to have a big hairline crack...

oh well...

It doesn't show!

Wicker baskets at my house are not perfect

broken wicker is completely acceptable at my house...

My old door turned into a floor mirror...

Lots of chippy paint

but lots of character...

Rusty crusty hinges make it extra special

at least in my opinion!

Old pickle jar with glass bubbles and a crooked neck

sits on an antique floral plant holder...

Vintage tole with original paint is my favorite...

Another garden element...

This concrete dove is so sweet...

A chippy metal tole basket made into a lamp....

Tarnished silver holding a succulent...

This antique wicker table has loads of distressing

which has happened naturally over time..

And a stained oak top is full of water marks

and even has some cigarette burns (not mine!)

An old brass knob has a warm mellow patina from time...

A naturally rusted old bird cage...

Lots of rust and patina on this piece...

I love to collect antique cages of all sizes

and did a post on them that you can read HERE

This old chandelier was purchased for $20

at my favorite Wednesday Flea Market

Very chippy and dirty

I did very little cleanup to it.

I like the dirt

who knew?

I added the vintage bulb covers which I found at a little thrift store. The bulb cover pack looked like it had never been used. I was really lucky this chandy only needed three bulb covers because the pack was missing one!

This is a 100+ pound metal pediment that I purchased to hang over my kitchen sink. It turned into quite a production to hang it. It was so heavy it required two men just to hold it up. A big wood support had to be bolted into the wall studs and then this pediment was bolted into the wood support. I didn't end up putting it over the sink... why? Well, I have been known to move things around (just a little) and once this pediment was up, there was no moving it. Ever. I wasn't sure about the kitchen location... so I had to pick a safer spot. It now is mounted on the wall over my family room hutch. It's hung at a height to make it looks as though it's propped on top but I assure you that in Earthquake country this thing is bolted! You can click the following photo to enlarge...

An authentic grain sack made into a pillow...

This beauty is from 3 Fine Grains

Years of real use

makes this grain sack stained and worn

but full of rich history....

I have some Restoration Hardware imitation pillows

but nothing compares to the real thing...

What do you know....

my old crate became another magazine holder...

I need a 12 step program for my magazine addiction!

Old antique pictures...

With old wavy glass

and sun drenched mats...

and chippy frames!!

There is a special story about this picture...

You know when you are at the flea market and you are debating about buying something? Well, that was me with this picture. But I didn't buy it and I regretted it so.... I just couldn't get it out of my mind. Any flea market junkie can tell you a story about the "one that got away".. That night I called my friend, Cheryl, and I was telling her about the picture I didn't buy and how it was haunting me. I described it to her and she told me "I bought that picture today at the flea market, I have it right here". Problem was, she wasn't ready to part with it...just yet... but Cheryl's an antique dealer so I knew that eventually she would be selling it... and she did... to me... and I love that picture!! It is my VERY FAVORITE of all my antiques in my entire house!!

Okay, this post is getting long so let's wrap it up...

So, as you can see there is a lot of chippy, worn, battered, peeling, rusty, weathered patina going on in just one room. I generally find that it works really well with smaller pieces and accessories. Most of my big furniture items, such as the hutch, coffee table, couch and chair are not antiques so the balance {for me} is just right. I'm not sure I would be comfortable having everything shabby and worn. I like to mix old and new...

How about you?

When you look at a vintage item

do you see

PATINA

or do you see

IMPERFECTIONS??

Do you love rust or hate it?

Does chippy paint make your heart sing?

Do you ever look at an item and think

"That's not patina, that's just junk?"

Tell me !!

I HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER FOLLOWING MY BLOG

Linking to these fab parties:

NESTERS its-not-perfect-but-its-beautiful-party-time 2/12

Open House at No Minimalist Here

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Vintage Inspiration Friday - On Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday - My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at Frenchcountrycottage

Frugal Friday at Shabbynest

Funkyjunkinteriors

Met Monday at Betweennapsontheporch

Houseinroses Show off Your Cottage Monday

House of Grace - Twice-owned-Party

Myuncommonsliceofsuburbia- Tuesdays Treasures

Coastalcharm- Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Faded Charm Cottage - White Wednesdays

Savvysouthernstyle- Wow us Wednesdays

Voila-Thursday

Waterfront Property ~

2011-03-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

When you live in a City with the name

Thousand Oaks

you take aggressive steps to preserve and protect

the City's namesake...

the

OAK TREE...

Most Oak trees in my town are Large Valley Oaks

which are estimated to be between 200-300 years old...

Here is our beautiful Oak Tree...

Anyone in Southern California will tell you

these are gorgeous trees

with the most majestic large canopies...

but they are also endangered

and highly protected!!

We've had rainstorm after rainstorm in California....

Just last weekend,

Thousand Oaks received 5 1/2 inches of rain...

So much rain,

in so little time...

turned my house into waterfront property!
(as my good friend Helene described it)

But not the good kind of waterfront property...

That's our Oak Tree...

sitting in rain water 3 feet deep!!

Deep rain water

combined with fierce winds

had me really concerned we might loose

our gorgeous Oak tree...

Mr. AntiqueChase didn't seem too concerned

as he told me:

"It's only a clogged drain"

"Oak trees don't fall"

"Calm down"

"Relax"

But I didn't want to relax!!!

We just lost one of our Oak Trees last year due to disease...

I didn't want to loose another...

I urged Mr. AntiqueChase to look into renting or buying a pump....

He finally ~~got sick of me complaining~~ purchased a pump

which claimed to pump out 1000 gallons of water an hour...

But still,

after and entire day of running the pump

the water level never changed...

Probably because it continued to rain and rain

like nothing I've ever seen before....

There were plenty of wet clothes and lots of mud...

And torn up drain pipes...

And two sleepless nights

of me worrying about that tree....

When Mr. AntiqueChase ~~finally~~ found the clogged drain

I was so relieved...

but a tiny bit embarrassed that maybe

just maybe

I over reacted...

I mean Oak Trees don't fall...

Right?

Are you gasping for air?

That's my poor neighbor's house and car

under their massive Oak tree...

Too much rain and too much wind...

Mr. AntiqueChase finally understands

why I was ~~freaking out~~ so concerned!!!

We are expecting two more storms this weekend....

Holding on tight....

Wasn't it just January when I was bragging about our 90 degree heat?

Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking to these parties:

Show and Tell Fridays

Out of Space ~

2011-03-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

People have been telling me for some time now that my house is filling up...
looking rather full....

But that's not the type of "space" I want to address today...

When I was writing my post today, I was uploading 68 photos...

Well, Blogger didn't like that

and promptly told me

I have NO MORE SPACE available....

So, pardon the silence while I try to figure out exactly what that means

and how I am supposed to correct it...

I would love to hear your advice!!