Ruffles, Buttons and a Gypsy Box

 I still had those papers I mentioned in my last post laying on my table and I have been looking at lots of boho style and gypsy caravans on Pinterest so I was inspired to cover this wooden office tray I had sitting around.  I really don't know what I will do with it but it was a fun project.  I have my work office packed up right now because it is getting new paint and carpet.  I tossed my faded old songbird art that was in there so maybe I will liven things up with some boho decor - lol!

 I made a run through the VOA yesterday afternoon and came up with three gorgeous vintage half slips.

 How could I resist these colors and ruffles.  Gosh, if they were not so sheer I would wear them as skirts.  Maybe I could put a slip under a slip.  I might get by with boho decor in my office at work but not so sure about wearing a slip on the outside.

 Just look at this sweet little peach rosette.

 I also scored a few new buttons last week and haven't gotten around to showing them yet.  Photo above is glass, bone and metal.  That milk glass button is the most lovely, creamy shade and, sadly, has a tiny chip on the edge.  I will pretend it doesn't and treasure it anyway.

 Some interesting wooden buttons, vegetable ivory and a few okay plastics.  I do like the white plastic rose and always like the pierced designs. I haven't run into some of these wooden styles before.

There were also some buckles in this lot and that knot-looking button just right of center is an unusual fabric button.  I don't keep many fabric buttons but this one will stay.
We having a hot spell, by Portland standards, with temps in the 90s.  Whew!  At least I am getting lots of indoor chores crossed off the list.

New Quote Book Pages

I picked up the latest issue of Art Journaling last week, plus a pad of papers from India and immediately felt inspired to work in my altered quote book.  A technique article by Heather Kindt is what got me going.  My pages bear no resemblance at all to hers, but that is how it is supposed to be.  Inspiration is looking [hearing/seeing/smelling/feeling] at something and getting an idea.
I found the quote on the left on Pinterest, my latest obsession.  I know many of you have already discovered it and I am, once again, late to the party.  It is SO much fun.  It is like making your own look-books and magazines that you can revisit again and again.  I put a link over on the left side of the blog if anyone wants to see what I have been finding out there in the wide world.  Boy howdy can a girl ever waste some time there - haha!!

Blooming Hydrangeas - We Have A Winner!

The random number generator says #14.  Congratulations to Betsy at My Salvaged Treasures!  Betsy, I am delighted to be sending this your way.  I thank you and all of this remarkable tribe that allows me to be a part of their lives.  Viva la blogland!!

500 Blog Posts Give-Away HOO-Ray!

Where does the time go?  I am always asking that question, I know.  When I published my previous post I noticed that it was #499.  Really?  So I looked back to see how long I have been blogging and discovered it was FOUR YEARS as of March.  When I began I wasn't really sure if I wanted to do it or not and wondered what I would think of to talk about.  Now I cannot even imagine my life without this blog.  I have had the privilege and joy of connecting with so many treasured friends out there in blog land.  You guys offer encouragement, celebrate the junk scores and share ideas.  You are the best.  I love my tribe!
My give-away includes everything pictured and it is made up of vintage linens, buttons and lace - of course!  The altered bottle is filled with vintage MOP buttons.  The top is not glued on so you can open it and use the buttons for your projects.  The tags are covered in vintage wrapping paper and wrapped with some sweet pieces of lace trim and crinkly rayon seam binding at the top.  The lace is not permanently attached so it and the tags can be used for separate projects.  The altered tin is filled with an assortment of buttons from my personal accumulation of "keepers".
As always, there are no complicated rules.  Just leave a comment on this post and I will announce a winner next Monday.  A big thank you to all of you and HOO-Ray for blog friends!

Button Crumbs

 Where have I been for nearly a week?  It took me that long to sort and clean my latest button purchase.  It was daunting this time.  The lot weighed 5 pounds and I don't know when I have seen so many sick or broken buttons in a button box.  I think I discarded at least a pound of buttons.  Big sigh.  I always say I love a genuine button box but this one was a little too real.  That glass dish contains a couple hands full of "sick" buttons.  I thought it might be interesting for those of you who are not familiar with the term.  More on that below.

 I did manage to glean out a few interesting buttons but it was a struggle.  The horn buttons in the bottom of this picture were already strung together that way and I thought it was kind of a neat idea so left them.  The rest in this dish are glass.

 The blue and red on the left of the photo are actually glass beads.  The group right above them is fabric. Those big oval buttons are wooden and painted gold.  The paint is in bad shape but I thought it would be fun to repaint and decoupage them.  The big gold and black buttons are two-piece metal.

 That Lucite button with the tortoise center is probably the best button in the bunch.  So many cool buttons that were beyond rescue...8+(

 A few nice pearls.  There were plenty more that were just plain ones and luckily, MOP doesn't get "sick".  Two groups of interesting wooden buttons plus a couple plastic sets down at the bottom.

 The leather button in the center of this picture is another of my favorites.  Leather buttons are pretty predictable but this one was different, especially with the offset center.

 I realized that I don't think I have ever posted a picture of the leather accumulation. Yes, they get their own spot, just because.

And now to the button graveyard.  This is just a small selection.  I do not know what causes "sick" buttons but it probably has to do with the gases some of the plastics give off when they begin to break down.  Click the photo so you can get a closer look, especially at those button crumbs that are mixed in.  Those are the worst offenders.  If you have Grandma's button box stored away as a keepsake in the attic or under the bed, please, PLEASE check on them.  If you have sick buttons you need to remove them then wash and air out the ones that are still good.  The sick buttons will contaminate and ruin the other buttons they are stored with.
So what else is going on around here?  I am starting to get the art room shaped up for Where Bloggers Create 2013.  Are you in?

Random Ramblings...

 When I was doing the wash-rinse-repeat dance with my latest haul from The Bins, my spray bottle gave up. I have a couple (not 3) of those old fashioned sprinkle tops so I rigged up a new water bottle for the ironing. My mother's was a pop bottle and she called it "the sprinkle bottle".  Maybe there is a real name.  I don't know.  I used a vintage bottle that I also had on hand and decorated it with a couple of floral stickers.  I really don't mind ironing but so much nicer with this pretty bottle!

 I also moved the herbs and the Farm Fresh sign to the wagon, er, Farm Wagon.

 A close up of the pretty bloom that wanted to sneak in to the picture.  Now that The Farm is done it is time to give the roses that are left some attention.  I think a couple of them are going to need some major pruning back so they can just start over for this year.

 I won a lace auction on eBay almost two weeks ago and it was finally delivered yesterday.  Lots of neat pieces for the inspiration kits.  I think that ruffled piece with the roses down the center is going to inspire an altered bottle kit.  I haven't made one of those in a while.

 I don't usually post about recipes since I don't like to cook but The Husband made this last night and it is SO good that I had to share.  White Bean and Radish Salad.  You can find the recipe here.  We used fresh white and red radishes from the garden.  Add a few crackers and a boiled egg or some cheese to your plate and you've got a whole meal.  Delicious!!

A treat for me!  I ordered these earrings from Luna Jewelry on Etsy.   My photo does not do them justice.  They are the most delightful little bees hovering near their big droplets of golden honey.  Beautiful!
There are buttons in my future [like that's news - har har!]so stay tuned.

Saturday at The Bins

 I have a lot going on right now and the days race by so I really needed to slow down the brain-chatter and relax.  Nothing does that for me like junking does so I treated my self to a trip to The Bins yesterday.  The great thing about The Bins is the junking can be as long or as short as you want it to be.  Since they constantly bring out new bins you are never really done.  I junked until I had my fill.

 I didn't score anything that made me jump and shout but got lots of bits and pieces.  Some, like this sweet embroidered baby dress will head off to Etsy and some will become part of something else.  Son #1 asked me to keep an eye out for a big atlas.  I am very glad The Bins sells the books by the each because that thing must weight 10#.  That little bottle with the handles (go back to the first pix for a better look) cleaned up real nice.

 A big pile of stamps that need to be soaked off the envelopes.  I thought that might be fun for The Grand.  The little velvet purse is a "possibility" for another project that is slowly taking shape.

 A nice enamel refrigerator box.  This will probably head to Etsy.  I am not sure due to the weight for shipping, though.  Should I add a water slide decal to the top or leave it original?  Opinions please!
I also picked up another doll collector book.  I have been trying to pick up reference books as I find them but I keep finding doll books and I am not a doll person.  You know that just as soon as I sell these books I will find a doll I want to look up.  Murphy's Law - lol!

 I cutter quilt for Etsy.  It has some pretty worn out spots but then also some sweet fabrics so will have to see if it can survive one more "wash-rinse-repeat".

 A vintage book about butterflies.  There are only a few pages in color but they would make really great collage backgrounds.

 I always keep my eye out for fabric scraps that I can use in my inspiration kits.  That aqua with the pink flowers is a full 2-yard piece.  The red down at the bottom is actually the top of a stack of craft felt in half a dozen different colors.  Notice that metal thing in the upper left.  It is an ashtray made from bicycle chain.  Son #2 is a bicycle guy and he doesn't smoke, other than an occasional cigar, but he sometimes has guests that do so I thought he would like this for a garage ashtray.  People think of such clever ideas.

BIG pile of paper alphabet stencils in three different sizes.  When I made the Farm Fresh sign I had to go through all of my stencils looking for the right letters in the right height and realized I am missing a lot of letters.  That put stencils on the want list and there they were.
Today will be a garden day, although I might slip away for just a short jaunt to VOA - tehe!  I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!  XO

The Garden Remodel - Done!

 The bark dust was delivered today so our project is finished - at least as finished as a garden project ever gets.  They delivered enough that we were able to extend the new bark to include the fire pit area.  I took out a no-longer-needed brick path on the left side over the weekend and changed the curve of the lawn to suit the area better. I like it a lot better this way and I'm sure the lawn-mower guys will, too.  8+)

 This is taken from the front of the garden, just inside the new fence and gate.  It looks SO much better with the landscape cloth covered.  I'm sure the neighbors were starting to wonder about all that ugly black stuff.  New bark smells SO good.

 My new little table and chairs moved back in to place.  I may re-think the location and move them from the back to the front of the raised bed.  There is a little spot up there where it is shady in the afternoon.  For now they are just sitting there waiting for me to take a break, like that ever actually happens - lol!

 A blank spot where roses were removed and will not be replaced until next spring so I moved in my old garden wagon.  After I took this photo I parked the two pots of herbs in the wagon and I think I will move the Farm Fresh sign to the side of it.

The garden from the back side.  The crops are coming along nicely.  I snacked on a fresh radish tonight - yum!
If any of you emailed me yesterday and did not get a reply it is because my email was broken for about 24 hours.  Technology is so awesome when it works!  Anyway, I don't know if the emails that didn't come through ever will so if you asked me anything important, please re-send the email.
Thanks, all, for tagging along on the garden remodel adventure!

A Morning Walk In The Garden

 I didn't get around to posting any garden pictures while the Rhododendrons and Azaleas were blooming this Spring so I grabbed my camera a took a walk around the garden this morning to capture what's up.  Oriental poppies, Yarrow and Sedum.

 Yellow-Eyed Grass with a few small Foxglove mixed in.  I love the Foxglove and pretty much let them grow anywhere they come up.  They seem to thrive any place here in Portland.

 Dark pink Peonies.  It rained all last week but they were just starting to open.  Next week is predicted sunny and dry so I think we will get a nice show this year and maybe ever a bouquet.

 A closer look at the dark pink one.

 And a true pink, too.

 Oxalis with it's cute little four leaf clover leaves.

 More Foxgloves growing where they chose.

 This is a big piece of driftwood planted with a miniature grass and then the fern and moss just wandered in and decided to make themselves at home.  Fine with me.

 Looking down the path toward the fishpond.

 The pond from a different angle.  I have cleaned the filter but the algae bloom is persisting this Spring.  It is hard to be patient but I know it will clear eventually.

 Johnny Jump-Ups, another thing I love so I just let them grown wherever they decide to jump up.

 Ice Plants growing in the old fountain.  They close at night and in the shade and open their blooms when they are in the sun.

Last but not least, The Farm.  We ate our first salad from the garden yesterday.  I told The Husband that if he didn't harvest some soon he was going to find me out there on all fours, grazing.  So bright and shiny and fresh!
The bark is scheduled for delivery on Tuesday so my next pictures will be the finished garden remodel - yay!