...sheer ectasy!

I am a Bad Bad blogger... I had every intention of documenting the first Raspberry of the season with photo and recipe...

~BUT~

...I was out weeding the veggie garden adjacent to the berry patch, and while taking a break I went to inspect the berries. They usually aren't ripe until close to July 4th, but... a girl can dream! There it was - 'ONE' great big, plump, deep red berry ... calling my name. Before I could stop myself, I had snatched it, and it went directly in my mouth! No photo-op there! Oh, but it was WONDERFUL!! Sweeter than sweet. Warm from the morning sun. Let me tell you, it was a 'Better than sex' moment (and there are very FEW things that earn that title in my book ;-) !).

Can you tell Rasberries are my favorite?!!

Sending you all 'Berry Dreams'!!

...to market, to market

...The bounty of a morning at Market - The Regional Flea Market that is! Four sweater clips total - top is all shells which I absolutely adore, the next is a plain gold, third is copper (some damage, but still nice) and the bottom is two very large seed pearl hearts - one with the initial 'P' and the other 'C'. $1 each - the gold was only .25¢ !!

... some of the best things in life are FREE

...or in the case of Garage Sales, in the FREE BOX!!


My first stop Saturday Morning was at an 'UPSTAIRS' Estate Sale. It was looking kind of sketchy, but my climb to this dark, dingy upstairs apartment was rewarded!! I don't generally head directly to the FREE BOX, but this one was under a table that had lots of people surrounding it (the table that is!!) - so when I had my chance, I HAD to take it, cause I saw some 'Apron Strings' from afar.... Not '1', Not '2', but THREE vintage aprons in Very Good condition!! I grabbed those babies in a hurry!! I don't personally collect them - other than my small stash for Christmas Cookie Baking with 'the crew', but there are a LOT of gals out there in swap land that may like them some day!

In the same FREE BOX was all I ever needed to embark on my 'AVON' career - all the start-up 'motivational' 'informational' guides, books, binders, video tapes, card reference file, etc., etc... NO - I DID NOT TAKE THEM!! but, I had a Good Laugh!

Okay, I know it's dumb, but I just don't feel right taking something from a FREE BOX, without buying some stuff - so the search was on... what to buy at the estate sale of an ex-Avon dealer / very religious retired 'Clown Ministries' volunteer (lots of clown costumes & make-up) / person with weight issues (LOTS of diet books)??? Okay, I found a couple of things..Pampered Chef cookie mold (NIB - .50¢ ) and a Watkins Glen Racetrack Souvenir china plate(50¢)

At the next sale, packed with people, I couldn't believe that this sweet set was still sitting on the front table...Can you read that price tag inside of the smallest white bowl?

Yeh, I grabbed those babies in a hurry! Went off to the side to inspect - Not stained, Not chipped, No Gross smells! ??? (And, thanks to one of HEIDI's latest posts, I did NOT come home and throw them on the top shelf of my dishwasher, as I often do with garage sale finds to get them REALLY CLEAN!).

There was a line waiting to check out, so I perused some of the m-a-n-y free boxes they had. What should I find? A new candle in a Xmas tin, and.....

a WHOLE BAG ful of keyrings!!! (Shh.... don't tell! They will be heading to a sweet guy/son in a swap soon! ;) ). ☺~Sorry Shara... it just doesn't sound right calling him a 'kid' anymore!!~☺

All-in-all, not many Buys - but a good morning!! One of my favorite finds for 50¢ was this Lobster & Clam shell table cloth - in Great condition!! I also picked up a few books (including a LARGE PRINT word search for Mom's stocking!!), WEAVE-IT Loom (.10¢), new bottle of perfume, sweet grass tiny basket w/ cover, and the package with purple and gold is a NIB set of notecards from a London Gallery (.50¢).

...A 'new one' for me at the Street Sale was a kid's 'Coffee & Donut' stand. I always see the watered down lemonade stands... but this was a GREAT set-up for 8am on a cool morning. Good sized styrofoam cups, plug in heating unit (the kind with the tap at the bottom) for dispensing coffee. They were making a killing!! When I smelled the coffee, I suddenly realized that I hadn't taken time to make myself any that morning - and gladly shelled out $1 for a 12oz. cuppa Joe ( a pretty darn good one at that!).

Gotta run - off to MARKET today, and then meeting up with A to go see S.A.T.C. (Movie) - FINALLY!!!

...the war of the roses!

The perimeter of the back half of our property is lined with... roses. Yes, that would be 100++ rose bushes! They were there when I bought the property. They are a MAJOR P.I.T.A. all summer (YOU try mowing around them, trimming them, keeping the wild vines out of them - NASTY THORNS!!)!

~BUT~

For about 2 weeks in the June, they are GORGEOUS!

As I mentioned, last weekend was another journey to my parents house to celebrate Dad's Day...

...and do a little sea glass hunting, saling, help Mom shop for Graduation gifts, saling, gardening... Did I mention that we also squeezed in a little garage saling?

A few hatpins that I grabbed at .50¢ each (!!) to add to my collection, - only to get to the check out table and be told "That will be .75¢, everything IS half price now! . And, of course, some of our sea glass booty!

At another sale I purchased this WHOLE bag of goodies for $1.10 !! It included: (15) new 25' rolls of rafia in FUN colors, (9) bottles of acrylic paints, (2) new packages of floral wires, a roll of lavender floral tape, a bottle of tacky glue, a package of stencil craft paint brushes, and pinking sheers (can you ever have enough of them??). I use rafia to tie up Fall bouquets of dried flowers that I sell, but there is enough rafia here to last me a lifetime++ - anybody out there have any good suggestions for using it??

I just realized that when the sun is shining on the roses, my Flamingo (that I had tucked into the herb bed) blends perfectly!!

...Round II

The strawberries are done, now it's time for...

MULBERRIES!!

They could stand to be slightly riper, but they are sweet and edible, and I had to move quick to grab a few before the birds carried them all off!! YUMMIE!!

...and what a way better way to introduce my latest cake stand ($2 Fenton milk-glass / clear plastic cover), than with a batch of Mulberry Muffins?!?
Next stop... the long awaited RASPBERRIES!!

...Tulips

flowers for all you Dad's!

HAPPY DAY TO YOU!
For just about as long as I can remember, My parents Tulip Trees have blossomed for Father's Day...

This year was no exception!

"It's in the trees! It's coming! When I was a child: Running in the night, ... " (KATE BUSH; Hounds of Love)

More of my weekend 'findings' later. Hope you all have a Wonderful Day!!

...and it was a lucky Friday the 13th!

My 'Tri-fecta' came in...

I 'scored' TWO VERA!!

They have me rather confused though... they are each tied in the same manner to incorporate two silver loops????! Any ideas out there in Blog Land??

My only thoughts were ...

• They were use in a store display on a mannequin... with no ears...
• 'Gypsy' Halloween costumes... for kids... who didn't have their ears pierced..
• Flipped upside down, they could be cute little 'evening bags'... after all 'the loops' are solid - not actual earrings!

For those of you confuse about my recent 'tri-fecta' - see my 'about me' page!!

...SMILE!

Things that made me HAPPY yesterday...

• an early morning Benefit Sale for a local animal shelter that yielded an ever elusive (to me) HAEGER Smile.
• a stop by the Thrift on my way home from the Dentist where I discovered a 'New' sweater clip - old, but still on original card.

... 'ALMOST Tri-Fecta'

• The weather finally cool enough for DH and I to go for our usual evening walk.
• Returning home to find our first Moon Flower of the summer!

• Enjoying 'fresh' strawberry sundaes on the porch 8-)

Does it get much better? Yes, I know - I'm easily amused!

...Monkey saw, Monkey DID!

Drumroll please..............................................

.

..

...

....

.....

TA DA! I am a stylin' Bag Lady!

(full History)

...and so, my 'resume' for the Senior Citizen Craft center is complete...

(Well, almost. After I have used it and 'bonded' with it, I may have a few small alterations to make!!)

**THANKS GO OUT TO LOOK WHAT I FOUND THAT LED ME TO A LINK ON HER PAGE TO MY RECYCLEDBAGS!

...a sea of PASTELS

I have come to the definite conclusion, that when 'saling', Friday sales provide the best output for 'resale' and 'keepers'....

a few goodies for resale: Large chenille bedspread ($1), vintage 'hanbag kit' (10¢), Norelco razors ($1.), Black tole tray (10¢), hankie edging booklets (10¢ea.), Big Eyed cat (25¢), 'Love is' frame (25¢), red tray (.5¢) and some Danish stainless steel flatware (3/.25¢)

...and Saturday is a 'non-rush' day, just for entertainment! This Saturday was almost a COMPLETE 'Sea of Pastels' - baby/kid stuff (which, contrary to some peoples beliefs - I have NO use for!!). Saturday I hit a couple of road / street sales. It was a nice morning - about 85deg by 9am - a good day for strolling and not getting in/out of the vehicle constantly!!

...and some 'Me, Me, Me!': Pampered Chef pot ($1), scrapbook stickers (10¢ a sheet), unused Java candle - smells YUMMY! (.25¢), book on tape ($1), red Bloomies bag (.25¢), 3 new boxes of Swiffer pads (25¢ ea), NEW KitchenAid black spatula ($1) and a couple of mags (10¢ea)

As for my 'saleswoman' dilemma... I think that I have ruled out the AVON line! I hit two sales on Friday where former dealers were clearing out there stock! I guess there's no money to be had in that!! Everything was CLEAN and new in sealed packages, so I grabbed a few goodies at 10¢ each, and an AVON tote out of the FREE BOX!! I think that the one lady sold to beauty supply stores also, as there were Sally Hansen and LaCross products also!

...some new colors to try out on the toes for the summer, and a couple of MUCH needed eyelash curler thingies (NO I'm not that 'hi-maintenance', just that the lenses on my eye glasses are so thick, that if I don't curl my lashes, they brush on my glasses and drive me crazy!!)

~AND~

The best for last... a sweater clip! Found in the bottom of a miscellaneous box of kitchen utensils, stray plastic lids, pens and keychains!!

I ventured out to the garden this morning a 7am (80deg!) before it got too hot...
Found these two iron Japanese style lanterns for a buck this weekend - still debating on a home for them!

Look what was awaiting me! Berry Season has begun!! Strawberries are not my favorite, but they definitely do NOT go to waste!! A few summers ago, when out buying plants for the first time with DH (who is a NEWBIE to the world of gardening!) - he asked if we could buy A strawberry plant (as in 'one'). I laughed, but agreed. You see my Grandfather grew strawberries... acres and acres of them - thus the thought of ONE little plant made laugh! Well, we found a spot on the side of the house for The Little Plant... and let it go. It has now taken over the entire length of that side of the house!! As I'm not that fond of them, they get no TLC, yet yield us about a quart every year - just the right amount of the sweetest 'little' berries you have ever tasted. They will win no awards for their size or quantity, but we love them!!

Have a GREAT WEEK!!

...SALESWOMAN... Tupperware or Avon?!?

Set of 12 Nursery Rhyme cake decorations / candle holders (each different!) - one of my favorite finds of the day!!

Saturday started out rainy and dark, but was that enough to keep me from trudging out at 7:45am for potential treasure?! I didn't uncover anything earth shattering, but did start to wonder if it was a sign that I should change my career and maybe...

Go into Tupperware sales?...

Tupperware glasses and mini storage containers - found at three different sales. A new package of Pampered Chef corn-thingies TOO! These will all be for resale, except the mini storage - they are GREAT for storing small quantities of cake decorations!!

Or maybe Avon?!...

Okay, okay... most of these are Bath & Body Works, not AVON - but you get the idea! Almost 'new' bottles (a couple do have the seals in place) for .25¢ ea - how can ya go wrong?! The V.B. imitation bag was from a different sale - perfect for dragging along hair accessories (headbands, barrettes, etc...) on vacation!

I don't foresee my future fortune being made in either of these areas - But Hey, Ya never know!

With a LOT of digging in the rain, I did get a few scores... Gotta love a sale that packs your stuff up in MacKenzie Childs shopping bags!! DH was worried when I came home with two of those in my hands!! ~ M-C 'studio' is about 20 minutes from our house!!~ I did find a Sock Coin Purse for .25¢ though. They aren't selling for much on e-bay... but they are 'the least expensive' thing that M-C sells ($5.00), so anybody that goes there and doesn't want to come out empty handed, picks up one of these! I never had one until now.

Danish SS sugar bowl, flattened Absolut Bottle 'cutting board' w/ knife, IKEA (NIP) easel, flutophone/recorder with storage bag, MC sock, and a cool piece of CARNIVALE pottery - I have to try and figure out the designer's signature!

...AND...

Last, but not least...

A SWEATER CLIP!!



By the time I had finished saling (10:30), the rain had stopped and the sun was even trying to peak through the clouds.

Off to the Garden Shop to pick up some annuals, then off the the garden...

Meet 'REBECCA of THE GARDEN' (That was her name when we got her - HONEST!!) VERY ITALIAN... yes. (I am Italian by injection only... oops sorry!) There is just something about this fountain that I love though!! We found her about 10 yrs ago. An impromptu Sunday morning stop at a house sale (of a Professor moving cross country). The statue was broken in half, the base was solid with leaves, slugs and every other kind of green- slimey- gooey- yard-yuck that you can imagine. No motor or 'workings' for the fountain... When I asked how much... FREE! We had the car, and the base wouldn't fit into it (not to mention the base is 200++ pounds!), so we took the statue and returned later with a different vehicle to get the base. She took a LOT of work, and every year DH repairs her rapidly deteriorating concrete base and paints her to 'get her through another summer'. The fountain works now too! Water sprays from the jugs she is holding in each hand (... that doesn't sound quite right...). She is in the backyard, next to the garage - where we can see and hear her from The Porch - very relaxing! Here she is... all done up in New Paint and New Annuals... ready for the summer! (don't mind the 'face' on the tree... kind of ruins the whole setting, huh?!)

That was my Saturday! Hope yours was a GOOD ONE!

Oh, and I have to thank MiuMiu for a comment on my last Blog entry that finally made me learn how to remove unwanted comments!!