...Purple colored glasses

Who needs Rose Colored Glasses,
When you can have Purple Colored Glasses?

My Purple Colored Glasses rekindled my Love Affair with Fall during our annual venture to a Grape Festival in the heart of the FingerLakes wine country...

mmmm... the scents of purple Oregano blossoms in the brisk air...

...tough little, wild, purple flowers fighting their way through the leaves...

We were even able to navigate some spontaneous saling with our Purple colored glasses on...

...a purple velvet bookmark with pewter ends...

...and a simple, yet classic jeweltoned glass vase!

On the way home from the festival, we made our yearly stop at a little, out-of-the way Antique Shop (who's sign boasts 'GOOD JUNK'!). DH and I spotted this 'Floral Shell Wall Thingie'. I coerced DH to take a photo of it with his phone. Not sure why! I really have No Use for one of these. Maybe, take some ideas from it and create something else with my massive stash-o-shells?! A Halloween/Fall design? A bright red poinsettia? Any ideas out there?

While browsing, the proprietor was talking with another customer... "...the minute I bring in new stuff, it tends to fly out of here. It's almost like it has residual energy." . hmmm...

So, now that my Fall Mojo has been restored, I am ready to head back to Always Christmas land tomorrow. It shall be a short week, then we are off to Warrensburg for a splendid Fall weekend in the Adirondacks, full of family, friends and Much Saling!!

...where did Fall go??

Q: How did I spend a couple of hours this morning?

A: Putting together S.I.X. (6!) Christmas Trees!!

As a lover of everything Fall, this is wrong on SOOOO many levels, but there is a legitimate explanation...

My boss is opening another store "IT'S ALWAYS CHRISTMAS".

For the last month I have had a new 'job description', with my primary purpose being the repurposing of 'junk' (gotta love that!!). I've been busy repairing, glueing and sanding; painting (Resort Sand), and distressing 'junk' from his Antique store to be used as display pieces in the new store...

Now that that is done, we have moved onto set-up/display... and today that involved setting up and 'fluffing' Christmas trees! I'm having fun, but this is REALLY cutting into my Fall Spirit!!

I will post more 'complete' photos as we get closer.

To 'revive' myself a bit, I hit a couple of Thrifts on my way home from work - guess what I found...

A whole basket of - what else - Christmas Ornaments!! Even in my 'Bah Humbug' mood I couldn't resist these lovely indents and pinecones at .10¢ each! (SORRY about the HORRIBLE photo!)

Uncovering these two VERA in a Linen Abyss definitely lightened my mood and put a smile on my face!!
How can you not love a big, yellow Elephant on a vibrant red background?!

... 5:18 pm EDT (Northern Hemisphere)

This past week I have been on a Most Excellent Adventure - the perfect 'Warm Welcome' to Fall...

It started in Alexandria Bay (1,000 Islands, NY) - climaxed by an evening at BOLDT CASTLE (see photos in previous post!!)

From A-bay we ventured through the Adirondacks, across Vermont and into NH. A few antique shops were visited along the way, and we netted a 'new-to-me' Royal Haeger souvenir!! This olive peacock (center), was captured and now roosts proudly among two of my other peacocks!! My first of yet another glaze - the exact shade of hazy olive-green that predominates our Fall foliage right now as we eagerly await the vibrant crimsons and ambers of the new season!!

Our Destination: Concord, NH (DH does part-time photography for a NASCAR magazine, and this weekend the race was in NH!). It was my first visit to Concord, and it quickly became a favorite! It is the perfect blend of 'tree huggers', 'right brainers' , 'middle class' and 'suits' - in other words 'broad', but not to any one extreme! Does that make any sense?

Full of inspiration to reawaken my creativity with the new season...

... A stain glass shop to rekindle my spark for soldering

...an antique mall filled with interesting ideas (hmmm... a button flower bouquet could be fun in a piece of Haeger!!)

...a bead shop with LOTS of eye candy!

...and even a store window display validating my 'plarn' creations!!


Saturday while DH was at the races, I got a paper, some maps and set my course for adventure!! Time for a walk...

Beautiful morning! Enroute I stumbled onto a Farmer's market, and an Arts festival. LOTS of sales happening. Nothing 'earth-shattering', but loads of fun and everyone I met was very friendly! Small metal shelf, sterling necklace, Scarves, hankies, Dennison Poker chips, vintage packets of beads, garlands, grapevine wreath, a Serta Sheep (my first!), and a couple of sweaters (it was COLD, and I wasn't prepared...). Good thing that I was limiting myself to the amount I could comfortably carry (DH had our vehicle at the races)!! Okay, so I did stop back to the hotel room midway to unload... All-in-all a MOST enjoyable 6++ mile siteseeing walk!!

...$20,000 QUESTION

Earlier this week, DH attended a conference for work, - I tagged along for the 'roadtrip'. An evening 'Social Hour' was held at this magnificent local.

Can you be the first to correctly identify?! HINT: Renting this 'building' (food-drink-transport Extra!) for an evening is possible for the same $$ that the entire piece of property was first purchased!!

GOOD LUCK!

<3, S-

...let the Halloween festivities begin!

NO. I haven't started decorating for Halloween yet. Somebody else has started doing it for me! I'm not usually too big on spiders, but this guy has won our heart! This is the current view in our stair landing window. HE'S ON THE OUTSIDE!! The bottom portion of the window is covered with 'T.h.e. most perfect web', and inhabited by a spider far larger than I prefer. I have to admit, it is pretty impressive, and when DH showed him to me a few days ago, and suggested we let him reside until after the Holiday - I didn't even flinch.

Saturday's saling was a definite improvement over last weekends 'Kinky Witch' episode! It was an overcast, brisk 58° when I started out (but it did get up to 64° by noon)! MMMMM... Fall IS in the air!I hit an Estate sale and a few individual sales first, then tackled the 'Rt. 34B Sale'. The Estate sale was by far the most enjoyable, even though I didn't buy a thing!! While perusing a couple of old recipe boxes, I heard the woman running the sale talking in the next room... that voice... sounds familiar... YES! As I entered the next room to ask the price of the recipe boxes I encountered an old friend that I hadn't seen in a couple of years. She had finally sold her mother's house, would be closing on Tuesday, and was heading out West to Seattle on Thursday!! We chatted for probably a half an hour, then I wished her the best and headed on. Empty handed. ( when she saw me 'fondling' the recipe boxes, she quickly snatched them away and said they weren't for sale ... ) .

Nothing of major excitement at the next couple of sales... onto the 'Rt Sale'!

The first stop on 'The Rt.' was a good omen for the rest of the day... Lots of Stuff. Cheap. FUN people. What more can you ask for?? I got these four little glasses for $1 (even an 'Archie'!) and a great retro-moderne chrome birdcage stand (It's similiar to this, but chrome/black with more angles and details... I couldn't figure out a good way to photograph it, so use your imagination!!) for another $1.!!
...MUGS seemed to be 'my thing' for the day... A.C.C. (where we had our wedding reception!), Met Museum: Frank Lloyd Wright, Starbucks, Syracuse China Christmas...

...DANSK placemats NWT and a coupls of Bossons reference books (.25¢ ea.)! I'm not a big collector of Bossons, but curious of their history. I do have a hallway (adjacent to the 'Fish Hall'), that is in a nautical-of-sorts theme. Included on the walls are some 'Bosson-wannabes', and maybe 1 or 2 of the 'real' thing. I just adore these 'scruffy' Sea Men!

A couple of shots of a few of 'My Boys'!

Of course... would the day be complete without a VERA (Black Polka-Dots!!) and a sweater clip, or two?!!

...this~n~that

No saling this morning, and I didn't go out saling last Saturday... guess I was still traumatized from last Friday's 'Full Moon Saling' adventures!! So, not much new 'stuff' to show. On Sunday we did go to a car show, which had a good sized Flea Market, and I picked up these two little gems. Gold-toned glove clip ($1) and a double chain sweater clip with black stones ($1).

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I seem to have been shorted on the 'crafting gene', but when Fall is in the air - you never know what may happen!! Somehow it usually involves dried 'weeds', a hot glue gun and spray paint. Thursday morning I hit a Thrift... found a 'new' 18" straw wreath form ($1.99) and that's all it took to ignite the spark! At home I gathered: armloads of Artemesia from the garden, floral wire & pins from my attic stash, a bag of plastic fruit I had picked up at a sale a couple of weeks ago (.25¢), dried Hydrangea from my Mom & a can of metallic silver spray paint from the basement. Two hours later this is what I had...




(Lighting changes the look of it completely ~ thus, TWO photos)

Okay, Martha I'm NOT. But hey, it was a cheap afternoon of entertainment!!
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Thursday evening, we had our first flower on our Moon Flower Bush (Datura Inoxia / Devils Trumpet / Thorn Apple). Isn't it a beaut? (It's in a pot with a couple of other plants, so don't be confused by the various foliage!)

I've posted often in the past about our Moon Flowers - don't be confused!! There are many different plants that people refer to as 'Moon Flowers'. We have FIVE! different variations in our yard.













This is the one I commonly talk about. It is my favorite because the flowers open so rapidly that we can watch them! It is an Oenothera Acaulis Aurea / Dandelion Sundrop / Moon Flower / Texas Dandelion.

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That's all I've got for today! Lots of sales 'supposed' to be happening tomorrow, BUT rain is predicted, so I shall have to wait~n~see!!

~HAPPY SALING!~

...Be Here Now Be Here.

FRIDAY. Lots to get done at work that day, but still time to hit the three sales listed in the papers on my way to work.

First stop was in the middle of town. Advertised as a GARAGE SALE, I was rather bummed when I pulled up to an old house on a corner lot which had been split into apts... NO 'Garage'!! There was a sign by the road, and I saw some people walking down the sidewalk with arms full of 'treasures'. I thought maybe around back was a small lawn... I cautiously made my way to the back - no lawn. no garage. Just an open porch door. I tentatively peaked my head in the door, and found a middle-aged (rather 'frumpy' looking housewife) arranging stuff in the kitchen. She was very welcoming- told me "Come in! Everything inside is for sale!". As I entered, I was hit by the strong aroma of candles - NOT a bad thing - could have been much worse! I was the only customer there, so we chit-chatted. The merchandise in the small kitchen consisted mostly of numerous new crockpots, numerous new blenders/food processors, and Candles! I picked up a set of those 'cheezy' Moon/Sun resin-mirror-wall hangings. When I find them on the cheap, I grab them, take them home to meet with a coating of spray paint, then hang them amidst the trunk of our Mulberry tree on the edge of the herb bed (see 9-2-09 post for a glimpse!).

Then I wandered into the next small room. Books, CD's, bookcases and some 'due for the curb' overstuffed furniture. I browsed through the books. I was intrigued when I came across a book on 'WitchCraft', but soon I realize that about half of the books were of this nature. As I perused further, some cookbooks, some 'Chicken soup for the soul'..., a title on a hardcover grabbed my eye - 'LapDance'. Completely expecting it just to be an 'eye-catching' title, I was a caught off guard when I opened it to find that was REALLY what it was about - complete with Graphic Photos and minimal text! Hmmm.... I don't consider myself a prude by any means, BUT! Would you really put something like that out at your Garage Sale???!

Next room. PACKED floor to ceiling with 1960's - current Playboys! Okay. Enough. I gathered my moon/sun and a small stack of the WitchCraft books and paid the Nice Lady.

**Just as a side-note in explanation of the books... As I have stated before, I am not of any specific belief/religion, though I find that an educated knowledge of them ALL is good 'background information'. I will browse the books, and eventually 'release' them to Ebay (some look to be fairly profitable!!).**

The next two stops were on The Bizarre side too, so I called it a day! When I got to work, I glanced at my calendar and realized it was a FULL MOON - I think that explains a Lot!!

...dessert ~or~ an appetizer?

Is this the 'last' bouquet of Summer or is it just a glimpse of things to come in Fall?

HAPPY 'UNOFFICIAL' END OF SUMMER!

(and Yes! This is a blogging first for me... a photo of my bathroom - just WRONG on so many levels!!)

...gloves are off!

All Summer long I basically L.I.V.E. in my thick, leather gardening gloves. Okay, I better clarify that statement... I don't wear them when on the hunt for 'stuff' (although often I should!). When I'm working in the yard though, I always have gloves on. **EXCEPT** when it comes to harvest time. Especially when I'm gathering the herbs!! Oh -that fragance!!!

Yes, it would be much cheaper and MUCH less time consuming to buy those little bottles at the Dollar Store (as DH often informs me!!) - but my herbies are completely about the 'Journey', and the 'Destination' is just an added benefit!

CHIVES! DILL! OREGANO! BASIL! ...How I love thee.

(Now, I'm off to go pop in the shower, 'cause I'm sure not everyone appreciates me walking around smelling like a pizza!!)