... Verve + Vigor = 2011

One of my favorite gifts the past couple of months was this vintage COPPER cuff bracelet bestowed upon me by a dear friend for my birthday. No designer markings, but from the moment I tried it on, it won my heart! Don't you just love it when somebody really 'get's' your style?!! Even when YOU may not know it's your style?!
I've never worn COPPER much, or had any interest in it, but I perused the depths of my jewelry boxes to see what I could find that might complement my newfound 'love'...
hmmm.. some NECKLACES
...a heart (an Xmas gift in '79 from 3 little boys I used to babysit), a retro enamel (Home Bureau project of Mom's) and a funky quarter 25¢ Rummage Sale pick-up a couple of summers ago...
...a few PINS
(no clue as to their history!)

...and a couple of pair of clip EARRINGS
by 'Renoir', from my Great Aunt's amazing collection of 'Moderne' jewelry

Wow. I guess I only 'thought' I never had any 'interest' in COPPER jewelry! I think that is one of my favorite parts of thrifting/rummaging/saling ~ when you find that 'special something' that really makes you reflect. Helps you open your eyes and makes you just a little bit more aware of who you are and what your style really is deep down inside. I foresee a LOT of wear out of this cuff in the coming year 8-) !

On a similar note... Have you seen PANTONES color predictions for 2011?? In my previous 'life' I was a commercial Interior Designer, so I'm always curious as to what Pantone has to say. For the coming year it is HONEYSUCKLE. "Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor...". Hey, I am all for 'V' nouns and nothing says Fall like Honeysuckle ~ but take the rest of it for what it's worth! I'm a Sagitarius, so of course I am going to adore this color, and it is in the same color range as my newfound COPPER, so I think I shall jump on the honeysuckle #18-2120 bandwagon!

Okay, enough of that.

We can't leave 2010 without one last Christmas Sweater Clip addition...

Sweater Clip 2010 #38, #39, #40, #41, #42, #43.

The FINAL tally for 2010:

Sweater Clips: 43

HAEGER: 40

VERA: 35

Now I'm trying to decide, do I do another running tally for these same three categories for 2011, or are you sick of hearing about them and seeing them? Should I pick different categories? Should I discontinue it all together? Opinions? Anyone??

Just remember...

Enjoy your journey - wherever it may take you in 2011!

...is it REALLY??!

This week I have been COMPLETELY disillusioned... Is there a Santa? Is there a Tooth Fairy?
I have continued to look at this set of napkin rings from every direction in hopes of redemption...

They. Are. What. They. Are.

An example of what happens when VERA goes TAIWAN - 'IT AIN'T PRETTY!!' (but it does make you raise your eyebrows and laugh!!)

(VERA 2010 #35)

THE VERY HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE...

MAY YOU ALL FIND SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU SMILE (or at least laugh)!

...((sigh)) all went as planned, and NO BIG BOXES were entered!!

8am DENTIST
8:30 Drop packages at Post Office
9am Get RX filled at best local pharmacy where the same 3 pharmacists/owners are ALWAYS working, know my name, my prescription, etc... RX is always filled within 4min of drop-off... They are THE BEST (and 1/2 the price of chain pharmacies!!)

OKAY... Time. To. CHRISTMAS. SHOP. Now or never. It is going to happen TODAY! I had a plan. It was a week day. Decent weather. Early Start. Doing this solo. No distractions. I was staying in town. NO MALLS. NO BIG BOX STORES. I had my list.

OOPS! The TrailBlazer had other plans... I was cruising along, everything going according to plan. Making good progress. Then that darn thrift sign... Okay, just a quickie... The second I walked in, what did I spy from across the room? (VERA 2010 #32)

(I think I was particularly atuned to the butterflies because just the night before I had been looking at these pages in my VERA BOOK!!)

That was it. Then I was back on my scheduled rounds. I must say I did a 'kick-butt' job on my shopping today - I actually enjoyed it... didn't 'buy things', just to 'buy things' (do you know what I mean??!). Just a few SPECIALTY things left to pick-up 'out of town' this weekend... ~ ~ ~ Happy Dance ~ ~ ~

Oh, and as a reward for a 'job well done', I did allow the TrailBlazer to veer off course into another thrift on the way home...

VERA 2010 #33

VERA 2010 #34

Hope everyone is finding a little time for some 'stuffing / junking' amidst this hectic holiday season 8-) !!

...it's beginning to look a 'little' like Christmas...

The tree is UP and decorated...

it is snowing... and snowing... and snowing...

(ever wonder why I get so excited in the Spring when it is time to set up the porch? It's because this is what it looks like for about 6 months of the year!!)

Cookies are baked...
(2010 Stats: 28 Kinds, 65 Batches; approx. 3120 cookies total!)
~and I stand corrected, this was year 21!~

This year's 'newest' cookie baking aide was thanks to my brother salvaging this tiered rack from a warehouse that was being demo'ed, and my Dad's handiwork custom-welding it to hold the green trays!! A massive space and time saver - a

GREAT BIG THANK YOU GUYS!!

I haven't been out to do any 'stuffing' - but the goodness that I have been receiving in my 'early' stocking exchanges is beyond belief!!! Here is just a glimpse of a TINY portion of some of my goodies...

(Sweater Clips 2010 #21,#22,#23,#24,#25,#26)

HAEGER 2010 #40
(oops! somebody didn't get the memo on 'NO MORE HAEGER'... ;-) )

ROYAL HAEGER 2010 #41
Green Agate glaze

An AMAZING vintage enamel sign my Dad found, unused, in a friend's rafter's (an old farm machinery dealer) - part of DH's stocking. Supposed to be a 'joke' reminder of where he found 'me' (my hometown name is 'KENDALL') that he could put out in the garage, or something... but we both LOVED it, and it now has a place of honor in our Red/White kitchen!! ('Pickers' eat your heart out!!!! )

Sweater Clip 2010 #27, #28, #29

Sweater Clip 2010 #30, #31, #32, #33, #34, #35, #36, #37

Okay, now it is time for me to begin the Christmas Shopping for real! Wish me luck!!

...S.A.L.T.

Wish I had Wonderfully Festive & Decorative photos to show you... but this is all I've got... I hate to say it, but it is the Fourth of December and I've got Nothing!

The only 'lovelies' paying homage to this twelfth month holiday to be found scattered around our house are those items somewhere in the Ebay / ETSY stages (photo to pack-n-ship)! I have been 'informed' that is all to change THIS MORNING!... I have a date. DH and I are going to pick out our tree.

This Wed. 'The Crew' (for any newbies: bunch of college gal bestest buddies!!) is gathering for our Annual Cookie Baking Weekend (Could this Really be the 20th year that we have done this???). We exchange little 'stocking' gift bags with each other, consisting of mostly garage sale finds or craft experiments gone wrong or Winery finds!!!

For a change of pace, after I had finished making the Holiday Candy, I decided to get out my soldering iron (I know, I know... I had said 'NOT until after the Holidays!!'), and make 'The Crew 'Personalized Pendants'. Well, my soldering 'still' needs a LOT of practice ~ so they are each getting 'Personalized Ornaments' (ie: craft exp. gone wrong) in their stockings, and maybe, if I whittle out a little more time they will each get a piece from my Skeleton key collection 8-)!

CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE A LONG WEEKEND WITH THE GIRLS!! 8-)

...home again, home again

This past Wednesday we took off for the Ocean... the COLD, NE OCEAN!!! A November first for me!!!!

Definitely NOT easy to seaglass pick with gloves on! I managed though! Another 'first'... seaglass hunting on Thanksgiving morning 8-) (knowing that Mom & Dad were home feasting with grandkids and Great grandkids put my mind at ease!).

Seaglass 'GEMS' included a 'full' coke bottom that reads ATLANTIC CITY NJ (ultimate souvenir!) and

On my birthday (Saturday) DH spotted this RUBY RED 'RECO' (boat light??/boob??) that the sea gods offered up.

The main reason for the trip was the 'LEGENDS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT' which Syracuse University was playing in, though I will COMPLETELY deny and say it was ALL ABOUT ME & MY BIRTHDAY!! (for the record, SU did win the tournie for 'ME' on MY BIRTHDAY!) The tournament was held in Boardwalk Hall, which is where the Miss America Pageant used to be held. It was fun to wander around inside and check it out - neat, OLD building on the Boardwalk!

The casino's were done up for Christmas, though not as much as I would have expected... (this is Caesar's)

...and Tiffany's in the mall across the street was very 'tastefully' decorated!

While on our journey, I wore one of my recent 'creations', and got lot's of 'validation' (ie: compliments) - that, and the fact that it 'held-up'/'survived' made me feel good 8-), so now I will show my "blog audience" the first of my SKELETON KEY SERIES...

I have lots of other ideas, that include soldering and seaglass, floating around in my head - but I'm making them stay there until after the Holidays!!!!

~AND~

What Birthday / Holiday would be complete without......

((drumroll please))

Haeger 2010 #38 & #39

SweaterClips 2010 #19 & #20
(custom designed even! and on a custom card!!)

Enough 'froggin' around, time to swing into Christmas Full-On NOW!!!

...looking for some new reads??

Imagine my surprise while scanning blogs this morning, I came across TOP 50 BLOGS FOR YARDSALE AFICIONADOS and who do I see included on the list?!!

Now, I'm off to prep for the next Holiday...

The Trailblazer knows the way...

This past week has been a BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! one at the store where I work. The next couple of weekends in the little hometown village are filled with Holiday Bazaars ~ which means extra traffic for the store ((hopefully))~ which means trying to have the storefront windows and everything inside 'spiffed', 'shined', 'sparkly' and Holiday ready PRIOR!! My faithful Red TrailBlazer did detour a couple of mornings on our way to work, all of her own doing, when RUMMAGE signs were spotted!! Guess she decided I needed a little break, or else she was tired of the same old route. No major finds, just a few little baubles and some bling that caught my eye. I do have some questions for anyone out there that may be so inclined to offer up some info...

Picked up some URSULA DODGE side plates, just because they were fun. Anybody know anything about her??

This cool STERLING Hatpin was a no-brainer at .10¢!! I am Really intrigued by the design on it - WHAT is it? Mexican? Southwest? ANYBODY???

So... No HAEGER (I DID GOOD - didn't I?!!), not really much of anything... oh, well. Then, I got home from work one night... dead on my feet... and found a little envelope from the West Coast awaiting me.... What do you think was inside?

VERA 2010 #31

With...

SWEATERCLIP 2010 #18


sandwiched between...

VERA 2010 #32

Can you believe how WONDERFUL fellow bloggers can be out of the clear blue sky? I had known this wonderful gal (YSP) for a short while and then she had stepped away from blogging. During her absence she had found these items and thought of 'ME' - now, a YEAR LATER she is back into blogland, still had these beauties in her posession to pass-along...

WHO SAYS CYBERLAND IS A BAD THING?!!

Here's hoping everyone's favorite 'wheeled' buddy KNOW's THE WAY to LEAD THEM ASTRAY from time to time!!

...there's NO denying it!

I MAY SAY THAT RETAIL RUSHES THINGS 'A BIT'...
...BUT I GUESS I CAN'T ARGUE WITH 'MOTHER NATURE'!
I CAN CALL THIS MY 'THANKSGIVING CACTUS' THOUGH, CAN'T I?!

...SOLSTICE.

To our friend in Maine who lost his fight 11-5-10

"Did you just say that you had too much stuff?????"

This comment on my last post really left me with some food for thought... Had those words inadvertently come out of MY mouth? Was that what I was saying? - that I had too much stuff? Hmmm... A while back I had put myself into a self-imposed 'de-stuff', right-brain period. I'm still working at it... I waiver... The 'projects' have slowed a bit, but they are still in 'the works' as I sit in front of TV evenings. I am progressing steadily with the 'de-stuffing' ~ sending stuff to two different consignment shops, donations, ETSY and EBAY... LOTS yet to do, but hey, anything going 'OUT' is progress!! DON'T get me wrong, I'm not trying to work my way out of a 'Hoarder' situation or anything (isn't that just THE. NASTIEST. SHOW. EVER. ?!!). I guess just the thought of ever getting to a point even remotely near that scares the bejeezus out of me!!!!!

I guess I'm just anal or maybe a bit OCD and like to know 'exactly' where everything is, and everything needs to have a home. When there gets to be 'too much' - it get's to be 'too much' for me and it is time to PURGE! Guess that partially explains why I SO ADORE the Avery Label gun that I picked up last Summer at a sale and was thrilled this week when I picked up a bag FULL of various colored rolls of DYMO refills that fit it for $1.00 !! Those 'picnic baskets' & 'train cases' are so much more user friendly when their contents are labelled!!

Still, my home needs to be 'me'. I wouldn't be happy in a sterile 'ultra-modern' minimalist environment. If that is 'YOU', that is fine!- it's just.not.me. Take this peacock I found the other day in one of my regular haunts - she stole my heart, and HAD to come home with me - not for the XMAS season - she will be out year-round as a quirky surprise, tucked in amongst a plant. As with just about everything around our house- it is there for either comfort or enjoyment - nothing precious or to be worried about. When friends are over and we've been doing shots of tequila, it's not unusual for everyone to end up wearing the vintage black hats that I have adorning the wall on the stairs!! Now you are asking "What about all of that Haeger?" That's why we don't pay big bucks for it - so we don't have to worry about it! I don't ever want our 'stuff' to own us! I don't ever want our friends to feel uncomfortable in our home, or to worry about their kids in our home - and if/when it gets to that point... then THERE IS TOO MUCH STUFF!

Until then, I shall continue to purge, so that I can continue an occassional 'splurge' 8-) !!

All of my trips A-rummaging aren't COMPLETELY frivalous though...- look what I grabbed for $5 on Friday... (and then went back and grabbed two more for Christmas gifts!!)

Of course, there are always a 'few' frivolous purchases!

(VERA 2010 #30)

Now, I must go study up and re-learn how to place a call (gr.....) - have I mentioned how much I hate change?? DH is the techno-guru in our house, and he has recently insisted we update my phone.... Let me introduce 'Lady Solstice', here's hoping we have a long happy co-existence!! so-long 'Holiday Flash', you served me well...