...CREATE ~ INSPIRE ~ DREAM

 This W.O.W. (Week of Wonderful - THANKS Shara @ Monkeybox!!  Lovin' that "stolen phrase" when applied to the 'non-commercial') has found me enjoying a true bounty of heartfelt Holiday gifties!
     One of particular interest was this book

- LIVE -  LAUGH - LOVE -

 

 

 

Upon opening it, you find a void space.

A 'hole in the story' if you will.

...this has unnerved me a bit as to the upcoming 2014.

I KNOW these books are meant to fit on your shelf with others and safeguard valuables, BUT...

I'm just glad that there was a 'security blanket' (of sorts) included inside!!!

 

VERA 2013 - #25
 

Another giftie that I have been spending a LOT of time researching, arranging, and admiring...



in their 'new' home.

 Hatpin Holder with 25+ hatpins from
my employers. 
  HISTORY: since '99 I have worked part-time for an old Downtown Hardware / Antique store.  About the same time the Owner purchased a "Box-Lot" of HatPins, and has given me a couple of them for birthdays and Xmas ever since for my collection.  We have always joked that 'eventually' I would have ALL of them...  Recently, they have sold the buildings and will be closing out the businesses by the end of Nov. 2014.  I receive this Xmas gift with a note "I told you that you would end up with all of them."



VERA - 2013 #26 (Barbara)

 A DEAR, DEAR Older friend who couldn't get 'out' to do her 'usual' Xmas shopping this year Found this Little Scarf tucked in her drawer from when she used to live in NYC, and she thought I would give it a good home...

(If this scarf looks familiar... I DO have one in a different colorway...)

 
To Finalize the 2013 TOTALS and TRI-FECTAs...
Found in 2012!!

HAEGER 2013 - #7 (matches Candle Holders #5 & #6), & #8 (Xmas gifties)

SWEATER CLIPS 2014 - # 18 & #19 ($1each)

 

I FOUND IN 'ALL THAT EMPTY SPACE',  after I removed 'the security blanket',

~ CREATE ~ INSPIRE ~ DREAM ~

 MY 2014 WISH FOR YOU.

...of TREES, ... and BELLS ...and elves!

 

The Garlands are all strung.

The ornaments are all hung!

 

I created this display from a couple of old window screens for my 'one & only' craft show~flop this fall...  thought it should go to some use!

 

SEAGLASS TREES!

SEAGLASS SNOWMEN!

and more SEAGLASS TREES!!

 REMEMBER Ms. TABBY KAT?

SHE GOT DECKED OUT IN HOLIDAY BLING AND  WAS RELINQUISHED TO THE FOREST!

 

 

 OF COURSE!

The I MUST have at least ONE aluminum tree (this one has 'secondary colored' ornaments ~ purple/orange/green!

~to join in SHARA's elf Party today~

(because no house is complete without a DOZEN...or so...!!)

TWEED UPDATE: Despite a few 'close calls', he did return from Cookie Baking UNHARMED!!

 



Hope everyone is having a BEAUTIFUL week!

...tag ~ along

Look who decided to join 'The Crew' for cookie baking ~ TWEED!!

...Holiday Tri-Fecta!



 

My 'personal' HOLIDAY season begins each year with my Birthday, which falls around Thanksgiving...

SWEATER CLIPS 2013 #12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 !!

...and this year one of the presents I received from my Parents was this box full of my favorite 'bling' ~ 8-) !!

Just look at those sweet flowers & pearls!

 

...and VERMONT - with Rhinestones!!

could it get any better?!?

HAEGER 2013 #5 & #6

 but, of course, because they also gave me this sweet little pair of HAEGER candlesticks!

 

~AND~

just to round things out

I stopped by a Thrift the other day

(I was donating T.W.O. LARGE bags - HONEST!!)

 

VERA 2013 #24 ~ .75¢

...blurrrrrrrrr

The days are starting to whirl and blurr..

 but, it's FUN isn't it?

 getting those 'toys' out that you only get to see once a year...

 ...and adding a few 'new' special - acquisitions to the masses...

 

Of course, should the temperature rise, to say 60° (in DECEMBER - and you live in the NE!!) -

You MUST.GO.OUTSIDE!!!!

('cause it's gonna be a long-long time before you see it again!)

 



Impromptu trip to the Seaglass Beach caught me 'unprepared'  -
luckily they provide BLUE bags for 'dog owners' to clean up after themselves ;-)
(I did get quite the questioning looks as I did NOT HAVE A DOG and I was
carrying the bag like it held Valuable treasures!!)

...and treasures there were!

I'm seeing more tree's and snowmen!!

...on the

On THE FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER...

we went in search of 'THE PERFECT LIVE TREE' ~ mission accomplished, fairly painlessly this year!!
~But the tree had to sit in it's stand, surrounded by towels INSIDE overnight, while the snow and ice melted from it's branches~

 

On THE SECOND DAY OF DECEMBER...  

 

we tackled the lights and got that sweet little tree LIT!!

 

 

 


Now that it has TWEED APPROVAL, decorating can begin!!
MANY, MANY trips to/fro the attic storage area with totes of precious ornies & decorations...  I just tell myself with every stair step I take that is more Xmas goodies & eggnog I can partake of without guilt ~ right? RIGHT?!?!

 

I should probably stop 'BEACH DREAMING', and stop playing with my SEA GLASS creations and start doing some 'FOR REAL' decorating of the house, but I'm using the excuse that they are Holiday related, and they 'may' become gifts...

 

 

TWEED is trying to spur me on to get the garlands out and get them hung around the windows and doorways...  hmmm...   damn elf!

...HE'S BACK!!!

Guess who arrived on Wednesday

(to help me celebrate my B-day...)

~and~

stayed up LATE to cheer SYRACUSE BASKETBALL

onto Victory?!!

TWEED!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 8-)!

(Just a *Heads-Up* if you are so inclined: WALGREEN has a promo code TURKEY8x10 for a FREE 8x10 print - good until Saturday!!)

...want to feel like a teen again?

Tues.morning we watched the weather diligently...

They were predicting a 'HUGE' storm to hit,

~but~

I had a list a mile long of things I needed to do (before the storm and the Holiday)!

Finally, we decided it was clear until afternoon,

so off I went to work for a few hours and then

with 'To-Do' list in hand...

(A little background info: We live 18.9 miles from where I work  = 1/2 hour of all back road travel... basically 1 gas station at the half way mark.)

Anyways, about 10 minutes from the house the LOW FUEL light comes on ((oops!))

No biggie... (not feeling like a teen yet) plenty of gas to get to the gas station...

Except, when I get to the gas station, I realize I had left my purse at home... 

No CASH

No CREDIT CARDS

No CHECKS

((oops!!))

Now, there is a teenage feeling of deja vu as I'm scrambling through the glovebox, center console, etc. and finally come up with $10. (this photo is AFTER I put in the gas!!).

 

The Ladies at my bank were REALLY sweet though, and only harassed me 'slightly', as they gave me my withdrawal even though I didn't know my account # and they had to look it up... THANK HEAVENS for small towns ;-)!

...and what are YOU thankful for?

 

HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!! 

 

...catch you on the flipped side!

Is this better?

I guess I was truly showing just how

'out of my realm of comfort' I was

by straying to the 'Linen Section' of

Thrift...

...hmmm...
I think I liked the flipped-side (wrong?) up better.

...LIFE according to the THRIFTS!

According to the Thrifts, 'LIFE' is just a Big YO-YO! 

A Great. Big. Wrap yourself up in it. YO-YO!

 ...Or so the Thrifts explained to me this past week when I happened upon this 92" x 98" gem.  No backing ~ just the face.

 

Not my style.

 But I couldn't leave it sitting all lonely, and unappreciated on that Thrift store shelf.

 Why I happened down that aisle... (it's not my usual path) - must have been fate.

 I don't know it's age.

I don't know it's history.

I don't know fabrics.

 

I just know that

I am proud to be

 the temporary guardian

 of something that has had this much time and love put into it.

...WINNER, WINNER ~ Mexican DINNER!!

SO EXCITING!!

Last week J insisted I get upgraded from my old stone-age phone, and now I have my very own 'Peep' ~ SIRI !!  She's WONDERFUL!!    In testing her capabilities, she did the OLD EL PASO drawing for me - Are you impressed that I was able to figure out how to do that????  Don't be.  I just tell her what to do, and she does ALL the work!  

And our #4 Commenter was MISS HEIDI - CONGRATS!!