...so what's a girl in need of a 'stuff-fix' to do??

I've shown you the results of a few VERY Lackluster days of thrifting last week, and when my Friday morning 'usuals' only yielded this grapevine wreath, it was barely enough to keep me from 'throwing in the towel'.

Friday night, after work, DH & I had a 'Hot Friday Night on The Town' - ran errands, visited the inlaws (which now includes a stop at the Nursing Home - always a Fri. night treat!), dinner... . Got home and settled in for the evening with warm comfy clothes and slippers. DH was working on a project on the computer. All of a sudden I put my coat and a hat on (still in slippers) - DH looked up "WHERE are you going??" SILLY! Of course he should know the answer to that, dressed the way I was, at that hour of the night... " To the ATTIC!" (aka "fairweather STUDIO".



Oh, EVERYONE should have an 'ATTIC' or a place of retreat when thrifting gets dire, (or when thrifting is Very good for that matter!!). 'MY' attic is 'MY' haven. 'MY' studio. 'MY' storage. DH gets the garage. I get the attic. No, I have not broken down and let DH finish it off and climate control it... YET. It is still in it's unfinished glorious form. Yes it has full insulated wood floors, new windows & new roof; but the rafters are all uninsulated & exposed, yielding it about 15° warmer than the exterior in the Winter, and much warmer than the exterior in the Summer. Spring and Fall are Wonderful though.

I digress, so I was on a mission to the Attic. I had remembered the Grapevine wreath I had purchased that morning. I grabbed a basket and went 'shopping' in my massive stash.

Silver garland - check

'Junk' RED ornaments - check

'Junk' PINK ornaments - check

Hi-temp Hot Glue Gun - check

Lotsa Glue - check

can't feel my fingers anymore, gotta go back downstairs......

So, this snowy weekend was spent 'destashing' - thanks to inspiration from Sonya over at Dime Store Thrift. What do you think - an improvement on the 80's grapevine wreath? I personally prefer it this way!

Oh, I guess I could have spent the weekend doing something productive like cleaning or putting things on ETSY - but isn't this FUN?!!

Hope you are having FUN even if 'the stuff' is eluding you!

"...the council is NOT amused."

Does anyone remember that famous line from the old Bewitched series, when Samantha would occassionally have to appear before the Witches council? Well, that pretty much sums up 2011, thus far, for me in regards to 'stuff'! The 'weather' didn't hit our area until sometime early this morning, so this past week I was out scouring the thrifts, junk-shops, 2nd hand shops, next-to-news, consignments, and any other 'Port in a Storm' that I could find to fill my need for a GOOD FIX. But, alas, I hit a record (for me!) eleven different stores within a week with VERY UNREMARKABLE results!!!! Here is the loot that I brought home in it's unedited form... (are you ready for the excitement???)

scarf and fleece hat to brighten up the day to day wardrobe

a couple of Retro Geiger tops, coming soon to an Etsy shop near you

a bag full of vintage seam bindings, new & used, priced too good to pass up, can never have enough of this stuff - can you?!

OH - there was ONE SCORE.....

VERA! 2011 #1... a Bunch of Grapes!! (perfect for the FingerLakes where we Love our Wine!)

*Another purchase, but that was SOO NASTY & TACKY, purchased with a direct project in mind - and already partially rehabbed- that it shall wait until the 'after' photos are ready, so you don't think that I have completely lost my mind!

Come on 2011, you can do better than this ~ Right?!

...2010 - The year of the TIGER.

My Holiday Celebrations 'officially' came to a close on 1-2-11, after a girls' day with my bestest buddy! One of my gifties from her was this 21" tall Royal Haeger Cat in my beloved Mandarin Orange glaze. (2011 #1)The Chinese New Year doesn't begin until 2/3/2011 and is the year of the Rabbit.

2010 was the year of the Tiger, I guess this is an appropriate way to see the old year out 8-) !!

... 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!!