...the 'B.E.S.T.' kind of enablers

 

SPRING DAISY SEAGLASS MIRROR circa 2020 by svelteSTUFF

   Around Thanksgiving 2023 I was hanging / drinking a bottle (or 2) of wine with a couple of my BESTIES (A & L)...  Out of the clear blue, L asked if I had ever sold the 'Daisy SeaGlass Mirror' that I had made? - if Not (which I hadn't!), she wanted to Buy it!  'A' immediately chirped in "OH! I always loved that, and now that I've repainted, had wished I had bought it!"

  "DON'T FIGHT GIRLS!  SANTA MAY MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY DREAMS COME TRUE 8-)!"  CHRISTMAS SHOPPING DONE!!

WIN ~WIN!

(*Of course 'A' got an IOU for a custom piece that is Now 'in the works' !)

'BESTIE'

Not a word in my daily vocabulary, or that I have ever given much thought to...

 I think 'true' BESTIES bring out The Best in us.

  My BESTIES, without knowing it, encouraged me to 'play' in my beloved SeaGlass... (something I had forgotten how much JOY it brought me!)

...they gave me an 'excuse' to get creative!

 and make Daisies on a cold, snowy January morning

 (when I 'probably' should have been doing 'responsible-grown up' things)

'BESTIES' are the people in your life that HONESTLY encourage you to be selfish! 

 They give you the 'Free Pass / Motivation' to have FUN & be PASSIONATE again!

enJOY

&

be well!!

...when it ALL comes Together!

Friday was 'OPENING DAY' (ie: FIRST RUMMAGE SALE of The Season)!!

Oh Yeh!

You can bet I was there for the 9am OPENING!!

It was my first time at this particular sale, and as you can see in the center of the photo, there is a wall-mount pencil sharpener - and in the mindset of 'TheDucks', that's ALWAYS a Good Thing!

This Hot duo set me back $4., and EVERYTHING else came to a total of  $5. (or about .15cents Each!!)

LOTS of Wilton cake decorating tools, supplies and unopened flavorings!

Wire on wooden spools to feed my crafting addictions and old metal spoons to sell...

Found these two in the bottom of a bag-lot
Think there is a market for masonic bolos or old NASCAR??

The aforementioned Pencil Sharpener, a Bausch and Lomb magnifying strip, Carpenter pencils, wire cutters, Weis oak recipe box, French compass and a bunch of CROCHET HOOKS!!  The hooks were one of my Serendipitous finds, as I have just volunteered to work on a 'Harriet Tubman Crochet Mural' to cover the exterior face of our town art museum.  We need to have a couple of specific sized hooks that were NOT currently part of my arsenal!!

Last Weekend we had a 'Baby-Fiesta...Nacho average Baby Shower' for my niece!  Sesame Shimmer HAD to get in on the FUN!

...and TWEED couldn't be left out!

~AND~

as LUCK would have it, I found a box at 'The Rummage Sale' of TEN beautiful, vintage mini sombreros, so now Our WHOLE house is ready for a festive welcome to Spring (and The BABY!!)

...Haeger Kitty

...Haeger Girl

...OH!  Something not quite right here!!

...our Mexican Nodder

and even CHARLIE BROWN has gotten in on the FUN!!

Last week I stopped by one of our packing 'Suppliers' for some boxes (local optician).  He has been in business locally for over 50yrs. and has a 'stash' of Old Stock.  He made us a 'proposition' to try selling some of it for him!  Hmmmm............

We normally DON'T do 'consignment'- sales, but these just looked like too much fun to turn down!!

...and learning more about glasses is something that interests me!

Been doing a LOT of research on YouTube... found a new-to-me site called DORKY THRIFTERS that has exceptional information on reselling eyeglasses!  Everything from buying, cleaning, measuring, photographing and shipping.  Go check her out if you are ever in need of this info!

One of the 'tools' recommended in the videos was a 'CALIPER' for measuring the eyeglasses accurately!

I had been looking around on Ebay to purchase a digital electronic one - they are only $5-$8 (incl s/h and battery), but when this one 'APPEARED TO ME' at The Rummage Sale for .15cents, it was kinda a no-brainer! (**If we get REALLY 'into' glasses, then we can 'splurge' on a digital one - lol)!

NEVER FEAR, I have been 'flexing' the old creative muscles a 'bit'...

This 'up-cycled' clock adorned with some of my treasured aqua seaglass is the latest creation that I am rather crushing on!

...BE WELL.

    In keeping with the HAT PURGE, we wanted to put some of them in our booth at MK, but floundered at a Good-Unique-EyeCatching way to Display...

  We let the idea mull, and continued sorting the "Last Chance" load of boxes that we had not completely sorted yet.  Box after Box of Fancy Glassware (Have I ever mentioned that I really DON'T enjoy Glassware?  Well, I don't.)   A few of the boxes (much more interesting to me!!) were F.U.L.L. of art supplies.  Probably close to 200 well-loved artists brushes, pallets, canvas...

  THEN IDEA STRUCK!

 A 'Hall-tree' of sorts...

With a bit of a twist!

In 'use' at MK!

 Our latest 'creation' is a bit of a tribute

 to my dear friend ~ 'B'.

She was a very dear Lady, who led a long, intriguing life - FULL of her artwork and Ideas.  She lost her battle almost two years ago, but her spirit stays strong.  The carloads of boxes that we have sorting were hers - 'stuff' whose stories are lost, but soul remains.

NOW, onto 2016
Feeling the 'power' of 'possibilities' that a "Fresh.New.Year" presents us with...

Our 'ADIOS' to 2015!

Trying to clear out and make room for some more at GAC!

Our 'upgraded' locale at MK
(We are now in the BRIGHTER aqua area - directly across from the register,
PREVIOUSLY: waaaay in the back, past the dark purple divider...)

Now, for a quick tour of 'what's New'...







SEAGLASS on Watercolor!

Remember doing 'string art' when you were in Grade School?

Loving the 'Pink Button' Thing!!

 ...UNTIL NEXT TIME...

"BE WELL."

~B.

...Fu. Lu. and Shou.

Is it legal to just be finishing up decorating at 2pm on December 25th?

Well, it's done, anyways.  Inclusive of a BOXFUL of 'new' Vintage ornies found in the 'haul' I recently mentioned and TWO (2) GINORMOUS.BEAUTIFUL ornies gifted to me by 'L' (one shown in this picture - with the pine trees!)

Of course, all of this decorating was made possible with the help of TV Christmas specials - including the classic 1988 PeeWee's Playhouse Christmas.  Yeh, so, I'm an 80's girl.  I can't help it!!

The NE has had a little Holiday Gift from Mother Nature this year - in the form of a 'free trip to warmer climates'!!  Christmas Eve in Central NY state was about 70degrees!!!!

So, what's a person to do?

MAJOR Seaglass Trip!!!!!!!!!

Seaglassing in December -

Without a coat-

or gloves-

in New York State!

Merry Christmas to ME!!

but wait...

it gets better!

J found a BLUE MARBLE (the.Holy.Grail. of seaglassing), then shortly later I found MY FIRST EVER MARBLE! and it is GREEN - for CHRISTMAS EVE (of course!).  Then we found another old round worn blue piece of glass....  YIPPEE! YIPPEE!

~ AND ~

on the ride home...

a Beautiful Moon Rise!

I have also been enjoying the Holiday season in the Studio - 'Playing with the Angels'!

(not to worry - bottom left was an attempt at a Holly Leaf with Berries - I didn't mutilate a poor angel THAT badly!!)

I AM going to give you 'snippets' of the contents of 'The Haul' gradually, so as not to completely overwhelm / bore you!!  And, 'Yes', I HAVE gone through ALL of the boxes already!!  I think this is my favorite find - or at least for now it is ;-)...

Three (3), 13" Ceramic / Porcelain / China figures that I found in the bottom of one of the boxes. Not sure of exact age - if anyone has any info I'd love it!!  I have found that they are:

SANXING (deities)

"are the personified ideas of Prosperity (Fu), Status (Lu), and Longevity (Shou) in the Chinese traditional religion."

PROSPERITY.

STATUS.

LONGEVITY.

Three 'Deities' I don't mind having in our home as we head into another year!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

...HAEGER tour!

This post is NOT for the faint of heart

...faint of HAEGER Pottery heart that is!

I hope I don't put Anyone on OVERLOAD - but you have been WARNED!!

Over the years I've squealed with joy over random HAEGER finds/gifts, but I have never given you the FULL.HOUSE.tour.

Are you ready?

Here goes...

PLEASE forgive the dust & clutter (but I DO collect a 'few' things other than HAEGER - ha,ha!!)

Entering through our KITCHEN, you will find just a few select Red/Black pieces scattered about (They don't all normally live in the Middle of our countertop - they were gathered here for photo purposes only!)

Through the doorway to the DINING ROOM: Our dining room is done in MCM hand-me-down furnishings, and our china cabinet houses some of my fav's.!

and a built-in corner of the Dining Room 

Throughout, the HAEGER is put to use holding odds-ends.  This area is home to a LOT of Seaglass and Shells!!

 We played around for a l-o-n-g time on the 'best' way to group/display our vast array of Haeger...

Some things we group 'like-shapes' together, but for the most part we are grouping pieces according to glaze / color... but it is ever changing!

A couple of shelves in our 'COMPUTER ROOM'...

This shelf is a bit of  HAEGER, VERA (plates & airplanes) and BENNINGTON - 

Our FRONT HALL is probably 'changed up' most frequently - right now it is home to aqua's in a 'seaside' theme...

VERA linens and HAEGER accent each other quite well!!

Not much of a vignette, but Love the Lady Bug and the Lady!!

 In the TV ROOM:

is our Mauve Agate Collection

...and our Gold Tweed!

Can you find 'TWEED' (Our Elf)??

This room is fondly called THE HAEGER ROOM.  Can you guess why?

Extra Oak house-trim pieces have been used to create Ceiling height shelves around the room!

 Onto the GUEST ROOM: 

Rather 'tucked away', this is home to our plain 'Garden House Variety' of whites...

You have probably noticed throughout, our pension for using multi-plate racks to display HAEGER's Numerous atomic dishes and ashtrays!

 Even the ATTIC STUDIO has it's share of shelves, home to more of our 'less-favored, but can't part with' pieces!

Yes, it is a sickness, this HAEGER LOVE.

When I first started collecting & learning about HAEGER, I picked up ANY piece I found on 'the cheap'.  I've grown away from the simple Garden House designs and don't buy them anymore (well, not as much!)  ~BUT~ still have a diverse love of the variety of glazes and figures... and HAEGER made a LOT!