A little too big for my suitcase

I am back from my trip to the St. Charles/Geneva IL. area. It was a whirlwind weekend of shopping and visiting with relatives. The weather was perfect with the trees just starting to turn colors. On Friday, we literally shopped till we dropped, non-stop for seven straight hours. I think I'm now a little shorter, having worn my legs down. The fellow above was from Belgium. I fell in love with him, but not with his price, a mere $2,225.00. He would have looked awesome in my backyard, sigh.....

Here is how the trunk looked after the first day.

You'll have to wait to see what I did bring home with me....

We're off...

to do some serious retail therapy. My sis, my friend, and myself are heading to St. Charles, IL. There we'll meet up with my niece from Minneapolis for a couple of days of power shopping. For years, I've wanted to go to the Country Folk Art Festival that is held there. That will be one of the stops. There is also an "over nighter" flea market which is held at the Kane County fairgrounds. It's from 4:00 pm till 2:00 am. It's supposed to have tons and tons of dealers. I can't wait...there's nothing I like better than flea markets. So off we go. I hope to blog soon about my fabulous finds.

Photo courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

A healing collage

I'd like to share with you a gift that I received the other day. It was made for me by my niece, who is actually more like a little sister. She used my dog art and a picture of my friend, Cindy, who passed away last month. It has a a lovely message and wonderful little elements about it. She used some vintage sheet music and was able to find appropriate lyrics, like the one that says "For she loved him so" above Otis. Yes, I cried when I saw that one. I know my sweet friend is definitely wearing her wings. The frame is really awesome as well. I would never have thought to do all of the different things to it like she did. It's perfect for it. Thank you, Kelly. I am incredibly touched.

My thoughts journal

Lately I've enjoyed making these journals out of inexpensive books. (double click to see details) I don't keep a journal, mind you, they're just fun to make. I have made feeble attempts periodically to write my thoughts down for later reflection, but I never stick with it. I have gone back to old posts to see what I was up to or thinking about at different times, so blogging is my journalistic choice.
As you can see, this book has a bit of a British theme. I am a total Anglophile. I can't explain it. Don't know why, I just am. For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with England and all she represents. I was one of those nuts who got up in the middle of the night to watch Charles and Diana wed. I don't play or follow tennis, but I'm determined to see a match at Wimbledon one day. My very favorite music is, you guessed it, the British invasion and the later stuff from the 80's. I drink tea by the buckets, English breakfast, of course, and I can make a mean scone.
I used to love the mod fashions from the 60's. Does anyone remember the Yardley slickers lipstick? My friend, Joy is the only person I know besides myself who had them. I was way too young to even wear the pure white frost lipstick when they were popular. I had the key chain versions, pink & orange and purple & aqua stripes. I wore it dangling from my belt loops. How cool was that for a small town girl from the Midwest? Recently, Joy came across some of the original lipstick on EBay and it was going for way over a hundred dollars. Of course, I didn't bid on it, but it was sure fun to see and reminisce.
Okay, I got a little off track with the Yardley thing. Back to my fondness of all things British. I was able to fulfill a life long dream and visit the UK four years go. It was everything I thought it would be, and I'll never forget the trip. I hope to go back again one day, and I'll try to remember to "look right" and not get run over. In the mean time, if there's anyone out there from across the pond that would like to correspond with an Arizonan, leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Today's accomplishment

I've had a bit of a creative block lately. I found myself hoping that some new ideas would fall from the sky and hit me over the head. Considering the circumstances of the past month, I shouldn't be surprised that I've been less than inspired and totally abandoned by motivation. Today was different though. I woke up wanting to get right to work. Today I felt like making something. This unfinished tray was taking up space on a shelf. I had no ideas specifically when I began, but I knew I wanted to use birds in some way. I plan to top it off with a piece of glass and use it on my patio as a serving tray. It will be the perfect place to set a cup of tea or coffee while I'm sitting outside.

We will never forget..

It's in our blood

Here is a photo (I apologize for the quality) of me in the green t-shirt taken more than twenty five years ago. I was in full stride, trying to score a goal. We were just a group of moms who got together initially for some exercise while our kids were having soccer practice. Soon we were hooked on the sport and our team joined a local women's league. I continued to play for more than nine years.

Here is oldest son Chris in his soccer debut. He loved playing from the very beginning. He would go on and play well into high school. Like many sports, it consumed our lives for many years. Homework and dinners were planned around practices and games. How I loved those days and being a soccer mom.

For a very long time, I have looked forward to this day. Here is granddaughter Olivia in her soccer uniform. She is the third generation in our family to play. Today was her first game. It was hotter than blazes outside, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. All the three and four year olds looked so darn cute in their big, baggy Umbro shorts. There was a lot of clinging to the parents and tears shed over missed shots. I'm fairly certain the parents and grandparents enjoyed it more than the little ones. If she takes after her Daddy and her Grammie, it won't be long before it's in her blood as well.

My Space

It's hard for me to believe that one year ago, this room was seldom used for guests. After a trip to my niece's house, I was inspired and a little (okay, very!) obsessed with having my own place to retreat to. It took some time to get everything into place, but I'm happy to say that it is just what I had envisioned. The room is defined by three areas. I have a big table where I can work on paper crafts. It faces a large window where I can watch the birds outside. My stitching chair sits in front of the floor to ceiling bookcase. I always wanted a room to use as a library. This is as close as I'll ever get. The dogs have beds to curl up in here, but just as often sprawl on the floor under my feet. The last addition has been the desk area. It used to be the closet. My wonderfully talented husband worked his magic, and it now holds the computer, scanner, printer and sewing machine. I no longer have to sew at the dining room table. It's nice being able to leave projects unfinished. Once in awhile, my other half will venture in for a chat. He sits in my chair, looks around at all my stuff, picks up this or that, shakes his head and then returns to his space a.k.a. the garage. I'm sure he feels totally out of his element in here, kind of how I feel at Home Depot.