A Day Off

Everyone needs a day off every once in a while to re-charge, re-think, or just plain relax. Today was one of those days for me. So I grabbed my favorite partner in crime, my mother, & we did three of the things we do best....1) ate out 2)shopped 3) giggled a lot!

Since I hadn't posted here in almost a week, I made a few pics for you.

Thought I'd share with you one of my favorite smaller mirrors today. This one hangs in our dining room. It came already "shabbied up" with years of vintage age to it, but I love it that way. It is cream with gilded highlights. I love the contrast of it against the red wall. The tabletop chandelier is one that I salvaged, painted & added bobeches & prisms to. It used to be black, with black candle sleeves & a black marble base. I love the double pair of sweet cherubs.I recently found a beautiful extra large damask dinner napkin with an S monogramed on it, so of course I had to have it. Thought it might look nice as a table topper in the dining room.

In a moment of weakness, I listed this antique mirror & sold it last week. Now I'm having regrets, as it would have looked awesome hung in my bathroom to reflect my new chandelier over the tub. I'm sure I'll never find another as gorgeous as this one. What was I thinking?!?!

As mentioned earlier, my mother & I went out to lunch together today, then antiquing in a few of our downtown shops. Got these adorable little angels. Not quite sure how I will use them yet, but they needed to come home with me!

Also found this pretty ROSES vase that I just couldn't pass up. I may list it in my store.

Mother & I had such fun together today. I left lots of stuff undone around here, but I treasure the times we have together so much. And the dust, housework & blogging will be here tomorrow, too, right? Hope everyone had as fun a day as we did!

Hugs,
Stephanie

My Sheffield Classic #501 China Pattern

Several of you have been so sweet to write & ask me for a closeup of my china pattern, so here it is. I've got a service for twelve, but am still looking for a few of the extra pieces & especially want to find 8 more of the little demitasse cups & saucers. It has a very soft muted ROSES pattern in pink & white with pale sage & grey shades on the leaves, & the pieces are rimmed in platinum. Hope we get lucky & find some!!

Below is a picture of my newest "old" addition to our master bath. A vintage crystal chandelier from Europe. I finally talked hubby into wiring it & hanging it over the tub in our bathroom. I need to replace the large crystal ball that is supposed to hang at the very bottom tip, & add 2 more small pointed prisms. Now this is calling for a re-do of the bathroom! Inching closer & closer to my "ideal" room!

This beauty hangs in my SIL's home. Isn't it spectacular?
Hugs,

Stephanie

I Love Shadow Box Mirrors

And Please Help Me Find My China!

Don't you just love old mirrored shadow boxes, the kind like from the 60's? They just hold so much stuff!! I sell mirrors all the time on eBay & came across one that I intended to sell, but after cleaning it up, I decided it just had to stay with me. Hubby put up a fight, using arguments like, "It's so big, we don't have a place for it, it doesn't match, we need to sell something this week so we can afford groceries & gasoline, yada yada yada". But I knew after I painted it that I just couldn't let it go. Gee, it had gorgeous ROSES on it that just needed painting to bring out their glory!!! So I tucked it away in the corner of the garage to save for when I could find a place for it. Or did I hide it there from hubby? Oh well, I digress.......

Daughter & granddaughter will soon be moving out, so I plan to re-do daughter's bedroom, & ta dah ~ this will be hung on the wall! Instant decoration!! I've filled it with some of my favorite pieces & am already enjoying it.

I had to post a closeup pic of the detailing on the roses. The frame had been an ugly terra cotta color, just needed shabbying up a bit to fit into our home! I added lots of rose themed items, like the roses votive holder, the little blue pin money purse, some of my hinged boxes that have roses on them, & my little demitasse cup & saucer that matches our wedding china. I've been looking like crazy for more of these ~ the pattern is called "Classic" (I think) by Sheffield. Back of plates have the Sheffield logo & a fleur de lis design, says Fine China Japan Classic 501. If you ever see some of these, please snatch them & let me know. I would love to finish my set ~ only have 4, need 8 more. My in-laws owned a small Affiliated grocery store at the time, & gave us a full set of the "grocery store" giveaway china when we got engaged. You know, Buy $25 of groceries & get the featured item of the week for only $1.00! Something like that. These were available at Affiliated Stores back in 1973-74. Boy, am I showing my age now or what?

Anyway, it was a very special & thoughtful gift & I simply adore using it & decorating with it. So please help me find more of the matching demitasse cups & saucers!!

Hugs,

Stephanie

~ Beth, Mail Art, & A New Addiction ~

Looky what I just received in the mail from my friend Beth at Gathering Dust!! She just did a Mail Art Challenge & made up some very unique envelopes to send out to a few lucky ducks like ME!!! Check out her blog on beginner mail art & you will see more of her fun creations.

Got this really pretty envelope in the mail from her ~ I've never seen so much time & thought put into an envelope! And, yes, Beth, the envelope made it here in perfect condition, too!! I bet the mailman got as much of a kick out of seeing it as I did!! Even my DH was impressed, so Beth, you did good!!

Pretty layers of aged looking paper strips down the left hand side with cute happy florals everywhere! Who wouldn't be happy getting a sweet envelope like this? I just sat there & looked at if for a while & let the anticipation build for what might be inside ~ and boy, I wasn't disappointed!

I had mentioned to Beth (she being the ultimate collage / scrapbook artist) that I needed some easy do-able ideas for a pumpkin swap I'm doing for another group I'm in. Bless her sweet heart, she sent me tons of papers, tags, adorable baby rickrack trim, all in fall colors!! I'm set to start off in the world of altered art now!! I've got orange papers, vintage look Halloween designs, rose art in a heavenly fall hue, even a finished tag to inspire me!!!! Now, surely with all these sublime products (notice the subtle word "Success" on the top left?), I'll be able to come up with something super-neat......and all the credit will go to my mentor, BETH!!!!

Thanks sweet BETH, you are a doll!! Ahhhh, I feel a new addiction coming on........

Hugs,
Stephanie