Digi Play

I was doing a little blog visiting today and found a new digi site here: http://www.deviantscrap.com/
so I bought a few kits. One from there guest artist Tangie Baxter called Haute Soiree. Thought I would mess around with it in PSE and just play and have some fun. This is where my muse went for this piece.

Just kind of a fun piece in black & white

My beautiful finds at the Victorian Cottage Sale

I am finally getting around to my finds at the sale last Sunday! It was so much fun wandering around the old cottage and finding a few goodies to bring home with me. I was shocked there was anything left, as the sale started on Saturday but I was able to find a few treasures. It was the funniest thing, the lady looking after the sale had me nailed, I think. I was picking up and touching what most people would consider trash. I went for the yummy old fabrics and laces that had passed through many hands that weekend and were still lying there. When I asked the price she said just set them aside dear and we will figure that out later. Next up was the wonderful (junk) costume jewelery, I was in heaven and again when I asked about the price it was the more you take the cheaper it is..lol..not a good thing to tell me. Next stop, beautiful old books, I didn't even bother asking and just added them to the pile. By this time I was a bit irritated because I didn't have my camera with me, never take it with me when I am going to work. SIGH!!! You should have seen the old, old, gorgeous paintings and the frames. Paintings of real people, very pricey, out of my league. There was one as soon as you walked in the door, a lady, it was old and it was fabulous. They said she had been haunting them all weekend, maybe she didn't want that sweet cottage emptied out. I wonder what happened to those painting, they said someone was coming by later to check them out. Anyways I made my way upstairs, so many neat old beds and goodies, lots have sold on them waiting to be picked up. I wandered into a room and found this beautiful old cloth doll with a painted face and the most beautiful old dress on. She was tattered and torn with a rip on her face near her left eye but I love her and wanted her to come home with me so bad. I left her sitting there and wandered off into another room and yikes, I saw the most incredible leather hat box, oh my, it was full of stuff, but the case was awesome. I knew I had to have it. I ran down those stairs and made the lady come up with me. I needed to know the price of the hat box and the cloth doll. I told her I may have to leave and hit a bank machine as I didn't have much cash on me..she just looked at me and said if you have $20.00 take it all. I told her I knew I had $15.00 and not sure how much change but when I dug around I came up with the $20.00. I thought she had lost her mind, I was so excited to get all the beautiful items for 20.00. After I paid her, she just out and out asked me if I was an artist, I looked at her liked she was MAD, how could she know that. I told her I was a mixed~media artist, me...those words came out of my mouth like I really knew what I was talking about...I asked her how she knew, and she said it was the things I was looking at and setting aside, all those things no one else had any interest in. She told me she thought I was a good little shopper and she liked watching me while I was shopping and that is why she didn't give me a price on anything and just kept having me add to the pile, she enjoyed watching me so much and that is how is came up with the grand total of $20.00. Fun stuff, huh????? I got my treasures loaded in my vehicle fast and headed out of there because I thought for sure someone would be coming after me. I sorted through everything when I got home and set everything outside to air out, threw fabrics and what I could in the dryer with fabric sheets and they all smell really nice and fresh now.

My Treasures

The Crown Jewels

Checkout this fab leather hat case, love it

inside of leather case

look at my sweet dollie

isn't she wonderful

I love her

look at this fur shawl thing that was in the hat case, could live without it

but now look at the other side of it with all that yummy, vintage cheese cloth

the lace and linen with the jewels, what do you think that rusty bit is? the lid opens, it is great

the old books the top one The Birthday Oracle from the early 20's, awesome and filled with lots of handwritten dates

more pretties

all together in the case

another shot of the case

isn't the old hat fab, I turned it inside out and it is the most gorgeous velvet, yum! I also got yards and yards of old brown velvet but the pic didn't turn out well.

I love this pic.

and this one

this is the footstool from the silent auction.

The only thing in the pics that didn't come from the little cottage is the footstool that I won at silent auction on Tuesday at our local thrift shop. Anything antique they run silent auctions on and I have been bidding on this for almost a month. I just happened to stop in there on my way home from work and they told me that they had left a message that morning that I could come by and pick it up.

Look at this awesome powder puff wand that arrived in my mail today. I think it is so fabulous and beautiful. I got it from Lori over at http://myfaeriewindow.blogspot.com/ go check her out, awesome blog.

the gorgeous powder puff from Lori, I stole this pic from her blog and I have Miss Jodie over at http://jodielejeune.blogspot.com/   to thank for introducing me to these fab puff wands.
If anyone out there is nervous about starting a blog go check Jodie's link out, she will get you going, I also have her link on my sidebar, she would love to get you started, she will push you over the edge for sure. And she is so darned sweet and awesome, you will love her. I know I do.

Wait Until You See What Arrived in my Mail!!!!!

I am such a lucky girl! I am really a lucky girl because I decided to be a blogging girl!!!! I love our sweet little world. Who would have ever thought that when I started this silly blog a year ago that I would have connected with all my special blogging friends. Who wants to read what I have on here...HUH!!! Seriously!!!! Somebody wants to? I think they do, because somehow I have 330 sweet peeps following me...ME...hehehe..I am so happy!!! I have my kind of art lovin' peeps, you know, the peeps that get what you are doing. I have my sweet vintage peeps, those girls make me so jealous looking at their beautiful homes and decorating tips! YIKES!!!! Those peeps can get me in all kinds of trouble, good trouble. How about the PEEPS that go all over meeting each other? REALLY JEALOUS!!!! I might be jealous, but I feel a real connection to each and everyone of you and I wish you could see the huge smiles you bring to my face when I am reading your posts. I wish you could see the tears and the saddness in my heart when you have a sad story to share with me. I feel like I know you all like a best buddie and love sharing my time with you.

I have something special to share with you today. Another blogging thing! How many people do you know that isn't in the blogging world that would have a package sent to them after writing a few words on someone's blog when entering a giveaway, nobody does that, are you nuts. Nobody but our blogging buddies that is.
I entered a giveaway a while back and got an email that I was the lucky winner of this

Isn't she beautiful, honestly you cannot see how beautiful she really is in pictures, she is amazing! I could hardly wait for her to arrive when I found out I won her. Her name is Rose Girl, she is amazing and so is the artist that painted her. Her name is Diane and she is so sweet, kind, beautiful and such a special lady. Stop by Diane's blog for a visit, trust me you won't be sorry, she is over~flowing with talent.
http://dianesalter.blogspot.com/

So what do you think, pretty special eh! My package arrived on Monday, big huge box and I am thinking what the heck, this says it is from Diane but the package is HUGE!!!! LOL...That sweet girl not only sent my prize from her giveaway but so many beautiful little treasures along with it and the sweetest note card thanking me for entering her giveaway and encouraging her on her blog. Geesh, I couldn't believe it. I mean really this talented artist thanking me for leaving a message on her blog with a piece of her gorgeous art and then all these extras. Something is wrong here, I am the one that needs to thank her BIG TIME!!! Of course I emailed Diane and thanked her but I will thank her again today. Diane I can't thanked you enough for the beautiful treasures and gorgeous painting you have sent me to fill my house and home with all things I love. You are a very talented artist and a beautiful friend. I am happy to have you along on my journey. You are a true treasure.

Also, it is like wild kingdom week around here look at the sweet bunny I found in my backyard yesterday and this goofy black cat that I found up in the tree at the same time. I do not have cats, I have my doggies. I called my neighbor because they have cats and he got up and got GOOFY out of the tree. Come to find out it wasn't that neighbor's cat, but the neighbor across the street was the owner. BAD KITTY crossing the road!

Isn't he the sweetest little thang! So darned cute.

Goofy cat! Screaming like a mad man up in the tree.

Goofy cat better not have been trying to hunt down bunny, he will get in a lot of trouble.

I am going to try and get pics taken and a post done on my sale finds from last weekend. It seems to be so busy around here just can't get things accomplished. My sweet nephew called me yesterday, he lives about four hours away and told me he was driving down today and wanted to stop by and visit his auntie..hehehe..I asked him to join me for dinner so I am really looking forward to his visit as I haven't seen him for some time. I can remember when he was little, the sweetest little baby with the most beautiful curly red hair and I would take him everywhere with me, loved him to pieces. I can hardly wait to give him a big ole smooch!!!

Tussie Mussie goodies for my partner!

I know Lynn has received her swap package so I will share some pics with you of what I sent along.

I used a pic from a tag that was in one of my purchases from Rhonda at A Little Bit French! Love that pic.

just a few goodies.

I forgot to take pics after I packaged everything up. Sigh,it looked so pretty...hehehe..

I had a really busy weekend and I am trying to catch up today! I decided, well let's say hubby decided that we should invite a few of our friends over for a good old fashioned turkey dinner since I worked all during Easter and we couldn't get the kids gathered the week before or the week after and he needed his turkey fix..lol..We shared our dinner with three other couples and had a great time. All was good until the alarm went off at 5:30 in the morning for me to get my butt in gear and get up to get ready for work, not that much fun when you didn't hit the bed until 1:30. BLECK!!!! I made it though, but I wasn't so tired on my way home from work that I couldn't make at stop at a garage sale. I had seen it advertised in our local paper for Sat. & Sun. but of course I couldn't make it Sat. The listing read Sweet Victorian Antique Garage Sale, how could I not check it out? Anyways I stopped and found a few goodies which I will blog about later once I get it all sorted out.

Happy Monday everyone!

A May Day Tussie Mussie Swap

I am so excited to share with you the beautiful package that arrived in my mail yesterday from my wonderful partner Lynn over at Her Creative Spirit. I am sure many of you know her but here is her link if you do not, be sure to go and visit, you won't be sorry. http://hercreativespirit.blogspot.com/ I met Lynn a few years ago through blogging, she is so darned sweet and such a talent.

While blog hoppig I noticed tons of posts around a Valentine's Day swap and finally went to see where this was happening, that is when I found Linda's awesome blog A Swap for All Seasons. Of course I was too late for the Valentine's Day swap but there is always a new one coming along. Here is the link for the  blog.
http://aswapforallseasons.blogspot.com/ Low and behold here was the next swap party

and I emailed to join immediately. I waited a few weeks or more to find out who my partner was and I was over the moon when I found out it was Lynn. What are the chances that I would end up with someone I know and who's art I love and admire. We both live in Canada so maybe that is how this all came about, not sure, don't know, but wait until you see what landed in my mail. I am so excited to share with you.

look at this gorgeous tussie with all it's vintage beauty.

this beautiful linen wrapped gift was over-flowing with beautiful bits & bobs!

hmmm...guess what was in this beautiful package?

a beautiful card of a collage Lynn done, love this.

How much do I love these beauties, so precious.

Yep!!! You guessed it, this was wrapped in the linen, look at all these treasures.

Can you believe the beauty of these fab paper beads that she made, a little hand in the bottom of the box saying hand made. So special. They are really gorgeous in person.

A beautifully wrapped box of these beauties. YUM!!!

Check out this gorgeous nest charm that she made for me, it is so beautiful! And that cute little embellishment saying created for you, sweet!

Isn't this beautiful eye candy?

A close up of the top of the tussie mussie.

the front of the tussie

All together now...oh.............

and more

I am so blessed with all these special treasures!

Can you even believe how gorgeous everything is. I love each and every little bit & bob. That is one of the most gorgeous tussie mussie's I have ever seen, oh it is so vintage and so pretty. What about the beautiful nest charm, so pretty. I am exhausted going from one pretty to the next, over and over and over. I can't help it, just can't stop looking.

Thank you my sweet friend for being such a beautiful person and the best swap partner ever!

Lynn's parcel hasn't arrived yet, fingers crossed it will arrive today so I can only share a peek of what I sent off to her and will share more when I know her parcel arrived. This was a great swap, looking forward to the next one. Thanks also to Linda for hosting our little party!

Here is my sneak peek of what I made for Lynn. More later.