Friday, June 24, 2011

Pink Saturday and I’m De-Stashing…This time I mean it…

Happy Pink Saturday to everyone…we’re “in the Pink” here in Central Texas because we got a bit of rain…still under water restrictions, but everything got a healthy shower.

One of my annual New year’s resolutions is to simplify and de-clutter my life…sounds like a good plan in January, but after a couple of initial trips to the Hospice Thrift Store to drop off items, we get busy and one week slips into the next and we loose the resolve…But Not This Year!  We are still culling our belongings and sending things on to new homes…a case in point: my collection of porch flower plates. I’m just showing a couple of pink beauties today to give you proof of my commitment.

pink flower dishes 006 Isn’t it pretty? My screened porch walls held a dozen different plates each decorated with different flowers like zinnias and nasturtiums,  no sets, just odds and ends of such plates…all of them flowered…

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This one has a lovely embossed border in addition to the delicate flowers.

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I just have the one…but I have a pair of the plates with Pink Hollyhocks…probably my favorites of the group…

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I’ve never been very successful with my own Hollyhocks and that’s probably why I like this pair so much. This plate also has pretty embossing around the edges. Perfect for catching and holding dust. And I’m fed up with trying to keep  the outside house clean as well as inside…

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I just love the flowered plates…when we had the patio repainted, everything came down from the walls and the plate collection never made its way up again... time to move on… I think I’ll take them to Wimberley Trade Day in July rather than being dropped off at Hospice because I’d like to see who buys them. Let me get them wrapped and boxed before I have second thoughts and lose my direction.

You head on over to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Friday, June 17, 2011

Pink Saturday…Pink Summer

Well, the central Texas heat has driven me indoors for the summer and it’s only June for crying out loud! We’ve been in triple digits for several days in a row!

What’s a Pink Saturday gal to do when it’s too hot for the lawn? Head indoors, of course.  That’s exactly what I’m doing and I made a quick run to the book store for some Pink Summer reading and guess what I found!…

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an armful of  novels by Mary Kay Andrews!  I know she is a favorite author of Beverly, our esteemed hostess, but I had never read any of her books…now the challenge of the week is to decide on the order…Chronological?  Geographically from East to West?…North to South? 

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Savannah Breeze is pulling me right now because it has such a cool summer cover, plus its cover is the most Pink.  I love Savannah and books set there so I’m also leaning toward  Savannah Blues.

The Fixer Upper sounds dangerous…like I might become inspired to take on a DIY project…not in this heat!!! Better save it until later in the summer.

If you have suggestions for the reading order, feel free to make a recommendation. I’m so excited about my reading list…I’m usually a biography fan… I did enjoy the Earth’s Children series, you know, Clan of the Cave Bear, et al.

Check in with Beverly http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for this week’s list of participants and to see who is being featured this week.

Have a Pink Week…Stay cool.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Pink Saturday on Every Page and in Every pocket

This week I thought I would share an altered book that I just finished…well, it’s mostly finished. Altered books are old books that have been discarded, but not destroyed…instead, they have been reclaimed, then restored to a new use and purpose…my favorite  alterations to books are Pockets for storing tags, cards, or pictures… let me show you what I mean… this children’s book got a coat of paint and a layering of recycled wrapping paper and a few flowers cut from an old calendar.

100_1604You may recognize several of the flowers as the work of everyone’s favorite illustrator Mary Engelbreit. In fact. ME’s work is one of the main features of the entire book. And Pink?…every page explodes with it! Pink in color and Pink in attitude… look at the back cover…

100_1605 See what I mean about the pink?

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The pages have been folded and decopagued to form  a set of pockets…each spread has a happy Pink theme…this one is dedicated to Joy… another to Reading…

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The pockets are filled with tags also decorated with recycled ME calendar pages and stickers…sort of Pink and Green at the same time.

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At least three different reclaimed wrapping papers supply backgrounds

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and I’ve added stickers like the butterfly and flowers…

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and hearts…the books are such fun to do…this one will end up in my Etsy shop when all the tags are finished.

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I love the sentiment on the last page…see what I mean about a Pink attitude?

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and now swim on over the Beverly’s How Sweet the Sound to see who’s joining in the Pink posts today…http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Happy Pink Saturday…Meet “Stumpy” our Little Miracle Deer

This week again I want to share Pink Attitude story…a story about a little doe who has the most amazing Pink Spirit…It’s corny, so be warned…Every afternoon hubby and I put out a little extra feed for our deer friends. It’s not much…some shelled corn, leftover tortilla chips the day after Mexican food night,  half a loaf of bread, apples, just a little extra food and a few more calories to help them out during dry times. But we love to watch  several of them eat the bread. …we call them “the Bread Eaters”. They prefer white bread over whole wheat…wouldn’t you think the reverse would be true?

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But the bland white bread seems to be agreeing with them…just look at that beautiful coat. Most of them are pretty healthy.

Today I want to share a remarkable deer survival story. Two years ago one of our fawns broke her leg right at the hoof. I saw her running along the river bed with that broken hoof flopping like a stretched out sock…it was horrible and for the next few days Hubby and I fretted over her fate…we were certain she would suffer a slow wasting death…we could hardly talk about it… then one day she showed up at the feeder dragging her little foot hobbling around on  the remaining broken bone of her rear leg…she ate corn and was getting around pretty well…eventually she lost the hoof and the bone healed over…well,  it became our mission to make sure she got a pile of corn all to herself every day and a slice of bread when she wanted one…we never thought she would make it through that winter. We kept track of the days we saw her…we counted up days she went missing…we cursed every circling vulture in the sky…but then, like a miracle, she would show up…she can run with the best of them and it’s only when she is walking slowly that you notice the obvious limp. We started calling her Stumpy.

  If she were a real wildlife deer out in the countryside, she would never have survived, but here in town on the river with water close by and neighborhoods with lots of shrubs and kind people putting out extra grub, she made it through her yearling stage…she had a good summer last year, again made it through the winter and this spring?…you guessed it…she was obviously pregnant. The worry and fretting started all over again…how could she feed a fawn?…what dangers were waiting for the offspring of such a handicapped mother? We have yet to see her with a fawn that we can be sure belongs to her…Hubby saw her at the feeder with a pair of young today,  we don’t know if she has twins, or if she was on babysitting detail…and  maybe only one was hers…We have become more calm about her fate. What Stumpy reminds me is that I need to have faith that all is well and while Nature can be cruel, animals have courage and an amazing willpower to survive.  I told you it was corny, but we love that little deer for her will to survive.

To me Pink Saturday is about looking for and finding the beauty and the joy around us every day. Stumpy is that for me.  Look at her picture…yes, she’s deformed…but she’s also incredibly strong of spirit…Pure Pinkatude.

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Next week I promise real pink…and now to Beverly’s house… our Pure Pink Hostess for a list of happy Pink Saturday posts.http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/



Limping Deer and the Twins

Limping Deer and the Twins
They are still spotted at this time.

Show and Tell Sunday June 15

Flea Market Finds...sounds like my whole house and yard...

Milk Glass Collection

Milk Glass Collection
Who knew that a 25 cent flea market find would unleash such a collecting frenzy? I never pay more than a dollar unless it's a really nice piece. They are great grouped with a single daisy in each.

These used to be inexpensive florist vases in the 50's and 60's. Everyone's Grandmother had bunches.

Mexicana Dishes

Mexicana Dishes
My sister found these for me at Bussy's Flea Market in San Antonio, Texas. I had seen pictures in her Fiesta reference book. Mexicana was also made by Homer Laughlin in the 30's. I had been looking for several years without ever finding even a single piece when she found the set...with a promise to hold it for us, she came running to find me and I bought the entire set...60+ pieces for $50.

Mexicana

Mexicana
I've added to the set over the years, but the price and experience will never match that first amazing find.

Vintage Kitchen Hutch

Vintage Kitchen Hutch
When my hubby found this hutch it was Pepto pink and I was not 100% sure about it. But with a new red back and fresh white paint and refurbished hardware, it became one of my favorite pieces.

Nancy made me save the vine

Nancy made me save the vine
The vine and flowers painted on the inside were in such bad shape that I was ready to remove it all. Nancy -My Crafty Little Page convinced me to keep it and after some touch-up work, I'm glad I listened to her. My husband restores vintage Cushman motorscooters and he tries to make everything "mint" condition again. The Shabby Chic movement came along just in time to keep me from making some terrible mistakes.