Etsy Finds in My Sewing Room

I love Etsy.  Sure, they've had their problems and have gone through their share of controversy and changes. It is not a perfect company.  But, many artists have had the opportunity to share and sell their art in this global marketplace who may not have had other venues to turn to.  When buying something for myself, or for gifts, I try to buy handmade.  I turn to Etsy more often than not.  There are some truly talented, creative, and inspired artists out there.

I have purchased a few items for my sewing room from those artists.  The three flower photographs came from Photos by Chipperfield.  Teresa is such a talented photographer and you can also find her photos on pillow covers, tote bags, tapestries, and more.

UPDATE:  Teresa is having a spring giveaway on her blog, Poppy Place Pdx!  You could win a photo of your choice!!  Be sure to check out her blog and Etsy shop today! 

The frames for the photos came from The Painted Lady. This shop has a large selection of frames in all sizes and finishes.  It was hard to narrow down the choices because I loved them all!

I needed a new ironing board cover.  I know I could have made one, but sometimes I would just rather let someone else do it!  This one came from Pomegranate Place. They also sell fabric and you can purchase a premade cover or choose one of their fabrics for a custom one.

You can't buy this sweet thing from Etsy!  Shylee and her mom have moved in with us and she likes being in my sewing room as much as I do.  She got a sewing machine for Christmas, so we're working on making room for her table and supplies along with Erin's machine and supplies too! I don't know how this will turn out, but I'll let you know ;)

Thankful Thursday

As some of you know, I was working on a One Thousand Gifts list before I took a break from blogging.  I went back and forth about continuing it here on the blog, because it became very personal.  Although I have gotten personal here in this space, I decided there are some things that I'm not ready to share with the whole world.  I continue to keep my personal list going, but will start up Thankful Thursday again.

This week I'm thankful for:
     ~ the ability to help my children when they need it
     ~ GPS on road trips
     ~ real handwritten snail mail letters from a friend
     ~ supportive friends even if they don't understand
     ~ a cold rainy morning, a cup of tea, a warm sweater, and Shylee singing softly while building Lego masterpieces                   
     ~ being able to do more physically
     ~ watching movies all day while it snows
     ~ all my blog friends and their warm welcome back

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

The Twenty Eight Year Old Temporary End Table

This end table has been with us since 1988 when we were issued government furniture after moving to Germany.  At that time, the government didn't allow us to take all of our household goods over there because they provided the furniture.  When we left Germany in 1991, we could buy any of the furniture we were interested in keeping for a very small fee.  I ended up keeping two end tables, a coffee table, a sofa, three bookcases, a chest of drawers, and two twin mattresses.  I never really intended to keep any of it for long.  We just needed something until it could be replaced with what I really wanted.

We kept all of the furniture until 2006 when we moved into our current house.  That army furniture is strong sturdy stuff, let me tell you.  When we moved, we gave away the sofa, coffee table, and two of the bookcases.  We got rid of the mattresses and I kept the end tables, a bookcase and the chest of drawers.

I was never thrilled with this table.  It was functional but it did nothing for me otherwise.  I decided I had nothing to lose if I painted it.  The color I chose was Arles.  It's kind of a butterscotch color.

I chose old white for the accent color.  After painting I used clear wax for finishing but I wasn't loving it.  Since I had the 'I have nothing to lose' attitude, I got brave and used the dark wax too.  I was really delighted with how that turned out.  The table finally had a used, aged look.

After all these years I finally like this end table that was supposed to be temporary!  But my favorite part is this...

That pop of Emperor's Silk red when you open the drawer!  It just makes me happy!

I think I'll be keeping this end table for a while longer!

Nature Photos

Hi there!  It's really nice to see you all again and I'm looking forward to getting back in the blogging groove. Life took some unexpected turns, and my little blog needed to be put on hold while I focused on family for a time.

My blogging friend, Teresa, from Poppy Place PDX, invited me to join in a nature photography challenge on Facebook.  I hesitated because T. is a photographer and I just play at it.  In the end, I decided to take up the challenge and post a nature photo everyday for seven days.  I used photos that I had already taken, and I thought I would share them with you.

We went to Denver last fall to visit Sean.  He took us into the Rocky Mountains and this was taken at a state park.

While visiting Sean, we spent a day in Boulder and this beautiful park.

Sunset on the Potomac River in Maryland

These were such pretty flowers on the side of the building where Shylee took dance lessons.

I stood on my front porch on a foggy morning and took a picture of the crape myrtle tree.

The Chesapeake Bay in Maryland

And this handsome guy was hanging out around a pond in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Nature is quite amazing!  I'm glad I accepted the challenge because it reminded me that I haven't picked up the camera much, and I miss it.  And I've missed blogging too!  I'll ease back into it and I hope you'll bear with me. :)