BOODILY

My flower theme seems to be increasing so I have decided to just flow with it.  I have always loved flowers from the time I could get about on my own.  My Mama often told me of my favorite word for flowers...

BOODILY...  that's baby talk for beautiful..  it is just in my blood...my passion....flowers....

So here are a few things I was drawn to this past week while looking through my local thrift stores.I hope it makes you smile...

Stacks of these beautiful dishes with flowers on them at Goodwill...for a song....Royal Worcester Roanoke

I love metal flowers too....so happy to find these two flower hooks.....

But the BEST ones are living flowers...the real deal.. and when I saw this bud this morning, I am telling you that hope for spring rose within me....it just cannot be far off, can it??

And of course our Tula..never very far from me and ALWAYS with a ball....
looks like she is saying  "Whaaaat?"

Here is Maggie when she has had enough and she is ready to go back inside..  LOL

Remember...Just add flowers..to everything and it will make it better or at least more beautiful....

Thank you for stopping by today...

Happy almost spring...
Love,
Mona

Gold Rim Glasses

I am surely an avid thrifter.  that means I visit thrift stores frequently and find many valuable and useful things with which I decorate my home and plan tablescapes..

Simple inspiration this week are these beautiful old gold rimmed glasses..

 

They are very delicate and I am in love ..very romantic..

Next I brought out these little stainless cups.... perfect for fruit or ice cream..

Then for the centerpiece, some creamy white gardenias and a large hurricane with a white candle......

 and this crystal decanter that still had the sticker on it from a jewelry store that went out of business

I used these square wooden plates for chargers.

and added square white plates with a paper doily in the middle.

Here you can see the textures together.  I like layers of texture on the table..

Every single thing on this table was found at a thrift store...with the exception of my wonderful DT crystal.....

I wanted to show how a life of being frugal and thrift store shopping can really be beneficial..it takes dedication and patience..and some work thrown in there too.  I have done this for more than 30 years..and have quite a large collection of tablewares that I have bought at thrift stores.. Most of my tables are filled with these treasures from my years of collecting.  Do you shop at thrift stores?  and do you ever find any really good treasures?  I am often surprised at some of the things people have given away...well, I appreciate them when I find them...but I have also learned to leave some of them on the shelves for someone else to take home with them....it took a long time to learn that one..LOL

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my totally thrifted table......  I really, really love it...it has such a warm and comfy feel to it...especially those pretty gold rim glasses..wink, wink

I am joining these parties

  Let's Dish
  Tablescape Thursday

please come and see what's being shared...

Sometimes It Turns Out Really Good

Lately, I have been learning more about my sewing machine.....it's about time..I got a real fancy embroidery machine about 5 years ago....a Husqvarna Viking Designer ..bought it straight out from the dealer..researched them online and went in and told her what I wanted....my reason for not buying this same machine from ebay was that my dealer was only about 4 miles from my house( I could have saved a LOT of money buying from ebay)......I was so excited to get this new computerized machine....and I had a lot to learn but with a teacher right there, well...it would be easy........and guess what.........in just a very short time, she closed her shop....UGH!!!  before I had had the time to take the free lessons that came along with the purchase of this magnificent sewing machine.......so NOW WHAT??????  I am a pretty experienced sewer...Mrs. Bolton and Mrs Lark taught me well in home ec and I have kept it up for many, many years....but this one was way over my head.....I have learned easily how to use it for sewing and a little bit of embroidery...mainly monograms...when I could figure them out..LOL..frankly, this machine kinda intimidates me...but I have a fresh wind of determination to learn it a lot better so that I can get the benefits from having such a wonderful sewing machine to use.......so I am telling you all of this, as if you are interested, to say this.....I made some placemats for my daughter last week...and I was so pleased at how they turned out...I wanted to keep them    mailed them to her so she could use them ....I knew she would love how they looked on her black table..I took a few pictures before packaging them up so you could see how pretty they turned out.......yes, sometimes things turn out better than we expect...a little encouragement to keep up the learning of this sewing machine.....researching monogramming programs is my job right now....so I can add to my experiences..........STILL...cannot believe my dealer closed so soon after I bought this sewing machine......the nearest one is now over an hour away and they never seem very helpful when I go....sigh......thankful for youtube and the internet.....and google........determined to learn this thing.......

So, here is my latest project..........

shoulda used something besides my smartphone camera...sorry about that....but you get the idea.......really sophisticated looking black and white toile.....she has beautiful white dishes that she uses in the summer...can't wait to see her table..

Doing something for others is sometimes just the motivation we need to get us going....when we are stuck.....when we are not familiar with something.....focus on being generous..that will always help......

Happy Sewing to all my fellow sewers.....

Happy Tablescaping to my fellow table setters......

and Happy Giving to ALL of you..........

thank you for stopping by today....hope you enjoyed this table setting.......

the plates, napkins, napkin rings and silverplate were all found at thrift stores or estate sales......

goblets were Dollar Tree finds...

Mona


sharing today at

Table Top Tuesday

Tablescape Thursday

Knowing myself...

The older I get, the easier it is to know when something is out of sync in my life...maybe that is one of the beauties of aging gracefully..my home reflects my personality..shiny glass objects, dust, and all of the collections....as hard as I try to be just a simple woman, I CANNOT!!!!..I have too many interests to be that way....I like the idea of living simply, but it just never quite works for me......

Here is my kitchen window taken on just a random day so this is how it looks 360 days out of the year...and then I try to clean and straighten it..it lasts for about 4-5 days at the most.  LOL
then it automatically goes back to this...

,

On any given day I will most likely spend time on the computer, garden a little, sew a little, read a little, play with the dogs a little, read as much as I can get in, write some, cook, shop, PRAY!, then, as little housework as I can get by with, and rearrange some of my collections and that is honestly a typical day for me..so maybe SIMPLE is only a concept that I am fooling myself into believing is attainable for me...maybe I don't really even like simple....I don't think I do...I had rather have multi layered things....I like line upon line....complex, many, many different all at once...THERE!   maybe there is hope for me after all..I have admitted to being a complex woman...LOL
So today, here are a few of the layers of things in my home that make me smile...I hope they make you smile too..one time a friend told me that crows are drawn to shiny things so I am revealing the 'crow' side of me today.  I LOVE shiny things.....and especially shiny, happy people....

And I really appreciate you my readers..thank you for reading along...tomorrow is a BIG day here so come back and see what it is.. 

Christmas ideas...

I found this lovely china at a thrift store today..I had been looking for a gravy boat and cruising ebay for a white one to go with my Thanksgiving china...well, as MY Provider would have it..I found a gravy boat along with a sugar dish and creamer and 5 cups and saucers and 4 cream soups and saucers all for the grand total of...$10.....TEN DOLLARS...at Replacements, the gravy alone is $79.95..
and the dishes are beautiful...so Christmas is starting to take shape around here..I create as I go..
I know, I know it would drive some of you CRA--ZY!!!!
but it is my method and it works for me..

When I saw this little nativity set in the same store, I grabbed it up..I had to have it....just fell in love right there....and I thought about my grandsons liking it too... grin........

I had kinda, sorta put the mantel together yesterday..I really want an earthy, natural feel to our Christmas this year....I have been working with a bolt of muslin that was my Mama's( we are a whole family of fabric collectors).. LOL
So I am leaving the real shiny decorations in the barn for this year..using my dried flowers and muslin and we'll see where this goes.
I plan on finishing up this weekend so maybe there will be a few pictures early next week...
I hope your weekend is a good one and that your creativity flows this Christmas...
thank you for reading my blog...and
Merry Christmas!!