I Love Pinky, Pink Pinks.....Pink Saturday Pretties

Happy Pink Saturday, Pink Ladies!

It goes without saying that pink is the biggest hug you can find.......and I was "hugged" alot today as I simply walked around the shoppe and photographed things I love.....it seems I'm never without pinks to share.....they just keep finding their way into my life.

This is a gorgeous vintage boudior set that consists of a roller bag, a lingerie bag, a hanky holder, and a hosiery envelope....it just screams feminine, or maybe feminine doesn't actually "scream".....it whispers........ .

And then theres also beautiful Abbington, McCoy and Shawnee vases.....yUmMY!


But my absolute favorite thing today......my vintage planter that simply reminds me of a circus. I took the picture right before it left with one of my favorite customers .....I have to tell you, I was just a tad misty.....sometimes its just hard to let this stuff go :(


But then again, I also love this precious crochet napkin holder.....I've filled it with hand crocheted hot pads for a very sweet table accessory.



And I found this piece at the Trade Days Antique Flea Market last October.....I'm still trying to decide what to fill the little shoe cubbies with.....any ideas?

But you just gotta love this frosted glass.......this is the only pink set I have ever seen. These could be purchased with Green Stamps back in the 50's and 60's........gosh, I remember licking alot of those things to put in my little Mama's savings book.....:)

If you want to see more beautiful pinks, please visit Beverly using the button on my sidebar. There are so many beautiful things to see today that you will want to grab a cup of tea and stay a while!

Thank you for stopping by....

I always love it when you come!

My Mama's Cookie Tins......

My little Mama loves butter cookies and the Piroutte cookies that come in all of the various tin cans. Well, she is also a child of the depression, and I also harp on her about recycling, and that is difficult for her because she lives in a little town....population 88. Soooo, she saves all of these tins and presents them to me when I visit.......she just knows I can do "something" with them.

Because she has such faith in my ability, I just can't toss them in the recycle bin.....I simply can't.

This is the last "lot" I received from her.......gave them all the same look with the little handpainted roses.

Guess it makes me think of Spring!

Have a Happy Friday......

Thank you for stopping by....

You know I love it when you come!

Quick Project Thursday #7~Rewiring a Lamp!

This week I want to share with you just how easy it is to replace the electrical socket on a non-working lamp. I learned watching a Martha Stewart show over 15 years ago when Martha was still teaching us "good things" and not trying to be just entertaining.....

Sorry, Martha

.

The first thing you want to do is make sure the lamp is NOT plugged in......then you must remove the socket casing. All casings have the word "press" on them so you know where to place pressure to pop this off. Some older casings need a little help with a small screw driver.....make sure you don't bend the metal of the casing, unless you are also replacing this piece. Of course, Marley watches to make sure I'm doing it right.....

I get lots and lots of help.....need it or not!

How the lamp socket will look when you have removed the casing. Of course, Marley has lost all interest in my project at this point.

And is totally bored as I pull wire up from base so it is easier to work with.

However, Baby picks up watching me unscrew each of the screws on either side of the electrical socket to remove the old socket.

Using two fingers, twist the copper wires together.


Tie a knot as shown in the wire....this has an "official" name, but I don't remember what it is.....this keeps the stress off the wires when you are pulling on the cord from the other end in everyday use........

Start your "loop" in the wire before trying to place it onto the screw....it just helps keep it in place.

New sockets can be purchased at any hardware store.....don't make the mistake of buying a whole lamp kit for $10 or $15 because the socket cost just $3.00. Redoing the whole lamp is a whole other process.....not difficult, just more steps. This is how the wire looks when it is placed over the side screws. It doesn't matter which wire you put which screw . If the wire extends any longer than pictured, simply clip it shorter with scissors or dykes.

Tighten the screws on each side of the electrical socket after curling the wire onto them.

Insert the electrical socket casing inside the bottom casing.....you will know how to replace this because the on/off buttons have cutouts on each side.

Replace the electrical socket casing by pressing down flat into the base, making sure you hear a "click".

Check your skills, making sure it works.

And, of course, Sweet Lola Bear is always impressed with my electrical skills.......it's so easy, you will start looking for lamps to "fix"

I hope you try your hand at rewiring a lamp. I know I used to pass on so many, thinking it would cost more to have them rewired than I could get for them.......this all changes when you do the work. There are a couple more playing this week, so check out my sidebar and see what they have for you.....I am always amazed at their creativity and skills. If you have a project you would like to share, then come join us. Next week I will have MrLynky for anyone to use, so you can just commit week to week if you want to share. You're always welcome and we'd love to have you!

Thank you for stopping by today....

I love it when you come!

Sometimes I Just Don't Understand.......My White Wednesday Find

It goes without saying that not everyone loves this old stuff as much as I do, nor do they put as much sentiment into it . I "get that", and am glad because it leaves more for me.....Still, you have to wonder why this little antique hanky just wasn't special enough for the family to save.

The Mother even left a note attached to it "I carried this when Daddy & I married"......what could possibly cause a child to NOT want to keep this. Regardless of whether they valued it or not, if it was kept for all those years by their mother, then surely that would place some sort of sentimential value, wouldn't it?

I found this hanky at a thrift store years ago and it brought tears to my eyes. I knew if HER family wasn't going to keep it for her memory, then I would.....nevering knowing who she was, but knowing I had to do it for her........and for me.

How does anyone walk away from something like this without wanting to "save" it.

I know I can't....and I didn't.....

and I have always felt better for it.

Thank you for stopping by......

I always love it when you come!

Covered in Jewels.....

Happy Tuesday!

I quickly took a few photos of some of the teacup pincushions I have around the house this morning. This was the project I shared last Quick Project Thursday and I wanted you to see how sweet they can be all covered in vintage jewelry. This Thursday I will share will you how to rewire a lamp, so if you have ever passed on a great lamp because of the cost to rewire.....stop back in later this week and you can learn to do it yourself....

Great vintage brooches and hat pins, too!

And I couldn't resist sharing my very special manni.......all covered in my collection of vintage brooches....

Bless our hearts, you just gotta' love a collector!

I always love it when you come!

Finding Your Sunshine.....

Happy Monday Everyone!

It remains overcast and grey here in North Texas making winter seem even longer than it ever was before......the rose bushes are putting out leaves and trying to bring us spring, but it's just not happening yet.

Still, you have to pull your sunshine from somewhere, so I have started sorting my shoppe photos and finding smiles in seeing it progress to the beautiful place it has become today.......

I wanted to share a few of them with you so you can have a peek at my little everyday world.

My daughter constantly asks me if I know how lucky I am.......my answer is always "absolutely", knowing all along that the "harder you work, the luckier you get"......

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it :)

Thank you for stopping by today....

I always love it when you come!

Life is What We Make It.......

And so it goes, you can either be a spectator and wish things would happen to "make you happy", or you can jump right in and try to make it that way. Of course, there will always be mistakes along the way, but I would rather try and fail, then to be afraid to try at all. The important thing is you keep going forward and not let others pull you back because they want you to be as unhappy as they are, or so they can feel better about their uncertainty in life or about who they are or aren't. There will always be people out there that will try and "take your happy", but they can't do it if you don't let them.

Happy Sunday, sweet friends.....

Life is Indeed What You Make It!

Quick Project Thursday #6

SNAP!!!! If I get any further behind, I'll catch up with myself on the other end. Still, I've got a cute, quick idea and a great way to display some of your favorite brooches or hat pins, so let's go!

1. Find a teacup and saucer you like....if you are Victorian take it that direction, or if you are more French Country, go there....you get my drift, right?

2. Because I am a girlie girl, I like to use velvet for the puncushion, but there again, choose the fabric that coordinates with your project and cut a circle about 8" in diameter.....I use a dinner plate as a template for mine.

3. By hand, run a stitch around the outside of the fabric about 1" in from the edge. Because I like to pull mine really tight to get a hard cushion, I use a double strand of dental floss so it doesn't break when stuffing and pulling.

4. Pull the gathers up about 3/4 of the way and start stuffing with polyester or cotton batting. When you have the size and hardness you want, gather the "ball" up the remainder of the way and knot the floss.

5. Because I don't like to ruin a antique or collectible teacup, I use my hot glue gun to place the pincushion ball inside the teacup as it can always be removed from the porcelain years from now. Start with a small dot of glue and press the ball down onto it. From that point, simply work your way around the cup about 1/2" down from the edge and press the cushion in as you go. Hold it down each time until you are sure the glue is holding, otherwise it will pull up and you smear the glue on your fabric....and this is not pretty.

6. From that point, start embellishing your cushion. Of course, with me, MORE is not enough, so I opt for old millinery flowers, buttons, keys, anything you desire. Keep your large design to one side so you can still use the pincushion for brooches and such.

Viole'.......it's done!

Thanks for stopping by for this quick project....if you would ever like to share one of yours, just grab my button and link back to me so I know you are playing....We'd love to have you, because, after all.....isn't sharing what it's all about?!

Sweet Whites for Wednesday......

Welcome to another White Wednesday hosted by Kathleen of Faded Charm. I don't have many whites this week, but the ones I am sharing are very special to me as they combine my love of buttons AND lace....

This box is one I made about 15 years ago as a Bride's Box. Once it was made, I was so in love with the finished product that I kept it for myself......you know, as a dealer you get to do that, don't you? We all keep the best and sell the rest, or that is my philosophy :) It is simply an old wooden box with fragments of an antique tablecloth, beads, trim, and buttons. Alot more could have been added, but I loved the understated elegance.

The button box is really much more beautiful in real life as these pictures just don't do it justice. It is simply a vintage jewelry box covered in vintage buttons stacking them one on top of the other. The trick here is to be meticulous with the glue so none is seen. My daughter did a beautiful job on the piece and it is so very sweet.

I apologize for my lack of photos this week.....there's so much going on, but I just couldn't go without posting something on one of my favorite days of the week. As a shameless plug, I have added quite a few new things to my Etsy and Ebay if you find time to pop in. And do make sure you visit Kathleen using the button on mysidebar so you can see the other players this week.....it is always a feast for the senses.

As always, thank you for stopping by.....I love your visits!

Field Trip & I LOVE This Place.....

It's goes without saying that I obsess over laces, trims, buttons and such. Anyone that knows me at all realizes my love of textiles. That's why when I visit this place, I am in heaven. Not only do they have all the things I adore, but it is all vintage and/or from garment houses in New York where they buy out the whole lot. That's why when you find something you like, you better buy it, and enough of it to complete your project because it probably won't be there next time.

When you walk in the small 2,000 square foot store you find one half devoted to discounted discontinued clothing AND the other side is my "heaven". The store is in an old building built in the 40's and it has that wonderful old smell that I love. The store is nothing fancy , but everything is very organized and it's easy to shop.....it's just hard to see it all. There are stacks and stacks of buttons, and bins and bins of trims and laces.....not to mention the "zipper wall". Now I know how customers feel when they come into my shoppe and are overwhelmed by the mass of "stuff" and literally looked dazed :) I have "collaged" the pictures for you to give you an idea of the inventory and help you see it all.

If you are in the DFW area and want to know where this store is, please just email me for the info. The owner has been ill and out of the store and the store manager didn't feel comfortable with me giving the name in my blog without his permission....but at least agreed to the photos. So, just email me direct, and I will be glad to share this fabulous place with you.....it's worth the trip if you like textiles, buttons, and trims....AND at wonderful prices !

Thank you so much for stopping by......and even more so for those who comment. I know I am a frequent visitor of many, many blogs but never seem to have the time it takes to stop and leave a comment, so I do appreciate your time. Please know I do visit all of you often and always enjoy my stay......I just wouldn't be able to read as many of you as I do if I waited on my slow computer to let me comment on each. I do love you stopping by!

Meet ROGER...

.......he's the latest addition to our backyard. He first started coming trying to eat fish from the pond, but now just comes to sit a spell. I wish he would find his buddies and not look so lonely all the time, but that hasn't happened yet. He is so unbelieveably gorgeous with his wing span being at least four to five feet when he flies away as the dogs run outside .....they haven't kept him from coming, though....he seems it like it here.

Stay warm today, my friends.......this weather just doesn't seem to want to stop.