Another Guilty Pleasure...

Coming out of hibernation to share this video that I cannot get enough of.

Oh my gosh, this commercial is hi.lar.i.ous.

"I'm on a horse."

LMAO.

 

Adventures in Estate Sale-ing

Another Friday, yet another wonderful sale from our good local estate sale folk!

But this wasn't just any Friday or any sale, this was the day I hit the trail with one of my new junkin BFF's,

Jan from The Polka Dot Barn. Jan all by herself is a hoot and a half, but this time she brought her cute mom along, and lemme tell ya, we had a blast!

I was kinda meh about the sale going in, as the advert for the sale read as follows:

This is an awesome sale full of fine things! There is wonderful Sterling Flatware by Reed & Barton~French Renaissance, Japanese Sterling Tea Set, Sterling serving dishes, Huge Mexican Sterling Bowl, Vintage Imari Dinnerware Noritake, Johnson Brothers~Sheraton Pattern, Great Vintage Pistols~Colt~Smith & Wesson~EGI, Baccarat Crystal, Victorian Glassware,  French Provincial Furniture, Oriental Rugs, Concrete Yard Art, Armoire, Sofa, end tables, Patio Furniture, Italian Pottery, Formal Sofa, Italian Tole, Crystal Sconces & Chandeliers, French Art Glass Light Fixture, Luggage, Cambridge Glass, Slipper Chairs, Vintage Jewelry, Rare Fostoria Americana Punch bowl, antiques and clean furniture.

This is one great sale that is clean and roomy!

WE WILL HAVE THIS SALE RAIN, SLEET, OR SNOW!

The sale is inside the home and it will be warm! 

We will have warm cookies for those that arrive on Friday morning!

The home is an architectural treasure, designed by O'Neil Ford, and will be for sale. 

So while some of you might be salivating over the French Provincial furniture and Fostoria punch bowl, I didn't see anything which immediately grabbed me. 'Ceptin for the warm cookies! Still, this was gonna be a day out with my new buddy, so I wasn't going to miss it for the world. I did score a handful of really great finds, so pull up a chair and prepare to drool!

My estate sale MO is as follows...while everybody else is rubberneckin' around the jewelry case and elbowing each other to get to the good silver, I stealthily sneak back to the furthest back bedroom, which is where I found this KILLER trio of vintage hats...

 

Just LOOK at those millinery flowers! Jan just about DIED when she saw that I'd grabbed this!

 

  

Just look at RUBY earnin' her keep! That girl sure can rock a hat!

But there were more, oh yes there were, and yours truly grabbed the best of the best...

The feathers....THE FEATHERS!!!...could you not die???

 

And then there was this...

 

Both the latter two hats will be coming soon to a Fiona and Twig ETSY SHOP near you!

Speaking of, this decadently glam crystal candelabra is just waiting on you right now in my shop, also grabbed at the sale...

  

  

And finally, I discovered this just hanging out in the kitchen, no price on it, looking all unassuming until I picked it up and looked closer...

It's a pie server...

All ornate and scrolly...

 

And with a MERMAID handle!!!

 

Does no one else at these sales have eyes?? Why do they pass this stuff up? Inconceivable.

My buddy JAN grabbed up her fair share of cool loot and swag, but since she's gonna post it about it soon, be sure to keep checking her wonderful blog for the REST of the story.

After the sale, we had a yummy lunch of crab cakes at a local bistro, followed by an altogether MARVELOUS visit to a local antique mall just next door. You will NOT want to miss this post, as I unearthed a remarkable treasure headed for the fields of Warrenton for ANTIQUE WEEK next month!

Next month, can you believe it??? Will I see y'all there? I sure hope so.

Upon heading back to Jan's homestead, I was treated to a tour of her jaw-dropping art studio, and was promptly gifted with this sweet pair of baby shoes that Jan had scored at last weeks estate sale...

Is she not the best???

I promise to use these in the most special of art projects, thank you sweet Jan!

And with this post I am now officially on hiatus for the next week - time to get uber serious about 

studying for next weekends Advanced Cardiac Life Support re-cert class, so I must bid the blog world adieu, with promises of a triumphant return next Sunday.

Hope your weekend AND Valentine's Day was absolutely wonderful!

See y'all soon!

Vintage Valentine Card Party!

Welcome to the

Vintage Valentine Card Party

hosted by Joan at 

Anything Goes Here.

Let's get started!

I just adore these two "space-age" themed cards. So quaintly retro!

 Gotta have a medical themed one, since I work in health care...

 I think this butcher one is just so quirky and unique. Just look at the eyes on the chickens...I love it!

 More from my stash...

 

  

  

And my personal favorite...

Take a closer look at the invitation on the right...

"Special Invitation for Nellie Brown's Valentine Party"

Poor little feller had to get all scrubbed up and spic and span for the big shindig.

His expression is priceless.
I love how one of my blog friends said it, "Darn that Nellie Brown and her clean parties!"

Now for the fun part...head on over to  

Anything Goes Here

for a list of all the other blogs participating in this event.

 

Wishing you and your Special Someone a very

Happy Valentine's Day!

How I Love You!

That's the name of my Valentine's Day mixed media collage...

....created in the wee hours of the morning last night (and on Ambien, no less!), and presented as a V-day gift to my sweet husband earlier today.

Vintage sheet music, tag, bingo game pieces, a lovely red glove purchased at yesterdays estate sale, and the perfect vintage Valentine card.

This is only my second real attempt at doing mixed media collages, and I know I have a long way to go to reach the level of friends like JAN, but I'm determined to become a better artist, so watch out, world!  ;-)

I'll be back later this evening with a second post featuring all my wonderful vintage Valentine's for the big party at
Anything Goes Here.

And because there's only so many hours in a day *grin*, my BIG estate sale post will be up sometime tomorrow.

Off now for a night out with my Valentine!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The Love of a Friend...

 

The friend in question being the one and only

Debra of Common Ground.

What a lovely surprise to find this beautiful, altered vintage Valentine card in my mail today, 

from none other than sweet Debra herself!

 

  

What a generous and loving friend!

More than a friend, a true sister in every sense of the word.

Thank you, my dearest of friends, I absolutely love it!

And speaking of dear and generous friends, be sure to check back tomorrow when I amaze and astonish you with my incredible new treasures found while spending the day with my newest junkin' buddy,

Jan of The Polka Dot Barn!

We hit ANOTHER awesome estate sale, and also scored some major finds at a local antique mall, too.

I also happened upon a wonderful stash of vintage Valentine's just in time for the 

Vintage Valentine Card Party 

hosted by Joan of Anything Goes Here.

 

I can't wait to share them all with you!

See you tomorrow, and happy hunting this weekend!

A Gift...

 

We all love vintage photos...or as we like to call them,

Instant Ancestors.

I can't keep track of how many old, sepia-toned photos I have of other peoples mothers, fathers, grandmothers, great uncle Bob's....I'll bet y'all have a lot too, right? They're irresistible.

So, in the spirit of sharing, here is a brand new "instant ancestor" for you  to add to your stash....

it's my very own Mom!

Wasn't she just the most adorable little thing ever?

So, if you're so inclined to decoupage her, or put her in a fairy jar or sprinkle her with glitter, go ahead. 

I don't mind, and I give you permission.

It's my mom, and I'm sharing her with you.

 Goodnight, sweet friends!

Guilty Pleasures and True Confessions

Here it is, the post where you either say 

"Oh my gosh! I can totally relate! That's MY sneaky, shameful, guilty pleasure too!"

or....

You shake your head in amazement, go "tsk, tsk", and promptly become an un-follower of this blog.

I have a few guilty pleasures which I unabashedly enjoy.
They are not the least bit intellectually edifying, and more than likely cause me to leak brain cells with each exposure. 

Still, I am unapologetic...I own my shallowness with regards to these mental bon bon's, and to those of you who can proudly boast a steady diet of C-Span, PBS, and High Fiber Foods, a great, big, fat Huzzah! to you.

Guilty Pleasure Number One: 

 

Please, make yourself comfy and join my husband on the "why does she watch this crap?" settee!

"The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love"", wherein  25 fame-ho gals act out their marriage-rescue fantasies on a guy they've just met. 

I ask you, what's not to love? 

Do I think this show is contrived? Absolutely.

Do I think that each season's Bachelor is tool-ier than the last? Without a doubt.

Do I understand why Bachelor Jake is keeping the skanky Vienna over other, classier gals? Heck no!

Will I watch next season's chosen Bachelor wash, rinse and repeat this formula? Need you ask?

Guilty Pleasure Number Two:

General Hospital...a show ostensibly about the goings-on in an urban hospital, and yet in recent years has devolved into a third-rate Sopranos homage. The Gummi-Bear Mob, led by ruthless kingpin with a heart-o-gold (is there any other kind?) Sonny Corinthos, are the centerpiece of the venerable ABC soap.

Is it all mob, all the time? Pretty much.

Is good old Luke Spencer still around? You betcha!

In fact, the latest super couple in the making is Lulu and Dante .... the daughter of Luke and Laura and the newly discovered, undercover cop, adult son of....duh-duh-duh...SONNY CORINTHOS!!! OMG, as they say!

Yep, my DVR has a permanent date with this silly soap, and I gobble it up like so much cotton candy.

Guilty Pleasure Number Three:

This ain't your Mama's ramen.

This is spicy and zesty and altogether intoxicating. I swear, this noodle soup has magical, healing properties, and although it'll never be confused with health food, it sure does do MY body good when I'm feeling under the weather. If you're a spicy food aficionado like I am, do yourself a favor and grab a bag or five of Shin Ramyun next time you're out.

Guilty Pleasure Number Four:

Little Debbie Fudge Brownies.

Madame Debbie's contributions to society rank right up there with Madame Curie's in my book!

No Godiva for this gal, just gimme a box of Lil' Debbie goodness this Valentine's Day and I'll be a happy gal. Serve 'em to me straight from the fridge and I'll be yours for life.

Guilty Pleasure Number Five:

Uh huh.

When I was planning our wedding reception three years ago, I only knew of one song that absolutely, positively HAD to be played, and it was Sir Mix-a-Lot's ode to the female posterior.

Don't ask me why, there's just something goofy and infectious about the song (and video) which always causes me to bust a discreet move whenever it comes on. 

That's it for now.

Still love me?

Any guilty pleasures that YOU wanna share?

Do tell!