Back Home Again and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We're back from Indiana, safe and sound! We had a few snow flurries while up there but not enough to whiten the ground for Christmas day. Even though the temperatures in Indiana and here in Tennessee may be similar, the air up there feels much colder than what we're used to. Thank goodness for family rooms with wood burning fireplaces!

I took a prebaked gingerbread house kit with me. My son's three children and I put it together but the two girls did all the decorating. My grandson decided he would skip the decorating but would be available for tasting. As it turned out, the house itself was really too hard to be tasty. The icing, however, was a different story.

If I had a fairy Godmother who could grant me one selfish wish, I would wish that I could spend a holiday (or just one day, for that matter) with both my children and all my grandkids together. My daughter's family is in Louisiana, my son's family in Indiana and we're in the far NE corner of Tennessee. There are so many miles between all of us! Throw in work and school schedules, and the result is very little time with any of them. It's been years since my two children and I have been together in one gathering. My daughter's kids and my son's kids have never even met each other. I wonder how other people with family members scattered in various states are able to combine schedules for an annual reunion.

Susan (aka my "soap lady") had a variety of new fragrances for me and of course, they started selling the first day I restocked the shops!

All in all, it was a good trip but it's always nice to be back home.

Well, tonight is the Big Night! We had decided to go to a large New Year's party that one of the shop owners is having but hubby and I are both having back problems today. Mine has been bothering me for several days but I've barely been able to function today. So it looks like we'll be watching New York celebrate the stroke of midnight and will toast in the New Year on our front porch. We'll wake up tomorrow morning and marvel at how quickly 2007 passed by. AND, God willing, we'll soon return to our own weird degree of "normalcy".

I've been working on some items that are geared toward Valentine's Day for the shops and for Ebay. I'm hoping next week to once again break out the power tools, paint, etc. and work on some new Trash-to-Treasure goodies.

Please take care if you plan on going out tonight. The party we were going to is a nonalcoholic function;I'm going to guess that the majority of drivers tonight will have alcohol in their systems so I hope you remember to drive defensively.

Bye-bye for now; I hope to see you again next year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What a hectic time of year! I'm writing this post from Indiana. We were planning to be here Friday but hubby came home from work last Stupid Tuesday, ill. He went to the doc the next day and found out he had strep throat. Thank God for strong medicines. We delayed the trip only one day. We'll enjoy Christmas here, then start back down south Thursday morning. Wednesday will be the day for some JoAnn Fabrics bargains and (hopefully) meet up with Susan to pick up more of her handmade soaps. http://harmonyhandmadesoap.com/ I'm telling you, these are the very best! I buy them for myself and put them in my shops. Everybody loves them! They smell so mmmmmm - they literally fly off the shelves! Time for me to end this post and get downstairs with the family. Until next time, please be safe and warm, enjoy your loved ones and enjoy YOURSELF, praise God and have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Love to you all - Sher

Playing with Google Docs, Stupid Tuesdays and just plain rambling

Thanks to Suzy at the Backside of the Moon Primitives, I'm now playing with igoogle and Google Docs. My blog entry today is being written using Google Docs. I want to see if it's any easier to handle than writing directly to Blogger.

Today is what my hubby and I refer to as "Stupid Tuesday". He works at the Exide battery plant here in Bristol, and has a schedule of working three days on, two off - then two on and three off (12 hour days). It sounds a little complicated and is, at first. You get used to it. But a couple years ago, one of the unseen higher-ups (I'm presuming from the corporate offices) noted that workers had a few hours overtime every other week. The weeks without overtime were actually a little under the "normal" 40 hour work week. So, in an attempt to even out the hours and eliminate the overtime costs, the decision was made to have the employees work half a day every Tuesday. Confusing? There's more. Because there are different shifts involved, the shifts would rotate mornings and afternoons. Hubby's shift this week works this afternoon. Next Tuesday will be their turn to work in the morning. Thus, "Stupid Tuesday" was born in our home.

Well, as of today, I still haven't addressed the first Christmas card nor wrapped the first gift. There's a reason for the latter. I've yet to purchase the first gift, except for the very few little things I've purchased through the year, that is. The next few days around here are sure to be frenzied.

Today (this afternoon), I get to take my van to the van doctor. My check engine light just came on and I know a lot of people don't panic when this happens but I do. I have these visions of being out somewhere by myself and the engine exploding or something. We're planning on driving to Indiana for a few days and, given the storms they've had up north recently, don't want to take a chance on getting stranded somewhere between our driveway and my son's.

I've been having trouble lately with my blood sugar (I'm Type II diabetic) which explains a lot of my tiredness and basically being brainless as of late. The doc may have to tweak my Metformin to get me back on track. If you know someone who is diabetic and you've noticed this person is wandering away from his or her basic personality, have them check their glucose levels. You could actually be saving the person's life.

This blog is supposed to be a combination of trash-to-treasure experiences, combined with arts, crafts, antiques and some personal and family matters thrown in here and there. Have you noticed the absence of trash to treasure lately? (Gulp!) There's a reason for that. I haven't done any trash-to-treasuring for quite awhile. But I still have photos to share. They're just not mine! Check out what Barb has done: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2905192810100962245ERYKbp?vhost=home-and-garden

She says this is her way of being cheap. I prefer to think of it as being frugal as well as being smart.

Speaking of being frugal - I've listed a presser foot assortment on Ebay. They all fit a Singer. If you know someone with a Singer Sewing machine, please send 'em over to my listing. This is a GREAT deal, as some of these feet retail for over $20 each and I've started the bidding for the entire lot at $7. Here's the direct link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200184874256&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=010 I have a whimsical pinkeep up for bid, too. (Something else I love to make, pinkeeps) If you are still using one of those tomato things for your pins and needles, try either giving yourself a handmade pinkeep or make one for yourself. They're much more fun to use than tomatoes.

...and that's it for now, Kids! I have to sign off here and try to do something productive. Have a blessed week!

Can we postpone Christmas?

Maybe for just one more month? Please? And will someone, anyone, out there in blogland please tell me that you haven't started shopping yet?

This is awful. I have never, ever in my now 59+ years, been so far behind on absolutely every task I have. Is anyone else in the same boat? Because I'm really starting to feel so sorry for myself that I'm becoming quite pitiful to me.

"Normal" activity for us at this time of year is to have our home, inside and out, glisten with lights and activity. Our lawn usually has lit with grazing animals and a large Nativity. Our porch is sparkling with smiling snowmen, lots of greenery and a welcome Santa. Wreaths are in the windows, candles are glowing, the back deck has elves playing. Every room inside is decorated and festive. I've baked cookies and breads for our neighbors and cards were mailed the week after Thanksgiving.

This year? (Gulp!) Last night I decorated our tree with only a portion of our ornaments after hubby covered it in lights two nights ago. Looking at my husband, I said, "Well, I guess we're done here..."

And let's not even talk about shopping.

See? Pitiful.

Okay, now that I've whined (please pass the cheese) about almost everything, let's move on to something else.

Five of us who frequent HGTV's Trash to Treasure forum participated in an annual T2T swap put together by TTRBB (aka "Becky"). All but one of us has received our package of swaps. So, if you are Poodlenana, stop reading here. I don't want to spoil the surprise! (Actually, she's probably received her package but hasn't had a chance to post it.) I've posted closeups here: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/561748733TaSDEO.

These are the ones I made. They're little snowman heads sitting on unwanted silverware. I bent the silverware so the ornaments will clip onto the branches instead of hanging from them.

They were made with scraps of felt, an old baby sock, wire, loose ravels from a red weater, tiny screws and nuts I swept from my husband's shop floor and sheep wool clipped from our neighbor's lamb.

This past Saturday was an antiques lover/junkster's dream! A huge antiques store, built onto the owners' home, and separate auction house AND contents of all were auctioned off. It was a court-ordered sale, which was sad (a divorcing couple couldn't seem to reach an equitable agreement) but at the same time, great for the rest of us who were present there.

Here is a picture of the antiques store (the residence is in the far right of the building) and a pic of the auction "barn":

The store had a mix of vintage and new items made to look old. I took these pictures from the auctioneer's site. The auctioneer was Ron Ramsey, who also happens to be our State Representative in this area.

Although I didn't get any furniture, I did get some glassware and "smalls" (smaller items) for our shop. After cleaning and sorting everything, we took a couple boxes to one of our shops in Elizabethton.

I also took one of my latest "make-do" creations, this guy that I call a Dapper Snowman.

He has kind of a Dean Martin look about him, don't you think?

While at the shop, I happened to fall (clumsy gal that I am) in one of our spots. Nothing was broken except for a teapot and my sense of dignity. I was sore for a couple of days, but as I am an RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) patient, I'm usually sore anyway. At least I didn't break a bone, as I also have diabetes and my healing process is slow. It also slowed me down a couple more days on my Christmas decorating, etc.

I plan on doing a little shopping on Friday for the family. But, if anyone else wants to sign a petition to postpone Christmas this year...

I'm glad you could stop by! Keep smiling and God bless all of you!

Santa comes in less than three weeks!

...and I've barely begun to shop! I'm one who normally has most of her shopping, if not all of it, finished before now so excuse me while I freak out. AAAAGHH! (Deep breath...) I feel like Scarlett O'Hara; I'll think about that tomorrow. Nope, I wouldn't make a good Scarlett. I'll finish this post and as I'm pricing more shop items, will think about how I will accomplish Christmas in time for Christmas. Speaking of shop items, the Corner Nest had its first Open House this past weekend. I was there Saturday to witness literally hoards of people. It was almost like someone had moved the Bristol Raceway crowd into Elizabethton. Sunday was apparently just as busy so I spent Monday rearranging and adding more items. I have more glassware in storage that needs to be washed, tagged etc. - part of my "to do" list for today. Tomorrow I'll be in Elizabethton again to replenish both our shops before the weekend. Here's a shot of the main Christmas tree in the front of the store. I don't know how tall it is (20 ft, maybe?) but I can guarantee you that it's BIG! Of course, I took some "before" pictures. Most were taken before the doors opened to the Open House crowd so a lot of what you will see in the link below is already sold; however, if you see anything that you seriously want to inquire about in any of the booths, I'll see if it's still available and what the price is. Here's the photo link: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/561659490MegBAj The following two pictures are of our third spot there.

I was "crazy-quiz" tagged by my friend Donna Marie in New England and decided to answer the quiz questions here. If you're reading this post and haven't yet been tagged by this one, consider it done and send me YOUR answers to the same questions: Two (or more) names you go by: 1. Sher 2. Mom 3. Grandma Two things you are wearing right now: 1. (Uh-oh!) Bathrobe 2. Glasses (Told you I've been late doing everything!) Two of your favorite things to do: 1. Sew 2. Shop for antiques Two things you want very badly at the moment: 1. My morning shower 2. A larger house with lots of storage on level property Two favorite pets you have/had: 1. My parrots Bailey and Tasha and Willie, a cockatoo I used to have and 2) my dog, Frankie (yes, I can count. I know that's four; I just can't play favorites. Two things you ate today: 1. fat-free yogurt and cereal. Two people you last talked to on the phone: 1. My husband (he calls me at breaktime) and my brother Two things you're doing tomorrow: HA! See above blog! Favorite Holidays: Christmas and July 4 Two favorite beverages: Coke Zero and water Thanks for stopping by! See you in a few days!

Some Updates, Some New Items and T2T!

Hi, everyone! I'm finally starting to get caught up on some things and let me tell you, it feels sooo good! First, an update on the Mrs. Paul's fish sticks: I sent an email w/a picture of the little guy you saw in my last post and they're sending me a coupon for a free box of fillets. I complained, they resolved the situation and I'm back to being a happy camper with them. Since I shared my complaint with you, it's only right that I should also make you aware that they took steps to "fix" the problem. Becky, the Trash-to-Treasure (T2T)gal I met on the HGTV boards received my box of ornies Monday. I thought I was the last one, but she's waiting on one another to arrive before she mails everyone's package out. Just thought I'd let you know that I haven't forgotten my promise to post pix of all the goodies. Below is a picture of a kitchen Christmas tree that I just put together. Look closely and you'll see that I recycled everything: I generally buy Christmas decorations after the holiday at savings anywhere from 30 to 80% off. This tree is one I purchased several years ago but never used. So, this year I decided to sit it inside an old ceramic coffee container that didn't have a lid and decorate the branches with kitchen-y items, tied on with strips of scrap fabric. Old forks and spoons add some sparkle and dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks add a nice fragrance as well as interest. Also included is an old ceramic gravy spoon (pretty, but no real value), some fake tomatoes, pears and other fruit that I've stored for years along with an old cookie cutter, some recipe cards and a few bells here and there. All in all, I think it makes for a cute little tree. And how's this for another way to recycle drawers as well as save yourself some dollars? This old sled was missing a slat when we got it. My hubby found this (huge!) old drawer in someone's trash. He brought it home because he wanted the hardware, but I told him to save the wood, as it is real wood, not pressed board. When I showed him the old sled, he immediately thought about the drawer and knew he could form a new board for it. The sled boards and the drawer wood was the same thickness. He cut the board, stained it and attached it. Good as new! This red sled needs a cross board for steering. He'll use wood from the same drawer for it! There will still be plenty of wood left over. See that drawer track running across the middle (below). We'll keep that in tact to fix another chest or dresser that has a broken or missing track. The thinner plywood that is the drawer bottom will be used to replace another that is broken or cracked and the front of the drawer? Why, that's mine, of course, to use when I need to make more peg boards for coats. And finally, here's a bobbin-topped angel I just completed today. She's holding a wooden block that I painted to look like a book. An old brooch is fastened to the front of her tie belt to act as a buckle. Her underskirt is eyelet that peeks out from under her dress. I love the cute little primitive angels in the print. Her hair is from a friend's llama. They have to be trimmed every summer for health reasons, just as sheep do. I love working with llama hair; it's so soft and closely resembles human hair when attached to a doll. I needle-felted the hair to her scalp. As you do your Christmas shopping, I encourage you to look for products that are handmade. Support your local craftspeople and artists; you can pretty well rest assured that our creations won't poison your home with lead. As usual, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you'll visit again in a few days!

Late again, it's getting to be a habit

I guess it's the time of year for me and probably a lot of you to be running behind on just about everything. And I do mean everything! I had signed up with some of my HGTV board buddies to do a Trash-to-Treasure Christmas ornie (ornament) swap and guess who brought up the tail end of that one? Yep, guilty as charged. I'm hoping that Becky (the person coordinating the swap) received my package today. She was supposed to have received it Saturday as she was planning on sending out all the goodies to everyone today. Once I know that everyone has received their swap packages, I'll post pix of all the trash to treasure ornaments. The shops have been busy, especially the new Corner Nest mall in Elizabethton. We have three spots there now; however, one will be temporary through probably this month. We're due to move into still another shop in Bristol, TN and Robin (proprietor of the Nest) was good enough to let us rent a spot (albeit temporary) and save us from having furniture piled upon every surface in our home. We were actually lucky to get it, as her building is packed full. If you're in the area this weekend (December 1 and 2), I hope you can stop by for the annual Open House that she always hosts. There will be lots of food, door prizes and of course, quality items available for purchase. Have you noticed something new here? The music? ;-) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and that you really take a few moments to listen to the words of these songs. I admit shedding tears every time I hear the one by Mark Harris. He wrote it for his children and of course, I think of my own precious children as I listen to it. They are grown, of course, as you can see in the slide show and very few moments go by in the course of the day that my family isn't on my mind. Both my kids are excellent parents and I thank and praise God for this. I have an off the topic item to share with you. You know, it's bad enough that gasoline has gotten so expensive that you have to take out a second mortgage in order to fill up your vehicles. But have you noticed how the price of groceries have spiraled up while the contents of the packages have zoomed downward? For example, have you purchased a pound of bacon lately? A real pound? Remembering that a pound is equal to 16 ounces, have you noticed that bacon is mostly being packaged now in 12 and 14 ounce packages? (I'll give you a moment here as you check your fridge...) Here's something I really had to show you:

I'm not one to fix a lot of frozen prepared fish or meat for dinner but we've been so busy lately that last night's dinner was an exception. The top picture is the "before" baking shot of the contents of one of Mrs. Paul's "10 crispy battered fish fillet" packages. I set a teaspoon next to the one fillet for a size reference. Look how tiny that poor little baby fillet must have been! Do you think the egg was completely hatched? It struck me as being really funny as I slid the contents of the package onto a cookie sheet. However, if I was someone who had just searched the crevices of my sofa and chairs in hopes of finding enough change to purchase that box, it surely wouldn't have been laughable. The second picture is the "after baked" photo; my hubby held a ruler above the little guy. You can see it barely measured a full two inches. The other pieces, by the way, could hardly be called "oversized".

Now, here's a shot of a "make-do" snowlady I'm working on:

A "Make-do" is a term that was used quite a bit in days gone by. It refers to what people used to do when they were making something but didn't always have the proper equipment to do the job. I recall my great-grandmother sewing a patch or repairing an item, then declaring, "That will have to make do" as she finished it. Pictured here is a snowlady "make-do". I've fastened her atop an old bobbin. She's looking quite tired but happy, just the same. She still needs a dress or an apron, maybe a cape, and a couple arms. I'll give her something to hold, too. The bobbin I used is the kind that Eastman (remember Eastman-Kodak?) Corporation in Kingsport, Tennessee used to use with yarn machines. I love designing and making handmade items and especially enjoy being able to incorporate into my items things that were meant for another use. But then, you already know that, as that's what trash-to-treasure and recycling is all about. Drop me a line sometime and let me know the ways you try to keep things from going into a landfill. Let's share these ideas!!! The earth belongs to us all. 'Till next time (hopefully, just a few days from now)!

Late again, but with things of interest

The new Corner Nest has really kept all of us running! It seems I'm over there at least every other day, moving things around, adding more items to replace the ones that have sold, etc. Meanwhile, my digi camera decided to go belly-up and stop working. (See, I have a valid excuse, ummm, reason, for being late this time!) My hubby has been working on this cute old chest and I'll try to keep pix posted of his process if I can get a suitable camera. The wonderful group of gals at Delphi's Prim & Rustic Forum has put together this tree of ornaments and I do hope you read about the cause: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130173223729 The proceeds from the auction will go to the hospital that so lovingly cared for Penny. Have any of you seen this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1574860941/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-2245715-7193401#reader-link It may be helpful for those of you who want to do a little something different with your Christmas ornaments. You might also want to check out these sites: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/index.shtml http://crafts.kaboose.com/recycle.html Both show various ways to recycle Christmas cards and paper; All Free Crafts has a little of everything, including things that can keep the kiddies busy and, of course, teaching them the values of recycling and doing things frugally. If you're unable to get your aluminum cans to the recycling center, here are some creative options: http://www.aluminouspublishing.com/ And while you're there, check this out: http://www.aluminouspublishing.com/recycled_art.html Here's hoping I'll have a functioning camera in a few days!

A Gathering of Miscellany

Can you believe that Christmas is NEXT MONTH??? I know that time supposedly passes faster for you when you get older but this is ridiculous. I still have to remind myself that this is 2007 every time I write a check.

Plus, here in NE Tennessee, autumn is just beginning! I was starting to think that we were truly having an endless summer. The temps are still really warm here for the time of year (I think we're supposed to hit 70° again this week) but the trees are finally starting to color.

I love the way this place is tucked behind the trees. No, it's not my place - just one that I think looks serene.

And, I know I said in my last post that I expected things around here to return to normal this week. Well, they haven't. Things are going great guns at the new shop and I'm continuing to clean quilts and linen, pretty glasses, etc. to transport to Elizabethton and replace what has been sold. At least we had a couple more pieces of furniture that had already been cleaned, etc. and were ready for display. We're all pleased that things are going so well.

And in the absence of new pictures to share for my trash-to-treasure ventures, I have this:

We have a very small bathroom with basically no room for storage. Although I did give this old planter a fresh coat of paint, nothing else was needed to make it useful for me. Just wanted to show you that something doesn't have to be completely redesigned to be repurposed.

The planter is slender and not real tall so it doesn't take up much space but it does an adequate job of holding extra towels and TP as well as storing a few magazines for those times in the bathroom that, well, you have nothing else to do but wait for things to happen.

Sorry for this short post but I'm off now to my studio for a day of painting, sewing, sanding and cutting - not necessarily in that order!

Hi, Everyone!

I'm hoping to be back on a regular posting schedule but you know what is said about the planning of mice and men. I'm told that applies to women as well!

What a week, what a weekend and what a DAY yesterday was!

If you read my blog on an even semi regular basis, you know that yesterday was the first day of opening for the Corner Nest, a new 18,000+ square foot antiques and gifts mall in which we have a spot. It was also the day for "Elvis" (Jesse Wade) to perform at the Shop Around the Corner, another antiques mall in which we have two large rooms.

"Elvis" was scheduled to perform at 12:00 noon; he was hired for the specific purpose of attracting the 400 red hatters (learn about them HERE if you're not familiar with them) to that shop. It was a free concert for them and everyone else who wanted to be there, as it was paid for by shop owners Linda and Mike Glover.

Here's a picture of Linda and Mike - cute couple, eh?

I've come to know Linda very well and am pleased that we've become friends. She's a wonderful person and I could carry on with all the accolades that wonderful people deserve. But I won't simply because you've surely heard positive comments before. Apply them all here to her.

Okay, before I digress too badly: My husband and I approached the Shop around 12:15PM. I commented to him that I didn't hear any music. Once we actually reached the shop we were immediately impressed with the beautiful sea of red and purple hats. Yes, it does seem that the two colors would clash but put them on a group of aged 50+ ladies who are out to have a good time and trust me, it's glorious.

There I go, digressing again. Long story short, Elvis was late. Almost an hour late. I wanted to start a crowd chant of "Elvis, El-VIS!" but Linda basically threatened serious harm to my limbs so I passed on it. Although most people were past the stage of restlessness and Linda was very near entering the manic zone, she somehow handled it with her typical grace. When Jesse Wade did appear, it took very little time for him to set up and get into costume and a much shorter time for him to charm his audience. I've never seen so many ladies of respected society swoon and (some) actually cry. It was a sweet experience. Really. And loads of fun.

I threw my own reservations to the wind and chased him around until he danced with me. If my children are reading this, let me assure the two of you that you would have probably been appropriately embarrassed by your mother's behavior.

(In this picture, he handed me his belt and I promptly tried to sell it for $5 to anyone on the street.)

Linda (who says she doesn't dance) and I even danced. Geez, who knew this 59 year old body could still shimmy? (Gulp!) You can see the rest of the pictures here if you want: http://family.webshots.com/album/561207122aRodex

Yesterday was also the first day of business for the Corner Nest. The girls at the checkout counter were busy the entire day.

You've already seen so many "under construction" pictures of this mall that I won't post a bunch of those pix (I do have an on-line album, if you want to take a peek: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/561211061oYVbfs ) , but I did want you to see this particular repurposed item:

How nifty is this? Someone cleverly converted an old organ into a desk.

I didn't see the price tag on it but will find out. I know you trash-to-treasure artists and seekers will want that info!

Also, look at this:

Can you believe it's a CAKE? Every bit of this is handmade and eatable, with the exception of the tiny flowers laying next to the cake.

My hubby and I were sure impressed. Honest to goodness, even up close it looks like a hat box carefully wrapped in cloth.

This is the work of Carol, who owns a local B & B and also does catering. Sorry, I don't have any additional info but will get that for you. She has an antiques booth at the new mall and will also be handling some food preparation when the restaurant part opens.

That's all for now but I'll be back soon with more of my own trash to treasure ventures! Thanks for stopping by!

Almost "Normal"

Almost normal. That's what I keep trying to convince myself. Soon things will return to being almost normal, whatever that is. "Normal" for me is generally considered manically abnormal for many. But before I get started on that, here's a pic of the chest re-do I promised you last post: I really wish I could get a better picture of it, but try as I did, I couldn't. You'll have to trust me that it's a beautiful piece. We replaced the broken and nonexistent drawer knobs with porcelain knobs. The top and sides are no longer rough and warped, a broken leg that someone had tried to fix with something that looked like that bubbly kind of window insulation that swells up has been properly restored and, of course, the dirt that had accumulated over the years (probably from sitting in someone's barn or attic) was eradicated. It now sits in our room at Robin's Nest (now known to my husband and myself as "the little shop") in Elizabethton. When I was there yesterday dropping off some "new" wares, I noticed this old window that someone else (probably Sylvia, I don't know her last name) put together. I think this is a really cute fall display as well as a different way to re-use a window that was headed for the trash. The glass panes have been removed. She sanded off some of the top paint, added a chain for hanging, and these cute wood cutouts that she probably designed herself. Robin is also the Proprietor of the new antiques mall. I wanted to show you this man's creations from old barnwood. These items will last forever; after all, these old barns stood for well over 100 years. His work is tremendously popular with those of us who love the primitive or rustic look and of course, this is another way of preventing this resource from going to the landfill or filling the air we breathe with smoke pollutants. Think of it as being an unsung hero and putting cash in your pockets at the same time. And here's some eye candy for some of you sign and memoribilia collectors:

These great old advertising signs have found a temporary home on the ramp leading from the first to the second floor. There are many more that will be for sale throughout the building, but I loved the statement that all these old soldiers make, quietly lined up and leaning against the brick wall.

Here's a piece that caught my eye:

It's simple but elegant. And probably expensive (I didn't check out the price tag!) But the good news to you crafters and do-it-yourselfers is, you could probably create your own version rather simply. The red velvet body is a cord of velvet that may have been wound around something like a styrofoam form.

In Robin's "little shop", I saw this primitive stump doll:

I love primitive pieces, whether it's an authentically old piece or one like this one that has been purposely stained (or "aged") to achieve the loved-long-ago look.

I know some people don't "get" primitive; others get it but don't like it. This is for all of you who do.

And how's this for a blast from the past?

This old privy (or outhouse or "John", as some may prefer) sits in the lot of the little shop. It's probably chock full of tools or whatever. Many people buy these and use them for storage buildings.

I remember when my uncle's house was renovated to include running (well) water and indoor plumbling. He still opted to use the outhouse. The notion of defecating inside his home was just absolutely disgusting to him.

And, of course, just one peek at my Christmasy display outside my booth at the new mall (which opens Saturday, a week from today! Yaaaaay!). As you can see, I'm still "stuffing and fluffing" things there. More garlands will be added, along with more linens and olde collectibles. I've also been busy making handmade ornaments (ornies) for this formerly "nekkid" (as my friend Cathy aka Hazelruthe from Delphi's P&R board calls it) tree.

Before I go, I want to urge you to check out the patterns and collectible Hallmark ornaments I have listed on Ebay http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZoldtimemeartist. Who knows, you might find something you can't live without.

And leave me a comment or two! You all have been really quiet these past couple of weeks!

A Change of Plans

The only thing constant is change. I don't know who first said it; I know only that it's been repeated many times, probably mostly by me. I also know it's true. The date for the Grand Opening of Elizabethton's new antiques mall has been pushed back once again. This time, the date is reset for October 27. I'm presuming that's this year, 2007. All the necessary inspections have yet to be made. Not cleared, mind you, but made. The first inspection to be put off a few weeks ago was that of the city's electrical personnel. He was on vacation. And yet I still enjoy small town living.

If nothing else, my time here on earth has taught me to bounce and bend with changes. So, as far as our spot in the new mall, I've removed all traces of Halloween-type decor and memorabilia and am replacing it with:

That's okay, I like Christmas much better than Halloween, anyway. We're hoping to get the display finished some time this week.

By the way, that's my hubby up there. Hi, Honey! He's neither part of the display nor for sale.

I expect that the other venders will soon follow suit with the Christmas displays. I mean, if the shop does open October 27 of this year, we'll have only three short days left before November. Thanksgiving doesn't get the attention it deserves (JMHO) so doing a Christmas theme only makes sense to me. Meanwhile, here's what some of the rest of the mall is looking like:

If you want to see more pix of the new place, click HERE.

My TRASH TO TREASURE endeavors have had to move to my proverbial back burner, although my sweet husband did somehow find time to work on this:

The picture doesn't show its injustices. In addition to the entire piece being filthy, the top was warped, the sides cracked and I won't address what I think probably lived inside the drawers.

The "after" pix of this piece will be posted in a couple days. Yes, just a couple days. Not next week-and-a-half. But don't hold me to it. Just kidding.

I really will see you here again in just a couple days! 'Til then...!