Friday Faves!

Happy Friday!  It has been so long since I have done a Friday Favorites and I was going through my etsy and Pinterest feed and found so many lovely things to share.  Perhaps they will make your wish list too!

I love butterflies and moths and the colors and composition is so pretty on this print.  This artist also has a print that my little man loves! Found here

My husband does the cooking.  I know, I am a lucky lady.  Just the other day, he mentioned that we don't have a plate specifically for resting a spoon or a spatula on.  I just happened across this sweet dish and think it is perfect! Found here

I rarely buy calenders anymore since I have one on my phone.  And my computer.  And every year or so I will buy a cute planner that doesn't get used.  This one though is pure art! Found here

This shop sells the sweetest, simple little houses.  So charming! Found here

I have found that I start to love what my little guy loves.  And he loves what he calls train lanterns and has a little collection.  While this shirt isn't in his size, I think I may have to get one for myself.  Found here

I have been watching the evolution of this woodcut for awhile and was so excited to see the beautiful colors they chose for it.  I would love to get a print for our future home. Found here

Here is another piece of art that I would love to have- an original hand pulled stump print!  So beautiful! Found here 

And, here is something I have had on my wish list for so long!  I just need to see if I trust my optometrist with changing out the lenses in a pair of these wood sunnies! Found here


We had a fun Halloween!  I just realized that I haven't shared the little man's costume.  The Mr. took all the photos, so I will have to get those from him.  Hope you have a wonderfully fall weekend!

Plead my case!

Hello all!  

Thanks for all of your input on my last post about the embroidery sampler.

I think I will get it and a book... so if anyone would like to suggest a good beginner book, that would be so helpful. But, just so you know... I couldn't learn to knit from a diagram, so I will need a very detailed but elementary book.  And I will probably watch a lot of youtube videos too!

I think we may have discussed that I am a little bit spoiled. But, I don't beg and whine to get things...obsess, maybe... but no whining.  

Today, I need you to whine for me.  

I am serious.

Mr. Hughes went to auction the other day and got a set of 8 antique dining chairs.  Yeah, yeah, I thought.  He says.... they are pretty.... yeah, yeah. I like the ones I have.
Then, he brings them home...

He wants me to give them a little makeover and put them in the booths.

I can't.

I love them.  They have to stay here... right here.

Aren't they perfect... they have a sassy pair of front legs too.

I am supposed to be up before them this morning painting 2 of these chairs for the booth.

So, before he brings me 2 more home from storage, I need you to beg and plead and whine on my behalf... I just think they are perfect for us.

Perhaps the jury needs another view...

And, just in case it raises arguments, I can still use those slipcovers that I had to have.... They will fit these better.

C'mon ladies (and a few gents)... help me out here!

oh and the plan would be to recover them... right now they are in a crunchy vinyl... I know... "crunchy".... I am thinking there is horse hair under the vinyl.

I am undecided on painting them if the Mr. says yes.  My heart says yes, paint them!  And so does my head for that matter.  If that offends all you purists out there and keeps you from pleading my case, just know that they will be painted if I sell them too.

Okay, I am counting on you.  No, really I am.

bye for now!

***update*** 
He caved!  heehee!  Thanks for the fuel ladies!  Off to find some great fabric for the seats ~ xo ~

I strive to be.....

..... PINWORTHY!!

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I think I may have coined a term (in relation to pinterest)....use it.  Love it.  Pin it!

If you are looking for me... I will probably be wasting some time here.

bye for now!!

My Last Day

Hello all.

Today is it.  My last day of work.  

I have been at the same job for 6 years. 

Next week I start my new job with my new boss... he is a talker.  And cute.  

And blondes aren't usually my type.

*wink*

Still excited.scared.nervous.happy.

Last week I got a surprise.  Mr. Hughes brought home a bunch of furniture for me to paint and a surprise.

He called it my Happy Last Day of Work Present (a week early.)

You may remember me lusting after a certain item in this post.

Well, I think it looks much, much better in my dining room.

Don't you think?  And you also must think that I am spoiled.  And that Mr. Hughes is dreamy and considerate.  And I would have to agree with all those things. 

You should also know that our anniversary is in a few weeks and this is for that too.

So I am not totally spoiled.  Just like 75%

I have been wanting a Swedish clock for awhile (I am not sure if this is considered a "Mora)

This one is from 1790 and has the maker's signature on the back ... Hermann Hoffstred along with a piece of paper from a Stockholm newspaper.

It doesn't work... just stands there and looks pretty.

And what a great looking face!  I haven't seen one on the few Swedish Clocks that I have seen.

Okay kids... I am out of here to go to my last few hours of paid labor!

bye for now!

Published!

Hello all!

I just wanted to toot my horn just a bit.

Heehee!  

Recently I was asked to write some small filler articles for an area antiques magazine

Busy Bee Trader.

The first article was due just a few days after the editor asked me so I wrote about something near and dear to my heart.

My Stack!

So I just wrote a short small article and shared a sneak peak of my growing stack.  I think it has the potential to reach the ceiling!  I actually have added a small one since this photo was taken. But, it is an obsession and I need MORE!

So, if you can't get enough of me here, you can go 

here and read my short article on page 38.

Oh, and don't forget to enter my Garden-y Giveaway!  I will draw a winner on Friday.

bye for now!

Recap of the Music Valley Antiques Show

Hello! How are you?

I have been a wee bit of a blog slacker lately.  

I finished another book.  And I really can only ignore and neglect my family in so many ways!

I thought I would show you some of the photos from the Music Valley Antiques Show.

You know, the one where poor me came home empty handed.

There were tons of great items, especially signs, but they were just out of our price range.

Lots of eye candy though...

Like this train schedule board.... I think I may try to make one of these for my little train lover... with chalkboard paint.

 

There were also a lot of carnival type items, like this old game.

We were really drawn to all the signs... there were so many great ones!

 

I love this display of catcher's masks.  Power in numbers!

Of course I adored this vintage dress form.

 

This was one of my very favorite signs... I loved it!  It really deserved to go home with me!

I also really loved this rack... I would love to tear out our pantry and put all our food on this... of course then I would have to only buy things in pretty packaging...

Now, I don't like to talk $$$$ very much, but to just give you an idea of why we didn't take anything home...

this little sign... probably an 8x 14.... well, my dears, it was $695.

Yep.  I didn't forget a decimal after that 9 either.

I am sure it is a very famous sign.

 

Mr. Hughes oohhed and ahhed over these big barrels... he wanted to use them as rain barrels for our garden.

And we both loved this double birdcage.

So I am going to get my act together and actually post this week.... maybe a few furniture pieces and I have missed doing my Friday's Favorites the past couple of weeks.

bye for now!!

Short Stack

Do you know how completely lovely the weekend was here in TN?

Do you know what it looks like now? Grey and rainy.

Oh well, it could be worse with 18 inches of *snow* on its way.

Lately I have been obsessing over suitcases.

Specifically stacks and stacks of them.

like

found ~ country living

found ~ country living

found ~ the locker via my sweet savannah

 A small stack in my bedroom

Well, kids, I love it.

And now I want more... 

so baby hughes and I went to a little place near here to see if they had one that I remembered from months ago.

And they did!

I scooped (well, heaved it up, it is pretty big)

and Mr. Hughes found a great one last week.

And then I stole one from under his armoire in our bedroom.

So I have a short stack in the living room.  But of course, I want more. MORE!!

here are a few of my favorites on etsy right now

just in case you need a short stack today.

found~ sadieolive 

found~ lepinkchandelier

found~ cometwreckage

found~ brightwallvintage

Consider it a early week Friday Favorites!

Bye for now!

Please, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

Hi there!  How are you?

Well, I need something and I know one of you have it.... 

probably because I most likely 

*borrowed* 

it from one of you.  

So, please, let me have the whole thing

I want to see the rest of this house... I am thinking it was a ranch that they redid with a porch.

So, one of you please tell me where I can find it.

I love this look.... the black trimmed windows... the kitchen... the lighting....

and I know that I will love the rest of this house too... I mean, check out that chair.

So, please let me get what I want... this time....

bye for now!

UPDATE!!!  Thanks to Dakota, I was able to locate it in Cottage Living September 2008.  So, all of you magazine hoarders out there... go look at the whole house.  I have been seeing some of these images around the blogs recently.  I am sitting here with a hot cup of tea and my large stack of back issues... Cottage Living, I miss you!

Snow Day!

Hi there!  Are you guys snowed in?  We are... 5 whole inches.  It doesn't take much to snow us in Tennessee!  

Hope your weekend was wonderful.   We went out on Saturday and foofed and fluffed the booths.

And, then we went treasure hunting.

Ladies (and the few guys that read,) it has been too long.  I missed it so.  We drove out to one little trove that was close til March! But we did happen upon a new place that we had never been to before.

And, there is where we met....

Have I ever mentioned my utter weakness for ironstone?  It is bad.  Mr. Hughes actually picked out this sweet thing.  You see, I have been lusting over an ironstone punch bowl for awhile... but why haven't you bought it? you ask.  Well, let's just say that it was around $375.  And it still sits, in the same spot, for over 2 years.  And, don't get me wrong... it may very well be worth it... just not to me.

So, naturally, when the Mr. told me he thought I needed this bowl... I wasn't going to argue...see, it is even up on a short little pedestal.

We also came home with a very cool vintage school map of Asia and the USSR, I will show you that once Mr. Hughes cleans his desk off.

So, when I woke up this morning and saw all this white, I knew just what to do.  First, I froze my hiney off painting a couple of pieces for the booth... show you later... then after cleaning the house up just a bit, I bundled my little hyena up and took him out to throw snow at each other.  It was fun... what else can I say....kids make everything better.

We built a mini snowman with a baby carrot nose and vintage buttons.  People, I know... he isn't the best... the snow packs really easy but doesn't sculpt.... people from up North, your tips are welcome.

baby hughes loved it!  This is his first snow that he was able to play in.... he took right to throwing it

Now, we are warm and dry.  One of us is napping.  And I am about to grab another cup of green tea and  see what I can shake up around here! (Have you seen the large stack of suitcases in the latest Country Living... I so want to copy that....)

bye for now!

Just a Phase

Hello, hello!  I have to you you something about myself.  I have a favorite color.  It is green.... I am a green person.  Then I have a preference for a few other colors/ shades.... grey, aqua, black, white, brown.... occasionally pink.  But never yellow... not that I don't like yellow... I do....just not one a love.  But people, I am apparently going through a yellow phase....I think it started way back with this lamp:

 

In my mind, this is the perfect shade of yellow... let's call it key lime pie yellow.... 

(People, key lime pie is yellow... not green... if you are eating a green key lime pie then you are eating food coloring)

Anyhow, this yellow is perfect...

I found the base at an antique store and Mr. Hughes rewired it and I covered the shade.

Then I started buying other yellow stuff

 this yellow and grey planner...

what you don't know about this planner is that it has secret *just for me* grey fabric with silhouettes  of pigtailed girls.

found~ here

 

I also got this snuggly afghan... I love chevron too.

found~ here

 

Then this little piece of happy fabulousness

really... yellow and grey?  Genius.... it is like a sunny day and a rainy day mixed...

like salty and sweet...

like kettle corn

found~ here

But, now I find myself thinking about yellow fabrics and how to bring a bit of sunshine into our 

library/office/train table room.

So here are a few that I am lusting over....

 all found at fabric.com

For the record, Mr. Hughes says that yellow may be too distracting to work around all day and it is partially his office where they would be.
 and, don't you think I need this.... I mean, it does match my lamp!

found at laylagrace.com

Then, the final straw in this phase...

I collaborated with a  certain Margarita Sister to design this bag:

We will call it the Suzy.... and that may or may not be the name of its creator *wink*

Sorry for the awful photos.... it was early and cold and grey..... I think my hand was shaking from the shivering....

 

AND, she is reversible! I love it!  

Just remember... this is just a phase....

I am a green girl.....

Bye for now!

once I get some better photos, I will list this design in my etsy in case any of you are going through a yellow phase as well....