Happy Memorial Day

I was tagged by sweet Kate over at Our Red House to participate in a MEME to take a photos of our views from our back and front doors. Ahem...share with the world our views, but honestly, looking out my back door is not so pretty these days as we recently had some horribly windy days and my garden is looking quite wind-whipped in the back.

My dear sweet husband has been tending to our front yard and this is the view of our front from our front door. Little flags are out for Memorial Day for a little touch of American spirit. As a military mother, my heart strings pull tightly on this day - as well as July 4th, however not a day goes by without thinking of our troops and to those who have given so unselfishly of themselves to serve our wonderful Country. I am so very, very proud of our son for his sacrifices, his bravery and his spirit. He told me this when he enlisted..."Mom, I need to serve our Country and to help others." I get tears in my eyes when I think about those words and miss him each and every day.

For all of the families who have loved ones in our military - be it friends or family - God Bless you. A gigantic THANK YOU and God Bless to all of you who are giving of yourselves to fight for our Freedom and to serve this Big Red, White and Blue!!!

((Hugs))

A Is For Apron and B Is For Buntings

Ahhh...a new "must have" sewing book! Yup, more than five reasons to have this one! I have been wanting to make aprons for quite some time now and believe me, there is plenty of inspiration with each turn of the page. I recently picked it up at Barnes and Noble and even got a deal at 20% off!
Below are some new fabrics to use...

How cute is this yellow one?
And check out the pleated waist band!
Ok, now who does this cherry one remind you of? Anyone we know?
Flirty and oh-so-feminine!
This one looks like a summer dress.
Good oldies but goodies.
Aprons of our past. Now ladies, I do believe we have come a long way!
And speaking of projects....
I've been seeing a lot of Mr. Janome lately...you know...my sewing machine. He has been working overtime filling orders for buntings and I will be adding some to my ETSY here soon.

Wishing all of you a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

5 Reasons

Ever find something at a store and just have to have it? I had to have this piece and found it at my friend Marsha's shop (Laura Bells Antiques) and treated myself with my Mother's Day money. I justify my purchase by giving myself five reasons why I have to have it. If I come up with five, then home it goes.

1. love Victorian criss cross frames....

2. This looks like a wet Scottish Terrier....well, sort of...

3. Love photos of children and dogs.....

4. These remind me of my boys - especially the one on the left and the curly haired sweetie in the middle....

5. ...and lastly, check out the pants on the middle guy! Click to enlarge. Hysterical!! No need to drop the drawers to go to the potty!! Ok, there are five reasons, so Marsha - bag it up!

Hope all of my sweet friends have a lovely new week.

Ta ta!

So Blessed, Scotty Style!

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a total stranger. She said that she knows how much I love my Scotty and Scotty things and offered to send me some things she was going to give to Goodwill. This person's name is Laurie and she reads my blog and wanted to share with me her things. She likes old LIFE magazines and had a few old ads that were of Scotty Dogs. When I received my envelope from her, I was literally blown away. The top picture is of a 1950's ad from a Life magazine and then there were several vintage cards with Scotty Dogs and old Black and White advertisements. But wait, there is more......
....adorable Scotty Fabrics and buttons, too! See the frame around the color ad? I had bought it that week for $2.00 at a sale and it was complete serendipity as it fit perfectly! Laurie, if you are reading this, I thank you very much and am enjoying my treasures!! You are such a doll! Laurie lives in Arizona and is a quilter. No blog yet, but I encourage you to share your talents with us gals who have a common thread! And speaking of common threads......
My sweet friend, Michelle (from I'm A Little Tea Pot) mailed this wonderful Counted Cross Stitch pattern and DMC floss to me the same week. Michelle has a love for stitching and saw these and was kind enough to send them to me! Love ya! Oh, and I got a sweet cookie cutter from Miss Linda (Somewhere In Time) last week. Michelle and Linda live close to me and are just such sweet women! I am just blown away from all the acts of kindness!!
Then there is Wave....my kindred friend who has a wonderful collection of Scotty things. She had extra copies of these photos and shared them with me. Ok, Miss Jean, I have duplicates and will share them with you, too. Now we just need some frames!!!
Ta Ta, sweet friends! Till next post, be safe, be sweet and be happy!

Keeping Time

This is an adorable little vintage Keebler Lux clock that is a dose of cottage cuteness! These little clocks were made for children being as they are only 4 inches in size. This particular one has a little bluebird that rocks back and forth to feed her hungry babies in the nest.
You can find these on eBay or google search Vintage Keebler Lux clocks. There are many wonderful designs - cottages, birds, reindeer, dogs and even Santa's. I suggest that if you are looking into buying one, be sure that all of the parts (pendulum, chains and key) are present. Once you have one, you will want more!

Psssssst......Happy Mother's Day!

"Pssssst...hey Mable......Mable......can you stop pecking at your food for a second....???" "But Arvin," mumbles Mable, "what is more important than eating?" grumbles..... "Well, Mable, what is more important than eating right this moment is to wish our friends a Happy Mother's Day," gruffs Arvin. "Oh, you mean I have an audience? Hold on now, let me put some lipstick on! Ok, Happy Mother's Day - from one chick to another!!" ....."Women......," professes Arvin.....
My little treat to myself was to buy one of Farmer Julie's sweet handmade pottery vases. I ordered this wonderful white one and Miss Julie added in the adorable green one, too. I love her work and the pieces are exceptionally made and so cottagey sweet! Thank you, Julie!
Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful women out there in this big world we live in. Here are some flowers for you.......

A Sunday Cottage Stroll

The other day my sweet friend, Wave, and I took a stroll around the neighborhood she lives in. This is in an older section of our town and there are so many wonderful homes. Above is her cottage - I told you it was sweet!

Her porch...
...and a deer to greet you as you walk up.
These rose bushes are over 80 years old and are still going strong!

Ok, lets walk now. It was a cloudy day, but at least nice and cool for the stroll. This is a sweet cottage - love the green awning over the front door.
A long admired home of mine. The gnarly branches of the ivy frame the doorway adding to the cottage charm of this grand home.
I do believe Hansel and Gretel in the above home.....
Fresh plantings of white pansies greet you as you walk to the front of this cutie pie.
Lovely gold color with blue shutters and a huge star on the veranda.

Yellow with purple shutters..
Sweet.
I'd love this one with the long driveway! We would have an English garden in the front.
The above home has been relandscaped in the past several years. To the left is a wonderful fountain and gorgeous white roses.
This is the sideyard in the front. Lush landscaping and large trees create an inviting look.


A new stone wall was recently added to this charmer.
Isn't it wonderful?
A majestic Craftsman style home that has been loved for many years.
An English Tudor style with a lot of gables.


I love the roof on this cottage.
Red Riding Hood's house?
A lovely a manicured hedge....
...leads you to the inviting pathway to the front door.

Lastly, a tiny little house with a punch of color in the garden!
Thanks for the visit!