Friday Fun

I was tagged by Meggie to play a new MEME game and that is to create your own SIX WORD memoir. Ok, if ya know me, you know that keeping things short is not my style. Yes, I am a rambler - not the old car - just a talker. But, here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere

4. Tag five more blogs with links

5.Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Now I am inviting the following gals to play along:

Miss Jean

Manuela

Heidi

Betty

Natasha

The above picture goes with this saying: "We All View Things Different Ways." This is my brave little Doogs, peering over the edge at the Mt. Hamilton Lick Observatory. Yes Miss Susie, he is looking your direction.....you are down there somewhere in the San Francisco Peninsula! You notice where I am standing? Yup, waaaaayyyyy back, waaaaaaayyyy back and taking the picture ....bck bck bck...chicken!!!!!!

Ok, now I had to have TWO because I had two pics and two sayings that I believe in...

This one is "Every Man's House Is His Castle" and with that in mind, it is your canvas of expression and a place to be safe and surround yourself with all things you love. I took this picture last year in Carmel, CA. A little boy, named Sam, built this amazing sand castle. Unfortunately, a bit later a wave came down upon it and erroded the sweet castle away.

Check out this I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH AWARD! It is from sweetie pie girl Deena over at Can I Be Pretty In PINK? I know that so many of you know Deena and her struggles with breast cancer right now. Her spirit and faith in God is just so amazing and reading her words on her blog reduce me to a puddle of tears. Her stories of her journey, her hair loss, her loving husband and family and her rich spirituality is beautiful, just beautiful. Thank you, Dear Deena, for passing this award to me. It is such an honor!!! HUGS to you, my friend!!! Oh, and yes, we are kindred spirits! Doogs was given a hug from you today and each time you have said to pass a little hug along. He is getting tons of hugs lately!! He would love nothing better than to come over and visit you!
And Miss Heidi, over at Needle Necessities, gave me this wonderful award last week. Ah shucks, this just tickled me pink to get this award. Yes my sweet Heidi, I have been passing my time with creating some things, however I cannot hold a "Needle" to Heidi's amazing talent and her daily stitching habits. Thank you so much, so much, for this cherished award. Ok, I have a confession to make here, Miss Laura, over at The Catholic Teacher's Musing (a very funny blog!!!) gave me this award some time back. Thank you Miss Laura!!!! You are just as sweet as can be!!! I have some serious blog awards to pass out and promise to get to this very soon. Promise!! Sometimes I get so far behind I don't know which end is first. But we won't be going there talking about ends.....these days ya cannot miss my big booootay! Remember me telling y'all 'bout my mismatched sock bag? Well, the socks used to be in a plastic tote, which was hidden in the closet in the laundry room. Easy fix, just toss in a single sock who's partner went down the "dark hole" of the washing machine, never to be found again. Hopefully someday some poor and lonely sock will be looking on "Socks Match.com" to find a partner again. This photo is of the little Doogs as a puppy. Hims was helping me out that day....see how hard he is working?

Whatever you do, wherever you go, have a wonderful weekend! Ca-choo...ca-choo...sniffle...pardon me, the blossoms are making the pollen count HIGH here....ah hem...good old allergy season!

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Sweet Old Bluebird Picture

Every now and then I find sweet old pictures that must come home with me. This one is a very sweet piece, most likely from the 1920's. This picture is called "My Bluebird" and is just precious with the little girl captivated with the little bluebird.
The name of the artist is difficult to see, but the last name appears to be Kenjon. I love the muted colors of greens, browns and blues ~ which many of my photos have. There is a soft and very serene look to them ~ just plain charming!

Tweet Tweet!

Hi my friends! For your weekend enjoyment I added some TWEET music to go with this little postie. It happens to be one of my favorite childhood songs, too.

This old birdcage is now home with me. It is a dainty little thing!

Just big enough to hold a tiny bird's nest, a little vintage bird figurine and a sweet bluebird card.
The best thing is that I don't have feathers and food to clean up from this little guy! So tweet!

Checks, Bluebirds, Tagged and Make My Day Award

I made the heart for a friend, but thought I'd share it before boxing it up. It is made of old red gingham fabric with simple and sweet daisies tossed about all over it. A little daisy charm, a vintage yellow button, old baby rick-rack and millinary make it look more summery.

This little tin child's toy plate hangs out with an assortment of Scotty Dogs. I love the graphics of these old toys. I only found one of these, but now I am on the prowl for more!!!

Last week I was given the You Make My Day award from Heidi, over at Gold Country Girls, and wanted to say thank you a whole bunch for being so kind and thinking of me. Heidi doesn't live too far from me and we just need to meet someday! Heidi also has a knack for collecting all things vintage, kitsch and cute! Stop by sometime and visit her ~ you will meet a sweetheart of a gal!

Now, many weeks ago (time sure flies by) I was tagged by those sweet Melbourne girls, Jenn and Jacqui, to list seven WIERD facts about myself. So ya ready? I'll make it quick:

I have to make by beds first thing in the morning.

I pay attention to teeth and cringe when I see plaque buildup on people's teeth (it is the dental assistant thing in me).

Don't like it when adults yell at children in public and treat them less than human (lets not get me going about having leashes on kids).

Clean laundry makes me happy and I have to use Downey rinse (lavender and vanilla = fresh).

I have cream colored carpets and tile and don't like shoes worn inside our home.

There is a huge garbage bag filled with socks that need to be matched up and put away.

When I drink milk, I have to have something sweet to go with it.

The Little Things That Make You Smile

For starters, a little note from Maxine.
I wanted to share with you a lovely post that was recently done by Pearl who has the delightful blog A Storybook Life. Pearl did a great post that offered ideas from many women on how to display under glass. Stop by for some delightful inspiration. Note: The first four glass jar displays were made by other ladies, so for more information on who the talented designers are, please stop by Pearl's blog.

The above gorgeous display was created by Mary, over at Little Red House. Mary's sophisticated flair is so pretty!
Check out this little sweet display about The Princess And The Pea, which happens to be one of my favorite stories from my childhood.
Now isn't this just delightful!? A Putz sheep and a little bird's nest ~ how sweet!
The jar above was done by me - thank you, Pearl for adding this in your post!!!

Pearl also did a sweet post on bird cages and how to use them for display. I was blessed, again, to be included in her post, which featured many great ideas on how to use an old bird cage.

This sweet little embroidered heart was made by Miss Kwitty's - who is a charming seller on ETSY. The little bluebird is what caught my eye!
For so long now I have wanted to buy a pincushion that Beth, over at Beth's Bagz, made. I got this one right in the nick of time!! Of course it had to be a scotty - and a PINK one at that!? Beth goes all out in adorning her pieces with the most delightful bobbles, trims and fabrics. Sure to please and sure to put a huge smile on your face!
This is how the pincushion arrived...sweet tissue paper and all wrapped up so sweetly - down to the PINK tootsie pop sucker that was tied on with vintage millinary. CUTE!!
Ok, I know I have some quirky things about my house, but ya know, these just make me smile. Sometimes ya just need a little pick-me-up in a day and what better than to do that is to have a few vintage kitsch things here and there in your home. The elephant and clown are vintage cake decorating pieces that I found at a fav antique shop and the little plate is another vintage child's tin plate - see the little bluebirds? Yup! That is why this one came home with me!
The above pieces are just some fun things tucked inside a glass front kitchen cabinet. The two tea pots are tiny little ring holders. These have fun little graphics on them and are cute as a button!

A Day Of Sun and Snow

Doogs gets all tuckered out being the little traveler. This is
him all cozy on my pink chair. I kind of gave up on policing him out of the chair. It is his favorite spot to curl up in. Forget keeping that lovely needlepoint pillow all pristine.

To escape the valley fog, my hubby drove us to Yosemite last Saturday, which is a short drive from our valley home in California. This is the backside of The Ahwahnee (prounounced A-Wah- Knee) Hotel. The sun was shining and it was spectacular there! For more information on Yosemite and The Ahwahnee Hotel, you can click here.
Yosemite National Park is a great vacation destination and The Ahwahnee has been a host to many well known and famous people - even Queen Elizabeth stayed here. It is no wonder that it is so popular - the scenery alone is breathtaking!
Gorgeous Craftsman style details. I love these lanterns.
The wood beams are made out of cement and painted to look like rough hewn timbers. The architect did this to fortify the hotel in case of a forest fire.

Inside was a huge roaring fire, gorgeous fresh flowers and soft candlelight.
I love the Craftsman decor throughout that is mixed with American Indian pieces. The Ahwahnee has an interesting history and to read more about it, you can go here.
Check out those iron chandeliers!

Banks of snow that were bright white.
Ahhhhh.....sunshine!
This was Duhgall's first trip to the snow and he loved it. The above picture was his first snow exposure.
The gate going to the pool at the hotel. There was a family swimming in the heated pool. Of course, Doogs heard the children playing and wanted to go and check it out. Afterall, he is a kid himself.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

If you have never experienced Yosemite National Park, it is a destination that is worth your time. The links will give you more information for reservations and activities. Just watch out for the "tour-ons" (as we call them) who do things like stop smack dab in the middle of the road to get out of their car for a photo opportunity. Yes indeedy, a car did this and backed traffic up for 10 minutes. No kidding! Ha!

Sending You Valentine's Day Hugs and Best Wishes

My Valentines.....

My sweetheart of 27 years....
...our sweet little angel faces when they were little wee ones...

...the Dooginator...
...and the Dooginator and his kitty, Socks....



Happy Valentine's Day to all of you sweethearts Y.

A Cheerful Cherry Tote Bag

I was going to list this tote bag on eBay for sale, but changed my mind and am offering it for sale to my blogging friends instead. I made it using a new Vintage Inspired Moda Cherry Towel and the matching pink and white polka dot towels. The center of the tote and the flirty ruffled edge have a sweet tossed cherry print that go perfectly with the towels. Pink rick-rack and a fancy pink machine embroidery stitch add to the details. A PINK vintage button and a tab closure keep all of your goodies closed inside.

The inside of the bag has a white pre-quilted fabric over a soft batting and I added a rather large pocket with four compartments to keep your goodies organized. To give the bag even more softness, I also added a soft poly quilting batting to the front and back. My signature touch is to add an unexpected button somewhere on the bag - hence the cherry button at the top.

Darling polka dot straps have an 11 1/2" drop from the shoulder, lined with quilt batting and machine embroidered with that fancy scalloped stitch. Size: 12 1/4" wide at the top, 10 1/2 " wide at the bottom with a 4 1/2" gusset (base). I always add a Scothguard (tm) treatment to my bags.

$34.00 plus shipping - just leave me a comment if you are interested or email me at www.sweetcottagedreams1@comcast.net

Sold, thank you!