Flowers and Showers and a Successful Sidewalk Sale!

In spite of the ridiculous weather, our sidewalk sale Saturday at Camas Antiques was really a huge success!  I awoke extra early that morning to run out into the backyard and cut flowers for a few arrangements to add to my display!

Here they are on the breakfast nook table, all ready to be loaded into the truck with the other goodies early Saturday morning!  I had such fun playing flower shop!

Thankfully there was no rain as I unloaded and everything was pretty well protected under the awning for the surprise showers we had throughout the day.

The pink Lily of the Valley did not bloom before Saturday as we had hoped but they were all sold by the end of the day!  I am guessing that there were probably some happy mothers who enjoyed pretty pink blooms on Mother's Day!  Speaking of which, I was "surprised" with my second beautiful barkcloth pillow at 6am Sunday morning!  My biggest little guy just could not wait any longer to present me with the gift he was so proud of!  It was absolutely the sweetest...even being awoken from a dead sleep!  I must say, it was a little difficult to act surprised that early in the morning but I think I pulled it off!

I hope your Mother's Day weekend was all kinds of wonderful!  Thank you for your sweet visit today! 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up with the following fun parties:

Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design

White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Treasures and Transformations at Pink Postcard
Treasure Hunt Thursday at Blue Creek Home
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

More Treasures and A Mother's Day Gift I Will Never Forget!

Yes, I brought home more treasures yesterday when I probably should have been cleaning up the ones that have been piling up in the garage!  But I could not miss the giant church rummage sale that I've been shopping twice annually for 5 years now!  A couple of dear friends and I met up early and shivered together outside of the church as we waited for the doors to open.  It was a very fun morning!  The tea set, doilies and wicker case in the photo here were some favorite finds from yesterday.  The chair, table and tote are on their way to the shop and the gorgeous pillow was an early Mother's Day gift from my littlest guy.  There's more to this story...

Remember when I drooled over these beautiful barkcloth pillows at Monticello when I went shopping with my mom for my birthday?  I have been thinking about them ever since!  My mom was at my house watching the little guys yesterday morning while I was out treasure hunting.  When I came home, my littlest guy came down the stairs with a big wrapped gift and a goofy grin on his face.  My mom said, "oh, you were supposed to save that for Mother's Day.  But if you want to give it to her early, you can."  He couldn't wait...so I opened an early Mother's Day gift.  One of the barkcloth pillows I had seen and photographed at Monticello!  I love it!!!!  My oldest little guy said "I have something for you too, but I'm saving it for Sunday!"  Just after my mom left, my littlest guy went back upstairs, and came down a few minutes later proudly presenting me with the second pillow!  Big brother fell apart.  The next few moments were a blur of tears.  My heart broke for him.  He was devastated.  I had to think fast.  Nothing I was saying seemed to console him.  He was so excited to surprise me on Mother's Day, and as far as he was concerned, the whole plan had been ruined.  I offered a role of gift wrap to re-wrap the pillow but he insisted it be the same pastel striped paper that grandma had supplied him with.  So, I helped him piece back together the shredded paper and re-wrap the gift.  We then hid it on a shelf in the linen closet, just out of reach of little brother and I promised to try as hard as I could to forget all about the gift!  He seemed to be convinced that this was possible...probably because he has observed and pointed out many times that my memory is not that great.  Something I will never forget is how important it was to him that this Mother's Day present be a surprise, proudly presented by himself with love.  Later that day, I was photographing for this post and worried about what he was thinking when he saw me with the pillow from little brother.  "Don't you wish you had another pillow just like that one?" he asked with a grin on his face.  I am certain he is convinced that the whole incident has slipped my memory.

I can't stop staring at my lovely new pillow.  Gosh, it would be nice to have another, one for each of my white slipcovered armchairs (wink! wink!)  The colors are so vibrant and beautiful and go just perfectly in our family room.  It is impeccably made too!  In fact, there was a little tag on the corner with a blog address!  Yes, Debbie of My Shabby roses, clearly a very talented seamstress among other things made the pillows and is a fellow blogger whom I had somehow not come across before.  Her blog is gorgeous!  I adore her style, and you can bet that I am a follower now!  I hope she'll read this story and be happy to know that the pillows she so lovingly made became Mother's Day gifts that this mom will treasure and enjoy forever!  Thank you, Debbie!  And thank you to my lovely mom for helping my little guys out with such a special present! 

Happy Mother's Day to all of my dear blog buddies out there!  I hope your Mother's Day weekend is sweet and memorable!  Thank you for stopping by to visit today!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

joining in these fun parties today:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

My Sherpa

If you read my post on Friday, you know that my husband asked to accompany me to an estate sale for the first time ever in the 10 years we have been married!  In case you were curious about how our first Saturday morning out treasure hunting together went down, I think I can say it was a success...for me at least.  He didn't find anything he couldn't live without but was incredibly helpful and for the most part pleasant company!  I loaded his arms full of my treasures as we walked through the home and utilized his excessive height to grab things that sat just out of my reach!  The other shoppers were amused by the bored guy following his wife around, carrying boxes of dishes and linens.  He smiled and told them he was my "Sherpa."   I asked whether he would join me on future Saturday morning outings.  His response was, "we'll see."  I'll keep working on him!

I spent some time painting on Sunday and thought I would share with you a few of my favorite made-over treasures.  We are having a sidewalk sale at the antique shop this Saturday, so I am working hard to have some overstock ready to set up outside that morning!  Please pray for sunshine!  We do have an awning in case of rain, but our day would be so much more pleasant if the sun came out!  Here are a few things I've been working on this week.

The garage is pretty much packed full of more treasures awaiting a good scrub and/or a few coats of paint!  Wish me luck as I attempt to find enough energy to get to them all before Saturday!  I will surely have more to share with you by week-end!

It just occurred to me that I've never properly introduced you to my handsome hubby!  So, here is a face to put with the name...Mr. Girl in Pink?  Nah, I know he wouldn't go for that one!  He doesn't care for "hubby" either.  My hunky Sherpa?

This photo was taken by our dear friends last summer on a road trip to Salt Lake City.

Thank you for your sweet visit!  I hope you are having a lovely week!  If you live in the Camas area, be sure to come down to Camas Antiques on Saturday between 10am and 6pm.  Dealers throughout the store are having sales and several of us will be set up outside with extra goods!  Lots of wonderful last minute Mother's Day gift ideas!  My mom is sending me with some special 1 gallon potted plants to offer as well!  I am especially excited about the pink Lily of the Valley which could possibly be blooming by Saturday!  I'll be sure to take pictures to share!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up with these fun parties:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Treasures and Transformations at Pink Postcard

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Hobnail and Spring Blooms

Something about vintage white hobnail glass just shouts SPRING to me and beckons for cheerful pastel blooms!  I was fortunate enough to inherit my great grandmother's milk glass collection and though it has graced the mantle in the family room and curio in the bedroom, I am currently enjoying it in the kitchen!  One of my lilac bushes just started blooming this week alongside our beautiful pink cherry blossom tree!  I hurried out in the rain yesterday and gathered up some branches and blooms to fill the white hobnail vases and now our kitchen smells heavenly!  And...even though dark clouds loom outside the window, inside things are looking bright and cheery!

I will be sharing this post today with A Rosy Note's Photo Feature Friday, so I'll talk a little bit about the photography details here for those who are interested!  I edit with Picnik by Picasa.  I used the cross process feature again for all of these photos.  I know I'm in a bit of a rut but I really like the soft vintage glow it adds.  I also used "boost" to enhance the color.  On the first photo here I played with the focus zoom feature just for fun!  I am still learning the ins and outs of my camera and am by no means a professional!

Along with A Rosy Note, I'll also be linking up to the Pink Saturday Party at How Sweet the Sound!  Please go check out these fun parties!

Word is that we'll be blessed with some glorious sunshine this weekend!  Hooray!  And...I'm heading out to do a little estate sailing in the morning with my dear husband!  For the first time in 10 years, he asked to come along!  Can you believe it?  I'm kind of excited!  However, if he holds me back at all, this may be his first and last Saturday out treasure hunting with me!  I'll let you know how it goes!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Pretty May Day Basket - Easy and Inexpensive!

One of the stops that mom and I made on our sunny Saturday out treasure hunting was at a local plant nursery.  I filled a little wagon with cheerful pink snap dragons and tiny lavender and white pansies.

Most of these pretty little blooms were added to a small flower bed in our front yard, but I put a few aside for a special project.

I picked up this lovely vintage basket at a garage sale that same day.  It set me back a whole quarter!  It didn't take me long to decide what I wanted to do with it.  My mom supplied me with moss from the wooded area on my parent's property.  I love the look of the real moss, but it was crawling with insects!  If you want to put together a May Day basket for indoors, I recommend faux moss which you should be able to find at the Dollar store or your local craft store.  My basket will stay on the front porch...so the spiders are welcome to stick around, I guess.

I gently pressed the moss around the inside of the basket, with the pretty green side facing out.  Next, I made a simple liner out of aluminum foil to hold the dirt that I would soon be adding.

I then added a small amount of potting soil and started arranging my little plants inside the basket.  I filled in the gaps between the plants with more potting soil and then topped it off with a few small pieces of moss.  Done!  A pretty May Day flower basket for my front porch!  Given that the moss and potting soil I used were free, and I already had the foil, my only expenses were the flowers and basket.  The whole project cost me a little less than $5. 

According to my mom (the master gardener), my flowers should do just fine in the part shade, part sun of my covered porch.  The moss will eventually dry out and turn brown (after about two weeks).  Spritzing it with water will help it stay green a little longer.  My mom has shared memories with me about May Day traditions from when she was a little girl.  She would put together little floral arrangements, set them on neighbors porches, ring their doorbells and then run away!  Doesn't that sound like fun?  I am thinking we should bring this tradition back!  Don't you?  She did the same thing with mud pies...I doubt that would go over as well with my neighbors!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit!  Happy May Day!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Sharing at these fun parties:

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell at My Romantic Home

Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

Saturday Spotlight at Craft Envy

The Perfect Sunny Saturday Treasure Hunt!

Last Saturday morning couldn't have been more perfect for treasure hunting!  Mom and I headed out the door bright and early to hit up an estate sale and then make the trek out to Battle Ground for a visit to the Barn House Boys!  Do you know the Boys?  They are quite famous...in our neck of the woods and beyond!  Known for their inventive, creative displays, impeccable taste and style, and their ability to put on an amazing show/shin dig on their charming country farm!  If you made it to Battle Ground on Saturday, you know it couldn't have been a more beautiful day for a legendary BH Sale!  For those of you who didn't get to join the boys for some fun...don't worry, I took lots of photos just for you!  Grab a cup of coffee and a cupcake if you have one handy and relive a fun day with me!

Wow!  So many great vignettes...so much inspiration!  If you haven't been to a Barn House sale and you live in the Pacific Northwest, I encourage you to sign up for the Boys' mailing list so you don't miss their next event!  What a fun day!  Mom and I hit up a few more sales and a plant nursery on the way home.  I picked up some really great treasures that I am excited to share with you later this week.  But the greatest treasures of all were waiting for me at home that afternoon...

For the first time for as long as I can remember, we enjoyed an egg hunt outside in the sunshine!  Easter was a grey and rainy day, but the Saturday before was so beautiful!  Grandma and Grandpa had signed the boys up for a pre-Easter egg hunt at the golf course and it was so much fun!  The weather could not have been more perfect!  My little guys had a blast!  Of course our Easter Sunday was wonderful as well.  We started our morning at church then headed to my parent's house where mom made a delicious brunch and the boys hunted for eggs again in the covered breezeway.  We came home and all had naps!  Glorious!  And then, I went to work writing "clues" for our traditional Easter treasure hunt!  What a fun day! 

Monday brought more treasures!  The mailman delivered a package for me!  I had won a delightful giveaway from the lovely ladies at All That Jazz!  I could hardly wait to rip open the box and check out the treasures inside!  A sprig of dried lavender made everything smell heavenly!  What a nice touch!

\I love this chic bag!  I couldn't wait to use it!  In fact, I carried goodies to the shop in it last night!

Isn't this little enamel soda dish sweet?  And I just love the handmade lavender sachet tucked inside!  What a thoughtful gift!

Tara did a beautiful job decorating this charming old bottle!  I can hardly wait for my roses to bloom...I see a single Eden stem in this sweet little bottle, set upon my kitchen windowsill!

And...A gift card to Pottery Barn!  Oh my!  When can we go shopping?  I want to go now!  Thank you so very much Michelle and Tara for the generous gift!  I can't believe I won!  You gals obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this gorgeous giveaway and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!  You made my day and I am feeling so very blessed!

Please visit the lovely ladies of All That Jazz!  They have a beautiful blog and a delightful shop space at an antique mall called Painted Lady Vintage in Centralia Washington (about an hour north of where I live!)  I hope I get to meet these sweet gals in person one day!  I have a feeling our paths will cross sooner than later!

Thank you for joining me in my fun treasure hunting adventure!  I hope you had a glorious Easter weekend spent with the people you love!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I will be joining in these fun parties today...

White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Transformations and Treasures at Pink Postcard
Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style