"...Some rain must fall."

“…Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882, written in 1845?

I had a few ideas I wanted to share, but they will have to wait. There are ups and downs in life, and right now I'm going through a small "down."  Although it is a major change, it's natural and part of life.  One of my little chickies is leaving the nest. I'm not sure if he's ready, but he wants to try. It's hard for a mom to let go and I don't feel like myself, so I won't be posting for a little while. 


I have been so very blessed, that this seems like a giant glitch in the fabric of my life. I'm sure the sun will shine again soon, but for now "some rain must fall."


Patricia :o)

Cottage Chic Guest Room

We moved into our new home just a little over three years ago. It's much bigger than our old home and it's taking a long time to decorate each room. We had to purchase some twin beds almost right away for guests, but never really got around to actually decorating.

The bed spreads are actually queen size coverlets that I draped, folded and pinned on the twin size beds. They're pink roses, white chenille and quilted pink velvet blocks on one side and teeny pink roses on a solid white background on the other. I used vintage chenille pillow shams and pretty rose pillows I bought on eBay.

I found matching twin white "Iron" headboards for only $20.00 for both at a local goodwill store. Actually, a friend found them and told me they were there. I didn't waste any time to go down there and snatch them up. I couldn't believe my good luck! 

My hubby took down the builder's dim, boring light fixture and hung up my gorgeous white chandelier. There's actually two chandeliers in this room. I have another, much smaller one hanging on a bird cage stand. (forgot to take a photo)

I moved the window mirror to the other wall and hung an amazing vintage cut-work curtain on the wall. It's hand embroidered and hand cut with sweet angels and doves.

These photos don't do this wonderful linen justice. I might do a post entry just on this piece later. It's simply stunning!

This is my work room and I listen to lots of books on Cd's in here, hence the glaring piece of electronics. I forgot to move it out for the photos.  I love the little, chippy yellow stand it's on. The front apron is hand carved with little leaves. It doesn't really match the room, but I don't care. I love it too much to change it.

There's still a lot to do in this room. I have to hang curtains and add bed skirts. And, I might even get rid of the bits of pink and go in a more "French" direction.  But for now, I'm enjoying it. Hope you did, too.

Patricia :o)

Oooo! Scary!

After I had some fun with my Woof and Poof doll, I kinda had to keep going. I have a little niche in my entry hall that I thought would be fun to decorate.

There's lots of pictures, so I'll try not to talk to much. LOL!!

 Spirits of Ammonia!!

 Eye of Newt - (black eyed peas in hair gel and neon green food coloring)

 Yikes! Shrunken heads

The stair well is right across from the niche, so of course I had to decorate that, too.

 I coffee stained a piece of muslin so it would look old, and brought in an urn from the back yard. (the plant had died anyway). Topped it off with an old bird cage.

 I found this adorable little feathered owl at Michael's. I didn't know what I was going to do with him when I saw him.  Poor little guy probably didn't know he would end up behind bars.

Happy Halloween,
Patricia :o)

Thrifty HALLOWEEN!!!

Isn't it amazing how one little purchase can influence your whole decorating vignette?  I don't usually decorate a whole lot for Halloween, but I made a great find at a Goodwill store that got the ball rolling.

I found this Woof and Poof doll for only $2.99!! At first I thought she was kind of ugly and couldn't really figure out what she was. But I figured she was good enough for Halloween.

Then I got her home and noticed all the great detailing on her. She's wearing an orange, fuzzy jacket with a high taffeta-like collar, a black bow and big white rhinestone on her hat, a feathered purse, silver buckled belt, and a tulle skirt dotted with little bits of glitter. And, of course, the woof & poof button on her behind.

Then I bought a little witch picture at Marshal's and some black and brown burlap at the fabric store.

The picture is a reproduction of an old Halloween card and some embellishments.

I wrapped the black burlap around a pretty shade which made it instantly "spooky" and tied it off with a strip of natural burlap. Then I pinned it with a brooch I picked up at an estate sale.

It's really pretty and elegant in person, but works great here!

Then I looked around my house for more orange things. The only thing I came up with is this faux book, but after adding it to the vignette, I found that the only other thing I needed was a candle. I used a little ivory candle that I already had, found a free image of a crow on the internet, printed it, cut it out, and stuck it on the candle. I think it turned out pretty well!!

So far, I'd only spend about $11.00.....but then I needed the mirror....and I splurged.  I got it at a fair price, but not great. Still, I DO need a mirror on that wall. AND I did need a place to hang my hairy spider (see it in the upper right corner?)

Ta-Da!! My Halloween

Happy Halloween!!
Patricia :o)

I'm back - I think

The good news: I found out why I was having so much trouble with blogger.

The bad news:  It was my computer that ended up crashing!!

I bought a new computer, an iMac, which is both good and bad news. It's good because I've heard they rarely get bugs, viruses, worms etc. It's bad because of the cost AND now I have to learn how to use it.

I have a Halloween post that I'd like to put up before Halloween. Wish me luck! LOL

Patricia :o)

Is it just me....?

Is it just me, or are all of you having trouble with blogger?  I've been trying to post comments to several blogs and I keep getting this message:

Service Unavailable

Error 503
 
It's driving me crazy.
I'm having so much trouble either signing on, or getting into weird loops when trying to leave comments, or just that dumb message above.
 
Aaaarrrrrgh!! 

Patricia

Pretty Finds!!

When I go to estate sales, flea markets and yard sales, I'm on the hunt for linens.  But I can't help myself if I come across some pretty goodies. Below are some of my best finds over the last couple of weeks.

This is a simple white (milk glass?) vase that I picked up at the local Goodwill store. It was marked at 99 cents, but the gal at the register thought that was too much and gave it to me for 49 cents. (I have a fun idea for this which I'll share with you later).

I picked up this sweet angel for $2.50 at an estate sale. She's so cute! I don't know what I'll do with her, but she's a keeper.

I found this beauitful pink carnation plate at a flea market. I thought it was outrageous at $10.00, but my hubby reminded me that was a good price considering it's size. Thank you, Sweetheart!!

A bunch of keys for $1.75 and an old broach at $10.00!! There I go splurging again!

I "found" this gorgeous rose plate at my sister's house. I loved it, so she gave it to me. She had it hanging above the bath tub from a pink ribbon. It looked so pretty. I commented on how pretty it was, what a great idea (you know how we women gush when we see something we like).  So she gave it to me!  I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I graciously accepted it. 

This is a darling little ring box. It's pink, so I bought it.

My favorite find is this set of yummy pink rose Limoges bread plates. They were only $3.00 each!! The guy I bought them from didn't know what he was selling.

And this little salt shaker I picked up at a little antique store near Sequine, TX. I have plans for this one, too, and you'll be seeing that soon.

Blessings,

Patricia :o)

26th Wedding Anniversary celebrated at Tower of the Americas

San Antonio Skyline

Last Wednesday, September 22, we celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary.  Mr. VLT made reservations at a "fancy" restaurant, but wouldn't tell me where it was.

It turned out to be the Tower of the Americas in Down Town San Antonio. It has a revolving restaurant at the top that makes a complete revolution in one hour. The elevators sit on the outside of the tower and have glass fronts so you can see the city during the ascent and descent. It goes up and down so fast it's almost like an amusement park ride.

Out side of the Tower, is a gorgeous (man-made) fountain and waterfall. It looks like the water might be flowing over an ancient Aztec temple. We got a picture of us, but forgot to get one of the fountain.

This is the view we're greeted with as we walk into the restaurant. It was so cool because the hostess came to the elevator and greeted us by name. They knew we had been on our way up.

The menu was personalized with a message and our names.  It may sound like a silly little thing, but it made me feel special.

We shared a glass of champagne. The bottom is filled with hibiscus  nectar and a hibiscus flower that opened up as we drank the champagne. This was FABULOUS!  We even ate the flower at the bottom. It was really good.

For appetizers:  We had the most delicious crab-stuffed mushrooms. (I wanted to lick the plate)

I had halibut topped with crab and lobster, roasted asparagus and tomatoes, and a yummy cheese risotto.

Mr. VLT had THE most delicious prime steak and garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. (on a separate plate). This steak was fabu-licious!

The sun began to set as we finished our meal. We were facing West, just as planned by Mr. VLT. It was so romantic. The we split dessert: Macadamia nuts and Carmel New York style cheese cake. I didn't think we'd be able to finish it all...but we did!!!

Above the restaurant is walk enclosed by glass that goes all the way around the tower. It was SO windy.  I had a couple of Marilyn Monroe moments.  And, yes, Mr. VLT got pictures at just the right moments with my dress flying WAAAAY up.  And no, I'm not posting them. LOL!

It's hard to appreciate the beauty of the city lights in this photo. You'll just have to believe me that is was wonderful.  It was such a beautiful and romantic evening. We had so much fun. It's definitely one of those places you have to visit if you come to San Antonio.

Blessings,

Patricia :o)