Hey,howdy, how ar... WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER?

      I could see my breath outside, friends.  I could see it.  It is August.  I wore a sweatshirt this weekend.  A sweatshirt.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am a fan of cooler weather, BUT I AM SOOOOOO CONFUSED!  Okay.  That's enough about THAT! Oh, yeah, Bailey and Charlie say, "Hi!"  So, what's new with you all?  Hold on, hold on, I need to put a sweatshirt on. Okay.  Better.

     Well, I have been busy crafting!  Last summer, it seems like I was busy buying and blogging (the latter being a very good thing.  First one- not so much!).  I have taken a lot of Benadryl this summer, but fortunately it is not having the same effect as last summer.  If you are new to my blog, you can read about that hot mess here.

     God has been so gracious and has blessed me with a good summer! Even though there was a lot of stress, He has still allowed me to decompress some in preparation for the upcoming school year. I have just been quite the homebody.

     I was thrilled to be able to FINALLY meet my dear friend, Christine, from Preferably Prim. Actually, while looking for the Benadryl post, I got distracted reading my conversations with Christine from when I first started my blog.  When I first started, my blog was mainly getting to know my dear friend as she was my first follower. What a blessing to meet someone so kind and encouraging! So, one year later, I got to meet her in real life.  Meeting friends from the blogging world is like hitting the ground running.  We met, we hugged, and we walked around the Candle Barn in Intercourse, Pa like we were just continuing our chats.  It was awesome to actually shop with my dear friend! And, it is certainly wonderful to now have a voice in my mind!  She has the most lovely accent!  That memory of her visit certainly a treasure! But, her friendship is more of a treasure! You know, these are the times when I wish Star Trek was real.  Okay, here is a squirrel moment, so well, sorry.  But I can't stop it now...

     There are so many things in life, technology-wise, that crop up, and I think STAR TREK!  When cell phones first came out, and they flipped open (You youngin's need to stop your snickering...)- well, STAR TREK!  When I was doing my grant with NASA, and I saw a printer that printed THINGS- STAR TREK.  Okay, okay, you have either gotten my point or wandered to another blog (It's okay.  I would too.) Well, what we NEED is transporters!  Seriously!  Just think about it!  Okay, so Christine says, "Hey!  You want to come over and chat?"  I say, "Sure!" Get in the transporter- there!  I want to visit Faye's shop on the Bay of Fundy.  Transporter.  There!  Think of the gas we would save!  Seriously, hybrid cars?  Someone needs to be working on THAT!

     Okay. So what were we talking about? Right...So then, I got to hang out with Granny Trace' and do some shopping.  Oh man, she wrote about it on her blog, but it was so true.  The first get together, it was fun.  This time rocked!  We were giggling and laughing like old friends and drinking WAY too much coffee.  When she says "vats", she does not exaggerate. And I find that Granny Trace' and coffee can have a bigger effect on shopping than Benadryl.  Something about being caffeinated, laughing, and shopping with a dear friend who says, "That is cute!  Love it!" overrides your husband's directive to not spend much.  Oops.  ANYHOOOOO... Good thing that we found bargains.  Although I can't claim to have found an AWESOME dish collection, I did get some treasures:

      I love this cradle!  I wasn't into dolls as a child.  I played with Star Wars figurines.  I know.  Shocker.  But since then,  I have been collecting and making prim dolls.  I wanted something prim to put them in.  I have been looking for an old toy cradle, but most of them were pricey.  So, my treasure was finding this little old red cradle for $12!  Perfect!

     I think that it is a good gathering spot for my collection! The flag in the flag holder (the center one) is one I purchased right after meeting with Christine.  It is a memento to smile at and remember my meeting with my Preferably Prim friend from across the pond! :)

 

Adding a basket of rag balls picks up the red hue while adding a bit of an Americana touch.

     My husband's teddy looks at home there as well.  AND out of the reaches of Mr. Charlie!  

I just finished this prim doll the other week.  I got the material for her at the CLOTH store that I went to with Granny.  My husband suggested adding the flag.  He's so smart!

 

      Another find was this old washboard with a glass insert for $7.  I put it in an old bucket with a little broom that I primified.  I am thinking some lights behind it?  What do you think?  I am trying to make a gathering around my "hearth" of things that may have been nearby an actual hearth in days gone by.  That was a good tip that I picked up in a magazine somewhere- gather items with a like purpose together. Such as crocks and wooden bowls on my hutch in the dining room.  They would go there wouldn't they?  Gatherings and groupings are always good to bring continuity and attention to a collection, rather than spreading the collection throughout the house.  I am trying to do that to TRY to minimize a cluttered look. That and get rid of things on eBay... ;)

     And last, but not least, this cute brown transferware cup from The Blarney Castle.  So sweet!  $.50- who can say no?

     Well, those are my treasures from my treasured trips.  I have a lot of outdoor work to do, but  hopefully I will get to visit and post on Wednesday with some easy crafts and fixes you can do. I hope to do some blog visiting tonight!  If my fingers unfreeze.  Seriously, I have the windows open, and my fingertips are ice cold! Arrrgh!

So, now that I have yakked your ear off, what treasures or bargains have you found recently?  True treasures aren't the thrift store find.  They are the friends that God has blessed us with here on earth.  Have a wonderful day, my dear treasures!  Thanks for stopping by!

 Love and hugs!

Heather

Proverbs 17:17a
"A friend loves at all times..."