millinery

I am on an organizing kick right now. Whenever we are approaching a big change in our lives (in our house anyway) I go into an organizing frenzy and right now it's "before the kids go back to school, let's get organized!" frenzy. I get like this around the holidays too! The boys all go to school in just under two weeks and I have to get closets, etc. organized or I just don't feel right. I am not lucky enough to have a studio or really anywhere to keep all my crafting supplies so it's stored in different areas of the house. I never really see it all at one time. Well tonight I came across all of my millinery flowers at one time and it's officially out of hand. I didn't realize just how much of it I had. I also have tons of lace and I don't know why because I don't like lace! I know some of you are gasping right about now. I wish I knew why it bothers me so but it just does and in the meantime I've accumulated lots of it. I've starting listing some really pretty pink millinery in my store tonight. I have lots more and am hoping to get some more put together in some packs maybe by tomorrow night.
So if you are looking for some millinery....you know where I'll be!

Jackpot!!!!

I had to take my youngest to football orientation this morning and on the way home stopped at a barn sale near my house. It an okay sale that I remembered going to last summer and nothing appealed to me much except for some ironstone pieces that were just way out of my budget. Well one year later the piece that I wanted and couldn't afford was there...again, but this time marked down to $15!!!!!!! This tureen is huge too and ohhh the details!!!!! I know that I am probably boring you all with my ironstone posts but it is my most favorite collection and when I find a piece, such as this, I have to tell the world!!!! This little cutie my aunt gave me a few months ago. I assume it's either a child's piece or a salesman's sample.

This is definitely a child's piece!!!!One big happy ironstone family!!!!I also wanted to share with you what Cari from CariKraft made for me. When I saw it I fell in love with it. Something about it just reminded me of me and my husband!
I think maybe it was the saying because I still love holding hands with him...

...and plan to for the next 50 years...at least!
Thanks Cari!!!

e-stationery

Have you ever seen this before? It is e-stationery from a website called Iomoi. They have some of the prettiest e-stationery I've ever seen!!!! There is a membership fee but, there are a few free ones to choose from. Check it out...

I'm a basket case!!!!!

Have you ever looked around the house and you know that you have alot of something? Then you really start to look around the house and realize you have way too many of that something and that you may have a problem!!?? I have baskets EVERYWHERE!!!! It all started with one of the baskets in the picture below. The picnic basket on the bottom left was my grandmothers first. Then my mother had it and always used to take it to the beach when we were kids. Living on Long Island we spent almost every weekend at the beach during the summer and I have such fond memories of my mother packing it and bringing with us. A few years ago I found it in my parents shed and that started my collection of picnic baskets. These three sit on top of a shelf in my dining room.Below that shelf these three are stacked on the floor. The one on top was hard to find but I wanted a teeny one and finally found it on Ebay.
Isn't the little latch neat?

These baskets are stacked on top of an armoire in my bedroom.

In my boys rooms I use baskets alot for storage.

An old wire basket for books

An old locker basket for Baseballs

In the mudroom we keep this basket by the backdoor. With three boys in an out all day, they keep their flip-flops and sandals in here.

More baskets under the mudroom bench filled with football and soccer equipment.

I even have this tray basket to keep my mail and paper work in for the week.

Oh I could keep showing you baskets but you know, with a small home, I think that they are such a great way to store things and still look neat and pretty!

Just some pretties

Well hi there!!! Wanted to post some pretty pictures as I run out the door. It seems like I am always running out the door these days. But anyway, my flowers in the yard are doing great since it rained non-stop last week! My hydrangea bushes are completely out of control this year. I've been cutting them every week and it's been wonderful having bouquets of hydrangeas everywhere. But they're life has come to an end now so by this time every year I put them in a few baskets here and there until they dry out.
Isn't this seashell brooch just too pretty!!!??? Found it at a garage sale the other day. Now I'm just debating to sell or not to sell. Lately, everything I see I want to stick on one of the little notebooks that I've been making...hmmmm....

Just like these beautiful old millinery flowers that are on this hat! I want to put them on some journals so badly but these little suckers are giving me a hard time coming off.
pretty huh!?
Well it's 10:30 am and my boys are still sleeping. They all have appointments for physicals in one hour. I think exhaustion has finally caught up to them!!!! We spent the day yesterday at a water park here on Long Island and tomorrow we're off to Englishtown, NJ to watch drag racing and monster trucks!!!!!

Happy Tuesday!