Celebrating 21 Years!

My little sister celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday. The family took her out to Houlihan's Restaurant for dinner and her first legal drink. ;) That's her HUGE Peach Long Island in front of her. The food was delicious and there was good company so I think she had fun.

After dinner we all went to the parent's house for Birthday cake, Tie-Dye Cupcakes and a Rhubarb Upside-down Cake. My mom makes sure we never go hungry...

One of Laura's presents was a MASSIVE Foot flower pot, that they filled with flower bouquets. It is the coolest flower pot I have ever laid eyes on. She, of course, loved it. Hope you had an amazing birthday Laura!

Sweet Peonies

I love the time of year when Peonies begin to bloom. They are so beautiful and they smell so sweet. I wish they lasted longer than they do. It's always an exciting surprise to walk around the side of my house and see their bright pink blooms.

I always pick at least one to place on the table beside our bed so I can wake up to the sweet smell.

Peonies have an interesting history, you can read about them here.

Kitschy Yard Sale Finds!

Okay, so I love to find unusual, somewhat strange items at yard sales. The people who hold these yard sales are probably happy that I come because nobody else would purchase these odd items. :) My sister and I hit the jack-pot in kookiness this weekend. At a church sale I bought an entire 10-gallon tub FULL of vintage cupcake toppers and little decorating bits such as baby rattles, rocking horses, gummy babies, mini brides and grooms and SO MUCH MORE! I think the lady was shocked when we carried the entire tub to the front and asked her for a price. I had to have them...ALL!

Then at another sale, I found a box labeled 'Clown Making Kit.' I looked inside and there were five clowns with handmade cloth outfits and felt assembled faces. They came with ric-rac, pom-poms, felt and more material to put together your ideal clown.They were so cute I couldn't leave them behind and I think I know a good home for them to travel to. ;)

Some other odds and ends I picked up, A pair of vintage salt & pepper shakers, a pretty floral pillowcase, a cute little Christmas caroler, an owl figurine, In the little bag is a porcelain doll head and arms...I got tons of these! The clock and candle sconces are just some pretty things I picked up for our shop.

My sister snatched up the pair of velvet paintings for her new home where she plans to do a gallery wall of fun vintage-style art. Last but not least, I picked up a container full of all different colors and styles of seam binding and other sewing supplies. All in all a fun day of treasure hunting.

A Camel?!

Meet Laila...The Camel.
My husband's aunt sold the majority of her cattle herd and decided she was going to purchase a camel. Not something you see everyday in Manhattan, Kansas, not sure what possessed her to buy a camel but here she is! She is pretty cute, sounds kinda funny when she is bawling but still cute. :) Oh and his aunt has also purchased an ALBINO camel! It was born a few weeks ago so she has to wait awhile to actually pick it up.. Oh and she also has a baby Zebra named 'Spot.' It is all kind of strange.. not sure what she is planning on doing with these exotic animals staying out behind the house in the middle of Kansas but hey, I'm sure I will get some pretty cute pictures of the poor things! :)

Domino Effect

As I mentioned before, I have many collections. Some things, I just cannot pass up. The visual appeal of some items are just too enticing . :) One of the items, I love to find at yard sales, estate sales or shops are old domino games. I only like the old wood dominoes with the different designs carved in the backs and the painted dots. 

I even love the graphics on the old cardboard boxes, they are usually in bright red, black and white with appealing designs.

My all-time favorite box of dominoes is the 'carnival' box with the two clowns and the lady. I found this at a garage sale for only $1 and the dominoes are worn and beautiful. I am unsure of how old this set is but on the inside someone penciled their name and the year 1909. Love them.



I even have a set of Super-sized domino blocks that I got from a retired teacher at a garage sale. I almost screamed with happiness when I saw them... quite a dramatic response, I know. Then there are my mini dominoes, below. I love them all!



An Announcement...

We are expecting!! My husband of 2.5 yrs. and I are expecting our first child in October!!

We are so excited and can't wait to meet the little one... now you know why I had to get a 4-door vehicle ;)

Smile

Smile, Pass it on. :)