I made the right decision.....

In the middle of a super busy day drowing in a sea of Christmas garland , trees and lights ~ I had the extraordinary opportunity to chat with one of my customers who has just been thru a year of struggle.
I . Mean. Struggle.
Most of this past year had been spent in the hospital clinging to life as she awaited a transplant.
I did not get her permission to disclose her story so I want to respect her privacy. But we really don't need the details here.
She was so sick. And so tired. And she never gave up hope. She would get better to be able to be put on the transplant list, only to get sick again to be taken off.
I can only imagine.
One day, she was told that she was better and that she was put back on the list.
The TOP of the list. She was running out of time.
By that afternoon she got the call.
Her life was about to change.
Today she lives because someone was an organ donor.
I have never personally met anyone before who has gone thru something quite like this.
You should have seen how wonderful and full of life she looks. She was shopping, laughing and just living.
I made the decision to be an organ donor along time ago when I renewed my drivers license.
Today I learned exactly the kind of impact that decision can make.
I know without a doubt that is was the right one.

 

YOU WERE RIGHT!!!

Hello Friends!!

I just had to let you know.......that for all the ones who voted for me to do the chair seats with the different feed sacks.....
You Were Right!
I got them done last Saturday morning......
Set them all outside the back of the shop......
Within AN HOUR they were GONE!
One of my best new customers Carol, snagged um right up!!
She knew better than to leave um for Sunday at the Marketplace.
THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED ME MAKE UP MY MIND!!!
I appreciate all the other great ideas that some of you shared with me as well. I've got my junk radar tuned into chairs {especially matching sets} so I can try some of them!

Got lots to share this week!!
BIG NEWS COMING !!!
Stay Tuned!

Christmas Touches around my house

I just put a roast in the oven so that gives me a little while to share with you some of my Christmas decorating I have done around the house.

I wanted to do something different this year. Ever since I have left home and have been decorating for Christmas in my own home I have always gone the country primitive route. All my ornaments were adorable handmade santas, snowmen, candy canes you name it.

Stuffed gingerbread men filled baskets, snowman pillows were on every chair. I still love all of those things but I wanted to see if I could pull something different off this year AND it had to be CHEAP! With Mr. OTM laid off ~ buying all new Christmas decorations was not a priority so I challenged myself with a budget and went THRIFTING! My finds also include yard sale items like this piece d'resistance...

Remember the mail bags I found this past fall? Well...I kept one! I can be a stinker!
I love how this looks and it took all of like 2 minutes to put together.


This little tree was a thrift store find. I love that it has that "real" look to it. The little star ornaments were only .85 cents each at the Depot. I bought all they had left (six) and wish they had a few more. I need a bit more on this tree yet and I was thrilled when I found 12 miniature glass bulbs for .99 at Goodwill. Those will get on after I type up this post!

The white pointsettia was 3.50 at Wal-Mart. The shabby little white bucket I already had and the adorable oval clock was a 4.99 thrift store treasure!

I also found these beautiful marble dove bookends at Goodwill for 9.50 for the pair. I'm not sure if they are staying in this vignette or not...might be a bit much...buy hey it's Christmas so go big or go home right? lol!

One of Mr. OTM's farmhouse stars nestled in a wreath I already had....

The tree we had....EVERYTHING on the tree, ALL the glass bulbs were bought at a thrift store. Price for all you ask??? I dropped a cool 10.00 for the whole she-bang! I have NEVER used glass bulbs on my tree....EVER! This is a first and I am loving the different look. I made the burlap bow for the top out of ribbon I used at the shop.

Little ole ice skates! Well these really set me back! Listen to this one!!

I found these at a yard sale for 1.00 and I turned into a pathetic mess!

You see, I forget my purse and didn't realize it until I went to pay for these. I knew I had change floating around the car so I went scrounging and you'd a thunk(sp?) that I found gold when I
came upon a quarter under the drivers seat then ANOTHER one under the floor mat in the back. Can you picture my rear end hanging out of the car while I scrounge? I was quite the sight I am sure! The rest was in the console but my total was .98 cents. Just two cents short and the lady felt sorry for me I guess because she told me just to take them. She didn't want to take my last dollar. Good grief...so okay...I took um.......but laid the .98 cents on her check out table when she went to help another customer.
Pathetic huh?
Sorry to anyone who may have drove by and saw the aforementioned rear end. I was on a mission.

Sorry this is so dark. The large metal star was a 10.00 garage sale find years ago when I still lived in Ohio. Thankfully I had my purse with me that day...geez!

The old windows (converted into mirrors) I purchased from a gal that walked into my shop one day and said" I have these old leaded glass widows you might like"....I fell over.....then got the checkbook. These I have had for years and never get tired of looking at them.
Below is an adorable handmade cookie cutter ornament made by my friend Tammy of JUNKWILD! What you don't see is the carton of handmade fudge it was attached to. The fudge had since been inhaled and it resting nicely on my hips!

This old post was a garage freebie! The BEST kind right??

I was rummaging on the lower shelf in a Salvation Army store when I came across a huge plastic bag filled all these pine cones! Some are painted white, some are glittery and some are plain. The whole bag was 3.99.

I love the natural look....

Meet my.......tree skirt! I saw this lone drapery panel and fell in love with the texture...

It had that burlappy look yet was a woven nubby cotton...

and it was CHEAP! The sticker says 7.99 but lucky me, all blue tags were HALF OFF that day!

I came home and cut off the part where the drapery hooks went and then just folded the edge over and hemmed it. It will be great as a table cloth after the holidays.

I just pooled it around the bottom and that's it!

I would loved to have found 4 of these panels because I would have used them on my windows~ but a tree skirt/ tablecloth makes me just as happy.

The pine cone wreath was yet another thrift store find~1.99. I layered in on top of another wreath I already had and hung it up with burlap ribbon. It's a bit hard to see but some of the pine cones look frosted and I love the bits of greenery that were already tucked into it.

I think this old firewood sign looks pretty good above it. I bought that along time ago at a yard sale for 5.00.....had my purse with me that day too in case you were wondering! lol!

So there ya have it....I am really happy with how all my thrift store Christmas finds have created a comfortable, new, sparkly, natural theme this year. When you add up what I spent just on the Holiday items I bought this year it's under 40.00 and my budget was 50.00.

Look out...I still have 10 bucks just burning a hole in my pocket!

Hope you enjoyed peeking!
P.S. I am linking this to Cottage Instincts Make it 4 Monday! Hop on over to check out all the inspiration!

Browsing Ballard....

I can still remember the day I was doing a home show for one of my dearest Ohio customers. She had just re-done her kitchen/dining room and it looked fabulous. Everything I pointed to, picked up, asked about either came from Ballard Designs OR was INSPIRED by Ballard Designs-one of her favorite catalogs. I had never heard of it until that day and I have been hooked ever since. I love their mix of fabrics and accessories and it is one of my go-to places for not only inspiration but for purchases! I always seem to find just the right piece for myself or a client.

Tonight I was browsing for myself. Look at what I found! This bed is......um I don't even know the right word.....Awesome doesn't seem enough! It's that darn little bird perched so sweetly above your heads! The shape is fancy yet simple. This one wants to make me replace the one I just made over in our spare bedroom but I'm not tired of that one yet!
Now here is the item I went searching for. I am loving this burlap bedskirt and already placed my order. I plan on re-doing the master bedroom after the holidays and I am starting with this as my inspiration piece...(that and I didn't want them to discontinue the thing after finally making a decision...you know how it goes!)

Then I stumbled upon this little gem...it comes with red stripes too but I am really loving the brown. I can make my own feedsack pillows but if anybody wanted to grab up two or three of these for say...oh...I don't know....CHRISTMAS ..I wouldn't hate it ya know?
If you've never browsed Ballard Designs give yourself a treat!

It's always fun to look!

HAPPY 4TH of JULY!!

modern50.com
mondern50.com

restorationhardware.com

barbarajacksier.com

Don't ya just love the ole red, white and blue?

Hope your holiday is a blast!

White Wednesday around the shop.....

Look what I picked up at a garage sale on Saturday for $1.00!

I'm such a kidder!

Could you just imagine? I would LOVE an old truck like this someday! When I pulled into the parking lot of my shop the other day this was there. I found myself imagining Olde Tyme Marketplace on the doors~ a bed full of junk~ a cool horn! When I finally snapped out of it I realized the least I could do was take a picture for White Wednesday.

This week I took some pics of chippy whites around the shop. Hop on in~ lets go take a look!ya gotta have Faith....

old postal scale with rust and white....ahhhhh


bankers bag pillow and old Royal River feedsack pillows...

I just got this display done the other day. That big cupboard is actually and old icebox minus the door but still h~e~a~v~y! The bottom has a flap that flips up to insert a zinc pan. It is the perfect kind of white~ crackly AND chippy!

I love sharing whites with you all! Can't wait to see everyone elses! You never disappoint!

I love Wednesdays!

WARM WEATHER=FINISHED PROJECTS!

Yesterday was one of those days...the good kind!

First of all Russ (the famous Mr.OTM) got called back to work after being laid off right before Christmas (Praise the Lord!! Whew...prayer at work again!)

Second of all the weather was ...BEYOND WONDERFUL! Sunny, 72 and no humidity so even though I was outside workin in my grungy clothes...my hair looked great! Down here in NC, that means somthing...let me tell ya!

Third of all...or is that thirdly of all...or just thirdly??/ Anyway because it was so nice, I got a BOATLOAD of projects done. A SERIOUS boatload....like 20 different things....D~O~N~E!

I was on a stool kick yesterday for sure. I have been itchin to get these buggers done and I really was lovin the way they turned out. Take a peek.....

Okay, the best part about this baby was the color for sure! I did nothing to that...just added the frenchy burlap pillow insert...
The bar stool was an icky yuckky orange~ the kind of orange that stains on your hands after putting on self tanner lotion...ackkk! Get the picture? So I did the ole whitewash and jazzed it up with a burlappy cover and hopefully someone will love the No. 5!

This little one is just a short squatty little thing , low to the ground with short little legs...she reminds me of my dog! Anyway, picture the worst tapestry fabric on earth and what was on here was worse than that! Puke Puke! I painted the little legs and did another burplappy cover and decided that the No.2 would surely rock someones world. I hope, I hope.....!

Then, since I had the white paint out~ I got to this adorable little wooden bucket and wire basket. I was thinking how sweet herbs would look in either of them. And can you see who is lurking in the background??? That's right folks....all the way from the garage to hearts all over America.... You all know her, you all love her.......

It's Miss Messy herself!! Ta-Da!! So after I stared at her for awhile ~ and before the neighbors thought I was a whack-job, I decided to leave her neck just like it was . I then took some watered down Tacky Glue and brushed that all over her um...boo...um..brea...um chest area and folded all the batting and fabric back up on her and decided that I love her just like that! Just by doing that small repair, it made a big difference and will help that fabric to last longer too! Thanks to all who left comments and suggestions!

So that's about it. I did get way more done than the pics but I was pooped and seriously, I almost didn't get this photo shoot under my belt before it got dark.

Most of these items I took to my booth at The Depot in Concord.
If you haven't been there yet.....holy moly are you in for a treat!

If you'd like to see a super amazing make-over on some chairs, hop on over to see what Theresa did at Time Worn Interiors! In a word....Unbelieveable!
Well girlies , that's bout it for today. I am pooped and just realized I have antiquing stain on my right earlobe.....since yesterday.

And yes...I did take a bath!

Go figure! :0)

FALL CENTERPIECE IDEAS!

I was looking around for some neat fall centerpiece ideas and came across these beauties.......

How many of you out there can't get enough white pumpkins??? I LOVE them!!!

I really like this one because look how easy it is and yet it's just perfection.........

This one uses twings, leaves and berries .....all from outside and who doesn't have one of little birdhouses laying around...adorable and CHEAP!

all photos courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens