A Blondie Day

Lace in the Garden

A few weeks ago, I went to an estate sale, where I found such wonderful treasures.  It was the same sale where I found HER.

Amongst the many goods I discovered that day was a vintage vinyl lace tablecloth.  I was not sure where I would end up finding use for it, but at $2, it was not to be left behind.

Well, now that I am in "garden mode", I got to thinking that just maybe that pretty vinyl lace may be the perfect way to have lace in my garden.  After all, there is lace in just about every other place in my life, it was fitting that it should be in the garden too.

So I got to thinking about how to use it for planting, and then got the idea that were I to combine it with burlap, I may just be able to make pretty little hanging lace "sack-lets".

So I did.

 

 

The open weave of the burlap, plus the openings in the vinyl lace provide drainage for the little flowers.  

The burlap and jute that I used for the handles are natural fibers, so they wear pretty well outside.  And the lace - well, it's vinyl, so water doesn't bother it at all.

 

If you would like to try them, it is simple!

 

Make 2 "sacklets" in a rectangle shape, the size of your choice (but keep them on the small size - the soil you put in them can get heavy!).  Make the inside burlap sack a 1/2 in. smaller than the outside sack so it will fit inside easier.  Also make the burlap sack about 1 in. longer so you can fold the top over.  It gives it a nice "sack" appearance.

Vintage vinyl tablecloths can often be found on eBay and sometimes on Etsy - or you may find one of your own at a sale!

 

 

Then cut little holes on each side top so you can insert your jute string.  After inserting the string through the hole, tie a knot to hold it in place.

 

 

Next, decorate your little sack-lets with fabrics strips, buttons, lace - any odds and ends you have about.

 

 

Fill them with soil and assorted little flowers.  Give them a touch of water -

and hang them up.

 

 

I hope you enjoy these if you decide to give them a try.

I have my "thinking cap" on to come up with other ways of using the rest of this pretty vinyl lace tablecloth!

Much love,

Helena

 

Ghost in the Garden

About a year ago, I purchased a big 'ole lampshade at a yard sale.  I could not resist it.  It had such pretty lines, and at $3 I knew I would find something to do with it.

A few weeks ago, JW looked at it perched upon the top of one of my fabric stash cabinets, and I was asked the question "Are you ever going to do something with this thing?"

I knew the time had come.

 

 

 

As most of you know, ghost shades are all over the crafty corners of the internet, and I did like them.  But I wanted to do something a little different with this.

So I thought - Why not the garden?

I stripped off the dusty old fabric and out to the garden it went.

 

 

It made the perfect pretty cage for flowers!  I loved the way it looked.

 

 

You can hang all kinds of pretty bits off the shade, as long as it is something you don't mind getting wet or blown around a bit.  Old lampshades are so easy to find at yard sales and thrift shops.  Find one with a shape you love.

 

 

And as the flowers grow and poke through more here and there, it will look prettier and prettier.

 

 

 

Now there will be those who will be curious...

 

 

 

...and those who may look at you as though you've lost your mind...

 

 

...but don't you mind them one bit.

 

 

You just enjoy your Ghost in the Garden.

 

Much love,

Helena

 

Gratitude

A few weeks ago I read a quote…

 

"I think gratitude is the most spiritual and most important emotion of them all. It's the antidote to the two things that stop us which are fear and anger. Fear is why we don't take action and anger is why we get stuck. You can't be grateful and angry simultaneously, so it's really the reset button. It's the cleaner of the soul. What it does when you are grateful -'It's no longer about me, right?'- It's really about giving thanks and when you are giving thanks, you disappear and when you disappear, I believe you reconnect to the divine." - wonderful words by Tony Robbins from Mastering the Art of Gratitude.

 

It sounded lovely, but perhaps a bit simplistic?  I wasn't sure.

 

 

But I decided to give it a try.

 

I closed my eyes and started to think about the things I am grateful for, starting with the obvious, but very often taken for granted..

 

JW, My Girl, my family and all their love, my health…

 

 

And then I started to think of less obvious but very powerful gratitude…

 

My parents, even though I lost both of them in the past few years, I was so very thankful that God had chosen to make me their daughter, and I was blessed with their love which will be with me the rest of my life.  My heart began to swell.

 

I thought of things that were not necessarily good things at first, but grew to be blessings.  My Girl, born so premature, and spending 4 months in the NICU at the beginning of her life.  And then the glorious day when I finally was able to bring her home!  That experience changed not only my life, but who I have become.

 

 

And then I thought of the little things… my silly chicken-girls, the happiness and excitement of finding a “treasure” at a yard sale, my beautiful knock-out roses in my garden, the sound of the bull frogs’ song that floats into my window each night as I fall asleep.

 

 

My goodness, it was working!  It was overwhelming.  My heart began to swell until I thought it would burst.

 

 

I walked around the rest of the day floating on a soft, lovely cloud of gratitude.  And you know what?  When your heart is full of gratitude, there is little room for anything negative.  It just simply won’t fit.  I never realized just how powerful and amazing this feeling was.

 

 

 

I hope this doesn't sound too "sunshiny" and it is most definitely NOT meant to be preachy.  I know of course, there are times we all have pain, sadness and fear in our lives, and those emotions can overwhelm us.  But perhaps if we can just find room for some small bit of gratitude, it will be the strength we need to keep going – the ray of sunlight to get us through to the next day.  It is certainly worth a try.

 

 

 

By the way, every single picture of loveliness above in this post comes from an amazing

Box of Joy sent to me by Rachel, a friend I met on the internet some time ago.

This box appeared on my doorstep and was sent to me from her 

for no particular reason at all except out of the goodness and generosity of her heart.

 

Opening it up was like an amazing, very special Vintage Christmas Day.

 

I am speechless and so very, very grateful.

 

 

 

Much Love,

Helena

Sweetness

I have so much to share but only a little time!

 This morning JW and I ran around for a while to some garage sales and an estate sale.  It's a good thing when he comes with me sometimes.  I have a horrendous sense of direction, and he whizzes us from sale to sale while I would still be struggling getting from the first to the second without getting lost for hours.

I found some lovely treasures, but since I only have a few moments, I wanted to share this one.

 

 

Isn't she the sweetest!

I have to tell you that I did not edit the saturation in this photo in the slightest, so those are her true vibrant blue eyes.

I don't usually buy dolls, although I do like them.

But something about her... I could not pass her up.

 

 

She captured my heart.

She reminded me of a very sweet internet friend I have, Paula.

I just knew if Paula was with me, she would have loved her too, so I imagined Paula's sweet heart whispering to me to get her.

So home with me this little Vintage Angel came.

And I am thrilled with her.

 

I will gently clean her...

 

 

...and soak her delicate gown to freshen her up the best I can.

 

 

And then everytime I look at her, I will think of Paula.

 

I am so thankful for all of you.  You give me such joy and inspiration and I am full of gratitude!

 

Happy Weekend!

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

A Week in Review

This past week held for me...

 

...new goods in the shop...

 

 

 

 

 

...some old pretty drapes from the Thrift Shop...

 

 

 

...a sunny, warm Mother's Day over the weekend which included flowers and a handmade card from My Girl...

 

 

 

 

...some fabulous Craft Books from a very thoughtful JW...

 

 

...and a trip to the aquarium to pet the stingrays...

 

 

...and visit with a Caiman that needed dental work...

 

 

 

...a lovely Day of Sewing with Ollie as my sewing buddy...

 

 

 

 

...and a trip today to the Thrift Shop, where it was apparent that vintage sheets and pillowcases were in the cards for me.

 

 

Hope your week was filled with goodness

with more to come this week.

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

 

Scrappy Feet

Would you like Scrappy Feet?  It's very easy.

Here's how.

First, take your bits and pieces of fabric scraps.  You know you have them!  I have bowls of fabric, lace and ribbons scraps everywhere.  I cannot bear to toss them out, and they look so pretty altogether in a bowl, just daring you to come up with, yet again, another way to use them.

 

 

Then take a favorite pair of flippy-flops.  Tie your assorted scraps on across the top, right above the toe piece.

Be creative!  Mine are rather conservative, but you can tie on as many scraps as you dare.  I have used assorted colors, but you can stay to one color scheme if you wish, or use only lace scraps.  That would be very pretty and lady-like.  

Twist and turn the scraps as you tie them on and arrange them as you please.  Once you have them tied on securely, you can trim them into the desired lengths.

Have fun with them.

 

 

 

Then treat yourself to a nice, fresh pedi.  You deserve it.  For today's pedi, I chose pretty silver toes because I liked how it goes with just about everything.  

 

 

 

Then insert your newly prettified feet into said flippy-flops.

 

 

 

And voila!  You have Scrappy Feet.

 

 

 

Hope your weekend is a happy one!

 

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

Today

Today was the first Me Day in quite a while.

Not complaining at all, but sometimes a Day Just for Me is absolutely what the doctor ordered.

So what did I do first?

Yes, kindred spirits - I went thrifting.

There wasn't too much in the thrifting cards for me today, but that did not matter a wit.  Just strolling along the aisles of my favorite thrift shop, casually taking in the sights, was pure pleasure.

And I came home with yet another pair of thrifted overalls.

 

 

I love overalls, and wear them around the house and to work in the garden very often.  I also from time to time put a pretty, lacy blouse underneath together with a pair of cloggy shoes and wear them out.   If it is a little chilly out, then a big, slouchy cardigan on top completes it.

 

Next on my list was a yummy sandwich for lunch while watching part of a favorite movie on Netflix... Sense and Sensibility.  I could watch this movie over and over again for many reasons.  The romantic clothing, the stunning scenery, the lovely, lyrical language, but most of all because of him...

 

Oh, how I adore Colonel Brandon.

 

After lunch, I fussed about changing some decor here and there.  It was time to once again bring out my blue vintage typewriter thrillingly discovered at the thrift shop some months ago.

 

 

And I thought, why can't a little old typewriter be used as a vase for some thrifted silk flowers?

 

 

And I thought - well, there's no reason...

 

 

No reason at all.

 

I had a very lovely Me Day.

 

But even if Me Days are few and far between, we should always try to fit in a few Me Moments every day - at least.

It's good for the soul.

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

 

 

A Little Help

Meet Stella.

 

 

She is the biggest of my "girls".  As my dear friend Antoinette puts it - she is the size of a cow.  She means that in the most affectionate way.

 

Her eggs are huge, and practically a meal in and of themselves.

She was determined to help me in the taking of the pictures of the new Market Totes for the shop.

And I'm thinking she did a smashing job.

I think she is also very proud to show you a glimpse of her little Home.

 

 

The new Market Totes will be going in the shop this afternoon.

 

 

I made a few new changes to the design, which I'm hoping everyone will like.

 

 

The straps are extra long and adjustable.

 

And there's a pocket on the outside, as well as the inside for a little extra storage.

 

There's a few other little added touches too.

 

 

I am off now to take my Lily chicken for a follow up at the vet's.

I still need to tell you Lily's Tale, which I will soon.

 

Happy day to you!

 

 

Much Love,

 

Helena

 

Big and Bright

I'm so happy to be back!

I missed you, my friends, and I missed my little blog.

I have two tales to tell.  One regarding one of my little chickies, Lily.  But that tale will wait.  It is a little bit of an emotional, scary tale, and it deserves its very own post.

So first I will tell the tale of our vacation... and then my NEWS!

We set off on vacation the day after Easter, but things started a little shaky. The night before we left, My Girl had a 100 degree fever.  But the fever was gone the next day and she showed no other symptoms, so off we went.  I was a bit suspicious.  I know about those lurking fevers that come and then go into hiding for a few hours, or a day or 2, only to rear its ugly little fevered self again.

And sure enough, My Girl got sick while we were away on vacation.  We had to take it very easy on her, so we mostly drove around, taking turns getting out of the car to do a little bit here or there, leaving her back in the car with one of us so she could rest.  The most she could do was to take a little 20 minute swim here and there in the indoor heated pool (swimming is one of her favorite things to do, and she had so very much looked forwared to the hotel pool).  But other than that, My Girl was TOAST.

I did a little bit of shopping and thrifting...

 

 

But I was limited as to what I could possibly take home with me on the airplane..

 

So things like this vintage mirror were out of the question.  And I had to leave lots of prettiness behind...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has me convinced that a pink adult tricycle is a Must Have.

 

 

And that bicycles in the garden, in general, are a great idea.

 

 

 

By the time we headed home, we had a very sick Girl.  She slept in the plane all the way home... and now has bronchitis and a double ear infection.  My poor sweet kidlet.

 

 

So now...

 

CAN YOU GUESS WHERE WE WENT ON VACATION?

 

I'll give you a hint.

 

"The stars at night shine big and bright..."

 

OK, a few more hints in case you don't know that song...

 

 

Still don't know? 

OK, maybe this...

 

 

And in case you STILL don't know...

 

 

 

 

And before you think I am crazy, my Friends, this is so important because...

 

WE ARE MOVING TO TEXAS!

 

Yes, this New York Born and Raised Girl is moving to Texas.

 

I am scared, excited, exhilarated, emotional, happy, sad, giddy all while having butterflies in my stomach.

 

You see, I've never lived anywhere but New York.  I love New York.

But JW got a job offer there that is just too good to pass up.

So off we go.

 

We have about a year to relocate, which gives us plenty of time to do what we have to, and let me settle my mind a bit and adjust.

 

So, since I had never been to Texas, off we went on vacation for a week.

 

We did a little house looking, even though we won't be ready to buy for about a year.  We wanted to start getting an idea of what we are looking for and what is available.

 

I know one thing.  I wouldn't mind this being my porch...

 

 

Or looking out my back window and gazing upon this...

 

 

Or adding one of these creatures to my family...

 

 

 

... and maybe a horse, some alpacas, ducks, rabbits and of course, DOGS!  Oh, yes.  I will have a regular little farm.

 

So for the next year, I hope you will bear with me from time to time as I share the preparations, trials and tribulations of the move of my little group... family, chickens and cats... to Texas.

 

I AM NERVOUS!!  In a good way.

 

Oh, and by the way, I did make it home on the airplane with some goodies, of course...

 

 

 

Good to be back!

 

Much love,

Helena

 

 

 

The Walrus Said

Easter is almost here and the time for a break has come!

My little shop is on vacation and so am I.

"The time has come the walrus said to talk of many things...

 

 

 

...of birds and ships and sealing wax

of cabbages and kings.

And if the seal is boiling hot

and whether pigs have wings!"

 

That is one of my favorite poems by Lewis Carroll

and I always say that first line to myself.

 

Yes, I talk to myself quite often.

 

 

I will be checking in to my Facebook Page from time to time for the next couple of weeks and when I re-open the shop I will have some new Market Tote Bags with a little bit of an updated design.

 

I will also have some very exciting news to share!!  

Oh, this is life changing stuff, yes it is.  

 

Can't wait to tell you.

 

Hope you have a happy few weeks My Friends...

see you soon.

 

Much Love,

 

Helena