New Addition!

Ordered a new couch for the living room this week ~ it will arrive next week! I ended up choosing the taupe leather instead of the cream because the two scots would have it mud covered in no time. Now to look for some pillows ~ any suggestions? I see another knit or crochet project in my future......

40% off one day sale at munique

For one day only Munique is offering 40% off everything at Munique Fashions when you use discount code - mday - at checkout.


Gifts for her and especially on mother’s day are all about saying how unique and special you are. So why wait to join the hustle and bustle of shoppers on the highstreet this mother's day weekend when you can have your unique gift for her delivered to your door?

With a whooping 40% off this sterling silver swarovski crystals pearl pendant in unique design mounted on an 18 inch sterling silver snake chain can be yours for £42. Exceptional value for a unique pendant and chain that will be treasured forever. Shop now at www.thebeauty-life.com

Your 40% discount can only be redeemed at checkout. To take advantage of this generous discount please enter discount code – mday – at the checkout. When you type the word - mday- in the discount code box at checkout and press return, your discount will be applied automatically. Discount code expires Wednesday March 30, 2011.

£1 sale at Boden's

Boden has great news for Mother's Day! It's a very special mothers day offer so don't miss out!!!!!!  For today only buy 2 items at Boden and pay £1 for the 3rd.   Yes you read correctly.  But that's not all, you also get free delivery and returns.

To take advantage of this great offer enter discount code -  MDAY - at checkout.  But hurry offer ends tonight Tuesday 29 March.

Just think while you are getting mum a mothers day present you can also pick up this tunic for yourself.  Shop now at Bodens

Antiques & Alpacas

{ancient embroidered silk lampshade~ beautiful needlework and colors}

Had fun this weekend going to the KC Antiques & Collectibles market and the MOPACA Alpaca Show ~ I managed to spend the entire day at these shows! Got up and out of the house early (for me!) and hit the antique show first ~ it was a combo show and included the KC Toy & Doll show as well as the regular antiques and collectibles. Here are a few items I saw at the show I thought were worth sharing.

{great advertising sign for Nehi soda ~ the peeling paint was an added bonus}

{A set of Creepy Crawlers complete with heating unit and the metal molds!}

I had a Fun Flowers set ~ I made dozens of plastic flowers! I think we also had Incredible Edibles ~ those were bug shaped molds that came with edible goop. These days one can't find anything remotely this fun on the market ~ how on earth did those of us survive this sort of toy? Somehow, despite the plastic fumes, the lead filled molds and the molten plastic, I managed to live to tell about it! So did this guy.

{Beautiful baby book cover}

{Wiggles, a funny little dog ~ a book from the 30's about a runaway scottish terrier}

{great graphics on these tin toy tanks with rubber treads}

{saucy little tin duck}

After the antique show, I headed to the Alpaca Show which was held at the American Royal ~ where oddly enough, years ago, the antique show used to be held. Depending on the weekend, sometimes the smell of manure would waft through the air as you were shopping for treasures ~ just part of the ambiance.

Since I like to knit and crochet, I am familiar with alpaca yarn, but didn't know much about the animals the fiber comes from, so this seemed a perfect opportunity! Alpacas are part of the camel family and look like a small llama, although alpacas are less aggressive than llamas. There are two types of alpacas: suris (their hair looks kind of like dreadlocks or a puli dog) and huacayas (their hair is fuller and fuzzier). The alpaca farmers and breeders that I talked to were very friendly and shared all sorts of information ~ alpacas live about 20 years, a female alpaca will usually have one cria (baby), and their hair comes in 16 natural colors. While their hair is soft and wonderful to touch, most alpacas don't seem to like being touched. Here are some photos from the show:

{two suri alpacas}

{three huacaya alpacas}

{this little guy won a ribbon}

{ears up, ears down!}

{two beautiful skeins of alpaca yarn ~ a souvenir from the show!}

The Wheel in the Sky

Snowing . . . again!

{view out my back door}

Almost the end of March and it is snowing again! After the gazillion inches of snow we have had this year and a taste of a couple of days in the high 70's a week ago, I am ready for spring!

Brush Up on Proper Dental Hygiene for Your Opossum!

Have some extra time on your hands this weekend? Why not brush up on some proper dental hygiene for your opossum? This video will provide all of the details (and more) that you will need in order to keep your opossum's teeth looking white, shiny and gingivitis free. If only I had had this knowledge back when Scurvy was visiting ~ perhaps he would have been a more congenial houseguest?!

Accessorizing with copper jewellery

Spring is officially here and I say this not because we had 17 degrees weather yesterday and it's great again today but because my hay fever is kicking in which I absolutely dread but hooray for spring.  On such great sunshiny days there is no way I'm wearing trousers so out came my long printed gypsy skirt from la redoute which felt sooooo good.  My woollen trousers and cardigans only set me on fire in this great bout of weather.

Time to pack away those heavy coats and sweaters and bring out the light denim jackets, my spring summer wardrobe staple. I do love this look with the rust color skirt and denim shirt picking up the blue in the skirt. 

But I'm going to play Gok Wan here and add a brown leather belt or even a blue leather belt some copper earrings and a copper necklace and copper bracelet (my personal favorite being my bali girl copper jewellery set).  Then put on my rose metallic brown leather sandals and grab my oval brown leather handbag or maybe the red for a bit of accent colour and voila I look like I just stepped out of vogue - talk about transforming high street into designer high fashion.  

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

While visiting Mission Road Antique Mall a couple of weekends ago, I spotted these lovely antique calico buttons in a showcase. I see this type of button now and then, but not very often and they are always rather expensive.

If you happen to be in Kansas City though, visit the Steamboat Arabia Museum, where you can see thousands of these beautiful buttons ~ and learn a bit about some history as well. The photo above was taken at the museum ~ click on the photo for the source.

Don't know that I have ever found an entire card of calico buttons ~ thanks to the internet though, I was able to find these and an interesting article about calico buttons. Some day, when I am more organized, I will take a few photos of some of the calico buttons I have found over the years ~ I have some great stencil buttons too.

A Different Kind of Delectable

Found this tasty jar of glass buttons this weekend while shopping at the Platte City Antique Show ~ I guess I just have a thing for mayonnaise jars, now that I have mentioned them two days in a row! As you can see, this is actually a Miracle Whip jar, but close enough. I have to admit, I prefer Miracle Whip over regular mayo ~ always a point of ridicule in my household as my boyfriend is quite the foodie and Miracle Whip doesn't cut the mustard in his book!

This jar was packed full of all clear glass buttons ~ I have never bought many of these before, but the jar looked so appealing I couldn't pass them up. Upon closer inspection, some of the buttons have silver or gold metallic accents, so these are even better than I realized. Looking forward to sorting through the rest of the buttons and discovering all the different patterns ~ I think these will look great used in the brooches I make!

Delectable Paintings ~ Shawn Kenney

A couple of weeks ago my RISDxyz arrived ~ that is, my Rhode Island School of Design alumni magazine ~ a new format and design. Food was the theme and one of the artists featured is painter Shawn Kenney ~ an illustration major and 1993 graduate.

Wow! Shawn's paintings are so beautiful, I just had to share. I am especially enamored with his seemingly effortless brushwork and his gorgeous use of color. Whether the subject is a fancy mini cake, a humble box of blueberries or jar of Fluff, the end result is simply delectable! Visit here to see more of his work.

{all images via Shawn Kenney}

How Am I Not Myself