Saturday, July 24, 2010

Purple Flowers, Bumblebees & Yard Sale Treasures...plus crafts..OH MY!!!


If you look really carefully you'll see this fat and fuzzy bumblebee hanging out on this purple flower! You may have to left-click on the image to enlarge it. Then you'll see the bumblebee :) :) :)

Hi everyone...My dad and I had some things to do today that required the car.  So on the way out I spotted these beautiful purple flowers. Now I know this particular area of town quite well and those flowers were new.  They must have literally sprung up in the last month or so.  When you see the following photos you'll understand why I think this was particularly amazing and special...

When I moved back home in January 2006 this photo was nothing but an empty field. It used to be part of a military exercise base back in the 1940s..but don't quote me on that. There used to be an old cinder block shelter here....similar to what you'd see on old military practice fields. In any case, in just four years it's changd a lot. That building you see is a renal care facility. I watched it from the first hole of dirt being dug to now...YOu can also see what a sorry state the unused portions are still in. It looks like there will be more landscaping happening soon. Anyway..it was along the dirt portion running parallel to the sidewalk that I spotted those beautiful purple flowers...Extreme beauty in the midst of dirt...

Now this is what this particular area looks like where I snapped the photo of those beautiful flowers. You can see these white flowers and a little but of the purple flowers on the very far right!!!


Here's a close-up view of the white flowers that were right next to the purple flowers. I don't know how they got there..unless someone randomly scattered a few seeds...but there they are and there is nothing similar nearby.


Here's a close-up view of the purple flowers.

I'm not sure what type of flowers those are. I tried to find a similar photo on the internet. So if you know what they are, please let me know and I'll update this post :) :) :)

Of course, I managed to visit a couple yard sales this weekend.  I found some wonderful treasures which I'll share with you today. Now the tea things, I'll save for Tuesdays...but the rest I'll show you :) :) This will be it for the next month, because I'm out of money. It's tighter than tight in our house now...but that's alright. Now I can concentrate on the decorating, improving etc... Oh, back to the topic..so we stopped at one yard sale today and I found a few cute things....


This was a really cool, classic car that was parked in front of the house holding the yard sale today. The owner let me take a photo!!!

The photo below shows what I found at "today's" yard sale.  Those wicker shaped hearts with the lace and bows were only $0.25 each. That was a total impulse buy. They need some cleaning up and the lace is faded...but I'll figure out a way to fix it. If you have any tips on how I could brighten up the lace let me know. Those hearts can be hung on a wall. The homeowner made those herself!!! The other big find was her 3-ring binder "Aleene's Big Book of Crafts" with cool subject dividers. It had all these really cool craft projects that the same homeowner had carefully pulled out of Aleene's craft magazines and placed into sheet protectors inside this binder. This was only $2. I did look through this FIRST before I bought it. There are some great project ideas in there.


The items sitting "ON" this bench are what I found at the yard sale today. The bench itself and the lacy fabric peaking out were yesterday's finds...

Here's what I found at yesterday's yard sale...

This storage bench was only $5 and it's in excellent condition...just a little dirty. That can be cleaned.  I may paint this storage bench or leave it as is..not sure..but it's going to go next to my bed :) :) That's a great deal and it's REAL wood :) :) :)


Here's a ROUND table cloth with lace edging that I'm actually going to use on my rectangular table...unconventional I know..but it was only $2.


The book was another great find at only $0.25."Natural Beauty at Home - More than 200 easy-to-use recipes for body, bath and hair" by Janice Cox. She lives here in the same area of Oregon as myself!!! This book was from 1994...but the recipes have been used for generations!!


This tea strainger was "Made in England". It's very heavy.  I'm not sure what metal it's made out of...but this was also a mere $0.50. The teacup/coffee cup underneath it...well, you'll have to watch out on Tuesday one of these weeks...I won't say anything about it here :) :)

During the summer it gets really hot in Oregon. So I like to sleep with my window slightly open at night. The window has a screen so I don't have to worry about bugs flying into my room. In any case, I went to bed late last night...and all of a sudden I hear this really loud chatter...like a woodland creature or sprite with a diabolical laugh.

I got up out of bed and went to my window. It turns out it was three RACCOONS. They are very common in this area, especially when it's dark outside. I think it was a mom and two babies...because the mother was HUGE like the size of a small dog and the babies were a little smaller. They were looking for food.

My neighbor tried scaring them away by banging on a plastic bucket. It didn't work.  The two babies just scampered up the tree and the momma just kept on looking for food. Then she went up the tree, too.  Many of my neighbors leave out cat food to feed some of the homeless kitties that roam the apartment complex. Well, the raccoons now know where the kitty food is and they are frequent visitors :) :) If you've ever seen a raccoon walking around on all four paws, it's really funny!!!


This tree is right outside my backporch patio.  This is the tree that those raccoons climbed up late last night..well, technically it was just after midnight.

It's also crafty Saturday and here's what I've been working on this week. Now part of this is a gift for a friend, so I can't show all the photos...but "dear friend" does know what I'm making and what yarn I'm using :) :) This is the book that I am using..it has the pattern for the "ballband dishcloth".  If you want some great knitting patterns and humor rolled into one, this book is for you. You can also check out their website by clicking here!!! I really enjoyed their first knitting book and their sense of humor. They have since published another book, too!!! I think this is worth your money. See if you can borrow it from your library FIRST, so you can get a free preview. Then go buy it...that's what I did :) :) :)



Part of the craft project I"ve been working on this week. I've since complete a few of these...but this is all I'll show you at the moment :) :) :)

QUICK UPDATE (added at 7:24 p.m. PST) I just went to the Lily Sugar 'n Cream yarn website. It's so cute. If you sign in as a member...I believe it's free, because I didn't see a cost..they have a pattern for the exact same dishcloth. It goes by a different name and it's a basic "brick stitch". If you click here you can see the dishcloth and some other patterns.  I just thought this might be an alternative, especially if finances are tight, but you still want to make some beautiful/useful things :) :) :)

Oh I've had some more really neat ladies join my blog this week!!! So here goes...

WELCOME TO: Ashley Nicole of Bramblewood Fashion. Click here to visit her really cute blog. Ashley is a young lady with some outstanding sewing skills. She makes beautiful clothes that are also modest. Check her out. She also loves among other things the Regency Era clothing and Anne of Green Gables...just like me ;) :)

WELCOME TO: Aimee from Aimee on the Mountain Side. Click here to pay her  a visit. She's a native of the Northwest...She takes fantastic photos, loves Victorian homes and she has some fantastic photos of different areas of Oregon. Check it out...!!! Oh, she's also the owner of one super cute fluffy white dog!!

WELCOME TO: Patti of Fill My Cup...With Beauty. Click here to say hello to her. I don't remember now how I found her blog..but it's lovely!!! She has a really neat post up right now with a  link to "The Graphics Fairy". There you can find really nice free, vintage images. Patti posted some really cute pink vintage images for Saturday!!!

That was a long post!!! Thanks for visiting me.  Things are tough with the job market at the moment and I won't be going to any more yard sales for awhile.  My budget is pretty tight anyway, but I always have to make room for a little fun. It's necessary!!! Anyways, just keep my dad and I in your prayers. I'm always happy to pray for all of you, too!!!

Oh, I've noticed that I haven't really written a lot about budgeting lately. I'll have to see what I can do to change that. I'll be changing the subject labels on my posts soon to make it easier to find something.  I don't think I've left anything out today.  In spite of the trying times, I can count myself very blessed!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!! That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather ;)

15 comments:

Sheila said...

Heather,
I just have to say that I love reading your blog. You are so upbeat and positive. I really like that. You and your father are in my prayers! Very nice storage bench--great price too! I like the thought of a round table cloth on a rectangular table--it will make a statement!
Is the ballband dishcloth relatively easy? I've thought of making one but then I get intimidated when I look at it--it looks hard!! Love the colors of this one.
I love sleeping with a window open--I even did that when we lived in Alaska for 7 years! Alas, we don't have screens here so I have to keep the windows closed.
Off to check out your newest followers. I hope you have a blessed evening.

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Hi Sheila...
Yes, the ballband dishcloth is VERY EASY. It's two stitches ..knit and pearl...and an occasional slipped stitch. ..very, very easy...I promise...the overall affect is really nice :) :) I did write to one of the book's authors and asked if I could share the pattern. She said I couldn't because of the agreement with the publisher. So what I would recommend is check out the book from your library first (assuming they have it)...browse it..and then if you really like it, go buy it :) :)

I love that bench. I need to clean it out a little still...but I think that it would look so cute painted a creamy white with some nice pinks, greens etc...make it Shabby Chin, romantic country Victorian etc...:) :) :)

Hugs, Heather :)

Camille said...

Hi Heather ~ Oh raccoons are VERY bold!! I know they are 'cuz we've tried to scare them off on occasion as well. They can also be nasty! :(

The white flower is Morning Glory I think. I don't know about the purple.

Your thrift store finds are great! I love the storage bench...very useful and for such a GREAT price! :) Isn't the LORD so gracious to provide us with all we need and so much more?

Blessings to you!
Camille

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

HI Camille :) :)

Those raccoons...little scamps...They're super cute, but you are right...also bold...especially these three!!!

It's funny about the storage bench. I was not purposefully looking for one. I was just looking for a yard sale. when I spotted this, I knew it was a deal too good to pass up because it could fill a need, add some romantic country charm to my home...and a lady can never have to much cute stuff in her house :) :) :) Now I need to paint this and some of the other things. I've thought about leaving it in it's natural state and painting on it...or using a nice ivory white and adding some cute romantic pink flourishes or something. It's nice to have this kind of "problem" :) :)
Have a great weekend!!! Hugs, Heather :)

Jill said...

I love the colors you are working with, and that little tea strainer is so dear!! I love the bench too so many possibilities there!
When I save my pictures to usb to back them up I just right ckick the folder and hot send to and its usually a g drive on mine and it will save them all. :-) I take lots of pictures as you can probablly tell LOL By the way did you receive my email o.k.? I wasn;t sure if it went through or not? Have a great night!!!

Blessings, Jill

aimee said...

Love the English tea strainer--you know because of your influence I actually searched the web this week for nearby tea rooms:)
TY for the welcome--glad to be part of your following!
Blessings from the PNW!
Aimee
PS: You have got to go to Port Townsend and Port Gamble in NW Washington sometime. They are both filled with beautiful historic homes--you would love them:) I know I do!
PS2--our supper cute fluffy white dog thanks you for the mention too!

Annesphamily said...

A racoon once stood my hubby off the patio! It was so huge! Then it jumped on our storage shed and made a mad dash outta the neighborhood! LOL!
I love the purple flower photo with the bee.Amazing!
Keep praying for us. My hubby lost his mom yesterday on his birthday!
I will e mail you later. It has been so trying. We have to go back to Pueblo on Monday. It will be a long week. I will write more later. Take care. Anne

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Hi ladies :) :)

@Jill...Oh, I received your email just fine :) :) :) Thank you!!!...and I'm praying!!! I just am waiting for a quiet moment to respond..
I might try right-clicking on a file and see what happens. Otherwise, I can drag/drop individual photos. I can't drag/drop from Kodak EasyShare..but all those photos are also found in the Windows PHoto Gallery...as individual pictures..so I have to click on individual or groups of photos..and rename each and every one..slow going..but I practice on some photos tonight. It's a little slow, but it worked great :) :) I'll have backups of the backups :)

@Aime...does super cute white fluffy dog have a name? I think you mentioned in one of your posts awhile back and I forgot :( :( Sorry...but I do recognize fluffy white dog's super cuteness factor :) :) I've only been to an actual tea place a couple of times. If you are ever in Springfield, Oregon...there's an antique shop/tea room called "Ruthie B's" They have all sorts of super cute antiques and it's grouped by colors..so each section is a different color...reds, greens, blues etc...and in each sectino there's a nice big table with chairs. People can have tea sitting amongst the antiques. I did that once. It was FUN!!!

@Anne...I know the raccoon chatter now. So I"m going to be listening to it tonight...those little bandits :) :) Thanks for the compliment on the purple flower/bee photo. It was purely accidental. I tried hard to get a photo with a bee on the flower. I thought that it failed...but when I uploaded the photos after we got home...lo and behold, it was there!!! I was so happy. My dad thought it was cool too. There were quite a few regular bees flying around too. So whatever that flower is, it was an oasis for bees!!! I'm sorry to hear about your hubby's mom!!! I'm keeping you, him and the rest of the fam. in my prayers!!! Extra love and hugs for you!!!

I hope you all have a great Sunday and a good week. Please pray for my friend Anne!!! She's a sweetheart and her hubby's heart is especially sad today!!!

Love and hugs, Heather!!!!

Cindy Adkins said...

Hi Heather,
I love all your flower pictures...how beautiful!!!
And I love that little bench...it would be so awesome to decoupage...it would be amazing!!!

And in regard to the foreign languages, that is astounding...I would try to keep them up because it truly is a gift...it would be great if you could do something to use it for job hunting...hmmm...I wonder if you could tutor kids in German for high school privately...just a thought...It would be fun and it pays alot.

Sending hugs and wishing you a blessed Sunday!!!
Cindy
xoxox
P.S. I'm up all night because I'm working on a new project...can't wait to finish and get pics!!!!

Sheila said...

Heather,
Thanks for the reply. I think I may have that book here already--with 3 of us knitting and crocheting, our books get lots of use!! I'll have to look for it today. I love your ideas for the bench. I think it would look lovely creamy white with some pink and green--I can just picture it now!! Have a blessed week!!
Hugs, Sheila

Terri said...

Isn't that fab, those beautiful flowers growing in that lot?! I love it, beauty finds it's way!
All your yard sale finds are great. And your dishcloth is amazing. That is way to hard for me! Right now I am knitting a little scarf for fall, all it is, is knitting each row!

Thank you for all your very kind comments on my blog, you are a dear!
Hugs,
Terri

Dogmom Diva said...

Hi Heather, found your blog from Anne at Phamilyblog..she and I have been friends since we were teens in the 60's..Egads..anyway, where in Oregon are you. We lived briefly in western WA and I so miss it this time of year...we had a little mobile home and needed to sell it after we moved back to SoCal last year..we had hoped to keep it for summer use..oh well..
wanted to say hi and what great finds you found!

Barb

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

@Cindy...
Thanks for dropping by :) :) You're not the only one who stays up late. I'm actually going to call the local school district and ask about tutoring. I think that's a great idea...but I definitely would like to do it within the context of a school setting, for sure!!!

@Sheila..
Thanks for your compliments. When I start working again, I want to buy some paint and brushes and make that storage bench look really pretty.

@Terri...Hey...knitting every row is good too :) ): :) You can make some really cute dishcloths that way, too. I've done it. I'll have to see if I can dig up a photo somewhere :) :) when you're finished, maybe you could post a pic? I'd love to see what you made!!!

@Barb/Dogmom Diva..
You are so sweet. You are already following my blog :) ) I changed my background a few days ago, so it looks a bit different. Oh, Anne/PHamily Blog...she is a sweet lady and very funny.!!! I live in Southern Oregon!!! I love it here...although I'd love to live in the northern part of the state...maybe Astoria!!

Thanks for visiting me everyone. I pray that you all had a great Sunday!!! Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Antoinette Petersen said...

Oh Heather the dish cloth is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! You do such a wonderful job! :) Thanks for the sneak peek! lol

I have a book by Janice Cox on beauty care for all seasons and LOVE it! That is wonderful you go it for $0.25! That book will really come in handy and it doesn't matter how old it is either, the recipes still work! :)

I saw the cute black bumble bee in the first photo of this post and thought it was so sweet!

Love and blessings,

Miss Antoinette

PS. I will work on fixing your button today! :)

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