Unexpected Guest, oh my!

Imagine my surprise...

I'm rounding the corner into my laundry room...

and this is what I see!

He/she was actually just sitting there on the floor, and not wanting to leave it alone to find my camera,

I just picked it up and put it in this Mason jar.

I wouldn't have been able to get my husband in the house if he knew a snake was on the loose!

It was really beautiful-and really tiny. That's my pinkie under the jar!

I released him back to nature.

Hopefully he stays there!

ann marie

From Glum to Glam!!

I was browsing CL Sunday afternoon and came across a listing for a Chandelier.

There was no picture, and the description left a lot to be desired.

Has glass or crystal-$20.

It was close by, so I took a quick look at it and offered the guy $15.

Sold!

When I got it home, I took it out of the box and saw it was really dirty. Years of dust dirty. The box made a quick trip to the trash after I looked through all the old paper for loose crystals.

There weren't many pieces of crystal, but there was a boatload of dead crickets!

Disgusting!

I took all the crystals off and cleaned, and cleaned...

Who knew it could take so much time to clean!

This was a lot of fun to see what a little elbow grease could accomplish.

Not too shabby!

She now resides in the Dining Room.

ann marie

Mustang Island R&R

A little sand and sunshine sure can slow the world down.

A few days spent in Port Aransas, Mustang Island Beach to be exact, was the perfect ending for our summer.

Daughter #3 heads back for the beginning of her Senior year this weekend.

We sat, swam and ate in no particular order. It was hot, but we had a shady little spot and there was a wonderful breeze.  The pelicans were out in droves, I don't remember seeing so many in our past visits.

They're so big and graceful.

I loved just sitting back and watching them.

They seemed to have they're own little ballet going on.

We really worked up an appetite doing absolutely nothing!

We always stop and eat at Snoopy's, right under the bridge. The food is always fresh and it's just plain, old good!

We ordered and went out back to find a table.

Our name was called out, our food was ready!

Sooooo good!!!!

There's always someone watching while you eat, beach or restaurant.

What a way to recharge the old batteries.

We really need to make it down there more often.

ann marie

Sweet Nursery Linens

                                           Baby Linens are one of my favorite things to make.

Nursery orders seem to go in cycles.

I'll go awhile without one, and in the span of a week or two have half a dozen.

Go figure.

This order is for daughter #3's best friend.

We had fun finding fabrics that are not "baby" prints.

It actually took us about 10 minutes to find all these decorator fabrics that work so well together.

I really love when that happens.

As you can see, girly was the look we were going for.

The bumper pads have a 1 1/2" ruffle and wide bows.

The crib skirt is gathered with a band and flat cording along the bottom.

A 2 1/2" ruffle and 1/4" cord are pretty details on the baby blanket.

At the last minute, I decided to whip together a Bunny using the same fabrics.

Add vintage buttons and a hair bow, and this is what you get!

She wouldn't be complete without this...

Her poufy little tail!

ann marie

Goodwill Art

I love paintings.

I love drawings.

Charcoal..love it.

Pencil, pen & ink..love it.

I even like old prints.

I love Goodwill.

It's like my own personal art shop.

These are my recent acquisitions.

This watercolor is only 1 3/4"x 1 3/4". It's so detailed for such a tiny painting.

It was framed in College Station, TX. There's a little stamp on the back and it cost 9 dollars and change to mat and frame back then.

I like landscapes, they always seem to remind me of someplace we've lived.

I found these over the course of the last 6 months or so.

This could have been painted at a friend's ranch we visit.

Geraniums are one of my favorite flowers.

This canvas has wonderful color and I smile whenever I look at it.

It makes me happy.

I picked this one up today.

I love snow. 

I'm a New England girl to the core, and I really miss living there.

I feel a little closer to home when I see paintings of winter scenes.

 

I think this is a really well done watercolor.

It's only 7x10, and the subject matter is rather simple, but I love it!

These are the beginning of my gallery wall.

One of the best things about them?

They were $1.99...or less for each of them.

I also picked up this print.

This is a print of a village in the Austrian Alps.

 We briefly visited the Austrian Alps when Daughter #1 was married a few years ago in Germany.

Breathtakingly beautiful!!

This is a nice size, too.

24x36

This was such a splurge for me.

$19.99

I love the thrill of the hunt.

ann marie