Almost Missed It!

A few weeks ago, I bought a stack of vintage linens at an estate sale.

An old linen sheet was in the stack, and I thought it might make

a really pretty shower curtain.

The inset is a crocheted lace, very tiny stitches.

I didn't notice this...

It's so pretty and the stitching is amazing.

It took me awhile to figure out the initials,

but I think it's a T and L.

Do you see something different?

ann marie

Estate Sale Fiasco!

Maybe the title of this post should have been...

Funny Story.

Marc has Thursdays and Fridays off.

We decided we'd hit a few Estate Sales Friday morning.

First one was in Garden Ridge, and we got to see a set of twin fawns running around with their momma while we waited to go in.

Picked up a few small things and moved on.

The next one was in Alamo Heights, and parking was nonexistent.

We went around the block, got a drink at McDonald's and walked the short distance to the sale.

There were so many great things, but we only bought a blue and white pot and a small Spanish pendant light.

We were very happy and having a wonderful time.

Our next stop was a sale in Castle Hills.

Except it's really hard to get there when you go back to your truck and IT IS NOT WHERE YOU PARKED IT!

You see, there's a sign at McDonald's driveway that says if you are not in their restaurant, you will be towed.

Of course we didn't see that as we were driving in with all the cars behind us, and there weren't any signs in the parking area.

Marc was not amused.

So, we had to wait for Taylor to pick us up.

Then we had to drive 30 minutes or so to the impound lot and wait while they processed our paperwork.

We saw about 10 other cars being towed from the same area while we were waiting,

so I can only imagine how many were actually towed in the course of one day.

Sounds like a pretty lucrative business to me.

Originally, I thought I got a really good deal on my little light.

It has such pretty details.

And the etched glass is in perfect condition.

So, I replaced this generic light in our hallway,

with my new lantern.

I like it.

The Estate Sale price was a sweet $12.50.

The real world price after paying the $288.25 for the towing & impound fee rounds it up to a nice even $300.

I realize it was our fault for parking there, even if it was for a very short time.

I do have to say that we have never run into a sign like theirs before.

I guess they call out your license plate and if you don't respond, your vehicle is history.

I would be a little paranoid about going to the rest room there.

The moral of the story is-read all the signs.

Especially at the Mickey D's across from Central Market in Alamo Heights!

ann marie

French Sevres

They are most definitely not perfect.

They've obviously seen their share of mishaps.

And someone has taken the time to put them back together-Humpty Dumpty style.

I think they did a pretty good job too.

When I walked into GW today,

They called my name, loudly.

Both are hand painted and signed.

There are also marks on the inside.

They're 18 1/2" tall and very graceful.

I think the little details are amazing.

I'll be taking them apart, very carefully, so I can realign the gorgeous handles and base and clean them up a little.

I realize there's not much value to something that's been broken and put back together, but I really feel like I got my money's worth with this pair.

$3.99 each.

Love doesn't have a price, right?

ann marie



Jardin Tuteur

 A few days ago, I had a brilliant idea.

I think I'll go out to the backyard, in the 100+ temps, and attempt to build a Tuteur for my wonderful heirloom tomato.

The one that is 5 feet tall and has yet to produce a single little yellow BLOOM!

Yep, I can say "Glutton for Punishment".

Here's what I started with.

About 8 dollars worth of wood.

I didn't use pressure treated, because supposedly,

 it'll be holding up a plant that will produce food for me to eat.

I also finally broke out the new toy Santa brought me for Christmas.

It took me longer to put this together than it did to build my tuteur.

It cut through all that wood like butter.

Love it!

So, once I kind of figured out how tall I wanted it,

I had to figure out the angle for the top of the legs.

It was a very scientific procedure.

I cut them at a 13 degree angle...I think.

Add crossbars wherever you want/need them.

You can get really intricate and detailed.

I did not.

All I needed was something strong and functional to support all those branches full of heavy tomatoes.

Cover the whole thing with some Oops paint and a mermaid, and Voila!

Your very own Jardin Tuteur!

Oh, why a mermaid?

I had a really nice empty wine bottle that I was going to invert and use as a finial.

Somewhat like a bottle tree.

Except that with only two of us living here in the house,

it disappeared.

No one knows how it found its way to the recycling bin.

So what's the next best thing for a tuteur finial?

A mermaid of course!

We got 2" of much needed rain last night.

Maybe my veggies will produce now?

We'll see.

ann marie

First Day of Summer...Really???

For those of us in my little corner of the world, it's been summer for way too long already!

When I started the truck Sunday afternoon, the thermometer registered at a whopping 116 degrees!

As I started driving, it dropped to a much cooler 107.

And to add insult to injury, we really haven't had much rain since around Christmas.

It did rain while we were in Arkansas for Taylor's Graduation, but not very much at all.

So, it may be an understatement to say my garden is not having fun.

We started with such hope!

Planted our seeds and seedlings.

Everything seemed fine.

Since this photo was taken on the 17th of April, everything has grown.

See that little tomato plant in the cage in the far right corner?

This is what it looks like today.

At least 5 feet tall, and  I haven't seen one little yellow flower yet!!

The leaves were curling, so I didn't water as much.

Hasn't really made a difference.

And yes, that is a mermaid sitting atop the tuteur.

Here's what my summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers look like.

Not bad right?

Other than a few small onions, this is the only thing I've been able to harvest.

I thought there would be so much more.

And that the whole process wouldn't be such a challenge.

It was delicious!

Now something's eating all the blossoms off  of the squash.

I'm trying to not use chemicals...any suggestions?

This peaceful, relaxing gardening experience is driving me crazy.

No rain, extreme heat and insects...

last year's squirrel issue doesn't seem too bad right around now!

ann marie

Drapery Panels Available at LaFortune Linens!

I've been wanting to add dapery panels to my Etsy shop, LaFortune Linens, for quite some time now.

So, now that grand daughters have been born, a house pretty much finished being renovated, and our baby graduating college, it's time!

These are really nice quality fabrics, 100% cotton.

Great patterns, wonderful, fun colors.

Here's a sampling-

You can see the other color choices at

LaFortune Linens.

ann marie



Hill Country Road Trip

As I sit typing, it's 97 degrees outside.

When Taylor and I went on this roadtrip, it was about 28 degrees.

I'd be happy for somewhere in between.

Ah well...

This was another CL find.

The ad read something like this...

French Provincial Bedroom set-$175 obo.

Kerrville.

That's about 1 1/2 hours from here.

We were on the road at 7 am.

Kerrville is in the Hill Country of Texas.

Even in wintertime it's beautiful.

The gentleman we bought the set from was kind enough to help us load it all in the truck.

And he accepted $150 for it.

He just wanted it gone.

The set includes a full size bed, perfect for the guest room.

A small nightstand, and a large 9 drawer dresser with a wonderful mirror.

Sorry, bad picture.

I have a new camera now...so much better!

Here's the bed.

Headboard, wood rails and such a pretty footboard.

You can see it leaning against the headboard.

So far, only the dresser has received a makeover.

A bold and dramatic makeover.

It went from this...

To this!

I can't wait to show you what else she's doing around her cozy cottage.

ann marie