A VERY SPECIAL ETSY SHOP



I would like to introduce you to a very special Etsy shop.

4cockaynesyndrome

http://www.etsy.com/shop/4cockaynesyndrome

This shop was started to help earn money for a very worthy cause, to help begin research for a devastating illness. The following is taken from the shop's profile.

This shop was established to sell items to raise funds for Cockayne Syndrome research because there is currently no treatment for children affected by CS. There is not even a clinical trial testing any medications.

What is CS?

CS is a tragic childhood disease that causes premature aging and a shortened lifespan.

The butterfly is the symbol for children who have lost their lives early to CS, so many of our items feature this symbol.

Please consider purchasing an item in our shop or donating cards/items to the shop. You will be credited in the item description.

Thank you so much,

Thank you for taking time to visit this shop, and hopefully you will find something you like.  Check out the wonderful handmade cards they have to offer! 

Pepper

Changes Coming...

We want to give a head's up to all the great friends who follow our blog...

You will be noticing a change in our format...

Up til now 5 of us have been assigned a specific day of the week to post on the blog, however, our lives seem to be getting very busy lately, :(
..and it has become difficult for some of us to create even one post per week.

We will no longer have specific days we post but will be creating new posts as we have something we want to share....

You will be seeing each of us again and even some names from before..just not on the regular basis of the past....

Join us on this new journey please!

VE

Star Struck

It's Friday and after a long busy week, sometimes we just need to laugh!  It's help release the stress and gets us through the day.  So today, I just wanted to share a fun little story.  And if you've ever been star struck, maybe you'll even relate!

~ Star Struck Over Paul Newman ~

 
Women of a certain era will fully appreciate this true story.
(If you don't understand this email, tell your mother, she'll get it!)

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New England town, where the famous movie star, Paul Newman, and his family often visited.

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk. After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone..

She threw her purse over her shoulder, hopped in the car, and drove to the bakery/ice cream parlor in the center of the village.

With purse over her shoulder, she went into the shop.

There was only one other patron in the store, actor; Paul Newman!
He was sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart excitedly skipped a beat, as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes.

The actor nodded graciously and the star struck woman smiled demurely.

"Pull yourself together!" She chides herself. "You're a happily married woman with three children, you're forty-five years old, not a teenager!"

The clerk filled her order, and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand, and her change in the other.

Then, determined not to act like a 'star-struck teenager', she forced herself, to not even glance, in Paul Newman's direction as she left the shop.

When she reached her car, she was stunned to realize that she had a handful of change in one hand, but her other hand was empty.

She said to herself, "Where's my ice cream cone?" "Did I leave it in the store?"

Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand, or in a holder on the counter, or something!

But... No ice cream cone was in sight!

With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman...






His face broke into his familiar, warm, friendly grin and he said to the woman...

"You put it in your purse." 




Oops!  Ever been there?  Okay, so maybe you have but just not willing to admit it.  That's okay.  It's Friday, and we just wanna have fun!

Thanks again for stopping by and 

have a fantastic weekend.

~~~ Duuude ~~~

A Short Story

Names have been changed to protect the innocent!

Once upon a time there were two sistas named Jlenna and Pinda. They were very happy together. Jlenna taught Pinda the use of a crochet stick and they shared everything. They combed each others hair and just enjoyed each others company.Then one day, along came a handsome man named Mr. Dubbles. He just made Jlenna swoon! Yep, they were in like and where one went, so did the other one.Pinda wanted someone to talk to. So, she joined eFriends.com and read profile after profile. Soon she was talking to Lane and they became instant friends.

They soon started talking to Kulie (photo below) and Jaren (no photo available). . .

Next came Leggy.They all talked and talked all the time. Pinda and Leggy had things in common, they both were very good at using paint sticks. Kulie went to visit Jlenna and Mr. Dubbles, they had a nice time. Each one got to know each other and enjoyed the times spent chatting and sharing stories. Mr. Dubbles was very protective of his women and took very good care of them!

Jaren was very shy and innocent, for some reason, they call her Quackers. It's okay, Jaren didn't mind. She enjoyed just sitting in the corner and listening to what was going on. Taking notes and taking it all in, just in case she ever needs to bribe anyone. Fun times were had by all.

They lived happily ever after in a magical land name Fretsy.

This was previously posted on another blog that will remain nameless :o)  The original post was in May of 2010!  Thought it was fun to re-visit.

Have a great day!

VS

I didn't forget...really

Happy hump day to everyone.

I really truly didn't forget to do my post today...stuff just got in my way.
As it happens with most people, things once in a while get a little overwhelming.
I get up and get to work by 5 a.m. every morning. Which in itself isn't too bad as I get to leave work by 1:30....(most days)
We have been super busy at work and now that Christmas is over they are pushing Valentine's day, St Patrick's and Easter....*sigh* sad but true. 
(In case you haven't guessed, I work at a craft store.)
We also have a ton of new spring items coming in, along with having to re-set many of our regular aisles.
This is all ok, 
but now my husband has started a new job several states away.
Me and the girls are used to him traveling and being away for periods of time. (he was in the military and deployed for a year) 
But this time we will also be moving. So...I have to de-clutter the house, downsize, or whatever you want to call it to get rid of stuff to get it all ready for sale...the house that is. 
That should be a good thing. I never had a completely empty house to start with. There were a lot of things still in this house when we moved in, and of course we have picked up plenty ourselves over the years.
All in all this change will be exciting, and once we are settled in a new house in a new state, I will not be going back to work. Instead I will be creating fulltime ...if I want. I am really looking forward to that.

Anyway...between working, coming home and sorting and trying to do normal household things....oh, and sometimes getting some sleep....that's my excuse for not writing a much better post.
I like to show off others people's talents and items, but this week I just fizzled and had no umph. I promise, I will do much better next week on my day.
Thanks for your patience.
(jj)
 

FAMILY RULES SUBWAY ART

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87570978/family-rules-vinyl-subway-art-board

I love the new family rules subway art.  What a wonderful idea and addition for any home, a constant reminder to be thoughtful, considerate, honest, and everything you can be.  A reminder to treat your family members with respect and to show how special they are to you.

Here are just a few of the many examples I found on Etsy.  You can buy one already made or have one custom made just for your family, and there is one priced just right for you.  Check these out and then do your own search.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90626796/primitive-wood-sign-family-values-always

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88848323/subway-art-family-rules-poster-print

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79229661/new-very-shabby-chic-rustic-vintage

http://www.etsy.com/listing/89893528/personalized-family-rules-chalkboard

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82320353/family-rules-subway-art-printable-great

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85880181/custom-family-rules-print-subway-art

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68497032/family-rules-sign-horizontal-subway-art

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80323786/family-rules-subway-art-wood-sign-extra

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90671153/family-rules-sign-subway-custom

I hope you have fun searching and find a Family Rules sign that fits your home perfectly.

Pepper

What Do I Do With These Canning Jars!!!!!

        Canning Jars Original Photograph

 I bet most of you have asked yourself that question a million times! OK, OK, maybe not most of you, but surely some of you.... I have some great answers for you...so you may want to ask yourself that question...RIGHT NOW! 

Here is a quick and easy  (yet clever) idea.....I love easy ideas that make me look clever, don't you???

                   Yarn Dispenser

 You could use this idea for ribbon, twine, string....you get the drift I am sure.  Look at the other ideas on that page for more ways to use jars...

Love this next idea for wall storage, you could use vintage jars or new ones....in any size that works for you!

                      Wall Storage

 I found lots of ways to use these for gifting food mixes....

                  Strawberry Cheescake

 My heart (or stomach if I am honest!) went right for the cheesecake, however here is a link to lots of wonderful mix recipes for you. 

 Fifty different foods  you can put in a jar

Wow, 50 of them...that should keep us busy for awhile...yum!

Another HOT idea for canning jars is lighting....Yup, you heard me...lighting...

outside....

                 Mason Jar Lantern

Or Inside your home....

             Mason Jar Chandelier 

We even used some new jars to make our own solar lights...

                     DIY Solar Light

Ours needed a hanger so we used a heavy wire to create one ....

A heavy wire and some long nosed pliers to be specific....

Need more inspiration?  OK, how about 27 more ideas....

   27 Creative Uses for Jars and Bottles

Personally, the jars lined up and filled with spring flowers works wonders for me :) 

Click on the name beneath each photo to be taken to a DIY link...but don't forget to click "back"  to return to us!  Thanks!

VE

Bucket List

I never gave a "bucket list" much thought but as time goes on, as they say, we aren't getting any younger.  You just never know when something will have an effect on your life, things change, and before you know it, there's no time.  There aren't that many things I really want to do, not one of those that want to see the world, yet there are some places I would love to see before I leave this earth.  I thought I would share them with you.  And if any of you have been able to visit these places, I would love to hear what you thought about them.  So here we go, and not in any particular order:

The Grand Canyon

Mount Rushmore

Yellowstone National Park

Last but not least, The Statue of Liberty

Born in New York state, I have never made it to the city.  

I have seen so many shows that feature her 

and every time I see it, I'm brought to tears.

I'm sure if I sit down long enough there are other places I would love to visit, but these have been on my mind for a long time.  Now to save my pennies, make a plan, and make it happen.  

So, how many of these places have you seen?  Or is there another place that you think I should add to my bucket list?

Have a wonderful weekend, 

and thanks again for stopping by.

~~~ Duuude ~~~

Shopping with a theme

When I'm out antique shopping, I like to have a goal. Something to look for. This year, I'm going for a theme!

I'd like to do an area on my deck for laundry, it must be super neat and vintage!

First, I want to start with the clothesline. A retractable one like this:

Color isn't a factor, it just has to work!

Then, I'll need something to store clothespins in, I like the dresses I see:

And I'll need some clothespins to put in it, I like the clip type.

I will need something to put my laundry in while I hang it and I'm not really sure what I want yet, but this strikes my fancy:

And I all ready have a few vintage hangers I can use for certain items, these are vinyl coated and expandable!

And they fold down to store them!

How do you shop? Do you look for only certain items or do you shop randomly?

VS/RWS

Old Man of the Mountain

JustOldStuff

OldPostCards

I had a couple great Aunts and an Uncle that lived up north in and around New England. We would spend a week each summer going up to visit them. We would stay with my Aunt Helen at her summer house on the lake.

I remember she took us one time to a place where an old homestead used to be and she and my parents dug around and found old bottles and things buried there.

She also would go with us when we would go to see some of the touristy sites. One of my favorites was going to see the Old Man in the Mountain.  

vintagephotosjohnson

As a little kid, I was pretty impressed that this old man’s face was way up there, but I was also a little disappointed. I had expected to see much more detail in that face.

WmMacGregor

Well, what do you expect from a little kid? I listened when my parents and Aunt talked about it and really thought it was going to look exactly like and old man’s face. I remember looking way up there and squinting my eyes so the details seemed to be there just not too clear.

landscapelady

Over the years I have kept fond memories of going there with family and getting to see the grand old man.  I also thought it was pretty cool that it was on the state quarter.

neleh88

smalls4utoo

cornucopia

VintageBeth

 

 

itsfound

I was saddened like so many others when the old man crumbled away in 2003, but his image does live on. 

 There is an old man legacy fund site (which I found interesting);

http://www.oldmanofthemountainlegacyfund.org/default.aspx

and a cool video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MYYPru077vg

The old man may be gone but he is a long way from being forgotten.

(jj)