Three or More Tuesday Estate Sale Bargains

I heard about an estate sale website from Bill over at Affordable Accoutrements some time back and joined right up. Whenever there is an estate sale within the parameters that you set, an e-mail is sent out to you with pictures and details of the sale. Check it out at http://www.estatesales.net/. Here are the treasures I found for a song......

A child's primitive vintage chair...... $20.00...... Won't it look adorable with a little pillow on it?
And a comb, mirror, and brush dressing table set in sterling silver......$15.00..... I have admired these sets at antique shops where they go for much, much more money.

And last but not least, a fine set of 30 miscellaneous cut crystal bowls and coasters..... $10.00... Talk about 3 or more, try 30!!!! Here are a few of them on display in my china cabinet.

A close up shot of some of the pretty crystal bowls. They will be great for fruit or ice cream.

Quite the bargain for ten bucks, don't you think? This may have been my first estate sale but it certainly won't be the last! Happy Three or More Tuesday!!!!

Thanks, Gypsy, for hosting this event!!!

Noble Excellence ..... The Night Before Christmas

It was a memorable Christmas in many ways. My very best friend Kim surprised me with these beautiful Noble Excellence salad plates. There is a story behind them.... Last Christmas we were out shopping together and came across these gorgeous dishes at Dillard's. They were being discontinued and were 1/2 price. I bought Kim a chip and dip set and she bought me the large serving bowl pictured. Later, she decided to purchase the entire set of dishes and ended up driving halfway around the south to find enough place settings. I've envied those dishes ever since and threatened to borrow them for my last tablescape. LOL Well, low and behold, she went on the internet and found these salad plates and ordered them for me! What an awesome Christmas gift. Here I am opening them up..... And here she is, my BFF in the world. She has always been there for me through thick and thin. She is always willing to hear me out. And with a divorce in process, I often need a sounding board. And her husband, he's a real sweetheart as well. He jokingly calls me his girlfriend and teases their daughter that she'd better like me cause if something ever happens to her momma, I'm gonna be the stepmomma. LOL

So now Katie calls me Stepmom. I know, we have a slightly perverted sense of humor down here in Louisiana. Aren't they beautiful dishes?

I adore this pewter fleur de lis dip bowl that was a present from Apryl, my secret santa at work. Thanks, Apryl!

Here's another shot. Doubleclick to view the details....

These apothecary jars were bought last summer at Old Time Pottery. I love their versatility and will be making a trip back to Old Time in a few days. Kim and Callan have invited me down to their condo....

Here's a view of the table from the foyer..... Aren't you proud of me for finally hanging the antique mirror? It's been leaning against the wall for months now. Nothing like a holiday to get me motivated... @<(;-)

Here's one last shot of my beautiful Christmas dishes..... Thank you, Kim. Love ya!!!!

Blogging Changes EVERYTHING

It's amazing how blogging can inspire one to try new things....

In the last year, I've learned about the joys of garage saling and decorating. Not the old fashioned kind of decorating that puts a major dent in the checkbook..... but the new decorating-on-a-dime kind. My garland was looking pretty puny so I decided to kick it up a notch and here is the result..... Don't forget to doubleclick!!!! I added some red plastic grapes I bought a couple of years ago at Tuesday Morning for $1.00 a bunch and some shiny red balls from Wally World... Decorating doesn't have to cost a bundle! What do you think???

Two and 1/2 days of school remaining til Christmas vacation........ ;-)

It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

Here are my two sweeties in front of the tree.... Looks like there is an artificial one like this in their future because Brooke broke out in hives all over her arms when helping to decorate their live Christmas tree. That darlin' is allergic to just about everything... Bless her little heart.
DOUBLECLICK ON THE PICS TO SEE THE DETAIL. Over the cased opening, a gilded angel adds to the festive look... Can you hear the music?

It's been so rainy and gray lately that the colors look washed out. Rain, rain, GO AWAY!!!

Here's another sweet angel watching over my loved ones....

And Papa Noel himself, broken hand and all.... I used the hot glue gun to cover the damage with the sack of goodies.... Five and one half days of work left until CHRISTMAS VACATION!!! Whooo Hoooo!!!!

Countdown to Christmas Banner

I have been under the weather with a bad cold and have been staying home and taking it easy. I woke up feeling better today and got the itch to do something crafty. Here is the Christmas countdown banner I came up with. There is a mini clothespin adorned with ribbon that can be moved from day to day. It's about time for a new digital camera, don't you think? In low light, the pics are fuzzy. DOUBLECLICK ON THE PICS TO ENLARGE THEM. Here's a close-up of days 1-9.....

Days 10-18...... See the itty bitty clothespin marking today's date?

And days 19-25...... As much as I would like to keep it, it's a gift for someone.... Hope she doesn't look at my blog! ;-)

Christmas will be here before you know it!!!!

I Am Grateful....

This Christmas I am very grateful. For a hard working son who remains in remission from his cancer. For two beautiful grandchildren who are so precious to me. For a wonderful daughter-in-law who has done a fantastic job of raising them while pursuing a college degree. For a loving son who has worked full time and attended class four nights a week and endured many hardships. Graduation can't come too soon for him.... For a sweet, gorgeous daughter who just finished her first semester of college. For great friends who have been there for me when the days were bleak... As I step into my new life, I thank God for these blessings.

My Christmas Tablescape

Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch is graciously hosting another Tablescape Thursday. Hop on over and visit her at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/. I've been busy decorating for Christmas and carried the theme into the dining room.... DOUBLECLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM. A lighted garland placed down the center of the table adds glow as do the snowmen tealight holders. I added color by embellishing the garland with faux grapes in gold and burgundy and anchored the garland on each end with apothecary jars filled with shiny Christmas ornaments.

The black chargers were marked down to $1.50 each at Hobby Lobby last summer and I'm so glad I snapped them up. I love the way they make the other colors in my tablescapes really pop.

I'm pining for some Christmas salad plates.... but in the meantime I'm using the green plates I picked up at Tuesday Morning. Have you seen the new Noble Excellence Twelve Days of Christmas salad plates? They are beautiful but too pricey for my budget at this point... Most everything is too pricey at this point. LOL

I've decided to enlarge my collection of milk glass and transferred the pieces I have to my china cabinet for a change of pace. My mother passed these pieces down to me years ago and I've only recently really come to appreciate their classic beauty.

The silverplate belonged to my great aunt Clara on my daddy's side of the family. I did some online research and discovered that the pattern is called "Elaine" by Oneida, circa 1926. From the looks of it, it wasn't put away for special occasions but used often. What good are fine things if we don't ever enjoy them? Here is a close up look at it. For some reason, there are no salad forks in the set, just dinner forks... Any ideas on that?

The pattern isn't as ornate as most Southern patterns but very pretty nevertheless. You can see the wear on the bowls of the spoons in this photo.

This shot gives a nice view of the switchplate and extension cord, LOL... It's funny how the camera captures all of those little details and records them for posterity.

Here's a view with the lighting dimmed...... Be sure to doubleclick on the image to see the light reflecting off the crystal champagne glasses.

I do believe I got somewhat carried away with photos this time..... The antique mirror at the end of the table is begging to be hung on the far wall, isn't it? Anyone have a studfinder I could borrow? It weighs far too much to be hung any other way.

Here's one last shot of my tablescape. Thanks for hanging in there through the entire post.... ;-) Hope your season is filled with holiday joy....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!