Tuesday, January 12, 2016

ON A WINTER'S DAY...










"All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray...





...California dreamin'
On a winter's day. ..."

John Phillips and Michelle Phillips
December, 1965
Performed by The Mamas and the Papas







I love the four seasons
 and we usually get
 the best of each one 
here in the foothills.

 What I don't love
 about winter though,
 are the gray skies.

 I can't tell you 
exactly what it is
 or how it makes me feel,
 but there is a change in myself 
that I have heard happens
 to a lot of people
 at this time of year.

I have come up with 
a fairly simple solution 
to my dilemma and
 that is spending money.

  It doesn't have to be 
a lot of money, 
in fact the less the better,
 but to have a small treasure 
to show for my efforts 
goes a long way
 to boosting my morale.

This past weekend 
was full of those gray skies 
and, with a little dose
 of California Dreamin',
I was out the door 
and on to the thrift shops!






This little candlestick
 made my day. 

 I love the dainty lines
 with the rustic finish 
and sometime ago
 I had two of these same candlesticks.

 I would display them 
on the dining room table 
in the large hurricanes
and they looked so pretty.

 Somehow,
 one got broken
 and the remaining one
 was mostly stuck on a shelf 
after that 
-- until this weekend -- 
I found this one 
so once again
 I have a perfectly matched set.






I quickly put
 this pretty little dish 
in my basket.

 One of these days
 I will use it in a photo shoot,
 displayed along with 
a fresh bunch of basil or parsley 
after a trip 
to the Farmer's Market.






I liked the shape and size 
of this candlestick 
and think a coat of Old Ochre, 
and some distressing, 
will go a long way 
in freshening it up.






I can visualize 
this cookie jar 
on the kitchen cupboard 
filled with a bouquet of
 wild flowers and a few American flags
 for a 4th of July 
celebration.

So,
 for around $10, 
I had brightened 
up my day 
considerably.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Here are a few projects
 that we have been working on:






We bought this little white stand,
 along with it's identical twin,
 a while back
 to use in the kitchen
 for a project 
that we have since decided not to do.

 We now have in mind
 a different use for them 
and will share that later on.







This little hanging cupboard 
was on the back porch out of sight,
 so we decided 
to bring it inside to be enjoyed.

 I have displayed 
my Christmas gift to myself,
the larger patriotic old crow, 
along with some other
 prim-ish items
 that I dearly love. 

 I am so sorry 
that I have misplaced the paper-work 
on my Christmas patriotic crow order.

 When I find it 
I will certainly give the maker credit 
as it is a great little collectible
 and the price was right.
I do remember 
that I wanted to order more from her,
 so I will keep looking.






Another piece 
brought in from the cold
 is this small pie safe. 
 Such a cute example
 of an
 'old-time' appliance!






We usually don't exchange 
Christmas gifts with the kids (except Jake).

  Our Christmas consists 
of enjoying each other's company 
and a good meal,
 but Tami and Tim
 did give us this sweet sign this year
 - just because- 
along with the sweetest 
tiny little white paper church
 that, unfortunately, 
got packed away without a picture.

 I love the gifts 
and can't wait to enjoy the sign 
this summer in the 
Secret Garden. 
 Thanks, TNT.






As I said,
 we have always 
given gifts to Jake
 for Christmas.

 He is our only grandchild 
and just because he is grown 
doesn't mean we would ever stop. 
 The sweet thing about him 
(not the only one)
 is that now that he has his own money,
he buys gifts for us too.

 It is something that he wants to do 
and just another reason
 we are so proud of him.

 This is the prettiest sconce
 and I can't believe
 how perfectly it fits inside 
the old chippy frame
 on the dining room wall. 
 I just love it and thank you, Jake.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~






As I mentioned earlier,
 we do get the best of each season 
and today is one of the very best.

 No gray skies, 
just sunshine and blue.

  The kind of day that
California Dreamin' 
is all about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to thank my good friend, Barbara, at 21 Rosemary Lane for honoring my Snow Family of Downton Abbey in her Share Your Style link party. I think it might have been a couple of weeks ago and I feel so badly that I am only now acknowledging it. I appreciate it very much, Barbara.



...Judy...






Sharing today with:






  












23 comments:

  1. You would not be a happy gal if you live in central NY - It is grey all winter here!! You would be spending a lot of money in the thrift shops - LOL. You got some great treasures there - enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You got some wonderful treasures, Judy. Love the pie safe and the little white distressed stand. Can't wait to see what you do with it. One thing my son who lives in Vancouver, BC doesn't like about the winters there is the dreary gray skies. He would much more prefer our winters where on most days unless it is overcast or storming, we have bright blue skies and the snow just brightens everything up. Most days I think I would trade places with him though because I don't like the snow. I guess we can't always get what we want. Thanks for sharing at No Place Like Home and have a lovely week.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Judy:
    I think you hit the jackpot today. I love all your thrifting items and the glass globe over the candlestick looks wonderful. Also that Secret Garden box caught my eye. I went to a Bargain Box Thrift Store someone had told me about years ago and I just happen to remember while we passed by. I got like 7-8 sweaters that are amazing and for $3-4 each. (1/2 price) Really good ones. Since I started going to these places - I never go to the mall, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Judy, I love the table. I have just the place for it. Isn't it amazing how a little something can brighten a gray day. I must say although I don't like a gray sky, I love the photos. It is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a sweet grandson! I think the best gifts show a person really knows us and I think he has his grandma pegged! yes please info about your darling crow!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your grandson sounds super sweet and thoughtful. Here's to springtime and sunny skies!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Judy! It has been a gray start around here as well, except for the past two days which were bitter cold, but gloriously sunny! I love your thrifty treasures, especially the lucky candlestick find. You have such a sweet family, especially your grandson. Enjoy the rest of the week! Jane

    ReplyDelete
  8. After several weeks away from any shopping, I went to Goodwill today. I only picked up two little items for $3 but it felt good to find a little treasure to brighten my smile. I love your treasures. It's just so fun to pick up a few pieces as a pick me up! You have great taste and found sweet pieces. Have a wonderful rest of your week. Blessings, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Judy, I enjoyed seeing all of the treasures that you found at the thrift shop. I will have to get my Goodwill "fix" soon. It's been too cold to go out and I'm still putting Christmas "to bed" here.
    I love your tiny pie safe and the precious sconce that your Grandson gave you. It looks so nice in the oval frame. You have such wonderful taste in decorating.
    My son ordered all of the episodes of Downton Abbey for me from Netflix. I sat down on Sunday, like I didn't have anything else to do, and watched the first three shows. Seeing the antiques and beautiful dresses is very enjoyable.
    Enjoy "California dreaming" and take care.
    Charlotte in Va.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Judy. You have such sweet displays in your cottage and I absolutely love your cabinets with so many sweet things in them. The patriotic cookie jar is really cute and reminds me of a porcupine quill basket. We are having a blizzard here today so California dreaming is rather appropriate. :) Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What wonderful treasures you found Judy. I am sure your spirits are lifted as you enjoy your pretty thrifty finds. Thank you so much for the shout out too and it was last weeks party that your snow family was featured so pleeeease do not feel bad. Wishing you blue skies for the rest of the week!
    XO Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh where to start - love the two stands - we are looking for something like that for our living room - and the sconce is so sweet and of course you know I'm in love with your crow. What loveliness to welcome in winter - this is one of my favorite blog posts - among many favorites - of yours

    ReplyDelete
  13. Witaj - wiele nowości doszło do Twojego pięknego domu - romantyczne szafki i cudne świeczniki - lubię tu wpadać i poczytać o czym piszesz i podziwiać - pozdrawiam serdecznie

    ReplyDelete
  14. Witaj - wiele nowości doszło do Twojego pięknego domu - romantyczne szafki i cudne świeczniki - lubię tu wpadać i poczytać o czym piszesz i podziwiać - pozdrawiam serdecznie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Wanda. I'm glad you liked the post and I appreciate your visit and kind comments..Happy Thursday..Judy

      Delete
  15. Dear Judy:
    This post was featured on my blog today!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What great finds Judy! I find myself doing the same thing. Winter can get so depressing and dreary. Thrift shopping and the "hunt" cheers me every time!!
    Blessings for a great 2016, Edie & Marie

    ReplyDelete
  17. What great finds Judy! I find myself doing the same thing. Winter can get so depressing and dreary. Thrift shopping and the "hunt" cheers me every time!!
    Blessings for a great 2016, Edie & Marie

    ReplyDelete
  18. What great finds Judy! I find myself doing the same thing. Winter can get so depressing and dreary. Thrift shopping and the "hunt" cheers me every time!!
    Blessings for a great 2016, Edie & Marie

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love all of your treasures and will be looking for some near Fredericksburg tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yes, a little retail therapy works for grey sky blues. I also burn a lot of candles and keep twinkly lights from Christmas up on my mantle until March just to chase the blues away.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Good morning, Judy :)
    Retail therapy ALWAYS helps me feel better about winter time :)
    LOVE your finds!! Such a cute sconce that your Grand gave you... love that too!!

    So, I can't wait to see what you're doing with the little stand. I'm sure it will be wonderful!!

    Enjoy the rest of this week.

    Smiles :)
    ~K.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are so special to me...Judy