Fabulous Flea Market Finds!

Hello my sweet darling bloggy friends! I have missed you all and feel like it's been forever since I've been here...I say that a lot don't I? Anywho, I've been trying to get this post up since Wednesday morning, but Wednesday came and went and then there was Thursday and I had no Internet. After spending all morning unplugging wires then plugging them back in I finally got hold of someone with an American accent who told me my entire block was down. What a relief! I was hoping it had nothing to do with our wiring. You see, there was a skunk in the neighborhood and I think he had something to do with it all. That was when I noticed I couldn't post. I'm sure this all sounds very strange, but it is indeed why I've been missing from bloglandia. So, here is Wednesday's post on Friday.

I don't know if you remember, but a few weeks back I attended the Paris Flea Market and came home with some fabulous finds. Well, after much begging and pleading with Mamselle she finally agreed to model my new scarf for you. The woman who I bought it from said that her father purchased it in the forties and who knows if it's true or not, but I love the softness of the colors and the curly fringe around the edge. Mamselle says it's her favorite piece of gypsy wear...we won't tell her that it's really mine as it's better to let her believe what she wants ;-). She tends to think that all my pretty things belong to her.

Mamselle was reluctant to allow me to remove her Edwardian collar since her friend the White Lady has been eyeballing it of late, but when I told her she couldn't be a gypsy and a proper Edwardian at the same time she acquiesced to my request. We just finished watching the Pirates trilogy over the weekend and are still in our "Pirate Speak" so to speak...giggle.

A little flower at the hip is the perfect finishing touch to her...uhhhm...my gypsy scarf, don't you think? Oh that I looked as good as she who wears my pretty things.

Old table linens have become one of my favorite passions lately and I'm finding all sorts of new ways to use them. This one is going to become a divider of sorts between the mess that has collected on my closet floor. Oh Yes! There is a mess! And I can't figure out what to do with all the extra stuff. While planning my perfect little storage space I failed to make room for my ugly printer so it's laying on the floor, but really...who wants an ugly printer in their pretty closet anyway...certainly not I. Oh, and during the time that my Internet was down I actually hung the cloth and took pictures, but I'll leave that for another post.

Have I ever told you that I'm dyslexic? Well, I am and one of the worst ways it affects me is when I'm counting. I can't count, I can't do math, I can't even add in my head. All the numbers dissipate like the morning fog under the heat of the day. It's terribly inconvenient especially when you think you've purchased 8 salt shakers only to realize you've really bought 4. These little beauties will some how be transformed into tassels for my Chocolate Brown Curtains if I can find 4 more at a great price. If not I'll just have to make due with what I have.

It has been so hot lately that I haven't the energy to do a thing. Needless to say my bolt of chocolate brown fabric is leaning against the wall just waiting patiently for the day when I feel the desire to start cutting away.
At work we had been planning a tea for August 8 and I designed the prettiest invitations where I used one of my favorite tea quotes. The tea is one of our annual FUN-Raisers and best loved by all the ladies, but alas, my boss isn't a real tea person and decided that we didn't have enough people signed up so she canceled it. And wouldn't you know the Monday after canceling we had women coming out of the wood work to host tables...impatience never pays and good things come to those who wait. All my lovely invitations were dumped in the trash and I won't be able to use my new tea cups. I picked these up for $1 a piece.

While Mamselle was looking at herself in the mirror the White Lady stole the coveted Edwardian collar. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was on backwards, but then when you have no head it doesn't really matter now does it?

The Sign

This week the sign says:
Aspire to Inspire
before you Expire!

Image: John Waterhouse (I think)

Hello and Happy Monday!
This is Gwendolyn, the faerie who dwells beneath the eaves of Brambleberry Cottage, who is, right this very minute blowing many happy thoughts your way. Many happy thoughts MY way since Monday is my least favorite day of the week. Is it yours too? My favorite day is Friday. It's my quiet day. My day to wake up and spend a leisurely morning curled up on the couch with my puppies, a fresh cup of coffee and my favorite book...the Bible.
But today is Monday and so the week begins...already there is drama, but we won't go there...LOL!

Let's talk about Friday instead! Much of my Friday and Saturday were spent merrily puttering about my cottage while rearranging the furniture, which I might add is not an easy job! Somehow I've managed to squeeze 18 pieces of furniture into the small rectangular space with piece layered upon piece. Let me tell ya, this girl does not need one more piece of furniture!!

After several months of living in disarray I'm finally able to see the tops of tables again and oh how I love my pretty shiny oak wood! My vignettes, that's another story. I've never been very good at arranging my accessories...do you have any ideas?

I had a brilliant idea about 5 years ago to buy a weence little cabin in Big Bear so I started collecting furniture to make my cabin nice and cozy. Once I realized hubby and I could barely maintain Brambleberry Cottage I threw that idea out the window REAL FAST, but I still have the furniture. Talk about putting the cart before the horse!!

And since we're talking about carts, Sunday hubby and I stopped at a Target in Huntington Beach that was 2 full stories!!! I had no idea that such a thing existed. We were both baffled to find an escalator in the center of the store, but what do you do with your cart full of goodies? Why, you put them on their own escalator so they can travel between floors with you. I'm sure many of you have seen one of these before, but it was a first for me. Do you think I need to get out more often? Yeah, me too!! Do I live in a bubble or what?!

Sunday afternoon was spent under the shade of a huge tree with a cool ocean breeze. It was so lovely! We were celebrating my little nephews birthday. He just turned three...he's such a cutie!

Hey look! Monday is almost over. At least the work day is and I'm finally back home. Now that wasn't so bad was it? It must have been the happy thoughts Gwendolyn was blowing in my direction...and hopefully yours!!

Oh! I have to tell you, my darling friend Deb of Midlife Poet has a son PFC Ryan, who's serving in the Army. He's home for a week so it would be nice if everyone popped over to her blog to say "Hi" and "Thank YOU!" It's because of brave young men like PFC Ryan and his buddies that make it possible for those of us in the US to sleep peacefully at night.

And I hope yours is a lovely one :-).
Until next time...

xoxo Cori

Faerie Tales do come TRUE!

THEY CAN HAPPEN TO YOU...
If you plan real well!!!
Oh, I'll bet you thought I was going to say, "if you're young at heart," didn't you? That too, but this takes a little bit of planning!

This is the closest I've ever come to a cruise ship...The Queen Mary...docked in Long Beach, but come October hubby and I will be setting sail on a lesser vessel. One that will ferry us across the Pacific Ocean to a chain of beautiful little islands and our final destination,
Vancouver Island British Columbia.

I don't know what it is that I love about Canada, but whenever I think of vacationing the first maps to come out of the closet are those of Canada. Yes, I have a collection of maps...weird huh? Anywho, there was a time when I tried convincing hubby to buy an old Carpenter Gothic home in Annapolis Royal, but no matter how much I begged and pleaded, he didn't give in and it was such a great deal...situated right on the Bay of Fundi. Alas, my dream cottage was sold.

Do you remember the Old Victoria Magazine from the Eighties? They had several features on Taking Tea at the Empress Hotel and I became smitten with the first article I read, so of course, one of the things we're going to do is have tea...

AT THE EMPRESS!
And we'll tour the Butchart Gardens
and eat breakfast at The Blethering Place
and...and...and...

It's going to be a faerie tale dream come true!!

Have you ever been there, and if so, what was your favorite thing to do?
I would love to know!!

ABC's of the Word

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.

The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman,
for she was taken out of man."

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Hello Ladies,

Today we are on the letter X and since Pam decided we could choose any scripture we wanted, I decided it would only be fitting to use the scripture engraved on the inside of my wedding ring. Today hubby and I celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. 15 years! It seems like it was just yesterday then on the other hand it seems like we've been together our entire lives.

For more ABC's of the Word stop by and visit Pam @ Grey Like Snuffie and help us stir up God's Word in our hearts.

Le Poteger

This is where Kathy and I ended up Saturday morning in the heat. Yikes!! Was it ever hot outside! What is up with this weather? Do you think it could be global warming ;-O...hee hee!
Oh! Where were we...at a lovely boutique called "Le Potager." It's one of the most festive boutiques you'll find during the Christmas season and one of my favorite stores to day dream in.
The Paris Flea Market was held in the parking lot adjacent to the store. As you strolled up and down the isles you could enjoy a refreshing iced cappuccino to the sound of Parisian music and the aroma of fresh cut flowers. Such a lovely way to begin a day.

The shop is housed in a 1920's Mediterranean style two story house that is packed with
the most marvelous interior accessories, but the thing I love the best is the house itself. The first time I walked in the door I fell in love and began to imagine living in the little abode. Now every time I enter the front door I rearrange my furniture...in my head of course. Do you ever do silly little things like that? I do it all the time!

OK, back to the market. You could find anything from silver, vintage clothing, fresh Herbs de Provence, and of course gently worn items. Terminology is such a funny thing, wouldn't you agree? One person says it's gently worn while another says it's plain ol` USED!!! Which would you prefer? I like time worn myself.

By the time Kathy showed up I'd collected a few things I just couldn't live without so my arms were overflowing with treasures. Trying to juggle china tea cups, silver bowls, iced cappuccino's, and a camera just didn't seem to be a good idea and I wasn't about to make my friend carry my belongings so I could take pictures of the market. Hey, have you ever wondered why it's called a FLEA Market? I'm not really sure I want to know the answer to that question, but if you happen to know, could you let me know?
I'm back to the store again and this is the hallway on the upper landing. There's a fireplace in the hall. Not an imaginary fireplace, but a real working fireplace. Now that's my idea of the perfect hallway! I would love to have a fireplace in the hall and the bathroom as well as the kitchen.
I'll show you my finds later, but right now I'm exhausted and just want to go to bed!! The heat really zaps it out of me. I'm a cold weather girl myself and right now the Bay of Fundi is looking pretty sweet in my eyes.
I hope you all have a lovely evening and stay out of the heat!!

xoxo Cori

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your riches.
Psalm 104:24

I have found that a "walk in the woods" --time spent "communing with nature" - can sometimes renew and refresh my spirits more than any other activity. Our lives, especially if we are urban dwellers, become so hurried, harried, and fretful that it does us good to get back to our roots. These lie in nature, in the unsullied solitude, if only we can take time out to soak it in. Ann Landers often tells people to "wake up and smell the coffee." In a sense, that's what the psalmist is telling us here. Such communion with nature will wash our souls with a sense of what the Divine Artist through the work of His hands has done. The power and the silence of a deep pine forest, or the vast panorama of sea and mountains, can heal our hurting souls and bring balm to the wounds of our worried and baffled lives.

Taken from the book, "Today, Lord, I Will"

My thoughts:

A few weeks back our Pastor asked the question, "Where were you when Jesus found you?" I looked over at my hubby and thought "Jesus found him in the isle of a grocery store, while He found me walking a dirt path, through a deep pine forest, on a crisp cool morning in July." He finds us! He comes searching for us when we're searching for Him and sometimes when we're not!
Where did He find you?

I'm so Dizzy

Hey! I'm back! I feel like I haven't been here in a while. Well, I've been here, but not really, if you get my meaning. I'm sure all of you are just dieing to know where I've been and what I've been up to...giggles! And just in case your wondering, no, there are no new pictures of my room. My walls you see are still quite bare and I don't think you would find them very intriguing, now would you? No, I didn't think so.
Any way, I think the last time I was here I was on my way to a vintage tag sale and then to Disneyland with my god-daughter. That was last Saturday...how time flies!

Well, let me just say, the vintage tag sale was fun and I picked up some vintage cotton pillow cases as well as a beautiful scarf from the 40's with gorgeous curly fringe. I did try my hardest to convince mamselle to model it for you, however she was feeling a wee bit shy and didn't want me lifting her petticoat over her head. Something about a dusty cage followed by a blush. Maybe next time.
While at the sale I bumped into a fellow blogger, Barbara, from For the Love of God. What a sweet lady who I really enjoyed getting to meet and Barbara, have fun in Scotland. I wish I could go with you!!!

By the time I left the sale I had the weencest of migraines which you never want to have when you're spending the entire day at Disneyland. Have you ever ridden the Matterhorn with a migraine or spun as fast as you could in the teacups with a migraine? Or road Space Mountain with a migraine? It was challenging to say the least.
I just kept telling myself to breathe DEEPLY!!!
Thankfully by the time we left at 10:30 that night my migraine was gone and we had the best time ever!!!

My week was filled with the usual exciting things like going to work and attempting to clean my little cottage, but the best thing that happened was I received a parcel in the mail from my darling bloggy friend Deborah of Midlife Poet. I love her to pieces!!
Anyway, do you remember when Vanessa had her Mad Tea Party? Well, there were give aways left and right, but I was lucky enough to win the piece de la resistance!
It arrived this week...let's peek inside the box, shall we?

Ooh! Lovely pink tissue paper and a cute little striped box wrapped up in a bow. Darling little touches from my darling little friend. Everyone's "little" in my book if I adore you ;-) and DEB I ADORE YOU!!!!.
But wait! There's something beneath the striped box. What could it be?

A sweet little coffee mug especially for me!
Isn't it just darling with it's lavender interior and the sweet little girl!

AH! And here it is...the Piece de la Resistance. Deb's beautiful Sun Catcher that was used as a prop in her Tale of Alice. When Deb told me I had won her shiny bauble I was a little concerned for Alice wasn't in the bestest of moods (her mother did try to pull the wool over her eyes if you recall). But then I learned it was Alice herself who pulled my name out of the Mad Hatters Hat. Ooh! What a sigh of relief!!
Thank you Darling Deb for being such a special friend. You always bring a huge ginormous smile to my face and I will think of you every time I see it sparkle and shine, which is pretty much every day ;-).

Now I must be off to sleep before I turn into a pumpkin. Tomorrow Kathy and I will be on our way to the Paris Flea Market...Ooh LA LA!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful FUN Saturday!!!

xoxo Cori

ALL THINGS MADE NEW

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Revelation 21: 1-7

For more ABC's of the Word click over to Pam's blog: Grey Like Snuffie and help us stir up God's Word in our hearts.

Image: Henry Thomas Shaffer

Bless the day this restoration is complete

dirty, dusty, something must be underneath
So I scrape and I scuff
though it's never quite enough
I am starting to see me finally
A gallery of paintings new and paintings old
Guess its no surprise that I'm no Michelangelo
every layer of mine
hides a lovely design
It might take a little patience
it might take a little time
but you called me beautiful
when you saw my shame
and you placed me on the wall
anyway.

You who have begun this work will someday see
A portrait of the holiness you meant for me
so I polish and shine till its easier to find
even an outline of mine

but you called me beautiful
when you saw my shame
and you placed me on the wall
anyway

lyrics: Nichole Nordeman

DO YOU REMEMBER THE SIGN?
THIS IS WHAT IT'S SAID FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS

This is My Last Post!

On my new room that is! I'm sure you're all getting tired of seeing it so I've decided it's time to move on to other things even though it seems this project is still on going. All I have left to do is decorate my walls and make my drapes. Next weekend I'll be getting my ginormous work table out so I can lay out the fabric and be done with it! I've got this gorgeous chocolate velvet fabric that I'm going to use and line it with blackout cloth. This little cottage has no insulation and when the temperature soars into the 100's heavy drapes are the only things that keep me from going batty.

My Vanessa Valencia's finally came in the mail and I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to frame them up and hang them in my new room. Don't you just LoVe Vanessa? She's the sweetest little elf in Bloglandia. I say she's an elf because she lives under her huge tree filled with treasures and trinkets. Only elves live in trees you know...well there are also squirrels and birds and other such wonderful things, but she's an elf and I love her so!! I Love you Vanessa!!!! We all love you Vanessa!!!!
OK! enough gooey stuff about the Fanciful One.

Tomorrow morning one of my favorite local shop owners (Gilding the Lily) is having a huge tag sale as well as some of her neighbors and I'm hoping she'll have some beautiful vintage frames, so I can hang my Vanessa Valencia Sirens...ah! they are SO Beautiful!!!

One of the things we did in the closet was rip out the old shelves and replace them with new ones then added rope molding to the edges. I'm not sure where that idea came from, but it finished the shelves off nicely and added a sweet little whimsical touch.

When we removed the doors I seemed to suffer from a brain blip and forgot how much JUNK was stored in here. Have you ever seen the movie, "27 Dresses"? I love that movie!!! One of my favorite scenes is when she's trying to stuff all those dresses in the closet and the door won't close...so cute!!! That's kind of how this closet was. There were days when I needed to get in there, but was terrified I wouldn't be able to close the door while everything toppling out on the floor.

Do you remember my little desk? I kept debating whether to paint it or not, but after three weeks of feeling like I woke up and went to sleep with a paint brush in my hands I decided to leave it the way I found it. Plus I really am a dark wood kinda girl. Horror of horrors!!!! Dark wood!!!! I just love the warmth of it against a light background ;-).

Fabric, Fabric, fabric...what am I going to do with all this fabric? some of it is the most beautiful Sari fabric from India that I think I'll make into skirts. There are so many lovely colors and patterns that it makes my heart flutter so.

Well, I must go find Hagitha for I fear she's not tending to her cottage duties and as long as I'm on the computer I can't keep an eye on her. Tomorrow will be an extra busy day so I won't be around. First the tag sale then Disneyland with my God-daughter.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!!!

xoxo Cori

Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ¹⁰ For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. ¹¹ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Good morning Ladies,

I have always loved this passage of Corinthians and the concept of a veil needing to be lifted. A veil that only He could lift. When I lived in San Diego one of my favorite things to do on Friday night was attend synagogue. I loved the warmth of God's chosen people, the reading of scripture, and the singing of the Canter. I would weep and pray when the Rabbi read the passage of the Suffering Servant and I would ask Him, "why?" "Why can they not see that it is You this passage is about?" And then I ran across this portion of scripture and understood. But is it not true of every person, whether Jew or Gentile, that if they are without Jesus that veil needs to be lifted?
There are so many people in my life who don't know Jesus as I'm sure there are those in yours. My prayer would be that each and everyone of them would have that veil lifted from their heart and that they would be able to see Him clearly.
Just some thoughts this beautiful morning.
I hope you all have a blessed day!!!!

oxox Cori

For more ABC's of God's Word stop by and visit Pam at Grey Like Snuffie and help us stir up God's word in our (your) hearts.

Is There No End?

That's what I keep asking myself...is there no end? Apparently, with this project there isn't! It's like the energizer bunny, who keeps going and going and going. The only problem is I'm running out of steam...OH NO!!! Say it is not so...LOL!!! What I need is one entire week with no interruptions to finish it up, but since that's not about to happen I just keep plodding along, joyfully I might add, even though the stream is running out of my choo choo train.
You're probably wondering what that WEIRD purple thing hanging from the headboard is. You are wondering about it aren't you? OK, so just in case you are, it's my Tribal Headgear I bought at the Belly Dance Festival several weeks ago. I'm really not sure what to do with it so there it hangs.

Monday I decided to indulge in a change of scenery so I headed over to one of my favorite antiques stores in the city of Orange. I've been in search of old table linens for who knows what reason...I don't know, they just seem to be calling to me of late.

I found this beauty wadded up in a ball and tossed over the side of a strange laundry contraption. Maybe it was waiting for someone to take it home to give it a bath, which is exactly what I did. The poor thing smelled like it had been in the attic for over 100 years. In fact it smelled so bad That I hated carrying it around the store, yuk! yuk! yuk! I was finally relieved when one of the workers came by and took it up front for me...huge inhale!


But isn't it a pretty thing all washed up and draped at the foot of my bed. I love this bed! I bought it from a guy 25 years ago in Yuma Az.
It's a simple little piece with plain lines and the most comfortable mattress in life. I've always imagined that it was built by some humble Kansas Farmer for his beautiful bride-to-be and since I've never found a Sears and Roebuck's or Grand Rapids Michigan markings anywhere I like to keep imagining :-).


Here's my closet. We took the doors off, added shelves, and replaced all the moldings. I still haven't been able to get it completely organized because I have to go to work each day. I'm having one of those weeks where I love/hate my job. I love the fact that I get to work in a wonderful environment with extraordinary women who make me laugh and I get to help women, but on the other hand, I have to leave my precious little cottage each and every morning knowing that there's so much that needs my attention here. So that's my love/hate situation.


Have I mentioned that I'm a fabric monger! I know I have in the past, but just in case you missed it, "I'm a FABRIC MONGER!!!" I love fabric!!! I can spend ALL DAY in a fabric store and never become bored. Lately my favorite is velvet...ahh... the soft supple feel of it against your hand...so wonderful. When I was a little girl I had to touch everything every time we went into a store. If my mom didn't keep a close eye on me I'd wander off to the clothes department where I would run the fabric through my fingers. I still do the same thing today ;-O! You can't take me to museum's either...I always end up in trouble with the guards.
Oh, while cleaning out my closet I found a pile of these...crazy quilt patches waiting to be assembled. I don't have a clue as to what to do with them.
Well, life is busy and I'm sneaking in my post while at work so I better be going for now.
until next time I hope you all have fun!

xoxo Cori

P.S. I just finished reading my preview and it looks like I have A LOT of "I don't know's" in my life...hmm...must think about that!

This and that, but nothing much

Hello! I hope everyone had a lovely Independence Day weekend. Ours was pretty quiet and uneventful, but that's not to say it was bad. The fourth of July just happens to be my friend Kathy's birthday so I treated her to a wonderful breakfast at Mimi's Cafe and presented her with the most amazing gift... A Vanessa Valencia print from Vanessa's Esty shop. Do you remember her Mad Tea Party last week? While all the madness was going on she had a two for one sale so I nabbed a couple prints for myself and Kathy.
OK, rabbit trailing, back to the fourth and Kathy's birthday...Of course I made her buy her own frame (what a friend I am) since she and I have different ideas about framing pictures. I like the old heavy frames with all the scroll work while she likes them to be a little more simplistic. We did however have fun searching for frames after breakfast, without any luck I might add so the hunt continues.

By the time I got home I was pretty tired so laid down for a nap and that was how the rest of my day went. In and out of tiredness and barely able to keep my head up. I must have had a bug or something.
Later that afternoon my SIL came over and we went out for a bite to eat which was a total disaster and resulted in a free meal for us... "Happy Fourth of July!" We went back home where I fell asleep on the couch only to awake at 10:00 pm to find the house empty and hubby no where in sight. He gets funny on the holidays, (Donna, did you know this about your brother? It's the most peculiar behavior, cute, but peculiar...hee hee) lets take Halloween for example. Every Halloween we have to trim the roses back behind the fence and secure the gates so the kids won't swing on them, hang on them, or otherwise destroy them. Come to think of it the front gate is still pinned from last Halloween.
On the fourth of July it's the fireworks and our old dried out shingle roof. Hubby was down the street trying to locate the culprit who was shooting fireworks right over our little cottage with the kindling roof. Disneyland style fireworks, which are totally ILLEGAL in our little hamlet of Anasliem, and yet the neighboring cities sell them right down the street. This is something I will never understand.

So that was my Fourth, now let's go on to fun things...

I'm still working on the room very slowly, but it's finally starting to come together. All the furniture is back in and the shelves are up in the closet so now I'm just waiting for the paint to dry before I put everything away. I have a few little projects to complete and then it will be done.

I haven't cleaned my cottage in 6 weeks...disgusting huh? It is, I admit! There are bunny foozles everywhere and dust on every surface and chair, but I've come to the conclusion that there's a certain comfort and peacefulness about living in a messy home...LOL!!! I come home from work and I can relax instead of think about all the chores that need to be done, but don't worry, I have the day off so I thought I'd spend a few hours cleaning, dusting, and mopping, OH JOY! Then I'm off to the antiques store.

Do you see the funny little lamp in the picture above? That was one of my projects. I was going to paint it white and buy a new lamp shade, but then I remembered a tattered piece of Irish linen tucked away in one of my treasure boxes. My grandma gave me the lamp about two years before she died so it has sentimental value, which makes it hard for me to change anything about it. I can still see it standing in the corner of her living room next to the old rocker.
Back to the lamp... I found my old Irish linen, wrapped it around the top of the shade, and secured it with a piece of grosgrain ribbon. The faded paper rose was on one of mine and hubby's wedding presents and I just couldn't get rid of it...

and Viola! Grandma's lamp has a new petticoat without any alterations having to be made. I was quite surprised when I asked hubby what he thought about the lamp in a petticoat and he liked it. Good thing because it was going to stay that way whether he liked it or not...hahaha!!!

Well, it's 8:30 am and I have a busy day ahead of me so I better be on my way, but I hope you all have a marvelous Monday!

xoxo Cori

The Bella Sinclair Award

My darling friend Deb of Midlife Poet has honored me, yet again, by passing on another amazing award that speaks of the strong bonds of friendship.
It was created by an incredible artist "Ces" who's blog I've only discovered today and will definitely be back to visit...OFTEN!
I also stopped by Bella Sinclair's blog and was touched by the sweet friendship that these two women have nurtured and grown through the internet. I don't know if they know each other in person, but it's obvious that their lives have been interwoven and blessed by each others caring hearts, which makes the award that much more special.

These are Ces's words:
"I designed this award to celebrate art in the blogs and to honor the value of friendship, sisterhood, sharing and caring. It is to be awarded to the gifted, accomplished, eloquent and talented blogger whose friendship and influence inspire us to do our best. That I named it after Bella Sinclair is because she epitomizes all of these things. She is an inspiration to many of us”.

“I hope that when Bella returns, this award would have already circulated in the blogs. It is my honor to give this award to the first recipients who I hope will find the same pleasure as I have in spreading its crown, giving shade and the comfort of friendship and caring and of sisterhood by sharing this award with their blog-friends and sisters!”

Darling Deb, I thank you from the depths of my heart for choosing to be my friend, for always being a bright spot in my day, and for being wonderful sassy, silly you!!! Happy was the day when I skipped down the rabbit trail that led to the shade of your tree. Thank you Darling Deb!

Now to pass it on...I have a few blogging buddies who've been there for me from the beginning and I'd like to honor them with this award: Ellen B. over at The Happy Wonderer and Becky at One Shabby Old House. Both of these ladies have always been a source of encouragement and inspiration to me and I'm grateful for your friendships.

Please stop by and visit all these precious ladies blogs and you will be blessed just as I have.