Coming Soon . . .

Whew . . . sorry gang, I have been sick all week, but today is the first day that I feel pretty much myself, and I have a few things to show you.  Below is a taste of some of the new items that will be coming to the shop in the next couple of days.  Enjoy and Happy Friday!

~Callie

 Vintage hanging metal pot engraved "Seagram." Wonderful holder for a plant or art supplies!

 Vintage small copper pot with handle.

Vintage handled clear glass beaker. 2 available.

Rotten Cold

Ugh, I had big plans for this weekend and all the fun things I was going to do to my apartment and then I got a horrible sore throat just moments after getting off work yesterday (weird), which woke me up numerous times last night and made it excruciating to swallow.  Thankfully, the sore throat has toned it down considerably, but now this sickness has worked its way into my head and I have been blowing my nose and sniffling all day which has left me with a very nice sinus headache.  No likey.

But, on a more positive note, I am getting internet in my apartment right now (woo hoo!) and I thought I would post a few pretty pictures I took the other day of the lake that I have been taking my boys that I nanny this last week.

Enjoy! . . . I'm going to go take some more Airborne.  :-)

~Callie

 Even grass can be pretty. 

Click on this picture to get a closer look at the sweet little Damselflies resting on the ends of these reeds.

And finally . . . my daily charges.  Cuties.

Stargazing

I unpacked a few more items the other day, including my paper star lantern, which I promptly placed in my bedroom window.  I love its design and the warm, cozy glow that it gives at night when I'm in bed reading.

These paper star lanterns come in a variety of designs and colors.  Mine is by Artecnica, the original makers of star lanterns, and although, mine was a gift, you can purchase one at www.lamplust.com starting at $20.99 on sale right now. They come with the cord - all you need is a light bulb.

Here are a few photos taken the other night:

Happy Saturday!
~Callie

Couponing . . . Save Money!

A few months ago, I came across this show called "Extreme Couponing."  a new reality show that shows men and women buying the majority of their food and household products, sometimes spending $0 or getting paid, yes, I said PAID, to take the item out of the store.  All of this done with coupons.

When I first saw the show, I couldn't believe it.  I sat there in disbelief with my jaw open for most of the half hour as these people bought hundreds of dollars worth with next to no cash.  It was amazing!  I also loved that some people donated their purchases to local charities or churches.  To me, helping your family, AND helping others at the same time was super cool.  However, I just didn't quite get how it all worked and how a coupon could make an item free.

Well, tonight our local library hosted Tammi Lee, one of the extreme couponers filmed for the show, and a free couponing seminar.  I have just finished and I can't wipe this smile off my face because it seems so incredible to get stuff for free.  I have little intentions to coupon on a grand scale, but I love the idea of doing it with items that I already would get and possibly getting them for free. I'm going to start with laundry soap, dishwashing soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.

Here is Tammi's website.  If you are at all interested in how this couponing thing is done, her website will lay it all out for you.  Tammi says that her goal is to do all the work for people so they can coupon and save money and stay or get financially stable.  Try it out. . .  I'm going to be over the next several weeks!

tammileetips.com

Have a great evening!
~Callie

The Breakfast Nook, Before & After

I found my apartment the same day that I moved in.  It was kinda crazy and a total act of God.  I was scheduled to leave on a Wednesday morning early August with my mom, my car, and the Uhaul to make the 6 hour drive to Coeur d'Alene, ID from the west coast of Washington, and move into an apartment that I had all lined up.  But when my mom woke up at 5am out of a dead sleep sensing that that apartment was not going to be quite right, she went on the internet where there happened to be this great apartment for rent, cheaper, closer to town, and totally available.  We called on the road, stopped at a Chamber of Commerce in a town along the way to use the internet and complete my background check, and moved into the apartment that afternoon, after, sure enough, the other apartment I had lined up was not quite what I had thought it was going to be.  The small detail that had been left out when the apartment was pitched to me was that it was a basement apartment, and the three small windows that it had, poked above ground less than 6", thus leaving me buried all winter once the snow came.  Uh, no thank you!

So, because I got this apartment so quickly, there were a few things that had to be done after I moved in, which I don't mind a bit.  Plus, the inquisitive side of me has liked getting to watch and learn while "G", my landlord, tears things apart.  :-)

My breakfast nook had windows that were painted shut . . .

 The windows with the trim torn off and the windows out.

 Being a very old home, each window has a pulley system with a long weight on either side like this one to keep the windows open and closed. Cool, huh?!

 The rope on the weight on this side had broken, but the lath and plaster that they used to fill the walls before sheetrock and plaster is very hard and a bear to break through.  I suggested "G" make a small hole right about where the weight would be tied to the rope and string a new rope in there.  "G" liked that idea and thought I was pretty smart.  A guy taking my advice on a man's project!  Woo hoo!  I felt pretty cool.  ;-)

   

My sweet breakfast nook, repainted, working windows and ready for a little decoration.  I have some ideas but am also kind of enjoying the simplicity and cleanliness of the bright white.  

The table has an enamel top.  I picked it up at a flea market for $30 and the chair was a Craigslist buy for $10.  They were a perfect fit here!

Well, enjoy your weekend!  I'm off to the fair tonight and an elephant ear is in my future!

Blessings, 

Callie