My Newest Funky Find, Crazy No?

I know that I tend to look at things a bit differently...I often see beauty in things that others have a hard time seeing. For instance, when I was junking down south of here not long ago, the gal that was with me thought I was a crazy person for buying this purse in an antique store. She kept looking at me sideways and saying "O. Kayyyyy-ayyyyy!?!?!?!"

I started to second guess myself, wondering if I should be put somewhere where other folks with "bad taste" go. You know some sort of decorative mental asylum for the beauty perceptive challenged. I thought: "I must be really crazy for wanting this purple felt purse with funky felt pom-pom flowers and crazy cowgirl loopy fringe! I mean look at Kim (my shopping buddy) she's carrying something elegant and refined....she always looks so put together and cute, not to mention her home is so quaint and cozy. What am I thinking anyway???" I was just about to tuck tail and run back to the booth from whence it came when....

my sister La Von came around the corner from talking with another dealer and exclaimed "WOW, that's a SUPER CUTE purse!!!!" It was then that I knew I would not be alone in the asylum....

A Wii bit of FUN!

This is it. The moment you've all been waiting for! Wii time!!!

It all starts out so innocently....an invitation from an employee to come and "play" Wii.

There are lovely flowers, food, and drinks. Like sangria,

and yummy strawberry margaritas...and then IT begins. The terror called Wii "Dance".

It seems harmless enough at first.

Then the ugly copetition begins....and it quickly turns into something no one was prepared for...

Crazy wicked FUN!!!! The competition was on, a Wii Dance Olympics of sorts.

Moving at warp neck speeds....competing to win the best score possible...trying not to break too much of a sweat. That's me by the way...amazing even myself with how much I SUCKED at it!!! :o)

Our sangria and margaritas were suddenly not enough for our weary bods....and soon we turned to basic water to soothe our outta shape bods!

Competition got the best of us as we tried to knock off that young little thing with the dark hair (Taryn...the aformentioned employee...soon to be ex-employee!!! :o) in any way we could.

I was able to knock her off the pedestal once or twice....but this aged 36 year old body of mine was no match for her 21 year old bod....and Wii expertise. I'm thinking she set this whole thing up, just to show us up...hmmmmm....we fell into her trap! Well, at least she sent us home with goodie bags filled with bubbles, blingy rings, lip balm, and fingernail polish. Which were all perfect things, due to the fact that my worn out bod was capable of doing nothing more than polish my toenails! My conclusion? We were had by a really clever little 21 year old vixen...but we had a blast! Now I must find a way to get a Wii myself and plan my revenge....

:o) T.

Movie Night Library Time Again!

Ok people, I got a very good response from all of you Jane Austin movie fans out there last week with Pride and Prejudice. This week we are going to move in a different direction with The Illusionist. Have you seen it? Well, if not, here's the low down sure to get you to the rental store in a jiffy!

Rated PG-13 it is very clean in regards to today's standards. I will warn you however there are a few suspense scenes that will have your spine tingling! Nothing too scary, and deffinately NOT yucky in any way. I would like to focus on the elaborate beauty in this film... the landscapes are breathtaking and even sometimes erie. The interior scenes are unbelievably accurate ( hey I am an Interior Designer you know! ;) The Costumes are also very believable.

 

This film is described as "Mesmerizing" (Entertainment Weekly) and "Beautifully Acted" ( Good Morning America) But  most importantly...it is a film that "teases you until the very end" ( The New York Times).

Jessica Biel is just fabulous in the movie playing an aristocratic heiress. Rufus Sewell is perfect as the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold. Paul Giamatti is GREAT as the inspector....in fact I think he steals the show in many ways. It is Edward Norton however who is spellbinding as Eisenheim the Illusionist. I am a HUGE Edward Norton fan, and this is in my opinion one of his best roles yet.

If you've not seen this movie before, or have'nt seen it in awhile....well, the time is now people. It is the sort of movie you should watch on a dark and stormy night....and time is running out for those sorts of nights as Spring will soon be upon us. I think that you will find it so incredibly romantic....mind bending....and I GUARANTEE you will want to watch it again as soon as it's over....I'd almost make bets on it!

I hope you can find it at your local movie store, online, or by streaming it to your home. If you like a little magic in your life....this is the choice for movie night. In fact, I'm going to do a little magic trick myself right now: I'm going to make this little sundae dissappear! :o)

Cheers!

Trish

Hey, I want to hear your feedback on the movie by way of comments right here....got something to add? Please do!

Tribute to Your Hunny. Challenge!

Well, I'm here to do a little tribute to the man I love; Chad. He is one of those guys who really gets down on the floor and plays with our kids. He can fix nearly anything; from broken Hot Wheels to small engines. He is VERY patient; need any Christmas lights untangled? And best of all, he puts up with me and my crazy hair brained ideas! He is not perfect, and I'll tell you what: for all the many annoying, bad, and even terrible things we have been through together....there have been even more sweet, good, and wonderful things we've experienced as a team. Yes TEAM. We are always trying to stay on the same "side" as eachother ( even though that is very difficult at times, not gonna lie! ). We've been "together" for 20 years this coming June...married for 15 of those years this coming December!!! Yikes! I can't believe it!

I just wanted to give a shout out to you all...This guy floats my boat. I couldn't get along very well without him. We have been through more together than you could EVER imagine (trust me on this one). He works so hard every day for me, and for our two boys. I am deeply endebted to him for all he does for me. He makes it so I can enjoy my life every day. I don't tell him often enough how much he means to me...could I ever? I love you hunny, and this one's for you! :o)

So... OK Ladies...it's your turn now! I wanna hear about your guys...c'mon....be proud! What's his name....give it up. Go on....just a little. Men love nothing more than to know you brag about them behind their backs...what better flattery than building someone up, when they're not even around? You could casually mention to him later how many wonderful comments you made about him to all your bloggin' buddies! If nothing else it will give you the chance to tell him how you really feel about him. Let's build up these men who work so hard for us, they really need to hear it. Let's be the big girls who stand up and shout " My hunny is awesome, and I Love Him!"

Cheers, and I know I've got you outta your comfort zone here....as I was writing this post....but if you can't say it here....will you be able to tell him to his face? Consider this practice! :o)

Yours, Trish.

I'm waiting.....  tee hee hee! :o)

Color Coordinated Junking? Am I for real???

So....O.K. where do I begin on this one? Well, I was out celebrating my happy blessing of being featured on Etsy's blog this past Sunday....and well, I went junkin' ( that is not normal for a Sunday as I'm usually at home with my hubby and kids, but since it was a special day, I was playing for a change). As you can see above, I had a little luck. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I love to go junkin' and am often talking about some find or another that I scored. Well, I'm beginning to think I might have a little problem. I think it is possible that I'm even "styling" what junk I buy!!! This is not my actual cart, but I do tend to lay the cart out creatively as I shop. Sad, I know....people just kind of look at me with half cocked looks as I'm styling my shopping cart!

It all started with the colors in this album....aren't they lovely? You know I love the blue from the photos of my home....but I'm really partial to yellow too as it's one of my favorite colors (my home's exterior is yellow!).

So it progressed to these lovely old plastic retro sewing boxes....

....and then to this lovely old book from 1899. The little felt needle case could not be left behind. I'm so inspired by the tiny details it has! How cute!

Then I found these great books from the 50's with all those yummy colors again. I then added the retro 70's daisy sheet, a blue 50's tray, and some late 70's turquoise burlap.

Then I found this great piece of handpainted glass in yellow with the red, gold, and turquoise! Turned the corner and found the little pitcher! Crazy!

I mean, how sweet is this little vingette?

To top it off I found another blue sheet, and a blue USA dish. What a fun day! I found 95% of these items at a true junk store....and two of the items at an antique store right afterwards. Now, don't you think it's wierd how once I put it all together that it all just somehow goes? This happens to me all the time! I find myself doing this without even thinking about it. For the most part you're probably thinking that it's a great talent to have been gifted with. I'm here to tell you however that it gets me into more trouble than it blesses me. Sometimes I pass up perfectly wonderful finds just because it doesn't "go" with what I have in my cart! Other times I'll buy things that I don't need, just because it does go with what's in my cart!!! Yikes!

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my little junk excursion. What will I do with it all? Well, some will be put to good use as storage, some will be made into something crafty, others just sit around for inspiration, and a few things may even get sold either at Grandiflora or one of my etsy shops. Either way....it doesn't really matter, because the thrill of it all is really in the hunt!

Cheers ladies!

Trish :o)

Before and After

This is corny I know...but I'm trying to gear up for something that freaks me out a bit.....CONTACTS! Since my day is totally full tomorrow, and I will be getting the contacts early Wednesday morning....well, I thought I would just throw this in now. I'm looking for lots of great input here from those of you who wear contacts. I  would appreciate comments as soon as possible, if you have something you'd like to tell a first time contact lens wearer.

Sometimes I look at these photos and I cringe... know that this is really hard for me to share....but I'm desperate for your info on contacts....so I figured this was the best way to get it.

Beyond the fact that it's going to be nice to wear really smokin' cool sunglasses again ( that don't need to be prescription!) I am looking forward to not having raindrops on my glasses ( remember, I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest). I am happy to say that I'll feel comfortable wearing more jewelry now that it won't compete with the glasses thing. And just the thought of being able to see views without frames getting in the way sounds heavenly!

So, all that being said. I think it will be hard to get used to seeing myself without my glasses! This picture seems foreign to me, part of me is a little sad, cause sometimes glasses are really fun. There is something distinctive about glasses....but I'll still have them to throw on for those "don't feel like doing the contact thing" days. Oh my, what we don't fuss about....seriously!

Well, next on my list is the possibility of affording to go get my hair done by a professional again....alas, I'm stuck cutting my own hair....I never know what it will turn out like next! BUT, that is another blog post all together! Don't forget to fill me in on your contact recommendations, I appreciate it!

Until next time,

Cheers!

Trish :o)

I Love making earrings...

Ok, so I ended up celebrating yesterday and went shopping. I didn't break the bank or anything...just got a few goodies that the typical crafter tends to go bonkers over. Ribbon for tags, folders to TRY and stay organized, glue dots (my ultimate tool!), and of course glow in the dark bracelets! I mean really who doesn't need to have a little fun at night with glow in the dark bracelets? I know we do!

Seriously though, I needed to get some beads for making earrings!

I can't seem to make enough of these little babies in all the colors shown.

Made a few samples for ya. As always they are prettier in person. Which ones are your favorite? As much as I ADORE turquoise, and green just seems so appropriate for Spring coming on....it's the white with irridescence that I need the most in my wardrobe! Have you noticed how much white we are seeing in fashion lately? I think that home decor follows suit....get ready for an onslaught of white in ways you've never seen it used before.

This is how I display my earrings at the store. They hang on a little display rounder, and folks just seem to like them you know? I'm so happy they do....I love making them when I've got the time!

So I had a happy day just basking in the glow of all that is Etsy.com Storque. Thanks to all of you out there who made such lovely comments. I am so happy to be a part of all this creative bliss. I am totally frustrated that I can't do everything I want to do....the ideas are welling up inside me and I want to act on everyone of them....but I do have responsibilities to my husband, my kids, and many other folks. SO, until I can do it all...yeah, right....I'll make earrings. Hope you've enjoyed!

P.S. this is what my hubby did yesterday with the boys to give me some peace and quiet. What a great guy! And he's a good photographer! Edited by me.

Have a great day people!

Cheers!

Trish :o)

Entirely Domestic. Hmmmm....

Well, I've been doing a little soul searching this morning; good for Sundays. I was trying to figure out where my life seemed to be headed. In what direction shall I go? There are so many! I don't hide it here, this is something I'd be in constant conversation about with my Lord. But I think that since a "blog" is categorically defined as a "web log" that I should try to hash some of this stuff out right here.

Unfortunately I cannot divulge all that is going on in my life at the moment....it's like one of those things...if I told you I'd have to hunt you down and kill you....not really....but you know what I mean. I do however have a lot on my plate at the moment....I don't think that will end any time soon. The best part? Well, it's all pretty good stuff!

Having too many good things is actually a problem. Which good thing to persue? Which good thing to cut out? You can see where this is going....Well, in all those conversations I was talking about...I remembered a friend of mine told me to study Proverbs 31..."Hymn to a good wife." If you haven't read the MESSAGE version of vs. 10-31 of Proverbs 31....then I suggest you do. It is absolutely freeing to me! Even if you are NOT a Christian...you would have to be hard pressed not to find some helpfull information there.

It is so refreshing to me to know that God doesn't expect us women to be retiring, servile, and entirely domestic. He wants us to be strong, dignified, and accomplished. We are manufacturers, importers, managers, realtors, farmers, seamstresses, upholsterers, and merchants! Many of which I am! YAY!!!

However...we need to keep our priorities straight with our families and homes as well. We also need to show compassion for those in need and who are hungry. We cannot achieve all that is listed in Proverbs 31....that is not the point. It is more to show you a guide...a way to channel yourself into service for Him. Are you game? What kind of Proverbs 31 woman are you? I'd love to hear your comments on this one! I can't wait to hear from you!!!

P.S. to all of you who have been sweet enough to leave such nice comments on the etsy blog I'm currently being featured on, well just let me say " Thanks bunches and ooodles!" You have made my week!" See it for yourself http://www.etsy.com/storque/  Etsy finds decor: Family Affair.

Cheers, Trish :o)

Sunday's Etsy Finds Decor=Me!

Oh, I know I've been a little more than busy this past week getting things ready for fun things like Valentine's Day, and work things like market buying follow-up, but what I've been doing most is....finalizing all that needs to happen when you get to be a part of Etsy's Blog! :o)

I don't have to tell you how excited I am and honored to be able to show off some of the things I've been working on here at our humble home for the past 10 years. This is more than a dream come true for me!!! I started taking photos about a year and a half ago for my Etsy shops. Needless to say, I was clueless when it came to taking pictures! I think I had a good idea as to styling....that has never been a problem for me, as it just seems to come natural for me. ( I'm not bragging....believe me, there are many other things that I fail at daily!!!!) But, when it came to taking pictures and getting the right lighting, exposure, etc.... I was totally clueless! It took me a long time, but I practiced and practiced until I figured out my camera and utilizing computer based photo editing. Now I'm addicted!!!!  I LOVE taking photos, and sharing them with others on Flickr. That got me to where I am today.

I have to give a ton of thanks to all the bloggers out there who were nice enough to feature my photos which in turn connected me to many others, namely Christine from Etsy.com. Christine is a sweetheart, and really down to earth and super great to work with. She was more than understanding about my schedule complications, and just generally wonderful. I'm really excited to see what she comes up with! She is very talented at writing, hunting out great Etsy finds, and promoting others. Thanks Christine!!! You ROCK!

So, All this being said; I may be taking it easy for a few days to revel in my little 15 minutes of fame. If I never get featured again, it will just be nice to know that some of the most creative folks on the internet picked my photos, of my home, which I've bled for....sweated for....self sacrificed for....and designed all by my lonesome. I am happy. No lie....I'm on a decorative cloud nine....and I love it. I think I may have to pop a bottle of champagne on Sunday just to make it official. Thanks for listening to me blabber on....you guys are great! Just know that I've written this post more to pinch myself than to tell you....so sorry if this has come off as bragging....it is not meant to....in fact, I hope it's more of an inspiration to you to keep trying for what you want your dream to be. This is part of my dream....and it's better than I could've ever hoped for.

I'm not done dreaming yet....so stay tuned! I'm really excited for all that is yet to come, Lord willing. Thank-you my Jesus who loves me for helping me through all the muck and mire that has come my way. Help me to use all my gifts to glorify You. I am nothing without You, and I pray that You can use "even this" to Your glory! Amen? Amen!!! :o)

Blessings to all of you, and have a great weekend! Want to check it out for yourself? go to http://www.etsy.com/ and click on the Blog button. My home will be staring back at you on Sunday February 21st. ( Etsy Finds Decor ) I hope you like it!!! Give me a shout out either there on the blog....or here on mine after you see it. Let me know what you think, ok? Thanks you lovely blogger buddies! Cheers! Trish :o)

Movie Night Library

I've come up with an idea for all you movie no-goers. You know who you are! I seem to have a group of friends who are always coming up short with what to rent when they end up at the movie store. See, my hubby and I used to go to all kinds of movies when we were first dating. We went to a few less when we first married, and now that we have little ones at home, well....we don't attend at the theatre much anymore. HOWEVER, that being said; we still LOVE movies and own a little library of dvds that we happen to like very much. Here is your chance to take a moment and write down the name of the movie I'm giving you....and run to the video store, Blockbuster Online, or Netflix.

My husbands library tends to consist of "manly" movies like U-571 and Stealth. I however tend to have a broader range of great films I enjoy watching over and over again. I actually enjoy watching action adventure with Chad too! I really like most movie styles, well except stupid gore like The Texas Chainsaw Massecre types. I try my hardest to watch "clean" movies....but sometimes you just need to watch R rated movies...for instance Schindler's List...I mean come on....a must see, but most deffinately rated R. So here I am to try my hand at doing a weekly or every other weekly post on movies. You let me know if this is something you like, ok? If not....well, we'll ditch it. I only have one request: please share your feelings about each movie I post once you've watched it, so others can benefit. I will not be offended if it's not your cup of tea. But please be polite, ok?

This week's movie is Pride & Prejudice. I mean seriously folks, you can't go wrong here. Don't mistake this for stuffy old fashioned BBC type versions of Jane Austin.....this movie is smokin' good! It is rated PG and could be watched with kids around....although I think you'd enjoy it more without them as there are so many great lines to catch. It is an instant classic, and if you've never taken the time to watch it before....well here is your chance. I challenge you to go out and get it ASAP. Truly this is one of the greatest love stories of all times; and honestly my husband who loves those action movies??? Well, even he can watch this one. Don't tell him I said so!

Enjoy your weekend, and be on the lookout for Pride & Prejudice from Focus Features. Kiera Knightly, Matthew McFadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, and Judi Dench are the showstoppers here. Pay close attention to all the fabulous interiors, impeccable costumes, enchanting music, and most especially the sweeping landscape shots. You will be an Anglophile, and a Jane Austin fan in less than 1/2 an hour, I promise!
Enjoy!!!

Have you seen this? What do you think? Do you have anything to add? Please do! :o)
Trish