Monday, January 31, 2011

~~VINTAGE TIFFIN JUNE NIGHT STEMWARE~~ and I Think I'll Keep That Hubby of Mine~

~FABULOUS ANTIQUE STORE FIND~

Last October my Mr. AGPMan and I took a trip out east for a little visit with my older sister.  While we were there I found the most amazing crystal stemware I'd ever laid my eyes on at a small local antique shoppe.
 ~SIMPLY GORGEOUS~

  The pattern is called JUNE NIGHT (Love Lace is the un-trimmed version) and it was made by TIFFIN.  You can read all about it here...
~CACHING!  A TOTAL LOSS~

After returning from our little jaunt to the east of Oklahoma I made it my mission to find even more of the aging Stemware I decided I just couldn't live without.  I checked out Replacement.com and was excited to find that even though some of the pieces they offered were pricey at the very least they were available.
 ~THEY SET A LOVELY TABLE~

  I chatted with my hubby about hunting down enough pieces to set a lovely holiday table and went on and on about how excited I was about the possibility of scoring a few more!  Well...while one of the water goblets was out on my kitchen counter my clumsy guy knocked it over and broke off the stem.
~DING-DONG! MAIL MAN AT THE DOOR~

I just smiled and said "That will be $40.00, please!  Oh...and I only accept cash!" :)  (I actually wanted to beat him up a little bit, but in the end figured I was at least 10% partially responsible for not putting the goblet back in the china cabinet even though the man was a TOTAL CLUTZ!)
~TWO BOXES FOR ME???~

Now...when my hubby and I married I didn't register for things like stemware.  I'd have been happy with a crock pot and a chicken to go inside of it if you want to know the truth! :)  Crystal and china were things poor college students like us just couldn't afford.  Not long after we purchased our La Chaumière de Briarwood I stumbled upon some fairly inexpensive stemware (not crystal) that was just like the glassware my mother had once collected using her Green Stamps.
 ~GREEN STAMP GLASSWARE~

The stems were pretty and since they reminded me of happy times in my childhood I was more than happy using them and never really looked into getting anything I felt would be truly beautiful.  At the very least I figured when I did decide to purchase something more along the line of what my heart always wanted I'd pass the twenty-four piece Green Stamp set (above) onto my AdrieGirl... 
 ~WHAT'S INSIDE?~

While my hubby was getting dressed for an afternoon business meeting he told me to go ahead and open the boxes our mail carrier had left on our porch.  He seemed to know what was inside even though I didn't have a clue...
~GASP!~

Tucked inside one box were two of the Iced Tea Glasses and in the other one were twelve stemmed Water Goblets.  He found them on eBay and surprised me with them!
 ~GORGEOUS ETCHED CRYSTAL~

Now I have sixteen Waters and eight Ice Tea Glasses.  I hope before long to find another eight Teas for a total of sixteen as well!  

My guy is the most ROMANTIC MAN I'VE EVER KNOWN!  I honestly didn't even know he remembered he'd broken one of the glasses let alone think he would remember the name of the pattern!


Now...something else really quick I have to show you!
 ~SPIEGELAU WINE GLASSES~

Over the weekend my hubby (who, by the way, is COMPLETELY FORGIVEN for breaking that first goblet!) and I were in our neighborhood ROSS STORE and I found these amazing German Wine Glasses from Spiegelau!!!:)  I decided to Google the glasses and man they are NOT CHEAP!
~TWO SETS OF SIX~

The original price for the six stems was $40 (Ross' original price was $24.99) and they were marked down to $6.99!  They had two boxes for a total of twelve stems for only $13.98!  I'm thinking they will be a sweet anniversary gift for my son and daughter-in-love come this May!
SCORE!
~FABULOUS DEAL~

Along with the tall stemmed wine goblets they also had a set of six glasses with shorter stems.  They were also only $6.99 and so I purchased them as well!

This all puts me in such a happy-yappy, yippy-skippy mood!  I love, love, love to save all those nickles, nickles, nickles.  

(Thanks Baber!!!!)

~~*~~

Our weather is suppose to turn super nasty here in Oklahoma by the morning and so we are hunkering down for a long winter's night. 

COME BACK SPRING!  COME BACK!

Love to you...

Sunday, January 30, 2011

~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~ Amazing Grace How Sweet The Sound


~THE GIFTED WHINTLEY PHIPPS~

Growing up the daughter of a preacher-man I've sung the beautiful and timeless song Amazing Grace more times than I can say.  With lyrics written by John Newton, the words when paired with the early American Plantation Melody entitled "Loving Lambs", grew to become the beloved song many of us know and love today.

I can't recall if I've shared this video with you before...  Regardless, I feel led to share it once again.

May your day be blessed and your heart filled with the Amazing Grace and Lasting Love of The Most High...

Love to you~

Friday, January 28, 2011

~~~CHOCOLATE DIPPED OREO COOKIES~~~ Romantic Valentine Treats~

~CHOCOLATE DIPPED OREOS~

One of the things I absolutely LOVE about Valentine's Day is that it's a lovely excuse for all you non-pink-lovin'-gals to embrace my favorite color...:) :) :)

I simply LOVE making dainty Valentine Treats!  Ever since elementary school and my beautiful Mother was my die-hard Room Mother (year after year after year), I've been in love with jazzing-up pre-made goodies easily found at local markets.  When I was in 4th grade my Mom frosted Scooter Pies (Moon Pies) and then decorated them with the names of the kids in my class (complete with pink roses and all).  To this day her talent (and ideas!) amaze me and I will forever believe I learned from the best.
(Thank you, Mom!  You are my hero!)
  ~REGULAR OREO COOKIES~

Anyway...this year my Miss K and I decided to dip regular Oreo Cookies in white chocolate and then decorate them up all fancy-like!
~EASILY DIPPED COOKIES~

(We like fancy around here!)
~MICROWAVEABLE CANDY WAFERS~

The Oreo Cookies were coated in white chocolate (one half at a time) and allowed to cool.  We then decided to grate a bar of white chocolate and sprinkle some of the shavings on the top of each cookie.
 
 ~ SHAVED WHITE CHOCOLATE~
~TOTALLY SWEET and YUMMY~

Tiny silver candy balls  (nonpareils) are a must!
~TOTALLY DIVINE!~ 

The tops were decorated with pink roses and minty green leaves made with Royal Icing and then sweetly cello-bagged in pairs! 
~TWO BY TWO~

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into the latest project with my Miss K!  It was soo much fun and absolutely NO BAKING!

Hope you are having an awesome day!

Love to you...

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

~VINTAGE SEWING CARDS and Yummy Tea, too!~

~ALTERED ART SEWING CARDS~
(includes a packet of Yummy Tea, too!)

Over the last few days I've been working non-stop in my studio focusing on several larger orders as well as putting the final touches on some of the latest Altered Art Greeting Cards for my Shoppe.  I'm sooo excited to show you our brand new Sewing and Tea themed designs!  Look for them later today on my A Gathering Place website.
 ~MATCHING TEA PACKET INSIDE~

Each of the four Cards available in our new Sewing Line were fashioned using only vintage graphics!  Tucked inside every single Card you'll find a packet of scrumptious Gourmet Tea in one of our matching Tea Bag Covers...

A sweet little Card and a charming gift all in one!
 ~TEA BAG COVERS~
(Sold Separately, too!)

The Tea Bag Covers will also be offered up separately for all you DO-IT-YOURSELF-ERS!  They are very easy to assemble and look charming when placed in cello bags and tied up with soft ribbon!
(We can even assemble them for you if you'd like!)

Yummo!
 ~BACK of TEA COVER~

"While there's Tea, there's hope!"
(Sir Arthur W. Pinero)
~Back Fold-Over~

Envelope style Covers come with a tiny fold-over flap.  The sentiment simply says:
"Taste and See"
 Want to see more?  Click HERE!
 And Here!
~FOUR SWEET DESIGNS~
(and Here!)

Thank you for stopping by today!  I'm back in the studio working on even more pretties that I hope will both bless and inspire!

Hope you are having an awesome day!

LIFE IS GOOD!  IT IS!

Love to you...

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

~MY ROMANTIC COTTAGE BEDROOM...Lovin' The Lighter Side of Pink~

 ~MY COTTAGE CHIC BOUDOIR~

I had such a wonderful time last week showing you all our TINY Master Bath Makeover and I continue to be OVER THE MOON happy that it is 99% finished!  I feel like I have my life back...no kidding!!!  As soon as the custom shower doors darken the steps outside my front door (and then get installed) I'll show the the final shots of our extremely INTENSE redo project!
~LOTS of CREAMS and a muted SOFT PINKS~

I've promised you for the longest time to show you a few pictures of our space-challenged master bedroom.  I hate to keep harping on the size of what I believe is one of the most important spaces in our entire home, but the fact of the matter is our bedroom and bathroom are very small to be called a 'master of anything!'.  Still, as the years have clicked by I've grown to love the room for what it is and even sometimes do the happy dance because it's not tooo big to clean! :)
~FOREVER IN LOVE WITH OLD LACE~
 ~I'M ALSO IN LOVE WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL PRINT~
 
~TRULY ROMANTIC~

I love the newer, refined Cottage Style and I have to admit that as the trends for chic and shabby decor have changed I find I'm continuing to lean more and more to simpler and less complicated lines.  I still love aging lace, antique hats, old linens and vintage millinery (always will!), but these days I'm less likely to over indulge in accessorizing. 
 ~LOVE VINTAGE STEMWARE and CHINA~
~ROMANTIC PILLOWS and OLD BUTTONS are a MUST!~
 ~FABULOUS FRENCH FURNITURE~

Remember last Summer when I shared with you about snagging this fabulous vintage French Provincial Furniture for $100???  I'm still not over that amazing 'I nearly fell over dead' find!  I'm crazy-in-love with each piece and the price I paid for them all still makes me SWOON!
 ~VINTAGE BRIDES and my Mr. AGPMan and I~

I love old wedding day photos and display them in my bedroom...totally romantic!  I love to see the smiling faces of the brides and their neatly groomed hubbies!  They seem to hold so much faith and promise for their lives...
 ~MY DADDY'S BIG SISTER~

I just recently came across this darling old photo of my Aunt Ethel Laura Elizabeth.  I absolutely adore her dress and I'm in total shock over how truly tiny, tiny, tiny she is!  My Uncle John was incredibly handsome, too.
They are both in heaven now...
 ~MISBEHAVIN' MOLLIE~

And just when you probably FORGOT about me tattling on my Miss Mollie and about her getting on my bed, etc...  

Well...when I left the room to do a couple unrelated things I returned to find that my beloved Yorkie, Mollie, had ONCE AGAIN jumped up on top of my bed pillows!  When I called her name she looked up at me, but never moved!  I'm beginning to think the consequences for her misbehavin' aren't nearly as serious as they need to be!

I only THOUGHT I was the Queen around here!  Not so!

Hope you loved the peek into my private space.  As soon as our crown molding is up and our 2die4 chandelier is installed (it's gonna make your heart skip a beat!) I'll show you even more!

Blessings and love to you...

Monday, January 24, 2011

~JUST THE FACTS Ma'am! Just the Facts!~

Remember the old TV Show DRAGNET?  When I was little we use to watch it at my Gramma's house all the time and I can still hear Sargent Joe Friday speaking in his dry and non-emotional way, "Just the facts, Ma'am!  Just the facts!"  So...instead of boring you with lots of non-essential statistics I thought I 'd go straight to the chase...

Here's the Skinny...

I was at my local Doc's place just before Christmas and then THREE TIMES right after New Year's with the "wish I was dead" FLU.  As usual I had to get on the DREADED SCALE for a quick "weigh-in" and I'm not afraid to tell you this caused me much ANGST!.  Still, as sick as I felt I wasn't up to arguing with my Doctor's Head Nurse (who I lovingly call BROOMHILDA!) over STEPPING ON or NOT STEPPING ON the scale.  Beings it was just AFTER Christmas and I had consumed things like CHOCOLATE ALMOND BRITTLE, SUGARED ALMONDS (who provided those recipes anyway?????), all that Figgy Pudding and of course my family's infamous FRUUUUUUUUUIT...KKKKKKKAKE I was just a tad bit nervous about what I might find out.  Even so, inside I quietly thought
"HOW BAD CAN IT BE?
HOW BAD CAN IT BE????"

Now...have you evahhhhh stepped up on a scale and tried leaning a little to the LEFT in hopes the weight-slider might follow your lead and stop climbing to the right?

Well...it didn't work.

Long story short is this...I nearly FAINTED right then and there over the number I saw starring back before me.  Now...this totally bums-me-out because last year I lost 18 pounds and kept it off until my Mr. AGPMan and I went gallivanting around the deep south late last Summer and Fall and consumed too much food at places like O'Charley's and the like... Not ONLY did I gain every single pound back (which wasn't ALL I needed to lose in the first place), but I found a few more pound-friends along the way...  The hubbs did, too!

BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Sooo....back to "Just the facts, ma'am!  Just the facts!"

I decided to  rejoin Weight Watcher's because even though I certainly do like my body not so FAT FLUFFY the bottom line for me is this...
 
Heart Disease is the number one cause of death for women and that takes into consideration ALL forms of cancer (including breast cancer).  I am absolutely serious about shedding the 30 pounds I've packed on since having my second child back in 1984.  I've decided I love my own Heart enough to take really good care of her for the rest of my life.
Pinky-Heart Swear.

"Just the facts, Ma'am!  Just the facts!"

Love to you...

Sunday, January 23, 2011

~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING...Sweet Hour of Prayer~

 
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
 
~*~
Thinking of you all today and thanking God for the blessing each of you are to me in my life.

Love to you...

Blog Archive