~~~~~~~SWEET VINTAGE BABY SHOES~~~~~~ and a Nest To Make You Smile

 

~VINTAGE HIGH-TOP BABY SHOES~

While trying to find more vintage baby shoes for new project makeovers I snagged two pairs of antique button-up-the side high-top shoes recently on eBay!  These little beauties are getting harder and harder to find and the prices for them are generally out of site!  Imagine my delight when I stumbled on two Buy-It-Now offerings for a cra-ra-zeeee low price!!!

I could hardly contain my joy!

 ~TINY BLACK BEAUTIES~

Both pairs are in wonderful condition!  The shoes are at least 100 years old so I was shocked to find that although they were obviously worn, they were completely damage free!

  

I feel a transformation coming on!

 ~WHAT IS THIS?~

This afternoon I went out into my hubby's workshop and when I closed the door something flew near my face.  I nearly jumped out of my skin before I realized it was a little Wren (?).  It had perched itself upon a cross beam on the ceiling and started chirping away at me non-stop...

I honestly felt like I was getting chewed-out or something!!!

I pretty much knew I'd disturbed the little bird and when I looked around I saw a nest had been made inside my hubby's spare garden hoses...  What a strange spot!  I'm not even sure how the birdy got in!!!  Of course I had to run back inside and grab my camera!  I wasn't sure any baby eggs were inside because I couldn't see that deep!

~A TINY LITTLE NEST~

So...I angled up camera up high (and from a distance) and sure enough, two little bitty eggs can be seen deep in the center of the nest. 

 

~HOW SWEET IS THIS?~

Truthfully, I'm not happy about the nest being made where it was made, but it's there for the long-haul.  I don't have the heart to disturb it, nor will my Mr. AGPMan!

I'll keep you posted on the hatching! :)

Hope you've had an awesome day!

Love to you...

~~WHITE CHOCOLATE and ALMOND COOKIES~~ And Boy Am I Stupid!

~SIMPLY YUMMEEE TREATS~

Early this morning my Miss K and I baked up a big ol' bunch of yummeeee White Chocolate and Almond Cookies for a friend of mine recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  We had such a wonderful

time mixing and baking and

I snapped away like a goofeee 

PROUD Nana!

Well...I accidentally deleted ALL the pictures while tranferring them from my camera to my computer.  Wahhhh...  I'm just SICK! :(  Tomorrow we will bake more JUST so I can retake new pictures!

Anyway...here is a little glimpse of the cookies we packaged up for Miss Becky!  We started off with this:

  ~A SIMPLE PAINTED PINK BOX~

~ADDED A VINTAGE PAPER DOILY TO THE TOP~

This sweet garage sale find was for a package of 80 count 8" paper doilies and they cost me ten cents!  The bonus was they were already gently aged...no "paper-baking" needed!

~PLACED CELLO WRAPPED COOKIES INSIDE~

 ~TOP DECORATED w/ FLOWERS FROM MICHAELS~

(These were a great and inexpensive find!!!!)

~A HEART LOCKET and RAYON RIBBON~

Simple and sweet and not a lot of money!!! 

 ~MY MISS K~

(Shame on you, Nana!  Be MORE CAREFUL!)

The cookie recipe is easy!  I used the one on the back of Nestle's Premier White Morsals (Chips) and substituted almond extract for the vanilla and added 1/2 cup of sliced almonds to the mix.  Easy Peasy!

Here's a fabulous tip for you!

Want your cookies to be super fabulous without totally flattening out while baking?  The recipe I used called for all butter~  If you use half butter and half shortening in your cookie recipe they will be absolutely 2die4 (no pun intended!).  Try it...you'll see!

I'm off to sulk some more.  Ugh!

Love to you...

~~~~~~~~~SWEET LITTE TEA CARDS~~~~~~~~~ And a Giveaway Winner For You

 ~PRETTY IN PINK~

For the past few days I've been working on some new card and tag designs and earlier today I photographed them for my website.  I just love how they came out and hope you will, too!  They will be uploaded sometime today!

 ~BLUE IS MY WORLD~

The cards come in three colors, icy pink, the palest blue and soft white.  I haven't decided yet if they will be offered alone, with the matching hang tag or with a petite little packet of tea...

I've got to put my thinking cap on here...  Not sure what to do!  Bahh...I so hate being indecisive!

Any suggestions???

~AT HOME WITH WHITE~

The cards are blank on the inside, but can easily be personalized if you'd like for them to be!!!!  How fun is that?

Now...for those of you are waiting to hear read the name of my "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" Pillow here it is:

MARIA 

from

CALM ENERGY

Congrats to Miss Maria!  I am happy for you!  I hope you'll check out Maria's sweet blog!  You will just love her!  I'll be having another giveaway in the Fall...maybe sooner if the mood strikes me. :)

I hope to share more with you on Wednesday or Thursday!  I have some WHITE transformations just waiting to be yapped about!  Just be patient with me!  I've had my Miss K all week and man o' man!  I'd forgotten how fast a little-bitty-girly can wear out an old lady little-bit-older-girly!  I'm exhausted and I'm going to have her for three more days!  

(HAR HAR HAR!)

Love to you...

~VINTAGE LINEN FINDS TO MAKE YOU SWOON~

 ~AMAZING THREE SIDED COTTON COVERLET~

(Seven Little Dollars...Ska-wheeeeeel...)

Boy...I'm really late with my Monday Post today!  I ended up having a super-busy morning with my Miss K and who wants to blog when you're out having fun with an 8 year old???

(Makes me feel YOUNG!!!!)

Yeah...right!

Saturday ended up being so incredibly HOT here in Oklahoma that even the thought of venturing out into the sweltering heat made me think twice about my plans of tag-sale hunting!  To save face I stopped at ONE LOCAL SALE and since I found incredibly amazing things on my first hit of the day I decided that was enough and called it a day...

~ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS FIND~

The vintage crocheted piece you see above was marked $10.00 which was an incredible price for a three sided vintage coverlet.  However, there  was no doubt the lady I was wanting going to wheel and deal (can't be too shy bold in this business!) and so she  begrudgingly happily obliged and took my offer! :)

Sometimes I just love my life!

Not sure how old this fabulous piece is...I only know it was in pristine condition and was only yellowed a bit from aging startch!

SCORE!

 ~VINTAGE CROCHET FULL COTTON SHEET~

Next on my list was this beautiful old sheet!  This little sweetie was $4 but she took $2. 

Yeah...I know.

I kinda think I done stole it! :(

 ~VINTAGE LINEN BABY SHEET

Next came this old baby sheet that had never been used.  I plan on taking this one over to my Momma's to have it embroidered.  She is a master with thread and needle and I'm so excited to see how it comes out when she's finished.

Oh...the price?  Only $1.  I thought about asking her to take fifty cents, but the little dude on my shoulder was starting to stick me in the back with his pitch-fork!

 ~VINTAGE CROCHET SHEET SET~

The last find of the morning was this lovely crochet-lace-trimmed sheet set.  It was also brand new/old stock and was marked down to only $5.  The lady said she was selling it cheap because it had yellowed.

WHAT?  

I wanted to give her $3 for it, but I was sorta afraid she might kick me or smash in my face might tell me to leave her

Prop-a-tee...

 ~HOW WEIRD IS THIS?~

Sweet finds for about $15.00, huh?  

Yep...I be a bad-to-de-bone girl!

I'll be back tomorrow to show you some new creations and to also annouce the winner of my

ALWAYS KISS ME GOODNIGHT PILLOW!

Hope your day was wonderful!

Love to you...

~~~~~~~~Thoughts on a Sunday Morning~~~~~~~~ On Being The Original YOU

While I was busy this week reorganizing my ever-changing-studio, I struggled to stay focused on the task at hand.  I desperately needed to toss out a lot of junk de-clutter several shelves and reduce the amount of stuff that was crowding in upon me, but try as I might my mind kept wandering back to something I'd read earlier in the week.  My heart kept revisiting the writings of the late Erma Bombeck where I stumbled upon this amazing little quote:

 

“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say,

 

 "Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams."

 

Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there.”

When I was a little girl I thought for a while I wanted to be a nurse, but given the fact that I couldn't stand the sight of blood by the time I was seven I'd abandoned all such thinking.  Still, as I grew older I dreamed many dreams.  I thought about becoming an art teacher or a painter.  Maybe a clothing designer or some other kind of artisan.  But those things seemed to always come second (or third, fourth, etc.) to my longing of being a wife and mother.  Somehow, certainly by God's grace, I was afforded the deepest desires of my heart.  Today I'm a wife of 32 years to my beloved Mr. AGPMan and mother to an amazing son and beautiful daughter. No doubt I've been blessed.

But, as my children grew up, found love and ultimately left the safety of 'home', I found I was totally unprepared for the quieting down of my La Chaumière de Briarwood.  My day to day life was over as I had known it and a really big part of me hated the sounds of silence.  Even so, I somehow knew that great days were ahead of me.

And so...

I seek guidance and strength everyday

to open up the lid to my

"box of dreams"

and live them...

It's been said that it takes a lot of courage to allow someone into your inner circle and reveal to them your life's passions.  Like Ms. Bombeck I can only pray that "when I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say I used everything you gave me."

Got dreams?

Be the Original YOU!

Dare to live them!

"You'll use the old rubble of past lives to rebuild anew.  Rebuild the foundations from out of your past.  You'll be known as those who can fix anything.  Restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.

~Isaiah 58:12 (The Message)

~~*~~

Blessings to you today as you embrace all you've been called to be.

Love to you...

 

~~~~~~~~~~HAPPY PINK SATURDAY~~~~~~~~~ And I Love Everything FRENCH~

 

 ~SWEET FRENCH PAEFUMEUR PILLOW~

(with a pretty soft pink rose)

Happy Pink Saturday!  Thank you so much to Miss Beverly of HOW SWEET THE SOUND for hosting our Pinkalicious Party for us each and every week!  I'm so glad I get to participate again!  It's been a while and I've been missing you!

 ~PARIS PARFUMERIE SACHET~

(smells yummy on the inside)

It seems I've had the busiest week ever, but truth be told...I love it!  I spent hours upon hours working in my studio and somehow I managed to not only finish painting the room, but the two HUGE-A-MONGUS closets as well!  My Mr. AGPMan installed new shelving for me and I've vowed to truly get organized...and I will...even if it kills me! :)

 ~PARIS TEA BAG COVERS IN PINK~

(i love paris)

Anyway...I worked like a dog and even though I'm MORE THAN TIRED I know all the work will pay off during the busy holidays!  I barely breathe the last three months of the year and nevahhhh-evahhhh have time to do any re-do stuff.

Soooo...I'm a-doin'-it-now! :)

~FRENCH TEA BAG COVERS IN CREAM~

(i love tea, too)

In the midst of the chaos I somehow managed to finish up some new PINK PRETTIES that will be offered soon on my A Gathering Place Website.  They've been MORE THAN FUN to create and I've loved tapping into the All-Things-French-and-Paris craze!   

 ~MY FAVORITE TEACUP~

(pink-cream-gold)

Since "I LOVE PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME" (and in the Summer, Fall and Winter) I've continued working during my evening hours on some new greeting cards, tags and notes that showcase my affection for French Confection-ry.  I'm having so much fun and the possibilities are endless when working with vintage graphics!  If I'm not careful the wee morning hours can easily melt into my evening hours...it just doesn't feel like work!

 

 ~FRENCH CORSET BLANK CARD~

Eeek!  I just love PhotoShop and Paint Shop Pro!  I'm soooo NOT a techno-girl so if I can master even a tiny bit of each of these programs it's not unusual to see me rock-out with a 'happy dance'.  :)

~PINK PRETTIES FOR THIS WEEK~

And there you have it!  My tiny contribution for

Miss B's Pink Saturday Parteee!  

Thanks for stopping by to visit me today...hope your day is wonderful!

Love to you...

~BROWNIE GIRL SCOUTS and MY AMAZING MOTHER~

~BROWNIE TROOP 106~

Hacienda Heights, California

March 31, 1965

Today I'm going to take you all back to when I was a little kid and do a little bit o' braggin' about my Momma!  OK?

I was six years old when the picture at the top was taken and even though over 45 years have passed since it was snapped I still remember thinking my Momma

Hung The Moon!

You wanna talk about crazeeeeee-talented???

My mother was truly before her time! 

~REBECCA WITH HER LOVELY TEETH~

(Nothing 5 years of braces couldn't fix!)

Back in 1965 she was the Girl Scout Co-Leader for Brownie Troop 106 and I promise you...somehow she was ALWAYS finding a way to get her girls (and whatever they were involved in!) in the newspaper!

She was a master at getting
FREE ADVERTISING and Press

for not only Girl Scouts, but for 

Bixby Elementary School's PTA, too!

(I think she was shameless and soooo very BOLD!)

  ~BEAUTIFUL MOM in 1965~

You soooo totally ROCKED, Mom! 
(Even then I somehow knew you did...)

MY BIG SISTER, LINDA

(I'm not sure she was having a good day!)

When I was too young to qualify to be a Brownie my Mother and Auntie fashioned what they called "Pixie" outfits for me and my cousin.  They didn't want us to feel like we were being left out of the fun since we both had older sisters in the Troop!  I suppose it was OK since they were
the LEADERS and were
DOING LOTS OF STUFF FOR FREE! :)

~CHRISTMAS CAROLING ARTICLE 1963~

(Gosh...my name was ALWAYS last!)

Today I'm so grateful for all the time and effort my Mother put into raising her children.  She exposed us to so much and it was almost always done

on a very thin dime!

 

 ~NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM 1964~

~MY BEAUTIFUL MOMMA and AUNTIE P~
(Sign was Hand painted by my Grandfather)
Auntie on left, Mom 2nd from right

It is truly because of her and all the things she taught me during my growing-up years (and beyond) that I'm able to do what I love today.

 ~MY MOTHER and I in 1959~

I know I've shown you the photo above before...but it's the only one in existence of my Mother holding me
as a baby...

It means MORE to me than I can say!

 ~MY MOTHER and I TODAY~
Our Only Professional Picture Ever Taken 

Except for some candid snapshots, I've never had a professional picture taken of my mother and I alone.  A few weeks ago we had this one made of just the two of us.  As usual my mother is radiant!
I'm just THRILLED my eyes weren't shut (don't ask!).

"A rendezvous

Which two hearts keep

Beyond

All time, aware

In joy or sorrow

One may come

And find the other

There"

 Mary Wheeler Edgerton 

(NO SPECIAL OCCASION, MOM!  JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!)

Hope you all have a fabuloso Friday!  I'm going junkin' and slummin'!!!

PS:  My Mr. AGPMan just got his first test back!  He aced it!  But then...I knew he would!  Whoot!  Whoot!

Love to you...

~A SHABBY COTTAGE CHIC CUBBY MAKEOVER~

~SWEET CUBBY FOR LACE~

For the third year in a row I've decided to participate in the

"WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY"

hosted by the ever talented

Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage.

Once again this fabulously fun get-together has more than a couple hundred participants.  The grand reveal is July 15, 2011 and I hope you'll stop in for a peek at what's new!  So many incredibly talented women will be taking part in the excitement and we'd love to have you join us as well!  Click one of the links above for more information...

~GREAT FOR OLD RIBBONS and LACES~

Over the past twelve months I've revamped my working studio quite a bit.  As I told you a couple of days ago the wall colors have been changed from a pale pink to a soft creamy white and even though much of the layout has stayed the same I've tried to alter several key elements in the room.  I'm loving the transformation which includes the changing out the skirt on my sewing machine table (to something less busy!) as well as the removal and then the addition of different furniture pieces.  I've been focusing on working "smarter" not "harder" and I'm truly loving the change.

 ~TOTALLY YUMMEEEE~

For me, the reasons for decorating with whites have been simple.  White is capable of unlimited subtleties without ever becoming boring or tiresome.  It's ever lovely, ever fresh.  Even though most of my home showcases this purest of colors I've found when used in my studio or working space it helps me focus on the project at hand instead of everything around me.

 ~GORGEOUS INSERTION LACE~

When I'm out and about tag sale hunting (or just merely junkin', you KNOW it's my favorite past-time, right?) I'm always on the lookout for storage/display pieces I can use in my workroom.  I can't stand digging in big plastic bags for just the right piece of vintage lace or ribbon...it absolutely makes me nuts!!!  I like to see what I have at hand and wasting time "searching" is, well, a waste of time.

 ~LOVE BOTTLES and BUTTONS~

The little cubby you see above was found at a Speigel auction over ten years ago.  I fell in love with all her little drawers and it's been another perfect place for holding bits of old lace and trims.  I've stacked it up with a sweet little piece found at an estate sale...both sit upon an vintage dresser/chest.  Everything has been painted out with my favorite Cottage White Paint (by Behr/Home Depot) before being gently distressed.

In about three weeks or so I'll be showing you more of where I create.  Soooo~  I hope you'll visit me again to see what's new!  In the meantime don't forget to visit Miss Karen and her wonderful blog.  You will LOVE her!!!!

Blessing for an awesome summer day!

Love to you...