Cost Minus Local Market...

Cost Plus {World Market} is right!
You have the "cost"...plus! YIKES!

These little cuties are, well, cute...but $9.99 worth of cute? I
think not...especially when you know they will be marked down
to $2.99 in a week or two! So, I though I'd take a turn through
my "Cost Minus Local Market" and see if I could make a reasonable
facsimile thereof.



Now, I have no rick-rack...or oval-shaped cut-outs...sheesh, I couldn't
even find anything vaguely oval-shaped to use as a template!
So, mine had to be square...like me! ;}
I kicked it up a notch with some fun background paper though...well,
I think it's "fun"...but you know how square I am! ;}


I just printed up some vintage postcards...mine and a few from the
ever fabulous Graphics Fairy , then I got to gluing and glittering!
And what mine lack in "oval-ity", I tried to make up for with
foofery!




...buttons, pins, this, that & the other...never, ever forget "the other"!




As I said, I have no ricck-rak to speak of...or, even to mumble of...
so, I used my fancy schmancy scissors on the edges which, if
you're as blind as me...looks every bit like rick-rack! ;}

Well, they aren't as polished as the "real" ones, but they were
free..and free is very pretty indeed! ;}


There's still time to enter our
Little Vintage French White Farm House On The Prairie Give Away!
just go HERE to leave a comment by March 31st!!! We'd LOVE to have you!




Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
How To's Day @ The Lettered Cottage
Whatever You Want @ Free Pretty Things
Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Met Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Mosaic Monday @ The Little Red House
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Brag Monday @ The Graphics Fairy

Little Vintage French White Farm House On The Prairie Give Away!

Did I hear someone say it's time for the Little Vintage French White
Farmhouse On The Prairie Give Away?? Well, whoever it was...
they are SO right...it's the first day of Spring...it is time! {It's has been
rainy and cold all day...see, eventually we Cali folk get our comeuppance!
And I just figured out that my Sammy does not want to sit on my lap
because she loves to cuddle mom...it's because she is shamelessly
warming her skinny pet loins with the warmth of my laptop!!! ;}

If you are at all intrigued by the photo snippets above...
by all means...continue reading and looking!!!There's
a lot to get through!!!




I have been perusing Bloglandia...taking note of all things
Vintage, French, White, Farm House-y and Prairie-fied
{that about covers it, right?!! ;} So, I decided to gather up
some little goodies from bloggers we all know and love
and whose names pop right into your mind whenever the
words Vintage, French, White, Farm, House & Prairie*
are mentioned...
and I want to give these gathered goodies...to one of you!
{ * hereafter to be named VFWFHP...because I'm already
exhausted from typing it...and I'll surely need a cookie break
half way through this post! }



We begin with these gorgeous mixed media tags lovingly created by
the fun and fabulous, June of Laughing With Angels ...they are just
dripping with lace, roses and fleur-di-lis...
and are almost too dreamy to touch! But you surely will!!!



Now if the closest you have been to France...is eating French fries, like me...
from Maria's Dreamy Whites shop...a vintage French sample of correspondence...
the penmanship is amazing!!!



Scan it, copy it, frame it...it's a true work of art!
{I think that white squiggle on the top of a Hostess cupcake is art,
so, you might not trust me on this point...but I assure you...it's
tres fab!!!!}





From Tracey's shop at French Larkspur ...Lavender Sugar complete with a vintage teaspoon!
Hello! Sugar...one of my major food groups! ;}



Personally...I think it's too pretty to eat!! Seriously...just put it someplace
where you can adore it!!!




Also, from French Larkspur...Lavender Soap...





Bundled up with beautiful lace and a vintage medallion...
again...too pretty to use! ;} I really don't know anyone worthy
of washing off their schmootz with this!





And from The Old Painted Cottage ...this vintage spool...
I have an inexplicable thing for spools! I can't sew and have no
idea how to "spool" anything...that is how inexplicable my "thing"
is! But I just know Laura Ingalls had one! Use it as a little vase,
a pencil holder...a very vintage dental floss dispenser...the skies the limit!





And now from moi...
Three little galvanized pots complete with a handled tray.





Use them on your desk for bit and bobs...
you vanity for cotton balls & q-tips...
your dresser for jewelry or all the annoying
spare buttons you have to cut off of every garment you buy! ;}
They even have liners so you can grow herbs in them
too...or a really small tree... ;}






Next we have this adorable French milk bottle with a white
porcelain lid...
{sorry...a bit too heavy on the "blur" with this shot...as you may have
noticed, I used every single "effect" Picnik has to offer...it's quite
addicting...and calorie free! ;}





As a vase or a actual milk bottle...pretty darn cute!
I just know Amélie has one like this in her fridge!





How about this rustic little chicken wire basket...
now this warms the cockles of my heart!
I may not know nothin' about France...'tho French
I am...like most of you Americans, I do know about
farmhouses and prairies...from my immigrant ancestors
who homesteaded the vast expanse of "middle America".





It comes with a glass vase inside so it can be used as a charming
hanging candle holder or a kitchen "catch-all"...reminds me
of my great-grandmother...she came to the OC before she was 20,
but ever was a Missouri farm girl.






And last but not least...
HRH Mr. Birdie, who has promised to sit anywhere
your little heart desires a touch of whimsy! {and is a
tad miffed that he has not received an invite from
Wills & Kate! ;}




So, there you have it...
Vintage
French
White
Farmhouse
Prairie...
see anything you like?





Oh, did I forget to mention that you will also receive...

Kaari Meng's The French-Inspired Home
The Farm Chicks In The Kitchen and
Fifi O'Neill's Romantic Prairie Style

Ok...now I really do think that's everything...
{truly tho...I do think I am forgetting something...ACK! ;}

So...if there's a thing or two you might be hankering for...
Just leave a comment on this post until midnight, March 31st.
If you spread the word by writing a post about it, you get another
chance.
Become a follower and you get another chance.
Anyone, anywhere...you don't have to be a blogger, but
PLEASE be sure to leave your email address or I won't
have a way to contact you!!


HAPPY SPRING!!! And best of luck!!!!

Whatever You Want @ Free Pretty Things!
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage!
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm Cottage!
and pop over to Mary's for Mosaic Monday !



{use of the names of the blogs and authors mentioned in no way
implies that they are endorsing or sponsoring this give away...
all the tempty treats were purchased by yours truly ;}

Irish Eyes...

Sometime in the 1850's {no one knows exactly when...}, my great grand
father left the potato famine ravaged shores of Ireland and sailed to
America. He died in 1889, so naturally, I never knew him...my grand
mother never even knew him since he died just before she was born.
I wonder what Paddy would think of his great grand daughter...
typing away on a little white box she calls a "lap top" and spouting
nonsense to people she has never met? He, who had to live in a
"soddy" until his home was finally built on the lonely mid-western
prairie...way before "prairie" was so cool!
Yah...he'd think I was crazy too! ;}

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
And remember...
if you're lucky enough to be Irish...
you're lucky enough!

Tea & Comfort...

So...I took a lot of pictures of my little teacup to join in
all of Tuesdays usual tea-related festivities and they were
all so ACK! and blown out that I became a deflated little
puddle of self-pity and I didn't even bother to post since
I thought they were irredeemable! Seriously...whoever
thought it was a good idea to put a camera in my
hands was on crack...it's just that simple!
My niece has tried to help me learn the lesson of photography
without flashing...apparently though, I am a hard nut to
crack {there's that word again! ;}





I use a Mac with a program called iPhoto to edit my snaps...
so, I decided to see what all the hullabaloo is about and I
attempted to dig images out from under all those blank
squares of whiteness that...at the time...I had assumed were
pictures of my little no-name Homer Laughlin cup &
saucer.




Well, with A LOT of contrasting this and highlighting that I
was magically able to make images appear...odd images...
ghostly images...but images nonetheless. No textures,
no Photoshop, just a big fat dose of "DUH"! ;}
I actually really like the first shot...how the rose stands out
so vividly... ok, maybe that's just the pathetic justification of
an inept picture-taker-chick!! ;}
But I think I'll go wade through some more "mishaps" and see
what appears!


Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm Cottage
Teacup Tuesday with MARTHA & TERRI

Pick A Posy...

So...the posies and I had a little photo session...
unlike other models, they can go for hours on end
without a cigarette break, coffee break, illegal substance
break...heck, even a potty break!
Posies rock!





After about 500 pictures...I jest not...I figured I'd make them into
mosaics instead of having an entire fashion show...





...it seemed like the merciful thing to do...you may not be quite
as into my vast and varied variety of posies as I am...uh, or
as I was...500 pictures ago! ;}






Hang in there guys...Spring is just around the corner!!!!
And there will be an explosion of real posies...everywhere!

Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Pop over to Mary's for more Mosaic Monday

Fahrvergnugen & Tsunamis...

I have spent entirely too much time today with my knickers in a knot
thinking about tsunamis, so, for a few minutes...I am going to shallowly
focus on candles.
Have you seen these?
PINK POLKA DOTTED CANDLES?
Me either!
Until today...when I saw them at Bee's house!
And, oh yes, I snapped some shots...because, had I been at my
house there would have been no candles to takes pictures of...
since she didn't buy me any!
Seriously?
Seriously!

{excuse my "snaps"...the light was not fab...
so, I used the smoke & mirrors of Picnik to
alter them...and cast blame elsewhere! ;}



She bought them at Ikea! And even though they look different in
each shot...they are literally THE perfect shade of pink! It's
enough to give you the vapors, Miss Scarlett!
{And to be fair...Bee knows I'm not a big "candle" chick...
but for theses...HELLO! I'd make an exception! Wouldn't
you??!! ;}




I believe their Ikea name is "freakinpinkincuten"...I am a tad leary
of these names though...I always wonder if the Swedes are just
laughing themselves silly naming these products for our consumption...
We think we're 'all that' using the store name for our new shelf...
when it really means "smelly cat box"! ;}
Do you ever wonder?

What ever their name...they are PERFECT and I believe they were
a mere $1.99 each! Makes your knees weak, right??!!

{ps...I do know that 'fahrvergnugen' is German...it just makes me
wonder too...plus, it sounds funny! ;}

For a respite from this weary world, be sure to pop on over to Bev's
for more Pink Saturday !
Show & Tell @ Be Different Act Normal

...and now, back to thinking about Japan...those poor souls!

Her Chequered Past!

She's mad! Mad, I tell you! She can look at anything made
by MACKENZIE-CHILDS and make it over...with her own
personal flare...and, more importantly, for a fraction of the cost!
Can I get an "Amen" for being cheap and making it happen
anyway! Ok, I'll do it myself..."AMEN!"



The "she" of which I speak, is Terry of Forever Decorating
...the wild paintrix who gives a new topcoat to anything
that can't out run her! Just look what she did to these
teapots/kettles! {what, exactly is the diff between a teapot
and a kettle, I ask?}
Aren't they just tres fab!




No need to lust after this pricy little pretty...





Just pull up your bootstraps and paint your own!
{Not that I could, mind you...I just admire that "can-do"
spirit! 'Just what makes that little 'ol ant, think he can
move a rubber tree plant...' and all that!}




Now, Terry doesn't know me from Adam...or, uh, Eve I guess.
But when I saw the that she had an entire category on her blog
devoted to her MacKenzie-Childs make-overs...my wee little
heart went pittery-pat! And I had to share...and sing...but I'll
do the singing in private! ;}

How fun is this little table!




It may strike you as as tad odd that I have a closet MacKenzie-
Childs "thing"...well, I do. Much like my Mary Engelbreit
"thing", it revolves around my love of black & white stripes,
black & white checks...and the longing for a red kitchen!
I know!
ACK!
Who am I?!!
This began LONG before Rachel Ashwell graced our fair shores,
and I have never found a patch that will eliminate these cravings!

Terry loved the tray above...a bit too "spendy" tho...





So, Bob's your uncle!
She created her own!
{HOW cute is her kitchen too!!!! ;}




She turned this chair...




into this!





Adorable!
She upholsters...
she paints...
she's an animal!




A dollar store place mat...




HELLO!
{I love you...won't you tell me your name!}

Well, I am just not brave enough to MacK-C my abode.
So, I will live out my design-crush through Terry and her
amazing make-overs!

{Pink & white checked...maybe I'll do that... ;}