fun thrifting finds

 It's been awhile, but I went thrifting again. Here's what came home with me:

I love the colors in this handmade blanket. It's also the perfect size to cover just my lap and part of my legs; it's not over-sized. Since our evenings are still cold, I use it when I'm reading or watching TV.

Blue and white dishes are my favorites and I happened to need some more smaller plates. I usually buy plates made in England or Germany (I won't eat off of plates that are made in China) as I prefer that style, but I was drawn to the flowers on these Japanese plates. I also like how they have a "lip" on the plate edge. A lot of times, I just eat a small meal or a snack consisting of fruit and raw nuts, so these smaller plates are a perfect size.

Another scarf (I know it needs ironing) to add to my collection.

Two small Limoges teacups. My grandma loved Limoges, too. 

A kitty sun catcher.

Brass Gregorian candlesticks.

A green and white lampshade...

An organizer that still had the original price sticker from HomeGoods on it. My price was 50 cents. :-)

Lastly, I found this collection of vintage quilted hearts when I was treasure hunting with Mom a few days ago.

Have a fantastic weekend!

new pillow and blankie ~ and an exciting day tomorrow

 I'm at a standstill with the bookcases in the basement. I was right there. Down to my

last couple of shelves. And we discovered that with the last shelf, the plastic had been

torn open on the edge and the shelf hooks taken out. People can be so rude! Of course,

Brian didn't notice when he was at IKEA and taking the shelves down to purchase them.

So now we have to go back (and it's a 45 minute drive) and exchange one stinkin' shelf.

But it's looking good down there in the family room! More photos of that area later

in the week. In the meantime...

My living room sofa needed some pizazz. There was just way too much beige and

brown going on. I love and need color. So I made a trip to HomeGoods yesterday

and found this great mustard color pillow (with an owl - bonus!). This isn't normally

a color I gravitate towards, but I like a little bit of it for fall.

 This mustard color happens to coordinate perfectly with bright blue - my main

accent color in the living room. How pretty is this throw? I think it adds just the

right punch of color to all this "blah" going on. All I had on the couch before

was an old off-white, holey fleece blanket that the cats slept on. It had definitely

 seen better days. I kept it for the cats though. They need their blankies, too!

 I must now go iron some dress pants for tomorrow ~ we're auditioning for the

Family Feud! We have to get up bright and early (OK, dark and early) to drive

into downtown Chicago. The team will be me, Brian, my sister, brother-in-law,

and my BIL's cousin. Wish us luck! They're looking for fun, upbeat people and

my husband and sister tend to be more serious and low-key, but my sister said

she's great at pretending. ;-) Brian and I have been watching the Family Feud

on the game show network to see how the people act, and I've been coaching

Brian how to act enthusiastic and excited over word suggestions and correct 

answers. Let the high-fiving, hugging, and jumping up and down begin!

Goodnight. Sweet dreams. 

(Photo taken last night on our evening walk at the lake near our house.)