the start of may

The month of May is when spring really jumps into action here in Illinois. Inspired by my friend, Kari at A Gracefull Life who has been sharing beautiful photos of her walks on Instagram, I purposely noticed the beauty that surrounds me on my neighborhood walk today. I normally do pay attention to that stuff anyway; I'm always pulling out my phone to take pictures when I walk, but sometimes my same ol' neighborhood walk gets a little boring. Not today!

 Around my own yard, a few perennials that say SPRING to me are bleeding heart...

vinca...

and bishop's cap. All three have that delicate, romantic look about them.

This past weekend, the weather was sunny and warm, so I spent a lot of time on Sunday getting herbs and herb seeds planted in pots...

and more herbs such as basil, two varieties of thyme, and rosemary planted in the backyard herb garden. 

 I planted two pots of dahlias and sweet potato vines, too. I still have coleus and tomatoes to plant, but those are going to have to wait until it's warmer. We're in for another cold snap this weekend. Can you believe it's going down to 28 degrees Friday night? I've been bringing in my pots of flowers into the garage and covering my herbs with a sheet at night.

I had a helper while planting, too. Clementine loves to be outside, but I don't let her roam freely. She only gets to go on the front porch with me. If she starts to step off the porch, I bring her back into the house.  I ordered her a mesh cat tent on Amazon, but I haven't put it together yet. I'm hoping she likes it. She can stay safely in her tent on the porch when I'm outside, without me constantly having to guard her every move.

Speaking of cats, I ordered this art print online from Bed, Bath & Beyond and then got the frame on Amazon. Isn't it cute? Sorry the photo didn't turn out well; I kept getting glare from the plexiglass in the frame.

Here's what my big kitchen wall looks like now with the new print ~ and oh yes, two more plates around the gather here sign.

Here's an older photo I found when I only had two plates around the gather here sign. That sign seems rather sad nowadays though. No gathering around our table lately, except for Brian and I. 

Have a good weekend ~ stay safe and well!

finds and fadings

Sharing some of my latest finds with you...

Aren't these plates perfect for fall? The thrift store only had two each of these dinner plates and salad plates, but that's OK. They'll look pretty as part of a place setting on the table. They're made by Vernon Kilns (USA). 

A pretty hand-painted pitcher...

Mini hobnail sugar and creamer...

Another owl to add to my collection, but this one is different. Instead of a figurine, it's a vintage clip and quite heavy. Found in my favorite antique shop.

This was my best find, by far.  A brand-new Dooney and Bourke wristlet! Still had the original price tag of $75. My price was $13. :-)

These aren't thrifting finds, but they're still bargains: wire magazine holders from the Target dollar section. They were $3 each. I snagged the last two. The navy and aqua colors are perfect for my office. I just need to make labels for the fronts. 

Meanwhile, being the end of August, the gardens are fading. All my potted annuals are history (except for one hanging pot of petunias in a shady spot) and some of the perennials are starting to dry up.

The end of August is when Sedum starts showing its beauty and since I have it planted in the butterfly garden, it's nice to have something blooming while the Purple Coneflower and Black-eyed Susan are fading away.

I just cannot get over my coleus this year. This pot started out as four small plants. At first, these plants weren't doing well. The leaves started to shrivel up and were crispy. I tried a sunny spot, shady spot, more water, less water...nothing was working. One of the plants even died. I was just about to give up when I decided to move the pot to the other side of the house. I don't know why this was the "magic spot", but wow! Next year I'm planting coleus in the ground in this spot.

I had to run into the grocery store while I was out this evening and I found mini mums for $2.99. I bought two yellow and one purple to plant in the planter box that previously held basil (now harvested and made into pesto and frozen). I guess fall really is coming. I'm one who wants to hold onto summer just a bit longer.

just a few treasures ~ and the reason why

Remember how I used to frequently show you all my latest thrifting treasures?

Notice I haven't done that lately?

There's a good reason: I've only purchased a few goodies in 2-1/2 months!

Here's the few things I've found at Goodwill since the beginning of August.

(I found a beautiful light blue Laura Ashley cardigan and olive corduroy jacket

from the Gap at the local Savers right before it went out of business, but I 

normally don't take photos of clothes.)

I'm a big fan of Lisa Lill Studio handbags. She's a local Chicago designer.

This small velvet handbag will be perfect for dressier fall occasions. 

 I've been carrying this heavy cotton Lisa Lill bag this fall and love how it's

casual, sturdy, and pretty. I've gotten lots of compliments on it. There's nothing

like pretty bags ~ especially when they only cost $5!

 These lovely plates were only 99 cents each. They'll be pretty on the kitchen

table in the summer.

 Many years ago, my aunt gave me this August teacup for my birthday.

I was thrilled to find the matching plate last month!

 Of course, I couldn't pass up this cute, colorful kitty print. It's hanging in the 

main bath.

 Love these pretty teacups and saucers made by Grand Duchess Taste Setter

 by Sigma (Japan). 

 So...there's a reason I haven't been thrifting much. When you've lived in the same house

for over 24 years and you've raised two kids in that house, you accumulate a lot of stuff.

When my friend moved this summer, I saw how much stuff she had to (and wanted to) get

rid of. She said it was very freeing, and I believe it. I know how good it feels to get certain

spaces cleaned out and to let some of that clutter go. I was determined to stop bringing

in so much "stuff" and to continue decluttering ~ especially my messy basement. I just

donated 14 bags of miscellaneous household items, books, and clothing yesterday.

Here's the neighbor's maple tree today. Such beauty.

 Happy almost-weekend!

new blue and white dishes

 I've been staying out of thrift stores for the most part lately. I am trying to get

rid of collected "stuff" in my basement as it is ~ I certainly don't need anything else!

Well, the other day as I was passing Goodwill, I had the urge to stop in. I was looking

for a table runner and possibly some spring tops. I did find a table runner and just

one spring shirt, but I also found these bowls:

I am such a sucker for blue and white, especially when it comes to dishes.

And made in England? I'm sold. I also found these bee salad plates. They have

no marks on the back except for "Made in Thailand".

 

And here's the runner I found. It's reversible, with smaller checks on the back.

 

Everything - runner, bowls, plates - were only 99 cents each.

Can't beat that kind of shopping!

a new wall arrangement ~ and soon to be new range

 You might remember that one of my kitchen walls looked like this

(minus the white stool; now a black table is in its place)...

 I never felt like the left side was balanced, so then I tried adding

the two flowered trays ~ and didn't like that look either.

So, yesterday I decided to take everything down and move the "share a moment" 

picture to the left and add something new to the right. A little better so far?

I'll show you in a moment what I did with the smaller coffee print and the red

metal coffee sign.

What do you think if I then added two plates - one blue, one red - to the

 side of the white shelf? (That's Brian, helping me out.)

Or, two red plates? I think I like the blue and red better.

 As for the smaller coffee print and the red metal coffee

sign, I put them on the wall by the coffee maker.

 Speaking of kitchen stuff, we have to get a new range. Our 15-year old 

Hotpoint gave up the ghost. The serviceman told us it was the circuit board. 

With the price of parts and labor, it wasn't worth repairing. So I spent a lot

 of time online last night and today, researching different brands, prices,

 and reviews. When every dollar counts, you gotta do your homework!