~ Paper Flowers and Eclectic Treasures For You ~

It's been a very cold, snowy day here.

I have a cozy fire and some little friends gathered

around. I keep hearing Brutus' snoring and the deep breathing of Liberty as she sleeps nearby. The dear dog is getting older.

I hope that you're enjoying your 

Valentine's week.

With all of the loving thoughts

and expressions going around.

"There is only one happiness in life;

 to love and be loved."

George Sand

Yesterday, I baked 5 loaves 

of banana and zucchini

bread. It was delightful to have that

sweet smell floating 

through the house.

And soon I am going to go

 make some cookie dough

 for sugar cookie hearts 

for friends and the grandkids. 

Are you baking for Valentine's day?

********

Do you ever think about how wonderful

it is to live in such inspiring times?

There are so many resources and ways to fulfill

the creative longings in our heart.

There are so many

fabulously talented and creative

people out there sharing their magic and

knowledge and skills.

I've learned so much and

I'm grateful!

And then there are books.

Are you a book person?

My grandparents always bought me new

books for my birthday. 

I still have some.

And I'm so thankful that my parents

always sent me back to school with

my Scholastic Book order

form all filled out and placed in an 

envelope with the money 

to pay for my new books.

Someday I'll do a book post.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine and 

man cannot live without love"

Max Muller

I've been enjoying this 

 mantel so much.

{The antique mirror with her elegant gold roses

feels very at home as the 

blush pink,  paper flower sits nearby.

Sparkling crystal is happy to be near

the Carnation Family as 

their colors reflect in the glass.} 

Do you like mixing old and new with

whimsical and elegant?

It reminds me of life.

All the goodness and textures 

blended together to display the

 beautiful and interesting 

and exciting story.

Do you like old tins?

I found this one at a thrift store.

I love the delicate roses and 

fairy-like butterflies painted in

the soft blues, yellows and pinks.

"Love planted a rose and the world turned sweet."

Katherine Lee Bates

Chalkboards are fun to 

share quotes and doodles on.  

This is a child's from long ago.

I wish I knew the story behind it.

Confession time. 

This saying is actually from three years ago

at Thanksgiving. It brings back such good memories that I am reluctant to erase it.

Paper flowers can be whimsical and pretty.

 They're fun and easy to make.

Their textures and puffy layers 

are cheerful and charming.

These colors make me think of winter.

Sometimes in the evenings 

we have beautiful pinks

as the sun slips away for the night.

Do you like the white flowers?

Since the growing season here in the mountains

is so short and I love flowers so much,

I have started collecting them from

different stores. 

Walmart carries a few pretty ones and

they are reasonably priced.

These looked so happy with their big, 

bright white

petals and soft pink centers.

"God's love is like an ocean;

you can see it's beginning but not it's end."

Rick Warren

Miss Prim ROSE is very curious.

I don't allow her to stay on my table because 

she is a bit reckless. 

haha

She found a sponge that I had been using for acrylics and had to smell it.

What a cutie :)

I hope,

 Dear friends,

 that you find your week is filled 

with love, laughter, friendship 

and many

ways to celebrate 

all the love in your life.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 

XOXO

Thank you very much for 

your friendship

and for visiting my blog.

Love and blessings to you.

Tamara xo

Back From the Flea.. Inspiration and Happy Exhaustion!

Hello Dear Friends~

So many weeks have passed since we visited.

I'm sorry I have been away so long. 

I should know better than to make promises of visits 

and checking in.

I didn't make it to the library one time.

Next time I will declare a time of absence!

Honestly, when I'm traveling, I hardly have time to breathe.

By the time I get home I am literally ready to drop

into a happy heap. 

It's so delightful being held captive by family and friends.

Hugs 

laughter

 stories 

 talks 

movies 

and food.

There are two places where we eat that the 

pies are absolutely

HEAVENLY! 

And hunting for oh so many treasures!

At times I felt like I was over doing the shopping a bit

but I've learned when it's

available, you must dive in and relish

in the opportunities.

I sure hope that all is well with you, Lovelies. 

{{Hugs}}

This refreshing New Mexico rain shower left us

with a beautiful double rainbow.

It looks like that truck is headed straight for the

pot O' gold!

 Drying my anniversary flowers in the motel room.

Crossing the Mississippi is always a huge landmark. We always feel like we've crossed over from the west to the east. 

And actually, St Louis is considered the gateway to the west.

Remember learning about The Louis and Clark

Expedition? Do you love learning 

about the history and people of our land? 

I do.

 Do you keep your hands busy when you're on the road?

When I'm not watching the scenery roll by, I work on cutting out and sewing yo-yos. I love watching 

the pile of these lovely, pleated and 

colorful flowers grow. 

I'm so drawn to these gypsy colors lately! 

 Looking for movie posters at the flea market was fun.

Here are two of our favorite 

hollywood stars together.  

Jean Arthur and Gary Cooper.

We love old movies!

This one would have been perfect but $995

was a bit out of our price range.

But so amazing.

Don't you love the vintage graphics and colors?

It may have been an original movie ad poster because it

was about 8 foot tall!

 The day we went to the flea market, it rained a good part f the

day. But we had such a great time as we met so many good

folks that inspired us with their hard work and dedication.

There so many vendors! One thing we learned and will do next time is to make a once around and make notes 
of those vendors that we'd like to make a stop at.
It was such a wonderful learning experience 
and so much fun!

 And oh my... look who I found.

My heart gets so thrilled when I consider Beatrix Potter

and her story.  Such sweet characters and beautiful

watercolors. What she accomplished in her day was

phenomenal! 

 And guess who came home with me?
 Miss Jemima Puddle Duck.

Doesn't she look like she's

 ready to go out and play in the rain with her
 smart little bonnet and jacket?
So sophisticated. 

Getting ready to load some of our treasures.
Chippy pink spindles. 
Oh my!

A Sugartree sunset and dreamy clouds~

It rained most of the time during our stay.

Back to everyday life which is anything but ordinary!

I'm so excited to slip back into it all..

Every day is a gift.. 

If I think of it that way, I hold the time close

and appreciate it more.

Isn't it just glorious to have some warm summer like days?

I'm so happy to be back safe and to have all those

wonderful memories tucked away in my heart.

What the extra-ordinary in your days?

Thank you for coming by. I'm looking forward to

catching up!

Tamara xo

Old Windmills, A Vintage Truck and The GiveAway Announcement!

Happy Monday, everyone!

It's a beautiful day here in the White Mountains.

Today, I will announce the winner of my 

altered book but first I'd like to share some 

photos with you. 

I said I wanted to start sharing more 

of our travel experiences.

We do a lot of traveling and sometimes

it's worth the extra time to 

take to the back roads.

That's really my favorite way to go.

It opens up the heart and mind a little and makes

spontaneity more of a reality.

 And doesn't that enrich our lives and

give us a fresh perspective?

It also makes room for surprises

or finding the extraordinary.

That's how we came across this

collection of windmills.

Do you like them?

Maybe some of you have never seen one. 

 But here in the west, they are still

a part of working ranches. 

And there are also many that 

are abandoned but still standing.

 What a beautiful blue-sky day it was! 

With just a few fluffy clouds floating by.

"When the winds of change blow

some people build walls,

and others build windmills."

~Chinese Proverb~

  At the bottom, left of this picture, you can see the

pipe that is fixed over top of the stock tank 

so the water can flow in. 

I just love seeing how things work!

 Aren't they beauties!? 
tall and inspiring....

And there's a little log cabin, too.

Below, there are some photos of a
rusty, vintage truck.

Do you ever wonder who drove those 
old treasures to the store..
school..
church...and maybe the country wedding?
I've always wanted to write a song
about one of those old trucks!

I had a good time trying some different angled shots. 

I hope you all don't mind. 

I recently read a blog post about how 

annoyed some people get with all the 

different shots of the same thing!

I'm sorry if that's me.

I don't know what this place was but

I was very excited to have found it!

 Out in the middle of no where.

I would have liked to ask some 

questions but there was no one around. 

 It seemed a little mysterious 

and that added to it's charm!

I hope you enjoyed the little tour and now onto

the giveAway announcement!

And the winner is.......

 Linda! 

Congratulations to you! Could you please

contact be by email with your mailing information,

I will get your book sent out to you this week!

Thank you very much to all who stopped by and left lovely,

sweet comments about my book and other posts!

You're all very kind and gracious and I

appreciate you so much.

Blessings to you all,

Tamara xo

Vintage Finds and Peaceful Words For A Winter's Day

A friendly welcome to my 

friends and new followers.

I'm so glad that you're all here.

Thank you for coming by.

I hope your week has been filled

with wonder and delight.

New experiences and a quiet

contentment with the familiar.

I do enjoy winter very much.

********

 Walks in the chilly air.

A good game of Fox and Geese

Campfires in the cold

Snow

Steaming cups of tea

 Neatly stacked fire wood

What good is the warmth of summer

without the cold of winter

to give it sweetness.

~Author Unknown

``````````````````````````

And another thing

that I enjoy is thrift store shopping. 

It's one of my favorite 

things to do.

Do you find it relaxing or exciting to look?

It can be both for me! 

A few months back,

I found these old hymnals. I like most old books

 and music is such a big part of my life. 

I am a gatherer..

  Sheet music or any kind of 

book that is related. 

I love the look of aged paper... 

especially with notes. 

I have seen crafters and artists 

   use it for creating many different projects. 

I enjoy using it for that as well and 

some I just collect.

These two are too special to take apart.

(I find it really hard pulling books apart anyway.

They just seem sacred to me...

 or something like that...am I strange? )

I have never seen a Psalter Hymnal..

I was very excited o find it.

The gilding and details on both of these

books are so special.

The edges and corners are so tattered  

and torn from hands taking them from

their place in the back of the pew. 

And possibly from falling to the floor from

the hands of little ones that are so

eager to read and sing along...

When I thought of these photos, 

 the colors of winter came to mind...

gray

blue

creamy white

brown... 

 and 

even green.

 The words still read the same.

Bringing peace and hope.

And the old scratched teapot. 

It's lid wouldn't stay on but it really

was a beauty to me with all of it's

scrolling details...

the pretty botanical handle and tarnished finish.

Winter days just seem to call 

to my heart to be still.

 Here's a handmade, cotton apron with it's 

corn flower-hued roses and 

vintage green leaves. I knew it was very old when 

I saw it and I couldn't resist bringing it home.

The cotton fabric is so soft 

and the added ribbons are so nice.

(The apron is tied on my thrifted wedding

dress that I found for a dollar. 

But she deserves a post

all her own and so that will come later!)

Hydrangeas from a family picnic last fall.

******

Winter is a time for comfort,

For good food and warmth,

For the touch of a friendly hand

and for a talk beside the fire:

It is the time for home.

It is no season in which to

Wander the world as if one 

Were the wind blowing aimlessly

Along the streets without a place to rest

Without food and without 

meaning anything to one.

Just as time means nothing to the wind.

Edith Sitwell

How many lessons of faith and

beauty we should lose,

if there were no winter in our year!

~

Thomas Wentworth Higginson

April Days, 1861

I hope you've enjoyed your visit.
Stay warm and be safe.

Blessings,
Tamara xo

Joining the party at:

Shabbalicious Friday Link Party

Vintage Inspiration Party

Sundays At Home