The Wonders of Wire

Have you seen the wondrous things that 

she can do with wire?

Yep-just plain old wire…

(albeit french wire ;-)

I wonder if these come a wee bit bigger?

I am simply cuckoo for this cuckoo clock.

Check out De Beaux Souvenirs on Etsy.

Her talent and skill are breathtaking.

Wishing you a breathtaking evening.

Cristine

Snow Snow Go Away...

This is what it looked like in Colorado yesterday morning…

This is what it looks like today…

All gone ;-)

Hope your skies are just as blue.

Cristine 

Halloween Hello

I did not link this image and don't know who to give credit to :-(

Image from Dreamy Whites 

Image from The Three Sweet Peas

May your Halloween night 

bring 

more treats than tricks ;-)  

Cristine

Vintage Market Wannabe

Saturday was the perfect day for a yard sale…

Photo was taken after the rummaging began.
I can't believe how early those die hard yard salers are out ;-)

The weather was gorgeous...

and the people came in droves from 7 am until 2 pm.

Plastic was used to cover the wet grass…
I forgot to adjust the sprinkler system not to come on at 5 am…oops.

I met a lot of new neighbors and 

chatted with a few acquainted ones.  

Also a snapshot taken after the rummaging had begun.

I made a little bit of money…

The kids made a lot and loved every minute of it ;-)

They sold water...

(it started out cold but warmed as the day went on-

my son fretted when he had to reduce the price because of warming temperatures)

and gave away a free cookie with purchase-chocolate chip and snicker doodles.

I wanted my handsome husband to hang this chandelier from the
apple tree in our front yard but he had other ideas…
like it is easier to put  it on the plant hanger next to our front door …wink wink

When all was said and done…

(after 3 trips to Goodwill with the items that did not sell ;-)

I managed to clean out my house-

inventory my charitable donation

and exhaust myself to the point of collapsing ;-)

Next year… I think I'll shop instead.

Cristine 

Getting Ready for the First Annual Montclair Yard Sale

Tomorrow, October 1 

is the first annual 

(annual-if all goes well ;-)

Historic Montclair Garage/Yard Sale

I have A LOT of stuff to sell and with sunny skies in the forecast-

it should be a selltacular ;-)  day!

Hope there are sunny skies in your weekend.

Cristine 

Shed Serendipity

Photograph from Laura Casey Interiors

If I had three wishes…

one of them would surely be for a shed sanctuary.

Photograph from Sunset Magazine online

Heather Cameron

Photograph from smidgebox.blogspot.com

Photograph from Jeanne d'Arc

Photograph from Downeast.com

Photograph from Shed Chic by Sally Coulhard

Wishing you a sanctuary too.

If you want a change of scenery~wait 15 minutes

There is a file on my computer simply titled "Inspiration"

source

source

I have gathered a series of images from blogs, magazines, websites and books 

and placed them in this folder.

source

I then set up my computer to play a slideshow of these images

~changing pictures every 15 minutes~

source

Now, when I am at work

-diligently trying to keep up with the present day's tasks-

I look over at my laptop screen and see...

source

source

James Merrell

I love this image but again I don't have the exact source
If anyone knows who to give credit to-please let me know

source

source

source

…this beautifully inspired imagery.

source

Thank you to all of the wonderful sources of these magical photographs 
and 
for the amazing inspiration that they evoke.


Please click on source below each photograph to find the
talented people to whom these photographs belong.

Where I am Today~ In My Imagination Anyway

Going to Carolina

I am heading off for a most needed and highly anticipated adventure …

…to the beautiful state of North Carolina

So~in an effort to excite myself even more than I am already~

I thought that I would post some lovely and inspiring Carolina photographs.

My sons' grandmother recently moved to Hillsborough, NC 

from Stamford, CT

{I was a tiny bit disappointed when I first heard that they were moving because

I loved their home in Connecticut and I had visions of my sons experiencing the charm of 

summers in New England}

Although I have been to North Carolina before,

this will be the first time that I will see their new home.

It is located in a historic district known to be inhabited by authors and artists~

{it already sounds charming doesn't it?}

How could I have doubted that they would choose anyplace other 

than an equally charming and delightful southern town?

While my children enjoy the company of their California cousins

{they are having a mini family reunion}

I will be galavanting around looking for local home and garden tours and quaint

antique shops~taking photographs of southern architecture, landscapes and people~

savoring some Southern fried chicken and grazing on grits ;-)  

I am certain that I will take in one -mmm... maybe two-of those sight-seeing 

bus trips-I am kind of cheesy that way ;-)

I will tell you all about it when I return.

Happy Adventures!

Festive Fourth

Happy 4th!

Armchair Adventurer

Even though the first day of summer is still a few days away….

The University is blissfully in its off season and my less scattered thoughts are now firmly focused on a summer by the sea.  

Unfortunately, my pocketbook isn't as cooperative and I will be spending most of my summer land locked in the city that boats being a mile higher than sea level.

Despite my physical location I've found that I can embark on just about any adventure from the comfort of my own armchair.  Now I recognize that armchair traveling~ especially through books~ isn't exactly a new idea…however I cannot help but be amazed at how limitless and freeing and wonderfully vivid the human imagination can be.  

So while my body is here deep in the wild, wild west…my spirit and the current infatuation of my imagination is here

I have always been drawn to the rugged stone coast of the Atlantic and Maine has been a particular draw because its climate is so much less humid than its seasonal competitors to the south.  

Two summers ago, J- and I had the great fortune of traveling through coastal Maine.  We started in Camden and worked our way down to Boothbay Harbor and Kennebunkport.  We did not quite make it up as far north as Bar Harbor -I would like to someday.  

Handsome but fuzzy J- in Camden Harbor

Me and J- in a sea canoe in front of  Curtis Island Lighthouse 

Like J. Courtney Sullivan~the author of Maine~ I am in love with the idea of artist colony gatherings, beach picnics and moonlit ancestral story telling. I am just a bit of a romantic-can you tell?  

So I am going to spend my summer evenings emblazoned in a book~ frolicking in the Maine moonlight~dipping my toes in the cold Atlantic waves~laughing at stories of summers long past and decorating the summerhouse of my soul.  

If you too are an armchair traveler-you may want to check this out.  If Maine isn't the summer destination of your dreams-this book will tell you which novel will take you on an armchair adventure more suited to your likes.  


Also-did you know that Google Earth has an add on feature called  Google Books?  The Google Books layer in Google Earth offers users a new way to explore the world of books. By turning on the Google Books layer, users can fly from place to place, reading as they go, or they can search for a specific place name and browse a selection of references to that place name in both fiction and non-fiction texts.  For more information go here.  

Perfect chair for traveling found at evadesigns.com

Happy travels :-)

Cristine