Hello everyone, this has been a strange week for me. Between the dark and gloomy weather and missing my friend like crazy, I've been blue and weepy. On Sunday  a ray of sunshine came into my life! sweet Brandi was awarded the Stylish Blogger Award. As a recipient of the award she was supposed to pay it forward to other bloggers whom she felt were deserving. Lo and Behold she chose me as one of them! Say What?...my little baby blog ... stylish? Needless to say I am eternally grateful to her for thinking of me, and  proud, honored and humbled.The rules are I am supposed to pay it forward and list seven things about myself that you don't know.First I'd like to pay it forward to these sweet ladies : Lovey,  Dawn , Lulu,  Kim, Sheila  Carole, Karen, Jenny, thanks to all of these bloggers who reached out to a newbie and who have very stylish blogs. Now seven things you dont know about me;

Eye Candy

I don't know about you guys,but I'm always window shopping online.I came across this site and it set my heart  aflutter.Just look at what I found.                                                                                                                               

 Do you want more? go here. Be prepared to stay a while.

Thrift Store Love

Well hello there, I love the thrift store, It's like an addiction...of course I justify it by telling myself its really great stuff, really cheap... but I think I may have reached the point  now where I need to slow my roll.I've got stuff in boxes and no where to put it...I'm skurd people, I was watching Enough Already with Peter Walsh on OWN. By the way are you as jazzed as I am that Oprah has her own  network...  anyway there was a man who's house was over run with the great  stuff  he  "collected". To him they were all great treasures...hmm  sounds a little too familiar. Maybe I'll slow it down a little....soon. In the meantime I'd like to share a few of my recent  finds. I tried to get all artsy with the photos to make up for my sad photography skills. Please be kind when you see my pics, I'm trying. Does anyone have a suggestion for  a lamp shade for the tall lamp that looks like  Capodimonte?

Milk glass

Pretty ceramic lamp with roses, I think the small one is milk glass

cool vintage scale

Candy Jar,pretty decanter, candle holder,says made in Italy on bottom. Sorry I cut off the lid top on the candy jar.

Design Inspiration

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Learning Lessons

I try to use every bad event to learn and grow.After losing my dear friend I have begun to examine my own life. Where can I do better? What am I supposed to learn from this? Well I'm still working on the answer, but there are some things that have revealed themselves to me. I need to seize the moment, and stop putting things off until a better time, I need to believe in myself  and  be more confident.I need to be a better daughter, sister and friend. I need to hold those who are dear to me closer. Life is fragile and we all tend to think that we are guaranteed tomorrow.Well, I painfully know  what a flawed way of thinking that is. I have spent so much time in my life dreaming that I have sometimes forgotten to really live... no more. For example my home : I have a honey do list that never gets honey done.Leading to anger and frustration on my part.I'm letting go of the honey do list and renaming it the  I can do it myself  list...confidence and seizing the moment.If I dream of something no matter how big or small I will make a plan of action, implement it and get it done. Like I said I'm still working on the lessons.I'm sure more will reveal itself to me in time...but I feel like the best way to honor my friend and what we shared is to really really live and live as big as possible...for both of us.Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave me such kind condolences.It means more to me than you can ever know.

Sorrow and Loss

In my last post I promised pictures of my Christmas projects,well you know what they say about the road to hell.I was steeped in making my projects at the last minute (terrible habit) when I received the call that I'd been dreading for months.My dearest friend of the last 47 years was in the hospital.You see she had been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer three years ago.She had surgery, radiation, chemo,  and seemed to be fine ...for about six months,then came the chest xray that showed lung tumors,so it was back to chemo. She continued on chemo for the duration of her life.She faced cancer and the horrific treatments with courage, grace, and a sense of humour. She was a fiercely  independent woman, the thought of being dependent on others weighed heavily on her in the last months.She was always more concerned for others then she was for herself. An R.N. by profession, a giver by heart, the people whom she helped in this life professionally and personally was innumerable.Finally her health reached the point that she had dreaded...she would be dependent .I had always known that when she reached that stage that she would not be able to continue.I saw her alive  for the last time on a  Friday, I knew when I looked in her eyes that she had reached the end of her journey.We held hands and hugged we laughed and talked and then I said good bye for the last time, she was gone the following Sunday.I've been walking around in this fog of grief for what seems like an eternity.It is a terrible mixture of profound sadness and relief that her earthly suffering has ended. In this haze I just didn't feel like photographing and blogging about Christmas projects.I'm sorry to have missed joining in on the festivities.Every time something tragic or bad happens I try to understand what lesson I'm supposed to learn. I'm working on that lesson.To my beloved friend I say cheers to a life well done, until we meet again.      

Christmas Crafting

Hello everyone! I'm up to my ears in Christmas projects.I decided to do a white Christmas this year after many years of doing a Victorian tree. Because I have a small budget I've had to make the dollar store my friend as well as make my own.This is the first time I've ever made so many of my own decorations. I'll post pictures soon.Are you guys making ornaments this year? Do you wish you had started sooner like I do?