postcard #2...

dearest readers,

every year we make a trip to a unspoilt beautiful beach on the coast of south devon just a few miles from my folks place...

four generations of my family have sat upon this beach and every time i return, it feels like i am 'coming home' inside of me.

this visit the sun was shining, quite frankly it was positively balmy and i cannot recall for many a year the need for suncream and a sundress. my usual attire is a thick cardie, towel wrapped around any exposed bits and the only way to escape the wind is to lie as flat as possible upon the pebbles.

and so i reacquainted myself with the green green grass of home...

the blue blue sky and the blue blue sea...

and with silly things along the way...

and then as if that wasn't enough, i found my door.

the door i didn't know i was looking for, the one that belongs to my imaginary beach house.

for forty years i have passed by this door, and never noticed it's existence.

but now i have... and i see it has been waiting most patiently for it's moment to shine within my imagination.

she is off to do some thrifting tomorrow of the 'utmost kind' with her mother in tow and will report 'all findings' on friday ~ Tif

postcard #1...

we have arrived safely on the ancient soil of England... in the space of twenty four hours i have already crocheted 6 granny squares and bought a pair of boots.

my need to make granny squares became most obvious when i stumbled across the stunning work of Wood & Wool Stool, quite honestly her crafty crocheting skills leave me breathless.

until i saw her lovely wood stools with little crocheted covers i had no idea my world was lacking, but now i've seen them it is most clear that every stool across the globe should be clothed in one of her 'little bits of goodness'. of course my crocheting skills are rather basic but seeing the beauty laid out before me, i knew i needed to challenge myself beyond a plain crocheted square or rectangle. armed with my little pile of yarn leftovers and 'three torn out' pages from my 'complete novice' crochet book i set forth.

("sacre bleu" i hear you cry, "Tif has vandalised a craft book", i fear i had no choice my dearest readers, i could not bring the whole book with me. i promise to reinstate the pages on my return with a nice bit of sticky tape).

and so, i sat down to my first day on a 'small island' to study a granny square pattern. for some time i twiddled around, pretending to know what the instructions were saying. after all not only are my crochet skills most basic they are also rather rusty. after my first attempt i held it up for admiration... there was none, for it was having trouble resembling a granny square.

then i did what i should have done in the first place, i ignored my 'three torn out' pages and made it up... since then things are going swimmingly. i see visions of a wee blanket in no time for 'little olive'. without doubt i will never ever succeed in a large blanket as i have serious 'itchy twitchy' problems when it comes to long term focusing and repeating things. but for now i am most happy with my 6 little squares.

as i have no 'crochet holdall' with me i have taken to carrying around a china fruit bowl i found lurking on my mother's table in her glorified trailer home. i'm not sure it is the most sensible of vessels for transporting my yarn project but then when did 'sensible' ever come into the picture...

and before i sign off postcard #1, i must tell you i found a lovely pair of boots, i was not looking for boots in any shape or form, but they found me. of course they were the last pair in my size adding to my "but i've only just got here, perhaps i should think about it" dilemma.

then it dawned on me as i tried them on for the third time that afternoon, driving the sales lady nuts, they could quite possibly make me have an air of perhaps coming from some Scandinavian country.

now of course i haven't frequented many Scandinavian countries, therefore giving me no authority whatsoever to make such judgements upon a pair of boots and who might wear them. but it makes me happy and after all i am getting into the vacation spirit... chunky boots and yarn in tow...

she is thanking you kindly for the 'our #1' leaving the nest support and will see you next week with postcard #2 ~ Tif

'adieu' but not...

a few hours to go and we will be flying across the pond to 'old blighty'

this year it will be a little different...

my man and 'used dog' will stay behind to 'hold the fort'

our #3 will not be carrying his pen knife in his backpack, when going through security.

but the most difference of all will be our #1 not coming with me.

for she is spreading her wings and going in a different direction this summer, one that takes her to the east coast where she will study textile design for eight weeks.

on one hand, i am so excited for her and the opportunities that await her...

but on the other hand my little body is just 'gasping for breath' at the thought of her out in the 'big world' on her own without me to keep her 'safe'.

i know one has to let go at 'sometime' but i didn't think that 'sometime' would come quite so quickly. in the blink of an eye, seventeen and a half years have gone past and my little baby stands before me, ready to leave... and quite honestly dear readers it's one of thee most 'bitter sweet' moments in my mothering career so far...

but still i have plenty of distractions ahead of me, such as lovely charity stores, british chocolate and of course spending time with my family...

in the meantime i am distracted from my 'last few hours with her' by wondering where on earth my UK driving license is ("phew" i hear you chorus together) and noting that waiting till two hours before the 'off' to cut our #3's hair was not perhaps the best of 'planning'.

and before i say 'adieu' i must tell you dearest readers that i am 'chuffed to bits' to see my sales on etsy add up to 198!!! (i included my meagre excuse of a vintage shop in this count to make it look super duper grand!)... i did have a target of 200 that i set myself a few months back, and quite honestly i thought it 'pie in the sky' wishful thinking, considering how tough times are for many a folk.

so i am blown away by the fact when people are counting pennies everywhere and being most selective in what they purchase, they have chosen to shop 'dottie angel'. a 'thank you' goes out to any of my customers that may perchance be reading this and of course a 'big thank you' goes out to you dearest readers, who have taken time from your busy lives to drop by and visit with me for a while. i am never quite sure what i give to you, but you give to me the confidence to be me. and that my dearest friends is quite honestly the greatest gift of all...

and last but not least, i will not be leaving you for long, ("oh no! can't we get rid of her just for a bit" i hear you cry)

nope, i'm going to be hanging around. for i have a plan, a cunning plan and it involves sending you postcards from a small island, an island that i am proud to call my homeland and the first one will be on your 'cyberspace' doorstep by the end of the week...

till then she is wishing you a lovely few days and herself 'sanity' wherever she goes ~ Tif

essential packing...

today is a 'headless chicken' kind of day... (i said that in hushed tones so as not to send a 'shiver of fear' through every little chickies body in the vicinity)

you know the sort of day, the day before the 'off'...

i have spent the last few days tidying and cleaning so everything looks 'peachy fresh' around the shed, i went to bed last night feeling in control, practically laughing in the face of 'Miss In Control' herself.

i awoke this morning and it all became clear, 'Miss In Control' was laughing at me...

oh the fool that i am, my list of 'must dos' has grown from one or two things to an enormous mountain of 'oh crap, i need a miracle' pile of things.

of course some very 'quick thinking' ones amongst you may actually be saying "well really Tif, do you think blogging is a priority, on a day like this".

and yes, your wiseness is once again above mine. but it's an addiction is it not, a fix that must be 'got' to be able to get on with the day, otherwise in the back of my head this continuous 'babble' is going on. a 'babbling' i experience everyday, whirling around... all these imaginary conversations i am having with you, dearest readers.

but do not worry for me and my packing of 'undies' and other utmost important items, for i am well stocked with delights to get me through today.

and with that, i must away to my piles of essential packing... determined this time to take with me 'crafty' projects that i have been wanting to work on for a wee while now...

a crocheted blanket for little olive (thank goodness she won't be too critical as it's been the longest time since me and my hook have hooked up!!! ha, wasn't that just the best pun ever... "she's crazed, she's losing it, she's drowning in piles of undies and other such things" i hear you cry).

and some linens that i wish to embroider ramblings upon... i also have a journal with me this time, so i may ponder moments and register them onto paper, thus making me feel like i am a deep and mysteriously creative person who travels around with children in tow, looking eclectic and bohemian and not as i fear

'like a headless chicken'...

she will see you tomorrow for a final 'adieu' ~ Tif

things of 'note'...

or perhaps not...

1. my dishwasher has been restored to it's full glory, and so has my sanity. (for the time being...)

2. the 'mouse that happened' in my studio has gone on vacation several miles from here.

however it has become apparent that before he left, he had invited his cousin to stay...

3. i have found the secret to looking youthful... when you have no time for the little luxuries in life like 'five minutes to paint toe nails' then 'chipped polish' makes you feel eight years old again.

4. there is a gremlin living inside the shed, first the dishwasher and now my printer. in my hour of need, with 38 ramblings requiring printing, it became sick. at eleven o'clock last night after several hours of cursing my man helped it make a full recovery. as my 'art installation' ramblings and everything else were due at their destination 10 am this morning, this did not do my 'graying hair' any good at all...

5. i am totally in love with being a 'mother hen', they are such time wasters to watch, and unlike children they don't talk back and appear to appreciate every little thing you do for them.

6. i feel a path is opening up before me... where it will take me, i've no idea but i'm sure i will find out sooner or later.

7. i may take 'perfect looking' pictures of our shed, but i can assure you there is chaos to the right of it and chaos to the left. when i look at these 'small windows of tidiness' it makes me feel calmer.

8. school is out for the summer... and i am so happy to be spending ten weeks being waited on hand and foot, ha!!! once again i'm living in a dream world...

9. i have been bequeathed the title of 'admin' to a group called 'all colours in' by the lovely emma lamb. it is a most important role and i have to tell you the power has gone straight to my head and i am wielding my 'flickr' invite privileges all over the place...

10. i shall be spending this weekend in a whirlwind of cleaning, washing and packing for i will be touching down in old blighty next week and i cannot wait.

she will see you on monday and is wishing you the 'fabbiest of fabby' weekends ~ Tif

thrifty thursdays... of the 'utmost' kind

"any good?" our #4 shouted as he entered the shed, whilst slamming the door behind him on sunday.

"any good what?" i asked

"any good stuff at the market?" coming to a halt in the living room. "oh yes, i see you did find some" his voice trailing off...

"what is it?" he inquired hesitantly.

"this my dearest child is a 'flea market find' of the utmost kind", to which i continued to educate him on just what 'a find' it was...

then he took a look at my other 'find', not having to ask what it was, as it was quite obviously a bench.

"it matches the others except it's not the same shape... did you need one of these?"

"oh yes," i replied. "it has been on my 'top ten thrifty finds' for the longest time. quite honestly i had trouble breathing when i spied it at Freemont this morning".

he paused a while...

"so how much did you pay for your finds?" came the next question.

"$20 for the 'oh my goodness, you are just perfect' embroidered picture, and $25 for the 'have been looking for you for the longest time' bench"

another pause...

"i think the bench price was okay, but i would never have given $20 for that picture"

he then went on his way to build mini stone sculptures in the yard.

some time later he appeared again, finding me admiring my sunday market purchases and marvelling at my good fortune...

"so would you say this has been the best day ever, what with your 'market finds' and your 'etsy feature'?"

"yes" i replied, "i think i would put it up there with some of my 'best day ever' days."

"well then, you've just had a 'Spongebob kind of day', congratulations and here it is" to which he promptly popped the TV on, located a recording somewhere from the depth of technology (as i can only just about figure out the 'on' button i marvel at his 'remote control' abilities) and before i knew it, i was being subjected to a singing Spongebob and our #4 chorusing together

"it's the best day ever"

she is off to get the dreaded pesky gray roots sorted and realizing time is running out fast, as 'old blighty' is calling her ~ Tif

me, my man and mossy shed...

i hope today you will indulge me for a 'moment'...

"oh no, not another garden picture" i hear you cry.

no, no... although technically some amongst you who are 'eagle eyed' may have spotted i just slipped one in... (i know, genius hey!)

the point i am trying to get to is, a few of you may have stumbled across me over the past couple of days, and i am quite sure it may appear that i live alone, in my own little imaginary world... happily playing 'house' and 'craft' all day long by myself.

but this would actually be far from true. i share my space and my little world with four children, along with various furry, feathered and finned creatures.

and also with 'one man'...

one man who pulls vintage bark cloth curtains to close the world out at night.

one man who rests his head upon a vintage pillowcase to dream at the end of the day.

one man who sits amongst 'dottie angel' cushions to watch fox soccer on a saturday morning.

one man who eats his food from an array of vintage flowery china.

one man who wraps himself in a pink bath towel in the mornings whilst he shaves.

one man who builds a duck egg blue chicken coop decorated with bunting.

one man who happens to be 'my man'...

and i am thanking him most kindly today for allowing me to 'doilify' the world around him and to just

'take it like a man'...

she will be back on thursday with 'tales of the utmost thrifty' kind ~ Tif

bench monday...

up until four weeks ago monday was just monday.

i have always liked monday, it's the day mossy shed takes on 'hushed' tones for a few hours, the hecticness of saturday and sunday have passed by and for a moment i can collect my thoughts along with the laundry and used dog's hair and enjoy a bit of quiet.

that is until this lovely lady mentioned that since i liked standing on things of late, perhaps i would like to join bench monday on flickr.

and so i did...

and i was welcomed with open arms,

and ever since i have never looked at monday the same way again.

it starts around thursday when i get that 'excitement' feeling inside, my little cogs start to turn and slowly but surely an 'image' appears before me.

always portraying a lovely world,

a 'dottie angel' world...

this 'bench monday' we see what life could look like if we were to stand upon a bench and peg laundry out 'dottie angel' style.

of course her laundry line would be 'bunting' and of course she would have her birdcage perfectly positioned in the background along with only 'lovelies' hanging upon the line. no room for 'gigantic undies' that save the world here...

as i appeared in all my 'finery' for my photo shoot, i passed the downstairs living area 'en route' to our front yard.

"oh my word" coughed and spluttered a lurgified our #2... after several minutes of explosions where i couldn't quite work out if she was crying, choking, laughing or about to be sick, she regained her composure to exclaim,

"what is that thing upon your head! you can't go out in public like that, for goodness sake... you look like you have survived a serious head injury and had to be bandaged up."

i explained whilst peering into the mirror, beginning to doubt my head attire, that i was setting up my bench monday pic and thought it looked quite 'natty' and even a wee bit eclectic/bohemian perhaps...

"well, have you considered that most people will think you have fallen off your stool and had to go fix your 'open wound' before climbing back up for the photo taking" after which she collapsed into another explosion of coughing and hysterics.

i shall leave you to make up your own minds about this one, dearest readers...

on another note, but equally as 'thrilling' as my 'head gear'... 'real world interruption #3' from last week can now be revealed over here

she will be back tomorrow with more to say on this latest excitement, until then 'happy bench monday' ~ Tif

me, Miss Ethel and Jim...

Miss Ethel and i were spending quality time together yesterday when the phone rang.

"er, yes... hello, this is Jim here"

my little heart quickened... here was a man who had something i wanted and i wanted it badly.

"i've got the parts for your dishwasher, can i come by now?"...

"oh yes!" i gushed.

Miss Ethel and i resumed our 'quality time spending' for a further three minutes before the phone rang again.

"er, yes... Jim here again, it would appear the parts aren't the right ones, so i won't be out to you until the end of next week."

and then i heard myself gushing again, saying things like "oh thank you so much, that's great... don't you worry about it" ha ha ha "just call me when they come in".

why, oh why would i say that, when inside of me i wanted to scream,

"hey Jim, the honeymoon period is over, the vacation time is done... i want my machine back, you can forget the Waltons and all that stuff. no one is playing fair in my house. Jim Bob and Elizabeth helped their mother... for crying out loud, i'm going nuts here"

but i didn't, i did the proper thing and thanked him kindly for getting my hopes up and then squidging them into the ground.

nothing to do but to locate my 'rose colored spectacles' and go outside to work on my 'dottie angel' installed washing line for up and coming 'event'

(and no i haven't changed my name to Don, you have to do a little bit of scrolling and right at the very bottom you will find little old me.)

after which i came back inside and reacquainted myself with Miss Ethel ignoring all the piles of dishes on the side...

together we have made two slips, two apron wraps and a bag for my little shop, which i will list tomorrow.

i wish to keep one of the slips and one of the wraps for myself.

this is against the rules. i have special rules that must not be broken... i never set about making something for the shop and then keep it for myself. that's against my code (what code i don't know, but once again i have this thing in my head that i must adhere to).

now i have been thrown into a 'to do' by my 'wanting' of these things...

but there it is, i have an apron wrap on my studio table with my name stamped all over it and yet i can not have it.

as to the slips... whilst pondering yesterday (some may say procrastinating, but i like the word pondering today), i figured out a way to customize some half slips with side slits, just a bit of trickery and they become pretty skirts for any event, be it a ball, a wedding, washing up loads of darn dishes, feeding the chickens or leaving one's daydream cottage and heading down to the beach...

i am most happy and i feel dottie would approve nicely, which of course we all know that's what it's about in the end.

she is wishing you a 'peachy' weekend and will see you on monday ~ Tif

thrifty thursdays and a little bit of company...

my daydreaming has been interrupted by the real world so alas i have no idea how my beach cottage front door is looking and what lovely natty color i have painted it. i really really want to know the type of windows it would have either side, or perhaps actually a window in it. i also feel the little entrance way would have a wonderful welcoming feel and some beautiful bits of furniture scattered around. but dear readers at this moment in time we will never know.

two things have caused me to 'wake up'... actually three but i can't tell you number three until monday ("aaah, such intrigue, such mystery" i hear you whisper, because you would be whispering as that adds to the scene setting of 'suspense')

real world interruption number 1:

i was all prepared with my stack of dirty dishes, running the water over my Method liquid when a voice appeared behind me... the voice seemed to be settling in for the long haul. interestingly the voice did not appear to have any intention of helping me with my 'kitchen chore'.

"are you here to help?" i enquire, feeling a little robbed of my daydreaming time,

"oh no, i just thought i would keep you company as it must be lonely doing the dishes by yourself" said our #4

he then continued to talk to me for the whole duration of my 'dish cleaning' session.

the conversation was all about the wonderful event that had happened earlier that day.

our #4 is a magpie, no doubt about it... he collects and marvels at all the little bugs and insects that roam our earth. and for the past few days his attention has been directed towards the furry caterpillars that have come to visit. we now have four contained in a little 'critter' box on our kitchen island. the need to share my company in the kitchen was so we may discuss at great detail the event of 'one little caterpillar' turning into a cocoon. this is pretty groovy stuff for an eleven year old, and actually for a forty year old as well...

the truth be told, i was happy to give up my daydreaming that night.

real world interruption number 2:

having left the dishes to late last night and then of course wishing i hadn't... i past through my studio and noted the little mouse trap by my fireplace was closed.

"darn" i thought to myself, that pesky little mouse has triggered it again and got away...

my little mousey trap is a humane one, not a "let's break it's neck" kind of thing, more a "come in here little mousey and i'll take you for a ride up the road where you can be free" kind of trap.

since sunday the trap has triggered on quite a few occasions but no mousey inside.

so i picked up the trap and took a little peek...

oh silly me. the little mousey was inside, but not for long.

i looked at him and he looked at me.

i noted he had a big nose and he noted i had one too.

i noted he appeared rather well fed and he noted i didn't.

then as quick as flash he escaped under the grill below the fireplace and then stuck his nose back out to have a little laugh before disappearing into the depths of our shed.

as you can imagine a long old conversation had to be had with my man about "what were you thinking of looking in it, it's a mouse trap, if it's closed surely there's a mouse in it"

once again interrupting my daydreaming whilst doing the dishes...

after the dishes were done, i went back into my studio. there was the little mousey, bold as brass sitting up on the brick hearth, washing himself.

this morning the trap had been triggered again... but no mousey inside and interestingly no peanut butter either. no wonder he looks like a well fed mouse.

real world interruption #3:

can't tell... ha ha!

but i can tell you before the mousey interruption i went 'a thrifting'... to tell you the truth i really didn't want to, after last week's rubbish trip it was hard to muster the strength. but of course i 'mustered' it in the end and glad i did.

for i found a spiffy crocheted blanket for little Olive

in peachy granny knicker colors... how lovely.

i have practised placing it into her basket that i painted earlier in the week.

it fits a treat. i'm not sure if she will be terribly well behaved with her blanket unlike 'used dog' who keeps her's neat and tidy... we will see in July!

so a bit of ramble as usual... tomorrow i hope to bring you a few pics from the exhibition i am working on, and before i forget i do appreciate that you 'believe' i can pull this off. it is helping me to soldier on with recreating a little bit of 'dottie' from my head for the real world.

she will see you with a 'washing line of sorts' tomorrow ~ Tif

if i can dream of a better land...(courtesy of the late great Elvis P)

it occurred to me yesterday on my sixth day of washing up that the perfect way to embrace my extended time allocation in the kitchen is to pretend to be on vacation...

("genius, Tif" i hear you all marvel... "why thank you kindly" say i)

you know the sort of vacation, self catering... no dishwasher, TV or computer. suddenly your family becomes your best friend and for a small time you could be The Waltons.

better still you could live there...

it's so obvious really, when washing up all i have to do is use my imagination...

i see it now, a little old beach cottage right on the edge of the rocks, slightly jutting out on a peninsula, or perhaps not... perhaps tucked just up on the cliff edge with a steep pathway down to the rocky beach below.

when the tide is high, sea spray is felt in the air, when the tide is low it reveals wonderful rock pools and sandy parts for sitting.

i would look out of my little window draped with an old piece of lace curtain tied back with a bit of twine. standing at the sink, washing lovely pieces of vintage china, 'used dog' at my feet, chickens wandering in and out. as i finish up and turn to wipe my hands on a wonderful tea towel that i happened across thrifting the week before, i take stock of my surroundings.

old kitchen cabinets painted glossy (yes glossy!) duck egg blue... a couple of them are decoupaged in vintage wallpaper, not pretty pretty, more quirky retro i feel. on the wall above is the wonderful glass sliding cabinet that was in my granny's kitchen for all of my life. the perfect reed glass giving away glimpses of china stacked to the hilt, all with memories of 'far off flea markets' that i had travelled to in my youth...

i tuck a strand of wonderful beachy hair behind my ear and wrap a lovely scarf around my head, getting ready to walk to the beach. no need to change, i am wearing a summer apron wrap...

as i go to leave, i have noted my floor is wood and painted white, (yes, white... i will never own a white painted floor so i must dream big here dear readers). in the corner by the fabulous old french doors would be the most loveliest mid century modern armchair, upholstered from my overflowing cupboards of old linens... sadly it's all getting a bit vague now, i really do like the idea of a little table and a few stools somewhere in the picture. but as i'm only on 'day six' of washing up i haven't quite worked out the details of that particular area.

so i have added to my 'living in a dream' world most successfully. i am looking forward to tonight's installment... i will be saving all the dishes up from today so i can have a good old daydream and perhaps even get as far as the hallway and the type of front door i would own in my lovely beach cottage...

whilst i wait patiently for the evening to be upon us i shall while away my 'real world' hours with exciting, ney frilling things like

grocery shopping

chicken feeding

tortoise putting out

laundry

a band concert

and in between the excitement of it all i shall rest a while at my studio table and continue my work for the 'dottie angel' exhibit...

at the moment i am concentrating on clothes pegs.

because we all know if dottie angel pegged out her clothes she would not be using just any old pegs... oh no no no, she would have pegs that have been dottie angeled...

she's thinking she forgot to tell you a minor detail but it will have to wait, as the chickie peas are calling ~ Tif

it ain't what you do...

i am trying very hard to stay focused as i have a lot to achieve in the remaining eight and a half days before school adjourns for the summer...

i think a lot of my 'distraction' is to do with lack of dish washing facilities at the shed, until i had a dishwasher (after our #2 was born) i believed it to be a 'luxury' item... ha! to that.

now having been in a close relationship with them for over 14 years, i now know it is not a 'luxury' but a 'necessity' for my sanity.

our dishwasher of 18 months became ill a few weeks back when his lights stopped working, no problem i just pressed 'willy nilly' and he still carried on his duties. until that is, last thursday when he became super sick resulting in a 'breakdown'.

according to my dishwasher maintenance man who came this morning, it will be another week before they can get the parts to 'operate'.

now some of you may think that's okay, Tif has a whole shed full of 'willing' helpers to wash up, but strangely it doesn't seem to be working that way. as far as i can see, having extra bodies is a hindrance to my kitchen staying clean and tidy. more bodies creates more mess, which in turn creates more washing up.

we are down to 'one glass' per person per day and the same goes for plates as well...

but let us not focus on dreary chores but on what Tif is up to next...

so if you are ready, i will begin...

a few weeks back my lovely british friend Anna mentioned she was doing an exhibition in Seattle during the summer... "oooh" says i. "can i help you with anything, like serving drinks on your 'meet the artist' day?"

next thing i know, i'm not just helping her but doing a 'two man' show with her...

how this happened i still don't know, but there it is.

for part of july and august i will be doing an installation ("that sounds grand")... i call it that for want of a better word.

my little space in this lovely gallery will take on the 'ramblings of dottie angel'

it will feature tear outs from my blog, rambling across the walls... mixed up with doilies and what nots, finishing in a corner that is dottie's lounge alongside a 'washing line' of wares.

for a little peek at the ramlings you can visit my newly spruced up website ("hallelujah!" i hear you cry)... for many a year it has been a 'thorn in my side', a 'blot on the cyber landscape' i have tried to pretend does not belong to me. after a lot of 'huffing and puffing' i have managed to turn it into a place that is heading in the right direction. you can also see a few of them over here...

my studio wall is now covered in the ramblings.

i have to say on visiting my archives to retrieve the information i really was aghast at my ability to 'tell a tale' for as long as i have...

all along i had known i would like to do something with my ramblings but hadn't quite figured out how. but with the art show upon me and my besty friend Debbie bouncing ideas to and fro with me, i have found the answer...

i hope this is just the beginning.

my new motto is...

"it ain't what you do, but the way that you do it"

courtesy of the fabulous bananarama and fun boy three.

and she is hoping that's the truth ~ Tif

thrifty thursdays...

perhaps i should start with advising any of you with a faint heart or perhaps a new babe in arms, to sit down whilst reading my tale of today...

(of course you may not have come back to me once you saw sweet 'wee Gus', and i could be talking to myself, nothing new there then...)

i went 'a thrifting' last night, and it happened.

("what happened?" i hear you cry)

oh dearest deary readers, something far worse than a 'contaminated' sneeze in my face, far worse than orange skin from my fake tan lotion, and far worse than the fact my dishwasher has packed up on me (actually that is really crap and quite the worst kind of thing as it is filled to the rafters with a whole day of gross things to which i now need to address...)

i know people say
"it's okay, it happens to everyone sometime in their lives"

or perhaps
"don't think about it, the more you think about it, the more it's likely to happen again"

or even

"that's okay, i love you anyway"

well such words of comfort can not help me here...

for the first time in history (does that sound familiar...)

i went into a thrift store, and then left the thrift store empty handed... (gasp, shock, horror)

i went from department to department and then i went around again, in quiet disbelief, thinking perhaps it was moi that couldn't see the treasure that was so obviously there, but no i don't think it was me with the problem, it was total crap. not even one pillowcase...

i did spy a little old typewriter that i soooo wanted to bring home, i tried it out with a piece of old paper from my bag... there i was in the middle of the store, typing away. after a few words i noted the ribbon wasn't as 'fresh' as i had hoped, thus proving difficult to read my words... then three keys got stuck in a big tangle and i remembered why typewriters are perhaps not the best thing to write on. so i placed my sweet typewriter back on the shelf... now i think about it, i wish i had left my ramblings in the machine for the next thrifty soul to come upon...

i am hopeful my empty cart will be a 'one off' kind of thrift store horror and not the start of 'a string of horrors', only time will tell...

in the meantime i have a few thrifty finds from the internet for your 'inspection' today...

i have to tell you first though, i'm in love... not just an 'infatuation' kind of love, this is the real thing, i see a whole lifetime of love ahead of me.

it is with a vintage labeller.

actually two...

i know it's greedy of me to want them both, but they know about each other and also they know in their own sweet ways they are special to me, so they have agreed to share my devotion and i think this threesome is going to work out nicely.

so far i have labelled

our #1's alarm clock

our #1's cell phone

our #1's boyfriend's cell phone

our #2's friend's cell phone

our #3's cell phone

(ummm, something tells me i could have a nice little business going here)

and my favorite so far,

some fabby, 'oh so perfect' spice jars i found on etsy... which are gallantly trying to keep me organized on my desk.

and last but not least

the top secret mission of the other week...

the lovely fran is not the only one to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet

i too will be hearing 'pitter patters' in the middle of July... it is most exciting

the only difference is

wee Gus is a boy

little Olive is a girl

wee Gus has two arms and two legs

little Olive has four legs

wee Gus is four days old

little Olive is three weeks old

wee Gus will not have hair for a while

little Olive is covered in fur

yes, i am to be a mummy to an Olive. i feel most excited about this turn of events, ask my man and he will tell you he does not quite share my excitement, but as he said the other day as i marvelled at little Olive's 'oh so perfect patches' after my visit to see her...

"well it's like everything you bring into the house, i know i will learn to love it in time"

and she's thinking that's all that matters ~ Tif

me and 'the man'...

hurrah! i am back to feeling 'pretty' peachy at last... it's been a while and i must thank you first and foremost for your lovely 'get better' wishes.

it's been super duper hot here for the past few days and due to my 'medication' ("oh yes, we always thought she needed something") i have not been able to participate in 'sun loving'. i tell myself this is very good and that i am helping the 'fast appearing' signs of aging upon my little body to stay away a wee while longer, but quite honestly when everyone around me appears 'sunned and relaxed' and i appear, 'anaemic and gaunt' i get a little 'blah' about it...

and so dearest readers, i took a trip to the grocery store in the evening yesterday. forced into it by the cries of "the cupboards are bare" due to my inactivity on the home front and also forced by my need to find 'tanning lotion'... (i know, you don't even have to say it, after my horrors of several years back i had vowed not to go down that road again, but alas my look of 'an extra from a crypt keeper b-movie' has made me blot out my experiences of before and pretend it will go smoothly this time)

as soon as i entered the sliding doors at the store and looked at the shopping carts i started to feel uneasy "oh no, how many germs have multiplied on those handles today"...

as i started my stroll around, with fat ankles and throbbing head (due to temps over 90) i realized germs were not my only issue, every time i touched the handle it sent an electric shock up my arms. so i proceeded down aisle after aisle trying not to breath, touch my eyes that suddenly felt like they needed to be itched just 'cause they knew i wasn't allowed to itch them and doing an odd 'quick touch' thing with the handle of the cart, which to fellow shoppers might have been interpreted as 'here comes a nutter'...

after two bouts of flu, three colds and one round of bronchitis in six months, courtesy of Mr Lurgy, i have no intention of catching anything else, i am turning into a 'germiphobe'...

and then it happened somewhere between the eggs and the cheesy section, as i stooped down to pick out a large carton of yoghurt my defenses were down. i was trying to find a good long expiry date which caused me to neglect my bubble of 'don't come near me' germs.

and voila! as i turn to place my yoghurt in the cart, a man... ( i pause here to compose myself, as this point of 'telling the tale' is causing me distress)

a man who should not have been allowed in my aisle at the same time, passed me by and sneezed full force with no hand covering whatsoever, straight into my face, inches from me... then proceeded up the aisle chatting to 'his other half' like nothing had happened!

i am now in a state of 'distraughtness' hoping against the odds my little 'beaten up' immune system can fight the war that has now been declared upon it again... only time will tell.

in the meantime i must take the opportunity whilst still feeling 'perky' to slather 'fake tan lotion' upon myself.

i am hoping when i next look into the mirror i will resemble a sun kissed, carefree, slightly mysterious woman of a certain age and not as i fear, an orange, with cares of the world, slightly haggard woman of a very obvious age...

she will be back tomorrow with thrifty thursday and tales of 'pitter patters' of the utmost loveliest kind ~ Tif