Here are just a few pirate themed goodies I found around the world wide web. I hope you enjoy! First up we have a replica of a 1930’s pirate costume pattern from WearingHistory. Next we have the cutest cupcake toppers from ScrapYourStory. I just adore this clutch from LittleBlackRabbit and this tie from ToyBreaker is absolutely beautiful. These Lego cufflinks from PinkTopHat are fun and quirky. Wall decals seem to be quite the thing right now and these ships from Christianitees12 are perfect for the pirate lover. Lost Mountain Clayworks makes beautiful pirate-worthy wares. What could be more fun than this vintage-inspired pirate dress from VivienofHolloway? With Talk like a Pirate Day looming, I thought this dictionary from Amazon might come in handy. This doll from TheTinderBox reminds me of a doll my grandma made for me once. Isn’t she cute? Everyone knows that a pirate’s makeup is of utmost importance. No pirate lass would dare be caught without her DragonScales eyedust from ModCloth. A Peter the Pirate Jack-in-the-box is a necessity for any pirate-loving kid. This one can be found at Amazon. I’m becoming quite a fan of Hello Kitty and just couldn’t resist this pirate plushie from Sanrio. Isn’t she just the cutest? I couldn’t leave out my fellow readers and booklovers. I have something just for you, bookplates from ModernClassicsKids. I love old school desks. They are the perfect places for little ones to draw, color, and write. This one from Omgurl is full of pirate fun! I have a little something for all of you music lovers. I found this 2 cd set of sea songs and pirate ballads on Amazon. It’s also available in an MP3 format. Looking for a way to make breakfast fun? May I recommend a pirate toast stamper. These can be found in a variety of places online. I found this one on PerpetualKid. I simply couldn’t consider my little gallery of pirate fun complete without a sockmonkey. I found Bad Billy Blart at YackyJan. She has lots of delightful monkeys looking for a good home. Lastly, a little something for the movie lovers among us. I have never seen The Pirate, but with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland its bound to be lots of fun with singing and dancing. A copy is waiting for you at Amazon. I hope you arrrr having as much fun in my little pirate gallery as I had in putting it together. Come back tomrrow and check out all the piratey goodness to be found in jewelry. There are some really pretty pirate-inspired pieces out there. I can’t wait to share them with you.
I was quite excited to discover, Friday night, that my favorite flea market is now opened until 6 o’clock. I was equally excited to find this lovely little cameo music box hiding among the booths. Following the flea market we visited another favorite haunt, Big Lots. I am not sure if Big Lots is a national chain or just here in the south, but if you like old movies and have one near you then you simply must pay them a visit. From time to time they get in a new crop of movies which sell for $3 apiece. Right now they have a wonderful assortment of old movies. We found Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelley, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Greta Garbo, Viven Leigh, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Red Skelton, and Doris Day. We also found a copy of The 3 Worlds of Gulliver with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. I mention this for anyone, like myself, who happens to enjoy Harryhausen movies. We couldn’t buy everything we found, but did come home with a wonderful assortment of old movies. I am ready for a movie marathon!!! As we are leaving the parking lot and discussing the amount of money just spent, hubby spotted another treat – First Place Records! An honest to goodness record store in Texarkana, Texas. It is owned and operated by a record collector and lover of music, Johnny L. Cunningham. We had so much fun visiting with Mr. Cunningham and talking music and LPs. He has a wonderful collection and is quite knowledgeable. We managed to keep our purchases at a small handful.
You can find First Place Records in the Oaklawn shopping center on New Boston Road. It is located next to the Oaklawn Opry and is facing Big Lots and the Attic. It was an exciting, profitable, and lovely evening!
I returned home last Wednesday from a day spent with by littlest nephew and found a lovely package waiting for me. My dear Uncle Charlie and Aunt Linda had sent me a lovely package of LP’s. Just a little something for the collection. Included was disclaimer stating the selection did in no way reflect the views or opinions of the senders. I was quite pleased with the selection, especially the Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar albums. This little piece of the 80’s brought back many childhood memories.
My hubby found this today and I couldn’t resist sharing with all of you! You can find this album on Amazon. I listened to a bit of several of the songs and have come to the conclusion that it is a must for anyone who grew up watching Mister Rogers and remembers both the man and show fondly. Holly Yarbrough has a lovely voice and has done a wonderful job with this album.
Yesterday I was perusing through the music section at Best Buy while my sweet hubby looked around the rest of the store and I happened upon a musical goldmine. I was digging through the quite small and utterly disorganized section of Jazz music. I found my piece of gold hiding near Diana Krall, an album by the Puppini Sisters! I vaguely recalled running across them once upon on a time on Amazon. Life got in the way. I couldn’t quite remember whether or not I liked them. Fortunately, I took a chance. The Puppini Sisters perform a rare of blend of pop rock and 1940’s music. It is really quite difficult to describe, but a delight to the ears. I wish I could do a better job with this description. Just please humor me and check them out. I give you my word, you won’t be disappointed. Click here to visit their website and give them a listen. You can purchase their albums at Amazon.
Halloween is in the air as evidenced by my home decor. Hubby and I love Halloween and each year we host a party. This year’s theme is Alice in Wonderland with a dark twist. Hubby is planning the outside decor with the help of a friend. They have plans to set up a macabre tea party, a skeletal croquet game, headless playing cards, and of course the feel-good catepillar will be there. The indoor decorations are left in my hands. I am quite pleased with how everything looks this year. Not all of the decor is Alice themed, but it is quite festive and eerie.
This banner is new this year. I found it at Target and just loved the script!
We’ve had the tree and tombstones for a few years now. The spiders are candles that were purchased at the Spirit Halloween store. The candlesticks are new this year. On the night of the party, we will spread a deck of cards out on the table as well.
I am very proud of this flea market find. Aren’t these great!?
I wanted to tell you about the tablecloth as well. I bought an orange fall cloth tablecloth and simply covered it with a few yards of spiderweb fabric. It looks wonderful and I’m sure you could use other sheer or lacy fabric. The best part about this is after Halloween I simply remove the spider web fabric and add a fall centerpiece. I am now ready for Thanksgiving.
I am very pleased with the mantel this year. I found the LED candlesticks at the Spirit store, the globes and flowers have been around for a spell, and the raven is a handmade silhouette on black cardstock. It was placed under a plastic dome purchased at a thrift store. The sticker on the orange jar candle can be found on Martha Stewart’s website. Finally, the bat & pumpkin lights were purchased a couple of years ago at Target.
These aren’t really a part of the decor just yet. We plan to place the bottle on a round marble-topped table with a tag that says “drink me” and the candelabrum has a twin that will join it on another table with a chess set. Right now, they are merely props waiting for their place and a really awesome picture. By the way, does anyone know where I can find tiny tapered candles?
We purchased this CD to play the night of the party. Nox Arcana has several other CDs. If interested you can visit the Spirit store or check out theNox Arcana website.
These are neither eerie nor do they have anything to do with Alice in Wonderland, however, they are from my childhood. My mom used to pull these out every year and my little sis and I had the honor of hanging them. They still bring back warm, happy memories and will continue to be a part of my Halloween decorations for many years to come. That about wraps things up for now. I hope to have more pics as my hubby starts work on the outside and more halloween ideas throughout the month. Do any of you have thoughts or ideas on Halloween? Please share. I’d love to hear from you.
Even Audrey Hepburn’s getting in on the fun of Halloween!
I hope you all had as lovely a weekend as I had. Hubby and I did our usual grocery shopping and a little fun shopping, too. One of the things we bought was a couple of silk wrap skirts/dresses. We found ours at Romancing the Stone which is a sister store to Earthbound Trading Company. A little research uncovered the EBT’s dedication to independant artisans around the world. They feel that providing opportunities for these artisans to sell their wares promotes communities and tradtional artforms. They have also partnered with Heifer International, an organization that works to teach people livestock and agricultural skills. It feels good to know my purchase can make a difference around the world. The skirts/dresses are made of Indian silk and can be worn in a variety of ways. Below you will find just a small sampling of how these skirts/dresses can be worn.
The other purchase was books, books, and more books! Recently, Trish at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin? had a 14 book giveaway. I entered and was quite disappointed when I didn’t win. My sweet hubby suggested I buy 14 books of my own choosing. Of course, we did set up a few guidelines. Hubby said that it wouldn’t help the bank account if I purchased 14 forty dollar books. Not a problem, I love hunting for bargains. Also, instead of buying them all at one time, we decided to spread out the purchases over a couple of months. I look at it as spreading the fun out over a longer period. Keeps life much more exciting. Our local Books-A-Million offered up 4 library books at $3 apiece. Later, Hastings offered Kitschy Crafts ($7.99) and The Bath Gourmet (.99). I’m so excited about the reading in my future. I just don’t know where to begin!
A shot of all the books purchased.
This one may be first on my list. The author has traveled all over the world tracing the history and adventure of gemstones. The bookflap mentioned a crawl through Cleopatra’s emerald mines and gem cutting in Sri Lanka where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires. Perhaps its the amatuer beader in me or my interest in history or just my fascination with other places and cultures, but this book just sounds like fun!
Beading, needlework, sock monkeys – This one speaks for itself!
The weekend shopping simply wouldn’t be complete without adding a little something new to the vinyl collection.
Thanks Dad for the love of marches! I’m having fun searching for unusual and different kinds of marches!
Well, that’s about it for my weekend. I’m exhausted now and ready to settle back with some good music and a great book!
I’m really liking her sound right now! I understand that she practices and encourages green living. Pretty cool! Check out her website, www.tristanprettyman.com. You can read more about her eco-friendly lifestyle at treehugger.
As many of you know, hubby and I have recently begun collecting and listening to old records. We have really enjoyed the old music and the sound of the vinyl as well as the hunt for old albums. While perusing the ideas on DIYLife, I ran across these bookends. I immediately thought, “Cool!” This was followed by, “How sad.” I honestly don’t know whether to hate it or love it.
For other great ideas, crafts, and tips on just about everything visit DIYLife.
Recently my hubby and I have found ourselves enjoying “old-fashioned” fun. A couple of Sundays ago we turned off the TV and cell phones, put away the MP3s and the computer, and spent the afternoon listening to old records and playing board games. We played a rousing game of Scrabble followed by a few hands of Yahtzee. It was a wonderful, peaceful afternoon and so much fun to boot. Our latest activity has been with jigsaw puzzles. We helped my sis put one together while up for a visit and enjoyed it so much that we purchased a few of our own. We have spent several evenings together with a puzzle between us. Sometimes the TV is on in the background, other times the record player provides the perfect ambient music. We have found that we enjoy the time spent together. It also brings a little peacefulness into an otherwise hectic world. I find myself looking forward to these quiet moments.
"....magic belongs as much to the heart as to the head and everything which is done, should be done from love or joy or righteous anger."
--Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
