A little Nook

I love the thought of curling up under a warm blanket and reading a good book....I don't do it much, but I

love the thought of it.  I love creating little nooks in my home for that.....don't use them much, but I love

creating them.  I found these two shades at Target on clearance a while back.  I think I paid $7 each.  They

are kinda hard headed...they don't like to set up straight on the lamp base and they are rather large.  I love

pendant lights so I decided to turn one upside down and use it as such.  All you need is a light kit  which you

can get here and you have yourself a nice little pendant light to hang from the ceiling. I also have another

lovely nook inside my home. 

I love taking pictures of droplets of water hanging from things such as these curly willow branches.  I am sure

by the morning, those little droplets will frozen.  So go get a book, a warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate

and go curl up and read a good book.....I am feeling a little yucky, so that's the plan for me.

An enjoyable afternoon

 My girls and I spent the afternoon at Barnes and Noble yesterday flipping through stacks of decorating,

crafting, and inspirational books. I can't think of a better way to spend a cold, dreary afternoon. I am thankful

they enjoy it as much as I do. Did I mention we did not take the boy...can't say he enjoys it like we do. We

have tried taking him a few times and he tends to enjoy climbing the shelves more than reading a

book....typical boy. Needless to say, he was left behind with his dad.

My junk amie Sarah met us at the bookstore and we spent time tossing around ideas for the Spring Sale. It is

such a pleasure to have a talented friend who loves junking as much as me....well, actually, she may have me

beat.

This next picture says perfectly well what I would be if I were an animal......An Artful Bird.   You see, I

frequently have dreams that I can fly....yeh, I know, I am pretty weird.  I am no bird in my dreams....I am

me.  I flap my arms really hard (lol), and I am lifted slowly up off the ground. These are the best dreams

ever....nothing like soaring way up in the sky....the incredible view....the

freedom....the rush of the air in your face.  An Artful Bird....that's what I would be. 

One last thing, look at the transformation of this little jacket.  I got it at Target for $7.48 in the men's section.

If you haven't figured it out, plaid is huge for 2011.  So I added a little corduroy ruffle with some vintage lace

to each side of the zipper....now I have an Anthro looking little jacket.

BEFORE

AFTER

What a Steal

 I am going to take you guys back a few weeks.

 Remember I mentioned here, that Vic and I made a little weekend getaway to the big city of Nashville to do

some last minute Christmas shopping?  Remember I mentioned here, that I found some wonderful deals, like

really uber deals.  Uber is a new word I have learned since my blogging days....I am really not sure what it

means, but to me, it means SUPER GOOD......Thats what it will mean from here on out.....unless I tell you

otherwise.  So anyhoo, I want to share with you my uber finds from back then.  Are you ready, you may need

to sit down for these.  First, My Burlap Beauties from the Nashville Flea Market: $16.00 for all three shades.....Steal!

 Now for the Real Deal.  K, you know how much I love Anthropology, right?  I am in love with almost

everything in the store all the way down to the studs.....but, I am a bargain shopper, so when I saw these two

babes on the Clearance rack, I immediately started shoving people out of the way (well, not really.....but I

wouldof.) So, I said, "Look Vic....grab those shades for me."  He handed them to me and the original price

said 88.00.....yes, 88.00 for one shade.  However, the clearance sticker said $28.00.  Now we are talking. 

That was still a little pricey for me but I begged my sweet husband to get them for me for Christmas......and he

did.  Well, that's not the end.  We got to the checkout counter, and the beautiful little gal ringing us up said,

"your total is $31.65 (or something like that)." I about passed out...two shades for $14.00 each.  I could

hardly believe it....in fact, I gave myself a pat on the back for finding such a good bargain.  They are the

coolest ever.  Do you like them as much as me?

                                       Have yourself a cozy evening with a cup of hot coco......

A Little TLC

So I have spent the past few days cleaning out my buried studio (hee hee....I feel so funny calling my "office" my studio.  But that's what it is.  I guess I feel a little "too big for my britches" when I refer to it as a "studio".  My studio can now breath......she no longer has 6 feet of vintage fabric covering her....she no longer has 10 years worth of magazines suffocating her.....or 15 gazillion boxes of collected buttons and notions sticking in her side.......or 10 million unfinished projects laying on her chest.  She's fresh.....she's clean....she's feeling sorta fiesty like her momma (me).....she's ready to kick a few projects out.....she's now in the mood.  Hallelujah, it is time to let the creative juices flow. 

So Fresh and Clean right now

I even have each drawer labeled.  Labels from paper-source.

Stone rediscovered his missing train station that had been overflowing with junk for the past year. 

 I hope each one of you have a wonderful weekend....enjoy the snow if it comes your way but I am keeping my fingers crossed it will be all dried up by the time school rolls around Monday morning! 

 

fresh veggies

It won't be long and it will be time for some fresh veggies here in Tennessee. I got this

photo from one of my favorite blogs, Absolutely Beautiful Things, which is in Brisbane,

Australia....it is summer time over there. Seeing this gets my taste buds

activated....doesn't yours. Nothing better than fresh veggies.


On a different note, my friend Janis and I made a little trip to Gallatin last week. Man, have

they beautified that square. I want to share with you a little cafe in Gallatin called

Whipporwill.  It is located right on the square in what use to be Sweeney's Pharmacy [I think I spelled that

correctly....you will soon learn (if you haven't already), I was not an English  Major]. If you haven't been to

the square lately, it is definitely worth the visit. Almost every square inch has been revitalized...shop owners

have done their part in sprucing things up, the city has done their part planting lots of

beautiful shrubbery and the sidewalks have been made pedestrian friendly. It reminds me a lot of the square

in Franklin, Tn.  

I hope our little square here in Lafayette, Tn, can look like that one day.  If I had the funds, I would buy all

the vacant buildings around town and "funktify" them so it would be a little more appealing around here.  Here

are some pictures I made while visiting the Gallatin square.  I must also mention I had the opportunity to meet

Mrs. Jennifer Brown while at Whipporwill.....she is the Marketing Director over this New York style

cafe.   She was having lunch with a guy from Lafayette(coincidental) , Eric Kittrill, and his wife Athena (who

happens to be Ronnie McDowell's daughter.)

  Beautiful ladies!!!  Go on over there and have yourself a fresh, Eggplant Sandwich....it was delicious.  Start the year out right with some fresh veggies.

Be sure and keep checking the The Strawberry Patch facebook page....I will be posting pictures of things that

will be available to you at the Spring Sale.  Last but not least, I mentioned here I would be doing

another giveaway when I reached 50 followers on this blog.  Within reason, what would you like me to give

away.......picture frames, art, jewelry, pillows, handmade soaps (etc.)  I would love your input.....but

remember, it must be shippable, so a piece of furniture is out of the question. Leave your comments here or

on the Strawberry Patch facebook page under this blog link. 

A little rusty tin

I promise I will not keep you as long today as I did yesterday. Boy...when I get on a roll.....I get on in a big

kinda way.

I want to share with you some more frames I will have at the spring sale. These frames are made

by my talented junk amie, Traci Collins. You have probably heard me mention her before....like here. Over

the years, I have learned a lot from this little squirt and I am tickled pink she will be putting some of her

creations in the Spring Barn Sale....which by the way is set for April 28-30...so go ahead and mark your

calendars, book your flight, ask off from work, book your hotel room, or whatever else you may need to do

to get here.

Traci uses old tin ceiling tiles to make the frames and hand cuts every inch herself. Now, if you

have ever used tin snippets, this picture alone may send you to your knees because cutting tin is no easy task.

I love the detail she puts into each and every frame and I am sure you will too.

For now, I am off to organize my garage so wish me luck.

The grass is not greener on the other side

Isn't it funny how when you are limited in time or quantity to a particular person, place, or thing, you have an 

internal longing to get more of it. 

This can pertain to relationships, food, traveling, cell phone, cars, Internet, etc. If it is not fully accessible or 

tangible, we want it that much more. Such is the case with me and the Internet. Forever, I have had an extra 

large personal computer that set happily in an armoire right next to my kitchen. Throughout the day, I left it 

turned on and each time I would pass by, I typed in a new search in hopes of finding some new inspirational 

blog. Deep down I yearned to have endless days of doing nothing but surfing the web. Why? Because my 

access was so limited....I could not take it with me....I did not have the time to waste my day away piddling 

on it....I could not take it to bed with me (or the bathroom)....I could not take it with me to pick the kids up 

from school and make use of the idle time spent waiting in the pick up line. My time was limited.....spending 

countless hours on the internet was not tangible....the grass was greener on the other side, or so I thought.

Turn the page.....

Now, thanks to my wonderful husband who surprised me with a droid and a laptop after Christmas, my time 

on the Internet is not so limited....I have access to it almost everywhere I go. But guess what...my desire to 

spend endless hours searching the web has suddenly changed...in fact, it is almost gone...I get brain locked...I 

cannot think of new things to search.... it is not so important to me anymore to waste my time away on the 

computer.  

You are probably wondering if I have fallen off my rocker rambling about all this....my point is, for 2011, I 

am going to try and be better at controlling my internal desires for things I don't have. I am going to try and 

focus on my relationship with God and realize everything here on earth is temporary and everything I could 

ever dream of is waiting for me in heaven. I am going to foster new relationships and share the gifts God has 

given me with others. For I want to seek the Lord in ways I haven't in the past....for with him, all my internal 

worldly desires will be kept in check. I know if I lean on him, he will provide all the inspiration I need to 

make my business a success....I don't need to lean on the internet for my inspiration. However, I also realize if

his plan for me changes, at some point the Strawberry Patch may no longer exist. But for now, I will assume 

this is his plan for me and will tread on as usual. I am excited about what this year will bring and all the new 

people I will meet. I am so thankful for lots of things but today I am especially thankful for you guys...thanks 

for being a follower on this journey with me. I hope you have some goals for this year and I hope you reach 

each and every one of them. But remember, "the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

I will leave you with pictures of this owl pillow I made for a customer.  I love how it turned out.  

Have a "hooty hoo" kinda day!