Happy New Year!

We made it! It's 2013 (whoops, almost wrote 2012) and I haven't been so ready for a fresh start in many years. I actually planned to write this post earlier today, but we went out and bought new furniture for our hearth room. That was a fun way to start off the new year :) I have been wanting a change, so we just did it.
The new stuff will be delivered on Saturday, I can't wait to share it with you. I will be fun to add new accents as well.

What I really wanted to talk about today was the dreaded resolutions we all make at the first of the year.
I hate making a list and then disappointing myself in a month or two. Last year, I followed the lead of another blogger and chose a word as my theme. My word was Simplify. It was so much easier than remembering a whole list. And, even though I didn't accomplish alot of simplification, it was always at the front of my mind.
Actually, with everything else that happened last year (selling our practice, our daughter moving home and my parents moving to senior living) I always kept thinking of that word. I really did not buy hardly anything at an estate sale or thrift shop. After all, I have too much as it is. I also didn't eat myself up for not getting more done. I had to accept the challenges I was given and not worry about what I couldn't do.

So this year, I am choosing another word. Actually, its a phrase. Finish one project before you start the next. If you can think of a word to sum that up, let me know.  I am so bad about having multiple projects going at once. My husband thinks I flit from one thing to the next. Don't you love the word flit! Anyway, I am focusing on completing things and I will continue to keep simplify in my mind as well.

I want to really focus on my blog this year, so I am committing to posting 3 times a week. I want to continue our Restyled Sundays parties,  and  I would love to hear what you all would like to see or learn about. I am also spending more time at the antique mall, so maybe we can share experiences about running an antique business.

I am very excited and can't wait to hear what is motivating you as we start 2013.
God Bless you all!

Restyled Sundays #43 (I'm Back)

Welcome Back To Restyled Sundays

I am sorry for the unannounced leave of absence, but just when I thought life

couldn't get any busier, it did. And, once you skip posting for a week or so, 

it gets harder and harder to sit back down. We have spent hours and hours with

our daughter looking for a new house for her. We have seen many things she liked,

but there is always something wrong. She did make an offer on one house, but 

someone else made an offer about 10 minutes before she did.

Anyway, she has to be out of her house in 10 days and she finally decided to take 

a break from looking and get packed. She is going to put her stuff in storage and

stay with us until she finds the perfect house.

I know it has been three weeks, but I am still going to feature my favorites

from the last Restyled Sundays, so here they are.

Barb from Turtles and Tails created this very cool patio

bar with her husbands help. 

Jeanne from Jeanne Marie and Company found this 

Homer Laughlin Egg Cup at the Salvation Army.

Check those out on E-bay!

Becky from Generation to Generation enlarged an old

photo to create this amazing vintage dresser.

Thanks to everyone who stuck around while I was gone. I hope you will all join in

for this weeks Restyled Sundays.

Restyled Sundays #37

Welcome Back to Restyled Sundays

Once again we have had a busy week. My mom and dad got a contract on their

house yesterday so now we only have one month to get everything out. I doubt if we will have

time to have an estate sale since we have to hae all of our dental eqiupment out of our old space by May 31st. We ave been trying to find a place to donate our equipment to, with no luck yet. I f you know of a charity that would like dental equipment, please let me know.

Now let's see what you have been sharing this weeek.

Kathe from Kath with an e found this adourable mexican couple

and used them to adorn her Cinco De Mayo tablesccape.

Angie with Knick of Time Interiors add a chalkboard element

to this old tool box and framed it in vintage tape measures.

I would sure love to have this one.

Miranda from Pressing On shared how to creaate some

homemade chalk paint and make the table legs appear dipped.

her ladder bookshelf. I love the bird shelf!

Finally, Chelsea from Kiss My Brass found Pyrex Madness

while thrifting recently. She sells her goods on ebay, so check her  out if

you are look for some good pieces.

Now lets see what you've been up to this week. If you have been featured, be sure to grab the

Restyled Sundays button from the sidebar.

It's A Great Room Again

We have lived in our house for almost nine years.

We had the great room just as we liked it shortly after we moved in.

 Here is a picture from back then.

Then we decided to paint the room. We moved all of the furniture out and painted it. When we put the rug back in, hubby said this would be a perfect place for a pool table and I said ok. So, after an exhausting

effort to find the perfect pool table, we had this.

Of course the dogs had to get in the picture.

It was really fun for about the first year, then it got old.

And nobody played pool very often.

So, we decided to put it back like it was.

Please forgive these pics, they were taken at night.

We just put it back together a few weeks ago, and I still have a lot to do to update it and get it like I want it.

I think with the darker walls and the dark leather sofas, it needs some more color.

 Maybe some more light pillows?

I would love some ideas!

I am linking to:



Art Comes In Many Different Forms

When most of us work with buttons, we call it a craft. When Herman Divers works with buttons, it becomes art. This very sweet man is in his nineties and I have the honor of treating him as a patient. Yesterday, he said, I have my button cane in the car and I want to show it to you. I don't know what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect a work of art like he showed me. This is a magnificent piece. He covered a cane in buttons. Buttons of every variety are individually tied on to the cane. If one falls off, the rest will remain in tact. I truly have never seen anything like this. He is an amazing gentleman. He said that he found that working with his hands was good way to keep his mind from being idle. I know all of us in blog/ craft land could not stand to sit around and do nothing, so we can relate. Herman walked out to his car just pushing his walker, not really using it. He really keeps it handy to have a place to sit. I am sure the cane is more for fun than support. As if the cane was not amazing enough, he gave a postcard with this picture on it. He used to create life size vehicles out of the old style pull tabs from soda cans. These pull tabs were discontinued in the late 70's, so most of this art was created in the 70's and 80's. This motorcycle that he created is currently in a museum in Lucas, Kansas. You can see this picture and others here. You never know, your craft could someday be considered art. PS I tried to post this last night, what was up with Blogger!