very vintage inspired...

There once was a girl who thought she needed to prove to herself and those who loved her most that she could take care of herself.   To show herself that she was strong, and self reliant and maybe a bit of a hippie child. 

So she moved to one of the most beautiful area in MI. and rented one of the most affordable places she could find.  You see, there would be no borrowing money, no needing to ask for help.  Not that those who loved her wouldn't offer, but she had something to prove.

So in this land of wine country and hotels and golf resorts, what could she afford?  A piece of Waldens Pond.  She settled in the first day 'nesting', setting up her sweet little cabin and laying out the few art supplies she brought with her and taking stock of her literature. She would need those things,  you see, what she found was this little log cabin set on a tree farm.  One that was full of history but lacking most everything else she took for granted.  No electricity, no running water, no bathroom. What it offered was an unusable outhouse that had a snakes nest in it, and a wonderful little pond which fed her soul and a beautiful blue heron daily. 

I learned alot about myself in the months that I lived in this sweet place.  It doesn't look exactly like I remember it.  It has recently had a fire and so is boarded up.  It seems much smaller than I remember and the outhouse is gone. (too bad) :) 

 I did read a great deal, and I thought I was so cool when I lit my gas lamps to read by at night.  I played with different art supplies and became a bit more confident in my abilities.  But where I gained the most confidence was in myself.  I worked two jobs that summer and I did not have a car so I rode the 10 miles or so into town on my bike, downhill to work and up some crazy hills after a long day of waiting tables.  I was the strong woman I was searching for.

I have never regretted living on Jack Frost's Tree Farm ( yes, that was really the name of it!)  I am so glad the girls wanted to go see it, it made me a bit melancholy but I sincerely loved it.  We took pictures with our phones because we were pretty sure that after the fire it will probably be gone before I am able to visit again. 

It looks like the inhabitants after me had electricity, and there was a t.v. antenna out back... they don't know what they missed out on.

Thank you for going down memory lane with me.

Love,

Theresa xoxo

I am linking up to Vintage Inspiration Friday over at Debras

and Take a Risk Day over @ Nesting Place

p.s.  I reread this and thought just in case you got the idea I was a big brave girl, I was NOT!  I was scared out of my wits at night quite a bit, but I got through it.  I have used that lesson throughout my life, and it has served me well!

I was kidnapped, and had the best time ever...

Sooooooo, you know how it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago?  Well, my sister Molly's birthday was just last week and we made plans to go to lunch on friday for her birthday... or so I thought!  Little did I know that these fabulous girls had other plans for me...

that is Helena and Candice, my nieces, Kathy, my SIL, Molly, my sister, me and Annie, my SIL.... they are my kidnappers! (I look like I'm being tortured don't I?)  Here we are at the beautiful winery we went to for my first ever wine tasting, so much fun!

they called for ransom but were denied so they had to keep me for the whole weekend! Lucky me!

~ cuz they took me to one of my all time favorite places, Traverse City!  It is surely one of the best places in all of MI.  This was our view out the window of Annie's parents lakeside home,  I could look at this every day...

(maybe they would adopt me)

here it is at night, breathtaking isn't it.  Yup that's ice and snow out there but that didn't stop us from doing this...

searching for shells and petosky stones~

Molly found one, lucky girl!

We laughed, we cried, we solved world problems,(you can thank us later) and we laughed some more.  My cheeks and stomach ached from so much laughing!  Seriously one of the best weekends I have had in forever...

Thanks girls!  I love you with all my heart. xoxo

Thanks for stopping by,

see you tomorrow with the usual craftiness!

Theresa xoxo

Birthday Giveaway Winner!

Thank you everyone for playing along... and for all of the sweet birthday wishes!  I wish I could send a birthday treat bag to everyone, but since I cannot I hope you will all be happy for the winner...

Congratulations Maggie of The White Farmhouse!

I used the random generator to select the winner and put in my numbers, I copy and pasted the code, I tried to copy the picture of the silly thing and alas I still could not get the silly thing to copy on this post for you. ugh. I am calling it a silly thing because I am trying to keep this post G rated!

It has been a wonderful birthday week... besides the special 'date' with Duane, my special dinner with my family, I received some fabulous presents from a special friend here in town, I won Linda's giveaway and get to go to Novica and choose my gift from their store, I received my giveaway pkg. that I had won from Carola a while ago, (please keep her mom and the whole family in your prayers), and a fabulous gardening themed gift from my sister Molly, complete with red converse and a very cool rusty toolbox that I'm sure most of you would all be drooling over!  Well that and how cool I'm gonna look in my new Chucks!  What a great way to turn 50!

So I'm really bummed that I have to post this without any pictures to share but again I am on a "shared/stolen" computer... this time I have tip toed away with Cam's and I can't use my memory card on it.  Can you feel my pain? 

Again, THANK YOU everyone for all of your comments and sweet birthday wishes... you really know how to make me feel good!

Have a great night... see you soon, hopefully with a pic or 2 or 3...

Sweet Dreams!  

Theresa xoxo

last treat in the birthday bag!

Oh my goodness, yesterday was a busy busy day, so I didn't get to post the last treat for the goody bag, 

 so here you go...

The winner will be able to choose a flower from my etsy, The Old White House, any color of your choosing.

If you would like one a bit smaller than the 6" to 7" ones that I have listed I can do that for you... me I'm a bit eccentric at times and like to wear them big!  Really, I wear them all of the time, they go with everything and I swear that whenever I wear one someone compliments me on it.  That always makes me feel good so maybe tomorrow I will wear 2 or 3!  :)

I really have to wrap this up, no lengthy post tonight, I snatched the computer while Duane wasn't looking and he just walked back in the room!!!!!

EEEEEK!!!

So there you have it... the winner will receive the drop cloth ruffled tote bag, a soldered pendant, a burlap rosette, 2 vintage postcards, 1 flower frog and a big fluffy flower for you to add to your favorite spring outfit!

Wasn't that a fun Birthday Party?   Who's up for a little pin the tail on the donkey?

Remember, all you have to do is

* leave a comment on any of the birthday posts

*become a follower if you are not one already

easy peasy, lemon squeazy!

The winner will be announced tomorrow!

Love ya!

Theresa xoxo

what's in the birthday giveaway bag today...

First things first.. tonight was Hannah's special dance at school so I'm going to have a proud momma moment and share a couple of pics of her and her bestie first...

ohhhh isn't she so pretty, I just love this little girl...

she isn't going to let me call her that for very much longer and I DO know that she is growing up but that is what she will always be to me.  Duane calls her "baby girl" and we both call her Boo.

Danielle prettied up her hair for her...

forgive the lighting, it was too late for any sun, not that we had any today!

these two are so fun together, I love their silliness and the laughter that goes on between them!

oh that darn light...

o.k. let's take a break from the proud momma moment and get down to business!

What's in the bag today?

 

how about a vintage "Hearty Congratulations" postcard?

and while I'm at it...



how about a vintage postcard for your Easter decorations?

and while I'm at it...

I'm going to send the flower frog with them

just in case by some small chance you don't have one of your very own!

So there you have it!

If you haven't thrown your name in the hat yet all you have to do is...

* leave a comment on this post or one of the other birthday posts...

*become a follower if you aren't one already...

* and last but not least have a great weekend!

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Thank you for indulging me my momma moment...

Enjoy your night, and stay tuned for tomorrows last treat bag post!

Sweet Dreams, Theresa xoxo

p.s. today was not a good day for pics for me OBVIOUSLY but that is how much I love you guys, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to add to the goody bag today, so lets pretend the light is good and they are all in focus, K? 

:)



what else is in the treat bag for my birthday giveaway...

Thank you everyone for the sweet birthday wishes, you really know how to make a girl feel loved, I was smiling all day long!

Yesterday was such a nice day... Duane and I were able to spend most of the day together, pancakes for breakfast, YUM!  Then off to get some of the dinner groceries, which I know sounds really mundane for a birthday outing but it was actually pretty fun.  Our oldest son John surprised me and came home on Tuesday night, him and our oldest daughter, Danielle had it all planned out and she picked him up from the bus station after she got out of school.  This is an important part of the dinner story because now that I am a vegetarian I'm pretty sure Duane was kinda freaking out about making my dinner!  John has been a vegan now for about a year or more and a vegetarian for 4 years now and is a very good cook,  dinner was delicious!

See... if you have to go grocery shopping on your birthday, it should be a happy place!  This is our local fruit market, it's more of a farmers market owned by one family with beautiful flowers, gianormous wheels of cheese and special olives and a meat dept. and some really fabulous homemade pies and one of my favorite parts... the cheapest vegies and fruits in town!  But even better than that on special days (like my birthday) they have this guy...

playing the piano while you shop!  I know right? I mean they did that just for me!  How sweet was that?!!

 Duane was funny, he hadn't been there in a while and they have remodeled and added much of the specialty items since he shopped there and he was like a kid in a candy store, he actually tasted a couple of things, yeah, they were NOT having tastings... get the picture? I found him at one point in front of a huge bin of what looked like dried tobacco and he had convinced an elderly lady to taste the dried hibiscus leaves that they sold for tea!  I was cracking up!  Not only that but Duane talks to just about everyone when we are out (I have to confess, I am not far behind him in that dept.)  so yesterday, I think it was senior citizen day (NOT because it was my birthday)  I kept losing him and when I would find him he would be talking to some couple or other :) 

 I will tell you another confession... that used to drive me crazy, but yesterday, I found it endearing. sappy I know, just keeping it real:)

So we spent the day eating a yummy breakfast, talking, shopping at a healthfood store, that's a story for another day, going to the market and then home where everyone made me feel like a queen!

Duane and John made dinner, Hannah set the table, Cam washed the dishes, and Max and Danielle were the entertainment (they usually are ;)  It was  a wonderful day!  50 is really a beautiful thing!

O.k. I know that's not really why you are here ;)  let's get down to the nitty gritty... you want to see what is going into the treat bag today!

so without further adieu...

I am packing one of the soldered pendants that I showed you a little while ago.  It is a piece of a vintage hanky with a chandy crystal dangling from the bottom! 

along with this...

A burlap rosette.  You know how you just start making something and then you think, hmmmmmm what else can I make this with?  Well, that's how these came about!  I was making some rosettes for something and spotted my burlap ribbon and wondered how it would look as a rosette and waalaa, I love them!  I think it would look so pretty on a mirror, a spring wreath, a package for a special friend.... you can do what you want with it!

Todays treats are the pendant and the burlap rosette :)

If you missed yesterdays post then here is what these are going into...

This drop cloth ruffled tote with a crocheted butchers string strap and bakelite buckle!

So all you have to do to enter the giveaway is

* leave a comment on this post or yesterdays post or BOTH posts to really keep me smiling :) 

*become a follower if you aren't one already...

*and stay tuned for tomorrows treat!

Thank you again for all of the birthday love!

Theresa xoxo

I'm linking up to Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday

and Cindy's Show and Tell Friday

A giveaway for my Birthday! xoxo...

That's right... today is my 50th birthday!  I know I seem so much younger, what with my youthful typing over here, but that's right I am now 1/2 way to 100, as was pointed out to me by Max yesterday!  I'm hoping to make it all the way there, but I'm also hoping he gives up on teasing his mom and pointing out the obvious to me by then!   

Now, having been born in the 60's  you know I didn't grow up with the whole, I'm going to a birthday party and I'm getting me a treat bag, right?  I'm guessing most of you didn't either... we put on our best and most favorite outfit and we went to our friends house for a rousing game of pin the tail on the donkey and hide and seek, but the birthday girl or boy received all of the presents! 

Well, I'm about to rectify that for someone at my party today!

Cuz, I'm having a giveaway, that's how!  Throwing a little Junie B. Jones atcha!  Is it bad when a childrens book is a good read for bedtime because it makes you giggle? :)

(with Max ofcourse)

So for the rest of this week, I am going to add a little something to this bag that I made and then one lucky party guest will go home with their very own treat bag!

It is made with our favorite material... drop cloth with a matching ruffle and then I crocheted the strap and the trim out of another utilitarian material, butchers string and added a vintage bakelite belt buckle for a bit of vintage goodness!

So stop on by this week and see what else I toss in the treat bag and add me a comment or two on any of the upcoming birthday posts and become a follower if you aren't one already for your chance to win the Birthday Treat Bag!

I'm linking this up to White Wednesday, Link Love, and Wow Us Wednesdays and Transformation Thursday!

Thanks for coming to my party!

Theresa xoxo