These Are a Few of My Favourite Things

While rearranging my 'new room' this past week, I decided to move objects around a little - just to enhance the new look.  

While purging this week, I discovered that I have trouble parting with gifts that people give me, especially if it is hand crafted.  One friend had made this shelf for me years ago, and it's a little outdated now, but I'm not ready to part with it. On the top shelf - I have a vase that Paige decoupaged for me when she was about 6 years old. Can't part with it - I love it.  When Jody had once given us all a gift bag, in it was a little pot of greenery.  I slipped it into the vase and it has lived there ever since.  Funny... when I was at Anita's once I noticed she has a little greenery in a clay pot that her daughter had made for her and I commented on how cute it was.  She laughed and said, I was gathering things up when we moved and I had the greenery in my hand and I didn't know where to put it when I was grabbing a box and I saw the clay pot and I just quickly put it in there to be safe and I thought 'hmmmm - that looks quite nice.'  So now, it too, has a permanent home.

The bottom shelf has a unique picture frame that Tracey came across (she found 4 of course - we always have to shop in 4's) and she stitched our initial and gave it to each one of us.  Then of course there is the 'Four from Forest'. This picture was taken a few years ago in this very room at Christmas time; thinking about it now - I guess since I'm hosting Christmas this year and we alternate each year, that means this picture was taken in 2007. Outdated shelf, outdated picture - at least I'm consistent.   Who cares though, right?    These are the small things we aren't allowed to sweat about.  Moving on...

Made by Paige when she was six with a little help from Aunt Deb.
Remember... I love Vintage, Victorian style... anything!

I have had some peacock feathers for several years now and I've never really displayed them where you can see them nicely.  I love them, but I just never found the right spot.  Paige gathered them up from one of our adventures at Story Book Gardens (Gee... there's a thought for a posting sometime... - someone remind me).  So I decided they would look nice beside the Willow Tree Angel that Anita gave me.

Anita gave me this angel a few years ago. 
I think she gave me an angel because I remind her of one..
ya...that's it.

This next picture is what I have set up in my 'cross stitch' corner.  The table is an antique that used to belong to my grandparents.  On the table is one of her old crocheted doilies and I laid out a pair of my gramma's evening gloves and her pearl necklace. If you zoom in on the pearls, you can see the unique diamond studded clasp.  LOVE IT!  The lamp ... too funny.  I made that lamp years ago in ceramics class for my former in-laws.  When they purged, it was handed down to my daughter, now handed it back to me because it really doesn't suit her 'Ikea' style decor.  Now my favourite part... the two little Critter Cross Stitchers sitting beside the cross stitched "B" - that was given to me as a gift from our Brentwood retreat this year.  

Ok, so the story of the Little Critter Cross Stitchers.  Many years ago, Jody had found a Hallmark Collectable Cross Stitch ornament with a little critter stitching and since she had Anita's name for Christmas - what better gift could she give her.  When Anita opened it and we all gasped, Jody had said "I don't for the life of me know why I didn't buy four of them!!!:"  So ever since then, we buy in fours. 

So as a professional shopper, I decided to scour eBay to find four little Critter Cross Stitchers.  I found only one, a tiny chipmunk sitting in a rocking chair stitching, but I just couldn't find anymore - so I just had to keep it.    A few months later I tried again and I was able to find 4 of the same ornament of a rabbit sitting and stitching the word Joy.  How appropriate because when I finally found four of the same ornaments, it brought me joy.   So each of us four now has the same ornament.

If you notice the blooper in this posting
- be the first to post about it and I'll send you a prize.
...and no...sorry... it will not be a Little Critter Cross Stitcher.  

Bye for now... someone has invited me to come out and play.  

I'll stitch later when it's dark. 

Bonnie