richmond fair

A drive in the country.
Spending a day at the fair...

{the car I am going to win so I can be like Uncle VW...keep your fingers crossed}

Good times.

pages

Since it has been a sweltering 40 degrees or so outside all week, I have been doing some crafting inside with the kiddies, to keep us from melting. The routine this week seems to be: playing outdoors in the morning {baseball and bike riding are the activities of choice lately} and then cooling off in the air conditioning in the afternoon.

Some of my recent pages that I have scrapbooked and scraplifted...

{Miss S and her baby doll "Sophie"}

{K's sister on her visit to meet Miss S for the first time}

I need to add some journaling to this page. I want Miss S to know that the dress she wore for her Baptism was made by my Grandma, over 60 years ago, for my Mom's Baptism. I love that it was handed down, and now it hangs like a work of art, in Miss S's room where we can enjoy it...

Need to add some journaling on this one too...

ice cream box mini album

Check out this vintage treat...

Sorry... there's no more ice cream.

But what's inside is just as sweet...

And has none of the calories!

This was made with the Jenni Bowlin kit that I bought ages ago and took to Katie's crop last month to complete. And now I am just finally getting around to posting about!

rideau antiques

All one and one + two of us went antiquing Mother's Day weekend because K didn't buy me a gift and thought it would be smart to suggest I go find one for myself and act like he intended to do that all along. So off we went, on the hunt for some it is art to me even if you don't think so to hang on the big empty boring wall in our family room. I had my heart set on three antique church windows from here, that I spotted a while back, but by the time I finally convinced K how cool they would look in our home, they were gone.

I remembered Rideau Antiques having some windows, so we looked there...

{Read about the shop here}

Some windows, it turns out, is a major understatement. There is no shortage of windows...

or doors as it turns out. I thought about hanging a perfectly peeling door on my big boring wall, but K did just not 'get it'...

He did not understand how pretty the shutters would look on the flat, empty yellow vastness that is our family room wall either...

It was not really the right time to tell K how cool I thought one of these posts would look, just leaning elegantly in a corner of our home...

or about how I have always wanted an antique claw foot tub...

in every room in the house...

In the end we went home without finding the art of my dreams to fill the wall of my decorating nightmares. We were worried that because the windows have been out in the Canadian elements for who knows how long through wind and crazy humidity and rain and snow and more snow and more snow, they may have too much mildew mold, maybe??? and ick on them. Which might be hazardous to the kiddie's health. And I should probably not endanger my kiddies health with my Mother's Day gift.

I didn't find my art that day, but I did have fun taking photos at Rideau Antiques.
I love that place!

old made new

I needed some storage space in my scrapbooking room. It is on the main floor of our house, and you can see right into the room through it's double french doors and there is no closet, so I needed a place to hide some of my tools and supplies that don't fit on my bookcases, in baskets, etc. So, I took this old armoire that was in my Grandma's basement {made by my Grandpa circa 1940ish}...

and gave it a new life...

I primed, painted and distressed it {although that doesn't really show up in the photos}. I am still on the lookout for a new handle for it, but at least now I have a place to hide some of my scrapbooking stash.

Next, I think I am going to paint this drop-leaf table, also from my Grandma...

that holds my sewing machine. I just need to decide what color...

rideau antiques

You have to see this place in person to believe it. It may be the craziest antique store I have ever seen. It is jam packed, inside and outside, and in all the outlying buildings. I forgot to bring my camera {and Mellisa had only enough battery power for two pictures - this is one of her and I, below}, but you can check out some photos here {Renee found this blog, More Kisses Please, that has great photos}.

Renee introduced Mellisa and I to Rideau Antiques last weekend...

I found these big spools {I just like them...I don't know why. They will probably go in my scrapbooking room}...

and I am sure we will go back to this shop {I have to see what is under all the piles and piles and piles, when the snow melts}. It is just outside of Smiths Falls, so we stopped in at Tomorrow's Treasures and the quilt store across the street {where I picked up some fabric, finally, for my fabric book swap...now to get started on that project...}.

silver bella vendor faire

After classes on Friday wrapped up, the Silver Bella Vendor Faire madness began. So many wonderful vendors selling their vintage goodies and handmade items. Shopping bliss. And as expected, the presentation of the booths and attention to detail was over the top. Here are just a few of the vendors...

Carol Wingert's fabulous handmade books and kits...

Stephanie's booth was so fun...

One Hundred Wishes...the trims and Wish tickets are so divine...

Heather's beautiful Pretty Petals booth, where I bought some vintage silver glass glitter in pretty little bottles...
Gorgeous craft totes made by Kim Caldwell of Artistic Bliss...

The Raised in Cotton booth was just fabulous {I love the blog too...}...

I loved, loved, loved the Curious Sofa booth. I would love to go to the Curious Sofa boutique in Kansas City. In the meantime I check out the blog for some seriously sweet eye candy...

Sadie Lou from Lollishops {the froufrou friendly marketplace} was handing out the sweetest little press kits...

And here is Renee modeling her new Lulubellas apron. I had bought one in my class with Kim Kwan {she and Cori Jones make the aprons with all kinds of pockets for your tools and ribbons to attach your scissors} - loved them when I saw them in the Silver Bella article in Country Living ...
My apron is done in browns and blues with a wide brown sash and big rhinestone buckle - love it!

And love the vendor faire!