Treasures Aplenty

Here's the loot from my little trip! 

How sweet are these cupcake picks?

~*~

 And their little bunny brothers!

~*~

 Pink and blue bird and chick picks

~*~

 Super cool Beth Singer Design tile

~*~

 A new deck for my card addiction collection... can you see the silver lily-of-the-valley flowers?

~*~

 I have no good reason for having purchased this rusty metal travel clock.  The front is so cloudy you can barely see through it!  Just one of those things I bought because I knew no one else would love it like I do.

~*~

 Two-table bridge scorepads with tallies in a horoscope theme- new old stock

~*~

 Loads of ephemera.  I'm trying to figure this stuff out.  Apparently there was some deal where you sent in your cardboard punch card and received prizes.

~*~

My favorite one... I would LOVE to win one of these!  I think I'm a little late though.  I can't find a date, but I'm guessing 60s.

~*~

So there you have it.  Not tons, but I sure had fun looking!!  Most of this will be in sosovintage at some point, but if there is something you must have right now, just let me know ;)

Trip Highlights

 How was your weekend?  Mine was fabulous!  I had such a lovely time in Berkeley Springs.  No worries, though, I'm not moving there.  It has the right small-town vibe, and is situated in an extremely beautiful area.  But, I don't get the feeling that the town has all the advantages for schools and kids that I would want for Sophie. 

~*~

 My friend and I met around 11:30 at the hotel, checked in, then went to town to have lunch.  Apparently it was "girlfriends weekend" in town.  We never were able to figure out if it was girlFRIEND weekend or GIRLfriend weekend, but it became kind of a silly joke all day. 

~*~

We ended up at Temptations Cafe and both had the crabcake special.  SO good!!!  Giant chunks of crab meat, almost no filler.  Had we realized that every shop in town closed at 5:00, though, we might not have lingered so long.  We still managed to squeak in two antique malls and a couple of artsy shops before everything shut down for the evening.

~*~

~*~

The weather could not have been more perfect.  70ish degrees and partly sunny.  We ended up whiling away the rest of the afternoon and evening, and once we were hungry for dinner it was 10 pm.  Guess what our meal choices were at that time?  McDonalds or Sheetz.  Decisions, decisions.  We chose the latter... basically a sandwich shop located inside of a large gas station for those who don't know.  Not the most elegant, but it was fresh and more or less satisfying.

~*~

The next afternoon on the way to pick up Sophie, I found myself in a gigantic building, the Hancock Antique Mall.  Oh, dear- how horrible!  What was a girl to do?  Shop of course!  I didn't buy much, but what I left with was cute.  I'll share the spoils of my trip tomorrow!  Have a great week!

Destination: Berkeley Springs, WV

~*~

Twice a year, my good friend and I put our family lives on hold and meet for a weekend extravaganza of talking, shopping and eating.  We have done this for about 5 years.  Our halfway point used to be Frederick, MD.  Then my friend moved to Pittsburgh!  So, we've chosen a new destination for our trip, and I'm so excited to see Berkeley Springs, West Virginia for the first time this weekend.  I'm guessing it won't look like this photo- it being June and all- but hopefully I'll get some firsthand shots to share.

~*~

Now this part of the post may seem unrelated, but bear with me.  A different friend and I had lunch together last Tuesday.  Her husband is looking for a new job, and they would like to move out of the area.  While talking about this, I remembered a website that Mike and I had found a few years ago.  It had a really cool quiz that you can take to help you narrow down the top cities that are the best matches for you.  Then it has loads of info about the places you are matched with.  I looked it up for her when I got home, and then took the quiz again for fun.  I don't even remember what my top spot was, because guess what I got for my second???  Berkeley Springs, West Virginia!  I couldn't believe it.  Would you like to take the quiz?  Head on over to Find Your Spot, then come on back to leave a comment with your results :)

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds (and a finished WIP)

TGIF!  It's been a long short week.  I did manage to find some pretties, though- check them out:

~*~

 ~*~

~*~

 ~*~

 ~*~

 ~*~

I've had the first and third ones before, and the second one looks vaguely familiar.  I used a bit of the first one to complete my tangerine bowl.  Yes, I DO finish some of the things I start.  There's proof!

~*~

~*~

I'm heading off for a much needed weekend retreat early Saturday morning.  I'll post details of the place, along with a cool quiz, tomorrow!

Thursday's Treasure

~*~

If you are a woman, you must run right out and get this book.  Anna Quindlen has long been one of my favorite authors, and in this latest, a memoir, her words resonate louder and more strongly than ever.  She is witty, real, honest, and wise.  Her words will make you laugh and think.  I can't say enough about how wonderful this book is.  While I was lucky enough to find it at the library, I realize now that it's one I'd like to own- to revisit at different ages and stages of my life. 

~*~

As I approach my 44th birthday (less than a week to go!), I leave you with one of my many favorite passages from this novel.  Ms. Quindlen writes, "I've finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and in the years to come.  It's like a car, and while I like a red convertible or even a Bentley as well as the next person, what I really need are four tires and an engine."

WIP Wednesday

~*~

My main work in progress this week is getting caught up with the laundry.  Between sheets for sosovintage and regular clothes for the family, getting behind for even one day results in a bit of a mountain in the laundry room.

~*~

For fun, though, I've been working on this large cotton yarn bowl in a new shape.  I'm working it double-stranded for added strength, and it has a generous flare to the top.  I'm going to *rag top* it with a vintage fabric that I found last week.  Can't wait to do that part tonight!

The After

~*~

Just a basic pillowcase bowl, but she is quite sassy :)