A Few of My Favorite Things

(At this moment anyway.)

I've been working hard on trying to get some of the excess items
I have piled up until I get off my lazy derriere 
stored waiting for inspiration. 

One of my favorites is this very large buffet. 

I bought it from my "Alabama Pickers" several months ago and it's been sitting hoping for a makeover.

Of course I forgot to take a before picture!

The buffet is very sturdy but the finish was REALLY ruff.

So I sanded and sanded and it is still ruff but in a good kind of way.

I think I should call it Rustic Victorian.

 I like the details this piece has..

the inset oval... 

the top accent...

the shapely legs and the center brace.

It didn't have knobs but my friends

Mickey and Lana (a.k.a. The Auction Queen) gave me these.

PERFECT

Speaking of auction...

Check out my latest auction aquisition

It's a solid oak vintage elementary school desk/table

It was designed for six children.

There's three cubbie holes on each side.

***

Great coffee table don't you think?

I also have a child size drafting table with a little drawer.

This is one of my favorite finds.

An antique diorama.

It's in a shadow box with a hinged lid and wavy glass.

The waves and back ground are painted plaster.  I'm not sure what the ship is made of but the rope for the sails is string.

Here's another auction buy.

1970's Coca Cola crates

Finally

Another chippy - shabby fireplace mantel

Check out the details.

Thanks for visiting with me at my booth at ENCORE in Pelham. 
I hope to see you there soon. 

Edited:  I just linked to  Restore-it Wednesday and Miss Mustard Seeds Furniture Feature Friday .

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann

Like Mother - Like Daughter

I've known for a while that MB, my daughter,

has the "arranging" gene.

Even when she was a little girl she would arrange her play fruit.

Which she fed to her stuffed animals, how cute is that?

She would even arrange/organize her play office and school supplies.

Now that she is older she likes to create vignettes just like I do!

Wooo hooo!

A few days ago she was with me while I was fluffing my booth so
I decided to put her to work. 

I needed to move all my seashells off a large table I had sold and I needed a new arrangement in my china cabinet.



I asked her to take everything out of the cabinet and to create a new display with the seashells. 

Can I do it however I want? 

Can I use some other stuff from your booth?

My answer was YES and YES! 

Just excited that she was interested.

I LOVE how it came out!

I like how she balanced the colors without it looking TOO symetrical.

We've been told that we look a lot alike, but I see her becoming more LIKE me as she gets older,

bless her heart!!

But here's an example of:

NOT....Like Mother - Like Daughter

Last time we were at the beach MaryBeth and Josh decided to go parasailing.

The "Likeness" stops right HERE because.....

This is WAY......

WAY....

too high!!!

They were 1,000 feet up and this momma is afraid of heights!

MaryBeth and I are about to start decorating her apartment and I plan to take y'all on the adventure with us.  Now that's my kind of adventure. ;-)

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann

I HAVE TWO REQUEST

I know I've been a bad blogger.  But I do have a few excuses; I lost my camera, (of course I hadn't downloaded any of my pictures) we went out of town and I've been sick.  We're back in town, my camera has been found and I'm feeling a whole lot better. 

I do have a couple of post ready, I'm working on a series of post and I've got some news.

But I just can't do them right now.  My heart is too heavy. 

The devastation that my beloved state of Alabama has suffered is heart breaking. 

The last death toll I saw was 213, just for the state of Alabama.

This image is probably all to familiar by now. 

Just Google Alabama April 27, 2011 tornadoes and the images will leave you in tears.

This is what we saw on our TV most of the afternoon of April 27, 2011.  

Yes we did spend a good part of the afternoon in the basement and watching the TV. 

We live about 20 miles south of Birmingham so we were spared. 

All we are having to deal with is cleaning up our yard, driveway and deck.

I do have a very small inkling of what the tornado victims are going through.  When I was 13 my mother, two sisters and a I were in our house (about two miles from where I live now) when a tornado hit it. It ripped the roof off and broke out windows. I do remember the roar and the pressure in my ears.  That experience has left me with a great respect for tornadoes.  Let's just say 37 years later I still pay attention to the weather! 

However, I really can't imagine the feelings the victims of these tornadoes must be experiencing.  (VICTIMS, you know, I really don't like that word it doesn't seem personal enough.)  These men, women and children must be going through a gamut of emotions; loss, hope, grief, fear, relief, despair, joy, anger.... 

I do know I believe in the power of prayer. 

I said in my title that I have two request so here they are: 

1.  Please pray for all (Alabama wasn't the only state hit by these tornadoes.) the men, women and children that were affected by the tornadoes.

2.  Please, please, please...when you hear a tornado warning in your area pay attention, go to the safest place in your home and

DON'T dismiss it.

With a thankful heart,

Elizabeth Ann

TREASURES

From the sea

and all over!

Collected and gathered

(This helmet is a 1960's child size Rawlings.)

(Remember these record players? This one still works!)

hoping someone else likes them

as much as I do.

Bunny Love!

(Bunny Derriere)

Then there's cloche love!

(The base for this little cloche is a piece of antique bull's eye molding.)

Thanks for visiting Elizabeth Ann's. I'd love to hear from you.  If you're planning a trip to Encore please let me know I'd really like to meet you in person.  I got to meet Tiffany, from The Cranky Queen, on Friday!!!  Wish I had remembered to take a picture.

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann

Alabama Pickers

I have my very own Alabama Pickers!

This fantastic fireplace mantel was among my first purchases.

I really like the details.

Especially this trim, which is all in tact, that looks like a string of pearls.

Aaron and his uncle travel the back roads of Alabama looking for treasures.

Like this late 1800's East Lake dresser.

(Which still needs its mirror put into place.)





I'm loving the carved pulls.

So very glad they didn't get broken.

This beauty needs some TLC. 

A bath with some Howard's wood cleaner and a rub down with finish restorer should do the trick.

She will NOT get a paint job!

Aaron told me they go way out in the country.

That's how they find the good stuff.

This mirror is in great shape.  I just didn't like the reflection.

I imagine them poking around in barns and attics.  Rummaging through old storage buildings that no one has stepped foot in for years. 

Unearthing the great buffet and french table that are in my storage unit waiting for face-lifts.

Finding great super - tall - seven - paned - doors just for me!

OK, realistically I know that I'm not the only one they pick for/sell to.  But it's fun to pretend.  I just wish I had the nerve to go up and knock on someone's door and ask "hey can I look around and dig through all your fabulous JUNK you have sitting around". 

Well, until I'm a lot more brave I'll leave it up to Aaron and his uncle.

Joyfully,

Elizabeth Ann