Shop Around The Corner

 It's the prettiest shop in historic Palm Harbor Fl and a visual treat for the eyes.

The Shop Around the Corner is a must  if you just happen to be in the area.

Not only will you find every perfect gift you can imagine but your purchase will be doing a very good thing.  

 Shop Around the Corner is a not for profit organization called Neighborly Care Network with a mission to help seniors in need with its health and wellness program that includes Meals on Wheels.

What a wonderful way to shop!

 To me this inspirational shopping trip was made even better by meeting Debbie Landis, the shops manager, buyer, and brilliantly creative designer.  

 Have you ever met someone that you just wanted to follow around and watch them do their magic?

 Her touches here and there around the shop will make you swoon.

 Who couldn't be dreaming of a White Christmas after seeing all these beautiful things.

 I don't think I have to say another thing but let you enjoy the bling blingy eye candy.

Guiltless and calorie free!

 And these are just a few of the pictures I took.  

 When you enter the shop there is the most beautiful upside down tree but the lighting just did not allow my camera to capture it well.   You will just have to go see for yourself!

 I loved the use of the sweet paper churches.

 Warning, you won't leave here without glitter on your face!

 I have a weakness for snowmen.  

 I love the clocks in the trees too.   Can't you just see them all strike 12 on New Year's Day.

Or are you one that takes your tree down the day after Christmas?

 I try to squeeze as many minutes into the season as I can.

So if your holiday finds you near Palm Harbor FL make sure you visit this beautiful shop.

Located at 1015 Omaha Circle.

Not only will you leave with glitter on your face but your very soul will sparkle too from all the beauty  that you will find within the walls of this wonderful place.

Sunshine

We have a new puppy at our house.   Meet Sunshine, our little goldendoodle puppy.  I wasn't ever going to get another dog after we had to put our last one down.   But there certainly was a big void in our lives that she filled within minutes of entering our world.  And I have to say,
I love waking up to puppy kisses!
    

An Old Door Finds a New Home

  When I discovered the old barn door from my dad's farm, I knew that one day it would find it's home in this cubby.   I never dreamed it would also mean 2 gallons of paint and 4 days of  redecorating.

I said good-bye to the gold and sage and burgundy color scheme and welcome polished silver and white. 

 It's funny how much a couple of gallons of paint  can change things.   We are finding the change very soothing and it seems to make my small white ironstone collection and the crown molding pop as well as landing new homes to some of the architectural pieces that I have found.    Hubby arched the old barn door and hung it in place.   Someday  I hope to have a stencil made to apply to the door that reads, " Shores Farm...Waves of grain since 1968.  I will distress it to make it look like it's been there all along.

 One year when my dad came for a visit to FL from Indiana he had found some old milk containers and gave them to me.  I was thrilled because my dad never really gave the gifts out at our home.    I later found the old milk box so it was a perfect match for this vignette as my father had had a milk route before he left for the Korean War.   I am pleased that this is all in place before Father's Day.  I guess this daddy's girl is missing her daddy!  

From my dad's barn wood, hubby made the shelf on the wall and the cabinet doors below the t.v.

As you can tell I have been doodling with PicMonkey to achieve the lettering for my someday sign.    It is so easy too.  In fact there has been a lot of doodling around here lately.  My home is taking on what I would call a Coastal Farmhouse vibe.    I am far from being finished but off to a rewarding start.
With all of my family treasures in one place now, from my mother's Longenburger baskets to my Great great Grandmother's quilts and now my Father's farm wood.  I feel surrounded by those whose lives have made me who I am today.
I feel HOME.

Becky
This week I am joining Show and Tell Friday
At My Romantic Home
The Shabby Nest
Funky Junk's SNS 

Farm Treasures

 A year ago I had to make the trip back home to Indiana to sell my Dad's farm.  It was a very emotional trip for me.

I didn't grow up on this farm as it had been purchased to be a hobby farm for my Dad and his Father.  So instead of the lake cottage that my mother had dreamed about I spent summers riding ponies and playing with my cousins all around the farm and in the barn's huge hay loft.  Most importantly I spent time by my dad's side as he worked on projects in the barn.

The later part of my Dad's life was lived out here.

He loved his farm and the barn and buildings were his craft/play rooms as he restored wonderful antique cars there.

 As I drove up the lane to the farm I remember how he had planted tiny little blue spruce trees.  Sometimes the weeds were taller than the trees but they survived and in the beauty of that fall day I felt his spirit move in the breeze among the trees.

 It was sad to see the disrepair that the barns were in.  His farm had been in a life estate and after my Father's death his widow moved back to her own home and let her family live there and so the story goes.   

 All of my Father's things had been sold at auction but I was in hopes of finding something that I could treasure.  I asked the soon to be new owners of the farm if they would mind if I took some barn wood from the fallen buildings to try to make a farm table and a few other items from the wood.  I think he was thrilled hoping that I would have taken more.

Why is it that hubby's always take pictures like the one above this?   Needless to say a diet started after this trip!!

 I was thrilled with my fallen discovery.

This wonderful old door was rescued and I will show you in my next post just what we did with it.

And of course this photo was cropped for the sake of your eyes and my pride. 

Springtime on the Lake

 What a wonderful time of year.   It's as though the lake is dressed up in it's finest when the water lilies start to bloom.   All around the edges their white flowers sparkle in the sun luring us to come out for a closer look.   

 And just underneath the pads there is a fisherman/woman's delight.

Ah yes, springtime on the lake,  

  a perfect time of conversation between my hubby and me.  We tease back and forth about who is the better fisherman.

 He likes to tell me what a good Captain he is and how a good Captain always puts you on the fish.

 And an even better Captain even takes the fish off the hook.

 And a Super Captain keeps you smiling to which he did.

 And my Romantic Captain helped me pick a perfect lily for a spring bouquet.

 Ah yes, springtime on the lake,

my favorite time of year!
Joining Kathleen of Faded Charm for White Wednesday.
I'm not sure what I did but for those of you who are finding this post on the Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday please just hit Home to see the intended post.
NEED COFFEE.

Playing with Picmonkey

I have been reading about Picmonkey for photo editing so I thought I would give it a try today.  The weather here was a little cloudy and so my pictures reflected that.  One of these days I am going to take a photography class and learn just what to do with lights and setting and and such.  I need to stop being  a point and shoot girl.

Picmonkey  is very easy to use and in this picture I used the auto adjust.  It certainly brightened it.

However my original picture makes me want to crawl in to the bed and take a nap.

This pictures says....draw the shades.  Or, " It's time to get up!"

I'm not really sure if I don't like the original pictures from my camera better.  I think they are softer.

The good thing about taking pictures is that is makes you clean up a room or hide as much as you can from the camera.   My daughter is coming over to spend the night.   We live close to the airport and she flies out tomorrow to look for a new home in Kentucky.   I don't know what I will do without my sweet, sweet girl but  I will make sure that when she is here she feels special.   This is Natalie's Room.   My girl loves lilac and purple.  My girl is my best friend and I am really going to miss her!   

The Fancy Flea

 The Fancy Flea was the place to be this past Saturday.  Voted one of the 10 best Flea Markets in the country,  Saturday's show quite possibly moved that number up a bit with such a great turn out of fabulous vendors representing some of Florida's outstanding shops as well as some very creative people. that made this Flea Market a wonderful show.

The first picture represents the Girls of Summer House. (Found on FB)

Summer House Marketplace is located in Tampa. (Found on FB)

From fabulous shell mirrors to wonderful vintage furniture, this shop is a favorite in Tampa.

It's a perfect day trip with so many great shops, and restaurants in the area, but bring a truck, or more than likely you will need to return to pick up  something fabulous!

 Another great vendor at the Flea was Chic to Antique.

This booth was packed all day long with happy shoppers finding just the right little something, something.

 Shelly Price of Sweet Pea Home was there.  Shelley is well known from Florida to Texas for her wonderful vintage finds as she has been setting up for years at Marburger Farms in Texas, for the great Flea Market week held there twice a year.  She is currently set up in a new shop called Adjectives in Altamonte Springs,  FL.

 The Fancy Flea is held two times a year, April and November.  The streets are filled with happy shoppers.

 It's a smorgasbord of painted furniture so bring the truck!

It was a wonderland of lace and boots and bling,

and some of the cutest ideas for garland I have ever seen.

 Doors and windows and planters, oh my....bring the truck!

 Where Shabby is Chic and Chic can be Shabby and some girls are Chic and Shabby.

 Kimberly Ryan of Paris Rags was there.

Her booth is filled with eye candy and romantic fashions that will make any girly girl swoon.

 Even her tent top is a work of art.  And speaking of works of art.  This lady paints the most beautiful roses!  As well as being known for her romantic style clothing designs she is a talented artist.   Find her on Etsy too!

 House of Envy was there, another over the top shop located in St. Cloud, Florida.

 This amazing tent was slammed with people.  They are Tossed and Found.  Bling...bling!  Bits and bobs of bliss!

 Lori from Robyn Story Designs in Tampa sharing the wonders of Chalk Paint.   Robyn Story is our go to girl for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which is by the way a fabulous product.  Robyn's store is fabulous and a must stop shop for any of you out of towners.   She also has wonderful how to classes.   Check her out!    Bring a truck!

 Here are a couple of chalk paint finished products by a Summer House Girl!

 Janice, Shabby Shells had some amazing mirrors. ( One of the Girls of Summer House.)  Michelle, another Girl was set up around the corner but by the time I got there she was almost sold out.

Amazing!  But that says something about those Girls!

 Just a little info on the Fancy Flea.

Get your calendar out and mark the number to call to find out when the next one is in November!

People will be coming from everywhere!

Bring a truck!

 Debbie Mangual, owner of Vintage Soul in St. Cloud was there.  She had a beautiful people filled tent!

Currently gracing the pages of Romantic Homes Magazine, Debbie's touch on a space is magical!  Come to my house Debbie,  please come to my house!!

 The Rusty Gate..located in Clermont FL in Tres Chic Boutique.

 It's such a wonderful thing, to meet such talented people. Each vendor inspired by another vendor.  Can you just feel the creative juices flowing?   Wonder what Shelley bought?   Guess you will just have to visit her space at Adjectives or ask Lori from Robyn Story Designs.

 So if pictures like this make your heart skip a beat,  then you will find your bliss at the Fancy Flea.

However, this experience can only be enjoyed to the fullest if you arrive in an empty truck because you will certainly have it filled up when you leave.

So here are a couple of  Fancy Flee tips.
DON'T MISS THE NEXT ONE
 AND BRING A TRUCK!!!!!