Button Crumbs

 Where have I been for nearly a week?  It took me that long to sort and clean my latest button purchase.  It was daunting this time.  The lot weighed 5 pounds and I don't know when I have seen so many sick or broken buttons in a button box.  I think I discarded at least a pound of buttons.  Big sigh.  I always say I love a genuine button box but this one was a little too real.  That glass dish contains a couple hands full of "sick" buttons.  I thought it might be interesting for those of you who are not familiar with the term.  More on that below.

 I did manage to glean out a few interesting buttons but it was a struggle.  The horn buttons in the bottom of this picture were already strung together that way and I thought it was kind of a neat idea so left them.  The rest in this dish are glass.

 The blue and red on the left of the photo are actually glass beads.  The group right above them is fabric. Those big oval buttons are wooden and painted gold.  The paint is in bad shape but I thought it would be fun to repaint and decoupage them.  The big gold and black buttons are two-piece metal.

 That Lucite button with the tortoise center is probably the best button in the bunch.  So many cool buttons that were beyond rescue...8+(

 A few nice pearls.  There were plenty more that were just plain ones and luckily, MOP doesn't get "sick".  Two groups of interesting wooden buttons plus a couple plastic sets down at the bottom.

 The leather button in the center of this picture is another of my favorites.  Leather buttons are pretty predictable but this one was different, especially with the offset center.

 I realized that I don't think I have ever posted a picture of the leather accumulation. Yes, they get their own spot, just because.

And now to the button graveyard.  This is just a small selection.  I do not know what causes "sick" buttons but it probably has to do with the gases some of the plastics give off when they begin to break down.  Click the photo so you can get a closer look, especially at those button crumbs that are mixed in.  Those are the worst offenders.  If you have Grandma's button box stored away as a keepsake in the attic or under the bed, please, PLEASE check on them.  If you have sick buttons you need to remove them then wash and air out the ones that are still good.  The sick buttons will contaminate and ruin the other buttons they are stored with.
So what else is going on around here?  I am starting to get the art room shaped up for Where Bloggers Create 2013.  Are you in?

Random Ramblings...

 When I was doing the wash-rinse-repeat dance with my latest haul from The Bins, my spray bottle gave up. I have a couple (not 3) of those old fashioned sprinkle tops so I rigged up a new water bottle for the ironing. My mother's was a pop bottle and she called it "the sprinkle bottle".  Maybe there is a real name.  I don't know.  I used a vintage bottle that I also had on hand and decorated it with a couple of floral stickers.  I really don't mind ironing but so much nicer with this pretty bottle!

 I also moved the herbs and the Farm Fresh sign to the wagon, er, Farm Wagon.

 A close up of the pretty bloom that wanted to sneak in to the picture.  Now that The Farm is done it is time to give the roses that are left some attention.  I think a couple of them are going to need some major pruning back so they can just start over for this year.

 I won a lace auction on eBay almost two weeks ago and it was finally delivered yesterday.  Lots of neat pieces for the inspiration kits.  I think that ruffled piece with the roses down the center is going to inspire an altered bottle kit.  I haven't made one of those in a while.

 I don't usually post about recipes since I don't like to cook but The Husband made this last night and it is SO good that I had to share.  White Bean and Radish Salad.  You can find the recipe here.  We used fresh white and red radishes from the garden.  Add a few crackers and a boiled egg or some cheese to your plate and you've got a whole meal.  Delicious!!

A treat for me!  I ordered these earrings from Luna Jewelry on Etsy.   My photo does not do them justice.  They are the most delightful little bees hovering near their big droplets of golden honey.  Beautiful!
There are buttons in my future [like that's news - har har!]so stay tuned.

Saturday at The Bins

 I have a lot going on right now and the days race by so I really needed to slow down the brain-chatter and relax.  Nothing does that for me like junking does so I treated my self to a trip to The Bins yesterday.  The great thing about The Bins is the junking can be as long or as short as you want it to be.  Since they constantly bring out new bins you are never really done.  I junked until I had my fill.

 I didn't score anything that made me jump and shout but got lots of bits and pieces.  Some, like this sweet embroidered baby dress will head off to Etsy and some will become part of something else.  Son #1 asked me to keep an eye out for a big atlas.  I am very glad The Bins sells the books by the each because that thing must weight 10#.  That little bottle with the handles (go back to the first pix for a better look) cleaned up real nice.

 A big pile of stamps that need to be soaked off the envelopes.  I thought that might be fun for The Grand.  The little velvet purse is a "possibility" for another project that is slowly taking shape.

 A nice enamel refrigerator box.  This will probably head to Etsy.  I am not sure due to the weight for shipping, though.  Should I add a water slide decal to the top or leave it original?  Opinions please!
I also picked up another doll collector book.  I have been trying to pick up reference books as I find them but I keep finding doll books and I am not a doll person.  You know that just as soon as I sell these books I will find a doll I want to look up.  Murphy's Law - lol!

 I cutter quilt for Etsy.  It has some pretty worn out spots but then also some sweet fabrics so will have to see if it can survive one more "wash-rinse-repeat".

 A vintage book about butterflies.  There are only a few pages in color but they would make really great collage backgrounds.

 I always keep my eye out for fabric scraps that I can use in my inspiration kits.  That aqua with the pink flowers is a full 2-yard piece.  The red down at the bottom is actually the top of a stack of craft felt in half a dozen different colors.  Notice that metal thing in the upper left.  It is an ashtray made from bicycle chain.  Son #2 is a bicycle guy and he doesn't smoke, other than an occasional cigar, but he sometimes has guests that do so I thought he would like this for a garage ashtray.  People think of such clever ideas.

BIG pile of paper alphabet stencils in three different sizes.  When I made the Farm Fresh sign I had to go through all of my stencils looking for the right letters in the right height and realized I am missing a lot of letters.  That put stencils on the want list and there they were.
Today will be a garden day, although I might slip away for just a short jaunt to VOA - tehe!  I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!  XO

The Garden Remodel - Done!

 The bark dust was delivered today so our project is finished - at least as finished as a garden project ever gets.  They delivered enough that we were able to extend the new bark to include the fire pit area.  I took out a no-longer-needed brick path on the left side over the weekend and changed the curve of the lawn to suit the area better. I like it a lot better this way and I'm sure the lawn-mower guys will, too.  8+)

 This is taken from the front of the garden, just inside the new fence and gate.  It looks SO much better with the landscape cloth covered.  I'm sure the neighbors were starting to wonder about all that ugly black stuff.  New bark smells SO good.

 My new little table and chairs moved back in to place.  I may re-think the location and move them from the back to the front of the raised bed.  There is a little spot up there where it is shady in the afternoon.  For now they are just sitting there waiting for me to take a break, like that ever actually happens - lol!

 A blank spot where roses were removed and will not be replaced until next spring so I moved in my old garden wagon.  After I took this photo I parked the two pots of herbs in the wagon and I think I will move the Farm Fresh sign to the side of it.

The garden from the back side.  The crops are coming along nicely.  I snacked on a fresh radish tonight - yum!
If any of you emailed me yesterday and did not get a reply it is because my email was broken for about 24 hours.  Technology is so awesome when it works!  Anyway, I don't know if the emails that didn't come through ever will so if you asked me anything important, please re-send the email.
Thanks, all, for tagging along on the garden remodel adventure!

A Morning Walk In The Garden

 I didn't get around to posting any garden pictures while the Rhododendrons and Azaleas were blooming this Spring so I grabbed my camera a took a walk around the garden this morning to capture what's up.  Oriental poppies, Yarrow and Sedum.

 Yellow-Eyed Grass with a few small Foxglove mixed in.  I love the Foxglove and pretty much let them grow anywhere they come up.  They seem to thrive any place here in Portland.

 Dark pink Peonies.  It rained all last week but they were just starting to open.  Next week is predicted sunny and dry so I think we will get a nice show this year and maybe ever a bouquet.

 A closer look at the dark pink one.

 And a true pink, too.

 Oxalis with it's cute little four leaf clover leaves.

 More Foxgloves growing where they chose.

 This is a big piece of driftwood planted with a miniature grass and then the fern and moss just wandered in and decided to make themselves at home.  Fine with me.

 Looking down the path toward the fishpond.

 The pond from a different angle.  I have cleaned the filter but the algae bloom is persisting this Spring.  It is hard to be patient but I know it will clear eventually.

 Johnny Jump-Ups, another thing I love so I just let them grown wherever they decide to jump up.

 Ice Plants growing in the old fountain.  They close at night and in the shade and open their blooms when they are in the sun.

Last but not least, The Farm.  We ate our first salad from the garden yesterday.  I told The Husband that if he didn't harvest some soon he was going to find me out there on all fours, grazing.  So bright and shiny and fresh!
The bark is scheduled for delivery on Tuesday so my next pictures will be the finished garden remodel - yay!

Weekend Picks

 Day #2 of my long weekend included some junking.  It began without even leaving my house.  My sweet friend arrived and received her happy pot of birthday flowers and brought me an unexpected windfall of vintage patterns.  Her sister is destashing her MIL's house and she was a seamstress.  Most of these patterns are factory folded and all are headed to my Etsy.  Lots of great 40s, 50s and 60s fashions.

She and I made a trip to the Salvation Army and VOA.  I was disappointed to discover the local SA has gone the way of GW with full-on retail prices.  The only thing I bought was the jewelry box.

 Based on the chatter from the other shoppers, we were not alone is our dismay at the prices.  The rest of these treasures are from two poke sacks purchased at the VOA.

 The VOA continues to deliver.  Long live the VOA!

Kathy's Day Off

 My #2 son and his wife offered to take me downtown today to visit the Portland Art Museum, something I have been wanting to do for AGES.  The weather turned out much nicer than predicted so it couldn't have been more perfect for roaming around in downtown Portland.  The pot of tuberous begonias above is a birthday gift I will be giving to a sweet friend tomorrow.  I put it at the top of this post because that contented look is just exactly how this day felt!

 This is the first time I really made an effort to use the camera in my big-girl phone.  I got the plaque in each photo, thinking I could enlarge and read the artist when I got home.  That part didn't work out so I'm not able to give credit where credit is due but will still share a few of the things that caught my eye.

 I was surprised they allowed pictures to be taken but it was okay as long as you didn't use flash.

 I recognized Ganesha the Hindu Elephant God from Cathy's travel blog "theXtraSuitcase" and was surprised to learn he rides around on a giant rat.

 A Wedding Ring quilt made from automobile license plates, among other things.

 I would totally wear the Native American woman's dress and cape on the left!  The one on the right is actually a man's and it is called a long shirt.

This is the part where you can point your finger at your monitor and laugh at me.  At some point the smart phone outsmarted me and I started taking videos instead of pictures.  No, I didn't tip over, I just turned the camera.  8+)  

When we finished at the art museum they very graciously offered to take me to The Button Emporium & Ribbonry, another destination on my bucket list.  Oh my.  I could spend half a day in there.  The buttons were all sold as singles and I prefer the "poke sacks" but they had an amazing assortment of trims and ribbons. I speed-shopped since I knew the kids were indulging me but I did manage to gather up this pretty little assortment of trims for my inspiration kits.  The proprietors are delightful!

We finished off our trip with a stop at the highly popular Tasty N Alder.  We actually stopped there, put our name on the waiting list and then went to the Button Emporium.  It was worth the wait with delish Bloody Marys and a very unique menu.  I was trying to take a picture of my Bloody Mary and ended up with the video above. They serve family style and bring out the dishes as they are prepared so we ordered several things and shared.  The blueberry french toast is A-MAZING and that is coming from someone who isn't very fond of fruit!
What a treat of a day!  Thank you Andy and Alissa!