NEW YEARS WISHES

I cannot believe that it is already 2010. I was always told that time flies the older you get and that my friends is no lie! WHEW! Where on earth does it go? Hopefully alot of it is spent with your loved ones: vacations, bedtime stories, walks in the park, snuggled on the couch, exploring nature, going to soccer games, baseball games, gramma and grandpa's house, game night, date nights...... Hopefully some more of it is spent with your friends, out to dinner, SHOPPING FOR JUNK, chatting on the phone, grabbing lunch, having coffee, being a shoulder to cry on, lending an ear.

Lord knows the rest of the time we are either driving , dropping off, doctors appts, taking the dog to the groomers, picking up, post office, bank, groceries, laundry, getting the oil changed, getting gas, library, car wash, dry cleaners, our job, driving some more....laundry again, fixing dinner, packing lunches, dusting (does anybody really dust on a regular basis or just when company is coming???),emptying the dishwasher,changing the bedding, meetings, clubs,school, exercise, sports UGH!!!!! I think we just figured out where all the time goes. My wish for all of you in 2010 is to be HAPPY and have the time to do more of the things you LOVE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL!

HELP WANTED!

I was hoping some of you out there might be able to help me with a few of these issues:

I can't enlarge text
I can't make my text bold
I can't upload any more than 5 pictures at a time
HELP!
P.S. I recently updated my browser

HOLIDAY HOURS

OLDE TYME MARKETPLACE HOLIDAY HOURS:

WED. 12/23 10-5

THURS. 12/24 10-4

CLOSED CHRISTMAS

SAT.12/26 10-5

WED. 12/30 10-5

THURS. 12/31 10-5

OPEN NEW YEARS DAY!!! 10-5

SELECT CHRISTMAS ITEMS ARE 50% OFF!!!

Some days it's Dishsoap..............

Okay...so it doesn't take too terribly much to get me excited.....today it was dishsoap! And to completely send me into orbit.....add in the counter top spray! The reason behind all this excitement was one quick look at the label. Mrs. Meyers had me at "Crisp Iowa Pine, with a touch of clove and cedar, has the FRESH scent of a just~cut CHRISTMAS TREE!!" She wasn't kidding either! They smell WONDERFUL! Plus Mrs. Meyers doesn't test all her stuff on animals. What a gal!
Now I know ya want to run and get some so here's the scoop... (and I'm only telling you cuz I stocked up already) TARGET has it AND.......it's on a temporary markdown this week...reg 3.99 marked down to 2.99!! If you can take it....I dare ya to buy the hand soap...it'll smell like you just washed your hands in the middle of a Christmas Tree Farm with snowflakes falling gently all around while you sip cocoa looking for the perfect tree~ except without all the needles and sap and stuff. ENJOY!!

Christmas Decorations Outside My Home...

I finally was able to have an afternoon to just play around with decorating outside the house! I've decorated my buns off in the shop and have been itchin to get to do my own home. Here are a few pics of what I have been workin on............ This arrangement was super easy to do...all I had to do was yank out the ole dried up geraniums and put in some pine and add my fav resin pinecones! This is on our deck at the back of the house.
This one was easy too but I still have some live bacopa and trailing dusy miller hangin in there so I didn't want to take it all out. I decided to just add the pine and create a one of a kind look and finish it off with the big ole pinecones! This too is on the back deck.

This old tool tote arrangement is on an old chippy table in the entryway of the front of the house. I like to add candles that I put inside mason jars and I'll tuck those in as well.The candlelight looks so pretty! Funny thing about this whole arragement is that almost everything is broken! The pine is just all small broken pieces, the merry and bright is broken on the middle, the star is broken (one of the slats of wood came off and I just propped it back on) the berry sprays are all left over pieces that have berries missing and the tool tote itself is cracked! To me all this equals PERFECT IMPERFECTION!

This old primitive chippy white grain bin was a wonderful recent find from a new friend Kim at A Thyme Remembered! She has the best booth inside Katy Dids Antique Mall in Gastonia NC. I had to have it! I just pictured it filled with greens on the front porch and it turned out exactly how it was in my head! Thank goodness I had my bud Lisa from HomeThrown Pottery with me so she could help load it in the car. We had both taken the day off and let our guys play store while we spent the day shopping and just taking it easy! We both needed that! Anyway I found a keeper that day and love how it looks!

This big snowman is one of my favorites to put out every year! I love him so much that I gave one to my mom,and dear friends Kelly and Karen back in Ohio for Christmas two years ago. Where they all live in Ohio I knew that they could easily leave him out til April! LOL! (Seriously, I am not kidding...There's nothing like living in the snowbelt! I really do miss it! They know I'm telling the truth and think I am crazy!) Okay, so this whole look is to the right of the entry way at the front of the house and if you continue to the right of the picture that would be my front porch. I still have more work to do and will try to get up some more pics. I enjoy seeing what you all have done for the holidays! Everything always looks so wonderful and festive! Well I am off to do some tweaking inside so I will chat with ya later!

Best Swap EVER!!!

IT FELT LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING!!! I am so glad that I had signed up for the OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS SWAP on Char's blog Pickled Pepper Patch. I had not done a swap in 8 years. I used to do them often but got so discouraged with how they would almost always turn out. Char has rules and I like that. I got the BEST PARTNER in swap land.........Becky from Primitives N Stitchin! She made almost everything in the package. I absolutely LOVED it all, The snowman is made from quilt batting the warm and natural stuff that I love...he is holding his hat upside down with a little Christmas mouse peekin out of it! The soap keeper shelf is A~W~E~S~O~M~E! I have since found 4 places for it to go in the house! The soap smells wonderful and cleans like no body's business! The berry wreath is around a candle at the moment and the little bag ornaments she made for me to be able to use for valentines too! How great is that??? There are prim tapers also that must have snuck down below the picture but they are in a wooden bowl on my table. But I think my super fav item is this one below.........................

SHE MADE THIS QUILT PAD!!! Isn't is beyond beautiful??? Again she thought of how I could use this for the Valentine holiday BUT I want it out all year! She really outdid herself with this. The workmanship is perfect. She is such a talent. If you are ever lucky to get her as a swap partner you will be very lucky indeed. I should mention...THIS WAS HER FIRST SWAP! I feel so honored to have been her partner.Thanks BECKY! I L~O~V~E it ALL!

THANK YOU!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all who came out to enjoy our CHRISTMAS TYME AT THE MARKETPLACE! The CANDLELIGHT NIGHT was a magical, fun filled event that made my heart sooooo happy!! Smiles everywhere, tons of donations for rescued furry friends, the live music was wonderful and you could just FEEL the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT! Pure JOY!

Please come see us as the shelves are still stocked with the BEST primitive gifts for gift giving to yourself or friends! We will be taking donations for the animal rescue for the rest of the month of December so there is still time to share of yourself to help an animal in need.