Lighter Summer Mantel

(Thank you to Lavender Garden Cottage and Rooted in Thyme for featuring this post!)
Hi, everyone!  Hope you're having a great week!
I just realized that I've never shown you my 'summer' mantel.  I kept the urns and the candle sticks that I used in the spring vignette here; I just lightened it up a bit.

My sweet hubby came in from outside one day and said "I have something for you."  He had been working in the yard and gathered me a pile of sticks!  We laughed because I was just as happy as if he'd brought me a  bouquet of flowers!  Does he know me or what?

So I immediately thought to add them to my tarnished urns. Kind of an organic arrangement...

This fantastic old barn door was sent to me from Kris at Junk Chic Cottage.  I've admired hers, so she found this one for me-what a friend! :)  I adore its chippy goodness!!

I've recently begun collecting Madonnas.  I added some dried lavender to this one and placed her in the center of my vignette.  I love her simple elegance!

A couple of Dundee Marmalade Jars and a pair of mercury glass candlesticks, and my mantel is complete!

A couple weeks ago I fell in love with this chippy egg basket. 

It's now holding some of my favorite decor books on the hearth.

So there you have it-my simple summer mantel!

Have a fantastic day!

I'm linking to these great parties:  The Farmhouse Porch (The Scoop)
                                                    Lavender Garden Cottage
                                                    Ivy and Elephants
                                                    Timewashed
                                                    Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olsen
                                                    Rooted in Thyme
                                                    Dorothy Sue and Millie B's Too
                                                    Common Ground

A New Feature: Saturday Spotlight

Hi, everyone!  Kris from Junk Chic Cottage, and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.
There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.
We decided to start off this feature with ourselves, and give you a more personal glimpse into our 'real lives' so that you can get to know us a little better! 
We'd love to hear what you think of this new feature!  Without further ado...

"SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: REAL LIFE BEHIND THE BLOGGER"

I'm Susan from Must Love Junk.  I started this blog a little over a year ago because I have such a passion for 'junking' and for decorating my home with 'good junk' that I couldn't keep it to myself any longer!  I never could have imagined the talented, fantastic people that I'd 'meet' or the exciting opportunities that would open up to me.
  It's so fun to share my home with like-minded peeps who get me and my style!

 My background is in retail (clothing and cosmetics) and I also worked at an employment staffing agency for several years.  My degree is in Fashion Merchandising and while I do enjoy fashion, I've discovered that my true love is home decor.

My hubby Keith and I got married about 14 1/2 years ago.  (You can read a detailed account of our special love story here.)   He works in a crime lab as a Forensic Scientist (a true life 'CSI' guy!)  We have so much fun together and he makes me laugh every day! 

Luckily he shares my attraction to quirky, fun items!  (That makes it a lot easier when I bring home a giant number "3" or something else that's 'funky'!)

We don't have kids, but we do have 2 cats that are definitely our babies! (Cole and Bobbi aka 'Bob' aka 'Bobcat')  I've always adored cats, ever since I was little!

As you can see, they've got hard lives, poor things...

I have one sister (younger) that lives in Arizona.  She has 4 kids (in Arizona, too) and I'm also a 'great-aunt'!  We don't get to see them all nearly enough, but usually try and visit a couple of times a year.  This picture was taken a couple of years ago but we basically all look the same-except for baby Rayne, of course!

I've been blessed with incredible parents!  My dad is a master craftsman-he can fix or build just about anything!  My mom is my best friend-we've always been exceptionally close.

We'd always dreamed of having a shop together but I lived 2 1/2 hours away for the first 6 years of my marriage, so it wasn't feasible.  When Keith and I moved back to my hometown (which I never expected to happen!) my mom and I immediately put the wheels in motion to open what I call a 'Recycled Home Goods' shop.

We've now been open for about 7 years (we're named "Home Sweet Home") in a little bungalow house that my parents own.  That allows us to be open only on Fridays and Saturdays and leaves the rest of the week for 'junkin'- a win/win if you ask me!  We've developed a wonderful loyal customer base that we're thankful for, and more and more new people are finding us every weekend. 

A couple of random tidbits about me:
*I try to walk every day to stay somewhat in shape, but I LOVE to eat!!  (Unfortunately junk food and sweets are my favorites!) Keith and I joke that while we're still eating one meal we'll start planning for the next one!  We eat out all the time because I don't like to cook...at all...ever...

*I'm just 5' tall (good things come in small packages, and all that... :)

*I LOVE to read!  I usually go through about 2-3 books a week.  I've finally rubbed off on Keith-he's now reading mystery/spy books (I never saw him read a book for fun the first, oh, 12 years of marriage!)

*I am directionally challenged...as in I can get lost around the corner from my house.  I am known for it among my friends and family.  They know to slowly and carefully  describe directions to me as if talking to a kindergardener-and even then I sometimes  still get lost.

*My dad is 100% Italian...however, as you notice by my pasty white self, I did not inherit his deeply bronzed/tan skin (bummer!)  My dream is to visit Italy someday!

*I DESPISE winter and snow!  I'm definitely a warm weather girl.  I briefly lived in Florida in my 20's and hopefully will someday return there for good...or possibly Arizona.  (Maybe then I'll get the deeply bronzed tan...?  Nah.)

Well, I hope that you enjoyed learning a little more about me.  Please make sure and visit Kris to read more about her 'real life'.  Thanks for letting us share more about ourselves!
Stay tuned for our first 'official' feature, coming up soon!

An Art Fest and Some Finds

Hi, everyone!  This past weekend my hubby and I went to a fun art show held at a local winery, Gervasi. The weather was pretty steamy, but at least it didn't rain until after we'd left!
I love supporting local talent and this was a great opportunity to do that!
I'm a huge fan of these local artists' (Tina and Susan) work. They make amazing jewelry and turn bottles and other mundane items into works of art!  They are called Tabas Designs and here are some of their booth pics...

I purchased this gorgeous necklace (and a couple of others!)  I'm getting quite a collection of their jewelry, but I just love it!

And check out these 'blinged out' spoons I got from them, too...

They add a little glam to my kitchen-aren't they fun?

Another great booth was this one, filled with creations made out of coffee sacks!  The enterprise consists of a mother and 2 daughters, and they call their company Diengie.  

I got this sweet little set of coasters from them.  (I already have one of their bags!)

Here is a pic of more booths...

And here my hubs Keith caught me running into someone that I know!

 The grounds are just beautiful!  There are rows and rows of lush vineyards...

And of course we had to stop and break for a little nourishment...glass of wine, anyone?  You can see the lake in the background-so pretty!

We had a really fun day-I'm so glad that we braved the heat and went!
Hope you all have a fantastic day-thanks for stopping by! :)

I'm sharing at these wonderful blogs:  Lavender Garden Cottage
                                                            Ivy and Elephants 
                                                            Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olsen

Love at First Sight

Hi, everyone!  Hope you're staying cool in this steamy weather!
Do you believe in love at first sight?  I do!  The first time I laid eyes on this little gem, standing all by herself forlorn and lonely (or so I imagined) in an antique shop, it was love!

She was knicked up, scratched, chippy, shabby and worn; missing a drawer pull, missing the bottom 'panels', missing the total bottom underneath, had some trim pieces broken off...but she was still perfect to me!  (I wish I would've thought to take a 'before' picture, but I didn't!)  She just needed a little TLC.

The dealer had just brought her in to use as a display piece, and wasn't even going to sell her...well, I wasn't having that!  So I used my persuasive, wily skills (aka begged!) and sure enough she came home with me.

My dad worked his magic and replaced the knob...

...added pieces of an old screen from my late grandpa's house to the 2 open 'panels' (so it's extra special), repaired the molding, and made and attached a bottom!

Voila!  She's restored to her former-albeit still shabby-glory (thanks, dad!)

I'm not sure what this little 'cabinet' was...do any of you know?  It's very unusual because the middle and the bottom portions are hinged. I've never seen anything like it.  Lucky for me, it's the perfect size for storing some of my decorating magazines-I can never have too much storage for my enormous collection of mags!

 This is now sitting in the little space beside our fireplace.

I added a rusty bucket filled with dried flowers and a couple other goodies to a chippy wire basket...

...to create a new vignette in front of my huge Polish flash card...

So now you've met my newest 'love interest'!    Have you fallen in love at first sight with anything lately? :)

Thanks so much for stopping by-have a wonderful day!
I'm linking to these great parties:    Knick of Time
                                                      Ivy and Elephants
                                                      Have a Daily Cup of Mrs.Olsen
                                                      Rooted in Thyme
                                                      Common Ground
                                                      The Charm of Home 
                                                      Shabby Art Boutique

She's Crafty

Hi, everyone!  If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that you've never read a 'DIY' post here.  That's because I do not consider myself a 'DIYer' in any way, shape or form!  I have talented friends who are true artists-they can paint, sew, and repurpose things in amazing ways. In the past I've made some jewelry and sold it at our shop, but usually the most creative I get is just decorating with my 'junk'-that's my thing.  (Here are some of my necklaces that we've sold...)

Anyway, that's all gonna change today!  So drumroll please...today is my first 'craft post'!
Every now and then my friend Melissa (a TRUE artist, btw) and I get together for a 'craft day'.  We pick a small project and spend the day gabbing, laughing, eating, and creating, which we did the other day.
Melissa had picked up these frames at Goodwill for a buck and we went to town  transforming them into little works of art.
This is what they looked like 'before'...just plain and not too exciting.

We spray painted them a creamy color and distressed the edges with sandpaper a little...

...glued a 'script' fabric to the glass...

...attached a clothespin (of course I had to 'bling' mine up!)...

and each added our own personal touches, using Melissa's stash of ephemera.  I chose somewhat of a bird theme.  Here is my finished frame...

It was a simple but fun project, and I'm happy with how it turned out.  I've placed it on a shelf in our office, to remind me that I'm 'blessed'!

Here we are after an exhausting day of creating (whew!) and a lunch of Melissa's homemade lasagna-yum!  (This photo is courtesy of her 4 year old, Hugh :)

So there you have it-my first 'crafty' post-ha! (Please don't laugh at me, all you serious 'DIYers'!)   Hope you enjoyed my little project.
(Melissa would love you to stop by her blog recycledchic and say hi!)
Have a wonderful day!