The post I wrote, deleted, and rewrote ABRIDGED!

Hi all!

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, and went on a total rant!  So I deleted it.  Now I can write it stating 'the facts, just the facts, Mam'.

Last month we went to Disney World for our big Vackay!  Big because when you have a family of five, its pretty darn expensive even if you drive...let me explain...I LOVE THE GRAND FLORIDIAN!  I scrimp and save and stay at the best!  I'm really picky about hotels! So by the time you add the 10 night(!!!!! I know-LOTS!!!!!)of hotel (we had to add one to avoid driving through a snow storm on the way back - such a sacrifice!), meal plan for five, all the Guinness my husband drinks at dinner, park passes, and souvenirs, its way in BIG BIG BUCK category!

I don't really feel too guilty about it though.  We rented our house out for two commercial shoots last fall, and the money from that gets put into my Vackay fund.  Those two commercials completely covered the vacation (except my husbands Guinness!).  

Disney was as spectacular as ever!  My husband and I are quite a jaded pair, but even we enjoy the 'MAGIC OF DISNEY'!  When you see all that they do to make the vacation special for your kids, you can only go along for the ride and scream 'WEEEEEEEEEE'!  Disney really is a must do, even if you have no kids!  

If you know me, you know that one of my kids is severely anaphylactic to peanuts and all treenuts and legumes.  So, eating out is a pain in the BUM! However, Disney accommodates allergic kids, very sensitively!  We love it!  My son loves to feel normal and eat out.  The only thing he can't eat at most Disney restaurants is dessert!  However at the hotels  restaurants they have allergen free packaged cookies (YAYE!).  Anyway we all love it!

The only thing not magical about Disney?????  ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR?!?!?

This was in Frontierland, but they also sell them by the Pirates of the Caribbean, and in Hollywood Studios, etc...

This was really disappointing!  What a way to take the magic out of the kingdom! Come on Disney, take the politics out of the park!

Opinions?  Anyone else care that Disney sells guns?

Sharing:

My Summer Find

Last summer while out at my favourite antique show, I came across a set of vintage luggage which I just loved!

Red leather croc print luggage,   with the yellowing ivory trim and vintage travel stickers!  Dream come true!!!  They were clean inside and the price was right!  

So home they came!  They stayed in my basement for quite some time(I've discussed the state of my basement b4 so I won't go there again.).  So yesterday I decided it was time to bring them up and display them.  

I love seeing all the vintage suitcases in magazines and on blogs,and have always wanted them.  However when I tried to create a vignette, I just couldn't seem to get it right.  Wherever I put them, however I angled them, etc...it just didn't look like it does in the magazines.  HELP!!!

Also, if I stacked them, you wouldn't be able to see the row of vintage stickers.

So, I decided to set them on the little display table I use for seasonal decorating.  

Its okay, but I'm just not sure...still seems a little 'naked' right?  

Anyone with vintage luggage who has a good suggestion for displaying them, let me know PLEEEZ!  

Look, it even has an old vintage name tag on it...Miss Shirley XXXX from Toronto!

Have a great day!

Linking:

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

 

FLOATING ROSE WREATH

Ignore the chunky lady in the photo!  I HAVE NO IDEA WHO SHE IS!!!

A few months ago, I saw some beautiful roses at Costco while I was shopping for groceries. 

I'm the sort of person who really enjoys flowers.  When I look at them I just feel an inner peace (blah blah blah...I know).

However, I feel GUILTY spending $17 for a bunch, especially given the current state of the economy (particularly  my families!). 

This particular day I just couldn't walk away from this bunch of gorgeous pink large headed roses!

And to be honest, they lasted almost a whole week!  

They opened to large gorgeous heads of pink leafy beauty!

They were just too beautiful to let die!  So when they started to fade a bit I cut their heads off and let them dry on a tray.  They were just as beautiful dried as they were fresh.

So they beautifully sat on a silver tray for about two months waiting for me to pack for march break, go to march break, unpack and do laundry from march break, clean for Easter. 

Then three days ago, as I was drowning in Easter cleaning, Easter cooking, and  other family situations (STRESSFUL situations), I pulled out my dried roses, my spool of wire, pliers, and my glue gun!  Oh yes, and I pulled out a wee bit of vintage seam binding.

(I find nothing more soothing than crafting, especially when I should be cleaning).  

Theres that woman again! 

And the Floating Rose wreath was born! The photos don't do it justice it really is quite beautiful, and CHEAP!!  Dying roses, a bit of wire, hot glue and small bits of binding tape.

It has found its new home...at least for now.

Have a great day!!

Sharing with these great blogs:

Savvy Southern Style - Wow us Wednesday

The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday

Funky Junk Interiors - Junk Party

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Party

Metamorphosis Mondays-Between Naps on the porch

March Break!!!!

Finding Vintage at Disney!!!

The Dirty Tool Box

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX

Dirty Old Tool Box

This is a story of a woman who bought a dirty wooden toolbox.  This woman buys so much junk from so many places that she couldn't remember where she bought it from.  As this isn't really important for the story, we'll move on.  So, upon bringing the toolbox home, the woman looked at it and thought ...

Woman happy cause her basements full of junk! Celebrating with Feather boas!!

"Hmmm...can I put it in my kitchen? My family room? My washroom?  No way, its way to dirty (no bugs or anything, just tool box dirty)!  I know, I'll put it in my basement, until I get around to cleaning it.  Maybe by then I'll have a brainiac moment!"

SOURCE

"Maybe all those creative blogs I read will inspire me to do something mindblastingly brilliant with it!  Then I can blog about it!  Oh yeah, and if I put it in the basement my husband won't see it!"

So she found a space on the floor in her basement and placed it there.  Over time, things more things were placed on top of it.  More and more things found their home on top of the dirty wooden toolbox, until it couldn't even be seen!  

One day, the woman realized her basement was probably a fire hazard!  She went downstairs with the best of intentions, to clean it up.  She grabbed a couple of garbage bags - one for goodwill donations,and one for real garbage (stuff goodwill wouldn't even want).  All of a sudden she got to her toolbox!

"Oh dear me!  Toolbox I haven't seen you in at least three years!" Said the lady!  "Now I can be diverted from the real task of basement cleaning and focus on my toolbox" She proclaimed with glee and jubilation!  She danced and danced with happiness!

Up came the toolbox and got a good scrubbing!  Even with an old toothbrush, the woman couldn't get some of the gook out of the corners.  Scrub, brush, wipe, no matter what she did, she wasn't satisfied that this old toolbox was clean enough.  "Man, do I hate gook :( " said the lady.  

She remembered that over the past three years, she was supposed to come up with a brilliant transformation project for the box.  Sadly, she had had no such revelation (in all honesty, she forgot all about it!).  

"Well, I've still got lots of old book pages from the wire heart wreath I made last month."  And she always had tons of white glue, because she forgets she buys bottles and bottles (and bottles) of it every August for back to school (even though the kids use glue sticks). So she thought she would decoupage the inside with the book pages..."Great! I likes decoupage! I like old book pages!  Old FRENCH book pages are even better!!! And once you coat everything in layers and layers of paper and glue and more glue, its pretty clean, right????"

So she gathered her supplies, and off she went, decoupaging her heart out(her favourite verb)!

Oooh...French!  With authentic water stains!!  Oooh La La!

She finished all the gluing and looked at her finished product, and she thought it looked pretty good!  BUUUUUT it didn't really look good enough!

"It looks fine!  Better than fine!  It looks great!" said Mr. Woman 

She didn't believe him! The woman knew that her husband would say anything for her to drop the foam brush and cook him some dinner! 

So out came the white glue again...and this time she brought out the vintage stamps she had bought from Eb*y!  She had a bag of gorgeous vintage stamps!!

Some of my Favourites

"No way!" she thought! "I'm not using my good British stamps! No way no how! I know...I'm using my stamps from India and Pakistan!"

But after more decoupage (its a dirty word around here, Ladies!) it still wasn't enough!  Then the woman got all deep and philosophical..."Why is it never enough? What exactly is 'enough', what is the square root of Pi???" So she went to her craft drawer and pulled out...rubber stamps!!!

TADA!!!

French paper, vintage stamps, rubber stamps, more varnish!!!!  "YES!!!" Screamed the Woman. "Now its 'enough' and its clean and ready to go!"  And the Woman lived happily ever after, with her basement full of junk!

The End.

Sharing:

Metamorphosis Monday - Between Naps on the Porch

Adorned From Above- Wednesdays Blog Party

Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursdays

Creative Crafts Thursday Link Party

Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday