Blessed...

This is a time that I tend to reflect on my year... I am not a big resolution maker, life has taken me on many turns and I am dissappointed when I do not achieve them, so I do make goals for myself throughout the year (attainable goals) and the rest of the year I try to see where it takes me with as much direction as I can give it...(does that make sense?)

These are all just pictures from the past that I thought were pretty.... I wanted to participate in White Wednesday, even though I am a little late for the party...

Over the years, like I alluded to, I have had many things happen in my life that are not what I would have chosen... we all have. When I was having a particularly bad year, I had to chose joy and gratitude or I would have cracked.... I kept a small notebook and jotted down greatfullness.... sometimes it would be as simple as a good weather, those were the hard days...and others were the joys from my children and wonderful things that came to me that day..... Whatever I wrote, I knew that I had a reason to be grateful for something that day.....

This past year has been a good one.... simple and sweet... Good health (yes the occassional cold/flu to myself or a loved one..that is to be expected)

Nice adventures..... work for my hubby and I.... watching my children grow into adults... cute and rascally pets.... special children to enjoy at work... and making pretty things...my passion...

I am hoping to open an antique booth this year. This will satisfy my love of vintage, my creative side, my love to shop, my love to fluff and hopefully up our income (which has been the same for years, unlike the cost of living).... It will be extra work, but good work.....

I wish for myself, my family and all my friends (you bloggy friends too of course!) A good year... No matter what life brings you this year, I hope you find reason for gratitude and make even the littlest moment joyful.

I feel blessed with this life.... Thank you for sharing my year with me...enjoy the rest of your Holidays and Happy New Year! xoxo karen.....

I am sharing this on Faded Charms White Wednesday party...go see all the beautiful eye candy!

Happy Holidays!!!

Do you ever feel like you are in that Ikea commercial? Where you find a treasure and you feel almost like you were stealing it was such a good deal, and you want to run and tell your hubby to "Start the Car!" before someone figures it out? Well this cute white Santa planter left me ready to yell to my hubby..."Honeyyyyyy! Start the car!!!" but I went to the flea by myself!
I love him! I was looking at the other end of this booth when a lady questioned the price on him, I turned around and was instantly in love... Well, she walked away, I grabbed him, payed the lady and wished her a very merry and quickly left before she changed her mind....
Yipppeee! I love him!


I won this precious snow lady from Shari Repologie of Plays with Paper...isn't she darling?
Talk about falling in love- She just warms my heart! Go visit Shari's blog, you will find lots of wonderful inspiration!
Well, blogger is locking up on me and I can't download anymore pictures so for now, Happy Holidays to you all!
I hope you are happy, healthy and have a safe fun holiday! See you in the new year!
xoxo karen....

Snowflake Ornaments to give....

Just stopping by to show some Chrismas ornaments I made for my friends at work...

Simple. A target snowflake ornament (3/$1.00) a vintage music sheet rosette.. a scalloped cirle with a circle punched image in the center - both stickled and a fun sentament...tie a ribbon and voila! A sweet gift to give friends...

If you would like to hear a sweet Christmas story... click here.

Happy Decking the halls to you all!

karen....

Decking the Halls...and the Bathroom...

Hello my friends....
I have been missing for quite awhile again, the ugly flu bug has hit our house twice in 5 weeks and this last time it knocked me off my feet!!! But I am back up! Cough, cough... you know how it is, gotta keep going! Especially to bring all the holiday, cough, cheer to everyone!
The above picture is a shelf in our bathroom, ignore the ugly wallpaper, we live in my mom's home and she loves it...when you are 81, it is what makes you happy!

The above picture is "cartooned" by kodak.... I am busily trying to catch up a little and started the decorating and didn't realize that little plate was crooked when I photographed this little vignette but I wanted SOMETHING to show you, so I cartooned it!

I also have been trying to create goodies, I try to make one special something for our home and little gifties for friends and family... I finished an ornament wreath last night, something I have wanted to make for a couple of years now. I love it! I will photograph it in natural light so you can see it. I want to make more!

The little house on the outside of this gift is an ornament I made for a friends' sweet grandbaby.

I saw something similar in the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Crafts magazine and had to give it a try. I thought it came out pretty cute, especially because my sewing skills are basically non-existent!

I hope you are having fun with your family and friends. Create memories and don't get too stressed! Have a warm and cozy week! karen....

Happy Turkey Day My Friends!

Life has kept me busy and away from my blog for awhile......

I miss you my bloggy friends! Everything is going well here at the Recycled household... just busy, busy. Like I said in a previous post, those cute little rascals at work are kicking my now 50 year old butt and I come home wiped...
But I am getting used to it...
Since I talked to you last, I had my birthday...WAAAAAHHHHH! My family and friends made it a nice one.... I have had the flu TWICE! UGGGHHH! but am doing well now... Hubby bought me a big shot die cut machine ( I didn't want a Cricut, I know I am the only crafter on earth who doesn't) and I am having fun with it...I have made about 2 dozen of Tim Holtz's rosettes to take on a trip.
And tomorrow we are leaving on a little trip! YAHOOOOOO!

My hubby and daughter and I are driving up north a couple of hours away, same place we stayed in the summer and just relaxing and enjoying the sites!

Of course I have packed a whole bunch of crafting goodies...I am so excited to start crafting for Christmas....

I will be back with pictures and stories of our trip...Until then, keep crafting.... all the above images came from the Graphics Fairy, it is a wonderful source for images...

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and soul-filling Thanksgiving! karen....

More Swap goodies...What I gave....

I wanted to show you what I sent Lorraine for our little one on one swap... This was fun! Since it was one on one, there was no pressure...just fun!

Here are a couple of little black and white bowls- striped and polka dotted with some hand stamped candles wrapped in pumpkiny goodness....

A little fabric pin made with a vintage button.....

The box and goodies inside...another pin made with a vintage image and covered in envirotex, vintage cupcake toppers.. fabric yo-yos and an orange vintage millinery flower....

A yo-yo garland....

And a boo candle.....

Halloween fun!! I have enjoyed wandering around blogland and seeing everyone's halloween vignettes...I love all hallows eve!!!

A Happy-Halloweening-we-go.....

I have missed you my bloggy friends!!! Life has kept me busy but hopefully I will be posting more! Fall is my favorite time of year and I love to share things with all you cute people! I think I shared a looong time ago that I work with children with Autism in my day job. This year we have had quite a few darling 3 year olds start our program who are very involved and seeing that I am not getting any younger, (we won't go there!) They are kicking my butt!!!
BUT! I love them so much, they are the cutest.... and rascally.... oh yeah!!!!

Above are a couple of vignettes around my house, I had to take them outside to photograph them because it is so gloomy. I got the scale at the last flea and I love it's rusty self!!!

My friend Lorraine and I decided to do a one on one swap and I am sharing what she sent me...I am a lucky girl! We swapped decorated matchboxes- (halloween of course) and filled them with treasures to create with....Look how cute the box is:

Here are the fun treasures...some darling mini pumpkins, a decorated clothespin, wonderful sparkly orange tinsel, a handmade flower...... and more......

We also created 4 handmade items (neither of us stopped at 4) Here is my booty:

The little witch in the middle is made from an altoid tin and her apothecary shop is inside... I love that little thread spool with the crow! Here is a picture of the inside of the tin...sorry it's blurry!

I bought some fun collage sheets from Sandy of One Crabapple on etsy...I love her stuff! And some pretty goodies from Julie of the adventures of bluegirl so hopefully I will have some creations to share soon!

Hope your fall is starting out wonderfully! karen......

White Wednesday Treasures to be had.......

I promised I would share some of the goodies that I will be bringing to The Vintage Marketplace at the Oaks...

I have fallen in love with many of these pieces so it better come soon! This vintage rocking chair is sooooo darling! All it needs is a little cushion and it is set to go...oh how I want to keep it!

A needlepoint French Welcome sign- so pretty and some fun candlesticks, cute... And 6 place settings of silver sitting in a cute old crock.....scrumpdidlyumtious!

Some more dreamy whites, rustic and charming.....

I will be bringing all of these to this wonderful event!

If you live in Southern California, this is so worth the drive! It is in a park-like setting with a charming country market and restaurant, a fun day-trip or as my friends and I call it, a girl's field trip! I hope you can come! I will share more of my goods soon! I am linking with Faded Charm's White Wednesday . Hope you are having a great week! karen....

Run, Don't Walk........

My husband was able to take a week off before the kids and I headed back to school...but the bank account was not screaming "Take a Vacation!!!!..." more like, " A coffee would be okay..."
Oh I wanted a getaway more than anything... More than some new washi tape or a vintage doo-dad! So...I got on google and typed in "cheap getaways from Los Angeles". Well, I ended up on a yelp site where people can post any questions they wanted and people write back and just happens a guy wrote in about this exact same thing! And! Three people wrote in about this little motel in Los Alamos, Ca that isn't fancy, but has a funny charm (kinda a throwback to the 70's) and was very affordable!!!
I told my hubby and called the motel and it was affordable! We booked a room for thursday and friday (on tuesday) and shoved some clothes in totes, bought some treats and filled the tank up! YaaaaaHoooooooo!

We stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch and then onto the Skyview motel. I started to relax soon after we got into the countryside, it was a wonderful little trip! The motel is on a hill overlooking beautiful countryside and farms. It was really pretty at sundown.

The town was a sleepy town and there were only three choices for dinner, a restaraunt and two take out sandwich/burger places on thursday evening. It has several antique stores and 2 antique malls...my kinda fun!

My daughter started out skeptical but soon began to love the beauty of it all.....

Above was one of the farms below us. And below is the sign before you head down the hill....

On friday, we drove into pismo beach...I looooove that beach! I think it's my favorite California beach and I have been to many. We collected many sandollars and shells....

When we headed back to the hotel, we spotted my street......

We were down the road from an Alpaca farm and on the way home, we passed an ostrich and emu ranch....

There was even a sweet horse that came up to us behind the motel...we bought some carrots to feed her...she had brown hair with blonde highlights-natural too! I was soooo jealous!

We drove thru Solvang on the way home, saw some fancy vintage cars and stopped at the Mission to visit the church....

It was a rich, feed-your-soul trip that I will keep in my heart. It was also necessary because I need to be ready for all my little rascals on tuesday and also prep for the Vintage Marketplace.... I promise, I will be posting my finds soon....I just needed a little break!

Hope your summer is ending as nice as mine! Hugs! karen....

Helllllooooooooooooo!

Hello my long lost blogging friends...Oh! It was me who was lost??!!
Well, I hope you are enjoying your summer! I have been away for several reasons but I am back and will have many fun things to show you soon because I am getting ready for the Vintage Market Place at the Oaks.....

My poor mom was sick...so sick... She had a blood infection and it was very scary but she has bounced back tremendously, miraculously even....she is almost 81 and her health has been not great so she surprised everyone...even the doctors! (saying a little prayer of gratitude here...)

My best friend since diaper-hood came out from Texas with her hubby and daughter and we tromped around locally....the pictures below are from the grounds at the Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes, Ca...It is beautiful there....

We also went to the tidepools and collected shells and the Marine Mammal preserve and the Korean Friendship Bell.... fun...

I love having a friend that when you haven't seen her in months or years, there is no awkwardness...just happiness to be together again! We even snuck out onto our porches to chat whenever possible...I miss her already!

I have been hitting estate sales, garage sales and flea markets to find wonderful goodies for the Vintage marketplace. I am so excited to be a vendor there.....

Anyway...I am off to bed but I will be back very soon to start showing you my finds and some of my recent creations...


Goodnight! zzzzz..............karen.....................

Shabby Apple Winner and New Thrifting Finds

I am soooo excited to announce the winner of the beautiful necklace from Shabby Apple!

My wonderful pink haired daughter picked the winner and without further adieu....

The winner is......................................................................................................................................................................

Celeste!!!

Thank you Shabby Apple for the opportunity to give away this wonderful piece to one of my readers and thanks to all my bloggy friends for joining in! Celeste, contact me soon with your address so you can start wearing your new jewelry piece!

I am late announcing the winner because my poor mom has been sick with bronchitis and an ear infection. What a bummer to be sick in the summer! And we think she got the germies at the doctor's office when she went for her "well" check! Go figure!

I was able to get to a couple of estate sales and a couple of garage sales and picked some goodies for the Vintage Marketplace. I am soooo excited to be a vendor there again, it is such a great venue with fabulous people!

The first estate sale was full of vintage 50's and 60's children's clothes and toys.... I found the pink and aqua ironing board there and those cute bloomers and pantaloons! Also, the pink nut chopper (the slap chop of the 60's!), hand embroidered bib and the little ironstone pitcher.....


The hobnail bisquit holder was from another sale..... And how about that adorable trash can?



I was lucky with the vintage suitcases, found the silver sugar bowl and my cute hubby found the "Going to Grandma's" suitcase at the Goodwill.....


This last picture is of a cool metal stool frame and a wicker bed tray....I have always wanted one of these! But it will go to the Marketplace.....

So...I think I have plenty of projects for awhile...I am having fun!