Umm...honey, how difficult is it to take the sink apart?

Ever have that gut-wrenching feeling that maybe your ring went down the drain when you realize it's not on your finger? Living in a Victorian home that has an old fashioned sink with a wide open drain & a stopper as opposed to one of the modern pull-up kinds makes it quite possible that a ring could just fly right down it! 

While I was reading a fellow bloggers entry http://defineyouphotography.blogspot.com/2011/06/fashion-with-purpose.html, I came across a really cool company that sells a purse hook disguised as a bracelet. When I checked out their website I found a great heart shaped pendant called the FUMI KeepSafe. The heart opens up so that you can hang your rings from it to save them from the drain (or pets, kids, etc).

FUMI (which stands for Fashionable, Unique, Multipurpose, and Innovation - How cute is that?)  has some very innovative products, plus you can save 15% with the code  iloveFUMI.   Check them out!

The Peacock Room

Some of my swap-bot friends have expressed an interest in seeing photos of my Peacock Room. The photos I have don't quite hold a candle to the real life experience. I originally found the Shand Kydd wallpaper pattern online & absolutely fell in love with it. However, when I saw the sample book the background color was too dark and more of a dull blue not really a peacock color. 

After an unsuccessful search everywhere for a similar pattern, I decided to go with my first love & just cut out the images & apply them to a lighter painted wall background. (Is it possible to have a "light" shade of peacock blue????) So I set to work with my manicure scissors & proceeded to cut out all flowers, vines & peacocks from almost two rolls of wallpaper. The next step was temporarily arranging groupings on the walls before finally adhering with border paste. What a project!

        

Here's a few close-up views...

       

                 and my peacock tree...

 

As you can see from the photos, the paint color is inconsistent. The true shade is more of the greenish shown in the last two close-up shots. The room seems to be one that people either love it or hate it. (My mother has always thought that perhaps I am part gypsy  LOL) At any rate, this is the first room I was ever able to just let my creativity run wild!

"They just don't make things to last like this anymore" OR DO THEY? ??

A couple of weeks ago my friend Judy & I ventured out to an antique mall. I was on a mission for some ephemera for some upcoming swaps on swap-bot. I did manage to get some great vintage photos, magazines & postcards, but I was super excited to find a "Chatterbox Junior" story book from 1879, which was right around the time the addition to our Victorian home was completed.

The same vendor that I bought it from also had a vintage photo album which was surprisingly sturdy as it was made from a heavy cardboard & you could slip the photos into the openings & not have to mess with those old photo corners. Shocked at it's durability after all these years, I just shook my head thinking "they just don't make things to last like this anymore". Until today, when I happened to read about a photo album project that Julie over at Leelou Blogs is working on. She found a great company BoardBookAlbums.com that offers the totally updated, probably more sturdy, modern version of my vintage find!

http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/2006/05/board-book-albums.html      

I wouldn't be at all surprised if 100 years from now one of their albums was for sale at an antique mall looking just as good & just as durable as it does today! Plus, you can get 10% off your order with code Lucky10.

Hmmm...I know I can use this for SOMETHING...

These are just the words my husband dreads hearing, as I do tend to "collect" a number of items that I just KNOW will be perfect for a future project. Most of the time it takes me awhile before I find the perfect use. However, today was the exception. Hubby was sweet enough to bring me home some lunch which involved one of those ugly gray drink holders. We are big into recycling, so we usually just flatten it & put it with the rest of the cardboard. I happened to be experimenting with some new dies for my new Sizzix Big Kick die cut machine & after I had used up every little scrap of paper I possibly could, there I saw it in front of me on the table in all of it's grungy gray glory! Perfect for some leaves & whatever else I could fit on the small, mostly flat parts I was able to cut out. They could be used in their current gray state or I think I may experiment with a bit of watercolor paint to add a slight tint.

I also salvaged the bottom parts of the four drink compartments. They have a cool looking three-point raised design & hmmm...I know I can use these for SOMETHING!

Are YOU Ready?

As I am totally into disaster preparedness, fellow blogger Mama Bee caught my attention when she posted about a company in Sandy, Utah called eFoods Global. They offer gourmet food that can be stored for years & their menu sounds yummy!
 http://www.mamabee.net/2011/06/efoods-global-food-freedom-6-meals-for-9-95-shipped/ 

Welcome to the Treasure Nest!

After viewing so many lovely & informative blogs over the past month or so, I decided to give it a whirl & join in the fun. I've spent nearly all day trying to get everything figured out & set up but I know it will be a work in progress. Please feel free to share any tips.