It's here....come see me!!!!!

The Idaho State Button Society Show is just a days away and  I will be speaking there during the noon hour on both Friday and Saturday, June 7th and 8th.. I will have a table in the vendor area as well with lots of needlework on display and buttons to sell as well.  DH will be there  helping me so say hi to him also.   More detailed  information can be found on their facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/IdahoStateButtonSociety/

I know anyone attending will be amazed.  It has been such an eye opener to see how the world of button collectors collect and display their collections, their  dedication to documenting and researching buttons, and best of all their  embracing of all kinds of buttons.  
 In spite of my health issues this winter I have gradually dwindled and organized my work-in-progress buttons and added many more.  It was something enjoyable to do while convalescing.   Just today I added the finishing touches to my slide presentation. Now I have a few days to think about what all to take...   I am really excited..

The eyes have it!!!

Life has laid me low for awhile... First I had a terrible cold for about 2 weeks and then I fell backward down some stairs and hit my head and sprained my knee and when I just recovered from that I've had a vicious flu bug...

But wanted to share a bit of news....  Last fall there were some eyeglasses in one of the jewelry cases at my favorite thrift store...  These weren't just any old frames as they were literally encrusted with rhinestones.  Oh I wanted those frames... but would I actually wear them and they were all of $21.. so I wandered around the store and finally I left without them... and then regretted it and they were gone when I went back.   So I occasionally scan through eyeglass frames on eBay and Etsy looking for something similar and recently found some.

These aren't quite as glitzy but I know I will wear them... I was lucky as they were a small size and fit me perfectly.  They are from the 50s and were made by a frame company called Victory Optical founded in 1941and their frames were worn by the likes of Buddy Holly, Dean Martin, Connie Frances, etc. ..  The lenses in my current glasses are scratched beyond repair and I really deserve these.....right? 

And that being the case why not get new sunglasses for myself for my birthday as well.. and I ordered these frames for that..  I just love finding vintage designer frames that fit me and have found quite a few over the years. 

The price varies widely depending on the designer ... These Christian Dior frames are a whopping $800 but if they were affordable I would buy them in a minute.

I also loved these but they say right off that they are oversized but they are also overpriced.

There are so many really cool ones... not my size or style but it is fun to look. And a lot of cat's eye frames from the 60s which I hear are making a comeback.  What can I say....some women have a thing for shoes but I love fancy frames.  If I were rich I would have many pairs to fit my moods and outfits.

Potting the cuttings....

I did find some great containers  for my succulent cuttings from Susie Wolfe  and I did get a drill bit so I could put drainage holes in those that needed it. The diamond bit worked like a charm.  I got the set at Amazon and they were only $15 for the whole set.  I can see I will be using them a lot.


I'm sticking to blue and white and terra cotta. 
Trying  also to keep in mind how I will get them through  the winter as well   This is all new to me..

I have some smaller pots for cuttings.  This plant life  is just what my tiny porch needed.  I had tried putting pots of petunias one year and pots of geraniums other years but it is a south facing and those pots just dried up and died.




I also planted a larger low one that I can use as a centerpiece when needed.  All the cuttings survived and most have started to root.  Two even have flowered.  I just love them.  On the right in this photo is a solar powered fountain for the hummers.  Actually it just sort of bubbles and I haven't seen a hummingbird near it but I read that the sound of water attracts them...  I can't hear it bubble but maybe they can.

A pleasant discovery was this bale cart languishing in the barn could be used for bins.  I use these 18 gallon bins all the time in the garden and usually either pull them by their handle which eventually breaks or put them on my wagon.  They fit perfectly in this cart and now are so much easier to move about.  The bale cart has been sitting unused all these years since I sold the sheep and I had been meaning to put it on craigslist but now will use it for my bins.  It was a godsend when I had to move bales of alfalfa....





Finally I finished a pet portrait and mailed it off yesterday.  I have done several portraits for Nicki  and by the time I finish one I feel I know the animal.

DIL ("the one")  is arriving tonight for a very short three-day visit but I will be so glad to see her and have a list of things I need her help with. On her last visit she taught me how to use curlers in my hair...
Here we are when we met over 25+ years ago.. I just love her dearly....

Idaho State Button Society Show

The Idaho State Button Society Show is just a month away and even though I have been working toward it quite steadily since Sept., I now am thinking of 101 things I want to do before that date. More detailed  information can be found on their facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/IdahoStateButtonSociety/

 It has been such an eye opener to see how the world of button collectors collect and display their collections, their  dedication to documenting and researching buttons, and best of all their  embracing of all kinds of buttons.  While all these years I've had my head in the sand ...not only wanting just MOP buttons but MOP buttons a specific size for painting... and the added delighted surprise is finding collectors might like the buttons I had been painting for stitchers of crazy quilting.

 In spite of my health issues this winter I have gradually dwindled and organized my work-in-progress buttons.  Almost all scattered on my work table  have been finished as well as the little trays piled everywhere ....full of buttons in various state of  completion.  Now I am starting to think of what is needed at our sales table and it's also time to start adding finishing touches to my slide presentation.  I am really excited..

But I still have time to cook and garden and revel in all aspects of spring...one being gathering flowers from the garden for a table.  These   were the last hurrah for daffodils but looked OK still with the lovely yellow mahonia.  I have the little goldfinches from years ago when little mushroom birds were popular.

And the other big 1st every spring is  the first rhubarb pies and yesterday was the big day and noted on our calendar dairy..  It is DH's very favorite and I will be baking a lot of them for the freezer.