LA DOLFINA

  I went to an estate sale last week with my partner in crime for the sole purpose of taking photos for you guys... but I couldn't resist leaving without this wonderful wooden crate.     I thought the words "Flora Danica" rang a bell. I recalled something about a very expensive china pattern rendered with botanical flowers. I've seen a lot of great wooden crates but nothing like this one before and with a price tag of one dollar it was impossible to leave behind! I cleaned it up and placed inside it a couple of orchids I recently purchased at Trader Joe's and...   Voila! A great start to a fabulous arrangement if I may say so myself!   I think some moss and a whimsical touch or two and I'll have myself a lovely Spring  arrangement. That was easy! I'm linking up with Savvy City Farmer's Thriftin on a Thursday  

VINTAGE SHELLCRAFT Every once in a while I'll come across these shell arrangements mounted on cloth and framed. This particular one has a label on the back. NIEVA'S SHELLCRAFT 637 DAMASO SUAZO STREET DAVAO CITY, PHILLIPPINES   Phillipine Shell in Natural Color Hand Made Background - Cotton Cloth Shells are by far my favorite treasures and I just love this piece of shell art!  

Several years ago I found myself digging through a glass front bookcase in an old junk shop that had been closed up for many years. I remembered the funky old junk shop from my youth and had always wondered why it was still there with the shades drawn, seemingly abandoned and locked up tight. And then one day while visiting the shop across the street I noticed that the door was open and there was someone inside! I promptly left the shop I was in, crossed the street and eagerly entered the old junk shop that suddenly showed signs of life! To my surprise there was a gentleman there who was selling the contents of the shop. He informed me that he had come from Montana to help liquidate "the treasures" in his aunt's shop to get it ready to rent out. She was very old and frail and not long for this world. I imagine she got too old to run the shop but couldn't bear to part with her treasures and so she  locked the door all those years ago leaving eve...

I'm tuned into E Entertainment Network watching the Red Carpet and thought I'd post my picks before the show starts. BEST PICTURE The Artist   BEST ACTOR George Clooney BEST ACTRESS Viola Davis ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Christopher Plummer   ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Octavia Spencer BEST DIRECTOR Martin Scorcese BEST MUSICAL SCORE Hugo   What I'm really looking forward to though is spending the evening with Billy Crystal. He's the BEST Oscar Host Ever! Go Billy!

Fast from judging others;  and feast on Christ dwelling within them. Fast from emphasis on differences;  and feast on the unity of all life. Fast from apparent darkness;  and feast on the reality of light. Fast from words that pollute;  and feast on phrases that purify. Fast from discontent;  and feast on gratitude. Fast from anger;  and feast on patience. Fast from pessimism;  and feast on optimism. Fast from worry;  and feast on trust. Fast from complaining;  and feast on appreciation. Fast from negatives;  and feast on affirmatives. Fast from unrelenting pressures;  and feast on unceasing prayer. Fast from hostility;  and feast on nonviolence. Fast from bitterness;  and feast on forgiveness. Fast from self-concern;  and feast on compassion for others. Fast from personal anxiety;  and feast on eternal Truth. Fast from discouragement;  and feast on hope. Fast from facts tha...

With my 1st Prop Shop Sale behind me... my heart is overflowing with gratitude! The past weekend was really quite extraordinary, with the actual selling of my treasures being just the icing on the cake. I can't tell you what a thrill it was to have someone walk up to me and announce, "I love your blog" and then proceed to prove it by recounting things they knew about me from reading La Dolfina. But it was I who scored the most treasures of all! I was blessed to be able to spend a bit of quality one on one time with pretty much everyone who came to shop the prop.   I was far more excited to meet them then they were to meet me!   Most of the women who came were readers, not bloggers, which meant I never really knew they existed before they emailed me for an invite to my sale.  As they arrived I would greet each one asking them who they were.  It was so fun because they were sort of forced out of the closet so to speak. It was an amazing gift to have ...