Saturday Sundries

sundries: miscellaneous small articles, details, or items 

  

When I was a little girl, I loved looking through old things in my Mama's bedroom. She'd show me the little rouge pot that belonged to her mama and always add that Grandma Cindy never used make-up but did dab a little rouge on her cheeks when she was sickly.

She'd let me look through button boxes that belonged to my Grandma Voiles. I loved picking up the buttons one by one and closely examining all the different colors and shapes. I think one of my sisters has the larger button box, but this small powder box ended up with me.

Both of my grandmas passed away in the 50s before I was born in the late 60s, so it means a lot to me to know a little something about them and to see and touch things that they used to hold in their own hands.

I never really thought about it until now, but I notice that this little box is the same aqua color that I have come to love so much.

There's really nothing of value in the box...

...just old buttons, a little plastic fleur de lis, a lens from a pair of glasses...

string wrapped around a button,

 

and even a little feather!

 

I'm thinking I may use some of my favorite items in a few pieces of jewelry I will make soon.

 

That way I'll have something near me once in a while to remind me of Grandma Voiles.

Thank you for stopping by for this Saturday Sundries post. If you want to read more of them, just click here.

Take care and God bless,

Lana

~*~

The Manis Menagerie

Definition of MENAGERIE:

a : a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

b : a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition

Origin of MENAGERIE:

French ménagerie, from Middle French, management of a household or farm, from menage
First Known Use: 1676 
{from Merriam-Webster}

Wikipedia: A menagerie is a form of keeping common and exotic animals in captivity that preceded the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock.

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Well, we didn't purposefully add another animal to our family, it just happened. Red was found in the woods, barely able to walk and suffering from several infected bite wounds. We loaded him in the vehicle and took him to the vet.

He spent the night at the vet and after finding the owner, who decided to let us pay the bill and take care of and keep him, we brought him home where he now happily plays with Buddy, Ava, and Luna.

Sam is now indoors for good. We found out this morning that Red isn't cat-friendly.

And so, I am still otherwise occupied. I hope to return soon with news other than canine or feline related, lol!
If you'd like to read more about our pets, you may do so here: The Manis Menagerie.

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

Winter White Velvet Pumpkin Giveaway!

After making so many orange, rust, and bittersweet pumpkins, I began to get requests for white pumpkins. It took a while, but I finally found a large, vintage, crushed velvet bedspread and purchased it. It didn't come as cheap as I'd hoped, but it was worth the purchase!

This velvet is not bright white, but a winter white or ivory, which makes it go even better with the recycled, felted cashmere wool leaves I am using with them.

Now for the giveaway --- you will need to do 1 thing:
>>> Visit my Honeysuckle Lane Folk Art facebook page and click to share the giveaway link on your facebook page.

If you'd like a second chance, leave a comment on my facebook page telling me which item you like best from my Honeysuckle Lane Etsy shop.

That's all there is to it! I'll draw a winner on Thanksgiving Day and ship out the pumpkin asap!

Thanks,
Lana

More of the Same - Cute Pets!

 Can one ever have too many cute pet photos? I think not!

{Thor, Ava's brother}

{Ava}

{Sam, the true Alpha dog in this family!}

{Thor and that uncontrollable tongue!}

{Inquisitive Ava}

{What??? Spoiled, you say?}

{This looks so uncomfortable, but it's how Luna rests on the swing!}

{Ava & Thor}

{Big Baby Buddy - seriously, he is a big baby! He even sounds just like a crying baby when he's trying to get attention!}

{Thor}

{Thor. Sometimes the only way I can tell Thor and Ava apart in photos is to look for the black on Thor's paws and legs.}

Happy Monday!
Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

Picking Up the Pieces

That's what it feels like.
I have been gone from my blog since August 24th! I don't think I've ever left it alone for nearly 2 months before!

I've been busy, and not. I've been working like crazy, but it feels like I haven't accomplished much at all. Perhaps it's because I still have a long list of things to do and although I've been doing a lot, it wasn't things on my list.

I can't complain about it though. I've had LOTS of angel wings and velvet pumpkin orders coming in... so many that I've not been able to work on much else.

I did manage to take off this past Saturday and visit the Foothills Fall Festival in Maryville, TN for the first time! Jessica went with me and we spent most of the day strolling down the street, shopping the Artway. I loved it! And of course we had to stop at one of the many food booths and get a char-broiled burger, ribbon fries and sweet tea! I would share some photos of our day but someone forgot to put the memory card in her camera and I don't want to publicly humiliate her. ;-)

I made a few purchases, one of which was this gorgeous, heavy, white turquoise necklace by Crooked Creek Designs. The ladies there were so nice! My biggest regret at that booth was not buying a beautiful chunky necklace on the 50% off table. It was a lovely golden-yellow glass looking stone... maybe citrine, but I'm not sure.

I also bought a fun, whimsical item to display in my workroom. It's a bird egg made from alpaca hair by Fallen Leaf Farm Alpacas. I love it! I hung it in a little birdcage I bought a long time ago and it will go great with all the bird nests and eggs and feathers that I collect.

I had another purchase... one that I really loved even though it was the least expensive, but I broke it before I even left the festival! My first purchase was at a potter's booth, Julie Keepers of Covington, GA. She had made the sweetest business card holder that was glazed the prettiest robin's egg blue with little brown speckles and I had to have it --- it was only $6. It was wrapped in newspaper and placed in a shopping bag. Later, when I was looking at items in the Crooked Creek Designs booth, I tucked the bag under my arm. After some time, I reached to pick up a piece of jewelry, forgetting that I had the bag under my arm, and it hit the pavement. I nearly cried when I saw it had shattered. :(

Jess, being the optimist that I tried to raise her to be :), suggested that I salvage the pieces and make soldered charms from them, similar to the charms I make from the old pottery pieces I find on our property. I think I'll do just that! Thanks, Jess! :)

The festival was such a wonderful experience, the atmosphere was great, they had top-notch artists and performers --- Train, Darius Rucker, and Lauren Alaina to name a few, and Maryville is a lovely old college town. I am thinking about applying for a vendor booth next year. It's a 3 day event and a little farther from home, but I think I'm ready. :)

I hope you are enjoying October and taking time to smell the fresh air and watch the colorful leaves twirl and dance to the ground.......

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~