Back to normal

Its so nice to have everything back to normal, with Twinkle home.  Sugarwings is no longer telling everyone "Toto has wunned away" and the two of them are happy to be reunited.  Since she is convinced that she is Dorothy, she has also decided that Twinks must be Toto.  Which works out fine, because she can't say "Twinkle", she always says "Ankle" instead.

Yes, Toto sounds like a cuter name than Ankle. And that dog will answer to anything.

Thank you for all of your kind words about my little dorkie taking off.  I really don't deserve them, it was ALL MY FAULT.  Poor dog. But, she is home now and I am making sure she stays this time.

Over the weekend, I finally broke my losing streak in hat gathering. Lately, I've not done well at all, and Beth reminded me that I had created my own shortage by buying all the hats up in the surrounding area.  But I did manage to find a few this weekend and might be able to reclaim my hat whisperer title. I thought I'd have to retire it, I'd been on such a long dry spell of hatlessness.

Most are already stripped naked and packed up, ready to fly out of here.  I love this little bouquet of about a dozen white flowers with a scattering of purple velvet posies. When I saw the hat with those next to the ugly green and orange hat, I knew that together, they'd be great for Halloween decor or crafting.

It was an estate sale blast this weekend!  One here in my town was amazing, a beautiful, newer home on the golf course isn't usually the place to find old things, but it was jammed with a lifetime of great stuff. I was so surprised to see all of it. I was glad I didn't blow it off, like I normally would a house in that neighborhood.  I bought boxes and boxes of sheet music and a big stack of these spooky old napkins. So, I made up little craft kits with some of these things and have them listed here.

On Friday, I explored the unexpected treasures at the country club house, and made a big haul.  Then, Beth invited me to Kansas City to shop with her on Saturday. And how could I turn that down? She is an estate sale master and knows where to go, what to avoid, and how to find the best deals.  Plus, I was still an emotional wreck from the Twinkle-less week and wasn't feeling too creative. I thought some more shopping therapy could help.

And of course, it did!  Isn't a bit of junking is good for the creative soul?  Sometimes, buying some new, old crap is just what I need to get me wanting to hunker down in the studio and work away.

I'll be getting out the jewelry making supplies and playing with all the rhinestones that I've been lucky enough to find lately. 

Don't you think that this picture is just trying too hard?  Its a great example of Photo Styling Gone Bad.  Too much loot, too much trying make it look cute in a picture. Just because I found pink Christmas lights, does it mean you really need to see them?

 Sometimes I wonder about how I spend my time....  I'd better go do something productive, I'm off to the jewelery making tools and getting to work!

And don't forget, if you want to win some vintage jewels, you still have till the 30th to enter by leaving a comment on any post.

Comments

[Southern Lady's Vintage]

I agree! A bit of junking is good for the creative soul and just plain fun to boot!!

[Diane]

Karla, You are just to hard on yourself. The good news your sweetie puppy is back home. Maybe it is because of your fantasy with the Wizard of Oz. You know just like Toto. Saving grace no storm and no evil witch. Love your vintage finds. The Easter chicks are a hoot!
Have a great Sunday. Hugs, Diane

[Rainy]

Good to hear everything is back on track for you!

[christy]

I am so happy you found your baby dorkie. It is the dachshund nose on her that is getting her in trouble : ) They love to follow those scents! I have 2 dachsies, Penny and Lyndi so I know how much love they bring to family!

[Grace P]

Yay toto came home to Auntie Em and Dorothy!! I am so happy you are happy and ready to create! Karla that little "ankle" would never leave you forever you are the best mommy!! Hugs Grace

[LORRAINE BELL]

Morning Karla..nice to find you ALMOST back to your old self..very traumatic time for you ..our pets are our family,as well as our humans are ..better week ahead.. Lorraine

[sadie]

Blimey! I was on the edge of my seat following the tale of Lost Toto/Ankle/Twinkle! I am so, so glad you have her back home, safe and sound. Please don't blame yourself for her sneaking out. These things happen, and pets are little rascals. I'm just glad it came to a happy conclusion :o)

Enjoy your Happy Sunday xx

[Sandy]

So glad that you are almost back to normal. It was quite a fright! I know I'd be sick if my puppy wandered off. I fear my gates being open without my knowing it! That happened one time before and my Snicklefritz was gone over night. We combed the neighborhood but like you we had a good animal person who had scooped her up and called the next day. Don't blame yourself it could happen to any of us. Just give Twinks and extra kiss from us.
Sandy
PS Thanks for your vote on my dressing room decision. I've still not got it decided!!

[Janis]

Dear Karla,
I was out of town and just read your post
about Twinkle. Oh my goodness...when I
saw the word, (Gone) and saw the pic of
Twinkle, my heart just broke....and I was
so relieved to read that you found her and
she is safe and back home. I know how
upsetting this is for you...
Twinkle's guardian Angel is definitely
watching over her. She is Home! :)
Please give her Hugs from me and I hope
you are rested now and soooo happy that
everything is back to normal.

Hugs,
Janis
P.S. Love the sweet pins that you
are offering. The butterfly pin is adorable.

[Jenny The Red Bulletin Board]

You've got to head our way with your husband! You could claim your hat whisperer title for all times at some of the shops around here!! hehehe!!

[Rachael]

So glad you have Twinkle Toto back, you must have been so worried, she is such a dear little doggie! Rachaelxo

[Freda Butler]

I am so glad Toto came home. I can't imagine not seeing that sweet face on your blog. I can picture how upset you were. Well all is well in Kansas.

Hugs

FredaB

[Soarenth]

Congratulations on 600+ posts. Whew! Took the better part of a year, but I did it! I read each and every single one of your posts!

It's been such a treat to feel like a fairy peeking in on the tea parties with Sugarwings, treasured trips with friends, and bunny chases with Twinkle.

Probably the headiest part was a heavy reading week, covering all the way from Twinkle dating, to becoming a new mommy, to the heartbreak of the baby girl puppies going to their new homes.

Your pictures have gotten better and more creative, a reflection of your crafty evolution. Congratulations on your coveted Canon Rebel XSi camera gift to yourself this year!

I've also had fun forwarding to Grandma Joan all the posts with her in it. It's like sorting through a pile of millinery flowers to pull matching ones together for a gift.

Of course, I bookmarked a couple of my favorites too, especially the ones that gave me ideas for painting walls or decorating a child’s room.

Plus after hearing your blog voice for so long, it was too fun to hear your vocal voice on the paper ruffle tutorial and hat tour. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." ;->

Thank you for sharing your enthusiastic creativity, positive outlook, and deep emotions. Each post is a wealth of your treasures and tears.

[Soarenth]

Tip: I've seen similar problems to getting Typepad to play nice with links and/or copied text from other programs like Word. Try typing up thoughts (or copy/paste from another source) into a text-only program first like Notepad. When ready to post re-highlight it all and copy (usually Ctrl-A then Ctrl-C) from Notepad, then paste (Ctrl-V) into Typepad. See if that clears up any extra formatting that may be giving writers/readers problems. If so, all that is left is to add the pictures in!

[chrisitne]

I'm so sad that twinkles went missing. She is so sweet; I can't even imagine how sad you were!

I've been out of town and offline for over a week and didn't know she was gone.

I agree that a little junking goes a long way to pick up the mood. I was able to do some junking while I was gone and found some great stuff!

Blessings,
Christine

[Jennifer Hayslip]

Karla,
Im so happy and relieved that things are feeling normal again. Thank heavens. :) Looks like you scored some amazing goodies! Im loving the bunny picks! So cute! Cant wait to see you soon! Xo,Jenn

[tracey]

Ooooo love those vintage rosaries! So glad your sweet little dog made it home safe and sound! Toto does sound better than ankle :)

T

[Debi]

Oh, I'm soooo glad to hear that Twinkle is back home safe and sound. What a scare, you poor thing.

It's too bad we're not perfect, and stuff happens. Don't beat yourself up over it.

[joyce]

Hi Karla, I like that little colorful pitcher in the second pic. glad all is back to normal. I sometimes wonder how I spend my time to. Happy happies.

[Elaine L.]

Don't beat yourself up too much about Toto.
You've learned that you have to watch her closer than you thought.

~elaine~

[Brenda]

Happy to hear all is back to normal. I agree a good day of junkin is good therapy. I love looking at all the little pretties in your post..looks like you made out good at your sales.

[Jingle]

It looks like you did QUITE well this weekend! That green hat looks fabulous! My Mom and I found a really great red one in a lovely mill shop on Saturday! It had a HUGE red bow! It was so great! I may have to go back for it!

[karen]

Wpw Karla! You got some wonderful vintagey goodness! I love everything! And I am so glad Twinks is back, I was behind on my blog reading and heartbroken for you when I read about it! I know that ache when a pet is missing!
Sugarwings is just beautiful...love her fairy loving (and dorothy-loving) spirit!
hugs! karen....

[barbara]

I have those exact Halloween napkins. They're pretty hard to find! I had kind of an opposite reaction to Twinkle's disappearance - first of all, I'm glad she's fine, and I can't imagine how upset you were - but really, if you find a well-manicured dog in a neighborhood and you feel the need to get involved, you're kind of obligated to knock on some doors. I know they were trying to do the right thing...we're on kind of a first-name basis with our animal control officer (long story) and he's always complaining about this exact situation. He's under the impression that animals are smarter than we think sometimes. Anyway, I am so glad both of you are OK!

[Lisa]

So glad to hear of the happy reunion and your new treasures. I see amazing creations lurking in your near future for sure. Unfortunate circumstances certainly do put a damper on creativity for sure!

[Stephenie]

I'm so glad the dorkie is okay!! I always love how kids mispronounce words..And yes, ankle wouldn't be a very cute name for a dog(hehe).. I love that first picture so much.. I really love that first picture of your post.. IT looks so relaxing..
I also enjoyed seeing all your pretties around your home..Hope all is well.
stephenie

[Kathy]

Oh, you made me laugh, Karla! I've often "wondered" about how I spend my free time. Thank goodness I don't have to account to anyone for it. Naked doll bodies, body-less heads, pink Christmas lights... HOORAY you really are back to normal! Now, you may only beat yourself up for five more minutes, young lady!!! - Kathy in Chicago

[jeanie]

Go away from the blog for a few days and I miss all sorts of stuff. I'm so glad Twinkle has returned. Must read down to learn more...

[SusanG]

Oh Karla - I've been away from the computer for a few days and had no idea she was missing again! So very very glad she is home safe, and so sorry you had to worry!!

SusanG

[Sheila R]

Isn't it good to be back to normal! Sounds like you have your flower hat mojo back on! Can you throw some of that mojo my way?

[Myrna]

Ahhhh, so glad you're back in the swing of things, that you're all safe under one roof once again!
What fun finds you found!! ;-D I always love coming by here and seeing what you're up to!
If you get a chance, pop over to my blog..I'm having a Giveaway this week!
Blessings!
Myrna