Spring has Sprung

Happy Spring everyone!!  As most of you know, today is the first day of spring, and honestly I couldn’t be happier about it. I am certainly not a winter girl, the cold short days really take their toll on me. But now that the days are getting longer, warmer and the opportunities to get out and play in the sunshine are more abundant, I can shake those winter blues like Annie shakes off the dead winter grass from her back. It’s quite exhilarating, shaking the winter blues that is, not shaking grass off my back.

With spring upon us, I’ve been enjoying a few spring-y touches around the house.

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Daffodils, they’re so sunny and bright, they almost smile.

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They make me smile right back at them. I’ve also discovered glitter covered eggs from the dollar store.

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They maybe a little tacky, but at least my table looks Easter-y.

Recently, I’ve been seeing my sweet momma a lot, and finally got to give her the Valentine’s gift I’d stitched up for her.

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The scarf came out huge, apparently I have gauge issues.

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But sweet momma tried it on, anyways. Under Goldie-dogs watchful gaze, of course.

Oh, and spring not only brings with it daffodils to my table and finally a grass free dog, but also new birds to my yard!

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A male Northern Flicker Woodpecker.

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Guess the bugs living in between the stepping stones didn’t stand a chance. I couldn’t get a shot of him flying, so I borrowed a shot taken by Laura Meyers, who obviously has a quicker shutter finger than I do.

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Doesn’t this guy have a gorgeous undercarriage? The one munching on bugs in my backyard had more of an orange-y undercarriage than the one pictured above. But he still took my breath away. It’s not too often we get birds other than pigeons and doves hanging out back there.

Now that spring has sprung and the sun is shining brightly, I’ll be taking my leave out of doors. (And maybe cut back on my BBC viewing.)

Happy Spring Everyone!

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Idea Stores

Absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder. I’ve really missed blogging these past couple of weeks, and I haven’t even been all that busy. Just lazy I suppose, at work there is not much time to blog, plus I really don’t know how ethical it is to use company time to do such things. Then when home time comes around, all I want to do is sit on the couch and attempt to watch TV, but instead I wake up 2 hours later to find the local news filling my head with current headlines. Let’s just say I’m tired.

But a couple of weeks ago I was able to drag myself off the couch, and visit a couple of my favorite “idea” stores. You know those kinds of stores where the merchandise is too pricey (at least for this cheapskate) to actually purchase anything, but instead steal their ideas and buy something similar at your favorite thrift or discount store.

Well, Potty Barn and Anthropologie are my idea stores. And here’s what I found:

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I really don’t know what I like best about Anthropologie, the gorgeous smells or scrumptuous eye candy.

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I love this table, I don’t know if it was truly old, but those wheels are awesome.

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These quilts had me at, “Hey, I’m 100% cotton!” My favorite is the white ruffled one second from the bottom.

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Have I mentioned all the eye candy that Anthropologie has to offer?

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I loved this corner gallery. It might look odd in a main living area, but perhaps it would work in a bedroom?

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And these weird little glass balls. I thought they were a light fixture at first, but I still like them. They bring a little shine into a space.

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Aren’t these  bright lamps the coolest?

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Oh, and they had owls!

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Lots of owls…

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And not just owls, they also offered weenie dogs that would hold letters for you. I thought about buying this for my sister, but alas, $30 was too steep for my tight little wallet.

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This chair is so cute, I could see one of my thrifted chairs getting this treatment.

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All I need now is a cute euro pillow. And some time away from the couch.

After indulging in all the eye candy that Anthropologie offered it was time to see what Pottery Barn had in store for me.

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I love their table settings at the Barn of Pottery. They’re a little too busy for my everyday life, but still fun to gaze upon. I did however, get some ideas for my own Easter table.

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A bunny holding colorful plates anyone?

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How about a cheese dome displaying pretty Easter eggs?

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Or cute bunny napkins?

I also noticed a trend in both stores:

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Colored and textured glassware. Which I’m completely on board with, evidenced by my favorite colorful glasses purchases from one of my favorite thrift stores. You can read more about those here.

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Normally, when visiting my idea stores, I just come away with ideas. But this time, I actually purchased something. My very first purchase from Anthropologie. It was like a little present to me and from me.

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All wrapped up with pretty tape! But what lay beyond that pretty tape?

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Why, a yummy candle. I can’t remember what flavor it is, but I snatched it from the clearance section for $15. Now, every time I light my gifted to me candle, I pretend I’m walking around one of my favorite idea stores. Of course, then I wake up and realize I just fell asleep on the couch again.