FUN with bargains!

Good evening! i hope you had a WONDERFUL day! it got pretty hot here again today (high 90's) but DH and i, packed up some beads and went to a rockhound friend's place to craft together!
While she worked on covering a terra cotta pot with polished stones, i made a few earrings and DH learned how to polish (on his buddy's polishing machine) and wire wrap stones!! it was really FUN!! we will surely be doing that again!! They asked us to come over since they are getting ready for local gem show that is quickly approaching! they already have a booth paid for in advance and asked if we had anything we can sell. so we are trying to get a few items together to get money for the REAL FUN that will be coming up in Jan. / Feb. Quartzsite (scroll down a bit to see the shows ground photo to just ONE of the shows!!)
i can hardly wait to go to this Arizona show! We have gone to the local gem show, last year & LOVED it and this show in AZ is WAYYYYYYY bigger and cheaper! i am so excited about it! :)
Anyways, back home and the FUN we had this past weekend! hehe
We picked up this skull for DS.

this photo of three glass & foiled plates doesn't do them justice. they are really LOVELY!

same with these next two dresses. these photos just don't do them any justice.

this black dress is totally AWESOME, with some bead designs on it!

This FUN lot was only three dollars and includes a jade rock, a node rock, along with three bracelets, a cross and a heart photo locket!! BARGAIN! :D

i could hardly resist this BEAUTY!!

i also found more ephemeral and because DH bought something from our book guy, he gave these to me! :)

and last, i found another FUN pair of shades for just two dollars!

Goodness how we LOVE that swapmeet! it was too funny today when we were at our friend's place, another friend of hers stopped in and asked where i got the top that i was wearing, and i had to laugh and said the swapmeet... then not to long later, she asks about the rings i had on and got the same response! lol i REALLY have filled my life with things from there! AWESOME things, too!
Well, i am just HAPPY to have that swapmeet since we really didn't have a decent thrift store or dollar store in our area for a long time... only recently, (within the past year or two) a COOL dollar store moved in downtown.
What are some of the things YOU like to do? i would LOVE to hear it! Cause i LOVE when you visit ME! :) Thanks so very much for sharing this time!! have an AWESOME evening!! HUGS!! And i will see you in the morning! :D

Bargains!!!

What a week it's been! sure hope you had a much BETTER week! This Saturday started out with rain, which is always surprising around here!! lol but it didn't rain too hard or long and the swapmeet went on without a hitch!
With all the troubles i had with my computer last week, i realize that i didn't get to share with you, all the goodies we got from Tender Loving Care sale. Tender Loving Care is a charity that many donate goods for selling and the money helps those in need in the area, and i LOVE when we can help the people in this community!! It's tough enough just living out here in the
desert and for many who cannot leave it, there are basics that so many need help with!
it's a really WONDERFUL charity with FUN sales about four times each year.
Here are some of the items we got this time, like this thing that we have NO idea what it is or does!! lol it is almost like a very long chinese finger trap.
Remember those?

i also found this LOVELY Christmas runner and stitching kit, that was NEVER opened!!

This Spin Art machine has been such a favorite of mine as a child. it was irresistable to me!!
And even though we have to cut more papers and buy new paint, the machine still works!!!

When i spotted this book, i snagged it quickly! lol i have never seen this done before and thought it was a FANTASTIC gift idea!!

Someone took an old reader's digest hardbound and decoupaged a LOVELY saying with picture, onto it. Then curled up the corners and made it all starchy and stiff!!

Cool, huh? :) i thought so too!!
And onto the swapmeet and finds like this little totem for a buck.

This next photo was a three dollar lot, which includes things like a perfume pen and block of coconut oil soap with molds, a book and new tomato pin cushion, with pins included too!

These FUN Jack-o-lantern earrings were only a quarter!!!

i LOVE this bottle (but then i am a bottle NUT! lol) with a little dancer inside!!

here is a closeup! This bottle is a musical one and the little dancer does a jig!

These little containers open and were only fifty cents a piece!!

This haunted theater and the pink bead necklace draped on it, were free when my DH bought a whole lot of baseball cards and matchbox cars for a bargain price to him!!!

it has a hole in the back for a little light to go inside and light the window in front! Too CUTE! :)
These dragonware ashtrays were a surprising bargain at only fifty cents each!!!

Are these chickens SWEET!?! they hold votive candles and are metal!!

i am going to save the rest for tomorrow!! i sure hope you stop back in cause i LOVE your visits!! big HUGS to you and thank you for sharing this time!! See ya in the morn!! :D

checking in

Just checking in, to say i am ok... my computer, however, not so much! All last week it was causing me stress with acting up and then it got so bad that it would not even stay ON!!! so after shedding a few tears and whining how i seem to need yet another new computer, DH decided to try blowing out the dust. So after making sure he grounded himself, he carefully opened up the side and with a can of air, lightly blew away the dust from all the inside components! and lo and behold, my computer seems MUCH HAPPIER!! Although i have not yet really taxed it (this morning was the first day in DAYS that i visited all my favorite blogs again!)i am hoping that is all my computer needed! HUGS to my honey for being so careful too!! i will be back later tonite with some FUN bargains, even though it DID rain this Saturday morning! HUGS to YOU for your patience with me!! :D Have a SUPER day!

Sharing a few links

Good morning! it has been MUCH cooler around here lately. Still in the 90's but even the pool water temperature is dropping FAST! lol
i wanted to share a few links with you, that are new to me. i hope you enjoy them too!
First off, i found Shabby Chic Papirskatter
There you will find all things Vintage! like photos, labels, and sooo many angels!
Next i found Cool & Cute Blog Stuff , where you will find FANTASTIC paint shop pro tutorials but it is so easy to use many of the same ideas in photoshop, too. All the tutorials i found, related to your blogs in some way, so i hope you can find some useful info there, like i did!! :)
A Print A Day where you will find some FUN inspiration, as well as something to print daily!
At Vintage Catnip you will, also, find something new each day!! FUN FUN FUN!!!
oh how i LOVE to find new bloggers with the same interests or even sometimes a new to me interest!! i sure hope you pop in and visit these WONDERFUL bloggers, maybe you will revisit them, like i am sure too!! hehe
Thank YOU so very much for sharing this time!! HUGS! Have a GREAT day! :D

Crafty things

Good evening! i just got done watching a FUN documentary about the original Woodstock!! it was FANTASTIC! i didn't get to go since i was too young but i would have LOVED it! i remember listening to the cassettes of the music, over and over!! Country Joe and the Fish, Joe Cocker, Janis, Jimi!!! it was GREAT!! :)
Anywaysssss back to the 21st century!! lol i have been crafting, if you can believe that!?!! i use to craft so much and still do have a lot of crafting materials in storage! it's tough to find the room to craft and so i have done less and less each year to the point of almost stopping completely, upon discovering the digital world of scrapbooking!! hehe it's now been a few years and my hands have been itching to get back into the physical crafting world! :) For a few years, DH & i did chain maille jewelry, he doing the chain part and me doing the decorating with colorful beads!! But now that we have a TON of AWESOME beads we don't know what to do with them or we just don't have the talent to do what we want with them! hehe i tried covering a wooden bead with seed beads, the other night and got as far as the third row. then i had to go into a bead in the previous row and broke the darn bead, pulling the needle thru! lol Then i found these little bead pie magnets . This is an EASY way to use up some of those smaller beads!!
And it looks ADORABLE on the 'fridge too!

i have also been playing around with some of the fabric i have accumulated over the years!

And in making these little pincushions, i can use up some of my calicos!

i think i may try to make a little cowboy/girl hat and MAYBE even make a beaded hatband! oh the FUN of it all!! :)
Thank you so very much for stopping in for a visit! i LOVE our time together! :) HUGS!! Have a MARVELOUS evening and i will see YOU in the morning! :D

Saturday treats!

Good evening! i sure hope you are enjoying this weekend where you are! :) We, of course went to our local swapmeet and found some treasures we couldn't live without! hehe
we actually went to a few yard sales before we got to the meet and we may have spent more at the yard sales this week! lol i think DH thought there was something wrong when we saw one of my favorite vendors selling and HE bought the only thing from her this time!! LOL
But we did manage to find a few $3.00 bargains at the first yardsale!
Like the PRETTY gold chain, black beaded cuff, green glass bead bracelet and a SHREDDING scissors (of all things lol) and this LOVELY Christmas banded watch!!

at the next yardsale, we only got this AWESOME set of dishes for five bucks!!

and the last yardsale, we bought these glass beads (with foil designs) for $7.00

and a few of these for two dollars each! they were each missing a drawer of two, but will serve the purpose for us (either jewelry findings or ROCKS!! lol)

we only brought home these two, since a neighbor of ours got there soon after us and asked if he could have one and we gave it to him. :) i made sure THOSE drawers were empty since all three of the storage things we bought, had quite a few of the drawers filled with some real goodies in them like jewelry findings, crimping beads, silver beads, real turquoise chunks and jewelry wire...it went on & on with goodies!! all these were BONUS! and the funny thing was, the husband there who was selling, pointed it out to me that they were filled! lol

and a drawer even had some more of these glass & foil beads.

and from the swapmeet we got these little jars from our book guy (AND NO BOOKS for a change! hehe )

i felt like we splurged a bit on this tote filled with ribbons, lace, various craft
things, for five dollars but we got the tote WITH lid!! BONUS! lol

and finally, yes, you heard me lol i told you we didn't get much...lol...i found this Egyptian gown that the daughter was selling.

take a wild guess at how much i paid?!! ......................................Only
TWO dollars!!!!! Can you believe that?!! heck, if i wear it only as a Halloween costume, it's worth it!! but it's too PRETTY to disrespect. :)
That's it from me tonight. DH and i got in the pool after not getting in for two weeks, it was sooo REFRESHING! but it tires us old folks out too! lol like little kids, we will sleep GOOD tonight! hehe
thank you so much for sharing this time!! HUGS!! i will see you tomorrow! :D

Desert area plants/trees

Good evening! have you been checking out Perseid meteor shower ?? i look forward to it, right around my youngest son's birthday, each year! :)
Tonight i hope you enjoy viewing some desert trees and plants! i don't know the names of them all but DH and i really LOVE them! :D
we have truly grown a new found respect for trees out here in the desert.
we see this one in a few places around town....

and at the swapmeet too. or can they be two very similar trees?(shrugs shoulders)

i LOVE this big ol' tree!

i have seen a few of these around too!

this one i know is an old eucalyptus tree!

and this one is a LOVELY Palo Verde tree.

Just look at this crazy old cactus! hehe

this plant we were suprised to see out here because we had these when we lived near Chicago!!

and finally i fell in LOVE with this Egyptian Papyrus but we still don't have one... YET! hehe

we have honestly become quite fond of our desert plants. it's quite AMAZING to see so much green out here! :) i hope you enjoyed them too!!
big HUGS to you for visiting!! i hope you have an AWESOME evening! i will see you in the morning! :D