HAPPY 101 BLOG AWARD & PENNYANN POUNDWISE'S CHARMING BLOG

A Warm

"Thank you" to


sweet Terri at the charming & insightful blog...


Penny Ann Poundwise!!


Please stop by to say "hello" and browse around a bit...


as she shares our frugal philosophy of practical yet lovely living...


makes astute and touching observations & tells a wonderful story!!


~~~~~~

As Sweet Terri was so kind to bestow this Happy 101 award,

I will happily follow the guidelines attached to it!

Here are the rules:

A.Copy the award image in your post.

B. List 10 things that make you happy

(then try to enjoy at least one of them today!)

C. Tag 10 Bloggers who brighten your day!!

~~~~~~~

Ten Things That Make Me Happy

1. Faith in... and focus on... all that is good, right and lovely

2. LoL Cats "I Can Haz Cheezburger" daily email (click here to visit)

3. My family in the evening when we all gather, often with friends, in our small kitchen and laugh, graze, and talk about our day

4. The sound of the cats thumping up and down the stairs in a friendly game of chase

5. Stumbling across an old movie that I haven't seen in a long while(such as "Laura" with Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews and Clifton Webb~~a wonderful black and white mystery with a lovely apartment too)!

6. Falling asleep reading a good book (feeling sooo sleepy...hard to keep my eyes open...but want to read just...one...more...chapter...this happens more than you might imagine :)

7. A bowl of delicious home made soup along with a fresh lettuce and tomato salad tossed with my favorite vinaigrette dressing (which I have yet to learn how to duplicate at home~~now THAT would really make me happy too!)

8. Just being at home and puttering about the house

9. The special little squirrels that (literally) run to greet me as I open the door to the porch...they gingerly take a peanut from my palm

10. The pleasure of the many friendships we've created through the ethers~~it makes me happy to know...and to have contact with... such wondrous souls like all of you kind and kindred spirits. It always amazes me how we can create such emotion and camaraderie through this wondrous invention called the Internet (and Bloglandia in particular). (Thank you!)

I Visit so many wondrous blogs it is so very difficult to choose just ten...but here is the first batch of blogs that make me happy!

1. Brenda at "Coffee, Tea, Books and Me"

2. Clarice at Storybook Woods

3. Manuela "The Pleasures of Homekeeping"

4. Mary Ellen at "Mary's Meanderings"

5. The Thrifty Chicks

6. Saver Queen

7. Carol at "Scraps and Pieces of our Lives"

8. Tiffany at Green and Natural Parenting

9. Kathy at "Sweet Up~North Mornings"

10. Dana at "A Cat in My Lap"

AMENDMENT: I'd also like to add Charmaine at Beautiful Things to Share!
I am listing this lovely blog in addition to the others because it is such a special place. She collects beautiful images from amazing places on this wondrous Internet and uses them to create a place that holds the power to de~tangle my nerves when I'm frustrated and put me in a happy state regardless of what mood I'm in!! I didn't mention it initially because Charmaine had taken a temporary break from blogging and I didn't want to burden her quiet time with it. Happily, I've just learned that she has just returned to posting so I have decided to share this award with her...and her site with you!

GUILT~FREE...OPT OUT CLAUSE !!

I forgot to put this in my original post, but I do realize that some

Bloggers do not always participate in blog awards...thus

...please know that if you are listed here

please feel free to opt out of participating if it doesn't suit you at this time...

or adapt it to fit your time/energy (i.e.,3 bloggers in lieu of 10).

I enjoyed doing this one because it allowed me to showcase some of you wondrous kindred spirits (and I had the time available).

As I mentioned, it was so very difficult to choose just ten...so I may end up adding more later just to share with you all the wonderful places and kind souls I've found in Bloglandia (no obligations attached)!! For now, I am off to accomplish/experience lunch (soup and salad :)!!x0x

P.S. If you have a few favorite places in Bloglandia you'd like to share I'd love, love, love to hear about them!! Please feel free to put them in the comments section!!

Enchanting...Vintage... French... Paper Dolls... Free!!

Artisan's Avenue at Stampington and Company is offering

free downloads of charming, vintage ephamera...


including these enchanting paper dolls!!



A wonderful Frugal Luxury tm ...

Thank you Artisan's Avenue!


http://www.stampington.com/artisan_avenue/2010/january/download.html

Rescued Linens...Stray Papers...Inspiring Fragments

~~~~~~

More Illuminated Fragments


and...

Re~Inventing the Ordinary !



I have long been a collector and re~inventor of old things...


in fact, in my first book, Frugal Luxuries (Bantam, 1997)


I wrote much about my passion for...


Old Linens

I have a passion for vintage linens, handkerchiefs, aprons, tablecloths, curtains, and any pieces of quality handwork, like lace crocheting, and embroidery. I scour tag sales and flew markets for beautiful vintage pieces, then recycle in practical and lovely ways.

• Fabric scraps or samples from discontinued fabrics can easily be transformed into small throw pillows or simple sachets to scent lingerie drawers. All that is needed is simple stitch or, even a glue gun or fabric glue!
  

And... in it's companion volume,

Frugal Luxuries by the Seasons (Bantam, 2000)

I write about the many ways

I have re~purposed stray papers...

• Create dust jackets for tattered yet beloved books...or simply to unify the look of your book shelf
  
• Use larger pieces to line the walls behind bookshelves and china cabinets, or to line the walls of ordinary closets to make the extraordinary. You needn't apply it in the traditional manner when using it in this fashion. Simply purchase double stick tape at your hardware store, applying it only to the edges of the cut~to~shape paper. You may also find it's pretty when used as shelf and drawer liners. [Or simply use a glue stick.]
• Use vintage~looking pieces of paper to use for covering hatboxes or recycling shoe boxes, cigar boxes and the like. Use these for storage or save them in your gift pantry to use as whimsical packaging for gifts.
  

But what I'd really like to know is...

How do YOU re~invent the ordinary??


As always, I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to hear YOUR IDEAS!!

Warmly,

Tracey xox

Mundane Magic

Illuminated FragmentsTM


"As much of Heaven is visible...


as we have eyes to see."



~~William Winter

Bloggers to Watch in 2010 List!!

A warm thank~you to ..




WE Magazine for Women

...for their kind inclusion of

Frugal Luxuries


on their list of


101 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2010!!


We appreciate the kind honor and good thoughts!


Warmly,


Tracey and Family

Kindling More Light and New Ideas...

"Truths kindle light for truths."


~~Lucretious





~~~~~~~



While I had the candles and putty out ...

I decided to use them to kindle a bit of light and romance...

by using them inside tiny glasses from our collection.

As with the teacups...

I used earthquake putty to hold the candle upright inside the glass.

Winter Luxuries...Candlelight Graces

"Candles...

like angels,

have the oddest disguises."

~~Rumor Godden

~~~~~~~~~



To See How I Put These Little Luxuries Together...

from Inspiration to Illumination...

just click HERE!

Stocking the Empty Gift Pantry™ & The Magic Mason Jar Filled With (Potential) Lights

~~~~~~~

The energy of this new year has

ignited my enthusiasm

to get things in order.

As of late,

I've been organizing and

restocking our Gift PantryTM.

It's looking a bit bare

after the busy

holidays.

One of our the girls' good friends kindly polished these
vintage pieces of silver to add to our Gift Pantry...

& I found the classic glass candlesticks at an after Christmas sale.

~~~~~~


Were you wondering...


how I put together the



Magic Mason Jars


Filled with (potential) light??


I gathered a few mason jars and washed & dried them well... ...gathered rusted lids that were no longer usable for canning & painted them silver... After they had thoroughly dried,I brought them into the kitchen. When rummaging through the pantry I came across these old tart pans. I played with the tart pans and ended up gluing them atop the Mason jar lids to add a bit of charm.
I filled a few jars with these candles (below).
The Asian candles were found at the local Dollar store...
the Chanukah candles were found at the grocery store,they were on sale after the holidays, I paid only one dollar per box.Here they are (below)... waiting for me to add them to our Gift Pantry!
Want to know more?

Click HERE to read more about the Gift Pantry concept.

New Year's Day 2010: Wishing Every Kind & Kindred Soul a New Year Filled With Love and Light

~~~~~~


New Year's Day:

Old Threads, Long Tangled,

Become Straight.


~~~


Excerpt above taken from "Frugal Luxuries by the Seasons, " 2000, Bantam Books, NY, NY.
Epilogue Section