A VERY GOOD WEEK AND MUCH TO SHARE

A Very Good Week and Much To Share

I have so much to share this week.  First I am happy to report that I have been feeling GREAT.  My Fibromyalgia has been under control as well as my Pernicious Anemia.  It kind of worked out great because we spent last week cleaning out our closets and preparing for a BIG yard sale. We did have our yard sale on Saturday and we got rid of tons of stuff and made some good money.  I always try to think of my yard sales as people stopping by and paying me to carry off the things I no longer need or use. As my girls get older they thin out their toys and clothes and it is nice to pass things on to others. Always recycle and reuse. 

While cleaning out my closets I found my sweet little porcelain night light. I had completely forgotten about this sweet vintage light.  I immediately took it and replaced a broken bulb with a pink one.  I cleaned it up and sat it on my bedside table. Finally I have a sweet little night light and to think it was there all the time, just lost waiting for me to find it again. Here are some pictures of my night light. Note it still has the original sticker on it from Japan. 

Vintage Night Light

Now I am not a  TV person and I do not make a habit of watching it however, my DH loves to watch.  So we were watching the Andy Griffith Show and Barney mentioned that he and Thelma Lou usually watch TV and share CASHEW FUDGE on Friday nights.  I looked at my husband and said Cashew Fudge??  Well we grabbed our laptop and googled Cashew Fudge and we were so surprised when we found  Thelma Lou's Cashew Fudge Recipe. So we checked our cabinets and all we really needed to make it was the cashews. Off to the store I went, it was my shopping day anyway.  After dinner my DD and I made this fudge in about 30 minutes. It is not hard to make at all, it turned out fabulous and I must say it is so very good.  It is a combination of sweet, salty, gooey, crunchy goodness.  I am sure it is very high in calories so it is not something I would eat often but it is a great treat to have occasionally. Not to mention you could really WOW your friends and/or guest with this one. 

And here is

Thelma Lou's Cashew Fudge

 You can find the recipe here:

Thelma Lou's Cashew Fudge

Like I said I have much to share this week.  My Mom was sick a few weeks ago and it was a very hard time for me.  Our Blessing was that she got better after we figured out it was a new medicine she was taking.  My Mom is doing much better now but it was a scary time for all of those who love her.  Now all better, she saw a picture of my handbag I made last week and she called me and said "where's my handbag?"  I told her that I would be more than happy to make one for her and that I was so glad that she liked it.  So I did just that and I must say it felt so good to know that I can do this for her. I am thankful that she is here and I am thankful that I could make something special just for her.  

I then worked on a bracelet that I had collected all my goodies to make.  I love to make little jewelry pieces and I loved how the bracelet turned out.  I fashioned it a little like the Betsy Johnson bracelets that I so love.  There are beads on a stretchy cord and then a chain with my pretties on it.  There is a crown with rhinestones, glass owl, engagement ring, large pearl with topper and a black bow. 

Then I went back to making handbags with the Ellen Medlock Interchangeable 1 Handbag Pattern.  Okay I can't call them handbags, this is driving me nuts. Every time I go to type handbag I start typing purse and then I have to correct it.    My Grandma and my Mom always used the term purse.  I was raised saying purse so from here on out I will call it a purse, it just feels more natural to me.

I made a black lace overlay purse. It is perfect for an evening bag but being a Girly Girl I will probably carry it just because. If I am wearing black it can go with me. It is hard to photograph black lace but I tried to capture it so that you could see the lace. I added a beautiful flower pin and a silver engagement ring ornament. Isn't is the cutest?

I had picked up a few goodies lately and they go so well with my purse and my new bracelet that I made. I also picked up a tiara for a great price.  I think I shall wear it while I wash dishes.

For my last item this week, I have a very special purse to share with you.  I love the look of those fabric book pages.  I love the lace and sweet details that make them so beautiful.  With this in mind I decided I would make a purse with a similar look and feel.  I started with a muslin fabric, added a beautiful lace overlay, worked on images that I could print on fabric and selected all sorts of decorative things to add to my purse.  The images are all vintage perfume images with overlays of crowns, the Eiffel Tower, perfume bottles, etc.  To personalise my purse one print has Tea Cottage Pretties on it and the other has Beverly and Eric on it.  This purse is gorgeous and I love love love how it turned out. It is a LOT more work and cost a LOT more than the other bags but the results are stunning. I added fabric flowers, rhinestone button, crochet trim, a lace bow and Eiffel Tower ornament. 

 The graphics on my new purse are courtesy of:

The Graphics Fairy  

and/or

Vintage Feedsacks

The collages and overlays were created by me....

There are a lot of photos for you. I made a few of them a little darker so that you can see the details. 

Front of Purse

Back of Purse

(Darkened so you can see the details)

 Inside of Purse showing pockets trimmed in crochet trim.

This concludes my post for the week. I told you I had a lot I wanted to share. Hope you enjoyed and please come back by to visit me soon. 

I now have 50 Followers and I am Tickled Pink!  This means so very much to me. I appreciate each and everyone of you and I hope you enjoy visiting my little blog. I love to hear from folks so feel welcome to leave a comment. And again Thank You Ever So Kindly!!!!

See you soon, Beverly 

Tea Cottage Pretties