Me too!!!!!! :-)

 (Wedding Cake Topper...Love birds by SkyeArt)

     Do you like blogging?!...I do too!......Do you like tennis?!...I do too!......Do you like buttons?!....I do too!! ^_^

     Okay...I slipped the tennis part in there, because that's just how I roll these days!! LOL Today's blog post is not, however, about tennis!...and stop clapping!! LOL This blog is mostly about buttons...pretty buttons......creative buttons.....colorful and eye-catching buttons!! :-) 

 (Ceramic Bee Sew On Buttons by ThisOnesMineDesigns)

 (Set of Three MEDIUM Handmade Focal White Daisy Buttons by ThisOnesMineDesigns)

 (Handmade Basketball Ball Buttons by ThisOnesMineDesigns)

(Handmade Support Ribbons for Cancer Awareness  by ThisOnesMineDesigns)

(Ceramic Crayon Buttons by ThisOnesMineDesigns)

     The bee button was the first one to snatch my neck around this morning, but the crayons and the ribbons did their share of neck-snatching too! :-]

     I think they caught my attention because I've been seriously thinking about going back to putting buttons on my flowers and boutonnieres. I think they need some character along with the colors! :-) 

     Unfortunately my customers haven't been that accommodating when it comes to buying my button-ieres! LOL They do buy my lapel pins and boutonnieres though. In fact, I got a nice sale yesterday...a lady's brooch and some lapel pins! :-) I think I just may try a few with some interesting buttons soon, and see how it goes!

     Right now, though, I have some studying to do, and some breakfast to eat, and some tennis to watch! ^_^ Have a good 'button-ed-up' day, Everybody! :-)

Vintage Buttons

Pull them from a shirt
that's been tossed into the pile;
Yank them from a dress
you haven't worn in quite a while.

Inherit them from friends;
Get them as a gift of love;
Take them from the back
of one of Granny's vintage gloves.

Pluck them from old hats;
Tell their story with your tears.
Now ,use those vintage buttons,
that you've saved through out the years.

Old is what they're called;
Out of style, and retro too;
But when I put them on creations,
with my eyes, they look brand new!    

A Day Of The Unusual And The Unexpected!

(Sterling Silver Tennis Earrings by Untwistedsister)

       Yesterday was a day of unusual Etsy finds, and unexpected tennis playing! First....the tennis!

        ********** There were wins: Maria Sharapova began her French Open run with a win over Alexandra Cadantu, 6-0, 6-0...Defending champion, world number 2, Rafael Nadal (or as I call him, "baby boy" ^_^) had a victory over Simone Bolelli, 6-2 6-2 6-1...And this morning, already, Samantha Stosur has won her match!

      There were losses too: James Blake is out...and already this morning, Vania King has lost too! I'm not gonna talk about anymore losers....Well, yes I am. One unexpected loser, Serena Williams!!!! Serena, the world #5,  lost to Virginie Razzano, the current French #4! She's #111 in the world!

      It was SHOCKING...and totally unexpected! There was grunting, yelling out loud during points, crying, cramping, and "hindrance" calls!...If anybody ever tells you that tennis doesn't get good until the second week of play....put your hand in their face, turn your head, and say: "Talk to the hand!" LOL Yesterday's tennis....The match between Serena Williams and Virginie Razzano was ALL THAT...and a bag of chips!! ^_^

       Serena has never lost in a first round at the French Open before...Ever!...And while I feel bad for her loss, it was one of the best matches I've seen in a while!...Did you see it?!...Do you wanna see the last round play?!...I got you! ^_^ 

PARTs 1 and 2 of the last points of the match!!!...

       Needless to say, Serena was not a 'happy camper' after the match...



      ...but who would've been after a devastating loss like that?!...Oh Well, maybe next year, Serena.
     Today I'm on to other matches. ^_^ Who's playing today?! Victoria Azarenka, Roger Federer, Gilles Simon, Agnieszka Radwanska, Novak Djokovic (who just won his match too!),  Juan Martin Del Potro, Aleksandra Wozniak, and Marion Bartoli are the ones I'll be on the look-out for! :-) ...I'm not one for watching only the players from the country where I live. I like good tennis....from wherever...and by whoever is playing well! :-) ...I CAN'T WAIT!!! ^_^ **********

        Aren't you glad that there's other things in the world besides tennis?...Don't answer that! ^_^ You might be considered unusual...like some of these things I found on Etsy yesterday!...

 (Sea Urchin Spine Picture Frame by madebymano) 

 (Vintage 1940s-1950s, size 6, Souvenir Carved Heel Painted Wood Tiki Shoes by PinkyAGoGo)

(Orange Fabric Beaded Necklace by kapelusznik)

(Multi Color Candle Holder by MoreThanColors)

       And lastly, Oh! How I love an unusual and interesting button!...

(3 Handmade Driftwood Buttons by Seagypsys)

      All unusual...and wonderful! :-) ... Almost as unusual and wonderful as the fact that for two nights now I've actually gotten some sleep! ^_^ And considering that we had a severe thunderstorm, with thunder and lightening, come through in full force last night, me getting good sleep really is unusual...unexpected...and wonderful!!

      Now....something not so unusual for me right now...I'm off to get something to eat, and watch some more tennis. Roger Federer is playing right now! ^_^ Have a good day, Everybody! :-)

Vintage Buttons

Pull them from a shirt
that's been tossed into the pile;
Yank them from a dress
you haven't worn in quite a while.

Inherit them from friends;
Get them as a gift of love;
Take them from the back
of one of Granny's vintage gloves.

Pluck them from old hats;
Tell their story with your tears.
Now ,use those vintage buttons,
that you've saved through out the years.

Old is what they're called;
Out of style, and retro too;
But when I put them on creations,
with my eyes, they look brand new! 

Old and All Buttoned Up...Sorta!

      I know...I've been talking a lot about vintage things lately. But sometimes the old, the vintage, the proven, the recycled, the things with staying-power, the leftover...'need-to-be-used-before-it-gets-thrown-away things...have to have their day in the sun! :-)) And apparently Becorations knows all about that, because she curated this gorgeous treasury, made up of vintage recycled buttons, entitled Buttons Buttons Recycled Buttons!!

        The long necklace with vintage buttons in flower colors by amoronia, in the header photo, was one of the choices for this treasury. Now, who would look at that and think 'Vintage'?!...Old?!...Maybe....just 'maybe'...they would think 'recycled'...but they wouldn't even use the word recycled in a bad way! It's gorgeous, and hip, and....NEW!
     But she did also include my 'baby'...

       ...my Plenty of FALL Button Flower Brooch. And if you use the word 'recycled' to describe it, I won't even be mad 'atcha'...because to a certain extent that's exactly what it is!!...especially the button! But I still love it!! :-) 
        And I love these button creations too...

         These earrings above 'were' in the treasury, but this morning they were gone. Maybe somebody else loved them too....because they're outta there, baby!! ^_^ And, unfortunately,  I can't tell you who made them either,  because I didn't write it down when I took the screen shot of the treasury, and I can't find the link to them anywhere now!...What can I say...I'm old and vintage too, people!! LOL {If anyone wants to claim them and get credit, just leave me a message}
      I know the ones below, though!! First, the  Chocolate Cherries Button Magnet Set by 4EyesAndEars.

    Then the Coffee and Cream Vintage Button Charm Necklace by cstarstudio.

       The Small Orange Burst Vintage Button Necklace by buttonsoupjewelry.

      And the Mauve Button Necklace by Missmarcijewellery.

        All of them are pretty awesome...old...vintage...recycled...or whatever!! :-) They're a great use of some good buttons!...Speaking of which, I made use of some buttons myself yesterday! :-)

        I put them on these little 'babies'!...And I made use of some recycled material too...Well, some recycled yarn. It was some yarn that I had leftover from previous projects.  I made three flowers out of it, to giveaway as free gifts with people's orders. 

         So, see! I really did do some crocheting yesterday! :-)
     Just in the way of news, a friend's husband passed away recently. A lady I studied the Bible with years ago, and who I hadn't seen or heard from in years. Her and her husband were married for YEARS...There was just the two of them. No kids. 
      When I heard it made me kinda sad to think that the two of them wouldn't be sitting and laughing at everything and each other anymore. :-( They were sorta like me and my hubby. So, today's poem is dedicated to her.
      And in other news, our brand NEW dryer stopped drying!!! Do you believe that?! We just bought it about 3 months ago!!...Grrrr!
     The repair man came out to the house and fixed it...4 days later!!! UGH! The only good thing is that we had bought the warranty, so it didn't cost us anything. Apparently...so 'he' said...someone had dropped the dryer during transport to our house, and some part...some 'thing-a-ma-jiggy'...underneath had been pushed up into the other 'whose-ee-what-sy'! 
     And apparently it was suppose to have had feet on it...which we did not know! So hubby had to go get them from the store....that is, if they actually would've had them at the store...which they didn't!! He had to order them. But no worries. They'll be here within the next six weeks!!.....UGH!
    So, as you can see, sometimes it pays to have the old things!! ^_^

Lost Her Friend Today

A 'would-be' friend of mine,
who at one time thought me odd,
who gave me cross-stitch know how,
while I taught her about God,

Lost her friend today.
It was her husband, pal for life.
She had reveled in his company,
and loved to be his wife.

They spent all of their time,
Oh, so many years together,
laughing, eating, playing,
talking all about the weather.

She'd had a very hard life.
Husband 'Joe' was always there.
Couldn't trust anyone else.
Had to convince her of God's care.

She thought it odd that perfect strangers
would take time for 'little her'.
Found it hard to trust in people,
and no matter who they were.

Through years of trust unbroken
you could see her edge subside.
Oh, so loving was her nature,
and a smile you could not hide.

I sit and write these words,
trying to stop a tearful flow.
thinking of my friend and student,
now alone, without her Joe.

Thinking sweetly of her now,
Oh so many miles away,
and I'm hoping that she's trusting
in her faith and friends today.   

MONDAY!...FUN-day?!...Or Organized RUN-day?!

         Okay....the week has begun people!! ^_^ Time for some to start the work week again...although a lot of people have this particular Monday off because of a holiday. (My hubby included) Time to get the schedule in order and recognize that some good things...weekends I mean...must come to an end! LOL

      Part of getting any new week started around our house includes the ritual of re-loading the pill dispenser. {What can I say....we're OLD people! ^_^} 

        This particular one is hubby's. It's new. His old pill caddy....well....it met an ugly demise. ^_^ SOMEBODY, who shall remain nameless....and plead the 5th....and avoid looking you straight in the eye... cut the ugly thing all up!!!.....* looking around to see if there's anyone that will admit that they did it......NOPE!! ^_^ *

        A little note to all of you who are 22 years old or younger: Go ahead and giggle now, but one day, if the world as we know it continues for any length of time, you will get just like the rest of us old people!!...*giggle*

      You will look forward to dinnertime, bathroom breaks, and routines...like filling up your pill caddy with the insane amount of vitamins and supplements you dutifully take every day!.....You will!!....Trust me!!....Mark these words! {Okay, that sounded like my granny!!! LOL}

       That 'does' make me sound old, doesn't it?! ^_^ I don't care! I look forward to unscrewing each and every bottle, taking the cotton out, counting out the amount of pills that will fill up 14 days...for both hubby and I..., and putting all the cotton back in the bottles, dispensing the said pills into the said caddy compartments, clicking them closed, and rejoicing in another week off to a good start!......Arghhhhhh!

        I can't wait till the button to reverse time gets pushed. I CLEARLY have waaaay too much time on my hands!!!! ^_^ And it's only Monday!!

        Oh Yeah! Before I go, let me share my gift I got yesterday!!

      A bag of buttons!! Something else an old lady like me enjoys!!! ^_^

       And, of course, the first thing I did was separate them into categories....The above ones are ones I'll use on all brooches, pocketbooks, necklaces, etc... *giggling*...I 'do' sound old!!! ^_^ WHATEVER!!!!.....And the ones below will be used on men's boutonnieres and stuff. 

         Thank you "L"!!!!!!! :-) You know just how to make an old girl happy!!!!  Flower buttons!!

      Man buttons.....

             (I love the square ones!)

        A time clock on a button! Can't you just see this on a man's lapel, as a boutonniere?! :-) And all of the buttons have the loop in the back that makes them easy to attach too!

        And the Pièce de résistance...(according to Wikipedia, a French term (circa 1839), translated into English literally as "piece of resistance", referring to the best part or feature of something (as in a meal), a showpiece, or highlight.)....are these buttons.......!

       They're little tennis rackets!!! :-)

       Does she know me...or what?!! Ha! Ha! {By the way, Congratulations to Novak Djokovic for winning Wimbledon 2011!!! :-)}

       And thanks to "L", for knowing and paying attention to the ramblings of an old tennis loving, pill caddy organizing old lady!!....{Even the little note she wrote me had a button on it!!!} :-]

        So, are you ready to start the week?! As you can see, for me it's just another manic Monday! ^_^

      Poem.....and then Have a good Monday Everybody!! :-)

 Monday, Monday, Monday

Here comes another Monday!
Your frantic work week has begun!
Say goodbye to 'Take It Easy',
and all those things you haven't done.

Four more week days are ahead,
seeming like they'll never end.
But just think, before you know it,
"weekend" will be round again.

Lift your attention, all you mothers;
Week day workers, "Out The Door!"
Time to file, and diaper babies,
walk and scrape things off the floor.

Here comes another Monday!
Whether you want it to, or not!
Say goodbye to 'Take It Easy'.
You've got things to do...a lot!

Monday, Monday, Monday!
Why do you have to come so fast?!
And you stay so long! Why can't
the weekend 'Take It Easy' last?! 

"EYE" See...Buttons!

    These Vintage Plastic Green and Pearl Buttons are from the Etsy shop of RetroChalet. They represent something really nice that happened to me yesterday!...But first let me tell you about my...

                      (Original Acrylic Eye Painting by jamjam216)

      ...Yep! My eye...I did a few warm towels on the eye yesterday and started to get some more swelling...which, in retrospect, I think was actually suppose to happen. I got a little nervous about it though, and decided to call the doctor right away. 
     I couldn't talk to the doctor immediately, but the assistant in his office said she would tell him the situation, and said for me to call back in the afternoon to find out what he said. In the meantime I continued to rest the eye and apply the warm towels. Too bad I didn't have a cute eye pad like this...

                          (Flannel BOO BOO Packs by hipbabyboutique)


    ...That might have made the sitting and waiting for results, at least a little fun. O_o Anyway...I had talked to the assistant at around 10-ish in the morning. I decided that since she said to call back in the afternoon, I'd call back around 2:30. But at around 1:00 she called ME! She said the doctor was going to be calling in a prescription for me to the Pharmacy! {Apparently he must have thought my eye needed some help...NOW!!}
     Now, something you probably don't know about me is that I'm R-E-A-L-L-Y a crazy nut about taking new medications! I DON'T LIKE IT ONE BIT!!! Just the idea that I was gonna have to put a new medication in...or on...my body gave me palpitations! UGH! ESPECIALLY because it was an antibiotic!!! I've had some really bad allergic reactions to antibiotics in the past, and so I knew I was gonna have to find out what the side affects of this medication was gonna be before it got anywhere near my eye!! :-/
     So, I Googled it!!....WHY did I do that?!!!! I found out that it was a medication that can have really bad side affects! And the information didn't show that it was being used for eyes hardly at all, but rather, for surgery patients!!! And that you have to be REALLY precise about the dosage! YIKES!!!...I decided after doing some more reading that.....I was NOT gonna be using it!! {More money wasted! LOL}
    Good news is, my eye is feeling better this morning anyway! I'm gonna continue my warm towels and salve, on and around my eye. It seems to be working. {I got the hints on what to do from my trusty Take Care of Yourself Medical Guide I told you about in an earlier post.}...I'm not sure if the medication is no good, or if my trust issues about doctors and medication is getting in the way. But whichever it is, I know that at least my emotional state will be better if I don't have to use it!! ^_^ I'm SICK in more ways than one!!!...*And stop laughing!!!*
     Okay, about the buttons!...I got a wonderful convo (Etsy's email system) yesterday from someone who said they 'love my shop and my buttons and my ability to reuse'! She wrote an article at Handmadeology, the Science of Handmade, and featured my Orange and Blue Crochet Flower Necklace!!

      How nice is that?! :-) It's such a thoughtful and personal article too. Please take a look at how crafty people are at using buttons! I particularly liked one of her own items. It's a pendant made with seashell and a pearl button!

     How cool!...I also got another nice surprise before this one! I made another Treasury!! It's entitled "Sweet Ocean Memories"! It was curated by trinitydj.

     My Turquoise Green Birds on a Wire Necklace was the item she featured.

      So, my "see-er" is not completely well yet, but I still like what I'm seeing!! :-) Thanks to everyone for the concern, encouragement, ....and features. 
     Off to look at some more tennis...with my good eye!! ^_^


Vintage Buttons

Pull them from a shirt
that's been tossed into the pile;
Yank them from a dress
you haven't worn in quite a while.

Inherit them from friends;
Get them as a gift of love;
Take them from the back
of one of Granny's vintage gloves.

Pluck them from old hats;
Tell their story with your tears.
Now ,use those vintage buttons,
that you've saved through out the years.

Old is what they're called;
Out of style, and retro too;
But when I put them on creations,
with my eyes, they look brand new!