My Stimulus Package and a Rule(r) to live by

(I know, 2 posts in 1 day! Crazy, right?)

Doesn't include tax breaks, incentives or a free coffee from Dunkin Donuts. It does include yummy fun that I couldn't pass up when I was out shopping with Rosemary.

I came home with this sweet, chippy, swirly frame and turned it into a bulletin board. Sorry about the shadowy light. My studio is in my basement, hence, no natural light, just OTTs & an old chandelier and this baby is too big to lug upstairs and photograph (before I've had copious amounts of caffeine).

The 'Bloom' banner is keeping it company. I saw the cute 'Spring' banners on House of 3 and decided to improvise my own with some Heidi Swapp stash I'd been hoarding. I think it was hiding behind a family size bag of Cadbury mini eggs. Ate those yummies and voila, I saw a whole new stash! Cut the circles for it with my old friend, a CM circle cutter. That was probably one of the first purchases that sucked me into scrapbooking.

Here is the rest of my stimulus package. Most all of it has found a home, but I've yet to hang up the green shelf. Isn't there something like this in most of our grandmother's bathrooms? They usually aren't painted a bright lime green though. Can't wait to hang this in the studio and overrun it with goodies. I also loved the silvery, dove grey of this hat. I have a huge head. HUGE. Hats never fit me. This one worked. And it's vintage. And perty. So I adopted it. It was meant to be. I also brought home sparklies that were labeled 'Table Confetti'. Hmmmph, right. Sozo, the princess cat, would eat that confetti straight away and while it my be a shinier job to clean the litter box for the next few weeks, I can see these faux gems getting used in loads of projects instead! The black bead trim was found in the barn at Chartreuse and while I have no idea how I'll be using it, it was pretty and had to come home with me. Yes, it did.

Confessing also that I am easy prey for cute packaging, hence the Mocha Rose lip balm found its way into my grubby paws. It's made by the Rosebud Perfume Company which is literally 2 miles up the road from my house. They make Rosebud Salve which is one of Sephora's biggest sellers. Run over to Sephora and support my local peeps! (BTW, the Mocha Rose balm is so very good)

Not from Chartreuse, but a continuation of the tweaking of the studio:

Ignore the paint, glitter and copious clutter. Yes, this is pretty much how it ALWAYS is. I've had this inkling in the back of my head for a long time and have particularly seen it put to use on seamstress tables. When I was at the antique mall last month, I picked up these vintage yardsticks, almost got them, but changed my mind at the last minute. Not sure why.

Well, I found out. It was because they hadn't yet been marked down! I picked up 4 on sale; 2 of them from our local paper. A quick treatment with a handsaw, staple gun and hammer did the trick. Now my countertops are rimmed by an old yardstick edging that is not only useful, it's pretty cool looking if I do say so myself. (To me anyway. My Pottery Barn friends are probably agog with horror) I was checking out at the antique store and this lady starts asking me about my plans for them. When I told her, she picks them up and starts fondling MY yardsticks, getting that greedy, grabby, I'm gonna steal your Cabbage Patch look in her eye. I nearly whacked her with a stick to get them back. Go find your own sticks chickie (well, that's what I was thinking!)