GIVEAWAY and GOOD THINGS

WOW!

So many generous and gracious people in

the Blogiverse ...

Blogdom? ... Land of Blog?

(What IS the correct term?)

At any moment there are

beautiful generous people

sharing their time and talents.

Photos, poems, tutorials, artwork.

AND

Giveaways!

Just a small sampling ...

Vintage by Crystal
"just because"

What a GREAT reason!

Counting Your Blessings

Celebrating 900 posts!

WOW!

And what about Decor to Adore --

Celebrating 200 Posts!

And GUESS WHAT!

I JUST WON A GIVEAWAY!

WOO HOO!

A fairy in a jar from

DAWN.

....and...

a bit ago I won something.

Look what just came in the mail -

In a sweetly decorated envelope

A special, personalized

(See "Elizabeth" on the ribbon?)

lavendar sachet!

Thanks, Sharon!

Aren't blog people the MOST GENEROUS!?!

Thanks

to all the bloggers who share their

thoughts, lives, photos, and gifts with others.

Hugs!

my project - put together my own giveaway ... part pay if forward per Sharon ... and part celebration of 25 ... not 900, 500, or 200 ... but 25 posts. Hurray!

Flowers (and beauty) Galore!

Gardens in the Pacific Northwest are spectacular in the spring.

Tulips
Holland America Bulb Farm

Woodland, Washington

lilacs

Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens

Woodland, Washington

dogwood trees

Historic Deepwood Estate

Salem, Oregon

Speaking of Dogwood ...

check out the wonderful pics at

Posie Gets Cosy

Aren't the images just the BEST?!!

They always tell us to stop and smell the roses.

With roses not in bloom for a while,

maybe we should stop and enjoy

the evryday beauty around us

or in images shared by others.

Have a Beautiful Sunday!

Hugs

my first photo collage ... hand crafted in publisher ... there MUST be an easier way!

Oh, the Places We Will Go

WHOOSH!

Oklahoma City
where the wind REALLY DOES come rushing
from EVERYWHERE!
Skinny gals shouldn't live in OKC
or they will end up like Dorothy from Kansas -
blown someplace far, far away!

While in OKC we saw some great things.

The Overholser Mansion.

Of course, we had to walk around the neighborhood.

AWESOME!

Then on the the Museum of Art.

Who knew they have the largest collection of

Dale Chihuly

ANYWHERE!!

And we LOVE Chihuly

(note: this is a full-size row boat!)

And I love how these are displayed and lit

Probably the best set-up of his work I have seen.

The way home?
Denver airport was closed -
we were detained a day.
Our "lemonade from lemons" was a AA ballgame on Opening Day.
The OKC Redhawks!

Finally able to go home --
Left OKC airport .. for Dulles ... as in
WASHINGTON DC.

I don't have anything against DC -- in fact it's a great place to be, especially this weekend with the current Dumbarton House Exhibit and the
French Market in Georgetown for Friday and Saturday.

But we were flying to Portland -- OREGON.

A long trip. And no time to go ANYWHERE. So if I want to see the FAB clothing at Dumbarton, I need to get back before 4th of July.
Maybe we should have asked for a one-week layover before flying home ....

Instead, we have a great sale in our own backyard and a nationally known garden nearby, too.

If you are in the Northwest this weekend, check out

the Whimsical Wishes sale

and Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.
Enjoy the Places You are Going!

Hugs -

One last thing from OKC.

Ya gotta love a town with

MY KIND of street art!!

GIVEAWAY and GOOD THINGS

Did you know ... ?

Dawn at The Feathered Nest

is having a

GIVEAWAY

to commemorate her 900th post.

AWESOME!

Dawn posts something amazing

EVERY DAY.

If you are not familar with this

QUEEN of BLOGDOM

(and genuinely nice person)

hop over for a visit!

Also

a couple of great

FREE DOWNLOADS

Doecdoe has vintage trim gift tags

What do You Mean By Art has a vintage math page

Hope your day is filled with GOOD THINGS!

Hugs

Yellow?

My oh my!

I don't know when it happened.
Or why it happened.
Maybe it was always there -
just ignored, overlooked, and
unloved.

My friendship with yellow.

I have been seeing yellow EVERYWHERE!

A couple of blogs caused me to think about

YELLOW.

And that is ODD because

I AM A PINK (and RED) GIRL

My friend Adrienne LOVES yellow.

But she's my dear friend, and I accepted that without too much thought.

Oh, my. Did I consider it a character flaw?

Lucy Bloom

She has the cutest things.
She recently posted on yellow.

And (shudder) I LIKED IT!

She got me to thinking.

(Yeah, I know, NOT THAT!!)

But I NEEDED to KNOW.

Do I like yellow?

Some of the blogs I follow seem to love yellow.

Yellow Rose Arbor has yellow depression glass.

But, what's not to love about depression glass?
ANY COLOR!

And on, and on, and on.

But then I noticed the Yellow FarmHouse.

It seems SHE likes yellow.

But see her new kitchen? RED cabinets!

So even if she likes YELLOW ... she must love RED, too!

But what about ME?!

Not much yellow in my world.

(Well, apart from the daffodils, lol!)

Years ago I gathered together EVERYTHING yellow I owned that could be used for home decor and gave to our oldest for her place at college. I even bought her several sunflower pictures, some artifical flowers, and a few things I thought she would like.

I had no trouble parting with them, because I "didn't like yellow".

It never occured to me that I had yellow items to give her because

I had purchased them.

More than that, I had

found them and saved them.

Hmmm.

But what about NOW?

Looking around I noticed that sometimes I still buy little bits of yellow.

Now, honestly, could YOU resist that little elephant?

And he couldn't be all alone, so he NEEDED

the little vases to escort him.

BUT ....

As I did my "color survey"

I discovered that

MY YELLOW is

ALL GLAMMED UP.

Yellow with ATTITUDE

Sammy Girl .... WHAT are you talking about??

Well, all around my house there are bits of

BRASS and GOLD.

EVERYWHERE!

Gold curtains and picture frames...

Brass lamp with shades and a tassel that have gold.

(I just LOVE a touch of animal print!!)

Brass candlesticks alongside the chippy white ones.

Vintage gold colored frame (that's my grandpa with the bow in his hair!)

And my FAVS ...

the little gold-tones jewelry caskets that I collect.

Doesn't that sound so much more chi-chi than jewerly box??

And, honestly, I DIDN'T make it up!!

BUT guess what ...

I guess yellow and I have been soul-mates all along.

We just have ATTITUDE.

Hugs!

working on: getting a signature and linking names to sites. THANKS Pattie for the linking help! I'll be over for my Limonda now -- My brain is tired!!

GIVEAWAY

Yes ... there are lots of giveaways.  

But this is an exceptionally WONDERFUL giveway.

Just in time for Earth Day.

A great book.

You'll want to find out more ... 

so click on the icon to the right.

Also check their other blog entries.

Aren't they great?

Makes me wish I still lived 

in Edmonds so I could attend

classes at their studio 

and PS stores. 

 (I STILL miss our store in LO!!)

CHECK IT OUT!

Hugs!

Sammy Girl :)

note: sorry for so many posts today .. but so much GOOD STUFF!

Gotta Go!

Anyone within driving distance needs to go to what should be an 

AWESOME good time!

Where?  

Camas, Washington

April 25th ..... (MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!)

WHIMSICAL WISHES

*sigh*  

ADORE the name

and the TREASURES!

*mmmm*

Like I said ... GOTTA GO!

 

Julie, Christa, Marci and all ....

SEE YOU SOON!

HUGS!

Sammy Girl

Gardening - Villa Style

Ahh ... the bright sun has me thinking of flowers and gardening.

Digging in the dirt amidst rows of daffodils.

Peek through the barn to the

fields of flowers beyond.

Isn't it magnificent?!

Ah ... I LOVE our flowers when they bloom.

Well -- by OUR flowers, I mean flowers blooming in the Northwest.

ANYWHERE in the northwest.

Like my garden at Deepwood.

I help out at Deepwood - but consider the garden "mine". If you live near Salem, you should, too. The garden is a park and open to the public --- for free!

My own yard?

Kinda a yard.

Gardening at Sammy Girl's Villa is not exactly hard-core.
We live in a condo. In Whoville.

So, we dubbed our abode our

Who Villa.

Front yard -- only the maintenance company can touch (garden gestapo on the prowl).

Back yard? Doesn't exist. Unless you consider the strips of dirt alongside the driveway.

That is our "garden oasis".

Thin strips of plantings.

And pots. Daffodils and grape hyacinths.

A pot with a Japanese Maple that has known no other existance. We have loved it since planting it in the cement pot and placing it on our new deck over 23 years ago. It has moved with us four times. And now it greets me every day as I come and go from the Villa. (It is just beginning to leaf out ... so pictures soon!)

Soon the blue-eyed grass with smile at me.

And the irises.

In mind of the current economy, I am thinking of planting a few veggies. Not a victory garden by any sense, but something to have fun with and help the young couples in the neighborhood see what can be done even in a very small area.

Maybe a pot of zuchinni.

They ALWAYS thrive with just a bit of attention, some sun and a little water.

Hope you are thriving today!

HUGS!

Sammy Girl

note: pics of fields are from our visit to the Skagit Valley (WA) last year. The fields there and in Woodburn (OR) should be in full bloom now, so if you have a chance - go! It's wonderful! Betty :)

Till Death and Treasures (Part II)

Till Death Do Us Part

I guess all blogs are "Till Death Do Us Part" .... death of a computer, that is, lol!

Whew! Computer still a little "icky", but NOT DEAD! .... and REALLY, I would rather it not die right now. Not sure when would be a convenient time, but probably after Pink Princess returns to the states. (Love that Skype!)

First a little housekeeping.

Yes - I said there would be a GIVEAWAY the first of LAST week. You didn't miss it. I hasn't happened .... but is coming ... I PROMISE!

Second - some folks (sorry Tracey!) haven't been able to leave comments. I'll try to figure things out, but think related to computer issues. Anyone else had problems leaving comments, please e-mail me. Thanks!

Third - heading out to Oklahoma City tomorrow, so if anyone has ideas of places I simply MUST see, please let me know. OR ... if you know someone who knows someone .... YOU get the idea!

Finally -- here are a few more treasures from my trip to Redmond.

I LOVE vintage wedding things.This sweet little wedding certificate in the white frame has

PINK ROSES!

Dated 1912 in Woodburn, Oregon.

Two scriptural references, including one from Ruth.

This little beauty, supposedly in it's original gold-ish frame,

ALSO has pink roses! (See why I had to get BOTH!!)

This one is 1903 in Birdstown, Tennessee.YUM!

Hugs to you!
Sammy Girl