But then I discovered the quilting room. I don’t quilt, so I had passed it by with a cursory glance on the first round, but there were some great books buried in there. Oh, and an awesome brass bar cart in great shape with smooth rolling wheels. All for $38.00. Totally worth getting soaked for.

Remember how I wanted to find a cool cart for when we have Dim Sunday? I’ll now be the swanky Dim Sum Trolley Dolly of the ranch. A little Noxon will get her gleaming.

There was an amazing woodworking shop in the basement, but the pricing was high on the tools and they were not wheeling and dealing on opening day.

A few favorite ornaments seemed to be a good place to play around…..

These first two are from my childhood….my parents picked them up for me on their travels in the 70′s.

A family favorite was “Pancho Claus”  picked up south of the border.  He was a candle in the form of Santa wearing a sombrero….the wick came out of the top of his hat.  One brutally hot summer he melted in the attic and we mourned his loss, not unlike a pet.  What?!  It was the 70′s and Pancho Claus was cool I tell you….Trust.

These glittery little beauties were found at estate sales in my 20′s….from someone elses childhood.

Um…all birds.  Sorry.

The red flocked deer below belonged to my parents, and I adored them growing up.  They used to be on our dining room table every year, in front of a silver punchbowl full of poinsettias. Sometime in my 20′s or early 30′s, I begged for them, and they were kind enough to oblige.  The vintage brass deer candle holders are a recent Etsy purchase.

Felt circles bought from Fred Flare a few years ago are sill holding strong….

On the puppy front, Otto is growing very fast and into everything…..he even tried to chew the lights!

He is Ottofabulous the LoveShark.  Sometimes he’s Pushkin (the CC wanted to name him that at one point, so it’s one of his bazillion nicknames.)

What are some of your favorite holiday decorations?  Hannukah, Chinese New Year, etc..  Is there a piece from your childhood that you cherish, or have you gotten something new that will be a keeper for years?

 Photos brought to you by Diptic, Hipstamatic, Big Lens and Instagram.  I found a plug- in that imports the Instagram photos to the right sidebar, so the latest snaps will be there.  I swear, I will pick up the SLR again at some point.

About 6 weeks ago, I saw an ad on Craigslist that got my attention.  A former flea seller was looking to unload a few boxes full of primed rattan/wicker birdcages.  Boxes full?  Really?!  When I asked how many he had left, he said he’d sell me the remaining 29 for $40.  He was clearly over it.  Dealio.

So first things first, I had to lose the matte primed finish, so I decided on glossy black and gold.

So what am I going to do with these, you ask?  Well, you know that I’m a crazy bird lady, so that’s a given.  I have a few feathered ravens, but those peeps ain’t cheap, and I have many cages to fill.

Time for paper crafts (again).  I downloaded some clip art (my favorites came from here) and printed off some creatures on a vellum cardstock.  By printing them on vellum, the translucence of the paper allows the image to ghost through to the other side, so you can still get the idea from almost any angle of view.  It was the best way I could think of to make a 2-D figure work.

Once trimmed out, they look like this.

Then I threaded some fishing line through them and hung them from the top of the cage.

I think these guys are going to be a fun addition to the forest,  as well as the buffet table.  I might explore snakes and rats and bats…but for now, I’m liking my birds.

Still here?  OK, well last year’s CSA gave us fresh eggs on a weekly basis, and we desperately miss them.  We opted against the CSA this year after our 9th week in a row of zucchini exclusive boxes brought the entire family to tears.  The Things were begging for it to STOP.  “Can’t we just compost them?  I can’t eat them anymore!!!  I’m even sick of the fritters!!”  I digress….

Eggs. We can go to the farmers market and get them, but some weeks I just can’t get there.  We’ve got a few friends who have been keeping them and we are fascinated.  Replacing our beloved pooch doesn’t seem likely, and a pet with such a tasty habit might be nice?

My Pinterest followers will recognize some of these images from my growing collection of coop inspiration.

So many beautifully designed coops out there!  If money were no object and we weren’t planning to build it ourselves…then these might dot our landscape.

Via Dwell

via Nogg.co

This is one of my faves…and we could probably make something similar, but I think we might like a walk-in coop?  Dunno..details, details.

via gastronomista

So, if we are to build said structure, would it look more like these?

via my pet chickens

via star apple

via backyard poulty mag

And we have all loved and admired this couple’s super coop….

via Dwell

So why am I talking about chickens anyway?!  Don’t I have the interior of a treehouse to paint now that the temps are cooling?  Why, yes.  But finishing up pesky details isn’t nearly as much fun as planning something new, that may, or may not, ever happen.

August 24 UPDATE:  Oh my GAWD..I just saw Karen’s coop over at The Art of Doing Stuff…and that is the mac damn daddy of all coops…..go check it here!

Ain’t she sassy?

In other wildlife news, we finally spotted this years fawns in the yard last week, but all my snaps have been blurry!

Still no sign of our baby owls, but the grown-ups were having a major hootfest in the forest last night and woke me up from my treehouse slumber.  When the fan is off, the wildlife can be loud, and I’m saying right now, the first time the coyotes kill on our ridge when we are sleeping in there-that noise is going to give us all a heart attack.

We’ve seen a coyote pup twice in the past week.  We NEVER see the coyotes.  The CC is all excited about it…me? NO WAY.  It makes me worry all this will happen IN OUR YARD.

He’s back, and either he has brought home a new bride, or she decided to hear me out last year and this is her way of giving me the bird.  Pun totally intended.

The male and female are hanging out more closely this year, and have decided to take this terrorizing project on as a team.  That’s what happy loving couples do, right?  They sit together on a nearby branch and plan their strategy….

Then they swoop down….she seems to prefer the living room door handle….

..while he likes his usual spot…the back of the sofa.

….and it’s go time!

Young Love.  Happy Easter/Passover/Spring Season!

 

Joe Jackson – Happy Loving Couples by Pius35

The video can be a little slow, but it’s worth it if you’re into that kinda thing. Skip to minute 8 to see the little fluffball.

Treehouse update for you tomorrow…..

We saw some really good stuff Saturday.  I didn’t have my camera, which is always a regret on these occasions.  There was a fireplace set that we are still talking about.  Gorgeous 70′s brass and glass ultra modern delish.  Who didn’t snap it, even with our phones?  Dumb-asses like us.

Knowing that I’m the crazy bird lady, (and she’s still my friend!) she spotted this for me…

I am forever grateful.  It makes me sooo happy.  $20.  All it needed was a Noxon bath.  Now he’s shiiiiiny.  We’ve been calling him Jonathan Livingston Seagull for giggles…he might just be Jonny by the end of the day.

We got a fuzzy phone pic of this groovy sofa..$200.  Great condition.  Neither of us need it, but what a deal.

When I saw the lamp, I gasped loudly and cried out for my friend’s confirmation that I NEED it.  $75? It would be rude not to buy it.  I just sold a chair for $80, so it’s an even swap…right?  RIGHT.  They called it the “Alien Lamp” and I was smitten.  I had wanted an Arco lamp for the living room, but I always knew that something else (affordable) was out there.  Found!

I like hanging out under the alien…it’s like a creepy but comforting light hug.  I’ll post pics from more angles when I update the tour.  The base isn’t all that attractive, so you’re not missing much there.

We rounded out the under $100 day with a Jackalope sighting.  Good times.

She told me I was nuts to sell it, and I, being of weak constitution, took that as all the encouragement I needed to steal it from MYSELF.  Within seconds, that baby was in my purse faster than you can say Winona Ryder.

You can see why I resorted to petty theft…no?  I had paid a hefty $10 for it at an estate sale.

To make you feel a little better, I also got this (another hard to photograph glass piece)..for $3.50.

It’s got a pale purplish hue on the edges with gold and silver speckles…and I SWEAR I paid for it.

Things have otherwise been very un-blogworthy around here, lots of cabinet and closet organization…cuz I know you’re dying to see me clean out under the kitchen sink.  I’m planning on getting back to the tour soon now that I can actually find some things around here.

Image via Claire Brewster

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