A summer of treasures

I have had lots of projects and things I have done around the house all summer long. Now that fall is coming and we stay indoors more I was thinking about how fun it is to create and decorate! I thank my mom for sharing part of her talent with me. I am not as good as she is but some has rubbed off and I love to take old things and incorporate them into my decorating. This really has been a summer of treasure finding.
I found this bird one day while shopping around downtown at the antique shops. I love it! I have been sewing like crazy for a bazaar I am doing in October. Here are a couple of the aprons I have been working on. I also have made the most adorable dry erase boards. Even if nothing sales it is OK because I'll have most of my Christmas done!
When I went to town last week with Toshia I found this little side table. It is not old but just what I have been looking for for this little reading corner in my room.

Above my doorway I have this wonderful shelf. I have not done much with it. I have collected over time these old dolls and so thought I would put this together. It is not done and I am looking for a small trunk. I have more ideas but have to wait until I have more finds!
This is the other end of the shelf. Today I saw the coolest thing on HGTV for an area like this. I really want to do it but we are not carpenters so I will have to wait and see if I can get that together.
We finished our deck this summer. We added the lattice and made it so I could have hanging baskets out there. I just love it! David also made this bench along the sides of the deck and I found another cute bird to go out there. I have a couple of birdhouses that my boys made me out there and a basket with flowers. It is the end of the season but all summer long the flowers were so beautiful!
I found this shelf at a bazaar for $12.00. I love it! I have a few special teacup sets that were David grandmother's and a friend brought me one back from England last year. The lids on the wall I have collected over the years from yard sales. I hang them like plates and I just love the patterns and shapes. Lucky for me the bowls broke.

This family wall has been a work in progress for a long time. I think I have it like I want it for now. But if I find something new to add I know I will rearrange it. My family is so important to me and I want them to know it - so this family wall is for them
This dresser was along the side of the road with a sign for sale $10.00. I could not pass it up. I now houses all my trims and sewing notions. I have my eye on an antique closet that I want for the upstairs that will house all my fabrics. For now the fabric is in tubs in the garage.
The little box that the birdhouse and bird are on I got when David and I took our trip in August. I fell in love with it when I saw it and also a picture of a bird. That picture now hangs by my piano on a drawer pull that is a bird. It is so cute!
Finally we got our pot rack hung. It has a light so we had to do some electrical work (or should I say our friend Paul had to do some electrical work, thanks Paul). Now that it is up I think I should get some new pans. I like the old ones but my kids say I should get new ones. And finally my last find of the summer. This small shelf. I have been looking for something for this little corner in my hallway. It fit perfectly in the space and I spent only $5.00 on it. I have lots of books and so any thing I find that can house some of my books is always a treasure for me.

The hardest thing about trying to decorate when you have children is keeping things picked up so it looks like you decorated not just stuck stuff somewhere. It will not look the same though when they have all left and it is just me and David and our stuff. I love my finds and I love old things and love my family so much - I am so lucky to have all these beautiful things in my life to bring me joy on all different levels!