A Mess of Vintage Finds

My sunroom is a mess.  I don't know how else to describe it.  It's a mess!  Right now I have stray chairs, a dresser I'm thinking about keeping for myself, items I've picked up at thrift stores and estate sales to sell on etsy, and items I saved from my mom and dad's house for treasuring.

It is making me crazy, but I have not had any time to tackle it.  I have so many wonderful treasures to show you and so many things to list on etsy.  

Just a few vintage smalls.  Some are already in my etsy shop.

Picked up these bowls at an estate sale next door this past weekend.  

Love the straws!

This is a fabulous old quilt I picked up that was made from upholstery fabric samples.  I need to get photos and list this unique quilt.

While I was picking up things from my mom and dad's I found my bicycles from when I was a kid.   It's a Schwinn Hollywood from the mid 70s.  It was the bike I learned how to ride on. 

Isn't it fun?

Now I think I want to use it as "yard art."  Like these pictures I found on Pinterest.

This is my personal favorite!

So?  What do you think?  Can I make my bike look this adorable?  After all, I have fall and winter to figure out exactly where to put it.

Thank you so much for buzzing in for a visit.  

I am hoping to find more time to visit as soon as we finish with the Big County Fair and Baby Bee's School Carnival.  September and October are the two craziest months of the year for us.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.

I sure hope you also take a minute to leave a comment on my giveaway post.  I so appreciate all the visits and comments and followers who have supported my blog.  I'm giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon AND a $10 Starbucks gift card to one lucky winner.

Just click on over and leave a comment here to be entered.

With honey,

I'm a Winner and Birthday Pleasures

Something very, very exciting happened to me in August.  I can't believe I haven't told you yet, but I guess I was waiting until I used this wonderful thing I won.

Here's the back story.........

Every year before school starts the school district has a big assembly for ALL the employees - from management to custodians to bus drivers to teachers.  EVERYBODY is supposed to be there.  We hear a heart warming inspiring speech from our superintendent (and man is he good - he is the National Superintendent of the Year) and then they have a huge raffle.  Items are donated from local businesses.  Visa gift cards are some of the prizes.  (Oh yeah, you know where I'm going with this.)

So.........

They are on the last prize of the day.  And they pull a number, read it off, and......no one comes forward.  They wait a few minutes, call it again, and still no one comes forward.  They call it again and announce that if no one comes forward they are going to draw another number.  So I look at my ticket.......

and no.  It's not the one.  (Had you for a second, didn't I?)

They then pull another ticket AND...................THIS TIME IT WAS MINE!!!!!!!!  

OH YEAH BABY!  

I WAS SCREAMING AND DANCING AND WHOOPING IT UP.  

I FELT LIKE I WAS ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT AND THEY'D JUST CALLED MY NAME TO COME ON DOWN!

And........

My prize was a $100 Visa Gift Card!

So.....what did I do with this gift card?

Meet -------- (well, I haven't named her yet, but I will) -----------my new vintage styled bike!

Fresh from Wal-Mart in all her vintagey goodness!

She even got a little basket from my mom for my birthday.  

But her basket is a wee bit too small so I think I'm going to get this one with my leftovers from the debit card and returning the basket my mom got for me.

Also, wanted to show you some gorgeous earrings my sweet Worker Bee got for me for my birthday.  I spotted them on etsy and then he took care of the rest.  

Don't you love their gorgeous jadeite green shade?  They are so pretty.  I found them here.

Well thank you, dear friends, for coming by and seeing my winnings and a birthday treat.  Your visits always make me smile.

I sure hope you take a moment to enter my giveaway and leave a comment.  I just want to share with you all because you are such a bright spot in my day.

Linking up today to:

Cindy's My Romantic Home

Birthdays and Blogthdays!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!
THANK YOU FOR COMING BY ANYWAY!  
HOPE YOU STAY A BIT FOR A VISIT.

Yesterday was my birthday!  

And did you know that my first blog post was about my birthday two years ago?  So my blog and I share birthdays in the same month!

Well, in honor of my blog turning 2 and me turning
 _ _
(let's just say it's an even digit in the tens place and it's not 2 or 6 or 8) I am having a fun giveaway.

I'm making it easier on myself this time because I am the WORST about getting my giveaways in the mail. I even try to get Worker Bee to help and HE forgets to mail them too!  So, I'm giving away something simple to mail off......

Why what could that bee, dear Sweet Bee?  

Why GIFT CARDS!!!  Who doesn't love a gift card?  I know I love them.

There are two cards I'm giving away.  

The first one is $25 to Amazon.com to thank you for following along, leaving comments, or just buzzing by on occasion.  

The second card is for $10 to Starbucks!  That way you can take a friend out for coffee and pretend it's me.  Okay - that would be just too weird.  Just go have fun and enjoy your special treat!  Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, you know.  

Well, there have to be rules for this kind of thing, so here they are:

1.  Leave a comment AND a way to get a hold of you on this blog post.

2.  For one extra chance, please put my giveaway button with a link back to me on your blog and leave a second comment.

3.   That's it.  Because it's my birthday I'm opening this up to the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD - or at least the part of the world that comes by and visits me here at Sweet Bee Cottage.

4.  Deadline for entering is Saturday, Oct. 8 at midnight PDT. (Just in time for Worker Bee's birthday!) I'll announce the winner on Oct. 9!

5.  Oh yes,  dreaded rule #5 - you DO NOT have to be a follower!  (But I will be flattered if you decide to come along.)

Thanks!  Just thank you!  

My life is richer because of you!

My Sweet Little Nook

Oh I am going to show off my favorite (okay, don't I say that every time - yes, they are ALL my favorites) spot in my kitchen.  

Oh you're funny!  It's not the fridge or the stove.

It's this sweet little nook....

I'm showing this off because I finally painted it.  I dare not tell you how long it's been naked wood.  Oh why not!  We're all friends here.  It took me 4 years to finally make it look purty!

I know. It doesn't look that great in that picture.  

Just trust me.  

Have I ever let you down?

The white lacy curtains ought to reassure you, right?

Why look!  They open!  

And of course, I had to paint the inside a different color.  

I'm sneaky that way.

And now those cushions cozy it up just a bit.  

(Cushions made by the Fabulous Phyllis!)

And pillows even add to the warmth.  

I'm a bit of a pillow addict.  

Are you?

Now this is my particular spot.  

In fact, I'm sitting right there while I write this post.

More pillow shots.....

Oh...avert your eyes if you want to avoid a gratuitous pillow shot.

Oh but it's not just another pretty face!  It's useful too!  (and, no, not just for sitting)

Want a closer look?

Oh my yes, it's filled with vintage tablecloths! And.......there's room for more!

I neglected to take a picture of the other bench's contents, but that's Baby Bee's spot so one cubby is filled with her Girl Gourmet supplies and tools and the other cubby is filled with arts and crafts supplies.

And - voila!  Here is the whole little nook.

My kitchen is L shaped.  Strange, I know.  Gotta' love 1951 architecture!  My uncle built the little bookcase (on the left side) for me when we first moved in here.  I found the kitchen island that has the espresso maker on it (on the right).  This same sweet uncle built the benches/banquette for me too.  I found the plans for these benches in an old magazine I got from Home Depot.  He custom fit them for me for my little corner.  

Caught the magic blue light tonight outside the windows!  

I also switched my old kitchen chairs for my former dining room chairs.  Oh yeah, you caught that didn't you.  My former dining room chairs.  Does that mean something new is going on in the dining room?  Oh you'll just have to come back another time to find out about that story.  Aren't I frightful tease?  

Would you like a white mocha or hazelnut latte?

Or maybe you'd like to stay for dinner?

I must confess, it's spaghetti from a jar. Shhh.....don't tell!  (But I sure do love the frozen turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's with sauce from Costco.  Perfect for a busy night!)

I see an open spot at the table for you.....

Thanks so much for buzzing in! 

Can you believe I'm coming up on my 2nd Blogthday?  It's almost my birthday too!

You know I've got to have a giveaway up my sleeve for you.  (Okay, it's still too hot to have it up my sleeve, but you know what I mean!)

Thank you so much for stopping by - if only for a moment.  Your visits always put a smile on my face!

And, of course, I'll be sharing over at

Cindy's My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Fridays!

 

Sadie Mae's Visit to Sweet Bee Cottage

Have you met Sadie Mae? 

Sadie has been out traveling the country and she came to visit me too in the Great Central Valley.

But poor, poor, Sadie!  Did she get to see some of the beautiful sites so close by?  Like Yosemite

 or 

Kings Canyon National Park?  Or visit one of the fabulous fruit stands 

studded all over our farming country? Of course not, because poor Sadie Mae arrived the week I was setting up my classroom and my mom was moving into her little cottage from the home she lived in for over 25 years.  Yikes!  Poor Sadie went from my classroom to my mom's house to sleep to my classroom to my mom's house and to sleep.  (But did I get any pictures of us packing my mom's house?  Of course not.  Did I get pictures of Sadie Mae resting at Sweet Bee Cottage?  Of course not.)

But this is what Miss Sadie Mae got to enjoy with me.

Here she is taking a break on my reading chair.  See all those cords?  I just got a Smart Board for my classroom.  It is wicked awesome!  Although I do miss some things from my old Promethean board.  Oh and do you see how I used my lime green duct tape to put that yellow Mary Engelbreit fabric on the computer desk?  I keep planning to paint that desk in a cute Mary E. way, but I always run out of time before school starts.  So, I just had to finally do something that made it look a wee bit cuter.  Don't you think the lime goes well with the yellow?  (Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings if you think it looks just awful.)  Maybe I can get it done over Thanksgiving or Winter Break.

And there she is just trying to help me get my desk organized.  Notice the Mary E. fried egg flowers on the desk?  I made those about 7-8 years ago with construction paper.  I laminated them and put magnets on the back and - voila - a Mary Engelbreit desk!  Sadly, my desk still kind of looks like this.  Gotta' work on that.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get it straightened up.

Doesn't Sadie Mae look like she should just stay here in my class?  She'd fit right in! Mary E. key ring, Mary E. fan, Mary E. tins, Mary E. boxes, Mary E. books, Mary E. pictures.....
But then again, Sadie Mae would just blend into the background if she stayed with me - she is so special she should stand on her own.

  

Want to know more about Miss Sadie Mae?  

Then, please, go visit my friend Cindy at Rick-Rack and Gingham!  She has a wonderful blog full of positive inspiration and she is such a friendly soul.  She is a bloggy treasure! 

And thank you for buzzing in.  It's a treat to see you!

And guess what?  My birthday is coming up so I feel another giveaway coming on.  

With honey,