I have an aversion to fine, “mint condition” antiques.  If something looks that good after 100 years, it couldn’t have been used that much.  I don’t need something in my house that needs to be roped off.  I find beauty in a brush with missing bristles and book pages that are frayed and worn. I find beauty in a crooked-faced clock that no longer works.  I find beauty in a piece of ironstone that is stained, cracked and crazed.  I find beauty in a smoked mirror with a chipped plaster frame.   I find beauty in the broken. How about you? For those waiting for the next installment of the slipcover series, it is uploading right now and will be available to view tomorrow.  Sit tight!

I was the lucky recipient of Valentine’s Day flowers that were given to someone else, but left with me.  My mom was visiting and my dad, being the sweet guy he is, sent her flowers to my house.  A bouquet of flowers doesn’t travel well on an airplane, so she left them with me.  My husband and I agreed a long time ago (after he, very sweetly, paid about $40 for a bouquet of carnations), that we were not going to do the dinner/flowers/chocolate thing on February 14.  We’ll save those things for another day when the restaurants aren’t packed and the price of flowers isn’t jacked up two fold.  Nevertheless, the girl and the photographer in me really enjoyed the fresh flowers.  We had a nice little photo shoot together as I arranged them in an ironstone pitcher I bought last week.  And they looked great in my guest room. 

I’m assuming most of you have heard of Craigslist and for those who haven’t, you’re about to thank me. Craigslist is a free online classified site where you can find all kinds of goodies.  Don’t be scared away by things like “The Craigslist Killer” and some of the weird spam that’s in the listings.  The majority of transactions are between two very normal people who just want to buy something, get rid of something, find someone, hire someone, etc.  It is an awesome resource, especially for those of us who are thrifty girls.  Here are my secrets to finding the best stuff without breaking the bank.  Check often:It’s like hitting a flea market when it first opens or digging through “the cart” at Goodwill that holds the contents that were just priced and haven’t hit the sales floor, yet.  You have to catch the best things right when they’re posted, because they

**Warning** This post is ALL OVER THE PLACE, so just go with it.  Man, I am still recovering from Blissdom!  That trip was awesome, but it really kicked my butt.  I’ve been struggling to get back into my routine and this is not a good week to struggle.  The Old Lucketts Store is having their famous Ground Hogs Day sale this coming weekend and I need to have several pieces in the wings to fill the holes left by furniture that (hopefully) sells.  My Union Jack Dresser was going to be the centerpiece of our space for the sale, but it sold already!  I’m really glad about it, but now I am scrambling.  I let my husband know that trips around the area to pick up Craigs List furniture is going to be a part of this week.  This evening I spotted a Tweet mentioning how cute I looked on a