I said…restraint…lol.

I’ve decided not to sell this tea pot set. There’s no takers and I realize that I actually like it quite a lot myself. I’m going to use it as my summer time in the garden tea set.

It’s so pretty, Lia! I wouldn’t sell it.

I’ll send some pictures of the first round of plants. Notice I say first round…😂

And l i a get a semi-gloss and get the lightest of the gray you can take it down if you need to 25% or something cuz the gloss will help make it shine and reflect light I think it's perfect

I took Beloved to the nursery today…he loves rhodies, so we came home with 2….it gave me a chance to see what was there and then come home and survey my “needs”….

For beloved:

Ooh…Sam!!! That is positively unfair. (Although I have seen rhododendrons in Halifax this size). Sadly the chances of that happening in my garden are just about zip. Is this at your place? That’s a gorgeous wall you have going there. Plants I bought include two begonias, blue, trailing lobelia, pansies, something yellow that I don’t know the name of, and fuchsia. See, I behaved myself. I am thinking of going back and getting one of their blueberry bushes however. Mine are getting old and worn out and the grandkids love blueberries. Berry bushes don’t count, right?

Pics Lia? I love the begonias, almost picked up some today. It’s hard for me to make up my mind on everything there, just so much! The begonias I had last year did really well in that large pot on the porch. Turned into a monster plant!

Lia love the tea pot set. Of course the greens are my favorites. Well, and the blues.

Alice, plants are being acclimated in garage...there will be photos when I start containers. I wintered over a begonia from last year and it's reblooming!

The Flow blue plates and maiolica are from my defunct vintage store. While I miss it, in many ways it's better for me they closed. I think I have finally reached the stage where I don't feel thrilled with acquisition.

To clarify...I enjoy new things...like everyone...but the desire to acquire is greatly reduced. As is true for many of us on here I think...maxed out, and now divesting. Which reminds me, value village is on my to do list.

My renovated church bookstore guy has acquired a Bengal cat...what a stunning piece of fuzz...I haven't told the Mooz...

I feel the same way Lia here with the thrift stores, until I move to a different feel in a different area here, I’ve slowed way down on the desire for more “things”. I stayed fairly busy in the inside in pretty much every space lately and am happy and….yes as you say full lol. Ok begonia blooming! That’s fantastic! A Bengal!!!! I’m quite jealous 💗

That’s not to say another treasure could come along but I do have quite a bit. Especially doing some more vintage fabrics. We got a new ceiling fan in our room, tried to stay true to the age of the home. It’s a bit different than the previous old one, but it works! It moves that canvas tapestry around on the wall so I’m looking at that again in the respect of probably not replacing but adhering to the wall?

A woman down the street from me breeds and shows Bengal cats. She just built an addition to her house that she calls the cattery. 3 rooms, each with cat toys, scratch things, and climbing things. The walls and floors are made with a material that can be hosed down, each has a drain in the floor. The addition also has its own laundry and kitchen. We were invited for a tour last year, as we were walking by. While the space was amazing, I couldn’t breathe by the time we left, my cat allergies are worse than I thought!

Wow… that’s a serious cat house Ladma!. He got this Bengal cat for free and I guess they’re quite valuable. I will definitely take pictures for you all, sometime. It’s a real stunner and seems to be adjusting extremely well and it even sleeps with his old dog. Awww!

This has been a pretty stressful week for me. Hopefully things lighten up next week. A lot of volunteer responsibilities and repetitively dealing with stuff. Including an invasion of mice. Grrr. Did I tell you that I caught a mouse and it chewed its way out of the live trap? By chewing in exactly the right spot to release the catch on the door?

A new ceiling fan sounds like a nice acquisition, Alice….those are the kinds of things I enjoy acquiring now. Upgrades. Or even just getting something that actually works… Ha ha ha. I got around to taking down my winter curtains on the patio door and replacing them with the summer look….this is my substitute for the screen door until the bugs get bad. Maybe I will actually get around to fixing the door this summer.😑 i’ve had this embroidered curtain for a long time that I picked up at value Village (speaking of fabric… I am also a fabric hoarder although I have improved…. ) I wasn’t sure the cat would agree but she seems to be copacetic with it.

The jury is out on whether I’m going to leave it there or not. The covering I had on it needs to be washed and the original IKEA black isn’t at all my thing and it’s also faded.

Both those fabrics gorgeous but doesnt mean you might not want to change out temporarily of course. Too pretty to lose altogether

Hopefully the embroidery will not catch kitty claws…or at least that kitty won’t try to climb up the back of the chair…🤷🏻‍♀️

You can probably tell I never had a kitty🫣🙁

Awww…btydrvn 🥲really depends on the cat. My cat is not a climber. In fact she’s not really much of a jumper either. She’s pretty sedate. As far as the claws getting hooked on the embroidery, this is so tightly woven that it’s not going to be a problem. Very loosely woven blankets can be an issue if they like to make biscuits on them by kneading their paws. I have several blankets that have gotten picked because of that.

I have to admit a lot of the kitties I see on these discussions are pretty chubby…to be climbing on anything🤷🏻‍♀️….but that fabric is very lovely …for …anyone …to sit on…and those curtains!

I do understand as I have always collected beautiful fabrics…many times using them where a simple muslin would be more appropriate…love those antique fabrics from Morocco..Even went there ( Morocco) once …to explore how they were made along with all the other neat stuff I collected there..

Wow, btydrvn, Morocco! How cool! I’ve always wanted to go there.

It is truly amazing on many levels…but…comfort isn’t really one of them🙈…living in most ..even nice ..houses are pretty primitive…none..of the amenities we are so used to …pretty much open air..no comfy mattresses..or even beds..or kitchens…usually…just a little fire on the ground in the courtyard..And forget it if you dont like smushed crowded streets and pickpockets..and of course if you are a woman..almost no one is able to gaze at your face…let alone talk to you😂…

The friends I went with were doing business there so they learned to live within the expectations of the natives…covering their faces in public…and never out in public alone

Very different and exotic, for sure!

Will never forget my stay at the “La Mamounia Hotel”…very famous world-wide….after all the “open air” living I could bear …staying with my friends…the climate allows for the openness but the mattresses in the floor …not so much

But even in the lowest structures had the curved archway openings…just no doors …or floors…usually a big wooden gate entering the property

The natives were pretty enthralled with my friend who was Tall ..slim …and a natural blond

It’s easy to forget that the rest of the world doesn’t live the way we do in the west or in Europe. I’m always astounded when I see photographs of other places in the world that come into my Facebook feed encouraging me to travel. While I would love to I suspect that ship has sailed… Pun intended. How long ago is it that you were in Morocco? My very dear friend who died in October travelled all around the world including to Mongolia. Some of the fabrics I have in my home were gifts from her.

That fancy piece of fabric on the chair however is just a four dollar curtain from value Village. While I hope it doesn’t get wrecked it’s not the end of the world if it does.

Meanwhile this morning was teaching a watercolour class to a very small group in a very small room. It was a bit jammed and I’m hoping nobody had any horrible diseases. since Covid I’ve gotten so paranoid when people even cough…😵‍💫

…and then some more work cleaning up that backyard studio in the afternoon. I’ve got two paintings I am working on and you’ll get to see the results sometime soon plus I’ll be asking for a bit of advice on the framing.

Lia.. I think our choices are always aesthetic…I am drawn to intricacies and detail even when choosing inexpensive fabrics …and have always bought from designer ..bolt-end …resources whenever I could…for my home decor..mostly because the quality and originality in the super high end fabrics never get old to me ….when I went to Morroco🙈(30 years ago)…it was a once in a lifetime opportunity I couldn’t pass up!

I<3<3 that Lia! What would that go for?

Lia, I hear you on the coughing thing! I truly enjoyed not being sick from anything during Covid! But not enough to keep wearing the mask….I had a coughing virus this past winter…the lingering 30 day cold thing….but I do accept that contracting some diseases builds immunity. Beloved has been scheduled for ALL the vaccines with his CLL diagnosis. He hates needles, he is not amused. But compliant.

Where are you teaching watercolor, Lia? Did you say in the community center?

Lia the butterfly art is amazing. That may be one of your best yet 💗

Lia, that is so pretty!♥️

Re Covid, we got all of our shots and never wore masks unless we were ordered to wear them . Like at the airport and on the airplane when we flew to Cancun. A 12 hour day in a mask. Ugh! I had trouble breathing with the mask. So glad that is over. I think being exposed to all these tourists built up our immune.

I hated working in a mask at Lowe’s. We did that for about a year or more and then to be honest when we didn’t have to wear it, gave me an insecure feeling? Up and down ladders and freight stocking shelves and trying to speak to customers. And I have a very small narrow face so I looked like I had duck bills on each side no matter how I tried lol. I do understand the airlines in flight mandatory or not bc such close proximity or anywhere els for that matter. I’m not sure the air in the planes are circulating very well. Mom had contracted legionnaires disease many years ago and has never flown since. She’s not sure how she got it but almost took her life and she will not fly again. Traveled all over the world for many many years for work and pleasure when I was a youngster.

Never wore a mask. In my Corporate role, we researched mask effectiveness for years. We realized they don’t work. Only full mask respirators that are properly fitted to your face and tested have 50/50 protection. We only wore them where required. I still get mad at how medical experts bought into this myth. We were careful where we went and washed our hands frequently especially after being in public. Never got sick since. It’s a real tragedy what we have been through. Especially young people. Lia, I love your art and look forward to each new adventure! You are so creative and bold! Lovely work. Your dedication to your rescue efforts especially with kitties really touches my heart. On the round piece, I wonder if you could paint the edges with glue and roll them in baubles. Sequins, bigger glitter, small pearls kind of treasure chest feeling? Could be very appealing.

Flo, it's good to hear that some used common sense and data..It was known from the beginning that the masks were useless..doctors knew that, but fear made them comply, which is crazy..

A few people are still wearing masks here but not many. I think personally that the hand sanitation thing is key and I keep it in my car and use it religiously. However the room we were in was extremely small and there were 12 people jammed in there. I kept the door and the window open. I will just keep my fingers crossed. it’s just that I have so much booked in the next six weeks including tickets to Cirque du Soleil that my son has purchased!

Thanks for the comments on the paintings… I’m putting way more time into this than I should for the market that I’m selling them in. That’s why these look so good… And so the problem is going to be that I can’t sell them… for what I technically should.

Happy, i’m trying to remember the price but it seems to me the small ones which are about 8 inches across are $45 and the large ones are $65. Which is ridiculous for the time put into these they should easily be over $100 apiece. Oh well… at this point I’m mostly doing it for the enjoyment. I won’t be doing too many at those prices.

A friend of mine is an artist. She went to an art in the park affair for the past couple of years. After last weekend she says no more at that affair. People that attended only wanted to spend $15-25 like on notecards or small prints. Her art in all originals and the small start at $200.00 up.

Gls…venue is everything. …pretty much. Really I should be working on locating some place else to sell my paintings if I’m going to do paintings. I’ve known that for a long time. Right now I’m just kind of playing around but if I go back to getting serious about it, I should look for a different outlet. It’s fine to sell the lanterns and things in a craft shop but it’s not the right place for Art realistically. When I’m doing right now, is kind of walking a line between craft and Art. Interestingly, my dad did the same thing. I think that’s because it’s hard to make any kind of money out of just Art on its own. I’ve mentioned on here before the idea of opening an Etsy shop, but I don’t know if it’s worth it.

The other problem here is that I’m working with acrylics which really are not my medium. However, this may all go someplace… Eventually.