Antique Store Bargain Project.

Hope you are enjoying the first few "official" days of summer.  We have been having lots of rain, resulting in LOTS of mowing!  Our granddaughters are playing T-ball and baseball for the past several weeks, so we've been spending two evenings and Saturday morning each week at games.  It's fun to watch them play, but it does take lots of time, too, so I haven't been doing much rug hooking lately.  I've drawn another design to hook and plan to transfer it to backing tonight, so hopefully, soon I will have a progress picture to post.

I enjoy searching local antique shops for bargains to "update," and the above lamps are one of those recent projects.  I found them for $1.00 each in a little shop that I love in Kickapoo, IL.   My wool room looks a little more "cottage" than the rest of my home, so I decided to paint these lamps white and use them there next to a daybed which I had previously painted white.  The daybed turned out great, so I was hopeful that the lamps would, too.

The lamps are completed and are now being used in the wool room.  The white shades were under $10 each at a local home improvement store, so for $22.00, I have two "new" lamps.  One day when I get my wool room clutter under control, I will take a picture of the daybed to show you how it looks together with the lamps.

Have a great rest of the week!

Linda

Progress Picture on the Cat Rug

Even though I had decided to not finish the cat rug,  I keep going back and forth about whether or not to just go ahead and complete it.  Has anyone else had this experience?  A very hectic year and frustration at not feeling happy with the rug have zapped all enthusiasm that I had at the beginning.  I think the worst part was just not having time to really work on it, and then feeling as if I had hurried all the decisions about colors, background, border, etc.  Anyway, I may finish it sooner or later...

My husband had emergency eye surgery in November to repair a detached retina and has had two other eye surgeries since then.  A couple of other health issues have also taken attention away from rug hooking.  The flu season this past winter was especially tough for our entire family, as well.  Everything was so hectic, that I really dropped out of my bi-weekly rug hooking group, which had suffered dwindling numbers anyway.  I miss it, though and wish the group could grow.  I think what I really need is a few days at a camp (rug hooking of course!)  I'm feeling a bit out of the loop...what a horrible pun :0)

Reading about your rugs and hook-ins and camps has kept me plugging along, so thank you very much!  Here are a few pictures from this spring:

This is a VERY vocal frog (we think a gray tree frog) that we caught resting on our fence.  Our backyard pond hosts quite a few visitors each year.

Our "Beauty of Moscow" lilac was especially beautiful this spring!  The scent is wonderful, too.

As you can see, Jess took a particular liking to a hound on Animal Planet's airing of the Westminster Dog Show.  She loves to watch television and gets a little over enthusiastic when any kind of animal (even cartoon animals) appear on the screen.  You can see evidence of her nose prints and saliva all along the lower part of the television!  That hound must have been hot in Jess' opinion.

Jess is doing well.  She really is a lovable pup, and gives "kisses" upon request.  My husband is a little bummed...she doesn't like hot weather and is a less than enthusiastic walking partner for him.  When he gets the leash out, she hides under the bed!  She does love investigating our large shady yard, however.

Talk to you again soon.  Have a great week!