Feline Friday

THIS GIRL! 

Look at the size of those paws!

What did we do without her? :)

Feline Friday: Just Chillin'

How do we chill? Let me count the ways....

Tinsel chillin' on the scratching pads (AKA the "deck")

 

Lily looking pretty zen while chillin' in her Expensive Cat Basket

 Rory chillin' in her Christmas t-shirt

 and in her fancy school dress

I seriously need to take a cue from these girls! I'm the world's worst at just chillin'! 

 

DIY Scarf Holder with Shower Curtain Rings

As we finish up our bedroom decor update, I've also been tackling the closet. I used to just randomly drape my scarves around the shelving. But in re-organizing the closet, I decided that my previous scarf situation just made the space look messy:

 

So I started looking for a scarf organizer. I eventually settled on this one from Target:

But when I loaded up the scarves, I didn't like how they ended up layered over the top of each other. This made the hanger quite a bit thicker than I anticipated it would be, making it take up more space in the small area where I wanted to hang it.

So I turned to Pinterest and found a few ideas for making your own scarf hanger using inexpensive shower curtain rings. On a Goodwill run, I happened to find 2 rolls of brand new rings for just 99 cents each so figured it was at least worth a shot!

 The first option was to just hook the rings on a hanger, filling the hanger full enough so that the rings don't slide around. Well, that didn't work for me as I wanted separate my scarves into two different color families, so there weren't enough scarves on the hanger to prevent sliding.

THIS DROVE ME NUTS WITHIN TWO SECONDS!

Of course, I'm not the only person who couldn't deal with those sliding rings, so some clever DIY people came up with the idea of positioning the rings across the hanger and duct-taping them together. You could make a scarf hanger with as many rings as you want using this method, but I only wanted one row so the scarves would not overlap.

It's easy to make a scarf hanger like this. Just cut a piece of duct tape about four inches long, cut a slit in the center of one end and tear the piece in two. (Duct tape is designed to tear straight -- don't try to cut it as you'll never get it straight!) Wrap these duct tape pieces around the shower rings to attach them to the hanger. Next you'll need to tape the rings to each other. For this step, I cut two slits in the four-inch duct tape strips, then tore the duct tape in three pieces to create slightly narrower strips. Be sure to squeeze the duct tape tightly so that it doesn't pull loose on the ends.

My first scarf hanger turned out pretty well and the scarves hang just the way I want them to, in a single row/layer.

Once I got the hang of wrapping the duct tape and keeping it straight, my second hanger turned out even better.

I hung the scarf hangers in the area of the closet next to my dresses and they don't take up much room at all. It's easy to remove a scarf and put it right back in place when done.

Time will tell, but I think this easy DIY scarf hanger will be a good solution for me! 

jp

Feline Friday: The Nose Knows

 Bailey and I independently and unintentionally captured two very similar NOSE selfies this week. Even for us, it's hard to tell them apart! 

Can you guess which nose belongs to Tinsel and which belongs to Rory?

NOSE SELFIE A:

NOSE SELFIE B:

Scroll down for the answer....

ANSWERS:

Top photo = Tinsel

Bottom photo = Rory

If you guessed correctly, extra treats for you today!

jp

Lost and Found: Pear Dish

 
When I was a child, my parents and I camped at the state fair every year. I remember the first time that I was allowed to explore the fairgrounds on my own with my second cousin. It was a big deal to be able to visit the Midway without my parents in tow! The two of us set out with a few dollars in our pockets to spend on rides and games. If memory serves me, we won a goldfish or two and giant tissue paper flowers that year. But the best game -- or at least the one where we found the most success -- was one in which we tossed coins onto tables of glass dishes, similar to this one. If your coin landed on a dish, it was yours.

On that hot afternoon when the Midway was nearly empty, my cousin and I tossed so many coins that we each filled a brown paper grocery sack to the brim with colorful plates, cups, bowls, and assorted glass dishes. We toted those heavy bags all the way back to the camper without breaking a single dish. Although we were thrilled with our winnings, I remember my mom was not quite as excited! After all, what was she to do with such an odd collection of glassware?

Of all the dishes I won that year, the one I liked the most was a pear-shaped milk glass dish with raised fruit on it. I didn't know to call it milk glass back then. I just loved the shape of the dish and its milky white color. 

 In time, my mom successfully divested herself of all of my fine glassware at garage sales. I  eventually forgot about my dishes, except for the pear dish. So when I found myself sorting through my parents' house preparing for the auction three years ago I kept an eye out for it, hoping Mom had packed it away in a box somewhere. But I never found it and concluded that it must have been sold or broken.

Recently I stopped by our neighborhood Goodwill on the hunt for some milk glass vases. On the top shelf, pushed way to the back, I spotted a small white dish and pulled it down. To my complete surprise, it was my pear dish, looking even more beautiful than ever! On the front of the dish were the embossed fruit images I remembered so clearly.

 

And on the back were textured flowers, a detail I'd forgotten. As soon as I held it in my hand, I knew it was mine.

Of course, this pear dish is probably not MY pear dish...but it MIGHT be. Either way, I was thrilled to find it again as it makes my memory complete.

It turns out that this vintage dish was made by Hazel Atlas, one of my favorite glass manufacturers. Funny that I loved it back in elementary school and still love it today. Milk glass has become one of my favorite kinds of glass.

So even though I paid a few cents to win the pear dish back on the Midway, I was only too happy to pay an additional 99 cents to bring it home once again. This time to keep! :)
jp

Feline Friday: Through the Week with Lily & Tinsel

 Wondering what Lily & Tinsel have been up to this week? Here's a peek!

Tinsel sported a Bath & Body works ribbon. She seems to like wearing ribbons around her neck. Every once in awhile I'll tie one in a bow. She looks especially cute that way.

  

 As usual, the girls kept up with their busy nap schedule. It's only taken 8+ years for them to nap side by side and it still doesn't happen very often! Here they are in the Reverse Croissant position.

 

 An hour later, they rotated. Synchronized Napping!

 

  Lily was intrigued by the liquid supplies for Spouse's new whiskey distilling operation. (The girls in the house do not participate in this!)

 A very short cold snap (below 70 degrees!) meant that the girls spent quite a bit of time swaddled in their blankets. This time, Tinsel was under the blanket and Lily was on top of it. She was actually TOUCHING Tinsel -- but through the fabric! SHOCKING!

 When cleaning out the closet, I found my mom's crocheted afghan which I'd had dry cleaned three years ago and forgotten about. One night this week, Tinsel spent quite a bit of time testing it while on my lap. It still works! :) (The bedroom still looks a mess but we will be finishing it up in the next couple of weeks!)

 Of course, Tinsel spent a little time sitting in a box. Any box is fair game, even a tiny box. :)

And although we never watch sports (other than Indiana Hoosiers basketball), Lily and I watched the Cubs games. Lily watched from the comfort of her furry basket positioned next to me on the couch. Turns out baseball isn't really her thing. But naps? Naps are her thing. :)