Weekend Whimsy

I'm not the only one that has lost whimsy...so has Walmart. I'm not a Walmart fan. I have to be desperate to enter...but I gave myself a $10 budget for some weekend whimsy and decided to go there to buy pony beads (to make the really cool bowl below) and crochet thread to make doilies for this table runner. I want to make the table runner for my dining room. I'm envisioning mason jars of varying sizes with flowers and candles in the center.  (BTW, what would you use for flowers?  Silk? Dried? Other ideas?)

What I found out is that Walmart no longer sells crafty stuff except for cake decorating and scrapbooking supplies.  Don't get me wrong...I think those are wonderful crafts...but not on my whimsy list.

So, I took my $10 and went to an antique mall. I had the best time! (Way, way more fun than Walmart.) I found so many treasures...to start with, 2 absolutely gorgeous doilies for my runner. It amazes me the work and the detail it took to make these. I'm sure the sweet ladies that made these decades ago would cringe if they knew their handiwork now sells for about $2 a piece. I also found a teapot for $8. (If you are counting, yes, I did go over my budget...but if you know me well, you shouldn't be surprised!) I'm going to do something very secret with the teapot...but I'll post a pic in a few months. The teapot was the perfect size and shape for my project. It has this really ugly rub-on decal of a rooster on it...and the seller put on the tag that it was hand-painted. (I'm still laughing.) It doesn't matter though, because the ugly rooster will be covered up.

Some finds that I didn't buy, but are on my whimsy wish list:

• 6 little spice jars shaped like tiny old glass milk bottles for $8.
• Several wicker rockers...in price range from $40 to $240.
• A mason jar turned into a soap dispenser for $12.95.
• A very cool (smallish) pie safe that would fit perfectly in my bathroom for towels and such...for about $150.  (It seems like a lot...but it was awesome...I wonder if they do layaway?)

I also found this absolutely beautiful pink Mikasa teapot tucked away in a corner booth on a corner shelf. It didn't have a price tag on it. But my whimsdom (my new word for whimsy wisdom) told me that if you have to ask, you can't afford it. So, I didn't ask. The teapot haunted me all day yesterday with its loveliness, so I googled it and found it.

I get that it may not be your style...but I love it...it has Maureen-whimsy written allover it. I found out that I have a lot of whimsdom...because at www.replacements.com it sells for $199.95. So, for the price of the teapot, I could get all of the other treasures on my wish list. 

I'm horrible at bargaining at antique stores...so, if you are any good at it...want to go with me the next Saturday and see what kind of a deal we can get? (I'm not sharing the teapot with you, though, you should just know that upfront.)

Wacky and the Butts

My life isn't totally void of whimsy...there have been some pockets of whimsy (sort of like pockets full of posies...) 


Last November, my sister, Jackie, took me with her to LA. She went for a conference...I went for FUN! It was my first time in California. We stayed downtown in JW Marriott at LA Live...it is right next to the Nokia Theater and there was always something outrageous going on. The good news is Jackie is my partner in (whimsy)crime. She gets me...she gets my need for whimsy...and she is always willing to go along with it, even if others give us strange looks and shake their head in disbelief as they walk away.   (Don't judge those people...you will also be shaking your head in disbelief by the time you finish reading this.)  

Wacky and me

I think to really excel at whimsy, you need someone like my sister.  Each of us has some whimsy on our own (her daughters call her Wacky, if that tells you anything) but together, we have whimsy synergy. For example, I don't think either one of us would have done a photo like this alone...but together...let's just say we had to fight each other for the pink hair. (I let her have the Elton John glasses.)

That trip had many whimsical moments. But the one I want focus on is our study in butts. It all started with an event at her conference.  This guy stood right in front of me most of the evening, and well, all I could see was his backside. I became quite fascinated with his navy blue-trimmed pockets, and as you can see, I had to have a picture to commemorate the night. And that was the humble beginnings of our LA butts pictorial. You have no idea how hard it is to get these shots without being caught. Hence the need for a partner in (whimsy)crime...imagine if someone saw me (by myself) taking pictures of behinds! If we had to pick a favorite butt...I think it would be this guy's. I know he looks like a sad, homeless guy...but really...he was just a guy that couldn't keep his pants up...need I say more?

So, if you are going to join me in my quest for whimsy...you have to start out by finding yourself a Wacky. (You can't have mine, sorry!)  And one more thing, if you see my sister, don't tell her I put her picture in my blog...she hates when I post pictures of her.