A sweet little artisian shop in St. Petersburg, Fl

While driving through an island off St. Petersburg, Fl  I came upon this really cool shop.  
It is in a row of houses and businesses facing the Tampa Bay and I found myslef screeching on the brakes to check it out.

As I first walked in the picket fence there were all sorts of hand made and artisan wares.  When you first climb the porch stairs there is a wicker sofa with bright pink cushions and colorful afgans and  your greeted with a tail wagging from Jenny, the owners newly rescued dog and what a friendly sweetie she is.

There were 5 rooms  decked out with all sorts of colorful items for sale and the walls are all painted in bright bold colors that catch your eyes with each turn.

 The entire downstairs of this home is used for the shop and the proprietor lives upstairs.  How nice this must be to dress each day and walk downstairs to your work.

From what I understand all the art comes from local people that live in the area.

As I said the shop faces the Tampa Bay and this is the scene from the front door. 

If your thinking of coming down to St. Pete to get away from  winters cold and snow, you must check out this really nice shop.  There is something for everyone.

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While those in the North freeze. . .

 

Great White Heron overlooking the Tampa Bay

A visit to my favorite Pier had me thinking of all who live up North and how cold it must be.

"Stay warm everyone" 

I'll be sharing this post with

Alphabet Thursday 

Yard Sale Goodies and Surprise, surprise, T came to visit....

My favorite day of the week is Saturday when I head on out for my tour of the neighborhoods looking for a tasty garage sale.  This past weekend there were many and I found some really cute things.   First off is this 'Tea Pot"... there are no markings on the underside but it's so sweet. $1.00

 It may not be an expensive piece but this oval serving dish marked Ironstone from England really caught my eye.  $1.50 was a good price don't ya think?

 Then I found a plastic shoe box filled with threads and sewing supplies, marked .50 cents.  

Who could pass this up?

Then once I got home I took a better look and found a covered tin full of assorted buttons inside along with so many different sewing items.  Thread, well if you sew you know each spool is around $1.99 each.

Love it!

Today I had a wonderful surprise.  

My Son Tom who is in the USCG and living up in Juneau made a quick trip to visit me.  It's been quite long time since seeing him as his job keeps him on the road for weeks at a time and he and his family live in Alaska.

But this week he told me before heading to Nome he had to make a side trip to Longbeach to teach a maritime safety class.  The surprise, he called me and asked me 'where I was'?  "Home", I said then the told me to come down... as he sprinted up the stairs.  

He will only be here for two days but made a side trip (4 thousand miles) to me in Clearwater while on his way from Juneau to Nome.. out of the way indeed!

l

Letting go of our kids is so hard and getting them home once in a while is even harder but when we do it's a dream come true.

To all of you parents with kids still at home, cherish the time because it go's so fast then poof,  one day they may make a career of the military and move 4 thousand miles away. 

(I'm so proud of him)

Along with his military career Tom is a budding photographer and I will be taking him out early tomorrow morning, before the sun comes up to a pier, near my house, to get the sunrise shots over  Tampa Bay and to capture a few photos of the Manatee that come out early to feed.  

You can see Toms photo blog Here

I'll be sure to post a few of his photos once I get them uploaded.  

A good day indeed! 

 (((hugs)))

 I'm sharing this happy post with

Adorned from Above Wednesday 

Wow Us Wednesday 

Share Your Cup Thursday 

Treasure Hunt Thursday 

Thrifty Things Friday 

We Do Weekends 

Saturday Night Special 

Sunny Simple Sunday 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday 

Looking back to how I made my kitchen lap top desk.

I've been looking at my kitchen desk this past week and wondering if I could do it again.  My daughter has a space in her kitchen (sorry I don't have a photo of that space) but she asked if I could make something like it.  Somewhere she could put a pantry with a brew station on the right side.

 As you can see this was an odd space and I thought about it for several months before one day going to my Ob/Gyn.  There it was!  I was laying on the table and my feet were in the, well you know the place, and I asked if I could have my bag to get my camera.  The looks on the Doc and her assistant were a bit puzzled until I told the story!  "Look at that desk, it's perfect"... they laughed!

 First I needed to make a pattern and used a roll of xmas paper then laid it on the wood and cut it out.

 Knowing the space was tight I thought to prime and paint the wood before putting the puzzle together.

 I used wall screws and L brackets to attach it to the wall and it's strong enough to stand on.

 Once the desk was all put together I put on a fresh coat of paint and it go's so well in my kitchen and now I have the perfect spot for my lap top and also a space to put my hand bag and a few cook books.
Just before putting the desk together I had a new floor laid and it all came together perfectly.
I remember the Mr. asking if he could use my desk... 

 "Sorry, this is my desk"!

 I know I must have broken "The cardinal rule of carpentry" but I did not have the energy to take away the wall paper on the back wall and simply painted over it with white.  Who will know except me.  Well, now you do!

I still need to get a proper chair.  The space is small and I just have not found one yet.  I know I can build but a chair is not something I've ever tried.  There is one out there, I'll find it!

 I will be going to my daughters soon and will get a photo of her space and let you know how it all works out.  As I said before, she has an odd space that could use a good strong cabinet.  I'll get a photo or two of how we do it.
As for my Doctor, I did take a photo for her to see the finished product and her smile was priceless. 

((hugs)) 

I'm linking this post to

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday  
Show Off Your Stuff 
Be Inspired 
Overflowing With Creativity 
We Did It Wednesday 
Power of Paint Party 
Wow Us Wednesday 
Create and Share 
Share Your Cup 
Talkin About Thursday 

I've entered a contest with the best Stars of Blogland. You can go into this link below and vote for me if you would like... (please, please)!!  Just scroll down to the thumbnails and look for entry #253, that's me.
Click on my photo of the "Laptop Desk" and you voted!
"Thanks in advance"  

"Creating With The Stars" 

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