Spring Cleaning With Meaning!

Many of my blog friends love animals as much as I do.  Seriously love. My house would be an empty shell without the love and affection I have been blessed with.  My pets are as much a part of my family as my child and my husband!
Shelters all over the world are at full capacity.  There are ways to help if, like me, you simply cannot take in another pet.
Spring is around the corner and with it, the opportunity to clear out the clutter that may have accumulated in the past year.  Shelters are in dire need of many of the items that may be headed for the trash heap.

 FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP A SHELTER PET:

IF YOU HAVE 1 MINUTE – Share at least one post of a pet in need of help.


IF YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES – Open your linen closet and remove the sheets,  towels, placemats you


 no longer use. Throw them into a bag and leave them by your front door to drop off at the shelter the


next time you go out. Get in the habit of stacking newspapers in the trunk of your car.  If you find 


yourself near a shelter, merely drop them off!  Thrift stores are the perfect place to find the gift of towels


 and blankets for our furry friends!

IF YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES – Create a flier to post in local pet shops listing all free/low-cost spay 


and neuter programs in your area. Create posters to remind people to spay and neuter their pets and to


Adopt, Not Shop!



IF YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE DAY – Visit your local shelter and ask how you can help. Inquire about


 their volunteer program and meet some of the staff. Then, get to work!

IF YOU HAVE THE GIFT OF TIME THAT KEEPS ON GIVING – Volunteer regularly at your local


 shelter. Run donation drives in your area. Volunteer to transport


 cats and dogs to their new homes (transport is always needed!) 

Who's saving whom?

Other Items Shelters Need:

1. 
   

   Food and Treats

   • Every creature needs to eat. Dog food and cat food in bags or cans are usually welcome donations to animal shelters. Dog treats, catnip and cat treats are also thoughtful items that help give the animals a little extra boost between bowls.

   Household Goods

   • Animals get dirty and shelters need daily cleaning. Old towels, rags, brooms, mops, cleaning soaps, buckets, disinfectants and natural cleaners are always appreciated. Sponges and scrub brushes are also needed, as well as newspapers and trash bags.

   Toys

   • A pet that is played with is a happy pet. Balls, chew toys, Frisbees, squeaky toys, pull ropes and stuffed animals ensure that shelter residents get some healthy play breaks during long days inside a crate or cage. Toys can help young animals through painful teething and they provide exercise the young and old.

   Gear

   • Few animals arrive at a shelter with a collar and leash. Many shelters provide these items to adoptive parents. Collars, harnesses and leashes are in constant demand. Bedding and blankets also make the animals' temporary home a cozier place to live.

   Litter Boxes and Litter

   • Shelters run through cat litter quickly. Bags are always welcome.

   Flea and Tick Treatment

   • Animals often arrive infested with fleas and ticks. Medication is needed to keep a shelter from crawling with bugs.
     
     
     

     

     
     

Contact your local shelter to see what they may need.  Click on this link to Petfinders

to find a shelter near you!

Many shelters take "Memorial Donations" in honor of a beloved pet who has passed on. It is a meaningful way to remember your friend while helping others!

If you simply cannot help rescue this little guy, you can make his life in the shelter more bearable!

Beautiful Dreamer came to Pet Savers on February 24, 2012. His owner is 7 months pregnant and could no longer care for him. Unfortunately, we’re not even sure if this sweet, precious angel will survive, but we are doing everything we can to give him a chance. Beautiful Dreamer is currently at our vet in critical condition. What they’ve determined so far, is that he has a prostate infection, is severely emaciated, heavily matted, and literally on death’s door. He’s on IV fluids and being monitored around the clock, thanks to a caring vet tech who is taking him home at night.

Beautiful Dreamer is only a year and half old… but looks so much older! We see cases like him on occasion, but typically they are found as strays or come in from kill-shelters. This sweet baby came from a home!!

We, at Pet Savers, want to give this baby a fighting chance and request your assistance with his vet bills. While we don’t know the extent of his vet bills at this point, we do know that it will not be cheap. We’re starting his Chipin at $800, which will help us continue his care. 

Beautiful Dreamer - one and half year old Shih Tzu/Japanese Chin mix... on death's door! Donate now: http://pippy.chipin.com/beautiful-dreamer

I normally do not ask for this type of help but I saw this little man and my heart wedged in my throat.  It doesn't hurt to ask!  One dollar at a time adds up!

xoxo

Andie

Melt With You

via

"How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said."
~Victor Hugo

Too Much?

  No husband should have to come home to a boring asphalt driveway after patrolling the city for 12 hours!  Wouldn't you agree?  There are just enough Persian rugs to cover the entire thing!

Just kidding!  We were finally able to move these from the garage.  It is difficult to tell, but the smallest of these is ten feet long!  They are so very heavy! 

I wish I could have taken a photo of my neighbor's face!  You know they are always curious as to what the heck I am up to! She drove by twice and pretended not to look when I looked up and waved!  Tee hee!

The rugs were all rolled up and stacked in the first bay of the garage.  I was going to take them directly into the house but decided, at the last minute, to bring them into the driveway and let them air out.  I'm glad I did because a little mouse had carried eight tons of birdseed into the largest carpet!  No damage, just birdseed husks. Phew!

We grew more excited with each carpet we unrolled.  It has been ages since I bought them on ebay and I had forgotten what they looked like!  Romantic arabesques, clouds and medallions cover each one.  The colors range from deep reds and turquoise, to muted greys and creams. To think, that from a humble sheep, vegetable dyes and the hands of an artisan in a far off country, 50 or more years ago, these rugs were born!

We carefully measured each carpet and I wrote the dimensions on back. Then we rolled them back up and brought them in to be vaccuumed.  

Gracie helped me measure the rooms in the house, now it's time to place them!

I bought these on ebay before we even moved into our new home.  There is  a rug for each room and they all fit perfectly!  How's that for fate?  Now we get to move all of the furniture out of each room and place each rug! 

It's my fault.  When we moved in I was so excited to get the furniture into each room that I never even thought about the rugs.  So they sat...and sat.  Then I became involved with the gardens and the details that make a house a home.  I knew the rugs were going to be a huge undertaking (Get it?  Undertaking?)

Just to give you an idea, this rug is over 14 feet long. It was the heaviest of the group!  Two days later and I am, once again, walking upright!
The rugs are stacked in our breakfast area, where six kitties and a certain puggle sit strategically, like fuzzy little chess pieces!
 Six stray cats on ten Persian rugs...

I finally feel like things are coming together.  This was the bottleneck, so to speak.

Have you had any recent turning points?

Mystery

I found this piece on my local Craigslist last night.  I thought I would create a ciel de lit, or bed canopy, for the guest room.  At a mere $50 it was a steal! Please pardon the photos.  They are from Craigslist.  I will take more tomorrow but I am so excited about this piece!

I am trying to discover its origins but I am at a loss.  

The bonnet, which is quite large,  measures approximately four feet wide, two and a half feet deep and one and one half feet tall. It is made with dovetailed joints.  The box is complete, it is enclosed all the way around.  Perhaps it was part of a cabinet or a bookshelf? Part of an entryway?  It looks like something from an old library.  Maybe the Masons or Oddfellows?

Here's the best part; The medallion is inscribed with the words Amore ed Arte, which translates to Love and Art.

I am just so curious! Where did you come from?

Have you ever seen anything like this?

More Craigslist Treasures

I am a firm believer that one can never have too many armoires, especially if they cost under $200! Sorry for the blurry image.  It is the Craigslist photograph.

I don't think I will paint this one but you never know!

Three foot tall, brass lanterns for...$15!  I will remove the lacquer and age the metal with apple cider vinegar.  These will be hung either over the island in the kitchen or from the 18 foot ceiling in the family room.

Similar lantern from Brooke Giannetti's blog, Velvet and Linen.

Antique French cane chairs for $50 each!  The cane is still intact!  These are currently flanking Narnia.

Love this!  I saved the Craigslist photo to show you how large it is compared to the gentleman holding it! It will go in the foyer or the family room.

Original Craigslist photo of a matching pair of Italianate column side tables.  I removed the tops and will be painting them in Annie Sloan Old White with Dark Wax.  I have a pair of iron urns to place atop each pedestal.

Restoration Hardware Architectural Side Table, retails for $1095.  I bought my pair for $100!

Pair of urns for pedestal tables. Purchased on ebay.

Original Craigslist photo of armoire, almost eight feet high, from the Chicago Hilton.  It was very heavy...very, very heavy!  It is over 8 feet tall!  I will tell you the story of how the delivery person started it on fire...but you will have to wait! This piece was $100!

You will be seeing more of these items as I paint, hang, arrange fuss over them!

Stay tuned!

Ornaments By Pink

I had to share this with my blog friends.

Photo of my angel, Shenanigan, on the left.  Spun cotton ornament, created by Maryann, of ornamentsbypink, on etsy.  Mary also has a blog, Ornaments by Pink.

Shenanigan will be living in Gracie's French Manor Dollhouse.

When the package arrived, I panicked and shoved the box into a cabinet. 

 I know how talented Maryann is and I knew her ornament of Shenanigan would be realistic and beautiful...that it would bring the memories flooding in.

Three days later I gathered the courage to allow Gracie to open it. She is far braver than I.  I burst into tears at the sight of it and I cried uncontrollably for fifteen minutes!  It was her! Maryann sent me a photo before she mailed the package and she kindly fluffed Shenanigan up a bit at my request,  (after this photo was taken).  It bears such a strong resemblance to my Shenanigan.

I cannot begin to explain the tremendous peace I feel when I look at it.  It takes the sting away, to a degree. A coil in my heart that was so tightly wound seems to have sprung, releasing some of the pain and grief.

I am busy gathering photos of Frannie to send Maryann's way. My heart is still so heavy with missing her.

 Maryann truly is a magician. There is more to her art than mere cotton, I tell you.  Her work has a soul.

Thank you, Maryann.  I don't think you will ever know just how much this means to me!

xo

Andie

The Empty Cage

If you will permit me, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the kindness and patience you have shown in the last year.  After the losses of our two unborn children, the passing of a very dear friend and the unexpected deaths of two of my beloved cats I was lost in grief.  I admit it. I was like a ghost in my own life.
I know that many, many people are suffering beyond anything I will ever know.  It feels so very selfish to grieve my own losses.
I could count my blessings into infinity and am sometimes overwhelmed by the gifts the Lord has given me .  From being a frightened orphaned child to now having the constant love of a family, I wouldn't trade my circumstances for the world!  From my experience I have learned to hold on to love with both hands...and I do!  As a child I dreamed of this life, something that seemed so unattainable;  Love.  Family.  Home.
Nonetheless, with great joy comes great sorrow.  There is no way around it.
So it is with these thoughts that I come to you.  The friends with whom I share a common bond.  Love of home.  The joy of creating peace and comfort and beauty to be shared with those you love. Is there no greater  medicine?
I look forward to sharing my passion with you. I choose to step away from my grief, to cling to the blessings that made the grief worthwhile. No longer imprisoned by my grief and sadness,
 At first, I tentatively test the cage door...I discover it has been open all along.  I fling the doors wide open and allow the light to come streaming in...

Aviary found on Craigsist for a song!  (See what I did there?)

It is old but I cannot discern as to whether or not it is an antique. It stands 5' 4" tall! 

It will most likely be painted.  Dove grey, perhaps?

Inspiration: Aviary at Waddesdon Manor, England. It is in the Palladian style, as is the Craigslist aviary.

                                        Close up of the Aviary at Waddesdon Manor.






xoxo
Andie

To Narnia

“all worlds draw to an end and that noble death is a treasure which no one is too poor to buy.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Goodbye, Dearest Frannie.  I'll see you in Narnia, my beautiful, brave girl.  I shall miss you every second of every day until then. I will recognize you by your kind heart. My Bravest. My hero.

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.

A recent belief in some English-speaking countries holds that it is unlucky to leave Christmas decorations hanging after Twelfth Night, a belief originally attached to the festival of Candlemas which celebrates the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (2 February).

From Wikipedia:

In colonial America, a Christmas wreath was always left up on the front door of each home, and when taken down at the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, any edible portions would be consumed with the other foods of the feast. The same held true in the 19th-20th centuries with fruits adorning Christmas trees. Fresh fruits were hard to come by, and were therefore considered fine and proper gifts and decorations for the tree, wreaths, and home. Again, the tree would be taken down on Twelfth Night, and such fruits, along with nuts and other local produce used, would then be consumed.

Let the Feast of Fools begin!

A celebration marked by much license and buffoonery, which in many parts of Europe, and particularly in France, during the later middle ages took place every year on or about the feast of the Circumcision (1 Jan.). It was known by many names — festum fatuorum, festum stultorum, festum hypodiaconorum, to notice only some Latin variants — and it is difficult, if not quite impossible, to distinguish it from certain other similar celebrations, such, for example, as the Feast of Asses, and theFeast of the Boy Bishop.

Daybedlam

Once again I am calling on the Bloggers on High for advice, lest I lose my little mind!

 Another local Craigslist find.  $160!  It needes to be reupholstered, however.  That's where you come in! The photo is from Craigslist. The sofa is currently in my driveway.  I am hoping the fresh, cool air will remove the smell of Fabreeze!

 It doesn't actually need to be reupholstered.  The fabric is lovely and of high quality but I prefer something different.  I'm sure you understand! The cushions are down filled and the piece is very clean.  I would like to have it reglued just in case. Furthermore, it is actually a sofa, not a daybed...but I couldn't come up with any decent sofa puns.

The craziness began when I researched upholstery options for daybeds...

This is similar in shape to mine...too light colored for everyday use...

Too yellow...but I adore the chandelier!  The woman had one just like it for sale!

Love this color!  Mohair maybe?

I think I will paint the frame similar to this...

Too...something

Same here...

Oooh!  Toile!

Maybe a nice Bosporus toile that hides stains?  With a grey-green finish on the wood?

This finish would be perfect!  I think?

This is going in Gracie's playroom, where we also keep a television set.  Here are some other items in the room to help you help me!

Not a very good photo of the handpainted woodland chest.  This is the Craigslist photo.  I just realized I don't have any photos of the playroom...probably because it is so cluttered!

Don't let the photo fool you, this armoire is gigantic!

French puppet theater...

Dollhouse...last year's present from Santa!  Craigslist find for $100!  See the details here!

There you have it! 

Can you help?