It's My Blog's B-Day! A Thank You

The True Distressed Donna

On April 3, 2012, I started my blog with small dreams and even smaller hopes of anyone but family and friends reading it.
Read first blog here.

Through the year spent in Blogland, I have learned several valuable lessons:

!. People are genuinely nice.  There is always someone out there to help you if you have a problem - blog, paint, life, furniture, craft supply overload, anything! 

2.  People are hilariously funny.  There is always someone out there to laugh at your weak jokes and puns and provide you with chances to laugh with them.

3.  People are  tremendously faithful.  There is always someone out there to share their family, their beliefs, and their junk with you. And they come back every week.  Without being asked.

4.  People are surprisingly creative.  There is always someone out there to show you how to make something from absolutely nothing.  Then turn around and make something else from it.

Frozen Charlottes - A Passion

5.  People are authentically good writers.  There is always someone out there with things to say, and they do it with style and verve. They never take words for granted.  Words are gifts.

 6.  People are readily willing to share their opinions.  There is always someone out there with strong feelings be it something of international concern or whether to use homemade or store-bought chalk paint. 

A true Rust Goddess must have daily doses of RUST!

7.  People are really diverse.  There is always someone out there with a background so different from yours, it is amazing what you have in common.  Usually painted furniture or rust or craft supplies.

8.  People are totally committed in keeping this a community.  There is always someone out there who makes sure everyone who wishes, can and will be included.  Even someone who might need to be committed.

Turquoise - my favorite color

I have so enjoyed my year of living in Blogland.  At first I had decided to live here for one year and then leave.  I now find it is impossible to leave this community. 

 It has become a haven.

I love to read vintage  postcards

Chucks catches me talking about women I admire or a new family pet or a death or a wonderful new way to corral craft supplies, and he asked, "Are these people real or on the computer?"

Oh, yes, they are real. 

 Unless you are a blogger, you would not understand.  

We are sisters, mothers, daughters to each other.

For my blog b-day I decided to give myself a new header - you know, like those big girls have.  I guess I am committed to this blogging thing.

 I chose five photos that represent me.  Took the trip to Pic Monkey and created a collage.  Then softened it so readers could see my title and description.  I am still playing with it so don't be surprised to see something different.


There are too many people to thank for helping me and for supporting me.  I would be afraid of leaving someone important out.

If you go back to my first few blogs, you will not see any comments because I mistakenly thought I should erase the comments to make the blog load faster.  BUT I have to mention Nancy - otherwise known as The Headmistress.  She was my very first reader and commenter.  Nancy has been with me the whole journey.  See her blog.

Okay, to sum up.  You will not be getting rid of me.  I will still take awful photographs to share with you.  I will still battle Horror Monster, my craft stash.  I will still thrift- and junk-shop 'til I drop.  I will still paint and distress furniture and anything else that gets in the way.  I will still collect anything and everything that is rusty and crusty with age.  Because that is who I am.  And you, my friends, accepted me.

Thank you.

See y'all!









  .

Tiny Treasures

Since I was busy last week with cleaning out the yard and Horror Monster, my craft stash, it left little time for large-scale thrifting.  

Also, my budget has gone w-a-a-a-y beyond its limit for March. 

 I am glad April has now arrived.

I bought tiny treasures on a tiny budget.

This small brown floral Pyrex souffle' dish caught my eye hidden in a huge box of baskets.

An old wooden document frame, an ice cream scoop, and eight of those papier mache' gold floral coasters (made in Italy) were purchased.

I love aluminum kitchenware and though I am sorting through my collection for items to sell, I could not pass up these measuring spoons.

A tin bucket holds fake dirt and fake stone crop.  Chucks did wonder why I would buy fake stone crop when we have a yard full of the living kind.

I told him it seemed as if everyone in Blogland had one so I got a super cheap one.

I could not believe the original price on this was $20 !!!  Come by my house and I will give you live ones.  

I might even pay you to take some!

I know I have this basket style in every size imaginable.  I use them during the Fall to hold  gourds, but I still bought another one!

Mainly to hold the dozens of items inside.

See the hint.  Look at the cards.

What neat little card holders!

How many did I buy?


Who knows - they said fill the basket so I did.

I bought some molding a week ago to make some of these and planned to saw them this weekend.

Well, this takes care of that to do list!

At a previous thrift shop I had found this bag of blocks to use as card holders, but they have to be cleaned of sticky stuff.  I will use them for some other project.

More Bingo cards.

Even I think I have enough of these now!







Don't be disappointed.  I know several of you shop vicariously through my posts and love to see the big haul.  Do not fret, my lovelies, my niece Leia and I have planned a Low Country Crawl for her birthday next week.  

And when we fill a truck, we fill a truck!

See y'all1











  .