Stuck On A Lamp Post

Need a little help here at the Casita de Trash, y'all. Before you say it or think it...I know...I need a whole lotta help!I recently purchased this mercury glass lamp from Fran and Liz and I am at a loss on what size shade I need. I tried googling for info, but after all the gobbledygook talk, I still didn't have a clue. (Sadly, running around clueless could be my theme song!) Measure this, subtract that, add in this...c'mon...I'm not building a rocket to the moon here....I just need the correct size for corn's sake! It measures a whopping 24" tall (not counting a harp which is another topic of discussion) and is 15" across at the widest spot. I know I want a drum shade and I'm waffling on color/pattern, but that's not my conundrum. (Get it...drum shade...conundrum? Ba-dum-dump tish!)

My dilemma is how the heck do you determine what size of a shade to get...short of carrying the darn thing around with me from store to store and trying shades on her like so many hats?

I'm a simple person who needs a simple answer.

SQUIRREL ALERT!!!

This simple person has another simple question she'd like your input on. With the holidays fast approaching (can you believe it?), time is thin for me...which is the only thing thin about me! (Again...don't tell me...I know!) I'm curious as to which y'all prefer when you leave a comment. Would you rather I send you an e-mail response or leave a comment on your blog? I know many of you do both, but unfortunately I can't. Not saying my time is more important than yours...no way. Simply put...I'm older, slower and did I mention much slower! Be honest...if you prefer both...say so. I really do want to make sure you know how much I appreciate each and every comment left here!

Now...back to me!

If any of you have an easy solution, I would love to hear it and I would love to hear your takes on to harp or not to harp. Not that I'm saying y'all are harpies...au contraire mes amies!

In the meantime while y'all are thinking on it, I'll be sitting here in the dark awaiting your answers, so please...HURRY!

(Wo)Man VS Machine

~I've been on a calendar, but never on time~Marilyn Monroe

Ah Marilyn, you're singing my song...never, ever on time am I...or in tune. I had planned on joining Margo and Debra for their linky parties Friday, but couldn't find my way out of the mountain of Kleenex I've been living under. I apologize ladies and I promise to be front and center next week!

I had this great post all worked out too! I was going to use "The Time Machine" (which just happens to be one of my favorite books/movies) and tie Vintage Inspiration Friday to Industrial Chic. Clever, huh? You'd think so, but sadly time and a cold were my own worst enemies!

This drafting table isn't my enemy though. In fact, it's my new BFF! It's got rivets, style, a patinaed bronze frame with just a touch of rust...everything I love in a friend including a place for me to rest my weary bones.

This is as far as I got on my project and believe me...there is still plenty going on inside this noodle o'mine for the final look.

Scoot over Cat Daddy...this man-basket is my new love. (Somebody get me a St. Bernard and a Manhattan with a twist!) Tall, chunky, handy as heck...everything I love in a man AND I only have to tell it once what I want it to do starting with just stand there and look pretty!

No, this isn't a kick stand in case you were wondering or even training wheels! The stool is actually attached to the desk and swings down into place. How handy dandy is that? I'm telling y'all...back in the day, they thought of everything!

Sadly, I'll only get to live with these two for a few months, then they will be heading to the Greatest Show On Dirt to make someone else happy.

Time to punch the ol' time clock and wrap this up. I just want to remind everyone one last time about Margo's party. This is the first (but hopefully not the last) link party she has held and from what I've seen...it's been a great success!

One final tidbit before I clock out. I just heard from a reliable source that the mask has been pulled off the Lone Stranger! Oh My!

Purring Like A Cat With Kittens!

Just a little something to hold you until I get my linky post ready for tonight!The Big Cat's Pride..... and Joey!

Be back later.

When Life Gives You Lemons...Make A Hot Toddy!

I am not a happy camper. Tuesday is Jenn's birthday and we were going to celebrate as a family today, but guess who had to go and get sick? You got it! That means until the temperature returns to normal...

NO THIS.....

OR THIS!!!!! RAZZLE FRAZZLE!!!

Ahh-Ahh-Choo!

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bifocaled

Debra's added a twist to her VIF with a Porch Party this week. Since my home away from home is Winnie & Tulula's and my window could be perceived as my front porch, I thought I would share what I'm brewing up for Halloween!See Debra...it even has steps going up into it! That constitutes a porch...right? There are two windows at the shoppe and this is the small one. I prefer working in the smaller of the two because...well...just because! Maybe since my own home is so tiny, I work better in encapsulated spaces...or maybe it's because I am the queen of "I think I can squeeze one more thing in"!

I've told y'all how much I love the movie Practical Magic, so it seemed natural to go with that as my inspiration. Not that I could ever do anything like the sets of that movie....consider mine a poor gal's rendition!

I'd really love to see all this stuff practically and magically disappear! That's the only drawback to a window...folks worry about messing up the display. Please...feel free to destroy it. I relish it being destroyed...for a price!

Are y'all digging the bookshelf as much as I do? I didn't know it at the time I bought it, but it's actually a signed and dated collector's piece called "Barbaric Bar and Beastly Bookshelf". It was designed and made by sculptor Jim Rumph back in the early '70s to be used as a display for perfume bottles. He made it specifically for department stores. My California readers may be familiar with his work as that is where his studio was located. I have to be honest with y'all. If it doesn't sell...it won't break my heart. I love it that much!

The chippy, black pedestal is another cool piece I found at the Red Shed. (Wait until you see the magic Grace has dreamed up for Halloween now on display at their store!) When I saw it, I knew it would be a perfect prop for Halloween. Got a little secret I'll share with y'all right now if you promise not to kiss and tell...IT'S STYROFOAM! Is that not a hoot? I can lift it over my head with one finger! Hercules ain't got nothin' over me!

Do y'all ever shop this way? See something and think...hmmm...I need to get that and stick it back for something special? My problem is remembering where I stuck it in time to actually use it when I need it!

I decided Sweetie Pie needed a little R&R...she was getting a little pruney from so much time in that tub! I used a dress form Cat Daddy had bought a couple of months ago and made her a skirt from pattern paper...while I was sitting in the window.

"That's right folks...step right up...come on, come all! Watch the strange, little, chubby lady make a little prestidigitation right before your very eyes. Don't point and laugh children...it's impolite!"

Squirrel Alert!

If any of you REAL photographers can help an old gal out and tell me how to take photos through a window...I sure would be obliged! In the meantime, you have my permission to either:

A. Go blind trying to figure out what the heck I'm showing!

OR

B. Skip these photos all together!

Your call...just don't say you weren't warned!

While we're on the subject of photos...is anyone else having problems getting Blogger to cooperate when uploading photos? It's driving me batty...get it...batty!

You can't tell it from my sorry photo skills, but this is a Fab U Lous witch's hat that Jenn made. She used vintage feathers, jewelry, a buckle, faded and dried roses, an owl AND the kitchen sink to create it. (I'm just kidding about the sink, but it truly is loaded down!) Believe me...it would make the Aunts proud to be sporting one like it while jumping off a rooftop!

These bubbly, globe lamps from the '60s are the greatest thing since cornbread! I have used them for so many holidays...I've lost count. They've held snow, trees, shells, sand, and now crows! There is a tiny light in the top and if something shiny (and we all love shiny) is placed inside...Sparkle-A-Plenty with a capital S happens! There are only three words to describe 'em...Fun...Fun...Fun!

The last crumby/crumbly photo is of a lamp shade I bought from Liz and Fran a year ago. It's fringed out the wazoo and tattered like nobody's business. If it doesn't scream decayed elegance...I don't know what would! F&L always come up with the coolest things and it's best to buy it from them quickly!

Keep in mind this is only the second layering. I still have to go back to W&T and apply the final layer. Window dressing is kinda like putting makeup on a face as old as mine. You gotta keep piling it on...hoping and praying you'll stop traffic for the right reasons!

I'll call this a wrap before y'all start thinking you're seeing things! I hope you've enjoyed a little ghoul's night out with me and thanks Debra for being such a great hostess!

Pumpkin Cheesecake!

Q: How do you fix a broken jack-o-lantern?

A: Use a pumpkin patch!

Ba dum dump...ching!!!

Q: Where does a trashette sit?

A: Anywhere she wants to!

My prettiest melon head sitting...where else...on a gigantic, orange melon!

(Photo taken at Dallas Arboretum courtesy of The Amazon)

Postcards From The Ledge

While trying to decide what to do as a post for Debra's Vintage Friday Inspiration, it hit me what gets my motor running...Y'ALL! So many of my "real" friends don't understand why I blog. To say they don't get it is an understatement! They wonder how I can relate to cyber-friends...'cause after all...to their way of thinking...y'all exist only on a screen.

How do I explain to them that so many of y'all share a cup of coffee with me each morning or stay up late with me at night?

You're risk takers, stepping out of the boat and following your hearts which in turn, inspires me to move out of my comfort zone and try new things.

(All photos are from SweetT's blog party.)

How do I make them understand how clever, smart, talented and wonderful y'all are...tell me that? How about how y'all have stood by me through thick and thin...or listened to me ramble on and on about nothing...or put up with my Squirrel moments? How you inspire me with your creativity, make me laugh with your silliness and challenge me to reach for the stars. Tell me...how do I explain to them the prayers, laughter and tears we've shared?

Have I actually met some of you...proving you do exist and not just in my imagination? A big ol' yeah buddy would be my answer. Will I get to meet every last one of you...if I'm blessed...YES...but if not...you still hold a special place in my heart! You've reached out to this chubby, Texas lady and given me the gift of your friendship expecting nothing in return but a visit from me in my gimmee tee and sweats.

Through y'all I get to experience life in a whole new dimension...see things I will never get to see...visit places I can only dream of...taste exotic foods...and be young again.

Your words and photos inspire me to reach for the unreachable. Your art inspires me to look at the possibilities surrounding me. Your hearts inspire me to love unashamedly and to look for the beauty that lies beneath. Simply put...by each of you being special and unique, I become special and unique in your presence.

To be inspiring, one has to look for inspiration. I need look no further than my monitor and I can soar!

SQUIRREL ALERT!!!

A huge, big, special Happy Birthday to my Crazy Cajun who I cannot spend enough time with! Jodie is the perfect example of what can happen when the dream meets the reality. She is the epitome of everything I want to be when I grow up! How on earth would I have ever been so fortunate to have her as a "real" friend without blogging first? Thank you Blogspot!

I LOVE YOU BABY GIRL! BONNE FETE...LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!!!