Be Inspired #187

Happy May Day Everyone,
and Welcome to Be Inspired!!

Well, it's shaping up to be one of "those" weeks. I'd been waiting for the community garage sale in our neighborhood and area because there will be a lot of people out. I have tons of "stuff"... some vintage, some furniture, household items, lot's of decor items, general garage/moving sale fare, and I thought it was always scheduled for Mother's Day Weekend. I'd participated before, and it was on Mother's Day Weekend. But no...surprise! We saw signs out for THIS weekend. I've had to hustle with finding help, and getting things priced. you know...it goes on and on. I'm exhausted and I haven't even had the sale yet! So I only had a chance to grab three features, sorry it's a little condensed this week. Take a look at three great links last week.

You'll want to see  all the layers of this Gold Glam Table
from the Girl with the Midas Touch!

Karen at Redoux Interiors

Love this Blinged Out Bike Wheel

from Betsy at My Salvaged Treasures

and Terry at Forever Decorating created this amazing

French China Hutch.

It was made for her room!

thanks so much gals for sharing the goods!

and I just have to share this hilarious pic my daughter sent me from Pinterest.

Yep, says it all!

If you're interested in hitting the sales in our area, check out Craigslist for the garage sales in Springfield, Missouri this Friday. Ravenwood South...I'll be there! Sorry I won't be able to get back with you individually by email. I was totally taken by surprise on this.

Party Guidelines

Please have an individual link back to Common Ground within your post. I'd love to feature you. This is just part of the Party Etiquette.

Please remember to turn off word verification. I've tried leaving comments that didn't go through. I'm sure others have tried also.

Please no direct links to Etsy or Advertising.

Link up to three of your current posts.

Take a minute to visit a few of the other links.

Please be a follower of Common Ground.

Thank you to all of you who come over each week to link up to the party.   You are a never ending source of inspiration to me and others, so just know how much I appreciate each one of you!

Thanks for joining in on the fun!

have a great weekend,

xoxo,

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Today's Sponsor

French Bleu Vintage

Vintage Bird Prints in a Spring Cupboard

I have several sets of vintage Bird Prints, but I love that there are four in this set, and they have plain, chippy black frames which make them perfect for a grouping in any room. I wanted to use them in my kitchen cupboard, but they didn't photograph well, so I temporarily hung them from the metal inserts on the front.

I hate to say it, but my "Holiday Cupboard" that I had downstairs at the other house had to be sold. It was part of a lot of my chippy whites that I knew I just wouldn't have room for in our next home. Surprisingly, this cupboard that I had been using in my studio at the other house (now in the kitchen sitting area) has stepped up to the plate to do double duty as an Ironstone and Transferware Cupboard and becoming a "seasonal" spot for display.

I wanted some Springtime goodies to be displayed, so they are joining some of the Ironstone pieces, an old box with seed print graphics, bird nests, and my bovine beauties.

My two Staffordshire cow figurines and a figural jam pot lovely.

I permanently have stolen, stole, confiscated  borrowed these English crocks from my hubby, for this cupboard. I think he knows they are in there...hmmmm...he may come hunting for them later.

Lamby milkglass butter dish.

You can see that the bird prints are pretty well hidden in here, I may try to find a way to give them a little more height. And I have some vintage wallpaper that I'm itching to cover the backs of the cabinet in. soon I hope...

So this is the best of both worlds; a combined "Holiday Cupboard" AND a Transferware/Ironstone Cupboard. You know the old Certs Mints commercial... "two, two, two cupboards in one!"

I know...I'm crazy...

If you haven't been by The Marketplace lately 

then just CLICK HERE for some shopping fun.

joining in on these parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Swing into Spring at DIY By Design

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

The Scoop at Stone Gable

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Knick of Time Tuesday

Coastal Charm

xoxo,

Today's Sponsor

20 North Ora

The Marketplace: Etsy and Boutique Showcase

Hi Everyone and
 Welcome to The Marketplace
If you have an Etsy or Online Boutique, Shop, or other selling site,
then you've come to the right place!
Or maybe you just like to shop...EVEN BETTER!
I'm thrilled to have you come join in!
I just have a few "housekeeping" things I need to mention:

As many of you know my hubby and I have been packing and renovating our home for sale. Weekends are long and late, and because of this, I need till 11:00 AM "ish" Central time on Monday to prepare for this linky party post. I hope this won't mess up your schedule too much, just look for me a little later in the morning.

And also, there are some of you linking up each week that have great merchandise or furniture, you're just not offering any way for us to purchase it. You need to have a price and a link that gives shoppers a way to buy, not just look and wish they could purchase. I'll be deleting links that don't do this. OK, so glad you're here and be sure and check The Guidelines below if you're not sure about requirements.

Just want to share a few great items from last week:

Vintage Farmhouse Kitchen Scales

Forgotten Plum

Vintage French Country Quilt

Western Reserve

Cotton Ridge Vintage

Fresh Eggs Sign

NanNasThings

Vintage Plaid Lunch Bucket

Kathy Creative Home

Nature Collage Wood Box-OOAK

and today's Sponsor is Debbie from

Ribbonwood Cottage

Party Guidelines

This is a linky party that is for items that are FOR SALE only. You don't have to have a blog to link up. If you have a blog post about your items that's great too, but they need to be available to purchase. Please try to link to the individual item that you are selling if possible. Please be a follower of Common Ground and if you have a blog it would be so nice for you to grab the image below to share somewhere on your blog. (not mandatory). Remember the link is up all week, so please stop back by to check out new items being listed. Thanks so much for sharing all your great items with us!

If you missed last week's link up,

CLICK HERE

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Mystery Solved...

There are times when you can look back and see where one small act changed the course of your life. What seems a random choice at the time, turns out to be one of those life altering occurrences. I'm sure we've all had them, but it's up to us, the individual, if we see them as coincidence, totally random, fate, luck, destiny, or maybe it was God moving us in a direction we wouldn't have otherwise traveled.

I'm going to tell you about one of mine...

It was after Christmas about nine years ago that I was cleaning off the downstairs mantel, putting away all the Christmas decor. I totally stripped down the large rustic wood beam that has always been a challenge to decorate properly. I tried several things but nothing seemed "right". I had a picture in my head about some sort of wooden box that would look good up there. I tried a few things we had, and nothing worked; too big, too small, wrong shape...nothing worked. The weekend came and I was on a mission to find "The Box". The "picture" I had was of a smallish box with a keyhole...I would know it when I saw it.

Real long story shorter...my hubbs and I decided to scope out all the antique malls and fleas in the area,. We'd have a fun weekend out and about, but in my heart it was the quest for this special box. So on Sunday afternoon, we happened into an antique mall that we hadn't been to before. Hey, my husband knew the owner from growing up with him and we chatted and reminisced before we checked out the booth spaces. Time got away from us and it was almost closing time when I spotted this worn out and used hard wooden box. Hallelujah, I knew right away that it was THE box I'd been looking for.

The markings on the top were worn out and barely discernible, the finish was rough and flaking, but it was the right size and had the keyhole. I brought it home, ran downstairs to the mantel, placed it in the center and said a "thank you, Jesus" prayer. It worked.

Fast forward, we started several antique mall spaces there, and never looked back. That was the beginning of our business. I'd been buying and selling antiques my whole life, but never had a shop or space. So the search for a small wooden box was the motivation to move us forward for a really wonderful time in our life. The antique malls, flea markets, and small shops eventually led me to this blog, and so here I am having gotten to know you all. And this has been one of the most rewarding times of my life.

Are you still interested in the "mystery"?

Well, we never could figure out what the box had been originally made for. We knew the inner lining and workings were gone. It also had "Switzerland" stamped on the bottom. We now have it setting on the arched opening from the kitchen as a kitty deterrent. Of course the first thing the girls wanted to do was hop back and forth from the sink to the loveseat below the opening. ah no... not happening.

Last Monday night we were watching one of our fave TV shows "The Blacklist", when lo and behold, there was an almost replica of our little wooden box. It was a music box that had been given to Lizzie by her father many years ago. If you don't watch the show, you're missing out. This is one of the best on television right now, so go catch up, it's a totally fascinating story line.

These are some photos from Google when I did a search.

I found examples of many different styles and sizes, each with a somewhat different design or crest on the top. I could barely make out the design on top of ours, which after searching, turned out to be a horn and probably a violin with other musical items. I never would have thought that it was a music box.

So, we finally have the answer to our little mystery after all these years;

A little worn out music box that has changed our lives...

joining in with these parties:

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Knick of Time Tuesday

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Be Inspired #186

Hi Everyone, Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Weekend! Ours was warm and sunny, perfect day for enjoying family and friends. There were so many great Easter and Spring posts last week, full of color and inspiration. These are just a few highlights...

I've never met a lamby face that I haven't fallen in love with.
How can you resist? See all the wonderful images and this Lamb Pastel 
from Violet Skiles at Create Beauty.

Trois Petites Filles has been this week's obsession.
If you haven't yet, you'll want to see Victoria's French Bed
and how she created this ethereal look.

I did a double take to make sure I was actually seeing
Hydrangea Bunnies, from Mary at Home is Where the Boat Is

Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane has created a fun and fresh

space with her Spring on the Front Porch.

Look at these wonderful colors of Easter Eye Candy.

Teacups from Sherry at The Charm of Home

Take a "Peep" at the Easter Carrot Cake

from Catherine at Living the Gourmet

A big THANK YOU to those of you

 who took the time to join in for the Celebration last week!

and...

If you missed any posts last week,

just click on the thumbnail pics at the top of the post.

Party Guidelines

Please have an individual link back to Common Ground within your post. I'd love to feature you. This is just part of the Party Etiquette.

Please remember to turn off word verification. I've tried leaving comments that didn't go through. I'm sure others have tried also.

Please no direct links to Etsy or Advertising.

Link up to three of your current posts.

Take a minute to visit a few of the other links.

Please be a follower of Common Ground.

Thank you to all of you who come over each week to link up to the party.   You are a never ending source of inspiration to me and others, so just know how much I appreciate each one of you!

thanks so much for joining in

and making this party so much fun,

now, on with the party!

xoxo,

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Today's Sponsor

Bel Monili