Love What You Love Without Apology.

Today I finished " The Year of Pleasures" by Elizabeth Berg. I found this book at The Trading Post and loved every minute I spent reading it. The story follows a woman who , after her husband's death, packs up her car and drives until she finds a little town that she likes. After moving there she deals with the loss of her husband, reunites old friendships, creates new ones and follows her dreams. 

The book was adorable but, my favorite parts were the descriptions of the store she opened up called "What a Woman Wants." Just thinking about a place that sells fancy soaps, aprons, has a create-your-own-perfume bar, a wine and dessert bar, and a recipe book for women to add or copy recipes from makes me smile. Above this store in the novel there was a rent your own escape apartment for women's get away weekends with a bear claw tub, a stocked cupboard of hair products and candles: My dream store.

This Sunday my Mother and I stopped at A-Z Antiques in Hemlock, searching for items that would make up for my lack of yard sailing this summer. I found this cute little trinket shaped like a dryer; when you open it you find a little ceramic shirt. I fell in love with it, have no idea why, and had to buy it. I don't keep little useless items like this typically but, like I said, I love it. 

At this antique store we also picked up a bag of fabric and were looking at buttons. The owner asked if I was a seamstress and to my delight gave me a shopping bag and told me to take whatever I wanted from these drawers stocked with sewing heaven! I sat right on the floor and discovered old thread, binding fabric, buttons, and tons of lace ribbon! I was clearly in my glory and It made my entire day.

The clouds the last two days have been so perfect. They honestly look like clouds from an old oil painting. I have spent at least an hour staring at them and had to take a picture. It has been raining on and off but we've needed the temperature change. We were really slow at work today so I managed to finish my book and this sign I made for my graduation party. Its going to go by my senior pictures and it turned out better than I had hoped. 

I still have not decided if I'm going to leave it in this wooden whatcha-ma-call-it or sew it onto a bigger piece of fabric. I hope people at the party like it as much as I do. I also started reading "The Message", a translation of the bible into Contemporary English. Its easy to understand and makes me feel good to read. I hope everyone is staying cool and still crafting. More soon!