Elizabeth Holcombe ~whimsies and words~

Did I Tell You I Was A Girl Scout?

Happy Monday, My Friends!~~~

Well, did I tell you I was a Girl Scout? It's true. I was a Brownie in 1969, and in 1970 I was old enough to become a Girl Scout. I stayed in Scouting for five more years until I began High School. I was a Brownie, a Girl Scout, and a Cadet Girl Scout. And I have the badges to prove it~~~

Here is my uniform from Girl Scouts. As you can see the stars denote each year I was in scouting. The wings are my "fly up" wings from Brownies to Girl Scouts.

I had a knife just like the one here, but I lost it. However, at the Arlington Flea Market on Saturday, Hubby found this knife for me!
I remember which each patch I earned was for and they are in order from top from left to right: Health Aid, Camper, Dancer, Collector, Sculptor, Sewing, Water Fun, Toymaker, Cooking, Painter. Trefoil, Boating, Good Grooming, Birdwatcher, Seamstress, Traveler, Textile Craft, Geology, and...

...Journalist, Stamp Collector, First Aid, Astronomy, Weather, Writer.

Here is a picture of me in my Cadet uniform with my troop standing on the steps of the Juliette Low home in Savannah, GA in 1974.

Look to the far right, by the railing. I am the blonde girl second down from the top! I really hated wearing this uniform dress. My favorite part of scouting was the camping where I could indulge in my Tomboy self my chopping wood, whittling, and wearing jeans!~~~Have a wonderful week!~~~XXOO, Beth

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July, my friends!!!!~~~Hubby and I designed and made this silly Uncle Sam years ago. We brought him out for Independence Day! And he has a friend too!~~~

This is his sailor pal! Note the bell bottoms on the sailor!~~~I hope you have a fabulous Fourth!~~~XXOO, Beth

Happy Christmas in July!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

It is hot outside, but I have warm and frosty thoughts of Christmas in my studio!

Never one to shy away from going a little (OK, a lot!) over-the-top with my creations, I have dug deep into my stash of vintage glass beads and ornaments and made this~~~

This kitschy elf and deer corsage wall hanging is now available in my etsy shop. I am making Christmas creations and listing them in my shop periodically this month to celebrate Christmas in July!~~~XXOO, Beth

Yard Sale Saturday~~Furniture on the Cheap!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

This past Saturday was a bonanza for me! There were several yard sales next to my neighborhood. I found lots of fun misc crafty stuff, enough to fill the trunk of my VW Beetle!

But what Hubby had to load into the back seat of the VW Beetle were the real buys of the day~~

This fabulous pink vanity mirror now resides in our dining room!

The mirror weighs a ton, but clever Hubby made a strong hanger and hung this wonderful piece for me! I am going to use some of my vintage floral prints around the mirror but I want to think on that for a while. I thought you might like to see what $7 bought at a neighborhood yard sale!

And, we got this~~~

This stunning yellow wicker-over-wood cabinet is the perfect piece I needed in my studio to replace a rather utilitarian piece. It fits perfectly and was in perfect condition! And it cost me a mere $5.00!

 

This wonderful cabinet stores misc. office and craft supplies. I haven't stored anything in the two drawers yet, but I will!~~~I hope you all had a successful yard sale weekend too!~~~XXOO, Beth

A FUN and Easy Towel Rack Tutorial On Vintage Indie

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Vintage Indie has posted another of my wacky, whimsical "Dime Store Chic" projects! So easy and FUN!

If you want to make a towel rack like this one, head on over to Vintage Indie for my how-to!~~~XXOO, Beth

Cherry Chompin'!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I was out there in blogland a few days ago, and Angry Chicken Amy bought the cutest cheery pitter I have ever seen! I needed a cherry pitter and was delighted to have found one. The stores have lots of fresh cherries!

I spent about a half hour this morning with my Cherry Chomper pitting a whole lot of cherries~~~

It's the happiest little chomper after chomping so many cherries!

I made this with the chomped cherries~~~

Two cherry cobblers. One for us and one for my neighbor for her birthday.~~~I got my cherry chomper from Amazon.com. Maybe you need to chomp some cherries too!~~~XXOO, Beth

New on Etsy~~Sparkle and Sweet!

Happy Monday, My Friends!~~~

Been industrious in the studio, and thought I'd give you a peek into what I just added into my etsy shop!

Patriotic sparkle with vintage ornaments, tinsel, and aluminum light reflectors!

Sweet as sugar! A purse with candy, cupcakes, and other treats AND a fun ribbon rosette corsage!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of blogland today and have a wonderful week!~~~XXOO, Beth

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, My Friends!~~~

This is me and my Dad on my third birthday. As you can see I got my first "I-pod" (the 1963 model) from my Dad.~~~Dad is an architect, a father of three, and one of the most intelligent and driven people I have ever known. He is 74 now and still practicing architecture on a computer these days instead of a drawing board. He taught me how to read maps (which is a very important skill as I am a human GPS now) and how to accept nothing short of the best of myself. Happy Father's Day, Dad, and to all of you who celebrate the very special people who we call father.~~~XXOO, Beth

A Little Health Update

Happy Friday, My Friends!~~~

Back in April I posted A Wake Up Call about a health fright I had. Basically I had asthma but I also had high blood pressure and 25 more pounds on my body than I needed. I am not stupid and I listened to my doctors. During the past 2-1/2 months I have changed my lifestyle drastically. I am not on a diet. I have changed my lifestyle.

BEFORE my health fright, I thought nothing of eating Chinese food (sodium central!) and fast food over 7 times a week. No salads or anything remotely healthy, I dug into fried fish, fried chicken, and fries! I also sucked down M and M's by the handful. Generally I didn't think about what I shoved into my mouth. I also didn't think about my health as I didn't little to no physical activity. I weigh 160 pounds on my 5' 5" small-boned frame.

NOW I eat all sorts of vegetables, baked or grilled fish, substitute fresh herbs and pepper for salt,  whole grains, and limit my sugar intake to "healthy" sugar like fruit, dark chocolate. I enjoy my food and I keep a food journal. I love my Nintendo Wii Fit, I signed up for Fitlinxx at the local gym which means I do strength training 2-3 times a week (including pilates and yoga). I do 30-45 minutes of aerobic (walking) exercise every day. The results?

I am thrilled to report I have lowered my blood pressure to normal levels (117/77), I am off blood pressure medication, AND I have lost 20 pounds and knocked 2 inches off my waist!The asthma is not an issue either. I also had a cardiac stress test with excellent results. Do you all really want to know all of this? I know some of you do, as you wanted me to keep you posted. Thank you so much for your good vibrations as I feel it helped me embrace my new healthy lifestyle. I still have 5 pounds to loose and one more inch to drop from my waist. I feel great. And thank you for being there. NOw I need a new photo for my blog ;)~~~XXOO, Beth

My Not-So-New Obsession

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Lately I have been adding to my stash of vintage plastic birthday candle holders. I love crafting with these little "flowers". They are so colorful (like candy) and so fun to work with. Here is a look at my stash:

Here is the sweet jar I store these goodies in~~~

I was so lucky to find this jar at a yard sale a few months ago for only $5. I am using these candle holders and releasing them from their jar! Here is my latest creation~~~

OK, perhaps, I'm a little bit nutty for these silly bits of plastic, but what a way to go!~~~XXOO, Beth