Sunday, June 30, 2013

Bloglovin' and Supplies



Once again I am home out of the heat.
I have roped my hubby into figuring out this bloglovin' thing and google +
So now you can follow me thru both.
Nothing like the last minute to jump on board.

Well now that we got that taken care of on to more supplies being let go.
My sizzix machine and all 16 cartridges
You can find out all the details on my ETSY page.

some cute grungy flags I made a bit ago.
great for your americana crafts

and a vintage cigar shadow box

Hope all these things find a new home soon.

Back to packing boxes and putting things away.  We have no plans of leaving our home today.
My son is cooling off with bath time fun.  And I think that will lead to a long nap since he awoke at 6 am
This heatwave needs to lift soon.  But I am getting a heck of a lot done not being able to go outside. :)
VINTAGEMARKETPLACE.ETSY.COM

Saturday, June 29, 2013

An Afternoon in Paris...



Well an afternoon at the Paris Hotel.
Today was history in the making.
I got an email this week from my dear friend Rhonda over at A Little Bit French, saying she might be coming to town.
I was so excited.  We have been friends for 4 years via blogging and emails, text and mail.
It is just so special to meet someone you have connected with for so long in person.
She asked me to meet for lunch at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Hotel here in Vegas.
It is such a wonderful place, I was totally on board.
Luckily my hubby was home and I got to go all by myself to enjoy and afternoon of girl time.
We talked for hours and it was like we had known each other for a lifetime.
Two Illinois girls meeting up in Paris via Vegas...Only in blogland.

So many laughs and sincere talking.
I can't wait to do it again sometime.
It was the perfect way to spend a super hot afternoon in Vegas.

Thank you Rhonda for such a great time and a great lunch.

But back to real life and fiddling around with taking pictures and listing more at
Vintage Marketplace
So much coming still stay tuned.  If you see items you would like to reserve just let me know.
It is just to warm to get out and it is so nice and cool inside the house.  Dark and full of pumpkin spice candles burning.  It maybe 118* outside but it is frosty and winter like inside my home.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

He Did It!!!



This morning was a morning like any other.
We got up had breakfast and watered the plants.

I went over to our chalkboard and wrote down the plans of the day ( I always love a good to do list)
and my son walks over to me and asks me to write spiderman.

He begins to tell me how to spell it.  My son is high functioning Aspergers and has been reading since the early age of 3 in the last year he would just spell things that he knew.  Like he could tell you his name and then spell it out for you in case you didn't understand him, it is a hard name to say when you have verbal issues.
But he would never write.  He would just make crazy circles as his letters.  No matter what we tried he would just do circles.  Last week I stumbled upon a leap frog learning tool that was called Mr. Pencil.  It allows your child to use the ipad as a notebook and the pencil learning tool to help make writing correct and fun.  He loved it.  I would find him in the mornings curled up with the ipad and mr. pencil as quiet as could be.




So anyway back to this morning.  After I wrote spiderman, he took the chalk and just did it himself right underneath mine.  I thought okay here come the circles and he wrote an S, my heart about stopped,  then he kept going...losing a little grasp at the end but it was a tiny piece of chalk he was trying to hold, so I give him props.
This day was a huge milestone in his autism functioning.  The key is to find what they are interested in and make it worth learning.  Make it fun and interesting to hold their attention.  And nothing but happy praise when accomplishment is made.  My child thrives off happy clapping and smiles. As I am sure any child would. 
He keeps me on my toes everyday with what he will click with and do next.  This day is one I will never forget.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Stripped Down







Just being SILLY
Us in our jammies, no makeup, no hair did ;)

He always acts to a camera and loves taking pics of himself.
A silly summer evening,  remembering to just be ourselves, enjoying life as it naturally is.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Working


Working on putting the studio space back together.
It is a task when all you want is a simple space and things that have meaning.

Slowly but surely it will come together.

Still listing everyday on ETSY. Thanks so much for the girls shopping this week.  You are so helping us out by making space and helping me let go.


and as the evenings wind down I pull out my afghan and crochet away.  I have 8 more skeins to go and it will be finished.  I  have a goal of a skein a night for the next 8 nights.  It helps when tv is on that I like, but now that it is summer I just can't find anything to keep me occupied as I crochet.
Might have to get out the old Gilmore Girls dvds and start the series from the beginning.
I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I finish it up.


Thinking of making my second pot of espresso coffee for the day ;)
Maybe it will help me work faster in the studio.

All Items pictured can be found at Vintage Marketplace

Monday, June 24, 2013

Transformation

Our lives are going through a big turn around.
Our eyes are opened and what matters in life has changed.

It was a big wake up call that hit my brain when I finally decided to let out what I had been holding in for a year.  The discovery of my sons disability took a year to process and it was like as soon as I told and shouted it out my eyes opened to what I had been doing for a year, a year of shopping in ridiculously high end shops, a year of hiding my feelings, a year of not dealing with what I was so mad about.  Well enough is was enough.  I spent my weekend returning handbags, shoes, jewelry and so much more.  I am ready to deal now with what we face in life.

Yesterday was spent tearing down my studio.  Boxing all my things away and cataloging them for sale.  I welcomed my husband back into my studio and we will now share the space as a couple.
Communicate and create together.
Gone is the shabby chic bed, bedding, and displays that were never used.  I was pushing others out and staying in a room filling it with things that didn't matter.

We ripped the old carpet out and took everything out of the room.
We are starting over.  I am loving the distressed floor boards from under the carpet.  We will either paint it or wait a year to put in our own hardwood flooring.

It feels so good to let go.  Let others enjoy the things that didn't bring me joy for long.  It was the "this will make me happy and life feel normal again, right?"  and then it didn't.

As I package and sell things off a sense of great relief comes over me.  I am able to breathe and see clearly again.

A diagnosis of Autism stops a family in their tracks.  I have read so many of your stories and I just shake my head, yes, yep, exactly, that is how I felt.  I wanna shout thru the computer screen "I SO GET IT"   It is hard to deal with and hard on relationships, not only of husbands and wives but the extended family that just doesn't get it, and doesn't want to get it.
My plan is to find a great book on Autism and signing each copy to our relatives to read and then discuss what our life is like on a daily basis.  Unless you have a special needs child, you have no idea what toll it takes on a family. 
I don't want to come off whiny or crying woe is me...I just want to be honest and tell it how it is.  Nothing is more helpful than reaching out and asking a family in this situation if they need an hour off, or to talk.  Talking and taking our minds off our everyday life,  is like rebooting.  I feel so refreshed after just a chat with a friend or family member on a silly topic.

I am enjoying all the links of other blogs that have been sent to me from concerned bloggers.
Keep them  coming, please!


Sunday, June 23, 2013

Here We Go....


 A girl and her wolf....

Slowly but surely I am listing all of my vintage pieces collected over the years.


They will all be found on Etsy and listed with Free Shipping to the USA
if you are outside of the country please contact me and I will be happy to arrange international shipping.

All week long I will try to get at least 3 to 4 new items a day listed.

If you would like to reserve an item please contact me, I am happy to work out any payment plans as needed.

So much more to come, lots of antique bedding, supplies, dolls and toys.
I will also have items for local pickup only because of size and weight
Vintage doll carriages
Doll ironing boards in Pink
Chairs
Suitcases
furniture
Just leave a comment or email me directly if interested
mittens.accessories@yahoo.com

Saturday, June 22, 2013

French Blue Antique Duvet Cover



Oh I am so comforted by all the emails and comments left for our family.
Thank you.  You all have a great ear and kind heart.

My internet is back and so am I better than ever.
Turns out when they were here working on our direct tv, the men left our router on the carpet and it burnt out.  Surprisingly it didn't cause a fire.

Thank goodness my hubby knows how to do all this computer stuff, otherwise I would be lost.

Okay okay on to the french blue goodness...


As you know we are facing a long battle of care for my son.  Nothing else matters in life but him and these things I have collected are the first things to go to help with his education and therapist costs.

I have this amazing euro-french duvet cover, all cotton and soft as can be.  It fits a euro size bedding which is just the top of a twin, it lays on top not draping over.  I did put a down alternative size twin duvet in and it scrunched in just fine.
It has gorgeous fabric covered buttons and is made with amazing talent from the early 1930's  when I purchased it was found in France never to have been used.  I did have it on display in my studio but never slept on.

It is perfect condition, no holes, no stains, no imperfections.

It is all COTTON
Washes up so nice and with each wash and dry it gets softer.

Perfect for a day bed in a french blue home

If you are interested it is $80 free shipping to the USA
Just email me at
mittens.accessories@yahoo.com
or leave me a comment.
Paypal accepted


Friday, June 21, 2013

My post on Autism




Just a quick pop in to say a sincere thank you to all those who have contacted us and left comments of hope and encouragement on my last post.
We are so grateful to hear from people in same situations that we are in and I am glad I could reach out and share our story of hope and determination.

I have been without wifi internet for the past 4 days and now we are still without it and I am now  plugged in.  But just for a bit while the fix the issue.

Life has changed so much in just a few short days of my post.  The new school we had such high hopes for left my child neglected and only thru me being a nervous mom and standing like a stalker outside of the school and watched him from the parking lot as they played out on school grounds did I find how they really treat autistic children.  Shocking to see and to leave our trust with people who say they are all for helping and once again it is all about the damn dollar signs.  Again we will start over in a search for help with our boy.  It is costing us an arm and a leg to keep up on registration fees, evaluation visits from doctors and therapists because insurance doesn't want to label autism as a "real" medical issue.  Everything is at cost out of pocket. 
Due to this I am letting all of my vintage pieces and collections go.  I will be cataloging and listing as we get our internet back up and going. 
I can't believe how this disease of Autism is raging and 1 in 50 boys is now determined to be on the spectrum.  And yet the disease is thrown aside by doctors, schools, insurance and our government as non issue in America.  This to me is discrimination.  We know as a society it is taking control of our children yet no help is being offered at a reasonable rate.  Every doctor and therapist we see is CASH ONLY!!!!  What the hell???  People if you are looking for a subject in college to study, get in on the psych, speech and neuro fields,  you will make a fortune and its all cash. URRRRRRGH!
Most starting at $300 an hour for a minimum of 3 hours.  Ya, you do the math.  This is weekly and monthly visits.
Sorry for the rant but I think people need to know what is really going on with the help for our kids.
We aren't all famous moms with endless amounts of cash to help our children.  While I cry for those moms and their stories too, it just isn't feasible for us real world moms to have the same care.
Things need to change!
How bad does it have to get?  Will all the boys soon be born with this disease?  1 in 50 and just 2 years ago it was 1 in 108 then 1 in 88.  It has to stop. 

Monday I hope to start listing my collections here and on etsy.  Thank you for all your support and kind words and I will be emailing personal thank yous as soon as my computers are back up and running.


Monday, June 17, 2013

Our Life Has Changed


The Day Our Lives Changed

 A few years ago my father in law passed away willing his beloved worn car to my hubby.
At the time it was a great second car to have in case of emergencies.  My hubby rides his motorcycle more often than using that second car.  I, for years have leased a car for safety and convenience. Having  our son I wanted to keep a car that had free maintenance.   Just as a quip one day I said lets get rid of the lease and just drive the second car and see how much money we can save.
At the time my hubby thought it was in too poor of condition to take that offer seriously.
As two years have gone by and the lease is coming up on my car I again said, "okay, we have fixed up the second car now lets challenge ourselves to see if we can make it work as our main car"
It is paid off, insurance is close to nothing figuring out our numbers we would save over 10,000 dollars a year by not leasing another car.

Lets do it we said.  Challenge excepted.  We will go less  and do less,  no more driving on a whim to California and vacationing.  It will really save us so much more than the $10,000 we first figured.

As we are taking on this challenge is was a blessing in disguise.  A year ago our lives changed.
Some of you may remember my son being kicked out of preschools and private classes because of not acting like the other children his age. 
We thought he was a high spirited boy who just wasn't ready to sit in a classroom for hours a day.
I continued on with taking him to the library everyday to play and read to him.  He was 3 at the time and his speech kinda disappeared one day.  He began losing words and babbling.  A day at the library would prove to be so much more than reading books.  A kind young mom who was concerned that my son was not yet speaking gave me a number to an organization that would evaluate him and find why his speech was so jumbled.  I was so grateful that a stranger would share this information with me that it put me on cloud 9.  I called immediately and made an appointment.
It would take 6 weeks to get that appointment.  We continued on with our lives and I was making orders for my paper garlands by the dozens.  Using old books, I would buy stacks of books just for my art.  Never paying attention to titles or stories.   A day just like any other, we were out at Home Depot and a lady called me from behind saying, " oh your son is a toe walker"  I never knew that was a thing.  I smiled and said yes, we think he gets it from my hubby, he too walks on his toes til this very day.  Later that evening I was back to making my paper garlands and tearing book pages.  Watching my son play in my studio and I glanced down at a few words on the book pages…it said "DOES HE WALK ON HIS TOES?"  I was intrigued, I thought what is this?  I continued to read…"does he speak in questions" Like if you say,  Do you wanna go to the park does he answer, PARK?  I got very nervous.  I realized the book was Jenny McCarthy's book on Autism.
I continued and before I knew it I had read the full book and my heart was in my stomach…she was describing my SON.  I almost threw up.
I scoured the Internet for information, testing, more questions anything I could find.  The more I uncovered the more answers I got and things my son was doing became so clear.
That appointment for his speech couldn't come fast enough.  Time moved so slow for those weeks leading up to the testing.  We headed out for a summer snack within those weeks and my son had to be rushed to the ER with hives and lips swelling.  Never before had anything like this happened.  What was it that had caused an allergic reaction?   Finally the day came for the testing, and we were CHANGED forever.  My beautiful dear boy was labeled AUTISTIC.   It hit me hard.  I became withdrawn,  severe panic attacks set in, for months I was so unsure of life and my surroundings.  It was as if the rug had been pulled from underneath me and everything that once mattered, mattered no more.   I was scared to be alone, I was scared for life.  I was addicted to reading information on Autism and how to change it, how to make it better.
Was there hope?  We immediately changed his diet.  Within 24 hours from a diet change we noticed a huge difference in his tantrums, his stomach size and his clear mind.  My son was placed in an early education program through the public school system and it was HARD… it was hard letting my baby, 3 years old, get on a bus everyday and 6 hours a day he was taken behind doors we were not allowed in or given knowledge of what was going on.
He came home in a daze, tired and cranky.  He was getting worse in tantrums and mood swings.  Just when we thought we had them under control.
The school system assured us this was normal, but necessary to make progress. 

We started letting close friends and family know about our discovery and it was eye opening of what people really think.  Some told us, "oh, we thought you were just bad parents and couldn't control him" some said, "wow we just thought he needed a good spanking" others just denied that autism is real and we were making excuses.  Even our own pediatrician wouldn't address our concerns of our son seeming to be going backwards in life.  That summer he started losing eye contact and was just sad a lot.  Almost like a depression





Through this whole ordeal, I had no idea that my body was not functioning properly.  As Christmas drew closer I became more sick.  The fatigue from dealing with a child having autistic tantrums and not speaking,  was more than I could handle. 
I kept going, putting on a happy, fake face and not letting anyone know what was hurting and the pain I was in.  Over Christmas it was like a miracle happened.  My boy talked, and talked a lot.  It was like a switch had been turned on.  I was crying and thrilled that something was happening. 
Then New Years hit and I ended up in the hospital.  The pain had gotten so severe I couldn't hide it anymore.  Finally a diagnosis of the gallbladder and emergency surgery was scheduled. 

I was terrified, this would be my 3rd surgery in only 4 years time.  My thoughts were with my husband and what would my family become if this was serious.  Falling into the hands of the best surgeon here.  She listened as she held my hand and I cried for my son and his disability and how I couldn't not be here for him.  She assured me all would be okay that she would make sure of it.

The surgery passed, months went by and my son was becoming more and more of a typical little boy.
We still were not set on the school system that he was in.  He started blossoming,  talking and saying things that would shock us.  Memories from years ago were coming out of his mouth.  He would never forget a name, face or directions to a place.  He knew the way to grammy's in California like the back of his hand.  It was frightening how he remembered or would tell us we were going the wrong way.   We then realized he had a gift.  He was in tune with all going on around him but yet still after a day of school unable to tell us what he did all day.  It was as if he was blocking it out.  The school year came to a close and we saw a dramatic difference from when our boy started but he was also now acting like a newborn baby and grunting and fake crying at odd times.  We saw this in the very low functioning children in his classroom and questioned the teachers, principle and therapists.  All of them stating and insisting he is not getting this from the other children.  We desperately wanted to know how he would act in a typical classroom setting.  He played with our friends children and never showed any issues.  He loved to interact and play with children. 
So we sought out schools that would take him and challenge him.  We were all set to go when we were set up.  One small sentence in our child's paperwork from his school said "HARMFUL TO OTHER CHILDREN"  that one sentence stood in our way of getting him into a private school, our dreams were crushed, again. Nothing could be further from the truth...he loved kids and desperately wanted friends.  We just couldn't understand why this was said. 
We thought,  we tried but I guess he is destined to go to summer school with all the children he went to school with all year.  
Until fate stepped in,  finally a doctor who was willing to take on a child with autism and refer us to an advocate and psychologist.  They pulled him immediately from public school and discovered our child is considered HIGH FUNCTIONING with a rare condition of being engaged, eye contact and loves touch, feel and other children to play with.  Craves attention and pretend  play, as if he is on stage the world is his audience.
With their help we have been placed in a school that he will thrive in.  Learn from typical children how to act in a classroom setting.   In just a few weeks he has become so happy and excited to go to school.  Loves his new teacher and best of all we as parents can go in and watch him.  We get to see how he is being treated.  Which makes us feel good and safe.
We are not taking this lying down.  We will fight for our son and others who have been placed under a label.  These kids hold so much potential and for them to be secluded and set aside in life is unacceptable. 
I will continue on this journey the rest of my life, fighting for what is right.  I know how hard it is to find doctors, therapists, and schools that help these kids.  As a mom I want to help others.  I know how this diagnosis can affect you.  It hits hard and it is not easy nor is it cheap.  There is help, trust me.  You just have to fight as hard as you can.  And learn to ask for help.  You will never get through this without help.
My story is long but the challenge is to save money on the non-important things, to give to others who can't afford help and to help pay for our sons treatments and schooling. 
We are cutting back so much,  from my "new hair" which is my natural color to save $1000's of dollars a year in bleach, lol, to learning to cook at home, watching movies we own, and crafting from supplies I already own.  Life is a challenge and we are facing it head on.

I hope my story reaches someone, to know you are not alone and you will get through it. 
I plan on another post to list names and numbers of places that have helped us here in Las Vegas.
For some reason a lot of these places are hidden unless you know the right name to say.
It is like a secret society.  I am sorry but I think that stinks.  There is no reason you should have to claw and tear information out of doctors and schools.  There should be an instant list given to parents for outreach.  I am breaking all the rules and helping others.
I have always been a bit of a rebellious person so it only fits that I continue on.  Don't tell me what I can't do, cause I will show ya what I CAN DO!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Fresh and soooo Soft

It is really hard to capture in a photo our lovely new carpet.  It is darker in person but photographs very light. 
You can't understand the difference unless you walk on it.
This is what I have dreamed of for so long, to step out of bed in the morning and my feet cushion into a cloud of soft cushiony carpet.
It is unreal.

Yesterday was a long day. Not only was it a long day for the men who installed the carpet but for us being locked downstairs for a full day.  It gave us much needed time to do things that would have never been tackled otherwise.
Hubby and I sat for hours sorting paperwork from an old filing cabinet that we had stored away.
It was interesting seeing what we still had from up to 12 years ago.  YIKES...so we made an appointment with a shredder and it all goes bye bye.  Then we made appointments and phone calls for things we have been putting off for ages.  It is all leading to a challenge that I will let you in on next week.

After the work was done the putting back and refreshing of everything started.  We cleaned and cleaned out. Purged and set new rules.  It is time for a more simple way of life and not so much STUFF.
What we have done so far feels great and our house is comfortable and feels like home.

We are not allowed to have Garage Sales here so it would be great to find a charity that is having one to donate our things to.


This new carpet has refreshed us, our home and our lives.  This summer is going to be a great one.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Friday, New Carpet Day


It has been an extremely long week.
I am glad to see it is Friday.
Today my house is torn up.  It feels like we are moving but no, we are just getting new carpet thru half of the house.  We really wanted hardwood to match our downstairs, but with all the cutbacks to companies they discontinued our wood flooring.  I didn't want a patchwork look to the house so we opted to get more carpet.  Our carpet is, nix that, was white.  Ohhh why do new homes go with white carpet in the land of dust and desert.  It was awful to keep fresh.  I will be so happy to see it go after 6 years of steaming and scrubbing and no results.  We are replacing it with a soft, lush, twist carpet.
A nice mulit-color fiber that will disguise the wear and tear better.  But the new rule NO SHOES IN THE HOUSE!!!! 



The bedroom looks so eery and strange.  I am really hoping the new carpet will look great.





These are the befores and tomorrow I will have the afters.
Today the family, cats and all, will be forced to stay downstairs all day while the men work upstairs.

I guess it is a good thing to have it all torn apart.  This way I can refresh and reorganize as it all gets put back.

Now out to get some breakfast before the work crew shows up.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

World of Love


Yesterday was one of the longest days ever.
Waking up at 5:30 am and going at full speed until 11pm.
We started a new preschool, we had dr's appts. errands beyond errands to run.
It was go go go and at dinner time I sat and decided to pick up my hook and yarn.



I worked  on it in between making dinner, tending to the boy and doing laundry.
Every time I would sit this would happen...and then again later.

Seems not only do I love this yarn, so does my fatsy.
I had a blogger ask the other day if it even gets cold enough here to use an afghan...the answer is yes and definitely when the air conditioning stays on freezing :/
I love curling up with a blankie in the evenings to watch tv.  It is the best way to end the day.


Now back to the title of this post.
I have been cleaning out supplies and stumbled upon this little vintage dress.  I instantly put it in the laundry and thought I need to make something with this.
So my hands went to work and laid out some pieces.
Little muslin sacks stamped with birds make the best little pockets, a vintage original photo tacked in place, paper ribbon flower garland and a crown to top it off.  But the best little saying that I have been holding on for years.  I have had this even before I had a child of my own.  "A World of Love Awaits You Here"  so sweet.
I think this is just a wonderful addition to a new nursery. 
It will be in my SHOP tonight. 
What have you been up to?
A lot of you have been saying I got my creativity back.  I say it was my body not excepting caffeine for the longest time that put me in a grand funk.  Now that I can partake in the beverage and chocolate again, I feel a zing for  life and creativity again.  Boy I have missed it.  I am thrilled to have it back.  I did go through the same creative depression when I was pregnant, so I should have linked it together, no caffeine = no creative inspiration.
Somethings are just meant to be together in life.