Notes from A Cottage Industry

A water dish can be a thing of beauty...

     You know how some people have good china and save it for only very special occasions? I am not one of those people. (Actually I probably need a 12 step tableware program, since I am about 2 dishes and an antique butter knife away from needing an intervention) It's all part of living a beautiful life. So...

Wanna see the pupper's water bowl? (I can't believe I hadn't shared this with you sooner)

What?

You thought it was a compote, or a salad bowl?

Oh. Now that you mention it, I guess it could be. But I was looking for a new water bowl for the boys, and, for the most part, they are just so..small, and when I do find a larger bowl, they are often so Gawd awful unattractive and expensive (Hellooooo, suddenly single budget here, folks) and, well, they never seem to go with my kitchen decor. (and you know that I am all about the details) Then...I stumbled upon this...beauty. Toile, no less. Stunning, and just the right size. (Oh, and I loved the lifted off the floor pedestal effect, too. Those dog dish tableware designers think of everything.)

Where? Of course, TJ Maxx, baby. I got it last summer for only $9.99 and worth. every. penny.

Life is too short to not use the good stuff, people, even for the pups.

More fabulous-ness from you-know-where

What can I say? I love me some TJ Maxx.

     Mmm hmm, I found this on my last expedition there with a friend on our lunch break from our grown up girl jobs. I've wanted one of these babies for, like, a year.
     Now that I have it, I don't really know what to do with it. It's tall, more than three feet high, and it's made from heavy rust colored metal wire. It could be a most incredible centerpiece outside on a buffet table this summer. Right now it's sitting in my workroom, and it's looking fabulous on the floor there,if I do say so myself, but if I am going to keep it, it has to pull it's weight around here, you know?
     Ideally, I picture it in my booth at the Tumbleweed Cotillion, full of adorable tags and such, or even better, in a corner of the boutique area of a Cupcakery, full of birthday candles, handmade gift tags and place cards for sale...but for now...for now...what shall I do with this masterpiece to justify the $39 purchase?