I'm always adding new articles because I have found so much good stuff to share that you will surely find of great use to you and your family and friends. Much of what I share involves getting back to the basics and doing for ourselves. Simply click the above image to see the latest of the greatest finds.

I'm big into DIY projects and finding ways to improve things, saving time and money. Quite frankly, I'm tired of paying for overpriced junk and for other people's mistakes. If I'm going to pay for anyone's mistakes, they should be my own. If you agree, then click the above image for all sorts of ingenious ideas.

There's a plethora of stuff and information that I've found to share and I like to feature my favorites for quick and easy future reference -- for myself as well as all of you. Some I've already tried myself and will do again; some I am looking forward to trying. Just click the above image to see what I've added to my faves list.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Jigsaw Puzzle: Aston Hall, Birmingham, England

Today's Jigsaw Puzzle is of Aston Hall in Birmingham, England...Enjoy! =)


Quick Tips for Using the Puzzle:
  • If you like to start with the edges, you can use the button on the bottom left of the screen to display the edge pieces only. Once you get them all in place, the rest of the middle pieces will automatically appear.
  • If you need to see the picture during the process of solving it, just click the button at the top right of the screen for a quick view. To close the picture view, just click the arrow at the bottom left of that window.
  • To start over, just click the Menu button at the top left and select the "Pull Pieces Apart" option.
http://purpleirisperspective.blogspot.com/2015/01/full-instructions-for-using-jigsaw.html

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Jigsaw Puzzle: Macaw Maties

Yesterday's puzzle was a hit, so I figured I'd post another one today. I may make this a daily thing when I have more time to post articles daily. With the holidays, my To Do List and schedule are not my own, so maybe after the first of the year. Below the puzzle you'll find a few pointers on using it. =)



Quick Tips for Using the Puzzle:
  • If you like to start with the edges, you can use the button on the bottom left of the screen to display the edge pieces only. Once you get them all in place, the rest of the middle pieces will automatically appear.
  • If you need to see the picture during the process of solving it, just click the button at the top right of the screen for a quick view. To close the picture view, just click the arrow at the bottom left of that window.
  • To start over, just click the Menu button at the top left and select the "Pull Pieces Apart" option.
http://purpleirisperspective.blogspot.com/2015/01/full-instructions-for-using-jigsaw.html

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Jigsaw Puzzle: Painted Pansies

One thing I've been meaning to start posting on the blog are jigsaw puzzles for everyone to enjoy solving. So, here's the first of many more to come...Painted Pansies. Below the puzzle you'll find a few pointers on using it. =)



Quick Tips for Using the Puzzle:
  • If you like to start with the edges, you can use the button on the bottom left of the screen to display the edge pieces only. Once you get them all in place, the rest of the middle pieces will automatically appear.
  • If you need to see the picture during the process of solving it, just click the button at the top right of the screen for a quick view. To close the picture view, just click the arrow at the bottom left of that window.
  • To start over, just click the Menu button at the top left and select the "Pull Pieces Apart" option.
http://purpleirisperspective.blogspot.com/2015/01/full-instructions-for-using-jigsaw.html

Monday, December 22, 2014

Featured Shop: Corner Stone Cowboy





An eclectic mix direct from the artist!
Categories:  Direct-from-the-Artist Photographs, Home Decor, Vintage Collectibles, Church Supplies, Southern Gospel Music & More

Follow Corner Stone Cowboy

About the Owner: The owner of Corner Stone Cowboy graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and Horticulture. He worked in a wholesale greenhouse operation for 2 years and then retail for 20 years before becoming a small business owner in 1999. He also works as an Office Manager for Silver Circles in Lexington and volunteers with the Kentucky Horse Park and Henry Clay Estate.

He has recently returned to his interests of photography and painting and is a certified Irlen screener. He considers his photographic style to be reminiscent of the Pictorial movement of the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Not only does he offer his photography by itself, he also creates greeting cards, postcards, framed art, and more using his photographs. All scripture used on his photo art is from a 1913 King James Bible that once belonged to a great, great uncle.

About her Store: The Corner Stone Cowboy is an independently owned business in the heart of the Bluegrass State. For most of their 50 year history as a brick and mortar store, they focused on an inventory of church supplies. In the spring of 2007 they expanded to the internet before closing the walk-in store in the summer of 2009. Today, they sell locally offline and internationally online.

Artist Photo DecorArtist Photo CardsArtist Photos
Church Supplies & PostcardsCardsToys, Games & Hobbies

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Featured Shop: Shar's Gift Mart










From Our House to Yours...
Categories:  Home & Office Decor, Furniture, Kitchen & Dining, Home & Garden, Collectibles, Holiday & Seasonal, Health & Beauty, Purses & Handbags, Travel Gear & More

Follow Shar's Gift Mart

About the Owners: Sharon and Ron Ackerman are a husband and wife team running their home-based, family-owned business. They're located the small country town of Hardeeville, South Carolina, which is a stone's throw from both Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head Island. Their customers are important to them and they truly appreciate their loyal customers and the excellent service they provide reflects that.

About Their Store: Shar's Gift Mart offers a wide variety of quality products at affordable prices. I love looking through their store because I'm always finding something to add to my wish list. They have been in business for about 15 years and are no strangers to what it takes to succeed -- building buyer confidence by giving orders top priority.

Unlike many online shops out there, big and small, they provide detailed product descriptions to ensure customers' questions are answered without them having to take the time to request more detail. Shar's Gift Mart is their full-time business and they have shipped thousands of items to customers worldwide. They offer gifts for everyone on your list, so be sure to check out all of the cool stuff they offer!

Home & Office DecorHome & Office FurniturePatio, Lawn & Garden
Kitchen & Dining EssentialsCandles & HoldersToys & Games

Featured Shop: Kenoticket






Your ticket to estate treasures and more!
Categories:  Antiques, Clothing & Accessories, Vintage & Modern Collectibles, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Vintage & Modern Jewelry & Watches, Toys & Games, and More

Follow Kenoticket

About the Owner: To her fellow sellers, she is known as "Keno" for short. Keno is from the San Francisco East Bay area and has been in business for over 14 years selling on eBay and other marketplace venues, but has now opened her own shop to better serve customers.

While her own shop doesn't provide a means for customers to leave feedback, she does have a 100% positive rating with over 1400 feedback entries on marketplace venues. As a result, she has earned a Top Seller rating at eBay. She has included several comments from customers from the various venues as well as those she's received via email after having bought from her own shop.

About her Store: Keno gets most of her products from estate sales, which means that she receives them in various states of condition. While she does her best to make sure products are in good, clean condition, she also knows the importance of keeping antiques and vintage products in their original state. So she leaves it up to the customer to decide whether or not to do any detailed cleaning and/or refurbishing in case they prefer it in its original state.

She has hundreds of cool products to choose from. So, whether you're looking to add to a collection, buy a gift for someone, or just buy something for yourself or the house, you're sure to find something you like!

AntiquesVintage & Modern CollectiblesHealth & Beauty
Home & GardenVintage & Modern Jewelry & WatchesToys & Games

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Featured Shop: Hartmann Books

Out-of-Print & Scarce Books in a Wide Variety of Genres Covering Numerous Subjects
Categories:  Ephemera, Vintage Postcards & Books: Fiction, Mystery, Cooking, Gardening, Travel, Political Science, Business & Economics, Science & so much more!

Established in 1979, Hartmann Books is a home-based book business located in the foothills of western North Carolina. Hartmann Books sells a wide variety of used, out-of-print & scarce books and new inventory is added frequently. You can type an author or title into the search box at the top of any page. They also use actual scans of their book covers in listings, not stock photos, so what you see is what you get.

At their Old Paper World site, they also sell ephemera and vintage postcards. The hartmannbooks.com site only contains a small sample of their inventory and the hartmannbooks.biz site has a more finely detailed category structure, but you can search for and find their full inventory of books at either of the following two sites:



Following are a scant few of the categories available on their site. I have also included the link to the Old Paper World site. To visit either, simply click its image and you will be taken to that category where you'll also find the numerous other categories available:

CookingEphemera & Vintage PostcardsGardening
MysteryFictionBusiness & Economics

Featured Shops: European Goodies & JFK






Leave Ordinary Behind -- Collected and Assembled Over a Life Time
Categories:  Antiques, Pre-Ban Ivory, Bohemian Czech Crystal, Fine China, Collectibles, Fine Jewelry & More

Follow European Goodies

About the Owner: Johanna is a German-born American whose family is renowned for her father's gift of carving ivory prior to it being banned. Johanna is a wonderful lady who has lived a lot of life -- and collected a LOT of fine things over the years. Things she is now trying to downsize because, like she says, you can't take it with you.

She has even written a book about her life's story, The Ivory Carver's Daughter, which is available for sale at www.theivorycarversdaughter.com. What makes her book even more interesting is that it is a historical biography that intertwines her life in Germany during WWII with some of the very real historical facts as seen through a child's eyes. Her book has received several great reviews -- not even the three editors at her publisher's could put it down -- so you should check it out!

She's also a photographer and loves creating websites and producing videos. She's done a lot of work for fellow sellers that she began offering her web and digital design services at www.jfk-site.com. She does work for both personal and business use, so if you have a family album you'd like to convert to a video, or would like to create a family site, Johanna would be happy to assist you.

About her Store: You should see all of the fine things she has in her shop. Once you take a look, you'll see why her shop is called European Goodies. Her shop offers a vast selection of handcrafted pre-ban ivory, antiques, Bohemian Czech crystal, fine jewelry, collectibles and more. You'll certainly find quite a few items that will have you oohing and aahing, so be sure to check out her shop!

AntiquesBohemian Czech CrystalCollectibles
Fine ChinaPre-Ban IvoryFine Jewelry & Fashion