Who knew?

9.17.13- 

  Do you ever have a moment when inspiration hits you in an unexpected way?  I love it when that happens to me. 

While antiquing in Maine this summer I came across these little screened round things sitting in a big bowl at the back of a antique shop. I immediately was drawn to them because I'd never seen anything like that before.  I was completely enamored & started thinking of ways I could incorporate them into my creations for H&H. 

-Charming things aren't they?- 

I picked out about 7 of them & kept looking around the store. As I was walking around, playing with them in my fingers,  I couldn't stop thinking about them so I went back & got a few more.  I took them up to the checkout & the lady was pleased that I wanted to buy them.  I asked her what they were & she told me they {her & her husband} had came across them at an old dairy barn in Maine.

-How perfect is this glass milk bottle?  I got it years ago from somewhere around here, because I adored it & not in N.H. - 

  They had found boxes of them lying in the barn & figured out that they were used to place on the top of old glass milk bottles to keep those pesky flies out of the milk.  

-Genius!- 

 She asked me what I was going to do with them & I told her about my business & was thinking I would use them as the letter "o" in some of the things I spell out on boards & my frames.  I told her that I just loved them & had to get some. She told me to go grab a bunch more to take home with me. So I quickly went back & grabbed some more.

When I got home & was preparing for The Hive, I just wasn't finding a way to use them & was starting to get a bit frustrated when all of the sudden the inspiration hit.  Make a one of a kind garland!

{You know I adore those & you can never have too many!} 

I simply took some bakers twine, threaded a needle & stitched the bottle cap garland together.   These pics really don't do this sweet garland justice.  It is so delightful to look at. I love when you create something that makes people stop in their tracks & say... "hmmmm, what are those?"    

{I'm kicking myself now that I didn't buy the whole box of these cute round things in Maine} 

-Was the perfect little touch to the front porch for The {Fall} Hive- 

One of the things I've learned when I go antiquing is if something really grabs your attention, tugs at your heartstrings & makes you smile- GET IT!  There is a reason you are drawn to it & you'll find a way to use it later on even if you can't figure it out right at first. 
 - Be patient, the inspiration will come -   

So happy I found a way to show of these purposeful, dainty  little things at The Hive last week. I'm looking forward to  decorating for Halloween because this garland is going to be hanging up above my island the whole month long. 

{M}