Wednesday, October 26

HALLOWEEN GOODIES

Greetings, dear readers!

Thought I would post a few Halloween goodies I found especially exciting:

All found on Etsy (just search Halloween!)

And look! A free copy of Creative Times Magazine...lots of cool Halloween Crafts here!


This lovely Mary Engelbreit desktop background:







I enjoyed my first campfire of the season last night with friends...perfect weather under a star filled sky:

Thanks for stopping by! More soon!


Hugs,
Paula Clare

Friday, October 21

ADORABLE HALLOWEEN IMAGES

Greetings, dear readers!

Just a quick post to share with you some adorable Heidi Grace paper I found for Halloween creations:




I just love the sweet little kids in their costumes...my favorite part of Halloween! I made a couple of ATC size images with just the kiddies:


 I also LOVE these wonky houses...especially the one with the "widow walk" on top and the spider web!

Speaking of houses, Cindy of Rick Rack and Gingham is having an adorable house/rv ornament swap! Behold the fun details:

Can you guess what *I * will make for the swap? More soon!
Hugs,
Paula Clare

Tuesday, October 18

DARLING NIECE'S NEW ETSY SHOPPE!

Greetings, dear friends!

Those of you who have been following me for a while know I have 2 sisters and from these two sisters darling nieces. One such niece is Emileigh...formerly a citizen of Cairo, Egypt, Sudan, Africa and now Springfield, MO at Evangel University studying missions and fashion design...(That will make sense here in a minute). Emileigh is in the beret...here with her sister Aria. Another of my sweet and talented nieces.






As you can see, Em has her own sense of style...a little ethnic, a little vintage, a little designer...well, you get the idea.She designs many of her own clothes and accessories.  She now has an Etsy shoppe called Ya Mimi (her nickname). She creates, designs and sells things like little hair doodads, accessories, etc. Here are a few of my faves:


If you have a young girl in your life...please check out Em's shoppe for birthday, Christmas and just any occasion! All proceeds help her fund her way through college.


Thanks for stopping by! More soon!
Hugs,
Paula Clare

Monday, October 17

FREE FOR YOU! HALLOWEEN DESKTOP CALENDAR

Greetings, dear friends!

Just a quick post to give you this October Desktop calendar. I know the month is half gone, but I thought you might like to look at it until Halloween. (Thanks to Meri of Imagimeri for the adorable boy and girl image!) Simply click on the image, then right click to save! Enjoy!


 More soon!

Sunday, October 16

VISIONS OF VINTAGE CAMPERS DANCE IN MY HEAD!

Greetings, dear reader! YES, it is I once again...TWICE in one week! Do not die of surprise, I have something AMAZING to show/tell you!

Ever since I hosted the Vintage Camper Tag Swap I have dreamed of having a REAL campground with vintage campers...where I could play "Campground Host" for REAL. Well, while scouring the internet to see if the idea was a viable one (WHO CARES?!) I found THIS amazing little Campground:


And just look at some of the campers you can stay in:


A Rose Colored 62 Shasta Airlyte called Sally!

A DREAMY 62 Teepee Trailer called "The Flamingo Lounge!

And my absolute FAVE...Lucy, a 1963 Shasta! It looks very much like another vintage camper I know and LOVE:


A 1973 Fleetwing named MaryLou. (After my intrepid traveler mom). Will you indulge me as I share my "accomodations sales pitch" I would use if Mary Lou were added to the campground?

Mary Lou boasts a Cowgirl Interior, with handmade denim cusions and upcycled Levis placemats with bandana "belts"!

A two burner gas cooktop...

A working pump and washbowl...

Rope trimmed cabinets...

And red bandana curtains!

Lots of original cowgirl altAred Art:

And comfortable sleeping accomodations for two (miniature schnauzer not included)
It just occured to me I don't have a picture of the bed! I MUST add that to my to-do list! I want to show you the quilt that pulls it all together and the little Annie Oakley pillow I made to go with it! Oh! Anyway, back to the Starlite Campground...


AND it's in Colorado...could ANYTHING be more perfect?!?! I see another road trip in our future!



Thanks for stopping by and taking a little time to dream with me! More soon!

Paula Clare

Saturday, October 15

ANOTHER ROUTE 66 ADVENTURE!

Greetings dear reader!

Isn't autumn the absolutely most beautiful season of the year? I LOVE it! Here are pictures of the outside of the CLouse House so far:



Also, on the way home from my Mediation Training, Hubby Dear had heard of a unique restaurant on Old Route 66. We decided to check it out...it's called The Cave Restaurant and Resort and it's in Richland, MO. Here's the reader's digest version of how it came to be:

Of course, Dave couldn't leave well enough alone. One day in 1989 he climbed into a cave high on the face of the bluff that overlooks the river. The cave was full of pigeon droppings and nests. It was dank. It was dark. Dave emerged and said to Connie: "You know, I bet I can build a restaurant up there." "You are out of your mind," Connie replied. Well, maybe, thought Dave. A religious man, he prayed about it, asking that his image of a restaurant in a cave go away. It didn't. So Dave started to work.Naturally, so did Connie, since wives always get lassoed into such schemes.

Dave bought a jackhammer. He bought carts. He bought sledgehammers, picks, shovels and pry bars. He hired a guy who knew about blasting. All the while, neighbors figured that Dave was certifiable, ready for the guys with the white coats and nets. No matter. Over four years, Dave, Connie and a few helpers almost broke their backs taking 2,160 tons of rock out of the cave and turning it into a magic place that can seat 225 people. They put in air conditioners and dehumidifiers. They built fish-stocked fountains and waterfalls to mask any remaining seepage that the mechanical devices couldn't take care of. The cave is dry. And more. There's a huge panoramic window overlooking the river 100 feet below. There's an elevator and carpeting and furnishings and service that would do any high-class restaurant in St. Louis or Kansas City proud.      "Since we've opened, we've fed 35,000 people. And not from just around here. Name a state or country and we've had people from there." 
   
The menu is American - steaks, fish and chicken. Dave said that folks don't go away hungry. The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday through Friday, and lunch and dinner on weekends. "Back in the 1920's, believe it or not," said Dave, "this was a dance hall. That's what it was called - Dance Hall Cave. People would come, climb up an old rickety ladder and have dances."  As Dave tells it, a hard charger named Ed Steckle built the resort and constructed the low-water bridge across the river. That bridge, incidentally, was Steckle's undoing. He was on it one day during high water, trying to clear off piled-up flotsam. A tree branch snagged a leg, and he drowned.
     
"For years afterward this just sat empty," said Dave. "Old Steckle must've been a dreamer." No more so than Dave, who didn't see just an old Missouri cave. He saw a restaurant. Dig and they will come. "Some of the locals thought people would be attracted to the novelty," he said. "Well, novelty is fine, but you better have good food and service. "Are they surprised? I think so. Especially when the big tour buses pull in and people pile out."   -Excerpt from article by James J. Fisher 
This is a little lean-to hut where guests wait for the "shuttle" (a beat up mini van with a wonderfully friendly driver) and then the archway is the drive to the cave.

 
Because this place is also a resort, there are many really rustic and homey cabins that can be rented along the way to the restaurant. Gorgeous! There is a little walkway that passes log cabin shops...handcrafted wooden souveniers and (OF ALL THINGS) a wonderful little "sweet shoppe" with Yankee Candles! HEAVEN!

 

Here is the spiral staircase that leads to The Cave restaurant. Sturdy looking, but...uhhm...we'll take the elevator. (Which was, in my opinion, scarier than the stairs ever could have been! Here's a better view of the staircase.


Inside view of the elevator!
As you walk in, there are maps where you can pin your hometown...and then you see it.
Besides being a temperate 65 degrees (ALWAYS perfect!) It's very well lit...with strange sculpted horseshoes and vintage glass dome lights.

 

The fountain is gorgeous, and although you can't see it very well on this picture...there are waterfalls too!
 
A quaint little "cottage" area that houses historical pictures and artifacts.

And then there's the view from the "porch" of the Cave...the Wabash river is below, lined with American sycamore, birch and maple trees. And more "odd" sculpture involving mining gear, wheels, horseshoes and wrenches.
And the twisting turning Highway 7 that take you to The Cave is just as breathtaking. If you're prone to car sickness, take a Dramamine before you go! The view is so worth it!







There you have it! Another Route 66 adventure! It was truly good to be "on the road again"...even if it was for just a brief "detour" while on the way home. If ever you're on Route 44 West, DO take the "off-the-beaten-path" Old Route 66 occasionally! It's definitely WORTH the trip!

More soon!