it wasn't my idea ....

i made this bag out of old jeans and trinkets i had collected - i saw the idea somewhere but i really don't remember where - probably in line at walmart - anyway, i thought, well that's what i can do with all those pairs of jeans people leave behind in the storage units - i literally have hundreds of pairs of jeans - i hate throwing away clothes with interesting patterns, fabrics or usable lengths - so i looked through them and found some that would work for this idea - found a pair - cut them up - added trim i had saved here and there - pieces of this - pieces of that - everything on this bag - everything used to make this bag, is something someone tossed away - kind of cool, don'tcha think? --

yard sales today ...

hit some yard sales this morning. found some cool stuff. mostly a great old metal full size bed. i posted it on craigslist, here. i love the way the footboard kind of curves and wraps around the end. also found some linens, crocheted and dishes and a some wrought iron candle sconces and two big old prints of flowers.

found a stash of 80s era halloween pins while cleaning out a storage unit. put them on our website, here.

gotta run .. later.

pieces ...

we had the bottom to a french provincial china cabinet - the top part gone long ago - my partner took pieces of wood - that he painted in pastel colors of pink, cream, green, blue and butter - and cut them and glued them down as a top, since it had none before. i wish i had gotten a before pic - but here are some pics of the finished product - we took it to uptown country home in dallas.

we have done this to other pieces of furniture that might otherwise end up in the wood pile - also some large mirrors.

i took strips of fabric and tied a bow to act as handles, that way the new owner can choose the handles of their choice. i think it is kind of cute. i have been doing that for six or seven years now. started doing it at warrenton after seeing it in an issue of country home.

from this to that ...

the box of wallpaper scraps sold to a sweet lady from the dallas area named, susie - i just know she will do some great things with them and am anxious to see some of the completed projects.

secondly, the storage biz is rolling right along - renting lots, cleaning out lots. haven't really found much of anything to speak of in the last few weeks - odd change, lost marbles, lone dominoes and the like.

i rented a storage unit myself to store the things that i find. i have a pretty good gathering of stuff that was too good to throw away. thinking about loading into the van and taking it to the arlington area for a garage sale at my middle sis' house.

we went to uptown country home in dallas/highland park on sat morning and took some things to jenny there - here is a pic of a lampshade i made -


love the knowledge that fall is around the corner. this time of year always gets me geared up wanting to create. guess it comes from doing antique shows and flea markets for so many years. esp. the warrenton show. there is a great post about fall complete with pics on garden antqs, here. love her pics.




i found this chandelier lampshade ...








... and had the sleeve from this old beaded chiffon evening gown ...







and with some trim from walmart that i tea dyed - i made this chandelier shade ...








i have another sleeve and another shade frame, so am going to be able to have a pair - i am taking them to jenny next sat - if they don't sell before then. i think they will look great on a pair of wall sconces.

well, theres sewing and cleaning to be done - so ... later.

the box

here are some pics of the vintage wallpapers i spoke about in my last post -
there is a pretty big mix of large and small pieces - bits of past projects - i just couldn't/can't bring myself to throw them away - so i save them - and i guess it is time to pass them on - i know someone will enjoy them -


i love the pink roses in this one and the blue swirls - i have used this in numerous projects and have 2 or 3 full rolls that i use on different projects - i think it is from the 40s -




the green in this one always reminds me of martha stewart for some reason - i did a large folding screen with this on one side 2 falls ago for the warrenton show - it sold pretty quickly -

returning -

it's been so long and i feel somewhat like a sailor returning from a voyage at sea - a lot has happened since my last post - mostly we have been busy 'de-cluttering' and cleaning - we have cleaned out over 40 abandoned and trashed storage units - found some cool stuff - mostly trash - other peoples trash is often just that - trash - really working hard on NOT hoarding things - it sounds better when we call them 'collections', doesn't it? - well i have collections of dice, marbles, keys, golf balls - yeah, i know - baseballs, footballs and the list goes on and on - oh, and seashells and rocks - and that is just stuff i find here and there - left behind. all neatly - or somewhat neatly corralled into jars and glass containers and trays of silverplate and looking glass.



i took some things to my fav shop in dallas last weekend - if you are ever in the area of snider plaza near SMU - check it out - wonderful shop -








if you know anyone who likes using old scrap vintage wallpaper for craft or art projects i have a box full that measures 17" by 17" by 14" i would like to sell for $10 plus shipping. let me know if you are interested and i will post a pic.

we are thinking we might try and do the october canton - have been listing some things on craigslist - here is a link to the most recent thing i listed - it's 3 pieces of patio furniture - a round metal table and cool metal chairs with vinyl straps.

empty but colorful

cool - old seed packs - empty - left behind - 5A - makes you wonder why they kept them if they were empty - the colors caught my eye, maybe that is why they were held onto for so long - the colors - these packs are from the mid to late 70s - i know - hard to think of the 70s as being old or vintage - yeah, but it is -

i have been really busy with putting our website together and getting ready for an auction we are having in our warehouse - so far it is penciled in for the 24th of may - gotta run - miss blogging - but this is so our busy time of year - everyone wants a storage unit -
later

ramblings

it's been awhile since i have posted - i have been working on our website - and some other little projects - found this cute little baby shower invitation - i think it is probably from the early 70s - love the colors - which remind me of something i had done for a nieces baby shower - did it once and it was such a hit that i got invitations to baby showers all summer long 2 years running - lol! - i don't make them as much any more -

the outer 'wrapping' was a blanket made from vintage pink and red and white tablecloth fabric lined in vintage nursery print flannel - then a huge diaper shoulder bag tote made using vintage polished cotton nursery rhyme fabric - trimmed with vintage crochet and doilies - each of the little gifts were wrapped in white paper and tied with pretty check fabrics and accented with silk flowers - i had a lot of fun making them - but most everyone i know now either has one or one similar - if you get a chance would love for you to check out our website - it is slow going, but our hope is to have it fully functional by july when our ad comes out - i thought it was coming out in sept but it is july - anyway, we will have a wholesale section that has the wholesale prices of the stuff we make and can sell wholesale - i know there is more i want to say, but my mind is a jumble - later

finding the words ...

saw on garden antqs vintage a photo that had some of the cutest vintage flash cards - i think it was from the coles show and the rubbish booth - rubbish used to buy things from us when we set up in warrenton - we made some cute cottage style shutters that they bought - anyway, saw the flash cards and couldn't get them out of my mind - went to sleep and they were everywhere in my dreams - long story short - i was cleaning up a unit someone moved out of today - there were a few boxes that i started to just dump in the trash - but decided instead to see if there was anything of value - and look what i found - at the bottom of one of the boxes were two cute sets of flash cards from the late 60s - love them - one set has some nice color graphics and one set is the set in the photos - i like the ones that are kind of plain the best - not sure what i will end up doing with these - but they are so cute -

pineapple upside down cake

my daddy used to make himself a pineapple upside down cake in celebration of his birthday - today would have been his 79th birthday -
i made one for him - here is a pic of the first pineapple upside down cake i ever made - i think it turned out looking pretty good and even though i shouldn't have eaten even one slice - i did have a big slice with whipped cream - it tasted pretty darn good too.


- and here is a pic of my Sugar Booger after a day of helping - lol!

bottled.. bagged..and on the road

got my order of bottles finished and on the road to the seller ... i thought they turned out so cute .. i had to share - of course i did -

i used old bottles that i have found here and there - i have been collecting forever - finding most of them at canton over the years - they are cute used as vases in the bath or just as they are - displayed in the bathroom - i like the victorian looking labels but have been surprised by the number of people who like the deco looking ones - but my absolute fav has to be the red rose toilet water label - love that one..

define ...

found a portion of an old dictionary yesterday - just a few pages from the back of one that was falling apart - normally - i think something like this would have been thrown away - webster's unabridged dictionary - pictorial illustrations - i think they date from the late 1800s to early 1900s. pages 1698 - 1765. wonderful only begins to relay the story - the ideas just flew around in my head - you will know when you see - here's a sample page - enjoy -

spring to fall

here it is spring and it was a beautiful day today - sold the little metal desk/table i had offered on the email group - so now it is out of the way and on its way to someone elses home.
working on some halloween items for a magazine ad that we will be sending off tomorrow - 3 items can be in the ad and these are the ones we have chosen - one is a sign that we make - wood sign with hand painted design - the other two items are the cards we make - one for thanksgiving and one for halloween - the magazine doesn't come out until sept - so that gives us a few months to work on our website to ready it for fall - the christmas ad has to be in by may, i believe - so once we get this done, we will be starting on things for christmas - i have some fun ideas of items we will be making - so am looking forward to sharing -

Happy Happy Spring!!!

well, spring is here - i am hoping we don't get anymore really cold weather - i know tomorrow is supposed to be cooler and wet - but my dewberry bushes are starting to bloom out and it won't be long and the berries will be growing - love a good dewberry cobbler in the middle of summer - here is a pic of my dewberries blooming -


i have been pretty busy - finally got my big order out and have been working on some new projects - just offered this cute metal table on a local yard sale email group for $10 - hope it sells - it is kind of in the way -


made one of my purse clocks - think i might put it in the guest room - but the color really reminds me of spring - used to sell these pretty good at canton and warrenton -



started working on an order for bottles that i do - here is what one looks like - i really like it - it is a heat applied transfer to an old bottle -



and finally - Happy Easter to everyone - we make and sell these little 2 1/2" pocket mirrors with floral initials - we retail them for $2 and wholesale them in lots of 100 for $1 ea. they have been a good seller too. aren't they sweet!


we will be having easter breakfast with family at the local golden corral - love that place - at least for an old fashioned big breakfast - we only do it on holidays and since we are all getting older - it makes it easier to get together and not have to worry about who cooks and who cleans. -
enjoy the day!

toad-ally cute!

i found this cutie this morning at a local church bazarr - they weren't sure what to do with him and almost tossed him in the trash - so were quite amused when i offered to buy him -
anyway, he is mine now.

he's a keeper and has a spot among my pots on the side porch -

i love concrete - big pieces - small pieces - old pieces -

four leaf clovers and the like

got an order this morning from a dealer friend who sets up in warrenton, for a product that we make and wanted to share - i take old vintage and victorian era postcards scan them and enlarge them and put them on cardboard with easel back and a little envelope.

for the last 3-4 years we sold these ourselves at both warrenton and canton and always did real well with them. the original cards are part of our personal collection - of over 10,000 - that we have been collecting for the last 25 years.

its fun going through the cards and remembering when i got one or another - sometimes i remember and sometimes i don't. lol!

anyway, when i get bored, i will highlight a few of the cards, for fun, with glitter paints and accent them with curly wire strung through holes i drilled at the tops - sometimes, i will accent the wire with raffia - all to show the customer what can be done with these -

so, i just finished highlighting this st patricks day card and wanted to share - i am going to include it with the order for them to show their customers.

i think that is thistle with the clover - but i could be wrong.

thrift store finds

hit a local thrift store this afternoon - i hadn't shopped there since before Christmas and had been having a feeling that i needed to stop in and see what i could find - i always find something fun and always cheap - well here is what i found - two, not one, but 2 old majolica plates with a dog lying in front of a dog house - i wasn't sure they were that old - even though i was sure they were majolica - i only paid $5 each - but when i got home i searched ebay and found several listed as having sold for anywhere from 250 - 80..and mine are in absolutely mint condition - i think i will keep these - also found a great old bowl with a beautiful rose design , paid $10 - a very large satin type vase with a painted design - very art deco - paid $5 - a sweet little hand painted bavaria vase with daisies - paid $1 - and a tlaquepaque bean pot - paid $5. there were some other things i considered but i was low on cash and had errands to run - i am happy i listened to that inner voice and stopped in - the plates were calling me - what was even more of a surprise was, as i was going in the store a local big time dealer - who sets up at marburger farm antique show - was coming out empty handed and gruffly said 'no use going in there - it's picked over' - i love it when that happens - trust you will and you will.

stumped

this is so cool - found this yesterday cleaning out some old storage sheds - it is huge - measures about 24" long by 19" wide and very thick - about 4". it is real wood and appears to be a slice of an old tree - someone chopped out the center and then screwed and nailed a section of sheet metal onto the bottom. it has the original bark and is/was filled with various rocks and shells - it had dirt/soil in it but i emptied that out and put the rocks and seashells back in - i think they might have used it to plant a cactus garden - i think - i am not a cactus person, so am not sure how i will use it - i think if i decide to keep it - i will just take all the rocks and seashells out and wax it and clean it real good and use it as a tray of sorts on my living room ottoman - not sure if i am going to keep it or sell it.

i also found a stack of old bibles -

an old bottlecap man - holding a tin jello mold -

a box of clothes that included the cutest little childs crocheted outfit in lavender with cream color 'bunny' buttons.

had fun - but i was filthy dirty - and the dust mask i wore didn't seem to do that much good because today i am feeling stuffed up.

hope everyone had a good weekend and enjoyed themselves - i am so looking forward to the sun shiny days.

found

found today - velvet tapestry - Martin Luther King - love it. can't you just hear the words to Abraham, Martin & John -