Time for Pussywillows!

Oh what a glorious day!  Sunny and warm here in mid-Michigan.  A perfect day for a flea market.  It's early for flea markets here, but I did find a small one.  Not alot of venders, but it was just what I needed!

I only spent $4, but that's o.k.  I wasn't really there to shop.  I saw some really cool stuff, like antique medicine bottles that still had pills in them, some lovely McCoy pottery, and lots of rusty metal and weathered wood farm implements.  I did bring home a broken alarm clock and a handful of pussywillow twigs!

I just really liked the art deco look of the clock.  It doesn't need to tick, just sit on my shelf and look pretty. 

And the pussywillows...  Who could resist?  And why should you, at a mere 20 cents a twig??  Happy Spring!!







Now THIS is what I call "PATINA"!

Don't you just love this crazing??  To me, this indicates not only age, but use.  Lots and lots of use.  Somebody depended on this piece of ironstone to provide years of service.

What do you supposed was put in this vessel?  Something hot, I would imagine, judging by the discoloration. 

I'm betting it was liquid of some sort, based on the spout.  Hot chocolate, or mulled cider, maybe?

Check out this handle.  It's both attractive and serviceable.  It feels wonderful in your hand!

Isn't she gorgeous?  I found this wonderful old ironstone pitcher at... Goodwill of course!  For my favorite price of 99 cents.  They must have figured it wouldn't sell for more, based on the excessive crazing and discoloration.  Little did they know that those very things make this lovely pitcher even more attractive to me!







Fresh Thrift Pickin's!!

My Thrifting time has been severely hampered by my new job, but, when I do get the chance to go, I now have the funds necessary to bring my treasures home!  I still manage to find my way to some of my favorite Thrift stores on a fairly regular basis.  These are some of the goodies I gathered in the last two weeks...

I am totally in love with this tall white vase!  It has such an elegant shape, and a lovely, perfect matte finish.  Just $3.99 at Goodwill!

I found this triple strand of vintage faux pearls at the same Goodwill, on the same day.   My 16 year old Daughter likes to wear vintage pearls to school, much to my delight!  I find single pieces of the depressionware bridge set quite often, and usually for very little money.  I thought this dainty pink heart was a steal for .59 cents! 

This lovely vintage table cloth was just $1.99, and the crochet edged dresser scarf a mere .25 cents.

I really needed a planter in this color to round out the collection I have with plants at work.  This one will be perfect once I decide what plant to put in it.

I belive this turned wood pedestal was a woodshop project, since it has the name Maxwell scrawled on the bottom in ink.  Max did an excellent job, in my opinion.  I hope he got an A.  What is it with swans, anyway?  I can't seem to avoid bringing them home, though I tell myself again and again, "You don't need any more swans!"   But they are vintage, and creamy white, and classic...

Don't you just love this little polka dotted squirrel?  He is in need of some gentle cleaning but I don't want to scrub off his dots!

And last, but not least is my wonderful green planter that I just filled with miniature daffodils!   Even with the potted flowers, I didn't pay more than $25 for this whole lot!!  Happy, happy Spring, Everyone! 







  



It's in the jar!

Hello Friends! 

I finally found a bit of time to blog.

Today I am showcasing some of my "collection jars".  As an avid collector of all things vintage, I find myself with scads of awesome items, and no good way to display it.  Too many items on a shelf tends to look cluttered, and collects dust, to boot.  I see lots of cloches on these blogs, and I love them, but... I find them very difficult to find, and when I do, they are just too pricey for this skinflint!  My solution of choice is to use big vintage jars.

It all started with this lovely covered jar.  I needed a place to stash some vintage crocheting thread and various needlework tools.  This jar proved to be the perfect solution. 

 

I just love the simple detailing combined with the humble thread, worn wood and vintage graphics.

Speaking of worn wood, I also had quite a few wooden items that needed a home.  I just adore old wood that has been shaped to create useful tools.  The fact that this simple biscuit jar is lacking it's lid made it perfect to display my longer collectibles.

  The possibilites are endless, and our ancestors made full use of wood to make items like these: spoons, pestles, darning eggs, handles on utensils.  I even have a wonderful old pipe ashtray that was made of turned wood.

If you are an avid Thrifter like me, then you are aware that there literally tons of old glass vases to be had for very little money in the thrift stores.  This particular vase turned out to be the perfect place to display some of my old lace, china, perfume bottles and vintage faux pearls.

I just love that it is so easy to change this display as the spirit moves me.  My collection of old handmade lace can be rotated easily now, so they can all be admired in their turn.  The possiblities for display items are endless!  Vintage jewelery and watches, old buttons, Christmas ornaments, photographs, spools of thread and vintage marbles...  Stay tuned for more "collection jars".  I just picked up a big, lidded biscuit jar that I have yet to fill...



January has been a big month for me!

I know I've neglected my blog this month, but I do have an excuse... I finally got a job!  After being unemployed for nearly two years, this is a very good thing.  It took a bit of time for this fifty year old body to get accustomed to a forty hour work week.  The first couple of weeks really kicked my butt, but it's getting better.  I have a pretty long commute, about 40 minutes each way depending on the weather.  And I must add, the weather has been horrible for driving...

...frost and snow are pretty on the trees and bushes, but not much fun to drive on, especially when you're the newbie at work, and hyperconscious of being on time!  Of course the best part about being employed is finally having the funds to support my favorite occupation.  Junking!!

Check out this darling, chippy child's rocker I found!  She is very sturdy, and perfectly worn and I snagged her for a mere $3.

I found this lovely vintage pitcher at the Goodwill in the small town I working in, which also happens to have a huge antique district.  It has some repaired damage on the bottom edge, but when it's sitting on a high shelf, nobody knows but me... and you, of course!

I found these sweet vintage birds at different thrift stores a couple of weeks apart!  They are identical, except for the hue of the glazes colors. 

I just love this tiny turquoise vase I found for a dollar.  It's clear glass, with the color applied to the inside surface.  I think I'll take it to work to use for small posies in the Summertime.  I'm feeling very fortunate that my boss ecourages us to decorate our cubicles any way we like.  It is a bit of a challenge to incorporate my vintage tastes into the modern tone of an office cubicle, but I'm determined to do it!

You might remember this project I did awhile back?  They now live in my cubicle, holding pens and pencils, stapler, notepads, etc...  I've also added family photos in vintage frames to the mix, as well as some larger flower shots in barnwood frames on the walls.  Once I'm satisfied with the make over, I'll sneak my camera into work and snap a few shots to share.



Here's an interesting find...

You just never know what you'll run across when thrifting...

Who wouldn't be thrilled to discover something like this?  Well apparently, plenty of folks passed this item by, because I found it at, what I prefer to call the "last chance" Goodwill store.  It's actually called the "as is" store, but come on, everything at Goodwill is "as is", isn't it?

It was originally marked $3.99, which I suppose was just too much for such an odd item.  But remember, at the "last chance" store, everything is marked way down, so I got it for a mere .79 cents!  It is a genuine antique shoe last, after all, embellished with genuine vintage stamps.

Judging by the overall patina, those stamps were added quite a while back.  Yes, it is indeed an odd item, with no practical use, but I love it anyway.  And did you notice the cute little vintage bow tie I found on the same day?  It was right there in the same store, and I got it for a mere .29 cents.  You just never know what you'll find, but it is certain that you won't find anything if you don't look!

Crafting for Christmas

I couldn't post these prior to Christmas, because some of them were given as gifts.  I also failed to take pics of the items that I gave away, so am dependant on the pics given to me by the recipient.  I wanted to try using the butcher paper method of inkjet printing on fabric, and these are the resulting projects.

You can iron butcher paper onto lightweight fabric, cut to printer paper size and print your photographs onto the fabric side.  The butcher paper then easily peels off, leaving you with personalized fabric with which to craft.  I did find that heavier fabric didn't work in my inkjet printer.  I tried tea dying some of the muslin I was using.  Unfortunately, this seemed to plump up the fibers just enough to jam my printer.  Not all printers are the same though, so experiment to see what works for you! 

I used calico fabric, burlap, vintage lace, embroidery floss, satin ribbons and vintage buttons to create tree ornaments featuring old family pictures.  A bit of quilt batting wrapped around cardboard worked well to stiffen and plump them up a bit.

I gave some of these ornaments to family for Christmas, and kept a few for myself.  In addition to tree ornaments, I also used injet images printed on parchment paper and inserted into antique bottles.

This is my Great Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Chapin, standing in the lake, wearing her ever so fashionable wool swim suit.  I filled the bottom of the bottle with a layer of sand and pebbles from the very lake she is standing in.

I did a second "bottled Great Gramma" that I placed in this shadow box, for my Sister.  I decopauged the box with pages from an old hymnal, because Mary Elizabeth was very musical.  The twigs, pebbles and dried foliage were all gathered from the area in which she spent much of her life.  The lace and beads are vintage.

As long as I was playing with antique bottles, old sheet music and vintage handmade lace, I made this, just for fun!  I'm considering how I might create a special topper for this bottle, or maybe I'll use it as a reed diffuser with some yummy smelling oil. 



Vintage Drinking Glasses~

One of my favorite things to find while thrifting, are vintage drinking glasses.  They are very easy to find, and usually reasonably priced.  My cupboard is filled with a wide variety of these beauties, most of them from the Depression era.  Not only do I collect them, but I use them, every day.

I really love this particular glass, but haven't been able to discover it's manufacturer or the pattern name.  I only have one, but I adore the color and shape.  If anyone out there knows who made this glass, and what it's called, please let me know!

This is my current favorite.  I have two and use them every day!  It's a depression pattern from Anchor Hocking called "Bubble".  I'd love to find more.  It has a lovely, smooth feel in your hand, combined with just enough texture to make it interesting.

I have several of these beautiful ice tea glasses, made by Indiana Glass.  It is the American Whitehall pattern.  I have found it in crystal and aqua as well as this gorgeous teal.  My nineteen year old Son is very fond of these glasses.  They hold alot- 20 ounces, and have a great "cubist" pattern that provides a nice grip.  Alex plans to take a few of these with him, when he gets a place of his own.

I've got a few of these as well.  This glass is a Fostoria Whitehall pattern.  It is very similar to the American Whitehall, with just a couple of minor differences.  The main difference is that the lip of the glass flares out.  I've got a couple of crystal ones and one amber one, in the ice tea size, and this 16 oz. glass, plus a slew of cute little amber juice glasses.

This is another pattern that I've found quite a few of, in various colors.  I especially love the milk glass, but I have a couple in green as well.  I had two red ones, but alas, red glass simply isn't as durable as other glass.  It is much more sensitive to temperature changes.  The two red glasses I had cracked when cold liquid was poured into them while they were just slightly warm from the dishwasher.

 I've got two of these beautiful glasses, that are etched with grapes.  They have proven to be surpisingly durable, despite their much thinner glass and more elegant design. 

My vintage glass collection is constantly changing, since I find so many wonderful examples on my treasure hunts.  Sometimes I sell them, or give them as gifts, or like my red glasses, they break during use.  I have many other examples stored away, since I only have so much space in my cupboard.  One of these days, I'll dig them out and snap some pics to share with my friends here in blogland.  So, what kind of glasses do you have in your cupboard? 

~Chicken Hollow~

A good while back, I began introducing my small flock of hens to all my friends in blogland.  Apparently I got sidetracked, and never finished!  Then I noticed that Homestead Revival was hosting a Chicken Coop Extravaganza, and decided to join the fun!  I sent her a pic of my coop, but once again dropped the ball, and failed to post pics here!  My Bad...

This is the image I used, but I do have more!

This shot gives you a better idea of how I've incorporated the coop and run into my gardens.  I'm not what you would call a precise gardener.  I prefer to let my flowers do as they please, and they do, thank you very much!

These are my six original hens, Lucy, Opal, Isabelle, Alice, Betty and Harriette.  Even though I have a completely enclosed run attached to the coop, my Girls love to free range our big yard.  I try to let them out for at least a couple of hours every day.



Yes, all my hens have names, and even better, they each know their own name and come when I call them!  Sometimes it's a stampede, when I holler, "Where are my Chickens??"  Or an individual gallup across the yard when I notice that someone has strayed.  If you've never watched a chicken running full tilt toward a possible treat, you just don't know what you're missing!  Chickens are totally food oriented.  I taught them their names by handing out grapes, one at a time, and calling out the recipient's name as they took it.  It didn't take long for them to respond to their names, even without the grapes.  Betty is very chatty and always talks to me when I say hello to her.  Lucy and Alice are nearly identical, and if I call Alice, Lucy by mistake, she will totally ignore me. 

People often ask what the secret to having gardens AND chickens is.  There are lots of flowers in my garden that my Girls ignore, and some that they love to eat.  Petunias are a favored snack.  They sample lots of it, so I combat the problem with such abundance that they just can't do much harm.  If your garden is small, and they have few choices, six chickens will easily devour it.  Veggies are a bit harder.  They ate all my pole beans and most of my tomatoes...

This is my newest hen, Hazel.  She was adopted after the rest of her flock was taken by predators.  She's about a year younger than the other girls and it took them a little while to accept her into the flock.  Lucky Hazel is very fast and agile, not to mention resourceful.  She has managed to stay one step ahead of the (ahem) Older Ladies, and now gets along with them quite well. 

And of course, this is how my Girls pay their rent.  Fresh eggs are wonderful, and since my girls free range, eating grass and bugs, flowers and even toads, these eggs are higher in Omega 3 and lower in cholesterol, than store bought eggs from factory farms.  Best of all, my Girls are happy, living in their fairy tale coop, surrounded by flowers in Chicken Hollow. 

Fantastic Find!!

So, today is incredibly warm, 66 degrees, and incredibly wet.  It had been raining all morning and I was restless.  Did I mention that our internet wasn't working?  So I decided a trip to my favorite "last chance" Goodwill store was in order. I was feeling a bit let down, 'cuz I hadn't found a treasure, when suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I glimpsed just a bit of silvery gray and faded red.  There it was, tucked between a truly ugly end table, and a really beat up old easy chair, with few other pieces of junk tossed on top, was my TREASURE!

Can you believe it?  The price tag said $4.99, but remember, I'm in the "last chance" store, so that price is reduced by...that's right people, 85%.  With tax, this beauty cost me 79 cents!!  I'm so excited.  It's not perfect.  There is a grease stain on top, and the feet show some signs of deterioration, but come on!  Old barn wood is supposed to be beat up and stained, right?  I won't be using it in my house, anyway.  Oh no, this is Garden Junk.  For now, it will be part of my porch's Christmas decor and it will change beautifully with the Seasons!