Something Created Everyday

Sometimes Even the Nicest People Can Fool You

2013-05-19T12:37:00.002-07:00

We had a really fun day of thrifting. The morning started off a little disappointing but we found a lot of treasures at the second sale. We were an hour early for this second sale and had to stand around waiting. There was no crowd and ten minutes before the sale was to open a man arrived who should have been third in line behind us. He was very nice and chatted with us but later I realized that he had slowly worked his way to be standing in front of the gate the moment the sale opened. He didn't even pretend to be polite and let me {first in line} get by him. Luckily he was looking for something that I couldn't have cared less about. And he seemed like such a nice man...

Anyway, we found tons of treasures and I didn't let the not-so-nice man bother me a bit. I especially love these vintage cake toppers. They are so sweet!

I found a cool retro Blendo pitcher and tumblers in lime green. These are both trendy and retro at the same time. The ombre look is trendy and yet these are mid century modern barware. The photo doesn't show the bright lime green color well.

We found a Hall Pottery Ball Pitcher and Goebel ceramic Wren figurine. Goebel is the same company that makes the Hummel figurines.

A nice framed butterfly collection.

Lots of old glassware including a milk glass vase and several refrigerator dishes {Arcoroc and Fire King, Sapphire Blue, Philbe pattern}

I also found a lot of old glass bottles. These are two old English seltzer bottles that are really heavy glass. The other bottles have an interesting shared history as I discovered with more research.

I discovered that all of the old smaller bottles were from a town called Price, Utah. There was even an old 1941 calendar from the same town. Below is a photo of the collection

Detail of a half-pint milk bottle from Price's Dairy with a four digit phone number embossed on the bottle.

Two bottles were for "Dr. Price's Delicious Flavoring Extracts"

The taller bottle is from Price Bottling and Ice Cream Company.

And the 1941 calendar with working thermometer is from Price's Market.

I had a lot of fun looking up the history of Price, Utah. I didn't even realize that they were all from the same town until I began photographing them.

I am constantly putting more items into my store so please Follow my store if you see anything that you would like.

I hope everyone had a great thrifting weekend.

Awesome Stress-Free Pre-Mother's Day Thrifting

2013-05-12T11:19:00.002-07:00

Somehow the stars aligned to create a totally stress-free day of thrifting yesterday. The first garage sale opened early so I was in and out and on to the next sale. I found a few nice pieces and then off to the third sale just two blocks away. There were only a few people waiting to enter the estate sale so there was no rush and this is where the picking got good.

My favorite find was a large amount of vintage mercury glass ornaments. Most of these are on stems so they can be easily used for crafting.

I filled an 18" tall box with these ornaments. Included were a few hanging ornaments that are really old {two have a written date of 1915 on them} seen below hanging on the right. There is a pink fish, Christmas heart, bell and house among the oldest ornaments.

Two figural glass ornaments of Santa with a cardboard broom and a woman with an apron. I am not sure of their age.

Flocked image of a little boy and toys on this vintage ornament.

Two glass teapot ornaments. Their spouts are extremely delicate.

This is the 18" tall box filled with ornaments. The box is for an old 4 gallon Mason jar that I wish I found at the sale.

I also found these deer candle holders. The metal one is by Deptartment 56 and the two ceramic ones are by Fitz and Floyd.

I found these metal first aid boxes and thought they could be used for a red, white and blue display or for handy storage.

The seller told me that this was Italian glass but it is actually a Blenko Compote dish. The color is Tangerine and so pretty.

I found this plaid blanket in its original bag and bought it thinking that if it was an inexpensive blend then I would use it for a craft project. Only when I was preparing to photograph it did I find the label that said it is pure virgin wool from New Zealand.

I love old toys and was excited to find an old litho print metal toy boat that was made in the USA and a Dinky Toys Police Car. The British Guard can is much newer but I thought Dear Handyman would enjoy this.

I hope everyone had a wonderful stress-free day of thrifting. As always, I will try to get more items into my store as soon as possible. Please stop by and check it out.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there.

Designers Craft Connection - May Blog Hop

2013-05-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Designers Craft Connection Blog Hop for the month of May. The theme this month is Handmade Wishes. I chose to do a project that would showcase items that were handmade by others a long time ago. As always, almost all of the supplies used are thrifted.

I often find beautiful crocheted doilies at estate sales. I know these pieces take a lot of time to make so I imagine that they hold many dreams and hopes within their intricately woven threads. I used several to create a wreath in celebration of the women who crafted these lacy pieces. This is my Mother's Day offering of handmade wishes to honor their handiwork.

I began with a wreath form and cut strips of burlap and wrapped it around the form.

Next, I draped handmade doilies over the wreath while trying to vary the many shades of creamy white. I added lots of layers, including vintage {machine made} lace embellishments to creates texture.

Next I draped several strands of faux pearls.

Then added handfuls of rhinestone jewelry to add sparkle. I love how this is dripping with lace, pearls and rhinestones.

My handmade wish is to honor everyone who patiently makes things by hand for the enjoyment of future generations.

Please use the DCC blog hop button on the right to view more awesome project created by a very talented group of crafters.

I am honored to be featured at:

Pieced Pastimes

This is linked to:
504 Main, Beyond the Picket Fence, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, DIY Home Sweet Home, Elizabeth & Co, Faith, Grace, Crafts, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch to Yours, Hey What's for Dinner Mom?, Lamberts Lately, Making the World Cuter, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Pieced Pastimes, Savvy Southern Style, Sew Can Do, Sew Much Ado, Simply Designing, Somewhat Simple, Sugar Bee Crafts, The 36th Avenue, The Colorado Lady, The Shabby Nest, The Thrifty Groove, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse and Twin Dragonfly Designs

Frustrating Free Friday Finds

2013-04-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

I took Friday off from work because there were some really great estate sales and I had so many vacation days that I thought I should use one and I just wanted some time to relax.

It turned out to be a wee bit frustrating but I'm really not complaining because I did have a Friday off and I did get a chance to relax a bit. It was frustrating because there was only one of me and three things that I wanted at the first sale. I couldn't decide which one piece I absolutely had to have. I made my choice and lost out on the other two. I guess I did okay because I did get at least one piece.

Here is the beauty that I found. This is a heavy, vintage square cake stand by Indiana Glass in the Constellation pattern. Perfect condition, love it!

Next I went to a sale that had been open for two hours before I got there. I didn't know what to expect but I did snag a bag full of treasures. My favorite find were these Shiny Brites and Poland glass ornaments. Some were beautifully faded to shabby shades of pink, green, silver and blue and others were bright.

Then there were some orange, Poland ornaments that are slightly squat and not perfectly round. They reminded me of pumpkins. Perhaps these were meant as Halloween ornaments. I think a little more research is needed here.

I found a bunch of vintage ceramic Christmas pieces. I had pinned an image of little Santa mugs on my Pinterest board and thought it would make a cute display.

I found several vintage corsages and saw them as perfect gift wrapping accents in place of a regular bow.

Found a lot of small vintage craft supplies.

The last item I found were these four square wire hangers. They are regular wire hanger size except they are square instead of triangular. They can be used as a hand towel holder or vintage linen display. Anyone know what these were originally used for?

Since I spent my thrifting allowance on Friday I am now relaxing on Saturday although I feel an urge to check out more sales. Looking back at everything that I found, I guess I don't really feel frustrated. I had a fun free Friday. I hope everyone had a great day of thrifting!

This is linked to:
Brambleberry Cottage, Common Ground, From My Front Porch to Yours, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, Savvy Southern Style, The Colorado Lady and The Thrifty Groove

Nice People + Nice Prices = Oh Happy Day!

2013-04-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

We had a surprisingly nice thing happen this morning as we were waiting for an estate sale to start. We were sitting in our car since we were so early and another car full of people pulled up. Then a third person pulled up and the driver started a sign-up list. I assumed that she put her name first then she went to the car full of people and then brought the list over to us. Well not only did she leave space for us to be the first two on the list, the people in the other car also told her that we were there first.

Wonderfully nice and honest people! Awesome!!! Then to make things even better, the seller gave us a really low price on everything. And if this wasn't good enough, we stopped at a sale that was just about to end and the seller said that we could have anything we wanted for free. Oh happy day!

So here are some of the treasures we found. I love these perfectly shabby old silk flowers.

I was excited to find these old, Victorian Frozen Charlotte dolls. They are from the estate of an antiques dealer so I believe they are the real old one.

I found a box full of aquarium gravel and just the top of the blue mermaid sticking out of it. I dug through the gravel and found all of the other aquarium ornaments buried beneath. The blue mermaid is really unique because her mouth is open like she is singing and she is playing a Bass instrument. Also in the front right corner is a small dog house aquarium ornament. This seemed like an odd subject for an aquarium piece. Finding all of these was like digging for buried treasure and discovering an instant collection .

We found some unique chandelier crystals, an old bottle marked "Nippon" and some silver tinsel ribbon. I collect chandelier crystals and I'm pretty sure I don't have a few of these styles.

We found several glass items. I like old science glass pieces so I picked up this beaker below. The cup is by the Federal Glass Co. in the Patrician Spoke pattern. The red vase/candle holder is Italian. And the other glass piece is from an outdoor light fixture that has gone a soft purple color.

We also picked up a Maydwell milk glass insulator, a red Anchor Hocking nut chopper and a red plaid Thermos bottle.

I would love to make some terrariums with these drum-style vintage fish bowls.

We found a bag with several mother-of-pearl buckles, some carded buttons that say they are made from Catalin and a jar filled with colorful vintage buttons. I can't wait to sort the buttons.

I have been cleaning and sorting and researching so many of these treasures. What a wonderfully fun day. Nice people make me happy! Thank you nice people!

Slowly but sure I will keep adding pieces to my Stuff to Treasure store. I hope everyone had a wonderful day of thrifting.

This is linked to:
Stylish Once Again

Thrifting - A Catch and Release Story

2013-04-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have mixed emotions about my thrifting adventures today. I found an awesome treasure but I had to let it go. More on that story at the end of this post.

I found a petite glass cupcake stand. It is only 6" across the top. Also found another vintage knee-hugger elf. The small stand makes the elf look huge!

My favorite find was this awesome 1938 Toastmaster toaster. I plugged it in and it works! Love the chrome and Bakelite.

Found some old film reels that would make great clocks or other projects.

I love old Dymo label makers and I found one in the original box.

I think these are shoe maker molds instead of shoe stretchers. One is shaped for a high-heeled shoe. Both have nail holes in them which makes me believe they were used to design shoes. They both have a rich patina that is really pretty.

Now to my "Catch and Release" story. I found a great vintage Toledo candy scale at an estate sale today. It was so amazing but was marked $100. Then the seller said that it was half price so $50 and this treasure could be mine. I stood there transfixed because I wanted it so badly. The problem was that it probably weighed about 20 pounds so realistically I could sell it for local pick up only. Or the other option would be to keep it for myself. I could not justify keeping it so I had to walk away and let it go. I don't think I will have any serious regrets but it will be one of those stories about the "one that got away".

Hope everyone had a great day of thrifting. Most of these treasures will be posted in my Stuff to Treasure Store soon. Anyone else ever find something they couldn't justify keeping for themselves?

This is linked to:
Hey, What's For Dinner Mom?, Mod Vintage Life, Sir Thrift-A-Lot and Stylish Once Again

Racing Family Weekend

2013-04-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to do much thrifting this weekend because it was my son's first official race with his Competition License. It is getting much more exciting and much more expensive but I couldn't be more proud of him. Since the day he could actually hold something in his hand, he has always loved cars. And thanks to the additional love and support of Dear Handyman {a total motor-head himself}, my son has the opportunity to chase his dream.

It was all worth it because this was his first competitive race and the Rookie won third place! Now he's holding a trophy instead of toy cars!

But to get that trophy we had a few sacrifices. Anyone who has gotten up early to go to an estate sale knows what it's like to give up the opportunity to sleep in on a weekend morning. In our case, we were actually in the pits before the sun was up.

Early morning and the Boys were busy prepping the car. Yes it was cold.

There's my race car and driver on the track!

Prepping for another qualifying race back in the pits.

And out again.

I may have missed out on some amazing thrifting opportunities this past weekend but I was a part of some magic instead. When someone is realizing their dream then it is truly an awesome experience to be a part of that.

It was an exciting weekend and we were all very tired on the long drive home.

Thrifting Bits That Inspire Projects

2013-04-05T18:16:00.003-07:00

I found a few treasures this week and also combined two of my thrifted treasures together to create some vintage happiness.

I came across my old glass rolling pin resting next to my jar of vintage white buttons. I suddenly had one of those "AH-HA!" moments. I filled the rolling pin with buttons.

I found a handful of old wooden rulers. The seller kept asking me if I was a teacher because she believed that they must be the only people that buy old rulers.

Another great find was this large wooden spool.

Found a basket filled with old colorful feed sack aprons.

And finally I found a box with a few small little items. Here is a tiny groom and an old key.

This week's treasures seem to be starters for all kinds of repurposed projects. Hope everyone has a great weekend of thrifting.

This is linked to:
Brambleberry Cottage

Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop - April

2013-03-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop for the month of April. This month's theme is "Handmade Flowers" with an added challenge to create with things around the house. A perfect combination that is dear to my heart. I started looking through my stash and came across something I had been saving for a "someday" project, the pretty fabric bag that held my shabby chic duvet cover.

The finished project is a canvas tote decorated with the Tattered Floral Sizzix die. The lining of my bag is the intact duvet cover bag {see the floral bag below}. For the outside of the bag, I used leftover painter's drop cloth from previous projects here and here. I first cut and sewed the drop cloth to match the size and shape of the duvet cover bag.

Next I die cut some Tattered Florals out of more drop cloth material and applied a little Worn Lipstick Distress ink on the petal edges. This created the outer part of my flowers.

I wanted to use a different material for the center of the flowers to add texture and interest. I found a vinyl bag of decorative sea shells sitting around. I cut a different flower shape out of the vinyl and used Cranberry and Butterscotch Alcohol Ink to color the narrower petals.

I used embroidery thread and thrifted pearl beads to attach the flowers to the bag. At this point the flowers started to look like climbing Clematis. Using Broken China Distress ink, I added a hint of blue behind the flowers to tie in with the colors in the lining.

I sewed handles and then stitched the bag together. This entire project was created using only items that I had around my house. I love doing projects like this.

I hope you enjoyed my Handmade Flowers. Please use the Forward/Back button on the right column to continue through the DCC Blog Hop for more amazing floral inspiration.

This is linked to:
DIY Home Sweet Home, Homemaker on a Dime, Making the World Cuter, Sew Can Do and Skip to My Lou

Spring's First Thrift

2013-03-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

It was a glorious first thrift of Spring! My intent was to slow my roll and just check out a couple of sales without spending too much money. And looking back at everything that I found, I spent less than I usually would for this quantity of items.

My absolute favorite find was this wire canning basket with large blue Mason Jars. Because the jars did not have lids they were only $.25 each. The one jar with a lid was from a previous thrifting adventure. And somewhere I have a box of new old stock zinc lids to complete these jars. I saw the wire basket that was used to raise and lower six jars into boiling water in the canning process and I just scooped up the entire lot. Can't you see this as a table centerpiece filled with flowers in each jar!

We also found a lot of pottery pieces today.

The planter in back is by Hull Pottery. The floral frog in front is an old Japanese ceramic piece.
We also found this cool Midcentury Modern Hoenig California pottery piece below. This is a great retro piece in the classic colors of the 60s {think avocado, tomato and mustard}.

Found more Pyrex with lids.

Love finding nice cake stands.

Anyone remember Davy Crockett? Found some milk glass mugs and a bowl.

Found a little plastic Halloween figure to add to my stash and a Thermos in Autumn colors.

Buried under a thick layer of sawdust were these old wooden card catalog drawers. It needs some cleaning but can be a great storage piece.

We found a bunch of other treasures but I wanted to post just the highlights. I have fallen behind in getting items into my Stuff to Treasure store so please bear with me. But in my defense I have been doing a lot of freelance design work lately and even trying to get some crafting projects completed.
_________________

My sister's birthday is next week. I found something awesome for her. If you're reading this and you're my sister then STOP right now because this is a Spoiler Alert!

My sister is a letter writer. Think "snail mail". She collects beautiful old pens and crafts unique envelopes. Last month was National Letter Writing Month and she sent me several unique letters displaying her beautiful calligraphy. So imagine my delight when I found this 100 year old, glass pen and ink holder. There is a date of 1911 on the bottom of the glass. The ink bottle is separate and I don't think I can ship the liquid ink to her anyway. But I thought this pen and ink holder was so perfect for her. The seller was sooooo thrilled that I knew what it was and that it was going to someone who would truly appreciate it.

What an awesome day! I love Spring! Hope everyone had a great day of thrifting.

This is linked to:
From My Front Porch to Yours, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, It's a Very Cherry World, Savvy Southern Style, Stylish Once Again, The Colorado Lady and The Thrifty Groove

Simple Life of Thrifting

2013-03-16T13:42:00.002-07:00

I have been trying to simplify my life lately. I've begun by trying to quiet my thoughts. I tried to thrift only things that complimented what I already had or that peaked my curiousity.

My favorite find was a small apothecary bottle with glass stopper, a Ball jar with glass insert and pink Mercury glass spikes. I have never seen a glass insert for a Ball jar lid before.

We found two cigar boxes filled with tintype photos, old photo cabinet cards and some old foreign money.

I picked up a few pretty hankies and an old red bandanna.

More Pyrex with lids plus an extra lid.

Another really cute Nancy Ann {Hollywood Doll?} dressed in a Dutch outfit.

We also found an old 1943 hand-written diary, some old maps and some vintage children's books with fun illustrations.

So far, this has been a low-stress weekend of thrifting. Maybe quieting my thoughts has opened up opportunities for more good things to come into my life. Now I just need to add more items into my Stuff to Treasure store.

Hope everyone had a great day of thrifting.

Thrifting Keeps Me Sane

2013-03-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

My life is still in a chaotic free fall and the only thing keeping me sane seems to be my family and thrifting.

We didn't have time for any sales this weekend but we were able to wander around a couple of thrift stores. I love when I can find some old treasures that can be repurposed.

This is an old Jacob and Co. Cream Cracker tin. It is in such great condition but the graphics looked old so I bought it hoping that it wasn't a reproduction. It is actually from the 1930s so the condition is excellent for its age. I love the aqua color.

We also found an old Winsor & Newton Paint Brush display rack. Lots of handy uses for this piece.

The last item I found was this old crow. It is missing some feathers but there are a lot of real crows in my neighborhood and I often find their feathers. A little re-feathering before Halloween and he will be great for a spooky display. Dear Handyman couldn't see my vision but I convinced him that it will be a great addition to my Halloween display.

These items will eventually go into my Stuff to Treasure store, except for the crow, which I need to keep to prove to Dear Handyman how perfectly spooky it can look. I hope everyone had a great day of thrifting. Stay sane my dear fellow thrifters!

A Day of Positive Thrifting

2013-03-02T18:46:00.004-08:00

I took Thursday off from work because I had to deal with a very unpleasant situation with a very unreasonable person. But the unreasonable person was acting unreasonably so I ended up with an entire day off from work and was able to attend a really good estate sale instead. {Note: the unreasonable person is in no way related to me.}

I was on the road before sunrise and met up with my friend as we waited for the sale to start. The house was packed and there was just so much stuff to look at. It was amazing. The prices were a little high so I had to be very selective with what I bought.

My favorite finds were several apothecary / pharmacy bottles. I love the large aqua bottle with stopper. The smaller bottle is an old Marly Soap display from a pharmacy.

There was a large selection of Fiesta ware. I think the seller had been an antiques dealer which would explain why there was so many collectibles in the house. I thought this Fiesta Display was unique. It was only available to Fiesta dealers and collectors.

I also found a vintage child's hat stand. It is made of wood and metal and painted in a soft vintage pink color. I'm not sure if this was designed to slide on to a shelf or if it just looks like it can.

I love finding Pyrex with lids especially in turquoise / aqua. This is the Snowflake pattern casserole dish. Pyrex love!

I found three Milk glass vanity jars with metal lids.

I also found two souvenir hankies from France. Ahhh, visions of Paris!

These great finds put me in a better state of mind. I'm just trying to stay positive in an unreasonable world.

Many of these items will be going in to my Stuff to Treasure store. Also, please check out my new Pinterest Boards for inspiration on ways to display or create with vintage items.

I hope everyone has a great weekend of thrifting!

Keep Calm and Thrift On

2013-02-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

My life has been more crazy than usual this past week. I'm just trying to get through everything and still find time to go thrifting. Dear Handyman is just getting over a cold but he insisted on coming with me to a sale this weekend.

My favorite find was this ceramic dog figurine. The little guy has wire glasses, lenticular eyes {eyes appear to change depending on the angle of view} and is holding a book. Hmmm.... I wonder if my dog could learn to read if she had glasses?

I also love finding vintage Halloween items. Here is an old, tin Halloween noisemaker.

We found a few vintage Christmas pieces. One appears to be a tree-topper but the base is rather small.

I also found several glass items. The Swan Bowl is a very thick, opaque glass. There was also some Fire King bowls and a milk bottle marked "Comalac". I don't know about the green vase but it looked interesting.

I will definitely get some of these items into my Stuff to Treasure store as soon as time permits.

Hope everyone had a great day of thrifting.

Spring is in the Air

2013-02-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

Another glorious day in Southern California but I'm not packing up the jackets just yet. But the glorious sunshine feels like Spring has arrived!

After buying the Feather and Spun Cotton Birds last week I decided that they would look nice in a Spring cloche display but the only cloche I had was rather large. So with a bit of thrifting serendipity I came across a glass cheese dish cover that worked perfectly as a small cloche when paired with a vintage cake stand and old lace doily. I just wish that the birds didn't look so realistic because I feel like I have them trapped under glass.

The only other item I thrifted was a very sweet pink aluminum covered cake tray with a silhoutte of a boy and girl. I would guess that this is from the 50s or 60s by the way they are dressed.

I hope everyone had a great day of thrifting. I'm going to go outside and play now.

Love is Inspirational

2013-02-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make something a little different for Dear Handyman on Valentine's Day. I had an idea of using a vintage ruler and a saying like "I love you this much" but I thought that a 12 inch ruler didn't really express exactly how MUCH I love him. So I decided that I would have to design something using a tape measure. And I didn't want it to be too "girly" but it couldn't be too masculine either.

I started with the Sizzix Box, Heart die designed by Eileen Hull. I first adhered some simple Basic Grey paper to matte board and then cut and assembled the heart box. I used some pale pink and brown Distress Inks to add a bit of color.

I placed a vintage tape measure inside of the finished box with just the tip sticking out of the bottom of the heart. I glued a piece of vintage jewelry to the end of the tape measure to bring attention to the tape and to keep it from disappearing back into the box. I'll add a gift card {to a hardware store of course!}

I guess it is a little more "girly" than I originally planned but what's Valentine's Day without a few flowers. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Dies used:

Box, Heart

Tattered Pinecone {flowers}

Festive Greenery

Tattered Banner

Typeset {alphabet}

Mini Hearts Set

Mini Old Jalopy and Arrow Set

Base Tray

Thrifting in the Dark

2013-02-09T15:09:00.001-08:00

We went to one very dim estate sale today. For some reason there was very little lighting both inside the house and in the garage. This was the first time I wished that I had a flashlight with me.

My favorite find was a vintage, unused, anthropomorphic, Smiling Kitchen dish towel in lovely turquoise and lime green. There was also an identical second towel in used condition but just as cute.

In the dim garage I found an aqua and white glass vase. I am not sure if it is a vintage Swedish glass piece but it is such a perfect color.

I found an old Ball Mason jar with a Hellmann's Mayonnaise lid {we only have Best Foods Mayonnaise here in California} and inside were two unidentified objects. Luckily the jar had an old label that read "Cotton and feather birds belonging to Virginia W." I love the little birds but who is "Virginia W." and I hope she doesn't want her birds back.

We found another red wooden utensil tray filled with old "bulldog" clips in various colors. These trays would work well as display shelves.

The last two things I grabbed in the dark garage was a mother-of-pearl handled wick trimmer and a checkerboard pattern darning mushroom. I couldn't see these very well but the shapes looked interesting in the dark.

Everything will be posted in my Stuff to Treasure store as soon as possible.

I also want to give a warm Thank You to Janee of Yellow Bird, Yellow Beard for featuring my Stuff to Treasure store on her blog. She is a fellow Storenvy seller with a really beautiful selection of fun items. Check out her store for some sweet inspiration.

I hope everyone had a great day of thrifting. Hope your hunting was brighter than ours.

This is linked to:

Its a Very Cherry World and Stylish Once Again

A Perfect Thrifting Day

2013-02-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

This was one of those perfect thrifting days; great treasures, good prices, friendly people and not too crowded.

I had three favorite finds today. My most favorite find was a set of old alphabet blocks. Some stack together to create figures but the alphabet silhouettes are my favorite. Behind the blocks is a real slate chalkboard.

My second favorite find was an old Czechoslovakia, Stars & Stripes glass ornament. I've never seen these before. It is a bell shape, flocked and has a piece that dangles below.

My third favorite find was a duck sewing box. A pair of scissors creates a beak. The wings are pin cushions. There is a little drawer to hold notions and pegs to hold thread and a thimble. This would make hand sewing such a pleasant pasttime.

There were so many other great treasures. Lots of sewing notions with boxes of buttons and cans of wooden spools. Some of the spools had carved patterns on the ends.

We found a stack of crochet doilies. These can make such a nice colorful display.

The wooden blocks came in an old wire basket, seen here with a wire card display.

There were several vintage glass containers: a Libbey Pinecone Carafe and an old fish bowl terrarium.

I've seen antlers before but buyers usually scoop them up before I can get them. This time I was lucky.

And lastly I found an old Samsonite suitcase that matches one I had bought over 20 years ago at the Rosebowl Swapmeet. This one is a lot bigger and a lot cheaper. If I wait 20 more years maybe I will find a matching Train Case and have a complete set.

Finding these treasures was so much fun but the very best part was chatting with such nice people while waiting for the sale to start. I like days like today. It was a perfect thrifting day. I hope everyone had a nice day of thrifting. I will get some of these items in my Stuff to Treasure store as quickly as I can.

Thrilled to be Featured at:

Stylish Once Again

This is linked to:

Coastal Charm, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, It's a Very Cherry World, Mod Vintage Life, Savvy Southern Style, Sir Thrift a Lot, and Stylish Once Again

Weatherproof Thrifting

2013-01-26T15:32:00.001-08:00

We woke to a wet, soggy morning. This kind of put a damper on my garage sale agenda so we switched to Plan B: Indoor Rummage Sales.

My favorite find was another Princess phone. I love the look of these and this one works perfectly. Yes, yes, yes... I will get this and my other phone in my store as soon as possible.

We found some industrial, metal, library card catalog file drawers in great condition. Plus we got a wall file unit. This would make a cool, industrial / retro magazine rack.

And now for a little bit of Japanese trivia. My mother had a few old Japanese Kamakura Lacquerware pieces so I grew up handling these every time they needed dusting. I know how they feel compared to modern plastic reproductions. So when I found these two tea trays at an estate sale I felt a need to rescue them. Kamakura is an area in Japan where these carved lacquer pieces are made. If you've ever seen photos of the Giant Buddha statue sitting outside then that is from the Kamakura area. I don't know much about Kamakuraware but I do know that these are carved wood. The whisk in this photo is actually a Tea Whisk used in Japanese tea ceremonies.

Hope everyone had a great day of thrifting.

Honored to be Featured at:

Stylish Once Again

This is linked to:
Brambleberry Cottage, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, From My Front Porch to Yours, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, It's a Very Cherry World, Mod Vintage Life, Savvy Southern Style, Sir Thrift a Lot, Stylish Once Again, The Colorado Lady and The Thrifty Groove

I {heart} California Thrifting

2013-01-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

We have been having some unusually cold weather here in Southern California but today it was close to 80 degrees and absolutely gorgeous. It was a wonderful day to head in to Los Angeles and do some thrifting.

We found a lot of interesting vintage treasures at an estate sale in the hills above Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles. I added photos of the area at the end of this post.

I'm always looking for mid-century modern ceramics so I was thrilled to find this Arabia of Finland ceramic bowl.

I also found this vintage French salad spinner. It operates like the old tin top mechanism and has a great shabby chic look. The spinner can also be removed so it can be used just as a basket.

Found two Tensor desk lamps that look so retro and work perfectly.

I think this is a spinning display/storage rack for 8 track tapes. I just liked the mid-mod design.

I also found a large basket of wooden spools and a box of old air mail envelopes.

I've lived in Southern California all of my life and have only been to Elysian Park to watch the Dodgers a few times as a child. It was great to see how beautiful the area looks today.

Above is the view looking Northwest towards Griffith Park in the distance.

Beautiful Elysian Park in Chavez Ravine facing South.

On the Pasadena Freeway towards Pasadena. The Rose Bowl is a few miles from here.

On the way to get some breakfast we came across a movie production crew filming at a High School in Pasadena. This is one of those days that I love California!

I've added many of these items to my store so please stop by and check it out. I hope everyone had a great day of thrifting.

This is linked to:
Coastal Charm, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, It's a Very Cherry World, Mod Vintage Life, Sir Thrift a Lot and Stylish Once Again

I am honored to be Featured at:
Stylish Once Again

My Moment of Fame via Tim Holtz

2013-01-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

As if working with Tim wasn't reward enough. Or having him invite me to stand next to him while he demonstrated at the Sizzix booth on Sunday wasn't enough to make me swoon. But then he introduces me and acknowledges my work ON CAMERA!

And thanks to his generousity and the talents of Mark Giles and Christine Urias of Scrap Time and Sizzix for letting me design Tim's catalog and packaging... I have a brief moment of fame in the papercrafting industry.

Check out the video while I finish swooning for a bit.

Thanks Christine!

CHA Day 3 - Vintage and Repurposed Displays

2013-01-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

I love how vintage items were everywhere at CHA. I shot some photos but I apologize ahead of time because I may not have noted which booths had these delightful ideas.

I may have to steal this first idea because it is so clever. I think this is from Cosmo Cricket's booth because I see that cute chef on the card. They used a vintage drawer front as a shelf. Awesome!

I know that I just threw out a bunch of these old wooden slacks hangers. I never would have thought to use them as a display item. Simple but very clever!

And speaking of hangers and clever displays, here is how Tim Holtz used old wooden hangers to display artwork. Notice the ladder holding the hanging lights. Brilliant!

This is another one of my friend Debi's clever booth displays. It is an umbrella with a chandelier spliced into the handle. This wouldn't work if you were superstitious about an open umbrella in your house but you might want to make an exception for this clever idea.

I loved this collection of old clocks on the wall. I could see myself collecting these.

Finally, I was amazed to see the original drawings that were used for the new Tim Holtz stamps for Stampers Anonymous. These were displayed on a drawing table. I don't think I've ever seen original sketches displayed at a show before. I was priviledged to hear Tim's Business Manager, Mario Rossi tell me the whole backstory of how these were created.

I hope some of these images inspired you. I guess I go to the show more to meet people in the industry and see how creative people display things rather than to see what is new from the different manufacturers. Many informative bloggers and podcasters have all of the new offerings covered. I am just a Crafting "Groupie / Stalker / Super Fan" that takes pictures with crafting super stars and odd things on walls. But, oh wow, am I inspired!

CHA Day 2 - New Products, Sweet Colors

2013-01-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

I am normally a rather shy person but I have discovered an entirely different side of me when I am at the Craft and Hobby Association tradeshow. Maybe it is because I love the industry so dearly that I am not afraid to go up and introduce myself to people I don't even know.

There is just so much to see that I often forget to take photos. I found that I took an equal number of photos of displays as I did of new products that delighted me. So today's post will be about some new products and tomorrow I will share photos of how some booths were decorated using vintage treasures that are so dear to my heart.

I noticed that many of the colors shown could be described as "cheery vintage". This is the Vintage Market line from Sizzix. My friend Jen drew these amazingly sweet dies. There are button cards, old scales, Mason jars and many other designs. And my other friend Debi created the samples and styled the display. It is all so inspiring.

Another example of cheery vintage colors is this line from Cosmo Cricket. Wouldn't these chef images look great to decorate recipe cards! I loved the colors and retro images.

This is a line from Echo Park. I love the little girl illustration on the bottom left and the soft pastel colors. How sweet is this!!!

These adorable baby lines are by Kaiser Craft. They look like sweet old baby cards.

If you follow Tim Holtz's blog then you know that he in introducing a line of stamps of sketched images for Stampers Anonymous. Here is a display of some cards and tags made with those stamps.

And finally, with Valentine's day right around the corner I wanted to share these amazing Valentine's themed cards using Tim Holtz's dies from Sizzix.

Tomorrow I will share some of the vintage displays I found all around the CHA showroom. Vintage is still so popular.

CHA Winter 2013 - Star Struck!

2013-01-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

I already admitted that I am a Paper Crafting "Groupie / Stalker / Super Fan" so it shouldn't surprise anyone when I say that I had a great time visiting with some wonderful Stars of the paper crafting industry at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show today. I will share more photos of the displays and new products later but today's post is all about Star gazing.

My favorite super star is the oh-so-talented Tim Holtz. I am holding the Sizzix Alterations catalog that I designed for him. He really is absolutely brilliant and so creative. Love love love working with this guy!

Karen Burniston is another designer that amazes me. I got to know her a few years ago when I designed her logo. I love how she thinks in 3 dimensions and makes things pop!

Another designer that I adore is Eileen Hull. I don't think anyone could be any sweeter than Eileen.

I just met Brenda Walton but I feel like I've known her for a while. I worked on all of her Sizzix packaging and her attention to detail is amazing.

That's it for the Star gazing. I will be returning to the show again tomorrow so I will have more photos of new products and some awesome display ideas. Vintage display ideas were everywhere.

A Marriage Proposal and Great Thrifting

2013-01-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

I had a good laugh today at a Living Estate Sale when the son jokingly proposed marriage. First I had a nice chat with his mother, then asked him to empty lots of boxes because I just wanted the containers. He laughed and said that I asked him to do so much stuff that he should just marry me. I told him that I would have to check with Dear Handyman first. When I mentioned this to Dear Handyman, his response was "Well, how much of a discount would he give us on our purchase." That's my Dear Handyman... a quick wit and always looking for a bargain!

So my favorite find today was this vintage Typewriter table. This has been on my Thrift Wish List {which I keep forgetting to put in writing.}

We also found some vintage Pyrex bowls.

Aluminum cake carrier with an acorn pattern.

Several bottles, some marked "Japan" on the bottom.

Several vintage Christmas treasures.

And here are some of the containers that I had asked to be emptied. Don't you just love the aqua blue colors.

I am going to try and post most of these items in my Stuff to Treasure store. There might be some delay because tomorrow I am going to CHA {Craft and Hobby Association trade show} and will post photos of the show as soon as possible.

Hope everyone had a great day of thrifting! Did anyone else get a marriage proposal?

This is linked to:
Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, Sir Thrift a Lot, Stylish Once Again and Under the Table and Dreaming

I am honored to be featured at:

Stylish Once Again