JunkYardGypsies Vintage Collectibles - JunkYard Gypsy Style

Doing Sushi 70's Style in a Rad Retro Red Sweater Coat

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:14:00 +0000

While out antiquing in St. Joesph, Michigan with my best girlfriend we stopped in at Elephants Breath. Good thing it started raining while we were in there, because we couldn't stop gushing at all our Awesome finds. Like this Red Sweater Coat from the 70's.
A rad, retro find for sure!

And what better to place to wear it than out out for a night of sushi at Kona Jack's Fish Market and Sushi Bar for the best sushi combo of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp, octopus and eel. Followed by some more eel, yellowtail & beef tataki. Drooling while I write this. "Sushi Every Day" < should be a song!

Love all this yummy goodness. Reminds me of Stan's kid's making sushi dinner for us.

What a treat that was!

I so want to have a sushi party, and have each guest make their our own sushi roll to share. Think I'm going to look over PunchBowl's site for idea's on how to host a sushi party.

Back to the red sweater dress coat. It came with a matching red knit belt, but I thought it looked better with these rad 70's belts.

The Alligator belt was the choice for the evening.

Then again I kind of like the Jeweled Urim/Thummin aspect of the Aaron Breastplate.

Which one do you like best?

Ciao! JunkYardGypsyStyle

Tweed Poncho Villa Goes Out to Lafayette Eatery

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 05:52:00 +0000

Threw on my vintage poncho & headed out to have a lovely lunch with my friend at the Buttery Shelf Eatery.

Beautiful day to wear my vintage tweed poncho

This quaint Victorian home, dressed in colonial decor, sits at the corner of 10th & Main street in Lafayette, Indiana. The tables are all dressed with pewter plates, goblets & pitchers.

Loved the small intimate rooms, but it was so quiet, too quiet in fact.

They really could use some soft music playing in the background. And as cute as those pewter goblets are you'll be hard pressed to get more than two sips out of them. So make sure you've beefed up on your arm curls for lifting that pewter pitcher.

We both ordered the pot roast special and it was delicious, but they served it with instant mashed potatoes. Wait staff was very nice, but service was surprisingly slow. Especially since we ordered a special that was already prepared. No one checked back till we were 3/4th's of way through with the meal, even though they weren't that busy. When we got ready to pay our bill they didn't have any change, so they told us we could have it for free. Really? No Really! What else can you do when you open up business with out a bank? But we had enough ones to get them started. It's all for a good cause, because they always give a portion of their proceeds to some charity work in town. Plus their prices are awesome, only $12 for two people. You can't even eat at McDonald's for that price! Buttery Eatery is only open from 11 to 2 on Sat & 2 other days during the week.

Bit of JunkYard Gypsy Style to match up with my Vintage Tweed Poncho

Ciao!

Picking & Junking ~ A BeeHive Teapot / Tea Kettle Is it a Rare Antique?

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:48:00 +0000

I've been sitting (well, Not literally) on this

Beehive teapot or Tea Kettle if you so choose,

since my trip to Davenport, Iowa. When we went to go see the "American Pickers"(Antique Archaeology)

from the History Channel.

Whom, we didn't get to see :(

Mind you Mike, Frank & Danielle were all in town that weekend, but they're such big Celebrity's now,

that you only get to see them at paid events or perhaps if they are Picking at your door.

If they are picking at your door, YOU have a Serious Junking Problem! Just like We Do, since that's why we picked Davenport, Iowa for a mini vacation. And guess what we did while we were there? Yep, we went Junking!

OK, so we went River Boat Gambling Too!

Lost our butts, but whatever, we had fun.

Of course I found (just by chance mind you) a town wide sale just over the bridge in Milan, IL. I know it just sounds wrong, doesn't it - especially being from Indiana. What's even worse is I found an auction house that was having a sale that night, that we went back to later that evening. Yes, Saturday night, on our vacation & we're spending it at an auction house. What's really bad is we got like this VIP treatment. I didn't find this out till much later, because the rest of the gang had already signed in & I'm by nature such a lollygagger. So I'm signing in, like 30 minutes later than everyone else & they ask me if I'm with the Indiana Tour Group? Which I say No, not knowing what that is or who they are & thinking it's Ironic that there is a group of people from Indiana that are here in this small little town on a Saturday night to attend this quaint, but podunk Auction. So after checking in the one of auctioneers, stops me as I'm leaving. Mind you he's kind of cute, and said "Hey, I hear you're from Valpo. I'm from Valpo too! And you know the Birkey's (family name)." Yep, lived next door & around several of them. They're like a plague up here in the region. Not a bad thing, love em dearly, but just saying, you can't grow up in Porter County without knowing a Birkey or two or at least hearing about them. Now Led Zeppelin Dazed and Confused is rushing into my head; how the heck does he know all this? So I locate the family, and find out that our whole life history has been has been shared with the auctioneers & we're all blood brothers now. Good thing cause, cousin Tom is spending like BIG Time & doesn't hurt to be noticed. Did I mention I was out with professionals? Tom ate up ALL the jewelry, like gosh, $400 worth? I don't know, but he got just about all of it. Let's just say it took him several trips to the car to carry it all out.

My partner in crime, whom I sat next too all night was this lady from Davenport, Iowa who said she does a lot of shows (guessing fairs) in Chicago. We kept bidding on the same items. Meaning I was driving up her price. Bless her heart, she bought me several items to take home with me. "Oh here, you just take this girlfriend, I didn't want this part of it anyway" Saw her & her hubby loading up many items that they had won that night. Heck, she even had me go check up on him at one point, to make sure he was doing their business right :0

So anyway I snagged this antique, guess I should say vintage, BeeHive Teapot or Tea Kettle.

I think it's from the 1950's, but I'm not quite sure. From my research, I think It might be a McKee. It has a BakeLite knob. The ribbed glass handle & body is marked from a 4 cup to a 10 cup level. The bottom is very cool all dimpled for heat transference & marked USA GlasBake 104 on the bottom.

I did a Google image search for a BeeHive Teapot & I'm not seeing a thing, but then again with them trying to cut out the small independent business owners, I'm not surprised.

So I'm hoping someone see's this, and has some more information that they can swing my way. I think it's just adorable. I use to sell Princess House & they had a glass teapot with an infuser - which everyone thought was so cool. Just a new take on an old idea. Soon this old tea kettle / tea pot is going to find a new home, since I don't drink tea. But feel free to grab yourself a cup and check out the related articles on teapots, and If you have any information on this quirky old pot or if you just like old teapots, please leave a comment, & I'll join you with a cup of Java.

Ciao Caravan Cruisers!

Praying Mantis Hitches Ride on Steamer Trunk

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Wasn't planning on going out junking on National Garage Sale Day, but that's what happens when you have a hot fudge sundae for breakfast. I couldn't resist all the signs. Signs, signs, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind, telling me I might miss a potential a treasure if I don't follow the arrow at the next neon cardboard 8 to 5 sign! So I succumbed, much like I did to the hot fudge sundae, and I made the right hand turn off the main drag into garage sale heaven. I wasn't really in the mood to buy anything, but this fabulous older gentleman talked Himself down from the original asking price of $80 to $25.00 & I came home with this Huge steamer trunk, 5 large Ball canning jars, 3 small ball canning jars, all with glass lids & bailing wire to clamp over the top - plus an insulator! After he talked me into buying this monster steamer trunk, of which I have absolutely no use for, nor do I know how I would ever ship it (probably put it up on Craigslist),

I now have to get it home.

So I go home to get the pickup truck. Well once he saw I had a truck, I ended up carting out three end tables & two bird cages all for a mere $10. Either he is an excellent salesman or I have developed a serious junking problem. Or more likely I'm just a sucker for sweet old guy who's begging me to take the crap so he doesn't have to move it all back into his house. Back home we start to unload our treasure & I see that someone has hitched a ride to our house.

Someone being a Cute Baby Praying Mantis!

Awe, look at those eyes.

Such a tiny nymph, I'm glad I spotted her & she didn't get crushed in the move. If she's lucky perhaps she'll find mate around here. Then she can bite his head off. Ferocious little insects. Wouldn't want to meet her on a dark leaf.

Ciao!

Fireworks, Fireworks & more Fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:46:00 +0000

These last two weeks it's really been tough to focus, on anything! It's a post vacation & pre-vacation time period, with lots of weird stuff to send me drifting. Like the pain in my jaw that lasted way longer than I expected. Oh did I tell you about wiping out on a wave & being drug to shore on my face? Sorry I guess I left that out, anyway I had to have emergency dental work, because I busted my back molar in two. Do you think maybe that wave slammed my face fairly hard? Wow, the power of water! I'm just glad I still have both of my front teeth & my nose wasn't broken.

Then I got to do something I had been dreading since October. I went in for a potential biopsy on my breast. It aspirated, so a biopsy wasn't necessary and the results came back benign. I was doing the happy dance over that, but it still hurts & it's been a week.

Along with that we've been alternating the cars into the mechanic's shop for the last 4 days. Yet I'll I can do is dream about next week. I'm attending my 30 year reunion

(STOP ~ do not start doing math).

My two best girlfriends & I get to hang out for a whole week, along with a slew of other very dear friends, some whom I've known my entire life. I attended a very small county school, and most of us started kindergarten there and went all the way through 12th grade. These people are like family in the sense that we've known each other most of our lives. I'm so excited to see everyone, I'm just busting at the seams!

So If things come in three's then the Fireworks should be over, enjoy the slide show.

Make sure to look for the jellyfish and the knife chasing the lotus towards the end - they're kind of cool.

Ciao!

Taste of Tippecanoe Lafayette, Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Taste of Tippecanoe

Lafayette /West Lafayette Indiana - biggest party of the year.

5 stages - 20 bands of various genre; 42 restaurants slinging goodies as fast as they can for the swelling crowds.

Taste of Tippecanoe is a great night to run into old acquaintances. But it's getting so big (over the bridge into Tapawingo Park on the west side) that it seems to be bit more difficult to bump into friends.

What I really like about the Taste is that most of vendors are local restaurants, with the exception of a few like Applebee's, Cold Stone Creamery & Lord have mercy McDonalds was there. We really need to Quit giving our money to these big chain restaurants. There are lots of local vendors begging for your patronage. Their food is better and they treat you like family once you get to know them.

Of course I have to stop and visit my favorite bars while I'm downtown. One of them happens to be owned by a good buddy of mine, a former Region friend Jeff Haman.

That's him & his girlfriend standing out front.

I was So impress that he stood out front all day

to greet his guest. ~ Kudo's Jeff ;)

The Knickerbocker Saloon is the oldest bar in Indiana.

This bar sits in the old Larh Hotel. The very same one Ulysses S. Grant rode the train up to - (the tracks use to run right in front of the Knickerbocker) to give his campaign speech for president. I've had the opportunity & pleasure to search every crevasse of this beautiful hotel from the basement and the lower, original old alley (where they kept pins for the fresh live stock to be butchered) to the top of the roof in the wee morning hours to watch the Amish girls setting up their stand for the farmers market. It truly is a wonderful piece of architecture - especially that illustrious Marble stair case.

Knickerbocker Saloon use to be a barber shop/saloon.

Stop by their website if you'd like to learn more about the history of the hotel. It also so has some good true horror/ghost stories like the guest who guillotined himself ~ Boo!

So I finally made it into the Black Sparrow (yeah I know how long it's been open). This place would so have been one my regular haunts. Love the ambiance & music, and I hear the foods not bad either.

Nice how they exposed & play up the early construction.

As we were leaving the Black Sparrow we immediately bump into Tom Fisher & his wife. Tom Fisher's grandfather use to have a Tailor Shop at that location long ago.

Weird that they happen to be the 1st people we saw.

And their guest look like they have a lot of fun. Thought she walked in with a lighted, rainbow dildo - but I guess it was just some kind of glow stick, since I saw a bunch of little kids outside playing with them. ;)

They we're good sports. Isn't she a doll?

Taste always ends with a big fireworks show. Something to whet your whistle for the 4th of July.

Ooops almost forgot these two cuties.

Shooting t-shirts to the crowd

Ciao!

Round the Fountain Art Show 2011 Lafayette, Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:00 +0000

The 38th Annual Round the Fountain Art Show at the Tippecanoe County Court house in Lafayette Indiana

was able to start and finish as the eminent storm clouds held off just long enough to let everyone feast their eyes on some amazing talent.

Don't forget you can click on pictures to enlarge for a better view.

Every year I have my favorite and this years Fab Find is photographer & artist Chris Maher - Fine Art Nude Photography from Lambertville, MI

This is the display that drew me in

And this would be the one that Chris would describe as my "A-ha" moment

He was also the most joyful, enthusiastic & informative artist I met that day. He really wanted you to know about his work - how & why he creates. He says it best “ I Create photographs that reveal a woman’s beauty and celebrate her intimate connection to the eternal.”

This is not playboy fluff. These are some of the the most tasteful and creative nudes I have ever seen.

Hubby spotted the one that resembled a flame and insisted that I photograph it. Chris asked him if he noticed the bodies. Hubby looked at him and said "Duh". Chris said it is amazing how few people do. I can understand that because the "Flame" is so perfectly formed.

Just amazing

To view more of Chris Maher's work visit DreamsOfTheGoddess.com

I wish the lighting had been better so that I could show off this artist who wants to share the love of his craft. He is Berry Davis co-owner of Neptune Hot Glass from Celina, OH.

Berry Davis & Collette Fortin use heavy precious metal to create solid glass sculptures, to portray ocean themes. Berry and Collette spend the entire winter making these beautiful glass statues and then spend the summer traveling around to art shows selling them.

Ecology is alive and well in the artist community. With the purchase of any of his sculptures that have "Save Our Seas" etched on it, he will donate 5% to aquatic preservation.

Neptune Hot Glass doesn't currently have a website, but you can contact them by email at colletteinneptune@bright.net Each piece is it's own unique creation.

When I spotted Lindsey Elizabeth Tull - a painter from Shelbyville, IN. - I was thinking how awesome this would look in my living room!

"Paintings filled with Light & Imagination"

I'd say she's having a Whale of good time. Ok, so it's not a good pun, but it's the best I could do after a day like this.

Visit LindseyTullStudios.com

Bronze Indian Sculptures by James A. Ford

from Richmond, IL

Jumping in & out of tents my flash didn't go off.

My pictures don't do his pieces justice, so please stop by his website JamesAFord.com to see how exquisite these sculpture really are

You can also Like his FaceBook Page

Love the colors in this Randall Scott Harden painting

from Noblesville, IN.

And it says "Vintage"! Another piece that works really well for me. Randall's website was not up and working at the time this was written, hopefully he'll have that corrected soon.

Interesting Ceramic Wall Art by Steve & Miky Cunningham - Cunningham Pottery - W. Des Moines, IA

Love all the different textures and colors

Kyle Spears Photography out of Nashville, IN.

is an Awesome Photographer

His booth is always bustling with activity

The crowds really try and absorb every detail

he captures with his camera.

He practically had to kick us out of his booth

Definitely worth making a trip to his website KyleSpears.com to see all the wonderful photographs

He also has a FaceBook Fan Page

Apologies to Deborah Keese and Alan Freund from Ann Arbor, MI for drooling all over their counter, but these burl wood boxes are the bomb!

The woodworking craftsmen ship is outstanding.

All natural - No stains are used. Pieces are cut from solid blocks of wood so there are no joints.

Visit BurlWoodBox.com to see more of their

jewelry & trinket boxes

Contemporary Abstract Textured Paintings by John Blower from Fennville, MI

To see more of John's paintings visit BlowersStudios.com

Wagar Glass by Mark Wagar from Riga, MI

Yummy

Mark does not have a website but you can reach him via email at wagarglass@hotmail.com

Thoroughly enjoyed Mixed media artist Darron Chadwick from Carmel, IN

Darron uses actual old comic book pages, vintage postcards & stamps (not reproductions).

Learn more about Darron's art at ChadwicksStudios.com

Really like Sculptor Thomas Yano from Vermilion, OH. Unfortunately he does not have a website or email address to obtain scheduled upcoming shows where he is participating. Phone number is 440-967-4623

He works mostly in bronze, brass and copper.

JT Dunphy - Woodturner from Mount Vernon, OH.

"He uses rescued hardwoods from storms & landscaping casualties thus the business name Turned Treasure"

My friend inspecting Turned Treasure's fine craftsman ship

No website but you can email him at JDunphy1@columbus.RR.com

Ceramic Artist - Paul M. Jeselskis from Michigan City, IN.

Designs functional & decorative porcelain pottery

You can view more of his pieces at Pauljeselskis.com

Some musicians popped in this year

to add a little flavor to the festivities.

Turned out to be a very pleasant day. However, in the midst of all the cavorting, I got home, only to realize we had not bought one single thing to brag about! What were we thinking? Of course, I do have their addresses! Now to decide which one - hummm? My living room is Blue, Yellow, Orange - I have the "Hair" album on display. Can you guess which picture I decided on? I'll give you a hint -

It will work really well with my strobe light.

Hope you get a chance to go out and visit

with your local artist this summer.

Ciao!

KJ the JunkYard Gypsy

How to eat a Cupcake

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Tue, 24 May 2011 08:26:00 +0000

This is how you're suppose to eat a cupcake

Not like this

Note: No frosting on the face - Not even a sprinkle

Cupcake eating is an art

that requires all the yummy goop on top to be removed by squishing it through your fingers & mushing it up on your lips so that you not only taste the sweet sugar but also feel

the whole frosting experience.

And you don't actually have to eat the cake, before requesting another cupcake. The cake is merely a means of transporting the sugary fluff.

So next time you have a cupcake -

Dive in and find your inner child

Cupcake Cheers to you!

Antiques & Vintage Treasures JunkYard Gypsy Style

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Sat, 21 May 2011 01:48:00 +0000

Up bright & early this weekend to do a little

treasure hunting.

This is just a small sampling of what I scored.

I consider this early 1900's child's artist easel

a touchdown! The upper portion use to hold a roll of paper to doodle on, of which the writing section is about 3 inches in height (not much doodling room). The desk section folds up and becomes a blackboard. Very sturdy, very cute.

That's my new lamp I scored at auction, that hubby had to go home and collect the truck for since I had already filled up the car. Hubby says - Note to self - "Do not leave wife at auction all by herself to retrieve truck, because she will have filled up the truck by the time you get back"!

Note to hubby - don't be raining on my

happy dance auction winnings.

Had to have this metal lamp for the cool beanie helmet - but when I got it home I found out it's way cooler than I thought because it's an adjustable tilt!

I painted the last one red. Any suggestions on what color to paint this one? Oh, and my free standing birdcage which needs a redo as well. Perplexed on what color to paint that as well.

Springed rocking horse has paint wear, but it's in excellent condition for it's age. Fisher Price musical Farris Wheel with the little people guy still churning out tunes! Some retro bowed-tined mirror in need of a paint job. Blinky eye doll (can't resist them) in the Box! With her full wedding garb.

I'm going to use the old antique clock case to create some shadow box art. Obviously something about time - think I'll save that for a winter project.

Found Bert & Ernie's Sesame Street house set at an unadvertised yard sale. I love unadvertised sales, I swear they have the best stuff. Just an ole (I use that lovingly - cause I resemble that remark) hippie couple down the street (he looked like a Prof from Purdue - braided beard - loved it) unloading their shed cause it seem like a good day to let go of some stuff. I spent over $30.00 just at their sale.

I probably could have spent the day with them & kept buying because she kept dragging out more stuff. I think I thought I was in heaven. So anyway I picked up the Fisher Price Choo Choo, tin toy top, and the 1950's puzzle and MADE myself leave the premises. I'm so tempted to go back, knock on their door and do the Picker TV thing.

I'll let you know if get that brave.

So take that pile and quadruple it and those my finds from the last 3 weekends. I have a lot of listing to do! Now if I could only teach hubby new tricks-

sit, stay, list.

Ciao! My gypsy caravan friends ~

May your Junking endeavors lead you to Fab finds!

Foxes & Phloxes & Bees Oh My

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Sat, 14 May 2011 02:48:00 +0000

Foxes

and Phloxes

And Bees,

Oh My!

Just some nature shot's out at the cabin last weekend. Rhonda & Steve had 6 baby foxes right outside their back door, but I only got to capture one on film. They have a tunnel from one side of the hill to the other, so we're hoping that perhaps the others were over there, and no coyotes had them for dinner.

Just a little fuzz ball of fur

Fox hole is right in front of the log

Baby Fox Pups - they're just so Cute!

Wild Canary


Turkey Vultures. Felt like I was trying to shoot skeet photographing them.

Busy Bumble Bee

Finally caught him in flight

Just because I liked the texture of his wings

Bee Butt

Lilac's - one of my favorites

Hope you're enjoying Spring!

Ciao

KJ - the JunkYard Gypsy

Morel Mushroom Madness - a May Day Treat

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:01:00 +0000

They call basketball March Madness - well just let the warm weather hit at the beginning of spring and round here in Indiana, it’s Morel Mushroom Madness. Walk into a store, a bar, or get a few locals gathered at a garage sale and they start talking Morel Mushrooms – how much so & so got, where they found them (they lie about that part), how big they are etc…I never knew folks could talk so much about a mere mushroom. But a morchella mushroom, is not an average mushroom, oh no, a morel mushroom can only be obtained during a certain time of year. And to date, they can Not be cultivated successfully; (plus they cannot be mistaken for something that will cause an agonizing death) so they are highly prized and fervently sought after. Those in the know (and with the Eye) guard their secret mushroom haunts and hunting abilities.

This would be considered the Morel Motherload –

I could only dream about stumbling across something like this!

Many of the people who stopped by for the garage sale (after spying the beautiful wooded setting) asked if we had been out hunting for morels. “Not yet, but as soon as this sale is over it’s the 1^st thing on our agenda.” Steve headed out 1^st while we were still manning the sale and came back with two. They were Huge! I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to get out there and start hunting. After the sale we decided to check in the opposite direction, and cover the front part of the woods first. We searched & searched to no avail. So we headed back to the area where he found the first two and Bingo I found my 1^st morel.

And not too far away another one!

After that my luck ran dry and I resorted to photographing other types of fungus.

Do you see him sitting in that log? This is it up-close. Like some deformed figure.

While watching this cute little snail truck across this log,

This little guy was much easier to shoot than that bubblebee

Steve scored three more!

I would have been happy with my two shrooms, but my friends graciously sent me home with the whole lot.

The biggest was 6” including the stem, about 4” for just the head. 7 mushrooms total - more than enough to get my morel mushroom fix.

So are you a Morel Mushroom Hunter?

Leave me a comment & tell us how you fared.

I heard it was a bumper crop this year!

Ciao!

Indiana Garage Sales Amish Style

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Sun, 08 May 2011 04:34:00 +0000

Spent some time with my friend’s at their log cabin in Delphi, IN. They’re putting their home on the market this summer. So if you enjoy the ride and your looking for a place to hide this be it, baby! It’s about a 30-minute drive from Lafayette.

Thursday morning on my way up, I decide to stop in the town of Delphi to take a quick peek in side one of their antique stores, which sits directly across from the courthouse. I could have stayed for hours but, I knew my friends were waiting for me, so I did a 10 min peruse through the store. Upon leaving I get to see a guy, in an orange jumpsuit, being hauled back to jail.

Pull out and go around the block. While I’m waiting in line, I get to sit behind a semi hauling Pigs to... (I’m almost positive)

Indiana Packers Corporation – (pigs slaughtered on site/distributor). Canned, Frozen, Kosher (really? please explain), Salted or Unsalted Pork. Unintentional plug for my buddies working the packer’s plant in Delphi.

But wait it get better! So I’m out there to help them with a Garage Sale. They have like 13 acres in BFE, and it take like 5 minutes just to get up their driveway – Ok, I’m exaggerating just a bit. Sale is at 8am – Nothing unusual there, except our 1^st customers of the day are some Leedyites. And I'm sure most of you are wondering what a Leedyite is; a Leedyite is similar in dress to Amish or German Baptist. But there are many different sects that have emerged from that culture from which the Leedyite derives. It's complicated, and can not be distinguished by appearance, you normally have to have an understanding of the history of the religious culture and family name recognition is a big bonus.

(Jockeying their horse and buggy into position)

I had to grab my camera and start snapping away. I’m laughing hysterically (on the inside mind you – not out loud) thinking – Yep we’re off to fast start this morning! When my friend reprimands me and says “Hey they don’t appreciate having their photograph taken”. I immediately stop and rush inside to dispose of the camera. I wasn’t aware that they forbid cameras & mirrors, as it is a reflection of vanity ~ (So True). Except…and I’ll reveal as I go on.

So they walk up to the house from the middle part of the drive. They didn’t pull the horse & carriage up to the pavement, but parked them in the woods. We exchange pleasantries and after a bit of shopping I approach the gentleman and asked if it would be all right if I took a picture of his horse and carriage, and he said I may.

And that is where photography is not so much acceptable to them (because It’s modern technology) but tolerated or allowed because it has to do with nature (for lack of a better word) and not the soul. I tend to think of it along the line of some Native Americans not wanting to be photographed for fear of stealing their soul.

Her sale went very well, and I helped save a two items, a 1971 Barbie house & Marx train set. She said that is why she sent for me, but we both know it was for my parking attendant extraordinaire abilities. Just try maneuvering 7 cars with only 4 parking spots on a single lane. I even had to jump into peoples cars, back them up and turn around for them!

So, Any who...I didn’t want to make this one post excruciatingly long so this will be a 3 part post – Next up are the baby Foxes & Phloxes, and Morel Mushrooms Madness.

Wishing you long Open Roads and

Wheels to carry you there.

Ciao!

KJ the JunkYard Gypsy

Flower Press - Drying Flowers Naturally

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:49:00 +0000

So Spring is here, I can tell by all the rain. Ah, Spring - It's like a good party that summer has to dry out.
So with all the fresh flower blooms dancing in the rain - I decided I need a flower press instead of using all of our heaviest books. Because, as hubby reaches for "Mathematics - A Human Endeavor" and I tell him No, no you can't read that it has a flower drying between it and "The Illustrated Concordance of the Bible". His look indeed mandated a flower press. But come on - really, when was the last time he ever reached for that book! Bigger question Why!
So he proceeds to gather some scrap wood and makes me a flower press.

Note it has a handle, so that I can carry it.

To where, I don't know. Maybe just in case I need to press on the spot. But it's kind of nice because I could hang it. But scrap wood looking like that - who would? Or Wood?

So I thought I would photograph it and put it on FaceBook. Just a quickie post - no big deal, right.
(Kind of looks like a tombstone for the flowers in front of it.)
Till one of my twitter followers suggested that I should do a Blog post. Well, now I can't very well show an UGLY flower press! So I had to pretty it up. (Men, they're always causing more work for me!) Who knows maybe that's what hubby said when he was cutting the scrap board for me? So I pulled out my vintage greeting cards and vintage wallpaper along with some other embellishments

and proceeded to plan my design. Decided it would just be easier to wrap it like a package. Chose the more subtle fleur de lis pattern to match the main vintage greeting card.

Did a little cutting and trimming; A Lot of gluing, and WaLa

A flower press in a pear blossom tree!

And in the grass

And in the living room.

I kindly removed last falls remnants from between the books (some leaves and butterfly wings from a fatal car crash) to store them in a more Appropriate place. Thank you honey. Tomorrow I tackle the Easter daffodils and the tulips

That should be interesting as I have to dissect them in order to press. Thank goodness for my biology classes!
Any suggestions on how to make a one dimensional daffodil and tulip would be most appreciated!

Next up Lily of the Valley, Lilacs and most FAV... Peonies!

Enjoy the Rain!

Ciao!

JunkYard Gypsy

More fresh flower Info: http://www.plantea.com/cutflowers.htm

How to Plant Your Garden

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:07:00 +0000

This is a very Cute Email I received today about

Planting your own personal Garden.

I did not create this, It was sent to me in a email but I wanted to share.

Hope you Enjoy!

How to Plant your Garden

"life is too short for drama, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly"

How To Plant Your Garden

First, you Come to the garden alone,
while the dew is still on the roses.

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING ,

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS :

1. Peace of mind
                  2. Peace of heart
                                   3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:

1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

   1. Turnip for meetings
                     2. Turnip for service
                                  3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE   THYME:

   1. Thyme for each other
                     2. Thyme for family
                                  3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.   THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW. NOT BAD, HUH?!

And A Wonderful Easter Weekend!

Ciao!

I Found My Chicken at Purdue Breakfast Club Grand Prix Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:13:00 +0000

And He's Cute Too!

Those that follow me on Twitter know that I've been dreaming all winter of getting a baby chicken this spring, but one of my requirements was that it had to be a Cute baby chic. And that I would love it and cuddle it so that it wouldn't attack me and flog my ankles. So when I found this one I asked Hubby if I could take him home, since I wouldn't have a problem cuddling with him. Hubby asked him if he ate crickets - he said No. Needless to say I didn't get this particular chicken.

But that's not the real story here. Story is I had a guest over till 2:30 am and I had to be up at 5:00 am to attend Breakfast Club at Purdue for Grand Prix Weekend, and I made it!

Hulk Hogan taking the #3 spot in JunkYardGypsies Top Breakfast Club Costume Showdown.

You have to Love Halloween mid April. Actually Purdue's Breakfast Club is better than Halloween!

Little Beetlejuice & Lego's to get your morning started?

#2 in JunkYardGypsies Top Breakfast Club Costume Showdown.

Purdue's Grand Prix Charity go-cart race started in 1958 with gas powered lawnmower engines. Today they are using electric go-carts and it's good thing too with the way gas prices are today. Smart Planet did an article on the switch from gas to electric go-carts for Purdue's Grand Prix. A grant from the 6.1 million, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Yeah, Baby! If you would like to see what a One Million Dollar "College Racetrack" looks like visit the Purdue Exponent to watch a video of last weeks practice run.

I promise you won't be that impressed.

However, Breakfast Club is sure to impress every time. And this year was no exception. My number One FAB Find was the Marvel Comic Avenger Group! These guys take 1st place in the JunkYardGypsies Top Breakfast Club Costume Showdown! Way to go guys you went above and beyond.

If you want to attend Breakfast Club make sure to get there early. We arrived at 6:30am and the lines were long, very long in order to get into those clubs to start drinking at 7am, before that 2pm race starts. Hey you have to have enough time to get your buzz on!

Even though the lines are long everyone was in a super good mood (schools almost over) and more than happy to let us take their pictures. We had a lot fun looking at everyone's costumes.

Honorable Mentions to:

The Monopoly Gang

And *Kiss*

And so many more...

They were all adorable and creative. We couldn't photograph them all but here's a small sampling.

Thanks, for having Breakfast with us!

Hope you enjoyed

Ciao!

KJ the JunkYard Gypsy

Amazingly Alive in Vintage Jewelry Polyvore JunkYard Gypsy Style

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:43:00 +0000

Amazingly Alive in Vintage featuring Amazing Gems by JUST SPARKLES at Bonanza

"My clothing sitting in a chair, Opera singing in the air, I wait to fill you"

Amazingly Alive in Vintage

I love looking at the Bonanza Showcases & Etsy Treasuries. Some of the themes are very creative, but expression is limited to what their format allows. If you want to Express a vision for your treasured pieces of vintage jewelry, vintage clothing, even your vintage collectibles, Polyvore is where you can make them come alive, by combining music, art & poetry to express your design. You can take your amazing treasures and Fab finds and build a whole world around them.

I've actually known about Polyvore for over two years, but just rediscovered it last night, and thought what an amazing way to highlight some of my vintage clothing, vintage accessories, even my vintage collectibles

could find a life on Polyvore!

The exposure for your cherished items is phenomenal.

One set I was viewing averaged 400 hits a month! Can you imagine what that could do for your sales? Once you add your product to your set, it enters the Polyvore pool of items that other Polyvore users can access to create their collages. So the more people who use your vintage clothing, vintage jewelry or collectible piece in their sets, the more exposure your item will receive.

Talk about viral marketing at it's finest.

Within the collage itself as well as in a separate side listing, each item is tagged with it's URL, price & description, that 6.5 million Polyvore viewers have the option of tagging to their Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter accounts.

Polyvore doesn't accept listing from Etsy or Flickr. But if you have an ArtFire, Addoway or Bonanza store; items are easy to upload, with their clip to Polyvore tool for your tool bar. It's a very easy site to use. And Lots of Fun. The only draw back is that it can be intimidating, as these Polyvore curators are Amazing set designers!

You can also start your own group on Polyvore and run design contests. Those are very popular. You have to have 35 people following you in order to start a group. I would love to connect and help promote your items in my sets. Just use the drop down arrow on the "search products" click member and search for - (take a guess) - JunkYardGypsy!

Hope to see you there,

Ciao!

March Madness Search for Vintage File Storage

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:31:00 +0000

With the Ides of March just a few days away I find myself once again referring to March Madness. Of course everyone associates “march madness” with basketball & of course the advertising retailers couldn’t let an awesome coined term slip by without cashing in on it, but the term has a much earlier beginning.

March Madness is an old proverb of sorts; farmers would say “March Mad” in reference to how hares (rabbits) were behaving during the breeding season of March, or “ Mad as a March hare”. I always thought of it more in reference to shaking off the winter and being far too antsy for spring to arrive. Which is basically what those rabbits are up to anyway. However, I think that, for the American population, it most certainly had to start in 1916 after the 16^th amendment was enacted, with everyone rushing around to get their taxes filed. That’s when the madness set in, I’m almost positive.

So with tax time looming over our heads – now might be a good time to get organized with some storage filing boxes.

If you stop to think about it, filing hasn’t always been so easy. Filing cabinets weren’t even around until the mid-1800s. Prior to that paperwork was Pigeon Holed on shelves, in desk drawers, cubbyhole slots and boxes. Hum, come to think of it, a lot of mine is filed that way.

One of the nifty boxes they first came up with to in order to gather and bind their important documents into some sort of orderly fashion, would have been similar to this.

Pretty ugly, huh? I photographed it before I even cleaned it – vintage cocoon and all.

So it’s an “M” month and the box is titled “The Manhattan Files” so out of sheer Madness (with tax month approaching) I naturally went the Atomic theme.

Titled it Letters “To the Evening Star” (an old hymn).

Old sheet music from “Our Prayer” …”upon eternal love and life” and dark blue hemming tape to hide the writing. A tigers eye button attached to the leather strap.

Front music sheets are from “Our Prayer” …earthly sorrow, Grant them the peace which calms all earthly…to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow…and… Grant them the joy…
A little genie smoke leading up to a maple leaf cradling a vintage button and an embellishment from a new line I’m creating called “Caledonia Charms”.

Inside cover you’ll find the sheet music for the “Battle of Armegeddon and a pressed peony.
Under the letter “B” – “The Black Sheep Returned to the Fold”, “G” - “That Glory Bound Train”, “I” – “I’ll Never Dream Again”, “P” - “Pin’s and Needles”. “T” - “Turn Your Radio On”, “W” - “ Write Me Sweetheart”, back cover “The Prodigal Son” all sheet music from
1943 Milene Music Co. out of Nashville Tennessee

All items are vintage except for the handmade

Caledonia Charm and pressed Peony.

Another vertical filing box. Same concept only this is metal, where as the above is cardboard. Easy to spray paint, hand paint, add decals or other embellishments.

available at Retroology on Etsy

Now this is what I’m thinking – Embellish! ~

I Love it, something for “My Junk”

(If I made one for hubby do you think he’d actually put anything in it?
~ Nah, who am I fooling.)

available at AnEmbellishedLife on Etsy

Sometimes those vintage gray metal filing boxes are in such good condition you'll want to leave them just as they are.

available at EphemeraAndMore on Etsy

Don’t want to dress it up but still would like some cool retro flower power? This one Pops!

available at MoxieThrift on Etsy

Once you’ve decide on your vintage file container you’re going to need some dividers.

A fantastic idea for recycling old album covers!

available at FreestyleGifts on Etsy

So many fun vintage filing systems.

This is one is a bit different from the others, but it’s one of my FaVs! If you purchase and end up Upcycling this piece,

I sooo want to see.

available at TheFrontHouse on Etsy

I really like this dual filing system.

A little spray paint it and it’s as good as new

available at HavenVintage on Etsy

Well, I guess I better dig out my pigeon holed stash of documents and start sorting! Happy Filing ~

Ciao!

Midnight Madness March to Memphis

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:34:00 +0000

Well, train, train, take me on out of this town.

Train, train, Lord, take me on out of this town

Well, that woman I'm in love with, Lord, she's Memphis bound

Well, leavin' here, I'm just a raggedy hobo.

Lord, I'm leaving here, I'm just a raggedy hobo.

Well, that woman I'm in love with, Lord, she's got to go

Well, goodbye pretty mama, get yourself a money man
Goodbye, pretty mama, Lord, get yourself a money man

You take that midnight train to Memphis
Lord, leave me if you can

Oh, take that midnight train to Memphis

Lord, leave me if you can
Oh, take that train, baby

Lucky Strike ~ Baumer

How am I not myself? Do people ever change?

Perhaps it is you who are not the same?
You breathe in love like a cigarette,

And put it out as you light up the next

Love- you say it calms your nerves
Love- stills your hand as it burns
You say its cool and keeps you thin
This one's done- light one up again

Burning baby, you're making your way
Through lines of lovers, you're up to a pack a day
So long baby, I wish I could stay
So long romance

How am I not myself?
Can people remain the same?
Relapsing into what you call insane
Inhaling love like a cigarette
And hoping a lucky strike's up next

Love- you say it calms your nerves
Love- stills your hand as it burns
You say its cool and keeps you thin
This one's done- light one up again

Burning baby, you're making your way
Through lines of lovers, you're up to a pack a day
So long baby, I wish I could stay
So long romance

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain

W.C. Handy, won't you look down over me?
Yeah, I got a first class ticket
But I'm as blue as a girl can be

Then I'm walking in Memphis
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Saw the ghost of Elvis on Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
I watched him walk right through

Now security, they did not see him
They just hovered 'round his tomb
There's a pretty little thing waiting for the King
Down in the Jungle Room

When I was walking in Memphis
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
(Walk)
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
But do I really feel the way I feel?

They got catfish on the table
They got gospel in the air
Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven't got a prayer
Boy, you've got a prayer in Memphis

Now Gabriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see him
They asked me if I would

Do a little number?
And I sang with all my might
He said, "Tell me, are you a Christian, child?"
And I said, "Man, I am tonight"

Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
(Walk)
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
But do I really feel the way I feel?
Walking in Memphis

(Walking in Memphis)
I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
(Walk)
Walking in Memphis
(Walking in Memphis)
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Put on my blue suede shoes...

Are you starting to feel that Midnight March Madness?

I am! Dreaming of my summer VaCa to Surf City, NC.
Last son's wedding, class reunion, and of course getting out to those sales to do some Junking!

Thanks for hanging with us!

Ciao!

Junkyard Gypsies Vintage Clothing & Accessory Pictures taken at the Big Four Railroad Depot Riehle Plaza Main Street Bridge in Lafayette Indiana.

Music lyrics: "Blackfoot - Train, Train" "Baumer - Lucky Strike" "Cher - Walking in Memphis"

All Vintage Clothing, Vintage Jewelry & Vintage Shoes pictured are available at Etsy JuNKyArDgYpSIes

I'm a Hot Chocolate Snob ~ There, I Said It

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:17:00 +0000

Did you know that cocoa beans

were used as part of Aztec currency?
It was very important to their way of life,

and their chocolate drinks.

The Aztec’s drank cold chocolate drinks flavored with wine and chili peppers, no sweeteners at all. It wasn’t until the Spanish started importing it, that they began serving it hot and sweet. Right around the 1700’s chocolate became a hit in England and the later baroque period picked up on the Hot Chocolate Craze with it’s own version of Starbucks, in their trendy little coffee shops.

Which brings me to my point, I am a Hot Chocolate Snob, and to me, there is something is decidedly wrong with making hot cocoa with water.

That sharp after taste of some concocted powder that sticks to the roof of your mouth, followed by warm water, yuck! Knowing that it started that way doesn’t help, and the
inclusion of chili peppers doesn’t entice me at all.

And though it may not be of connoisseur quality, I prefer mine made of milk and (hate to say it) Nestles Quick!

(Love this container! Beatles on the back!

No I don't have it ~ DRATZ - Worth about $1000.00 if you can find one)

Why Nestles Quick – duh, because it’s… so rich and quick and chocolate - that you can't drink it slow...

oops mines gone now!

Stan swears he didn't grow up with this water cocoa either, but every year I find him in the kitchen pulling out the cocoa, powdered milk, shaving candy bars trying to concoct his own hot chocolate mix to dump in…you guessed it…. Hot water! I just walk by and say something intelligent like "That might taste a lot better if you pulled out the jug of milk sitting in the refrigerator" then I smile. I always smile, just to make sure I don't get jabbed. Think I’ll start suggesting chili peppers and wine next year.

Of course, toast with butter is always a good accompaniment to hot chocolate. Preferably some thick slice of homemade bread toasted and slathered in real butter, but I'll take a piece out of the bag & use some oleo if none is to be found. I like the crunch factor that goes along with the creamy smoothness of the milk & chocolate.

My mother use to like to dunk her toast in her hot chocolate, and make it all soggy, which tends to made me want to gag. Personally, I think that the only thing that should be dunked in milk is an Oreo.

If I had had a little hot chocolate foresight, instead of like 3am in the morning, as I’m writing this, I'd make cinnamon rolls… not from scratch mind you, from the can.

Speaking of the dough boy, I think I'll call him and have him pick up some fresh milk and a can of Pillsbury to satisfy my real hot chocolate craving, and be done with this pseudo cocoa concoction.

Since I’m not drinking milk (which is suppose to help you to sleep) here’s to hopping I dream of Swiss Alps instead of large goofy looking bunnies.

Good Night & Sweet Dreams – silly wabbit!

I Wanna Be...Your SledgeHammer

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:24:00 +0000

Ok, how about just your Soft Metal Mallet?

Most of us are familiar with 3 or 4 kinds of hammer. Because we only use them for about 3 or 4 things. We drive and pull nails. We break things (hopefully what we plan on breaking) and occasionally to change the shape of something,

like straightening a bent nail.

We know a little about the claw hammer, the sledge hammer and the ball peen hammer. Those with a little more experience know about the rubber mallet, the leather mallet, and maybe a cross peen. In some industries there are also brass hammers, for working around explosives and combustibles, so they don’t make a spark when they hit other metals (an important feature around dynamite or gasoline).

And there are times when negotiating with a stuck nut or bolt, which the wrench simply can not move,

you need a “Persuader”.

Of course today such a situation would call for a large rubber mallet.

But those have not always been available.

So What did they use before that?

Well, they used a soft metal mallet.
Usually made from lead. But after a few uses the lead was badly bashed out of form. That meant buying another one!

Until business man, tinkerer and inventor John Horat, from Lafayette, Indiana, designed the
Horat Soft Metal Hammer mould in 1914.

When your lead hammer got in such bad shape that it was no longer usable, you simply cut the head from the handle, inserted the handle into one side of the mold, put the lead in the bowl, heated it till the lead melted, turned the form so that the lead flowed from the bowl into the form and waited

for it to cool. And Wala, a new lead hammer to persuade the next stubborn bolt!

So what are you getting your honey for Valentines Day?

Well if you haven't hammered out all the details you may want to take a look at Graham Tools. They have lead hammer mold sets starting at $109.95

Antique Horat mould pictured above is available at Bonanza

Vintage McCall’s Red Valentines Day Dress

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:53:00 +0000

I’d so wear this red off shoulder shirt trench coat dress pictured on the front of this 1956 McCall’s magazine out for dinner on Valentines Day. I’d even wear the black gloves just so I could peal them off. Non-verbal dinner conversation.

So I thought I'd try to see if I could actually find this dress.

Solas at Go Antiques was as close to a match that I could find. It had the wide off the shoulder cut. Although I prefer the crisp notched point collar instead of the rounded, this has the long sleeves as well being totally red. Add a funky, bold belt and you’re ready to go.

More of a shirt dress, NikkiFaith at Etsy has this red with black polka dot dress for a more casual look.

Picked this one from Sydney’s Vintage Clothing for the off shoulder look. Throw that huge flower in your craft box (PLEASE), an add a belt, and you’ll have a knockout dress.

You can even still wear the gloves!

Even though this magazine is a November issue it just reminded me of Febuary, guess the Betsy McCall paper doll cutouts reminded me of the punch out, Valentine Day cards. Use to love having grandma hunt up her McCall magazine and cut out some new clothes for Betsy!

Did you have a Betsy McCall paper doll growing up?

Hope you have good luck finding something fun to wear for Valentines Day!

You can look at more pages from inside the magazine at: http://bit.ly/h1p0dR

Junk Yard Gypsy Merry Christmas to You!

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 06:50:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to You and Yours & a Happy New Year!

Kindergarten Dream Comes True Through a JunkYard Gypsy History Tour

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:55:00 +0000

I love being a JunkYard Gypsy. I always find some new treasure to discover and research.

Like this vintage travel chest.

Most people grow up wanting to be doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs – I wanted to be an archeologist since I was in kindergarten. Seriously it’s in that little book, my mother kept. The one that has pockets to put keepsakes, report cards and place to glue your school picture, lists your teachers, your pets and what you want to be when you grow up.

Yeah this is it – ha, ha, bet you have one too!

Later I decide I wanted to be a magazine editor, so my junior and senior year of high school I was the yearbook editor. Well I never became an archeologist, nor did I become a magazine editor. Instead I packed my 78 Nova with all my worldly possessions and headed for Texas.

But that’s a different story.

Most of these trunks are toy doll cases, and rightly so as you can tell by the racks and small pull out drawer, but this one had a drop leaf drawer on the top, and it peaked my interest (ok, it doesn’t take much). Anyway, I was seriously expecting these to be fake stickers, but they are not, they are actual railway and ship stickers from real companies during the 1920’s to the 1940’s. I learned about Magic Island/Treasure Island in San Francisco during the 1930’s World’s fair, the Dole Plantation, and others all from studying these stickers. It was kind of fun traveling by train and ship all around the United States discovering these locations.

Doing so, I discovered that people used these small chests to store above their berths or under their seats with small personal items. Mark Twain use to keep and send his manuscripts in one and forward it on to his publisher.

Now my mind is really going, and I’m so loving this chest thinking that some author might have kept their most prized manuscripts in it to ship from one great journey to another.

What Fun! I’m getting to explore my love for history through my junking research. Guess I’m reverting to my childhood by vicariously exploring my kindergarten dream.

And I get to combine text and pictures!

If you want to learn more about Crack Trains (yes that what they use to call some railroad lines), take a look at the listing. This little trunk has some wonderful history.

What to do with Old Vintage License Plates?

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:01:00 +0000

My brother called the other day and ask if I wanted some old license plates that he found in his pole barn.

Humm, what to do with old license plates,

if they're not of a particular vintage value?

So I went shopping around online and found some really neat pieces, like this butterfly & lobster at RecycledMonkey

Guitar-List.com had a working guitar covered in license plates. The link went to Etsy but no longer showed this particular guitar.

However, another Etsy seller RunningOnEmpty, fashions license plates into guitar shaped wall displays.

Then I found Etsy Seller TomBoyArt

Cutting up the plates to spell words like Peace, Johnny Cash, Say What, just to name a few of her 35 pieces. I don't think he has enough for me to spell words, but it's a cute idea.

If you're thinking of doing something similar and need license plates for your project Ebay has tons of expired plates starting at just a dollar. And of course you can always run across specials there like this auction for 51 plate with free shipping, starting at .01 - No bids as of today. If think you might have a vintage license plate that a collector might be interested in, you could start researching by reading "License to a Cool Collection"

Happy Hanukkah!

1950's Vintage Metal Floor Lamp Revamped in Red

noreply@blogger.com (JunkYard Gypsy) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:12:00 +0000

Found this adorable metal floor lamp

Cute swag on the shade.

Wish I could have kept it, but it needed a redo, because someone used latex paint (very poorly, I might add)
on the base.

Plus the whole dingy creamy thing wasn't working for me,

so I sanded it down.

And I painted it Red!

Thought about adding a design to the shade, but I changed my mind, thinking that who ever decides to give it a home would have their own ideas, and I didn't want to limit it's appeal.

Think it would look great in boys room or rec room with their favorite sports decal. A lot of different teams would work like the Cubs, Indiana University (Go IU! - ooops not suppose to say that here in Purdue country) Kansas City Chief, etc...

A black art deco design would look great too.

Or they could just leave red.

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