What a Sale! Everything 75¢!

Every Saturday morning I head out before 8 a.m. to run my errands:  laundry, P.O box, ATM, etc. Last week, I took a detour to follow a garage sale sign on a whim. Not that that's unusual or anything. It was just an abrupt detour (I did signal my turn, though).

When I pulled up in front, my heart started racing. I could see from the street, I was going to like this sale. Two young women were frantically staging their mostly antique and vintage wares and apologetically told me the sale didn't start for another 15 minutes and they really needed that time for set up.

One of them said, "I hope you wait, or at least come back. Everything is 75 cents today. It's our second and final day."

Wait? For 75-cent vintage goodies? Heck, yes!

I usually go for the "smalls" and this sale had some great ones. I could have loaded up my entire car with great stuff, but I'm trying to cut back with an eye toward downsizing. Sales like this one make that a challenge.

Here is some of my loot.

Teacups: 75 cents for all. They're so sweet.

Mirror tray: 75 cents, chip and all. I use vintage etched mirrors and mirror trays in my decorating year-round. But, at Christmas time, with the twinkle of lights and candles, they create a magical look around the house. I am especially drawn to mirrors with age flaws, such as this one.

Set of five dishes--Mason's Ironstone, England:  75 cents for all. Watch for this pretty vintage set to appear in an outdoor project in the next few weeks.

A lovely 22-kt. gold Royal China Co. plate also will be featured in a future garden project. A real bargain among bargains at 25 cents.

A girl can never have too many silverplate pieces. Fill them with rose petals in the summer, vintage ornaments in the winter or serve fresh berries out of them at a backyard barbecue. This one was totally black with tarnish. It cleaned up beautifully, but I'm waiting for some degree of tarnish to reappear. I like that used, mildly neglected look.

Yep. 75 cents.

And 75 cents for both decks of South African Airways playing cards. I snap up interesting decks whenever I find them to use in my handmade For Giggles and Grins ephemera journals. I'd never come across this set before.

The 75-cent orphan salt shaker is destined to become a handmade decorative tassel.

75-cent Haeger pink dish has a detachable flower frog and built-in candleholder. It's in mint condition. But, I'm not a fan of pink and will probably list this one at some point.

Pretty vintage linen tea towel will look nice in someone's kitchen.

Love this kitschy metal rooster tray from the '50s or '60s. It's in very good vintage condition and was 75 cents, of course.

Wonderful Treasure Island book, copyright 1947, has a colorful illustration on the inside cover and fly sheet and illustrations throughout. This treasure needs a good rubbing alcohol bath and it will be fit for the rental book inventory. 75 cents.

Grand total:  $7.25.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Show and Share

Knick of Time Tuesday

The Scoop
Cottage Style Party
Thursday Favorite Things
Time Travel Thursday
Fridays Unfolded

Repurposed Wine Rack Is DIY Fabric Organizer

Let me set the stage:

I don't have a fancy schmancy craft room. What I have is the unfinished side of our basement where, for the original owner of our 50-year-old quasi cottage-style home, the wood and metal shop resided.

After we became empty nesters, I was determined to take up creative endeavors that I had abandoned more than 25 years ago, when the kids were young.

I know my way around a sewing machine and other artsy crafty tools, but neither hubby nor I are handy around the home. So, I made do with a simple facelift to the workshop. I pulled the doors off the cabinetry above the workbench, painted the cabinetry and bench and have called this crude space crafting home ever since.

I have an overabundance of fabric. The bigger pieces are stacked by color inside those cabinets I painted, visible at a glance without the cabinet doors. Organizing the remnants after I cut into the yardage has been more of a challenge.

Enter this odd-looking and probably homemade wine rack.

Standing more than four feet high, it's probably no surprise that it hadn't been snatched up by the second day of the rummage sale where I found it. For me, it was repurpose love at first sight. I knew instantly it would be the answer to my snarl of fabric remnants.

Even though it looks as if it were made of Tinker Toys, it is rock-solid sturdy.

Gave it a nice wash of Annie Sloan chalk paint. I liked the dark wood peeking through, so I only gave it a light coat, not worrying if it covered completely. And, frankly, the design of the piece made painting tedious.  Now it just looks distressed--without the extra effort to distress.

At first, I set the rack up vertically, which is the way it was designed.

After moving it around the workshop, I decided to place it horizontally on an old steamer trunk, which made it more accessible. No stooping all the way to the floor to reach the low rows.

So nice not to have to dig through piles to find just the perfect scrap.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday

What's It Wednesday

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Swing Into Spring
Work It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things
Share Your Cup Thursday
City of Links
Creativity Unleashed

Springtime at the Garden Gate

Many years ago I picked up a vintage garden gate at a garage sale.

Then, a few years ago, I found what looked like architectural salvage at Hobby Lobby--in the clearance aisle. There were three big pieces and I bought them all. They're probably not meant for outdoor use, as they appear to be made of plaster.

When I moved the garden gate to the front of the house a couple of years ago, I positioned one of the architectural pieces behind it to add interest. The gate sits up against the house and under the eaves, so the piece is protected from the elements. I took in over the winter the first year, but have since left it behind the gate year-round and it still looks to be in good condition.

Over the years I decorated it with different wreaths for the changing seasons.

Frankly, though, I'm not a wreath person. I've tried. I really have. Different sizes, shapes, materials. They just don't do anything for me. So, this year I decided to look for something different for spring/summer.

Saturday, when my hubby and I were at one of my favorite church sales of the year, I found what I thought could be the answer. This vintage aluminum pitcher caught my eye and I instantly visualized it full of pretty plants and hanging from the garden gate. The church lady told me this pitcher had actually come from the very old church's kitchen and had been used countless times to serve ice water at church events. How sweet.

A small digression . . . 

This church sale is one of my favorites because it's also a plant sale. Members of the congregation offer up plants from their own gardens every year. The most expensive plants are $3 each. Many are less than that. Some are smallish, but, as you can see from the photo below, many are quite large. Here are the plants I took home this year--all for only $16.

Back to the garden gate . . .

The pitcher is now filled with pretty color that stands out nicely against our house. For my taste, a more interesting solution than a wreath.

Now, for a cool drink of seasonal color . . .

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Nifty Thrifty Things

Inspiration Monday

Inspire Me Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
May Garden Party
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Knick of Time Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Cottage Style Garden Party
What's It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things
Time Travel Thursday
Fishtail Cottage 2014 Garden Party
From the Farm Blog Hop

Wedding Decor Fits Occasion to a Tea

My daughter-in-law is a woman after my own heart. Her style truly is my cup of tea.

Our son, Sam, and Meg recently were married in a charming little venue that reflected their personalities and styles perfectly. A little bit shabby chic, a tad rustic, a dab French vintage. All of which I, too, love.

Always itching for a reason to treasure hunt, I was tickled to death when Meg asked me to help find vintage tea cups and saucers and teapots they could incorporate into their reception table centerpieces.  She knows I love to sew, so she also offered me the job of making table runners for the event--an opportunity I jumped on.

Over the course of nearly a year, I collected about 30 teapots. Or, I should say teapots and coffee pots. I added several china coffee pots to the collection to put some height in the mix. Many of the pots were in mint condition, but others were missing lids or had minor chips or blemishes. Not to worry, though. Meg's vision was to fill many of them with fresh flowers and succulents, which would mask most flaws.

At around 50 sets, I lost count of the cup and saucer duos I picked up at local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales. With a self-imposed price limit, the entire collection of cups, saucers and pots cost under $250. The same collection likely would have cost much more where they live.

We originally planned to make the table runners out of painter's drop cloths. In fact, I bought the drop cloths before my sister suggested we use linen fabric like the  type she sells in her eclectic Scottsdale store. She was able to get the amount of fabric we needed from one of her sources.

The linen is vintage and comes from France and Belgium. As you can see in the photo, it is used and each roll had its varying degree of stains. The flaws only added to the charm of the settings. The rolls were the perfect width for the wedding tables and were already finished on the sides. All I had to do was cut the lengths to fit and hem the ends. Much easier that cutting and finishing all the edges of the drop cloth.

Brilliant idea, Sis, and much more charming than the original idea.

I have long been our family's unofficial photographer. If you take a lot of photos for your family events, you know how much of the experience you miss when you're stuck behind the camera. For the wedding weekend, I gave myself permission to put my camera down so I wouldn't miss a moment of this special time. That meant I personally didn't capture any photos of the finished wedding reception tables (or the dress rehearsal dinner decor I created--which I'll blog about another day).

Fortunately, the wedding photographer captured some shots of the decor. Thanks to Al Gawlik Photography, we do have some photos of how the pretty tables turned out. All of the wedding day photos in this post are shown courtesy of Al and Amy Gawlik.

The venue was small, seating only 100, but oh, so charming. Original rough wood floors and an original brick wall, set the tone for the wedding decor. The space was decorated with antique pieces that doubled as serving surfaces and backdrops for the ceremony and reception.

Vintage books added to the nostalgic feel of the table decor and reflected the style of the old, restored venue. The French linen runners tied the centerpieces together.

My son and his friend brewed the beer for the reception, shown in the brown bottle in the middle of the centerpiece.

The photographers took more pictures of the tables. I'll share some of them when I get them later this month.

Collecting tea cups and teapots was so much fun. Until I did this, I never dreamed the variety I'd find. We're driving to Texas to visit the newlyweds in a few weeks. Because they don't have space to keep this eclectic collection, I get to bring them home with me. I look forward to incorporating some of them into my own decor!

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Strut Your Stuff

Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Seasonal Sundays
The Scoop
Make It Pretty Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Knick of Time Tuesday

So, What's With the Tea Cups?

Wow! I truly didn't intend to take such a long hiatus!

So where have I been?  Here, there. But, no--not everywhere. 

The past 15 to 18 months have been a bit of a blur for us: taking care of my husband's aging parents in Illinois, our youngest son's move to Texas, his engagement and marriage, our oldest son's move to Kansas and his recent engagement, the death of my dad and the start of the overwhelming task of sorting through the lifelong accumulation in my parents' Arizona home.

Wait. There's more! Add to all that personal stuff one of the craziest, busiest years at my real job (the one that actually pays me) and something had to give. So, I took what I thought might be a short break from blogging. Ha ha.

I'm ready to hit the old keyboard once again, but not certain how often I'll manage to post. One day at a time . . . 

I'm not yet prepared to tackle posting about the wedding. But I will say it had to have been the best wedding ever! No prejudice here. 

My (now) daughter-in-law had asked me to help collect items to make up their reception table decor and to make the table runners. Both of which I gladly agreed to do.

Right now, all I'll tell you is that I spent nearly a year collecting tea cups and saucers and teapots at estate and garage sales and thrift stores. The two cup and saucer sets pictured above are among the dozens I found. Oh, what a delight that was! Any excuse to go thrifting. Did I mention that France and Belgium play into the wedding decor equation?

Enough of a tease for now? Stay tuned  . . .

Make it a great day!

Turning Some Tassels

You may have seen them around the estate sale, thrift store, garage sale circuit. The lonely, single vintage salt or pepper shaker. Long ago separated from its partner.

I've collected an eclectic bunch of singles on my treasure hunts and enjoy transforming them into one-of-a-kind decorative tassels. I previously shared my upcycling method with you here. Recently, I got the itch to shake up some new tassel treasures.

Here's some of what I've been up to:

This one's a hoot. He's dedicated to my daughter, who's crazy about owls.

This art deco design is so evocative. Surely this one must have appeared on the dinner party table at one of Jay Gatsby's extravagant summer bashes.

What pretty, dainty feet on this charmer.  They add such a special dimension. The holes in the top of the shaker are decorated with gold stars.

This is my personal favorite. The pretty spring green design looks Irish to me, even though the salt shaker was made in Germany. The embellishment around the base of the shaker is a wonderful scrap of reclaimed metallic trim.

I've been using tassels to jazz up my decor for years. Since I started making my own with upcycled salt and pepper shakers, I've been enjoying this simple decorative element even more.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Masterpiece Monday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Knick of Time Tuesday
The Scoop
What's It Wednesday

Design {It} Friday
Frugal Friday