Pardon My French (Ephemera)

Last weekend had to be a record here. Thirteen estate sales were advertised around the city. I can't remember another weekend with that many sales!

Sadly, since this was one of the first warm and nice weekends we've had here, I felt compelled to finish cleaning up the flower beds and pruning rose bushes and shrubs. That left little time for estate sales, but I did make it to one--the one closest to where I live.

I'm always on the prowl for ephemera I can incorporate into my handmade journals and wasn't disappointed at this sale.

My take included what I think is a French notebook--it's difficult to tell from the cover--and a French dictionary, as well as a cute bakery receipt book, a large stack of yellowed penmanship paper and several decks of playing cards with interesting themes. All the finds are vintage.

I don't know French, so I'm not sure what the cover of this journal says. Inside are several pages of handwriting. Guess I'll have to enlist my hubby to try to translate some of it for me. He knows a little French.

While not in the best condition, the journal is precious. The handwriting makes it so personal.

Whose was it?

What does it say?

Is it full of deep thoughts or is it merely a place to practice writing in French?

Regardless, I won't dismantle this gem for my journal and decoupage projects. I plan to digitize a few pages so I can leave the book intact and still use some of the handwriting.

At the same sale, I acquired a sweet little French/English dictionary. The cover is in pathetic condition, with the spine nearly completely detached. Someone had tried mending it, front and back, with masking tape. So sad.

Measuring about five inches square, it was printed in 1945. Considering the condition of the cover, the inside pages are in good vintage condition. They have that nice "yellow-with-age" hue.

Nice inscription inside the cover. Wish I knew what it says.

The receipt book is from Dale and Helene's Big Horn Bakery of Basin, Wyoming. The "fill-in-the-blank" date on the receipts indicates it's from the 1950s.  Could be as old as I am. Not many pages left in the pad, but what's there is in very good vintage condition.

Looks great on the antique Hoosier cabinet with some of my vintage kitchen items.

It's always a successful weekend when I come home with interesting ephemera.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

What's It Wednesday

Cottage Style Party
Time Travel Thursday

Thrifty Things Friday
Serenity Saturday

A Trip to France--Without Leaving Town

Do you have a favorite neighborhood for estate sales in your community? A location that generally means you'll score something great? I do. In our city, a handful of neighborhoods hold special excitement for me. They always seem to harbor some of the vintage tresures I love.

Recently, I noticed a sale advertised in one of my least favorite neighborhoods. Uber large, high-end (and often very weird) homes built in the late 1960s and 1970s. Having lived through that period, I just can't get too excited about most of what is offered at sales that feature an abundance of items from that era. I almost didn't attend this particular sale. But, at the last minute, my trusty Subaru steered me in that direction.

I felt certain my suspicions would be confirmed and that I would be disappointed. From the outside, the home looked to be the typical weird '60s monstrosity that is so prevalent in this neighborhood. Walking in the front door, I took a quick visual survey. Yep. The standard period pieces that generally leave me unimpressed and uninspired. I came close to walking out the door until I heard someone talking about an awesome wine cellar in the basement.

Curiosity got the best of me. I checked it out and I'm glad I did.

The wine cellar inventory was pretty picked over, but in the corner was a stack of disassembled wine crates that had held wines from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. Coincidental to the age of the home, perhaps? Yes. Pure coincidence, I'm sure.

I picked through the pile of wood and selected 13 of the best looking panels.

When I got home, I added one to the shelf in the foyer. It coordinates nicely with the Eiffel Tower wall hanging. At least temporarily.

The wood panels are various sizes. Some have shipping stamps on them, others have shippers' writing. I think that just adds to the charm. These will be great for a repurpose or upcycle project. Some will likely end up in my Etsy store for someone else to play with.

When I was in the wine cellar at the estate sale, I noticed a man with an armful of nice vintage books. Most of them were in English, but a couple were written in French. So, I went in search of the books. I hadn't seen any on the main floor or in the basement.

The upstairs had a nice little nook with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a big beautiful window with a window seat. I've never seen so many French books in one estate sale here.

I found some nice ones that I'll use for display, as well as some that were in rough condition. I'll take those apart and add bits and pieces to my ephemera journals.

On my way to check out, I came across a box of maps of France. All regions and towns. Jackpot! Snapped those up for my journals, too.

Now I'm reconsidering my attitude toward estate sales in this neighborhood. Never know if the next one will take me on a trip to Italy or Russia.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
The Scoop
Knick of Time Tuesday
Thursday Favorite Things

Dumpster Dive--at the Office

{reduce, reuse, recycle, reclaim, repurpose, respect}

At work, the floor on which I'm located soon will be undergoing a renovation. In preparation for that event, we are cleaning house--actually cubicle--now.

We are a department of creatives--writers, graphic and Web designers, multi-media producers, photographers--so it should be no surprise that when the trash and recycle bins started to fill up on our first day of clean-up, those of us who are into reusing and repurposing went diving!

From the trash bin I pulled four of those old wooden file organizers. They're well-used and certainly not in perfect shape. Loose dividers, nicks and chips, years of sticky label build-up, but nothing a bit of glue,  a coat of paint and some cool images from The Graphics Fairy won't fix.

After a face lift, these old organizers will help corral all the ephemera and miscellaneous paper goods I've collected for making my ephemera journals/notebooks. Those shown below are filled with reclaimed paper goods from my attic, thrift stores and garage sales, estate sales and donations from friends and family.

And, speaking of paper goods, the recycle bins offered a plethora of cast-offs: outdated stationery, both plain and fancy, envelopes and folders with obsolete information or addresses. No problem here. I'll cut around all that.

Someone had tossed an entire box of odd-sized vellum envelopes. Oh, goody! A premium item, indeed.

I rescued a sturdy set of black metal bookends that were superficially scraped up. Those will get a fresh coat of paint and a lovely, decorative facade--maybe something done with frames. Or maybe shadow boxes. Or game boards. I've always wanted to do something with the vintage boards I've saved up.

Today, our office is cleaner, a lot of poundage is headed to the recycling center and some of us came home with some items that we'll breathe new life into. Have you ever dumpster dived at your office?

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop
Love 2 Upcycle
The Scoop
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
What's It Wednesday

A Shameless Plug and a GIVEAWAY . . .

The snowbirds are fleeing the cold-weather coop even though the weather in most of the country hasn't been too bad so far this winter.

Those who alight in Arizona, particularly the Scottsdale area, truly will miss out if they don't make a stop at my sister Nancy's unique boutique, The Embellished House--A Workshop Extraordinaire. A magical mix of whimsy and stately, shabby and elegant, many of her beautiful offerings are one-of-a-kind.

She finds, reclaims and--working with artisans in the Scottsdale area and around the country--revitalizes or repurposes antique and vintage furniture and lighting fixtures, industrial and architectural salvage, fabric, paper and miscellaneous bits and pieces. She also does custom projects.

Located on Scottsdale Road, The Embellished House is in a space with a history of its own. Nancy has beautifully renovated the former Drinkwater Liquor, preserving many of its original features and repurposing and reusing many of the original elements such as the cooler doors and the drive-thru space.

Here's a peek into the world of The Embellished House:

I'm partial to this beautiful black and white pillow with its gorgeous vintage brooch. (Smile.) It's one of my own creations that I make for The Embellished House.

The Embellished House doesn't sell on-line at this time. But, Nancy will do custom work. Feel free to contact her through her website. And, when you're in Scottsdale, stop in. But be prepared. It could take your  breath away.

Now for the GIVEAWAY I promised . . .

Back in December (coincidentally, it was the week of my birthday), I reached the exciting milestone of 100 followers--small potatoes for some of you, I know. But, when I started this blog last July, 100 followers wasn't even part of my consciousness. 

Now, about six months later, I have my followers and other readers to thank for keeping me motivated to continue this fun and rewarding journey. 

So, in appreciation of all of you faithful blog friends, I'm hosting a giveaway.

I'm so excited to offer one of my handmade For Giggles and Grins journals. Each journal is a unique compilation of vintage and found paper goods from sources such as estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores and my own lifelong collection. Most covers are salvaged from books that were destined for the landfill.

The winner will receive this French-themed journal. The cover is salvaged from a 1954 Reader's Digest--the Summer Selections edition. I embellished it with a vintage paper doily and a wonderful image from The Graphics Fairy. 

The book's personality is enhanced by the small flaws that one would expect to find in items that have experienced a previous life.

Each journal includes a few small surprises, including a handmade envelope. Be sure to look in all the envelopes. Doesn't everyone love a surprise?

Use your journal as a place to record your daily thoughts, observations of nature or to capture your poetry. It also makes a wonderful guest book in which your friends can pen a comment when they visit. I'm sure all you creative divas out there can think of many fun ways to use a journal like this.

At this point, most of the journals I make are by special request. They are available for direct purchase only at The Embellished House in Scottsdale.

I'm trying to get organized enough to open an Etsy store and offer the journals there, along with some of my other creations and vintage items. But, where does the time go? I've been saying that for months now.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:

For each step you complete, please leave a separate comment. Each comment will count as a separate entry. You have up to four chances to win.

1.  Follow Moonbeams & Fireflies, or if you already follow, leave a comment to let me know

2.  Take a stroll around The Embellished House, then come back here and tell me what your favorite item on Nancy's site is

3. Tweet about this giveaway

4. Blog about the giveaway or post the button on your side bar

Be sure I have access to your email address, so I can notify you if you win.

Register before midnight Central Time, Jan. 27. I will select the winner at random and notify by email no later than Jan. 29. 

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Market Your Biz & Giveaways at Homemaker on a Dime
Whatever You Want Wednesday at Free Pretty Things for You
Sugar and Spice at Seven Thirty Three
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound