Sometimes ya just get lucky

Have you noticed that I haven’t been posting my weekend finds lately? That’s because they’ve been so pitiful they just haven’t been worth the time it would take to talk about them. So sad. And honestly, this weekend wasn’t much better.

I happened to look at the things I was buying and selling this time last year and spring was a great time! The most memorable was the antique, empty Colt Revolver box I bought for $3 that sold for $200. This year though, yuck. A cool or fun thing here and there, but nothing much that helps pay the rent.

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality hosts Today’s Thrifty Treasures every Monday and since I did find a thrifty treasure yesterday I thought I’d join in.

You know I don’t normally tell how much I pay for things. It just seems a little tacky if I’m going to sell something. Suffice it to say, I get some pretty darn good deals. But yesterday’s deal at one estate sale surprised even me and since none of this will be for sale, I feel OK in sharing the price. Here’s what I got. Nothing earth shattering, but….

OK. The Bingo game might be pieced out and sold and I’ll even say it was one of the two things priced. It was a dollar. Pretty average around here. The stack of envelopes was the other thing priced. Twenty-five cents for the stack. I’ll probably give the sprinkler to a friend. The chalk box is in bad condition. And did you know I collect empty, vintage Christmas boxes? Proof to the saying,
“Name it and there’s someone out there who collects it.”

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More spoons to decorate or make jewelry with.

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More molds. What am I going to do with all these molds I’m accumulating??! Two little tin fuse boxes. Just ’cause they’re so darn cute. Slide thingies. I’m thinking altered art? And a box full of teeny tiny screws and hinges. Oh, and that dark blob on the middle tin?

It’s a cute little plastic dog.

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I saved the best for last. I got there at least two hours into the sale. Down in the basement, where most of this came from, in a back corner of the “man” room with all the greasy, oily tools and cans of nails and such, hiding behind a tarp or something was this:

Now, I know watering cans aren’t bringing what they brought a few years ago, but I still like them and have a little collection. But I don’t have one with a cool, red sprinkler on the end.
And now I do!

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So how much for all this? Remember all I knew when I took it up to pay was $1.25. I pulled everything out of my bag, the guy’s adding it on his little adding machine, I’m worried he’ll want $20 for the can then he says…………

$4.25!

I pointed to the can and asked to be sure he got it and he said he did. I still wasn’t sure, but didn’t say anything, picked my winnings up and left, expecting him to stop me and say that he had in fact missed the can. But he didn’t.

The moral to this story? The deals are still out there. Don’t give up. And look in all the dark, dusty corners, behind doors, under tables. You’ll find the goodies that escaped everyone else.

I’m also participating in Apron Girl’s Thrift Share Monday.

Let’s decorate a spoon!

At Melanie’s birthday celebration – two, no, three weeks ago? – we had a craft night and decorated spoons. Tiffany got pictures of everyone else’s spoons, but I see she hasn’t blogged about it yet. Maybe she will soon. I didn’t finish mine that night. Actually, I only finished it a few days ago. The bowl was done, but I couldn’t figure out what to do to the top. But it did finally get finished.

I have ideas for more spoons, but haven’t had a chance to do anything about them yet. Why, oh why can’t we just play all the time? Sigh.

Hey, I’ve got an Etsy shop now. Just Vintage 2. Because somebody has Just Vintage, but never confirmed it. It’s so unfair! What I put in there will always mirror what’s on the web site. I’ll admit I’d rather sell from my own site than Etsy or eBay, but the more exposure, the better. I’ll also admit that I’m way behind on updating and adding to the site. The story of my life. Always playing catch up. Anyway, with the Etsy shop being new, I’d love you forever and be forever in your debt if you could find it in your heart to favorite it so it doesn’t look like I have cooties or something.  I’ll return the favor if you have an Etsy shop, too.

As usual, I’m getting further and further behind on blog reading. From reading your comments, I’m not alone in this dangerous snare called Blogs. Too, I like to respond to your comments with comments on your blogs and falling waaayyyyyy behind. I’m trying! I really am! But it’s just like I do everything else. Slow. Sigh.

Free Graphic Friday – Mother’s Day

I hunted and hunted and was surprised to find I had very few mother and child photos and no graphic type pictures. None! So I’m sharing the two best of what I have. And that’s not saying much.

 

Wonder why they look so sad? I know people didn’t smile in the old pictures, but they look like their best laying hen died.
I thought it was a poignant portrait, though.

 

 

Maybe you can find a use for one of these. And if you like the little boy above, I’ve got a bunch of his. Picked them up at an estate sale. Apparently he was an only child and they took lots of pictures. And he’s almost always in short pants.

Do you collect anything “Mother”?

This is my collection of Mother mottos. My friend Tiffany, aka The Cranky Queen, got me started collecting these. I believe she bought one from me way back when and I got to thinking what a sweet collection it would make, so, much to her dismay, I started to keep most of the rest I’d find. Aw, she’s not too dismayed. She’s got a pretty good collection going on, too. Maybe she’ll share it with us. It does make a sweet collection. I’ve always intended to mix pics of my and my husband’s mothers and grandmothers and greats in with them, but have never got around to it.

The pictures are all shadowy. The location, a hall wall, made it hard to get a good angle.

This one is reverse painted glass.

 

This is my favorite. I have a picture of my mother and me as a baby where she’s holding me and we’re looking in the mirror. Only problem at the moment is that it’s at Erin’s house. She was going to scrapbook a bunch of pictures.
(There’s a deep shadow on this print from the lamp that stands just in front and above.)

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I’ve done it again. It took me two solid weeks to catch up with my blog reading and then life got in the way and I had to skip a few days and now I’m way behind again! Arghhhhh!!!! I think I’m figuring out what happens. I get caught up by the weekend then the blog posts slow down, but everybody blogs on Monday and Monday is my busy work day, so I don’t get to read. Everybody who didn’t blog on Monday does it on Tuesday and I’m suddenly so far behind it feels like I’ll never catch up. So deep it takes many, many hours of reading. So… STOP BLOGGING ON MONDAYS!! There. That should do it. LOL

Last week was spent glued to the TV for a couple of days. Watching with horror and shamefully, fascination, as the cameras were taping live footage of tornadoes as they were ripping apart and destroying people’s lives. I couldn’t take my eyes off the tornado as it ripped through Tuscaloosa then headed toward Birmingham. Knowing that at that very moment lives were being taken, homes and businesses were being destroyed, and people were losing everything they had. It was a helpless and horrifying feeling. And I’ll admit the fascination of watching a tornado in action. And I couldn’t stop watching. Like watching a train wreck. Then to see the devastation afterward. My heart bleeds for these people.

Our area was fortunate. We were sandwiched in between bad, bad weather and barely got any rain. Most of us are doing at least a little something to help in the relief effort.

Hope you’re all well and escaped any tornadoes and floods.

May’s Giveaway is joining up with the Cottage Charm Giveaway

I’m joining Twice Remembered Cottage for the 5th annual Cottage Charm Giveaway!

 

May’s giveaway is French themed! There’s right at a yard of the coveted French script fabric, a vintage French perfume ad from a French magazine, a cameo pin, a vintage, hand made (NOT by me) lace covered…. something. I’m not sure what it is, but the lace on the front is pretty. And finally, my last, beloved, my favorite, Paris scent candle from Capri Blue candles. I don’t know when I’ll place another order of the candles and this scent is not widely carried. It’s a rare chance, indeed.

This lace thing opens up, but it’s just a front and back. I though it was going to be a jewelry or lingerie keeper, but there are no pockets. Odd. But it’s old and hand made.

 

The ad has a color ad for another French perfume on the back.

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How do you enter?

  • Comment on any or every post during the month. Each post counts as an entry.
  • For another entry, let me know in a separate post if you become a follower or if you are already a follower.
  • For even another entry, grab my button and put it on your blog – and let me know in still another post

The winner will be drawn May 29.

Thanks to Twice Remembered for hosting the links for the giveaway! It’s May 3 and there are already 20 participants. Check it out!

Easter’s over, but we still have eggs

Most of us all have the same love affair with nests and eggs. We’ve had a dove’s nest in the same spot for several years. They come back every year and build on top of the old nest. The problem was that it was under the porch, the area we’re taking in for my craft room. So, once the babies flew, we took their home down. We’ll try to put something up near there that they might like to nest in next year.

I dumped out all the… uh… dove mess… and brought it in and placed it in a silver pedestal. Put in a couple of eggs from the basket I bought at the estate sale a few weeks ago, a paper butterfly and an old graphic.

It makes me happy when I see it.

The paper butterflies are so easy to make, too! Just fold a piece of paper and cut the shape. I saw it on somebody’s blog and of course, can’t remember whose.

I missed a day or two of reading blogs as they showed up in my reader and have been struggling for a week to catch up! It’s so hard to catch up when you have to do things like sleep! But I don’t want to miss anything so I’m at least clicking on all the blogs and looking at the pictures. Forgive me if I don’t leave a comment. Apparently, the longer I sit and read, the less I’m inclined to talk. But catch up I will. And will vow not to let it happen again. Ha! As if I can keep that promise to myself.

Have a wonderful and blessed Easter!

May you know and embrace the true meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice
and have the faith of a child.

Yes. That’s me. 1958. Please don’t use this picture without permission.

Free Graphic Friday

A little late in the day, but it’s still Friday and here’s your free graphic.

 

 

This is one, continuous sheet. Pretty close to actual size, and yes, the original is uneven at the top. What do you think. 1920′s? They may need to be darkened a little. It’s hard for me to tell doing this on the laptop. The further back I lean the monitor, the darker the pictures become. I can’t tell what’s correct. I’d love to see anything you make with the graphics! I think I’m going to use one of these on a spoon. I might just hop on that right now in a minute!

Decorating with vintage and hand made Easter

Somebody please tell me where the past week went! I’ve managed to check emails and kinda keep up with Facebook, but that’s just about all I’ve done on the computer. Can’t imagine what else was taking up my time, but there had to have been something. Anyway, no posts the last few days means I’ve got to cram all these pictures into this one post if I’m gonna get it in before Easter. For that I apologize.

But before I go any further, let’s all congratulate Stephanie of Junker Newbie . She was the winner of the Easter giveaway! There will be a new giveaway beginning in May.

I did finally get all the Easter things out. This year, with the exception of a couple of pieces, I used nothing but vintage and hand made things. So, brace yourself, here they are. All 25 pictures!! Hope you enjoy them and don’t give up before you get to the end.

I remember being 4 years old and owning this tin, Peter Rabbit, musical toy. Well, not this one. Mine was either lost, given away or sold at my mother’s first yard sale. But I remember him fondly and hunted another like him that I could afford for years.

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I’ve had a ball making these flowers.

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Peat pot simply – and sloppily – painted white.

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Parade of the ducks. I couldn’t get a good picture of them, but tried the other side:

Still not very good.

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And this is my very first attempt at a flat collage:

Easter cards for Free Graphic Friday

I’m piling ‘em on today so you’ll have time to do something with these images before Easter. If you want. Remember, simply right click on the image and choose “Save As”. Pay attention to where it’s being saved on your computer so you can easily find it again.