A New Chair for a Song

 

I finally...yes, finally...finished this chair.  It didn't take long.  The hard part was just taking the time to finish it.  The chair was a $1 find in all of its dark stained wood and orange and yellow striped glory.  The arms came off (not problem). 

 

A couple of coats of ivory paint took care of the dark wood stain (perhaps it needs a little sanding to give it a "roughed up" look though).  Our walls are ivory, so the chair had to be ivory. 

 

The braid was a thrift store find (it was in a bag of other notions for a few dollars).  The pretty green material was the end bits of a roll of material found at a different thrift store for $5.  I'm thrilled that there is some still left, since it's so pretty and versatile.  It will await a future project.  Anyway, with a hot glue gun and a staple gun, this was easy to do and finish.  Now we have a "new" chair in our bedroom! 

Taking a Computer Break

It's the last full month of summer, and I'm taking some time off from blogging and my shop for just a few weeks to enjoy the sun, the warm weather, and my family.  I'm constantly puttering around on my Etsy shop--doing treasuries, listing, checking statistics, promoting, re-listing, etc.--and it's time for a break away from the computer (so I'm going to put my shop in "vacation mode").  Oh, I may check the shop out a few times, and I'll be doing some shopping for sure for things for my shop and to embellish with.  I can't step away totally, you know.  Besides, the shopping part isn't work.  In fact, I get kind of edgy if I haven't visited a thrift store, yard sale, estate sale, or antique shop in over a week.  ; )  Anyway, I'll be back in two weeks hopefully refreshed and energized for fall and the busy months ahead.

Nickle Bin Find

I LOVE the 5 cent bin at our local thrift shop--the small bin full of broken bits and pieces of jewelry. The ladies all know me there. My kids know that whenever they go there, mom will pour through that bin to find any and all treasures. They are usually very patient, and I need to remember to reward them accordingly (like a piece of gum to chew while waiting, for example). It's somehow therapeutic to paw through bits and pieces of jewelry things to find those few treasures lurking near the bottom of the bin. Lately there has been nothing--only zillions of postage-stamps-stuck-on-paper pins, knitted support-the-local-high-school bracelets, and plastic jewelry pieces. Yesterday, I found these. I was so excited...finally some small treasures. They are obviously from an old, broken necklace or bracelet and measure about 3/8" at their widest. They are the daintiest of milky-white glass flowers with orange centers. I'm looking forward to creating with these little gems. And an added blessing in this? I expected to pay a nickle for each flower, but the lady gave them ALL to me for 5 cents! I love the nickle bin.

A Delightful Discovery Indeed

When I was a young , I was promised by someone that when I got older I would receive a set of dishes with dainty scattered pink roses all over them. For years I would dream about those dishes and how many Betty Crocker points it would take to save up for rose patterned silverware to match. Unfortunately I never was to receive those dishes.

Before my husband and I got married 20 years ago, my mother and I were on a quest--with a budget, of course--to find dishes for our new household. I had given up on those rose dishes by then, and instead decided I wanted to have a "fruit" inspired kitchen (not literally fruit, but a take off of the "fruit of the Spirit" as is found in Galatians 5: 22-23 " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."--depicting what someone who has put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus should be like). I thought green backgrounds with bright fruit could always be fresh and pretty in a kitchen not to mention easily updated and enhanced. At the time I couldn't find a set of dishes to fit this theme...and expensive china was out of the question. So, Mom and I decided on a rather utilitarian set of ivory "stoneware" looking dishes that were very economical and practical and would go with my fruit theme along with green glasses and fruit napkins. I had hoped to replace them within a few years--perhaps if I broke a few I would NEED to replace them...but, alas, they have been durable and faithful all of these years through kids and moves and mishaps and klutzy moments. I would dream of china and see fruit patterns by Lenox and others and sigh at their beauty and despair at their prices. Some "everyday" fruit dishes have come out by Corelle, but they just never "spoke" to me.

I confess, however, that through the years, although I have greatly enjoyed my fruit theme, I have always had a heavy tug towards roses and have SO enjoyed the rose trend over the last many years. There are just so many pretty rose china patterns out there that I have seen in magazines and in other people's kitchens. *sigh*

Well, the day before yesterday Mom and I were at a thrift store and I saw these...
There are two plates of each size--the larger plates were $1 each and the smaller were $.50 each! How could I resist? I tried not to do a little jig right here at the thrift shop for excitement. They are in perfect condition, and I bought all four.
As you know, I already have a teacup and saucer and dessert plate in the Old Country Roses pattern (as well as a mug from which I'm drinking tea right now) and teacup and saucer in the "Ruby Lace" pattern. Now, I say this is a "delightful" discovery because the thought occurred to me that fruit or no fruit I could be on a very thrifty and only budget-friendly quest to find more of these plates, one-by-one if necessary, to build up a set of dinner and dessert plates via thrift shopping or on Ebay or garage sales and the like. I don't need all of the extras, but a set of these for company would truly be a dream...a dream come true.

Estate Sale, Thrift Shop, and Antique Shop Goodies

It has been SUCH fun having my mom live closer to us now. I get out more! Yes, and I even get out without the kids from time to time. I'm having too good a time! Anyway, Mom and I have sort of been on a thrifting spree lately. We've gone to thrift shops, antique shops and malls, and so far one estate sale. It's amazing what and how much you can get without having to spend an arm and a leg. We went to an estate sale last Saturday...got up before sun-up....traveled 50 minutes...waited forever....and finally were allowed in. We learned a few important lessons...get up BEFORE the sun gets up...take a bag or two for the goodies...and take something to do while waiting. It was an organized sale, so I was concerned what the prices would be like. They were very reasonable, however. We were #84 and #85 to get in which was disappointing, but there were still some goodies left. The early birds get the worm! I sort of enjoy the totally disorganized estate sales because I love plowing through boxes and going through things to find those little hidden treasures for sale, but this one was fun too. Most treasures I look for are to try to resell...but most of these I'm keeping for myself because I like them so much. Here are some found recently....
This little tiny box is from Austria and is pretty petit point/needlepoint. This type of stitching was inspiration for my bead business, so my eye flew directly to this. It was a great price at an antique shop.
This little blue glass perfume bottle I found at a thrift shop for a song. I cleaned it up and am going to give it to my grandmother. She has blues and purples in her bathroom, so this should look great there.
I couldn't resist these buttons. I'm always on the look out for pretty buttons. I'm not sure what exactly I'll use them for or if I'll sell them, but I do like them.
This teapot was remarkably still at the estate sale when we went in...and it was only $5! Mom and I like to think that the Lord kept it sitting there waiting just for me. ; )
This little jackknife was at the estate sale as well. The blade which is a little rusty snaps into a tortoise shell holder, and I believe this is it's original box--a box from a jeweler/optician (that's what it says on the cover) from the Madison, Wisconsin area. It is less than 1" long, and I believe it must have been a charm or something since it has a loop on the end.
Finally, these little baby pins or lingerie pins as they are called (depending on who you talk to) were an irresistible find (all were on the same card for one price) at an antique mall that was having a store-wide sale. They are quite small, the largest measuring 1-3/4" and the smallest 7/8". The one with the pearly "grapes" and leaves is quite a curiosity since the grapes dangle from the pin. I'm not sure if the turquoise one is actually a stone or a glass bead. It is pretty nonetheless!
The largest one has this curious marking on it that I can't find who or what it stands for or what it means. If you know, I would be most appreciative if you would comment on this post and tell me. Thank you so much!
So, there you have the latest finds...as well as the ones I've been listing on Etsy--lots of glitz and glamor. Hope you've enjoyed the post! ; )