Thrifting Hodge-Podge & Pumpkins!

I haven't done a thrifting post in a while (or any post for that matter) but I can assure you, it's not because I haven't been a Good-willing, flea-marketing, Garage sale-ing fool! Cause I have.  Here's a peek at some of my newest treasures! 

The beginning of my vintage mug collection

Avon milk glass mug, smurfy mug and Japanese ceramic mug

Japanese ceramic mod design mug, Care Bears birthday mug and the Avon milk glass psychedelic mug

Jazilyn's Super-awesome-Super-Mario-Brothers shirt!

Lots of additions to My Little Golden books collection

Poky Little Puppy original from 1942!

Small curio cabinet-Also an unfinished project hence the empty holes......

Huge curio shelf, $3 at a garage sale!  Someday this will house my mug collection but for now, it's a great dollhouse :)

 

 

 

 Here is my family of mini-painted pumpkins.  There are still 2 more, and I'm thinking of making them granny & grampa? 

 Here is mom, dad, baby and the spider-dog! :)

Also I have 3 big pumpkins to carve, any good carving ideas???

Oh yeah, 2 more unfinished projects......that pesky art history paper and my folklore midterm!!!  Better get on it :)

Collection Tuesday -Vintage Folk Art on Wood

Hello again :) It is day 2 of collection sharing week via Pixies and Bears.  I really like it, because it gives me a perfectly good excuse to procrastinate doing my homework! Today's collection is my little decorative wood pictures that I have only been collecting for mostly this past summer (other than a couple pieces.)  I got most of these from various Goodwills in the area.  I haven't even hung them yet! I think they're pretty sweet and I would like to arrange them in a sort of cluster all together in the dining room at some point. 

Here they be!

The last three are already hanging in my kitchen and they aren't included in the first picture.  Pretty cute, Eh?  :)

Vintage Finds!!!

Hello! So sorry for the lack of new posts......I lost my muchness for a bit.  :) Anywho, this past weekend there was an antique show at the fairgrounds in my town so I went & checked that out & did a bit of garage sale-ing. (clearly that's not a word. hmm...)  Here are some of my finds!

This gorgeous 1970's era apron, with the tags still attached!  wow. This came from the antique fair.  I love my collection of vintage aprons.  I'll have to share it with you sometime.

These all came from an estate sale.   I actually got to go inside the house and it was AMAZING! The walls were orange & avocado green plaid wallpaper and all the fixtures and curtains matched through the entire house.  There are 3 old hallmark books with the most adorable art inside and this cool macrame thingy with an owl bead. :)

Here is a look inside the books.  I adore them!  :)

Doilies! from a garage sale.  I also got a lace table cloth & curtains.  I'm really into "granny-chic" right now.

Oh my goodness, all this cute trim, lace seam binding, ric-rac & patches came from the estate sale.  I got all of it for $1. I can't sew but, someday.......

This sweet little baby deer framed photo.  It's huge & I don't know where to put it.  In the girls' room perhaps?  I felt like it would fit in with my woodland theme but, I'm not so sure now.....

I also got this art print by Ted Degrazia.  This one is not as big but I thought it was sweet.

Both pieces have the same frames but don't really belong together.  I really hope I can find them a good place to live in my home!

Last is this gorgeous turquoise & silver ring. I'm madly in love with it!  I never find rings that fit me, especially vintage ones :)

I finished something!!!!

Remember these ugly tables!?

Well...My sweet momma loaned me an electric sander and, in a couple days

 Ta-da!!!!!

 

They finished!  yay! I really love the way the brass hardware looks on the front :)

The only thing is.....they don't match ANYTHING! Oops.....My living room is all sage green & earth tones.  I believe some redecorating is in order! Stay Tuned! :)

Turning Trash into Treasure

I start my fall semester of school on August 24th and I've been racing against time a bit to get my house to feel more like a home (hence the excessive thrift shopping).  I also have a few projects going on that will hopefully pretty up the place as well.  We have decided to stay here another year (we are renters) which is highly unlike me.  I have moved at least once every year for the past 10 years and I moved a lot as a kid too.  It is just in my blood  I guess, after a year I start craving some "newness".  Here are a few of the things I have been doing to appease my nomadic spirit.  I hope you enjoy!

First is the front porch swing.  It was old and had sun-bleached wood (sorry no before pics) so I painted it this lovely yellow!  The color is called "patchouli" and it makes me seriously happy!!  I want to paint everything this color. 

Then there was this hideous seat cover........

I had a really sweet, psychedelic vinyl tablecloth which I simply stitched together to make a really nice slipcover for the pad and viola!

Carol Brady would be so proud, don't you think!?  :) 

The next project was inspired by the jewelry display at one of Free People's new stores in California.  Check it out!

Click here for source/more pics.

Here's my version, which I used to display my jewelry......even though i don't have that much.

 They were super-easy to make!  I just stapled a piece of vintage fabric to the back of the antique frame and screwed a couple of hooks into the wood of the frame to hang the jewelry on.

I also made the girls a Barbie house out of this old cupboard that was here when we moved in 

 I know it's a gross picture, we took it to show the condition of the floor in the laundry room when we moved in.  The cabinet had some kind of ugly wallpaper decal on it.

so, we cleaned it up and painted it.

I also had to buy a shelf to make it have 2 floors.

Now, keep in mind this is a work in progress.  I still plan to paint the door, some windows and flowers on the outside and then get wallpaper and carpet samples for the inside.  For now, it's functional and still pretty cute.

This brings me to today's project.  I have these antique end tables that were in our living room when I was a kid.  My mom painted them with this dusty, country blue, textured paint.  They're hideous.  In her defense the whole "country-blue/ducks-in-the-kitchen" thing was in back then. 

I had every intention on putting them out in the garage sale until I saw this on Etsy.

cute huh!?
 I can so do that with my tables so......
I put the whole family to work today trying to sand that god-awful blue paint off.

She looks thrilled!  lol!   Seriously, before you call someone about child labor she voluntarily got out of the pool to "help".
After an hour or so of sweating and plenty of sore hands we realized that we really need a power sander.

Sigh. Another unfinished project.......