Saving the Universe

After a brief and somewhat peaceful break of crafting, I picked up where I left off. There are a couple of "events" coming my way and I've been running around like Jerry Lewis in the Nutty Professor...thinkin' this, grabbing that, experimenting and creating up a storm. Remember, 99% of what I make is from recycled items....I'm trying to save the Universe, one craft project at a time.

OK, so I had these wooden flower silhouettes since like forever, in fact, they were in Raquel's Nursery (she's 18) and then I placed them on my porch where they gathered moss and anonymity.
They were dirty, outdated and just plain B-O-R-I-N-G!

I repainted the stems and leafs a metallic green with paint I already had, covered the flowers with pretty scrapbook paper ( had that too) applied my magic buttons ( got plenty of them) painted the pots a shocking pink ( check) and covered the planting oasis ( got it) with doilies that I per cured from a yard sale....wrapped it up in a pink bow and......it's magic. All 3 items cost me 75 cents...a quarter per doilie.



Oh yeah, I kind of sanded the edges a little to give it a little vintage look...I'm not very fond of shiny things...

And somehow, word got around at work that I like junk, so my friend Lynn, who is in the middle of cleaning out her house because she is moving, gave me a cute little lacy collar among other things. I had no idea what I was gonna do with it, but the first thing I did was tea dye it cuz I seem to tea dye everything that is white.
I ironed it.....yes people, I still iron stuff, and I attached it to a lamp and places a rhinestone bow on the edge....It'll do for now until I come across something else I wanna do and have to steal from Paul to pay Peter....I'm Just Sayin'

One mans Junk

Woke up late this morning (won't tell you what time) with nothing really to do. Raquels at the beach with FFA buddies...all day and so it's just me and Eric. He took us to breakfast or whatever that meal was at that time (oatmeal)... let's just say it was breakfast. We passed a few yard sales on the way and so, after our meal, I wondered around the city with $3 to my name and a determination to purchase that one item worthy of the Antique Road Show.

I was kinda lookin' for old patterns but I guess people are hanging on to them...then I spotted this butter dish, which btw, I need...really I do




It's glass with a bubble pattern on top and bottom and it has a silver etched floral design. I asked the lady how much she wanted for it and she told me that she's tired and just wants to practically give everything away and that I could have these matching candlesticks too....all for $1




Well, what could I do? I jumped at it, even though they came with those gawd awful tacky glass candles ( I tossed them) and for $1 I couldn't pass it up. She told me her husband is from Germany that they belonged to HIS mother. I couldn't see any signatures or markings but then again...they were filthy and they are soaking as I am writing this entry.

I love the silver etching on them, in fact, some of it is coming off which makes me like it even more. Anyways, I haven't been yard saling in a very long time and it felt good to get such a bargin.

Perhaps me and the hubster will have a candlelit dinner tonight....with butter. I'm Just Sayin'

Sleeping with Grampa's pants

Having gone to yard and estate sales most of my life and had my share of my own..NEVER had I experienced what happened to me at my latest trek of yard sales this past weekend. First, I purchased this for $2. A white chippy wrought iron plant stand that I will probably spray white.




...and then I came across this box of crafty stuff...red velvet ribbon, gold ribbon, green fuzzy pipe cleaners, red raffia, a red vase and lots more....all this for $1



...and then I came to the house of bad decisions... As I circle around this front yard, scoping out the yard sale landscape, I am listening to the what I think are the owners of said home as they bicker with each other about something or other concerning a price on something a customer wanted. They couldn't agree and the man turned on his heels and left to go into the house as the woman continued her negotiations and transaction with her prospective buyer. He came out again when the buyer left and started arguing regarding pricing and he kept saying things like "This was gramma's, why are you selling it?" and "I don't wanna sell this". OK...now I thinkin'
there is some stuff here that is #1 Old...#2 has sentimental value ...#3 maybe shouldn't be here and #4 right up my alley.

...and then I saw it. A flash of red outta the corner of my eye, some sort of throw I thought. As I walked fast toward it, horses appeared and they were pulling carts and buggys. I picked it up and it was a bedspread. A very large bedspread and as I turned it over it's other side was made up of some sort of patch work. Grays, browns, blacks and tweedy fabric. Hmmmm, I thought this is interesting and old.

The lady came up to me and told me $1. I repeated back to her $1? Ah, ha she replied. I asked her what this was, bedspread, comforter? She started to tell me how her GREAT GRANDMOTHER sewn that for her GREAT GRANDFATHER because he loved horses and had a buggy and that the patch work on the other side was put together using squares from his old suites. YES...his old clothing...SUITS....and how her grandmother had it in the spare room and didn't like it and gave it to her mother who hated it and somehow it came into this girls possession and she didn't like it either.

I was shocked. In my opinion...even if you hated something that was passed down from generations....you just kept it. Put it in a box up in the rafters hidden...anywhere...but you don't sell it for $1 at a yard sale. Needles to say I wanted it but was afraid the crazy guy would come and snatch it from my grip. I asked her twice if she was sure, ya know, after all, it is an heirloom..Yep!! "I'm sure" she said. I then asked her if yer husband was OK with it...She laughed and said "that's my brother and he can't stand this thing, we didn't even like it when it was at our grandparents house". OK then, sold for $1...

I'd like to think that I was doing a good deed and saving the integrity of the family name and that I was spreading good karma into the Universe knowing that I had a daughter that was horse crazy and would take care of it and appreciate it...plus, I couldn't pass up a crazy bargain like this...I'm Just Sayin'

The Latest and Greatest

Letin' you in on the latest stuff around here....

These two are no longer

Don't feel sad...she's not. We're on to greater things and when I say "we're", I mean her...kinda. The best statement coming from a 16 year old girl..."Ya know mom, being in a relationship teaches me more about myself than anything else". It brought tears to my eyes...seriously!!

What? Don't see the "I'm too lazy to put the Christmas Tree away" tree sittin' in the corner of my dining room? Yeah, after 9 months I got bored with it. I have bigger plans for my tree friend.

Went to an Estate Sale and although this wine rack wasn't for sale...I actually spied it out in the backyard through a window, they sold it to me .....for $5. Yippeee!!!! Gonna clean it up and put it on my front porch.

Celebrated my mother in law Elizabeth's Birthday

and her never aging son...my husband. A good time was had by all...by 9 pm~

My New Aquisitions

Acquired some goodies lately...

feast your eyes on this...a giant poster of Barnum and Bailey circus

and this...a bag o' buttons

both of these items were givin' to me by Brenda in exchange for me cleaning out her closet...easiest score I ever made.

and I purchased these items from a yard sale....an Autumn table cloth

this black enamel cake plate cover

and this dainty hankie with the letter N embroidered on it

I had time to made this pillow from a little lawn flag that I purchased from Kholhs for $1.00. I already had the fabric and I just recovered an existing pillow I didn't care for

now, I'm on the lookout for a little stool...just small and high enough to....let's say....milk a goat or something of that nature.....stay tuned~

Video Treasures

I've decided to show you my yard sales treasures by video. I came about this idea through my friend Angela over at Free Spirit Haven. Keep in mind that I haven't been sleeping much lately...lots on my mind, I'm tired and without make up. Yes...this is the real me folks....except now as of this date...I'm back to brown hair




Click HERE for my yard sale findings!...and yes...I really am this mellow and I do say "cool" a lot.

some of this and more of that

Been pretty busy the last couple of weeks. Schools out forever...well, for me, but not for Raquel. One more year and it's on to a nervous break down...but let's not talk about that....

The corn is as high as an elephant's eye...whatever that means...

Went to a car show and this 1955 Victoria stood by a 1955 Victoria...both in good condition!

Yard sale goodie for 1 dollar. A silver plated ice bucket. Nice and tarnished...just how I like it.

Went to a bridal shower for my good friends daughter who is marrying a Scottish lassie,
C`est La Vie

and watched as Raquel showed her Hefer and Lamb at at livestock show..This girl is way to focused. Check out that stance!

...and I will be outta town for a couple of days...This is where I'll be...relaxing and taking a tour of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus. I shall return

The North Ten

There is a space in my backyard that is about 12 feet by 10 feet that I was not happy with. It contained Ice plant in the center and rose bushes all around. This area sat right outside my dinning room and breakfast area so that, when you sat in either room and looked out the window, that's what you saw...it wasn't the prettiest view. So being the ambitious bunny that I am, I proceeded to rip everything out...EVERYTHING! It took me a long while as I had and have a few ailments besides being just plain old that kept me from working fast....ie: sore knee, bad back, gall bladder attack..you know, the usual. It must of taken me about a year to complete just the purging itself. What was left was a dirt lot...I even managed to get rid of most of the larger rocks and stones. I worked the soil, I added this and that and even added soil softener as our soil is kinda like clay. When I was finished, I envisioned a Crape Myrtle tree in the center...not just any Crape Myrtle, but what is called , a Petite Crape Myrtle, one that wouldn't grow so wide and tall, one that was a vibrant lavender and I also envisioned cosmos and giant Gerber daisies and anything else that would grow in zone 8.




Isn't it just lovely? Imagine sitting in my dinning room or eating breakfast or lounging in the patio for that matter sipping wine or even a cup of herbal tea and gazing upon such loveliness. This vibrant yet delicate tree surrounded by an assortment of bright and cherry floral and fauna. Hey! Let's throw in some humming birds and lady bugs and butterflies while were sittin' back takin' it all in.


....and then, when I was all done with the demolishion and I started to look again for this elusive tree, there were non to be found. Apparently there hasn't been a good crop in a while and my window of planting was March, April and May. So what do I do? Do I wait a whole year with a dirt square smack dab outside my windows? Eric told me to throw some wild flower seeds in there, which would make it very pretty...but I want my tree and I'd just have to rip everything out ....AGAIN!

I don't give up very easily, as I said before in another post...I'm like a dog with a bone...sometimes I just can't let it go, BUT, I did this time. Perhaps I'm tired or maybe I'm just mellowing out, but all Raquel had to do was ask if she could grow some veggie there and I gave in. She asked me what kind, I told her I don't know...go for it! And so...SHE DID!



Corn..lots and lots of corn...





I have nothing to do with this...I take no responsibility nor do I lend a hand. I told Raquel, "It's official, we are now white trash", "Nope, not yet" her response, "we'd be white trash if it was planted in the front yard"...lol hhhmmm...wonder what she meant by "not yet"?


So, anyways, we are all amazed at the rate of growth and even the fact that it is growing at all. So we sit and have breakfast and the first thing we do is lift the blinds and check on the crop making sure that no critters have partaken in any nocturnal hanky panky or that mysterious corn circle don't mysteriously appear....except for these two..


Cleo likes to nibble at the leafy stocks that hang over the sidewalk as she walks by...




and Ginger likes to lay in the middle of the corn and roll back and forth


I will keep you posted on the progress of the little plot and hopefully the city's AG. Dept. doesn't catch wind of this and cite us for illegal growing of a substance or something like that. The funny thing is, is that I can't eat corn... I'm just sayin'

Temptation, Rejuvenation, Incorporating and Smelling Good

I really didn't mean too. My plan was to mind my own business and go about my merry way...but the temptation was too strong. I see a sign that says "Estate Sale" and my car automatically goes into "E"...and magically takes me there. I can go for months and not hit one and then...WHAM! I can't stop and I just can't pass it up.

My latest finds ~ A huge baskets that I keep my currant and future project odds and ends in~


A black wrought Iron plant stand that I haven't decided to keep black or paint and a white plaster angel sconce...perfect for my garden~



A couple of white hanging planters...I already have the chain~



...and the best for last....some old tile. Big squares, little squares in burnt umber and blue floral pattern....my very creative blogger friend Missy, gave me the idea for those trays I purchased a couple of weeks ago. Now I have to figure out how to attach tile to wood. All this my friends.. 3 stinkin' dollars.



I try to keep myself busy and for whatever reason, lately I've been a whirlwind of creative craftyness. Some of which I've had for a while and just couldn't get to...until now~

I've had this stenciled window pane on my front porch and it was looking a little faded, so I touched it up a bit. I love morning glories ~



Eric had cut these large flowers for me years ago (how embarrassing) and I came upon them just recently in my craft storage...plain, just waiting to be painted. I painted them with whatever bright colors I had and placed them on a shelf also on my front porch~



This little cart has been sitting in my back yard for roughly 16 years. Brenda gave it to me and originally it just had a piece of wood holding plants and because of my neglect (how embarrassing again)...everything had rotted. I bit the bullet and threw everything away...cleaned it up a bit and painted it white. Eric cut a piece of plywood to fit, I covered it with a little delicate blue floral contact paper, slapped a $1 placemat on it along with a plant and she's brand new again~



Also in my craft storage was this paint by numbers pic that Raquel had painted a few years back. I liked it so much I saved it. My den is kinda Southwestern/Mexican vintage, so I bought a $1 wood framed mirror, took the mirror out, painted the frame Turquoise and put the cowboy in...Raquel was thrilled...."finally! Mom"



My very good friend Marsha's daughter Candice is getting married in a couple of weeks. I made a shadow box using her invitation. I just added a few little pink flowers. This frame was bought at a yard sale and I painted it in a distress greenish color. Why are shadow boxes so expensive?







Just a couple of little items that I purchased at previous yard sales. Remember this little picture of a flower within another frame? I'm loving this little medallion attached to it.





...And this iridescent red vase goes very well in my monochromatic living room...I love splashes of red








...and making little Sachets from my lavender...it smells sooo good










There is more but this post is long enough. Think I'll save it for future posts. So yes, I've been busy and loving every minute of it. Everyone have a wonderful day...and keep busy!

I'm Just Sayin'

Yard Sale Smackdown + update 4/24

Been to a few yard sales and I even got Eric involved in a couple of them. He knows me so well, he points to things and I run over to the item and 9 times outta 10, it has Bunny written all over it.
I've even been to the Goodwill Store (bought a couple of things...show you later)anybody been there lately? The one I go to is very clean and color coordinated..it makes for a more pleasant search and discover situation...lol

Here we go...

1 very heavy ornate plaster plant stand...it's very pale green...almost grayish and I'm probably gonna paint it white....$1. These 6 wooden trays are various sizes and colors. The lady who sold them was obvious gonna go something with them but she said she didn't know and they had been sitting in her garage for over a year....$3 for all of them. Aren't they nice?...Think I'll decoupage a least one of them...the others ...we'll see. Any ideas? Went to a friends yard sale and she GAVE me this cushion....SCORE!!




























A cute little framed flower within a frame with a hanging medallion..very vintage....50 cents and this Moroccan pattern tin. Beautiful colors of gold, ivory and maroon that will fit perfectly in my Living room 25 cents



This very vintage champagne color clutch. Look at all the detail on it..Gorgeous! She wanted
$5 for it, I offered $3 she said no way. To bad for me, although I really wanted to buy it, I had several more yard sales to go. Finally at the end of my excursion, I went back just to see and there is was just laying there on the table. The lady was gone and left her hubby in charge...I asked how much?...his response..make me an offer...$2....SOLD!



These old pieces of silverware that I use for any event that calls for a buffet...they come in very handy and look wonderful in their mis matchy way...10 cents each piece



Although this pillow is not in my color scheme in any part of my house, my intention is to cover it somehow...I will and when I do...I'll show you...25 cents


This black wrought Iron wine rack. It had a $2 sticker on it...I offered $1...SOLD! This lady asked me if I drink wine. I told her nawh, not much, that I'll probably paint it white and use it
for a plant stand or towel holder. Her response..."I never thought of that"...lol of course she didn't...she sold it for a dollar~ oh that sounded kinda bratty huh?...Oh well, you snooze you loose.



And my favorite thing of the day. This bright green shiny ceramic artichoke that I already displayed along with the clutch, in my dinning room. This is the second artichoke I've purchased at a yard sale in the past 6 months....$2


Like some you out there...finding treasures and putting my own creative spin on them just makes my day plus I truly enjoy getting out and talking to people and bargaining. Right now I have projects galore just lining up and the more I see what you all do, it just makes me wanna do
more. So...one project at a time and in between my rants and raves, I'll show you as they are finished


Update 4/24 On my way to the market I spied a couple of yard sales...with $4 burning a hole in my pocket...I stopped.


2 Great movies...both for $3 and this very red and iridescent vase, 25 cents, that will look pretty darn good in my living room....I'm just sayin"