Weekend Junkin Treasures...

I have a few moments, so I wanted to share with you some of the things I found treasure hunting over the weekend....

This is a small, rural area, so I'm always so excited when I find something neat. Or, in this case, a whole truckload of neat...

Lots of old faux gilded frames with old fashioned prints.

They are neat to look at, although the faux gilded frames will eventually be redone ~ maybe...

It's kind of like going back in time around here. 

And, I love it~!

Some of these will be used upstairs, I just know it...

What would you do if you came across a whole, large tote full of vintage Syroco? 

Would you smile and walk on? 

Would you pause and dig through the tote a little?

Maybe the large Syroco mirror would catch your attention, or the multiple Syroco shelves in the bottom?

Maybe, all of the vintage gold would catch your eye?

Or, perhaps, you need a 'wall pocket,' or 3?

You do realize it takes a long time, to put together a collection like this?

Perhaps, a whole lifetime...

Unless, the vintage Syroco Gods are on your side and make a habit of dropping vintage Syroco onto your head from vintage Syroco heaven?

Naw... I just find large blue totes at a yard sale full of lifetime collections of vintage Syroco all the time ~ 

NOT~!!!. 

Seriously, if you happen to come across a large blue tote full of vintage Syroco, please make sure to pause and ask "How Much?" Because you might squeal a bit when the seller says $20...

(And, that price included the tote!) 

(=

And, of course on another table there was a vintage chandelier.

You just knew another one was going to find me, didn't you...

I did~!

And, this one is all the "Man-Child's" fault. 

I just wanted the coffee can full of crystals. 

Before I knew it - the whole chandy was in the truck...

But, this time, it's chrome and cut glass. 

~And, better pics will come soon~

It needs new candle sleeves and the chrome got damp where it was being stored and got a bit rusty, but that can easily be repaired. 

The fun thing about this chandelier find, is that it came with a huge coffee can full of glass crystals. Crystals from 4 different vintage chandeliers. 

I've been thinking about draping lace all over me one day and adorning it with vintage lace crystals, so I'm acquiring all I can right now.

=D

I'm thinking this one might work in the mud room addition, or the office addition that will happen someday. I mean, I want blue currogated with rough sawn over a chair rail. Can't you just see the chrome on this beauty faux painted galvanized to match?

Just who wouldn't want a crystal chandelier in a trucking company office...???

If you went to a yard sale, could you really resist a vintage brass easel for $2? 

Or, a couple of old frames that are the perfect size to put a couple of vintage satin plaques from your best friend in.

So, they can now have a proper place on the dresser without getting knocked over...

And, if you are ever at a yard sale such as this, please, please ask how much the vintage Samsonite makeup case might be. Because when I did it was just $2 ~ it was a STEAL of a DEAL. 

And, yes 'pre-tell' I do have a plan for it, so check back~!

Actually, what would you do if you found a vintage 'flokati' wool rug at a yard sale? 

Would you know what it was?

Would you just walk on?

Or, would you ask how much??? 

I asked how much and she told me I could be its new owner for a 'Five Dollar Bill'...

I run into the most awesome yard sales in these small rural towns. And, I had a wonderfully productive Treasure Hunt this last weekend.

Better to Light Candles...

It is better to light candles

than to curse the darkness.

It is better to plant seeds

than to accuse the earth.

The world needs all of our power

and love and energy and 

each of us has something we can give.

The trick is to find it and use it,

to find it and give it away.

So, there will always be more.

We can be lights for each other

and through each others illumination,

we will see the way.

Each of us is a seed,

a silent promise,

and it is always Spring...

~ Merle Shain ~

Don't you know yet? 

It is your light that lights the world~!

All in all, it was a good weekend...

I got the yard all cleaned up ~ 

At least the landscaped part, the other part has 6' tall rag weeds ~ Yay... My own jungle?

Anyway...

The lawns are mowed and the gardens are weeded. Everything got a good watering including the pastures, of which I am currently irrigating in my flip flops. You know, someday, I'm going to find a pair of irrigating boots in my size. Well, that would have to be a kid size to fit my tiny feet, but it's going to happen someday. I just always forget to look until I have irrigation water and by then, there's no time to locate a pair.

So, the 'man-child' got the 'Purple Passion Set' moved upstairs. He uses this tiny ladder because he is 6' 7" and he can do that. It's no big deal to him... 

This is my only access to the upstairs, this hole in the 'ceiling'... 

The 'man-child' had to take out the old stairs when he redone the ground level of the house because he kept hitting his head on them when he went into the front room. Needless to say, they never got reinstalled. We are planning an add-on to the living room and the new stair case will be part of that add-on. So, right now, it's just a "time-study" and this is my access to 2 bedrooms upstairs.

Can you even see my 5' 2" self hoisting myself 

from the top of this ladder up through this hole? 

Really?

And, I'm scared of heights...

Ya, not happening~!

I was so mad that I couldn't climb up there and see it. Really, I threw kind of a 'temper tantrum / hissy fit'... He was teasing me because he knew my 5' 2" self couldn't possibly get up there. So, he tells me, "go get your camera" - ha, ha... 

I did it and it's official~ every pic the 'man-child' takes is blurry. Then, I really threw a pissy-hissy~!

Ok... when do I get stairs???

I had to leave to calm down, so I went to the grocery store. When I got home, there was a brand new aluminum ladder ~ a tall one ~ stretched from the living room, up through the hole in the ceiling.

These are my stairs ~ really...

~ Not gonna gripe because at least I can get up and down now...~

I shimmied right up and took a look around...

(And of course hung some lace curtains~!!!)

I need paint, the vacuum, the carpet shampooer and some trim and I can probably finish the "Purple Passion Room" before I even have stairs~!

Well, as soon as the bed frame is done ~ Oy' Vey'...

See, there is already a full mattress and box springs up there. There used to be a vintage, waterfall bedroom set up there, but he traded it to a friend years ago and they took out an upstairs window and used a hoist to get it to the ground ~ 

Trust me, these contractor types like the 'man-child' add degrees of difficulty to stuff that really isn't necessary. Take for example this bed frame ~ 

Notice how it's just thrown in the weeds, on the mulch? Another project that didn't get finished. There is a reason I call him "The Man-Child"... Case in point is this... I asked him if when we done the room if he could 'jack up the bed?'... That's Jen slang for blocking it up so it's really high off the ground because I love tall beds. 

You know, me and my simple mind thought of taking the castors off the frame, taking a couple wooden blocks and lifting the bed up to the height I wanted. I've done it before, it's easy, efficient, cost nothing and it works...

Nope ~ me and the 'man-child's' brains work in opposite, instead of tandem. When I got home from the grocery store, this project was in action. Notice he got one leg constructed? 

I know, if you're like me, you're wondering "What the hell???"

Yep ~ me too...

Apparently, when he stopped at the hardware store to buy me a taller ladder and stifle my 'hissy-fit', he bought these steel pieces to construct legs, to make the bed tall too ~ 

Seriously?

Yes, I'm still shaking my head, but instead of an altercation about how 'over kill' this is, I decided to go hide upstairs. 

Later, I did ask, "What are the steel legs all about?" I should have just kept quiet because it was a long explanation where he tried to lose me in the engineering of his brilliant plan and it ended with, "So I can bolt the bed to the floor..." 

Yes, hysterical laughter welled up in my being... 

Of course I responded with, "Well, what do you plan on doing in The Purple Passion Room whereby you would need the bed bolted to the floor?"...

~~Yes, this "Purple Passion Room" is starting to resemble "The Red Room" out of the book "50 Shades of Grey," as so many of my face-hookers have been laughing about... 

This conversation with the "Man-Child" proves it~!

BIG MISTAKE~!

 I got another really long response again, where he tried to lose me in engineering / contractor lingo and that conversation ended with me saying, "You know, it makes it really hard to vacuum under the bed, or shampoo the carpet, if the bed is bolted to the floor..." 

Then, I got a really blank stare from him...

A few moments of silence and I heard all the cogs and wheels in his brain come screeching to a halt~! 

Then, the bed frame got tossed in the weeds...

Then, I seen the smoke coming out of his ears, so I disappeared back up my ladder to giggle to myself how common sense is lacking around this house a lot of the time...

(=

Sharing At:
The Scoop
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday No. 176
Be Inspired Features & Link Party # 83
Knick of Time Tuesday

Simplicity~

"And I learned what is obvious to a child...

That life is simply a collection of little lives, 

each lived one day at a time...

That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers 

and poetry and talking to animals.

That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes

cannot be bettered...

But most of all, 

I learned that life is about sitting on benches next to ancient creeks

with my hand on her knee and sometimes, 

on good days, for falling in love..."

Written By: ~Nicholas Sparks~

Of course, they were thrift store and yard sale finds...

The wall hanging in the background for $2. The large, porcelain crazed bowl was $3. The lamp was a Christmas present years ago from my mom and the vintage, mini 'tall boy' silverware cabinet was a yard sale purchase for $50...

I have been collecting the vintage linens for years...

What a beautiful, yet simple vignette was created with a few things from around the house. All used, all inexpensive, all beautiful and all on daily display somewhere in this old farmhouse...

Think Simply~!

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

~Confucious

Sharing at:
Blissful Whites Wednesday

A Vintage Knudsden Cottage Cheese Enamelware Pan~ Score!!!

I would love to tell you a great big story about where I happened upon this cutie...

Perhaps, about an exciting trip to an old barn sale, or a thrifty, thrift store acquisition. Or, perhaps a yard sale for just a few coins...

If she was vintage green, she would have an immediate home in my kitchen, but the bright, vintage blue just doesn't work in that room...

There's the option of finding her a home in the bathroom, when / and if, it ever gets started / and or / finished - lol

I could fill her with homemade soaps and small linen fingertip towels and set her on the vintage vanity ~ provided that room ever gets redone... 

(I'm losing hope, but I'm trying to stay positive...)

(=

This is an 'adorable,' 'vintage,' enamelware pan. Maybe, I'll try her out baking a pan of rolls and just use her as a baking dish, which is her function...

Do you want to know where I got it, now that I've wasted a whole blog post thinking out loud about where I should place her???

Well, believe it, or not, she was just sitting in one of my sheds, right in front of my face. But, she was covered in about 60 years worth of dust and grime, so I had never noticed her before...

I think she was well worth bringing in and cleaning up, regardless of her future function...

Give me your ideas for what you would do with a cute little pan like this, that didn't match your kitchen?

You can either be a victim of the world,

or an adventurer in search of treasure.

It all depends on how you view your life...

~Maria Eleven Minutes

It was an Awesome Rainy Day for "Junkin"...

I am so grateful for this rain...
It's been going non-stop for nearly 2 hours and we sure needed it - thank you Mother Nature~!

A 'Rainy Day' makes for an awesome 'Junkin' Day'...

I had to run to town for a few groceries and of course I stopped into the thrift store ~
You just never know what treasure might be there waiting for you and today was one of those pretty great days!

These are my favorite find ~ 2 brass, glass and marble, intricate candle stick holders. They're pretty & they're heavy. Would you believe they cost me $2 each? $4 for the set...

 They're really pretty and they match my Western living room...

Now, I get to start hunting for an antique chandelier for that room to match~!

 

And then, there was this little bunch...

I'll probably only use the soap dish & the liquid soap bottle. 

Just in case I change my mind though - it's nice to have the whole set ~ 

The Blue Rose bathroom ensemble was $4 for everything.
(The toothbrush cup has a small chip & the liquid soap bottle is missing the pump - no biggie though)

 

And, the 'Daher Decorated Whare' collectors bowl was only $1.50...

It's a pretty one, with that vintage blue that will match my vintage blue tub!

And I found 2, new, 27" x 13" linen runners for $1 a piece...

Total Cost of today's Treasure Hunting = $11.50

 

What goodies did you find this week?

 

The 'Long Distance,' French, Shabby Room Redo...

Well, my best friend might slap me for this, but I've wanted to blog about her 'Shabby Room' redo for awhile now. Because I love it and it was quite an adventure that took many months to finish and crossed many state lines to complete. Yes, I stole the pics off your FB <wink>...

She's a 'black & white' lover and well, I'm a busy, floral lover and well, she trusted me enough to send me material in an 'if it fits, it ships' box from WI to help her recreate this room. I don't know if she likes it. I know, it's way too busy for what she's used to, but hey, I'm a busy personality. If she just wanted toned down, black and white, I was the wrong person to involve <he, he...>

She had purchased a bunch of contact paper from the dollar store in black and white rose print and that was the begining. She told me what she was aiming for and the vision in my mind was well, like this pic of Audrey Hepburn...

I don't know if I was on track, or completely off base, but it turned out GORGEOUS & FABULOUS irregardless.

 She drug an old dresser home and redone it in black, with the rose contact paper, sent me a pic and I was excited to begin...

I got it started with a couple pillow shams made in a 'crazy quilt' fashion. This 'best friend' of mine collects Kim Anderson prints and plates and such and I really wanted some 'Kim Anderson' print quilt blocks, but I couldn't locate any. So, I ordered some off the internet that were similar, for the shams. I can't even remember where I ordered them?

Anyway, the shams look like this and I made matching pillow cases with the shams to get the show rolling...

They were sent from Utah to Wisconsin in an 'if it fits, it ships' box and placed on the bed with return photos and a request for a quilt to match.

She ordered some material off ebay that matched the black and white rose contact paper on the redone dresser, the night stand and her vintage ice cream table she inherited and redone...

The black & white rose material arrived in the mail for the quilt creation and I decided to do it 'repurposed' from old velvet dresses, black corduroy jeans, hacked up dress clothes, striped material, floral material & black lace. I went with 'repurposed' material from the thrift store because believe it, or not, this is the dogs room. She had 2 border collies, "Roxy" and "LuLu," and this was their bed..

She didn't want the expensive rose material on the bed top because the dogs scratch the top and this is where 'repurposed,' cheap stuff from the thrift store works great & why I decided to go that direction...

It took me a few months to "Hunt & Gather" all the bits I would need to put the quilt together. I'm sure she was probably thinking, "nice, clean, black and white quilt..." I was thinking "Oh, wow... this is going to be AWESOME!"...

It wasn't a timely event because I moved in the middle of the creation and my life got turned upside down. I was slow getting the quilt done and in the interim, one of the dogs had an accident and had to be put down, so only "LuLu" has the room, but it's still "Roxy" & "LuLu's" room in my mind & always will be... 

I was determined to have the quilt done by at least the holidays, so I could call it her Birthday & Christmas present. Once I got all the material gathered, sorted and started on it, it only took me a couple days to get it done. Of course, it took me longer to 'think on it' as usual, than it did to get it complete. It's just the way I am~~~

Here's the top of the quilt...

I was working with scraps and bits of whacked up clothing and small yardage, buttons cut off dress clothes and bits of lace and other doo-dads, so it was a challenge...

The challenge paid off - it turned out "One of a Kind" and "Fabulous," but still 'dog approved!'

For the back of the quilt, I just used long strips of put together pieces...

I figured if the top was 'too loud' for her, she could flip it over for a change and have just 'black & white' like she loves...

The biggest challenge was getting this heavy quilt to fit into an 'if it fits, it ships' box. I got me a space bag, folded the quilt into a square and added in all the leftover bits of fabric I could fit for curtains and stuff and I jumped up and down on the space bag while holding the vacuum hose to take out all the air I could and get it as small as I could. It took me a few tries, but I got that space bag the exact shape of the postal box and taped that puppy righteously so it would hold in shipping... It was a HEAVY parcel headed her way...!

My greatest fear in transit was the space bag springing a leak and a large explosion in the mailtruck, of a black and white quilt... <yes, I still giggle when I think about it - this parcel resembled a brick when it was mailed...>

I was so, so, careful in the quilt creation, saving the expensive black and white rose material, so she would have enough for curtain panels for the window. She took some black, silky material she had in her stash. She added it to the black and white rose material. She used the excess black and white striped material yardarge sent to her from me and made some adorable curtains to match.

I made a black lace throw for the bottom of the bed out of leftover black, lace yardage, but the dog would knock it on the floor, so she used it for the valance over the curtains, which turned out GORGEOUS...

Then, she customized the mini-blinds to the black and white stripes she loves ~



She bought some cheap lamps at family dollar with white shades...

She customized them with some of the leftover bits of material...

This woman has TALENT~!!!

And, in the end ~ created a customized, french look, shabby room to "Die For..."

I figure, the total cost of the redo, including paint for the furniture and the black & white rose material was probably about $200? I might be wrong... It might have been less, or maybe more? I was including the cost of all the 'if it fits, it ships' mailing boxes that were involved in this multi-state redo...

Beautiful, French, 'Shabby Room Redo' by two women,

on a mission, with a vision

and lots of time on their hands~!