Short and Sweet Thrifting Day

Since we had a special birthday party to attend midday, we rushed through only two sales. Two things I learned today: 1) sometimes being the first person to a sale means that the seller hasn't realized yet that their prices are too high and 2) double check the start time of an estate sale because it isn't fun to show up late.

We found some amazing things at the first sale but the seller was asking antique store prices for garage sale items. The selection was good but we had to pass on everything.

Since {I thought} the second sale was at 9 am, we decided to stop for breakfast. When we got to the second sale there was a short line so I thought we were early. Well, we were actually late because the sale started at 8. Oh well...

We found two nice Pyrex Butterfield refridgerator dishes. I love the turquoise color.

I also found a vintage mirror tray with ornate metal edges. I plan to alter it a bit. While looking for a place to shoot the photograph I forgot that I now have a curious puppy who had to come and investigate this strange new object.

Hope everyone had a great thrifting day.

This is linked to:
Her Library Adventures and Hey What's For Dinner Mom?

Awesome Third-Hand Treasure!

Last week I happened to look on Petfinder.com and saw a precious dog that had the same facial expressions as my Haley who had passed earlier this year. Well today was my Doggie Gotcha Day when the rescue group brought me Carly, the bestest third-hand treasure.

Her mother had been rescued right after she had pups. And one of those pups, Carly, was then adopted by a family. That family couldn't keep her so she was returned to the rescue group. And it is through this wonderful rescue group that I was able to find and adopt such a perfect adult dog.

She has claimed her spot on the couch. We are still learning to communicate but she is fitting in quite nicely.

We were also able to sneak in a few garage sales this morning. My favorite find was a bag full of ephemera.

There were about 25 vintage Valentine cards. 

 And nine Cigar box labels.

And five Cigarette Cards with movie stars. Plus an old fold-out postcard from The Territory of Hawaii sent in 1942 during World War II. 

I also found a sweet, vintage Mother Goose book with lovely illustrations.

What a great day! I love the sound of a dog walking across the floor again and the gentle nudge of a cold nose. If only I could rescue more dogs. Adult dogs are so much easier to adopt. They are usually housetrained and well-behaved if you pick them right. Welcome Carly!

This is linked to:

Apron Thrift Girl, Coastal Charm, Her Library Adventures and Hey What's For Dinner Mom?

Beach Retreat Bathroom Reveal

Although not completely finished {due to my attempts to find just the right thrifted material to complete the towel rack} I am revealing the results of my Beach Retreat bathroom remodel.

First let me describe how my bathroom looked for many years prior to this remodel. It was small {still is} and without windows. There was a builder's grade shower/tub surround on one side. The previous owners had country blue wallpaper with small flowers on all walls. There was very little storage with a linen closet right outside the door. It was dark and boring and in need of updating.

Here is what it looks like now. The walls are a creamy white with bright white vinyl beadboard and the tiles are shades of sandy white. The accent colors are pale teal with a contrasting dark vanity and counter.

The old mirror is thrifted which I painted white and sanded. The silver on the back is missing in some places but the glass is beveled and the shape is so beautiful that I can overlook some flaws. I added glass knobs to the vanity.

I created the soap dispenser out of an old thrifted teal Ball jar. I bought a travel pump dispenser from the Container Store, punched a hole in the top of the Ball jar lid and hot glued the pump to the top of the lid.

I had a small wooden suitcase {although it was thrifted, I don't think it is old}. Because it was made of wood, it was the perfect solution to use as a small shelf. I removed the hinge and screwed the back of the suitcase bottom to the wall. The suitcase lid just sits on top and is held in place by the latches. I can store small items inside as well as use the top as a towel shelf.

Because the bathroom is so small, Dear Handyman tiled the floor and the shower with the same tiles to trick the eye into seeing one larger room.

Because there is no frame around the shower glass the entire room appears larger. Notice the glass block window, Dear Handyman added that to allow some natural light into the bathroom. On the other side of the window is the landing at the top of the stairs.

Before, there was very little storage space inside of the bathroom. Dear Handyman removed the linen closet in the hallway and added storage inside the bathroom. I am going to decorate with more sea shells, coral and silver. I added some of the teal glass bottles on a silver tray.

The only thing I need to create is the towel rack. I am on the search for the right materials and will share my project at a later date. UPDATE: I have completed the towel rack. Click here to see the completed project.

Now I have a really nice Beach Retreat bathroom that I totally enjoy. Dear Handyman did such an awesome job. A few years ago he remodeled my kitchen which is even more amazing than this bathroom. I will share photos of that remodel soon.

Thrilled to be featured at:

Sugar Bee Crafts

The 36th Avenue

Mod Vintage Life


Too Much Time on My Hands

Truly Lovely 

Thrifty Decorating


French Country Cottage

Designer Garden





Cherished Treasures

This is linked to:
504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Between Naps on the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Brambleberry Cottage, Cherished Treasures, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Craft Envy, Designer Garden, FaveCrafts, Finding Fabulous, French Country Cottage, Frugalicious Me, Funky Junk Interiors, Glitter Glue and Paint, Homemaker on a Dime, I {heart} Naptime, Life Made Lovely, Lovely Crafty Home, Making the World Cuter, Mod Vintage Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Running With Glitter, Sew Can Do, Simply Designing, Singing Three Little Birds, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, Somewhat Simple, Sugar Bee Crafts, Sumos Sweet Stuff, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Tatertots and Jello, The 36th Avenue, The Colorado Lady, The DIY Showoff, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Shabby Nest,  The Southern Institute, The Thrifty Groove, The Thrifty Home, Thrifty Decorating, Truly Lovely, Under the Table and Dreaming, Very Merry Vintage Style, Vintage Wanna Bee and What Allie's Making Now

Garage Sale Barricade

Today didn't start off quite the way I had hoped. I was excited about the first sale but when we got near the location we found all of the streets barricaded. I still don't know what was going on but it seemed more like the "We're having a parade" kind of barricade as opposed to the "Crime scene, keep out" kind. We weren't able to get to that sale so we tried two more. I found a few more date stamps and rulers for my collections.

The last sale was filled with shabby chic treasures. The prices were a little high so I couldn't buy everything that I loved. I did find a pair of perfect wall sconces that look somewhat similar to my chandelier.

Here's what it looks like without the flowers.

And here is the glass from my chandelier.

I also found a few adorable hankies. I love the frog teacher and the duck student.

The last item I found was an embroidered dishtowel with three cute kittens.

This is linked to:

Apron Thrift Girl, Coastal Charm, Her Library Adventures, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, It's a Very Cherry World and Mod Vintage Life

Designers Craft Blog Connection - Halloween

Welcome to the Designers Craft Blog Connection for the month of October. The theme this month is Halloween which is just so much fun.

My project for this month is really several projects that I combined to create an entire table centerpiece.

Starting from the right; my favorite project is the Halloween Putz House. I had never heard of Putz Houses until recently. They are an old Pennsylvania Dutch custom of tiny, glittery houses, collected to make entire Winter villages. I decided that I wanted to make a Halloween version using Sizzix dies.

Here is a detailed photo and a description of the dies used.

The house was created using the House, 3D by Eileen Hull. I used black matboard and lightly brushed on some white acrylic paint then adhered glitter with Mod Podge. To make it appear more spooky, I tore the door off and glued it on at an angle. I also glued the two front window frames at an angle as well. For the curved window at the top and the windows at the side, I used the Tim Holtz, Mini Openings Movers and Shapers Set. I took a piece of aluminum foil and glued it to the inside back wall of the house so that it would reflect the flameless tea light inside. Along the back of the house is a fence created using the Iron Gate die.

I added the tiny Halloween decorations that I found at an estate sale. I also added a doll's arm coming out of the "ground" so that the scene was a bit more spooky. I had found two disjointed doll arms in a box of toys from an estate sale a while back and wanted to do something with them for Halloween. The raven perched on the hand was just another bit of Halloween humor.

I also added a witch and a flurry of bats flying over the house. These are glued onto wire in the same manner as I did in this other project.

The next project is a collection of handmade, fabric pumpkins. You can see more details here.

The large spiderweb on the table is actually a Sizzix die that I designed. I wanted them large so that you can create a spiderweb table runner.

The final piece is very near and dear to my heart. It is my plastic Halloween pumpkin from when I was a child. I painted a candle holder black and placed my pumpkin on top of it. If you pop out the green stem there is a light bulb and a place to insert a battery.

To view many more Halloween ideas, click on the Designer Crafts Blog Connection button on the right and continue through the blog hop. Boo!

This is linked to:
A Little Knick Knack, Between Naps on the Porch, Blue Cricket Designs,  Cherished Treasures, Coastal Charm, Creating a House of Grace, Homemaker on a Dime, I'm Topsy Turvy, Keeping it Simple, Life Made Lovely, Making the World Cuter, Marvelously Messy, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Not So Simple Housewife, Passionately Artistic, Rook No. 17,  Running With Glitter, Savvy Southern Style, Sew Much Ado, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The 36th Avenue, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, The DIY Showoff, The Girl Creative, The Southern Institute, The Trendy Treehouse, Type A, Very Merry Vintage Style and Vintage Wannabee

Thank You Steve Job

"Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life.

Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important,

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, 

They somehow already know what you truly want to become

Everything else is secondary."  

– Steve Jobs

February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

Autumn Crafting - Pumpkins

It feels so good to have some time again to do some crafting. Even better is that it is just in time for Halloween.

I sewed up a batch of fabric pumpkins in various sizes.

I have been adding new vintage items to my Stuff to Treasure Store recently. Please stop by and visit there often to see what's new.

Honored to be featured at:

Bless My Nest

This is linked to:
504 Main, Between Naps on the Porch, Blue Cricket Designs, Brambleberry Cottage, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Home Savvy A to Z, Homemaker on a Dime, I'm Topsy Turvy, Keeping it Simple, Life Made Lovely, Making the World Cuter, Marvelously Messy, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Passionately Artistic, Rook No. 17,  Running With Glitter, Savvy Southern Style, Sew Can Do,  Singing Three Little Birds, Sugar Bee Crafts, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, The DIY Showoff, The Girl Creative, The Southern Institute, Thrifty Decorating, Type A, Very Merry Vintage Style, Vintage Wannabee and What Allie's Making Now

Lovely Little Treasures

It was a gloriously sunny and warm day today. Originally we had planned on going to a promising sale but it was too far away and I didn't want to waste the gas. So we stayed local, very local, just down the street actually.

Since it was the third day of the sale I felt fortunate to find things that I liked.

My favorite find were these Halloween treasures. The largest pumpkin is only 2 1/2" wide. I don't know how old they are but they are wonderful.

I also found this small, bright red bottlebrush wreath. It is only 4" across.

I seem to have started collecting vintage date stamps. I also found an alphabet rubber stamp set. The letters are terribly small but with a little patience I hope to actually stamp an entire sentence one day. 

I love the graphics on these old cards. 

The Valentine on the bottom left has an unusual sentiment. On the front it says "How about Me!" and inside it reads: "I'm keen about you but I firmly declare, I don't want it to be a one-sided affair. What's your story Valentine?" It is unique how it isn't mushy or cute but gets right down to the important question.

I am adding new items to my Stuff to Treasure store. Just added several Christmas items and some toys but there's a lot more so please stop by and check it out often. 

This is linked to:

Apron Thrift Girl, Brambleberry Cottage, Coastal Charm, Creating a House of Grace, Her Library Adventures, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, It's a Very Cherry World,  Mod Vintage Life, Savvy Southern Style, The Colorado Lady and Very Merry Vintage Style