Altered Art Party

I decided to join in the fun and show some of my work at the Altered Art Party sponsored by French Cupboard . I design "cake tops" for my collection of vintage cake stands from old lace, vintage trims and millinery flowers and found cute vintage figurines. My cake stands look beautiful and I don't have to spend one minute in the kitchen. They look almost good enough to eat!

Vintage Goes To College

My oldest child leaves for college in less than a month. Where have 18 years gone? Losing my full time job over a year ago has made money very tight. After studying the pbTeen catalog it was off to the resale shops and clearance shelves at Target. My daughter selected the comforter and pillow sham on the very discounted clearance shelf. Thrifty girl! Mom rolled up her sleeves and said, "I can recreate the catalog look with a few cheap finds and a little paint." We found the adorable step table at St. Vincent de Paul Resale Shop. After a coat of primer and three coats of white paint, it was transformed into the cutest bed side table. A free picture frame, some white linen, paint, padding and a board made this one of a kind bulletin board. In July while I was doing the Vintage Market at Viva la Cottage we spied the great vintage shadow box in Carol's booth from the Vintage Nest. Primer and paint created the perfect place for a few keepsakes. I love the embossed plaster design. It is in perfect condition.

My daughter's room will be a place she can call home! I am sure I will miss having her in the bedroom down the hall.

I feel my eyes becoming very watery.

Celebrating Hannah

This weekend my daughter is in the summer show, "One Hit Wonders" at RHS. This show features students and alumni. Hannah is a dancer, but loves to sing as well. Being petite, 4'11" tall you will be able to identify her in the photos. She made a cute nun and provided the harmony for "The Monster Mash". Hats off to all the performers it was a great show! Photos were taken by Andy B. and Sherry S.

Possibilities

This piece of "American Folkart" was another find at a recent estate sale. I'm not exactly sure how I will use it in my Christmas displays but it has endless possibilities. Someone used a old handle, secured it to a wooden base and then wrapped it in chicken wire to fashion this tree. Maybe it was a creation not yet finished, but I love it just the way it is. I know mixing it with white and some time worn ornaments would be fabulous. My niece and nephew from Texas are staying with us for a few days. The girls want to go shopping and the boys would be content to just play video games. The day should be interesting!

Angels Among Us

Christmas is my favorite Holiday. It is never too early to begin thinking about the upcoming season. In my last junking expedition I found these wonderful angels. The little candle holder is from West Germany. I have a large collection of German Christmas angels. The little faces are so adorable. I have others in my collection with the red bases and this angelic band parades across my kitchen window sill during the Holidays. The two angel figurines are Napco, so sweet. I love the colors...time worn! The little white cherubs are German as well. They might be found in one of my Valentine displays. Junking is so much fun!

Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

A week has passed since the Vintage market in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. My sale did not go as I had hoped but I have learned a few things and best of all made some new friends. Seems like the industrial look is the hot selling look right now, metals of all kinds, wheels and rust. Since the only rusty crusty item we had was a little garden tool I unearthed from the shed, items weren't flying off the shelves. Here are a few pictures of our booth.

The Best Seat in the House!

OMG, our benches are to die for! These estate sale finds have become works of art. Each is upholstered in a hand stitched wool applique covering. It's hard to choose a favorite. The benches will be for sale at the Vintage Market at Viva la Cottage in Sister Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday. My van is completely filled. I'll take lots of pictures and post again when I return

Chippy Memo Boards

Old frames become sweet message boards, with a covering of white wool, some old lace and a few vintage millinery flowers. The perfect place to leave all those reminders!

Redone Rummage Sale Find

This chair is one of four that my mom and I turned from ulgy rummage sale finds into adorable cottage furniture. The chairs were painted, primed, and shabbied to give them that time worn finish. The final step was the application of two coats of wax to provide the hand rubbed finish. The chair seats were upholstered with vintage bark cloth my mom found in New Mexico. The finished chairs are just adorable.

Button Box Jewelry

The beautiful shapes, intricate carvings and beautiful colors of buttons have fascinated me since I was a child. I remember the beautiful “jewelry” my Grandma Irene fashioned for me as part of a gypsy Halloween costume. Bracelets and necklaces made from the smallest carved glass buttons dangled from my neck and wrist. The button box was also a place for secret treasures, like beads and broken jewelry, all those things no woman every discarded. These simple pendants were created using button box finds and honoring Irene with fond memories.

Birds In the Tomatoes

One never knows what unique finds will turn up at an estate sale. My mom and I discovered a basket of never used, vintage, tomato pincushions. Surely that basket held possibilities. I decided the tomato would make a perfect perch for a hand-sculpted needle felted bird. Take a look at these adorable pincushions now.