Thrifting Impossible

My mission: $50 in my pocket. A large outdoor flea market with my bff, Dana. Mission: Cover as much ground as I could before the DH and DDs arrived. Luckily we moved quickly as Cathrynn arrived with a nasty headache and fever from a booster shot the night before, and Frank with his usual attitude about me & money ("what you spent $50 in 4 hours???") #$@* MEN! but he still managed to snatch the ugliest dog in 2 states for a mere $100. A dog that can bark for 8 hours straight. Anyways, it was dollar days for me! I love to see vendors with boxes of all junque piled high and signs that advertise only $1. My favorite scores: the powder blue tole painted music box and powder puff (I have my Gram's and thrilled to find another!). A hunter green canvas purse with an ice-cube style Lucite clasp. A tin of sewing notions with rhinestone buttons buried in the bottom. A book of Etiquette (a hoot for me and Dana as I once had a date correct me for pronouncing it "etaquit"). And 10 vintage dresses for $1 each!
I'm not a doll collector but she was $1 and still in her box. It was all mangled and her dress and lace are all gray. A bath is pending. These pins weren't exactly a bargain at 4 for $15, but I loved the size and colors...

being a woman in a man's world

Warning - if you're a guy - bug-off.

A local drapery & upholstery shop that had been in business so long it was part institution & part landmark - as in "turn at..." recently went out of business. Sad for them but oh so happy for us. If the original owners had been on site it wouldn't have been such a joyous occasion, but the guys who were there were being paid to tear down the warehouse innards and were filling a dumpster with - I swear - down pillow forms, vintage trims and fabric scraps that were almost a yard big!The store front was piled with rolls of high quality fabrics and a handmade sign in the window announced "$3-5 a roll" yep, not a yard - a bolt! Dana's skills at sniffing out a bargain were at their finest as she found this city sale, a whole a county & an hour+ away from her rural mecca thanks to Craiglist. On Wednesday, she'd called me frantically on numerous occasions as I stood in a warehouse waiting for those #@!* Girl Scout cookies. As she was waist deep in free fabric scraps. Imagine my horror!!

She loaded her Suburban with fabric. For a really, really unreal price. Not like when you're at Joann's and even after the coupons and red tag prices, they hand you your fabric and it's a tiny bag for far too much money.

So she picked me and Liv up yesterday with a plan to fill the Suburban again. It was like Christmas morning. We arrived with cold hard cash to the warm welcome of the new building owner who was waiting for a dumpster to be delivered. He just wanted the stuff out of there and to get on with his real estate purchase. He mentioned that anything not sold would be tossed or donated. And he was ready to make some deals. And was happy to see us piling up the fabric. And then as our piles grew, his mood changed and he started to get antsy and even voiced concern that WE may be taking advantage of HIM. WHAT? Seriously, his trash was suddenly invaluable, and maybe he didn't know what he was doing by selling it in volume. Yeah - he was concerned that 2 women might be getting a better deal than he was. Like he was going to sell it by the yard at retail prices and hadn't bought this highly sought after commercial property to make a killing of his own. Greedy bastard. And it was absolutely an ego thing. Have you ever been on the receiving end of this type of thing? It brought back not-so-distant memories of being at the mercy of unscrupulous plumbers, contractors & slum/landlord at my tearoom. And being treated like they were the ones holding the cash and calling the shots. Ugh.

So it was a tad uncomfortable but not so much that I won't be going back for more today. DH was very impressed by my haul and wants me to negotiate even harder. After 2 days there, Dana was much more annoyed by him, and refuses to go back - but she got a few hundred bolts of fabric to my measly 24 bolts. I also got about 30+ fabric sample books for FREE. Less dumpster space for him, and many, many gorgeous swatches to use on my totes and sewing projects.

Wish me luck! And that the snow doesn't interfere with my plans...

UPDATE: Well, it wasn't a great social exchange w/ Sir Surly, the grumpy & greedy old dude, but I got what I wanted - 25 more bolts of pretty fabulous fabric! And my personal favorite - a BIG bolt of this vintage shabby chic polished cotton (Dana - would that make this chintz... I never know my fabrics) It was stuck in a box with some really bad 80s watercolor florals. I think the girls would look adorable in little shift dresses. Or there might even be enough to cover all my outdoor cushions. Oh happy spring - I can't wait to start sewing!

D is for...

My Dear Friend, Dana

Dependable & Dedicated

Dog Lover

Self-Depreciating

'cause we love nothing more than to poke fun at ourselves!

Daring

She's able to singlehandedly wrestle & rescue large pieces of furniture from trash piles,

talks to strangers on a regular basis,

and has been known to serve bean soup at tea party/cookie exchanges.

Decorator

Every tiny corner of her home is packed with charming vignettes.

So this little D is for Dana, who was last seen cleaning her craft room,

which is the biggest and best I've ever seen.

Heck she even has a spare storage unit to handle the overflow.

I thought this pretty little D might brighten a spot there.

glue, glitter & girlfriends

Yep, I've been MIA. My longest blogging break ever. I've been busy, busy, busy! Last weekend, we kicked off Craft Season 2007! Nothing like glue, glitter & girlfriends! We dined on yummy veggie soup & pumpkin bread, and Dana's husband put a fire in the fireplace to keep us toasty. The incomparable Darly was too busy with the tedious life stuff, but Dana's mom, Marlene, took her maiden voyage into our creative world. Hot glue held us all together as we laughed and teased each other. We hung our creations on a sad little tree in Dana's antique booth. I also sold seven totes, and have been busy replenishing my stock.




























So, what happened to my 100 post give-away? Loyal friends, I'm working on it. I have the best intentions to make it a good one. Just too scattered to make it happen. Stay tuned!

Vintage Tea Cup Swap!

I received my package from Rebecca - a gorgeous hand stitched tea towel which will be displayed in my vintage inspired kitchen. I'll have to tell everyone "hands off"! I've never had anyone stitch something just for me. I am delighted!!! If you're in the market for a treasure like this, please visit her Etsy store - MelysBaby!

The cup & saucer are one of my favorite brown transfer ware patterns. I've never owned transfer ware in brown but I'm happy to say that on Friday I found a matching lone plate at a thrift store that I plopped the fragrant candle down on. The start of a lovely Autumn-y china collection.

I'm hoping that Rebecca is as pleased as I am...I was not as speedy as she was at mailing hers out, but I hope by Monday she'll be enjoying it. I'll post a pix then so as not to spoil her surprise, in case she's reading this.

Trade-sies!

Do you remember being a little girl and doing trade-sies with your girl friends & sisters? Of course, with 3 daughters my mom put her foot down on several occasions, or we'd all have lost our favorite toys on a whim & promise!

As grown-ups (ahem, loosely defined) my girlfriends & I do our own version of trade-sies - bartering, swapping, sharing, trading - whatever you call it! We have a pretty steadfast rule - no money changes hands, but we all end up with some new-to-us-stuff. Heck, half my house has been furnished that way (thanks Dana & Darla!). I left the house on Saturday with a wing chair, drop leaf table and two odd dining room chairs and returned with this settee(sans cats & cool wall sconce) : Cool, huh? I'll be attempting a slipcover for my bedroom. And I Can't wait to see what magic Dana does on the table & chairs.

Last month, I went out on a limb and decided to do the Vintage Indie Tea Cup Swap. Hoping we'll both be quite pleased! I'll post a few pix of my package as soon as I can :D

Fall Festivities

We sold a variety of vintage shabby chic treasures & junquey stuff on Darly's red brick sidewalk. My totes looked charming on a clothesline... garnering more interest than buyers unfortunately.

Heritage Days 2007 -
Slowed to the pace of the wicker rockers on Darla's pretty porch, as an old metal fan offered the only respite from the heat & humidity.

Stop by Pearls & Peapods for great pictures of the Festival!

Classic cars lined the streets and bands provided live entertainment from the gazebo across the street. Hopefully, next year will bring more big band and less do-wop!
A young soldier escaped the heat in Darla's side yard under a tree. I wish you could see the details and the wool pants. And I was complaining in my sundress!

You're invited!

The charming town of Homewood Junction is hosting it's 19th annual Heritage Days Fall Festival from October 6th & 7th, 2007. My dear friend, Darly's lavender dollhouse/cottage is directly across from the gazebo. Dana will be bringing a truck full of treasures from Doe Hill and we'll all be selling our vintagey, antiquey, thifty, junquey, shabby, crafty treasures...heck, we don't even know what all we'll be selling 'til we drag it all out!

Say the Blogger Code Word: Junquey Gals and receive 10% off my handcrafted totes & purses, key chains, pincushions...

I'll be crafting 'til then...

It's fall y'all!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I love, love, love the crisp air, the glorious leaves. And even though I'm a damn Yankee, I can say y'all - after living for years in both Virginia & Georgia. Autumn in Virginia was picturesque, rambling stone fences along country estates...One of my most cherished memories - going to a battle reenactment with Dana, wearing our matching Aigner riding boots, tweed blazers, turtle necks and the cool earthy air, pungent with the scent of gunpowder.

Yesterday, I tucked three huge totes of my sherbet LuRay dishes away until next year. Their pink, aqua and pale yellows seemed to be putting on airs of summer, and I'm ready to embrace fall. These sunflower dishes were made nearby at the Homer Laughlin plant. I welcome my time with them until my Christmas dishes come out to visit after Thanksgiving.

Update from last night... I had a beer, both Hugh and Colin ala Bridget Jones and put whining arse to bed!

Good Stuff

Went to Home Depot for the kid's project & out to lunch & made sundaes from an ice cream bar with Grammy & Pappy.Took Vince & Caitlin with us to a church fair and had pierogis, halushki, funnel cakes, & fries loaded with malt vinegar (yes, I joined WW this week! ) . Had their faces painted & won the prerequisite silly little prizes from the ducky pond, including a really inappropriate noise maker that Cathrynn had fun with while walking through the crowd.


Decided to stop at Dana & Fred's 'cause you know, we were only 20 minutes away, and Fred & Frank both saw this as a ping-pong opportunity. Even Vince & Caitlin played a few rounds, the girls enjoyed the freedom run & explore their verdant oasis & found - among other things - a prickly caterpillar. Caitlin & Vince were all over the kittens & cats, especially the blind purr-ball named Ashes. Fred delighted us all with a bonfire at dusk, & Dana brought out the marshmallows. Laughter & reminiscing about the annual bonfires Mom & Dad used to host every October. Toasted marshmallows (did I mention I joined WW this week & have the willpower of a gnat on rotten fruit?) . Cathrynn fell asleep on the ride home happily murmuring, "my first bonfire".

I didn't cook one thing all day. I didn't plan any of it. It all just fell together. Good stuff.

testing 1-2-3

Giving my new sewing machine a test. So far the only issues have been user related. Imagine that. Pretty fabrics compliments of Dana. Who'd have thought she'd convert me, the paper/scrapbook gal over to fabric? I thought it would've been the other way around! This is a bit too country for most of my decor but I wanted to do something fast. That's me. Speed above everything else...

Most husbands when faced with this type of purchase say things like "will you really use it?". Nope, not Frank. I had to take an oath & solemnly swear not to become obsessed with it. Remember to feed the kids, clean the house...not get lost in my projects. He mentioned that I could set up a schedule. As we like to say around here, "NO WAY JOSE!"

Off to pop some popcorn for the kiddos lunch. That counts, right?

ice cream sandwiches for breakfast

That's what happens when you're 4 or 6 and have an impromptu sleep-over at Grammy & Pappy's. Complete with baking sugar cookies, sleeping in their clothes, and ice cream sandwiches for breakfast. If the evening hadn't been quite so cool, they would've been able to sleep out under the stars on the gliders, and would've been completely over the moon. What magical moments.

Frank already had a guy's night out planned. That gave me an unexpected evening with my girlfriends. Don't you love when things just fall together? Not scripted & planned. When the details just fall together? The more I plan, the greater chance that something will go wrong.

Not last night. With the little girls and Frank off to their own amusement, I headed to the hills for my own gal's night out. The only thing requested of me - some vanilla ice cream. Which was sublime over a cobbler Dana tossed together from oatmeal & fresh blackberries. Ummmmm. I'll bet she's having some for breakfast even as I write this.

And, after that, we visited Darla's charming cottage. Her home is a storybook that includes lazy cats and eager pups, her own decorating style of incredible hand-painted murals, and a host of garden-y touches, a very elegant & eclectic style that defies description. I'm hopeful that she'll start a blog soon with glimpses of her artwork and home. Until then I won't spoil the fun, but I will tell you that she opened the french doors and we spent the summer evening under the stars in the tree tops, with margaritas in hand, on her upstairs balcony lounging on wrought iron chaises & vintage wicker, across from a quaint little gazebo, echoes of Louie Armstrong from a neighbor's gathering and our own laughter filling the air, and hummingbirds swirling around us & her overflowing flowerpots.

Yes, it is a wonderful life.

gone berry picking!

My pretty little wildflowers picking Queen Anne's Lace.
They even found some that had the lightest pink hue.

Liv, knee high in weeds, announced
"this is a great place to be...".
Yep, I think so too.
Cathrynn's hair got as wild as a dandelion in the wind.
She was covered with berry juice& an ample amount of scratches.
Enough black berries for a big batch of scones,
with white chocolate chips - of course
and some pretty ice cream parfaits.
Dana says the early drought like weather attributed
to the little-r berries. Still good picking for little hands.
Mine were YUMMY on Cheerios this morning with a ripe banana.

sew exciting!

Excuse the scan - lots of itty bitties made the scan pretty crappy, and 1/2 or all going their own way - but Dana's sampler is coming out better than I planned... I only have a corner started but I know she'll love it.

She's doing a "wall of shame" (her words!) in her dining room of all sepia pix of her family & she's framing it all in old salvage windows and using lots of old brooches & stamping their names.

I printed their pix on some great old muslin - you can see right through it - cool, huh? And it didn't even junk the printer this time! She won't believe I did it all without a glue stick, gun, or tacky glue. The itty bitty dog pin was a lucky thrift store find yesterday in the bottom of a tray that really was pretty, um, scary. only $1.99! And the Big Mac button cuddled inside the big red, is our High School's nickname, you'd never find her it at a McD!

pinata candy

even the candy was festive and matched the decor at the party, thanks to Darla and the pinata! What a hit - literally! Liv woke up this morning and said "can I have one of those hit it things at my birthday?" I'll be hearing that often I'll bet, for the 10 months or so. Too bad Vince had my camera 'cause Dana's house looked like a feature spread in Country Home or Country Living. Quite a creative bunch my friends, every inch had been decorated in a really authentic & rustic way. I'll bet people are already hoping for next year's invite! The chocolate cake was a huge hit I've been told. It certainly wasn't the prettiest cake, but man was it moist and delish.