Rusty Recipe Card Holder & Some Random Photos

This recipe card holder is so easy to make, it almost seems silly to post about it. But I think it’s awfully cute, so I’m going to share it.

I was tired of trying to figure out how to prop up my recipe cards while baking, so I thought I’d make something simple to hold them. I actually had this in mind.

source

When I visited Trade Days a couple of weeks ago, I looked at a booth where I had spied some hose nozzles last time I was there. Of course, now that I wanted one, there were none to be found.

So what’s a girl to do? Improvise, of course.

I took this rusty bed spring and had my husband attach a curtain ring clip to it. I love these clips from Ikea; there are 24 in a pack for only $4.99.

And there you have it. A simple recipe card holder.

And now for the random photos.

Living here in Fredericksburg has given my husband the opportunity to work on some really neat houses. Currently, he is remodeling a room in a bed & breakfast on Main Street. Last Friday, I was able to see what he was up to. Here are some shots of Main Street and the area behind the B&B from the balcony.

This is the Admiral Nimitz Museum. Formerly the Nimitz Hotel.

Linking with:

Debbiedoo’s Newbie Party

Knick of Time Tuesday

Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesdays Treasures

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

Cheap Finds

Even though I had a crazy day yesterday, I did not neglect to snatch snag a few of what I like to call “cheap finds”. I apologize for the quality of the photos. I snapped them with my phone late last night.

First off, a set of interlocking alphabet stencils from an estate sale. They’re awful cute and the original price of $1.05 is stamped on the box.

A game that consists of these neat alphabet cards for $1.00.

A bag chock full of old metal zippers for $1.00! I plan on using these for display at my next in-home sale, for photo props or I may put them up for sale in my Etsy shop. I love the combination of neutral colors.

The rest of my finds included a few magazines, a little wood box that cost just a quarter, and a Little Windows kit. The box I’ll likely paint and use for storage. The Little Windows kit has the supplies to make pictures into jewelry or magnets using resin and molds.

Now, a peek at the donations I brought home to work on for the Spring Fling Bazaar.

This is an adorable wall sconce. It works and just needs some clean up and repair.

Love this chandelier. It works, except for a little smoke when my husband plugged it in. We’ll have to take care of that.

The wine crate has already been painted black. It’s going to be made into a kitty bed.

Linking with:

Savvy City Farmer Thrift’n on a Thursday

Simplifying-The Word

Ok-so I chose a word of the year. Now what am I going to do with it?

Well, if you had been in my backseat today, you would have thought I’d chucked it out the window.

My day was a whirlwind of activities that included an estate sale, a garage sale, a thrift store stop, health food store for a gluten-free snack, a stop at the drivers’ license office for my daughter to take her permit test-only we arrived right before lunch and testing couldn’t start again until 1:00, so we had to go back, grocery shopping at HEB, home to put away groceries and let the dog out, back to the DL office (where my daughter passed her exam and is now a permitted 15 year old driver-yikes), a stop to check out the building my husband is working on, the Dollar Tree, Goodwill and Super Wal-Mart. Then, on  my way home, a call from the Spring Fling event coordinator who wanted to know if I was still going to come out and pick up the remaining stuff from her shed. Yep, you bet. Then home and start dinner at something like 6:00. Whew.

That was my word.

But in the midst of it all, I made a decision to work on something (thank goodness for I-Phones). I used my waiting time to start going through my emails and unsubscribing from those that I really don’t need to receive. Ones I regularly delete without reading. Promotional ones, newsletters, ads, etc. It feels good to know that maybe tomorrow I’ll have a few less to weed through to get to the good ones that really matter. I plan on doing this daily, until I’ve gotten it all cleaned up.

I’m going to try to come up with something new each week that I can implement that will  help me simplify.

I also was able to take some of my personal donations out of the house to the bazaar storage place. One more box gone!

What are you doing with your word of the year? Please share-I’d love to hear what steps you’ve taken.

Bazaar Projects: Take One-The Doggie Bed

My first project for the Spring Fling Bazaar fundraiser is complete!

One of the items that was donated was this large, slatted crate.  It’s very sturdy, but the top slat on this side was broken, so I knocked out all the slats except the bottom one.

I lightly sanded it and gave it one coat of a light bluish-white paint that my husband had leftover from a job.  Then sanded it again-just ‘cause I like that worn look.  Silvy’s figured out exactly what it’s for.

I filled an old pillowcase with donated stuffing, and secured it inside a burlap sack. I used some sticky-backed velcro I already had to hold the ends of the sack closed. This way the padding is secured inside the pillowcase and won’t poke through the sack, but it can be removed or changed out.

Then I stenciled No. 1 on the front. Isn’t everyone’s pooch numero uno in their life?

I also wanted to brag on my daughter. She’s crafted some darling tutus out of a bag of tulle and some ribbon that was donated.

Front.

Back that ties.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

Linking to:

Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Faded Charm White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

Stuff and Nonsense Fridays Unfolded

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

Too Much Time on My Hands Get Schooled Saturday

Yummy Giveaway at Knick of Time!

Imagine receiving these in your mailbox.

Wouldn’t that be delightful?

Angie at Knick of Time is hosting a giveaway. The prize?

A one pound box f those hand dipped assorted chocolates courtesy of Bella Rose Chocolates.

So what are you waiting for? Get on over there and enter. You know you need that chocolate fix!

Knick of Time Bella Rose Chocolates Giveaway

A Liebster Blog Award

What in the world is Liebster?

That is exactly what I asked myself when I received an email from fellow homeschooler and junker extraordinaire, Joann, over at Life at 2810 letting me know she had awarded me one. Hmmm. Then I found out it’s really a lot nicer than it sounds!

Liebster is German for dearest, beloved or favorite.

See, isn’t that sweet?

What is a Liebster Award?

It is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. And apparently is one of your favorites.

I am extremely honored to be included with the other four bloggers that Joann passed this award on to.

If you are selected for this award, you need to:

1. Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites

So, after much deliberation, I’m forwarding this on to:

Stacey at Flickerwhips

I just love the name of her blog. It’s so fun! She describes herself as having the heart of a picker and hates to pay full price for anything. My kind of girl. She’s also in the process of redoing her home. That’s always fun to follow.

Cheryl at Fresh Vanilla for C

Cheryl has absolutely lovely taste. The pictures of her home décor are calming and comfortable. She’s also pretty crafty. And she has a son named Blake, just like I do. She’s been blogging since July 2011 and has just had her blog featured in this month’s Romantic Homes magazine. Very cool.

Laura at Our Prairie Home

Her actual link reads: Little House on the Prairie 1. How can you not follow that? She’s a mommy of six kiddos and lives in a farmhouse in Iowa. She loves junk. And she’s just adorable. Her posts are a pleasure to read.

Audrey at Timeless Treasures

This gal is amazing! She is a great-grandma that is constantly creating something new out of something old. She has wonderful ideas and I love that she resides in my neck of the woods.

Leena at Pink Cherub Moon

Leena’s blog title reads: Junk, Art and Life’s Adventures. Sounds like a fun gal to me! You can tell she loves them grandbabies, not only by the cute pics she has posted, but by the way she writes about them. Her blog is bright and cheerful and makes me smile.

Visit these ladies blogs and let them know I sent ya!

I am editing this post to add that I just received another email from Angie at Swede Dreamer letting me know she’s passed the same award on to me! Please check out Angie’s beautiful blog. Thanks, Angie!

Thriftin’ Finds and Some Special News

Yesterday found me hitting Trade Days and some other great treasure finding places with my newest friend and partner in crime, Anne. I have a feeling the two of us could get into some serious trouble together! If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Anne yet, hop on over to her beautiful blog and see what she’s been up to at Fiona and Twig. We hit it off wonderfully, and I’m pretty sure there will be more junking escapades in the future….

I snagged up a couple of great deals at Trade Days.

My favorite, an old wood ammo box. If you hold it up to the light just right, you can read the words US Government Explosives and some other writing that has to do with ammunition. I just thought the box was cute. I can not count how many comments it generated as I carried it around with me.

The nice gal that sold it to me through in the flowers.

I couldn’t pass up the rusty coil and old temperature gauge. Who knows when a girl will find herself in a situation that warrants either one.

A few more shots of the awesome box.

This roaster stand was something Anne pointed out to me. It’s in great condition, has all its casters on the bottom, the timer & clock work, has instructions still attached and has the Westinghouse plaque that will fit inside the clock insert. Wow! After I purchased it, Anne told me that if I had passed it up, she would have lost all respect for me as a junker. Couldn’t have that happen!

On to our favorite antique store where I picked up a couple of small items, a music book to use on altered art projects and a cow bell for my son’s bedroom.

The last purchase was a splurge on myself. This unique locker tag bracelet with buttons. Adorable!

Now for my special news to share.

I’ve been asked to co-chair the creative design committee for a fundraising bazaar/garage sale to benefit a local medical missions team, Mision de Candelilla. The organization holds three fundraisers a year to help finance their trips to Mexico, and the first one is the spring garage sale. This year they have a different vision for the sale-a Spring Fling Bazaar. The creative design people have been asked to take what donations we can, and…..wait, get this…..upcycle them!!! Embellish them! Redo them!!! This is so right up my alley. I get to use the abilities God gave me to turn trash into treasure, that will, in turn, benefit someone who desperately needs it, and that will, in turn, glorify that very same God! Awesome, isn’t it???

I picked up some donated items and craft supplies this afternoon, and have already started on my first project.  I'll post updates as I complete the projects and if you’re in my area on March 31st-be sure to mosey on over to our Spring Fling and say “hi”.

An Altered Heart

Literally.

I found a bag of wood hearts at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago, and just knew I could do something with them for Valentine’s Day. There were eight in the bag for $1.50 and they still had little twine hangers on them. Great bargain, right?

So far, I’ve managed to come up with one completed heart.

I painted it white and sea foam green and sanded it to give it a distressed look. Then I adhered part of an old dictionary page to the front and back with mod podge-love that stuff-and applied a vintage key rub-on. From there, I just played around a bit with some odds & ends I had around: a vintage stamp from Europe, topped with a rub-on crown to make the young lady look like royalty, a bit of old lace, a couple of vintage buttons, an itty-bitty measuring magnet I found in an old sewing tin, and a piece of wire décor. I replaced the old twine with a length of ivory ribbon.

I was pretty happy with how my altered art heart turned out! What do you think?

Linking to:

From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursday

At The Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

Stuff and Nonsense Fridays Unfolded

Too  Much Time on My Hands Get Schooled Saturday

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

Knick of Time Tuesday

China Hutch on a White Wednesday

One of the details I love about my house is the built-in hutch in the dining room. It’s trimmed in curvy white wood, has two sliding glass doors, drawers & cupboards. Lots of storage space. The trim reminds me of the built-in bookcases that my grandparents had in their den and was one of the details that caught my eye when we were looking to buy the house.

I apologize for the picture quality. The lighting is not great and there’s a big game table currently parked partway in front of the hutch.

When my husband and I got married, we inherited a set of my grandmother’s china, and this is the first time in almost twenty years I’ve been able to display it.

The pattern is Dresdenia by Sango. I believe it was a set you could purchase back when the grocery stores sold sets of china.

I’ve accented here and there with some other favorite things. That little cowboy guy  in the picture above is actually a toy depicting a distant relative of  mine-Charles Goodnight. I found him at a shop on the mall in San Antonio.  How many people have an action figure based on their family members?

A few of my glass cloches.

A mug commemorating my husband’s high school graduation and his baby silverware.

A few of my apple pieces.

And one last white item-the cake topper from my wedding.

Have a wonderful White Wednesday.

Linking to:

Faded Charm White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

No Minimalist Here Open House Party

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday