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

Homeschooling Myths

I came across this video and because it made me laugh, I thought I’d share it. Those who are homeschoolers will probably (I hope) appreciate it. If you’re not a homeschooler, please don’t be offended. These are actual questions and statements I’ve dealt with. I’m aware every homeschool situation is unique and special. There are also homeschoolers who are not Christian and am in no way making fun of anyone~it just brought a chuckle to me this morning.

Enjoy.

Seven Lies About Homeschoolers

And no, we don’t do school in our pajamas!

What’s the Word?

I’ve recently noticed little post snippets proclaiming “word of the year” popping up on my sidebar from some of the blogs I follow. So, I decided to investigate to find out what this was all about.

My snooping sleuthing led me to The Lettered Cottage and their Word of the Year Link Party. Well, who doesn’t love a party-and lucky for me,  it’s not the invitation only kind!

Without further ado, my word of choice.

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Yep. Nothing new here.

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I’ve always preferred simple over extravagant.

Peace over drama.

Minimal over clutter

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Crossed off to-do lists over stacks of unfinished projects.

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Time well-spent with my family over running ragged.

Relaxing with a book over time wasted in a frenzy of activity.

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So, for 2012, I am choosing to simplify. Even more.

I’m focusing on clearing out and revamping. I’ve never been a packrat or an accumulator. I prefer to get rid of something if I’m not using it. But, this year, as I’m going through and redecorating and reworking some things around the house, I plan on reevaluating everything. I got a head start last year with my daughter’s room. Her possessions now are ones that she loves and are things that are useful. I’m currently working on my son’s room .

I plan on keeping our schooling simple. The homeschool convention season will be upon us in a few months. I love attending~but I’m going to stick with my plan and the resources we’ve chosen and not overbuy any extras. (Inserting smiley face!)

Simplifying our meals. Planning our menu. Getting back into a regular shopping routine will make this so much easier. Basic meals, not long drawn out culinary efforts.

Since I’ve started my Etsy shop and my blog, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time on the computer. Now that I have both my blog and my shop configured in a way that I’m pleased with, I will pull back from computer time. I can schedule them both better into my day, and not let them overtake every minute. So that I can enjoy more fun time daily with the kids and quiet evening time with my husband.

Spending more time in the Word on my own and with my family. Enjoying the outdoors. Taking walks. Taking time to breath a little. Taking naps. Exploring this little town some more.

All things that to me evoke simplifying.

There it is~my word of the year.

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Hop on over and join the party….No invitation required.

Country Living Fair

For all of you bloggin’ ladies in my neck of the woods, in case you haven’t yet heard-

the Country Living Fair is

coming to Austin this spring!

April 27-29 to be exact.

Tickets went on sale today. You can click on the picture above for all the details.

I ordered my ticket-do you have yours?

Blogger Inspirations and a Really Neat Find

I know this is probably not news to the lot of you, but I’ve found there are many, many creative and ingenious bloggers out there in bloggy land.

I wanted to share two of the first blogs I came across when the thought of vintage-shabby-farmhouse decorating first entered my mind. These two are a great source of inspiration to me and I find myself drawn to reading them regularly:

Fiona & Twig and Buckets of Burlap.

If you read decorating/vintage blogs at all, then you’ve come across these two phenomenal ladies.

When I started reading Fiona & Twig, I was super excited to discover that Anne & I share the same zip code! How cool is that? I admire her wry sense of humor and her talent for beautiful photography. Not to mention her not-afraid-to-tell-it-like-it-is honesty. She also has an incredible knack for styling vignettes and the pics she has shared of her adorable home has me wishing I lived in a cute little Victorian style farmhouse!

Her blog is a peaceful place to visit and enjoy some great writing and gorgeous photos-some of which have been published-I’m just sayin’.  I’m happy to say that after a few emails and a phone call, a day of junkin’ together is in our near future. I can’t wait to meet this wonderful gal in person and spend some time getting to know her.

I was drawn to Buckets of Burlap because of Becky’s soothing palette of colors and her farmhouse style. I like the pale colors and her use of burlap, natural items, baskets, buckets, pots…..you get the idea.

Her home appears to be so calming and she comes across as such a sweet person. She’s someone I would enjoy sitting down and having a glass of sweet tea with (if I drank sweet tea-being in the South, I know that’s the norm for a drink-but I just don’t like the stuff). She’s also a fellow homeschooler. I have to admit I had a bit of schoolroom envy when I came across the photos of her work/schoolroom! I am also impressed by her budget-minded decorating style-making her own signs and her uber-talented husband making her furniture.

If you haven’t visited them yet, please stop by their blogs and spend some time getting to know them. I promise, you won’t be sorry.

P.S. Here’s my really neat find for today. A cast iron kettle from an old Fredericksburg home, dating back to the 1800’s. (For $20!)

It’s a keeper.