My Salvaged Treasures: November 2010

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Mod Podge Bracelets and a Big Thank You

I sure hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our little turkey is now down to the bone, but I'm still trying to squeeze a couple of sandwiches out of it. The side dishes have been gobbled up, and I ate the last piece of pumpkin pie for lunch. Yep, it was good while it lasted.

A few days ago, I felt the urge to do something with these bracelets even though I had plenty of other projects I should have been working on. I recently bought these ugly bracelets and thought they were in desperate need of some TLC. I'm not sure that metal thing is even a bracelet, but the size was perfect......

Then I got out my handy dandy paper cutter and chopped up some strips from an old book, sheet music, and a $1.00 garage sale atlas from 1956.

I applied Mod Podge to each strip and wrapped them around the bracelet. I slightly overlapped each strip and kept the seams on the inside. I like the look of the atlas bracelets the best....France, United States/Canada, and a thin slice of Texas. I still need to add a coat of glossy varnish and maybe mix in some glitter for a bit of sparkle.

I want to make more of these; how about one for each country in my atlas? I headed out to the dollar store in search of hard plastic bracelets. No luck there, and no luck at that other store where I could get them for one penny less. I am determined to hunt them down, and I will make more.

Now for the Big Thank You......

I will never be able to shop in a dollar store again without thinking of the creative mind of Michelle of Mich L. in L.A. You have to check out her blog to see what her wild imagination comes up with. She never ceases to amaze me.

Last month, I tried to guess the mystery item she used to make a bracelet in one of her "Guess the Mystery Thing" contests. She had made a bracelet using an old automotive hose and stumped us all. I was the first person to mention a hose, so she still sent me this very cool necklace made with part of a jelly headband from the dollar store, and this bracelet made from a vacuum hose. How cool are these? Sorry Mich, your pictures are much better.

Thank you so much, I am proud to be the owner of a Mich L. in L.A. original.

I'm linking up with:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I Need Help! It's Time To Upgrade My Camera

I need help from my wonderful blogging friends. For months now I've been thinking about upgrading my little camera. Yes, the time has come. It has been a true friend, a reliable workhorse, tossed around and dropped multiple times, and it never once left me with a dead battery. They just don't build them like they used to; the back of this beauty is made from wood. Up until now I've resisted trading it in for a newer, fresher, smarter, more efficient model.

Film No. 116 is getting harder to find these days, so I thought I'd upgrade to this beauty.....

I love the lines on this spiffy Brownie Target Six-20. It had mixed reviews, but I couldn't resist the sale price of $5.00. Now I need to figure out what type of film it uses and how to open it.

Don't you love these old boxes? So simple. So fossil like. So few choices. Seriously, this is where I need help from my friends. The camera I actually use (Sony Cyber-shot) has been good to me, but I need to upgrade to something other than a point and shoot camera. Photographing jewelry with this camera is really difficult because it just doesn't know where to focus, and I'm not getting the clarity I want. My new camera will be used mostly for posting items on my web site, my "one of these days" Etsy shop, and of course, my blog. Sooooo, I really need your input.

What kind of camera do you use? What do you like about it? What don't you like? What questions should I be asking? All your tips will be so helpful.

Also, I decided that these two lovely old and tattered cameras need to be repurposed. If I can figure out how to open them up and get them apart, the parts just might make some great jewelry.

Thank you all so very much. I'm looking forward to all your beautiful holiday pictures. Have a wonderful, safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving. Hugs:-)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Yard Sale and Antique Show Treasures

It's that time of year again when the yard sales start to fizzle out. There will always be a few here and there, but a lot of folks are packing it in for the season. What's a girl to do? Take a chance and check out a couple of decent sounding sales. Last weekend, before heading off to the craft show where I was selling, I found some purchase worthy treasures.....

I liked the frame on that paint-by-number, and will probably turn that empty wood tray into a chalk board. I just had to have these wonderful old Mark Twain books even though five volumes were missing. Twenty volumes for $1.00 each.

M is for Mark Twain

What else is a girl to do? She needs to remember that there are still some great monthly antique shows in the area.......

I'm always on the hunt for keys, keys, and more keys.

All this bling came from about ten different dealers at the Sacramento Antique Faire. I don't care how I find it, as long as I find it.

I have plans for these beauties. I'll probably use most of it for repurposed jewelry and the rest will be used for decorating more abalone shells.

My last batch of shells all found new homes, so I put these together last week. Now I'll have to get busy with all the goodies I just found.

Stop by to check out all the creative projects and vintage goodness at:

The Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday,

A La Carte for Junkin Finds Friday,

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday, and

The Answer is Chocolate for The Monthly Open House

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Never Too Tired for an Antique Fix

I had a table at a two day craft fair this past weekend. Because of the limited space (one 6 foot table) I only brought jewelry and a few other small items. My mom had the table next to me and she brought along her beautiful purses and dolls made from vintage fabric. She also had some gorgeous Christmas trees made from all the vintage jewelry she's been collecting. I kept eyeing her trees and mentally picturing what all the little jewels would look like on a necklace...bad Betsy, bad! This picture really doesn't do them justice....much more sparkly and shiny in person.

There was a good steady crowd all weekend, but definitely more lookers than buyers. When the 3:00 closing time came around we were more than ready for a few hours in the antique mall.

If you live in the area and haven't been to the Antique Trove in Roseville, or if you haven't been for a while, it is SO worth the trip. I don't know anyone with a booth there, but I have noticed a huge transformation since the last time I visited. No empty spaces and no thrift store merchandise. Love those thrift stores, but not in an antique mall. So many drool worthy treasures.

Garrett from Platanitis was working on his fabulous booth. Look at all these goodies......

It all needs to come home with me....the storage, nooks and crannies, color, texture, and two of those fabulous chairs. I'm imagining my jewelry supplies in all these drawers.

I spotted some fun and unusual items in a few other booths also.....

Get a load of those little pasties.

What the????? This picture is about 3' tall. Who are these guys? Are they a singing duo from the 70's? I can't think of their names. Looks like the guy on the left is about to pop a few buttons.

Early 1900's Clown Piano...weird. It was much smaller than a standard piano, but bigger than a toy.

So many lockers and fabulous storage containers. Oh, how I love this stuff. Who needs dressers, cabinets, or drawers when you can have these.

Help!!!

I love the way these glove molds are displayed.

These drawers were about 3 feet deep!

This huge library card catalog cabinet greets you as you walk in the front door.

What would you do with all these drawers? All 130 of them?

I've been noticing lockers all over the place. Love 'em! I'm going to have to splurge on a set one of these days. Maybe then I'll stop having that recurring dream where I'm back in high school and I can't find my locker.

I'm linking up with these fun parties:

The Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday,

A Little Knick Knack for Everything but the Kitchen Sink,

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Top of the World Necklace

This $2.00 recent yard sale find has been calling out for some attention. Someone had fun with a pen down in the southern hemisphere, so I didn't feel bad about repurposing it. I'll do something with the other half of the world another time. The Arctic Ocean looked like a good place to start....