My Salvaged Treasures: June 2011

Monday, June 27, 2011

My Kind of Yard Sale

MERCHANDISE FROM 9 FAMILIES - 7am to whenever we get tired!! That's what the ad in our little weekly paper said on Friday. It was the biggest ad in the paper, so I figured it was worth going to.... even without my first cup of coffee.

They had tons of well organized antique furniture, pictures, clothes, hardware, glass, linens, books, etc. Everything on a table, and a table for everything. I went straight for the women's department without even looking at the furniture. Everything had to fit in my front seat. No big stuff; I was sticking to my plan.

These towels are so sweet and in perfect shape.

Then I spotted five others at the other end of the table....all in perfect condition.

These are my favorites. Hers is so pretty and detailed, but then he came along and insisted on a towel of his own. I hope he was happy.

75" x 75" white table cloth

The monogram in the center looks like an A, but I can't make out the other initial.

This one is off white and measures 70" x 92"

Twelve handkerchiefs and a few doilies. Have you ever seen a cow on a hankie before?

11" Brookpark bowl, milk glass, bottles, and a pretty blue lid to something.

Pardon my wrinkles. I'll iron all these aprons and linens before my next antique show. They'll just end up all wrinkled again from being smooshed in the closet.

I discovered these fifteen awesome Bakelite handles in a brown paper bag in the men's department. After a quick thumb rub test, I added them to my secure pile. I also bought the 38" round table topper they're sitting on.

Just to make sure, I did three other Bakelite tests when I got home: 409, Scrubbing Bubbles, and hot water. They all tested positive. You can check out this link for information on how to test for Bakelite.

I'm linking up my thrifty yard sale finds with:

The Charm Bracelet Diva for Club G.W.,

Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday,

Creating a House of Grace for Twice Owned Tuesday,

Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures,

Type A Decorating for Anything Goes Party,

Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Life for a Tired Old Camera

I spotted this vintage Brownie camera a few weeks ago at a church rummage sale. Finally, my search was over; this was the one coming home with me. It was dirt cheap because there was some thick grayish sticky substance all over the back side. Hmm, almost like someone wanted to mount it to a wall. This was another perfect candidate for repurposing.

I started to dissect it by removing the tiny screws from the front plate. The center lens and the two finder lenses (the eyes) popped right out.

The center lens was a perfect fit inside this old pocket watch case. The clock is just a picture I cut out of a magazine and glued to the inside of the glass. Of course, everything looks better surrounded by rhinestones.

I glued vintage sheet music to the flat side of the eyes with white glue. They look like little bubbles.

S & H Green Stamp + side lens + vintage shoe clip = necklace. I popped these lenses off by prying them up with a little screw driver.

I couldn't forget the Blue Chip Stamp. I glued the stamp to the inside of the top lens and then attached it to the antiqued filigree using E6000 glue. A rhinestone bead and a couple of glass beads add some extra sparkle.

Like most of us, we were a Brownie camera family when I was growing up. I'll never forget the time my younger brother pushed me in the lake as I was trying to take a picture with our new Brownie. His excuse: "I wanted to see how big the splash would be." So much for the vacation photos, and no one remembers if the camera ever worked again. We were also a Blue Chip Stamp family. Those trips to the redemption store were always such a treat. This is why cameras and trading stamps go together!!

To see older posts of my repurposed vintage camera projects, click here and here.

I'm linking up my repurposed Brownie camera with:

Brambleberry Cottage for Time Travel Thursday,

My Repurposed Life for Catch as Catch Can,

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt it Friday,

Dittle Dattle for Amaze Me Monday,

Very Merry Vintage Style for Share the Love Wednesday, and

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Yard Sale Pickin's

The pickin's were a little thin the last two weekends, but I'm still a happy hunter and my garage thanks me. I know that everyone here is relieved when I don't come home with a truck load of treasures. After all, I have been trying to concentrate on the small stuff only (yeah, right).

I'm always looking for pretty glass bottles to dress up and fill with shells or buttons; I found all three of these at the same sale. I was so excited when I spotted this pretty pink metal lingerie hamper. It only had a little bit of rust on the top and bottom rims, but I was able to get most of it off with some #0000 steel wool. You can't see from this picture, but it has sweet little round feet.

I couldn't resist adding a vintage rhinestone button to the lid.

The set of dictionaries from 1952 were free; can't do any better than that. The little silver cup and necklace were only $2.00 for both.

This necklace will be good for several repurposing projects; it's 5 1/2 feet long. Warning: Do not display a long necklace on a piece of coral. Not only does it bite, but it took me several minutes to free the necklace. So much for using it as a display.

Last but not least....ten lovely rolls of crocheting thread. I don't crochet, but I'm thinking they'll look good in a big glass jar that I have.

I'm linking up my Yard Sale Pickin's with:

Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures,

Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday,

Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds,

Creating a House of Grace for Twice Owned Tuesday, and

Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Salvage Yard Tour, Part 2

As promised, here are some more pictures from our adventure at Morrow's Salvage in Medford, Oregon. In my last post I shared pictures of this very interesting store that's stuffed full of unique treasures....

I'm not sure if these are actually called steering wheels, but now you know where to find one for your ship.

Love these rusty old toys, especially the trailer and the red bus.

This doll is sweet compared to some of the others.

I was so tempted to bring one of these beauties home.

I love these watch faces. I was attracted to several items that were screwed to the wall....and they weren't for sale.

No doubt about it. We all agreed that this was the creepiest display in the entire store. The doll head on "top" is a bonus creepo factor. I like the bathtub, but it sure would look better in a garden with some flowers in it.

Most of the doors, tin ceiling tiles, cabinets, corbels, and other architectural beauties were in the basement. In a junking post from last week, I shared a few of the green chippy pieces I bought; you can see them stacked against the back wall. They were salvaged from a bridge over the Smith River in Northern California.

I'll take what's behind door #55.

Why did we have the feeling we were being watched?

I'll definitely be visiting again soon.

I'm linking up part two of my salvage yard tour with:

The Coloradolady for Vintage Thingie Thursday,

Brambleberry Cottage for Time Travel Thursday,

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Salvage Yard Tour

Last week when I was in Southern Oregon, I finally had a chance to visit a salvage yard that I've been hearing so much about. I felt like a kid in a toy store!! Morrow's is an adventure you don't want to miss if you're in Medford.

Joel Morrow has been at this location, 2784-B W. Main in Medford for over twenty years and in the salvage business for about thirty. He calls himself a hands-on dismantler and recycler of barns, cabins, and castles. This wild and wonderful treasure trove is really more like a museum that's stuffed full of hardware,
lighting, doors, windows, architectural pieces, toys, furniture, and hundreds of wacky displays.

This was sitting next to the cash register by the front door. Nothing says "welcome" like a jar full of marbles topped off with a doll head

I wonder if he removed every doorknob by himself.

The colorful glass knobs from my last post came from the display next to this one.

When you run out of space, just start hanging things from the ceiling. I had to keep looking up just to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

I'm not sure what's up with all these dolls....a little bizarre for my taste. I'm glad you can't see the face on that doll in the back. At least I didn't spot any clowns.