My Salvaged Treasures: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

My Weekend Haul

I took a last minute trip up to my mom's this past weekend to visit with some friends who were visiting the area. Of course I had to check Craigslist Thursday night just in case there was something that caught my eye. I found a few things at a parking lot sale on Saturday morning, but one estate sale on Friday caught my eye and two hours of my time. These things take time.....

Camera love!
Oops, I cut off the top of the rusty old canister. I printed out a fun label from The Graphics Fairy and attached it with a little Mod Podge.

These Kodak Tourist cameras were made from 1948-1951. This one will be sharing a spot next to another one in my very small collection.

Brownie Hawkeye and Brownie Junior. I remember the Hawkeye.

Vintage girly goodies.

I don't know if the two of these milk glass beauties were part of a larger set, but I sure was attracted to them. I liked the subtle colors in the little painting.

I love these cut steel shoe clips marked L.W. Paris. I was shocked when I got home and noticed that the plain looking gold chain on the left is marked 14K; it makes up for the ring that's marked China.

This pretty brass box covered with black velvet is actually a purse.

I'll never pass up a shell collection. How about these and another shoe box full for $5.

Is there such a thing as a "rose shell?"

I'm hoping to get pictures of the rest of my finds this week. Lots of cleaning and grime removal to tackle first. I have another big antique show on Sunday, so it's going to be a busy week:-)

I'm partying with:

Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Knick of Time for Knick of Time Tuesday
Very Merry Vintage Style for Share the Love Wednesday
Brambleberry Cottage for Time Travel Thursday
Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday
Rooted in Thyme for Simple and Sweet

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Vintage Door Knob Love

I have a "thing" for vintage door knobs. My obsession began years ago when I purchased a set of round clear glass door knobs at a flea market. One door knob purchase led to another until I had an official hoard on my hands. Eventually I started making and selling dozens of coat/accessory racks and other crafty creations until this phase passed. I kept some of my favorites and plan to display them in an uncovered shadow box just as soon as I find the perfect old frame. For now, they're happy sitting in a tarnished silver bowl.

There's a green one and a purple one and a white one and a yellow one....

Do you have that Little Boxes ticky tacky song stuck in your head now? Sorry.

Reproductions are always available, but.....

there's nothing like the beautiful patina and charm of the vintage beauties.

The purple knob actually started out clear. From about 1860 - 1915 manganese was added as a clarifying agent to the glass making process. When the glass was exposed to sunlight, either naturally or forced, it would eventually turn various shades of lavender or dark purple.

I love all the different patterns, shapes, and patina of brass knobs.

The swirls in the brown marble (two in back) can really vary from knob to knob.

The knob in the front is Bakelite. A few years ago I bought several of them from a collector and I couldn't resist keeping just one for myself.

This beautiful gem is my favorite. An eight sided green glass knob had been on my wish list for ages because they can get pricey and hard to find in good shape. Imagine my surprise one Christmas when I opened this gift from my sweet mom. Call me crazy for getting so excited over a door knob for a Christmas present.

They don't even have to function. I just love looking at them.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Mes Amis Spring Antique Show

It was a gorgeous day in Roseville for the Mes Amis Spring Antique Show. It was close to 90 degrees in the afternoon, so most of the shoppers were out bright and early on Saturday morning. I did manage to get in a quick look up and down the street before all the shoppers arrived....

You can see just how large the spaces are, and that large tree right above me sure made the heat of the day easier to deal with. I've definitely become an expert packer over the years. Everything here, including the tables, canopy, and inventory has to fit in the back of my pickup truck...with the top on.

All three of my girls insisted on riding shotgun. I buckled them in and insisted they cover up before we left home. They're not the least bit shy, but they'd be a dangerous distraction for any driver doing a double take.

I used an antique iron crib rail, Bingo cards, and drapery clips for this funky sign. So easy; the the back side of the Bingo cards are ready made chalkboards. The lady who bought it is going to write "welcome" on the cards and display it in front of her shop.

I finally did something with this vintage table I've had for ages. I didn't take pictures along the way because I never thought it would turn out right. It took forever to cut out the numbers, get the spacing right, trace them on, fill them in with a paint pen, etc. The first coat of wax caused the numbers to smear and that's when I almost gave up on it, but two days before the show it finally came together.
Thank you for the inspiration Gail (My Repurposed Life)

I still love this old metal seed bin. I bought it several months ago with the intent of hanging it in my studio. It was too long for the space and I couldn't bring myself to cut it, so I decided to pass it along to someone else. I cut the numbers out of the heavy duty vinyl on my Silhouette and stuck them on instead of painting them on.

This lovely lady stood right in the center of Maison's booth. Isn't she pretty in her party dress?

Tattered Treasures had some beautiful vintage pieces.

The Vintage Bricoleur from Loomis.

Debbie Neverkovec's repurposed windows and bags.

One of Sandy's girls surrounded by a vintage frame.

The Olive and Rose/Mes Amis Antique Show

Lipstick Gypsy from Idaho. Can you see their adorable vintage trailer in the back?

I love her beautiful pink tissue paper and sewing pattern blooms.

Looking forward to the next Mes Amis Antique Show in September.

Friday, April 20, 2012

My Birdhouse Corner....Revisited

It's been a busy few days around here with last minute preparations for the Mes Amis Antique Show tomorrow. Mes Amis was just voted one of the best vintage sales in the country by the loyal readers of Flea Market Style Magazine. If you're in the area, you'd love this show and I'd love to see you!!

My archives have volunteered to do a guest post today. It's hard to believe that it's been an entire year since I first shared my little birdhouse corner. They made it through another winter and they're still hanging in there. Enjoy:-)

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These little birdhouses are nestled behind a large tree in a corner of my back yard. They were scattered around in different parts of the yard for several years until a few of them fell down during a recent wind storm. They look so much better since I relocated them to this new neighborhood.

I used to make and sell these little houses by the dozens. Every couple of months, my garage would be transformed into a birdhouse factory full of old wood, molding, roofing material, keys, bits and pieces of hardware, and whatever else I thought would make a fancy perch. I loved making these little houses, but stuck to making just the facades because they didn't require master carpentry skills. I closed the old birdhouse factory down about ten years ago because it was time to move on to something else. I'm amazed at how well these held up, probably because all the wood and accessories were already chippy and rusty when I built them. It's funny, but some of the same things I used to decorate these houses with, I now use in my jewelry.

I had to convince myself that the doorknob plate needed to stay on this house. I was so tempted to make a necklace with it.

The perch is a chippy pink cup holder from a bathroom set. Looks like something fell off the front, and I think it needs a little flower pot in that cup holder.