My Salvaged Treasures: October 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

A Few Junkin' Projects

I've been working on all kinds of little projects trying to finish each one before I start another, but you know how that goes. There's always something sitting around on my cluttered workbench that needs to be painted, sprayed, glued, cut, cleaned, drilled, or waiting for inspiration to hit. I did manage to put a dent in some of the junk I've been hauling home, but there's still a mountain of projects out there waiting for their turn.

I really didn't know what I was going to do with this wire grid or the architectural piece until I saw the two of them together. It would be great for displaying jewelry too.

The architectural piece from a salvage yard got a quick paint job, and the chippy old metal thingie got a coat of matte acrylic spray sealer.

I drilled two holes in the wood for the longer pieces of metal, then glued them in with epoxy.

I really liked this old mirror frame when I spotted it at a yard sale, but I didn't like the dark wood and peeling veneer.

I'm liking it much better after a light coat of paint and the addition of some jute webbing.....perfect for holding Christmas cards or pictures.

These are so simple to do and are always good sellers. After removing the tattered fabric (some of it disintegrated), I tore several long 2" wide strips of muslin, then tied the strips in a big bow around every other section of the frame. I've made them before with strips of muslin in each section, but it starts to look a little crowded and fussy.

A plain clipboard becomes a picture holder with the help of a section from a player piano roll and some matte Mod Podge. Those little holes actually helped when I was trying to get rid of the air bubbles; the excess Mod Podge oozed right out.

Sing along.
~ Just to hear you say I love you ~

A small piece vintage lace and a salvaged brooch adds a little interest to the clip.

This chippy old toothbrush and soap holder was found at an antique show. I gave it a coat of matte acrylic spray sealer, screwed it on a piece of wood I found at the Habitat store, then added a hook to the back. I sure wouldn't store my toothbrush in it, but it would be great for hanging necklaces or keys.

A rusty tin scoop makes a cute wall pocket. I screwed the scoop to the piece of wood, added a little bling to the front and a hook to the back. The little pine cone...well, that's the only thing I could find at the moment.

I won't be bringing any of these junkin' projects to my show this weekend in Lincoln, just jewelry and stamped silverware. When I get home after my show, I'll need to get everything set up at the Paris Flea Market for their November opening, then after that I can finally start preparing for the Noel Holiday Market on November 22-23. Where does the time go, and where's my staff when I need them?

Thursday, October 24, 2013

A Fun Junking Weekend

You know I love a good junking adventure and this past weekend was no exception. Four of us spent the weekend up at my mom's house where we shopped nonstop for three solid days. Yard sales, estate sales, thrift shops, GW, consignment shops, antique stores, and an antique street faire. I think we ate an entire week's worth of food in those three days...must keep up our strength you know. I already started on some of the things I brought home (not pictured), and now it's time to be sensible and get busy cleaning up and repurposing the rest of it.

I couldn't resist this chippy old table from one of the yard sales; it's rock solid sturdy and
could be used as a bench or a coffee table. Now I'm on the hunt for some baskets to fit inside. Let's not forget the rusty old folding step stool trying to push its way into the picture.

The lady I bought it from said it had been sitting in her yard for at least 20 years; no
surprise there. It needs to be ~~power washed~~ hosed off, then I'll probably repaint the top
and seal the rest.

A box of playing cards that plays Happy Birthday when you wind it up. The box holds two decks; one is complete and the other only has 51 cards. Darn! Love the rusty metal treasures, old shoe form, and the big wire basket. I wish I had two baskets, they'd be perfect for the old table.

A large rustic heart with a barbed wire hanger, skeleton keys, and chippy hooks.

I'm getting anxious to dig into this pile of bits and pieces of old jewelry.

It's been a while since I came home with so many linens. At one of the sales, I opened a big box and saw that it was stuffed with hankies, lace, tea towels, place mats, napkins, and a few table cloths. No time was wasted sifting through all of them, so I made an offer on the whole box. A few of the pieces were beyond anything I'm willing to deal with...not bad for an entire box. Score!

There were dozens of pretty hankies that just need to be ironed.

Most of the dainty lace looks like it was removed from old clothing.

The baby bonnets have some staining, but aren't they adorable?

One of the sales we went to had piles of vintage linens in perfect condition. They were cleaned, ironed, and priced to sell. I sure wish this sale had been first on our list, I can only imagine the stuff that got away. This is what I'm hoping everything from the big box lot will eventually look like. Some will be coming with me to my upcoming shows, and some will eventually end up in my Etsy shop.

These ladies didn't want to haul anything back in the house and I'm sure they didn't have to. My kind of sale!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

It's a Keeper

Look what I found at a yard sale last weekend lurking behind a pile of ugly pictures in plastic frames. A portion of the right side of this 14" x 18" oil painting was sticking out from behind the other frames and I was immediately drawn to the pretty colors, the signature, and that sweet cow staring at me.

I knew it was a keeper the moment I rescued it from the pile. Hmm, I'm thinking it needs a different frame, maybe something lighter and a little larger?

The woman I bought it from thought it might have been painted by an artist from Santee, in Southern California. The signature looks like Jan DeBoer. I did a little research and came up with a Dutch artist with the same name (1877-1944), but his style looks much different and this painting looks more recent.

I'm not sure if it was the cows that sold me.....

the barns.....

or the little row boat tied to the dock.

I rarely keep any of the treasures I find, but this one will definitely be finding a special place

in my home.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Pleasanton Antique Faire

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood on Sunday. The weather was perfect once the sun came up, there was no wind, and no moisture in the air to make a mess of my jewelry cards. Even though the morning was off to a slower than usual start, it was a successful day and I was crazy busy right up until closing time.

Just in case shoppers didn't know.

This is one of the two cabinet doors I salvaged from an antique dry sink cabinet several months ago; now it's a fun place to hang keys. You can see what I did with the rest of the cabinet here.

I really like the rust and scratches on this old filing bin, but it needed a little something else. Mod Podge and burlap to the rescue. I figured out that it was much easier to brush the surface of what I was covering with Mod Podge because brushing it directly on the burlap caused it to fray even more.

Loaf pans big and small.

I sold several old wood hangers that I decorated with song titles from vintage sheet music and photos. That wrinkled canopy wall belongs to the vendor behind me. Just saying.

Someone always wants to buy the business card holder I made last year from an old cement edger, door hardware, and rhinestones. It's a keeper because it's so heavy and keeps my cards from blowing all over.

More burlap and galvanized buckets.

I sold loads of decorated bottles...

and bunches of stamped silverware.

Look how far out my table is on the right side compared to the booth behind me. It's a good thing there's always a wide aisle on that end because I brought the wrong tables and had no choice but to be a space hog. It was an accident; really it was.

Remember Dracula and his bride from this post? It's subtle, but I covered them with some faux spider webs (the webs look much heavier in person), added a little black crow, then placed them in a floral frog.

Nana wears brooches made from vintage buttons, keys, and watch parts.

The ladies are showing off their necklaces.

I want to thank my hard working youngest son Scott for coming over the night before to help me load my truck, unload, set up, stand in line for an hour with three of my treasures for a free appraisal, tear down, reload, and unload. My back thanks you too:-) I couldn't have done it without you.