Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Garage Sale Diet

The sun gets up early these Summer days. So even though I usually leave by 6:45 to head out to the Saturday sales, the sun is already rising and the light has a head start on me.



With Dunkin Donuts coffee in hand (I make my own) and all the dollar bills I can wad into my pocket, I grab my camera, my keys, my detailed list of which houses to go to (and in what order), and then I accelerate into the sunrise!

Gotta love those folks who start their sales at 7:00. By 8:00, I'd love to be wrapping it up and heading to the last few places. Never happens though, because most of the people don't start until 8:00. It's hard to get a jump on the best stuff when everyone starts at the same time and across town from each other.

Lucky for me, most people aren't looking for the good old fashioned junk that I am.

I usually manage finding junk-o'plenty. This week I was beyond proud that I had gone almost everywhere I wanted and only spent $4.00. A bad day junking is a good day for the wallet. I felt like I was making up for weeks past when having run out of allotted garage sale funds, I cleaned out the ash tray cash (which isn't saying much), pilfered all the quarters, dimes and nickels from the car door handle, searched through my purse's zipper area and my little change purse in hopes of resurrecting a sum needed to purchase some important artifact (I'm sure). Aside from my $5 limit per item, having only so much cash on hand keeps me from getting caught up in a spending spree. Dollars add up fast!

Here's what I hauled home for the pittance I spent this week:

Each of these items cost me $1.00. They wanted $5 for the box, but I get tool boxes for $1 all the time, so I didn't feel out of line asking if they'd take $1.00. The dad said "Sure." The kid who was helping said, "Dad, that's 4 dollars off of 5!" The dad wisely told him "I want to get rid of it - someone wants to pay me something for it - it's a garage sale - you take what you can get and get rid of it."

Smart man. The handle is super shiny, but the box itself is a perfect shade of red and it's all chipped up. Then... look at that cool scale! $1.00. I didn't think I'd ever find one. Score!

I spent way too much time digging through a can of stuff so I could find just the drill bits that I needed. There's also some sort of a pick that looks like a dental instrument. It'll come in handy for sure. Altogether these cost me another $1.00.  I should've sprung for the old scissors they had, after all, they're on my list! However since this was only my second stop, I didn't want to buy too much and be out of cash later. 

Did you see the not-so-silver serving tray with handles peeking out from under the red box? Here... have a close up view. Looks like someone baked it in mud for about half a millennium.  I got it for $1.00! I'd been wanting to get some silver items and use them in my decorating. I have a few ideas. I figured this would clean up for the most part. To find one with handles is sweet!

When I got home, I worked on polishing it for a while and gave up on the handle cleaning for the time being. Overall, it's coming out nicely.

These handles were mere murder to clean, so I moved on to clean the other silver.

"What other silver?", you might ask. Well, that's a fair question. It's like this...

I went by Goodwill after the garage sales and I found the little silver bowl below for $1.00. All the other silver there was priced higher than I wanted to pay, and I couldn't decide if I needed it THAT badly, (even though I passed up a cool silver champagne cooler a couple weeks ago because it was $8.00 (I thought that was high), but when I realized I HAD to have it and went back for it, it was gone! I was so mad at myself for passing it up! Me and my pricing standards - I went to another Goodwill near me and their silver was $15 to $25 each piece! What!?) Then I spotted this bowl and it was a buck. It was tarnished of course, but I could tell it was a good one. A buck for something useful and quality is always too tempting to pass up. Sold.

Before


After

This is a VERY SHINYsilver, and it's the sweetest little bowl. I didn't know I could love and adore a silver bowl. Now I know.

I think I'm entering a silver phase. It will probably last until I run out of my sundry containers of silver cream and my nails and fingers, black from polishing, crumple up and stop working. In other words, the phase may not last long, but I'll enjoy it while it does!

Brace Yourself!


Okay, now steady yourself, and I mean it. Are you ready for a real surprise? Are you sitting? You're not reading this on your iphone while hiking through mountains or walking near a busy street are you? Pay attention...I don't want you to get hurt when you flip out seeing what else I got. Okay, okay, you won't be that excited. You may not even think it's cool, but I do, so I'm counting on you all to at least play along. Nah...that won't do. Go ahead and tell it like it is. I can take it. I'm pretty sure I can count on certain daughters of mine to give me THEIR honest opinion.

Well, here's what happened...there was this sale that I had gone to last year where there were these two patio chairs popular back in the Old Florida days of my youth. I could have cared less about them as a kid and would've gone so far as to call them "old lady chairs" at the time (maybe like certain daughters of mine might?). But since they appear now as part of the supporting cast of my childhood memories, they have taken on a beyond cool vibe that now invites me back to that place and time, and to which I happily oblige. Hence, the "old lady chairs" meet "me as an 'old lady'" and guess what...we sort of fit with each other in a way we previously didn't. That's what happens with age, kids!

Last year at that sale when I first saw them, all chippy and turquoise and straight out of the early 60's, I asked if they were for sale but the woman said she'd only sell them if she could get a good price and proceeded to tell me how old and special they were. I knew she wanted too much for my stingy budget. However, I thought my friend Lynn might want them for her new home when she moves, and then I could enjoy them whenever I visited. Lynn and I had seen a white, chippy, rusty bench of this kind at a salvage yard for upwards of $1,000. I called her at the time, but she and her husband were planning to pack things up and downsize for their move, so it was a no-go. That was that. I had to walk away, but the memory of those chairs stuck with me.

Fast forward. Here it was garage sale day again, and with it came a sale that sounded like it was in that same townhome complex. I wondered...could it be? If it was, would the chairs still be there? Might she want someone to take them off her hands for less? I remembered that the front of one of the seats was broken and needed to be soddered. I was unphased. I almost dreaded going and finding the chairs gone, or worse yet, seeing them there but discovering they were still out of my financial realm of possibility.

So I pulled up and it was the same place. Pulse quickening, I craned my neck to peer into the carport. Oh my goodness! Sure enough, the chairs were there still sitting up against the wall in the exact same place. Gorgeous aqua/turquoise paint was still flaking off and no one was even glancing in their direction. They were obviously meant for me. She must have wanted too much last year to still have them, or else no one else NEEDED these 1960's time travel apparatuses as did I. The question was, would they be for sale, and if so, for how much? I got out and did my nonchalant wander-around looking at the goods on all the tables, afraid to discover the awful truth... that I just couldn't have the chairs. Before I left, I got up the nerve and asked if the chairs were for sale. "Yes," she said. "Make me an offer!"



Uh, uh! No, ma'am. I was not falling for that again. No way! (That happened to me with the blue metal chairs, remember?) So I told her, with a laugh, that I didn't have a clue as to what to offer because I had a very low budget for garage sale items. I didn't want to offend her because I knew they were old and worth more than my typical garage sale limits would allow, but I didn't want to blow it by offering based on my assumptions of what I thought she wanted. These were true gems. I had walked away last time and waited the better part of year for this second chance; I was hoping she was one year closer to wanting them out of her hair. My patience should account for something! Financial leniency toward my self-imposed limits was being called upon.

She went ahead and thought a minute and said she would take $50, I countered with a $30 offer, but she was completely unwilling to go that low. I was stuck because I have a hard time spending money. Her friend who was helping her sell told me that if I offered her $40 and held the cash out to her, she'd probably take it. Problem was, I didn't have that much with me. That gave me time to drive away and think, go to the rest of my sales and get more cash if I decided this was indeed the necessity I was being told it was by my Old Florida inner child.

I thought so... glad you agree!

"Old lady me" and "inner child me" haggled this decision out across town and back again. I stopped home to drop off salvaged wood I found in my travels, and while there decided that I didn't really HAVE to eat ALL week. I could easily substitute peanut butter sandwiches a few times, have a bowl of cereal for dinner a here and there and make sure to eat every bite of leftovers in the fridge. That would make up for most of it, and in that way my "account" would balance out to $0.00, right? I thought so... glad you agree! The chairs would in effect be free. Duh!

Mind games are a wonderful thing! And so it goes, everytime I want something over my limit, the garage sale diet comes into play. It suffices to say I do not have a weight problem. In this money shuffling game I give up basics, make trades and juggle funds for the love of a different kind of sustanence... "JUNK food".

So look what I got for going without groceries this week...

Ta da!


I gathered together some money, drove back, and the woman looked at her friend for confirmation (and getting it) accepted my $40 offer. The turquoise painted cast iron chairs found themselves at home where other treasures have found safe haven before, in the backseat of my car.

A chippy, aqua, romantic patio dream.

Turns out some of these exact same chairs have sold for $200 each recently online. Whether that's typical or not, it still makes me feel pretty good about my score at $20 each!

I haven't figured out the patio arrangement yet. I've been moving things around and replanting and that new pile of cabinet doors needs to be dealt with, so right now the chairs are just biding their time awaiting placement. They do need to be stripped and repainted eventually, but for now, I'm just loving them as they are and enjoying their shabby beauty as is.


These doors were in a huge trash pile in front of someone's house not too far away from me. I got 16 of them and figured if nothing else I could just get all the knobs off of them. I know I could eventually use this wood for a project or two, if I can just find somewhere to put it in the meantime.

There were still twice this many doors left in the pile and some long doors as well. I didn't even know what to do with the ones I got, so I didn't take any more. The ones I got are strewn about my patio and I have to decide about them quickly. The torential downpours have already come three days in a row, and these will all be bowed soon. Without a storage area, great finds like this being held for some future day can end up being more of a hassle than they're worth. I've moved them around 4 times already. I may have to salvage the knobs and toss the wood after all. [Sad sigh]. Amazing what you can find out there though. If we were doing a wood covered wall, these would have been just the thing!

So there you go. Up until those chairs came along, I had only spent $5 all morning and hauled a few fun finds home, including the free wood. In the end after the chairs, for a $45 morning, total, I was a happy camper. I spent the rest of the day planting two tibuchina bushes in the Florida Summer sun by my patio and gazing fondly at my sweet cast iron lovelies.

Gosh, I just realized - I'm starving! Anybody want some company for dinner?

I'll be sharing this with:


Too Much Time On My Hands

Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy & Elephants



Monday, July 23, 2012

Tedium in my Veins and the Vines


It was sometime back during a hurricane season past, I'm thinkin' it was when Hurricane Floyd threatened our coast in 1999 (but who really knows - my adult memory isn't that reliable), that my wonderful, kind and always helpful neighbor next door put up his hurricane shutters as a precaution. Our homes are laid out identically, and our Florida rooms (such as this one covered in metal shutters) are walled in by jalousie glass on three sides and could be a nice little target for a powerful storm.

That hurricane took a turn away from us and became a memory after those preparations, but seeing as it was still hurricane season and not wanting to have to take them down only to put them back up again, he left them up. Thing was, using various forms of reasoning after that, they stayed. Right. Where. They. Were. In perpetuity.

After the first winter, the shutters became one of those things a person sighs about but has hopes to see remedied in their lifetime. By the end of the next hurricane season, and on into the following year, I gave up my grand illusions when my neighbor asked if I minded them much because he wanted to leave them up. This man has been a blessing of a neighbor who has come to my aid on more occasions than I can count. If I need something fixed that I can't handle, he's a go-to guy and willing to dig through his garage for whatever tool or handy fix-it solution he can muster, always as if it is a joy to help me out. Who was I to complain.



So there it was, is and apparently ever will be. Meanwhile, on my side of the chain link fence (which only adds to the industrial feel) time, hurricanes and the State of Florida wreaked havoc on my own yard. Add in the fact that mowing around things and keeping them edged is a huge pain, so planting something to block the view always weighed in on the decision because I really wanted to avoid lawnmowing demons. I did not want to have to exert any extra effort to get the mower around more plantings.

Then a surprising thing happened. A couple of years ago, something led my neighbor to take the shutters down. After I got over the shock, I was thrilled to see the event underway. I imagined a "normal view" again and a relief from the look that has from time to time been the backdrop to various weed infested plantings, sundry in nature, on that side of the chainlink.



The thrill was short-lived. When he removed the shutters, I discovered that there were broken jalousie windows under that metal. In addition, the problematic original jalousie door on that side of the house had been covered over with a piece of plywood hammered in place. The shutters lie in heaps on the ground, providing cover for the neighborhood lizards and whatnot. None of this seemed to be on my neighbor's priority list. But wait...shortly thereafter, I returned home to find him putting the shutters back up. He said he'd changed his mind and wanted to leave them up until such a time as he can redo the room and wall it in.

Read: It'll be a while.

Enter the trend toward industrial furnishings and decor and the advent of me spending more and more time out on my patio. Oddly I began falling in "like" with the wall of metal. I realized it actually makes a fine solid backdrop for the lovely colors of nature, especially in a world quite accepting of the industrial vibe. It also makes for more privacy on my patio.

As a gal in love with otherwise dissonant surroundings comprised of sundry salvage, I finally began to plot my strategy for making the most of the backdrop while softening the area, a bit at a time, and as finances will allow. Meanwhile, I was coming to terms with my dislike of mowing around things and trying to keep the weeds and grass from growing in and around the beds. It was a trade off I decided I needed to learn to live with.

After hours of wandering garden centers and staring at plants trying to imagine the color, shape and blooming potential of each, only to go home and think some more, I decided on Mandevilla vines despite the poor track record I have had with them in the past. Seeing as I had previously planted them in too much shade, I figured the sunny side of my neighbor's fence was prime real estate for these pretty pink flowers to take root and make a home.

My easy-going neighbor was agreeable, as he always is, allowing me to do whatever I want (he never even sees this side of the yard anyway). Even though he could care less, with a smirk and a nod to the hedges that border our yards along this same fence (which I fail miserably to keep trimmed), in Girl Scout fashion, I solemnly promised to take care of the vines with the usual disclaimer (to the best of my ability depending upon circumstance, waning interest, too much sun, too much rain, blogs to read, etc.). Disclaimers are a wonderful thing.


There could have been a full post about my Mandevilla planting, complete with deep thoughts and funny stories, but my great musing on the matter went the way of my energy as the sun and the tedious process of removing the tentacles of the vines from around the lattice-work they came on stole my time and thoughts. After that, I had to re-thread each long vine through and around my neighbor's chain link fence to get them started in the right direction and spread those tentacles out for good coverage. It took me 4 1/2 hours to plant and unwind and rewind four of these. By the time I was done, my memory of any funny thoughts had long since escaped me for cooler more pleasant surroundings.

I'm not sure which of us got the worst end of the deal on the removal of the vines from the trellises, me for having to do it, or the Mandevilla for the trauma I put it through. It wasn't unlike untangling christmas lights, only I had to be super careful because I didn't want any of the vines, buds or flowers to break. Unfortunately I lost a few.


Luckily, as I've said before, tedium is one of my specialties. Miracle of miracles, I finished before dark. So glad it's done. Several times I almost stopped, thinking I'd finish the next day, but then kept telling myself how glad I'd be later that it was behind me. I was right. I was glad because that Sunday was super busy as it was. Having that planting behind me, I was able to paint my new garage sale finds as well as move plants around on my patio, pull weeds, tear apart an old chair for a project and water the lawn. My back and legs were thankful I was done too.

So as a reminder...

Here's the before:

Empty, barren, a little cold and harsh.



Here's the "after"... so far:



The view there feels softer already. The plants seem to be doing well, and some of the shoots are winding up and around the chain link and making good time in their quest to grow and sprawl. It makes me very happy to look out the back door or to step outside and see the beautiful color and think about how great it'll be one day when dark and light pink Mandevilla flowers have spread across the majority of that fence.

I had other planting to do over the weekend (I am getting it done!), and I spent much of yesterday cleaning silver, of all things. I'll tell you about that later.

See ya then!

I'll be sharing this with:

Mop it Up Monday @ I Should be Mopping the Floor
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cherrios & Lattes
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Inspiration Friday @ At The Picket Fence
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense
Made U Look @ Made in a Day
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Cottage
Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Share Your Cup @ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy & Elephants
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ PRIMP
Very Merry Vintage Style
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Open Call Tuesday @ Salt Tree
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm
Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of a DIY Mom
Tuesday to Do @ The Blackberry Vine
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House






Friday, July 20, 2012

Treasure Trove

Last weekend I went out treasure hunting, as I've been known to do. I have a running list of things I'm looking for, and then there's the thrill of discovery that comes, because well, you just never know what you might unearth while digging through boxes and piles or sorting through the items buried within the sundry stockpile of belongings laid out like dirty laundry for all who dare to rummage around in it.

To score good junk, you have to be willing to get your hands and clothes dirty and willing to let your backseat get familiar with someone else's discards (the backseat of the car, people!) I came home a mess last weekend, but I sure had a blast.

It's amazing too, all the things I didn't know I needed, but which I obviously do, because they came home with me.


For over a year, I've been hunting for a croquet set. Mind you, I have yet to score one, but, look here... I did find this wonderfully classic horseshoe set for $6.

$6 is over my limit, but I was at a consignment store, in their mancave section, and these were probably the cheapest thing in the whole store. I decided they were worth overspending for because it was a "pay it or forget it" kinda thing. I figured I'll not likely come across a set like this again.

Would you consider these worthy of a $6 price tag? I had no clue if that was a good price, but I really liked them. So, I guess that's what matters. They are heavy and fantastically chipped up. The turquoise is especially fabulous. They are practical as well as beautiful. Everyone needs a set of horseshoes for their backyard get togethers, right?

Grungy Wonder
One of the first garage sales I came to last weekend, was, I kid you not, a spread of grungy wonder. A guy had bought this house with all sorts of stuff left in it by the previous owner. I drove up to the driveway and my eyes went wide. I got that panicky feeling inside, the one that makes you want to jump out of the car while it's still moving before anyone else gets a chance to score something you should've had. I did manage to stop without running over my own feet or even screeching to a halt. I got the car into park, and while presenting a deceptively calm front, sauntered up so as not to give away the fact that someone with a measure of junk insanity was coming their way. I knew right away my other sales would have to wait. There were tables and boxes of pure junk, much that I did not need, but the kind where you know you should take your time and touch and move each item, because you never knowing what you might uncover. (I kick myself for not taking a picture of the spread. It was just a fun sight. Everyone who came up commented about how long it must have taken to set it all out.) So fun to look through.

The man doing the selling was friendly and talkative and helped me search for things I might want. He occasionally brought me my Dunkin Donut coffee cup that I kept setting down while hunting but forgot while I began rummaging in other areas.

I asked about some rusty wire baskets all stacked up under this huge dilapidated workbench and asked how much he wanted for them. He said $0.25/piece. What!? I kept my faux cool, the one that belies the level of excitement within. There were 8 of them and each was full of wood scraps I really didn't think I needed.

Wire baskets were on my list, but not white rusty ones. Did I want them? For a quarter each, I figured I could decide later if they'd work for anything I might want to do. I stacked them up and left them on hold while I continued to look. At one point someone came near them and I had to choke back the desire to yell out "those are mine!" like some of the outwardly crazed yard salers I've come into contact with in days not so long past. I took a deep breath, watched and waited... Truth be told, no one else in their right mind was likely to want them... but my inner reaction when I thought they were threatened told me that I had made the right choice to buy them. You always know how much you really want something as soon as you think someone else wants it. It all becomes VERY clear.
The guy told me I could have the wood too (he wanted all that stuff outta there!) but I didn't really think I wanted to cart all that home and have to store it. He said I could always use it for longburning firewood if nothing else..."just take it!" he begged.

DONE! I have since realized there are several projects for which I can use some of these pieces. The fact that some were already cut into circles was a huge bonus (I don't currently have those capabilities, so the work was already done for me! Hallelujah!) and are going to come in really handy for something I got from a wonderful blog this week. (I hope to start on that project this weekend!) I'm so glad I didn't dump them all out and leave them behind in my quest not to hoard! I would have been kicking myself for sure. Sometimes you have to take stuff when you have the opportunity, because it's a one shot deal. I hate coulda, shoulda, woulda regrets. If you are a project person and think you might someday use it and it's basically free, go ahead and take it. You can throw it out when you get home if you decide later you don't need it.


I also found these great huge swivel casters (they were on my list!), two paint brushes (from my list!) and old lidded jars (on my list!). How great is that. I was all done shopping and ready to leave when I went back to find my wayward coffee cup and spotted this:

 Cue the fanfare!

$3.00


I could not believe it. I have been looking everywhere for one of these wagons, and there it was, pretty as a picture (an old, rusty and faded picture, but pretty nonetheless). I figured the guy would let it go reasonably. To think I'd almost missed it. It had a piece of wood attached to it with a hose guard on that. Apparently the original owner used the wagon to cart his hose and stuff around the yard. I managed to talk the guy into selling it below my limit, for $3, and one of the young guys there was kind enough to go get some tools and remove the wood thingy for me so I could get it into my car. It took everything within me to act non-chalant about it, but I drove away and whooped it up after I rounded the corner. I intend to either plant flowers in it or use it to haul things around my own yard. Charm...on wheels!

It's been out in the weather already and seen better days, so it's not like I'm gonna ruin it by leaving it out. However, do you suppose I should try to rid it of some of the rust and then repaint and seal it to see if I can stop the decay? Is that even possible? Even if I leave it as is (I kinda like the look), wouldn't it help to polyurethane it or something to keep it from getting worse in the rain? Would that work? If you know, leave me your thoughts. I'd appreciate it.

And look at these...

At another yard sale, I found the cutest little black rubber boots ever! Based on the high prices of things at this yard sale, I didn't even bother asking about them and left. Still, I knew they would be perfect for my nephew, Micah, and couldn't stop thinking about them. So I went back and was able to get them for $1! This picture does not adequately convey their absolute adorability. I can just picture him out in his yard helping his mom and dad in their garden while wearing these! Meanwhile they are keeping my pink boots company by the front door.

These were on my list for a project I want to do sometime. At the same place, I got a bunch of old yard sticks and rulers in a handy home sewn fabric holder for $1. I just never got around to taking a picture of them. This week I discovered some things I may be doing with those in the near future. Woo hoo. Glad to have them.

Cool, junky, rusty, chippy boxes will always come home with me if they are but $1. Call me a sucker or a hoarder, I don't care. Look below at the cool removable box inside.


I got the fish hooks as a bonus! The fishing line was $0.25.


Love this little special latched compartment.

Don't know yet what I'll do with this, but I've needed watchfaces before and didn't have any. Now I'll have one on hand. Love the simple number style. Reminds me of watches my mom wore back in the day. It cost me 50 cents.


And then there was the Completely FREE Stuff....

This heavy wood stool was free at a yard sale I went to. Fine by me. It's now being used outside as a plant stand between the two metal patio chairs I repainted. Someday I'll probably paint it.


Snagged another small pallet that would fit in my car. I'm now considering making a patio deck out of pallets. See those patio stones underneath it. I long to be rid of them. They are unttractive and the weeds are always having to be pulled. I saw someone create a deck from pallets in a blog somewhere that I'll have to go back and find. I happened to be on the way to the store when I spotted this one in a place that always has pallets. There was a wonderful long one with all the wood slats butting right up next to each other. I was going to stop for it on my way home, because it would have made a great bench seat, but it was gone within the half hour before I got back. Ugh! When will I learn!

Also picked up a full length mirror from someone's trash. I didn't get a shot of it, but it's something Casey's been wanting for a long time. Done!

And last but not least... do you remember the little off white china cups with the gold trim I got for $1. See them HERE. I went to see if the matching dishes were at the consignement store the guy I bought them from told me he'd taken them to. Long story short, they were there! They had been brought in back in January of 2011. The bad news is they were originally marked $150.00 for what was left of the set, which wasn't a whole lot. They had been marked down to $120.00 three months later, never to be marked down again. The woman said she would go down to $75, and even though they'd been there a year and a half AND she said no one ever buys china, she would not take my offer of $20.00. Cally and I had agreed that we only wanted them if we could get them for $20.00. So I bought the horseshoes above and went on to Goodwill where I spotted these:


Since I was looking for simple white dishes for Cally's new place, these caught my eye. It's a full set of Royal Kent China from Poland (6 place settings - 8 cups and saucers) and all of this was $40.00. Seeing as sets that are only a third this size (everyday dishes at Target) are over $60, I figured this was a better deal, and pretty on top of it. There was way more to this set than what was left of the expensive set at the consignment store. There is also a large pitcher just to the right outside of the picture. It's missing the lid, but is really pretty. These place settings include bread plates and there is also a salt and pepper. In addition to the gold edging, there is a slightly raised pattern around the edges of the plates and bowls. Simple yet, pretty. I'm thrilled with it despite a couple of chips and the fact that some of the gold on the dinner plates has worn off. If anyone knows of a paint product that can be used to touch these up, please let me know in the comments!



It was a great day of treasure hunting... wouldn't you say?

Meanwhile, does anyone know of any flea markets or events between Florida and Birmingham, Alabama, going through Georgia somewhere between August 1st and the 6th or 7th? Even if you know some great thrift stores or whatnot, that would be great too. Please let me know!

I hope you have a junky weekend!

Visit these great parties:

Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Share Your Cup @ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Wow us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims
Link Party @ Very Merry Vintage Style
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time
Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of a DIY Mom
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Tuesday To Do @ The Blackberry Vine
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer
Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality
Cure for the Common Monday @ Lines Across
Inspire Me Monday @ Create with Joy
Sunday Show off @ Twigg Studios
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
The Sunday Stop @ Joy 2 Journey
Mop it up Mondays @ I Should be Mopping the Floor
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cherrios & Lattes
Vintage Inspiration @ Common Ground
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Party Time!

Cue the lights, the color, the excitement... it's a backyard party!



Twice this week, sun showers arrived for early surprise celebrations before I left for work.

A Summer snow storm in South Florida? 
Naaaaahhhh...that's the sun saying "Surprise!" to the morning rain.


Sparkle and glitter came winking their way through a sunny downpour... a gala debut on what was previously threatening to be a dreary Summer day.


Everytime I see the sun brave a downpour or tiptoe through a light rain, I go running to the closest door for an upfront view of the festivities. Such moments are fleeting, so you gotta grab your camera and get outside quickly when it arrives on the other side of the glass - that is, if you are so inclined...

...which I am.

Anybody else suddenly craving a Watermelon Jolly Rancher?

Raindrops caught in the beams of sunshine wow me like a magic show, whether glistening their way through the sky or lingering on soft thirsty flower petals. 


In case you haven't found yourself compelled to fling yourself around corners to reach the drenched morning air where flowers speckled with raindrops and spotlighted with the beams of daybreak await you...well,  no worries.


That's what I'm here for.


This drop fell right after I took the shot.


All lined up for the party games

You probably think I just overdid the affect on these. Nope. I did sharpen and contrast the one below just a bit because I didn't get a very good focus on the bud, but the color is pretty well what it looked like when I took the photograph.



I wasn't quick enough to get my zoom lens attached in order to capture the sun shower around the flowers from the doorway while the rain was still falling, but I enjoyed a close up peek at the blooms and the droplets after it slowed and finally fell to a stop. 

Hope you enjoy them too.



I'll be sharing my backyard beauties at:

Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Open Call Tuesday @ Salt Tree
Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of a DIY Mom
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Cure for the Common Monday @ Lines Across
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
The Sunday Stop @ Joy 2 Journey
Mop It Up Monday @ I Should Be Mopping the Floor
Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cherrios and Lattes
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Simple & Sweet Friday @ Rooted in Thyme
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main
One Creative Weekend @ One Creative Mommy
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ FMFPTY
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe
Made You Look @ Made in a Day
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays @ PRIMP
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims
Sizzle into Summer @ DIY By Design
Share the Love Wednesday @ Very Merry Vintage Style
Tuesday To Do @ The Blackberry Vine
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style





Friday, July 13, 2012

The Wonder of Simplicity

While preparing to post the images of what I unearthed Saturday from collections I found displayed in front yards and strewn about carports, I was thinking about why it is I find such joy in the simple utilitarian items that have, in times past, found their way home with me...


I just needed these grass clippers last night!




Now, mind you, if people around here sold vintage relics of the kind many of you seem to score each weekend, I'd be thrilled to find similar antiquities rich with tradition, beautifully chippy, worn and swathed in patina or crusted with rust. However, most of the time, the fare here is a little less exciting. Every now and then I snag a cool relic, but when those are unavailable for the pickin', I'm happy to find joy in useful beauty, especially if it's caked with nostalgia and I can get it for a song. There's nothing quite like having something you need when you need it. So many of the utilitarian items I've found have come in very handy!



Speaking of songs... my love for all things minimal and practical was instilled in me early. I was a TV-obsessed child (even with only 3 channels, one of which was mostly static), and my love of "simple" came by way of commercials such as the one below from Van Camps Pork & Beans. Back then commercials were populated with catchy little jingles that would stick in kids' heads, ensuring that their parents would never be at a loss as to how to spend their money. Those commercials also fairly well defined the times. Sometimes they defined us. They certainly defined me. 

                                                                                              
To this day, I still sing this one.
As an aside...does anyone else think this sounds like B. J. Thomas singing? It also sounds just like his song
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. Hmmm...I wonder which came first.

This song lolled about in my head, and I have an especially vivid memory of it traveling along with me to my Aunt Vernie's house one Summer. During Summer vacations we took roadtrips to Grand Rapids to visit family and friends we had left behind when we moved to Florida, back when I was two.

There I was on the front porch of Aunt Vernie's (my mom's oldest sister) home taking in the wonder of the new surroundings. I was intrigued because there were steps, which were in short supply in my Florida world! I thought that was so cool...(back then we would have said "Neat!") I was enthralled by the wonder of them, and I developed a fascination for steps and stairs, probably from those youthful trips to the other-world I discovered in Michigan.

Aunt Vernie's house had a walkway leading up a sloped yard that felt like a huge hill to this girl from the flatlands. Steps took us up to her porch. There was what seemed like a magical endless staircase that led to an upstairs apartment she rented out. The wood floors (being as I was from the land of terrazzo and concrete) were utterly foreign to me and produced an odd, hollow sound when we walked across them, unlike the solid floors of home.

It was in some ways like this home I found online here.

Wonder of wonders, there was even a mysterious, shadowy basement (a fascinating unknown in my short life) to which we were led by more steps toward an odd smelling adventure of discovery and the quaint sights one might find in such a captivating place. Mystery abounded. Aunt Vernie's basement came complete with easels, her paintings and odd basement miscellany that brought a beautiful curiosity to everything about that time and place.

This is Aunt Vernie about 20 years later in the late 80's.
~
In addition, Aunt Vernie's vocabulary was peppered with quirky words that made my sister and I exchange glances and giggle...she said things foreign to us, like "cockeyed" and "cockamamie", and described things as "delightful", which while causing us to smirk as children, endeared her to us as the years stretched on. We absorbed those engaging moments, her brilliant smile, comforting personality and her creativity. They settled in and took root in our hearts, leaving us with sentimental memories of times spent with her.

There I was on her porch, family mingling inside, the boys running about the yard, the breeze - wonderful, the scent in the air, sweet... and it was dinnertime. When I asked (probably hollered) the age old childhood question through the screendoor: "What's for dinner?" and heard the words "baked beans" in the lineup, the Van Camps jingle welled up inside of me, right on cue as prescribed by the advertisers who had planned for just such a time and place for their plot to unfold. This plan, through the years, by way of every form of media, has become more pronounced, more sinister and more effective than formal training could ever be. At the time, however, this particular media voice was benign enough, and it landed in just the right spot to hitch a ride with me for life, finding it's way to both my inner and my vocal voice more often than I could begin to count.

There was a special sense about that front porch moment at Aunt Vernies. There I was singing "Simple pleasures are the best..." feeling as if I belonged in a commercial. I was probably between the ages of 7 and 9, outside on a neat front porch (another anomaly because where I was from, porches were screened and in the back of the house) in an intriguing neighborhood with treelined streets and a sidewalk. It was kind of magical in that summer vacation/freedom way. Some of that sentiment stuck as I absorbed the glory of the carefree place and time and connected those sensibilities to the words of the song.
I remember feeling a little special, perhaps a bit proud of myself because I knew all the words to the Van Camps song. It gave me the impetus to sing with abandon, hoping I'd "accidentally" be noticed for my impressive memorization ability. If not, at least maybe I'd find a good excuse to bring up the fun fact of my prowess for all who would, no doubt, find my talent enthralling.

Somehow, perhaps catapulted from that moment and the ensuing needs that coerced me to make do in years and life to come, I became a lover of all things beautifully uncomplicated. I found my way toward the joy of the humble and useful, even managing to live decidedly content as that little song clicked on in my head, even at the mention of the words "simple pleasures". Each time it did, I was connected to sweet memories and those simpler times when the world was exciting, carefree and full of discovery.

This is me with my two of my brothers, two of my sisters and part of our Florida neighborhood gang where simple pleasures defined our lives and our times. I'm the mostly hidden one who is peeking out from the middle - it's the only old pic I had on my computer. Wouldn't you know my scanner isn't functioning!
~
Yes, when "beautiful" is in short supply, "useful" does just fine. More than fine sometimes. There is a certain delight there...and maybe that's what takes me on Saturday junk excursions with a longing to unearth treasure and wonder from the discards of another's intriguing life. Today I continue to look for something to connect me to moments as meaningful as those I discovered at Aunt Vernie's house in Michigan where I sang pork and bean jingles with abandon outside on her porch. I was loving life and discovering treasure in "all the little things that make you smile and glow".

Not much has changed.

Perhaps you'll understand, then, why sometimes the junk I cram into the back seat of my car, or for which I sort through grungy boxes, is often rather unremarkable at first glance, utilitarian in fact, and useful rather than glorious and glamorous.



Yep, I'm still a simple girl at heart, and I'm pretty sure that I have Van Camps and my visit to Aunt Vernie's to thank for it.

I'll be sharing this at:

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cherrios & Lattes
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ FMFPTY
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims
Share the Love Wednesdays @ Very Merry Vintage Style
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Time to Shine @ A Diamond in the Stuff
Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Open Call Tuesday @ Salt Life
Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of DIY Mom
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Cure for the Common Monday @ Lines Across
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Mod Mix Monday @ Mod Vintage Life
Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy



Mop it Up Mondays @ I Should be Mopping the Floor
Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal
Sunday Show Off @ Twigg Studios
Sunday Stop @ joy 2 journey
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Hodgepodge Friday @ It's a Hodgepodge Life
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense 
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main