Thrift Share Monday - Flea Market!

I ventured to the flea market!  My only disappointment was the fact that I didn't have enough time to take it all in.  That 3 hour preschool window can put a damper on thrifting, but I shouldn't complain...at all...I've got it good.  It takes 40 minutes to get to the flea so once there I scanned like crazy and tried not to stop too often.  Don't you agree that it would feel a little strange to whip out your camera at the flea?  Maybe it's just "the south", but this flea market breed is tough to read.  I decided to wait until I got home to snap my finds. Maybe next time I'll be brave and get some photos while I'm there.  Some of these will be in the shop...eventually.

Awesome military signal/flare box. It's a little rusty but overall in great condition, the hinge and latches work fine. Unique storage option.  The man at this particular booth was literally falling asleep on the job.  He had about a 50'x30' area full of stuff. Furniture, linens, glass, rusty farm tools, books, wood stoves, etc.  Whenever someone had a question they would have to say, "Sir", about 4 times to wake him from his cat nap.  I also scored the next two finds from this character (I'm not complaining, he was quite agreeable with his bargaining!).

These trays remind me of school lunches!  I also bought two more with a faux wood finish (they're listed in the shop already.  I think they'd make perfect crafting trays.  I also give my kids trays when they sit down to put a lego project together.

I already own a set of these Fire King custard cups but you can never have too many, right?  I think they are screaming to organize an office desk drawer or beading supplies.  There are quite a few of these already on Etsy...undecided about listing or keeping.

Something about these is just beautiful.  I don't bake, I've never decorated a cake, but I picked these up immediately.  They were made in Germany and are in surprisingly good condition.  This woman also had a vintage wood sewing needle display, the kind that would be found in a general store in the early 1900s. I believe it was "Boyle".  Any sewing experts would have surely loved it.

 

The bottles came from a man who said he dug them up in Virginia.  Interesting how something so beautiful was tossed out with the trash.  I guess we forget how the mundane can be lovely.  I had intended to list the Ball jar but upon closer inspection there may be a little crack.  I can't tell if it's a crack or just a pitch fork scratch.  I would be awfully embarrassed to put it in the mail and have it arrive broken on someone's doorstep.


Thanks, All! Can't wait to check out your Thirft Share finds.

Thrift Share

I would really love to have some opinions on this thrift find because I'm not 100% sold on it.  Our house has an awesome covered deck and until recently it's been fairly cluttered and not too inviting.  We have mounted heat lamps and seasonal clear covers so it should be getting use almost year-round. 

In an effort to start sprucing up the deck, I went to The Salvation Army on Friday and came home with this:

I purposefully went to the thrift store looking for a coffee table. I rarely have a specific item in mind when I shop second hand and I was a little surprised that the thrifting gods granted my request so quickly.  Is there a procedure for thanking the thrifting gods? Lemme know, would ya?

The surface is laminate and I'm assuming it's from the late 50s or the 60s (early 70s?). I've done zippo research but it seems like something produced for an elementary school library.

The best thing about it is the price - $10!  So don't feel guilty if you leave me a comment saying it's the most hideous thing ever...I won't cry because it was only $10, yippee!

Obviously I walked by the housewares aisle while I was there and I found this little lovely:

It's a McCoy but only has the mold # and USA stamp.  As you can see on this next picture the glaze on the base is a little sloppy.  I haven't seen many small McCoy pitchers so I have no idea if this is typical. 

It caught my eye because I recently bought her big sister on sale at an antique market.  Big Sis is currently in my Etsy shop:
McCoy Water Pitcher

Sadly, my brief trip to The SA was my only hunting.  The weekend was too busy for any estate sales or antique markets so I'm looking forward to checking out what else is being shared over at Apron Thrift Girl.

Cheers!

Easy and Inexpensive Large Inspiration Board

This is a long post, so if you're looking for Thrift Share Monday you can click on over! Thanks for stopping by.

I'll go ahead and admit that this is not a magazine worthy, top-quality project.  Maybe if I was a better photographer I could pull off a more "finished" look but I decided to share anyway.  I'm posting it because if you're tight on time and your decorating budget is nil, this is actually still doable.  A large board can help cut down on clutter while at the same time bringing impact to an empty wall or focus to a room.

This project can translate to an office, a kid's room, a family room, etc.  I'll go through the process with photos then list the price and materials breakdown at the end.

1. Take a look at your wall space and decide on the approximate size you'd like your board.  I had 7 1/2 feet of empty wall space with 8 ft. ceilings and my board is about 40 in. square.
2.  Lay out your foam board. Depending on your desired "final" size, you may have one solid piece of board or 3 or 4 pieces.  As you see below I used 2  20"x30" boards and then cut another board in half lengthwise. I used one 10"x30" piece (top right) and then made another cut for the 10"x10" piece (top left).  Foam board is easily cut with an exacto knife or straight blade (or frankly, a sharp knife from the kitchen).

Clearly, a solid rectangular piece is easier but I wanted a square! My Hobby Lobby also sold a 3'x4' piece that would work perfectly.
3.  If you have multiple pieces simply square them up and then use duct tape to join into a solid piece.

4.  Lay out your chosen fabric. I used burlap. (Call your craft or fabric store first to be sure they carry burlap). Burlap gives some texture to your space and doesn't compete with anything you may add to your board.  As a bonus it's also inexpensive (about $3 a yard in my neck of the woods).



5.  Just place the fabric on top (or underneath) of your board and cut an extra 2 inches around the perimeter. 

6.  With your fabric on the floor and the solid white side of your board against the fabric, begin to tape your fabric to the board.  I recommend starting at the opposite centers to be sure your fabric is smooth and even over the board. For example, if your board was a clock you would tape at 12 and 6 o'clock, then at 3 and 9 o'clock.  Work outward from those points.

7.  As you approach the corners, fold the fabric over the corner and tape (basically on the diagonal). Then, pull the fabric snug to those edges and tape, making a neat fold on the back of your board.

I warned you this method wasn't anything fancy!  If it makes you feel better you can add a long piece of tape to the back edges to make it look slightly more finished.  Honestly, who cares? This will be hidden against the wall and no one will ever know that the back looks sloppy.

I used Command Hanging Strips for this board.  Three strips can hold 9 lbs and my board isn't anywhere near that heavy.  It solves the problem of rigging up a wire on foamboard (is that possible?) and saves your wall from nail holes.

8.  Attach Command strips to the back of your board. Here's a little trick: cut a single Command strip in half to make a gripping set. This way you can use one pack of strips and spread them out on your board for better coverage.

9.  Make pencil marks on your wall to ensure you are able to place your board exactly where you want it!

10.  Remove the cover from your Command "pairs" and then press your board onto your wall space.  I recommend another set of hands and eyes to help with this step, especially if you have a large board.  Be sure to apply pressure for several seconds at each attachment point.

Materials:

3 pieces of 20x30" foamboard - $4.50
1 1/3 yds burlap                      - $4.00
duct tape                                 - $0.50
Command Strips                     - $4.00

Tools:

Exacto Knife
pencil
measuring tape

Hindsight's 20/20:  I'm planning on making another board this week and this time I'll use the thick foam board (1/2") I saw at my craft store.  A store bought bulletin board can also be covered with fabric, but an extra large cork bulletin board is a good deal more expensive than the foam board version.
  



Shelter Magazine Sunday (Martha)

I had a double dose of Martha Stewart Living this week (I'm feeling rather inadequate as a result). I received the Feb issue on Jan 31 and the January issue on Feb 4. Gee, thanks!  It was pretty disappointing since I thrive on following Martha's calendar to THE LETTER.  hee hee.

My favorite spread was on collecting and it highlighted several designers/artists and their collections.  Artist Lisa Cogdon is pictured with her Mid-century kitchenware collection.

Lisa has an excellent blog which ran in 2010 highlighting her various collections, photographed and drawn. Before you go to A Collection a Day 2010 you should grab a cup of coffee because you'll be there awhile!

Also from February's Martha, a little blurb in the Great Finds section:

The editor is sharing a few neutral paint color choices. Look closely at the photo above. Yep, Dead Salmon. Really? It's by Farrow and Ball so not only does the name of the color make you want to gag but you also have to pay $85 for it! Yuck.

Kitchen Succulents

I mentioned in a previous post that I bought some beautiful cuttings from etsy seller "The Succulent Garden".  They're still alive and adding some life to my kitchen!

Mirror Makeover

Without fail, you can walk into any thrift store and find a small framed mirror.  The frames are often beat-up or too cheap to actually hang as-is but they're perfect for an easy makeover.  I buy these mirrors every now and then and have a collection of eight.

I'm hanging a few things on the wall of one of the kids' rooms and I've prepped four of the mirrors to hang in a cluster.  What kid doesn't love staring at themselves and making goofy faces?

The project:

I'll confess that I tend to take the lazy route for most home projects.  The thought of taping all four mirrors and then peeling tape and scrubbing after spraypainting seemed a little tedious.  So...I folded and creased newspaper and stuck it between the frame and mirror at the corners.  I layered a little more to be sure the mirror was completely covered before spraying.  After covering the first mirror I realized some of the thicker advertising inserts would work even better.  Scrap cardstock? Perfect. 

I sprayed one coat of the Rust-oleum product seen above and let that dry while I did something more exciting (laundry!). The second coat seemed to cover the frames thoroughly but when I got a good look in the bright sunlight I hit a couple of areas a third time.

These are hung on the wall and being enjoyed.  I'll snap a few shots and post the results....someday.  

Pottery score

I've often hit up the thrift stores for kids' clothing and lately I've become addicted to the housewares aisles.  There is always something that can be used to spuce up your home decor.  Sometimes it perfect, sometimes it needs a little spraypainting!

I scored this piece of Frankoma pottery at the local Habitat homestore.  I'm guessing it's a sugar bowl? Not sure.  It's undecided as to what purpose it will serve at our house. Maybe a vase? A container for the marbles I use in the kids' chore system? Random bookshelf art? Pencil holder?

Frankoma Pottery was founded in 1933 by craftsman John Frank.  The pottery is made in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.  The clay source is about a mile away from the actual production facility.  Maybe some digging around will produce some more info on my thrift find!

Simple Nandina

I've had this half gallon jug in the house for awhile, saved from some delicious peach cider we bought this summer.  I thought it would be nice with some simple greenery.  I cut one nandina stem that was loaded with berries and one more with just leaves. Love it against the grey in our bedroom. This is literally the only thing remotely holiday related inside our house.  Somehow dragging out the Christmas boxes seems a little daunting.  I've never understood the people who have their tree up and house decorated on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm not quite ready to let go of Thanksgiving yet...maybe next week?

I also made a wreath for the front door with some greenery from the yard, photo not included because it turned out pretty lame. Maybe I'll try to spiff it up some this weekend.

Cheers! (or bah humbug?)