Weekend Finds.

So, even though I was invited to go to a local antique fair last weekend, I had a ton to do around the house.You know, the house with the 30-yr mortgage and 30 years of work to do.

Anyway, I continued working on the entry of the house. Filling holes, priming, first coat of Kilz London White Hi-Gloss paint. Painting the ceiling tongue and groove boards (I think the primer is dry enough - considering I primed months ago! - I get sidetracked very easily!!!). I mixed up some of Phillips' home office wall color - Kilz Dipped Chocolate (oh so delicious!) with a bit of cream (same sheen, same formula) and a couple drops of black to come up with the upper wall color. I went to match it at Wally World, and come to find out, it's very, very close to a color called Caraway Seed. So there you have it. Caraway Seed. Kind of a dark taupe.

The walls are smooth drywall instead of textured like the other parts in the house. That way, I could "cheat" the look of the wainscoting with paint. I ran out of paint, but have a fresh new gallon to continue with. I'll be adding lots of coats so there will be a "build-up" like an old house would have. Remember, I'm trying for a 1930's farmhouse/cottage look. I actually LOVE the paintbrush lines. None of that sprayed smooth perfection for me!

I'm not done yet. Still have to cut more trim boards. There will be one more layer of trim running on top of the 3" wide trim board. Trim out the window. Trim out the front door (inside) and the interior passage door. Cut baseboards. Install the flooring. Purchase a light fixture or ceiling fan - haven't decided yet. Install the plugs and light switches (I WON'T be doing that part! Me's afraid of electrical!!! I don't care how many how-to books I own!!!)

After I ran out of London White, I went outside and played around with some of the retaining wall cap stones.

These are just waiting for cutting and installation, but you get the idea. Still need to order the stone veneer for the wall, but I like where it's going. Way better than the booger-pond that was there when we bought the place. I really need to be scrapbooking this transformation, cause, somedays it feels like we aren't doing anything and then when I really look around, WOW! We've done a TON!!!

 

Can't wait to be onto the landscaping next year!!!!

OK. To continue my weekend finds story....

I didn't go to the antique fair, but I did go to a couple of yardsales.

A really cute cream platter and a real metal matchstick holder. I'm torn about the matchstick holder. Should I leave it vintage or repaint it?

Two matching silver stands. Again, repaint black to hold pumpkins? Cream? Or leave the silver patina???

Cool galvanized feeder/waterer??? Not exactly sure. But, the whole bucket-type cylinder comes off and it has a little dish on the inside. Not sure what I'll use it for, but I love me some galvanized.

I got the red cooler this weekend. Love the red color. May make a great porch planter. Got the green one a few months ago for a song! I think together I paid $10!

Ok. So, it's not like I need another lamp, but I can envision this one painted white with a cute little metal number hanging on the shade or something stenciled over it. What'd you do? The paint is gonna cost me more than the lamp!

DUCK!!! Yep. A carved wood duck. Not a duck collector or anything, but he just called quacked out to me. $.50.

Oh, it was a good day of hunting. I got SO much more, but I think you're probably tired of reading today's post already....So, I'll post more tomorrow...

Good day!

Linked today to:

http://www.reinventedkb.com/2009/09/breakin-rules.htmlhttp://diane1876.blogspot.com/2009/09/2nd-time-around-estate-sale-scales.html
http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/2009/09/diy-day-and-giveaway_28.html?

Last Saturday - Road Trip with Friends.

I can't believe another week just flew by.

Last Saturday, a couple friends and I, went up to Eugene/Springfield. We had a ton of fun!!!

Instead of just driving the two hours straight up the freeway, we went off the beaten path and stopped, stopped, and stopped again. To get snacks, drinks, take potty breaks and to treasure hunt.

Shady Oaks Plants and Produce. It's an old fashioned country store with plants, produce (see the sign) and gifts. These chairs were just made for sitting, sipping lemonade and chatting the day away with friends.

A walk through the store to the backyard, proved to be quite the little surprise garden.

This little house was darling. Can't you just picture yourself hosting a little tea party here.

This other little house was cute too! I guess you can never have too many little houses. Check out the six-room bird house. And I love the little picket fence. I bet this little place is fun at night with the string of lights on. There was also a shoe house. The one like in the Mother Goose Rhyme - The Little Ol' Woman Who Lived In A Shoe. The picture I took turned out too blurry, so you'll have to go visit and see it for yourself!!! LOL

This little flower display is made with a whole load of shutters. How inventive, don'tcha think?

This cheery little chair is fun. I think I might have a spare chair or two around here. How 'bout you?

Hay. Farmhand Feed and Home Co. This store in Cottage Grove had a TON of  Eye Candy! In a feed store. I could've spent hours in here!!! I tried to find a link, but I couldn't find one, so this will have to do:

Location: 106 S. Sixth St, Cottage Grove Oregon 97424 Telephone 541-767-2830

They had a whole Halloween section. Right up my alley!!! Check out these adorable felt stars.

And this feathered owl. Well, I guess, technically, all owls are feathered, huh?

They had the most unique witch hat I've ever seen! It was made of black velvet, sequins and feathers. Feathers so black, they were almost blue. It was huge!!! The clerk, maybe the owner?, said the hats are  made locally by a group of handicapped persons. I wanted it so badly, and even though a purchase would have been a good thing to do, it was out of my price range right now. Over $100!

Ok. So, maybe it looked better on the shelf...It really was HUGE!

I really liked this candlelight chandelier. Now, I'm in search of a big metal ring to hang all my vintage silverware from. Not sure where I'd hang it, but.....it's fun.

This is really blurry, I know. I can't seem to take a clear digital picture...not that I'm shaky or anything, I'm just impatient and move before the camera captures the image. Phillip tells me this every time I complain about my blurry photos. Patience.....! Anywho, this rusty steel carousel is way cool!

Next up, we went to Ruthie B's. Again, no link.

346 Main St

Springfield, OR 97477-5362

 (541) 988-4791

 This was such a treat. Lunch amongst treasure!!! What more could you ask for? They serve lunch at vintage tables in areas cordoned off throughout the store, on mis-matched dishes, with mis-matched silverware. Bread in cast iron pans. Little fruit in glass cups. They even begin your sit-down by blowing bubbles over your party. Too much.Oh, and there is LIVE piano playing. How special is that?

Iced water with lemon - in jelly jars.

 

Here we were. Lunch was delish! Shop without even leaving your seat. Great concept!

 Even the potty was...well, let's just say. Shop while you...???

Colby Cottage. Found them via Notes from a Cottage Industry.

They had their open house on Friday. We missed it, but we visited on Saturday.

Cute vintage house full of fun treasures. I bought a couple things. My fave was, of course, an old #13 wooden handled stamp. Gotta love the #13 for Halloween decor.

 

 

 

 

 

I love this saying. 

So, there you have it. Last Saturday. A Road Trip With Friends.

We also visited almost EVERY Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul's and others along the way. A two hour drive in six hours. And that was only Saturday!!! Sunday was a whole other adventure. Antique stores, more 2nd hand shops, TJ Maxx, Trader Joes, Piccadilly Flea Market, PF Changs Happy Hour for lunch. A table for three + left-overs AND dessert for $25. YUM!

Lots of treasure. Lots of food. Lots of chatting. Lots of laughs. Lots of miles. Lots of fun!!!

Happy Fall.

Not like, Fall and Break Something, Fall. But that wonderful time of the year when the leaves start turning vibrant colors, the crock pot becomes full of soup, warm comfort foods come out of the oven and the temps become cooler....

WAIT a minute!!! What's this? 102 degrees? What gives, Mother Nature????

Yep. As I was beginning the seasonal decorations inside, the outside was FULL ON SUMMER!!!

But, I'm stubborn like that. So, I just kept on putting away the Summery stuff and began changing things on the inside...





So, here's a little pumpkin house I picked up from our local Salvation Army. It's a resin casting, but quite cute, I thought.

Then, there's this really big pumpkin head. He's actually a vintage trick or treater's pumpkin with a witches hat sitting on top. Not a lotta work here! 

The other little ditty, is an old mannequin hand I found last year for a song, with a cute little "head" popped onto the pointer finger...just for a little conversation starter....

Here's my staple. A mini-muffin tin with new words. Man, usually, it's a challenge coming up with just the right four-letter words. This time, I had a ton to choose from.  Moon, Rats, Cats, Hats.....see what I mean???

AND my favorite Halloween Christmas present last year, I received on New Year's Eve from our Disney friends, Jeff and Kris.

My new Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Skellington wreath. It's been in the box since last year. It's a facsimile of the Haunted Mansion wreaths. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. At Christmas, I'll move it to the front door!!!

This is only the beginning of my decorating. AND I'm happy to report, so far ALL of it - except for the wreath - is thrifted!!!

Just doing my little part.....

Happy Fall to ALL.

Cutest Little Witch .... Emily.

All spiffed up for Halloween.

So, the general concensus from my house-of-men, is that she is "creepy"!

O.K. I'll admit that it is a little weird putting a dirty, life-size doll, with falling-off legs in the dining room and then leaving for the weekend for all to discover (see Friday's post below).

All the men are in Medford at a Rock concert tonight, so I decided tonight would be a good night to "play" dress up. NO, not me, silly. Emily. So, after a bath and a good shampooing, she is clean and brighter eyed and ready for her make-over!

I spent Saturday and Sunday up in Eugene and Springfield searching each and every store - Salvation Armys, Goodwills, St. Vincent De Pauls, and other various flea market and second-hand stores - looking for accessories for Emily. I was on a mission - my travel companions will attest..."this for Emily" "that for Emily". But seriously, I DID find just the right stuff for her for Halloween. All for under $10 AND ALL second-hand sources!!!!

Black and Purple Velvet Hat $.75. Black Paper-Wrapped-Wire Spider Web for her hat $.35. Black Velvet and Black Chiffon Dress $2.99. Orange and Black Striped Tights $.95. Plastic Trick-or-Treat Pumpkin $.75. Black Flocked Cat with Purple Neck Ribbon $1.75. Long Strand of Pearls $.75. Emily  $5.00 PRICELESS!!!

So there you have it. A completely new Little Miss Emily in Full Little Witch Regalia for just over $13.00!

I think there will be no denying that even though Witches and Halloween are supposed to be CREEPY, she is very, very cute (cuter, in fact) in her little witch costume than she was in her dirty little sundress. I think she is happier too! She won't stop smiling......

Click on Photos for a LARGER view.

I'm linking up with REINVENTED Trash to Treasure Tuesday.

I'm also linked up to Poppies at Play for Creative Tuesday.

Meet Emily.

Today, I had lunch with some friends. Right now our little town is full of Cycle Oregon bicyclists, so the streets are bursting with (I've heard it told) about 2200 visitors!

In anticipation of parking drought, I parked my little Jeep near the restaurant early and just HAD to waste time until our Noon lunch date.

Hmmmm....Where should I go to pass some time? Oh, Gee, I know. How about Home For Good thrift store, just around the block???

It was a gorgeous, sunny day out, so why not. The air is fresh. The sky is blue. A walk would be nice.

So in I walk. Looking first at the games shelf. Nope, NO wooden bingo numbers. Sure, I keep finding the plastic ones, but NEVER those wooden ones.

Onto the crafty section. Yep, same stuff they had last time.

Ok. Dishes section. Some cute things. Nothing I need or want - TAKE NOTE!!! It's a FIRST!!! Not Really - wink!!!

Onto the children's toy section. Hey, there's a cute little wooden bat for $.55! Needs to be repainted and all, but I'll have to tell Janice about it. (she's been looking for one to go with the little baseball mitt for her one-year-old grandson - photo shoots and all!) I'm always on the look out for Janice's famous grandchildren photo shoots! Hey, that may sound like an excuse to shop, but really, I've found some stuff....Huh, Janice???

Then into the Halloween Room....Cute plastic pumpkins....The standard candle holders. The Dollar Store fare marked at $.75....Hey, wait a minute. What's that in the box? I see a head. Are you kidding me? (insert heart racing here) Could it be what I think/hope it is? YESSSSSS!!! It's a BIG DOLL with HUGE, blink-y blue eyes!!! Beautiful Eyes. In REALLY good condition!!!

OK. So, her legs are missing. NO, wait. Her legs are just, well, let's say "disconnected". Her private area (the crotch), needs to be...well, put back together so her legs sockets will again hold her legs. Right now, the seam is split and it looks like, well, lets just say she has a whole mass of wire down there. It looks like someone tried to repair her once upon a time with a bunch of wiring...Weird!

Anyway. She needs a good bath, some minor plastic surgery and some new clothes. So now I'm on the lookout for the makings of a cute, little witches costume. Complete with hat, broom and a arched-back black cat for Halloween.

My lunch buddies, yes, they may think I'm crazy for falling for a big "dismembered doll-in-the-box", but as we were walking back to our cars, and I was carrying a box with a life-size person hanging out of it on the streets of Grants Pass - the cyclists must have thought I was crazy too - suggested all the other holidays she could be dressed up for other than Halloween. An Elf at Christmas, complete with curl-toed shoes. With Easter Bunny ears and basket at Easter. Darling parade-goer for 4th of July with her little American Flag. Oh, the possibilities.

I bought her a couple darling beaded, pearl necklaces. One is a woven pearl choker and the other is just a huge length of pearls. ALL fake, of course! She'll love wearing the pearls for other special occasions, I'm sure.

So, I've named her Emily.

Tonight, she sits, with her legs tucked under her dress, in the dining room, in the ladder back chair. I hope she doesn't scare the boys when they get home - at night - in the dark!!! I can picture it now. They bump her in the dark. Her legs fall to the floor. They freak out! I'm telling you, she's the size of a pre-schooler!!! hee hee hee. Maybe, I'll laugh my legs off! They're always scaring me. Paybacks a, well, let's just say it rhymes with WITCH!!!

Here's to Emily! You go girl!!!!

I'll see you next week. I'm spending the weekend "treasure-hunting" out-of-town. Can't wait to see what's out there.........Don't worry. I'll share!

Have a great weekend! Ta Ta

***Edited:  So, the funniest thing happened....Wonka came into the Dining Room, sniffed one of Emily's feet and started BARKING at her!!! Too Stinking Funny!!!! I'm telling you, she's SO life-like! I love her!

More "Penny" Treasures.....

It's O.K. You can never have too many treasures.

Sure, you can have too much junk or too much clutter, 
but never too many treasures.

I just need to differentiate the difference before the walls, floors, and ceilings of my house explode from excess treasure!

I am making progress. I am trying to clean out all the corners stacked with "stuff" - good stuff mind you - and move it down to the "old" garage.

There, I will proceed to sort, separate, classify and properly store the good stuff and get rid of the others that don't make the cut.

Maybe I'll sell. 
Maybe I'll donate.

Maybe I'll just....no I can't keep it all.....

Say it again....I CAN'T KEEP IT ALL!!!! 

Keep chanting those words.

In the meantime, here are a couple of things I've found in the last month or so. AND baby, this isn't even the tip of the iceberg....ADDICT? Maybe....
Maybe there's a 12-step program????

This is a metal desk that is painted haphazardly red. 


The desk top is particle board. 


It looks like a replacement for the original plywood one. 


It is painted with black chalkboard paint. 


I bet it looked good at one point, but now it's ready for a face-lift. 


A new apple-ply top (pressure laminated plywood layers - pretty pricey, yet worth every penny for style and strength). AND a new paint job. 


The metal is in really good shape and I just love the book cubby under the seat. 


Gives me flashbacks to the good 'ol days of grade school OR even better - NOT! - the days of the boys' school conferences.


Trying to squeeze an adult-sized hiney in a pint-sized desk!

Great style at an even GREATER price! Worth all 200 pennies, I'd say!

Next up, is a cache of wooden hangers. I got pick of the litter. 

Ten for $1.00. 

True, I had to struggle with them, like a barrel of monkeys, 

but there was a nice variety to choose from.

I even found a diamond in the rough - so to speak. Check out this little gem....

Yep, you read that right. DISNEYLAND HOTEL - ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. 

$.10. 

I think 10 pennies is A-OK for that one.

I'm not sure if it's vintage or not, 'cause even though the Disney Company is a "close-personal-friend" of ours, 


I've never stayed in a Disneyland Hotel or Resort. 

It just doesn't work out that way....

So, I wouldn't know if their hangers are like this any more...???

AND for ZERO pennies, I got 4 wooden grape crates. 

(one is pictured with the wooden hangers in it) 

I planned on using them for actual grapes that I usually pass out to friends and acquaintances around town, but my trespassing deer ate most of them this year. AND what kind of person would I be giving away grapes that have deer slobber on them? 

So, they will surely become a mixed-media art project 

or stored until next grape-sharing season....

Lastly, I want to hear about your treasure hunting adventures...

Feel free to leave a comment...

Penny for your thoughts????