Booth Sign & Altered Embellished Bottles

Don't you just LOVE old dictionaries??? I pick them up when I can as they come in so handy for crafting of all kinds! Right now I am working on a sign for my new booth. I wandered all over Michael's last night getting all kinds of inspiration.  Got a little distracted, too, if you know what I mean!

 When I got home I started looking around for something to make the sign out of. My husband even got into it, too! He kept saying use something you wouldn't expect, something no one else has. He ended up pulling out of my many piles and stuck away corners of stuff this old carved oak piece. It was probably the top crest of a dresser or sideboard mirror and long ago I had started to spray it white. I decided to mod podge dictionary pages for the background which I love to do.

 I was so wound up with excitement I just sat down and got with it. It went really fast and is now all done and ready for the embellishing!

 My daughter had bought me some chipboard letters a couple of years ago and I had to search awhile to find those suckers. You have no idea how many places I could have put those things but I found them, finally, and they will look just great. More pics later when it is done.

 Last night while I had the mod podge and dictionary out I got inspired to finally embellish some old bottles....something I have wanted to do for ages. That is really the reason I didn't finish the sign...hee hee. Once again, I got totally distracted!

 I cut the pages and mod podged them onto the bottles and left them to dry. I actually made myself go to bed or I would have kept going!!! With the time change I went to bed at 2:30. This morning I fully intended to go to church. Forgive me Lord, I didn't quite get there but I did work on my bottles.

 After over 30 years in the antiques business, plus still scouting and buying all the time, I have quite the stash of old goodies to work with. I love keys and the largest bottle got a key that still had a little paper tag as to what it opened. I left it with the old string and tag and tied it up with an old button and paper flower. It now shares space with a vintage lavender earring. I used old handmade lace, antique and vintage buttons and odds and ends of old jewelry and assorted bits and pieces on the other bottles, too!

 I also have vintage beaded and embellished trims, old silk binding, vintage tiny nosegays and old dress clips to play with. With all my stash the possibilities are endless.

The tallest bottle still had it's original rusty lid so I left it alone. The others I added old clip on earrings for the tops. Well, for a first time try I think they turned out pretty good, don't you? These are now headed to my new booth.....they close at 6:00, I can just make it!! Later gator!

My local flea market, vintage jewelry finds, vintage bird cage and my new crafting room.........eventually!

Hi folks! Take a look at all my pics today as they cover a wide range of subjects, that's for sure! First pic is my now newlywed living in California daughter's room! Yes, it is pepto-bismol pink! When she was here it was darling I admit but now she has taken alot, left alot and some stays and some goes. However, it is going to be my new craft room hopefully sooner than later. And yes (don't tell my daughter) it is going to change colors! My "room" will be all shades of whites and beiges plus some baby pink and a touch of black! 

  One thing I recently bought is the black antique office chair and I found it recently at a garage sale for $25.00. I knew the older woman, I grew up with her daughters, and she said it came out of her father's sewing machine repair shop on South 17th street, now long gone. I love old McAllen memorablilia and was thrilled to know the history of this piece. It has a good home now!

 Now for a look at one of my local flea markets! Yes, that sign reads in spanish & english as this flea is only about 5 miles from the Mexico border....yes, I live in DEEP south Texas and have almost all my 53 years! It is not like it used to be but it is still home! Just for the record I have been coming to this flea since I was about 14 years old! Of course over time my tastes have changed considerably but no matter what my "style" or "wants" at the time, I can usually find something I "need"! Husbands just hate that word!

 This was an old drive-in theater so the front area is paved with slopes where your car would face the screen. For years there were lots of speakers on poles but now only a few poles remain. Check out this fruit and veggie stand, yum! Behind it is another stand that sells old linens, bedding and miscellaneous.

 Here is one of the parking areas-there are three at this flea. This one is a mess after rain which sadly isn't often. Fortunately this week we have a chance of rain over the next few days!!!

 Another pic of a booth that sells furniture and there are lots of boxes of stuff-you never know what you might find!!!!

 I found a woman selling some jewelry, new and old, of which I picked out these things. This vintage  large-sized multi-hued pearl necklace has a wonderful round sterling and rhinestone clasp. The vintage oblong scarab bracelet is signed Winard and gold filled. The small vintage woven ring is sterling and gold filled and is worn but sweet! The best piece, which is MINE-at least for now, is a vintage french coin ring that appears to be handmade and just fits my pinky!

 This old vintage birdcage jumped into my truck at a local resale shop. Well, it had help getting in my truck, and no, it will not be blue much longer. I have the most wonderful powdery baby pink paint in a spray can that will be used on this shortly. The birdcage is one of the items I want to display in my new craft room!

 I have always wanted a vintage bottle rack but they are so expensive!! I actually bought an AWESOME antique half-round one several years ago that my mother talked me out of-one of my big regrets-and darn it, she loves it!!!! I don't blame her. Well, I was scouting out some of my favorite blogs earlier this year and came across this rack at Laurie Anna's blog and online shop. It was new, looked old and reasonable and boom, I bought it! Aren't credit cards and the post office wonderful!

I have vintage medicine bottles and flower pots on my rack and galvanized tubs on this antique marble table top on an antique iron sewing machine base table. This was my mom's but she didn't need it anymore, yea! More on my backyard another time. Whoops, it is starting to rain outside. Thanks God!

Remembering February................

I was looking at pictures I had taken earlier this year and thought these would be worth sharing!  In February I took these 2 odd pictures of my daughter. They may not be anything special to you but they are very special to me. What Charlotte is doing, rather absentmindedly, is taking strands of her hair and curling and twirling them in her fingers and she has had this habit since she was very little. She does this with one hand then will switch to the other hand, over and over back and forth, while watching TV, on her computer or reading a book. Since we would be moving her to California in May I knew I wouldn't get to see her do this much longer so I snapped these pics. I realize they are nothing to look at but they are very special to me!

 Here is a pic of my Valentine's Day arrangement. I love decorating for each holiday! I adore domes and putting little vignettes in each one and have others scattered about the house. Please note the handmade valentines made by my children when they were little. You Moms out there understand-it seems like we save every little thing our children made! Most of my valentine decor is old or vintage with some new sprinkled in. Remember, you can click on each picture to get a closer look!

 February 28th is our wedding anniversary and each year my husband Terry and I like to take a long weekend to get away by ourselves and just enjoy each other's company, shop, dine, go to bookstores, etc. This time, our 30th anniversary, we went to Corpus Christi. We had not been there in years so it was nice to explore the area again. We splurged on a weekend at The Omni and felt so pampered. We had a view of the ocean and all kinds of little extras.
  We love to go antiquing together and hit many of the antiques malls, shops, thrift stores, etc. We even snagged some buys at an estate sale, the highlight of my buying part of the trip! At one mall I was amazed at some of the chandeliers they had. Someone had gone to great lengths to "decorate" them. The one above had all types of kitchen goodies and gadgets.

 This one was decorated with strands of buttons, beads and christmas ornaments. It also had old lace, tulle, flowers and some angels-though hard to see.

And still another had absolutely "loads" of pearls. Lots of strings of pearls of all shapes, sizes and color tones went on this one. Each chandelier was so unique! There were several more, not pictured-one that was an all red and green themed christmas decor. Another had pearls and then dangled 45 records from them, odd! This mall, the name leaves me now, was wonderful to look through. They had really unique things and the prices were not bad! Just thinking about all this and seeing the photos again makes me want to drive back up there. Maybe I can persuade Terry to go..........................