Really?? I haven't posted since AUGUST????

If you know me you know I LOVE antiquing, junking, picking....whatever you want to call it! I LOVE the thrill of the hunt, seizing upon that special find and hoping I don't gasp loudly when I do....I'm trying to get better about that part but it's hard! To support this ummm habit/addicition I sell in three antiques malls, on ebay and etsy! Whew! I don't sell EVERYTHING I find of course. It is only for the things I find that I don't want but can't pass up OR if I am tired of looking at it at home! Case in point....the lovely tray pictured below! I have had this for years. I have used it in the kitchen as the holder for the salt & pepper shakers, napkins and toothpicks. Then it held a part of my sterling topped vanity jars.....notice I said PART! I have also used it for perfume bottles. So it has been fun but adios sweet tray!

 This photo shows some of my pickin' finds from last week! Lots of jewelry, some good, some bad, for selling, crafting and keeping! Please note the AWESOME antique purse frame underneath it all!

 Here are more photos of my booth, lynnesfinds, at New & Again Antique Mall in McAllen, TX. This is such a fun place as they have all types of things, not only antiques. Crafts, collectibles, vintage, you name it! They even have a tearoom for lunch and Karaoke Kafe on select evenings.

 These birds were one of my "collections"! Adios, birds! They are truly beautiful pieces but once I tire of something, bub-bye! Alot of folks love it when I "tire" of something!

 I crafted this standing iron cross by embellishing it with all sorts of vintage jewelry which makes it unique and one of a kind. I also repurpose vintage jewelry by making "new" jewelry out of it. Plus I decorate picture frames and am about to start a new "project" with my vintage jewelry....photos soon! In this picture are also several pieces of vintage and antique sterling items including a gold rimmed sterling thimble, very nice!

 Antique cameos anyone? These are all old or antique, are carved or etched authentic shell and have backings of gold filled, sterling or authentic gold. If they haven't sold since I took this picture last week they would be a great Mother's Day gift which, the way the year is flying by, will be here before you know it!

 Upon entering our local grocery store this past Monday I was hit with an explosion of Valentine's Day offerings! You looked to the left and it was plants, flowers and balloons everywhere!

 If you glanced to the right there were cakes of any color combination you could imagine, some good some not so good, cookies, cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, etc.

 I know when I whipped out my camera some folks were thinking, um, weird, and others just smiled fully understanding my awe!

Lastly, these cookies did not come the grocery store. These were made for me by a sweet friend who is the best baker I know! They taste as good as they look! Happy Valentine's Day and more posts to come.....and you won't have to wait 6 months either! :)

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!

Weekend antiquing & junking finds...........

I am a junker at heart. My grandma LOVED to go to garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores and antiquing and quite frankly, she rubbed off on me. I have junked since before I was 16 but once I had my driver's license, look out! There is a local flea market that I have been shopping at for over 37 years, OMG! How can that be? It used to be a drive in theater many years ago and has been a flea market as long as I can remember.

 At this flea market times, and the merchandise, have changed. Sometimes I can find lots of "treasures" and sometimes I just come home with fresh from the field tomatoes! You just never know!
 This was the first time in months that I had had the time to go and I was really looking forward to it. I was not disappointed! I found some jewelry, even a Tiffany piece, and some great old oil paintings. Unfortunately I can only stand the weather, even in the morning, just for so long at this time of year so I gave it up by 9:30. It was just too hot! I am not ashamed to say that I am an AIR-CONDITIONED baby. Oh, by the way, I cringed when I received our last electricity bill, but only for a moment......I will pay that sucker and keep on keeping on staying COOL!
 At this said flea market I bumped in to a fellow blogger whose blog is just delightful!!! If you haven't been reading it you need to! It is called White Spray Paint and her name is Laura! She and her daughter were out junking too. I had seen a pretty mirror they had bought and was hoping to buy it from them. After I gave up and was driving away to go to my beloved AIR-CONDITIONING I spied Laura. I pulled up, rolled my window down, and bluntly asked if she wanted to sell that mirror? She smiled and recognized me, maybe from my not-so-great blog, and introduced herself. I was beet red from the heat and she looked cool as a cucumber, must be nice! She said it was her daughter's purchase and I gave her my phone number. I hope she calls. It was a pleasure finally meeting you Laura!!!!!!
 From some writings on the back these are apparently done by a Texas artist, yeah! I am particularly fond of the landscape one. It looks like the hill country and is just my colors!

 There are some neat pieces in this bunch! There is a Gorham sterling cat pin, blue delft piece, Tiffany & Co. bracelet and a blue glass flowers earring.

 Check out the victorian bird on a nest locket/watch fob-that one has my name written all over it, great vintage bird with watch lapel pin, crown shaped ring and a multiple pearl earring. Some of these things will be listed on Ebay and Etsy and others will be used for embellishing picture frames and making altered jewelry.

  As I said, I am a junker and will drive my family nuts on trips stopping at anything that looks like I might find a treasure inside. I haunt all the local shops, thrifts, fleas, garage sales, estate sales, you name it! And my house looks like it! But that's another story on another day! Anyway, I have found a few treasures lately, I hope you like the photos!! And who knows, I may bump in to YOU sometime! Happy hunting!