What I see today
October 31, 2012 § Leave a Comment
So much to do. So little time. Though with the homeschooling I am strangely more productive then when the kids were in school.
Birds for mobiles. I have a craft show in Nov.
Four baby chairs and 7 adult size to refinish.
This amazing pile of Afghani beaded discs. I can’t decide how to use them. The best wall garland ever? They smell like tea.
A cuckoo clock to gift, here is the primer stage.
Meaningful
October 15, 2012 § Leave a Comment
A book of significance. For a gift.
A new kikoy and another hanky.
Cheer for sale
October 12, 2012 § Leave a Comment
7.5 yards of vintage pom-strung trim. Also good for garland.
A perfect vintage sham full of crewel and a touch of neon.
Frame and hangers
October 4, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Skirt hangers are very good for hanging papers and displaying artwork, under a dollar at the thrift store. I print most of my art from images online. Frames are one of the best thrift purchases. There is a huge selection, all different sizes, and very cheap. This shadow box was $3. It was already white but frames are one of the easiest things to paint.
Hankie hoardings
September 17, 2012 § 1 Comment
I keep finding them; colorful, bordered, never-used old timer cotton squares. I have quite a pile now and will be stringing them up for bunting soon. But I can’t decide whether to hang them diagonally, or a squares. what do you think? Here are two examples: Square-hung and diagonal hung.
More of the ties
July 17, 2012 § 1 Comment
I had to. They are just so beautiful, and $1 apiece. Just look at that texture! I like the toile-like horseback scene one. And the one with Roman soldiers. See more of the ties here.
Bag addition
May 9, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Thrifted for $3, this bag appears never used and is the fourth in my collection of the same bag in different patterns. Someday I’ll probably give them away as favors. The colors and size make them great for little girls.
Pinterest project- places we love
May 4, 2012 § 1 Comment
Hearts and maps go together so well, speaking wordlessly of the places you love or that have significance to you. There are tons of happy DIY projects with maps on pinterest. See here and here. So I got a US atlas and world atlas at Goodwill, about $2, cut out hearts of our places of birth and places we’ve lived, and put together a shadow box using one I’ve had stashed forever and a bit of blue painted artboard. It is personal and colorful and goes beautifully in a memory filled gallery.
It also makes a terrific gift!
Flea market
April 21, 2012 § 1 Comment
We went to the Mile High Marketplace today north of Denver. It is large, it is well marketed, it is not at all chic, it is very fun. A great sunny spring activity. We found some sunburn, a mile or so of cheap and ugly plastic goods, kettle corn and turkey legs. I think I’d classify Mile High as more of a tourist trap than either the new vintage goods marketplaces or the old-fashioned junk tables of southern flea markets.
For thrifty buying, the most impressive selection is from the acres of tools available.
I wish I had taken a photo of the 4 foot Cinderella pinata. I can just picture a bunch of kids bashing the princess with sticks.
Here is our small trove. Finger bananas $2. Bolo tie $1. Rake for a friend (see this project). Bags of roasted chilis $6. I think that is my favorite part of the market. The rolling barrels of roasting chili peppers and their smell wafting strongly. It is uniquely Colorado to me. Old fishing lures $4. Basket $20.
I’m delighted with the lures. I’ve considered so many times buying this perfect collection of lures from my pinterest “to buy” board. But hopefully I can build my own display at a lesser cost.
And the basket. Kind of steep for a flea market. But I’ve bought some of them full price and this was a deal. I love these guys. They are made in Ghana and sturdy and moldable and beautiful.
I really wanted to find old outdoor faucet knobs, but no luck. Here is my inspiration.
Random bits
April 19, 2012 § 1 Comment
Thrift stores are one of the best places to find fiber-fil (the stuffing) for craft projects. It is very cheap and I always keep a few bags ahead, especially as it crams into stuffed projects faster than you expect and I frequently run out. Check back Friday for a fiber-filled pinterest project!
And a baby life-jacket for $2.50. for those infrequent times we rent a boat or go lake swimming. We won’t use it much but we have had several times we wanted one.
