Tag Archives: thrifting

Heart Shapes in My Home

I’ve had the thought for a while that I wanted to go around my house and property in search of heart shapes to photograph. A few years ago I did a similar thing by looking for and photographing cross shapes in my house and posted it on a Good Friday. So this week I got a chance to look for hearts in time for Valentine’s Day. Some of the more obvious ones I was aware of but I was surprised by a few heart shapes that I found.

This is one of a pair of French chairs that I found at the flea market several years ago. They were covered with bulky, poorly tacked on pieces of embroidery when I found them and I was thrilled to discover the heart shaped backs and (sort of) seats. The oil cloth is starting to come off and I need to decide what to do with that but I love them.

A scrolly candelabra.

The side of a sewing machine that I inherited from my mom.

A cast iron fence piece used for garden art.

Bet you have had these heart shapes in your home at some point, too.

This metal stool is another flea market find. It sits between my kitchen and dining room.

Hope your week is filled with love.

Vintage Christmas Décor

The day after Thanksgiving I like to start slowly pulling out my Christmas décor. Although I have been gradually introducing more natural elements into my décor there are some old favorites that I wouldn’t dream of leaving out each year.

These vintage bottle brush wreaths are a perfect example. Each of the wreaths on this stack was gathered from a different place over the past 20+ years and each has a story.

Three of them were picked up at yard sales, the one on the bottom was found in my mother’s attic among some forgotten Christmas items and my favorite, the one in the middle is one I picked up for 10 cents at a church rummage sale.

The back of the wreath is a darker pink than the front which has faded to a soft peachy pink. The faded colors and crumpled bow just make me love it more.

Yep, I’m a sucker for vintage Christmas. I think it brings out the kid in me. How about you? Do you have any treasured old decorations or ornaments?

Now that the temps are dropping, I have a good cold weather tip for you.

I Went to the Flea Market and All I Spent Was $9

It has to be a record for me. I went to the semi annual flea market in our area last week. The flea market that I look forward to every spring and every fall. It’s a must-do event. But this year was very different for a few reasons.

For one, my friend that I have gone with every single time for umpteen years was sick and couldn’t go. I knew it wouldn’t be the same without her but I would go it alone. Another hindrance to my shopfest was the fact that I had just purged a LOT of stuff in my garage sale and the thought of bringing a bunch of stuff back in when I don’t sell anymore put a damper on grabbing up finds.

And then there was the heat. And humidity. There have been plenty of times that we’ve gone and shopped in scorching weather. But without my buddy, a record short time of three hours shopping in 90+ weather was all I had in me.

I only spent $9! But I did bring home three items I love.

A uniquely shaped, tall skinny birdcage.

A monogrammed, footed silver tray. I love its long, thin shape.

And a snakeskin box purse. The straps are worn worse than the rest of the purse so I will replace them with black or dark brown leather straps. I might touch up a few worn spots on the purse with shoe polish. Then I will put it in my rotation of vintage purses that I actually carry on occasion.

I’m starting a new series this fall that I think will be fun. It just may show up in my very next post. Here’s a little tease…

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!

Garage Sale Piles

I’m having a garage sale, yard sale, junk sale, whatever you want to call it, in 2 days. There are piles like this all over my house.

Once the garage sale piles are gone it will feel great to have my house back, hopefully with less clutter and more money in my pocket.

My last yard sale was in 2012 when I got out of the antiques business. I purged like crazy then and had the biggest sale ever. Since then I haven’t bought a lot of junk. Still, it’s crazy the amount of stuff I have accumulated in just a few years. Most of it was for jewelry making, show props, etc.

And some of what I’m selling this time is the part of my stash that I wasn’t quite ready to get rid of at my last sale. I’m ready now. I’m ready for a clean palette so I can freshen up and lighten up the décor in our guest bedrooms. I’m ready for a king size bed to replace the queen size hubby and I have slept on for years. Any money I make is going toward a king size mattress. Roomy bed, here I come!

I’ll be ready for some R&R after the sale. But I’ll be back in a few days to let you know how it went.

If Life Gives You Raindrops Take Umbrella Shots

Rain, rain go away! I am so sick of the rain and gloomy weather! I am about ready to jump in the car and drive as far as I have to drive to find sunshine. We haven’t seen the sun here for more than a few hours for weeks! Ugghhhh! I will say that I’m grateful that we haven’t seen the flooding or tornadoes that other parts of the country have suffered through.

I have a small collection of vintage umbrellas like the one pictured above. I like to display them and sometimes I will even use the ones that are in good shape. The flowers are a bunch of peony buds that I’m drying.

Today I’m just sharing snapshots from my everyday life. I drink coffee year round whether the weather is hot or cold. I typically drink one cup in the morning and one cup in the afternoon. That way I get a good jolt twice a day which is good for a creative boost. Any more than that and I become immune to the caffeine boost; any less and my butt drags. So two times a day I look forward to my coffee time. I feel lucky when I’m drinking it. Is that weird?

Back in January I showed you my favorite wintertime cup. Here is my favorite summertime cup.

It’s also a hint of what’s coming up in the next DIY Double Dip Flip. Be sure to come back Tuesday to see the fashion piece that inspired two DIY projects, as well as the two projects themselves.

Is it raining where you are?

My Ironstone Bowl Has a Secret

I have loved and collected ironstone for several years. My collection is a moderate size because I rarely pay more than $5 for any one item. Many of the pieces I have bought can be easily found at a higher price but if I’m patient I can find the types of pieces I love in that price range.

This bowl is just such a piece. I purchased it last month at the flea market for $5. Oh happy day! I almost walked right past it. I was on the lookout for plain white ironstone and this bowl was not that.

This bowl had big red flowers on it ~ poppies I believe? Not a problem I told myself. I will just place it on a shelf with the flowers turned to the back, or as my friend suggested sand the floral design off. Are you cringing? Would that be a terrible thing to do? I don’t think so. On the other hand there might come a day when the floral design works in just the right setting. What would you do?

I’m very happy to say that my breakfast nook makeover is (basically) complete. Monday I’ll show you before and after photos of the space. Woop!

Tarnished Royalty

Design Your Life