chipped to perfection

when it rains, it really pours around here

2010-09-20T23:32:00.001-07:00

We were told when we moved here that the weather in central TX is a perpetual drought punctuated by period flooding. I thought that was both humorous and so true. Little did I know that the person who mentioned this didn't just mean the climate but also my whole life!

You all know about the flooding in central TX about 2 weeks ago when we got 12-18 inches of rain in one night in our county. Rain up to the chin of one lady who was walking home from her kids' bus stop! Water in the Belton Hospice Thrift Shop (highest prices in town!), water water everywhere and not a drop to drink for the town of Holland because a collapsed bridge, due to swollen river, took out their water pipe too.
Well now it is Corpus Christi's turn.

And my life....well it has flooded as well.

The auction with the potting bench from my past posting was 2 Sundays ago already. The complete gardening auction brought $500, $20 under its retail value. But the "best" part of the story is that while the home made bench was being delivered all. the. tiles. came. off.
So I spent the rest of Saturday regluing tiles and regrouting tiles and THEN setting up the display for the gardening auction. Turns out that while thinset is a perfect glue for floor tiles that are going on floors, it isn't such a good glue for potting benches that will be turned on their backs to be delivered and driven over bumpy roads. Remember that if ever you are gluing down tiles that might get sideways and get bumped along the road.

Last week I was feeling pretty sickly from Tues night on...Fever of 101 with terrible pains in my achy body. Spent All day Weds and Thurs on the couch and in bed. Friday attempted to live life and ended up with fever over 102 that evening. Spent Sat and Sun on the couch and bed and finally today I feel good enough to live again.
But during all of that we noticed some strange bug bites on our youngest's body. Took him to the Dr on Fri and found out that the reason they look so strange is because they are not bug bites at all, but SHINGLES. His oldest brother already made the requisite joke and applying him to the roof, so you all can forget about sending me that one.
Now shingles can be pretty painful, esp. in the elderly---the usual ones to get shingles. but since we recently found out that said youngest child is hypo sensitive (that is he doesn't feel as intensely with his nerve endings as the rest of us) it turns out they aren't quite as painful as they could be. But still we are applying cold compresses of dome burro once or twice a day as he complains.
Oh and did I mention that the same son also has ring worm in his hair---which has to be treated with a 30 day regimen of pills? And just started on a new medicine for another condition that I won't bother you with here and now.
So can you understand the tears that came to my (hot, feverish) eyes on Fri AM when his Dr pronounced shingles to be his problem?
Now fast forward to my own Dr appt on Fri afternoon....
when I am expecting to hear pneumonia (I had it two years ago) or some other equally quick to get over it with a few pills disease and he says MONO. mono? NO! that takes forever to get over. But alas, no phone call today means negative test for mono so merrily we roll along.....all the way to.....
the mechanic who pronounces the transmission in our van dying a fast death and unworthy of travel.
And then pronounces a whopping $4600 bill for said transmission. ARGH!

And that leads me to my newest project of the week. Listing on ebay. trying to make up just a teensy tiny part of that $4600 surprise. Below are pictures of some of the things that I listed. My username is hitransplant, as in we had been transplanted to Hawaii when I started using ebay and I have never bothered to change my name on ebay even after we were then transplanted to Germany and now Texas.

rare vintage pyrex lid

Dionne quintuplets paper fan from Blair, Cochran and Potts in Belton
10 lb mercury jug with rare paper label still attached

one of 2 valentine couples I have listed
Miss USA 1964-65 doll in pristine condition
One of 5 calendar plates, all different pictures, all different years

I bought it and they came!

2010-09-12T08:13:00.001-07:00

Terry Lee, Vonetta and Bonnie

Terry Lee, of "all things Terry Lee" ( see blog links on the right) came Saturday morning with her junkin' friends to peruse my garage and left with a handful of delites. Pink metal washtubs, white enamel bowls, yellow plastic purse, scrabble letters and what nots. The best part of the morning WAS NOT the money, though I enjoy making money and recouping what I spend. The best part was watching them ooh and ahh over the very same things that delighted me enough to buy and collect them in the first place. Kindred souls.
Vonetta is the one who likes to set up a photo op so she found this painting from the yard sale leftover stash, added a box that I painted and decoupaged and tried on a hat from the sale yard sale leftovers. How adorable!

THANKS ladies for the money, for the company and for being kindred souls. I need that kind of support every once in awhile to know that I am not alone out here in central texas junkin' land.

Who let her loose with a checkbook?

2010-09-06T12:16:00.003-07:00

OK, there is a country song that goes : "I knew what I was feelin', but what was I thinkin'?"
Well it is written about a completely different set of circumstances but that one line fits just as well right here, right now.
I bought out the end of a yard sale yesterday! take a look at my van. (Mom, this is what my van looks like when it is packed FULL, not that little bit of nothing we bought in TN/AL.)

Right sliding door view.
Shot gun!
BACK view Trash bags are aluminum cans to drop of at the high school for recycling, but the rest is all yard sale.
Left sliding door view.

The rest of the pictures are boxes of stuff. I have gone thru about 90% of it already. First of all it is all covered with dirt so every time I come in from the garage, I am filthy.
I have made 4 piles. One is for my own yard sale and booth sales. One pile is to donate to our school flea market. One pile is to try to sell on ebay. And one pile is out right trash.

The seller of these goods was helping a friend clean out her parents' estate and these are the left overs from their antique shop. Some real cool stuff, some "what's that" stuff and lots of common, ordinary, vintage crap, er, priceless treasures that people will pay me a lot of money for.
frames. some with pictures, some empty. some 1900, some 1970.
really old baskets. really really old, with a few more modern thrown in
only one hat and then this doll. The sellers didn't know what she was and neither did any of the customers who gawked at her. She sits in a metal coffee can that is full of something---possibly concrete, Her skirt is pink leather petals sewn in rows onto muslin. She is porcelain or bisque and is missing one arm. And then there is the handle. A doorstop? maybe, but then why a handle? Some sort of home made air freshener? Any ideas???
glassware and odds and ends
glassware, coffee mugs, jars, bottles, and what nots.
A small St Joseph statue, a 1990's picture frame and some brown pottery bowls
more old baskets
This lamp base caught my eye. It is transparent with this color glaze on top of clear glass with gold painted at the top and the base. No lamp parts at all, just this base. Would be a good vase too, if you put a water tight container in it first.
LOTS of clear glassware....stemware, bowls, mugs,
Some cool metal ware under that T fal pan that is most decidedly not vintage or antique but garbage.
this metal rack is cool and fits into a peg board. metal tins, some so old that the paper labels are falling off the rusty metal. a few pieces of lu ray , wooden tray, wooden shelves
cigar box full of tiny glass lids for canning jars. a couple of folder/boxes for tools. One has some tools in it still and two are empty. also a couple for steak knives.

Not pictured....lots of calendar plates from various years. What a cool gift to give someone a plate from the year they were born or the year they got married as a gift!
Some Noritake, some Lefton, some made in Japan, one German dishes, plates, saucers, bowls, etc. Two dolls in their boxes. One is a sweetie doll, or at least looks like the sweetie dolls I saw on ebay, the other is a Miss USA doll with a picture of Miss USA 1964-1965 all still in the box. a 45 record from the back of a Wheaties box, and tons more.

I might get individual pics up this week, or I might not. Depends on how the week goes. If you see anything you want or if you want to come over and pick thru the boxes, let me know. Prices are reasonable. Very reasonable.
If the weeks are kind to me, I will have a Friday yard sale on Sept 17. I had hoped for this Friday but I have a commitment at the school.

potting bench 101

2010-09-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am not a handy man or handy woman or handy person or whatever. I own one small electric saw and one power drill/screw driver. And lots of raw materials because I keep collecting all this junk with dreams of what I can do with it. So when our school decided to have an auction to raise money, my son's first grade theme was gardening. They call these "basket auctions". Let it be said that few of the auctions actually fit in a basket, but all of them have their own theme.

I thought I could take this old army issue dining room sever and turn it into a potting bench. WHY? Well because I had the server from a yard sale with plans to refurbish it to sell but never got it done and I want it out of my garage. And because I have watched professionals do all sorts of remakes on HGTV, DIY network, and whatever other channels have those "you too can do it" shows! And so it begins.
First step was to remove part of the side edges so that I could add shelves that would lie flush to the cabinet. Also removed trim, not sure at first if it was glued on trim or an integral part of the cabinet.
Add shelf. Original idea was two shelves but all the wood I had (bought at another yard sale) was not enough for two shelves. Edit original plans to be one shelf. Note how flush that side piece sits to the cabinet!
Two side supports and a shelf and it is still standing, but needs some more support so I added a piece under the shelf that later will hold these two pot holders, meant to go over a fence. I love these. I have had them in four homes now and have never had a place to hang them so I think it is time for them to move on. I drilled holes in the back brace board to hang these. And they fit! And hang pretty straight!

I cut a hole in the top of the cabinet in order to sink a plastic tub to hold dirt for when someone is repotting plants. Cutting this hole took longer than all the other parts put together. Not really, but it felt that way. I have no earthly idea what the proper way is to measure for a hole like this so that the lip of the tub sits on top and the rest of the tub sinks into the cabinet. I traced around the bottom of the tub and started there. Way too small since the tub has tapered sides. recut, recut, recut and recut again. Going into supports for the top and having to chisel them out since the saw doesn't cut that deep. Chisel with a hammer and a flat head screw driver. (real carpenters gasp now at how I treat my tools.)
Ahhh, after over an hour of cutting and recutting said tub sinks into said hole with hardly any gaps.
Sinks right into the place where one top side drawer used to be.
Add paint, left over from our shed, plastic pots to fit into the hanging pot holders, and tiled top.
VIOLA!

The tile top is my first ever attempt at tiling. The neighbor across the street has tiled every bathroom, the laundry room, kitchen and front and back porches at her house so I used some of her leftover tile, her thinset and her wet saw. She made about half the cuts and then had to leave and I attempted the other cuts. Even corrected one of her mistakes!
I might have enough confidence now to tile our bathrooms or kitchen or family room or all of it!
I purchased (RETAIL FOLKS) the sanded grout for the top and did my first ever grout job. Turned out pretty darn great! I added hooks to one side of the shelf to hang tools and then purchased these three shovels in three colors on clearance at Michaels to add some more color. Added red gardening gloves and a spray bottle to one hanging pot and three child size gardening tools in the other hanging pot. Child tools were a left over from a gardening project at school last year.
Drawer handles are rope. Door handles are mini clay pots I bought at Michaels.
So my total retail purchases on this were: grout (about $8), plastic pots ($2 each) and mini clay pots (.59 each). Yard sale purchase are the cabinet ($25) and some wood ($3). Paint, rope, screws, bolts, nuts, washers, pot hangers, and plastic tub were all thing I had lying around the garage left over from other projects so no cost for those. Less than $40 total! Plus two Saturdays of work.
I can't believe just hood good this looks. Usually I have a plan, a dream, a day dream really, and it doesn't actually ever happen or doesn't actually work when I try to do it. But this one is great! And I am not even keeping it. I am bidding on the auction though! Especially since the other parts of the auction, donated by other parents include: professional landscape consultation, wheel barrow, plants, seeds, hose, sprinkler, pots in a various colors and designs, bird feeder, $100 Home Depot gift card, and some other goodies.
Let the oohs, ahhs and bidding begin!

Bada Bling bada Bling

2010-09-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Got to go to the booth on Tuesday for a quick freshen up and to deliver some more goodies. The downstairs at Moore Garrett CO (formerly Nellie's) is looking really, really good.
OK, it is sideways and foggy, but this bling could blind you if it was clear and in focus! So many rhinestones and pearls it will make your head spin! If you see anything you like and can't get into the shop, let me know and I will mail it to you directly. That goes for anything in my blog, not just today's photos.

And the flip side of the bling is the more colorful, kitschy side. All vintage, all with working clasps. $5 each. What a steal!

I LOVE this little wicker vanity mirror. The bottom is a tray to hold combs and brushes or makeup. The photo is, again, blurry with not great color. Ttaken with my cell phone and the lens apparently needs cleaning badly. The wicker is more white than off white and has pink and blue/green flowers painted on. Draped with a strand of pearl, gloves waiting for the lady of the house. Sitting atop her hat box. Those were the days, huh? When ladies would DRESS to leave the house. Heels, pearls, gloves, and hat.

I think we found one of those ladies still alive and kicking when we made the yard sale trip. Mom, sister, and I started out one day eating a late breakfast, early lunch and stumbled upon this adorable little restaurant in Chattanooga. We knew we weren't dressed quite appropriately, but what the heck. Well, when we all made the trek to the ladies' room after eating we got quite the stares from one southern lady who about fainted when she saw that I had TENNIS SHOES and bobby socks on with my skirt. (Well, I was about to start out on a day of traipsing thru grassy yards and fields and road sides to dig for bargains after all.) We got the biggest kick out of her nose stuck up in the air!
Another sideways shot. A beautiful black velvet and creamy lace vintage dress. The skirt has a 3-4" tear near the hem but this one a really gorgeous. Came from the same estate at the hatbox about.
For the summer brides....a vintage cake topper, matching platter and serving bowl and a photo of Grandma's wedding day. Well, somebody's Grandma anyway! Wouldn't this be a neat display on a guest book table? Or a centerpiece on a dining table.
I love the idea of all the centerpieces at a big party being different, but similar in theme or color. I did this for our daughter's Sweet 16 party. All pink and black and white but all different ( and all from thrift and yard sales). For our 25th anniversary I had all different vintage silver trays and tea pots and bowls filled with white or ivory silk flowers. The great thing about doing centerpieces this way is that it is MUCH cheaper. You can pick up things here and there that meet your color or theme when you find them cheap, instead of having to find 10 or 20 identical matching things that are always more expensive. And then when it is over what are you going to do with 20 identical containers or arrangements? My way, you have all those different things to work into your home or give as gifts or resell.

What I bought at the longest yard sale

2010-08-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

OK, a certain someone (I won't mention any names) has asked more than once for photos of the goods that I bought at the yard sale bonanza. So at the risk of boring you all to sleep, here we go.
First of all there are 3 things not pictured that I remembered after I had loaded all the photos. One is a set of three windows, each with six panes that I got for $10. NOT $10 each, but 3 for $10. They aren't real real old but they will work for some crafty projects.
Second is an old Samsonite suitcase, the brown ones that are popular for stacking to make a side table that is also storage. Third is a purchase that I took a chance on at an estate sale along the yard sale route. A minty green square compote dish that is stamped "Pfaltzgraff". My mom, my grandma, and I all have (had) Pfaltzgraff dishes and they are have the name written into the clay before firing so the stamping made me do a double take. I paid $10 for it and was assured that the lady who owned it had it "for years".
I researched when I got home and it is apparently made in the 1930's before Pfaltzgraff got into dishware. Might be worth $30---if I can find someone to pay that much for it.

OK so the photos.... above is a chippy white metal carrier meant for picnics to hold paper plates, napkins, plastic silverware, etc. I think it would be better used these days on a desk with pens, paper, envelopes, stamps, etc. I want to find some glass or ceramic inserts for the silverware parts so that pens and the like won't fall thru. $4

The giant polka dot is one of 2 hubcaps that I bought and got teased about the entire trip. I fell in love with the aqua color. The seller told me they are called baby moons and were not painted originally. I think they will look like a couple of giant polka dots on a wall. $5 each and I love them but my mom and sister pointed out every (ugly) hubcap along the way for sale. Which is jsut one of the many, many things that made us laugh along the way.
This camera came from a thrift shop we found north of Chattanooga. So do I remember how much I paid? Not sure, but I think $5.
Burgundy hat was .50. Gloves---four pair---were .50 each.
Counted cross stitch of Mary and Baby Jesus that I plan to to frame. $3.00 Yellow clutch purse is weird. It is like plastic beads that are melted together to form a stiff material. It looks 1960's to me. At this same sale I also got some vintage earrings that I now can't find!
These two bedposts are part of a set of four that my sister and I split. Hers are sitting near her front door. Mine are in the garage waiting for a trip to my mom's. After we bought them she mentioned that if they don't sell in the booth she would like to have them if anyone ever drives to IL to deliver them. We bought the set of 4 for $40 and they are HEAVY! Would I paint them or polyurethane them if I kept them, I just don't know. I think poly first and leave them that way for a time and then paint later if I still wanted to.
This pink and green metal wash basin is possibly the last thing I bought. $2, marked down from $4 because the handle on the left is rusted through. HUH? That makes it worth double, not half!
This is mini stuff for a doll house. This sale was a professional vendor who had his trailer all painted with "longest yard sale or bust" and other sayings to draw attention along the highway. He had stacks and stacks of sets that were all adorable. I don't have a doll house, don't want a doll house but I love doll house furniture. WHY? These were in the mismatched box 4 for $2.
Small bird cage that I got for a whopping .25. I will fill with a nest of aqua shredded paper and a little bird I bought awhile back knowing I would have a nest for her to sit in someday.
A bag of tatted and crocheted odds and ends. Don't know if I will sell as is or use them in projects, but I love love love hand made laces. I can't remember where I bought this or how much it cost!
This bird cage is NOT small and I paid $10 for it. It is not real old and had a made in Taiwan sticker on it that might have been on something else or might be from this bird cage. Doesn't matter to me. I think when this is cleaned and spray painted white or black it will look fabulous.

OK so now you know what I bought. All this plus....some baseballs for my kids, a bracelet and earrings set for one daughter, and the pedal car you can see in previous posts.

One more identification please

2010-08-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is one picture I forgot to upload on the last posting. I bought it at Wal Mart in the perennial section. WOW! It has taken off like crazy and may overtake that whole spot of the garden. I think I will take some seeds from it and start one in the house next spring and plant it in front of the air conditioner to hide that ugly thing from the street. Maybe plant another one in front of some electrical things we also have in the front yard.
ID anyone???

gardening with junk

2010-08-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

This post really doesn't have much to do with junk, unless you count the weeds in my flower bed and the junk that I add to the garden to make up for the lack of color. This series of pictures is our back yard. We bought a brand new home, something I thought we weren't going to do until we got here and looked at what was available. So I had to start from scratch to make a flower bed along the back fence. Months of digging, spreading mulch, getting bricks out of the construction trash and some plants. Viola! We have a garden!
The shed is on the far left of the back yard. I have window frames from Germany hanging on it. The wooden crate thing on legs I call a deer feeder. I found it in the trash in Germany and came home with it tied to the top of the van. My husband thought I was crazy until I mentioned that it would look good on a front porch filled with firewood. That's when he really knew I was even crazier than he ever imagined because that meant we were moving this piece of junk back to the USA. And he nearly had me committed when I told him of course it is going with us, all the junk I have been collecting is going with us. No front porch here so it is relegated to the back garden where I still think it looks really neat!
Note the very edge of the white shutter on the right side of the picture and then look below at the white shutter to mentally attach these pictures to get a continuing view.
All the bird houses have come from yard sales and thrift shops except for one mosaic one that was a gift in a Christmas gift exchange several years ago. That big giant rock is one I dug out of the yard when I was digging the garden. Gotta love the central TX terrain! The metal things hanging on the fence I bought at a yard sale in TX. They make great trellises but then the beauty of the metal scroll work gets covered.
This circle usually looks less lopsided but our daughter relaid the bricks the last time I mowed and edged and let's just say that her attention to detail when it comes to something important to MOM is less than stellar. Those little wispy green things in the circle are some sort of weed that grows right up thru the weed cloth. darn weeds!
Before I had any garden at all I had this shelf on the fence with all the watering cans sitting on it and one hanging from it. But they fell down every time the wind blew (which is everyday sometimes in central TX) so I put most of them on the ground, scattered among the flowers and left two hanging on the shelf brackets. Tomato plants grow under the shelf. That is TWO plants that are huge, have tons of flowers and have produced 2 small tomatoes so far with 3 green ones on the plants.
One of my pride and joys....my German hay wagon. I wanted one of these in the worst way when we lived in Germany. I finally went to a floh markt (flea market) and paid real money for it. It as wooden wheels with rubber tires. Most of them have plastic or metal wheels from bicycles as the wooden wheels have long ago rotted away. I love this thing.
One very lonely little bee balm plant to the right of the wagon. It was planted late in June this year and sort of died off. I clipped it pretty close to the ground and it has started to come back. Looking forward to some flowers next summer.
My helper!
OK, time for plant identification folks. The one on the left is a butterfly bush that is blooming in a sickly looking white. I think the strong sun could be bleaching the flowers. The bigger one on the right is????? A real plant or a weed? Anybody?
This is a close up of the vine that is growing to the right of the circle of bricks. Is it sweet potato vine? I wasn't sure for along time if it was a weed or not. But I put up a rope for it to climb on and enjoyed that it GREW. Now that it has started to bloom I know it is one I planted from seed from my mom, but the name of it??? I call it the dark green vine with the lilac flowers.
OK this one is to the left of the above vine. It is right under the two metal trellis looking things hanging on the fence. I know I planted seeds here but I thought they didn't come up for a good 6 weeks or more. Then one day as I was watering I saw little seedlings pushing their way up. Kept watering it and now I have this. It has buds on it so we will see if it is something real or a weed. No matter to me for now. It fills the space!
I think this vine is called cypress vine. It looks better in person than in this picture. You don't see the dead, yellow so much as it is the under layer. It is very very full at the top and gets just a few red trumpet shape flowers. It doesn't get loads of flowers on it so the color isn't very bright or full, but the feathery greenery is great. It is climbing up the one and only real trellis I had. Everything else is growing up clothes line rope that I tied to the fence. Why? Because that is what I had so I didn't have to spend any money on trellises.
This IS a weed, I know. But it grows like crazy. Reminds me a little bit of wandering jew, a houseplant my mom always had. It grows so fast and so thick I am thinking I should let it be a ground cover in the flower bed instead of fighting it and ripping it out all the time.
This little fellow, who isn't so little, has the coolest web. He, or a relative of his (hers?) was on the other side of the garden in June and now he is on the other side. They both had these extensive webs that are about 24" across and then in the center is this weaving that goes side to side on two strands of the web. Only this side to side part is white. Don't know the name of this. Don't know if it is poison but I do like the bright colors he has and the cool looking web.
There are a ton of grasshoppers this year. Didn't see a one of them last year. These aren't the cute "Jiminy Cricket" green grasshoppers that I knew growing up in southern IL. These are the large, mean yellow and tan ones that you see in all the movies where the pioneers' fields are eaten completely in a day or two right before harvest. The newspapers say that what the grasshoppers aren't getting this year the army worms are. Fat, juicy, Caterpiller looking worms that look like they are wearing camouflage. Bet that's how they got their name, huh?

OK, anybody want to help with names of plants/weeds/spiders???

what can I buy for you?

2010-08-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

You have asked what did I buy at the longest yard sale. Well, I don't yet have good pics of my load, but I do have pics to share of what was available. We started on Weds, the day before the yard sale officially opened. But not to worry, we did more shopping that day, than the other 2 days that we went when everything was open. We started at the very southern tip of the sale in Gadsden, AL.
The sale follows the Lookout Mountain Parkway which is a 2 and 4 lane state highway, not anything even remotely close to an Interstate, but it does parallel I 59 to Chattanooga.
Mapquest says it is a 2 hour drive along the Interstate from Gadsden to Chattanooga and it took us about 10 hours. Of course we made a ton of stops....at yard sales, at porta potties, at the Juliet Low Camp, at scenic look outs, at lunch, at anything and everything that took our fancy. And one wrong turn that took us about 10 miles out of our way.
One of the first yard sale stops was a place with about 6 vendors set up. Only one looked (and was priced) like people cleaned out their old stuff. The rest were "professionals". So anyone want some KISS statues. My sister put this on her facebook as we continued driving along and our brother wanted, wouldn't you know, the duck phone to the far left.
Another stop found us looking at a gazilion salt and pepper shakers. We passed.

My most major purchase in terms of price and size was this pedal car ($95) for my kids. I was supposed to be going to buy stuff to sell in my booth, but of course the kids' wants took center stage. We had to really twist and turn some things and slide the seats in the van, but we got 'er in. Two middle aged men actually loaded this goody for us. (and then supplied us with free fresh peaches and tomatoes). The same seller had a wonderful Hoosier cabinet, painted white for TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. I don't really want a Hoosier cabinet. I have no place in my kitchen for a Hoosier cabinet. But it HURT to leave that beauty behind. All the other similar cabinets I looked at were priced between $500 and $750 which made me want that one even more.
One stop on day two, north of Chattanooga, was at a field that rented out spaces and there were about 50 vendors. The plus side to this kind of stop is that you get to shop a lot of different sales with one parking job. the downside is that these are usually the professionals and things are higher priced. Why? Because they have done half the work for you. They go out all year and find goodies at yard sales and auctions and clean it up and then sell it to you.
This picture is an example. Someone peruses tons of thrift shops, yard sales and auctions to find this collection of vintage textiles and purses. Wouldn't it be fun to collect these gems year round, enjoy them for awhile and then pass them on??? I could get into that since I LOVE LOVE LOVE vintage linens. Did I buy any? NO Because I have boxes of them in the garage that aren't selling at the booth so why do I need to buy any more?
I prefer the onesies and twosies sales where you have to dig thru a ton of real crap to find a gem or two. Of course, that doesn't guarantee good prices either.
OK, not officially a yard sale, we did stop at a pottery outlet in Chattanooga. Why? Because it looked neat and we wanted to and there was no one to tell us we couldn't/shouldn't/can't/won't/don't. We didn't buy any of these but all 3 of us loved them. Mushrooms made out of concrete. I just bet you this is the bottom of the cement mixer leftovers after a big job that they make into mushrooms. They are formed around metal spikes and rebar pieces to stick them in the ground. Also left overs I bet. Prices on these were around $15 each. Really cool and I gotta figure out how to make some. At another stop, or maybe the same one as the purses and linens my sister bought this teak chair for $20. It is in great shape and SOLID.
As we were unloading stuff to shift and move to make room for the chair, my mom decided it was time to take a picture of how full the van was. HUH? This ain't anywhere near full! She should have seen me when I junked in Germany! Or when I take a big load to the booth! Or when I drive kids to and from school!
Since my mom was flying to and from St Louis she didn't want to buy much. She did say that if she lived close enough she would have spent some serious money. But for her it was a great trip with her two oldest daughters. All she bought to take home was this leopard print tote bag. She bought a stack of .50 decorator magazines and then left them for my sister and I to read when we got back to Texas.
Didn't buy these but fell in love with them. The green and the blue one both. Each priced at $20 if I remember correctly. Pretty much these are the CHEAP colored glass you can find at any thrift store, but coordinated, stacked and epoxied to make a totem. They are really pretty with the bright sunshine outside in a garden. Think I need to start collecting some cheap colored glass now! Good, because I really need another project. You know I might run out of things to do if I don't keep filling the garage with projects!
OK so all those pictures and not a one of anything I actually bought. I might get those pictures taken and posted this year. Then again, maybe not.

anteces and more

2010-08-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, after a long hiatus from blogging I am back to show you the latest and greatest. I went on a journey to the World's Longest Yard Sale. I picked up my sister in Ft Worth and we drove to the Birmingham airport (mapquest directions: exit onto Interstate 20 for 610 miles!) to pick up our mom who flew in from St Louis. Next day was the beginning of Yard Sale overload.
We started at the very southern tip of the 650 + yard sale route in Gadsden, AL. We took all day and into the dark of night to get to Chattanooga and our hotel. Normally a 2 hours drive by Interstate, we wound our way up and down and round and round the Lookout Mountain Parkway thru AL, GA, and into TN.
Even though the yard sale officially opened on Thursday there were plenty of vendors setting up and selling on Wednesday. My first purchase was before we even got to Birmingham, a pair of aqua baby moons.....1950's hub caps bought at a general store in Mississippi. This place was old enough to warrant a brown "historical marker" on the Interstate. They look like giant aqua polka dots to me!
My first yard sale purchase was some vintage jewelry, 3 pair of earrings and a pin for $5.

Somewhere along the way the first day we saw this sign. Anteces and nike (or neke) naks. Gotta love that! I don't think we even stopped at this sale as their "cool things" didn't interest us. But we love the sign!

Yes the yard sales were fabulous. Some folks who were cleaning out the garage and attic but more "professionals" of all levels. One old guy in GA told us he collects all year to set up at three of these long yard sales, one in May, one in Oct and this one in August. (Next time we are definitely hitting the spring or fall one instead because it was H-O-T this year in August.) When my mom asked him how much he sells in a weekend he answered $5000-$6000. Not that is some serious booth sales, baby! And definitely some folks who thought their stuff was worth way more than it really was. But most prices were fair and most folks were willing to bargain.

But even better than the sales was the scenery. Some tour book calls the Lookout Mountain Parkway the most scenic in America and while I can hear all of you arguing this distinction (why not we debated it in the van) it is certainly ONE of the MOST scenic and worth the drive even on a non-yard sale weekend. Get off Interstate 59 and wind your way thru the parkway and enjoy!

And even better than the sales and the scenery were the people. One of the great ones was Laverne. We couldn't pass up this one with the tantalizing signs. jam, log cabin AND yard sale. WOW! The trifecta of junking!
Turns out Laverne is an 81 one year old sweetheart who makes all her own jam--blueberry, muscadine, pear, apple butter and more. I bought some blueberry and apple butter while my sister loaded up on blueberry jam and pear preserves. Laverne also makes quilt tops that she sells.
She was happy to tell us that she met her husband when they were both 18 and were married 59 years when he died at age 78. That was 3 years ago and now she is 81 and still living alone and canning and quilting and loving life. 6 of her 7 children all live on the same property with their driveways forming spokes of a wheel off of her lane. She was eager to tell us that her white hair came along when her oldest son died in Vietnam. God bless her!
Laverne and her daughter in front of Laverne's log cabin (or as my son says, a house made from Lincoln Logs)
Apparently Laverne also does some taxidermy as she also had this little gem for sale. My sister threatened to buy this for her sister-in-law for a Christmas gift but we left him behind for some other lucky buyer.
I know you are probably wondering what I bought. Well, those pictures will be coming in another blog down the road.
After 3 days of yard saling in 3 states I came home with some goodies to share in my booth.

back from long hiatus

2010-08-09T20:16:00.001-07:00

Did you think I had fallen off the face of the blogging Earth?
Well, I sort of did. With a broken camera and then the chaos of summer and well, it became a decision to keep up the blog or keep up the booth.
But I am back now.

HUGE SALE!

2010-03-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures for this post (remember the new camera that the son broke?---see my last post)
I do want to tell all of you that Hosanna House on 6th St. in Belton TX is going out of business. I can't remember if they are closing on May 1 or May 31, but they are closing. An interior decorator is slated to go in the same mint green house.
Anyway, I have consigned there for about a year and half. I was in last week and marked down a ton of my stuff. Not .10 and .25 markdowns, but 75% and 80%. $5 linens are now $1. $5 jewelry is now $1. And there are plenty of my things marked 25 and 50 cents too!

A few things came home with me and will reappear in the retail world in my booth. But most of my stuff is marked down. A lot.

There are two big wooden pieces of furniture there and an old wood burning stove that are all mine with nowhere to go when they close.
One large piece is a kitchen cabinet from Germany. Even though I bought it in Germany, I think it is Dutch. Why you ask? go ahead, ASK?
Because the "backsplash" is a set of UNBROKEN< UNCRACKED< UNCHIPPED Delft style tiles that form a fishing scene in Holland. THAT is why I think it is Dutch.
It is highly rare to find these cabinets with tiles in tact at all and mostly they were made with all white tiles so to find a cabinet with unbroken tiles that form a scene is amazing.
The top doors have leaded stained glass, a frosted panel surrounded by multi colored rectangles that form a frame around the center panel.
All in tact and not chipped or broken either.

The second wood piece is an American hutch from the 1940's. Curly fret work on the inside of the glass front. The finish on the wood is great with few, if any, scratches. When I bought it, my plan was to add fabric in the glass doors and use it for my dresser in my master bedroom. I guess if it doesn't sell, that is where I will put it and then find somewhere for the dresser I now have.

The wood burning stove is old with all original pieces and MUST sell as it is too heavy for me to move and I don't have anywhere I can put it. It has been cleaned up and "blacked" as it was used in a farm show. Originally $500, marked down to $400. Make an offer!

Mark and Laurie will be selling their stuff cheap too?

For two pics of the shop in months past go to:
http://craftymarta-fortheloveofjunk.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-01-22T18%3A57%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7

or:
http://vintagesue.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/a-day-in-the-lifeof-a-shopaholic-junker/

These pics are over a year old and many of the things in them are gone but you get the idea what to expect and yes, some things are still there. and marked down.

Spring has sprung

2010-03-02T14:53:00.001-08:00

I have had such a good time the last week or so making things for the booth. And if I love them so much then why am I not keeping a single thing for myself? BECAUSE I HAVE TOO MUCH!!!
Too much junk, but not too many cameras. Alas, photos are from my cell phone (correction: my teenagers old cell phone) because the nine year old hit my hand while I was trying to take a photo, knocking the camera out of my hand, causing it to fall to the floor and bend the lens holder thingy. I've had that camera all the way since Christmas. This past Christmas, as in less than 3 months ago. It was a replacement for the camera I had before that which was lost by our children.
I am giving up on the camera thing. I have had about a camera a year since the boys were born. Broken, lost, dropped, thrown. But never working well and in my hands for longer than a year.
OK, so with photos from my hand me down cell phone, looky here. I happened upon an estate sale on Friday. The sale at the home of a preacher someone said. Must have been a pretty well to do preacher as the house was chock full of great stuff. Priced higher than the original prices for sure. I did find some lady's gloves. Got 6 pair that made their way to the booth and accidentally got two unmatched gloves that will show up in projects along the way. I also got some lace collars, but that photo ends up being a video that won't download to blogspot. And who needs a video of a lace collar anyway?

I also watched a Sewing With Nancy episode recently where her guest was making all sorts of goodies with hankies. Now there is a sewing project I can really relate to, so I made my own version of hankie flower brooches. Pin them on your lapel, on a handbag, on a gift bag. Some are hankies and doilies, some have some bling sewn in the center.

And my final photo is my baby that I am so proud of. A tiny spring village. The houses and trees are cut from old cereal and granola bar boxes, then painted and decorated. If you look really close you might be able to see the squirrel in the tree on the far left and the teensy tiny bird in the tree on the far right. There are birds, squirrels and bunny rabbits on some of the trees and houses. Right now I have this whole thing priced as a set. Four houses and seven trees all cut, painted, assembled, and decorated my moi.

more new goodies at the booth

2010-02-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

I promised more aqua and I provide. I repainted this once brown wicker frame with the springy aqua paint that I have fallen in love with. Added a corner bow made from vintage lace and aqua trims. Mirror mirror in the booth, who will buy you, tell me true?
In front of the mirror, which you can't see very well is a handmade chick in yellow. I have these in white, yellow and blue. Cute to add to your spring/Easter decor.

I like the way this wreath turned out. If your hubby has been complaining that your home is becoming too girly with shabby chic pink and lace and ruffles, then hang this manly spring wreath and see what he says. It is made from the wide ends of men's ties. The bow is another tie that I found where one end was made of a check and the other end from a polka dot. CUTE!

This is NOT NOT NOT a new idea in the craft/shabby world. But it is new to the booth. A silver platter (that was losing its silver) painted with chalkboard paint, hung on lace with a prism dangling off one handle.

booth remodel

2010-02-19T17:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all the sales that I have had I needed to fill the holes in the booth space. Having a ton of housework to avoid, I decided that I would redo the entire thing. I didn't change the display furniture, but moved it all around to give the booth a new feel. Hope you all like it!

The new design gives me more display space on the back of the booth so I hung things on the back of the shutters. Now the booth is a vision in (nearly) the round. Actually it is in 270 degrees rather than 360 because another booth is right next to mine.

The view from the top of the stairs has changed as well. Unfortunately the pole is still there--guess it has to stay since it holds up the ceiling/roof. But I work around it and cut it out of this photo for you.

This corner shelf is new to the booth. I like this new color of paint that I am using and if it sells well, you will see more of it. Not really mint green, not really aqua. Just pretty.

These fabric cones or nosegays are some that I made out of new fabrics that look vintage-y and are trimmed with stuff I had in my collection of goodies. Some trims are new, some vintage and some have been in my collection long enough that they are now vintage. :-). I stuffed each one with a sheet of pattern pieces but you can use them for flowers, greenery, potpourri, candies or any other goody.

I love love love these little duck tea lights. So spring, so Easter. Exceptionally cute with a vintage flashcard. I also have chicks in eggs tea lights that are just as cute!

Spring is coming. Isn't it? Because some days it feels like spring and some days it still feels like winter. This display of vintage watering can with plates in a mosaic planter makes me want to get out in the garden and plant. Plant roses, plant daffodils, or plant plates. YES! I plant plates in my gardens. Along the edge to form a border or randomly scattered among the flowers. Great thing about planting plates is that even when I forget to water, or the Texas sun burns up my flowers, the plates still add color to the garden.

NO CALORIES but all the yummy chocolate brown of the real ones!
My kids won't be happy to get these in their baskets on Easter morning, but at least I won't be tempted to sneak a bite (and finish it off!)

All the aqua and brown that I am loving hasn't pushed pink out of my booth altogether. This little wire and paper mache tea cup is a cut way to use a tea light or even use as a vase for flowers.

My favorite glass pitcher has been moved and dressed up for spring as well. I made a bunch (no pun intended) of these carrots a few years ago and all sold but this one. If I can find more orange fabric in the right shade I will make more.

I decided to try something new with something old. I made paper roses from pages of old books. I love the tans and browns of these and mixed them with doily leaves and some sequin strands.

I am already working on more goodies for the booth. Flower brooches made from vintage hankies and Putz style houses 3-4" tall in springy pastel shades.

Vintage valentines

2010-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

I love these vintage valentines that I found and added to the booth last week. But since my camera was MIA last week the pics of them are going up this week. I think I have about 15 of them for sale in the booth....each priced individually. I can verify that they are all from 1964-1967 because they came out of MY baby book. I am thrilled that my mom saved them all these years, but really why do I want a card signed with someone's name and I don't even know who the person is? So they go up for sale.

One of the latest additions to the booth is this rocking chair that I rescued at a yard sale. Looking pretty trashy with the ugly upholstery half torn off. A redo job that was abandoned? I don't know. I made this slip cover for the top and stapled on the seat cover in this neutral toile. Added two of my fan pillows and it is a vision of vintage goodness. The gift baskets in the picture are from the booth next to mine. GREAT valentine gifts.

I rearranged and filled in a hole ...only one hole this time. :-(
and set up this vignette. Two of my favorite things at the booth right now are these pitchers, the red aluminum and the glass one. The glass one is chipped and better suited to be a vase or to display tin noisemakers as in this photo. But yummy all the same.

I got two button bouquets made and into the booth finally. They sell out at Hosanna House regularly and I never seem to get enough done for them and my booth. This time the booth won!
I usually put them in old salt and pepper shakers. This particular bouquet has no color theme, a bunch of metallic, whites and browns.
Won't you valentine LOVE a button bouquet. No calories. No wilting.

This hanging hooks is an oldie of mine and I don't' remember if I have ever shown it here. The center is a shoe stretcher and the metal part that is meant to go into the heel of the shoe becomes a hook. I added two more hooks, a wire hanger and there you have a place to hang a collection of old linens, vintage aprons, potholders, keys, necklaces, or whatever your heart desires.

Anyone need a lid? I got the whole booth set up, went downstairs to say good bye and head out the door to pickup kids at school when we heard a CRASH. I knew, I just knew, that it was this shelf in my booth and that the only broken thing would be this lovely set. Violets that look hand painted (but no markings on the bottom) and the only thing that survived the fall was the lid. SO anyone need a sweet violet covered lid? I know where you can get one---cheap.
I am working on Easter and spring goodies and had a sunny, dry day to be painting outside this week. So now I have lots of items that need embellishing and then they will be off to the booth. Net week or the week after....

Seeing red....and loving it!

2010-01-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Ohh it's so sweet I think I'm getting a cavity! Hearts everywhere. Fabric pillow hearts on ribbons to give your sweetie that you can hang on the wall, hang on a doorknob, hang on a drawer pull.
The white heart on the left is the other metal cake pan that I painted and hung with beads. I made a little vignette of a rosey hankie and pin made from tie ends to pin on your lapel or tote bag. You could even use this as an ornament if you use a ribbon to hang it.

I LOVE this little ivory metal shelf to hang in the bathroom or over a desk to hold little trinkets. The beaded purse on the bottom shelf is an adorable offering from vintagesue. Add it to your collection by hanging it on the wall and then surrounding it with an empty, ornate picture frame. Or mount it on velvet.
The little silver basket, on the top shelf, filled with chocolates makes one forget the calories!

My favorite is this silver plate vase. I love love love the ruffly edge that reminds me of a doily. Fill with your fav. blooms and dream of spring! Imagine red tulips spilling over in February and then the palest yellow daffodils standing tall in March and April. This is so fabulous that even dandelions will take on an air of importance!

baby it's cold outside

2010-01-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

OK OK, I know that in some parts of the US it is way below freezing and there is ice on the roads and snow all over. But that isn't what central Texas is all about. But COLD is what we have. Wind chills in the single digits. And if I have to endure central Texas with the biggest drought in recorded history, the crazy Longhorn/Aggie/Tech fanatics, the fire ants and all then I shouldn't have to also endure this blasted cold!
I am posting a couple more pics of cuties that I took to the booth this past week. Thankfully I got in and out of there before the temps dropped so low. Otherwise I would have put it off for another week. This first pic is a marriage of all sorts of goodies.... a brass easel that lost its rail for the frame to sit on, so I just glued the frame right on! The frame was cute enough as I found it that I did nothing more than insert the key and keyhole. How about this gift for your valentine with a card that says "you hold the key to my heart". Is that too corny? It is sitting on a really great quilt top, all squares about 3 or 4".

This second picture is what I create after too many hours looking at blogs with pictures of crazy, beautiful creations and then think I am inspired to make something just as gorgeous. It starts with a ceramic "thing" that must have had a clock workings in that center hole. But alas when I received this beauty into my life it was an empty hole. I added a piece of gorgeous vintage German wall paper, some fake blue pearls, a rhinestone blingy pin and some scrabble letters.
No need to add a card, this 3D collage already suggests the obvious "be mine".
Tucked in behind this thing of questionable goofiness is a much more predictable fan shape pillow. After I posted both pics, I realized that the red frame is also in front of another fan pillow and that is all coincidence. But wouldn't your valentine love a fan pillow with a card that says "you fan the flames of love in me".
Happy Valentine shopping and STAY WARM!

love is in the air

2010-01-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted to my blog in about 3 weeks because there wasn't anything to talk about!
First off I want to thank all my December customers. YOU ROCK! I was so excited to get my check for December and see how many goodies you all bought. THANKS!
Second I need to toot my own horn here. I have
A) hooked up the new keyboard to the desk top computer and it works!
B) hooked up the DVD player in the van that grandma gave the kids for Christmas and that works!
C) Opened my new camera... a Christmas gift to replace the camera that the kids lots this fall and took all these picture and that worked
AND D) downloaded my first SVG file onto my Cricut and cut it out and that worked too.
I am not a technological minded person and reply on hubby and oldest son and my baby brother to help me all the time so I am PROUD that I did all that alone.

Now on to booth news. It has been revamped for St. Valentine's Day with new merchandise added and more to come. The picture above is a frame that I got dirt cheap. There were 3, this one that is approx. 5X7, another that is approx 8X10 and they both hang on the wall. The third
one is a double 5X7 on a stand and the frames both swivel 360 degrees. I couldn't believe when I got home and saw the obnoxious prices on the backs of these frames. Who pays $50 and $60 for these things? And would they please stop by Chipped to Perfection and pay me (a lot less)!
I framed vintage paper dolls and dresses in each frame. Each one is a little different and will stand alone but they also work together to make a fantastic collection. This one is a beautiful Victorian blue gown that is on yellow rose petals, as if the wearer pressed the roses from a lover's bouquet and used those to back her picture.

This lovely vintage red dress sets the stage for the whole booth. Alas it is not my find at all, but comes to you from vintagesue. Not only is there this lovely dress but also a pair of white ear bobs that go with it for a whole sum of $10! I have a few other vintagesue goodies that I added to the booth too. A black lace vintage dress from the 1960's I think and a really old dress from the 1920's possibly. That one is moth eaten and not wearable any more, but the loveliest of the lot anyway. And her prices are way low, as always.

Some of the other goodies I added are stuffed hearts to hang on doorknobs and drawer pulls to decorate for the season of love that is upon us. Valentine flashcards, blocks, and scrabble letters, Two metal hearts that I painted and hung on beaded wire: you can see the larger of the two, the pink one, in this picture. Catholic statues, German felt St. Valentine ornaments, and some other goodies.

finally!

2009-12-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Finally got to the booth today and skipped the post office! I needed my junkin' fix, the heck with Christmas gifts arriving on time.
The first two photos are all vintagesue goodies that went in the booth today. Feast your eyes and run to get them first.

Just some of the tags from vintagesue priced so low that you can afford more than one!

This last photo is some really sparkly jewels of mine. These are priced a bit higher than my usual, but they are gorgeous and not missing any stones. LOVELY ear clips to oogle over.

There are now three more spaces set up at Nellie's. Two more of vintage and antique goodness and one that is high end used clothing. The owner said she used to buy from the hoity toity in San Antonio---people who could only be seen is their things once or twice and then passed them on. Good thing I don't live in that neighborhood!

what was I thinking?

2009-12-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

Where did I get the idea that I have time to make and create and sell in my own booth space? Nellie's second floor isn't even open yet and I am feeling unable to keep up.
Sure I set up 90% last week on Wednesday...all excited to go back on Thursday with the forgotten shelves and finish setting up.
Well......instead I was home with a sick child. On Friday I had an obligation to speak at my daughter's high school to four classes. Of course the classes were spread out thru the day so that I didn't have time to get to the booth.
Saturday hubby had to work until the last second when it was time to go to the company Christmas party and our high school daughter was away at her basketball tourney. No child care, no booth primping.
Today, well, I dropped off hubby's car at the body shop, picked up the rental car, ran errands, picked up high school daughter after her finals and then got packages ready to mail but didn't make it to the post office in time before I had to pick up the grade school kids and somehow in the midst of all of that my booth space fell thru the cracks yet again. I WILL GET THERE TOMORROW with vintage sue goodies and finish setting up. I will, I will, I will!
OK, on to what you really want to know....more goodies for the booth. Above is a candle holder that I made by marrying melmac saucer and cup to a painted candle pedestal. Nothing real glamourous or unique, but cute. Hey, it has to be cute, it is pink!
This Christmas book is definitely not the flavor of Chipped to Perfection, but at the booth none the less. Years ago I sold rubber stamps and made this book in a swap. Because I made 5 pages for the books, I got 5 books. This is the last one I have. It is pages of Christmas word songs each illustrated with rubber stamps and embellishments.

Much more typical of Chipped goodness is this cannister set, missing one of the set of four, of course, because nothing is really perfect! It was a HIDEOUS orange with orange and yellow flowers

that was ick, ick, ick. NOT 50's/60's retro goodness, but
50's/60's yuck. Of course the longer it sat in my garage
awaiting booth opening the more the paint chipped so that now there are little bits of orange peeking thru the pink, but that is what makes it perfect, right?

Last, an idea I took from vintage sue and robo margo and made my own. Plates glued to a board with hankies inbetween and dripping with pearls. The three white plates are all from Germany and I had them laid out on the board with hankies when I went to a texas yard sale and found the pink and yellow plates and viola! A marriage of Texmany
(That is like TEX MEX but instead of Texas and Mexico it is Texas and Germany!) Some of my stuff is Texmany since I lived in Germany for four years and brought back lots of treasures but now live in central Texas where I continue to collect goodies and mix them all up.

NEW GOODIES COMING

2009-12-12T10:25:00.001-08:00

Sorry I don't have pictures today, but I have some great news for followers of vintage sue, previously at Crafter's in Copperas Cove. I have some of her goodies to put in my booth. A collage, some tags, old purses, lace, all with Sue's special touch. So run, don't walk, RUN to the booth this week to see what Sue goodness is in Chipped to Perfection, second floor of Nellie's in Belton!

booth magic

2009-12-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

it is here, the booth at Nellie's. Well at least I set it up today...mostly. Forgot the glass shelves to one shelf display and have a few more goodies to take in, but the bulk of the work is done. The upstairs is not officially open yet, but if you ask, they are supposed to let you up there to shop. So stop by and ASK!
This first picture is of the empty room. The building was built in 1887 and has limestone walls. That window in this picture has the most amazing view of the courthouse tower. The white wall was added by the owners to split the upstairs in half. Only half is open for vendors the other half is storage.
First, all the big display furniture went in. This space is 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep and that seems so much bigger in my mind and in the garage than when everything is scrunched in there. The display I made from hollow doors is on the right and one set of bifold doors is on the left with the other set across the top as a shelf.
The top of a hutch I got for $5, painted creamy white is in front of the bifold doors, Isn't it amazing that the hutch is almost exactly 4 feet long and that is the depth of my space. Nope, didn't plan it, didn't even realize it until i got it up there and started arranging things. The two white benches are handmade though not by me and are for sale. Large on $20, small one (on top of brown shelf) is $15.
More than 1/2 way completed. The pile of stuff on the floor in front of the brown shelf goes on the glass shelves that I left at home. My guest book and business cards will go on top of the kitchen cart. After I took this photo I found more stuff in the van and added some baskets and quilt tops on the shelf above the doors. (Sue, can I get any more vertical?)

This is the view when you come up the steps. I am the first booth at the top of the stairs, really. There will also be a booth that backs up to mine and another one that sits on the opposite side, but this side is extra bonus space for me to hand things. I only had 2 hangers with me, so I hung the matching set of wall scones/mirrors/tea cups. The window (from previous post) and other stuff on the floor will get hung tomorrow when I go back with glass shelves, hammer, nails etc.
View from the other side. OOOOH it is all so pink and creamy white and girl-y.
I do have a few Christmas things for those lucky shoppers that get to go upstairs this month still. And I am loving the pink and silver Christmas balls on top of the pedestal I would leave them out througth St Valentine's Day and maybe even until Easter!

dreaming

2009-12-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

What are you dreaming of.....
a white Christmas
a booth at Nellie's
obedient children
a football/basketball/hockey/water polo strike so that there are no more sports on TV
oh wait, those are MY dreams today.
I copied an idea that I saved from a magazine a gazillion years ago. The magazine's letters were all made from organic materials with little tags that named the leaf or seeds. Mine are made of whatever was in my craft bin. A "D" ring from a belt, white buttons, pink glitter, aqua ribbon, and some Christmas ornament beads. When hung the letters are more spread out, but for photo purposes, I scrunched them altogether.
Maybe what you are really dreaming of is BLING. Well, I got it! I made a solo road trip recently to visit family and friends and to do some shopping. I scored big at an auction in a little farming community and got a ton on linens and jewels. These are just 1/10th of what I got. They are priced at $5 each, no matter the content or condition! When I buy cheap, I sell cheap.
Cheap cheap cheap! Maybe my blog should be called "cheaped to perfection"!

This is a mail sorter that I got at my favorite secret source. it was a dark olive green with nothing to make it stand out. Guess you could find it in a crowd now, huh? Painted it pink (is there any other color of paint?) and then blinged and decoupaged away. Part of a pearl barette (from above mentioned trip) broken strnd of pearls, pins and earrings that I broke on purpose and a cool flower button from Germany that my friend Sue gave to me--then later saw in my collection and said "hey, I have some like that too". Pink, roses and bling. Does it get any better? Can it make even the electric bill seem less painful when it is sorted into this beauty?

still waiting

2009-12-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

Well, another day goes by with all my goodies hanging out in my nearly freezing garage and nothing moves to Nellie's. A few things (not any of the ones pictured on the blog) did make their way to Hosanna House this week. Button bouquets, Santa mugs, 2 vintage Avon bottles for men---with boxes!

These flowers are made from doilies. I stole the idea from some magazine and then tweaked it to be "all mine". They used three different doilies in each large bloom. Mine are one doily a piece and more like buds. I have even been known to cut the doilies into pieces and make several roses out of one doily and just let the ragged edges hang out. That is what Chipped to Perfection is all about. The less than perfect being beautiful, unique, and even desirable. Anything I sell that is not hand made is either chipped, cracked, or out of style. But you can be sure that someone loved it very much along the way. Kind of like Velveteen Rabbit....loved until all the velvet rubbed off but still adored and more desirable in that shape than brand new. I HATE it when someone looks at anything old and then complains about the cracks, chips and imperfections. If it was in mint condition then nobody wanted it back then and nobody would want it now, either. I rather prefer the well loved, lived in look. Things that have a million stories to tell about who used it, how they used it, who they passes it along to. And since things can't talk, I get to daydream and imagine the stories behind it all.
From the not so old at all, are these adorable paper cuttings.
I would like you to believe that while I watched hours and hours of Cake Boss or Say Yes to the Dress, or Decorating Cents, I cut each of these lovelies with my own nimble fingers. Instead you can believe that on my Sept trip to visit my mom, I cut them all on her cricut, drove them back to TX and then matted and framed them in used, spray painted frames. See, even my new stuff has stories to tell!
I adore these cutouts from the A Child's Year cartrdige for Cricut. And I love the way they turned out framed like this. More to come since I cut at least one of every shape when I was at mom's house and now own my very own Cricut and share cartridges with mom so that I can cut more.
Lately I have been cutting for the school. Just tonight I cut out 35+ snowflakes on the Cricut for the 3rd grade teacher. Much faster and less mess than cutting folded paper by hand and even though they aren't all unique, they are made with love. Since it is supposed to snow as much as 2" tomorrow and/or Saturday here in central Texas, I guess she better get them in the window tomorrow. Then again, being central Texas, those cut otu snowflakes coudl be as close as we get to 2" of snow!

tempting you with more goodies

2009-12-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

OK, so the upstairs in Nellie's isn't ready yet as expected, so all my goodies sit and wait for retail space. Sure hope something happens before too long so all my Christmas goods don't have to wait another year.
My friend, Sue, who is my inspiration in the junk world, gave me a ton of pierced earrings when she moved. Not cool vintage ones, just a bunch of random earrings. When Sue gives you earrings, make an earring tree!
The angel at the top is actually a pin that I bought way back when, thinking Sue would use it in a collage but she wasn't feeling it at the time, so I used it. There is a similar angel on the other side of this tree so that it is 360 degrees of goodness.

Fan pillows. Years ago, and I mean YEARS, I made a quilt for a doubled bed with these fans. I collected different creams and white fabrics, both new and vintage and tons of trims and buttons. I sewed too many fans so I made two of them into fan shaped pillows for you! Do we use the quilt? Not on the bed as we now sleep in the luxury of a queen bed. Right now the fan quilt is acting as a headboard for said luxurious bed. If you like these and they are gone when you get there, let me know. I have more fans and can always create more pillows. However, pillows haven't sold at all at my other space in Hosanna House, so I hesitate to make too many until I see them move out of Nellie's.
And my latest creation of junk goofiness...
A pink rose tea cup on a pink rose saucer...they don't match mind you... filled with three white wrought iron thingys that look like flower picks with stems and leaves, but have taper candle cups at the top. The tea cup is filled with pink lace scraps. What to fill the candle cups with? Well taper candles would be the obvious. If I could find the battery ones that would be better since they are at weird angles and lit candles would drip wax. But how about one single rose in each cup? Real or silk, with the stem cut very very short. I think the canlde cups will even hold a few drops of water to make real ones last longer. Or how about using metal clips to clip photos or postcards to each cup?
While we all wait for the second floor of Nellie's to open, keep checking back to wet your appetite for "Chipped to Perfection" updates.

2009-11-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

One of the many treasures I have been working on to put in my new retail space. This window frame I found at a yard sale. It looks like something made from paint stirrers. It wasn't, but the construction reminds me of that. I added lace to be the valance in the window and then tried to decide what to plant in the planter box in front. Loving old plates and tarnished silver as I do, I thought, hey, why not plant some dishes and silverware. No watering necessary! Won't wilt, fade or die! I even bent a few pieces to resemble trailing ivy. OK does this mean too many summers in Germany seeing all their full, lush window boxes and knowing I can never get mine to grow like that so I substitute what I can get?

Here it is, the official logo of Chipped to Perfection, my booth space at Nellie's. I wish I could say that I designed it all myself. But alas, I pasted and copied and altered a ready made image in Print Artist. Now if only I could get my blog logo to look like this too!

OK, not the most interesting photo, but I wanted to show off my carpentry skills. I built the display corner shelf out of 2 free doors (from craigslist), nuts, bolts, and screws I had lying around the garage, shelf brackets I picked up at a yard sale sometime ago and scrap wood from the trash at a building site. ZERO spent. Finished product PRICELESS. Well, OK, not priceless, but sturdy enough to hold the low priced treasures I will be selling.

2009-11-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe what a learning curve this whole blogland thing is for me. Be patient. One day I will get it figured out and have real posts with real stuff worth reading.
I did learn to post photos, thanks to my little brother who is a computer genius. This photo has nothing to do with my blog or my stuff that I sell, but it is my newest favorite rose. I bought a few of these when we lived in Germany. Having worked in florists in B.C. (before children) I had to know how this is done. The florist explained to me that they cut the main stem of the rose bush vertically and put each section into a different color water. That is why the different color petals are wrapped into each other. AMAZING BEAUTY!

new to blog land

2009-11-08T11:38:00.001-08:00

Well, "everyone" kept telling me that I have to get a blog. So now I have one. But what do I do with it? I hope to use this blog to showcase my junking style and show off my creations available for sale at Hosanna House in Belton TX and soon coming to Nellie's, also in Belton.