Another Class at Paper Crown

Last Tuesday I took Jackie Peters' Halloween spools class at Paper Crown.  It was such fun, and Jackie is amazing.  Check out her blog to see the beautiful things she creates on an almost daily basis and all the lovely ways she decorates her home.  http://goodgriefgirdie.typepad.com/blog/

The spools are so stinkin' cute I can hardly stand it!  It's a little early for Halloween decor but I just couldn't put them away so I dug out my white cat to join them.  They're 15" and 18"  tall, so you definitely notice them when you walk in. 

Okie Bellas in Duncan

On Saturday, September 11 Chris and I drove to Duncan for a day of shopping and crafting with the Duncan Bellas.  After touring Kerry's and Teresa's beautiful homes and studios and enjoying mimosas, we hit the antique malls before lunch.  After lunch and more shopping, it was on to Sheryl's gorgeous home for a tour and soldering lessons.  All three of these ladies made me realize I need to get on the ball with the decorating.  I used to love it, but as my style changed over the years I pretty much just removed things and didn't really replace them.  Since seeing their truly amazing decor, I've painted a table and shelf and made displays of various things that had been scattered all over the house, so I give them a big thank you for the inspiration.  I still have loads to do but at least I'm working on it now.  I'm also excited to get an old buffet/hutch that my mom is giving me this weekend that she inherited from her uncle.  It should hold loads of craft supplies and I think will alleviate some of the clutter and crowding I have now.

Here's Chris displaying her soldering talent (thanks to Teresa for the pic). 

Just a few of the MANY things I bought that day.

And here's the shelf I painted.  I bought it years ago at a garage sale and it's been on my kitchen counter ever since.  It was hunter green before and kind of blended into the shadows under the cabinet, but just look at it now!

Labor Day Weekend

Hope you had an enjoyable long weekend!  On Saturday after a stop at a local estate sale where I found several pieces of jewelry and a few silver items, we traveled to Purcell via Noble.  We'd not been there to "junque" in over a year and wanted to go somewhere not too far from home as we had a lot planned for the weekend.  In Noble I found a cute Samsonite train case complete with it's original interior plastic tray and mirror.  I also scored a business ledger from 1949, in almost perfect condition with the exception of some mold on the binding (which of course makes the entire book smell a little musty but I'll work on that) and quite a few nice buttons.  In Purcell they were having an antique and craft fair downtown.  We weren't aware of it prior to arriving, but enjoyed discounts offered on our purchases at two of the three antique malls.  I found several hankies, an appointment book, lace, napkins, postcards and photos.  We also stopped by a flea market where we happened upon some old friends we hadn't seen in a while.  After a good visit with them and a nice lunch at Jo's Famous Pizza, we declared it a successful trip and headed home.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 25th Anniversary to my sweetie - my best friend, my traveling companion, father to our four-leggers - my love.  Hard to believe it's been 25 years. How time flies. Hope we get another 25 as special as the past years have been. 

In addition to two compilation CDs, I made this anniversary card for him.  I'm addicted to flowers so it's almost impossible for me to not use them, but I wanted it to look masculine so the flowers are mostly blue, brown and silver.  Like he'll notice.  I also used the lined envelope I made during make-and-take at Paper Crown last week.  I had planned to mail it to a friend, but I love it so much I'm happy to keep it in the family.  Ha!

So much junque, so little space

Due to budget cuts, the DH was on furlough yesterday (a day off but no pay) so what better activity than going junqueing!  Less pay, no space in the house - whatever.  After weeks of temps in the high 90s and low 100s, the weather was beautiful and we had to hit the road.

We stopped at several garage sales.  At the first, he purchased an iron table base which he plans to use as the base for a welding table.  It's actually very cool and just happened to come with four iron chairs.  All apparently handmade.  For $10.  We'll see where they end up.  Photos to come in a later post. 

At the third garage sale I found this giant candelabra that may stay on my buffet for a while, but will probably get moved elsewhere at some point.  I also found a 1950 school text atlas in excellent condition, a diploma in a lovely satin-padded folder that will make a great journal cover, another certificate in a smaller folder, some linens, a small wooden drawer, and a children's book from 1951 that includes selections from Alice in Wonderland accompanied by awesome color illustrations.  Other finds for the day included a Dick and Jane reader in very good condition, another book with beautiful illustrations, lots of old buttons, a folding wood measuring stick, two vintage plastic frames, and old photos.  All in all, it was a fabulous day.

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature wins, at least at our house.

This year we purchased and planted six tomato plants.  They all died.  But...this hardy fellow came up on its own in the middle of our yard, growing from underneath the pile of fence panels we have yet to put up.  It's about four feet by five feet and has been loaded with cherry tomatoes all summer.  I can't explain.

I have purple coneflower planted in my front flower bed and they do fairly well in spite of not quite enough sun.  However, this little jewel came up through a crack between our porch and the house.  Amazing.

Okie Bellas' Day Out

Anyone who has talked with me in the past six months is probably aware that I'm going to an arts event this fall called Silver Bella.  I've wanted to go for the past two years but didn't want to go alone, and this year it worked out that my friends Kerry and Chris are able to go, as well as Kerry's neighbor Teresa and her best friend Sheryl.  We five Silver Bella newbies decided to get together beforehand so everyone would be acquainted before going to Omaha.  We met in OKC on July 24 and by the end of the day it was like we had all known each other forever!  We visited Antique Co-op and shops in the Plaza District before having lunch at Pachinko Parlor.  After lunch we drove through Classen Curve on our way to Paper Crown and Cloverleaf.  And of course we made the obligatory stop at Sonic before the day ended.  It was so much fun to spend the day with my two old friends and former co-workers, and to make two great new friends.  Can't wait to do it again!  Here we are at lunch, after a bottle of wine and a little sake - Chris, Teresa, Sheryl, Kerry and me:

I Wanna Be A...What??

I bought a packet of scrapbooking supplies at Ross over the 4th of July and it contained some leather-look letters and glittery yellow paper.  Somehow those two items inspired this little creation.  I also included a heart cut from a small piece of red leather that I've had for years, a flower fashioned from a tiny scrap of lace, and a piece from an old measuring tape.  I most definitely do not want to be a cowgirl so I'm not sure where this came from, but I do like it.

Flower Power

I've been on a flower-making kick the last few days.  Here are a few of my creations, along with a beautiful bright pink rose made by my talented friend Kerry.  I had one little scrap of the lovliest light blue velvet ribbon and it made a perfect flower.  I hope to have more of these made by the end of the week.  It's a great way to use up little scraps of lace, paper and ribbon, and a nice highlight for vintage buttons.  I'll be using some of these for my Silver Bella swaps.

By The Sea

On July 22 I had my second class at Paper Crown.  These classes have been so enjoyable!  We made a mermaid shadow box, which adds a fun element to the beach decor I'm trying to incorporate into our home.  If you visit you'll see these lovely ladies perched on the shelf in the main bath. 

Just a note - please excuse the photography in my recent posts. Our harddrive crashed a few weeks ago and we lost our photo editing capabilities.  I hope to have them restored soon.

Karlee's Collage

In an earlier post I showed a collage I had made for the silent auction at our family reunion.  My great-niece wanted it so badly but was outbid by a cousin.  This wasn't such a bad thing as the colors wouldn't have gone with her room, and she now had the opportunity for a custom-made collage of her own!  Her mom did an amazing job refinishing some vintage furniture and redecorating her room, with a little help from her mom.

Now I need to make collages for all my other great-nieces!

I do occasionally make things...really

This blog was created mainly as a fun record of things I find and what I do with them.  Seems lately I'm scoring lots of loot, but not doing much creating. 

Earlier this month we saw a press release for the grand opening of an antique mall in a small town south of OKC.  It sounded pretty great but in actuality wasn't much as antique malls go.  However...there were probably 30 boxes of what probably came out of someone's attic or storage building.  I had the best time digging through them, and actually had to make a couple of trips to drop things at the counter as I couldn't hold it all.  This pic shows just a part of what I got - old photos, old letters and documents from the early 1900s to the 50s, sheet music, buttons, apron patterns, crocheted lace, old hangers that are great for display purposes - and so much more!  None of it was priced so I was a little concerned when it was time to pay, but the grand total was (drumroll)  $20!  We next went to an antique mall in Norman, where I found an amazing 1924 Tulsa High School yearbook, lace, a cute vintage hat and more.  It was a junque-seeking bonanza of a day!

So Far Behind

I am woefully behind on blogging, so I'll make an effort to catch up over the next week.  July has been a busy month.  I started this post on July 6 and am just now getting back to it on July 31.

Most of our Texas family was here over the 4th of July weekend for a family reunion. It was so great to see them, but we really missed my sister and her family who weren't able to make it. Weatherwise, it wasn't the best 4th of July we've had - this makes two years in a row for rain on the 4th. The weather prevented a trip to White Water Bay and caused cancellation of a planned golfing excursion, but we didn't let it stop us from shopping.  Did I mention rain?  Torrential rain.

Having family in town was a good excuse for a trip to The Rink Gallery. My mom scored a couple of really cute old chairs for her sun room and my sister-in-law found the largest tie-back tassel I've ever seen (no pics of their haul - sorry). I found these great shoe trees, mini perfume bottles, sheet music and more.

 On Monday the 5th the DH and I ran errands and I talked him into dropping by The Vintage Marketplace in Midwest City where I found a few more things to add to my stash. Now I just need to start using some of this stuff! 

Can it already be July?

When I last posted I was headed to the Mix and Mingle at Paper Crown.  It was great fun, and I signed up for two classes.  The first class was June 24, and we made the cutest chipboard book.

The next class later in July will be a shadowbox featuring mermaids. Can't wait! 

At it again

Seems like I haven't been very creative the last few weeks, but this week I managed to make a couple of cards and something for the silent auction at our upcoming family reunion.  I totally stole the heart design from something a friend gave me (thanks and my apologies, K!).  The cards were inspired by some sale paper from Michael's.  I'm not usually drawn to purple, but this just spoke to me for some reason.

Tomorrow night I'm going to a Mix and Mingle at Paper Crown. I'm so excited to see some former co-workers (two who are also going to Silver Bella in November) and to meet a few other fellow Bellas.  There will be a make and take and a discount on products, so it will be lots of fun!  Plus I'm hoping to get inspired to make a few more things this week for the reunion.  I'll keep you posted!

Pie

On Tuesday my BFF and I went shopping and to lunch.  She's one of the funniest people I know, and spending time with her always brightens my day.  She treated me to a wonderful Chef Salad at Don's Alley in Del City, followed by a huge piece of coconut cream pie.  In honor of that, I made and sent her this little thank you card, using a snippet from Andie McDowell's pie song from the movie Michael.  She seemed to enjoy the card almost as much as I enjoyed the day!

Out and About

Last Saturday the DH and I went out and about NOT in search of car parts.  We did stop by the Goodwill Store to find "garage jeans" for him.  He ruins everything he wears in the garage, so no point starting out with good clothes.  However, he did find a brand new pair of Levi's so an older pair from his closet will become garage jeans.  I found brand new items, too, including a Liberty of London plate, a paper trimmer, scissors and two packages of K&Company ribbon.  All this for less than $10 (including the jeans.)  Gotta love it.

After lunch we went to The Rink Gallery.  He declared it "not a guy place."  I only bought a hankie and a couple of packets of ephemera, but still had a great time looking.  Here are all my fun finds for the day:

Chickasha

On May 8 we drove to Chickasha for their Antique Auto Club Swap Meet.  It was a fairly nice day, but there weren't as many vendors as usual.  In spite of that, the DH found a few tools and I was able to find a piece that looks like wood molding but is actually plastic and has great patina, an odometer with green and black numbers, and four tacks with numbers on the heads. I love the plastic piece and the odometer together, and am already thinking of a way to use them. 

The real find came later at one of the local antique malls.  I've been looking for a rattan chair for years but haven't been able to find the rounded-arm, low-to-the-floor style that I want.  What I found is the next best thing - two loveseats, a chair and an ottoman, all in very good condition and so comfy.  The cushions will definitely have to be recovered (I've wrapped one in fabric just to see the effect, but this won't be the fabric I'll use).  One loveseat will remain inside, and the other loveseat, chair and ottoman are on the covered patio.  Shopping for car parts is FUN! 

In a slump

My creativity seems to have deserted me, probably due to working all last week and part of this week and spending hours pulling weeds from our now-lawn service-free lawn.  But I did manage to make a few cards using some House of Three digital images I purchased.  I doubt I'll ever get into digital scrapbooking because I'm such a paper freak, but I do love the ability to download and print images at any time.

I also have to share my peonies.  They have been so beautiful this year - lots of great big blooms - but are now blowing apart in the Oklahoma wind.  I try to keep a huge bouquet in the house from the time they start blooming until they're all gone.  They make me so happy!

Nurture

We finally got out yesterday to a car club get together and swap meet. It was chilly and rain was threatening, which meant the swap meet was small and there weren't many cars to look at. So...no goodies purchased there, but I was able to convince the DH to take me to Paper Crown in Casady Square. This was my first visit, and it's going to be one of my favorite places! I found quite a few products I've not been able to find at the chain arts and crafts stores and met some nice people. They have fun classes, too.

We ate for the first time at Big Truck Tacos (excellent!) and then visited the Habitat Renovation Station. You never know what you'll find there.

Using a couple of items I purchased at Paper Crown, I finally completed this little project I've been working on for the past week or so. It needs a different frame, but I like the composition. The photo is of five-year-old moi on the left and a former neighbor. Weren't we cute?

Junque Heaven!

On Sunday I went with three good friends to The Rink Gallery in Bethany, OK. OMG! This is one of the best antique malls - if not THE best - I've ever visited. From the moment you drive up you can tell it's special. There's a wealth of fabulous and reasonably priced treasure and plenty of helpful staff to assist but not bother. If that weren't enough, they have live music and snacks on Sunday afternoons. The Rink has been open for several years so I have no idea why it's taken me so long to get there. I'm told the waiting list for booth space is long and opportunities don't come up often.

After shopping, the four of us visited and snacked at one of several chrome and formica dining sets provided for just that purpose. So fun! We had lots of laughs and plan to make it a frequent destination.

I came home with a vintage apron pattern, several pieces of paper ephemera, lace, pompom fringe, several skeins of yarn that will work well for altered art or scrapbooking, a big packet of glassine envelopes, a small bank book with handwritten entries, a big box of miscellaneous hardware and many other things. My special treat was a fun bracelet with turquoise and aged silver beads and charms. Can't wait to go back!

I'm working on another project so I hope to have that posted soon. Have a happy week!

Longing to hit the road

Several weeks now without a road trip and I'm getting anxious. I just know there are lots of great things waiting to be discovered!

It was cool and cloudy today so I stayed in and finished a little project I started last weekend. The majorette photo came from a yard sale, and I used a turquoise oblong "gem" button and a turquoise paillette that I've been hoarding for a while, with some Amy Butler paper as the background and a few other miscellaneous odds and ends thrown in. It's kind of silly but it was fun to do! I have a feeling Miss Majorette will appear in some future projects.

Keep smiling!

California Dreaming

Due to the weather and allergies, I missed out on a trip to Duncan, OK last weekend. The DH went down for another auto swap meet. I was really looking forward to it as I wanted to visit a junk store there and also a friend's shop. Darn wind!

I did visit a new local thrift store this week where I found several fun little things for future projects, but nothing vintage.

Here's a collage done this week using a photo from our 2007 trip to the West Coast. It was a fabulous trip and I can't get enough of the photos, so I'm always thinking of things I can do with them. The collage features a photo taken at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur.  We drove Highway 1 from Ventura to San Francisco, and it was heavenly! From there we drove up I-5 to Seattle - also fun, but much too far to go in a week.

Until next time!

First Day of Spring

So, the first day of spring. Yesterday it was 70 degrees, and today it's snowing (see below). My scheduled trip with friends to the antique mall was postponed, and I spent the day in the house with the DH and the dogs. I've only managed to create one thing today, and I'm not sure how pleased I am with it, but it was fun. The base is leftover cardboard from an earlier vintage photo frame project - don't like to throw anything away. I used 7 Gypsies gaffers tape to connect the two parts that were cut away from the frame for the earlier project. I like the little embossed design where the easel back was supposed to fit, so I used Ranger Perfect Pearls to highlight it. The "Keep Your Youthful Beauty" banner was part of an ephemera lot from my very first purchase on eBay several years ago, and the teal die cut behind it was something my friend K had left over from another project. Saving does have its benefits!

Happy spring, and enjoy your hunting and gathering!

Ardmore and Davis

Another Saturday, another car part to chase down. This time it was '39 Chevy fenders, found by the DH on Craig's list, and located in Ardmore, OK. I love traveling in Oklahoma, but DO NOT go south from Norman on I-35 if you can help it. Take Highway 77 - much more scenic and no hour-long traffic jams due to road construction. The only bad thing about not taking I-35 is missing the Bedre' chocolate shop.

On a more pleasant note, after picking up the fenders, we had lunch at Bill's Fish House between Ardmore and Lone Grove. Then - the highlight of the trip - we stopped at Cloverleaf! I'm crazy for Cloverleaf! If you've never been, go now. It's just fun and funky. There's one in Oklahoma City, too, but my favorite is the original at exit 31-B in Ardmore. The parking lot was too crowded to get a good pic, but here's my best shot.

On the way home we exited at Davis to go over to Hwy. 77. Just as we came into Davis there was a true junk shop. I think it was even called The Junk Shop. This is one of those places where you have to watch where you step, do lots of digging through boxes and piles, and then wash your hands as soon as you get in the car - my favorite kind of place!

I found old rubber typewriter keys, a 1940s home magazine, a perfect vintage Valentine's hanky, someone's Class of 1929 photo, a 1963 California dairy calendar card with a pic of two cute little girls, a wood tag, a glass Basset hound (more on that in a future post), and a letter from 1949, undeliverable and returned to sender, never opened. It was from a law firm located at that time on the floor just above my old office in the First National Building in downtown OKC. Imagine. The return address on the envelope was different, so that wasn't why I picked it. Who knew? It does have multiple postmarks and embossed postage, and there was an unmailed postcard inside. Treasure!

Until the next road trip...

Alter this!

Here's a little something I made using the cardboard frame from a vintage photo, some old lace and a few other goodies. It's much cuter in person...really!

On March 6 we traveled to Shawnee, OK for the annual auto swap meet. Lovely weather and great music on the iPod. The dear husband (DH) bought nothing at the swap meet. I found three old taillights - one with a facteted blue center, one very small one, and one in a metal mounting plate - and a metal pulley. Not sure what I'll use them for, but I will. Afterward we had lunch at Hamburger King (yum!) Then it was on to Green's Corner on the east side of downtown Shawnee - one of our favorite places to score great stuff - and a few other antique malls. The DH found a couple of things for his garage, and I found a great little metal storage chest, old books, a vintage photo, vintage jewelry, stencils, an unused Victory flour sack, two little bags with ice cream ads, a glass paperweight, and more. I may have spent $15 total. Maybe less. Take a look!

Shawnee is a great place to visit. We'll be back in a few months for the Knights 25th Annual Car Show.

And Away We Go

I've always enjoyed shopping for vintage treasures to re-use in creative ways, or just to have and admire. I love seeing what others find, too.

The dear husband is restoring/hot-rodding a 1939 Chevy sedan, so we make lots of day trips looking for car parts. He frequently laments that I find more on these excursions than he does (true).

Over the years I've accumulated quite a collection of old jewelry, photos, books, linens, and lots of other things. Recently retired, I'm hoping to spend some of my new-found free time to create using my stash of goodies - and of course to pursue more junk!

Via this blog, I hope to share our travels and finds - and maybe some of my creations - with friends, family and others who are interested in such things. Hope you enjoy!

The Junque Seeker