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