Fixer-Uppers & Recent Finds

Wow, I have been so bad about blogging lately. Usually this time of year I am a complete slug and in hibernation mode, but being the first winter with a booth at the co-op, I have been keeping super busy and on the go! Auctions, estate sales, thrift stores…trying to keep that booth full of quality stuff, and not just a bunch of chotchkies. Not that I don’t love chotchkies, but I am loving getting more into the real “antiques” part of it!

Of course I still love to “repurpose” and do thirft store make-overs, like this framed print below…

I actually like the vintage hummingbird print but I felt like it didn’t really match the frame. I have had this old Mother Goose book for ages that I picked up at a garage sale because of the brightly colored, whimsical prints inside. I decided one of these prints would look great in the gold frame, so I ripped out the binding and replaced the hummingbirds with “Old Father McNether”…

Old Father McNether
He sorts out the weather
And takes what he pleases, I’m told,
With a big turkey-feather
He mixes the weather,
And makes it blow hot and blow cold.

Leroy F. Jackson

Another fun little re-do is this counter-top cookie/candy jar I got at the Amvet that had this plain green lid. I decided to add a fun knob…$1 from Michaels!

Drilled a hole in the lid just big enough to screw in the new knob…

How frickin cute is that? I was lazy and totally should have painted the lid black to match the knob. Oh well, I like the distressed green as it is.

As for my attempt to do some kind of Valentine’s Day inspired project, I decided to make a few more of my little antique bottles decorated with these cute keys from Michaels. They say “love”, “dreams”, “secret”, etc…which I think is cute around the neck of the bottles. As if they are little “potion” bottles, full of love, dreams, etc…

Those keys are in the scrapbooking section of Michaels, and are kind of expensive. $1o for the above package . I always get a coupon from their website or wait til they are on sale, which is quite often!

To tie them on I used little bits of left over homespun and jute. I always keep ALL my scraps of fabric, no matter how small. I have a pile going, that I will draw from when I need a little swatch or a little “tie” for something!

I put these out in my booth. Hope others thing they are as darling as I do!

And for some great recent “FINDS”….this antique rule/level from the 1890′s…

I love the brass plates and details on pieces like these. Hard to believe those little glass vials are still in tact after 100 years.

A Craigslist STEAL…a huge lot of all different colored/sized Kraft cheese boxes!

And a second-hand shop TREASURE…this old red bird cage. It had a stick and broken swing inside, along with a huge, ugly white chain attached to the top. A quick snip here and there with my bolt cutter and it is ready to be a fun, funky decoration in someone’s home. I LOVE the color and size…it’s perfect in every way!

Guess that’s it for now. Have a fabulous weekend! I will try to get back here soon!

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