My Trip to the Netherlands!

I am so sorry for the lack of crafty posts over the last month; I am in the process of moving and ALL of my craft supplies are packed away and buried in my father-in-law’s basement! My Etsy store is also currently closed, but once we are settled I will re-open it, hopefully with the addition of some new vintage treasures. On top of all the moving chaos, we also just got home from a trip across seas to Holland! Greg and I  have some friends there who invited us over and gave us the most fantastic tour of this small, beautiful country! I thought I’d share some the pictures I took during our travels!

One of our first stops was the small village of Kinderdijk to see their historic windmills (19 to be exact); all of which were built in the mid-1700′s. They were just amazing to see against the crisp blue skies!

A small outbuilding which reminded me of a Van Gogh painting…

And then on to the Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower garden.

The gardens consisted mostly of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. They must have had every color and species of tulip imaginable!

Surrounding the gardens were fields full of tulips, ready to be cut and shipped around the world!

The smells were absolutely incredible!

We stayed at our friends’ daughters house, who lived one block from the school attended by Anne Frank. The building is still a functioning school, and is painted with a selection from her diary, along with her signature.

We visited the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, which has just re-opened after 10 years of renovations. It is home to many famous pieces including Rembrandt’s famous “Nightwatch.” The building itself is a stunning work of art!

As if the week wasn’t already perfect with the tulips in bloom, we were fortunate to be in Amsterdam for a truly special and once-in-a-generation event – Queen Beatrix stepped down from the throne to named her son, Willem Alexander, and his wife Maxima, the new King and Queen of the Netherlands. We watched the ceremony on jumbo screens, along with hundreds of thousands of people from across the world, as it took place less than a half mile from where we stood!

We spent the rest of the week on the other side of the country, in Enschede, where our friends live. We visited many beautiful landmarks including this beautiful estate built in the 1600′s.

And I couldn’t leave Holland without some wooden shoes…hand carved and painted!

The farmers still wear these today. Once I get used to them, maybe I will learn to do a wooden clog dance!

Of course one of the main reasons we went was for the DOGS! Greg trains and sells police dogs, and we spent a few days watching the KNPV Trials (Dutch police dog competition). Greg bought this dog, Laser, who has traveled home with us to be a police K-9 in the states!

I met a few cute puppies, like this little guy…none of which could come home with me. Bummer.

Hope you enjoyed my pics! Unfortunately I won’t be posting any crafty stuff for a while, until we are settled in the new house and I can unpack all my supplies and get to work. I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Spring weather and getting in some good “junkin” now that garage sales and flea markets are picking up! I am getting that “pickin” itch, and will be scouting new treasures for my booth at the co-op soon!

A Successful Pinterest Project! Cupcake Themed Baby Gift

Though this does not fall into my normal theme of country/primitive crafting, I was excited at the ridiculously cute results of this Pinterest project I made for a friend. This friend is my official cupcake-making buddy so this was a perfect gift ~ cupcake onesies! Here is the original link: http://www.diyandcraftideas.com/cupcake-baby-gift/ for this project!

I started with 4 little onesies for my “cupcakes” – I tried to get mostly plain colors so they weren’t too busy. The pink socks and pink mittens became the “cherries” on top!

I got a cute cupcake box and fancy wrappers at Joann Fabrics. I did not end up using the teal cupcake wrappers because the rolled-up onesies were a little too fat!

Start by folding the onesies, and rolling in the sock “cherry”!

I used clear scotch tape to hold it together.

Awww, aren’t they cute enough to eat?!

Put them in your cupcake box, and voila!

I don’t have a pic but I did add a small purple bow and a little tag! I just love how freakin’ cute they are!

I just had to share!!! I shall be back with our regularly scheduled crafting soon! Have a great day!

“Puppies In Stockings” and New Craft Supplies In my Etsy Store!

So things have been pretty busy here lately – and not in a crafty way, unfortunately. BUT, it’s been a ton of fun because Greg’s police K-9 had a litter of 9 puppies which were 3 weeks old yesterday! I thought I’d share some pictures of these cute little chunky monkeys which are sure to make you go AWWWWWW!

First, here is the very cool x-ray that was done a couple of weeks before she gave birth. I love all the little skeletons!

Here they are the day they were born. You may notice there are 10 here. She had 11 pups total, and we did lose 2. Unfortunately it is to be expected with a large litter.

Their eyes and ears do not open for at least a week or so.

A tired mama rests while babies eat…

Fast forward to this week…Christmas stocking photo shoot! Their eyes are open and they are squeaking and rolling around all over the place as they attempt to walk. After some initial chaos, I got them to cooperate and got some pretty darn cute results…

And the one going in our Christmas card this year:

I have a problem…I like to dress them up like little people. Is that so wrong? LOL!

Anyway, I wanted to share some new items, mostly craft supplies, that I have added to my Etsy store Upstate Primitives. Per some of my fellow crafters’ request, I have added some tin stars and hearts, like the ones I have used in a lot of my posts. I also added knobs, buttons, keys, and many other items you have already seen being used in some of my projects. I know there are lots of people in rural areas that don’t have access to the plethora of craft stores as I do, so I wanted to add them to my store.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season and enjoying all the small moments that make this time of year so great. Christmas lights, family and friends, holiday cookies and treats, and all that good stuff. I know I am! Have a great day and thanks so much for stoppin’ by!

Creating a Simple “Studio” for Photographing Your Crafts

So, my big announcement…I am finally going to open an Etsy store!

It’s been on my to-do list for a long time, and I think I’m ready to make the plunge! I think my small crafts and many un-used craft supplies have potential to sell better in a venue like Etsy, whereas I will continue to sell my antiques and larger pieces at the co-op. I have been doing some preparation in getting this baby up and running, the first being a small “studio” area to properly photograph my items!

While my photographic skills excel in photographing retinas, they are not quite as proficient in studio work. I have never had any interest in portraits or studio photography that require traditional lighting methods, studio lights and back drops, lighting ratios, etc, etc. One thing I do know is that natural light is ideal in photographing almost anything. I wanted to be able to use natural light to photograph my products, but also not have to wait until the sun comes out and the weather is bearable to be able to shoot. I do live in Western New York after all! My solution: artificial natural light.

These 7.5 watt bulbs from Lowes emanate “natural light”, or an artificial full spectrum of light. They measure at 5000K, which is comparable to noon daylight. I bought two bulbs and two of these clamping work lights:

…and set up a small area on a table in my basement. I have some white foam core boards to use as reflectors as needed. I am using a large crate bottom as my background, because you know I love that rustic look. Here is my basic set up:

And a picture snapped with hardly any adjusting of the lights. I think this is going to work just fine!

Not too shabby for a studio that took 10 minutes to set up and cost about $35.

Here it is with the lights on so you can see. I am using the slatted crates on either side, as they work well with the lights’ clamps. Also, I’d like to mention that I used my digital SLR camera for my photography; my trusty Nikon D80. It’s slightly outdated but works very well for the work I want/need to do. I would recommend an SLR over a point-and-shoot camera if you are able.

I’ll keep you posted on how it works and what tweaks I might make as I start in on this new adventure! In the mean time I have been working on lots of marble magnets of varying themes to sell on Etsy. I can’t wait to start photographing them.

Phew…I don’t know why I keep myself so damn busy these days. I figure it’s going to take at least a month or so to get the store “live” and running. I have lots of items to photograph and some other prepping to do. Anyone out there with their own Etsy store…do you have any advice for this rookie? Any tips/advice you have to offer would be appreciated!

Have a great week!

Post Full O’ Pictures! Arizona & My Booth!

So this is where I spent all of last week…

HEAVEN!! We were in Arizona visiting family and got the pleasure of enjoying this lovely pool and perfect weather the whole week!!! Nothing but blue skies and sunshine! Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the week!

Wheels and I on the sky ride over the zoo! Awwwww….

“Hey, you lookin’ at me?” LOL…

Giraffe kisses! Yuck!

Me, Greg and Uncle Eugene

Aiden and I on the log ride!

And my very own stud muffin getting his tan on…hehehe….sorry Greg, I had to!!!

Anyway, I’m back home and getting back into the groove of things and trying to gather up some new stuff for my booth since I sold a ton while I was gone! Wooohooo! A good problem to have!

One piece I wanted to share is this thrift store mason jar lamp that I paired with a shade from Dollar General! Mason jar lamps are so popular because you can “customize” them to hold whatever you want. Who knew Dollar General would have shades; let alone such CUTE ones!

I left the jar empty this time…people can use their imaginations!

And here are some updated booth pictures! And by updated, I mean just before I left…it already looks so different!

I’m loving this trend of stacking vintage suitcases as little side tables or decorative stands! Picked these up over the last few weeks at estate sales!

I found this awesome green desk/hutch on Craigslist and it wasn’t in the shop a week…SOLD! I am trying to get a few small furniture pieces here and there, and they seem to be selling quite well.

Decorated my shutter with a bunch of hanging spoons…

And an old card table and small green end table…both from Craigslist!!!

One of my new favorite pieces is this old chair missing its seat, which has been replaced with a large basin and pitcher. Such a cute way to display. It would even look great with a big enamel bowl. These items are courtesy of my friend June’s barn that she let me go PICKIN’ in!!!

Got a bag full of vintage pins at an estate sale; a mix of political buttons and many Paul McCartney ones! I like having fun little chotchkies like these!

And I learned something interesting about this stoneware jug from some regulars that come into the shop that are stoneware experts! See that little green spot?

At first I thought it was a blemish and would affect the value of the piece. And in fact it does affect the value, but in a positive way! It is called a “turkey eye” and is actually a drip from the top of the kiln from when the jug was made. Apparently it is rare and desirable among collectors!

Well guess that’s all for now. I have so many to-do’s on my list. Can’t wait for the Spring weather to officially get here so I can break out the paint brush and make-over some pieces, including a HUGE, beautiful $20 roll top desk I picked up off the side of the road! It’s in great structural condition but needs a coat of paint to freshen it up.

Have a great week my picker pals!

A Successful Craft Show!

Phew! What a whirlwind it’s been this month with all the crafty stuff going on mixed in with the usual holiday hustle and bustle! My big craft show was last weekend and I thought I’d share some pictures! It went GREAT…sold out of a ton of stuff! I have learned it’s the knick-knacks and little ornaments that people love!!!

The homespun candy canes were a HUGE hit! Sold every last one of them!

My friend and author Barbara was unable to make the show this year so we had a small table to sell her wonderful books, Snarly Sally and The Reindeer Keeper.  She writes the most magical stories!

And there’s my associate and best friend Christine making a sale…don’t know how I’d do it without her!!!

Our helper and mascot Miss Melanie, reading the bags like book…lol

I want to say thanks for all the encouraging words and support from everyone while getting ready for the show. Things went great and I can’t wait for next year!

I also wanted to share a few pictures of some of the cute holiday crafts made by some fellow crafters. I am happy to have provided a bit of inspiration and/or tips for some of these fun projects! It’s always neat to see someone else’s interpretation of a similar project!

A fellow crafter, Melba, made some homespun candy canes using real candy canes! She also used glue dots and tape, rather than hot glue – so they can be unwrapped and eaten later!

Amy from sittingatourkitchentable.blogspot.com made some adorable mini snowman clothespins, along with some normal sized ones, and clipped them on her tree! So stinkin’ cute!!! I like the ribbon scarfs as an alternative to little homespun fabric strips!

Well, I hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday and great week leading up the Christmas. I can’t wait to go home and see my mom for a few days and enjoy some quality family time. I am going to be taking a bit of a break from crafting so I will likely be back after the new year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

The 2011 Halloween Cupcake SPOOKtacular!

Well folks, it’s that time of year again.  Melanie and I’s 3rd annual Halloween cupcake extravaganza at the office! After meticulously working late into the night, we came up with THESE creations…

 New additions include the creepy cat…

 The zombie arm reaching out of the grave…

The bats…

The night-time pumpkin patch scene…

The miniatures…

…and the EEK!!!

And now…the CLASSICS!

 Mel and I call these (below) “cop-out” designs…where we use the pre-made decorations! Still cute though…

…and ya gotta have an eyeball when you work in the eyeball office!!!

The beloved pretzel monsters, this year with beady little red eyes…

and finally, Me and Mel in front of our masterpieces!

And yes, they tasted as good as they looked, if I do say so myself! It’s become a Halloween tradition that we look forward to ALL year…and it makes the day at the office a little more fun!

Hope everyone has a SPOOOOOOKY weekend and a Happy Halloween!

P.S. For those of you who looking for the broken glass cupcakes…well, it was a flop. After TWO failed attempts at making the glass, I gave up. Oh well…something to work on for next year!

Vintage Inspired Craft Supplies & Other Randomness

I rarely feature the “eyeballs by day” part and tend to focus more on the “crafts by night.” So I thought I’d share one of my favorite images that, over the weekend,  won 3rd place at the annual Ophthalmic Photographer’s Society international photography contest! This patient had some major blood vessel abnormalities in their retina. Here, the vessels are illuminated with fluorescein dye that was injected about 30 seconds prior to this shot being taken, bringing out the fine detail of these microscopic vessels.

Kind of a creepy, eh? A little creepiness just in time for Halloween! And speaking of photography…I snapped these pics of the sun hitting the trees in the back yard after a quick thunderstorm just now.  Damn I love Fall! It was suddenly a gorgeous sight out my back door and I had to grab the camera and capture it…

Anyway, the real reason for this post is to share some wonderful, vintage-inspired craft supplies my friend Christine and I found at Michael’s over the weekend! The best part is…they were only $1 a piece! Yep, a dollar!!! If you have a Michael’s near you…go get ‘em now before they disappear!!!

First, we found these porcelain knobs, that are very reminiscent of knobs from Hobby Lobby and/or Anthropologie (but for a quarter of the price)!!!

Imagine a cute cabinet made-over with these knobs?…And how about a skeleton key stamp, and dinner & drink themed marble magnets! Not too long ago, I paid a LOT more for a stamp just like this!!

My favorite are these Victorian-style skeleton keys!!! I totally would have missed these if Christine hadn’t dug them out from one of the bottom bins. We scooped them ALL up, and I plan on going back soon to look for more! I have so many ideas for these!

There was also a nice selection of stationary, like these cards with cute country tea cups. They are blank inside – and it never hurts to have some cute cards handy to jot a hello to a friend or a quick thank you note!

Along with these great finds, I picked up a few more Halloween cupcake accessories. I am so excited…this week is time for Melanie & I’s annual HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE SPOOKTACULAR! Here is some of the fun stuff I have picked up over the last few weeks! My favorite would have to be the blood spattered cupcake holders…

Pictures surely to follow!!! We can’t wait to try the “broken glass” cupcakes, as featured this year by Martha Stewart!

Well, have a great week…I’ll be back Friday night with lots of cupcake pix! And since this post has been incredibly random, here is the other thing I bought this weekend! LOVE all the EYEBALL stuff out this time of year! Yes, they are salt & pepper shakers…and yes…I might have to leave em out all year ’round!

Do you get the feeling you’re being WATCHED? Muah ha ha ha!!!

“The Farmhouse”

My step dad is the handiest man I have ever met and has a really unique “project” in the works. He is disassembling this 1850-60′s farmhouse and salvaging the wood and some of the unique structures to reuse and/or re-purpose them. It’s just too great of a building to plow over and destroy, as the owner originally wanted to do. It is in mint condition, for being over 100 years old, that is!

Upon some research I learned about some of the unique structural elements:

• This architectural language flourished from about 1830 to 1850 when it was seen as a national style. With British influence waning considerably after the War of 1812 and the nation rapidly expanding westward, the Greek Revival architectural style was fundamentally an expression of America’s triumphant sense of destiny and the sense that our newly formed nation was the spiritual descendant of Greece, the birthplace of democracy.

• Elaborate door surrounds were frequent features of Greek Revival homes. Typically, small-paned side lights and a rectangular transom were framed by heavy, wide trim sometimes recessed for a more three-dimensional look.

• Columns and pilasters were among the most common elements of Greek Revival architecture. Although classical columns were round, by definition, the Greek Revival style also used square or even octagonal columns. The columns were designed without bases as in the Greek style or with bases as in a Roman adaptation. Columns could be fluted or smoothed, but they were almost always built of wood.

~Info from the article Greek Revial by Bruce Wentworth, AIA

Luckily for me, one of the upstairs corners hadn’t been cleaned out yet and I was able to salvage a box of old, dusty bottles and jars. We found a ton of old IGA preserves jars with the original labels, which were in GREAT shape! I got mostly different types of fruit preserves jars, and also a hot dog relish jar and a peter pan peanut butter jar. I adore the vintage labels and their colorful designs! For sitting around so long, they weren’t THAT dirty…just lots of dust!

With a little cleaning up, they are perfect! I brought a few to the co-op and threw in some faux flowers, just to present the idea of different ways they could be used…a little vase for your summer wild flowers perhaps?

I also got ahold of this ancient formaldehyde bottle with its original skull and cross-bones label!

The label is very difficult to read but talks about soaking your potatoes in a solution of formaldehyde and water. I just finished reading how formaldehyde used to be used to soak  seed potatoes to destroy fungus and organisms that cause the potatoes to “scab.”  Not sure if this is still practiced today or not…kinda weird!

In other news… we (and by we, I mean Greg) have done lots of “sprucing” things up around the exterior of the house. It looks so awesome!

He put these cool little caps on the deck posts…

And had the back patio area outside the back door all re-done…it looks phenomenal!

P.S. Aren’t the lilies so pretty?

YAY FOR SUMMER!

P.S. Thanks to those who voted in the poll I posted about the snowman faces! I am excited that face #2 was the winner by a landslide, because it was my fave too! I will be posting more on that lil project later!

Happy 4th!

* * * Happy 4th of July! * * *

Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend, and enjoyed the fun things that come along with celebrating Independence Day! In honor of America’s birthday on this beautiful summer day, I thought I would pay homage to all my favorite “summer things” as well, starting with…

~ Long weekends, like Memorial Day and 4th of July! ~

~ FIREWORKS! ~

~ Going BAREFOOT in the grass! ~

~ Tank tops and flip flops ~

~ Going out for ice cream ~

~ Camp fires & roasting marshmellows ~

~ Camping ~

~ Sitting outside on the deck ~

~ Roadside veggie stands ~

~ GRILLING EVERYTHING! ~

~ Swimming ~

~ Flea markets & barn sales ~

~ Bike riding ~

~ Seasonal fruits, especially juicy peaches and cherries ~

~ Sitting outside at cafes and restaurants ~

~ Iced tea, iced coffee, and smoothies ~

~ Getting out of work and it’s still light out! ~

~ An abundance of the following things: Cold pasta salads, hots & hams, and chips & dips

~ Homemade strawberry jam made by my mom ~

~ Picnics ~

~ Getting a natural tan and highlights from the sunshine ~

~ Cardinals ~

Oh, but there’s so much more! What are some of your favorite summer things? Hope everyone has a fantastic day!!!

Fun Favors: Lady Bug and Bumble Bee Cake Pops

Yay! I am so happy with how my first ever cake pops came out! They are favors for a co-workers baby shower tomorrow night. I think the final result is super cute and I must say, they are VERY yummy! (How can cake mixed with a can of frosting, dunked in chocolate NOT be yummy!) I thought I would share how I made them, for anyone else who would like to attempt this fun treat!!

First of all, you need ingredients for the “cake” part of the pops, which I did not show here. Go here for instructions on the basic pops, and then below is just the fun decorating part! We have…

• Yellow and Red Candy Melts (bee and lady bug bodies)
• Almond chips (wings)
• Mini chocolate kisses from the bulk candy section (spots on the lady bug body)
• Junior Mints (heads)
• Candy Eyeballs from the craft store
• Ignore the chocolate sprinkles I was going to use these for bee antennae but I never ended up using them. You can if you want!

For the packaging and presentation I used:

• Cellophane treat bags
• Mini baking cups decorated with flowers (to go with the bee/bug theme)
• Green ribbon for the finishing bow

While I was waiting for the cake to bake, I worked on the heads. Chocolate frosting (that is used in the basic cake pop mixture) was used as “glue” to put the eyes on the Junior Mint heads.

Do you get the feeling you’re being WATCHED?

Also while I was waiting, I piped the “antennae” using melted dark chocolate on wax paper.

I don’t use fancy frosting bags…I use ziplocks. Snip the corner and you’re good to go! Then throw away…and no clean up!

Making the POPS…

Now, I had to work very quickly and did not have the time to take pictures of the  individual decorating steps. That chocolate dries FAST!!! Here are the completed bees. Basically, I dipped and twirled in the melted yellow chocolate and tapped it gently to get the excess off. Immediately insert the almond chip wings. I used my ziplock baggie to pipe on the bee stripes and then pressed a head on top, with a bit of pressure to secure it in place. Surprisingly the heads stayed in place and did not slide down!

For the lady bugs – same idea. After I dipped it, I pressed in the mini kisses (with the pointy side IN) to create the little dots. I stuck one of my chocolate antennae in there (gently!! they break easy!!) and then pressed the head in place. I went back and piped on a little chocolate line down the back to make the “wings” of the lady bug.

All wrapped up and in their cellophane baggies…aren’t they freakin’ adorable?!

I placed them in rows in my yellow enamel pan to carry them over to the shower…

They were fun but super time-consuming, and to be honest…kind of difficult! It’ll be worth it though because I know the gal I making them for will love them! Can’t wait for this weekend…I have the shower and then the Classic Car Cruise-In and Boy Scout Fundraiser at the co-op on Saturday! I am praying for sunny weather! Pix to come soon!!

Have a super FABULOUS weekend everyone!

Happy Memorial Day!

My brother Matt, Grandpa Simonds, and Me with crazy hair

Happy Memorial Day and THANK YOU to all our service men and women for all you have done and continue to do for us. Memorial Day means a lot to me, because I have a lot of family who have served, and lots of wonderful memories of the Memorial Day parade and festivities when I was growing up.  Hope everyone has a great day today and don’t forget to thank our service people so that we have the freedom to sit down and enjoy our bbq’s and beer today!!!

Lots going on on the crafting front! Last night I finished up a huge batch of my grubby tea lights. I know I have posted about them before, I but I thought I’d take pictures anyway.

First off- I have been scooping them up in masses at the Dollar Tree for 3 for $1…you can’t beat that! Here they are all taped up ready to be textured. I do this so I don’t get any of the texture paste on the silicone “flame” and also it works as a place to hold them.

My favorite craft staple…DecoArt’s Texture Fierro in Iron Brown!

After they are dry, I usually go through and touch up any spots where the white plastic is still showing through. Then take off the masking take and Voila! I am thinking about selling them 4 to a package, in a little clear plastic baggie, tied off with some homespun and a cute tag. It’s all about presentation people!!!

The other fun weekend project has been decorating our newly re-vamped breezeway. The pictures don’t do it justice, but we painted it a lovely muted green-brown color. It’s just perfect. This giant window is there from when the garage was once attached and there was NO breezeway, so now it’s just….there. We are going to hang some curtains up but we added these black shutters as a decoration on either side. They were unfinished when I got them at the thrift store, so I spray painted them back and sanded to distress em a bit.

Added this awesome hook/knob that I got from the Hobby Lobby! Love it!

The shutters make cute wall decorations, dontcha think? Can’t wait to finish up decorating and sit out there and sip my coffee.

Have a GREAT long weekend everyone!

ITALIA!

Bonjourno! I’m back! Italy was AMAZING; the most beautiful place I have ever seen! The art, the culture, the architecture, the rolling hills, the food, the wine, the weather…everything was wonderful and was just as I had imagined! My Mom and I took a 10 day guided tour through Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Venice, traveling from one city to another by train. I took hundreds of pictures and have edited them down to a gallery of my favorite ones! My two favorite parts of the tour were the Sistine Chapel and the Statue of David, both of which we were not allowed to take pictures of. Oh well…I’ve got plenty others to share! (If the slide show pace is too slow, use the arrows at the bottom of the pictures to scroll through! )

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Since I got back I haven’t had time to do any crafting or thrift-store shopping. I’ve got lots to do before June 4th, the day of the big Cruise-In at the co-op -  it’s one of the busiest days of the year and I want my booth to be stocked up!!! Can’t wait to get started…I have so many ideas for new projects! Check back soon, hope you enjoyed the photos!

Ciao!

A Spring Time Walk

Has everyone been enjoying these sunny spring days as much as I have? I love the fresh air, the colors becoming more vibrant, and the flowers poking their pretty little heads up! Greg and I took a walk the other night and I was feeling inspired by all of the new life starting to show through the mud and the weeds. I broke out my camera and started snapping away.  I decided it was a good summary of our Spring time here in upstate New York! Thought I’d share!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

The BEST Estate Sale Ever = A Newly Stocked Booth!

What an AWESOME weekend!! The weather was freakin phenomenal, and I went to the BEST estate sale I have EVER been to and loaded up on all kinds of really great primitive items for my booth! It was the most gorgeous old farm-house just loaded with folk art, pottery, primitives, and all kinds of antiques. I ended up keeping some of what I picked up to decorate my own house with…this stuff was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! I just had to share some of these treasures, but first here are some pictures of my newly stocked up booth at The Carriage Place!

Okay, so here are some of the cool items I got at this estate sale on Saturday. One of my favorites is this very primitive red tool box. The lady had it holding Country Living magazines. Neat idea!

The bobble head is old news, but the rest of these items are new. I already have that exact same green enamelware dipper or else I would have kept it, because as you probably know, I have a mild obsession with enamelware. I love the jar full of marbles…it’s so eye-catching. The heart/arrow piece is a two-piece tea bag holder and has a little dish under strainer part. It would be great to put out at Valentine’s Day but there’s no way I can wait that long!

Some new items here include an antique glove holder, stoneware jug, and this cast iron double-decker bus…

Couldn’t resist this old wooden scooper…and it’s already sold!

Loaded up on old wire rug beaters and many colored glass bottles!

I got about a dozen of these wonderful colored glass Wheaton bottles; the majority of which are part of the commemorative presidential series.

“In 1967, Wheaton Glass, a division of Wheaton Industries began to produce commemorative decanters, flasks, and bottles. In 1969 the first Presidential bottle was issued with John F. Kennedy on it. JFK was followed by series honoring many of our presidents. Each of the presidential decanters were issued  in a limited quantity with accurate images of the presidents. On the reverse side of these canteen shaped bottles was a quotation or slogan in which related to the Chief Executive. Different colors were used on several of the bottles.” ~http://www.wheatonclub.com/history.html

Anyone else hooked on cast iron?

I am so tempted to go back to my booth and take this awesome old egg scale home with me. SO COOL!

The wooden goose decoration is a goodwill find, but of course I had to spruce it up with some pip berries and new homespun tie around the neck. The super rusty 3-tier veggie bin was another estate sale score – as soon as I saw it I thought it would be great for a display piece with the 3 bins! I filled it up with new newly made silicone bulb night lights!

This awesome old bucket wasn’t in my booth 24 hours and has been SOLD! Yippeeee!

Stockin up on crocks!

Here are a few of the items I didn’t get around to bringing over to the Carriage Place. I’m trying to start a stock pile of items to have if things start looking bare in the booth.

These spice tins are reproductions but still pretty cool!

And lastly, a side-of-the-road find…a nifty vintage suitcase. Yes, I am a proud garbage picker!

I am still so excited about that sale and all of my recent finds!!! I have had the booth for almost a month now, and things are going great! It’s been so much fun scouting out items and treasure hunting…and we’ve got the whole summer to go! Thanks for stoppin in and have a fabulous week!