Melinda is having a Vintage Summer Party!

This is going to be short but sweet... I just wanted to join in on the fun over at Melinda's- Alabaster Rose Designs. She is hosting a Vintage Summer Party. How fun is that? Way fun!

So I thought I'd drop in with my vintage bike that everyone around here rides... it was to be mine, hence the cute basket with the giant pink flower on it, but everyone, I mean EVERYONE rides it. Get this, too funny, my 18 year old son rode it to school last week because him and his other senior buddies thought it would be fun to ride bikes to school for one of their last days. Oh my gosh, I looked out my front door and there were 6 big boys with their backpacks and bikes of all sorts picking up Cam for school. I loved it. I wish I would have had my camera ready, it was quite a sight. It brought back great memories of these boys a few years ago spending the night (quite often) and then waking up in the morning to ride down to McDonalds for breakfast before they went fishing. Now mind you, I made them breakfast plenty of times but they loved to ride our old bikes to town. I would pick up bikes really cheap or free and the boys loved them, they even named them. I would hear them yelling as they ran to the barn, calling out the bike they wanted. Ahhhhh good times. Makes you glad to be a mom. truly. I miss having to walk over 8 or so boys sleeping in the living room and listening to them play poker or having a bonfire.

Wow, so much for short and sweet! It's just that with Cam graduating, it makes me get all sappy and secretly want him to be a little boy again. shhhh don't tell him.

Thanks Melinda! Stop on over and see her other partiers, I'm heading over there now!

Thanks for stopping by, Theresa xoxo

***********Happy Memorial Day***********

Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for stopping by, Theresa xoxo

New Assemblage~Dream

I have always admired those that came through Ellis Island so many years ago. My grandparents did, that's them with their children in my header, they were so young when they made the journey here. I've told this story before, but like my kids you'll have to hear it again... they did not know eachother when they rode the same ship here. They met in America through mutual friends and then found out that back home in Austria they only lived a village away from eachother, rode the same ship at the same time to a new life in America holding the same dreams of a better life.
This is not a photo of them but I imagine they looked very similar.

I am so grateful that they were so brave. I've read so much of the passage through Ellis Island and imagine that must have been the most frightening part of the journey. You are so close to your destination and yet someone could close the door on you.

Your dreams could be squashed. So many left family and friends behind without so much as anything but a dream to sustain them.

I am grateful to my grandparents for following their dreams, so that years down the road myself and my children and future generations could follow ours.

Thanks for stopping by, Theresa xoxo

If you give a moose a muffin...

...Or if you find some fantastic goodies saleing then your just gonna have to clean your house and rearrange everything!

This is my haul from last weekend, I'm hoping to go out a little this weekend but since it's Memorial Day weekend, our town will pretty much just shut down and everyone (cept us) will head north. Much of this stuff will go to the show on the 4th but some of it is just for us to enjoy. See the tall wicker basket? It's actually an insulated cooler! How cool is that? WAY cool! I can't believe I'm saying this but I already have enough suitcases so this ones going. Awfully big of me don't you think? The white dish drainer is going as a prop to hold dishes and platters that I'm taking. A few things are to make into 'new' things. I gotta keep the big enamel pot because I don't have one big enough for corn on the cob and we like our corn on the cob! O.k. I HAVE to keep this... you understand right? I mean this is just the top,

This is the bottom! I love this, I mean it's got a crown on it for goodness sake! I learned that they are from Canada and there are some on etsy right now, so if you think this is as cool as I do then you just need to hop on over there and find yourself one, or two! I don't know what I will put in this yet but I just like looking at it!

My big old can... yeah I say that every morning when I look to see how my jeans are looking on me!

A clock face, not old just cool, a new pincushion base, I have no idea what the green thing is but it doesn't really matter it will be incorporated into something fun.

I found 2 of the brownie cameras, and the grate is definitely a collage waiting to happen. Got the idea all stashed away in my lil noggin!

this chair is petite size, but in great shape and will head to the show, along with the little wooden tool box, not sure about the very cool pewter canister though.

Then I found 3 of these old vinegar jars. They are sweet like they are and with a branch or big leaf they are very Pottery Barnish.

Or if you can't leave well enough alone then you head over to Karens and grab yourself a pretty label and modpodge it on there!

O.k. here comes the reason for the title, I found this fireplace at a sale and probably would have thought nothing of it until I heard the lady say it was for sale and needed a price tag, well curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask "how much", her answer? $20.00! Well I couldn't have said "sold" any faster! So I've been rearranging the kitchen and cleaning, and organizing and actually purging a little. (It's never good to purge a lot)

Oh yeah and I played around with paint and fixed the contrast and such and now I want to repaint my kitchen. It's no longer a muffin but a whole loaf of bread at this point! Our kitchen is actually blue but this made it slightly gray and wow is it cool! Would I tire of gray? maybe. Do I already have too many projects? absolutely! So this will have to wait. Oh I found the blue jars at the sale with the vinegar jars and I'm going to use them for vases for Cams graduation party. I really didn't go to many sales I just got lucky at the few I hit. It was raining here and apparantly there are not as many die hard salers around here as I thought! Yay for me!

So here it is all lit up... I can't believe I now have a fireplace in my kitchen, I love it! I've already rearranged the top a few times since I took these but these pics were in the computer so that's what I used. I don't know if I will paint it later or not, it's good for now, remember I have a HUGE to do list already! I am hoping we will get a good bit done this long weekend, with a cookout or two thrown in for good measure! I know for sure there will be a bonfire, we have been filling up the firepit since the snow melted. Better go get us some marshmallows!

I've also been making some new things for the show, so you know I'll be back later to share!

Thanks for stopping by, Theresa xoxo

Woo Hoo I found another party! I 'm linking this up to The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday!

I see almost everything as a possible planter...

This bench obviously is not a planter but will probably hold one or two very soon! It is in fact the.deal.of.the.day. No kidding. It looks to be a bench from a baseball or football field for the players to sit on. Nice and sturdy and a whopping 8' long! So what makes it a deal worthy of telling you about? How about a $5.00 price sticker! I know right? Can you feel my giddyness even now? It is fabulous! I have some other finds from the weekend to share with you later this week, most of them will go to the show on the 4th but this baby is all mine! It will make the trip, but only for display purposes, I mean really can you blame me? :) Now on to the title of the post... I know this first one isn't unusual but I married this little bench to a huge wooden mailbox and there you have it, a planter. I didn't plant these this year, but I put a few in the box last year and now they have taken over. easy peasy. Yup, that bait bucket is a future planter, or maybe a silverware caddy, or a grill utensil holder...

This one is my new favorite, as in it's the only NEW one this year so far! I used a wire fish basket used for holding your catch of the day to hold a wave petunia. I know the flower is small right now but you know how crazy those get so I'll take more pics as it grows this season. I pushed the pot through the basket lid and then covered the clay dish and bottom of the basket with marble chips. Not only do they look pretty but they also help keep the plant stable. You could use other rocks, they just have to be larger than the holes in the basket. Then I planted the petunia.

There you have it. Really simple but all of your friends will be amazed at the brilliance of your idea. Or they will worry about what you do with you free time!

This is the wheelbarrow of hens and chicks I inherited from a dear friend. They are slowly getting thinned out this year. They are in there pretty tight right now. Along with another flower that for the life of me I cannot remember the name of right now. ugh.

so I decided to put some in this. Can you guess what it is?

Why an old chicken feeder of course! It works perfectly for these since they require such a small amount of dirt for their roots.

Impatients in an old enamel bucket.

Another enamel bucket with a variety of flowers all in the early stages. I love the color of this bucket with its green trim. It's really the little things that get my heart pumping!

I painted this hobby lobby find white to put in my planters. I actually found two of them in the super duper clearance section and one is around front in another planter. I didn't even get to the front for pics today, I'll do that in a post soon though.

This one is nestled in the laundry tub full of begonias and a coleous (if I spelled it wrong then just take a peek at the pretty colored plant in the back.) Remember these are all baby plants, we are just at the beginning of safe planting around here. I did mix in some cow manure compost like Amy talked about over at New Nostalgia. I also made the recipe she shared for homemade laundry soap. It works great and saves a lot of money in the process. It's funny but it just made me feel good to make my own laundry soap and it only required 3 ingredients. She really as a ton of great ideas on her blog. Thanks Amy!
Hey I just realized that as I was gabbing away I combined the laundry tub planter with homemade laundry soap. Am I good or what? I could write for the news... giving them better segways than 'There was a shooting in town yesterday...up next we have Martha here to teach you how to make light and fluffy french toast! All said ofcourse with a big toothy smile on their faces! Gotta love the news.
'

Everyone needs a vintage frigideggs metal can full of flowers, right?

So there you have it, the beginning stages of my planters in the backyard. I'll get around to the front this week and give you all a peek of those. I know, I know, your at the edge of your seat:)

Thanks for stopping by! Theresa


I'm linking this up to a couple of parties this week... Funky Junks Saturday Night Special, Boardwalk Bragfest, and Tutorial Tuesday. I figure I better combine my party hopping as sporatic as my posting has been.

Did you know...

That I won Cheryls Giveaway? That's right! I was thrilled when she announced that I was the winner because the prize pics were so full of goodies! And well, because who doesn't like to hear the words...Congratulations Theresa you are the winner! ( I guess anyone who's name isn't Theresa, that's who!) Anyway... There were so many wonderful goodies in my prize box that I just had to start creating with some of them! This dressed up candle is from the stash of candles I purchased when I was making these. I had a few left over and I am really trying to be good and destash the workroom so that I feel more organized and so decided to dress up some more. The ribbon trim I used on this one is from Cheryl. Love this photo of these girls at the beach.

This is just a fraction of the treasures I received. The metal daisy hook is already hanging in my kitchen holding a vintage crocheted pot holder and the view finder photo is on my mantle, I love this one it's of a small child in a garden! See the Mt. Rushmore box? It's full of glass vials and other wonders!

The purple seam binding was just one of the many I received. This little book is sooooo cool!

Please bear with me on some of these pics. I took them on Wednesday and there was not a speck of sunshine to be found so that I could take decent pics... This pink pressed glass bowl holds clothespins that I have added to my jar of pins! The rose fabric is a beautiful scarf. Thank you Cheryl for everything! I love it all and my mind is reeling at how I will use it! You are sooooo generous!

This candle has more of the trim from Cheryl and an adorable photo of two brothers and their dog. Look how the older brother is holding his little brother, it reminds me of my two older boys, I can imagine that these two became wonderful friends like they are.

Too adorable!

I used a music paper background for this one and then topped it with a burlap rosette.

O.K. this idea I got from the recent issue of Somerset Life... Repurpose a paper towel cardboard tube! Seriously why didn't I think of that before? Do you know how many of these I have recycled? Crazy genious! They make shipping something small special, and this one is holding a little bunch of flowers from the backyard. Inside of this one is another test tube. I didn't decorate the test tube this time because it will be out of sight. it's not a regular test tube either, it's flat and so fits the bill of a small vase tucked in here perfectly!

A bird, some buttons, pretty paper and some glitter and waalaa! You have a little wall pocket that you made yourself and in the meantime left some room in your recycling bin for other stuff to recycle!

I've been trying make a stockpile of craftiness for a show that I just signed up for... Remember the beautiful barn show? Well Jill is at it again! I just learned of it this week and so I signed right up and went over to visit her! I'm so excited! This was alot of fun to do and this time I'm in the beautiful barn!!! There has been so many inspirational posts on the shows in TX. that it just makes me want to make a fabulous display. I know that those girls are seasoned veterans and uber talented but I'm going to do my best and hopefully come up with something this area has never seen! I'll let you know how it goes... unless I'm too embarrassed and well then I'll just put my tail between my legs sulk away! So more test tubes are on the way and while I was making them I wanted to add a couple of bottles with corks. This one has a vintage game piece on it with the cutest picture of a little boy on his pony!

"If you want a stable friendship, get a horse!" Perfect for a little cowboys room! Ofcourse I think there are some holes in that saying, but I still thought it was too cute!

So there you have it! A little bragging, a happy dance, and some exciting (well for me) news to share with you on this beautiful Saturday! Yes, you heard me right... A Beautiful Saturday! The sun is out and I am headed outside to replant all of my flowers that drowned this past weeks torrential downpours we experienced. I hope I haven't lost any, we'll see.

Some of these will go to the show and some of them will be added to my shops, still working on filling those up too! Good thing I'm not doing a post on home decoration because unless I can turn dust bunnies into something fabulous, there is nothing new here to show you!!! LOL!!

I hope your Saturday is fabulous!

Thanks for stopping by, Theresa xoxo

I'm all over the place for this White Wednesday!

Today has been a good day, as in I can tell Duane I got things accomplished, but when he sees the dishes in the sink he won't believe me! To me a good day is listing things in my etsy stores, creating, making a good dinner (on time) and of course visiting with you, my friends with a few giggles thown in for good measure! Max usually supplies those! You won't believe how much I have wanted to post on here but either I was too busy or there really wasn't anything very interesting to tell you, and you know I'm allllll about interesting! Yeah right! Just humor me o.k.? I Am Interesting! Now I sound like Stewart Smalley! LOL But I digress... I just can't pass up posting for White Wednesday so here I am... The porch has changed a little, the wreath from before blew off the door and so has been replaced. This one is just temporary though, I really think it needs to be bigger. I love this print and it usually ends up out here in the summer, the flowers are so pretty in it and well I just love it.

Can you believe my friend Julie couldn't find anywhere in her home for this bust? Well I love it and it now sits on the mantel. Thanks Julie! xoxo

O.K. the next few things are my recent finds while going to the few garage sales I have been able to hit. This lampshade is beautiful! It is some kind of shell all pressed together, it has some damage at the top and so it is on my list of make-overs. I think all I have to do is add a ruffle to the top and it will be as good as new! I have the bad spot turned to the back for now and I am going to look for a better lamp for it but for now I just like turning it on and admiring it's beauty.

See? Beautiful.

More beauty. What is it about utilitarian objects that can get my heart pumping? Something so petite as a wisk broom and you'd think I found a buried treasure! You get it right?

And then there is this ragged dictionary, I bought it to use the pages in future art projects. It's enormous, weighing in at over 10 pounds but I can't get myself to tear this one up. It is in it's own way beautiful to me. It reminds me of the dictionary races we used to have when I was in school and let me tell you if that would have been considered a sport well lets just say it was the one time I wouldn't have been chosen last! I'm just sayin, not braggin.

Another recent find are these little spice chef jars. OMG too cute! These are listed in theoldwhitehouse and let me tell you, whoever buys them will smile every time they look at them on their shelf!

I've shown these before but have finally been able to take them outside for slightly better pics. and now they are filled with vintage buttons and silver mica. They are listed as well in both theoldwhitehouse and theinoriginals. I decided to do some in both. We'll see how that works out. I have been spending a bit of time doing research on how to get my shops noticed and increase my sales. I'll be trying out some of the ideas I've learned and see how they go and you know I'm all ears if anyone has any tips for me.

One of the things I read today was that a lot of listing in your shop will increase sales... I'm going to give it a try. I have more things to add and hopefully the sun will cooperate for me so I can take more pictures, and then squeeze in the time it takes to list everything. I just keep telling myself the little train story. I think I can, I think I can...

My family already complains about how much time I spend on here (the computer) so I try and explain that it takes awhile to post pics, and well I don't have to go into detail, you know what it takes. I do try to do it while everyone is in school but that is also the time I use to run errands, clean the house, do the laundry, blah, blah, blah. Again I digress...

I really like the way these turned out and filling them with goodies to craft with just makes them that much better!

They also come wrapped all special so that they look like you just got yourself a little present.

Well that's it for now. I will be back soon with more to share... Did you all get your Good Housekeeping Magazine to see Libbies Sweet Annie in it? There is special girl for you. The article is wonderful, you won't want to miss it. If you don't know Libbie you really need to! Her and her sister Kate are at the top of my list of must read blogs. They always manage to brighten my day and bring a smile to my face. They are both super creative and tell the best stories, really do yourself a favor and if you don't know them go over for a visit and say hello. You will be so happy you did!

Well you know I'm linking this up to White Wednesday, thanks Kathleen! I'm also linking up to Boardwalk Bragfest, thanks to you too Jan!

O.k. now thanks to all of you for stopping by, Theresa xoxo