Good news / Bad news

Well, I have some bad news and some good news.  Bad for ME.  GOOD for you.  The bad news first.  This is what the passenger side of my car now looks like:

It actually looks a lot WORSE in person.  You can’t really see how DEEP the dent is in the photo.  It’s deep enough that I can’t open that door anymore.  I’m fine.  My car, notsomuch!   Thanks to another driver in a parking lot who ‘saw me but thought I was going to let him to go by’, even though he had a STOP sign and I had the right of way.

Currently dealing with insurance and just waiting to hear what they decide.  Here’s the ‘back story’.  The ‘Cruiser’ is 15 years old and has served me well for the past 7 years.  I definitely ‘got my money’s worth’ out if it.  Because it’s got such a low resale value at this point, it was futile for me to have full coverage on it anymore; and most likely it is going to be deemed ‘totaled’.  And while I knew the day was coming, in the not too distant future, that I was going to have to replace it, I really can’t afford to do so just yet.  I was really hoping to get at least another year out of it.  It’s still driveable, but isn’t going to be worth squat as a trade in.  sigh.

So, what’s the GOOD news?
The good news is that because I need to drum up considerably more funds to replace my vehicle, I’m having a 50% off sale in my booths at Stars.

Look for these red and white ‘50% OFF’ coupons in both of my booths.  You have to have a coupon to get the discount.  The discount is good for everything you purchase from my booths, through May 31, 2019.  After that, I’ll be extending the sale ‘as needed’, until I have enough to replace the Cruiser.

You can also print a coupon directly from the Stars website.   The coupon on the site will look a little different than the ones I printed on my PC, but the offer is the same.

I was just in Stars yesterday, rearranging and restocking, so there is a huge variety and selection of goods awaiting your shopping, and SAVING, pleasure!  And IF there is something that you have seen in my booth in the past and always coveted, but don’t see there just now; feel free to ASK ME!  It might just be something that I pulled and took home when I changed out inventory.  I’ll be happy to take it back in for you; and even have them HOLD it ‘just for you’ at the front desk.

Time for pictures!

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As you can see, both booths are jam-packed with goods.  I will continue to bring in MORE stock every week.   I’ll be making more and resupplying the coupons too.  IF, for some reason you can’t locate a coupon while you are there; ask them to CALL ME, and I will give them a verbal okay for your 50% discount.

So, come and get it while the gettin’s are half off!!

Stars is open 7 days a week; 11am – 6pm.

Hippity – hoppity . . . Easter’s on it’s way!

We had an amazing break in our winter weather last week that made me SO ready for Spring!  Our winter weather arrived late (February!) but hit HARD; as did my cabin fever.  Putting out the Spring and Easter product in my booths at Stars has really got me in the mood for ‘play outside weather’.

Since I’ve got the beach decor in my big booth, I put the Spring/Easter product in my wall space.  (Pardon that red bucket in the left corner.  It’s an OLD building and occasionally the roof leaks.)

Some cute vintage chicks and bunnies.  Ostrich sized faux eggs covered with vintage buttons.   Milk glass is great for using with your spring decor!

Vintage bell jars with hand shredded vintage book page ‘grass’ and gold leaf eggs.

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Custom blend of pink and gold paper shred to go with the packaged gold leaf and pink little eggs in the pink basket on the right.  Turquoise glitter eggs too.

More unique eggs for your spring display.  These are covered with ‘Paris’ themed paper.

Hand stitched felt eggs, embellished with vintage buttons and baby rick rack.

Gallon size mercantile jars filled with moss, nests and eggs.  Smaller jars with straw and eggs.  Big vase with nest and eggs under black wire cloche.

Cute mini take out boxes in Spring colors are perfect for filling with sweets to give to your friends at Easter Brunch.  Decorative faux cupcakes.

Plenty of cake and cupcake stands.  These are so versatile for use in your seasonal tablescapes for adding height and dimension.

Upcycled journals.

Reproduction vintage style chicks from an estate sale.  I gave them lace crowns and nestled them into some cozy nests.

Hand painted faux eggs in turquoise ceramic pots and buckets.

LOTS of new frames, big and small, just stocked.

LOVE this reproduction Gothic arched window pane.  I’m still on the fence about selling it.  It just might come home with me on my next trip!

Vintage white shutter with handcrafted twiggy wreath.

Youth size white rocking chair.  Vintage wash bowl and pitcher.

One of a kind little upcycled suitcase end table with ‘hairpin’ metal legs.

Black occasional tables.  The bottom one is distressed oak, the top one with  the scalloped apron and curvy legs is a satin finish.  Will be removing all the darker furniture in the not too distant future; replacing it with lighter colors for Spring and Summer.

Not quite matching pair of vintage canning jar lamps.  The jars are the same size but different brands.  The shades are the same color, but slightly different shapes.  Each sold separately; $29.00.

Vintage jewelry box with seashell motif paper.

Assorted crates and carriers; perfect for use with your spring decor.

Stars is open seven days a week; 11am – 6pm.

 

Time for another SALE @ STARS!!

Just what you need to fend off those winter blahs!!  Shopping therapy!

STARS 5-day sale

Thursday, February 28th – Monday, March 4th

11am – 6pm ~  Both stores.

I just took in TEN BOXES of fresh product this week to ready my booths for the sales.

I brought in my beach cottage decor.

 Mermaid crowns, shell topped bottles, beachy lanterns and candles.

How fabulous is this shabby white wood trough?!?  I’ve used it to display some beach decor in, (floating starfish frames, white glittered sugar starfish and some metal bowl fillers) but you could use it for dozens of other things.  Perfect piece for the center of your farmhouse table.

I made these sweet little beach lamps.  Found the lamps at an estate sale, and filled the clear glass bases with an assortment of shells and beach glass.

These one of a kind lamps are $49.00 each.  OR $49.00 for BOTH during the sale!

The shabby beachy crates UNDER the table are for sale too!

These fishbowl beachscapes are so much fun to make.

These little ‘six section crates’ make handy little display shelves for smaller items.

Small sea glass wreaths, framed pictures and framed shells.  Beverage bottles and shell topped bottles.

Beachy wreaths and framed shells are hung on the side of my other booth.

***Helpful hint:  If you have some starfish or shells that you want to mount and frame, use a piece of sandpaper for the backing. 

Vintage ironstone creamers, sugar bowls, soup/cereal bowls and butter bells.  Vintage glass snack sets and apple shaped snack plates.

Lots more Ironstone dishes and cake stands.

I’ve added lots of newly procured vintage milk glass pieces too.

Two little pink chairs and a little pink scalloped edge shelf, perfect for a little girl’s room.  Upcycled male and female mannequins are great decor pieces.

Regular price on the male is $129.00 ($64.50 at half off during the sale)  Female mannequin is $155.00 ( $77.50 at half off during the five-day sale only)

My wall booth is stocked plentifully for the sale too!

Pretty white frames, gold glitter metal crown, big vintage jar filled with dried Hydrangea (from my very own garden!) sweet little crystal accent lamp.

Another little accent lamp, this one is an upcycled vintage Ball Mason jar, next to an upcycled vanity mirror tray.   Unique shape, narrow bird cage.  Gold cherub jewelry box and gold metal cake stand.

Little brown glass jars and itty bitty glass vials with plastic lids.  I’m really not sure what people use these little jars and vials for, but they always seem to sell well.

Vintage lamp tables.

Heavy duty set of wicker nesting tables with cast iron legs.  Priced individually at $29.00, $39.00 and $49.00; because if I priced them as a set ‘someone’ will want to buy just one of them.  Pricing them individually just makes it easier.  Of course you can buy the entire set still; you just don’t HAVE to.

50% OFF SALE PRICE FOR THE SET OF 3 IS $58.50.

There are three graduated sizes of these metal tables too, but they don’t ‘nest’.  They will ‘stack inside each other’ for transporting, but they have to be displayed individually.  (It’s kind of difficult to explain without being able to show you!)  They make nice little plant of lamp stands and are light weight enough to hang on the wall.

It’s difficult to see the second one in the picture on the left.  It’s just below the other one, and I used the third one under one of the beach lamps.

A new batch of hand crafted paper feathers, made from vintage book pages and sheet music.  I made this batch of the differently than I did the first ones.  Tutorial to follow soon.  Upcycled gold metal cloche on upcycled metal dessert stand.  Vintage cherub statues.

Get out and get yourself some BARGAIN SHOPPING THERAPY at Stars!

This, That and the other.

THIS:

Time for another STARS SALE!  Four full days: Friday, January 18 – Monday, January 21, 2019.  This sale is called their ‘Haggle Sale’.  Many vendors will be on hand to bargain with you on the price.  Everything in both of my booths is HALF OFF during the sale.

STARS IN OPEN 11AM – 6PM, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

THAT:

I am no longer selling my items at the Pink Door in Aurora, Oregon.

THE OTHER:

I finally have carpal tunnel surgery for my left hand scheduled for the end of this month, January 29th.  I’ve been ‘stuck in no crafting mode’ for months now because my left hand constantly goes numb, and my hand brace is no longer helping.   Since I need both hands to type, I will probably not be posting much in my blog or on Facebook for a couple of weeks afterward.

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I took some additional inventory in for both of my booths this week, in preparation for the sale.  Here’s a peek:

I found some fabulous Jane Austen post cards, with very witty and surprisingly relevant quotes on them.  I’ve framed several of them (as shown above) for use as unique decorative pieces; and I also have ‘just the post cards’ available for purchase.

Several vintage cherubs have taken up residence in my booth for Valentine’s Day decor.

Both free-standing cherubs and ones that can hang on the wall.

I added some more hand stitched hearts.  Many are not ‘Valentine specific’ and could be used year round.  Coordinated sets of them in everyday colors are packaged and ready to fill your favorite little bowl.

Lots of glass cloches, wire cloches and glass containers make perfect displays for a few little hearts too.

Valentine banners and signs.  The one banner that is tied up in a bundle is 8′ long!!  Too long for me to hang for display in my booth; but perfect size for a party!

Happy shopping and SAVING!!

Beach Cottage Decor now at Stars

I rearranged my wall space at Stars and put out all the beach cottage decor.

I brought in my shabby white crates to create shelves for the booth.

A couple of shabby blue nightstands tucked in there, and a white wall shelf.

A sweet vintage shabby white child’s chair and a little three legged foot stool.

Shell topped jars, shell filled jars and shell candle jars.  A little round table with a shabby white trug on top.

Distressed turquoise frames with ‘floating’ white fingerling starfish.  Some BIG sugar starfish, painted white and glittered.

A shabby vintage spice rack filled with little jars of shells and sea glass.  Some small mermaid crowns and a sugar starfish mounted atop a shabby white candle holder.

I did some rearranging and stocking of my big booth too.

Lots of stacks of old books, as always.

This giant turquoise cubby shelf is filled with vintage milk glass and Ironstone pieces.

Some additional, and smaller, cubby shelves.

LOVE this vintage chicken tureen!

I’ve added lots of this style of vintage Ironstone with the scalloped edges.

Beautiful hand painted vintage milk glass vase with gold accents and ruffled edge.  Gold glitter Eiffel Tower tags.  Little vintage vanity jars.  Old bottles and upcycled bottles with repro labels.

Vintage metal chair with new gold paint and pretty soft blue and gold Toile covered seat.

Come on by and check it all out.  The construction on the next block continues; BUT, they have not been blocking off the side street parking as much lately.

 

 

 

 

 

GOLD!

Yep, Gold.  While I’ve almost always had ‘little touches’ of gold mixed in with my offerings; all of a sudden I had a LOT of gold and decided to make it a focal point display on the back wall of my booth at Stars.

This wall is usually reserved for displaying my signs, but now that I have closed my etsy shop and am letting my sign supply dwindle, I can finally do some varying displays on the back wall.

This large gold metal wall basket is filled with upcycled gold framed cork boards.  Smallest ones start at $8.00 up to the largest priced at $19.00.

I’ve been holding onto this metal basket for YEARS!!  I always wanted to use it as a ‘bed crown’ by turning it upside down.  Alas, I don’t have enough room in my booth for a bed.  I finally decided to just use it as intended.

Here are some pictures from Pinterest of bed crowns, just in case you couldn’t quite picture what they are.

Gold framed shadow box can be used to display items IN the frame and on top of it.

 

This cute little metal frame was painted black when I bought it; but I could see that it had originally been gold.  I just refreshed the gold paint.

I extended the gold theme to below and beside the wall display.

I had actually been setting this gold stuff aside for next February’s Junk Salvation show.  Alas, the Washington County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall, where the show has always been held, was recently ‘condemned’ and deemed unsafe for use, and will be torn down in the very near future.  Sooooooooooooo . . . .  I will not be doing the show ‘one last time, for old time’s sake’.

I’m quite certain that ‘the show WILL go on’; in a different facility.  The promoter was already feeling like maybe it was time to look for a bigger space.  For me, given that it was going to be my LAST booth show anyhow, (health reasons) it’s just not worth the extra work to ‘get my bearings’ in a new facility.  Having a routine ‘down pat’ for delivering and setting up; and being close to my son’s job for him to help me unload, factored hugely in my capacity to do the show.  PLUS, the old location was super close to home for me; which was a BIG “+” factor for me in deciding to do the show.

So, next year I will have to settle for just being a spectator at the Junk show.  I’ll still keep you informed of the dates and new location.

Adding just a little color

Pair of pretty shell prints in monochromatic color scheme.  Initially I had looked at these ‘just for the frames’; but the frames were not removable.  I really liked the pictures, and usually I’m all about monochrome colors.  These were just TOO bland for me.

I have always liked this kind of ‘text book’ drawing; so I decided to buy them and see how difficult it would be to repaint the frames with NOT being able to remove them.

The hardest part of this quick make-over was taping the paper over the glass to protect it while I painted the frames.

A couple of quick coats of paint; then some sanding (sand BEFORE you removed the paper covering the glass!).  Just a touch of color; the distressing brings out the original frame color to coordinate with the pictures.

Which do you like better?  Original color or the aqua?

Beach cottage decor in my etsy shop

It’s been a while since I blogged about my etsy shop; so here you go!  A post about the great beach cottage decor items in my blog.

LOTS of Framed white fingerling starfish.

Great hung alone, or in a group.

OR hang a sea glass wreath with a couple of framed starfish.

 This is the very LAST of the sea glass wreaths that I will EVER be making.  I had stumbled upon a ‘once in a lifetime’ AMAZING buy on the glass to make these; and I’ve finally used it all up.

For as ‘simple’ as they appear to be; they are EXTREMELY time consuming to make also.  There is NO way I could actually charge for the amount of time I put into them. Lesson learned.   Even though they were so labor intensive that they can’t be make ‘profitably’; they really are beautiful in person.

When I first got the sea glass and was sorting through it, I had set aside a few ‘extra pretty’ pieces.  Some uniquely shaped; perfectly round or square or like gumdrops.  they were just too special to mix in with all the other pieces on the wreaths.  So, I put together some little ‘treasure’ boxes for them.

I custom blended this glitter for these mermaid crowns.

And of course, beach cottage SIGNS in my etsy shop!

Tiny Framed Faux Frozen Charlotte’s

Super simple project.  I made the Faux Frozen Charlotte’s some time ago using Fimo clay and a mold I bought.  Since the clay doesn’t keep well once opened; I make a big batch of them all at once, and stash them for use later when inspiration strikes.

They were perfect for these tiny oval frames I just found.

This cupboard is ‘Barbie-Doll’ size; the oval frames are about 2″ tall.

 I just removed the plastic cover on the frames (instead of glass) added backing from a vintage dictionary and glued on the Charlottes.  Quick & easy!

Ugly gold to shabby white :: Outdated / Updated mirror

Very cool, taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall skinny wall mirror with roses . . .but the gold???

Good candidate for a shabby make-over!

ALWAYS check the back before you buy, to be sure that the frame can be easily detached from the mirror for repainting.  I suppose you COULD ‘tape off’ a mirror to repaint it, but I’m just too lazy for that.  If the mirror can’t be EASILY removed and reattached, I pass.  (Time IS money when you are refinishing items to sell.)

This particular mirror backing was STAPLED in place??? Hmmmmmm.  But most of the staples had been previously removed and the mirror was really held in place by the tape shown in the last picture.  I decided the rest of the staples should come out easily too.

The staples did come out very easily.  I gave the frame a good cleaning to get all the dust out of all the nooks and crannies.

Roses just are not supposed to be GOLD!

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A couple of coats of an off-white spray paint and  LOT of hand sanding to bring out all the pretty details.

The bow at the top.

The tassel at the bottom.

And lots and lots of roses to sand, petal by petal.  I actually had to do the sanding in three or four sessions and give my hand a rest between!

Time to reattach the mirror.  I was not brave enough to attempt to staple it back in place, and tape was not reliable enough.  I had to GLUE the mirror back into the frame.  Using my trusty Aleen’s Tacky Glue, I ran glue along the inset and replaced the mirror.  Let that dry overnight, then filled the gap between the backing the the frame with MORE glue.

 LOVE how it turned out!

It’s in ‘storage’ for the time being.  Might end up saving it for next spring or the first of the new year.  Next booth ‘do-over’ will be Halloween stuff . . .then Christmas . . . .then . . . .  ALWAYS thinking ahead!