The Good, the Bad, and the somewhat Ugly

I finally finished several redo projects...some I love, some...not so much.  I think my "cloches" turned out beautifully (guess that's tooting my own horn but I didn't expect them too, lol).  All of these are candle vases in some form.  I turned them upside down.  The middle one didn't need a thing.  The shorter one and the taller one had glass handles glued on along with some embellishments.  The stands were wooden candlesticks that were painted green.  I sprayed them black and added a disk to the top for a broader base to display items on.  It's a little hard to see in the picture because they are black and the table top is dark.

The Good

My next project was a great idea that I got from another blog (and I'm sorry I can't remember which one, so if you recognize it, shoot me an email so I can give you the credit due!).  I found a beautiful sheet and valance at the GW to make a play tent for the yard.  Well, we picked up 2 hula hoops for the top of each and attached them with buttons.  The bad part...it's too small for my girl to play in!  I didn't quite measure how big it would turn out so, sadly, it looks more like an outdoor shower than a play tent.  Oh well.  She appreciated the thought and will probably do something with it.

The Bad

Finally, the ugly...it's not that ugly.  I just ended up not liking them in the bedroom where I had intended to put them.  Ok, here's the before...now that IS ugly!

The Ugly and yes, that's pink!

Now for the after...not bad and I don't have new hardware yet but, like I said, I just didn't like where I put them.

The top is a crackled finish in dark umber.  The bottom is cream that I antiqued with the same dark umber. These may end up as resales as I have no where else in the house for them.  I'm going to Hobby Lobby tomorrow for the hardware.  Have you seen their selection of knobs and drawer pulls!?!  Oh my!! 

Well, one last project to post.  I loved this one and it's been a long time in coming.  I purchased the original frame several years ago.  It was bright yellow and pink.  I removed the inside which was actually old tin covered in newspapers from the 1950s and then cardboard which was painted pink.  I loved the look of the old tin.  It already looked like a chalkboard AND you could write on it with chalk!  How great is that?!  I painted the trim in cream.  It appears white in the picture but it's cream.  It hangs in my kitchen and has already been quite useful for my youngest to post her birthday wishlist.  Enjoy!

The Before

The After (sorry, wasn't using my good camera for this one)

Great giveaway from Yvonne at StoneGable

Just had to share a great giveaway going on at StoneGable blog.  It's a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker!  I'd love to have one of these.  Check it out here:
http://s888.photobucket.com/albums/ac89/stonegable/?action/>
Good luck!

A Few Thrifting Finds

Well, I said I would post some of my finds so here's a few.  The silver dish was 79 cents because it had the florist foam still attached.  I removed most and loaded the dish with some of my sea shells.  The table was found at a yard sale a couple of years ago for $3!  I love the old farm style of it. 

The stone piece was found at a local antique store for $9 for a set of two.  I also found the aqua blue insulator from the old telephone poles.  I love the color and it was only a buck!  The starfish were puchased at the beach on a vacation.  I LOVE seashells and have a huge collection that are stuck in jars, containers, dishes, whatever...all over the house. 

More shells!  The vase is from Old Time Pottery.  They were having a huge sale and this great piece was a little over $4...what a deal : )  It's kind of dangerous for me to live in a city with an Old Time Pottery store.

This little grouping came together sort of by accident.  I found the black pedestal at the antique store for $1.  I wanted to use it somehow on my island.  I knew it would include my birds and the pale blue color somehow.  When playing around with the arrangement, I thought of using the cookbook to add height to one of the pieces.  I didn't like the dust cover so I removed it to a wonderful surprise...the original book is a wonderful aqua blue color!!  If you don't have a copy of The Joy of Cooking, you should definitely be on the lookout for one.  I now have 3 copies...one for each daughter's hopechest.  I actually began reading this cookbook after seeing the movie Julie and Julia (one of my favorites).  I had never considered reading a cookbook but I learned so much!  I haven't tried any of the recipes yet but it's on my list of things to try.

Well, that's just a few of the items I found.  I have a couple more that were projects that I wanted to complete before revealing them.  They are now finished and I hope to have before/after pictures for you soon!  Hope you've enjoyed visiting.

Hylabrook

I visited my favorite antique store today...Hylabrook Antique Mall in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Being the 4th of July, the booths were decorated in red, white, and blue.  I went in search of...nothing in particular except bargains, whatever they be and did I ever find them.  I think I spent over 2 hours there.  I actually went in before lunch and was in there so long that I was starving but I didn't want to leave yet.  Becky, the sweet saleslady (and someone I've known for years from my antiquing ventures) shared some cookies with me so that I could make it through.  Antiquing is hard work, you know, I needed some sustenance to make it through my treasure seeking adventure!  Anyway, after 2+ hours, I emerged from there with about 6-7 bags of goodies for less than $60!  I haven't unpacked the car yet so I'll get pictures posted of my finds as soon as they're unloaded.  In the meantime, enjoy some pics I took of the booths...and, if you're ever in the Murfreesboro area, be sure to stop by and check them out.  Click here for their information. 

I took this because I love old, mismatched silver.

This booth always has an eye-catching display!

Primitives and ironstone

Really wanted these cuties but they were $14.95 each : ( 

And the glasses would have gone so well with this! 

I hope you enjoyed.  I'm going to get some sleep.  I need my energy tomorrow to unpack my goodies!

Local Antique Store

Well, I remembered to put a camera in my purse for the next time I ran across a great find that I wanted to share.  So, with my camera in my purse, I had to visit an antique store or what's the use?!  So, I stole a few hours for myself this afternoon and visited a local antique store.  It was actually their window displays that drew me in...like I needed enticing.  Anyway, as I entered and met the owner, I asked if I could take pictures for my blog.  She was delighted for me too.  I had so much fun.  A little too much fun looking as I forgot to get my camera out until I left.  I must have gone into treasure hunting mode and obviously forgot the purpose for my visit.  I did remember, however, to ask the owner if it would be okay to link to their website.  So, here it is!  http://www.walnutandvine.com/  You can actually see new items for sale as well as some sales on their website.  Just to let you see what enticed me, I did get a picture of the front windows before I left.

  I promise I'll get more pictures next time!!