Holy Grail

Every collector has a handful of items that they covet. The kind of thing that they would love to add to their collection. Most of the time, those items seem kind of unattainable, especially if you're the kind of collector who doesn't have the money to just go out and buy what you want at any price.

But, sometimes, you get lucky....

The kids had Bible School a couple weeks ago. It was held about 20 minutes from our house for two hours for four days. I didn't want to drop them off, drive home and drive back every night, so I found ways to amuse myself. The last night of Bible School, there was an auction in town. A small auction. And, of course, it fell on the one night where I had to go back to Bible School early to watch the kids' program. But, I still had an hour to spend. I got there about an hour and a half in to the auction. They were just getting started on a trailer full of household items. I scoped it out and found an entire box full of Pyrex and Fire King bowls. The best was a PAIR of these pink striped Pyrex mixing bowls. I have been wanting this bowl for a while, but I wasn't seeing them "in the wild", and I wasn't willing to pay the shipping on eBay. I ended up getting the entire box for less than $45. It had three out of four of the Pyrex primary colored mixing bowls, these two pink striped bowls, a pink banded Fire King bowl and a white painted fruit Fire King bowl! That's a lotta bowls for the price!

So, I was thinking had found my prize for the night. Until I saw them hold up this Fire King tulips range set. This is a true holy grail kind of item. This set sells for about $200. Apparently, I was the only person there that night, who recognized their value, because I paid less than $40. I was giddy!!

Apparently, I've been a very good girl this year, because this past Saturday, Roger and I were visiting an estate sale on our block and I saw this Singer Featherweight machine sitting on the floor. I took a look at the price, shut that box and declared, "MINE!" These little beauties sell for at least $300. I paid $75. Now, THAT is a true holy grail moment!

All three of these lovelies are staying in my personal collection, because frankly, they are things I love, and I'll never get that kind of deal again.

Linking up with Thriftasaurus!

Vintage Glamour

Remember back in the 80s and 90s when Glamour Shots were all the rage? You went to a studio, and they used a can of hairspray and a make up trowel to make you glamorous so they could take some delightfully awkward pictures of you.

Yeah. Here's mine circa 1994:

Try not to laugh.

So, fast forward 20 years. I'm driving home from work and I see a sign for a photography studio specializing in pin-up style photography. I love pin-up artwork. It's cute. It's glamorous. It's fun and sexy. I do a little Facebook research and discover that Aleycia from Eye Kandy Pin Up Photography has just moved her studio into town.

Roger turned 40 years old last month and our 16th wedding anniversary is this Friday. Those seemed like good excuses to have some fun photos taken of myself!

I knew I wanted to feature the bicycle that Roger built for me. And, I love how they turned out. 

Aleycia did my hair and make up, and she had a room full of outfits to choose from. Look at my hair! That hair made me want to weep. It was so beautiful. When she said, "What about victory rolls?" I nearly jumped out of the chair. "Oh, yes, please! I've always wanted that!"

The worst part of the day was having to take my hair down before Roger got home. This was all a big secret surprise, remember?

There is also a set of photos from this day that are for Roger's eyes only. (Okay, a few of my girlfriends have seen them.) Nothing that would disqualify me from the Miss America pageant, but you know, the interwebs don't need to know everything about me!

Roger was definitely surprised and pleased with his birthday gift. I think he was mostly impressed that I hauled that monster bike out of the house, into the van, out of the van, into the van and back into the house all by myself!

If you get the chance to do something like this, go for it! It's fun! It makes you believe in how beautiful you are. And it's definitely a better kind of "glamour shot".

Red Barn Outdoor Market Spring 2014

A couple weeks ago, we spent a very windy, very sunny day out in Butler County at the Red Barn Outdoor Market. The wind broke our tent about halfway through the show, so we had to walk it out and take it down. While people were still shopping!! Then I spent the afternoon getting a sunburn on my arms. The market organizer, Nicole, took some beautiful pictures of our merchandise (and Roger) that I wanted to share with you!

A basket full of How & Why books. These have such great illustrations!

Rubber squeaky lambs. And, if that Rummy board behind them does not sell soon, I am keeping it!! I've had it for years and it gets picked up a hundred times at every show, but no one takes it home. Makes me sad.

Minnow buckets, tackle boxes and a chicken mail sorter. The tackle boxes sold to our lovely neighbors.

There's Roger! Looking "cool" and keeping our tent on the ground. Frankly, things were much less stressful after we took that thing down!

We took our beautiful surrey to the show, knowing that it would be a great eye catcher! It sold within the first hour, but hung out at the booth all day. At one point, I looked up to find that three little girls were taking it for a joy ride! The adorable little drivers were quickly apprehended. :)

All in all, a very fun day! Can't wait for the fall market!

New stuff for the trailer

I originally intended to create a space for the kids in my trailer, because they go nuts if they can't access me at any time of the day. I put in a cute little vintage school desk for them to use. However, after using the trailer for a few months, I've found that they mostly just want to hang out in the reading nook. And, I want a comfy chair to sit in. So, I picked this up the other day at an auction for $3.00.

That's right, three dollars. There is no better place to buy cheap chairs than at an auction. Great vintage vibe, good neutral color, quality upholstery. It's comfy, and I can throw my leg over the arm of it when I'm reading!

Pretty soon, I'll never need to leave the trailer!

Weekend Finds

Sometimes, you find love where you didn't even know it was lurking!

I bought an broken orange laundry basket full of these Edward Mobley rubber squeak toys at an auction on Saturday. When I first saw these, I thought they were just ceramic figures. When I inspected them more closely, I completely fell in love. This was THE item to get.

They're dated 1960-1963. All four squeak and the three larger animals all have heads that rotate. The puppy and large lamb both have "sleep eyes" that close when they're tilted back. Unfortunately, Lambie's eyelashes have been a bit damaged, but she's still very sweet.

The puppy and kitty are going to go live in my trailer for now. I fall further in love with them every time I look at them. That puppy's cocked ear just slays me!

This is my "ugly lamp" purchase of the day.

It's a floor lamp that stands about five feet tall, I think. I love those hanging red globes! I really think this will be an easy sell. It's just so, so....SOMETHING! And if it doesn't sell? I'll find a place for it myself!

Linking up with Thriftasaurus!

Where have I been?

Well, now that the craft trailer is done, what more is there to say? I'm sure you think I've dropped off the planet. Or that I've barricaded myself in the trailer and I'm never coming out.

I've been making stuff. I made this for the trailer. You can find the pattern here. Not really made in the trailer, but definitely for the trailer. It's a fun pattern. A bit challenging because a lot of the work is done behind the previous round, but it goes pretty fast. And I always find it fun to change colors a lot. It keeps me from getting bored.

The trailer is absolutely divine. Sometimes, I just stand in there and think, "I cannot believe this is mine." I am able to actually accomplish and finish things. There are no distractions in the trailer. (Unless the kids join me.) No computer, no food (usually), just my stuff. And, everything I need is right there. I'm not hunting all over the house for what I need.

So far, I have done scrapbook pages, made a mini album for a baby shower, made a doll's dress, made Sally's Easter dress, and added cuffs to a vintage coat. All in my own happy space.

The Big Reveal!

This is it. The big trailer reveal. It's done. Sort of. Mostly. Let's face it, it will never be done, done. There are still windows to be replaced. The outside is not fully polished. I've got lots more decorating to do. We want to build a deck around it. But, it's workable. It's cute. I've even done a couple of projects in there!

So, a whole bunch of before and after pictures for your viewing pleasure. And, as a side note, it took pretty much one year to get to this point.

So, there it is! I can't believe it is mine. I really can't. The other day I was standing in there, cutting the fabric for my curtains and I thought to myself, "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Truly.

This is happening!

On New Year's Day, we spent the afternoon in the trailer cleaning and working on details. After all the sanding Roger had to do on the table, that end of the trailer was covered in a not so thin layer of sawdust. I vacuumed, wiped and wiped again. I even got down on the floor to clean up all the dirt and marks from the construction phase. (And we promptly messed it up again by tracking in snow.)

We added these gorgeous brackets to the doorway of the reading nook. These lovelies were in a box of miscellaneous brackets that I bought at an estate sale. Roger spray painted them red, and I love the little bit of color they add to the doorway.

The reading nook is all cleaned out, and the mattress is in place. In fact, the kids spent some time in there yesterday watching a movie.

Roger did some touch up painting. He even touched up the inside of the closet. That's the difference between us. I would have left the closet as is. Who's going to see it anyway?

We added these chrome handles to the closet doors.

After all the cleaning and touch up was done, I couldn't resist moving in some of the bigger items. We brought in the sewing machine, filing cabinet, rolling cart, chair, stool and typewriter stand.

Did I mention it was snowing when we did this? The kind of snow that blows straight in your face, like tiny pieces of glass. But, it's happening! I'm starting to move stuff in! The only "construction" related project that needs to be finished is putting doors on the reading nook storage area. And those doors are built, primed and partially painted. Roger said he'll be able to install them tomorrow. Granted, there are still windows to be replaced, but that's nothing that will keep me from moving in and using my craft space.

Tonight, I took my yarn stash out to the closet. I love, love, love the way this looks. I used four hanging shoe organizers, and they fit perfectly in the closet. At first, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to fit more than one skein in each slot. But, then I realized that yarn is smooshy! I can cram at least two full standard sized skeins in each one. I think I'm going to try something similar with my fabric stash.