A Really Good Auction....A Rare Find.

My post title is little deceptive.  I didn't acquire a rare find.  The fact that it was a good auction is the rare find!  It seems I hit a really good auction only about once a year.  Really great auctions are getting harder and harder to come by.  I knew when I saw the online listing it was decent, but I had no idea it would be this good.  I almost didn’t go!  I had slept terribly that night and could barely get myself out of bed.  In fact, I only arrived 15 minutes before the start time, when I usually like to be there an hour before.

I could (and did) write a really long post and the trials and tribulations of this auction.  The dealers from hours away, the long wait I endured until they got to the items I was interested in, the bidding wars I lost.  I'll spare you the long and sorted details and get to the heart of it.  I came home with a car-load of stuff!  It was the Christmas motherload!  Despite the dealers from far and wide I got these boxes on the cheap!  I was on cloud nine!

Here's what my kitchen center-island looked like when I unloaded.

Sunday morning it came time to sort.  I sorted and sorted.  It became mind-boggling the amount of stuff!  I had to take a break and clear my mind!  Monday the sorting resumed.  Garage sale piles, Ebay piles, keep piles.  Decisions, decisions.  I've tried to make this post as neat as possible, so you are probably only seeing about a third of it.  I may break it up into a couple posts, too.  However, this is the bulk of it.

Trees of all sorts.  I counted 37, I think.

Knee-huggers.  All sizes and types.

Glass Garland.  Some still in the package.  Wow!

Tinsel garland.  Some old, some not.

Would you call these icicles or some sort?

A super assortment.  The figural vase was in one of the first boxes I bought.  When I won the lot at a great price I thought it could be the beginning of a wonderful day.

Picks, bells and all kinds of crafty goodness!

Trims of all sorts!

Amazing, isn't it?  I wish I could say that a full week later all this stuff is neatly sorted, priced and packed but it's not.  It simply migrated to the basement, piled along the walls in boxes, bags and flats.  This will be a big job for some time to come!

President's Day - Altered Box

Happy President's Day everyone!  Funny thing, I wasn't thinking about posting today.  This morning I took my coffee down to my craft room and was looking for something to work on.  I've had this vintage box for a while now.  I finally began playing with it a few weeks ago, when I quickly ran out of inspiration.  As I was working on it today the light bulb went on!  The perfect motivation to finish it and post!

The image was found on an internet search which took me to Encore Ephemera. 

My husband would give me a hard time if I decorated for President's Day!  So, packed away 'til summer it goes!

Under the Gun!

Well, my foray back into the blogging world hasn't been as seamless as I would have liked.  I've been trying to keep up with Reader, leaving a few comments and I still feel I'm falling short.  It's not helping that, I have TWO blogs, let me tell you.  Still, I am determined to get in this post before Valentine's Day is over!

The Hoosier cabinet was spiffed up a bit, with mostly vintage bird Valentine's.

Hanging them off this ribbon allowed me to show off quite a few.

I was scrambling for an idea for the few baseball themed Valentine's I have.  This idea is very mediocre, but it has potential.  It's a handmade pencil holder I bought at a garage sale for 50¢ and the copper rods that came out of my library card catalog cabinet.  It's been up for a few weeks and I've never taken the time to tweak it....never got a better idea.

Thanks so much to Sonya @ Dime Store Thrift for this wonderful wreath idea.  I finally got around to making one.  The whole time I was constructing it I was certain it would end up in the trash!  I didn't think I had enough bulbs, I was unsure of the bulb placements.  I ended up loving it!  Truth be told, though, my technique leaves a lot to be desired.  When I hung it up, everything shifted and two balls fell off.  Another is broken and still holding on.  This picture is AFTER this happened.....so don't look too close!  I figure I'll fix it after the season.

Whew!  Mission accomplished!  Feels good.

PS- After checking out my post, it seems to me my pictures are blurry.  Plus, the pictures were a bit on the small side.  I changed a few things and made them bigger....are they too big?  I'd love to have your input.

Daughter's Valentines - Conversation Hearts

I do have another Valentines post to make but I thought I'd get this in, just in case somebody is in need of a quick and easy Valentine idea.  This isn't a new one.  My friend Jeannie sent me this idea, probably two years ago!  Well, I finally made them.  So cute and easy, I don't know what took me so long.

Aren't they the cutest?  And oh, so easy!  The idea originally came from Family Fun magazine.

I guess the only "glitch" is that now there's the Ipod touch.  Do they even make them like this anymore?
Just wonderin', have you seen this craft before?

Hee! Hee!  I see my watermark from my papercrafting blog....ooops!

Can I Sneak This In?

It's been sooooo long!  I may be talking to myself and I would be OK with that. It would be fitting, considering I haven't been visiting blogs either, not on a regular basis.  Still here I am, at the very least, keeping a visual record on my "treasures."

I have done a few crafty things in the past year.  I should get around to posting them sometime.  Considering the time of year,  I'll share my more recent projects, Valentine's projects.  So, here we go!

My mantel seems the easiest place to start.  I made these crepe paper flowers this year.  Using THIS tutorial.

I actually made these silhouette portraits of my kids last year, but I never posted them.  These are mounted on two cork-backed coasters bought from the dollar store!

Shhhh!  Don't tell, but these are actually two angels I had out at Christmas.  I think they can fit into multiple holiday decors!  The heart vase was an estate sale buy last year.

A little sparse here.  I wanted to share my favorite "G" man Valentine.  Plus, the easel I made to hold it.

I took a stab at this project after seeing it.....somewhere in blogland.  Not a bad first effort, but it's amazing how difficult it was to bend exactly where you wanted without moving other parts.

So, I don't want to spill everything at once.  I need to keep myself interested, too.  Interested in posting that is!  Check out my previous post if you want to see the banner that is still up, and my anthropomorphic Valentine's.  I wasn't up for the editing my ceiling fan out of those photos another time!

Love Banner

This is a first for me.  I am posting this on both my blogs.  Here and on Stampin' Garden.

I have been wanting to make a banner for a few years now.  I made it my mission to get one done this weekend....and that's what it took, the better part of a weekend.  I will say I am happy with the results, though.

I contemplated every detail, over and over.  I pulled out all the tricks in my bag.  I used my Cricut, vintage trims and lots of Stampin' Up! paper.  I tried a few new things along the way.

The red tulle on the "L" that came out of an auction box lot. 

Using lots of pearls and scrunchy tissue flowers on the "O."

The glitter heart on the "V" that I topped with Crystal Effects so that no glitter flakes off.

The vintage seam binding on the "E" that I crinkled and made my bow.

Here's my mantel with my favorite vintage valentine's.

I'm in love.

Yep, It's Rednesday and Life Has Been Good.

Hello everyone!  Can you believe this is my second post of the new year?  Not that 2010 was bad, but something unexpected came over me at the beginning of 2011.  A sense of contentment and calm.  I didn't make a resolution.  It wasn't a conscience decision.  It just happened.  So, instead of trying to figure it out.  Maybe over-think it, like I tend to do, I am going with it. 

Thrifting has been good.  Gas prices have kept me from venturing out too much, but those few times really paid off.  This is only about half of my haul.  The other half, when I post it, will be less colorful.  I had to group all these together for Rednesday!  Yeah!   Sue @ Sue Loves Cherries is our wonderful hostess!

Of course I was hoping to find Valentine's to add to my collection.  I collect mostly birds, baseball and anthropomorphic foods.  I only found two, but two is better than none, right?

I love, love, love the Constitution book.  It's from 1936. I totally forgot it would be missing a few amendments...six to be exact!  It will be a great addition to my patriotic items.  As will the cupcake picks.  I found the ones on the right first.  They are 48 star flags.  They were sold be the piece and I resisted buying them all and went with 6.  Then I ran across the bag of 50 star picks for less than the price of my original 6!  Now to use them!

The fabric, I hope to use recovering my kitchen chairs as soon as I can find a suitable tablecloth to cut up.  I thought this fabric might make a good skirt on those chairs.  I guess we'll see.

The price was right on the glasses, so hopefully I will find a few more somewhere in my travels.

The felt covered heart beads are new.  I actually have a few projects in mind, but in typical fashion, I'm a little behind.  Of course I will share anything I complete!

Now I need to run.  I heading to Mom and Dad's today.  They bought a new computer and yours truly setting it up for them.  I am hoping to hit a few thrift store along the way.....