Thrifty Thursday Haul - Estate Sale

I've been fortunate to discover that in my area, there are two antique stores that each do a big "Estate Sale" once a month in the warehouse portion of their locations. I like that it's not all cramped in someone's house, and I try to make a point of checking them out each month. They used to be held on the same weekend so I could hit them up on the same day, but they've since altered their schedules so they're not stacked on top of each other. In any case, this past weekend was one of the sales, and I made a pretty decent haul!

If you don't want to watch my Thrifty Thursday Haul on YouTube, here's a peek at what I brought home from the estate sale. 

There was this lovely Asian tin. It's a bit faded, but I like it!

I got a variety of bits and bobs for my assemblage-making. Oh, and there are some lobster clasps too. I also got a baggie of buttons, but I had them sorted and put away before I could get the pictures taken. Ooops!

This was the big score though.

I actually did a bit of bargaining to get this lot of vintage photos. That type of bartering isn't usually in my nature. But, I really wanted them, went for it, and was rewarded for my efforts!

Now, I've got to find some room in my over-packed craft room to store all these treasures. Eek!

Have you found any treasures lately?

Thrifty Thursday - tiny but mighty haul

I do love a good deal and/or finding a special treasure at a thrift store or antique mall. This past month, I didn't have many opportunities to go treasure hunting as I was trying to stay safe. But, I did luck up with just a few items that I'm crazy over!

You can watch the video at the end of the post to see other details of what I got but, above is the gist of it. While at Southern Antiques and Accents to care for my booth, I walked around the antique mall for a little while and found both some flashcards and a box of awesome (more on that in a bit.) I ran into the Dollar Tree afterward for a few supplies and brought home a set of sweet valentine fabric bags. 

Now, for the real diamond in the rough!

This beautifully rusted box was tucked into the same booth as the flashcards and simply labeled "Railroad Box".

Inside was a bounty of typed and handwritten papers from the '40s.

(I put them in file folders myself to sort them.)

Here's a look at just some of what was in there.

I have to admit that it wasn't until after I filmed my video of the haul that I realized that the paperwork was from the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Railroad (GM&O) - where MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER WORKED IN THE '40s!!!! I've gone quickly through most of the papers looking for his name, to no avail. But, it's still so cool. 

I was worried that my husband would chide me for buying a metal box full of papers. So, I told him that I would cut the box up for jewelry if I needed to.

He informed me that I would do no such thing, "That box is too cool to be cut up." Yay!

That's all there was for January. But, less can be more. And, this was such an awesome haul! Here's my January Thrifty Haul video on YouTube if you want to see me show off these treasures. 

Have you found anything good lately?

Peek at My Week (July 5-11)

The weeks continue to fly by, and I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad one. But, I try to take a little time to appreciate each day that I'm given. I hope you do too. 

On Sunday, I noticed this discoloration on one of my hydrangeas. While I think it's striking, I'm fairly sure it's sick (can you see the black spots on the leaves?) I've gotten some advice on Facebook about how to handle it. 

At some point the week before last, I made a batch of ramen and we ended up eating the leftovers on Sunday. 

While it's an easy and delicious meal, it takes a TON of pots to get this simple soup made: one for the broth, one for the noodles, one for the eggs... See what I  mean. 

As usual, Monday was all about knocking out the errands like grocery shopping. But, on Tuesday, I was able to divert my attention some. 

While out with Zoe, I spied this bent mushroom. I can only assume that the stem could no longer support the head. 

I also made a run to Southern Antiques and Accents to add a few items to the booth. While there, I took a few minutes to poke around the other booths. I discovered an old autograph book in one that almost came home with me. The most unique thing about it was this page toward the back. 

How neat is that!?

I tried to knock quite a few things off my list on Wednesday including some picture-taking outside in the natural light.

I hate to wait between thunderstorms to get the opportunity. And, when I had the chance, it was too humid for my good camera lens. I ended up just using my phone outside and getting a few other shots back in the house near a window. 

I also walked around a little looking for flowers in the yard as a reminder that we do have a few things that bloom in the summer.

Most of our flowers in South Alabama are out in the Spring. It's just too hot in the summer for them.

On Thursday, I visited with my mom and niece as my niece needed someone with her for a dentist appointment. But, on Friday, I was back home and finally able to get close enough to this baby to take a picture.

We've all seen this baby bunny for days. It's just over a handful big and so stinkin' cute! 

On Saturday, we indulged in some pool time as relief from the unbearable heat. But, I didn't get any pictures of that to share. I was able to keep on track with my #The100DayProject all week. 

For Day 90, I was just slapping down scraps of paper from my desk. I made sure to include the doily that was assigned to that day. 

I really just played around on Day 91 also. The border stamps were all that needed to be on the page, but I decided to play with watercolor crayons and lots of mark-making too. 

I started to get back into gear on Day 92, but it took a lot of layers to get there. The gelatos that I needed to use were put down pretty early and are mostly covered up. But, they add to the layers.

Watercolors were all I needed to use for Day 93. I started with blobs and marks then moved to the face.

Some of my precious ledger papers needed to go into art on Day 94. While I was in a rush that day, I let myself take a little time to get this one just right. 

I never seem to use my alcohol inks in my art journals or on paper in general. So, I made an effort to just play and experiment with them on book pages for Day 95. Then, I cut circles from one of those pages to use in my journal. It worked out nicely.

This hot mess was the result of Day 96's attempt to layer two stencils. I just wasn't feeling it at all and finally just made myself finish it up with the sticker. 

I can't believe it's down to the last several days of the project. I'm not sure what will come next. I may try to continue to work in my journals each day, but I may also need to take a break to actually get some jewelry made. We'll see. I guess I need to make that decision soon. Ha!

Here's some inspiration from elsewhere on the internet.

• Brighten up your accessory collection by making some DIY Colorful Painted Bangles. 
• Please go take a look at these animal illustrations by Helen Ahpornsiri in which she uses dried flowers and leaves to make the pictures. They're breathtaking!
• Rings & Things shared a fun tutorial for making a pendant using clay and beads. 
• Moois Van Me always shares so many great earring tutorials. Here, she shares tips for taking great jewelry pictures. 
• This collection of pictures from a photography contest will absolutely mesmerize you. 
• Not long ago, I shared a link to several ways to upcycle jeans. I just found this tutorial for making pom-pom flowers with denim. 
• Here's an earring-making tutorial from Moois Van Me for you. She calls these Sun King Earrings. 
• There's something so heartbreaking and beautiful about this watercolor sink art. It's temporary but unforgettable. 
• I have fond memories of making seed bead daisy chains at Girl Scout Camp. This tutorial to make them from Lisa Yang brings back those summer memories. 
• Despite knowing how to make Kumihimo braids, I've never tried a pattern. This tutorial of 8-Stand Patterns might be a great place to start. 

I've been working on this post for hours and keep getting distracted. I think it's time to just get it posted. I hope you're staying inspired to create. Let me know what you've found that sparks your creativity!

CraftyHope at SAA Fairhope

Oh yes, it's Ladies Night!

 That's right...it's back. From 6-8 pm tonight, you can browse Southern Antiques and Accents with live music, drinks, and a 10% storewide discount. 

They do encourage everyone to practice social distancing and not come out if you're sick. I thought I'd share a little of what's available in my booth in case you're interested.

I recently stocked it for summer with loads of bright colors and fun accessories like the above pairs of earrings.

There's an array of necklaces that include artisan elements.

Beachy pieces are in stock.

 I made sure to put out my brightest tin necklaces.

I think these earrings are PERFECT for the Fourth of July!

 Of course, there are more subtle pieces like this crystal necklace. 

 Everything has a one-of-a-kind flair!

 But, you might see a few things that would work together!

 These firefly earrings and sailboat earrings are also great for the season.

 I'm sure there's something on the shelves that speaks your language!

 There's loads to explore in my one little booth, including a bottom shelf of sale and bargain bin items. 

And, then there's the rest of the store!

Whether you can make it to Fairhope tonight for Ladies Night or have to wait, you should definitely check out Southern Antiques and Accents at 254 South Greeno Road (behind the Pizza Hut) and be sure to follow the Southern Antiques and Accents Facebook Page and Instagram account. There's always something beautiful to see. 

Peek at My Week (March 1-7)

March, y'all...it's MARCH!! I don't even know how we got here. One of the local schools had prom last night, today is Daylight Savings, and Spring Break will soon be here. (While my pool looks like a scummy pond - ick. I'll spare you the pictures!) But, here we are. Time marches on. How was your week? I think mine worked out pretty well. 

I spent much of Sunday with a rust bath.

I used the Rust Dye instructions from ArtGirl Creations that included hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, salt, and rusty bits. It took most of the day to soak.

Before it got dark, I pulled everything out of the tub to start drying.

I had all kinds of amazing bits and bobs stuffed into the tub. You can see my whole process in the highlights section of my profile on Instagram. 

By Monday, I was ready to speed up the drying process.

I hung all the fabrics on the line and a few of the saturated papers. While the sun was out, the wind was a little too much for the papers. So, those had to come down before they tore. 

I let the rusty bits sit inside.

I don't know how you feel about rust, but this makes my heart skip a beat! While everything sat, I ran my usual Monday errands. 

Tuesday was voting day and I woke up a little concerned about what choice I should make. My daily watercolor doodling helped calm my mind.

I was ready to make my choice.

Back at home, I couldn't help but gaze at the glow of pink outside the Craft Room window.

 Y'all, there's a pink glow all through my house as these azaleas dominate the North end. The color is reflecting off all the surfaces. I'll share a picture of the glow next week!

On Wednesday, I went to my mom's and ran errands with her before a friend came over to visit us both. Then, I talked mama into going to an antique store with me. I didn't find anything to bring home but was sufficiently creeped out by this display.

Y'all! That was almost a full case of porcelain monkey dolls dressed in baby clothes. They were very well done, but just weird enough to give you the willies!

I worked on getting a few things done at the house on Thursday before meeting a good friend for lunch. In the afternoon, I set about getting the craft room in order. It was a serious disaster!

On Friday, I got a few household chores accomplished before working on getting things organized for the booth at Southern Antiques and Accents. After lunch, I headed over there to clean out the pieces that had been in there too long and swap them out for jewelry that was newer and felt more seasonally appropriate. 

That peek doesn't show you that I also re-stocked the "Bargain Bin" that's full of handmade jewelry priced to sell at about $1 each. There are some serious steals in that bin.

Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL day! I seem to get a bit more done when the sun's out. So, I worked on a couple of art journal pages, made some jewelry, and even took Zoe on a hike through our woods.

 We discovered that a tree had partially fallen (at an angle) across one of the trails, and we had to work our way around it. (Zoe wanted to go under and I wanted to go over.)

Once on the other side, we found all the treasures that it contained - including the mossy knot in the above picture and these fungi below.

While the tree across the trail is a problem, I was giddy about these finds. 

Unfortunately, while I stayed so busy all week, I didn't have much time to find inspiration. Though, there were a couple.

• Jewelry Making Journal shared another tutorial. This one is for a pair of Easy Bird's Nest Earrings. 
• And, while looking at how to rust, I found another video on How to Easily Create Rust for Your Artwork that requires less mess than the one I used. However, the one I used acts faster and has a neat process. Both are great methods. 

And, that was it for my week. How has yours been? Are you looking forward to more daylight in the afternoons since Daylight Savings began today? I know I am!!

Peek at My Week (Feb. 16-22)

I'm doing my best to regain some sense of normality or come to an understanding of my new normal, or something along those lines. In any case, this week felt like a week of getting back on track and catching up. Sunday was my first full day at home in weeks, so I relished in it. But, on Monday, I indulged in some thrifting and antiquing and picked up a few new tins, but that was it. It was good for my soul to do something just for me. 

I spotted this book at one of the shops and it tickled me to no end for some odd reason. I didn't bring it home, instead, I left it there for someone else to prize. 

Things started to feel more back on track on Tuesday as I went grocery shopping and even listed something new in the Etsy shop.

On Wednesday, I helped my mom out at her house and canceled my grandmother's appointments and insurance. That was weird and so final. On Thursday, I was ready to get down to business and my desk totally reflected that from the get-go.

I worked in my bead box that day and the next but was ready to mix in some art journaling by Friday evening. (Of course, I also finally got some serious house-cleaning knocked out too!)

A little liquid therapy is what I was really aching for, but it's far too cold to get in the water. So, drinks and lunch at The Gulf were in order.

Before hitting the restaurant, we made a detour to my favorite bead shop. They were having a busy day, so we didn't stay long, but I was able to pick up a few essentials.

After lunch, we hit Pirates Cove for some bushwhackers on the way home. 

 I can't wait for it to warm up enough to take a dip. 

I'm feeling more like myself now! But, I didn't find a whole lot of inspiration for the week except for these few. Maybe we'll get luckier next week.

• The Beading Gem shared this tutorial for creating a Unisex Wire Coil and Bead Bracelet. 
• Natural wood beads have been all the rage lately. Here's a roundup of 10 DIY Natural Wood Bead Necklaces. 
• ArtBeads shared an interesting tutorial for a necklace they call Heron's Landing. 
• Paper chains have been a crafting staple forever, but I've never seen them used to such a classy-looking rainbow wall hanging. 
• Lastly, a tutorial on making a Knotted Pearl Necklace. 

I hope your week was wonderful and that the week ahead is full of much joy and creativity!!