Gold Rush Treasures

I've been busy playing with my Illinois Sister, too busy to get the pictures of my Gold Rush Treasures.  So before I hop in my not so big truck to go to my Wisconsin Sister's I'm going to post them real quick.

Some kinda periscope game I'll hang on our game room wall.  I need to think of something to make for my Mr. Wonderful with the Mustang trim piece.  The tile coaster was just on the table when I was taking pictures, I made a set of them for my sister several years ago.

This tin garbage can will go in my sewing room along with the wicker hamper below.  May have to change some curtains when I finally organize that space.

The hamper is a little bowed out so I trained it back in shape after I washed it.  The pillar is under construction.  Painted now and trim pieces added but still needs to have hooks.

These are all the statues my sister and I bought, the only one that's mine is the Mary with the crown, below.

Her face has been touched up, but I love the crown, so she came home with me.

Vintage Merry Christmas and Happy New Year banners.

Brass number stencils.

The bed tray from yesterdays post.

A bargain pail of vintage bottles.

These bowls and matching plates are the pattern of some dishes my Granma gave me.  Tin pans and sugar bowls for craft projects.  Keys for jewelry.

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Jewelry parts and pieces.  The huge rosary is for my Mom's collection.  There's a little wiener dog tucked in the shadow in the front corner of the box.

I found so may cool vintage beads and chains.  I need to get busy!

Door knob hardware and a old white corner shelf right where it got dumped on the floor after washing.

  The shelf has already received a fresh coat of paint.  It will be nice when I finally get home to have some of my treasures all ready to use. 

Late in the day on Sunday, at Rochester Gold Rush, a dealer was throwing some stuff way.  We grabbed some books, I already bought the basket, and this old radio I plan to turn into a storage box.

This horse trophy is one of the things I tried, unsuccessfully, to wrestle from my sister's clutches!

I kept complaining that she was moving so slow and she kept complaining that it was really me that was slow.

  Oh well, I guess she's worth waiting for.

Who knows if I'll be able to swing this trip again next year.  Our trip up north is usually controlled by NASCAR in Chicago, but the schedule has changed that race to September.  (Hum, when is Junk Bonanza?)  That and my daughter wanting to take her car up to school in Minneapolis by herself next year, I may be out of luck.

Trash-to-Treasure Potluck Idea - Junkologie Link Up

I didn't make the Junkologie Blog Party at Gold Rush in Oronoco, Minnesota this past weekend but there's still a chance to get in on the fun with their on line  

Trash-to-Treasure Potluck Ideas Party.

I went to Gold Rush with my sister from Illinois and am visiting her this week so we came up with a couple ideas to post.  She's just created a blog last night so be sure to check out her trash-to-treasure potluck idea at Kitty D's Korner.

So here's what we came up with for my post, it's called 

Tea Time in Texas.

My sister's dress form, scarf, hat, and petty coats.

This sweet little bed tray is one of my new treasures from Gold Rush.

We even added a couple of my vintage rescued necklaces.

Be sure to check out all the other creative trash-to-treasure potluck ideas on Junkologie.

Gold Rush, Here I Come!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to Gold Rush!  

Right now, I'm in a hotel room in Rochester, MN waiting for my sister and her husband to arrive.  The little girl and I drove from central Texas to northern Iowa yesterday and the rest of the way today.  We ended up driving an hour or so further than usual yesterday because the hotels were all full.  There's been some nasty flooding in the area and alot of people have been displaced and are holding up in the local hotels.  Clean up crews, some from as far away as Texas, the hotel manager told us, are also staying in the hotels.

I've dropped the little girl off at school in Minneapolis earlier today.  After a stop in Clear Lake for a coffee and a look around a couple shops in the sweet little down town area.  She wanted us to pretend to be Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, but I couldn't supply my side of the rapid humorous banter, not knowing any interesting pop culture references.  

We lived in Minnesota for 11 years but have been in Texas the last 10.  We used to live a hop skip and a jump from Gold Rush - Oronoco.  Several of my brothers and sisters used to visit us for this weekend.  The guys would go golfing, the older cousins would watch the younger ones, and us girls would go antiquing.  Then we'd all meet up for dinner.  

The boy would just get worn out!  He'd get up early for golf, play in the sun all day, and stay up late with the cousins watching tv or playing video games.   Those were the days!

Gonna get me some of this.....

and some of this.....

My older sister has still been going every year, making me jealous.  Once and awhile, she'd call and ask if I wanted such and such.....ah? ya!  Our trips up north, scheduled around NASCAR in Chicago were always in July.  So I haven't been to Gold Rush in 10 long years, oh, how I've missed it.  How convenient for me that the little girl needs to be up at school the week after Gold Rush! 

My Mr. Wonderful wanted us to drive the smaller car instead of my Expedition, for better gas millage.  I'm sure the smaller hauling capacity of the Escape had nothing to do with it.  

Anyhow, I hope to find some treasures to share with you all.  In the mean time I wanted to give you the recipe for my new favorite drink of the summer.....Summer Beer!  I'm liking it better than margaritas, only partly because I have a mental block on the portions of mixes for ritas.  

(image from google images, summer beer lime)

Here is the Summer Beer recipe, so simple:

     4 - 12 oz. beers

     1 - 12 oz. can of frozen limeade concentrate

     12 oz. of vodka

Stir it all together and serve over ice.

Oh my gosh, it's so nummy, I'm going to make some when my sister gets here!

(all Gold Rush images from http://www.goldrushmn.com)

So There! - Fabulous Friday Finds

A while back I whined about my favorite junk store not selling me a little shelf that I absolutely love.  They use for display, not very effectively, but that's another whine.  Here is that sweet little shelf and the whiny post.

When I was up north earlier this summer I came across this little shelf, below.

Pretty darn close, huh!  Add a chippy coat of paint and I'm all set!

So, since I've got this in my hot little hands I marched up to those mean old ladies in my favorite junk shop and said "So there!"  Otay, not really.  They really are sweet ladies, who are mostly volunteers, that work at my favorite junk shop.  I'll continue to play nice and maybe someday they'll finally decide to sell some of their other cool display pieces.  Or maybe I should volunteer there and show them how fun those pieces could be used.   

Ya, that's the ticket.

Well for today I'll just sit here in my messy little nest and join the Fabulous Friday Finds over at Terrell's blog  

Frou Frou Decor.  

Also linking up with Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous.

Swing on over there, 

you never know what fabulous things you'll find this Friday.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Around the House - White Wednesday

Don't know why I'm soooo tired today, I had my cup of coffee, maybe should have had Wheaties instead of oatmeal.  So I've just browsed my photos to see what whites I haven't shared yet.  These are just some things around the house that I took pictures of for fun when I was taking other pictures on purpose.

Don't want to miss a  

White Wednesday with Kathleen at Faded Charm 

if I don't have too!

My sister recently gave me another one of these, she thought I might make a cushion to pin necklaces to for display.  I tried it with the blue velvet but I'm not happy with the results.

This I believe is the side of an old awning and I pretty sure I'm using it up side down, but I like it better this way.  Hung it here on the stair wall recently but I had it up at our previous house and changed out with wreaths or tin signs with the seasons.

I bought this set of picture for cheap at my favorite junk shop.  I thought at first I might give them to my sister but now I think the colors would go in several rooms in my house and the silver frames are growing on me.  

And birds, duh, what was I thinking about giving them away?!  

Just need to find some wall space, something gotta give.

Tacky Tacky

I've just about used up my second box of 500 count upholstery tacks.  The first box was the standard size antique bronze ones you see everywhere.  I bought them because I was too cheap at the time to buy the cooler more expensive 7/8" tacks I really wanted.  

When I used up that box I rewarded myself with a box of the bigger ones. 

So, just what have I done with all these tacks?  

I'm hoping you're asking!

I finished these last week while my Mr. Wonderful was out of town.  I bought these stools a few years ago at Warrington/Round Top, painted them and prepped them for fabric but never finished them.  I, just before this, had bought some cheap plain square all black stools at a chain store.  When I started to take them to the car to return them my family went up in arms.  Children, "We love these stools!"  Husband, "We had to make a special trip to the store just to get them."  "You said you wanted them."  What I wanted was something to fill the space because company was coming.  Since I found what I really wanted, I wanted to bring the week old, make do, stools back.  Short story long, the new old stools have been sitting in my sewing room taking up space for the past 3 years. 

Alas, as cheap stools are want to do, 2 of the 4 went rickety, 

so out they go! 

The tops are all different fabrics because I was draping different pieces on them to see what I'd like.  What I liked was the mix so why not?  These colors are all in the big open room, LR, DR, kitchen. 

These are the chairs I'd also bought at Warrington that year.  Ones that I actually finished in a reasonable time after I'd bought them.  I mean, they never left the LR once I brought them home so that had to have been fast, right?  The bird fabric was left over from some pillows and a valance.  I paid more for the striped fabric than I paid for the actually chairs, they were pretty rough but I liked the shape and size.

There's just barely enough room for them under the bar.  But if one were to goes rickety, I'll have a spare.

Below are some older projects, a few other pieces of furniture I've reupholstered, making use of my trusty tacks and hammer.

I reupholstered 2 chairs like this, this one's in the office and the other is at the desk in the laundry room.

The ottoman reminds me of my Grandparents' house, of a rocker/recliner my Grampa used to always sit in.

The chairs are from craigslist and the ottoman is from junking someplace.

This headboard I got from a garage sale a few blocks away.

I finished this one day, while my Mr. Wonderful was at work, and put it in place.  My sister was visiting when I bought it and knew I had finished it so when we visited her a few months later she asked him what he thought of the new headboard.  His response, "What headboard?"  No lie!  Seriously, he is a fully functioning human being, he is very good at what he does, and is well compensated by his employer because of this.  He simply does not need a headboard for the bed to function.  Or as he would put it, "adequate for the purposes for which it is intended".  Sorry ladies, he's taken.

Anyway, my big o' box of tacks is looking pretty empty, maybe enough for one more small project.  Time to reward myself with some more tacks me thinks.  So, when Joan from Anything Goes Here opened her etsy shop and was offering these, it was a mater of need.....right?  

 Vintage white porcelain tacks!  Never seen them before.  Besides, she packages them up so cute and included a handful of buttons to boot.   

I had you at vintage, didn't I?

Oh, by the way, my Mr. Wonderful didn't notice the new stools until after he saw the old stools in the garage, taking up valuable space, apparently, the lawn mower didn't have enough breathing room.  Ha!

Junking Treasures

Just a quick post before we leave to help the boy move apartments.  

Here are some (I thought I'd taken more pictures when I was cleaning up my treasures) 

of my fun finds from junkin' yesterday.

 

My husband has been using bar soap by his sink for some reason, weird but we're never in the bathroom together so I never think to ask him.  So I've been meaning to put one of my collected dishes in there for a soap dish, just haven't gotten around to it.  Well, I came across these yesterday and they are right up my alley so the one with the dish will go by his sink.

Also a pretty floral and wicker look box and a few bits of old jewelry for my rejuvenated jewelry pieces.

The cool bright pink Samsonite carry on bag.  

I thought my little girl might use it as a book bag but she was unimpressed.  

I think I'll use it when I do craft shows.

I'm linking up to Debbiedoos Garage Salen Party!

Have fun checking out what some of out blogging sisters have found while out and about!

 

 

What I did about White Wednesday

My Mr. Wonderful was out of town last week, M-F.  That means I can make a mess and not have to clean it up before he gets home at night.  I can paint indoors, with air conditioning, and he won't know.  And I really cut loose and don't make the bed all week!  Ya, I know I'm a wild woman.

So I cleaned junk, I ate out, I painted, I junked, I upholstered, I stayed up late watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer with my daughter.  I ignored it for all those years and now I'm hooked, go figure.

Here's one of my projects, the before, well after I took a yucky piece of vinyl off the top.

It's an old shoe store fitting stool.  I wish the oil cloth was in better shape cause I kinda like it like this.

This is what it looks like now.  I wanted to put it in my daughters closet so she could reach the top shelves.  "Ah, Mom, I'm 5' 10', I don't need a stool to reach the top shelves of my closet." 

Who knew?  Not me down here at a mere 5'6". 

The old finish was barely hanging on, sanded off very easily.  At first I just white washed it but I didn't think I liked it or the way it looked with any of my fabric choices.  Now I think I should have looked for different fabric.  This needs something, sanding?  upholstery tacks?  something done with that 'tongue'?

I have a couple other projects I took care of last week but I'll share those in another post. 

Have a look at the other White Wednesday posts at 

Kathleen's Faded Charm.