Happy Red, White and Blue!

Sorry for the darkness of the above picture, my point and shoot camera takes terrible inside pics. This is a little vignette on our coffee table, some are new finds and the blue and white pieces were gifts from my dad to my mom years ago...

The last few weeks have been up and down...we wound down the school year and ended on the 23rd. A couple of days before the end of school, our principal planned a turnover of some of his staff- me included. It didn't work, but still hurt and started our summer off with a punch in the gutt! We spent our first days off meeting with our union and gathering all our info...not fun!

But..... on a fun note! I have gotten some wonderful things thrifting lately!

I LOVE these scalloped trays and found the red stars and shell balls at a different thrift store

I also got the bust and the flower hat at the same thrift store...and that little Marie mirror at my local flea.... I will sell the hat on my etsy, it is filled with flowers but the rest of the treasures will stay with me. My intention was to sell the larger tray but I am so in love with them, I don't think I can part with it!

Summer school starts on July 7th, I am hoping to take the kids to the beach after school some days and enjoy some crafting...

Soon I will be adding some creations to my etsy and I also post on the petite inspiration swap that I did...

Hope your 4th is safe and happy...I am off to boil some ribs for bbq and make some pasta salad!

Hugs! karen.....

Vintage Alphabet Party----Yippeeeeeee

This fun little party is hosted by Etsy Cottage Style. We are to show our vintage treasures which fall under the alphabet letters for that particular time. Today is I, J and K what a challenge!!! But, I found some goodies to share with you (no snickering at my choices now)
Irish cup....

A darling little handpainted cup that someone bought as a souvenier...I just love the little bird!

Jewelry.....

Sparkling and waiting for me to create with them!

Jars......

I love jars!!!! These are just a few of my many vintage jars!


Jello molds....

Cute, colorful and fun in the kitchen!



Kitchen tools.......

They hang on the post of our cooking island and we use them too!


Kittens.....

Very worn, but irresistable to me! Well, I hope you had fun, I did!

I am working on my Paris Inspiration box swap and my Vintage vacation swap, soon I will have something more to share with you! Go visit the other Party-goers at etsy cottage style! Do something fun this week! karen....

A little of this...a little of that!

I needed a thank you for my son's teacher so I decided to make some deconstructed flower pins and I will include one in her gift. The rest will go to my etsy and some more will go to Glitterfest with me in October. These are really fun to make! I am taking different elements : Melted organza, vintage lace doily, tea-stained silk flowers that are taken apart and putting them together with beautiful old buttons. Above are 4 that are almost done.....

Life has been busy, busy! I am sure many of you are feeling the same thing at the end of the school year. My handsome boy has graduated high school and we are all so proud. Life is not always easy for all of us and he has plugged away and finally made it to the finish line! We feel so fortunate to have had someone special to get him there...a special teacher that I will always feel greatful for!

I also won a giveaway from Karin at Creative Chaos! A cute, beautiful, sparkly, flower infused cake kit and the tutorial to make it!!! What a fun project to start my summer off!

Here is the kit:

And here is what it will look like when I am finished:

I can't wait to make it! Thank you Karin!!!!

Today I spent a good part of my afternoon listing in both of my etsys. This pretty tin will be in the spotted hen etsy.....

And this wonderful hat and bottle kit will be in my Recycled Rita etsy shoppe:

Now I am off to get out of my pj's (it is 4:15pm) and wash away the greys....I might be scaring my kids at work! Hugs and have a great week! karen....

Having fun thrifting!!!

My cute hubby came home from garage-saling with this hat for me..... it is in perfect shape, If I filled it with fiberfill, it would be a perfect cushion! It will be in my etsy soon.

I bought this pretty hat pin from the estate of a fun collector....

I also got all these fun goodies, the large bottle is actually a dark purple, which is so pretty and I love that large canister with the beat up lid...soon it will be filled with oatmeal! The little silver shells are going to become some fun creation and the teacup will join my etsy....

I had a really fun Memorial Day weekend....it is so nice to relax, enjoy friends and do some treasure hunting! Hope yours was wonderful also! karen....

Oooo La La!

So...... a few weeks back, I found a lovely little blog called Bliss Farm Antiques... I visited a couple of times and fell in love.... Jackie lives on a beautiful farm and also owns an antique store that is filled with genuine french treasures.... both a dream of mine.
Well.....she had a giveaway and of course I signed up!! But sadly I didn't win (boo hoo!) Well last week I woke up to an email that said "Hello Winner!" Huh? That contest was over...I rubbed my eyes and opened the email. Evidentally 2 of her 3 winners didn't respond and I was picked in the second go-round.
I was to win some french ephemera (be still my heart, I love old paper!) a little french tin, 2 stencils and a lavender sachet... I was thrilled!!!

Now, go forward in time to this past monday.... I return home from work, tired and maybe a little grumpy (me??? no!) and there is this wonderful, large box with my name on it waiting for me!!!!
Look what Jackie sent me!

A box covered in old french paper, wonderful old paper ephemera, a candle that smells like heaven I am just sure of it, a burlap wine bag that I am going to foof up, some pretty blue ribbon and a gorgeous crystal perfume bottle that was once worn around the neck ( of a french princess I am sure!), the promised sachet........oh so fun!

But wait! There is more! I still can't breathe I am so excited about these:

REAL, AUTHENTIC, VINTAGE FRENCH GRAIN SACKS! I have made a million different things with these in my head already....I LOVE the pig ...... I am just so excited! But wait!

You still havent seen the wonderful paper goodies! And some buttons, and the tins:

Oh Thank you so much Jackie, I am just thrilled with all my french loot! Now the rest of you need to go visit Bliss Farm Antiques and see what a lovely blog and shop it is! Happy Thursday! karen.....

Gliltterfest and Thrifting....

Yesterday I was lucky enough to join my good friend Robin as a vendor at Glitterfest in Santa Ana, Ca. I took these couple of pictures before the show with the intention of visiting many others at the show later but we were swamped! This little bloggy/art world that we live in sparkled at this great event. The above picture is a pathetic picture of one of my favorite pieces that Robin had. It was a domed frame filled with Marie Antoinette beauty, velvet, organza, sparkle...It was attached to a large wire bust and decorated with a more wonderful flowers and vintage pretties...all my full pictures came out blurry so at least I got the main part of the piece.
I did not show at this event. I will again in the fall so all these pictures are of Robin's goodies for sale....

Above were little decorated matchboxes, crown hooks, tags and frozen charlottes.

Below, a close-up of the charlottes...wouldn't you want to just take this beautiful dish of charlottes home and admire them????? I would!!!!

How about this! A charlotte in a bell jar! Handpainted and dressed, a glitter rug and wonderful velvet leaves and the word Amore soldered as a bouquet on the top..... stunning!

Unfortunately, that is all the photo's that I was able to take but here are my acquisitions.... Some gorgeous earrings from Lisa Loria...I am in love with them...she also makes the cutest creations with vintage doll heads and her jewelry was sooooo fun...lots of enamel daisy bracelets and rings...just fun, fun, fun!

I also purchased this little "candy store" bracelet but didn't get the sellers blog...

Now.....On to today.... You didn't think I was done did you? I haven't posted in quite awhile so you get a loooong, picture infused post today!

Well, I went to our little flea and on the way to my favorite seller (I see her first and then go to the others) I spotted 2 frogs....which then became two frogs that I couldn't stop thinking about....

I love children's book illustrations and they evoked a feeling of the illustrations from "Frog and Toad together" and "Wind in the Willows" I could not, I repeat....could not, leave this little flea without those silly frogs.....

A man asked me..."Do you collect frogs?" "No" I replied "Cant say I even like frogs!" But these frogs..... oh I had to have these silly frogs!

Imagine your husband's response when you arrive home with these frogs...well, mine was the same but I am one smiling, frog-loving girl!!!

I also came home with some wallpaper, buttons, postcards, seam binding and 2 pretty plates....

But Oh those silly frogs!!!!

This is a candle I got from the goodwill this week, the wreath is actually for christmas and it had a green candle in the center but I bought the pretty blue one and it will look great with my beachy decorations and the wreath looks like coral.....

This chair is my last find.... It was sitting by the door at a little thrift store I go to.... Hello! You are coming home with me little chair! I know the cushion is a little small but I already had it and am on the lookout for one I love that fits....

Well, I am off to make dinner! I had a great weekend, I hope yours was fun too! Talk to you soon! karen.....

Weird and Scary?

I know some people are freaked out by dolls, some of these would probably fall in that category but when I saw this bag of doll parts my heart just went pitter-pat. I haven't figured out what I will do with them yet, I am going to share some on my etsy, but they still make me smile!
Hope your week is starting off well! karen....