Caladiums Brought Back To Life

 So I bought 12 caladiums back in April which had 

been nipped by frost.  They had been discounted to

only $1 each, and I thought they could be revived.

 I cut them all completely back, 

and kept them watered.

 In just a few weeks they were back to their former glory.

I actually hauled them from my new house, 

to my old house -- in order to do some outdoor staging.

 The colors on these leaves are showstopping.

 And the leaves just keep getting bigger,

and new ones are sprouting  - even in the heat.

Better than any fireworks display.

Antique Tin Cigar Advertising Sign

 I picked up this great old tin lithographed sign a few weeks ago at an estate sale.

We aren't selling on ebay currently (because of "the move")

so I knew that I would have time to investigate it a little more before selling.

 It turns out that it was a sign advertising a certain brand of cigars.

Along the top border was the name of the maker,

and down both sides it said "CIGARS".

Someone a hundred years ago decided they liked the horse,

but not the advertising -- so they painted over the border!

It still is a great tin lithograph,

and I am hoping other people think the same thing.
 I am putting it on ebay this week to help pay for some van repairs. 

Sold for $169.

Local On-Line Auction Vintage Wins

 

So about 10 days ago I made some entry-level bids on a local on-line auction.  They have a certain pick-up window of about 2 hours, no exceptions.  But I knew my calendar was clear, so I made some opening bids on about 45 lots.  45 lots.  The next day my son called to say that they were inducing my grandchild on the appointed pick-up day.  So, I asked a friend to pick up the treasures and did not raise any bids.  Therefore, my "wins" were pretty much the loser stuff that no one else wanted.  (BUT, who cares?  I HAVE A GRANDSON!)  I bid $4 on this "lot" because of the retro lamp shade peeking up of the top.  And yes, it was cool. Sold on ebay for $26.

 

This is a cute little side table with a "gator" patina.  It is a keeper, I paid $18 (all bids includes 10% auctioneer fee).

I am definitely a sucker for these vintage oriental jackets.  Many came from Japan during Korean war.  this lot included at least two for $4.  I will probably sell them on ebay.

Sold one for $20.

Do you see the small tiered shelf hiding in back?  That is why I bid on this lot, it was carved by a local around the 1930s and has a great tramp art look. I got it and the cute pink TP holder for $2. 

Sold the tiered shelf for $25.

 I got a big box of misc Catholic items which date from the 1940s-1950s for $4.  It was fun looking through all of it.  I kept a box of medallions, medals for ebay -- and I sold the rest at a yard sale Saturday. The ebay medallions sold for $14.

 I got these three little ceramic dwarves for $2.

They will sell in my "outdoor store".

Sold for $21.

 I had to get two large totes of "fall decor"

because I saw a corner of one of these peeking out.

$4, plus two totes which I can really put to good use as we are moving.

Sold on ebay for $21.

Most of the above stuff has already been moved to our new house.

Desirable Fire-King Mugs

I only went to one garage sale this weekend.  And I only spent $1.75, which is good because I am going to be laying out alot of money for a local on-line auction next week  I spent 75 cents on the gold metal corner shelf, and $1 on a set of gold Fire-King mugs.  The mugs are not my usual type of purchase, but I loved the gold color (my current favorite color.) (Sold on ebay for $20.)

I had some memory of researching Fire-King Mugs before, and knew that these were good sellers.  I think I could get an easy $4 each for them on ebay, especially in their minty condition.  Their pattern is called "Kimberly".

Other desirable Fire-King mugs that I found on ebay: the jadeite restaurantware (set of 8 sold for $600), Snoopy (one sold for $500) or other vintage cartoon mugs (six Warner bros cartoon mugs sold for $300), First Man On The Moon (one sold for $450).  So don't overlook that big box of mugs at the next garage sale, there could be one in there worth hundreds of dollars!

Catholic / Religious Vintage Finds

 I went to a fun estate sale over the weekend.

I loved the frrames on all three of these prints,

but the paper graphics were gorgeous as well.

 This is a baptism certificate from 1911.

I love the original wavy glass on all of these.

Paid $2, sold for $15.

 I should probably research the meaning behind this print,

but it is lovely.

Three cloth scapular sets --

which I guess was worn over or across the shoulders as a sign of commitment.

These are all pretty moth eaten, but each set contains a little medal and one 

piece of printed cloth that is quite cool.

 1912 Catechism book.

 A poster from a nearby Abbey,

which I think dates from about 1905.

Paid $2.

Various religious "scraps"

and two rosaries.

Most everything I purchase now gets packed up and whisked

away to our other property about as fast as I buy it.

It will still be months before I rent a booth space down there.

Citywide Garage Sale Bonanza

Our little town had their citywide garage sales this past weekend.  About 200 garage sales - spread over Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I am exhausted.  Most of that time the temps soared in the high 90s.  But whoever said that junking would be easy?

Thursday things were a little thin.  Quite a few sales popped up, but no big hauls.  Until about 11 am,
I came across one that was pretty great. One of the many items I purchased was this Pillsbury sign, and yes, it is old.  And yes, I am keeping it.

 I am looking for garden decor to sell at my "outdoor" booth, and that garage sale had that in spades. I got the oil can, metal table, wooden keg lid, and metal birds there.  I am keeping the birds (forever).

Friday the weather was just as steamy.  I had driven by a great looking sale on Thursday night, but they were adamant that they weren't selling until 8 am Friday morning. So, I dropped my husband off there at 7 am for him to play the waiting game, while I visited other sales. Paid $10 for the baby carriage, sold for $28.)

He definitely scored the most, including the above buggy frame and 1901 mailbox.

Paid $4 for this one, sold for $28.)

Saturday I was sorely tempted to just sleep in, but what if I could just find a few little things?  Our community had a pretty severe storm the night before, so people were a little slow setting up.  It was a little spotty at first, but then we hit a fun one.  I purchased these kissing concrete cuties...
Bought for $20, sold for $65.

...And FOUR cast iron patio pieces. Bought for $50, sold for $121.  And just when I thought the junking bonanza was over, I got a call that a bench I had left a $15 bid on was mine for the taking.  (Along with all of the free clothes I wanted.)  Well, yes.  Thank you very much.  And special thanks to everyone who was brave enough to man garage sales in this record breaking heat.

Bedside Tables Furniture Redo

I bought a pair of these bedside tables from a local on-line auction.

I paid $22 each, which is more than I would pay if I were to 

want to fix them up for resale.

But these were for us,

to go on either side of our new bed.

I think they started life as a dressing table,

but I like them better separated anyhow.

Two coats of a light tan chalk paint,
and good to go.
Decided not to distress,
the tan turned a little yellowish when sanded.

Dark Armadillo Humor and Moving In

 I knew armadillos lived in southern Missouri,

but I wasn't sure they lived in our neck of the woods.

Until this morning,

when one appeared in front of our house (dead.)

Here is another wildlife sighting.

Did some research :
Giant Leopard Moth

I had just finished putting the vintage baseboard in this little nook

across from the laundry area.

As soon as my husband saw it was done,

he moved the antique kitchen cabinet in.

This is only the second major piece of furniture that

we have brought in, so it is a big deal.

LOVE that it fits so well, and is going to be great for storage.

Iris Farm Adventure

 We saw this little sign as we were going to a flea market.

So we decided to hit it on the way back.

 What a gorgeous location.

 In addition to irises.

he had two miniature cows --

Boris and Natasha.

And some rare chickens.

But the irises stole the show.

And we love iris,

they always bloom close to our anniversary.

 I bought six gorgeous varieties,

which we planted as soon as we got back.

Simple Steps To Whitewashing Wood Tutorial

These boards came from our 1895 cellar.

They are wide, "old growth", tongue-in-grove pine.

If they came from Texas we would call it ship lap.

We want to use it in back of our TV nook.

We wanted the wood white, but still be able to see some of the character.

And I have tried commercial white stain,

and it is pitiful.

First, plan on doing this outside, it is messy!

Mix a 1:3 white paint to water ratio.

Flat or satin paint works best.

Try a "test" board piece and let it dry completely before committing to painting a bunch.

Apply pretty liberally to all bare wood.

It will looks a bit messy like above.

Then go back over the entire piece from left to right in one continuous,
straight stroke -- until you finish the entire board again.

 So after going over the boards with the continuous strokes,

they will look like the above boards.

And heads up,

the boards will continue to absorb the paint for awhile.

That is why you need to do a test board.

If you want it more opaque you could add more white paint to the mix.

For more transparent, the options are:

adding more water / wiping wet off excess with a rag /

lightly sanding after your board is dry.

Working On The Little House In The Ozarks -- May 16

Indigo Bunting, taken from my sun room window.

My favorite bird of the week.

Because spending 3.5 hours trying

(and failing) to get my car air conditioning fixed,

does not lend itself well to pics.

And a cute nocturnal visitor

on my kitchen window.