Junkle Bells in August--Two Ornaments!

Are you thinking Christmas yet?

 This month's project is easy and I had it done last month--woo hoo--I was ahead!

Even those these are so simple, they are one of my favorites.  Wainscoting with  wonderful teal chippy paint just cut to different sizes, a hole drilled, wire added.  Done.  You certainly could hang some embellishment from the wire, but for some reason I was smitten with the simple piece of wood.  I may make some just to hang in my house other places.  The saw broke after I cut these and the replacement part is waiting in a box by the back door.  Patiently waiting.

My second ornament this month are prisms.  Yeah, I know easy, but oh so pretty.  They came from a chandelier I bought at a garage sale for $5.  It was really in great shape so felt kind of bad taking it apart.  OK, not really too bad!  Some of the prisms are going on my tree, the others are waiting in a jar for other projects, and the gold chandelier itself is waiting in a box in the garage to be painted black and to be hung on my porch.  Patiently waiting.

 You can read more about my year long project, Junkle Bells here.

If you have a project please feel free to link it up here.  Are you still with me Kimmy?  She's been here each month and makes such cute things. And, she just turned 50! You make 50 look great Kimmy!

I still need to find a good tree for all my ornaments and still need to make a Junk Advent Calendar. Hopefully, next month!

Thank You.

The colds are better.  There were no more fevers.  There was coloring, blue slushies, the State Fair, and peace these past days.  Thank you for the prayers, the emails, and comments.

 

Thank you. 

It means so very much.

On a lighter note...a much lighter note...it's Junkle Bells tomorrow or maybe Tues... Are you thinking of Christmas yet?!

Warning: Post Not About Junk.

I don't share a lot of personal life here for two reasons: 

1.  Words usually fail me to really express what I mean. 

2.  Blogging is a fun break from stress for me.

So today, I needed a fun break. 

My two youngest daughters both have had multiple (my multiple, I mean a lot of) febrile seizures.   Atypical seizures requiring rectal valium to stop them.  They will out grow the seizures and we really thought maybe that both of them had out grown them. It had been a year and a half since the last one. This morning my little Nora had another one.  They both have colds so I was watching...but, watching doesn't change anything.  It still happened.  Watching just means you are stressed before it happens.  She is OK.  She will be OK.  

They are with me or my husband all of the time because of this.  We had started leaving them a bit with siblings and began going on occasion as far as an hour away if they were with their brother or sister.

This is in part why junking, creating, and blogging are a big part of my life.  I can do it here at home. Or take them with me.

The line of rosaries in the photo came from the auction on Sunday.  They are really beautiful.  Seemed like a good photo for today.

I'd appreciate prayers for healing for my little gals and for peace for me, because I'm growing weary from "watching".

Thanks for listening.  Really.

Auction Buy

Oh yeah!  This sweet cupboard/cabinet is sitting in my basement... : ) ...just waiting to be filled with supplies from my sewing room.  I picked up a lot more supplies from the auction too!  Please don't click to enlarge--the graininess of the photo could hurt your eyes!  It was dark down there for pictures, so I had to compensate ALOT with the camera and photoshop. 

It's a "Sellers"  kitchen cabinet, with all the hardware and it even has the sifter yet.  The bottom cupboard doors need a little "adjusting" to close, but they will.  And, even though we don't have a lot of painted furniture...I think this goes with all our vintage oak furniture in the basement.  I love Art Deco and that is a (mild) theme down stairs. 

I did have to pull out some "lovely" contact paper in the top shelves, but it came out clean and easily.  It's a low profile piece and goes right along this empty wall without really sticking out into the room at all.  If you're familiar with these cupboards you know they are light weight (cheap wood!) and it really was easy to move.  

I'm just so pleased because finding this and getting it was totally unexpected.

I'll post more auction finds this week.  Whew, it was a hot one there!

A Couple More Pieces in the Tank Garden

This lovely Schwinn has been waiting patiently out in our trees (I know, does that sound junky?!)  for about 2 years to finally have a place of honor in my garden.  We had a little time on Sun. to work in the tank garden and I finally moved it in!

You can see it was a tricycle for adults with some sort of space in the back, but it was missing whatever type of basket that was here.

This old painted galvanized tub that I've had stored up in the attic of the barn fit perfectly!  Now, I just need to drill holes in it and add plants.

I've had this rusty old spring from... I'm not sure where...just waiting with all the other "junk" and now it works perfectly as a holder for a gazing ball I picked up on clearance years back.  

Today we move our 2nd daughter to college for the first time and on Fri., we move our oldest back to college to start her 3rd year.  It could be a sad couple of days...I think of so many Moms, families, and students out there having to go through this transition.  Of course, I'm really feeling it for the Moms!  Hopefully, there will be time for dirt, garden, and junk therapy to help in the next weeks!

I Just Wanted to "Stitch"

For a couple of days before vacation I kept thinking that I wanted to "stitch" during the drive, but never had time to figure out what I wanted to do.

So, literally minutes before we left, everyone was loaded into the car...I ran to my sewing room and filled a gallon size plastic bag with bits of this and that, including a hoop and one bigger piece to stitch on.

I've been reading about samplers and their revival around the big 'ole www and really wanted to try my own.

When I first put the fabric in the hoop in the car, I decided that it would become the frame of the end product.  This project needed to be done during the ride...nothing hanging over my head to finish up when I got home.  I did have about 10 minutes of texture stitching to finish when we got back, but that was it.  And, that was a good excuse to put off laundry for a few more minutes!

I've read  Theresa from My Minutia say these samplers are addicting.  She's not kidding!  I could grab up another scrap piece of fabric and start stitching again in a heart beat.  My mind was racing... I could put together kits...

I even drove quite a bit of the way and got all this done.  It really went fast and was pretty easy to keep track of even in the vehicle with kids around.  I guess because none of it was specific or planned.  You just crammed the pieces back into the bag and pulled them out again as you searched for the next one to use.

Remember, you can click and click again for a closer look.

Try your own...I think you'll love it!

It's Good to Get Away....

We've been on a short vacation to Colorado!  My oldest daughter couldn't go because of work. We really had a nice time.  The little gals were so cold at the top of the mountain!

Always good to go...always good to come home...not so good to catch up now at home! 

Don't you love vacation tourist pictures?!

Vintage Black Friday

Beautiful black leather Bibles

I thought it would be a good time on Vintage Black Friday to post these updated photos.  I've watched some videos and bought a couple of textures from Kim at  Kim Klassen Cafe.  Her site has so much great information!  If you want to learn a bit more about Photoshop, I'd really encourage you to check out her site and blog. Thanks to Kim, the little black line around all my photos is now gone!  Thanks Kim!!

Oh, so much to learn!

I began this post last night and now came to finish it up this morning and post it--I re-read my caption under the Bible 'Oh, so much to learn!'  Last night, I was referring to Photoshop...this morning after reading the daily scriptures,,.I see that the caption really has a double meaning!

Now, you can check out the French Cupboard and see what everyone else is posting for Vintage Black Friday!

Sue and Debra are Having Giveaways!

Sue at My Art's Desire is having quite the wonderful giveaway, an art journal along with a Barnes&Noble gift card PLUS surprise "goodies".  AND, there is a second prize of another gift card with surprises!

If you check out her blog (and you should!) be sure to check some of her links to some great sites for help with editing your photos in Photoshop. 

I am so grateful for the information I came across from her blog just yesterday!  (Thanks Sue!!)

I also have a link up on my left side bar for Debra's giveaway.  She is offering $45 in jewelry from  her new Etsy shop.  She has some beautiful necklaces there.  I have my eye on this one...

...should I win! 

So, head on over and sign yourself up!  I know they would be happy to have you and you won't be disappointed checking out their fun and inspirational blogs!

Look What I Brought Home

I had a great "Finding Finds" weekend!  I hit a couple of garage sales in my home town that were fun and then a great auction yesterday.  This was my prize of the weekend. 

"Tank Garden, may I introduce to you Cherub Statue.  You two will be great friends.  You were made for each other after all."

I followed along the auction line as we headed to the outdoor stuff...thinking all along..."How high will I go?" "How high will I go?!"

...trying to set my limit before hand, so no regrets...

I jump in with the first bid of $5.  That was it.  There wasn't anymore.

?!~the old guy next to me, turns and says, "That was cheap!".  I grabbed his arm, perhaps to steady myself. "I know.  I know!"  He just smiled at me.  I was jumping inside, but did my best to keep my auction face on.

This is the hole in the basin.  I know nothing about garden statuary.  I believe it to be a fountain and the water would spurt up and over the sides to go back into some sort of pool or base to recycle.  That may be a bit ambitious for us for now.  But, maybe someday.  It doesn't matter.  It looks wonderful doing nothing but sitting there for now on this day!