Pink Roses

texas inspiration:day1

I have sooo many pictures from Texas...things that inspire me or just make me say...ahhh.  I am going to post them every day this week and post them on Flickr.  They may be kind of random, but I hope they inspire you too.

 

 

more tomorrow...

I’d like to buy a vowel…

The real reason Elizabeth and I went to Texas was to attend the Fall Antique Week held in Warrenton & Roundtop.  We spent days rummaging through miles of treasures…honestly anything you want was there.  A stuffed Ostrich? They had that. From the ordinary to the unusual, it’s all in Texas during Antique week.  Today I’m going to talk about letters.  I have a thing for letters and it seemed that they were everywhere…take a look…from the gigantic {E for Elizabeth}, to the tiniest…

And SOOO much more…my head was spinning with the possibilities of all those letters!  So much potential…what to spell, what to make…I bought a few things, but it was overwhelming.  I have lots more to show you next week, including the stuff we bought…have a great weekend everyone…:)

cabinet card journal…

In Kansas last month, Beth had the AWESOME idea to use the folders that cabinet cards or old photos come in, to make a journal.  Why didn’t I think of that?  (I usually throw those away) Luckily, Beth shared her idea {and supplies} so that I could make one too!  Here’s how:  Start with a plain photo folder, and cut 2 pieces of watercolor paper (or any sturdy paper) slightly smaller than the (opened up) folder size.

Fold the 2 pieces of paper in half to make a seam, and open them up and stitch the paper to the folder down the seam. Your folder will now be a “journal” with 8 pages front & back!

I glued a cabinet card to the front, and I will say, this is not a card I would usually purchase because it had been folded…

and someone had written the girl’s names on the front with a blue ink pen…

But I sewed on some crochet trim and glued on a button, and it hid the writing!

I added some vintage papers to the inside front cover to hide my sewing…

and tied a bow out of a gorgeous vintage silk ribbon that Beth gave me {love}…

This project took no time at all, and was really inspiring.  It made me look twice at less that perfect items that I might normally throw away, or pass over at a flea market.  Thanks Beth for your inspiration and generosity!  Hope this inspires you too!

strangest carry on…

The strangest thing I ever carried onto a plane was this typewriter…

that I bought at a garage sale in Kansas last month for $8.00…

and it was WAY too heavy for my luggage.  So I carried it in a bag, through security, and onto the plane.  After carrying it home, through the entire Atlanta airport, it felt like 100 pounds!  But it was only $8.00.  You would have done the same thing, right?

miss lauri…

 

My sweet friend, Lauri Evans, can also be found at Lakewood every month, and twice a year she packs her bags and heads to Texas where she sets up her fabulous style at Marburger. Do I even have to tell you how much I wanted that pink doll carriage?  I am always inspired by Lauri’s booth and displays, and I love her neutral color palette.  She’s also one of the nicest gals in town…

 

I LOVE this vintage etched mirror used as a tray!

Don’t you just love her too?

sassytrash…

 

My friend Nancy has a great blog and business called Sassytrash. You can find her on the 3rd weekend of every month at the Lakewood Antique Market.  Elizabeth and I stopped by to see her yesterday and I bought this adorable “junk garden” from her. 

She used a vintage enamel tin for the container and added lots of vintage elements to the garden….bits of china,

a spoon and another china lid…

a rusted metal piece…

some old fencing with vintage photos wired on…I just LOVE it!!

She had 2 others…this one with the oval platter and silver creamer…and notice the vintage tart tin and the lamp harp…genius!!

and this one…more china, and succulents and architectural fragments…she has such talent :)

She also made these amazing flowers out of all sorts of jello molds and tins…I couldn’t decide, so I bought all 4 of these!

Here are a few other peeks at her booth…

Lakewood is open tomorrow, so if you live near Atlanta, stop by and see her! 

More flea market style to come…

Nashville Flea Market…

My daughter and I were only at the flea market for a few hours, but managed to find some great deals.  She really has an eye for what we collect and the two of us can power shop!  Along with the shopping we managed to meet up with a few friends including Kana Conger who was there with Jenni Bowlin.

We found a stack of vintage hymnals ($1.00 each), lace hankies and jewels…

a huge bag of lace ($10.00), and linens (50 cents each)…

pale pink saucers and berry bowls…

a few hats and a hat box…

a vintage peach corset and satin hanger ($1.00 each)…

barkcloth and a few tins…

more assorted finds…

 

 

and don’t forget the fresh turkey eggs, complete with feathers!

Is it any wonder why the Nashville Flea Market is the happiest place on earth?

my old pink Schwinn…

 

Thirty years ago, when I was in college at the University of California, everyone rode bikes.  Spiffy-brand-new 10 speed bikes.  When I would leave a large class, like a Chemistry lecture, there would be 500 red or blue or black bikes parked outside.  I didn’t like 10 speed bikes-I didn’t like bending over to reach the handlebars, and they just never felt safe to me.  Besides, everyone had one, and I was a Design major-we were supposed to be different:)

 

Every weekend my boyfriend (who later became my husband) and I would go to the flea market in Berkeley.  One weekend we found this old Schwinn for $10.00.  It needed a bit of repair, so he fixed it up for me and put on new tires, and I primed over the original paint and spray painted it pink.  We added white pinstripes, and I wrote my name in cursive on the back fender with white enamel paint.  He bought me a basket for the front and a bell and red glittered handlegrips with sparkle streamers.  It was the ONLY pink bike on campus, and it was the BEST BIKE EVER!

People would see me at the grocery store (the basket held one bag of groceries perfectly) or around town and say “So you’re the girl who rides that bike”, or just, “nice bike”  Strangers would sometimes leave flowers in my basket or tie on a piece of ribbon.  I even got a few notes that said…”your bike makes me happy!”.

I still have my old pink Schwinn, and still rode her up until a few years ago. Sadly I left her out in the rain a few too many times and she rusted, so now she’s a garden accessory. I have her parked in the backyard near the pink azaleas in the spring, and move her to the back patio in the summer and fill her basket with flowers.  Still the best bike ever! 

from a dear friend…

Lisa Johnson is one of the reasons why I love blogging.  We’ve never met in real life, but we email, and have exchanged gifts over the years, and I just know that when I do meet her, she will be like a long lost friend reunited.  She sent me this gift via Tiffany, and of course, I love every single bit of it.  The box, with vintage wallpaper, is gorgeous, and when I opened it…

I just gasped! The perfect pink rose, and lace and ribbon on hand dyed tags…

a rhinestone bow pin, and vintage buttons, rhinestone and mother of pearl buckles…

a stack of postcards with pink roses, including this one…from a dear friend…

more ribbon, and fabrics…everything with pink roses!

These are the “good things” that I save and hate to use, and she gave them to me.

 

Like I said, I LOVE everything, and am overwhelmed by her generosity and thoughtfulness. Someday we will meet in “real life”. Thanks Lisa, for being such a dear friend! 

flea finds…

My flea market shopping can be summed up as this: same stuff, different day.  I am always on the lookout for the same things, same colors, same textures.  Is this boring, or have I finally figured out what I like?  Here’s what I found…a few hats…I'm loving this one with the pale pink flowers and buds and the brown satin bows…

Two doll dresses, a creamware platter, celluloid hand mirror, and a shabby frame.

I thought this hat was kind of perfect…

I love cards of buttons…

and I really love it when someone has made their own card…

That’s MY style and I’m sticking to it!