Fun, 'Hot!' Flea Market Finds!

Boy, has it been hot!!  Even the flea markets are showing signs of weariness!   Not as many vendors or shoppers; which can make for some great deals!   Check out this birdhouse on a pole; looks like maybe an old bed post; not sure but I love the look of it in the garden. 

For now, it is just sitting there, leaning on the house but I assured the dear hubby I would (eventually) install it 'correctly'.  (right)

Here's a cute little painted brick I bought from a vendor who has loads of very cute garden crafts and items;  Could have probably made it myself but I also like to support fellow crafters when I can.   I know what it's like to sit there in the heat all day and barely make a few sales!

Check out this cool, vintage picnic table I won on a local on-line auction.   I love the vintagey look of the bench pads and tablecloth and I especially liked this set because the benches are separate from the table and all 3 pieces fold-up!  



I will eventually spruce it up with a new paint job and I think I'll spray paint the legs a flat black to give the legs a more modern look.

Here's a pic from the barn sale we had; taken before the sale started.   The first day, had lots of people, a steady stream all day but the 2nd day was hit/miss.   We were able to get rid of a lot and most of what was left was donated.   I'm already looking forward to having another one in the fall!

Well, keep cool out there and thanks for visiting!! 

(PS:   I'm already working on my Christmas crafts for the fall sales!   So check back in!)

Barn Sale Dates (slight change!)

It is official:   Our Barn Sale will be this Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, both days from 8-4.   We have already started piling the stuff up; this is going to be one of the biggest sales we've ever had!    And we are pricing the stuff to sell; so make your plans to visit the Orient, Ohio area and look for signs on Ballah Road (off St. Rt. 62).

Garden Gala Fun!

The Circle-of-Caring's Garden Gala was last weekend and quite a success!   Unfortunately we didn't get there early enough to get the booth completely set-up before the crowd started pouring in.   We were selling the garden fancies faster than we could get them set-up; it became quite comical.

This was my last show for the year until the Christmas shows EXCEPT we are having a big Barn Sale at our home June 22 and 23!   Any leftover shabby garden creations will be drastically marked down, so you must come for some fantastic bargains!   

We'll also have the usual garage-sale stuff as well as a few old vintage metal garden chairs, some wicker chairs, etc.   I have a slew of things I've been hoarding in my basement that will come out of hiding to find a new home, so save the date!

More details will follow on this blog next week and maybe I'll do a little preview posting of some items!  

Yet More Mason Jars

The mason jars decided to make yet one more appearance, as table decorations at my mothers 2nd wedding last month.   It was a very casual, backyard affair with just close family and friends and a beautiful day for a wedding.

Afterwards I continued to enjoy the decor on my own front porch.   Here a couple of jars sit on my new little brown table found at the flea market for just a few bucks.

I missed the daisies so much that I had to replace them with fake ones! ha!   Can't even tell, can ya?!

We've been enjoying some fantastic weather lately!   Sunny, no humidity, 70's!  My kind of weather!    It's really put me in the mood to decorate my front porch & patio.  

Here's a really cool old light fixture I dug out of my "someday" stash and hung on the front porch.  (We all have a "someday" stash, right?  That certain thing you're going to do something with "someday"?) 

It looks right at home there.  I just love it and can't believe I bought it, no lie, at least 9 years ago!

A cute little ladder holds a few plants (that I haven't transplanted yet):

Super-cute plantstand on the back patio:

Here's my 'garden' this year: a few tomato plants, rosemary & basil.  (The bench was a 'find' at my old neighbor's house.   Yes, he said I could have it.  geesh!)

And check out this old galvanized little garbage pail.   I saw it at a flea market, thought it was very cool, asked the price, $5.00, said I'd think about and started to walk away but then I heard Mike Wolfe's voice in my head (the guy from American Pickers) and he said "the time to buy it is when you see it", so I made a bee-line right back and snatched it up before someone else could.

My initial plan was to put flowers in it but the lid doesn't open wide enough, so it will just be a little stand for now.

Well, for all you locals, the Circleville Circle-of-Caring Garden Gala is this weekend with lots of beautiful gardens open for touring.   I've heard the gardens this year are located right in Circleville and there will be vendors at most locations.   I'm going to be a vendor on Sunday-only from 1-6 and not sure what house I'll be at yet but if you take the tour, you're bound to run into me!   Hope to see you there!  

Burlap Cozies Make the Big Time!

I am honored beyond belief to have my burlap cozies featured on Beyond The Picket Fence's weekly linky party!   Every Thursday, Becky selects several items that inspired and/or caught her attention the week before and my burlap cozies were front & center!

Now, Becky is what I call a big-time 'celebrity' blogger.   With over 2000 followers, I'm sure her site gets hit thousands of times a day!   In fact, Becky herself is a VERY talented craftsman (craftswoman? ha) and makes beautiful things from mainly scrap wood.   I'm constantly going to her site for inspiration and to see all her creativity.

Please check it out; here's the link: http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/.

In fact, this isn't the first time I've been featured.   A little over a year ago, she featured my garden memo board!   (You can see that project on my sidebar to the right.)

I am just flattered beyond words and can't wipe the smile from my face.   Thank you Becky so much for the feature and for even just vising my little blog!!

Thank You Powell, Ohio!

Had a fabulous day at the Powell Street Market last Sunday.   The weather was fantastic and there was a steady stream of customers all day.   Even had one lady come back while we were packing up to buy one of my last plantstands!

Here's a shot of my morning set-up:  (click on pic for larger view)

Don't you just love the yellow aprons tied together across the back?   That really gives the illusion of a backwall and a 'stop' for your eye.   I saw this idea on someone else's blog awhile back and can't remember where, so I apologize for the lack of credit to you!

Even had someone ask if they were for sale.

We were blessed with a great spot, unlike our neighbors who had a sink hole right in the middle of their spot and grass about a foot high!   I felt bad for them but they ended-up having a good day too.   Here's some more shots:

I completely sold out of my garden fancies and only took home 3 plantstands.   I settled on the name 'burlap cozies' for my last project and even made a rhyme with it; ha!  see below:  (click on picture for larger view so you can read the little sign.)(you still might not be able to read it; it says "burlap cozies for your posies".)



Thank you to everyone who came out to the sale and made it a great day for us!    Now to get ready for the Garden Gala next month in Circleville, Ohio; more details to follow.    One last parting shot:

Thanks for visiting!!

2nd Mason Jar Craft, As Promised!

So after seeing the prices of old burlap bags, I decided to just buy a few yards at the store.  And let me tell you; working with burlap has it's challenges!   First, it keeps wanting to shift on you, then don't get me started with all the dust & remnants it leaves behind.   
But I'm so pleased with the finished product, I suppose it's all worth it.

First I cut the burlap into strips, then squares, then sewed up the sides.   (Why do I have such a hard time with the sewing machine?   I used to tell people all I could sew was straight lines but now I'm even wondering about that!   And my sewing machine is always giving me fits; constantly de-threading itself when I get started.   For those of you that sew, why is that?   What am I doing wrong?)

Well anyway, here's several little "bags" I finally got sewed up and am ready to sew on the straps.

Here's one with the lacy strap sewed on.  

I then hot-glued some old jewelry pieces on for some 'bling'.    These are just the right size for a mason jar full of fresh-picked blooms.   (or in this case, faux ones! ha)

Look how cute they are, displayed on this old window screen.

I'm really liking these.   They would also look cute on a door-knob, a wall hook, and really cute on a fence post or maybe on a gate in the garden?   

Now I need your help coming up with a name for them.   I was thinking burlap cozies?   (like cozies for your drinks?)  or mason jar huggies?    What do you think?  

Here's another quick project:   I turned-up the handle of an old kitchen utensil and attached it to a small piece of lattice.   So cute!   (and yes, those pansies are fake too!  Maybe I'll have to find some real ones for my next sale this Sunday; real ones would probably look better, right? ha)

Well, thanks so much for visiting!! and don't forget; I need those name suggestions!   If your suggestion gets picked, you win a prize!

Mason Jar Fun

I just love mason jars.  They are so versatile and have a way of giving any area an instant country feel.   I pick them up whenever I can, especially the old blue ones, if the price is decent.

Here's a quick project to combine an old mason jar with a piece of old, chippy trim.

I drilled two holes about an inch apart in the center of the board, at the neck of the jar.   Then inserted a long piece of wire through each hole thru the back and wrapped around the neck of the jar to hold it in place.

Drilled two more holes at the top for more wire to hang it with and you're done!

This is a project you can sit down with and easily whip-out 5-6 in no time.   Here's another one.

So super-cute!   I have another project involving yet more mason jars but this time mixed with burlap, so stay tuned!

Flea Trip & Finds!

Well, the Lucasville Swap Meet a couple weekends ago was a bit of a wash-out.   It rained off/on all day but that didn't stop the crowds!   I couldn't believe how many people there were.   Just check-out this parking area and this was just one of many parking areas.

Here's a few animal shots.   As I mentioned, this is mostly to buy and/or  swap poultry of ALL kinds and even some small animals.  

(aren't these birds purty?)

This amish man had the most unique and cool garden items.   One of his items went home with me; can you guess which one?   hint: you can just make-out part of it in this picture.

Here's a few junk tables; always fun to root thru.   That's my daughter in the zebra-striped jacket.   She was easy to spot among the crowd!

OK, I know you can't wait any longer.   Here's the item that came home with me:

Isn't it cool?   I love all the chippy paint and vintage look of it!  

Here's a bottle tree I bought.   It came with the clear coke bottles and I want to eventually swap all of them out for solid colors.   I had the green bottles on-hand.

Here's my $5.00 garden bench.    Yes, it was only $5.00 at a small flea last year; some of the wood is starting to rot but for just $5.00, I can at least enjoy it for a year or two before it gets thrown on the burn-pile.  I think it's so super-cute!

Well, I'm getting all ready for my next show on May 6.   This is an outdoor show with over 125 vendors scattered through-out the historic section of Powell, Ohio.   I'll be sharing with you over the next week a few new items I'm bringing so stay tuned!

Shopping Cart Liner Found!

It didn't take too long to find a nice liner for my vintage shopping cart!   This army duffel bag was found at the Caesar Creek Flea Market and even though it's not as old as I would have liked, it works for now.   (I'll still keep my eye out for an old one; maybe even an old postal bag!)

To attach it, I just wire-tied it thru the grommets directly to the cart.   (I would have liked to use some old big horse pins but don't have any.....yet! ha)

The bag is also a bit longer than the cart but rather than cut and resew it, I just pulled in the excess and that will double as padding for all my finds!    I also attached (with a clothespin! ha) a small old bank bag from my old hometown bank to hold all those wonderful smalls.   (I know, a clothespin isn't very secure, so maybe I'll add a few staples.)

Now I'm all ready for a big weekend of flea-market shopping at the Lucasville Swap Meet/Flea Market this weekend!   Held at the Scioto County Fairgrounds three times/year, the April weekend is huge!   Also known as poultry days because you can buy and/or swap all kinds of birds, chickens, geese, you name it! ha!  It can be quite a hilarious site!  (and noisy too!)   I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!   If you're in the central/southern Ohio area, you should check it out!