Alabaster photo holder........

When I found this nice alabaster lamp base, I could see it as a hat stand or photo holder, so I started playing with the wire and came up with a new design for displaying photos....

It is much more decorative than my usual round photo clips, and can display one large photo (or book), with 6-7 around it depending on size.....

Vintage Winter Photos.....

For seasonal decorations for the show, I put together some photos that will hang around the booth....the above one is of my sister and I (I'm the short one) with our snowman in Illinois......I added sparkle snow dots to that one....haven't decided whether to put snow on all of them.....

I like them in a banner, but I am going to hang them all over a tree we have at the show.

There are so many fantastic paper artists out there in blogland, (myself not being one of them) and I can just imagine what you'all would do with these.

A lot of these are from my own family photo albums......

Playing with lamps again.....

I don't know why I enjoy taking lamps apart so much! You can use these lamp collage pedestals for so many different things.....

This is my rainy day project (we are getting lots of wind and rain today--hurricane remnants, I think).

I only had one round globe for the pedestals, and I wanted to do them ALL with round globes, but I am trying to stick to the "use what you have" plan, so pickle jars, a cloche and a vase is what I ended up with for this display idea. (The brass lamp will get painted when it quits raining)

Vintage handbag project........

I have been collecting black vintage handbags for awhile, but couldn't formulate an idea of how to use them until I had this brainstorm while thrifting. I love vintage little stamped metal frames, and thought they would be cool on the bags. (It is hard to find the old ones, so I had to incorporate a few newer ones, but I rubbed black magic marker on the edge and then wiped it off quickly to just highlight the design and give it a more aged look.) I put holes in the back of the frames and wired them to the bag, then added my favorite dried weed....Chinese Tallow!!


I really love how they look in a grouping on my "chocolate milkshake" wall color in my office.
I had so much fun creating these, and love how they turned out...I am going to put snow scenes in them for the Lakewood show coming up and hang them down a tall iron porch rail.


(Figuring out which setting on my camera to use for the best photo is still challenging--this auto setting doesn't show the brown of the wall color.)

Shark's in the water and Mom's on the beach!

Looks like a shark, but these are really dolphins!!

I got a chance to go down and see my Mom in Sarasota after the Crabapple show, and while I was taking my early morning run down the beach, I was thrilled to see the dolphins playing very close to shore!!
I've never seen them so close and shallow! By the time I got back and into the water they were farther out, but it reminded me of the times when we would swim in the cove off the marina in the evening when the dolphins were there. (We were always told that there would not be sharks around if there were dolphins).


This is amazingly just a dozen yards off the beach. I will never get tired of seeing the dolphins, and always look for them when I am there. (I REALLY want to be a mermaid when I grow up and hang out with these guys all day!!)




I love these pictures of my Mom on the beach------she certainly appears to be the center of attention....and her hat is so cool!! (miss you already Ma)

More Crabapple show.......

It was great to run into Mark again--he does the most unique, high-quality, and functional repurposing treatment to old trunks (they tilt to open for storage!), and is really making a name for himself in the art world! Before he heads off to Baltimore for the ACC Wholesale market, you can catch him locally at the Chastain show next weekend in Atlanta---then he's booked for prestigious shows out West like Beaver Creek, Vail, Telluride, and Crested Butte. Check out his website (www.antiquetrunktables.com).


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Corbel project......

I really wanted to use these corbels in a way to showcase them and display their simplicity without altering them too much.....I think vintage painted wood objects become works of art after generations of weathering and wear. I would love to know where these came from, but it is rare to be able to get the history of the things we buy and sell.

I have wired it to hang either way........can't decide which way I like it best......depends on the wall I guess. I also can't decide if I should put something in the middle, but I should have it figured out by the time I take it to Lakewood in a few weeks.

Family photo charms

(Mom, I know you aren't going to like this picture of you, but I love it!!)

I like all the different things artists do with the soldered charms, but I'm partial to using family photos. I burnished this one dark, and covered it with clear nail polish to preserve the finish.

Chicken wire dress form.........tutorial

Start with a section of chicken wire (these come in rolls of various lengths and widths) and cut a straight line across, and form into a cylinder. Where the seam up the back joins, you will have to twist the ends to secure each little opening. Below photos show the way I cut and twisted the ends to minimize sharp points.


Now comes the fun part!
Start scrunching the wire into whatever shape you are trying to achieve....mine never come out the same. (You will know you are done when your hands are cramped, and your manicure in shreds!)

Spray paint the color you want---I combine black, rust and brown to get a rusty, vintage look.

These take about 4 hours from start to finish.

Wood and metal collage project.......

These are the before pieces.........just some odds and ends I have had for awhile---trying to figure out a new use for.


Hmmm.......a little dark.........but you get the idea.

I never know what to call the weird things I make. How about..... "wood and metal wall pedestal collage plant holder thingy"?

Lakewood show this weekend......

Here's some repurposed hanging light globe vases with dried rudbeckia. (I was trying to figure out some way to collage these with rusty lamp parts and wire them, but ran out of time--maybe for next show...there is never enough time!)


I needed a dress form to display vintage clothes for the show, so I had to get busy with the chicken wire and make one. (Where do you girls find the cool old ones? I never see them in my junkin' travels)

Backroads wanderings......

You just never really know what you will discover, or who you might meet while wandering the backroads of the south......

After a disappointing trip to the Charlotte market (rain...traffic.....more rain...more traffic) I finally got on the backroads, and felt the stress fall away as I viewed countryside and, as always, great old houses and architecture, and polite small town people who never let you pass by without a "hello".

I am so glad that I turned onto a side street near the quaint downtown of Chester, SC, and discovered this wonderful treasure trove of antiques!

Within this 1941 building, which still has the original tile ceiling and brick walls, I met owners Rhett and Susie Kelsey, who were so kind to share the history of their family business (Hall Lumber Co-founded in 1953) and the interesting little town.

(I was very proud to discover I was the VERY FIRST customer to use the newly installed powder room--they never had one for 60 years! I was very honored---and RELIEVED, too!)


I found great bargains here, and filled my truck with this one stop! But the southern hospitality is what always lures this yankee girl back to the little towns and backroads, and I always find a new shop of treasures somewhere--sometimes in the unlikliest of places!

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(Another great find, which I forgot to photograph, was "Hattie's Antiques" just south of York, SC on Chester highway. The owner also sells at the Charlotte market----- and could have been a stand-in for Clark Gable!)

(I just accidently deleted the scan of Susie and Rhett's business card, but they can be reached at 803-385-2770. She is a power seller on ebay, and they also carry outdoor furniture and hardware/building supplies)

(Hopefully I will get all my treasures unpacked and pics posted soon)

Durhamtown Plantation......

Another play day down at the coolest dirt track........here are my two boys.....





Ready to race on the drag track........


Here is what I did NOT do..........(it is hard to see, but there is a rider up in the trees)



There are so many trails and tracks here, you can play all day!