Saturday, November 28, 2015

When something catches your eye......

I have been collecting long enough to have learned that if something really catches your eye, grab it. I have never collected for profit, everything I have I brought home because I either had a use for it or I just liked it.  I think if you see something that you love and have the money in your pocket to buy it, do so without worry of what the return may be on it.
 
But lucky for me, a lot of what I have collected proves to be worth more than I paid, and that just makes it more fun for me.
 
Which brings me to my story.....
 
When I was wandering the Flea market in September I spotted a box purse in one of my favorite vendors booths, I know nothing about box purses other than they exist, but this one caught my eye, I loved the little birds on it. But, I passed on it with every intention of coming back. My goal that day was to come home with chairs for my kitchen table, and not knowing what I was going to end up having to pay, I was being careful with my cash. Of course I ended up finding my chairs for much less than I expected to have to spend, took a quick spin through the rest of the flea market and headed to my car to pick up my chairs.
 
I totally forgot to go back for the box purse. And I did not remember it until that Sunday afternoon. I was disgusted with myself, but, figured it was not meant to be and let it go.
 
Although I did not really let it go. When I headed to the November flea market on Friday, I immediately headed to the Antique shed where that vendor is always set up. and sure enough, the box purse was still there! But...the vendor was not, I was too early. So before leaving I headed back up there and got my purse. I even talked her down a couple bucks. It was not until I got home and did a quick google that I learned my cute box purse was a popular collectable!
 
Enid Collins was a Texas artist and designer that sold these adorable box purses in the 50's and 60's. Some are pretty gaudy ugly all are funky cool and most are worth a pretty penny, I saw a purse much like the one I picked up for 15.00 listed online for 40.00. Some of her purses were listing for as much as 400.00 and had bids on them! People apparently love these purses!
 
I sure love mine!
 

 
It is in excellent condition, even better than I thought after I cleaned it up a bit.

 
Perfect on the inside, a stray ink mark here or there, but nothing serious.



I don't plan to use it as a purse. When I first saw it I thought what a cute box to store my ever growing collection of essential oils! Still going to use it for my essential oils, but I will be very careful not to spill oils in or on the box itself.



There were not nearly as many vendors as there usually are, even in November, so my only other find were these darling Fire King TEA mugs, I did not even know there were tea mugs, I have never seen them in my travels, and I must have just looked over them online. These are so cute and the price? Two bucks for three cups, yup, I will take that. They sell for A LOT more than that online!
 
 
I plan to use them for tea tomorrow morning!
 
Dropped off another Hydrangea box arrangement at Creative Village just in time for small business Saturday, I doubt it will sell as fast as the last one, but I hope it sells quickly! This will be the last one I sell until Spring, I will have to focus my time on getting the Hydrangea boxes ready for rentals at Riverwood Mansion.
 
 
 
I had a fantastic Thanksgiving with family, and am really enjoying the rest of this long weekend! I hope you are as well!
 
 
 

 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

The week before Thanksgiving.....

The week before Thanksgiving and it was a crazy busy one!
I took Friday off  to get a head start on Christmas shopping and run my Thanksgiving errands so I am in pretty good shape for this week, I may even have my Flea market chairs finished before Thanksgiving! So in my travels Friday I made sure to stop into my favorite Good Will stores and the local Southern Thrift. Not much to be found but I did come away with one treasure from Southern Thrift.
 
A 1930's Wesson Oil Beater Crock!
 


I almost passed it up because I did not want to spend 7.99 on it. I know, that is not much for a crock, which is why I changed my mind after I thought about it for a minute, and anyway, I can always use another crock, right?
 
I am glad I grabbed it, after doing a little research I found out that they were mass produced by Red Wing Pottery in the 30's but I don't see any markings so I will do a little more research on them, looking around online there were none for 7.99, the cheapest I found was 23.00 plus shipping, and the most expensive was 49.00 plus shipping. I don't know how well they sell, but seeing those prices made me feel pretty good about my find.
 
And it fit right in with my other crocks, it was meant to be!
 
I am moving right along on the rest of my projects, Chairs should be done this week, and another flower box should be ready to go to Creative Village in time for small business Saturday. I still need to hammer a few Christmas spoons, the Christmas tree idea I was working on looks like it is going to be a flop so no more time wasted on that. But I am pretty happy with what I have done.
 
This week should be nice a quiet, kids only have school for a couple days and I should be able to get all the rest of my errands run in time to put down a pretty nice dinner on Thursday!
 
 
I hope you have a peaceful easy week!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Some flea market treasures

I am realizing that again, I am just two weeks away from what will probably be the last time I hit the Nashville Flea market until Spring, and I did not even get around to posting last months finds!
It was a gorgeous day, so wonderful and relaxing wandering around. I did not find a ton, some flatware to hammer and a couple small odds and ends, I even passed on the pink Pyrex creamer I have been looking for since last year, it was just too beat up and came with the sugar bowl (missing the top) that I did not want to drag home with me. But, I did find the most important thing on my list. Chairs for my Farm table! I think I got a good deal, Five chairs, 32.00. Not bad. Of course one is in pretty rough shape and the seats for two of them were totally shot and had to be rebuilt. But I felt like the wood and the shape of the chairs was spot on. I was not looking for perfection anyways, why collect vintage if you just work to make it look brand new? I have learned that lesson.
 
But they are getting some work. New upholstery, a bit of sanding and a good rub of feed-n-wax.
 

 I typically use coconut oil on my wood projects, but for the chairs, I felt they needed a really good dose of moisture and I wanted a bit of wax as well for shine. One of the ladies at Creative Village swears by it, and I did like it for this job although it darkened the wood much more than I expected. Oh and that subtle orange smell? Divine!
 


Love the shape of these chairs! I feel like they mirror the curve and shape of the table legs. As you can see, wherever I am, Bruno is not far behind supervising my work.
 

Here is a close up of the wood after a light sand and a heavy rub of feed-n-wax. The wood has more of a reddish hue than before, but I love that rich color it turned!



Here is a sneak peek of what they should all look like when I am finished! I will have to show you all of them in another blog post! I covered the seats in, yup, you guessed it. Cotton drop cloths. Again, I figured they will get dirty and I wanted something cheap and easy to rip off if (when) I change my mind and want something new. Plus, I loved the color and texture of that fabric next to the wood.
 

But the chairs are not the only thing to come home with me! My first dots Pyrex bowl! It is the smallest size, which I love the most. I also found my first Fire King Diamond bowl at my favorite indoor flea market last weekend. Again a small one, but honestly? Those are the ones we use the most.
 

Two more Swanky Swigs came home with me, I LOVE this size. It is the perfect juice glass. These were again from the indoor flea market, I swear, I find the best stuff at the same price as the Nashville Flea Market there.


And then there is this "eye sore" as my daughter calls it. But I needed a new glass for my bedside water, this one is a good size and bumpy so it is easy to hold onto when my hands are covered with lotion. Plus, I love the orange and red! It is kind of 70's funky! My daughter does not agree. And that make me laugh!
 

And oops! What is this? Another tree? Why yes it is! My fab flea marketing friends Deb and Tobie found this gem for me in their travels. It is the smallest one in my collection and I LOVE it! I wanted a tree for the kitchen, and this one is a perfect fit!
 
Sad thing? I know I found a few more things at both the Nashville and the indoor flea market. But, I cannot for the life of me remember what? Aside from a green jar (used for my essential oils) and some flatware to hammer, I am drawing a blank. Although, if I think about it, obviously they were such perfect finds that they blended right in with everyday life almost as if they had always been there. Things have a way of doing that in our house. OH! Like the thing I just remembered, a white small Fire King restaurant ware oval platter. I have been using it so often, I forgot that  I just got it. AND the orange Fire King mug that has become a part of daily life. Darn, I do get used to things fast.


We got our first hard freeze on Friday night, just as my Dahlia's started to bloom (very late I might add) Jack Frost comes along to snap them but good. Oh well, frozen or not, they sure are pretty.
 

 
I will miss my California Giant Zinnia's. Farewell until next year my beauties!
 
Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? Is it really just two weeks away? I feel like I have gotten a very late start planning, I only just picked up my Turkey yesterday. For someone like me who is usually planning ahead for things like that. It is unusual. But, I have to remember to give myself a break, it has been a very busy year, And I know I will be able to pull everything together for  Thanksgiving day! Of course, taking off to run errands  and (gasp, Christmas shop) this coming Friday will help.
 
Ouch, I was not thinking about how I need to finish the hydrangea box and Christmas tree and Christmas sentiment spoons I am working on to bring to Creative Village before Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. As in the day after Black Friday. I may not get to sleep much the next couple weeks.
 
I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Creative Village: A short tour

I cannot believe it has been almost an entire year since I began selling at Creative Village, wow, time has really flown by!
 
In honor of my one year anniversary, I thought it would be a good time to take a pictorial tour of our little boutique! When I joined a year ago, I was the twentieth "artist" to join the group, today, just a year later, there are more than forty "artists", I have to admit I feel very strange referring to myself as an "artist" really, I feel more like I should be described as a crafter.
 
Creative Village is a tiny little boutique in the heart of the Old Hickory area in Nashville, just down the road a bit from the historic home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage. It is a darling little shop in a very cute area, I love the little neighborhood it is in with its little 1940's homes. Darling! With more than forty artists, the little shop is stuffed to the ceiling (literally) with lots of different handmade items.
 


Here is a view from the back of the shop looking toward the front door, see what I mean, tiny, but very full!
 
 
I love the creative way the shop displays everyone's items, it is so much fun to look around!
 
Here is my main "corner" I have products tucked all over the store, but the majority are together in this area under the Old Hickory sign. I love that sign.
 


As you can see, we already have the Christmas stuff out! The "Scrolling Puzzle Guy" is responsible for all the sweet little deer, this one had to come home with me and I have to admit, the Rudolf sign may be next if it is still there the next time I come in!


I have some of my photography there as well, but we have several people selling their photography there also, some very talented photographers, I love the pictures of the horses!
 

You can find handmade signs and pottery as well.


Several artists have Christmas ornaments there right now.


The most fun upcycled jewelry! These are made from bicycle tires!
 

Babylove soap, the best handmade soap I have found. My son is addicted to their "Old Hickory Bourbon" scent, and it does smell amazing!
 

All sorts of creative craft products!


More from the "Scrolling Puzzle Guy" My daughter LOVES his puzzles, they are adorable, he does a great job!
 

The little felted wool acorns that I brought home with my country mouse Stanley a couple weeks ago are from a new artist as well. Her felted wool creations are amazing!
 
 
Ok, one last shot of my pretty flowers before they sold! And I am still in love with this table, if I had the room for it in my house, it would have to come home with me.

 
Hope you enjoyed my little tour of Creative Village, if you are in the Old Hickory area of Nashville make sure to stop in and check them out!
 
Hope you are having a fantastic week!




Sunday, November 8, 2015

Flowers that never fade

I am full speed ahead making my upcycled aluminum hydrangea center pieces for the wedding venue that we will be working with after the first of the year, everyone seemed to love my "demo" so I decided to make a smaller one to try and sell at Creative Village, just to see if there was any interest.
 
Well...there is interest all right. I dropped this little beauty off at the shop around noon on Saturday, by three o'clock Saturday afternoon, it was gone! Sold right away! I was tickled!
 

I snapped this quick close up before we headed to the shop to drop it off. I was stumped on what to pair with the hydrangeas. After seeing some burlap roses at Hobby Lobby, I decided that they would be a perfect match and decided to try making them myself. Super easy, I will change my method next batch, but not by much. I was amazed at how easily they went together.
 
And I LOVE how they looked!
 
Making hydrangea flowers may be my new obsession!
 
 
Once a Creative Village, I spotted a new addition from another artist, the cutest little coffee table topped with vintage wood rulers, it was adorable, and my hydrangea box looked just perfect on top of it! I though, they looked like they were made to go together. But, it was only meant to be for a little while any my arrangement was off to live with a new owner!
 
But I am thrilled that people like my little creation. Not only does it tell me that I am on the right track for the table centerpieces for the wedding venue, but now I also have another item to sell! I posted a picture of the this box on Facebook and had two friends place orders for one.
 
My poor husband, he is going to have to get a few more pallet boxes put together!
 
But, after he found out how much I made on this little box, I suspect he will be fine with whipping a couple more little boxes together for me!
 
Not to mention this little hobby is a lot quieter than hammering my herb markers and sentiment spoons! I know he appreciates that!
 
It has been such a busy week, heck month, no, lets just go with year, I find myself looking forward to January, when work should be quiet and it should be quiet at home as well. I could really use a couple quiet weekends...to make hydrangea flowers.
 
Maybe Old Farmers Almanac will be right about the weather and I will get a couple snow storms that I will be able to craft my way through!
 
Off to start another week! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
 

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Experimenting with essential oils

 
Although I work for a large hospital administration company, and do listen to my medical Dr. I also like to explore natural remedies, and essential oils are right up my alley because not only do they smell amazing, they have some pretty interesting healing qualities.
 
I have been seeing so many recipes for Doterra On Guard and have actually seen first hand how it worked on someone, so I decided to give it a try. And while I was at it, and since I constantly suffer with "Middle Tennessee" allergies, I thought I would try my hand at mixing some allergy blends as well and see if they really work.
 
Fun stuff, I actually already had everything I needed on hand except for the Doterra On Guard. Ok, that was really expensive so I gave an off brand a try.
 
It smells wonderful! Lets hope it works as well as the Doterra brand.
 
 
 
I decided to make a balm since I already had everything I needed on hand. Coconut oil was my base.
 


I added Cocoa Butter and some beeswax to the coconut oil to stabilize the mix. I figure, if the essential oils don't actually work at least my poor dry feet will be nice and soft!
 

 
I used an old tin from a lotion mix and a cute little jar I picked up at the October  Flea Market to mix my blends in.

 
The usual suspects, some of my favorite scents are best for the allergy blend. Except for the lemon, almost the same oils I use in the vapor sticks. I may add a kick of lemon to my next vapor stick, oh this blend smells wonderful!
 
 
I poured the carrier oil blend into the clean prepared jars then added the essential oils. The tiny green jar got the immune system blend and the tiny tin got the allergy blend. I can still smell the coconut oil and it overpowers the essential oil fragrance, which I did not love, but the scent is not what is supposed to be important here, what the essential oils do for you is what you are after. But still, next time, I am buying roller balls and a neutral carrier oil so I can experience the full scent of these wonderful essential oils as well as their healing properties.

 
I have been using both blends for several days now, of course the immune system support rub is harder to really tell if it is working, but I have to admit, today, after three days of using the allergy blend, my allergies and sinus's are better. Is it the oils? Or is it just that whatever is bugging me is not as bad right, now. Not sure, but, I will keep using it until they are gone and decide then if I want to keep using them.
 
Again, if nothing else, they are a nice smelling moisturizing lotion for my feet. And my poor feet get so dry in the winter so I am always looking for a lotion or ointment to put on them.
 
I dropped off ornaments at Creative Village on Sunday, we have a new artist that makes the most darling felted sculptures, she does amazing work! I grabbed a couple of her cute little felted wool acorns to go with this adorable little mouse that I have been eyeing for several weeks. I love how he looks sitting under the dried flowers my daughter brought back from her last trip to Wisconsin for me. I think he looks right at home nestled in between the vintage insulators with his little felted acorn snacks! I have a hard time leaving Creative Village empty handed!

 
When I was at Creative Village on Sunday I took a ton of pictures of the shop and all the stock, so I could give you a guided tour of the in my next post!
 
I hope you are having a wonderful week!