A little of this and a little of that!

April was a busy month for me!  I hosted our Bunco group, I did some "junking" (going to garage sales),  I made some crafts and I/we celebrated Easter in Tucson with my daughter and her family.  

This idea came from Pinterest!  What better way to display knives, forks and spoons than to make them look like carrots????  I already had the lamb planter so I just put the "utensils" and napkins in the spot where a plant would normally go! 

I recently bought this cute spring pitcher at a yard sale so I used it for another utensil holder.

My Bunco guests enjoyed the "carrot" displays!

This craft idea is also from Pinterest!  I searched "dollar tree crafts" in Pinterest and found endless possibilities!  I purchased everything at Dollar Tree and proceeded to glue the scented soap petals onto the foam ball.  I didn't follow the directions given on Pinterest so I used twice as many petals and burned my fingers twice as many times!!!!  My advice...always read the directions first!!!!!

A work in progress

Almost done

Finished!

Part of some Bunco decor

I really like this book holder that I found at a yard sale

It is perfect for holding a picture of my mother

More yard sale finds that I used for desserts when I hosted Bunco

All 6 bunny dessert plates were $2.00 at a yard sale!!!!!!

More yard sale finds

Saturday was a great day for me as far as "junking" goes!  I'm an estate sale and garage sale gal from the word "go" so I visit Craig's List daily to see what is available on any Friday or Saturday.  This Saturday proved to be a very good day for me as evidenced by my treasures below. 

 

Two pretty pink doilies (50 cents) that will go into my mom's old room with my dolls.

This is a Sunbonnet Sue doll quilt that came with the doll buggy that it is draped over.  The lady that I bought it from had it displayed in her guest room...that is exactly what I plan on doing when I finally start organizing my mom's old room.

Here is the beautiful doll buggy that I specifically wanted to buy at this particular yard sale.  As it turns out, I got up late and I was sure that the buggy wouldn't be available when I finally got to the sale.  However, I was the first person at the sale and the owner seemed disappointed that more people hadn't stopped by.  I didn't want the doll that was in the buggy, so she lowered the price by $10.00.  Not a bad deal for $25!  You can't touch these things for $25.00  I've looked on ebay and Amazon so I knew that this was a great deal.

I struck up a conversation with the owner of this buggy, and we exchanged names and phone numbers.  I didn't buy any dolls at the sale, but I might go back and take a second look at them.

For some reason I was drawn to this lamp shade!  If you've ever been to my house, you know that it fits with my decor.  I tried it out on a lamp in the great room but it didn't look right so now I'll have to find a base for it.  Not bad for $1.00

 

This little buggy was .50!!!!  At this sale, the owner was practically giving stuff away!

 

 

 

 These accessories will go in my doll room...eventually! They are so cute and together they were $1.00!

 

 

 These roses have nothing to do with sales!  They were from my husband for our 34th wedding anniversary.

F is for Finally Finished (Almost)!!!!

This week Mrs. Matlock has assigned the letter "F" for the class assignment.  I wasn't sure what I would blog about until I realized I finally finished a project that has been in the planning stages for months!!!

Several months ago I purchased this bookcase at a yard sale and, as luck would have it, it matched perfectly with a headboard and dresser that I already had!  However, I didn't immediately put the bookcase in the same bedroom with the matching pieces!!!  Instead the poor thing sat and sat forever in the garage until I found this fabric and these treasures at another sale.  I finally got around to working on the bookcase/fabric project and the following photos show the outcome.

Before



During

  

After

Other than a few books for the bottom shelf and one or two more things to complete the shelf with the box of roses, I'm finished!  ALMOST!!!!

Join Mrs. Matlock's class for more postings of the letter "F".



"Easter Parade" of sales

Once again I ventured into the glorious world of yard/estate sales and I'm glad that I did.

This first photo is of a pretty red rose in bloom in my backyard.  It has nothing to do with yard/estate sales, but I thought it was nice to look at anyway!

I found these three darling, puffy "Bunnies by the Bay" at a yard sale of a mother and daughter.  I struck up a conversation with them and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.  I was taken with their friendly smiles and easy, delightful conversation.  Merlie, the mother, and Amanda, the daughter, were selling a variety of things including Vera Bradley handbags, Coach and Dooney.  They also had so many wonderful books...decorating, doll, and cooking...as well as some furniture and wonderful home decor items.  Merlie has a real eye for decorating and I wish I could have bought the vignette in her living room (the sale was both inside the house and outside in the yard and garage).  I even went back the next day to visit and buy stuff!!!  It was so nice to meet such gracious people.

 The red bunny in the middle was $2.00 and the white ones were $1.00 each...all from Hallmark.


This three-tiered serving stand was crooked and stuffed into a plastic bag.  For some reason I liked it and instantly came up with a proper use for it.  So I straightened it out and............

 put some of my miniature dolls on it along with an old tea set.  I'm still not finished with it but at least I now have a purpose for buying the serving stand.

 The two little Victorian dolls on the top tier and the two dolls in front (pink and blue) are from an estate sale. You really should click on the photo to enlarge it so you can really see the detail. They are Maud Humphrey Bogart pieces and I spent a whopping $8.00 on all four!

The mini frames below are from Merlie and Amanda's sale.  I don't think that I've seen frames quite as tiny as some of these.  I like the rose pictures in the frames, however, I think I'll switch some out for photos of my grandchildren.

A close-up of the frames

Yard Sales and Treasure Hunts

Every Saturday morning I visit yard sales and/or estate sales in my area.  I go alone (except I sometimes take our Labrador, Bear) because I have a system and I don't want to wait while a companion leisurely browses all the goodies for sale.  I quickly look over the merchandise and I make split second decisions.  Time is of the essence and I move on if nothing catches my eye.  Bear sits in the back seat with his head out the window and 95% of the time people ask me if they can pet him.  I always say "yes" because Bear is very friendly and loves people.  Little kids get a kick out of Bear as he slobbers kisses on them!! 

Bear is such a baby that he won't even look at the camera because he is afraid of the light that comes on when I'm ready to take a picture!!!!!!!!!!

Every single thing in this photo is from a yard sale except the two pictures of my grandchildren!  The frames, the corbel and the cute illustration of a baby gown with a precious inscription, were all purchased for next to nothing over the past few months.

 I've blogged about this entry table before but not about the things on it.  I found the birdcage and the pear at a yard sale, and the finial at an estate sale.    

Here is a close-up of the finial and the pear.

Easter goodies

                                                                        

The cloche is from an estate sale, the ribbon is from a yard sale, the hanging eggs and the pink rabbit in front are from yard sales, the letter "F" is from Hobby Lobby, the black egg was free and the pear is from a yard sale.

The "Recipe for Friendship" was purchased from Cracker Barrel while the pink vase was recently purchased from a neighbor's yard sale.

For some reason I was drawn to this as I've never seen a pink hob-nail like this.

Darling rabbits from a yard sale.

This little writing desk was given to me because I did a favor for a friend.  I'm still not sure what I should do with it or where I should put it!

These two rabbits were rescued from a box of discarded Easter stuff!!!  One man's trash......

Cute little rabbit ready for Easter.  She came home with me from a yard sale.

This darling table, the finial and the oval frame were purchased at an estate sale.  The pink bunny is from a yard sale.

A close-up of the table and the other goodies.

This whole yard sale/estate sale thing has become an addiction but I love it.  I can't explain the "thrill of the hunt" mentality; I just know that I thoroughly enjoy it!

Please link to Jenny Matlock's blog to read more "Y" posts from other participants.