DIY Honeycomb balls

The other day I went to an estate sale in a $2.2 million, 5000 sq. ft. house. Wowza! High-rent district of town, to be sure. I hadn't planned to go to that sale (I prefer the dinky little 1950s houses packed with JUNK) but we drove past so I decided to stop. As you can imagine, most of the sale was pretty pricey, but I did buy one thing for $1:

It makes me smile every time I look at it! I've always been a sucker for tissue paper honeycomb shapes and the rainbow colors make me happy.

As a coincidence, in the past week I've found two Pins that show how to make your own honeycomb balls. This how-to video by Mark Montano uses magazine pages

and this beautiful orb by Donna from Under the Red Roof uses coffee filters! She shares a very in-depth and nicely photographed tutorial to make this:

Please visit the original source to rePin! http://undertheredroof.typepad.com/under_the_red_roof/2012/06/coffee-filter-honeycomb-balls-tutorial.html

What a cool idea--I know I've seen instructions for dyeing white coffee filters, so you could conceivably make a ball in any color. Donna also says that you could use cupcake papers. That would probably be seriously fiddly because of the small size, but I'm intrigued nonetheless.

I won't have time to try either of these crafts for a little while, but if I do I'll be sure to report back and let you know if they work!

**PS--If you'd rather buy your tissue balls pre-made, today through June 18 you can get free shipping with no minimum order from Oriental Trading Company using code WCE3284 at checkout!**

Collecting: Japanese Lusterware

Perhaps this post would be more accurately titled: Things I am determined to NOT start collecting: Japanese Lusterware" because by golly, I'm trying my hardest to resist with mixed results.

Japanese lusterware is distinctive because of its iridescent glaze and frequent use of the colors orange and a pretty greenish-blue. Once you see a few pieces you can pretty much spot it at 20 paces because it all has a very particular look, despite the fact that there were dozens of manufacturers.

According to this website, most Japanese lusterware dates from the mid-1920s to the end of the 1930s. I assume it was primarily made for export. The items I see most commonly are tea sets, especially children's tea sets.

These are pieces from my dear Gram's tea set that she had as a child. I feel very honored that she entrusted it to me! My Gram passed away last year and was born in 1923, so it is right on that her tea set would have been made during the period listed above.

My first Japanese lusterware purchases were this tiny plate with the pinecones and the tiny orange and blue egg cup. In fact, I purchased the egg cup several years ago at a senior center rummage sale in the town where my Gram lived. I didn't know anything about Japanese lusterware at that point--all I knew was that it resembled her little tea set, so I bought it and gave it to her.

Even before I acquired Gram's tea set, Japanese lusterware always caught my eye when I was out thrifting. Odd pieces turn up not infrequently at the thrift stores and I always looked at them, but never purchased any because I just didn't want to start collecting them. Recently I finally caved in and purchased a bag that contained both this set

and this ashtray.

The set on top is a salt and pepper and what I believe to be a toothpick holder on a clever little tray. The shakers are only a few inches tall.

And then more recently, I purchased this sweet little cup at an estate sale:

I have no idea what it is--the notched lid makes me think of a sugar bowl but generally sugar bowls have two handles. It's just darling and really makes me think of my Gram--she had pet birds for many, many years and I just know this is the kind of pretty little thing that she would have loved.

But now I'm positively determined NOT to buy any more Japanese lusterware! Honestly, the colors don't match anything in my house and I have no where to display them. I found a bag with a few pieces of a tea set recently at the thrift store and I passed it up, so I think I might be cured, but if I find any more sweet little cups with tiny green birds on the tops, I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself!

Is there anything that you're determined NOT to collect?

Weekend Junk Finds: Mother's Day edition

 For Mother's Day back in May, one of my gifts was that The Mister watched the kids so I could go junking ALL BY MYSELF for as long as I wanted! That man knows what I truly want! I hit a few antique stores and a few thrift stores and came up with some goodies.

This stack of wooden berry baskets and the vintage floral tablecloth beneath it were from a neighborhood yard sale. The cloth was dirty but came nice and clean with a good OxiClean soak, and I was tickled to find the berry baskets because I had just watched this: Studio 5 Berry Baskets video

While I was out shopping I decided to make a quick stop by the Goodwill Outlet. I hadn't actually been back there since my initial jaw-dropping foray last summer. I poked gingerly through the bins and managed to unearth a small handful of vintage ornaments and an Ovenex Starburst muffin pan. I try to only buy them when they're still pretty and shiny, but since the grand total for all of these items plus the vintage pattern in the next photo was $1.07, I thought it was worth getting.

 At the antique store, I found this collection of old flash cards. I already had the ice cream and cake cards and thought the others would be fun additions, especially for a bake sale or for use on a dessert table at a party. I can never get enough of old flash cards!

At the thrift store I found a huge white platter, an antique embossed card in an old frame, and a monogrammed silverplate baby cup.

Also at the thrift store, I found these sleeves of paper serving dishes. The white bowls will be perfect for homemade ice cream this summer and I had intended to use the cute little red boats as holders for the brownies at Maren's Bake Sale. I know I can find uses for them.

And the final thrift store find that day was this gorgeous vintage signed Kandell & Marcus NY rhinestone brooch! I've included the quarter so you can see how big this piece is.

It measures 4.25" long so it is quite the statement piece! I had never heard of Kandell & Marcus NY so I tried to research but couldn't find much information other than the fact that they made costume jewelry starting in the 1940s. This brooch must have been one of their more popular sellers, because I found several listed on eBay and other antique-selling sites. Since giant blingy vintage brooches are kind of my thing, I believe I'll be keeping this beauty. One just never knows when one might need something suitable to wear to a Diamond Jubilee, right?

Did you find any good junk this weekend? I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds

 Hello, friends! How was your weekend? We were busy around here, but it's been the good kind of busy. Last Wednesday, The Mister and I went to a fantastic concert. Friday evening we attended a graduation party with lots of friends in the neighborhood park, Saturday morning I went and got my hair done (stayed a redhead!), and then yesterday evening I helped throw a farewell party for a dear friend of ours who is moving--pictures of that one to come.

I did sneak in a trip to the Goodwill on Friday morning and found an unexpected treasure--pictures of that one to come as well! For now, I have some past junk finds to share.

I am always attracted to these multi-strand beaded grandma necklaces that must have been sold by the hundreds in every five-and-dime in this country 50 years ago. This one is particularly pretty, with beautiful aqua and green beads. I can't wait to wear it! I bought the matching earrings, though since they're clip-ons and I prefer dangly stuff anyway, they'll end up in my crafting box.

Also headed for the crafting box are the black beaded earrings and the two sparkly pins at the bottom of the photo--one is red and clear, the other is purple and clear. The bracelet on the top is to wear--I loved the colors even though they're not my usual palette with the orange and olive green. I'm trying to branch out more this summer and with my new red hair, orange and green have taken on a new appeal.

This find is one that made me squeal and clutch it to my chest in the thrift store, lest anyone see my treasure and try to wrest it from my hands. This is a Royal Haeger ashtray in the shape of the state of Colorado! It's in the most perfect shade of greeny blue and it is perfect--no nicks or chips or anything. It's hard to gauge size from this photo, but it's about the size of a sheet of paper.
I consulted the Haeger expert, and although it's not worth much, it's awesome and I adore it! I have a guest room that is decorated in old travel souvenirs with a special emphasis on the places I've lived so this would fit right in, but I love it so much that right now it has pride of place on an easel in my curio cabinet.

Did you fit any junking into your Memorial Day weekend? I'm joining Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds: Just Down The Street edition

I live in a fairly new area, so it's rare that I'm lucky enough to find anything vintage at a garage sale--it's usually baby toys and the like. However, sometimes I do get lucky! Not long ago I was driving Maren to school in the morning and went past a house just a few blocks away that was having a yard sale. I recognized the house from a sale they had last year, because I scored several vintage goodies then. After I dropped Maren at school, I ran back by my house to grab my wallet and headed down the block to shop.

I had hoped for some vintage goodies again, and I wasn't disappointed!

This pretty painted aqua tray was the first thing I grabbed. Love the bright colors! I also picked up a jar of white buttons and a pair of vintage silverplate advertising spoons (Donald Duck and Spaghettios). I have the matching Mickey spoon already, so maybe these cute spoons need to find a shadowbox to live in.

Two old books on gardening that I picked up for decorative use. The small one's title is "An Unexpected Result." That about sums up my gardening adventures.

The larger green book has the cutest yellow watering can on the front!

This vintage 1960s Playskool toy has a set of cards that fit together like puzzle pieces. You have to match up the animal and its home and there's even a little cardboard frame for the one you're working on. The illustrations are charming!

One other item at the yard sale that I had my eye on was a black vintage rotary phone. It was marked $10 and I heard the seller tell another man that her best price on it was $8. I didn't have enough cash on me and I considered going back home to get more money, but didn't in the end. Still wondering if I should have bought it--it would have been a fun display piece! Rats, the more I think about it, the more I wish I'd gone back!

Hope these ladies continue having sales--nothing like being able to walk a few minutes from home to buy vintage goodies! Did you find any treasures?

I'm linking up with Her Library Adventures Flea Market Finds!

Weekend Junk Finds

I didn't get a chance to go out junking this weekend even though there were several promising estate sales, two thrifts running 50% off and a plethora of garage sale signs. Bummer. My kids (Porter in particular) are seriously putting a crimp in my junking plans! Good thing they're cute, right?

These first few finds are from the same estate sale where I found all of the vintage Christmas goodies that I showed last week. After I crammed my shopping bag completely full of Shiny Brite boxes, I was trying to fight my way through the crowds to go pay. I attempted to keep a hand on a very sticky Porter (I'd given him a Tootsie Pop to buy a few quiet minutes so I could grab ornaments) when I saw this 7Up crate. It was the first day of the sale so I paid full price of $10 but that's a deal, since they usually go for twice that at antique stores around here. And I luuuuuurve me some old wooden soda crates!

This is before I got it cleaned up. I love the dark red print and realized that it's the perfect match to the red paint on my front room walls, so I currently have it acting as a tray on the ottoman/coffee table in that room. Here is is dressed up with glittery eggs and flowers for Easter:

That evening, I told a friend about the sale and she asked if I'd go with her the next day. I was happy to go back--the previous day it had been so crowded that I hadn't been able to see anything beyond the storage room in the basement that housed the Christmas decorations. On my second sweep through the house, I found these two small gold trophies:

I couldn't believe they were still there, considering the crowds that had already been through the house, and especially since they were only $2 each. I prefer silver trophies but for that price I'm willing to branch out! Each one is engraved on the base: one for Welcoming Committee 1951-52 and the other for Social Committee 1955-56. The earlier one is missing its metal seal but I think if I am careful I can remove the dried glue residue and give them both a good cleaning with some Brasso.

The last item I bought at that sale was this sweet little covered Japanese lustreware cup. This piece reminded me of something I'd find in my dear Gram's house. I'm not sure what it's all about--it's quite small and seems an odd shape for a sugar bowl. Perhaps lid was married from another piece in the same set? It's a mystery, but I had to have it. I am brewing up a post about Japanese lustreware so I'll talk more about it later this week.

And that's all from that sale! Did you get out junking this weekend, or did your two-year-old (literal or figurative!) get in the way of your plans? ;)

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds: Vintage Christmas goodies

For the first time ever, I actually signed up on a list for an estate sale! I don't generally get to do this because most sales are far, far away from my house. It's bad enough to drive over for the sale, but to drive over and back again the day before to sign up on the list is just not going to happen. And with little kids, I can't get there early to sign up on the day of the sale either, so I just have to be content not to worry about being one of the first in the house.

For this particular sale I got lucky--it was only about 10 minutes from my house, so it was no problem to pop Porter into the car and run over. I ended up being #19 on the list which doesn't seem that great, but I was the first one into the room with the vintage Christmas goodies (my goal!) and I was able to get everything I wanted, so it was a success!

This is what enticed me to the sale in the first place! I saw them in the ad for the sale on EstateSales.net (which you really should sign up for because it's FREE and a great resource!) and even though it meant that Porter would miss his nap on two consecutive days (the day I signed up and the day of the sale, since it started at 2 pm) the lure of mini Shiny Brite ornament boxes was too strong to resist.

There were also big Shiny Brite ornament boxes as well. One was in my all-time favorite Shiny Brite box

I LOVE this lid! I only have one other one like it but it's my favorite because of the image of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus shaking hands.

There were other vintage Christmas goodies as well. I found two bells made of wire and PINK mercury glass beads, and two boxes of reflectors.

And a whole pile of the random little vintage Christmas bits that make me disproportionately happy. Especially when they come packaged in a darling little vintage shoebox like this:

I think I might have to try my hand at making some vintage-style Christmas corsages with all of the little bits I've been collecting.

Did you find any good junk this weekend? I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds: Small town thrifting edition

These are older finds, but I didn't get to do any junking this past week so leftovers will have to do!

I found these sweet trims in a thrift store in a tiny southern Colorado town. It's an independent, church-run thrift and I've found some great stuff in that little store so it's always worth a look when we're in the area visiting my grandparents. Once I bought two new-old-stock rolls of the most beautiful black and white checked ribbon for $1 each and they were one of the first things I ever sold on Etsy. When I  bought them, there were several additional rolls and I've kicked myself a hundred times over for not buying it all! What ever was I thinking leaving those there?

For some reason I am drawn to the Dutch motifs that were popular in the 1950s. I have precisely zero Dutch heritage or connection to the Netherlands, but I find the little Dutch boys and girls, windmills, and tulips to be so completely charming! The trim on the top is cute, but my favorite is definitely the intricate blue and white trim on the bottom:

Look at the detail! I bought it intending to resell but now it might be too dear to part with. I need to think of something really special to make with it so it doesn't just sit, hoarded, in a drawer.

Another thrift in small-town southern Colorado turned up this cute vintage souvenir tablecloth:

I've never been to Alaska and although I adore 1) vintage tablecloths and 2) vintage travel souvenirs, I think this one is destined for the Etsy shop as well.

A few other odds and ends:

The sweet divided child's plate was from Goodwill. This particular GW store is downtown, smack in the middle of Hipster-ville where they know their vintage, so I paid more than I would had I found it at my local, suburban store. The box of vintage Dennison labels, unusual wooden ruler, and box of old straws were from estate sales. Nothing super exciting but fun little finds that made me happy!

Tonight we're having some friends over to have dinner and watch the season premiere of the British version of the TV show Top Gear. I don't care a whit about cars, but I'll take any excuse to throw a party! These Oreo cream cupcakes are on the menu--yum!

Did you find any good junk this week? Do you watch Top Gear?

As usual, I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Collecting: The Happy Hollisters book series

On Monday I showed off one of my thrift finds, a vintage Happy Hollisters book for my collection. In case you're unfamiliar with the series, I thought I'd tell you a bit about them.

The Happy Hollisters series of books was produced from 1953 to 1969 and was a product of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, who were also responsible for the Nancy Drew Mysteries, the Hardy Boys series, and the Bobbsey Twins books, among many others. In most Stratemeyer series, a pen name was chosen (Carolyn Keene for the Nancy Drew books, for example) but the books were actually written by several authors. In the case of The Happy Hollisters, a pseudonym was chosen (Jerry West) but all 33 of the books in the series were written by the same man, Andrew Svenson.

Svenson modeled the Hollister family after his own--the children in the stories are based on his own children and the adventures they had while growing up. The father in the stories owns a hardware/toy store called The Trading Post and the family goes on all kinds of wholesome educational adventures that inevitably include a mystery.

I first encountered The Happy Hollisters books when I was in 4th or 5th grade. My mom had read the books as a child and introduced them to me, and luckily our local library had several titles. I read all that they had, although I'm sure I didn't read all 33 of them.

I started junk shopping and thrifting when I was in college, though I didn't start to do it with any regularity until we moved to Colorado, nearly eight years ago. Since the beginning of my thrifting adventures I've been on the lookout for Happy Hollisters books to start my own collection, and in all of that time I've only managed to find FIVE titles, including the one from last week! That's not counting titles I've found at antique stores, because I'm not so serious about my collection that I want to pay antique store prices. I'm cheap. :)
 
The books do sell on eBay, but really only in large lots. I haven't studied them well enough to know if there are any particularly rare volumes in the series that fetch higher prices individually. It's interesting to me that this lot of 28 went for $247, but this lot of 28 only went for $68. I'd say that second buyer got a deal!

There is an official Happy Hollisters website here, if you want to read more about the books and their author, Andrew Svenson. The series was hugely popular--one of the Stratemeyer Syndicate's most successful. In 2010, some of the titles were re-released in paperback and are even available on Amazon or in e-book format for your Kindle or Nook. Or you can always keep an eye out for the original hardbacks, like I'll be doing!

Weekend Junk Finds

On Wednesday mornings, a group of friends and I have a baby-sitting co-op where we each take a turn watching our group of kids for two hours. Two child-free hours goes a lot quicker than you'd think! I try to use my two precious hours doing something fun that I can't do with Porter along, which usually means a trip to the thrift store (oh, if only estate sales around here started on Wednesday mornings). This week's finds weren't monumental, but I sure enjoyed wandering the aisles and looking at everything.

A pretty smocked church dress for Maren. Hard to see, but it's made of navy blue fine-wale corduroy. Better suited for Fall, but she may have to wear it now since it may not fit if I wait!

My favorite fruitcake tin! This is my third, but it's a completely different shape and size from the others. This one is wide and shallow. It has sticker residue on top but some Goo Gone should take care of that. Also, a peach lustre Fire King mug.

I don't usually buy books, but I always check them out just in case. This time I bought a whole stack! Maren loves the Rainbow Magic fairy books and I was able to find two of the special editions and volumes 1-5 of the Rainbow Fairies series. Missing 6-7 but we can get those from the library. I was so excited to find them that I gave them to her that afternoon, but yesterday I was kicking myself for not saving them for her Easter basket! Duh. The other books I found are a Happy Hollisters for my collection (watch for an upcoming post on those) and a worn old Edgar Allan Poe book that will go with my Halloween decor. I have a few other creepy titles I use in my decorations and this one will fit right in!

And my favorite find for the day: a framed Wayne Thiebaud print! I posted all about Mr. Thiebaud's beautiful art back in August 2011 after I became acquainted with his work at the National Gallery on our trip to Washington D.C. I've been enjoying the Wayne Thiebaud wall calendar that I purchased in the gift shop at the museum, so I am positively tickled pink about finding this framed print! As much as I adore the print's subject of desserts, the only place in my house where the colors will work is my pastel-hued guest room, so I won't get to see it every day. My lucky guests will get to enjoy it instead, although I may have to slip in now and again to admire my pretty print.

Did you find anything good this weekend, or were you too busy celebrating Easter? I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds: Coke bottles & carrier

Today's junk has a fun story behind it. Back in February a friend of mine told me she was in charge of finding props for the middle school's upcoming production of "Grease". The director had given her a whole list of props and furniture which included old Coke bottles for use in a few scenes. The director wanted the kids to be able to really drink from them, and she needed a bunch because of the number of kids in the play. My friend knows that I love to go antiquing and thrifting and wondered if I knew where she could find 1) the large number of bottles needed and 2) the large number of bottles needed for CHEAP!

I had recently bought one old Coke bottle at an antique store for $1, and the reason I bought it was because I never see them that cheap! I was doubtful that she was going to be able to find the many bottles she needed on a budget. She happened to look at Craigslist that night and found a listing for two dozen bottles and an old Coke crate for $55. I couldn't believe it--especially since the bottles had been listed for over a month. At antique stores in my area, painted wooden soda crates are usually priced around $20, so I figured $35 for 24 bottles was a pretty good deal.

She contacted the owner and he offered to let the school use the bottles, free of charge! He dropped them off on my friend's porch without even meeting her to find out if she was legit. I mentioned to my friend that I might be interested in buying the bottles so after the play was over, I went over to have a look at them.

I decided that I wanted them, so she sent a text to the owner asking how he'd like me to pay him. He responded back with his address, saying I could just send him a check--and he knocked $5 off the price! I don't think I would have been nearly so trusting as he was, even though I'm a pretty optimistic, trusting person. How refreshing it was to find someone on Craigslist who was so nice! I made sure to send him my check and a nice note the very next morning.

Now, I have no idea what I'm actually going to do with the bottles now that I have them. As is my usual M.O., I'll figure that part out later. :) But in the meantime, I couldn't resist having a little photo shoot with my pretty new bottles and crate!

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds: Vintage Tablecloths

Today's junk came from an estate sale that I mentioned a few weeks ago. It opened on a Thursday afternoon, which I (mistakenly) thought meant it might not be so busy as a Friday morning sale. The kids were out of school that day, so I hired the neighbor to babysit and drove over.

I arrived at the sale about 10 minutes after opening, but there was no line--they'd let everyone in at once. Normally I hate that practice because it's just painful to stand outside in line, imagining that the people in front of you are scooping up all of the goodies while you wait and leaving you with the junk. In the case of this sale, I think letting people in a few at a time might not have been a bad idea! Surely, if the Fire Marshall had seen the place he'd have shut us down fast! It was a tiny old house and it was just unbelievably crowded and DARK.

Despite the hordes of people and the gloom, I managed to find a few treasures. In one bedroom I found a pile of vintage tablecloths. Even in the dark I could see that they were stained, but honestly couldn't tell how badly or if I thought the stains were removable. However, they were priced cheap--cheaper-than-the-thrift-store-cheap--so I thought I'd take a chance.

Love the aqua scalloped border on this one! The pale pink dye on the roses is pretty faded, though.

Pretty red flowers with blue-green leaves.

This one has a label--St. Regis by Springmaid.

This tablecloth was not with the others--it was wadded up in the top of the linen closet. This linen closet was at the end of the hall, flanked by bedroom doors on either side. It was so crowded that it was nearly impossible to even get the door open--and then if it was open, you not only blocked the hallway, but both bedroom doors. Truly, it was ridiculous. The estate sale company should have been smart and just taken the door off the hinges. There could have been gold bricks under the sheets & towels in that closet and nobody would have been able to get to them! This tablecloth is in better condition than the others and I think the aqua and orange color scheme is unusual and fun.

This tablecloth was with the others, but in much nicer condition. It features a motif of those cast iron trivets in the middle, and copper gelatin molds around the outside. (And I swear I ironed it--where did that ugly crease come from?). The copper molds remind me of my Gram, since she had a whole collection hanging up in her kitchen. The colors aren't my thing, so this one will end up in my Etsy shop.

I soaked the cloths in Biz and hot water, but unfortunately most of the stains stubbornly stayed put, so I officially have cutters. Maybe I can find more chairs that need reupholstering...

I'm linking up to Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl!