Cottage Hideaway

I want patience and I want it NOW!

2009-08-16T07:27:00.017-04:00

Every week I spend hours reading your blogs. I read about your lives, your families, the good deals you find at yard sales and flea markets, estate sales and Goodwill. And I see your pictures. Pictures of beautiful transformations and gorgeous re-dos. I read your tutorials, draw inspiration from you, steal your ideas, and envy you your talent and creativity. So many good ideas. So many projects to begin. So many new (old) things to watch for at yard sales. So many great colors of spray paint to try! My head spins, I hyperventilate, I'm racked with indecision on where to begin. So, while I wait to calm down....I read more blogs. Arrrgh!

Occasionly I DO manage to slow down enough to attempt a few redos. I decided to begin with spray painting. I was shooting for immediate gratification. YOU know. I'd just take one of my shelves off the wall, shlep it out to the yard, spray on some color, let it dry for a few minutes and put it back on the wall. Voila! Right? I mean, it seems to work that way for Kammy at Small Home in the Country. She takes not so attractive items and magically transforms them into gorgeous pieces of furniture or accessories for her home. Hmmm. Well. It turns out that I wasn't born knowing how to spray paint. I have to "learn" how to spray paint. And I have to develop "patience". And I'm going to have to "practice" spray painting until I hopefully get as good as Kammy. Not to mention all the prep work and finishing work I try to get out of doing! Until then, I guess that's why God invented sandpaper.

With that in mind, here's a few of my first attempts. Remember, be kind.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...
And Before...

And After...

I know, I know. If you look carefully, you'll see where there is some touch ups to be done. Hence that lack of patience thing I was talking about. Oh well, at least I've begun, right?

Now...on to my finds for the week...

Old Fan...(needs some cleanup)$4

King sz. quilt and pillow. $5

Pretty bowls $1 each

Old Bottle dh picked up. Says Gordon's Dry Gin on the front. London on one side and England on the other.$5

And my favorite..A set of Crown Ming Fine China, service for 8. $15! Whoo Hoo!

That's it for this week! As always, Thanks for visiting!

Today I'm linking to both Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures, and Susan's Metamorphosis Monday.
Don't forget to check out both sites to see what everyone's been up to lately!

Guess I was hungry

2009-08-09T19:08:00.007-04:00

It seems most of my yard sale finds this week revolve around food... either shipping it, storing it, serving it, or advertising it.

Before you see what I mean maybe I better explain something.
I must confess... my taste in decorating is not excusively "Cottage".
(GASP! I know, I know, please don't stop loving me!)

Each room in my house seems to be taking on whichever style that fits it. My living room is pink. Pink carpet, pink flowered wallpaper, flowers, birds, the works. Very fufu. Very cottage.
My dining room is lace curtains, lace tablecloth, and taking on elements of victorian, with lots of handpainted flowers.

The family room is more primitive or rustic country I guess.

And my bathroom and bedrooms haven't even told me yet what they want to be when they grow up. I told them I don't want to hear about it until they have fresh paint on their walls. :)

Anyway, that is why I choose such a variety of items while at yardsales. If I like it, I buy it. I never worry about finding just the right place for it. "It" tells me where it goes!

In fact the "voices" tell me lots of things...BU HA HA HA!

Ok, enough silliness. Here are my finds for this week.

A few signs, $1.00 each

A cool wooden box for shipping corned beef from Argentina. $2

Tiered wrought iron and wicker stand. $2

Cut glass dish with silver ring around top and silver fork and spoon. $1.50

Fancy Schmancy clock. $2.
What does this have to with food?
It's always time for food, of course!

Ok, gotta go.....I could use a snack!

Linking up with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures

You Say Tomato, I Say...Oh My!

2009-08-06T06:33:00.005-04:00

Two years ago dh and I put in a few square foot gardening beds so I could try my hand at vegetable gardening. Our first year was pretty good. We had peas, lettuce, some beans, cucumbers, radishes, and tomatoes. All in all, not too bad. However the tomatoes (which we were looking forward to the most), were on the small side and just not as good as we'd hoped. (they tell me last year wasn't a good year for anyone's tomatoes here in the northeast)

Anyway, so this year we decided to concentrate mainly on growing some GOOD tomatoes along with a few other vegs for salad variety. We dug, we tilled, we added miracle grow, we bought and planted just about every different variety of tomato plant we could find, we watered, we waited.
And finally, we have some tomatoes, and they are just staring to ripen! Yesterday I picked the first few ripe tomatoes. One very special tomato caught my eye. Here it is in all it's glory.

Ahem...

What can one say about something like this?...

I did check my little garden chart to see exactly what variety of tomato we planted in that part of the garden.

It was...

Wait for it....

A Big Boy! What else!

The thing is, now I'm a little concerned.
We also planted some Better Boys....

Linking to Kimba's DIY Party.

Not in Kansas anymore

2009-08-02T14:53:00.011-04:00

Are you reasonably sure you know the area where you live? Most of the nearby towns? Most of the roads that take you to said towns?
You know, the area you've traveled for (ahem), 40 some years?

Yeah, we thought so too.

Dh and I started out bright and early Saturday morning (aka yard sale day), hit a few sales, and stopped at our favorite restaurant for breakfast. This usually concludes the yard sale segment of our weekend.
But since the pickings were slim this week, we decided to hit a few more a little further out.

And we did.

And it was good.

Then on the way back we spotted a small sign..."yard sale this way" and a cute little arrow. Alright, maybe one more. It might be a good one. So we followed the arrow, then at the next intersection we followed that arrow, then a few miles later at another intersection we followed that arrow too......Geez, this must be a great sale. The people having the sale were bringing in customers from miles around!
Finally we found the sale!

Baby clothes, an exercise bike, and old tupperware.

Oh, goodie, this was so worth it.
At this point we should've packed it in. But wait! Another cute arrow! And off we went again.
Anyway, we DID find some good sales. So, we were happy, tired, and out of money when we decided it was time to head home.......

Wow, turns out we live in a beautiful area full of woods, mountains, windy country roads that lead to other woods, mountains and country roads, and an occasional small town with intersections leading off in 3 different directions. What are the odds of us 'always' choosing the wrong one, and what are the odds of loaning your GPS to DD this particular weekend? Aaargh!

Yes, eventually, after apparently driving in circles, we came to a welcome, familiar, sign, welcoming us to a town we'd heard of. At that point I wouldn't have been surprised to read "welcome to Kansas".

We live in Pennsylvania.

Anyway, thanks for reading my saga. Without further ado, my treasures....

Grabbed this big, beautiful shelf for hanging in the bathroom. This baby is heavy, and built by the Amish. "Look ma, real beadboard!" Not sure what color it will be painted. Stay tuned!

Every week seems to have a theme, something you run into at every sale that week. This week's theme is "Hooks on Wood"

The first ones are pine, the second ones, teak.(I think)

Another birdcage! Dh found this one, and he's very proud of himself!

Love this collection of old bottles. $2.00 for all.

Rose Candle thingie

And...my country themed, bill organizer with clock that I have turned into my country themed, kitchen plan meals ahead and stick recipe in appropriate slot, organizer with clock.

Thus concludes my participation in this weeks' Thrifty Treasures hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. Click Here to check out everyone else's great finds.

Thanks for visiting and leaving such sweet, funny, and "helpful" comments. I'm having such a good time!

Hugs
Bonnie

Sitting Pretty!

2009-07-26T16:06:00.012-04:00

Look what I found yardsaling this Friday!!

Isn't it wonderful! Here's some close-ups...

How bout those flowers, huh?

Ok, so I paid 20 dollars for it...
(talked down from 30)

and I usually spend that much for a whole day of yardsaling...

But.., but.., but..

the woman selling it was very nice...

She said she was moving in with her son and had to sell off some of her things.

And I think it's old...

She said she bought the chair years ago at an estate sale.

(what do you mean you had something just like it in the 70's). I don't want to hear about it!

I liked it!

I bought it!

So there! Get off my back! :)

Oh, and I picked a few more items too....

A Chinese Checker Board made entirely of Wood! No cardboard in the middle like nowadays.

Beautiful demitasse cup and saucer. They are actually NOT a matched set, the cup is from Japan, the saucer from England. But they look great together. And so they shall remain. (together that is)

And onward to other sales...where I picked up...

Cute sign for the bathroom.

And let's call this...a chicken rack.

A set of keys.

And yes, another shelf! But look! No heart cutouts this time!

That's it! Now it's time for you to shower me with compliments on my good taste and bargain finding savvy. Then off you go to Rhoda's Southern Hospitality to check out everyone else's thrifty treasures for the week.

hugs

Bonnie

Treasures?

2009-07-19T18:33:00.010-04:00

Hello all! I hope everyone had oodles of sales to go to this weekend. Me....not so much. Not many sales but I was very determined to spend my money.

I really liked these foil prints for $1.00. They have great colors and look fairly old.
These pictures really don't do them justice.

Dh, on the other hand thought they were right up there with Elvis in velvet. Really? Do you think so? Should I be on the lookout for an Elvis to put with these? lol.

I picked up a few frames...

The first one has a crack in the glass but my plans for another chalkboard doesn't require the glass anyway.
And the second one is actually a mirror. The picture is a little blurry but I think you can see how pretty the flowers are.

Found a few wallpaper borders that I loved for future decoupaging. (has anyone tried decoupaging this? Is it too thick?)

And too many wood shelves.

A corner shelf,..

Cute little shadowbox shelf,..

Primitive shelf/towelrack,..

And the dreaded heart shelf. Buyers remorse on this one.

Any suggestions on what I can do to this make this less "70's",and more cottage? Any and all help appreciated.

S'all I got for this week. Don't forget to check out everyone else's treasures over at Southern Hospitality.

Look! I morphed somethin!

2009-07-19T13:16:00.010-04:00

I took the plunge.
I went where I'd never gone before
I bought some spray paint...and
I met-a-mor
I met-a-mul
I met-a-muciled
I met-a-man?...wait.
I made something look different!
I changed this

To this...my first chalkboard.

I know it's pretty dark. Clicking on it makes it a little easier to see.

Then I changed this heart shelf, (right hand side of picture with the bell on it)

To this...

And since I already had the mess out, (overspray all over the garage, don't ask) I went ahead and changed this...

We all need to pretend we are looking at pictures in old wooden, beat up, (not in a good way) frames.

Ok, do you have that picture in your mind?

Good.

To this...

These will be going on my bathroom wall along with one of the many shelves I've picked up but haven't painted yet.

It might take a few days til dh lets me back in the garage. ;0)

Thanks to Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Metamorphosis Monday. Stop over and check out all the talented morphers!

Good Deal Alert!

2009-07-16T07:20:00.004-04:00

Quick! Scoot on over to The Thrifty Home and thank Jen for finding this deal for us. Amazon has 1 year subscriptions for "Real Simple" magazine for $5.00!
Click Here to subscribe
What a deal!
Don't delay, I don't know how long it will last.

Be sure to check out all of Jen's blog. It's full of money saving tips and info. Thank you Jen!

This week's goodies!

2009-07-12T16:13:00.004-04:00

Heaven is going yard saling 2 days in a row!

(Actually, heaven is floating around a swimming pool in a delicious sun coma, waiting for the pool boy to bring you ice cold champagne and chocolate covered strawberries so you won't be hungry while getting your massage and facial later.)

Wait.
What was I saying?
Oh yeah, yardsales, they're nice too.
Especially when you hit some good ones....and are able to share them with others, thanks to Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality.
Don't forget to stop over and check out everyone's goodies for the week!

On the left is one of the those thingies,(cabinet? cupboard?) for onions and potatoes. I've always wanted one of these but didn't want to pay retail. So, I didn't even haggle when I saw the $2.00 sticker on this one!

The wooden shelf on the right is 3 tiered, with each shelf shaped like a heart. Isn't it cute? I can't wait to get these painted. Stay tuned for color choices.

Also shown...a large picture that I'm not sure if I'm keeping, a Christmas tablecloth priced $29.95, never used, and the framed print I'm planning on redoing into a chalkboard.

Both the globe and the bell are old. I'm not sure how old til I do a little research. I think maybe I was channeling my sister when I bought them,(She's a teacher), since I usually go for the more fu fu flowered things.

Case in point...

Doncha just love the trays?! And how bout the tablecloth for $1.00. I usually don't have the patience to look through material but this was peeking out of a box calling to me. The colors are perfect!

And of course the plate. I MUST find a plate every time out or it's not a successful yard sale day.

Now I must leave you....the pool boy is waiting to give me my massage.

Thank you so much for visiting. I LOVE your comments!

Toodles!
Bonnie

Yard Sale Fix

2009-07-05T18:56:00.007-04:00

Having to miss yard sale day last week was not pretty.

I'm not proud of the tantrums I threw and the words that came out of my mouth, but detox is hard.

My apologies to my family.

Anyway, this Saturday I was back on the road, classified ads in hand and I feel much better now, thanks for asking. Sales over the holiday weekend were few and far between but the ones that we found were good ones and I managed to find a few goodies.

...(don't forget, you can click on pictures to get a better look)

Before we begin, this is Rudy, (mini doxie) checking things out before the photo shoot. I consult with him on all creative endeavors. Luckily, he approved. (you don't want to see what he does if he disapproves)
This cute table is one of two I bought for $3.00 total. They each have fold up leaves on the sides. The shutter was FREE (love it)! and the box on the left is a Nesco steamer, brand spankin' new, never taken out of the box, $5.00.

Ok, so I want a real wire birdcage but I haven't come across one yet. I grabbed this kinda beatup lookin wooden one to tide me over. Inside is a hand carved cardinal that my father make for me. (he's very talented, my dad I mean, not the cardinal) I'll show you some more of his carvings in another post...

And this is uncle Philip. Or so I've named him. Isn't he dapper? What I especially loved about this picture is that it's dated 1913, which is when my house was built. My plan is to leave it behind if we ever move, so when "if these walls could talk" tv show comes in, the new owners can have a grand ole time trying to trace Uncle Philip's history back to this house!

Every yard sale excursion nets me at least one pretty dish. This one I really love. Pink and Green flowers, how could I not grab it?

That's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Now I'm off to Rhoda's Southern Hospitality to check out everyone else's thrifty treasures. Hope to see you there!

Flylady Reboot

2009-07-02T07:49:00.003-04:00

Is there anyone out there who hasn't heard of Flylady?

She's a wonderful, sweet woman who helps us flighty people calm down, focus on one thing at a time, and gain control of our lives and homes, 15 minutes at a time. Check her out here

I found her a few years ago and have been a devout follower ever since. But every so often I drift away from her advice and decide I don't need her help anymore. Inevitably a day comes where I find myself back where I was before....dashing from one thing to the next, not really accomplishing anything, my mind skipping all over the place. I want to do EVERYTHING!, and I want to do it NOW! ...lose weight, fix the finances, dejunk the house, become a fantastic cook, redecorate the whole house, travel somewhere, start 6 new hobbies, spend more time with family and friends, and on and on and on, and I want to do everything PERFECTLY! So eventually, like a car racing it's engine, but not in gear, my motor burns out and I find myself stalled along the road with my warning flashers on unable to move in any direction. Then I know it's time (continueing with this analogy)...to revisit Flylady for a tune up.

And I'm calm again.
and centered.
and productive.
At least for a while....

Hugs
Bonnie

I Feel Empty Inside

2009-06-28T18:20:00.010-04:00

No yard sales for me this weekend......No Goodwill, no antique shops, NO FAIR!
Fortunately, I still have a few goodies from weeks before that I didn't share last week. So..check out my loot and don't forget to stop over at Southern Hospitality to see everyone else's Thrifty Treasures!

This picture I picked up a few weeks ago for $2.00. It's a little more that I normally would spend on a picture but it was at the same place I got the drysink and I didn't want to push my luck by haggling! I love the colors and it goes great in my room.

These jars I picked up for $1.00 each. I have no idea what they are, I just liked them. Does anyone know anything about them?

This mirror was my first purchase this yard sale season. It goes perfectly with my new wallpaper! Dontcha just love all the scroll work! You may need to click on it to see it better.

And these are my Bobbsey Twin books! I paid 25 cents each. The copywrite on them is 1913 to 1921 and one of them has an inscription inside "Many Happy Birthdays" Dec. 14, 1928. Cool huh? I plan to use them in a display somewhere (don't know where yet!) along with the candy tin/bank.

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Bonnie

Any Baltimore shoppers out there?

2009-06-24T07:31:00.002-04:00

My family and I are heading to Baltimore for a few days and I will miss my yard sales! Gasp! I know, I know. Who goes on vacation during yard sale season?!! How can my so called loving family ask me to sacrifice so much?

Is there anyone out there in blogland who can recommend some good Baltimore antique shops? Are the best ones in Fells Point, or antique row? Anybody?... Anybody?... Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

Btw, I know Baltimore has a yard sale, but it's on the weekend and we'll be coming home Saturday morning.....Help!

3 Pigs in a (what's a Poke?)

2009-06-23T09:38:00.010-04:00

Greetings and Salutations! Welcome to my third post.
(I'll stop numbering them soon, I promise)

Today I'm playing "Three or More Tuesday" hosted by Tam at Gypsy's Corner.

First off (and I'm sorry about this, but I can't help myself)....Check out my jugs!
(LOL, that should bring up my site on some interesting google searches, huh?)

All 3 of these were gifts from my mom. (Thanks Mom!)

Next up, my 3 little pigs. Two of them are pitchers, the small one I've been known to use as a gravy boat at Thanksgiving. And the other is a candle holder that I don't believe has ever held a candle. He resides in my shadowbox.

And last but not least, my top 3 reasons to blog...

#1. It encourages de-junking. If it's not blog worthy it shouldn't be in the house.

#2. Gathering up different things from all over the house to photograph them together makes you a little eccentric which makes you a more interesting person.

#3. Forces you to dust and clean before photo shoot.

I want to thank everyone for their comments yesterday! I feel like one of the gang already! Please keep'em comin! As for the dry sink color, I'm still pondering. I got 2 votes for white, 2 votes for black, and 1 for color. I saw a picture of one on the web painted an antique red with lots of distressing. Hmmmm....

My First Today's Thrifty Treasures!

2009-06-21T20:43:00.008-04:00

Happy Father's Day! I hope everyone had a great day!

I'm very excited to finally join in Today's Thrifty Treasures hosted by Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality. It's one of the main reasons I started a blog. You all are having way too much fun without me!

Since I'm new on the scene, I'll cheat a little and show you my finds from the past month.

Everything shown below I paid 50 cents to $1.00 each with the exception of the glass covered cake dish for $3.00.

And now for my favorite! A amish built dry sink for $30.00! I want to paint it but I'm not sure what color to go with. I would love some opinions! (please, please excuse awful wall behind it, we're in the process of re-doing our back porch. This is def. the before shot!

There's more but I'll save a few for next week ;).
Thanks for stopping by! Please leave a comment, I want to meet everyone!

And it begins....

2009-06-18T08:39:00.004-04:00

I said I wouldn't start a blog
I said I have enough interests, hobbies, pasttimes
I said I wouldn't be able to keep up with something else.

Sigh

So....here I am. I started a blog.

Stay tuned....