Cracked, chipped and wrinkled...now that's MY curtain style!

Confession.

I've had a long time love affair with ironstone pitchers.

I've been given a few as gifts.  And the rest I collected from auctions and garage sales.  And I must say, I don't recall spending over $20 on any of them. 

Most were around the $5-10 mark...because I prefer crazing, cracks and chips.  Yup that's me.

I gathered them up the other day.  And when I stood back to snap a few pictures of them, I realized how bare the windows look.  I'm really not a fan of curtains so hadn't gone about putting any up.

Brainstorm.  Lightbulb.  Whatever you want to call it!

Measured the windows...exactly 36 inches.  Hmmm.

Dare I say lightbulb number 2?

I had two chunky yardsticks that very same length.  Who'd a thunk it?!

Problem.  The bottoms of some of the pitchers are, well, less than desireable to look at.

That's better.

I just hung them at random lengths with burlap ribbon.  Yum.

Now, as long as we're talking about curtains.  Well, heck, I was on a roll...why mess with that!

So I decided to try that old trick, "make the windows look bigger by hanging the curtains to the side".

I used canvas painter's dropcloth.  I've watched this in web-world and just love the look! 

I used a 4' x 15' piece and simply cut it in half.  I washed, dried, and pressed the raw edged over for the curtain clips.  And since the other three sides were factory finished, no sewing involved.  YAY.

There are a few wrinkles.  But I have wrinkles too and my friends still like me.

And turns out there was a seam at the midpoint of one panel.  Character, right?

They also didn't end up being either window length or floor length, but that will do for now, because I think there may soon be some changes to this wall anyway.

    

BEFORE:

AFTER:

That will have to do for curtains for now.  I'm exhausted.  (wink)

Linked to: 

 

SNS Party Junk 179

Blue Cricket Design-Show and Tell

Faded Charm's White Wednesday

Common Ground's Vintage Inspiration #81

Goings on in Texas-Unveil Your Genius

...AND THE WINNER IS....

Sandi @ The Primitive Skate
CONGRATULATIONS!
Your search for the magazine is over!
(...and you will have a cute houndstooth tote to boot.)

I will be emailing you to get your mailing address, Sandi.


Thanks to all who entered... We really enjoyed reading your comments!

** It is always fun to hear what junky items people are on the hunt for!! **

We think you will all like the distinctly vintage flavor of
Flea Market Style magazine...
hopefully you can still find a copy for yourself.
(If you go to fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com , you may be able to order
a copy from Margo if your local stores are sold out. )

***

We were also contacted by Nickole Steiner,
she is the JunkFest shopper who took the time to send a comment
to Flea Market Style magazine....and that comment got published!
Which put us on their list for
the "Best Vintage Sales from Coast to Coast".
She'll be getting a little goody bag in the mail too.
Thanks again, Nickole!

She was nice enough to send a picture
of one of her awesome JunkFest finds from the sale last fall.
This is how it is displayed in her home:

(It is behind her two fabulous chairs)
Two windows from a 1936 Post office, were hinged together
and then a black and white image of Venice was attached to the back.
It made for a unique piece of art/screen.

Looks great in your home, Nickole...Thanks for sharing!!

Keep your eye out for our next give-away...
we may soon be celebrating our 1000th follower!

:)

A Giveaway! ..and a winter's day re-purpose

We are just tickled pink that one of our loyal junkers
took the time to submit our Autumn JUNKFEST
to Flea Market Style magazine as one of the best vintage sales!

THANKS....We love you, Nickole!
(contact us Nickole...we have a little gift for you)

Well, one good deed deserves another....
so, we've decided to give away a houndstooth tote
(the perfect accessory for your Flea Market jaunts)
and a brand new copy of Flea Market Style magazine.
These magazines have been known to fly off the shelves!
If you haven't gotten one yet...and you are looking for some vintage inspiration,
....here's your chance!

To enter, just answer these questions in a comment:

Will see your smiling face at our next show, on September 8?

..and what piece of awesome. junky. goodness. are you searching for?

(please include your email address so we can contact you if you win)
On March 10th we will have a random drawing from all of the comments.

Since our mild winter was put on hold the last few days,
I have to admit,
it was pretty easy to curl up on the couch
and page through some of my favorite magazines.
...winter does have it's perks!

Surprisingly, I even braved the cold for a quick makeover.
This old (and heavy!) cement base used to hold a birdbath tray.

It was a great pedestal, but with such a narrow top,
it wasn't very practical for holding anything.

I was at a loss as to how I could attach anything to the top of the pedestal..
I didn't want to drill into it for fear of cracking it.

I got lucky and found a metal piece of some kind that fit snugly over the "neck"
and would allow me to secure some kind of top piece to it.

She definitely needed some kind of top...but what would work?

On a whim, I decided to try this old round grate...

It fit perfectly over the metal cap.
I love the rust and the swirls.
I love the contrast of the metal and the cement.
Now, she is a one of a kind table.

Set by a patio chair, she would work great to hold a cup of coffee,
or a potted plant...
or a statue...
or top her with a piece of glass and she would make a unique bedside table.

I think she's kind of charming now.
Mother nature isn't quite ready yet...
but I can't wait to put a pot of beautiful flowers on her!

Sigh....a girl can dream!



Don't forget to enter the giveaway and leave a comment!...

...Cause until you see some of these

there is always a chance for a little snow day....
and the perfect opportunity to curl up with a good magazine
and a steamy cup o joe!...

...while you admire your new houndstooth tote!

:)

Check. It. Out.

Have you picked up your copy of Flea Market Style magazine yet?

Well, whatcha waiting for!!??

We are thrilled and honored to be listed among the best vintage sales from coast to coast!!!



THANK YOU Nickole for submitting us!

Stay tuned for your chance to win a copy of the new Flea Market Style magazine!!

Funky Coffee Table

Thought I'd share my funky coffee table creation with you this morning! It's pretty crazy, so not sure if you'll like it or not...? At a sale in Minnesota last year, my eye caught sight of this dolly, shown below, far left.
So, I brought it home, thoroughly washed it and applied a poly stain to the entire cart.


It needed some height, and the only thing I could come up with were these vintage suitcases. I positioned them various ways, but they looked best this way:

The suitcases work great for storing my magazines and decorating books. A little too funky? Whatcha think?
Hooking up today to Donna @ Funky Junk Interiors! Please click on this link for more information on Donna's great blog:
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-route-66-cupboard-and-link-up-to-be.html#more

A Valentine in peacock blue

With Valentines Day just around the corner,
I decided I wanted to try to make something...
something heart shaped & pretty & kind of fun.

I started out with one of these heart shaped chocolate boxes.
You can get a cute little size for just $1.00 at the discount stores.
They are a perfectly sturdy heart shaped blank canvas!

The good news is, if you are creating this for yourself,
you can go ahead and eat the chocolate NOW!

The bad news is, there is usually only ONE caramel :(

(Does anyone REALLY eat those pink strawberry filled ones anyway!?)


Ahem....after a quick little snack, I heated up the old hot glue gun...

and grabbed a pile of peacock feathers I had leftover from a tablescape display...

They are just too pretty to sit around collecting dust!!

I trimmed them up around the "eye"...

and started gluing them to the lid of the candy box...

until it was completely covered.

I made sure the feathers overlapped all the edges...

and then just trimmed them up with a scissor.

Remember the "before".


I added some ivory ribbon and a little bling

with an old rhinestone button I had.

Then put her on display on a cabinet in my dining room.
The sepia image on the left is one of my favorite pictures..
my sweetest little sweethearts from so many years ago!

The garden statue image is on a canvas I purchased from a local gift shop.

I just had to add a few white roses.
(No, honey, that does not get you off the hook) Ha Ha

If you feel like getting a little crafty too...

grab some heart shaped chocolate boxes and cover them with something fun:
Broken rhinestone jewelry, burlap, buttons, scrapbook paper, glitter...
...the sky is the limit!!

Even empty, these would make unique gift boxes..
tuck in a love letter, some $,...
or maybe leave the chocolate inside so they can have some too!

maybe.... ;)




Linking up to: