Inspiration Board

I love the idea of an inspiration board.

With all the cork boards I've been stockpiling,

it seemed like a fun project to tackle.

Fall is the best season!

So with that in mind, I snipped out of

magazines & the local paper.

Wagon wheels, roads littered with leaves, pumpkins

and apple pie gave this cork board WAY more appeal.

Then a burlap bow & my own photos personalized it!

Linking up to:

Ivy and Elephants

My Romantic Home

Junk Bonanza

In case you didn't make it to Junk Bonanza this fall,

I have a few recap photos to share.

My original shopping buddy bailed out on me,

and thank goodness for my replacement.

She was the perfect partner, 

we are both die hard shoppers.

She's a great city driver & introduced me 

to the Khans restaurant.

I got to see Kirklands & World Market 

for the first time too!

Yes, I live under a rock.

These wire columns were so eye catching.

The vertical spectacles looked sharp stuffed with bittersweet.

This cool old desk caught my eye!

Those butcher block looking legs gave

it a very unique appeal.  The interior 

organization nooks would be so handy!

The flat surface angled up for a comfy

writing surface.  

I just had to buy one of those film strip bows (on the goose)

after having year long regrets.  1st Pick Antiques is one

of my favorite vendors.   They always have some shock

power in their booth.  Last spring it was a VW bus checkout

area.  This year....a huge clock.  It was marked sold.

I loved the color tones in the next booth.

gray, coral, turquoise & white

This booth is Ramshackled Treasures, 

 their blue jar candles smelled delightful.

If you were in need of a suitcase,

you'd find the perfect one at the Bonanza!

Not to mention dress forms, crates, buckets, 

basket, urns, pillows & bags.

This arbor bench was darling, with a tin roof

and porch spindle sides.  Let's just say it is now on my

honey-do-list!  Many people go to the show to steal 

ideas and gain inspiration.  You leave there on a high,

from endless knowledge & ideas.  It's amazing.

The new Canterbury Downs building is much better than

the former tunnel area, which was so congested.

This tote is from last spring, 

but I jazzed it up a bit with burlap & vintage lace.

It was fun to carry my purchases in it there.

It was my first attempt at ruffles!

I adore that look & left the edges tattered for a junky look.

I'd  like to share what I bought in future posts,

so please keep checking my blog!

Maybe you'll see a few crafts inspired by the show 

as well.  If YOU went to Junk Bonanza, leave a comment

sharing your favorite vendor, purchased items or 

the best idea that you spotted there.

Linking up to:

Mod Vintage Life

Fall Bottles

I finally made good use of some old

bottles that fill crates in my basement!

The look pretty cute, all jazzed up.  I used

fabric bows, rich fall flowers &

stamped tags.

 

 

This old Hi-lex bleach jug is the perfect

brown.  It's a big bottle with an fabric bow

made from a salvaged bed sheet! 

 

 

Paper crafting is another passion of mine,

so combing that with vintage items

really makes me happy!

These original fall creations are a nice

break from the same old decor found in stores.

 

The second bottle is tall, narrow & green.

I think the green still goes pretty well

with the fall theme & color scheme.

 

 

This tag is so sweet, with it's warm saying

and darling little flower!

I added a leaf print fabric bow & a strip of

burlap for a hefty stack of adornment.

 

Linking up to:

 Redoux Interior & the Handmade Hangout

 

 

Ivy & Elephants

 

 

 

 



Turquoise-BAM!

This is one of those BAM! in-your-face

kind of paint jobs.

 

 

I rescued this frame from a road side free box.

It was brown & had a screen in it with a

painted snowman.  I painted the frame

"forgotten secret" turquoise and put

some chicken wire in it.  Wah-lah, a useful

clipboard for a college kid or color loving hipster!

 

Do you love my sumo wrestling nephew pic?

I use portraits that are way old for examples

on my crafts so customers can visualize it's use.

 

The frame already had the fabric holes up top,

so I picked some hot pink for mega contrast.

I think the bow makes this frame a show stopper.

 

 

Linking up to:

Lavender Garden Cottage

 

My Romantic Home

 

Mod Vintage Life

 

 Redoux Interior

Handmade Hangout

 

 

 

 



Minnow Can

The nights are cool here in Minnesota

so it's starting feel a bit like fall.

I'd like to share an easy project

using some dry hydrangea blooms &

an old minnow can.

 

 

I make burlap bows from the seed potato sacks

we have left at my greenhouse job.

It's a craft that I perfected when working at

a tree farm making balsam wreaths

and decorating them.

The dry flowers are from some shrub

pruning jobs we do for customers in

the fall when the greenhouse slows down.

You can say I find a use for almost everything!

 

For all my vendor friends:

these simple minnow can projects sell

really well.  I've sold two so far,

my coffee shop craft rental space is

in the heart of lake/cabin country.

Mine went for $14.  I use both the outside

minnow bucket (solid) and the inside

with the lid open.  Both are such cute containers,

one with vintage label graphics & the other

with darling hole patterns.  This way you

get twice the sales, from one bucket set!

 

Let me know what you think!

I'm always seeking comments &

new ideas or alternatives.

~Jane

 

Linking up to:

Lavendar Cottage

 

Ivy and Elephants

 

The Handmade Hangout

at Redouix Interior

 

 

Free Records

It's just like me to stop at the local storage building

and inspect a pile of free items!

Who wouldn't take two boxes of

free vinyl records?

 

HA!

I know!

 

Over 160, but who's counting?

 

(never mind the fact that we've been tripping

over them in my entry way for 2 weeks)

 

 

 

 

 

I tried a few "record bowl" crafts,

and boy are they fun & easy!

 

I turn my oven on about 200 degrees & heat

them for 10 minutes.  Sometimes pulling them out

half way through to manipulate the edges into even

ripples.  You can do this carefully with quick hands

and not get burned.  The record is set on a cookie sheet,

with a small glass upside down bowl underneath.

  Once the edges start to drop, I pull it out and try to

 form them & heat again.

 

Some brands are too thick to melt.

I've has some just bubble at the edges.

A few just won't bend.

But the ones that do are easy 10 minute projects.

Pull them out of the oven & leave it cool.

They self harden & are cute to boot!

My son will have one in his room for all

the guitar picks. They'd work for house keys.

Don't put food inside, unless it's wrapped.

 

The free box also included this darling album....

 

Yes free!

What a wasteful nation we live in.

 

This album might end up on Etsy.

Time will tell, I'm still oogling over it.

 

What's YOUR best free item from this summer????

Leave me a comment!

 

Linking up to:

 

REDOUX INTERIORS

AND THE HANDMADE HANGOUT

 

 

 

 

Door Bookshelf, Jars & Bats

I love Pinterest. 

It inspires me and provides a paperless

place to stash (almost all) my ideas.

 

This is my version of the blue canning jar

flower vase set. It's one of many uses for these

amazing old colored jars.  It's fresh cut flower

season here in my yard!  I love the constant

glow of many bright & delightful colors.

 

 

Please follow me on Pinterest,

or just my "jars" pins.  I'm a

heavy pinner, so you'll find

plenty to sift through on rainy

days or quiet evenings!!!

 

Another fun Page is my collection of "old doors" pins.

Here is a door bookshelf I made.  One thing no one

ever tells you online is that doors are always worn

down from swinging for years & need a fresh

straight cut on the bottom or it will end up sitting

crooked.  Also, they are hard high quality wood,

which requires a good saw & sharp blade.

When you make a bookshelf like this,

it is gonna be darn heavy.  It must be Oak.

 

 

These doors were in great chippy crackle condition.

I have not paid more than $5 for an old door.

They are fairly abundant at garage sales.

 

One last addition to his post today...

I've listed some cute old baseball bats on my

Etsy site.  The wooden bats are getting hard to

find, so I love making them available to crafters

and collectors. 

 

 

Linking up to:

 

Redoux Interiors

&

Lavender Garden Cottage