Arthur Layout

As promised, this next layout finally uses a current pet picture, although the picture is almost a year old already. My Mastiff, Arthur, napping with his favorite Teddy bear, is the subject of this simple collage. I used the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch (#5 August '13), and am just sneaking it in since this is the last day of August.  How did that happen?

In other news, yesterday had to be the hottest day of the entire summer. Rather appalling considering the date. Today is supposed to be much more normal.  Good.

Enjoy your last day of August!

Halloween, Postcards, And A Halloween Postcard

One of my local thrifts had Halloween items out this week.  Usually holiday decor there is cast offs from the 1990s, but I spied a baggie of candles half hidden under a picture frame.  I was pretty sure the ghost was a Gurley even though there is no bottom label, but the others I had no idea. Did a little online checking, and yes, the jack-o-lanterns are also Gurley.

This pair is still questionable.  I only found one example online. Someone had sold the same set on Ebay as "probably Gurley."  They don't look very Gurleyish to me. Anyone know for sure?

This fairly large blow mold can't be too old as there is a UPC on it, but for two bucks, I thought it would be cute on my front porch this year.

These old postcards came from a garage sale last Saturday. Most of them are around 100 years old.

Quite a few Easter cards. Some I'm keeping, and some will end up on Etsy.  And the fabric background was purchased at the same garage sale. I liked the small scale and thought it had dollhouse possibilities.

Not a bad haul this week. Gurleys and old postcards-- the moon must have been blue.

Joining The Thrifty Groove and Thrifty Things Friday.

Hope you can start the holiday weekend a tad early today! Enjoy!

Wacky Answer

Everyone knew yesterday's (8-28-13) Wacky, I'm sure. Tums (for the tummy).  Think I'll still keep my eye out for Dums.

Harvest ATCs

Inspiration Avenue has a timely theme this week: Harvest. I came up with two ATCs. This one features a Xerox of an old photo-- the people are no relation to me. I bought the photo on Etsy. 

This one is obviously more whimsical. The images are cut from scrapbook papers and the phrases are from an old cookbook.

Happy Thursday!

Wacky Pack Wednesday

Here's an oldie but a goodie from my Wacky collection. Maybe I should search for this product-- not using my brain for awhile sounds like a nice break.

Enjoy your day whether you use your brain or not.

TT/The Swinging Sixties

Love the theme this week at Tag Tuesday: The Swinging Sixties. I've always like the 60s and early 70s-- guess I was at an impressionable age back then because it really made an impression. I used a picture of a swingin' chick, Barbara Feldon, of Get Smart fame. The paper embellishments are cut from scrapbook papers. That pompom trim I bought on Etsy a year or so back; it's wired, and the fringe at the bottom is simply yarn.

Have a groovy day out there, man!

Do You Smash?

I know a few of you bloggers have Smash books. This is my first one.  A friend gave it to me as a gift. They are pretty cool. The pen is a nice ink pen at one end and a glue stick at the other.  Clever.

Many interesting pages within.

This is all I have done with it so far.  I'm undecided what I want to use it for.  Any big suggestions??

Have a smashing day!

Dog Day

Showing a couple recent dog acquisitions. The planter I bought for a few dollars at a local children's clothing resale shop. They also carry an occasional vintage item.

This 100 year old book was a gift from a friend who knows me pretty well. It is stamped with the name of a boys' ranch library! How unusual.

Have a doggone good day!

50s Skirt Tag

Well, folks, I blew it.  I made this tag with the theme of "Legs." However, I forgot the challenge was posted by Think Monday Think ATC. ATC, Diane-- not a tag!!! Oh well, I still like it. The skirt image is from a 1950s sewing pattern. How about that impossibly tiny waist?

Have a good day and pay attention to those details!

Playing Card

Here is one of the more fun playing cards in my collection.

Have a fun Friday!!

Wacky Answer

Yesterday's (8-21-13) Wacky was obviously Elmer's School glue. By the way, school glue is washable even days after it dries. And at great risk of dating myself, who remembers school paste with the brush in the lid? "Dear old Golden Rule days..."

A Real Hoot

Well, it's a macrame hoot actually. Just a small haul this week at the thrift store. Old View Master reels. Kinda neat. There's still a View Master in my dad's basement if these don't sell.

What collage artist can pass up a French dictionary for 50 cents? And what's one more macrame owl for my collection? This guy was half price-- only 75 cents. I think he'll be happy among his new friends.

Linking to The Thrifty Groove and Thrifty Things Friday with these few ultra thrifty finds.

Enjoy your day!

Wacky Pack Wednesday

Since school starts tomorrow around here (I'm really restraining myself from lecturing on "What Ever Happened To The Tuesday After Labor Day?") I chose what used to be a classroom necessity. This year, it's strictly glue sticks. This Wacky still has its merits however. A.A.R.P. approved-- pretty funny.

Here's to "old school!"

TT/Windows...

Tag Tuesday has an interesting theme this week: "Windows, Gates, Doors, and Portals." I went the "doors" route and made saloon doors out of scrapbook paper.

When you open the doors, Angela Lansbury from The Harvey Girls awaits. Quite a dress, eh?

Have a good day!

Puttering Around The House

A few of you might remember the garage sale dollhouse I bought last fall. I did some work in there last week. Here are the results. With the thrift store faux suede I made a couch and ottoman. The chair is made from a scrap of fabric I've had for years. With the exception of using my somewhat broken glue gun, these were pretty easy to make.  I found the instructions here. I strayed a bit from the guidelines, using cardboard (stacked) instead of wood-- didn't feel like sawing. I also added a bit of fiber fill to the top of the cardboard before upholstering. The legs are push pins that I painted since I only had clear. The "gimp" is twisted cording I made from crochet cotton.

My nine-year-old wanted to get in on the act and so made a bunch of pillows.

Here is the living room, recently painted. I actually purchased the rug on Ebay. The curtains are really a specialty type paper, but it looks like sheers. The TV is an estate sale purchase last fall.  I believe it is handmade. The screen is a slide/transparency. There is a hole in the bottom that I'm assuming was for a tiny light. Kind of interesting.

Here is the bedroom that I painted and papered awhile ago. I just added the curtains and valance and fancy carpet (it's a piece of felt). The dresser I've had for about 35 years (yikes!). It was originally a dark stain and in my old house for awhile. However, it was kind of big so it spent many years in the dollhouse attic. The vase is an old 1970s macrame bead. And anyone who has ever ordered thick crust pizza to take home knows where that little stool came from.

Somewhat cheap, put together yourself, kitchen appliances and counters that I made earlier this year. It's not what I really want in there, but for the money it will do for now.

I added paper plates to the sale hutch I bought.  Really dresses it up.

So there-- you're up to speed on the dollhouse.  The next step is to try printing and installing wood flooring from the same site where I found the sofa instructions. Hope that goes well.

Have a cute, little day!

Lab Collage

Here I am with yet another layout for Kaisercaft's Saturday Sketch Challenge (Aug #2). And yet another photo of my old Labrador. In this digital age, I never get actual prints of my current dogs and so keep using old photos.  I did get after my husband, however, and next time I'll have a newer photo to work with. In the mean time, I did enjoy making this one.

Do you print photos or do they only live in Digital Land too?

Have a nice start to the week!

Friendship ATC

A nice theme this week at Think Monday Think ATC: Friendship. I had the idea of a famous friendship and came up with Lucy and Ethel from "I Love Lucy." The main image and little TV (Lucy and Ethel are on the screen) are stickers I had. I never thought of using them for an ATC, but the sizes were great.

As long as we're talking about "I Love Lucy," I decided to show my Kelly dolls portraying the Paris fashion episode.  A favorite with most Lucy fans. I bought it on sale a few years ago. Pretty cute.

Have a fun day!

Finished

I finished two small makeovers from recent estate sale finds. Remember the purple 50 cent sap bucket? Here it is today. I mod podged scrapbook papers and sprayed a sealer over top. I wrote "Flowers" by hand with a Sharpie and was a bit concerned about the mod podge, but it obviously held up fine.

Also that bathroom crewel picture I bought last week got an update. I painted the plastic frame and sprayed it with sealer too. The color I wanted to match in the hanging plants is a tad on the chartreuse side so I had to mix it. Not bad if I do say so myself. Always a treat to hit the right color.

These little makeovers didn't cost me anything either as I had the paint, etc. on hand.  Am linking to Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove.

Nice to have these projects under my belt-- on to the next!

Have a productive day!

Wacky Answer

The Wacky shown yesterday (8-14-13) has multiple answers. First it spoofed the entire package and second was the individual cereal boxes. See the real product at that time below.

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The artist did a funny job on the characters don't you think?

Practical Thrifting

I stopped at two local thrift stores yesterday and wound up with some practical items instead of nifty, vintage stuff for me or Etsy. The mister was in need of nicer shirts for work.  These were all in fine condition. The grand total was $6.50 for five shirts.

Under the large zucchini is a yard of faux suede fabric for 50 cents.  I plan on using it for a dollhouse sofa and/or chair. And the zucchini was absolutely free. One of the stores had a box of them on the counter with "Free/Take One" written on the box so I did.  I haven't made zucchini bread in years. Sounds good!

Kind of nice to get bargains on things I needed instead of more dust collectors for a change!

Have a good one!

Wacky Pack Wednesday

As a kid, this was one of my favorite Wackys because it's like 3-in-1!  And, also as a kid, I used to love it when my mom bought these which wasn't very often. Not economical but fun!

Enjoy!

TT/Complementary Colors

"Complementary Colors" is the theme at Tag Tuesday this week.  It should be interesting to see what everyone comes up with. My first thought was something Christmasy with red and green, but, nah, not in August.  I went orange and blue instead. The pictures were found on Goggle. I printed the words then added magazine letters in a couple places to add a little color.  And somewhere in the recesses of my craft counter is an "e." As I was trimming the paper, it flew out of my fingers and landed who knows where? Had to find another "e."

So hang onto those "e"s out there!

Mutant Sunflower

I have seen my fair share of sunflowers in my day, but I have never seen one like this. These blooms and buds are all on the same stalk. Isn't that weird?  Plus the many other sunflowers that I have blooming nearby and from the same seed packet are the usual single bloom to a stalk variety. Just when you think you've seen everything...

Hope your day isn't too unusual!

On A Roll

More junk to share today. A very nearby estate sale and a thoughtful aunt netted the items below. The purple thing on the far left is a sap bucket.  Remember years ago when those were all the rage? You'd be doing good to get one for five or ten bucks-- this one was 50 cents.  Even though it matches the trim on my house, I intend to paint it and add a design or words or...  How about the mod box on the right? Love it! It's a Halloween wig!

Second bottle brush tree this week.  This one is quite small which I like. The estate sale had quite a lot of Christmas angels which were very near antique store prices. Can I get on my soapbox about that? It's not a store-- prices written on masking tape, people crammed into a house, poor lighting, dirty basements... not exactly antique store atmosphere, and no recourse if you buy something damaged. Wasn't the original intent of an estate sale to get rid of stuff? At antique store prices, I don't see things moving.  All that said, I went back the second day and got this girl half off. So maybe Diane should shut up.

Have a nice, quiet  Sunday!

Must Be August

My resurrection lilies are blooming so it must be August.

And yes, I had a few minutes on my hands so I tinkered with the above photo.

Happy weekend!