Feeling Purple

 You all know I don't have a favorite color because there are just too many to choose from but noticed that I seem to be surrounded by shades of purple tonight.

 The Wood Hyacinths and the ferns will eventually inherit the earth, or at least my backyard.

 My Frank Klager lilac that takes a licking and just keeps on ticking.  That reminds me, the Gunera isn't doing well this Spring.  I don't think it was the Winter.  I think we didn't give it enough water last Summer.  There is still a sign of life but send your good vibes, please.

 New lavender nail polish because sandal season is right around the corner.

 Johnny Jump Ups growing anywhere they want.

 As are the petite, wild, Lily of the Valley popping out between the stones.

 An inspiration kit that has been languishing in my Etsy for a while so I re-listed it tonight.

A new Dark Star California Lilac for the garden this year.  I need to get this guy planted!
Have you been feeling any special color?

Have you heard the news? There's a party going on!

Thanks to Cathy at ma vie trouvee, I am joining in on the Pay It Forward Art-making Project for 2014. For me, blogging is all about sharing our ideas and passions (obsessions??) so what better way to share!  The rules are simple if you would like to play along:

What I will do:   Make a small work of art for the first five people who comment on this post and say "YES, I want in!"  

What you will do:  Swap a piece of art with me, post the rules on your blog or any other social media AND make something for the first five who comment on YOUR post...you in return will get 5 pieces of original art.

The rules are simple:

– It has to be your work, made by you, and the recipient must receive it before 2014 ends.

- Doesn't matter where you live in the world. 

- Copy & Paste this as your latest entry on your favorite social website (your blog is fine).

– It can be anything art-based: a drawing/illustration, a photograph, digital, jewelry, a knitted item, cross-stitch, paper maché – or anything in-between.

- It doesn't matter if you aren't an artist...the sky's the limit...

Okay - who is in??

A Little Pile of Plucky

 On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting up with Annette from My Pinecone Cottage and browse the isles at the Plucky Maidens Junk Fest.  We visited, we were inspired and we did a little shopping, too.

 Annette gifted me with a "poke sack" of buttons.  She knows me well.  I had a great time sorting through them and mining for treasures that night.  It is easy to see there were some fun ones in there!  Thank you Annette!

 I picked up a couple remnants of bark cloth I am collecting for a project, some lace, a few glass buttons and some trinkets for projects.  I was in search of just the right box for another project but one was not to be found.  Oh darn, now I have to keep hunting - lol!

 You can see from the first photo that I got quite a few rose postcards for the lace book project plus a few old lithographs.

I love the captions on this last card!
I hope you all found some play time this weekend!

Easter Greetings

Wishing you all Hearty Easter Greetings!

XO

Kathy

Junk-A-Rama Part II

 As promised, I couldn't resist going back to the digger sale on Sunday and I wasn't disappointed!  It was the perfect relaxation from the big-girl job where I'm running full-on right now.

 There were dozens and dozens of hankies.  It made me think, who has this many hankies??  Then I remembered that I have dozens and dozens of hankies!  I edited my selection but still came home with quite a pile and don't think I will be able to part with most of them.  Someone will be wondering that same thing about me some day - lol!

 The piece in the back with the yoyos has ribbon ties and is one one those vintage lingerie bags from the days when women stored their silk stockings in such bags to keep them from getting snagged.  The lace and the storage box with compartments will enentually head to Etsy when I figure out what I want to do with them.

 A pretty set of blue cross-stitched cocktail napkins.  Wouldn't you love to have been invited to a tea where the table was set with handmade linens.  These will be headed to my Etsy when I act on my good intentions!

 A stunning, mirrored, vanity manicure set.  I dusted it off and re-glued the mirrors and this one is already listed on Etsy.  Yay me for following through!

 A sweet little pair of miniature brass candlesticks sitting in a vintage Lucite soap dish.

 These hankies WILL be listed on Etsy.  They are silk and actually dated.  How fun is that!!

 In case you were wondering if I was exaggerating about the Mother Lode of gummed stickers, here is what my desk looked like when I was sorting them.

These are my keepers from the sticker score.  They feel like metal but have the gumming on the back.  Love them!
Kathy's day off.....!

Junk-A-Rama!

 This is a long post, dear friends, because I had a red-letter junking day on Saturday.  I hit a digger estate sale, two church rummage sales and the VOA.  The benevolent junking overlords were smiling down on me at each stop.

 I haven't tried on the screaming yellow and orange top to see if I should bother washing it yet.  If it works out, I will be easy to spot in a crowd!  The pink and green panels on the right are lace yardage. Look closely and you can see a set of two clear Lucite Christmas triptych-type screens.  I think one of them may have stay with me!

The Old Farmer's Almanac is from 1977, the year my eldest son was born.  I thought he would get a kick out of reading it.

 I never, EVER, find old gummed stickers until I hit this mother lode.  There are hundreds and they are scattered all over my desk as I type.  They are sitting in a neat mid-century pottery dish.

 Go bunny, GO!  I don't know what is chasing him but for 50 cents, I had to rescue him, along with the covered Easter egg dish.  He does have two ears, the other one is just pinned back in the wind.

 Ah, a better look at the fold out Christmas screen in this picture.  The leaping deer planter is a little chippy but, um, 25 cents...

 I do NOT collect tins and I don't know why I have so many.  I just open the back of my car and there they are.

 Pretty "Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe" dinner plate and two blue Lucite confetti candles.

 Old cloth tape measures, tomato pincushions for my collection, a button hook, crochet hat needle and thimble case, two miniature candelabras made from twisted tin, paper doilies and an old leatherette case I will use for an inspiration box.

 Hot iron transfers.  I really need to get around to listing some of these because I have quite a pile.  I'm a lot better at accumulating the junk than I am in listing it - LOL!

 Crochet doilies and sewing trims.  I know I'm supposed to be sworn off buying doilies but I walked in to the second rummage sale just as they were handing out bags and saying, everything you can put in the bag for $5.  Game on.

 Seriously GROOVY 60s tissue box and a sweet 50s sewing pattern.  There were quite a few old patterns at the digger sale but a lot of them looked like they had been through a fire and then water damaged so I passed.  That and the fact that I have at least 50 or 60 in line to be checked.  A very tedious chore.

 Got glitter!  I don't use a lot of glitter but a poke sack full of jars, all for one money at the VOA?  Just in case I need some.

 Oops, there's that tine again.  What's up with that?  Pretty pink ribbon just a little late for Easter crafting.

A-dorable crochet hot pad.   The estate sale was a serious digger sale.  I had to go back on Sunday to see what else had been revealed.  That will be the next post.
I hope you all had the junking luck on your side this weekend!

A Little Bit O' Spring

 It has been too rainy on the days I am able to take pictures so I never got any daffodil pictures but Spring is, indeed, arriving in Portland.  Today was lovely so I walked around the yard tonight and snapped a few pictures.  This is the Mrs. G.W Leek, one of my favorites, just getting rhododendron season started.

 Grape Hyacinths in the path to the pond.  I let them bloom where they are planted (or turned up!).

 Bergineas by the fish pond.  The pump gave up last fall so the waterfall has been off all winter.  The fish seem to have grown and thrived in spite.  I have the new pump sitting on the patio and The Husband pulled out his fishing waders tonight so I can wear them to wade in and install the new pump.  Looking forward to that adventure - not!

 Silver Dollar plants.  The flowers are so much different that the seed pods they are known by.

The Camellias are just about done but I found one bloom still photo-worthy.  There is a quote...  Spring comes and the grass just knows to grow. How lucky are we?!

Odds and Ends

 There was no time for estate sales today so I took a swing by Nina and Joe's Division Street Antiques for a little fix on my way home from the office.  It was a quick stop but I found a few treasures.

 More rose postcards for my collection.  I needed more wooden spools like a hole in the head but this bag contained a lot of tiny ones so I couldn't pass it up.

 A deck of cards featuring famous authors.

 A new birdie for my collection and a great old black and white photo.  Be sure to click this one bigger.  I love that attitude!

 Does anyone know what card game this is?

Since I added some new rose postcards to my collection for the lace book, I decided to show the others.  Four of them were bought on my recent trip to the coast and I failed to spread them out so you could see them in that picture.
I hope you are all finding some good junk in your weekend!