Whazzup???

Hi guys! I have been slacking on my blogging. I have been busy lately working on things for my handmade Etsy shop and my vintage Etsy shop and getting things together for my antiques booth uptown. I see things happening in my life and think..Oooh..I should have my camera ..but then that moment flashes past! The peacocks have been flaunting themselves in my yard lately. Their tail feathers have regrown and they are quite proud of them! The above pic is one of them I took last winter. I haven't tracked them down this year yet.There have been beautiful sunsets and sunrises and mystical foggy mornings..all missing my camera lens! It has been mostly rainy here and there are daffodils blooming. I shall TRY to be better about making sure my camera is in my tote!
My YAY news..somehow in the last 2 weeks I have been in Etsy finds twice after never having been there before. They featured one of my mini tin upcycled chalkboards that I have pics of below and this wreath which was on the front page of the newsletter. The chalkboard brought some views and a few orders but the wreath brought almost 3000 views (my most ever) and several orders and sales..YAY! I am at the moment in flower making heaven (or hell..however you look at it..for me heaven!). I told my daughters I feel like Elf in the movie Elf (what else) when he is snipping snowflakes for Gimble's Santa's workshop and the paper bits are just flying! BTW if you have never seen Elf..do it!
This was a vintage feedsack quilt top I listed in my shop that is now in Japan!
The feedsack prints are soooo cheerful!
I am a total feedsack lover.
This quilt top was also listed and sold. It was made all from plaid flannels. I loved this one and thought if it didn't sell I would keep it or use it for projects. Oh well! My fav square is that green one with the pink and blue plaid star on the upper right side.
This doll I must have underpriced because she sold in like 2 minutes. I listed her and went back to check for typos and she was gone. I thought I had accidently deleted her somehow!
She was composition with a excelsior stuffed body. She had her original union suit and slip, a bad newer dress, detached wig and questionable repaint job but still pretty!
This poor baby...sigh..She was definitely well loved!
This is a quilt I will be listing. My pix of it are so tragic I am waiting for a sunny day to redo them.
It is large with fab firework print cotton front in a crazy quilt pattern.
The whole back is made of matching vintage feedsack fabric! I got this one in my hometown last summer when I was on vacation. It is taking me a long time to get it listed!
This is a fab smaller quilt. It is made of feedsack fabric also. It needs better pix taken too before listing. Rain, rain, go away!
An ornate Wm. Rogers silverplated tray..
I have several of these and I really like them. They are vintage tin trays. I have seen canisters and matchbox holders in this same pattern!
Another of my upcycled candleholders. I sold a couple of these too.
I listed a batch of Scrabble tiles..sold..these were older and had a nice honey colored woodtone.
I made some vintage sheet music boutonneires for a bride to be whose fiance is a musician. (Pay no attention to the awful nail polish! LOL I rarely paint my nails but I loved this color of my daughter's..this is day 2 of the paint job and it is all chippy. NOW I remember why I don't paint my fingernails..I guess I will just stick to painting my toes!)
I tinted the sheetmusic for the leaves and calyxes...sepals??
I listed some vintage wooden factory sand mold casting pieces that were lurking in my shed and guess what? They sold! Amazing that if you list something it sells faster than it does just lurking in your shed! I loved the architectural/sculptural feel these have. This one would make a good stand for a bowl or art piece too!
Ed found a bucket of these cool old branding irons at the last sale we got to go to. This is basketball season for our 9 yr old son and that takes a bite out of most of my Saturday mornings lately..also church cleaning and church finance meetings!
I listed several groups of these old alarm clocks. They are non working but I thought they would be great for decor..
This set sold.
I thought after I listed them how cool they would be to alter with old photos and whatnot collaged on and maybe some cool tin or paper wings added..oh well..I have more ideas than time!
This also sold in a day and I will regret not keeping it. It was the perrrrfect minty aqua blue with a fab chippy finish *sigh*
This tray is now on its way to Norway.
I upcycled a couple vintage wooden sewing machine drawers because I had a customer wanting one with a crystal knob.
She bought this one.
This is also on its way to Norway..these were the ones that were in Etsy finds before Valentines day as one of their $20 or under gifts. I have more I was painting but it was so cold my spray paint wrinkled. Now I have to sand and start over!

These were a special order for a customer. She was going to use them as a centerpiece for her sister's birthday party (hope it is not any of you..or oops!) I really want to get cracking making more of these as I have new ideas but I have to get the wreaths out of the way first.

Hmmm in other news..still haven't re-weighed myself since my last heartbreak. Still going to the gym. My mom spent a day in the hospital with chest pains that they found out was because her iron was so low it was stressing her heart. She has struggled with low iron and the onset of osteoporosis for years and the Drs kept running tests and scoping her for "leaks" to no avail. My sis researched gluten intolerance online and found out her low iron, osteoporosis, bloating and stomach troubles are all red flags of gluten intolerance. Her brother is GI and told her 2 years ago she should get checked but she "didn't want to have that" so she never did. We insisted she get a GI blood test and low and behold that is what her problem is! It is a dietary change. Left unchecked, you do not absorb iron or calcium and other nutrients and it kills off the villi in your small intestine and can cause cancer and osteoporosis and other problems. We are hoping she is on the road to recovery and God Bless Google search! If you have any of those issues or know someone who does, Google it and read! It is a simple blood test and a diet change. It said that they think up to 15% of the population may have it.

Okay..looking back I guess I know why I haven't been blogging a lot lately! LOL Hope you are all having a productive week and many blessings to you all. Thanks for stopping in and check back and see what craziness I have been up to! Til next time! Julia

New Years Resolution Resolution

Hi guys! This year I am hitting the milestone of the big 5-0..not quite sure how I am feeling about that. I guess it is better than the alternative! I decided after a 3 year lapse it was time to get back in the gym. I didn't want to turn 50 AND have a muffin top...one of the 2 is bad enough! So back to the gym I went. I walk on the treadmill as fast as I can without jogging (4mph for my short Shetland pony legs) for 15 minutes and do another 15 on the bike with the arm attachments or the stair climber and do some weights especially for my arms and back (that back fat that mysteriously appeared has to GO!)I really work up a sweat, I am not just plodding along. I have been watching what I eat, cutting out goodies, snacking and watching portions. I did not weigh myself for the last 4 weeks because I didn't want to drive myself nuts. My husband who has never gone to the gym since high school decided he wanted to "lose a few" so he decided to replace the Little Debbies and candybars he eats during the day with bananas. Let me mention that I have been harping on him to quit eating that junk for years because he has diabetes in his family history and I KNEW he was sneaking them anyways.
Let me also say that Little Debbie's snacks ARE delicious. They are made right down the road in Collegedale, TN just outside of Chattanooga. My daughter's friend is a bank teller and the actual Little Debbie is one of her customers. I used to eat Little Debbie's fudge rounds on a daily basis..of course was younger and weighed 115 pounds! (PS Little Debbie..don't think I didn't notice when you down sized your fudge rounds!)

I had a similar relationship with Snickers..I'd eat at least one a day! Then in my 30's I started eating less junk..I even cut out my nightly bowl of ice cream. My forties saw these goodies almost entirely disappear. So when my husband announced on Sunday that he had lost TWELVE POUNDS (I need a new hole on my belt and smaller jeans!) I decided it was time for my own weigh in. I felt I had lost probably 5-8 pounds..I felt firmer. So I hopped on the evil scale aaaaannnnnnnnddd......I GAINED 2 pounds.... :( How is that even fair? *sigh* I will continue to stick with the exercise and scrutinize my diet further but that really took the wind out of my sails. I guess slow and steady wins the race but SERIOUSLY??? Til next time! Julia

Upcycled candlesticks

Hi guys! These are the latest additions to my Etsy handmade shop. I made these upcycled candleholders from almost all vintage materials.
Vintage brass lamp parts and chandelier prisms (still swinging here..I have absolutely zero patience!)
This was an old stair rail or porch post. I gave it some new shabby white paint and gold trim.
The base was also an old lamp base..I loved its verdigris patina!
This one used to be a table leg. The base was a clear vintage glass lamp base that I added a faux mercury glass finish to (mirror spray paint and a bit of distressing).
I save..collect...okay..HOARDE old hardware bits for the "perfect project" This brass keyhole plate just seemed perfect here. The tacks are old upholstery tacks I removed from another old piece and saved for reuse. They look so much better than glaringly new ones!
Close up of the mercury glass paint. I love using old lamps for their "pieces parts"!
I verdigris-ed this brass piece myself with a salt and vinegar mixture. It worked great. You need to remove any shellac/varnish first. The internet recommended acetone but my daughters had run off with my fingernail polish remover and I was impatient as always so I just sanded it. The bottom piece of these drops are actually acrylic. I like glass better but I had these on hand and they look great. Glass ones this size would have raised my price/investment substantially.The smaller top buttons are vintage /antique glass ones off a chandelier.
Number 3... another wooden table leg..same style vintage glass lamp base as the last.
Cool old metal hardware rosette..
Pieces off a vintage tin ceiling fixture that I pierced for crystals and vintage glass and acrylic drops.
This one has an awesomely rusted top. (Can you tell I am a Junk Queen? LOL) Standard pillar candles fit in there perfectly! I have more of these partially made that I will share when they are finished. I love using vintage bits and am always on the prowl for pieces to add to my "stash". They really do inspire me. I just get them all out and "play" until it looks right! Hope you have a great weekend! Til next time! Julia

Hi guys! I haven't been posting for a little while. My life is generally pretty boring, but lately stuff has just been coming at me left and right. I feel a bit like McCauley here. Last Thursday night my husband and I went with our daughter to Bloomington, Indiana to visit the Indiana University School of Optometry where she had applied and been accepted for an interview. She and I had already been to Birmingham AL on a similar interview before Christmas. I was impressed with IU, their optometry program and Bloomington. She got the news yesterday that they were also impressed with her and offered her a spot in their fall class which she is accepting. So YAY for her and boo that she will be 7 hours away. I do feel that she will be comfortable there and that it is a good fit. More good news, last week one of my items was in Etsy Finds which is an email that Etsy send out to a LOT of people. It was this item *points downward*
I sold it and had requests for more. I am hoping tomorrow the rain will finally cease so I can do some spray painting outside. I actually did a bit of faux mercury glass spray painting tonight in my kitchen which is not well advised as it was quite stinky! I have been working on upcycled candlesticks that I hope to have pics of soon here.

This week has been so dramatic. My mom spent last night in the hospital with chest pains. Apparently her iron levels were so low it was stressing her heart. They gave her blood to raise her iron. She sounded very perky today and was going home (it is hard to live 18 hours away!) My sisters and I have internet diagnosed her as having a gluten allergy. I never knew a side effect of gluten intolerance was low iron which she has struggled with for years with no cause that her doctors could find. She has a brother with gluten allergies. She also has a couple other red flags and I hope that they can test her for it and figure it out! I am lucky to still have both my parents and greedy enough to want them around as long as possible!

I went through some "excitement" this week with a friend that is going through a nasty business divorce. I went with her for her showdown and it was not pretty. Hopefully through the court she will be able to get it resolved. On the unexpected side, I seem to be getting back into the retail business as I will be splitting rent and space with her and possibly one other gal in a new space. We plan to keep everything separate and beyond that we haven't nailed down all the details yet. My husband and I have been talking about going back to retail for a year..I just didn't want to do 7 days a week again..ever! So cross your fingers for me!

On the home front I have joined the gym again after a 3 year gap. It hasn't been as atrocious as I thought.My daughter has been going with me.Tonight I went alone and when I tried to use the keycard for the first time (they lock the doors after 8pm) I ran into problems. Scan card..nothing. Scan a bunch of different directions..nothing. Scan it like a Jedi Knight wielding a light saber..nothing. Finally I banged on the glass doors and got the attention of one of the buff (younger of course) weight lifty dudes in there lifting weights. I did the pointing, mouthing words, gesticulating thing until he finally came over and let me in. He said, "I am not going to get in trouble for letting you in am I?" I said No, I am a member I just can't get this scanny thing to work. He said Let me see your scanner and I handed it to him..he flipped it over and said, "This is a Suntan City card..this grey thing is the scanner" DUH. I felt so stupid! I said "Well that explains that then" He went back and told his buddy and they both were laughing at me..bummer. Not quite as embarrassing as the time I got my IPod earbud cords caught in the floor fan when I was trying to turn it down! Ah well..at least he didn't call me "Ma'am"! When I turned 45, I noticed I started to feel more and more invisible in public..when I was younger and hotter guys used to hoot and holler (has that tactic EVER worked by the way?) and go out of their way to hold the doors for me..now I don't know if invisible is a bad thing! LOL. I hope to have some pix soon of my latest projects so stop back! Julia