I'm still here!

 Hi guys! I am still alive! 20 days since my last post..sheesh..I've been busy! So now you are going to get a mega post. I have been making, and cleaning, and listing like mad. This lampshade above is one of my new "makes: I call these tutu lampshades. I used to do similar lace ones in my old vintage shop over vintage shade frames.

 I added a handmade singed rosette with a smoky vintage rhinestone pin. I like how this one turned out.

 My husband now has a new Etsy shop which I have been helping with. It is The Industrial Farmer www.theindustrialfarmer.etsy.com .He has sneaked a few of my things from my local booth to list. This is a vintage shoe form I painted on one of his rusty crusty rollerskates. This has a cool look!

 Me and the grandbaby Hunter painted several of these in different styles for my handmade shop www.hopeandjoystudios.etsy.com.

 I have been "shopping" my own house and going through the boxes of things that for some reason never got listed. I have been up to my eyeballs in old hardware. I love the look of these (sold) they look like one of those old avian prints of birds eggs.I think that is always my "problem"..I see something and think..Oooh..this would be so cool framed in a vintage frame..and then I never get a chance to DO it!

 This was a batch of vintage hinges. I think they look like a metal quilt..and again..would look fab framed!

 ..just like little wooden mushrooms.....

 Oh...the aqua jars I have been taking pics of..I haven't even got them all listed yet!

 Vintage china casters...

 A ginormous old heavy metal gear ..off to Ed's shop.

 ..crusty keyplates..several bunches..

 A cool old gooseneck lamp..

 This vintage glass ceiling shade is the palest celery green..lovely.

 Even the pedestrian can make an impact in a group!

 These are a couple old trophies I upcycled for my handmade shop..diva..

 and Drama Queen..which should go to my 10 yr old son..everything is a huge deal to that kid!

 A sweet old composition baby doll head..some are creepy but this one is just sweet to me.

 An old fish crate upcycled with vintage casters for my husband's shop/

 The coolest Danish Modern candlestick holders (skinny tapers) by Jens Quistgaard one of the creators of the Dansk company. I have research his things lately..lovely Mid Century Modern and quite a range from furniture to accessories, pottery, cookware..much coolness and a new fav of mine!

 My husband had several old treadle sewing machine foot pedals go into his shop.

 I made a couple of these photo display "shoes" for my handmade shop.

 Another sewing machine pedal..

I listed a bunch of vintage doll clothes. I love these! I had a doll clothes drawer when I was little filled with doll clothes my mom and both my Grammas made me. We used to even force our kittens into them and drive them around in the doll buggy..poor kitties!

 Lacey and white...

 Peachy pink undies, a lovely rosebud covered dress and a shabby tutu.

 Two white eyelet lace dresses and a sheer dress.

 Pink and white sweetness..

 I think this is my fav..aqua AND pink rosebuds!

 An aqua doll jacket.

 Even a Marshall Field vintage baby boy shirt..too darling. These would be cute in a baby room or laundry room pinned to a clothesline or made into a garland.

 Today found me listing giant brass bedknobs on EBay. These would make great finials even for just display.

 These vintage Frye cowboy boots went to EBay but only because they are a 6C and too small for my apparently Sasquatch foot :(  Boo!

 I'm selling these on EBay for a friend. Aren't they cute? One  pair and 6 singles..

This one is very old. These are great for ornaments or for display or upcycled into pincushions..who cares if they are singles!

 The grandbaby started preschool 2 days a week this month. His momma made him his backpack. He is very excited and loves it! It is odd being home alone though!(I do get more done though and don't have to watch cartoons!)

This is a lovely vintage curtain panel I finally got listed and out of the "I can make something with this pile" My husband is on a cleaning/organizing streak and is dragging me along with him. We have cleaned out our storage closet and our storage room and hauled loads to the dump and the thrift store. The process has been painful but the results are going to be worth it...except the shelf he nailed to the wall today. It is so awful I'll have to take some pics to share and tear it out and fix it..bless his heart...

..and this is something I shall be listing shortly..vintage wooden letterpress print blocks..and hopefully DOING soon. Ed wants to go "estate sale-ing" in the morning and Jack has basketball games after dinner. We had an ice storm today so hopefully it is all melted by then! Hopefully I will be back sooner than last time..have  a great weekend! Julia

A Shabby Romantic Chalkboard

 Hi guys! This is my  latest..a shabby romantic chalkboard. I jazzed up a plain chalkboard with pale aqua paint (a fav color of mine).

 I added a crystal chandelier prism swag that I made to the bottom..never enough crystals!

And I added a drop of a vintage crystal chandelier prism and a vintage pearly bead..and a wire hanger. I finished off the back with vintage Mozart sheet music..just because I like to finish the back too!

In new news, my husband is now a fellow Etsian! We got his shop up and running yesterday. He is The Industrial Farmer @ www.theindustrialfarmer.etsy.com . I like the name..it is sort of a twist on the industrious farmer. We both come from a long line of industrious farmers! We are both former farm kids and we actually farmed for the first couple years we were married before moving on to greener pastures.He'd like to retire and go back to having an acerage with a barn ..but only a few chickens and a goat or sheep or 2! He has helped me "vintage" for years and now he will have a shop for his "guy stuff". I like rusty industrial too, so it may come to a scuffle between us over what goes where! Sooo here's to a New Year and a new enterprise! 'Til next time! Julia

My latest Upcycles, Roses, Ballet and Keys

 Hi guys! One of my New Years attempts (the heck with resolutions!) is to spend more time creating. This means less time dinking around online, but all the better! These are 3 things I made in the last 2 days. Let me first say I have a HUGE "problem" seeing the possibilities in vintage bits and parts..lots of "Oh this could be so cute/cool if you just  did XYZ. Not really a problem ..until all those "projects" start backing up on you! So I cleared out 3 of them. This first was a vintage bandeau hat. It was plain and just screaming for help. I added a rose I made from sheer fabric and a couple vintage moss velvet leaves.

 Bazinga!I really like how this rose turned out. It has singed edges and a rolled center.I just cut it out like a rolled paper rosette that you see all over the net and singed the edge you would see. Then made a regular stacked singed flower and added the rosette to the middle.

 This is a rack I made out of an old oak drawer front from a filing cabinet. This drawer front had been laying around for months waiting for me to "do something" with it. I removed all the hardware, added a crackle coat (watered down wood glue) and when that dried, painted it shabby white. I sanded it a bit and reattached the hardware. I put the handle on upside down to make a little "cup" to hold a small something.

 I added small hooks I made from bent vintage keys that I had rusted or verdigris-ed (soak in a vinegar salt solution) I did find out that the small thinner keys and the brass keys bend better than the steel keys like a door or auto key..those kept snapping off. The label holders are all ready for a label. I'm not sure what the holes were for, but they make great hanging holes to attach it to the wall!

 I had these formerly black little girl's leather ballet slippers in my booth for a month or more with no takers so they came home with me for an upcycling. I gessoed them and painted them several coats of pale pink. I even painted the sort of grungey interiors. I added vintage sheet music insoles and vintage taffeta ribbon ties.

I repurposed some of my hand dyed paper flower pins into shoe embellishments. I thought these pins were pretty, but they weren't moving so onto a new life! They are actually made of dyed coffee filters and vintage lace and vintage mother of pearl buttons. The rosette centers are not an exact match (since all my pins were one of a kind) but they look like a match. Sweet decor shoes for a little girl's room..or a big girl's room! I love creating and always have several projects in the works and tons of projects rattling around my brain! Stop back and see what I have been up to! 'Til next time! Julia