Friday, April 29, 2011

Keep Calm and Royal On

Anyone up for a "spot of tea"?




This morning's royal menu was tea and ultimate coffee cake because I was too lazy to do scones!


My son revised his opinion of royal weddings when he discovered it meant he got a special breakfast. He says they may now have them EVERY day.


My daughter's main concern was who was going to help the Princess with her dress!!!


Best wishes to Will and Kate! May you party and royal on in happiness!




Thursday, April 28, 2011

Hello Old Friend

Dear Junque Gods,


THANK YOU, thank you, ThAnK yOu.


A great day. All these finds at one sale so thank you to the gasoline gods as well.


Boots and purse are getting flowers planted in them.


Hello Johnson Brothers turkey plate. Not sure I can let that one go - might have to keep it at least until Turkey day!


Another Redman picnic basket - that makes two for the sale.


Dear Nature,


THANK YOU, thank you, ThAnK yOu for some sunshine.


Glorious sunshine. Oh look, now the clouds are coming back and we're getting more rain tonight. Ah well, it was beautiful while it lasted.


Hello ironing table. I have a bigger one waiting in the wings. Wouldn't this be great as the table behind a sofa?! So that makes two for the sale (I'm noticing a multiples theme).


Love that magazine stand as is but also realize it would be great painted. Hopefully someone else will want to undertake that project!


Aqua, I love you. I especially love you in a McCoy planter (REALLY don't think I can part with this one)!


Depression glass footed bowl.


You all know how I adore fruit things!


Oh you gorgeous ironstone Johnson Brothers bowl. You are large and in charge but I cannot keep you. I can not. I must not...must not...


A bit of sun did wonders for my energy. I got down to business and really started organizing the sale piles in the garage. I truly am a Junque Queen!
What did you junque today?

Linking to:

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Rainy Day Junque Jewelry

Yet another rainy day (soccer training tonight?Thinking not.). Time to pull out a bit of my stash and give my junque creating mojo a workout!

Ta da! Junque jewelry and new life for the somewhat scary box from the bottom corner of the first photo!

I guess the rain is good for something besides flowers (although our flowers are drowning at the moment)!

Linking to:


Transformations and Treasures



Thrifty Thursday






Feathered Nest Friday


Thrifty Things Friday



Tuesday, April 26, 2011

White Wednesday

Several months back I picked up a lot of vintage pharmaceutical pieces. I love their impact when placed together. I love the feel of the stark white porcelain and the heft of the mortar and pestles. I love the impossibly small lids for the even more impossibly small crucibles!

I have less of them now. Sold a few. Lost several during winds at a show. The smaller grouping remains, waiting for my next show. And still I love the smallest one which is not much larger than a thimble!


Linking to:


Monday, April 25, 2011

A Touch of Spring

Amidst the perpetual rain (STILL no soccer games) I was lucky enough to receive these stunning tulips. A quick trim and I plopped them in this vintage thrifted vase.


Leading up to my Occasional Junque Bazaar I thought it would be fun to highlight some pieces that will be available while showing how they might be used. This vase is an Erphila Art Pottery piece in fantastic condition. The wee bird will be for sale as well although you might have to hunt to find her. She's getting ready for a nest make-over of sorts in the next few days!

Here's hoping your Spring is sunnier than ours!

Linking to:


Today's Thrifty Treasures

Thrift Share Monday


Nifty Thrifty Tuesday


Share the Love

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Peat Pots and an Occasional Junque Bazaar

Happy Easter lovely readers! Hope your day was filled with wonderful moments. Here at Junque Central we were lucky enough to have grandparents visiting and eggs hidden in silly places. Nothing outside mind you. The rain CONTINUES to pour in southern Ohio and our new favorite game is to wonder when, if ever, we will be able to get back on the soccer fields!



Sharing a few Easter creations this evening. Like so many of you I got out the peat pots and gave them a bit of an upgrade. Glitter, tinsel and lace always make me smile.
In other news I've had a bit of a re-think (ok, it's really a MAJOR change) regarding my proposed Junque Bazaar in October. For various reasons I'm calling it off. I'm not afraid of a challenge but when you start adding things up and it seems more likely than not that you are going to go bust you've got to admit defeat.
So I've been discouraged for a bit (ok I was bordering on major depressive slump after failed shows in March, etc.). As often happens all you need is a bit of time to re-group (and a big kick in your rump reminding yourself to pick up, dust off and quit whining!).
How about an Occasional Junque Bazaar here at my home (coinciding with our neighborhood garage sale)? We have one of those HOAs that forbids (major UGH!)signage, street parking, etc. except during the "sanctioned" garage sale event. I always participate and there is room on my lawn for other folks so perhaps we could have our own blog party/bazaar. If this intrigues you read below for more particulars and let's get our occasional "on"!!

Occasional Junque Bazaar
Lebanon, OH
Saturday May 14th 9AM-2PM (rain date Sunday)
Fabulous treasures - just think, you'll get to shop my junque BEFORE the folks at Springfield = fresh pickings!!
If you'd like more specifics and/or are interested in bringing your own junque to set up drop me a line:
JunqueMagnet@fuse.net
Junque on dear friends!


Linking to:



Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Easter Basket Upcycle

I'm behind in a lot things. The list is long. It includes Easter decorating and this weekend I was telling a customer at the show (as she bought one of my Junque Peat Pot Easter baskets - YEAH!) how this will be the second year that I've failed to get the Easter decor out. She ever so gently reminded me that there was still a week left so why not do some decorating.




Great advice and now I don't have the "I've got these decorations but I'm not using them" guilt or the "Oh my I forgot how much the kids love getting this out" guilt!




This basket started life like this (well actually it started life in an awful gold paint color when I brought it home from the thrift store):
I scanned a couple of vintage Easter postcards for images. Added a bit of glitter for highlight (yes, ANY excuse to add the glitter) and a bit of tinsel around the handle.
Voila.
This wall basket got a new lease on life.
And she's quite happy to be back on display rather than languishing in a box in the basement for another year!

Linking to:
Treasures and Transformations
Share the Love Wednesday

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A Bit Excessive?

It is possible that I was a bit extreme in my shopping this morning.

Perhaps this is too much...

I only have two kids.

Just the two.

There should not be this much (particularly when one of them has ridiculously soft teeth like her mother and only has to look at candy to sprout cavities!).

It is too much. I know it.

But those pastel Reeses eggs are MINE, MINE, MINE (my dentist loves me)!

On another note did you see the leaves peeking up at the back?
Well look a bit closer here:

Aren't they gorgeous? I got them via WUSLU a few weeks back and they are done by jane joss the fabric florist. Simply stunning. Click on the link to view their etsy store. Such creativity.

Oh and those animal crackers...

Lilly Pulitzer?!!! I mean I had to buy those. Can't wait for the princess to open them!



Friday, April 15, 2011

Spring Has Arrived & Burlington Particulars

My husband walked by the stairs last night and said goodbye to the birdcage as he noticed a price tag on it. Then he told me, "Spring has arrived. The flowers are beginning to bloom and items in our house are sprouting price tags!" Ah yes, apparently show season marks the start of spring around here! Giggle, giggle, giggle...

Sunday is the first Burlington of the year and I am busy sorting, tagging, boxing and trying to find the ever elusive just right mix of what buyers want (and I'm willing to part with!).

For the moment the weather looks great and I'm hoping for a bang off start which will help to erase the horrors that were the March shows. You can find me and some of my junque (as if I could ever fit it all in my vehicle - hah!) at:


Boone County Fairgrounds

Burlington, KY

Sunday April 17 8AM-3PM (early buying 6AM)

Space #80 C (on concrete section around the ring) These photos are from the horror craft show. I'll have a mix of my repurposed Junque Magnet goodies and great vintage finds. My daughter had a mini meltdown the other night when she asked if she could come with me and I said no. Well how could I say yes, she needs a car seat and think how much less I would be able to fit in the car?!!! Such a mean mom am I!

Monday, April 11, 2011

A Tale of Two "Paintings"

I am a huge fan of thrift store art. I talk about it a fair bit and you might even be bored by now. Well here I go again. Found this one last weekend at the Goodwill.

Picking it up, something seemed ever so familiar about it. Couldn't put my finger on it and finally decided I was just referencing the very obvious similarity to French Impressionist paintings.

I like this one but it's not a keeper. I think the artist definitely had some talent. It's a rather good job and draws you in, just not so much our style of "ready to join the collection" art. Still it nagged at me. Images kept popping into my head and it was becoming a bit irksome. Tune in for part two in my tale of two paintings to find out why!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

A Tale of Two "Paintings" Part Deux

If you happened to catch yesterday's post you know there was a painting I purchased here which was weighing on my mind. And if you've spent any time around here you know two other things about me. I worship (I mean love) glitter and I often times cannot leave something in the same state in which I found it!


So earlier this week I got the urge to create for a show coming up and headed into the garage where I knew I had two pictures from an auction several months back. They were bad. I knew they were bad but the frames had potential and I was ready to do some magic similar to the one here and/or here.

Off I trotted and grabbed one off the shelf. Brought it inside, flipped it over and lo and behold...

There it was. The VERY SAME IMAGE. Ha. I am not crazy (well that's actually an issue for another moment) and of course the GW painting seemed familiar. Now this is obviously not a real painting and has spent a long time cooped up in a house. It was surely whiter when it began life but I firmly believe these are salvageable.

So I ever so happily dug out my glitter, stash of vintage jewelry and lace bits to doll these ladies up. Voila!


What do you think? Glittered flowers on her hat and a brooch on her collar. It's almost done. I thought it was done but something else kept nagging me. So this afternoon I'm adding lace to her skirt and then sticking a price tag on her. Because if I don't price it I'll keep tinkering and NEVER be done. Linking to: Tuesdays Treasures










Weekend Finds

Woo hoo. First estate sale of the year!!!!

Crafting junque, more fruit items, the biggest flower frog I've ever seen (although I think it is actually designed to sit in the mouth of a vase) and the Dark Tower game which is a HUGE score. And of course Christmas junque... The silver piece is a West Germany ornament (no, not a topper folks an actual ornament!) Flocked Santa figures in a row YIPPEE! What did you score this weekend? Linking to: Thrift Share Monday



Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Grandma's Closet

Saturday was half-price day at GW. When I caught up to my husband by the jewelry section he took one look at my pile in the cart and said, "Somebody emptied Grandma's linen closet."

LUCKY FOR ME!!!!

Fruit. I love fruit stuff!!! Finally and at last. Vera napkins! Why, they're a fruit design!!!! A brooch like a bunch of grapes. A silverplate handled bowl and cherries on a cornucopia (which is set for a re-do later). I love theme days while thrifting!! Linking to: Rednesday Treasure Hunt Thursday No Minimalist Here

Friday, April 1, 2011

Thrift Art on Vacation

Greetings lovely readers. Surely you all will understand this part of my vacation...

Yes!!! The thrift part of my trip. Everyone stops in at thrift stores as they drive back from the Florida Keys don't they?!!! We spotted three on the way down to Key West and I was itching until our return to Miami to collect the kids so I could stop in. One shop netted this sweet painting for $5. I looked at my husband and said, "I wish we weren't taking a plane so I could get this home." He informed me we could figure it out and luckily enough it just fit inside the confines of the suitcase. For a few moments at the airport there was fear the luggage was lost and my only concern was for this painting - never mind ALL the clothing and new shoes it also contained. Priorities people, priorities! I have a few other thrift store goodies to share once I get through the mountain of stuff that needs to be done around here. And soccer starts Sunday so... Linking to: