Ms. Jackie's Junque

More Booth Pictures

2012-01-23T19:54:00.009-06:00

I recently gave my second booth a Valentine makeover. Of course in typical Jackie fashion I'm late getting my pictures posted --but here they are.

This is the sweetest little collapsable sewing chest. It's one of the things that I would be tempted to keep for myself.

I'm going to go out on a limb here . . . I think peach is about to make a comeback. I'm hoping the population of Mobile agrees with me and buys all the peach items that I've grouped together! (Ha Ha)

It turns out that my husband is quite the cabinet maker! He repurposed two louvered doors and made this gorgeous corner shelf. It had holes where the door knobs used to be so I had the idea to check the knobs and miscellania at Hobby Lobby to see if anything would work. Look at how cute it turned out!

Cute doggie pillow and bookends:

Aren't these the cutest chalk poodles? Did you have these in your bathroom when you were growing up?

Several items from this shelf have already sold. The mirror and the Syracuse lace platter are gone. Yay!

More peach. I found the mannequin head in the toy section at the Goodwill. Yeah, I'm pretty sure some child was freaked out to find a random head just lying in the toys.

Georgeous ceramic bust. And I do mean BUST! Sister could use a little more lace in certain areas! Another thing I would like to keep . . .

I hope you enjoyed the virtual toor of my booth. I am itching for yard sales to really start up. Our Azaleas are blooming so it shouldn't be long now!

Thanks to Eddie over at Eddie-Torial Comments for the post-gallbladder shout out! Eddie has been writing some excellent posts about reselling in flea malls and antique stores. You should go and check out his blog.

Until next time . . .

Happy Junking!

Out of Commission

2012-01-17T17:57:00.004-06:00

This was my view on December 26, 2011. I was admitted to the hospital and scheduled for gallbladder surgery on the next day. I spent most of the week after Christmas in the hospital. I'm almost three weeks post-op and so far have been doing well. I won't go into how I had been having these attacks for years and was repeatedly told it wasn't my gallbladder--even as recent as a month ago when I had to go to the emergency room for the same symptoms. My surgeon told me that the pathology report showed that I my gallbladder had gangrenous changes. Yuck! Sorry if this is TMI -- so let me move on !

Since I was recuperating from surgery I could not work on my booths after Christmas. I had Christmas items in both booths until this past weekend. But I'm happy to report that both booths have been redone and are fully stocked. That is such a good feeling. Sales wise I had a good month at both malls but one was incredible! I love Christmas time!

Below are some pictures of my space at Queen's Attic.

I did my space at Cotton City yesterday. I will be sharing those pictures soon!

Cotton City Christmas

2011-12-06T16:26:00.001-06:00

I don't believe I ever got around to posting my Cotton City Christmas pictures. So, for right now, I think We Need A Little Christmas.

Visions of Sugar Plums . . .

2011-11-28T22:36:00.006-06:00

For the most part my Christmas decorating is done! After seeing a similar idea on Pinterest, (my new favorite website), I wanted to try to decorate my dining room chandelier. I have a gingerbread themed tree on my buffet so the candy ornaments match perfectly! I keep thinking visions of Sugar Plums . . .

On a recent trip to an out of town thrift store I ran across this cute little number. Remember puffy paint and fabric appliques? Tacky Christmas craft at its finest! I can see someone winning an ugly Christmas sweater contest with this sweatshirt.

Cute little kitsch Christmas ornaments hot glued on the applique and then trimmed in puffy paint. Notice how one of the little ornaments has come off of the shirt and only the glue blob remains. Nice.

Christmas at Queen's Attic

2011-11-25T14:00:00.003-06:00

I'm still having major mobile blogging issues...hence the postage stamp size pictures and their random order. Ugh!

I snapped these pictures after my Christmas re-do. Several nice offerings including a nativity blow mold set with angels! And a baker's rack decked out in Silver and Gold..... Silver and gold...silver and gold. Don't hate me if that song gets in your head! I'm still trying to work out my issues and hope to have them resolved soon!

Just a Few Tidbits

2011-11-09T16:25:00.002-06:00

I apologize for my blog post earlier this week. My photos were all out of whack! I think they're fixed now. Let's just say that I've not been having the best of luck with my mobile blogging apps. It probably has something to do with the new iPhone update that I haven't done yet....

I left off one of my finds from last week....a nice, wrought iron baker's rack for $12.00. Should be able to flip for a nice profit. Does flip apply to non real-estate transactions? :)

For all my fellow boothers out there, if you're like me and constantly need plate holders for display, check out this neat idea. It's a fork turned into a plate holder. It was pretty sturdy and a good way to have cheap plate or book stands.

I need more shelf space at my second antique booth. So my dear husband is building this out of the last of my Restore doors. This little shelf measures 21" wide by 12" deep and I can't remember how high. It should hold lots of goodies! I just need to decide on the color to paint it.

Another Wonderful Day in the Life of a Junker

2011-11-07T12:07:00.002-06:00

Today was a wonderful day! Weather wise, purchase wise, every wise! I was on the road before sunrise:

I found tons of great stuff at great prices and filled my car! A true sign of success to a hard core junker-- a full car!

Today is a big football day in L.A. Alabama plays LSU in what some are calling the game of the century. Well, I don't know about that-- but it should be very interesting.

Yes, I wore my houndstooth scarf today! Roll Tide. And yes, I had Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Yum.

I had to run in the library, ok , I walked. I saw this cute quilted bookshelf wall hanging and just had to snap a picture of it. It is a quilt designed to look like a bookshelf! Very clever and another great quilt scrap project!

Now i have to empty my car and sort my goodies. Or I could take a nap. (Smile).

Random Things Found While Out Thrifting

2011-09-29T20:27:00.003-05:00

I've had exceptional thrifting luck the last couple of weeks! This thrills me to no end! However, I've also seen some pretty weird things too. Case in point:

One faux Snowbabies figurine? I can get past the resin part. I can get past the fact that it looks like the little angel is doing some kind of calisthenic that we would have done in elementary school. I cannot get past the purple face. I definitely found humor in the purple face. Because--that's how I look when I try to touch my toes! Ha ha ha!

One more quick picture from my iPhone camera roll. Now let me disclaim that, as a rule, I do not take pictures of people as they are driving down the road. I'm pretty sure a guy tried to snap a picture of my mini KFC chicken bucket that I carried around for several months on the top of my backseat. That is until I figured out what he was doing and as Jacob would say "jammed up" the brakes. He was real quick to throw his camera down as he tried to control his car. Ha ha. All that said, when i saw this guy I figured he was putting it out there for the world to see so he wouldn't mind if I showed you, right?

Yes, this is a man in lower Alabama riding around with a stuffed monkey on his motorcycle.

Introducing...Ms. Jackies Junque Two!

2011-09-24T18:42:00.002-05:00

Introducing Ms. Jackies Junque Two or Too. I opened a second booth in a different mall! The owner and staff are great. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. Without further delay:

Please excuse the blue streak across some of the pictures. Maybe the force is with me???

Mantique-ish baker's rack with big sailing ship and old world theme. My inspiration for this vignette came from this one simple piece:

The gorgeous linen towel that had never been used.

This booth does not have side walls so we had to be creative. Hubby made these doors free standing and they turned out great. He found the doors at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. It's like a thrift store for building supplies.

Gorgeous quilt:

Gorgeous Battenburg lace shirt on my $5.00 mannequin. She is also rocking a P. S. Gitano denim skirt.

Hubby made the green corner shelf out of two more Restore doors:

So lets end this three hour tour with one last picture. A ship's wheel mirror that faces out into the mall:

After many days of cabinet building, washing doors, pricing items, strategizing, and dreaming......booth number two is a reality!

I'm in Cotton City in Mobile. If you're in the area, please stop by.

Happy Anniversary To My Parents - Junque Style

2011-09-20T22:14:00.001-05:00

My family threw a surprise anniversary party for my parents this past Saturday.
This is the happy couple on their wedding day....some 49 years ago.

We decided to throw the huge party a year early. And do you know what? It was a huge success! My parents had no clue!

Now here is where the junque comes in! Several years ago i found this huge length of vintage gingham fabric at the thrift store. It had gobs and gobs of yards for only a couple of dollars. That's Alabama speak for a ridiculous amount. Since we were serving BBQ, i thought it would be the perfect time to use the gingham. We used white table covers, a burlap runner, and then puddled a piece of the green gingham on each table. We added a cute western item to the center of each table:

Most of the centerpieces were thrifted or found at yard sales!
I used the flower arrangement from my bedroom. It matched the cake perfectly!

We had their wedding album on display on a thrifted easel:

My nephew hired a photographer so I'll have more pictures to share later!!! Until then!

Football Junque

2011-09-05T19:59:00.001-05:00

College football season started this past weekend. Now I know that all fans are crazy about their teams....but Alabama fans are the CRAZIEST!

My nephew went to the opening Alabama game:

Did you know that Russell Stover sells team chocolates? I didn't either!

In the spirit of football season and in the spirit of finding and collecting cute and cheap items over the course of the summer, a football vignette was definitely in order at the booth:

Cute SEC mascot family portrait:

War Eagle ! :

Roll Tide ! :

I fired up Ms. Jackie's Junque sweatshop and made the pillows. Husband was stuffing pillows like crazy.

I also added my fall decorations:

I used a piece of thrifted fabric for the sides and top of the entrance to my booth:

And I flanked each side with cute scarecrows:

Mannequin all dressed for fall:

Is this the cutest purse ever?

Merry Mushroom canisters. Remember when Sears sold these? My Maw Maw's kitchen was done in Merry Mushroom. Maybe thats why I'm so fond of it! (smile):

Noah's ark:

Roosters:

Wizard of Oz:

Cute fall colored items:

Pooh:

Gratuitous big fork:

Gratuitous big spoon:

Lighthouses:

Cute light up globe:

Well, I'm about to turn out the lights on this blog post. Since I'm turning out the lights...we'll need a candle. Look at these cute tealight candle holder jars:

They look like little lanterns. Thank you for staying with me through this lengthy post.

I hope you had a wonderful labor Day!

Special shout out to nephew Josh and husband for their help.

I Promise I'm Still On The Grid

2011-08-18T22:15:00.001-05:00

I promise I haven't dropped off the blogging grid.

I took a two week thrifting break. Don't feel sorry for me. I've picked up another little nasty junk habit--the local auction. I have been going every week for several weeks now and I'm an addict! Most of the fun, for me, is the people watching. Definitely a bunch of lively characters!

I really don't have any "thrifting" photos to share but I did want to share these cute onesies that I saw at the Dollar General. I think they were $2.50 and seemed to be pretty well made.

iPeed:

It looks like an iPod but says iPeed. I'm sure Apple's Copyright infringement department would love to see that! :)

And mini pooper:

How cute are these?

I'm hoping for cooler weather! It has just been too hot around here for yard sales.

Have a great weekend!

Back To School Booth

2011-07-29T23:35:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that school will be starting in about 2 weeks! I lament this, my friends, because of the traffic. My way to work goes by one of the largest private schools in Alabama. It always makes for fun times.

Since I had all of these school related items I decided to do a school theme:

Sorry for the blurry picture--somewhere in the blur is a little school desk.

This globe lights up. It is WAY cool:

Another globe:

Cute Peanuts vignette. Those are two crisp vintage Peanuts pillowcases.

Wooden Noah's Ark playset:

Coca Cola anyone?

Leftovers:

Cute vintage suitcases and sewing chest:

Groovy, baby!

Reproduction Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar:

Animal print central:

Cute vintage riding hat with its original box:

And finally..I leave you with the cute Amish vignette. It was on a lower shelf but it got bumped up:

Random Things Found While Out Thrifting

2011-07-08T16:33:00.001-05:00

My schedule was thrown off this week so I went thrifting on Thursday instead of Wednesday. I found a couple of things I thought photo worthy:
Cute troll with wicked hair:

And a cute play beauty salon. If I had a little girl this would have come home with me:

Have a great weekend!

Girl Power

2011-06-30T21:14:00.001-05:00

When I went by to straighten the booth this afternoon I noticed that my second ice cream freezer had sold! Also sold was a very nice Corelle Coordinates canister set.
They are in the upper right hand corner of this picture.

I told you the girlie guitar was coming....and here it is. I did a grouping of girl items and decided to call it Girl Power:

That blue box lamp is so quirky but so cute! Hopefully someone will like it for the bargain basement price of $8.00. I tried to talk hubby out of his lava lamp because it would have been perfect with this vignette--but no dice. He's kind of stingy like that. He thinks his stuff is his stuff and that he shouldn't have to sell it. Hmph. The nerve! Ha ha!

Cute piano bench freshly recovered with a yummy Cyrus Clark toile. Along with the neatest sewing cabinet. Each side pulls out.

Mannequin with new clothes. She had been a little....shall we say risque since her frog skirt sold:

If this purse doesn't sell soon--imma keep it. :)

I added the flower pin.

Cute Amish shelf:

The cutest s&p set evah:

I know i say everything is the cutest...but this time I mean it! :)

Complete set of Beverly Lewis Abram's Daughters books. $1.25 total at yardsale. I think I priced the entire set $12 or $14.

Wagon:

Horses:

Freshened up green shelf:

And finally my Summer Fun vignette. When so much of my ice cream stuff sold I decided to put some other stuff together. This is what I came up with.

OK... I love flamingos. There I said it.

Check out these glasses Jacob and I found last year:

Two packages of Flamingo glasses! Sweet and kitsch swirled together.

Some cute party lights:

I guess that's all for now. Have a great 4th of July! God bless America!

And the winner is.....

2011-06-23T09:14:00.001-05:00

And the award for the worst hat EVER goes to.......

Side view? Sure, anything for my loyal readers.

This hat was new, with tags. $14.98 and would have been 30% off. No thank you. The gold accents look like pitchforks.

I found this cute guitar at the Goodwill for $5.99. It only has 3 strings. Fortunately for me I have two very talented "guitarist" nephews.

This new guitar will be going straight to the booth because this one sold the next day after it was placed there:

My ice cream cone sold! Yipee! The nicest lady bought it for her daughter's room. They wanted to do a diner theme and thought the ice cream cone would fit the bill. I do too! I'm a little sad to see it go because it is just SO cute!

Finally, I would like to offer another photo from Awkward Family Photos. This one is called Leprechaun:

You Needed Them Worse Than I Did

2011-06-15T15:51:00.001-05:00

I'm thinking someone with sticky fingers has been shopping at my booth. Very sticky fingers. Almost immediately after I added my red white and blue items, a little pair of overalls that I put out disappeared. So I'm thinking great! They sold! Apparently they didn't. I found the tag as I was straightening. Are you kidding me? Now get this--they were $3.00. $3.00! And-- they had to go through quite a bit of work to get to them. I had them clipped through this metal shelf.

If you look closely you can see them hanging behind the red shoes. Seriously--I would have given them to you. All you had to do was ask. Obviously you needed them worse than I did!

I don't know if you know about the Awkward Family Photos site?Nevertheless, enjoy this one on me:

Look at the bowl cut gone bad. And dude in the middle is rocking a pretty serious mullett. Gotta love the 80's.

Abba Temple Take Two June 2011

2011-06-11T12:28:00.001-05:00

Today was City Wide Sale day at the Abba Temple! My tables pre sale:

And the crowd of shoppers:

If you're in the Mobile area and want to participate--you should! The organizer is fantastic. Both times I've participated everything has gone off without a hitch. I had very good success and got rid of a lot of stuff!

Red, White, and Blue

2011-06-08T11:58:00.001-05:00

I took a vacation day on Monday and worked at my booth. It was wonderful. I added several totes full of new items. I love being there to meet customers. I always try to greet them--usually just by saying "Hello." I've discovered that if you strike up a conversation you are very likely to make a sale. Oftentimes, a very nice sale! I've also discovered that I have the best customers ever! And apparently many are repeat customers. I met a woman a couple of weeks ago and she told me that she shops every week and always buys something from me. How great is that?
I'm about to go image heavy....
I changed the mesh around the outside....please ignore the crooked lamp shade...

Changed the color of my pom poms from spring to patriotic...

More red, white, and blue items...

Western stuff...

Say hello to me in the mirror...

Cute abacus lamp with collapsable shade. Thought it would have been long gone by now...

The cutest ice cream cone EVAH...

Aqua and blue...

Yellow and purple and cute birdie prints...

Gorgeous fish...

Roosters and palm trees

Left over strawberries...

Canisters...

And finally, don't forget your father...

Thanks for sticking with me until the end!

2011-05-31T15:15:00.001-05:00

I didn't hit any yard sales this weekend and I'm suffering withdrawals. I didn't expect that there would be too many anyway because of Memorial Day. But--this is week two sans sales and I'm getting the itch.

I organized my pantry yesterday. I know it doesn't look like much but OMG if you had seen it before you wouldn't believe it could look like this.

Remember my painting?

My husband stopped at the "inspiration" Dog River Bridge and snapped this picture. Pretty neat, huh?

Well, Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise...I will be out sale-ing this weekend. And look for a booth re-do in the next week or so. The big ice cream blowmold is about to make its debut!!!

Location:Not Much To Report

2011-05-21T18:07:00.001-05:00

No sales for you!!! Well really I stopped at one church sale this morning. It was kind of a disappointment. They had about 6 tables and each table had a set price. They had a $1.00, $2.00, etc tables. You get the picture. So, er, um, nothing was less than $1.00. Just not my kind of sale. Things were too neatly organized. I like to dig when I go junking!

Last weekend I went to a wedding and the reception was held at the Five Rivers facility. Five Rivers is located right off Mobile Bay. It was GORGEOUS! I snapped a few pictures from one of the many docks. The views are incredible. These shots are looking toward the downtown Mobile skyline. If you look closely you can see the RSA tower, the tallest building in Alabama.

Last Sunday I went to a paint party at my friend's church. This was my first time to attend one of these "paint parties" and I loved it! This is my picture. It is the Dog River bridge. I chose to paint this because my husband keeps his sailboat at Dog River, right near this very bridge.

So, are these parties all the rage everywhere else? They are huge here!

One more thing....

This was my fortune on a recent trip to the Chinese buffet.

Small countries beware!

Member's Only

2011-05-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

My nephews mercilessly tease my husband. It can be over anything from what he has on to mispronouncing a word. It's all in good fun.

Well, one day said husband had on a little windbreaker type jacket that my oldest nephew thought was a little outdated. When I saw this shirt last night at the thrift store it reminded me of the jacket.

Well, where am I going with all of this you ask? It was a comment my nephew made. You remember the Members Only jackets, right?

So he told my husband:

That's a Members Only jacket and you are the only member!

Hee-larious. I did not buy the shirt. I left it for some other "member."

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What I've Been Up To

2011-05-10T13:12:00.003-05:00

It seems like I have been busier than usual and I don't see any end in sight.

Saturday was one of my favorite church yard sales of the year. Shout out to Dayspring Baptist Church! They have one huge sale every year and the proceeds go to missions. I found a ton of stuff! And listen to this. . . books were .10 a piece. Ten cents! I stocked up on spiral cookbooks, which are a very good seller in the booth. They also had tons of vintage salt and pepper sets for 1.00 each. I bought several sets but now realize I should have bought every set! These also sell well for me.
I found an near complete set of Corelle with a demure red and pink floral pattern. That will be making its way to the booth too.

Speaking of the booth, this is a picture of the mall I'm in, The Queen's Attic. Ironically the building already had the turrets before the Queens moved in!

The Mobile Register recently did an article on the Queen's Attic. It can be seen here.

My friend Traci and I recently hosted a baby shower for our friend Susan. It was held at the Oyster House. She got some very nice things. Yours truly did the cake and cupcakes:

Wow! I'm jumping all over the place today. Our firm goes all out for Admin Professionals week.

They started the week off with Photoshopping everyone's picture in a frame with a tv show or movie, etc. Here I am as Carol Brady. Ha ha! I didn't too much mind mine but several people hated theirs.

We got a gift everyday including lunch on Wednesday from the Olive Garden and a gift certificate on Friday.

Well I guess that's it for now. Have a good week!

Cha Ching

2011-05-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

I did a small booth restock last weekend. When I went by yesterday to straighten up, a couple of things had sold. Now a little breakdown on how I roll...ok, how I operate Ms. Jackie's Junque:

Cute pink giraffe purse:
Paid $2.00 at yard sale
Sold $12.00 at booth.

Super cute new with tags flip flops with the cute and trendy decoration on the top:
Paid .50 cents at yard sale
Sold $10.00 at booth

Several things had sold and I was thankful. Things have been slow.

I added some Toy Story items. I've sold Woody items and they normally fly off the shelf. I hope these do the same.

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2011-04-26T14:16:00.001-05:00

I ran across this cute vintage craft book last week at ATS (America's Thrift Store). The cover was in color but the pages were all black and white.

So I'm thinking as I flip through the pages..aww how cute. Until I see this:

REALLY? Are you kidding me? Yes parents, let your kids play with light bulbs. Better yet paint them and glue stuff on them. VINTAGE CRAFT FAIL!

Location:Vintage Craft Book

Big Baby And His Itty Bitty Bunny

2011-04-20T11:23:00.001-05:00

Our family's "big baby" turns 19 on Saturday.

Big baby is my nephew Jacob. I think my dad gave him that name because he's the last baby in our family and he's.....well......grown!

How did he go from this:

To this?:

We love to kid him about his picture with the bunny. He has a death grip on that thing! But now he's all grown up and in college.

This is a picture taken last year about this time. It was the night of his graduation. That's my sister Diane in the picture with him. Or Auntie as we call her. (Pronounced aun-tee, not aint-ee).

He's really a good helper and has helped me load, haul and unload a ton of junk over the years.

Happy birthday freak!

Sunday Night Chinese

2011-04-18T06:12:00.001-05:00

My husband wanted Chinese tonight. He picked Chinese over my planned BLTs and fries. Turn down my BLTs? Ok--whatever.

So we get to the new to me restaurant. He had eaten there before and really liked it.
We fix our plates (it's a buffet) and the waitress brings our drinks. So out of the corner of my eye...I see this:

Am I the only one that sees Farm Feet? I know there are two "f"s and not two "e"s. But thats how I saw it. Farm Feet. Yum.

Whew! That's better. Farm Buffet.

I had another good buying day Saturday. Too lazy to post pictures.

Have a great Monday!

Cinco de Mayo

2011-04-12T06:27:00.001-05:00

I changed things around at the booth. I added some Mexican/Spanish themed items to my baker's rack.

I added some more stuff too...
Dreamsicle O'rama. Does anybody collect these anymore? I sure hope so.

A picture of the Crosley radio:

Religious items.... some have sold...some items recently added...

My redneck stuff:

Vintage sewing stuff including cute apple pin cushion with a retractable worm measuring tape:

Strawberry stuff moved to a new locale:

Aqua shelf:

Notice my magnifying glass by the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books?

The cutest vintage macrame-ish purse. This purse will hold about a teaspoon full of stuff otherwise i would be carrying it myself.

Cute Aigner loafers.

A bench that I found this weekend. It had an ugly peach fabric on the bench. I got hubby to help me recover it. When he pulled off the other fabric this gorgeous velvet fabric was underneath:

So--we decided to leave the velvet fabric and not re-cover it. Winning!

After all our hard work we went to our favorite seafood restaurant, The Original Oyster House. The view from our table:

Gumbo:

Crab claws:

They have cute decor. A hammerhead shark above the elevator:

And finally, look at this picture! It makes me smile everytime I think about it. It is a boatload of nuns on a high speed airboat. It looks like they are having the time of their lives!

Sorry to be so photo intensive--but it helps me keep up with what I have in the booth and where i have it.

Until next time,
Jackie

2011-04-10T14:36:00.001-05:00

What is one of your signs of yard sale shopping success? For me--it's a full car! Well yesterday did not disappoint! I, along with my Mama riding shotgun, headed out yesterday morning at a little before six. We were at our first church school sale shortly thereafter. It was one of the best sales of the day. I found a ton of stuff, including the globe, there. I also found an almost complete set of Sears' Merry Mushroon canisters for $5.00. These will be heading to the booth soon. My Maw Maw Vera, at one point, had her kitchen done in Merry Mushroom. Maybe that's why I cant pass it up when i see it?
I sold a partial set last fall so hopefully I can sell these.

The Tommy Hilfiger shorts were found at my last stop where they were closing up and EVERYTHING was a quarter. Did i fill up a bag? Of course I did. The shorts are headed for eBay. They are In perfect condition.

I priced some more items for the booth and decided to take these two redneck coffee mugs. This is my favorite:

Ha ha! Since I live in Alabama I'm allowed to make fun of rednecks. But if you're not from here...Um don't try it. Ok? Ha ha.

So this is my absolute favorite item found yesterday. It cost me one whole dollar. I don't yet know what I'm going to do with it.

It's a play bucket of KFC chicken complete with coleslaw and mashed potatoes, a cup and two plates. The next time my husband asks "What's for dinner" I'm going to be ready for him. Holla!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-04-07T14:09:00.001-05:00

I went thrifting last night. I found some good stuff. I'm the world's worst about carrying stuff around in my car so thats why I never post pictures of most of the things I actually buy. I didn't buy this but it took every ounce of self restraint I had to keep from buying it:

A mini Cotton Candy Machine! It was $9.88 which I thought was a pretty decent price. This would be perfect for a birthday party! It had the instructions too. Sweet!

Among the things i found: a Crosley radio that looks like a vintage radio. I paid more than I wanted to ($14.88) but I should easily be able to recoup my money. I'll probably put it at the booth for $40. If it doesn't sell I'm perfectly o.k. with keeping it for myself.

I also found four cute ceramic trivets that all have a Holland pictorial scene on the front. I will also put these at the booth. I already have several ceramic dutch shoes and these will look so cute paired together.

It will be a busy couple of days. I need to price stuff to take to the booth on Saturday afternoon, pack up more eBay sales, and plan my yardsale route for Saturday morning! I like it so much better when I plan my route. We'll better run for now!

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Cottage Hill 2011

2011-04-06T11:54:00.001-05:00

Cottage Hill 2011 was...... pretty uneventful. Did not have the crazy success I've had in past years but still made a profit and got rid of a ton of junk. Saved some of the leftovers for my next Abba Shrine sale in June, donated two storage totes of generic non-brand party supplies to Goodwill, and gave my dad a few items to take to the garage sale/flea market at the Lucedale Stock Yard.

I was so happy to get rid of that doll house! I took about a $4.00 loss on it. I paid way too much for it and as most of us junkers know most of our money is made at the buy. The best part is I didnt have to haul it back home.

I bought 3 things... two bi-fold doors that have been painted school bus yellow and this:

Why yes--that is a giant ice cream cone blow mold. I have a cute summer vignette planned for the booth. It involves ice cream so this will be perfect! I snapped the picture with the cone in my car so you can tell how huge it is (compared with my front car seat)!

So that's a recap of the big sale. I will be saleing again this weekend-- but this time as a buyer. Yipee!

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Where's Waldo?

2011-03-30T15:23:00.001-05:00

Where is Waldo? That is a strange blog post title. I HATE to do a post without a picture! In fact, I'm not sure that I ever have. So that's where the Where's Waldo part comes in. This is a picture of my bedroom.

Can you spot the difference in this picture?

I'll tell you at the end of the post.

As I posted last week, I have been on a rigid eBay schedule. I've been listing at least 5 items each night and it has been paying off. So tonight I have to pack up all my sales. I am not looking forward to it. That is one of the things I love about my booth. I don't have to worry about the shipping part. I simply put items there and the customer carries it home with them. Voila! Ms. Jackie has to do no packing! But alas--when you sell on eBay--that is all part of it.

I also need to be pricing stuff for my big yard sale on Saturday. I've had crazy success in the past and i'm hoping for the same this year. I've come to realize junking is a vicious cycle. If it doesn't sell on eBay or at the booth it either has to be sold at a garage sale or donated to the thrift. I'm also realizing several other things about junking. At some point in the future look for a post which has my junking top 10 list or 10 things I've realized about junking.

So did you spot the difference in the picture? One lamp had a lighter colored shade. I was trying to decide which one i liked the best. I went with the one on the left, the lighter one.

I'll try to snap some pics of the sale this Saturday. No promise though--things get real hectic real quick.

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So....I Bought This New App

2011-03-25T09:40:00.001-05:00

So I bought this new blogging app. I'm hoping that its all it's cracked up to be...hmmmm we'll see. I guess I'm hoping it will be like a good dose of fiber and keep me regular. Ok-- sorry. That was crude.....

A few random thoughts..... I think this game caused me a serious case of tennis elbow (tendonitis). Really! I have the doctor bill and arm brace to prove it.

It's crazy addictive but it comes with a price.

I found the cutest thing ever! It was at the Goodwill Wednesday night.
Did you know they made these cute mini golf carts?

I'm jumping all over the place today. I have ramped up my eBay business! Since I pretty much took the whole year off last year i figured it was time to get rid of some junk or stop buying it and we all know that is not going to happen.

My husband is a privacy phobe. He does not want to be on the internet... as in doesn't want his face to be on the internet. So....I'm good with that. It's not that he is one of the 10 most wanted....he's just paranoid like that. So guess who is my new vintage Mad Men model?

You guessed it. Mr panic monger himself. I had to pinky swear and spit shake that I wouldnt include his face. So i didnt-- but oh how i wanted to.

If you're in the market for a vintage vacation polo this is it! I need to run. People are starting to look for me. Holla.

Btw, looking forward to an extreme saleing weekend. And then next weeked, im selling at my favorite community sale.

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Abba Temple Yardsale March 2011

2011-03-19T13:13:00.003-05:00

Last week I participated in a huge city rummage sale. It was held at a local Shriner's center, the Abba Temple. The table rental started at $10.00 and went up to $20.00, depending on your location in the building. I rented two $10.00 tables and this worked out great for me. That's my Mama in the background.

We were allowed to set up the day before and the morning of the sale. As I was getting everything unloaded, my little neighbor (she was about 5 years old) to the right told me..."Now..this is our stuff and don't you touch it!" I assured her that I wouldn't and told her she was doing a great job. Her mother was mortified! I had to chuckle because I was thinking to myself..."Sugar, I have my own junk that I'm trying to get rid of. I don't need any of yours." Holla! But she turned out to be a good neighbor and even bought some stuff from me.

I sold so much stuff and unloaded a ton of ebay and booth duds! She those Star Trek The Next Generation Videos? Yeah. The ones I paid over $150 for at the thrift store about 10 years ago? Because I thought my husband would love them? Yeah, the ones in that picture. The ones that were $3.88 each. I was hoping against hope that I could sell them. I listed the whole lot for $25.00. We all know that the VHS tape has gone the way of the 8 track. Well, wonder of wonders, right after the sale started, a guy said will you take $20 bucks for the set? I had to show restraint and not snatch his arm off in taking his money. He actually asked me to hold them because he had to go get money. So I did and sure enough he came back for them. He also asked me if I had any Dungeons and Dragons stuff? Um--not so much buddy!
The "grab boxes" were a huge success. It was a great day and I think I cleared $235 after my table rental. I was a very good girl and only spent $9.00 on stuff! I bought 4 cookbooks for the booth. They are a very good seller for me. And for the BEST part of the day.....after the sale closed and the vendors were packing up, a man went to the microphone and said I have a mannequin for sale if anyone is interested. $5.00. As he was saying Fiv- I was making a beeline toward him. So I am the proud owner of a waist up mannequin. It has a heavy metal base and is very sturdy. It will come in handy at the booth. A mannequin, in my humble opinion, is a must have if you want to sell clothing items out of your booth. I don't like to sell too many clothes, but a couple of nice, unique pieces works well for me.

Spring Fabulous!

2011-03-07T19:22:00.011-06:00

Here in Mobile we are smack dab in the middle of Mardi Gras. Since I work downtown where the Mardi Gras parades and hoopla are going on-- and since I don't do Mardi Gras -- today was a perfect day to take a vacay day. More on that later.

The firm where I work apparently has a new policy. When a secretary reaches a milestone anniversary with the firm, they receive a bouquet of flowers. I was so shocked when I received these last week:

I reached my 5 year anniversary. A dozen beautiful, velvet red roses! I could not believe it. I think some of the secretaries were jealous. Holla! All joking aside, in this economy, I'm thankful to have a job! And to get flowers from your company? Unbelievable! I'm blessed to work for a great firm!

So what did I do today? A booth re-do, of course! Presenting Ms. Jackie's Junque all ready for Spring.

Jacob made these FABULOUS tissue paper pom poms. They add so much whimsy! My hubby hung them from monofilament line (ok-fishing line) so they look like they are suspended in the air.

A close up of the blue pom pom:

This Gladiolus vase has been in the booth since day one. I added the faux flowers and put it front and center. I hope someone decides they can't live without it and wants to take it home with them.

Beautiful bird needlepoint:

Easter tablecloth and 4 napkins:

The CUTEST old woman in the shoe planter. You know her, right? She had so many children she didn't know what to do!

Plenty of Easter and Spring fabric:

Collection of blue and white items:

Cute "travel" prints :

Cute strawberry items. Or "trawberry" since I cut the "S" out of the picture. I have mad picture taking skills and don't you forget it!

So, by now, you realize that there is no rhyme or reason to the order of these photographs. I'm tired of fighting Blogger to get them rearranged. So stay with me.

More strawberry items.

These are some Far East items that I have grouped together on the Mid Century vanity that we took today. This is one sweet vanity. I'm not fond of light furniture but this piece is very nice. The drawers glide like melted buttah:

A close up of a cute Easter bunny:

My mannequin all dressed for Easter:

Look at that scrumptious fabric yo yo pillow. The fabrics have to be from the '40s and '50s.

This is a whole shelf full of country music and books. Dolly Parton. Johnny Cash. George Jones. Loretta Lynn. Minnie Pearl. Jerry Clower. Kenny Rogers and Dottie West. The group Alabama! (Roll Tide) (You'd have to be from Alabama to understand that one. You can't say Alabama without saying Roll Tide!)

Shelf chock full of left over Valentine's day angels. Repurposed, regrouped, ready for a good home.

More blue and white items:

Ok--so here's where the pictures get sketchy. For some reason I cannot get them to center in my post. So let's roll with them like this. Mmmmkk? We're almost done. . .

The above picture is a close up of my Easter items. Beautiful Last Supper mirror, Italian Last Supper figurine, a communion cup, a Southern Living at Home cross and more. I wanted to do something to commemorate the true meaning of Easter. Christ made the ultimate sacrifice. The bunnies are cute--but that's not what it's all about.

Another shot of the MCM vanity. Look at the abacus lamp with collapsible shade.

Well, that about wraps it up. Sorry this post is so image heavy. But, it's a great way to keep up with what's in the booth. One more picture before I go. . . . Can you find Jesus in the puzzle?

From Luke 11:9-10:

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it will be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Happy Easter!

Valentine's Day - Thrift Store Style

2011-02-17T20:29:00.006-06:00

Happy belated Valentine's Day to all of you out there in blogland. I went thrifting tonight and I was not disappointed. I found some unbelievable things. Did I buy them? Of course not. They were unbelieveable because they were SO TACKY! But to warm you up . . . Remember this little gem? The tacky valentine item that started it all? I'm happy to report that my friend still has it proudly displayed on her shelf at work:

Or what about this item that I found shortly after the clock. Remember the tacky racing heart pillow? OMG! Over the top!

The heart pillow was probably the tackiest craft that I had run across. UNTIL TODAY. So I'm strolling down the shoe aisle at ATS (America's Thrift Store) and saw these:

Oh! So you say you would like to see the whole shoe? Ok:

So um. . . yesssireeeee buddy! That is dew kissed faux roses hot glued on the black slides. They were $1.98. Bahahahahahahahahahah!

Finally, there's just something about bold, red roses on a cheap, gleming gold plastic picture frame. The best part is they had this plastic frame priced at $8.99. What the?

I'll probably find tacky valentine items in the future but this year was hard to beat!

Random Picture Time

2011-01-25T15:59:00.003-06:00

Every once in a while I flip through the random pictures I've taken with my iPhone. Well boys and girls... It's random picture time! I've held this one in reserve for a while...not because it's all that super special good....just never got a round tuit (got a round to it).....Did you know that if you venture into the scarry, man section of Wal-Mart (you know around the fishing lures and motor oil and such) you will find neat things like this:

Leopard print Duck Tape! This takes cuteness to a whole new level!If I ever have a quick fix it project, I will be buying a roll of this stuff! They have other colors and prints too, but if you know me, you know I LOVE an animal print!

To all my loyal readers, never fear, Ms. Jackie's Junque is always current and timely when reporting and linking current events to the potential treasures that could be awaiting you out there in junk land. So with all the True Grit hoopla going on right now, is there a better time to introduce this beauty to you, my loyal readers?

This was found at America's Thrift Store. The Duke. John Wayne. I couldn't tell if it was a pencil or charcoal drawing. A fitting, multi pose, multi sketch tribute to The Duke. I'm sorry. I hope you're not taking me serious. The sad thing is that when I was in the thrift the next week...you guessed it... The Duke was gone. I'm sure proudly displayed over some mantel. Bahahahahahaha.

And finally, I saved the best for last. This is a very young Ms. Jackie's Junque. Thank you Mama for the Cindy Brady side ringlets. Josh and Jacob found this picture at my parents' house. They called me howling with laughter. I think they were dumbstruck that #1 I could be that little, and #2 that I could be that cute! Hahahaha. HOWEVER, I have a touch of the peeping T*m look going on. 'Preciate all the groovy 1970's blue background above my head Mr. photographer. Could he not center me in the picture? Bahaha!

I'm digging this picture so much I think I'm going to add it to the side bar. So when you visit I'll be peeping over at you. Me and my background.

Happy Birthday Dolly

2011-01-19T23:26:00.003-06:00

As Jacob reminded me earlier . . . today is Dolly Parton's 65th birthday. Coincidentally -- I found this on the record rack at America's Thrift today. Dolly is beautiful in her pink pantsuit. I didn't buy it.

I did some more tweaking at the old booth.

This cute guy anchors the "cowboy" corner. I hope he sells soon!

This is another picture of the aqua shelf. I LOVE the aqua and pink combination. Pure cottage goodness! Yes, that is a Dolly biography on the second shelf down in the far left hand corner--and a Dolly CD in the right hand corner.

This is a gorgeous vintage Vanity Fair gown and robe set The gown is tiny and will not fit on the dress form so I have it just hanging on the front. It must be eye catching because the Queens have called me twice with inquiries from customers wanting to know if the dress form is for sale. Not a chance!

Valentine Booth

2011-01-04T22:03:00.004-06:00

On New Year's Eve I went to the booth to take out the remaining Christmas items and restock with items with a romantic, Valentine theme. Some of the pictures are a little dark because my lamps, which are on timers, had begun to go off for the night. This is probably my favorite vignette. I heart aqua and pink.

This is a cute vanity stool I picked up several weeks ago. I was going to recover it but the fabric is in excellent condition so I decided to sell it as it is. The dress on the left is an antique handmade dress with a beautiful collar detail.

Since my antique rocking horse didn't sell at Christmas--I'd hoped it would have--I decided to throw some western themed items together for this corner.

Look at the cute arrangement in the boot vase!

I loaded up the yellow shelf with more blue and white items. I love the contrast of the blue and white on the yellow shelf.

Christmas Parade 2010

2010-12-04T20:18:00.009-06:00

Today was a first for me. I rode in my first Christmas parade. Normally I'm a spectator but decided to take the plunge this year and ride on my dad's new wagon. It was great! I had a blast!

Of course when I whip out my camera to take a few pictures my battery is stone.cold.dead. I was able to snap a few pictures with my iPhone and better yet.... I was able to take a couple of short videos.

This is Willie or Waylon, one of the outlaw mules, before the parade. I can't tell them apart.

This is Mr. & Mrs. Claus aka Daddy and Mama. Don't they look cute in their Christmas red?

I hate I did not get a close up of the bedazzled bling on the front of Daddy's shirt. I found that shirt for him last year at Cracker Barrel. It is from the Alan Jackson collection and has been henceforth and forevermore declared the Christmas parade shirt. I lifted this picture from some nice person's eBay auction:

This is player #1 (aka Josh) and player #2 in training (Jacob) getting the wagon all decked out before the parade.

Jacob striking a pose. I think he liked it because he's already tried to Facebook it.

This is Jacob after he said something he shouldn't have said. He did that a lot today. Just kidding. Sort of.

Finally, this is a picture of the Nativity vignette I have on top of my piano.

I bought the Nativity set years ago and it is one of my favorite Christmas decorations. Last weekend Jacob helped me put up 5 trees, one large one and four table tops. The painting in the back was a birthday gift from my friend. I love it! It's on canvas and is definitely a keeper.

So given my blogging track record, I may or may not be back before Christmas. If not, I wish you a very merry Christmas!

The Booth - Christmas Edition

2010-11-07T14:10:00.008-06:00

I have been busy for the last couple of weeks. This post is a little scattered but please stay with me [smile].

First, did you know that Waverly teamed with Hefty and came out with these scrumptious paper goods? I didn't. I already LOVE Waverly fabric so I was smitten when I saw these:

With a reasonable Wally World price of $2.88, I think these are a definite knock out of the park!

Moving on... Jacob helped his Mama create this CUTE diaper cake for a shower gift:

I helped him do this cake for the shower. The cake was HUGE! The wheels are regular size 8" cake pans so that should give you an idea as to the size of the cake. It is by no means perfect but we were very happy with how it turned out. And, it fed a lot of people! I got the idea from a Crafting Traditions magazine that I picked up at the thrift store. I love buying magazines at the thrift. My fav thrift, America's Thrift Store, sells magazines 3 for 99 cents. It makes it much easier to buy them, read them and toss them without the guilt of wasting a lot of money on a subscription.
I told you I was going to ramble.....

I took vacation this past Monday to get the booth ready for Christmas open house. I had so much fun!

I decided to do a gingerbread man them on the baker's rack:

The copper cannisters sold almost immediately and did not make it to the open house.

Look at the cute mini nativity blow mold set that I found at a yard sale earlier this summer. Hubby put these and the lamps on a timer and set it to turn off about 30 minutes before the store closes for the night.

More Random shots. The folded Alabama shirt has already sold!

The plate says "Jesus is the reason for the season." I have come to love incorporating red birds in my Christmas decorating.

This vintage santa suit is a late addition to the booth. I spotted this from across the Goodwill and tried not to sprint over to it! It is vintage with a heavy metal zipper. It is very clean with no stains. I got it for a steal and hope it goes to a new, good home! I think it definitely adds Christmas charm to the booth.
Finally, on a sad note, my dad's brother Buddy was found dead one week ago. His funeral was Friday. He died just about a month after his brother Phillip. There are now 5 Lee children with my dad being the only remaining son. At its longest, life is SHORT! Take advantage of everyday!

My Mood and Michael Bolton

2010-10-21T20:31:00.004-05:00

This picture pretty much describes my mood lately! Ugh! I have a pretty good idea why I'm like this--but it doesn't make it any easier.

I am mean as a snake!

When I saw this on the record rack at the America's Thrift Store I think I shreiked in horror. It's not that I spend an inordinate amount of time at the record rack-- because I don't. Remember Barry? But, when I'm passing by the rack and I see a record cover like this, I feel it is my duty to pass it on. Look at all the thick, curly hair. And the leather. And the HAIRSPRAY! Really Michael? Is it just me or does he look like he has been eating a lemon? Michael Bolton has changed so much! But.... haven't we all?

Changing Of The Seasons

2010-09-29T19:18:00.005-05:00

Life is full of changes. Not all of them are good ones. We buried my Daddy's brother Phillip today. Uncle Phillip had just celebrated his 71st birthday. My cousin, Uncle Phillip's son, preached his funeral and did a wonderful job--although I'm sure it was very hard for him. There were seven Lee children. Now there are 6. The seasons of our lives change. Time marches on and eternity gets closer and closer.

After the funeral I took advantage of the free afternoon and did a fall booth revamp! I ran out of time and didn't quite finish but I am very pleased with how it turned out! It's Alabama football time, Ya'll! I re-dressed the mannequin in an Alabama shirt and trendy denim skirt with a leather belt that has a gorgeous rhinestone buckle. Girlfriend is ready for GAME DAY!

I'm so happy with this corner! Before it seemed a little too crowded and you couldn't see everything that was for sale. After several strategic furniture moves, everything fit like a glove! Yes, that is Alabama gift wrapping paper!

Notice the cute Dorothy costume--complete with red glitter shoes!

I wish the chair would sell. That would free up a ton of floor space! The chair is now sitting behind the two white bookcases.

This is a shot of all my orange kitchen items on the baker's rack. I had the idea to change the main color scheme as the seasons change. As you can see I have plenty of orange!

I moved all the blue and white items from the baker's rack to the green shelf. I love the blue and white on the green background.

This is probably my favorite vignette. Jacob did the beautiful arrangement. I so want to keep the huge white turkey platter! It is marked "Japan" and it is sublime! It will definitely be coming home with me if it doesn't sell. So of course I gave it a hefty price so I could make sure that it comes home with me...uh....cough....make sure that it goes to a good home! The flower arrangment kind of blocks the mirror and sconce set but it is gorgeous too!

I almost forgot a very important milestone. Husband and I have been married for 20 years. Look at the beautiful flowers he gave me:

You Snooze.....You Lose

2010-09-11T22:13:00.003-05:00

Today was a very fruitful yardsaleing day. I was at my first sale before the sun came up. I found several very nice things for the booth. After the yardsales I ran in The Mission of Hope furniture store. This has become an almost weekly stop for me. Most of my shelving for the booth came from there. When I went into the store this was sitting there waiting for me.....

I fell in LOVE! It was the most scrumptious pink sofa I had ever seen! I WANTED this sofa! I sent husband a text to test the waters to see if he would go along with the purchase and before he could return a text a lady bought it! I really didn't have any where to put it. And, I already have my sunroom sofa which is very similar.......

But It is my opinion that a girl can never have too many pink sofas!

The sofa would've needed a good cleaning...and the finish on the wood was starting to chip.....and.....oh, who am I kidding? I wanted this sofa! It was only $75 for goodness sake. And it was solid as a ROCK! It is a piece that you design a room around.

Things at the booth are going very well. I've had several sales this week! These pictures show some items that were not included in the original photos I posted.

Introducing.....Ms Jackie's Junque at The Queen's Attic

2010-09-03T18:49:00.004-05:00

Today I moved into my booth at The Queen's Attic. The Queen's Attic is located on U. S. Highway 90 in the Tillman's Corner/Theodore area. Having a "booth" has been a dream of mine for sometime. Well, today that dream became reality! The owners of The Queen's Attic are the NICEST people and allow a lot of creative license when designing your space. So....without further delay....I present Ms Jackie's Junque!

This is a view of the right side of the booth. I chose to go with a couple of brightly colored shelves. They add so much pop to your vintage collectibles and seem to draw you in as you are walking by.
Can you spy something in this picture that does not belong? Say hello to the Windex!

This is a view of the left side of the booth. I have a mid-century Drexel dresser and a baker's rack full of blue and white items. And then of course you have my vintage dress form that I'm using as a mannequin. She is dressed and ready for the rodeo! I went with a white ruffled sundress, chunky turquoise belt and western print jacket. Leather boots and suede bag complete her trendy look. But--she may be getting a change of clothes pretty soon--no respectable Southern girl would wear white after Labor Day. Ok--maybe that rule only applies to shoes. I personally would not take the chance.

This is a close up of a Willow Tree vignette that I did on top of the dresser.

This is a close up of the bi-fold doors in the corner. I picked these up at a church yardsale for $5.00. They were a yucky white and were dirty and grungy. A fresh coat of aqua paint made them beautiful! Hubby added cup hooks and I'm using it to display a few vintage aprons.
I could not have pulled it together without the help of hubby, Diane, Jacob and my Daddy. They were all such great help! Oh--believe me--when you get that many perfectionists together it can be interesting...ha ha! I wasn't sure that everything was going to fit, but it did. I was so happy with how it turned out. Now I hope everything flies off the shelves. Lord knows I have plenty to restock with!

If you are considering renting an antique booth, I say GO FOR IT! Make it a fun, creative process.

More to come.

Pre Oil Spill Gumbo

2010-08-13T22:21:00.007-05:00

Oh for the good old days. The days before the explosion at the Macondo well site and subsequent pumping of millions of gallons of oil into our beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have said within the last couple of days that the ecological impact will not be as bad as first feared. Thank God! Much of the Gulf water has been reopened to fishing.

I want to share pictures of some Gumbo we made pre-oil spill.

Shrimp washed and deveined:

Lump crab meat:

The final product:

Just look at those shrimp. Yum! This gumbo was delicious! Who knows. Maybe in a month or two I'll be ready to try it again!

Is Your Door Closed?

2010-08-03T20:39:00.003-05:00

Tonight at church someone said something that I've heard before, but for some reason tonight... "it clicked" with me. God does not speak to us in an audible voice. Oh, he could. But he speaks to us through his Word (the Bible). Tonight I felt God speak to me regarding what the lady at church said. She said...

The door of our heart opens from the inside!

And then she read this scripture from Revelation 3:20:

[20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

That's it! That simple thought. The door of my heart opens from the inside. Is my door open or do I have the do not disturb sign hanging from my door knob? Is there something that I need to make right between me and God? Is there someone I need to forgive? Is there someone I need to accept? If you feel the Holy Spirit dealing with you over something......Open Your Door!

Christmas in July

2010-07-26T21:41:00.004-05:00

I've waited six months to do this post. Seriously. Two things perpetuated me to do it now. #1- This is the last week of July. If I didn't do it now--then when? Christmas in August? Not so much.

#2- It is so hot here! It has been close to 100 degrees a couple of times. Couple that with our ever present humidity and it is almost unbearable. I had hoped that simply looking at these photos would cool me down. Well, not so much on that, either.

These photos are from a cute Christmas red bird vignette that I (with Jacob's help) did last Christmas. The mini tree has beautiful red birds as does the garland on the top of the dresser. The cute bird house came from the DG (Dollar General). I placed it on a red doily on my Maw Maw Vera's cake plate. The red table runner came from a yardsale. I was so pleased with how it turned out. Just think! I can re-create this in about 4 months.

DANCING QUEEN . . . .

2010-07-23T20:51:00.006-05:00

What is it you ask?

Still don't know?

Give up?

What about a Dancing Queen diva dance chair? Bedazzled, bejeweled, blinged, BAM!
I think I'm going to devote a special section of this blog to CRAFT PROJECTS GONE WRONG! Remember the pillow?

I leave you with this little gem that I saw last Saturday in Wilmer. If you live in/around Mobile then you understand Wilmer:

I hate I missed the sale on FRY!

If You Can't Say Anything Nice. . .

2010-07-09T18:42:00.005-05:00

I've had a busy couple of weeks! But don't worry--I made time to thrift and yard sale. I realized this afternoon that I need to take pictures of some of the great things that I find. The truth is they are probably still in my car! It's time for a serious "clean out the car" session. How can I buy more junk if my car is full? And, I don't like the looks that poor, unsuspecting drive thru workers give me. You know.....the...... "are you a hoarder?" look. Hoarder is way too harsh. I prefer to call my self a re-seller. Moving on...

This is a picture of my dad cooking ribs. We celebrated on July 5th. They were delicious. We had a wonderful meal with lots of laughs.

I saw this beauty at the Goodwill. Pure harvest gold goodness. This stove was so clean! It looked like it had never been used.

And finally.... I so should have bought this pillow. It was less than $2.00 and had the cutest saying:

I find myself in this seat more often than not. Gossip is a terrible thing but it seems to be one of my favorite hobbies. Lord help me!

Cottage Hill Yard Sale 2010

2010-06-11T22:12:00.005-05:00

Last weekend I participated in a community yard sale at Cottage Hill Presbyterian Church. The church allows participants to reserve a spot (free of charge) and then simply set up on the day of the sale. There are volunteers there to assist you with locating your space. It is a great community service and there were several participants. The church is located on a busy street and has a lot of passing traffic. I participated two years ago and had CRAZY success. I worked all week getting my junk together and pricing everything. Jacob started college and had classes so he couldn't help me. So Mr. Grumpy reluctantly helped me. It's quite the undertaking to load tables and all the boxes only to unload them again, set up at the sale and then at the end of the day pack everything up and unload at home. Mr. Grumpy was a great help and, I think, although he would never admit it, enjoyed himself when he realized how stuff was literally flying off the table. It didn't hurt that he had his new birthday present to play with all morning (an iPhone).

I did UNBELIEVABLY well! I made around $325 which was incredible. I got rid of a lot of eBay duds. This is a picture of my table well into the morning after most of the good stuff was gone.

Finally, these are blooms off a hydrangea plant that I bought at a yardsale a year or so ago. Mr. Grumpy surprised me by cutting them and putting them in this cute vase that coincidentally had a perfectly matching purple ribbon.

Tomorrow I'm having a yard sale with my sister and parents. Am I crazy or what? I took my leftover items from the community sale and added some more items too! It's supposed to be in the low to mid 90s tomorrow. With the Mobile humidity it's sure to be a scorcher.

S-C-R-A-B-B-L-E

2010-05-09T09:06:00.002-05:00

It has been a very busy weekend at Ms. Jackies Junque! I did my usual Saturday morning yard sale run. I then had to be across the bay at 1:00 p.m. for a funeral. In typical Jackie fashion, I squeaked in just in time. I had to be all the way in Tanner Williams at 4:00 p.m. for one of Jacob's graduation parties. Freak (that's what I call him...that or Ice Road Trucker depending on if he's wearing plaid) received over $500 in gifts at this party alone. I want to graduate again!
After the party I came home and worked on a couple of eBay auctions, which brings me to the point of this post.

I have been picking up Scrabble games when I would find them for .50 or 1.00. It didn't matter if they had all of the tiles because I knew I was going to make a huge lot and list them for crafting, jewelry purposes. Creative people are making all sorts of cute earrings and pendants out of the little scrabble tiles. Hopefully lot of 780 Scrabble tiles = big money! I'm hoping this lot will go for around $40-$50. You can click here to watch the progress of this auction:

Ms. Jackie's Junque's Scrabble Tile Auction

Iwill have to admit that arranging the tiles for the photo was fun. Counting all of the tiles was not.

Barry White

2010-05-05T19:58:00.002-05:00

We all know that Barry White is about getting your love did!

I ran across this cover while browsing the album section at America's Thrift.

Yes, that is a man's sparsely hairy chest.

Yes, that is a chain with Barry's picture in the little oval frame.

This album cover sent me into EWWWWW overload.

Why Barry? Why?

Traumitized as I was, I kept flipping through the albums.

Barry has earned redemption.

This album cover is a hot mess in a good way.

Just a couple of observations. You have Barry:

In his brown velveteen leisure suit and shirt with super fly collar
In front of a space age background that would do Star Wars proud (notice the groovy rocks -hence the album title I guess)
with his lady right next to him
with his pimp glass right at his fingertips (this is my favorite part)

I encourage to thrift as often as possible. There is no telling what you could be missing.

You Know You Had One Of These--Dont Deny It

2010-04-29T20:49:00.004-05:00

Maybe it was a southern thing.

Maybe it was an Alabama thing.

If you lived through the 80s, there is a good chance that you had or knew someone who had a t shirt dress. I'll admit it. I had two! They were made several ways--with a t shirt on the top and a coordinating fabric sewn on the bottom or two t shirts sewn together with a coordinating fabric band joining the two pieces. I got a little nostalgic when I saw this beauty on the Goodwill rack:

This crafter gets bonus points for the nifty appliques that bring all of the colors together and meld them into a pile of 80s goodness.

Random and Bizarre Things Seen At The Thrift Store

2010-04-22T23:07:00.004-05:00

I was in the Goodwill the other day when this caught my eye. There was this huge cabinet / desk type piece furniture that had been turned on its side, I guess from being wheeled in on the cart. On the underside of the piece was this collection of lipstick blots. Why, as my Mama would say "pray tell", would someone repeatedly kiss the underside of a piece of furniture? Bizarre! I have several theories...none of which will I mention here.

At America's Thrift I saw this faux marble kit. This is special to me because when we moved into our house some 18+ years ago, the Mr. did a fine faux marble job around our fireplace. Why would anyone want faux marble--which was essentially a lot of paint carefully swirled and applied over the top of sheetrock? I'll tell you why. It was the early 90's. That's how we rolled. For $2.98 I could have brought it back. Just sayin'.

And finally, I've stated before that I love learning new things. I also love learning of associations. Well, wrap your brain around this association. Kevin Trudeau of the "Natural Cures" book fame apparently had another As Seen On TV product: Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory. I did not take the time to open this kit. Apparently Kevin has been an entrepremanure, um, entrepreneur for a long time!

My $20 Yard Sale Rug

2010-04-11T14:26:00.005-05:00

I am participating in Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures Monday. Hello to everyone stopping by from there! I look forward to Rhoda's party every week. I so enjoy visiting the participating blogs.

I found this rug while "sale-ing" last year with my sister. It was only $20.00 and I absolutely fell in love with it. I bought it to go in our master bedroom but then decided to use it in the dining room instead. I am so glad I did! It has colors that I normally would not put in this room but I think it adds a certain richness. I love the huge luggage tag design on the rug. It has so many beautiful colors. My sister is my partner in crime when it comes to helping me load large pieces like this. I could tell you a story of how she helped me get a cabinet in my Mom's Suburban which was already loaded with groceries--but I'll save that for another time :).

I took these pictures with my iPhone so the quality is not the best. I heart my iPhone by the way. Please head over to Southern Hospitality to admire more treasures.

What's Been Going On With Me Lately

2010-04-10T18:18:00.004-05:00

What's been going on with me lately? Let me see....hmm....where to begin? I have been seeing an allergist regarding my persistent rash (4 years) that no one can seem to explain. So far, the consensus is eczema. I'm allergic to something. "Something" is the mystery word. Hence, the picture below. The "x" below was the control spot for the allergy skin test. If you have a reaction on that spot they are able to tell if the test is working. It stung like a bee sting for a few minutes so I guess it worked.

Yardsale season is in full swing in southern Alabama. I was out at 6:00 a.m. this morning headed to my first stop of the day, a church yardsale. I am a yardsale junkie! It was still dark outside when I left home.

OH MY GOODNESS! It could not have been a prettier day! The Azaleas are in full bloom! It is so beautiful with the big bursts of color everywhere. The downside is they will only bloom about a week longer and then they are gone until next year.

I found several things--some to sell and some things to keep and even somethings for family. I saw two unique vases at different sales. When I saw the second one I was like.....Ok....what's going on? When I asked how much the vase was the woman running the sale asked her mom "Mom, how much for this Gladiola vase?" Mystery solved. It has a unique fan shape. It kind of resembles a seashell. I know you'd like to see a picture of it. Too bad--it's still in my car. Since it was $2.00 so I decided to take a chance on it. I'm glad I did. When I researched it when I got home I saw several in the $60 range. Mine is unmarked so it may not be as valuable but I figure IF I get ready to part with it, I'll be able to make a little profit. I also discovered that the flower is also called Gladiolus. I love learning new stuff!

The good news is that I've already listed on eBay a lot of what I bought this morning. If you'd like to see my eBay auctions you can go here: MsJackiesJunque's auctions.

Tacky Heart Part Deaux

2010-02-17T21:03:00.002-06:00

What's up with me and all the tacky heart items that I've been finding lately? This find is on the same scale as the other one.

So I'm making my usual rounds at one of our local Goodwill stores when this monster catches my eye. I pick it up and notice it's in the shape of a heart. WHAT THE! That was bad enough. Then I noticed the gaudy horse racing fabric and huge faux flower at the top center of the heart. Craft project gone WRONG!

Random Picture Time

2010-02-15T18:54:00.006-06:00

I heart my iPhone. I find myself capturing random things. I'm going to share a couple of pictures. Let's call it the "Camera Roll Mix."

Example: A lobster tail butterfly made by a chef at our favorite Japanese restaurant. We arrived at 9:00, which was late for a weeknight meal. The chef was so gracious and served us as usual. At the end of the meal he took the time to make me a butterfly out of hubby's lobster tail. Just to make things clear, hubby is not a lobster--he had ordered lobster. Ha!

This is a picture I snapped from inside my car. I had just pulled up at my parents' house to pick up my Mama when I looked out at my Dad's barn area. This neatly stacked wood caught my eye. I couldn't help but tear up a little bit. This wood represents my Dad's constant hard work and planning. They have a wood burning heater and this wood would help keep them warm this winter. I hope I have learned from my Dad's example.....be prepared.

Finally, a quirky one, not for the faint of heart or the cholesterol challenged:

This is my Mama's ham pan. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas she bakes a ham in this very pan. The morning after Thanksgiving I was in the kitchen with her when she pointed out this image in the pan. She had put water in the pan to make cleaning it easier. It made a perfect turkey when the grease from the ham floated to the top and dispersed. Weird, huh?

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

Since I had Friday afternoon off due to the BIG HONKING ALABAMA SNOW STORM OF 2010, I decided to do a little baking. I used my Wilton mini heart cake pan and made some cupcakes and little heart cakes.

I whipped up a batch of buttercream icing in my trusty KitchenAid mixer and I was all set. I heart my KitchenAid mixer. I recently splurged and bought myself, at Jacob's insistence, a work bowl with a handle. What took me so long? Instead of the old political adage "A chicken in every pot," what about A KitchenAid in every kitchen?

Some of my sweets:

Little heart cakes

Cupcakes

I lurve this platter. It is huge. I found it in Pensacola one day when I went thrifting with Diane and Ralphie. I have used this thing time and again! It's on display right now on my table.

Here it is with more pretty cupcakes:

Now boys and girls.....it's random picture time! I don't believe I've ever posted a close up of this tole painted lamp. The detail is beautiful.

Just call this my faux flower Valentine vignette. Do not pay attention to the husband's foul weather parka on the chair at the end of the table. Stop looking at it. Maybe I should call it the faux flower foul weather parka Valentine vignette. Say that quick three times!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tacky Clock Valentine

2010-02-13T11:38:00.004-06:00

I was in my favorite thrift store the other night and ran across this clock. It was necessary that I purchase this clock for two reasons. First, it was the week of Valentines. The week of love. How could I walk away and leave it on the shelf? Second, I knew that it would make the perfect Valentine gift for my friend Traci. We have the same sense of humor and I knew she would appreciate it as much as I did. And, it didn't hurt that it was .99 cents. So, when I went to work yesterday, in the middle of the snow storm, I whipped it out of the garbage bag in which I had carried it, and presented it to her. She loved it as much as I thought she would!

This has to be the most HIDEOUS clock I've ever seen. This clock has so much going on inside of it. I can't pick a favorite part. Is it the overall heart shape? Or is it the variety of fake flowers beneath the plastic protection? Or what about the tarnished plastic boy and girl plaque in the corner? This clock screams romance. NOT! Imagine some poor wife or girlfriend accepting this little gem. Tacky with a capital "T". So for .99 cents we had several good laughs.

The eighties called. They want the clock back.

Snow of January 2010

2010-02-12T17:56:00.008-06:00

For most people snow is no big deal. Some people find it annoying. But, when a little snow storm hits southern Alabama--pandamonium sets in and we get giddy with excitement! There was a LOT of hype over this snow event. It snowed at our house for about an hour.

I had to go to work so I missed the heavy snow. But hubby was kind enough to take pictures and video and even made me an iddybiddy snowman.

No, it's okay, really. It only snows like once every 20 years. Really. Don't worry that you didn't give the snowman a face. Or a scarf. Or even a baby carrot nose. All joking aside, hubby was sweet to document everything for me. He's thoughtful like that.

So, by the time I get home like 3 1/2 hours later, every. single. flake. had melted.

Oh, and about my snowman.....

Chapter 3012, Why I Love Thrifting

2010-01-07T23:51:00.000-06:00

I was recently browsing the furniture section at the Goodwill and happened to run across this little play kitchen. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! I had this exact same kitchen when I was little! Okay, so it probably was not "this exact" kitchen-- but one just like it.

I can remember every little detail of this cute little play kitchen: the paper thin plastic sink, the sliding doors on the bottom, even the cute little shelf on top. Apparently at some point in my life I actually liked to work in the kitchen! Not so much anymore. (smile)

Play kitchens have come a long way since the 1970s. I found a modern play kitchen not too long ago for our church nursery. That one has a beeping microwave and a dishwasher! Gotta love technology.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw this. It evoked such sweet memories. Christmas was--and still is--a wonderful time in my family. Our gifts from Santa Claus were never wrapped. I can remember running down my parents' hall and finding my gifts. Precious memories!

I'm happy to report that I did not buy this. I did not even look at the price tag. It's all part of my plan to REALLY narrow down my purchases. I have too much stuff and not enough space. Now if it's still there next week--all bets are off!

Dresser Before and After

2009-11-21T22:08:00.000-06:00

A lot has happened since my last blog post of JULY! Where to begin? There was another Old Times Day, the starting of a sunroom addition and so much more.

Today was our annual trek to Monroeville for shopping and to Peterman for the annual craft festival. The festival is held every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We packed so much in and still had a little energy left when we got home. So...we turned on our Christmas music and made some pralines. OMG! To die for!

Earlier in the summer Jacob and I ran across this dresser at a yardsale. It was priced $10.00. I have a special place in my heart for lonely furniture. EVERY piece wants to come home with me. (Smile). This is the before:

The before pictures make the dresser look like it was in better condition than it actually was. I have seen so many nice transformations where people have painted pieces black. So, I was itching to give it a try. This is the result:

I am so pleased with how it turned out! Here it is all decked out for Thanksgiving:

The drawers are a generous size and will be the new home for all my gift wrapping supplies. It will be great to have all my wrapping supplies in one handy place.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Psalms 107:1

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thrifty Finds For The Dining Room

2009-07-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Since I haven't been able to yardsale in a couple of weeks, I decided to share some finds from a couple of months ago. This particular Saturday, I stopped at a sale in a very nice neighborhood not too far from my house and found a ton of great things! These are some of my finds:

All of these beautiful teapots were $2.00 each. I bought them to re-sell but decided I couldn't part with them! They look great in my china cabinet. I'm afraid I've started another collection!

At the same sale I found this cute faux arrangement:
It was either $1.00 or $2.00, can't remember which.

Finally, when I decided to use this color scheme in my kitchen, I scoured eBay for calendar plates from hubby's and my birth year. Do you remember these calendar plates? I was happy to find these:

Thanks, once again, to Rhoda for hosting and allowing others to share their thrifty finds. Please visit Rhoda at Southern Hospitality and see all the great finds!

Happy 4th of July--And The View From My Kitchen Window

2009-07-04T07:37:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th of July!

I'm thinking on freedom in a different light this morning. I'm glad that I live in the best country in the world. I'm thankful for the sacrifice of the ones that have kept us free. Even with all our problems right now I would not want to live anywhere else. But, this 4th of July morning, why am I most happy? Because I have the ultimate FREEDOM! I am saved and Jesus Christ is my Savior. One of my favorite patriotic hymns:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on."

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

My patriotic tablescape:

Most of the items came from yardsales.

Now for the view from my kitchen window:

I'm trying to stop taking things for granted. I'm trying to be more thankful. I'm thankful, that on a hot, sunny July afternoon, I can look out my kitchen window and see one of my Dad's mules in the pasture.

Yard Sales at 95 Degrees

2009-06-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

I am joining in the fun at Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures party. I love when Mondays roll around because I get to see all of the great finds!

You know you are a yardsale junkie when you will roll out of bed early on a Saturday morning and brave Mobile humidity and near 100 degree temps just to find treasures! The sales this Saturday did not let me down! My nephew Jacob went with me. At our very first stop I found this footed pink glass bowl for...wait for it.....$1.00! It looks great in my kitchen.

I've already put it to good use:

This was probably my favorite find of the day. This came from an estate sale at a sweet mid-century modern home:

We are about to re-decorate our master bedroom and needed a mirror for a small reading area that I'd like to do. This mirror was priced at $10.00. I asked if she could do any better on it and she said yes--$8.00. SOLD! I was so excited! I've priced mirrors at Hobby Lobby and even with their great 50% off sales it still would have been around $80.00 or so. It has beautiful detailing and is so heavy!

Found these great marble topped plant stands for $3.00. On one of the tables the marble has come unglued and needs to be repaired but since I have such a handy hubby this will not be a problem!

Finally, we ran into Hobby Lobby (can you tell I love me a H. L. ) and I found these iron candleholders for $6.00 each. It's hard to tell in the picture but the oval sections in the middle are mirrors. They are gorgeous and so heavy! They were originally over $30.00! They are also headed for the master bedroom.

We had a wonderful day! I found so many good deals and managed to find some items for Ebay too. God is so good! When we started the day I told Jacob that I would like to find a mirror and find one I did. It was like God said "Here Jackie, this one is for you!"

Head over to Southern Hospitality and join the party!

Flag Week and 4th of July

2009-06-21T08:12:00.000-05:00

Since the President extended Flag Day into an entire week, I decided to go ahead and decorate my porch with some patriotic things I'd picked up over the last couple of weeks. As my neighbors will attest, I'm not always quick to take down holiday decorations--so stretching Flag Week into the Fourth of July is NOT A PROBLEM! This is how it turned out:

All of my regular blog readers (all three of you - shout out- love you guys) will probably recognize this chair from here:

I've had two cans of blue spray paint that have been sitting on my kitchen counter forever just waiting to make it onto this chair that I found at an auction. Check! This was a collaborative effort:

My two fine painters doing a wonderful job. Why are we painting in the foyer, you ask? Because it was so hot outside, even at almost 8:00 p.m., that we could not stand it! Mobile humidity.

This chair turned out so cute. Originally it was going to be solid blue. But then Jacob said..."Why don't we paint a star on the seat....then DH said......you should have painted the two wrungs red.....and the chair was born. It turned into a nice little before and after project.

The USA hanging on the mirror was a yardsale find from a couple of years ago. The flag plaque on the far side of the door was a dollar store find, as are the stars on the right of the door and the larger blue star hanging on the outer door.

Hello Brady Bunch door. Really? Three windows? You gotta love the Seventies.

The door is one of the things on our house that I would eventually like to replace.

Jacob whipped out this arrangement after a brainstorming trip to Hobby Lobby. We couldn't really decide on a vase. He suggested the terra cotta pot and I think it turned out perfect. We found the blue sparkly things at a yardsale for .50 cents a package. I think he used two packages. Hobby Lobby had their flowers 50% off so my best guess is the arrangement cost around $20 including the flag. Not too bad. And remember, it will give me weeks, ok months of viewing pleasure.

Happy Birthday

2009-05-31T14:27:00.000-05:00

Friday was my husband's birthday. He took the day off from work. We ended the day with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, The Original Oyster House. We were there in the late afternoon and the afternoon sunlight on Mobile Bay was gorgeous! The food, as usual, was wonderful.

Unfortunately, I had to work Friday. About 2:00 p.m. I got a call from the receptionist letting me know that I had a delivery at the front desk. What in the world? I hadn't ordered anything that would have been shipped to me at the office, had I? Imagine my surprise when I walked up front and saw these with my name on them:

Of course EVERYONE in the office wanted to know the occasion. No occasion, I would say, he sent them because he loves me. Now every woman in my office loves my husband. I do too!

Today's Thrifty Treasures

2009-05-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

I am participating this week in Rhoda's Today's Thrifty Treasures event. I have SO enjoyed reading over the last couple of weeks about everyone's thrifty finds! I love that it introduces me to new, wonderful blogs that I probably wouldn't find otherwise.

Probably about a year and a half or so ago we remodeled one of our guest bedrooms. My inspiration for the room was a pair of drapery panels found at the thrift store. You can see the blue room here and here.

Several weeks ago, as I rounded the corner at my favorite thrift store, I almost squealed out loud when I saw these sitting on the shelf.

I quickly put them in my cart and gladly paid the $2.98 each. I can't help but wonder--was there a fourth one manufactured?

Since my last post about the blue room I have also found a couple of other pieces. I found a vase to sit on the other side of the dresser. It's almost a perfect match for Josephine. The vase looks antique but is actually a MIC (made in China) piece. I believe it was around $2.00.

I also found these cute cameo pieces. They were $.99 each. The blue fabric background almost perfectly matches the wall. Please excuse the poor photography skills and the mirror glare on some of these pictures. Note to self: pick up some photography classes.

Please head over to Southern Hospitality and admire all the Thrifty Treasures.
Ok, off now to go to breakfast.

Remembering, on this Memorial Day, those who gave their life for our country. America is still the best country in the world. God bless our service men and women and God bless America.

Shabby Bathroom

2009-05-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

I was trying to think of something about which to post and realized I've never shared my remodeled bathroom. This bathroom is tee-nine-e (southern for REALLY small). You physically can sit on the toilet, put your foot in the bathtub and have your hand in the sink all at the same time and all without too much effort. When we remodeled the bathroom it was demolished ALL the way. You could literally see the dirt below the bathroom. My sweet husband rebuilt the entire bathroom from the ground.

We went with beadboard ceiling in here too. Actually, I think this room was done first. Before the Blue Room.

We decided to keep the cast iron bathtub that was in the "old" bathroom and have it refinished. Money well spent. You cannot buy tubs like that anymore.

I love this sweet little chandelier. It was a Wal-Mart find. Inspiration can come from so many sources. It is the perfect scale for the bathroom.

The shower curtain, valance, shower rings and garbage can are Simply Shabby Chic. Perfect for this space!

I chose the soft pink for the wall color. I love this picture because the detail of the ceiling looks great against the pink paint and the crown .

I don't know if a bathroom should be this peaceful. You never want to leave. I love the way the afternoon light shines through the window. Sorry the lid is up. In the real world you have to photograph when it's clean!

Why I Love Thrifting

2009-03-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

On any given day of the week you can find me at one of my favorite thrift stores. Seriously, you could take medicine by my schedule. Should someone decide to stalk me it would not be hard because I'm like clockwork. America's Thrift and Goodwill on Wednesday and a different Goodwill on Thursday. I said ALL of that to say this--

This is why I go thrifting. This beautiful pedestal bowl was $2.48. What? Could I pass it up for $2.48? Not so mech!!! I wish I knew more about glass. Maybe then I could tell what kind of bowl it is. I can't wait to make a pasta salad and use it.

This piece is marked. It is Waterford Great Room in the Darjeeling pattern. It's called a chip bowl. I paid $4.88 for it. I don't know where I'll put it. Don't worry. That has never stopped me before.

Old Times Day

2009-03-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

Has it really been six months since I last posted on my blog? Bad blogger!

A lot has happened in six months and man, how time flies! I've wanted to share these pictures since November. For the last couple of years my family has been going to Old Times Day at the Batley farm outside Leakesville, Mississippi. It is held in the fall -- the first part of November. The temperatures in November are normally cool and crisp, not too hot and not too cold. The weather this day was near perfect. Here are some pictures I took while we were there. This old Farmall tractor was powering a mill that was grinding corn.

The premise behind the festival is remembering the way things used to be. The good old days. When people had time to help their neighbor. When people had time to spend with their family.

Random fowl doing its thing......

There are a lot of exhibits at Old Times Day. This is a horse driven press for syrup making:

They have a wagon train that comes riding in.

This is my dad and his posse...doesn't he look cute in his overalls?

There are plowing / horse working demonstrations and so much more that I didn't mention.

It was a fun day. A good day for making memories. Oh, the girl at the beginning of the post was Pady. Pady looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

Notice the ribbon in her tail. Bye!

Happy Fall Ya'll

2008-09-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

A lot of fall decorating happened at the Satterfield house over the weekend. The temperatures here in Mobile have been fall-ish, meaning daytime highs in the mid 80's and morning lows in the mid 60's. That is near perfect weather for us. What is not perfect for us is......love bugs. Scientific name = Lovus Bugus. Just kidding. We are subject to these little worrisome bugs two times per year. They have worn out their welcome.
(Thank you Goole images.)

This is the first year that I've decorated my porch for fall. My sister always gets her decoration did and it looks so cute. So, I decided to brighten up my porch. This is what we wound up with:

I found the chair at the auction in Lucedale. The bad thing was it didn't have a base. That's when you call 1-800 Dad. My dad cut the board for the base. I was going to spray paint the whole chair and base navy blue to match our shutters but then decided against it. The wood on the chair is so pretty. I can always paint it later if I want it to look more cohesive. But is junk supposed to be cohesive? I don't think so!

Now to drag out all my inside decorations.........

Recent Yard Sale and Thrift Store Finds

2008-09-08T22:51:00.001-05:00

I've had pretty good luck lately at yard sales and the thrift store. When we went to Hattiesburg, I found this precious pink butterfly napkin holder at the Salvation Army thrift. It was 55 cents. It is unmarked. It matches my kitchen perfectly!

I found these nice candleholders for $1.55 each. They are very nice and heavy. I haven't decided yet where I will put these. But for $1.55, how could I go wrong?

We drove to the nearby town of Wiggins and stopped in at an old fashioned trading post. I wish I would have had more time to explore in this wonderful store. Row after tightly packed row of every kind of junk imaginable. I found this cute bowl for $2.00. It's hard to tell from the picture but the bowl has a wonderful polka dot type pattern. It also is unmarked.

Saturday was a WONDERFUL yardsale day. I found so many nice things! But prolly my favorite find of the day was this wonderful quilt for $5.00. My heart almost stopped beating. It's my first yardsale quilt purchase.

Now, granted it is not handmade and was probably mass produced but still very charming!

I found these embroidered pillow cases for .50 each. There is some yellowing and a brown spot that I hope to be able to remove with a good OxyClean soak. They are gorgeous and very detailed:

We found a lot of GREAT stuff Saturday! We literally had stuff hanging out the back of the vehicle. I would count that as success!

Hurricane Gustav and Quilt Progress

2008-09-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Gustav was, in my opinion, an over-hyped wind bag. But, after hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan and Frederick, people on the Gulf Coast do not take any chances. There was a lot of irony in what happened to us yesterday with Gustav. It was clear when we went to bed Sunday night that , short a turn of biblical proportion, we would NOT be in Gustav's direct path. So, OK, it's all good. We knew the winds would start picking up and there would be a chance of tornadoes but felt we would be ok. All was well UNTIL.....around 4:00a.m. Monday morning. The mister and I both woke out of a sound sleep to a loud BOOM and said, "What was that?" Well, everything sounded ok, we still had power so we went back to sleep.

Well, I'm kind of antsy about the whole Gustav thing anyway, so when daylight breaks I get out of bed to check out the window and see how the weather is shaping up. It was then that I discovered the origin of the BOOM. A huge mass of tree limbs and part of a dead tree had fallen on the main power line that runs our house. In the process it ripped our whole electrical service off the house. When Mister first saw it outside he saw this:

Yeah, that little box thing should not be dangling in mid-air. And certainly the line should not be that taut. Keep in mind at this point we still had electricity.

The air conditioner was running, lights were on, had computer up and running, etc. I knew what had to happen. I knew that we would be losing power REAL SOON. And, it would be of our own doing. So we called Alabama Power and within minutes a lineman was out disconnecting our electricity until we could have the service repaired. Thankfully Mister is a master electrician so the repair should not be a problem. Everything was fine until we realized that today was labor day and, in addition, most of Mobile had shut down due to Gustav. Our first hurdle was getting a meter from the power company. We drive to Alabama Power and the gate was closed. We then drive to another location hoping to find a body, anybody, that could help us find this meter. No luck. So we make one more effort to check the gates. Well, lo and behold, after an act of congress, the Mister gets the part he needs and repairs the problem. And all this is in tropical, stormy weather. To make a long story short, our ordeal involved the Mobile County Electrical Inspector and Alabama Power coming back out to our house. We got our power restored at 5:00p.m.

I can see God's hand in the quick restoration. Under "normal" circumstances it would have been at least one day before this could have been done. No way could it have been accomplished the same day.

Well, after we got electricity again I decided to again work on my quilt. I rotary cut all the pieces and started making my 9 patch blocks.

This is a picture of the completed 9 patch block. Do the points match? That would be a big fat NO!

So after you get the block made you cut it in 1/4ths. And it looks like this:

I'm loving how these look. They look like a real quilt block!

Ok, so that's all I know. I have to do some research to see how you arrange the blocks. I guess you could just use creative license and arrange them as you like. That's ok with me. I can't read a pattern anyway. I'm A.D.D. like that. I just want my blocks to look the best they can.

I definitely made progress. Only 300 more blocks to go. Ok, well, not literally 300.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of Gustav. Been there done that!

Mini Va-Cay 2008

2008-08-25T21:17:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a mini vacation. We went to the Paul B. Johnson State Park in nearby Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Hattiesburg is only about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Mobile. We had a wonderful time. The weather was near perfect, considering it is the end of August and temps could have been sweltering.

There were large Lily Pads everywhere. The Water Lily blooms were beautiful!

There were also ducks everywhere. Very FRIENDLY ducks. So friendly, in fact, that when they heard the cabin door open they would come waddling up begging for bread. Here is Jacob feeding them:

This was the rear view of the cabin. The cabin had two bedrooms, a bathroom and an open kitchen/living room. It was very rustic and charming. From what I could tell most lakefront cabins had a small pier. Ours did. We stayed in cabin #1. This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip:I love the way the evening sun reflects on the water.

The fishing was wonderful. NOT! We had one afternoon when we really got some bites but the fish were tiny and not big enough to keep. It was kind of annoying because they mainly just ate our bait. Which is another story for another day. Ok, I'll tell you today. I couldn't bait my own hook. I know, I know. If you fish you should be able to bait your own hook. Well, I COULD NOT do it! The fishing really was a disappointment. So, if you're planning a trip to PBJ, plan an alternate activity from fishing.

We managed to get in a flea market and some thrifting. And in nearby Wiggins, we had the best snow cones that we'd ever eaten! All in all it was a very fun trip.

My First Quilt

2008-08-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

In the next few days I hope to start my first pieced quilt top. I'm going to use an easy block, the disappearing nine patch. From what I understand you do a simple nine patch block and then cut and rearrange the blocks. I had to fight my passive/aggressive side and go ahead and prewash the fabric. I would rather just cut and sew. But, I want to try to do this by the book. So, this is what I started with:

The sweet little pink rose ticking was my inspiration for the color scheme. Since I'm such a fabric-a-holic, I already had most of the other fabric. I've never really tried to pick fabrics for a quilt so I hope this turns out ok. Believe me, I have no trouble picking out (and buying) fabric. I'm not so sure about my ability to put it together in a manner that will be appealing to the eye. I'm wondering if I shouldn't incorporate some less patterned fabric? We'll see.

My Favorite Yardsale / Thrifty Finds

2008-08-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

How can I choose just one favorite yardsale find? I simply can't! I heart yardsales! Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a favorite yardsale/thriftstore find party! I have a couple I'd like to share.

I found this great chair and the end of a yard-sale-ing day. It was a chore to get it in the car but so worth it! It is perfectly worn in all the right places. I can't remember if I paid $10 or $15 for it.

Imagine my delight when I discovered these drapes at my favorite thrift store. They were the inspiration for the entire room. My heart started pounding when I found these! They were in perfect condition. The panels were $16.96 which was a little pricey, but much easier to swallow when I found that they were Croscill. I bought the matching ascot valances on ebay.

I found this table at a yardsale for $10 dollars. The glass was missing so my sweet husband helped me get it replaced. I have enjoyed the table for YEARS since! It even survived the country blue and mauve era! It's now in our bedroom in the little seating area. What you can't really tell from the picture is that it has a beautiful wrought iron detail under the glass.

Ok, I could go on forever but this is the last one, I promise! I also found this beautiful buffet at my favorite thrift. It has the prettiest legs and is the most perfect moss green color. My favorite part about this piece is the pencil markings that it has on the inside of the doors. How sweet! I keep my cookbooks in the little compartments on each end. Here is a close-up:

Rhoda, thanks for allowing me to participate in the party! I love your blog and read it often!

If you'd like to see the finds of others, go here.

Azaleas

2008-03-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

Here in glorious Mobile, Alabama, the Azalea City, we are smack in the middle of Azalea season. For most of the year the Azaleas are big, green, bushy plants. And in that big, bushy state they're pretty boring. But then, just at the right time every year...they bloom! Oh my goodness! Unless you live in Mobile or have ever been to Mobile when the Azaleas are in bloom you just simply cannot imagine the magnitude of Azalea season. There is nothing like taking a drive and seeing these beautiful, colorful flowers everywhere you look! Huge clusters of magenta, fuschia, sweet baby pink and white flowers! Simply breathtaking! Now, some people will try to shape them and manicure them but listen to me people! LEAVE THEM ALONE! A typical Mobile Azalea could be as big as a car! All that said, imagine my delight when thrifting recently at the Goodwill store and I ran across this:

It's a scarf that depicts all things for which Mobile is famous. It has the Senior Bowl, Bellingrath Gardens, Oakleigh, Mobile Bay, the U. S. S. Alabama, the Junior Miss program, Mardi Gras and of course the Azalea, and more. When I ran across this scarf it made my heart skip a beat! I knew instantly what I would do with it. I would save it until just at the right moment when the Azaleas bloomed and I would do this:

I paid $2.00 for the scarf. To me it's worth so much more. I found the grapevine candy dish yesterday at an antique consignment shop for $6.00. I could not pass it up! It perfectly matches my grapevine vase that was also thrifted. Here are a few close ups of the scenes:

So long for now!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T18:25:00.000-05:00

If you take these:

And add this:

You get these:

Or in different light these:

These cupcakes are made with made with Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix, which is my humble opinion, the best cake mix brand on the market! The icing is buttercream. The buttercream paired with the DH cake mix = YUM! The bagged coconut was tinted with green food coloring for the grass effect. Then I topped them with mini jelly beans. Was there some kind of secret jelly bean shortage this year? I had the hardest time finding your average, run of the mill jelly bean. Normally Wally World has gads of them but that was not the case this year. I finally found some at a grocery store this morning and they were already half off! What's up with that? I spent most of my day in the kitchen. I made the cupcakes and my dessert for tomorrow's lunch. I made the coconut cake with sour cream, sugar and coconut filing. It's best if it's allowed to sit a couple of days. I'm hoping 24 hours will do the trick. I've never made one before so I'll be anxious to taste it! It was super easy so depending on how it tastes it may be a keeper!

Our Easter weather should be beautiful! I'll leave you with one of my favorite Easter passages from the Bible:

[1] In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.[2] And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.[3] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:[4] And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.[5] And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.[6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Matthew 28:1-6.

Out with the old-In with the new.

2008-02-17T20:58:00.000-06:00

The Valentines decorations have come down and the Easter decorations have come out! I love the pieces I have on my table.

The pink shimmery fabric I got from the $1.00 a yard Wal-Mart bin. It is just pooled on the table with the unfinished (unsewn) edges turned under. The ceramic bunny and basket came from Old Time Pottery. You can't really tell from the picture but the basket has little ceramic eggs suspended right below the rim. It is so cute! I bought the eggs at the Goodwill. I bought two huge bags for $1.48 each. The colors are perfect, so spring-y! I bought the grapevine milk glass vase at the thrift store for either $5 or $10, I can't remember which. It was a little pricey but such a nice piece. The flowers are .97 stems from Wally World.

I really found good deals yesterday. This vase was marked down to .75 and the stems were were .50 each.

Jacob did my arrangements. That boy is Talented (with a capital T)! Jacob if you're reading this give a blogger a shout out! This arrangement is pink dogwoods.

I have one more thing I'd like to do before easter. I found some cute things yesterday at Ross Dress for Less. If you have on in your area you should check them out! I'm going to decorate my living room coffee table. I'll post a picture when it's done.

Wonderful Day and Yellow Bedroom

2008-02-09T17:28:00.000-06:00

I've had a wonderful day today. My sister Diane and I hosted some friends for lunch. We had a great time. Lots of laughter which is so good for us! I made spaghetti. We also had salad and french bread and Diane made Strawberries in the Clouds for dessert! Yummy! Too bad I didn't take a picture! Since I was having friends over I spent my morning cleaning house, which in turn, encouraged me to take more house pictures. Today I'm showing our yellow and purple guest room. Yellow and purple you say? You have to remember that Mobile is the original birth place of Mardi Gras. So maybe Mardi Gras inspired my colors. Nah, I doubt that! I've lived here all my life and have never been to Mardi Gras and don't really care to go. So maybe it was the quilt that's on the bed. Or wait! It must have been the cute green tapestry chair I found at a yardsale for $15.00. I had to bargain with my husband over that chair but I stood my ground and it stayed! Whatever the inspiration... this is the result:

As I told someone the other day, disturbingly, my decorating tastes are turning to the cottage-y, Paris Flea Market chic. So many things in this room are special to me for different reasons. The bed and dresser were my Great Grandmother's. The pitcher on the dresser was also my grandmaw's. It's special because as babies my mom and her brother were bathed in this bowl. My mom is 65.

The curtains are special because they were my first curtain project! I made the panels and Mister did the cornice. I also made some of the pillows on the bed and the purple table skirt and dresser table runner.

The chair is one of my favorite parts of the room. Mainly because I love pieces with character. And I love a bargain! Getting it in my already full car after a day of yardsale-ing was the fun part. Thankfully Jacob was there to help me. Hmmm-He seems to be my partner in crime. I couldn't help myself. I had to add the crocheted arm and neck protectors. Did your grandmaw have these? Mine did. (Too, they hide excessive wear on the chair arms! Shh!)

Chicken on a Stick and More Blue Room

2008-02-02T11:14:00.000-06:00

Mister and I made chicken on a stick last night. Oh my goodness! It was dee-lish! I came up with my own recipe and if I must say so it is quite tasty. Onions, thinly sliced red potatoes, dill pickle slices and chunks of boneless chicken on a wooden skewer, marinated in my special marinade and then dredged in flour and fried to a crispy golden brown. SINFUL! Is your mouth watering yet?

I decided to go back and post more of the blue bedroom to show some of the beautiful detail in the ceiling and some more of my favorite accessories. This is a close up of the ceiling and molding:

After searching endlessly for the perfect chandelier this one was actually Mister's idea. We went to the antique consignment store and this was not what I had in mind at all and had actually overlooked it in the store when he said "Hey, what about this one?" He added all the prisms. To me it just pops against the cornslik blue walls.

This is the view facing the closets. I love the new 6 panel doors. It makes a world of difference!This is another picture taken from the doorway. I love the morning light! This is a close-up of the bed. My mom gave me the crocheted bed spread for Christmas a couple of years ago. I made the blue pillows.

Close up of the bedspread detail and throw:

The tapestry pillow in the chair in the corner came from Hobby Lobby! I paid way too much even with 50% off. But is this not gorgeous?

Where have I been......?

2008-01-29T21:18:00.000-06:00

For over two months! Obviously I've been too busy to blog! My poor, neglected blog! I guess we were so busy trying to finish the house before Christmas that we didn't have time to do anything else! Speaking of the house....IT'S FINALLY FINISHED! All remodeling is done (for the time being) Ha Ha! I would eventually like to update our kitchen but I'm not sure that my husband shares my sentiments. Now for a little before and after.....this is one of our guest rooms before.....

And more before..........

Now how about a little after......

I wish I had a more detailed picture of the ceiling. It turned out so well! The Mister did a beadboard paneling with trim and it is exquisite! You would never know that there is ugly cottage cheese ceiling under there. Not that I hate cottage cheese because it's in most of the rest of the house.

This collage of vintage portrait prints is one of my favorite parts of the room. I was a little nervous putting nails in the freshly painted wall but it was well worth it! And this little lady....well, her name is Josephine.

I found her at a local consignment shop. I paid around $30 for her. My mom told me I was crazy but how could you not like Josephine?

I found the drapery panels at the thrift store. Both pieces for around $17.00. They retail for around $200.00! Actually I think they have been discontinued. They are Croscill in the Napoleon pattern. I was able to have the ascot valances custom made by woman that sells on eBay. The huge silver mirror above the bed is a Goodwill find. I paid $25 for it. That's more than I would normally pay but when I saw it I new it would look perfect above the bed.

Have I told you lately that I HEART THRIFT STORES?

Today.....

2007-11-18T08:01:00.000-06:00

Today would have been my grandmaw Vera's birthday. There are so many things I could write about her life. She was unexpectedly widowed when she was in her early 50s. She loved to travel. She loved holidays. She loved her children and her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a wonderful cook. Not too long ago I asked mama to make Swiss Steak like Maw Maw used to make. Soo many happy memories! She had a fireball temper that could errupt at the drop of a hat. She had a wonderful Godly heritage but herself waited until several years before she died to give her heart to God. But,when she made the decision, she followed through like she did with everything in her life. She was committed to go the distance, regardless. This picture was taken the Thanksgiving before she died the following May.

Look at all the food on the stove in the background of the picture. That was how it was everytime we went to Maws. Whether is was her big yellow Pyrex bowl full of potato salad or her cornbread dressing, everyting was in abundance and everything was delicious. We miss her so much. We were not ready to let her go. And days like today it's hard all over again. Happy Birthday Maw Maw.

Vacation 2007

2007-11-12T18:24:00.001-06:00

We got back today from an almost week long vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains.

We saw the very end of the leaf change but we still saw a lot of color! It was so pretty there. Our vacation was delayed a couple of days because my Uncle Russell died the day we were to leave town. It was a hard decision but we decided to go after his funeral service. He was 68 years old and suffered with diabetes and congestive heart failure, among other things. I still can't believe he's gone. He was always the larger than life uncle, the fun one. Not always the storybook uncle but he was my favorite. I cried most of the way to Tennessee. We got to Gatlinburg around midnight on Monday. On Tuesday we ventured to Cades Cove, a one-way, 11 mile loop around an isolated valley located in the East Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We wanted to get there in the late afternoon and finish the loop around dusk. Our timing was near perfect. We saw deer, turkeys and even a bear cub. We had to stop our car to allow this deer to cross in front of us. Since they live in a protected environment they have little fear of humans.

We also played a lot of goofy golf. This particular course was called Davy Crockett. See the master at work....

We had a wonderful time. We packed a lot in to the time we were there enjoyingThe Dixie Stampede and The Comedy Barn along with several great meals. It was good to get away but we were ready to get back home and back to OUR OWN BED! It's rough to sleep in a queen size bed after you're accustomed to sleeping in a roomy king size bed. Well it's back to work for me tomorrow...I'll be daydreaming of the mountains......

Yard Sale 2007

2007-10-12T18:20:00.000-05:00

We had a huge yard sale today. We got there before daylight and started setting up our tables. I thought I would die before we got all the boxes and totes unpacked! But when we were finished and ready for customers we had one nice looking sale. I used thrifted vintage sheets and a shabby chic table cloth for the table covers and it added a nice touch. Really only one "dealer" type and she didn't haggle over prices so all in all it was a wonderful day.

I really hated to let go of these lamps but I didn't have anywhere to put them and I was scared they would be broken if I just kept storing them. The "dealer" bought these....

We only really had two early birds (a senior citizen couple). They were not pushy so it was ok. I was a little worried because we were not overrun with customers from the beginning. But, we had a steady stream all day and the ones that stopped were in the mood to buy!

My back is a different story. I think it fell off and is lying on the ground somewhere. We had the sale at our church because it's on a main road and always has good traffic flow.

Today was the first day of a two day sale. I'm a little nervous because most of our "good" stuff sold today. So it may make for a long day tomorrow but we shall see.....

Here is my Mister affirming the old "boys will be boys" thing. He's playing with a Crossfire game. It later sold for $1.00 to a little boy who was thrilled to be the new owner!

Somtimes our wants too

2007-10-10T18:27:00.000-05:00

I decided to dedicate this post to one of my very favorite prints! I love old romantic prints, especially ones that involve pianos or other musical instruments. I have loved this print since the first time I saw it which was probably about 20 years ago in the big town of Pine Hill, Alabama. Pine Hill is about 2 hours north of Mobile. Since I was a little girl, at least twice a year, I would be hauled to Pine Hill by my Mama and my Maw Maw to see my Grandpaw's Cousin's wife Barnette. Barnette's house was so cute and quaint and loaded with 40's-50's charm! One day I discovered this print in her house and knew I had to have one just like it. So, I started my quest. I searched eBay until I thought my fingers would fall off. No luck. I looked everywhere that I knew to look. Still no print. I had no information. I didn't know the artist's name, the title of the print or ANYTHING! I had a feeling that it was probably a mass produced print but just really had no clue... well, fast forward until about 2 years ago. I was at a dumpy little auction in a neighboring town. The kind of place where the cigarette smoke is so thick you could cut it with a knife. So I'm previewing all the items and OH MY GOODNESS my heart starts to race. The closer I get to the print my heart is pounding! It was the print that I had searched for! Of course it was one of the very last things they auctioned that night so it was after midnite before it came up. There was an antique dealer that started bidding against me but I was prepared to go the distance. I had decided that print was coming home with me REGARDLESS! Thankfully I only had to bid $38 and it was mine! I was one happy, sleepy, smokey girl! Where is this print you say?

It has so much character. Of course I love the piano but I also love the curved staircase, the gargoyle looking angels on the clock in the background, I could go on and on. And the frame! Oh my gosh. My frame is prettier than Barnette's. Hers was a simple, cherry wooden frame. I knew that it would one day hang proudly in one of our guest rooms. We are finally about to paint the walls in this room and I will be able to hang this beautiful print. God is so mindful of us. Most certainly for what we need but sometimes our wants too.

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart...Psalms 37:4 KJV

Happy Birthday Daddy

2007-10-02T21:26:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my Daddy's 65th birthday. We celebrated this past Sunday with a cake, presents and the whole deal! The cake was made in a thrifted Wilton horseshoe cake pan. I think I paid a whopping $1.48 for the pan that still had the original J C Penney price tag on the side. He loves horses so this was the perfect cake for him. Off-the-chain Jacob did the baking honors. As he said, he wanted to go old school with the "number candles". Resistance was futile so we got old school candles! I guess that was better than 65 little candles that could have set off the fire alarm!

Here's daddy with the cake: and doing what he loves....

His horses are named Bonnie & Clyde. Cute, huh? My dad is a good man and has always been a wonderful provider for his family. He's retired now and I hope he is able to enjoy retirement for many years to come.

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

Proverbs 20: 7 KJV

I Have A Sickness I Tell You

2007-09-24T22:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I've done it again. I bought more fall flowers. This time for the little niche above my bathtub. Actually Jacob did it again.

For two weeks in a row I've done my weekly cleaning and then baked a cake. This is huge for me! Cleaning alone would be huge but cleaning and baking? I'm trying to do a modified Fly Lady routine and I will say that it has definitely been working! I have my little routines and I've been sticking to them. I still have to work on the decluttering part! Anyway, I guess maybe you just feel like baking when you walk into a kitchen with a shiny sink. This is my cake from this week, right off the Duncan Hines box. Oh my goodness!

This cake is so good! It's super easy and oh so moist! I love me a bundt cake! (Actually any cake baked in a bundt pan). I can remember a time when I used to think.. how boring..a bundt cake. What was I thinking? Bundt cake is 'da bomb! This cake is made with a Duncan Hines devil's food cake mix. Is there any other kind of cake mix? If you'd like to try this cake.....

1 Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 small box of instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until done. The easiest part of this cake is the icing. Take 1/2 cup of Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle frosting and microwave for about 10 seconds. Stir well and then drizzle over cake. Just beware if you make this cake. It is so good. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I still do... 17 years later

2007-09-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

Today is my seventeenth wedding anniversary. That's right...17 years! How is that possible since I'm only 29? I must say that God blessed me with the best husband in the world! He is my soulmate, my provider, my confidant, my friend. He's probably the most talented person I've ever known. After all these years he still calls me Bride.

We just got back from our anniversary dinner....with my parents. Because you know what? Today is their anniversary too. They were married 45 years ago today! I chose their anniversary as the day I wanted to be married. You see, before God gave my husband to me he gave me the best parents a girl could have.

Happy Anniversary, Mister! I love you very much!

Homecoming 2007

2007-09-09T14:49:00.000-05:00

It was homecoming at church today. Our church was founded 59 years ago. It is always such a special day. We had two baby dedications today also. So, I've had a busy day today and yesterday, when I did the bulk of my cooking. See, that's one of the good parts of homecoming... the huge meal after church. You know the one where all the ladies bring their best dishes and desserts and you eat until you cannot hold another ounce! For my dessert I made this strawberry cake.

I was so disappointed when I tried to get the layers out of the pan because EACH layer had an 1" indention directly in the center. I've never had this happen before! Maybe because I let my layers cool in the pan? I started to get fresh strawberries and put them in the center but then I decided to take it just like it was. But you know what, I came home with one piece left. ONE PIECE. So I guess it was edible, even with the huge crater in the center!

It's always good to see family and old friends and reminisce about the past.

Well, here goes....

2007-09-08T19:23:00.000-05:00

Well, here goes. I guess I’m officially a blogger. And guess what? I already have writers block. Or would that be bloggers block? I guess I could start with telling you a little about myself. I’m a thirty-something southern girl who loves God, thrift stores, garage sales, antique shops, fabric, pyrex bowls, vintage linens, lamps, interior design, and just about anything else. And, I’m afraid my new addiction is flower arranging. This is my first real attempt… what do you think?
The arrangement is made of 6 bunches of .97 Wally World flowers. The vase I found at Goodwill for .69. The small piece of foam that I used cost .10 on clearance at Wally World. My nephew Jacob told me that he could arrange one that would be better than mine. So, I told him to bring it on. Well, guess what? That boy is off the chain! I’ll have to admit that he did an excellent job! I’m pretty sure that this was his first attempt at flower arranging but MAN! And the playing field was level because he used Wally world flowers too! He found the vase at the thrift store and spray painted it black. I will begrudgingly declare him the winner…..

(He grills a pretty mean hamburger too)

This is another of my craft projects. Can you tell I’m ready for fall and cooler weather? Our temps here are still in the 90’s but I don’t care what the thermometer says. Fall is in the air! A tell tale sign is daylight. We have less and less each day. Ok, back to my project. It really wasn’t that hard. The hardest part was pulling the sticker off the glass bowl. But aren’t these beaded miniature pumpkins the cutest?

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV