Dime Store Chic

Farm Life In Doswell

Hello, My Friends!~~

On the way to Richmond (VA) to visit my folks, we hit an estate sale at the Satterwhite farm on historic Route 1 near Doswell (AKA the home of King's Dominion amusement park).

This charming small farm has been on the property since 1955.

The estate sale wasn't a digger's delight and I found a few goodies in the house.

But the outbuildings were where I found the most interesting goods.

In the building to the far right, the one with 2 doors, I found this:

A large size 1919 world atlas with wonderful maps!

And I found this sweet cupid...

Does she look ready for the "Hunger Games"? The date on the photo print is 1897. And the oval frame is metal.

I also found these useful items...

I think these brushes were used in a school at some time.

All of these goodies and more fun finds at the farm estate sale are in Dime Store Chic!

Here is a barn, but there was nothing in there but hay dust.

Close up of the sweey white horseshoe on the door...

And cow gates...

And a bevvey of canning jars...

I had a great time on this lovely farm. I hope you enjoyed this little journey with me!~~~XXOO, Beth

Relax Like A Cat

Hello, My Friends!~~

Stress! I have some stress in my life which I'm not really going into because it's working out slowly and hopefully surely. But it is amazing and sneaky how stress acts on you physically. Yesterday I went to the post office to mail a couple of packages to Canada and on the way there I could feel a headache slowly building. I thought it was most likely a sinus thing because my sinuses always act up when the temperatures change (we got a cold snap). On the way home from the post office the headache began building and building, squeezing my head from all sides. My eyes were watering and I felt a little nauseous by the time I got home. All I could do was take a Tylenol and lay on the bed with a cloth covering my eyes. I slept for a half hour and woke up feeling like a new person.

I didn't feel like hitting the keyboard and putting the new springtime items I made recently into my etsy shop. So I went outside and dug up a whole bunch of weeds from around three trees planted between our sidewalk and the street. I want to put in gardens there. Weeding and digging really helped me to relax even more by stabbing a pitchfork and shovel into the ground.

When I went inside, this is what I found...

Our kitty, Gyro, completely relaxing in the proper manner.

Two weeks ago we had our windows replaced and the living room window is now a bay window. Of course kitty has a new place to relax. If this isn't complete relaxation I don't know what is. So when the stress-monster starts to squeeze my head, I'll think of Gyro in our new bay window. Or I can think of this...

...which is one my favorite pin cushions! I found this wee shabby knee hugger pink elf at a recent estate sale and gave him a springtime home on a pin cushion stack. I adore his google-eyed expression. I crossed his legs and had him hug a bouquet of flowers. Relaxed ahhh. Today I buy 8 bags of garden soil to add to the gardens I just weeded. Relaxing? Maybe :)~~~XXOO, Beth

Blame It On The Rain

Hello, My Friends!~~~

For the first time in weeks we are getting rain, all weekend. I am thrilled for my garden. And to be honest I have neglected adding more goods into Dime Store Chic that I acquired at a fabulous estate sale last Saturday. Well, blame it on the rain but I finally accomplished that goal. ALL goods I found at last Saturday's estate sale are now in Dime Store Chic!

I admit to listing some odd goods but U think they would be great for mixed media creations!

There is a great 1800's georgraphy book and atlas. Great maps!

Even cool vintage paint sets! So MUCH MUCH more!

I am excited to get back to creating some spring-inspired goods with some recent finds. I do love a rainy day!~~~XXOO, Beth

#65 and A Keeper!

Hello, My Friends!~~

My BFF Suzy sent me a link to Handmadeology's blog and their list of the Top 200 Vintage Etsy shops for March 2012 according to number of sales. I couldn' believe my eyes when Dime Store Chic made number 65! And I have YOU to thank! My little corner of etsy only exists because you all have found something you want and trust me to deliver it to you. I am deeply grateful to you.~~~XXOO!

Now, speaking of Dime Store Chic, I am still listing the fabulous vintage goodies I found at an awesome estate sale this weekend! I have just listed several batches of teen magazines from 1969 and 1970!

Many of these feature, be still my heart, the gorgeous Bobby Sherman! I was 9 and 10 when these magazines were published and in the throes of a major crUsh on Mr. Sherman. And as I was sorting through the magazines I found THIS...

I may pass out. Does someone have a difibrilator? I mean REALLY! A shirtless pin up of Bobby and a fan club postcard with his winning toothy smile. Sigh... I decided to keep this particular magazine and have filed it away on my bookshelf. Shhh, just don't tell my husband ;) I may let this magazine with this rapid heartbeat inducing centerfold go to etsy one day but not today.~~~XXOO, Beth

Wowie WOW!

Hello, My Friends!~~

Early this morning I hit an estate sale and for a brief time was one of only four people there. The family had most of the items for sale in the basement. And what goodies they were! Here is my haul which took me 3 trips to the car to load!

Our deck table is fun with layers of goodies! And there are piles in some of the chairs too!

I got a lot of Christmas and wonderful toys, children's books, and magazines! Everything will end up in Dime Store Chic or ebay, but I am keeping one thing that I have wanted for a long time but didn't want to spend antique store prices to own one...

It's a tin barn with silo! I am thrilled to have found this and after it is wiped down and dusted I'll find a place to display it in our home. If I can't have a real barn this tin one will do :)

It will take me quite a few days (or even a week!) to photograph and list these goodies in Dime Store Chic. I also found some wonderful vintage goods at the same estate sale to use in future projects too! Whew! But SO fun! And I am excited to share them with you :)~~Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

Going Green!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

This is what has kept us busy for the past few days...

The unusually warm March weather told us it was time to build the greenhouse! However, it is a tedious process with a learning curve in figuring out the instructions.

Once the aluminum frame was built, the panels were slid into the channels and cliped in.

And finished! I admit that hubby did most of the work. My main job was to help interpret the instructions and to hold up the frame before the supports were screwed on. But look at the result! I took the photo this morning. There is still some work to be done, fluffing here and there and doing something with the bare ground that still holds stumps of bamboo-like grass that I chopped down. Digging it up is on going. We repurposed wood from other things to make the bench on the right and the step up into the greenhouse.

We used blocks that were stacked by the shed to make a path--still working on it. And I stacked all of the pots that I may need on wood and more blocks. Two metal bins hold pot shards.

Hubby built shelves for the flats of seeds that I planted yesterday. I'm hoping to get a jump start on the veggie garden this year and have planted some seeds that may be too tender to put in the ground outside now. This will be a trial and error process but my goal is to grow as many vegetables as our yard space will allow.

Shelves will eventually end up on this side of the greenhouse and we'll add more pea gravel to the floor. I am so excited! I have wanted a greenhouse for so long. This one came from Harbor Freight and was on sale for $249. Not too shabby....Now if I can talk my husband into getting a wind turbine to power our house, then we'll slip off the grid ;)~~~XXOO, Beth

Thursday Fun!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

On Thursday I waited for longer than I normally would to get into an estate sale near my home. The lovely ladies running the sale popped their heads out of the door and said that the family had taken most everything and that there were very few "collectibles."~~~Now, let me say that I think the word "collectibles" is overused. Virtually anything could be considered a collectible. Many many massed produced things in stores are often touted as collectible. Remember Beanie Babies? So I always cringe when I hear "collectibles." Sorry for getting off topic and thanks for letting me air a pet peeve.~~~OK, to continue, so after hearing the lady running the sale's dour prediction that none of us waiting would find anything good, I still held out hope. And she let us in 15 minutes early.

I was NOT dissappointed!

Here is a partial view of the two bags full of fabulous vintage goodies I brought home! There were only 12 of us shopping in the house so there was plenty to go around. I was even in the basement with the vintage Christmas all to myself for about ten minutes. I found plenty of things to use in future creations including a pair of the cutest birds I've ever seen (to be revealed in a future post!) AND I found LOTS to put into Dime Store Chic! I stayed up late last night listing new goodies and will add more today as well.

But I have to admit that I am keeping one item for myself. Just one. Promise. It's this nifty book on plants from 1951:

I just love the title: "Plants in the City." Since I am an urban gardener this book just called to me.

If you have a minute, please hop on over to Dime Store Chic for fresh vintage goodies for your home or crafting fun!~~~Thanks so much!~~~XXOO, Beth

Sing A Song of Spring!

Hello, My Friends!~~

Spring! Ahhh! The weather may touch 70 degrees today and I am itching to get out in the garden. We are having a special delivery today which I'll tell you about later (hint: it has to do with our garden)!

I have just listed 3 spring inspired wreaths today!

Peep! I love flower-shaped vintage aluminum light reflectors! Who says they just belong on a Christmas tree? Not us!

And I have been anxious to use this lovely pink nest! I added vintage flocked German eggs, cottony vintage birds, and millinery flowers from Easter bonnets. Fun!

And dime store whimsical chicks and bunnies find a fun home on this pink wreath!

All three listed in Beth's Bagz today and joining more spring-inspired goodies!

Happy Spring!~~~XXOO, Beth

A Few Big Flea Finds

Hello, My Friends!~~

This Saturday I visited the DC Big Flea and found some of the cutest figurines I have ever seen! Brimming with inspiration, I turned them into one-of-a-kind pin cushions:

Whoooo!

Shhhhhhh....

Oh, Spring!~~~These and more goodies are fresh in Beth's Bagz etsy shop!~~~Thanks SO much for stopping by!~~~XXOO, Beth

Garden Lights

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Recently my clever wood working hubby built cold frames for our garden! He used storm windows taken directly from two of the bedroom windows. We are getting new wondows in the house mid-March. He used the windows as inspiration and scale for our cold frames.

I planted leafy things like spinach, mache, Italian dandelion, and lettuces.

Hubby attached handles and hooks to each of the three "lights" (I learned that's what the glass part of the cold frame is called) and attched chains to the fence so we could raise the lights as high as we need for venting. The lights can also go all the way up when warm nights don't require them any more.

The fencing around the cold frames is to keep our dog from jumping on them. That would be a bad thing as the lights are glass.

So far one of the varieties of spinach and the Italian dandelion is up but way to small to photograph for you.

Next week our new greenhouse arrives! I am so excied!~~~XXOO, Beth