Dime Store Chic

The Craft After The Storm

Hello, My Friends!~~

We emerged relatively unscathed from Hurricane Sandy here in the Washington DC area. Some neighborhoods near us still don't have power but by some miracle we never lost power. It just blinked now and then. The yard is full of leaves, well duh, it is autumn. Lots of sticks and lots of clean up once the tree debris on teh ground dries out.

During the storm we stayed in the basement doing our thing and waiting for the power to go off. But, thankfully, it never did.

I got my craft on, seriously, and emerged from Sandy with a host of new pin cushions. While the wind whipped the trees into a frenzy with 60 mph gusts, it was all about pin cushions in the studio.

I hope to get them listed this evening between handing out treats to the wee folks who ring our bell (we have Reese's and Snickers). For now, here is a sneak peek (and my first attmept at using some interesting photo treatments, ie. vintage colors and frost on the edges).

Looks like I took this photo in 1974 with a Kodak Instamatic camera (I did have one with flash cubes and everything). If you have a minute stop on by Beth's Bagz later on this evening. I guarantee the photos there will be more 2012 than 1971!~~~XXOO, Beth

Crafting During A Hurricane

Hello, My Friends!~~

While we still have power early this Monday morning I will do another blog post. Right now we are braced for up to 70 mph wind gusts due during Monday evening and into Tuesday. Everything, and I mean everything, here in the Washington DC area is closed. But those impending winds! Oh my! They should knock out our power quite nicely. So it's not a matter of "if" but "when." We are prepared--I do have a Hubby who loves to camp and an Eagle Scout son, so we have at least 50 flashlights and lanterns on stand-by. I contributed thise tiny battery powered tea light candles which can be set all over the house for a little light in just the right spot--like the bathroom.

Being an avid crafter and with a big time craft show coming up in about a month, I took inventory of what I can do that doesn't require electricity. Gluing seems to be the best option, papercraft, and possibly hand stitching.

This is my glue of choice and I stocked up yesterday from the local craft stores.

I have this small army of tart mold pin cushions that require embellishment, so I can do that without power.

Lots and lots of small vintage mercury glass ornaments and beads can provide hours of crafting fun possibilities without the need for power.

As can these vintage aluminum light reflectors. The choices for crafting with these can be endless!

As can these cool vintage holiday bits n' bobs!

This cabinet full of vintage figurines is destined to be pin cushions, but if I get my act together I can still use the sewing machine to make the fabric "bases" for these figurines and assemble them later when a sewing machine is no longer necessary. Ok...so I better get started. After we get our power back, and who knows how long that will be, I may emerge buried under newly made crafts. Wouldn't that be a nice bonus for riding out a hurricane? To all of you in Sandy's path, hang in there. Catch you on the flip side!~~~XXOO, Beth

Good-Bye Old Friend and Before The Storm

Hello, My Friends,

We headed down to Va's Northern Neck to secure the vacation cottage against the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy.

The Chesapeake Bay was kissed by a breeze and covered with clouds this morning.

I know it will not be this tranquil come Monday and Tuesday.

Our little corner of the Northern Neck has been a part of my entire life. On the way to the cottage, there is this really really old and unused store in a bend of the road in a teeny tiny town called Remo.

I have never been in this store but it has been a favorite landmark of mine.

Such a wonderful place. I think it must be about 100 years old.

Recently the trees and brush were cleared away from the store and I had high hopes that it may be restored. The new owner planned to put a rock and stone business there.

But sadly, so sadly this beauty was torn down a couple of weeks ago.

When we drove past the lot it was completely bare. No sign of the store was there.

So sad...

Our next door neighbor at the cottage had managed to salvage some of the wonderfully weathered boards from the now gone store. She allowed me to select one and some really old nails too. I am going to make a framed display of the wood, nails, and photos that I took of the store.

Good-bye, old friend, but forever in our memories.~~~See you all after Hurricane Sandy. Fingers crossed that we don't loose power, or if we do it lasts a very short time. We are prepared with bags of ice in the freezer, leaves blown from the gutters and drains, flashlights and lanterns and lots of batteries, and on and on. You all stay safe too!~~~XXOO, Beth

Before and After

Hello, My Friends!~~

 

Here is before...

 

Vintage Christmas boxes and gift wrap boxes.

After...

A jolly Santa wall decoration! And...

Another jolly Santa wall decoration!

Both are here. Thanks for stopping by!~~~XXOO, Beth

Shiny and Brite In Beth's Bagz!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Can you believe that Christmas is nearly two months away? My goodness!

I added four wreaths to Beth's Bagz today in case you would like to shop early for some vintage holiday shiny and brite. Here are two of them...

 

 

Don't you think these pixies have the cutest faces?

 

And then there's pink and aqua with gossamer angels. Shiny and brite!~~~XXOO, Beth

Estate Sale Adventures: Wallpaper

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Recently I went to an estate sale advertised only on Craigslist. The sale was advertised to begin at 11:00 a.m.---whaaatttt??? I got there at 10:30 and they were open. I also arrived in time to the woman I mentioned in THIS post. I was surpised because this sale didn't sound like it had anything to attract "the usual suspects" but I was in the area and decided to take a look.

Here is the house. There was not much in it as the family was having the estate sale to clear it out completely before putting it on the market.

What I found interesting was a couple of the rooms and the wall paper in them. I asked the family if I could photograph the wall paper and they very kindly allowed me to do so.

Here is the cute wall paper in what I guessed to be a room for a boy...

Sports, of course. Go team!

And in another room...

I expect that looking at the wall paper the person in the rather small room would feel calm and relaxed. I think the room may have been an office or den.

Sometimes at estate sales I do see wall paper on the walls that I wish was in an extra roll or two availble for the right price. The boy's room wall paper in this house is one. But, alas, no spare rolls.

Thanks for stopping by!~~XXOO, Beth

 

Estate Sale Adventures: Line Chat

Hello, My Friends!~~~

On Thursday I headed over to an estate sale in a pretty neighborhood of late 1960's homes.

I arrived about an hour and 15 minutes before the 9 a.m. opening and got number 12. The folks who run this sale don't give out numbers so whoever arrvies first becomes by default "the number person." At every estate sale I go to, I usually see the same people, the early folks, who I call "the usual suspects." You know who these people are, the dealers, the serious collectors, the pickers. Quite a few of them in the line are professional dealers who do this as thier regular jobs. I usually stand around near them listening ever so carefully in the hopes of gathering interesting info. Stealthy, I know, but what else are you going to do in line for over an hour?

Now, becuase I am a semi-regular to local estate sales a few of these folks have gotten to know me by name. Some of the regulars I don't know by name only by sight as they are IMO a little snotty and narcissistic and very clichy with their "friends". One woman in particular spends most of her time in line bragging to her cronies about the great deal she got on something that some estate sale company "knew nothing about" and that she can sell for a huge profit. Or she'll condemn quite loudly certain estate sale companies and how they pretty much exist to rip her off. Un hunh. She's just one of the interesting regulars, but the one I remember the most from Thursday's sale.

Now on to the sale. The house had a garage and basement--my two favorite places to search in an estate sale (attics are actually number 1, but are rarely available to search through). I headed directly to the basement.

The basement was a warren of nooks and small spaces. I had to be very stealthy taking photos as the sale was quite crowded. Here is a hairy sort of dude (or is is Hagrid?) searching through the huge assortment of tools available.

I had to take this photo of the other half of the basement on the fly. What I didn't get was a photo of the record guys at the other end of this room hunched down over a pile of records and not letting anyone get near them.

Here is the garage where I managed to snag a nice assortment of vintage Christmas. One of the folks in line waiting to get in is a dealer who I met earlier in the year. He made sure that I knew he was now into vintage Christmas because that was what he sells on line this time of year. Seriously, dude? I didn't sweat it as I am faster than he is ;). See this lady with long hair sitting on the floor? She was browsing through a pile of vintage looking books. I treid to look at one of the several piles and she announced "I need to look through those first." Well...OK...so I backed slowly away hands in the air. Then she came back to reality realizing that this wasn't her exclusive estate sale and invited me to look at the books. I told her I would do so after she had her way with them. And I did and didn't find anything that gave me a thrill.

Here is an unexciting photo of the kitchen nook window looking out on the backyard. Before the sale started I walked around the outside of the house and spied a pretty iron garden wall pot holder. One of the ladies in line, I have learned, loves that sort of thing and I showed it to her. She said that she would like to buy it. However, I later learned that nothing outside of the house was for sale. I thought that was odd considering the house is to be put on the market very soon.

The line to check out extended into the living room. The guy rubbing his head is a nice fellow and really into tools, I mean REALLY into tools. It was all he talked about in line before the sale opened. The dude in the flat Norwegian-style sailor's cap is a record guy who I avoid becuase he'll step on your grandma to get to records and anything else he wants. What you don't see is the lady sitting in a chair by the white floor fan. She was the know-it-all in line I first mentioned. She held court in the chair by the fan and made sure that all of us in line could hear more of her previous estate sale conquests punctuated her tales of grandeur with wheezy cackles of laughter only a chain-smoker can deliver.

I hope you enjoyed this estate sale adventure. Sometimes waiting in line can be the most interesting part of the adventure. But not this time. I came home with some lovely Christmas goodies I am anxious to transform into dime store-inspired decorations. Take good care!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

New In Beth's Bagz: Shoe Business!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I went completely beserk and listed a HUGE amount of vintage holiday and other goodies in Beth's Bagz!

I am so pleased to have included a nice amount of antique baby shoes I have re-purposed into Christmas ornaments!

This is one of two FUN antique leather baby shoes in black turned into ornaments and filled with holiday kitsch!

There are lots of fun shabby baby shoes in well-loved white too!

I just love creating with these sweet shoes and lots of vintage holiday cheer!

I added a nice few vintage embroidery totes in patchwork too!

These and SO MUCH MORE are fresh in Beth's Bagz! If you have a minute please stop by for a look! Thank you so much!~~~XXOO, Beth