Enjoying the Last Days of Summer

Hi Friends,

I apologize for not posting for several days :) I am an elementary school teacher and the end of August is always hectic so I haven't had much time for blogging. Thank you to those of you who keep checking in!

Anyhoo...Here are some of the goodies that I've found lately while out at the sales. This past weekend was a better weekend than I've had recently in the way of finding good vintage "junk".

This is my favorite find of recent weeks. It is a child-size shopping cart. This isn't a toy but an actual commercial grade cart made by a manufacturer that makes adult-size carts for grocery stores. This was used in an actual grocery store in my area where the young shoppers could push their own cart through the store just like mom and dad. My kids love it and have enjoyed playing "store" with it. Guess how much I paid for it? Only $3! You know all you moms out there are jealous! (Thanks Stacy - wink! wink!)

I also found this great vintage milk-glass spice set.

It was priced $1. I kid you not! The jars still had spices in them. All the paper labels are perfect.

Hubby and the kids went yard saleing on their own a few weeks back and bought me some treasures. Here is what they found for me.

This tiny metal Fineline eraser box - with the erasers still inside. This is to add to my vintage school supply collection. Actual size about 2" across. They paid $1.

This little pottery bowl set. They paid 75 cents.

A "Big Ben" alarm clock. Price = 50 cents

And this cast-iron match holder. I left the price tag on for the picture.

Didn't they do well? They got some great treasures and for so little money.

If you want to see what other yard sale shoppers in blog land found this weekend I'm also sharing HERE at Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

I've been doing some cooking lately since there are so many delicious vegetables available from the garden right now.

I thought I'd take a small departure from my collections to share with you two recipes that we made this past week.

Mexican Salsa

Ingredients:

Using a knife cut up into small pieces:

6-8 ripe red tomatoes

1 onion - I used a purple onion

2 jalapeno peppers - remove the seeds (I recommend wearing rubber gloves when doing this so that your hands don't get pepper oil on them which can burn your eyes and mouth for several days after handling the pepper.)

also add:

1 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

the juice of 1 lime

3 cloves of minced garlic - or more to your liking

salt & pepper to taste

Serve with tortilla chips. Yum! - Whatever you don't eat store in the refrigerator. Good for up to a week.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups fresh green beans - cut into small pieces

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

2 cups of corn - cut off the cob

3 celery stalks - chopped into small pieces

1 onion - diced

minced fresh parsley - about 1/2 cup

minced garlic - about 3 cloves

salt & pepper to taste

In a large stock pot cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Cook onions, celery & garlic until soft. Add all remaining vegetables & parsley. Add chicken broth. Cook on a low simmer for around 1 hour or until vegetables are soft. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite bread!

I hope you get a chance to enjoy the last days of summer too by hitting a yard sale or two or by cooking up some delicious, healthy, homemade food using the season's bounty.

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon.

KayteeJane

A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You

Back in February I posted about my favorite book from my childhood Love Is A Special Way of Feeling by Joan Walsh Anglund. That post continues to be one of the more popular posts that I've done.

Recently at a church sale I found another of Joan's awesome books. I am awed by her talent. This one is as charming as the one I shared earlier. It was originally published in 1958 and is as relevant today as it must have been then.

It is titled A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You.

I will not be keeping this one. It is a birthday gift for my dear "sister" Cindy. Today is her birthday. So before I let this gem go I wanted to share this special book with you all so that you could enjoy it too and to thank all of you "friends" out there in blogland who have come along with me on this journey by visiting with me here.

I invite you to read along with me. You won't be disappointed.

 

Isn't that just lovely? I dedicate it to all of my friends...and you know who you are...who have stood beside me these past months with love. I love all of you.

Thank you Joan!

KayteeJane

One Person's Trash...

You have all heard the saying "one person's trash is another's treasure". I wanted to share with you today some of the great things that I have found in people's trash. No, I am not too proud to pick out of the trash. My husband and I used to make a fun game of it. We would buckle up our young daughter Gaby in the seat between us in our 2 door pick up truck and head out on garbage day looking for "rusty gold". When we would see something good we would hum the song to "Sanford and Son" as our congratulations anthem. There were so many times when we would be low on cash in our bank account and then stumble upon something neat that we could sell online for cash or scrap the metal for cash. God really provided for us during those times in a way that some may find weird but we found fun. I wish I could show you pictures of the cool things that I didn't keep but sold. So many awesome things which included...a vintage Howdy Doody marionette, an antique child's doll-sized steamer trunk, train things, antique furniture, collectible hotel keys, and the list goes on.

What you see here are some of the things that I kept. All of this was found over several years - not all at once. I haven't found anything in the trash this year at all. Some years you find so many things you can't believe what people are throwing away and other years you find nothing. It is all part of the hunt.

I begin with my MOST FAVORITE FIND of all time - probably my most favorite item that I own, this old glider. If you know me then you know that I love this thing. I once worried that someone would steal it off our porch and my husband burst out laughing. He said "No one is going to steal that!". To me it is as precious as fine jewels....what can I say I have a junk collector's heart!

These came with it!!!

A great vintage World War II era print called "Serving the Nation" by Dean Cornwell which shows Uncle Sam alongside a train carrying military amunition and a steel mill in the background.

I saw this piece of furniture in the trash one afternoon while out walking in my neighborhood. I called my hubby on his cell phone and asked him if he would ride over ASAP and load it into his truck. He was able to leave work and come over and get it for me....how is that for devotion??

You've seen these before. They are sitting on my front porch. The croquet set and the primitive bench were both out in the trash.

This last one I hesitated to include because to show it will reveal to the world my mess of a basement. Oh well - this is life. This piece is super-cool. It is a metal frame of shelves that hold vintage metal wire baskets. Maybe it was once used in an old store? Not sure, but I am keeping it because I know I will always find a use for it somewhere. Right now it hold toys that my kids aren't playing with.

Have you ever found anything cool in the trash? I would love to hear about it. Please leave me a comment and let me know about your treasures.

KayteeJane

Pillow Talk

I had a burst of creative energy yesterday so I decided to stitch up some pillows that have been on the "to do" list for several years. (yes years!)

Union Jack Pillow -

I have always wanted one of those Union Jack pillows made so beautifully by Shabby Chic. I love all things British so I decided to try and make one myself and I love how it turned out.

I started with the traditional red & blue colors.

Here is the finished pillow. I wanted the stripes to be "ragged" so their edges are frayed. I've had that rhinestone crown pin for years and thought this was the perfect use for it.

I think I may try to make another one of these using muted colors like taupe & white.

I've also collected vintage seed & flour sacks for years with the intention of making pillows out of them. Here are some of the ones I've collected that were finally made into pillows last night.

 

Here is what they look like as pillows.

 

 

 

I have also saved several vintage embroidered items that I love with the hope of making them into something useful someday. There are only so many doilies you can put on your tabletops.

Here is the embroidered dishtowel I found at the flea market last month made into a cute little pillow. I think this would be cute in a baby's room.

This vintage laundry bag is too small to use for actual laundry. I decided to fill it and stitch it closed. I kept the loop handles on the top for a cute touch. I love how the girl is hanging up cute undies on the line.

 

I didn't have to spend any money to finish these pillows. All of this was made with materials that I had on hand just waiting to be used. The fiber fill for inside the pillows came from some ugly old couch pillows from a couch that I don't even own any more. I remembered that I had the pillows stored in my attic. I cut them open and used the filling inside. It was in perfect shape. Love when I don't have to give JoAnn any more of my cash!

On a sad note my old Kenmore sewing machine bit the dust last night. It was a Christmas present from my parents one year when I was in college. Now I'm on the look out for one to buy at a yard sale.

Thanks for stopping today to see my projects!

KayteeJane

Lisa's House

Join me as I take a tour of one of my dearest friend's home - a place filled with beautiful furniture and antiques! I love to come here and stroll through the rooms, taking in all the beautiful vignettes and lovely collections. Lisa and I don't get to see one another often but when we do it feels as though we have just picked up where we left off. Do you have any girlfriends like that? When we met for the first time years ago I think we knew instantly that we were destined to be friends. We affectionatly call each other "kindred spirits" and that is what she is to me.

Lisa's Family Room is home to this awesome antique farm table and tall step-back cupboard.

 

 

A lovely powder room for guests with a hand-painted sink bowl from Mexico.

 

Lisa's home has several antique cupboards, each filled with a different collection.

 

 

 

The Dining Room

 

 

The Living Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen

 

 

Fun touches like beveled mirrors & chandeleirs make this room special.

 

 

 

Lisa has exquisite taste. Around her home she has a collection of beautiful vintage art hanging on every wall. Here are just a few....

 

Three-Sided Holy picture

  

 

 

Lisa stitched these "Told in a Garden" cross-stitch motif's herself.  

The outside of the home is just as pretty as the inside.

Here are some of the beautiful gardens.

 

 

 

 

Truthfully my photos do not do this home justice. It is so much prettier in person.

Thank you dear Lisa for allowing us to visit. Hoping to come back real soon :)

KayteeJane