Magpie Ethel

Free Concrete for the Garden!

I love my backyard and now that the weather is changing it is time to putter around more out there. This is a shot looking out (thru a window screen) from my neighbors house.  This is my studio that we are looking at which is attached to the garage.

Yesterday I was talking to my elderly neighbor who has basically given up on his yard (except for three babied tomato plants).  He has an old bird bath that was laying on its side for probably the past two years. I asked him if I could "borrow" it to get it out of his yard.  He said I could have it!  It made its way to my yard within about thirty seconds!

I put it in a flowerbed full of hydrangeas and ferns.  I added the old concrete frog to make it complete!

THEN I was lamenting to my friend Pam that I really wanted to find a PAIR of concrete urns that I could paint pink to grace my back gate. (I want to plant a small boxwood in each)  I couldn't find any new ones that I liked but Pam happened to have two in her garden that she was happy to give to me.  They are currently painted a lovely shade of "flesh tone" (Pam's words...and a good description of the color)  I picked them up today and they are the absolute perfect scale and shape for my spot.  Thank you so much Pam! 

Will post photos of the urns after they are transformed into a pink loveliness!  Can't believe how lucky I have been in the old concrete department lately...oh happy day!

I was off to an Estate Sale

I just posted this morning and mentioned I was off to an estate sale.  Hallelujah!  It was a good one!

It was run by the family so the prices weren't outrageous.  I was number 20 on the list to get in the door and they let 20 of us in...phew!  The house had an odd layout so I was the first to find the upstairs with the Christmas/holiday stuff.

As you can see by the photos I got a good haul.  I got a bunch of old Christmas Tavern candles, come vintage paper Santa cutouts, New Years hats and noise makers, old games, a squirrel cream colored vase (I collect figural cream vases), a good amount of vintage Halloween (including 2 masks, some Dennison drunken cat cutous and some pumpkin stickers), a scotty dog guest towel, an unused vintage tablecloth, 3 hat boxes, playing cards with great graphics, a bunch of old belt buckles, a bed tray in a yummy vintage green, Christmas ornaments and an angel tree topper.

The New Years hats I bought are the old crepe paper folded ones.  This lady graced about 6 of the hats.  Must have been quite a party with this tantalizing cutout...she even has nipples!

Great sale...I was due for a good one.

Pinking Machine

I finally was the high bidder on a vintage pinking machine on Ebay.  I saw one a few years ago in Country Living magazine and have wanted one ever since.  It is perfect for my craft projects.  It is a Singer brand and you clamp it to the table and put your paper or fabric thru and it pinks it....no more scissors for me!  I have never seen one at the gazillion estate sales I have been to, so I was off to Ebay.  I have probably tried to get one about 40 times and was finally successful!

It does a really pretty edge - here is my sample I did on some paper.

Happy Friday!  I'm off to a couple of estate sales...wish me luck (watch, I'll probably find a pinking machine at one of the sales today!!!)

A Quirky Post, A Quirky Find

There is a store here in Portland called Scrap.  It is a cool recycling store where individuals and businesses donate items.  They have a little bit of everything.  Paper, fabric, wine corks, old trophy tops, plastic thingamajigs, glitter...you never know what you will find there and the stock is constantly changing according to what is being donated.  I hit the store about once a month...sometimes I find nothing...and sometimes I find stuff like this...

Isn't this crazy?  They had two plastic tubs full of these old teeth!  They were not real teeth, but must have been donated from an old dentist's office.  They were on the original plastic keepers and were held in place with a wax.  I imagine if you were needing a tooth the dentist would find the appropriate tooth and then pop it in place!?  They were just too weird to pass up. Plus with a price like this...

I spent $2.00.  No, I don't know what I'll do with them.  But I know I will never find any for sale again!