Magpie Ethel

Summertime Flatware

Last year I did a post that mentioned my flatware collection.  Alot of people contacted me about where I found my flatware, and for the most part I have found it to be a seasonal item.  Well the CUTE FLATWARE SEASON has begun again.

Today I found these cuties to add to my stash.

I found the set when I browsed my local Homegoods store today and was smitten.  I am quite drawn to polka dots.  They were added to my pretty patterned stash.

I know they are mismatched, but they work together and make me happy when I use them.  They are the flatware that I pull out for parties, not our everyday use.
I love them all jumbled together with their different colors and patterns.

So for those of you interested in starting a fun flatware collection...now is the time to keep those eyes open.  Look in the summertime section.  I've had good luck at Target and TJ Maxx in the past as well.    This wasn't an overnight collection for me as I've been at it probably five or six years.  I seem to add a pattern or two each year, but look where I am now!

Let the flatware season begin...the hunt is on. 

Chicken Chuck

After Easter there is a lull in holiday decorating.  Sure, there is Mother's Day and May Day...but they aren't big holiday decorating events.  During these lulls I pull out any oddball collections to make me happy.  That is how Chicken Chuck came into the picture.

Chicken Chuck is the title of a vintage book that I picked up a few years ago at an estate sale.  It is by Bill and Bernard Martin, dated 1946.

The copy I bought is even autographed by the author.  It is a charming story of a rooster who found a vitamin in his food one day and ate it. The vitamin "vitamized" and caused him to grow a bright blue feather.
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After reading the adventures of this rooster, I was inspired to get out my chicken and rooster collection for a little fun display on my china hutch.

I never set out to collect these barnyard friends, this pair started it all.

I paid a couple of bucks for the pair.  They are in perfect condition and still have the "Royal Copley" sticker on the base.  On the underside is the original price of $1.29 penciled on each.

They needed friends. 

The flock grew some more, regardless of size or condition. 

Even cardboard roosters and chickens were invited to the party.

I added some old milk bottles filled with corn and created a little barnyard scene on my china hutch.

A little silly, but fun to show off the collection. Cluck, cluck...I think Chicken Chuck would be proud.

We Have A Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the 403 post giveaway.  I had fun reading what everyone thought was a "happy day" for them!

Drumroll please....

The winner is #11 - Janet

Sorry everyone couldn't be a winner in this giveway...but I hope everyone has a HAPPY DAY just the same!

Janet,(the 11th person to enter) please send me your address and congrats!

Reminder and the Pancake Story

Just a reminder that i will be drawing a winner tomorrow for my 403 post giveaway...you can enter here.

If you have read my blog for awhile you will remember the pancake story.  If you are a newer reader here is the pancake story from my 100th post giveaway. (Sept 16, 2008).

A true life story honoring the number 100!

When I was in kindergarten we lived in a teeny tiny town in Washington called Montesano.  I used to walk a couple of miles to school each day. We were busy learning our numbers and our teacher had assigned us to bring in 100 of something.  I have always liked the quirky and oddball...so I brought in 100 pancakes!

 

My mom and I made them together...they looked so fun all stacked up tidy on a cookie sheet.  I was so proud of my 100 pancakes!  No one else had 100 pancakes, only me!  My classmates were impressed by the teetering stacks!  As I strolled home that afternoon giddy with the success of my day I ate cold pancakes.  One after another, happy as a five year old can be! (I did not eat them all either!)

This was my child hood story that I tied into for the 100th giveaway.  I love this little memory, but did not want to make 400 pancakes for a photo for my 400th post!  Good luck if you entered the giveaway...I'll be posting the winner tomorrow.

I may make pancakes for breakfast....

Still Jumping On Saturday

I managed to hit another estate sale this morning and it found me doing a bit more jumping for joy.

I am not sure what my neighbors think with all my jumping about...but I did score some more treasures.

Anther good day for me.  Vintage Christmas, honeycomb fruit, a couple of more spun heads.

My most unique find of the day was a ton of old badges dated anywhere from 1929 - 1959.  These are for the Rebekah Lodge and include charming black and white photo pin back buttons of the members.
Some are in much better condition than others.  The ones that are tattered or discolored I plan to revamp into some sort of project.  They are really, really cool and I was thrilled to get such a big assortment!

You have seen me find individual boxes of birthday candles here and there, but today I found a case of them.  A few boxes were missing, but this woman must have really liked to celebrate birthdays to buy them in that quantity!

Some old vintage Christmas gift tags.  Note the one on the lower left that looks like a book of matches.

Here is a closer look.  A couple of cigarettes to decorate the front.

And then when you open it up...

It just made me giggle - I don't think this card would be a big seller today.

Old Halloween, vintage ornaments, old tape measures and a package of Easter grass.
 

My other big score today was this box of old pressed cardboard bells.  They will reappear at Christmas in a much more charming state after spending some time in my studio,
 

In addition to the pressed cardboard bells, I got a BIG cardboard anchor.  I don't NEED an anchor, but it am going to gussy it up and hang it in the studio..."anchors away to creativity" or something like that.  It is about two foot tall!

I could spend hours sorting thru the little things.  Like these firecracker like ornaments (perfect for the Fourth of July spun heads).  Kazoos and Ice Folly pins.  Silly things that will be put to use.
 

Was another good day. I think I'll go listen to a little Van Halen "Jump" out in the studio while I put things away.  Not my usual genre of music, but I've been in a jumping mood lately!

Estate Sale Friday Found Me Jumping For Joy

It has been a long winter and I have been patiently waiting for the estate sale season to hit.  Today I hit a great sale and I KNEW that others would be following soon...tis the season.  Today's sale had me jumping for joy!

It was the first time in a LOMG time that I left with my arms quite full and I filled up my picnic table with goodies for a photo.

Vintage pipe cleaners, Putz style houses, old tin molds, drinking straws, old trim and great vintage fabric.

A wonderful assortment of ribbon spools for my spun head gals.


Handmade roses, eggs cups and spun heads.

A good assortment of buttons on their original cards.

Old cake decoration bunny heads, playing cards and a box of chalk.  The chalk box was one of my favorite finds.  It will go with my chalk collection and I love the graphics on the box.  Now you see why I was jumping about.....

Old Christmas reindeer and holiday figures in their original wrap.
The sweetest spun head doll came home with me.
 


Old photos, Christmas ornaments and crafting supplies.


A charming pink and white polka dot box.

With the original unused bunny tucked away inside.

A very happy day for me and I know there are more sales to come as we head into summer. 

Hope your day had you jumping for joy too!

A Fitting Gift - The Crafting Kind

I had breakfast with my friend Pam from One Gal's Trash the other day. It was her birthday recently and she loves daffodils...so I made her a little bouquet of crepe paper flowers and stuck it in an old salt shaker.

She passed off this great book to me. How to Make Paper Flowers and Party Decorations" (by Natalie Morgan, 1947).  How fitting is that after the little gift I gave her?  And low and behold this was the first page I turned to - how to make paper jonquils.

This book is a treasure trove of vintage crafts.

A wonderful Halloween centerpiece.

Hasn't your child wanted to be a carrot for Halloween?

I had fun reading the book last night in bed. I added it to the rest of my vintage crafting book collection.

Look at how much crepe paper was used in decorating these rooms - photos are from the above book.  Double click for a closer look...that is A TON OF CREPE PAPER!

I used to do alot of bulletin boards and banners at my kid's elementary school...these old vintage books were a source of inspiration.

I must admit I have not created many crafts from "New Egg Carton Ideas".
 

 

I love this little collection and the ideas and inspiration they give me in my studio.  I just can't pass one of these gems by!  Give me some vintage crafting any day....

403 Posts And Still Happy As A Magpie!

This is actually my 403rd post and I think that in celebration of this event...I need to have a giveaway!

In the spirit of spring and the upcoming estate sale season, I have collected or crafted a little touch of happy to entice you with!  Let's play a game of "eye spy"!

 

I spy with my little eye...some vintage bingo cards, a trio of my hand-dyed bottlebrush trees in yummy colors, old buttons on original cards, old birthday candles (in honor of my collection), a pack of vintage paper umbrellas and an old cardboard light switch cover with a spring flower scene!

I spy a yellow party bird with a great hat...
 

and this little spun head girl...

I spy my favorite happy striped paper straws.

And a Easter decoration like the one I did for the Easter Egg swap.

I spy an adorable pad of striped paper with a fun pencil.  If you have ever gotten a reply to a blog comment from me, you may recognize the phrase "happy day"!

To be entered in this fun, colorful 403rd post giveaway....leave me a comment and finish the phrase "Oh Happy Day when....." I will pick a winner on Monday the 12th....good luck and have a happy day!

Easter at My House

Just a few shots of what you would find at my house if you came over for Easter today....

My front porch

This would greet you as you walked in the door.  My tree covered in vintage birds and surrounded by honeycomb eggs.

A little scene on the coffee table.

All the egg cups and eggs from the Easter egg swap I did.

Some big cardboard eggs that I display on glass or crystal candlesticks.

The top of my china hutch with my small collection of Easter baskets.

My collection of chicks lives in the china hutch (doors are open so I don't get that glare)

Old handmade eggs are the only decoration on this tree.

Rabbits live in the kitchen.

My old boxes that I adore.

My kitchen windowsill.
Hope you have a glorious Easter.

If you want to see last year's Easter decoration post..try here, here or here,

Easter Egg Swap

First off, I hit one estate sale today.  I left without a thing!  I wasn't expecting much since it was a holiday weekend...I should have just stayed in bed!

The highlight of the day was getting the box in the mail from Shara's Egg-stra Fun Swap full of a bunch of Easter egg fun!  It was really fun to see all the different types of crafts that people came up with - an amazing variety of items and mediums used.

Want to see?

This was from Shara from Monkeybox, the hostess with the mostess for the swap.  She did a whole little Easter basket with a tiny chick and a glittery egg.

This little wrapped egg with a quilled flower from Out of the Crayon Box.  Quilling is one craft I have never tried, so I had to really examine this specimen! Extra perk was that I got one with a floral design!

This little polka dot chick hatched from a plastic egg when I opened it.  The little friend was from Crafy Little Beana. I peaked at this blog prior to getting the box today so I knew what the chicks looked like - there were an assortment of fabrics but I liked the gray polka dot ones (there were two) and I got the fabric I wanted!

This colorful egg was from Courtney.  I love the decoupaged rainbow collage.

A different take on the swap was this gem from Thrifty Goodness.  She made this little tag that was egg shaped. I got one with a little crowned glittered bunny - It will live with my bunny collection in the kitchen!

You know I am a sucker for glitter, so I loved this egg from Makin' Projiks.  Glitter, crepe paper ruffles and tiny flowers are some of my favorite things to craft with!

Another twist on the egg theme with a cute Easter tag from Sugar Creek.  This tag is two sided with vintage Easter images.

One more scramble on the egg theme was another egg shaped tag from Debra.  No blog for this girl evidently...but her tags are super sweet (more crepe paper ruffles to make me swoon!)

A golden egg with a vintage jeweled earring from Heidi.  I love how classic and simple this egg is. 

A thread wrapped egg from Wendy with a tiny flying bird. I think all of these egg creations will live with my collection of egg cups.,,they look sweet displayed with them!

And last but not least from  Aimee-Suzanne.  She had a whole bag of fun goodies as well as a little clear plastic egg.  The eggs reminded me of an "Eye Spy" game as it was full of pearls, flowers, vintage stickers and pink garland.  You kept looking and looking to find more treasures.

WOW!  It really was interesting to see how each person interpreted the "egg" theme.  A big thank you to Shara for hosting and mailing off all the goodies in time for Easter!  I have one more of the eggs I made left and it will be included in my my 400th post giveaway which will hit next week!

Thanks to all my egg swapping friends and Happy Easter!