The Return of Trash-picked Tuesday!!!!

Hello Friends, it's good to have you here!

Well, since the kiddos went back to school yesterday I finally have a chance to get to work on some of my personal projects. I have so many things that I get started and then never finish because I get interrupted, or have to run out and do something, etc., etc., ad nauseum...

And one of those things is blogging!

So, longtime readers may recall that I spent a whole year (2011, 2012??? I forget) doing posts on trash-picked or free items every Tuesday. I am never above trash picking a great find or at least something that needs a little work to be cool. Even now that my kids are approaching pre-teen years and this probably embarrasses them soooo much.  Hehehe...

Last week we took the kids down the Shore for a day and on my way down there I noticed an old springer/motel chair out for the trash. It wasn't just sitting there; it looked like it had either fallen out of someone's truck or someone had jumped on the seat and caused the whole thing to collapse. I figured if it was still there later on when we came home I would grab it. And so it was.

Like a bad blogger I neglected to take a picture of it "before"..., but imagine this chair with the legs completely collapsed and almost touching the bottom of the seat- sort of like it was folded in half. (which was kind of a good thing, because I don't think I could have gotten it into the car, otherwise.) Also, the top was faded red and the bottom was faded so badly it looked gray. There was plenty of rusty spots on the legs also.

We managed to get the legs about 85% straightened out, and everything sanded and primed. Then after I put the kids on the bus yesterday, I went out and chose this pretty color of blue, Rustoleum's Ocean. Several coats on the seat, and some white on the legs and it was ready to put back together. I think it came out pretty well for something left for dead.

And here is it with its life partner- eventually I will paint the other chair to match!

I'm a crafty sort...

...not really. Actually, I never make stuff. Me and hot glue just don't get along.

But I had an idea to make one of those vintage lightbulb/ornament wreaths. Since we use those big colored lights to outline our house, I happened to have a bunch of spare lightbulbs. And today we're snowed in, so it was a good day to do a project.

It took me two years to get my act together and do it though (hey, it took a while to collect all those burned out bulbs!) but it was really easy. And believe me, if I am saying that about a craft, it must be. It only took about an hour and I got to use some of the ornaments I thrifted yesterday (for 75% off!) Which was great, because once I got them home I realized I was going to have to store them for another whole year before putting them up... so win, win!

 And since I had the glue gun out, I also fixed up this bottle brush wreath I have had for years. It needed something, so I added the "Merry Christmas" sign and a few bird ornaments. I had been thinking about bleaching it (as you can see above, our front door is red, and this just wouldn't stand out) but then I decided to hang it in front of my living room mirror.  Perfect! 

The return of Trash-picked Tuesday: DIY Terrarium

Welcome back to the return of a Practice in Time favorite, Trash-picked Tuesday! Back in 2010, I blogged about things I trash-picked every Tuesday for a year. (Yes, that's a lot of trash!) But if you go back and scroll through the archives, you'll see some pretty neat stuff.

That says an awful lot about our culture, that we can throw away things that other people find valuable. But the philosophy lesson is not what you're here for, I get it.

Anyway, I had this glass jar I got as part of the box lots at an auction I went to. I probably paid less than a dollar for the box, and this was one of those things included in it that I didn't need or want, so I had to figure out something to do with it. Well, I tried to sell it in my booth, as is. No one wanted it. Then I filled it full of fake eyeballs at Halloween and tried to sell it that way. No go. Filled it with Xmas balls. No sale.

So after spending an inordinate amount of time on Pinterest, I turned it into a terrarium:

What makes this so appealing to me is that I spent virtually nothing on it. The dirt I took out of an old plant pot. The river rock was in my driveway. The moss I picked up in my yard (the snow finally melted enough for me to get out there this morning). The shamrock is basically a weed growing in a container I had brought in from the patio. And the tiny African violet I started from a leaf cutting I found laying on the ground at Lowe's.

Doesn't it make you feel like a bit of spring in a jar?

It was pretty much a free project, and super easy. I have seen plenty of empty jars like this at thrift shops for a dollar or two, so if you have the inclination you can do this as well. It would also work great with an old canning jar. Just scrounge up some plant materials from your yard (or your neighborhood) for free!

And I bet if I put this in the booth now it will sell. What do you think?

A Radioactive Red Fiestaware Find

Last weekend was our community-wide yard sale. My son (aka "Eagle Eye") and I had been looking forward to this for weeks, and it didn't disappoint. We were up and at'em by eight and many people were still just setting up their stuff. Perfect- we didn't miss anything!

At the first group of sales (in the churchyard) I bought this flamingo pink Pyrex casserole for $1. I love this size and to find one in pink was sweet!

 

I also bought these two awesome light-up religious icons. (I seem to have cornered the market lately on religious kitsch!) They're headed to the antique store booth.

 So is this Stangl ashtray:

I bought this vintage ring box from the same lady. I paid $5 for both the ashtray and ring box.

These 2 sets of salt and pepper shakers were $1 for both.

Remember my Kustom bathroom scale project? I found another one to work on this winter. It's all there and works fine, and as you can see, the price was right. I'm thinking about doing this one black and silver. 

But this was the find of the day:

This orange pitcher caught my eye. Of course, I picked it up and turned it over and noted that it said "fiesta Kitchen Kraft" on the bottom. Now, I know next to nothing about Fiestaware. I have some, but it's modern. (And truth be told, I actually like the HLC Riviera line stuff better, if I was going to collect it.) But my instincts told me it was going to be worth a lot more than the $3 price the lady had on it. I immediately walked over with money in hand (didn't even try to haggle on it) and she asked me if I wanted the 2 little pitchers as well. She was asking $3 for all three. 

The 2 little guys are not Fiesta and aren't in the greatest of condition, but are cute. But once I got home and did some research on the pitcher I knew I had a gem. It is a 2 pint covered jug, produced a few years after Fiesta was first launched, in about 1938-39. As you can see it is a bright red-orange color. This color was produced by HLC in the late 1930s using uranium oxide to develop the color. It contains a radioactive isotope and there are a couple YouTube videos out there that prove it with a Geiger counter. (More info here.) It is safe to use, and certainly won't hurt me sitting pretty on its shelf. But apparently, once the radioactivity of these pieces became known in the 70s and 80s many of them were destroyed, which makes this quite rare. I'm happy with my find, and it's a perfect color for fall. I think I'll keep it a while!

Stove Update #3

I've had a few people ask me about my stove project lately, so I thought it was due for an update! For those of you new to the blog, last summer (about a year ago) my modern oven door just fell off and shattered in the middle of the night. Long story short, I took advantage of the opportunity to fulfill my long-held desire to acquire a vintage stove.

My stove as it sat in the seller's basement.

I bought a 1950 Westinghouse double oven off of Craigslist. (For you I Love Lucy fans, this is the same stove she has on the show. Why? Because Westinghouse sponsored the Lucy show.) It worked and was in good shape, but once we got it home it was clear that the wiring needed to be totally replaced. 

 I started that project last fall and as the weather got colder we moved the stove from the garage to the basement and my husband took it over.

Ever try carrying a 300 lb. steel and porcelain appliance down a flight of stairs? :) But the good part about that was that we could set it up near our electric panel to test it before moving it upstairs.

Once the re-wire job was complete, my brother, an electrician, came over and drew a 220 V line directly from our electric panel and hooked it to the stove. See the 4 wires coming off the panel? Best to leave that job to the professionals!

It's alive! All four burners, both ovens and broilers live again.

Even the 120 V circuits for the lighting and outlets work. 

The funny thing was, all this was happening around dinner time and I had to cook dinner. I had some summer squash and tomatoes and onions to saute and went about my usual prep work and put the pan on my existing stove (which still works, it just doesn't look pretty). I turned on the burner and went about starting something else- it took me about five minutes before I realized the veggies weren't cooking! 

Apparently, my brother had taken the existing 220 line from our working stove and jumped it onto the project stove right about then. I had no power at all to the modern stove. So I promptly took my pan down the basement and plopped it on the project stove to "test" the burners. I don't think our basement ever smelled so good!

My husband makes his first appearance on the blog showing off his wiring and cooking skillz...

My next step is to take the chrome pieces to be re-chromed. (We were waiting to make sure it worked before embarking on that considerable expense.) Then we will need to cut our countertops out in the kitchen to make room for the wider stove- will probably have to get new countertops as a result. I can't wait to show you the finished project- we're getting there!

Rummage Sale Goodness Pt. 1

Today was the big rummage sale at our local church. They have one twice a year, and I always get really good stuff. Today was no exception.

I'm going to break this up over 2 posts because it's kind of photo-heavy. Which means I got a ton of stuff! 

This year's theme was blue, apparently. 

I found another Hoosier jar! With a blue lid, a color I've never seen before. It was $6, which was highway robbery for a rummage sale, but try buying one cheaper anywhere else. And I always have a use for them. Same with the blue mason jars, which were 25 cents each (that's more like it!) The tablecloth was $1.50 and is not a size I can use, but I might take it to the cabin or sell it in my Etsy store. 

Someone must have had an old Hotpoint refrigerator. Guess what, so do I! 

I think the basket (which says "Left-Overs"- love that) will fit in mine also. How cool is that, to find accessories for your 1940 Hotpoint at a rummage sale. Each piece was 25 cents.

I actually went back later in the day for this aquarium. I thought about it all morning and realized it would be perfect for a terrarium. Thankfully it was still there. It's older than I thought it was- the bottom is slate! The bell was an impulse buy (25 cents) that I may live to regret. Those of you with young kids will know what I mean!

That's it for now- I'll be back after tomorrow's rummage sale with pt. 2!

Flea Market Friday: Saturday Bargains!

Yes, I know this is Saturday. It just so happened that I didn't get to any yard sales yesterday (we've all had a stomach bug around here and it hasn't been pretty) and, well, there weren't any flea markets. But I did get to stop at one today!

We spent the morning trout fishing- the kids caught dinner tonight, so that's good- and around noon time got home. I had to file my local taxes at the municipal bldg and thought I'd head over today and do that. Well, on my way there I came across a flea market at our local community center that was just winding down- and being a cheapskate, that's my favorite time to shop! (The tax office was already closed for the day, so I'll have to get back on Monday- oh well.)

I zipped through the tables quickly because the vendors were all packing up. There was a lot of junk- like piles of cheap purses and sunglasses. But I did spy some treasures and got some good deals- I never offer more than 50% of what an item is marked and almost never am turned down. Especially at this time of day. I never used to like bargaining, but as I have gotten older, and now that I own my own business I find that I enjoy it, on both sides of the deal. (So if there's anything you like in my Etsy store, make me an offer- let's work it out!)

So on with the loot:

I loved this enamel flower brooch as soon as I saw it. I know these are kind of trendy right now, but I have so many red white and blue outfits I will get lots of wear out of it. Around here the thrifts are catching on to them as well, and the prices are going up. I paid $1.

I need another planter like a hole in the head, but it's such a groovy shape (love the feet!), is a perfect green color and is Haeger. I'm thinking it will be good to hold remotes in the new living room. Another $1 buy.

Some of you were asking where I keep all this stuff- well, at times my house looks like an episode from Hoarders (the vintage edition) LOL. This is just perfect. And since my son collects these wood plaques and his room is chronically messy, well, you know where it's going.

Trash-picked Tuesday: Framed! (again)

I don't know know what it is about me and framed pictures lately. While driving to my weekly allergist appointment this morning, I spotted these out by the curb:

I pulled over so quickly a police officer stopped behind me to make sure everything was OK. (That's alright, officer, I'm just curb shopping!)

At first, I thought it was some sort of Hollywood star- the gentleman does bear a resemblance to William Powell (who was a Pennsylvanian- although not from this area.) They are definitely 1930s/early 40s. 

But there is a stamp for a local photographer on the print, so I'm guessing these are perhaps some aspiring local actor, or just a real hep cat. 

They are huge- the photos are probably 11 x 14, and the frames 24 x 18. Unfortunately , they have some significant water damage. The one below is probably salvageable, and I can probably still use both frames with a little touching up. But the photo above might be too far gone.

So, any ideas about what to do with them, or who they might be? I love a good mystery!

Not your usual Trash-picked Tuesday post

Hi there! Long time no post, I know....

I have been crazy busy these last 2 weeks- doing a last minute grant application (just submitted this morning, whew!), and galivanting about and generally having a great time meeting some new friends. Next up is my taxes. Blegh- you win some, you lose some.

But I wanted to pop in and mention the greatest website a trash-picker at heart can have, and that is freecycle! If you've never heard of it, basically it is a locally-based message board where you post things you no longer want or make requests for something you need- all free. You can find out more and join a group in your area here: http://www.freecycle.org/

So far, I have given an old printer and scanner to a new home and received a bike rack for my car- still new in the box! Now, I didn't put up a picture because my camera batteries were dead, but this is what I got:

$45 brand new- but free to me! 

It sure will come in handy, because my son has never ridden his bike on pavement before. (He's seven!) We don't live in an area with sidewalks and the road is too busy to ride on, so he rides in the yard. But I'd like to take him to the nearby state park for a little practice on the trails. Now that I have a bike rack, I can load up both of our bikes and we can head out. I can't tell you how happy I am to have this, and just from joining freecycle. You should try it out too!

Trash Picked Tuesday: Pyrex!

I'm thrilled to be a member of the new Pyrex Collective III- here is a post I wrote for that site yesterday. Hop on over when you're done here and check it out!

I have been using Pyrex all my life, of course, but mostly the clear stuff. And as much as I love the colors and patterns... well, we all know they can't go through the dishwasher. And as a stay-at-home entrpreneur ;) with two small kids, I am all about the dishwasher.

So while I collect Pyrex to display and use (carefully) I often find myself relying on those pieces that are clear or just plain white for everyday use, and dishwashing!

And since I am also all about frugal living, I try to buy my pieces as cheap as possible. I prowl the thrifts, the yard sales, the flea markets, etc. for Pyrex.

There is nothing I like better than finding cheap Pyrex, except, of course, finding free Pyrex!

I nabbed these two cuties outside of one of my favorite thrifts, on the "Free" pile! I don't know how or why they got there, but heck, I'm not complaining! I will get lots of use out of the divided dish- I have a primary yellow one in which I usually bake a chicken leg or two on one side with the stuffing on the other. I also make my own bread every week, so the loaf pan will sure come in handy. It has the old style scalloped handles. The loaf pan has a few chips around the rim, but nothing that makes it completely unusable, while the divided dish is pristine. Not bad for being free!

                                                                                                            

Trash to Treasure: Kustom Bathroom Scale

This is another one of those projects I have had hanging around forever! Just like the TV-quarium project, I have had this old bathroom scale on the back burner for years. Literally, like 10 years. 

It had been a wedding present to my in-laws back in 1960. After a while it got too rusty and grungy to be in the bathroom and they had it sitting in the garage. I asked if I could have it, since we have a pink and black bathroom and it would match. I knew it would take a lot of work to get back to being usable, so I just stored it in the basement for a -long- time.

For all those years, my main concern was that I wasn't able to find the "correct" vinyl to restore the treads- pink textured with sparkles (!). I would have settled for just plain pink upholstery vinyl, but I could never find just the right shade to match the tile and the pink paint I already had.

Then I saw a great bathroom scale restoration done by the folks over at the Hepcats Restorations blog (thanks guys!) using black step tread material, and finally had my lightbulb moment! I didn't have to find original vinyl, I could do something a little different.

So we disassembled it, peeled off the old vinyl and stripped the paint.

The back got a coat of Rustoleum textured matte black and some new rubber feet. 

The top got several coats of pink paint. Notice the strip of original vinyl on the right, and how closely the pink matches! My husband used to be an auto body tech, so he did the prep and painting- much better than I could have done!

I masked off the shoulders and a strip on the front to leave the original chrome. Then I smoothed out the edges with a little pinstripe. Cleaned up the dial and painted the wheel and the "Detecto" emblem with black. 

Since I was going to be able to cut the tread material to whatever design I wanted, I decided to have a little fun with it and do a flame pattern. I did need to cover the holes in the top, so I had to take that into account when cutting the treads.

So here it is! Another item crossed off the to-do list, and a fun weekend project. Might even make stepping on the scale enjoyable!