canton stuff & re-do's

We had so much fun over spring break!

Spending four days camping in Texas hill country

is just what we needed!

Now that I'm caught up on the 4 garbage bags of dirty clothes we brought back, I thought I'd show you my Canton haul.

I feel like every time I go out buying I come home

 with the same stuff. 

Are you sick of seeing it?

There's always a frame or 2.

Hopefully a little coin purse, & anything rusty.

But I see this stuff & my pulse quickens. 

I think to myself, those finials would make great bottle toppers.

And I realize I'll probably never use all of the crocheted & lace trims I've hoarded, but if it's sitting there on a table for a good price...... it's coming with me!

That hat was only a dollar so I bought it in honor of Karla, the high preistess of hats.

These long wool stockings were my lucky deal of the day.

I collect them,  & this pair was only $3! 

And the secretary pin will appear on a collage soon one day. 

 This book is so awesome!

It was cheap, I think because it had been in a flood.

Of course that just makes me want it more.
It's a ledger from Oklahoma dated 1800's.

I know... I have plenty of photographs, so I try to be picky. 

The child on this one is precious.
It was only $2 & I love that it's from Paris, Texas.

 At the end of the day I found this old booster seat. 
 It reminded me of being a kid at Denney's, so along with the rest it came home.

I did a little make-over on it with some drop cloth & lace.

 I think it might sit on the bathroom floor with some magazines in the seat.??

 This piece wasn't from Canton, but my neighborhood thrift.

I bought it a couple of weeks ago & finally finished it up. 

 Kevin & I sometimes disagree over the paint/no paint issue. Could it be I have finally burned him out on white?  
But the reddish finish was not pretty & it had a lot of scratches.
 I love beautiful wood, this just wasn't it.

Better I think.

I need your help here. Do you paint your hardware?

 I've seen it both ways & always thought it was more about convenience than aesthetic. 

One more thing before I sign off.

Look what I found at B&N yesterday!!!

I didn't think it was coming out until April 1, but there it was sitting right on the shelf!

  I kind of wonder if it was a mistake,

has anyone else seen it out yet?

Last night when the kids were all tucked in, I crawled into bed & devoured it.

 It's absolutely beautiful, hats off to Fifi & her crew!

A Day Late

I wanted to link up with Debra for Vintage Inspiration Friday  so bad!!!

As usual I'm a day late & a dollar short.

I've  been spending every free minute working on my lessons for Artful Pages 4 Artists/4 Ways.

Here's a peek at my class, Altered Fabric Books.

My class begins Sunday,

Oh well Debra, I'm linking up anyway!

Last week Lori & I went to Canton, it was AMAZING!

First stop was LaurieAnna's Vintage Home.

It was my first time to see her new location.

Beautiful,

vintage,

inspiration!

I didn't know where to look next.

Sensory overload.

Every corner,

every nook & cranny.

was perfection.

It's like French farmhouse,

meets industrial chic!

Love this!

What a great new way to use bed springs.

And the salvage!

It's amazing how she has elevated a regular store front,

into a thing of beauty!

Just as I gained my composure....

we landed here!

Girls Gone Junkin, what a great place to land.

Such great displays,

Such great stuff!

Deidra, Cathy & the girls are such sweeties too!

I loved this banner.

Lori loved this jacket, her van was loaded up so tight by the end of the day. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies!

Whew, I'm exhausted from uploading photos. I'll save my haul for the next post. 

 Hope you have a great weekend.

 We're heading out of town for spring break.  Yeah! Going camping in hill country!

Using it!

I'm accepting Karla's challenge today & breaking into my good stuff!

I have a lot of 'good stuff' to choose from.

Years worth of hunting/gathering have left me with an art room filled to the gills with inspiration!

Like this bird nest.

Yes it's really a nest built around an old book.

 I adore combining nature - sticks & such with old & shiny!

 I get chills every time I open this drawer.

 All of it vintage, most very old.

Pay-off for years worth of dedicated pickin'.

An old torn up bag, some pins & a nest create a little wall art.

Once I got into using my 'sacred stash' I couldn't stop!

Pressed flowers are so beautiful to me.

When we go on vacation I always bring a little nature back with me.

When we went to California a couple of summers ago I brought back some ferns & blooms.

I cherish them & the memories they hold.

 I finally took those precious botanicals out of their box & created a way to display them.

I know y'all are sick to death of reading the name Bolton on my blog.

But...............

I can't help it!

 These pictures have been on the top of my inspiration file for years & years.

Combining forest green & yellow Rit dyes produced the earthiest colors for my muslin. 

 Some Queen Anne's Lace, muslin, glass & medical tape....

 That's it!

Using medical tape to frame them was also gleaned from the Bolton's circa 1990's.

I'm heading to Karla's now to see who else is breaking into their secret stash!

When I'm done there I'm heading over to this weeks lesson.

Artful Pages!

This weeks guest artist is the amazing Lenna Young Andrews.

You can see a peak at her project on her blog

Creative Lenna.

Then I gotta get to work because my class is next week!

I went to Canton last week & can't wait to show you what I found!

~Lisa