Santas and Soldiers

Haven’t had a lot of time to write in the past few months.

Until I can actually scratch out a few sentences about something real,

I thought I’d just post a few pix of some recent thrift store and flea market finds.

Enjoy.

♥

Carved wooden fish.

A teeny soapstone hippo.

A row of little painted soldiers and a matching egg to store them in.

And a row of little painted Santas too!

A great little stitched piece – likely Guatemalan, though can’t be sure.

Found a perfect frame for it at a new thrift store the very next day.  (Hooray for new thrift stores!!)

And just today, I finally made it up the freeway to collect this vintage window cabinet from a craigslister.

I saw the ad weeks ago, but just never found myself in the seller’s neighborhood.

So glad he still had it when I called this morning!

I slapped that coat of blue paint on the inside the minute I got it home.

Still have to clean up the outside a bit.

Can’t wait to hang it up and tuck in some tiny treasures in the next day or two.

 

Also picked up some Christmas bows, some wrapping paper, a few small Halloween decorations, a short stack of magazines, a couple of books, and another vintage biscuit cutter.

Oh yeah, did I mention I’ve started collecting vintage biscuit cutters?

I love their chippy chunky painted handles and all their little love dents.

Plus, I actually make biscuits.  And sometimes they’re even good.  Ha!

That’s all for now!

♥

What treasures have you collected lately?

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I took a stab at saving this art.

Remember a few months ago, when I asked for your help to Save This Art?

 

Well, I got out my wallet to do it…

and then realized there was nothing in there,

so I got out my paintbrush instead.

It’s not perfect.  There is still a lot to do, especially over there on the right, but I’m happy so far.

♥

What did you do this week?

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Help Me Save This Art – Part 2

Many of you asked me about the artist’s signature on the painting I posted yesterday.

Thought I had included that pic, but I guess I didn’t.

Here it is now.

All I am sure of is the first name of Cyril.

The last name appears to start with CA or maybe CO.

It ends with WAY.  I think.  Callaway, Callway, Conway, Comway, Camway?

I have already searched online quite a bit, but have not found anything definitive.

Let me know if you have better luck!

By the way, this is the second less-than-perfect painting I have purchased on impulse.

Do you remember this one?

It’s hanging by clips in my coat closet, still damaged, still unstretched, and still unframed.

I need to do something with both of these paintings.

I can’t just be a collector of damaged art.

Can you imagine my epitaph?

“Here lies Becky.  She liked Mexican food and ripped paintings.”

Ha!

♥

P.S.  What are you up to this week?  I mean, other than helping me save my art?

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Help Me Save This Art

A few weeks ago, I bought a painting at one of my local thrift stores.  Or rather, I bought the remains of a painting at one of my local thrift stores.  It’s pretty beat up.  😦

It was leaning against the wall of the store, outside, near the donation bin.  It looked like trash.  Or at least, it looked like what someone else had decided was trash.

To me, it was a charming treasure and I wanted it.  I decided I would go inside and ask.  If I could get it for $3 or less, I would take it home.

The cashier came outside with me to survey the scene.  It wasn’t pretty.

The painting is separated from its wooden stretcher in several places.  The canvas has holes where the nails have ripped through.

There are bare spots where the paint is completely gone and several more areas where it is flaking away.

The decorative outer frame was sitting ten or twelve yards down the sidewalk.  It’s in pretty poor shape too – structurally sound, but badly scuffed and really chipped.

Ignore our dusty piano in this picture.

 

The cashier stared at all this for a minute before looking at me quizzically, but then she just scooped it all up and carried it into the store.

I followed as she wound down the aisle and into the back room where another woman was pricing merchandise.  The two of them spoke quietly for a moment, then the first woman turned back to me and said “$2.99?”

Five minutes later, I was in my car with a severely damaged painting and a head full of “what am I doing?”

So, now I ask you.  What am I doing?

I love the scene.  The cows charm me and the colors are serene and comforting.

But this painting is coming apart.  Really coming apart.

Can I save it somehow?

And can you make out the artist’s name any better than I can?  Cyril something.

What would you do with this?  Please don’t say “use it to wipe my boots, then chuck it.”  I’m serious.

I considered taking it to a restoration specialist, but I flat out don’t have the money for that, and honestly, it may be too far gone for them to mess with it anyway.

I also thought about adding a coat of polycrylic to preserve what is left, but I am not a fan of that shiny finish.

I saw a DIY project online for recycling damaged paintings.  It suggested cutting out the good parts and tossing the rest.  But re-stretching the newly cropped pieces or mounting them onto wood or plates or whatever doesn’t really appeal to me.  The parts I like best are the most damaged sections.  I don’t want to just cut them out and throw them away.

I also wondered about the simplicity of just flattening the painting behind glass in hope it doesn’t flake any more, but the flakes might stick to the glass and it would be in worse shape than before.  And really, I don’t love this kind of art behind glass anyway.  I think part of the experience of appreciating it is in seeing the texture as much as the entirety of the scene.

All that said, I did only spend three bucks, so whatever happens won’t be a tragedy if it’s not successful.

Any ideas?

What would you do?

Leave me a comment and tell me.  Please.

♥♥

 

 

 

It’s officially a collection.

I bought another Bundt pan.

That’s two in two days.

This one is more modern than the others.

It’s non-stick, silver, heavy, and made by Wilton instead of Nordic Ware.

And it’s beautiful.

See?

It’s already on the wall with my red and blacks pans.

Yesterday, I raised my eyebrows in wonder and slight disgust over the condition of the chippy yellow pan I bought on Sunday.  Someone was mean to it.

This one, on the contrary, was treated like the beauty she is.

The pan has clearly been used, but it was basically clean, and the previous owner had even kept the flimsy plastic insert to protect the pan’s interior.  Amazing.

You can see some dust on the plastic piece – this is after I washed it with warm soapy water.

It was really gross, but the pan beneath it was happy and safe.

Now, I just need an occasion for popping these pans into the oven.

Send me your favorite Bundt cake recipes.

♥

I also bought a few more children’s books and a teeny patchwork pumpkin.

A few days ago, I swapped out all the books on my son’s display rack.

We now have enough Halloween books to read a different one every day in October.

Our Thanksgiving titles are in shorter supply though, so I was happy to find a few at the thrift store today.

The display rack is mostly for seasonal titles.

He has a couple of tall bookcases in his room for other books and some of his toys.

Heh heh.  I just noticed that Wreck-it Ralph is in the hospital.

Brundibar is a Maurice Sendak book that I’ve had on my wish list for a while.

It’s always nice to find a $20 hardback picture book in perfect shape and marked just $2 at Goodwill!

Can’t beat that!

I can’t really imagine paying full price for a children’s book – not when Goodwill actually has its own bookstores.

Unless you’re looking for a new release or a specific hard-to-find item, it pays to go second-hand.

My favorite place to buy books is the DAV thrift store on Elkelton in Spring Valley.  They seem to have a permanent half-off sale – all books and magazines too.

And their prices are low before the discount.

Anyhoo, here is a close-up of my little patchwork pumpkin.

I am really quite ready to usher in the Fall.

In fact, I can’t wait to see miniature pumpkins at the grocery store.

They make me happy.  🙂

♥

That’s all.

Well…except for here’s my kid and my messy house:

Happy Tuesday!

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Still No Armadillo

Remember Gourdy?

I got a friend for him today.

His mustache reminds me of Snoopy’s brother, so I named him Spike.

He is Gourdy’s Uncle Spike.

He makes me laugh.

♥

I also picked up a few children’s books (big surprise).

I found two small Wilton cake pans too.

The pans are oval – perfect for making Easter egg cakes next spring – and they were a steal at two for a dollar.

The price was extended to me because the vendor was an acquaintance of my brother’s.

It pays to hang with a sibling who knows the sellers by their first names.  🙂

♥

My favorite find of the day is this chippy yellow bundt pan.

It was dirty and neglected when I found it.

It astounds me that people can’t be bothered to scrub a bit before tossing things into the donate pile.  Gross.  Sad.

I’m not sure how well it will actually bake, given the abuse it suffered from its previous owner, but I love it up there on the wall above my spice rack!

I will try it out over the holidays, for sure.

A few months ago, I bought a small red bundt pan that hangs on the opposite wall.

It’s chippy too.

I love them both.

♥

That’s all.

Happy Sunday!

♥

P.S. Look at this:

I tossed some leftover ground cover into a planter pot a few weeks ago.

I actually thought it was dead.

I guess I was wrong.

Happy Surprise.

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Tool Storage

A few months ago, I bought a shabby little wall cupboard at one of my favorite thrift stores.  It was cheaply made and horribly painted, but I liked it and it only cost three dollars.

I don’t remember what I intended to do with it at the time.  Truth be told, I’ve twice tossed it back to the donate pile and subsequently retrieved it.

Today I finally put it to use.  Behold the latest unconventional organizer in our home – a shabby chic screwdriver storage cabinet:

An empty almond body butter container is home to all of the miscellaneous screws we have accumulated in twelve plus years of home ownership.

I drilled a bunch of holes in the top to hold the screwdrivers.  The wood sort of splintered and the paint chipped as I went along, but who cares?  It’s ugly under there, but it’s tool storage, right?

The little drawers hold cup hooks, larger bolts and the wee little screwdrivers we use to replace the teeny batteries in our son’s interactive musical story books.

I know it’s ridiculous to love a storage cabinet, especially one that’s so darned ugly…

but I LOVE my storage cabinet!  Don’t you?!

♥

Happy Friday!  🙂

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Thrift Store Redo

A few weeks ago, I bought a plastic burro at a thrift store.  😐

If you’re a regular reader, then you may remember that I have a weakness for little plastic farm animals.

I wasn’t going to buy this one, but he was perched on a ledge about six feet off the ground and he caught my eye.

I held him for a moment, then I put him back and tried to chuckle off my impulse to purchase.  He had lived a rough life and it showed.  I didn’t need him, so I left him on the ledge and walked away.

I wandered through the rest of the store, trying in futility to look for other treasures.  I was distracted all the while and almost certain that I heard him braying my name.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it.  I had to go and get him.  I rushed back, overcome with anxiety, and was relieved to see that no one else had scooped him up in my moment of parental neglect.  He was meant to be my baby and I had left him alone.  😳  I wouldn’t do it again.

I paid twenty-five cents and brought him home.  Twenty-five cents!

And this week?

This week, I named him Donkey Xote.

And I painted him a house – a colorful, cheery house with a night sky, so he can rest and dream…

♥

Before:

After:

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Happy Friday!

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Another Thrift Store Find

I bought weird art again.  😐

I just couldn’t help myself.

The little boy went back to school on Wednesday, so I went back to the thrift stores.  All three days.

Seven weeks away from them has made my eyes different – hungrier, sharper, more appreciative of their treasures, more open to possibility.

So yeah, I bought weird art again.

At the DAV store, I was looking through a pile of poorly kept posters and papers when I came across a little landscape painting.  It was shoved to the back, forgotten and fearful.

It’s an oil on canvas, ripped from its frame.  The edges are torn, the paint has cracked and even flaked away in a few spots.  There is some other damage as well – a fold, a big pen mark – signs of neglect.

It’s not painted in colors I prefer – lots of dark green.  The scene is not one I would normally be drawn to, but there is something about this painting that made me pause.

I flipped it over to find a price and was not surprised to see $39.00 scribbled in red grease pencil.  Considering the poor condition of the piece, it was easy to scoff at that number.  I probably wouldn’t take it home.

In fact, I would have put the painting down right away, but there was handwriting on the back too and I was compelled to read it.

Turns out the artist scribbled a note.  He put the date and where he was – Korea, 1985.  He also mentioned the people around him.  Just a few simple words and I could immediately picture him there, brush in hand, growling stomach, drizzling rain.  The dark green made sense.

I wanted the painting.

The DAV store is notoriously unwilling to reduce its prices on merchandise.  I decided that it wasn’t meant to be unless I could get it for $20.

I asked with expectation of a fast “no” and the same raised eyebrow and mocking chuckle I usually got, but the pricing manager shocked me this time.  I have shopped in this store since I was a very little girl and never have I been allowed a price I’ve requested.  Never.

Until yesterday.

$20 and the painting is mine.

Here it is:

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Happy Friday!

♥

P.S.  Leighann thinks the signature says “Erix.”  I’m not sure…maybe “Grix?”  Neither name yields anything meaningful from Google.  What do you think?

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