Autumn Road Trips

Along with the cool, crisp temperatures comes Autumn road trips!

Julie & I recently hit one of our favs, the 

Highway 36 Treasure Hunt

It runs about 400 miles from the border of Missouri , across Kansas to the Colorado border.  We've done sections of the flea market run over the years, but have yet to complete its entirety.   

Sometimes we've treasure hunted in group caravans, but mostly it's just Julie & me doing a Girls Road Trip!  

I no longer hunt for resale, so my purchases are usually for my personal collections or smaller pieces for creating artwork.

Here's our recent 36 Treasure Hunt road trip

 Some sales were up driveways directly on Highway 36

While other sales were a bit off the beaten path in farm country.  

 

We saw several rural homes that had awesome backyard entertaining areas; however, today they were filled with treasures.

 And some sales were back in the cornfields

Most small towns along Highway 36 offered city-wide sales like this city building full of treasures.

While prices have increased over the years, good deals

can still be found.
My treasure hunt prices ranged .10 - $5.00 each. 

Here are my treasures for the day

 Awesome Lucite & Bakelite butterfly pin!

 Fun, vintage Sarah Coventry owl mesh bracelet

I'm hoping this is a Mandarin Hat button!!

I need to do more research as I have never seen one that is only brass filigree with no gemstone.  

These pieces should make great frames for some artsy project.

This sky indicated it was time to cut our hunt short and head home

By the time Julie dropped me off and she headed home, she drove home during a tornado.  

Yikes, what we'll do for a good treasure hunt!

Update on BLING IT ON - Altered mini Altoid tin Necklace

Just to let you know I am waiting for photos of the other altered mini Altoid tin necklaces from our BLING IT ON swap.  Once I receive them, I will share them with you.  I have received a couple and they are WONDERFUL!

Till then, here's the necklace again that I created

 

 

I thought I'd highlight this feature of my necklace as I was tickled when

I found it hidden in my junk drawer

I was in primary school in the sixties.  How many of you recall using Prang watercolors for school?

Do you remember the older sets came in metal tins with pop-out trays that held the paint?

Well, that is what the oval tin is in the photo above holding the HOPE bird image.

I picked up a handful of these vintage metal Prang watercolor trays with their beautifully aged patina from an estate sale.  I tossed them in one of my odds-n-ends junk goodie drawers.  I knew some day they'd make a great frame.  

The bird image is an image off of an old greeting card, I reduced its size and added HOPE.  I lightly Mod Podged it to the tray and then added thin layers of the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, allowing each layer to dry thoroughly between applications.  I added the sparkly vintage rhinestone on the last two layers of Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, adding just enough on these two layers to hold the rhinestone in-place, but not cover it.

My husband often wonders why I bring home the odd items that I do.  Well, because, someday those odd items find wonderful new homes.

BLING IT ON - Altered Mini Altoid Tin Necklace

Over the summer, along with a group of friends, we shared an Altered Mini Altoid Tin swap...

"BLING IT ON" 

It was in June that Gail created this lovely altered mini Altoid tin necklace for me as a birthday gift

 

This group of friends, inspired by Gail's beautiful necklace decided to share a swap together.

Ironically I drew Gail's name for the swap and was delighted to create something back to her.

I had envisioned a pink and green sparkly, blingy, rhinestone beauty with some Victorian flair to it, but sadly none of my treasures would fit on the mini Altoid tin.

I scoured many flea markets and antique stores attempting to find smaller pink and green sparkly, blingy, rhinestone treasures, but none found and the swap due date was approaching.

After tearing the design apart FOUR times, and using what smaller findings I had, here is the altered mini Altoid tin necklace I created for Gail

I am excited to see the altered necklaces created by the other swappers!

I hope to have photos of them soon and will share them with you.

Hope your day is BLESSED -Tami

Beautiful Gifts from Beautiful Friends

My dear & amazing friend Venita was visiting her daughter this past winter in Florida.  Her daughter has a ceramic kiln, so Venita being a button collector like me,

made her own ceramic buttons.

(Venita)

Here are the buttons she created and shared with me

   I totally adore & cherish them!

My other wonderful gift I received from Sarah at

My So Called Junky Life 

Sarah offered a bracelet give away  

Sterling silver, fresh water pearls and a gorgeous

vintage mother of pearl heart.

Isn't it just gorgeous?  

I am one blessed friend to have friends share these

beautiful gifts  with me.  

Thank you Venita & Sarah!

My recent Girls Road Trip 'Pickin' Treasures

Recently I blog about my Girls Road Trip.  Here are some of the treasures that found their way home with me...

1940s Glass buttons on original card, Vintage plastic Elephant buckle, Sterling Silver flower pin ($1.00!) and a broken strand of creamy pearls

 Large crock bowl with pennant edge design

 Crystal S&P Shakers for making my 'Snow Girls' and some great orphaned lids for another project!

 Vintage 2-tiered Office stamp holder

 Vintage tins - the SOOVAIN tin is a medicine tin that once held Acetphenetidin with aspirin and caffeine & sold for 25 cents

 And

several vintage postcards for 25 cents each

 

 The wonderfully worn vintage handmade
wooden tool caddy worked well as a base for a Christmas centerpiece

I love pickin for treasures!

Ooh lala... estate sale goodies

Every once in awhile you stumbled upon a GREAT estate sale.  Thankfully that is just what I did.  Last week I stumbled upon an incredible estate sale.  It was late afternoon when I arrived, so one would think all the good stuff would be gone.  To my delightful surprise it was worth the stop...      

Sweet vintage purses, millinery flowers & lace

Lace, tatting, crocheting, lace edges from old table clothes and pillow cases and ribbon.... Eye candy!

Lovely table toppers & pillow cases

More lace, ribbon, two beautifully beaded dress trims, and way in the back barely showing is vintage wallpaper

More lace!  

Yummy hats and a stack of 6 vintage silk curtain panels trimmed in lace

Sparkles

Now that's a great sale... what do you think?