If it's Wednesday we must be at the Leesport Flea and Farm Market!!

If it's Wednesday we must be at the Leesport Flea and Farm Market!!

Yesterday we headed down to our favorite flea and farm market.  The weather promised to be beautiful and it was.  The temps were in the high 70s, low 80s and the sky was clear.  We didn't have as much luck with things to buy for our antique shop but found some personal things and a lot of veggies and there was definitely a lot to see.

We got there so early many vendors were just setting up but it didn't stop me finding things to photograph.

One of my missions on this day was to find some blue bottles for my new bottle tree that I have at home in my garden.  No luck on the blue bottles however I certainly saw lots of blue glass like this grouping.

I collect dolls so always notice them when I see them though don't usually buy them this small ...........

If I had been looking for jewelry I could have had lots to choose from.

I liked these watering cans but the guy wanted more for them than I was willing to pay.

My favorite part of the market at this time of the year is the fresh produce.  We managed to spend a lot of our time and money in this section. Here are some of the things we had to pick from.....................

 I love it when we can have fresh veggies every night! 

 We probably won't be able to go to this market for another few weeks and we will miss it.  But are thankful there is a small farmers market near by.  Not as much choice but some good stuff still.

Tea Cup Tuesday

Another Tuesday, another Tea Cup.

 

After you visit my site be sure to visit the others at

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

or

http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com

This week I am showing you the third teacup and saucer set I purchased at the flea market a few weeks ago.

It was manufactured by Taylor and Kent, manufacturers of porcelains at the Florence Works, Longton. England   from c1867 (to 1990's?)  I couldn't find much else out about them.

 Although it is a different flower from the pansies shown last week, it has a similar style of decorating.

Hope you like it.

During the Heat wave things are still happening

We have had a really slow moving week with all this heat that has hit but things are still going on, My doll house club was having a big display of many of our projects during Danville, PA's Iron Heritage Festival.  I helped out a bit on three different days.  I will do a post about that tomorrow. 

But first.............  yesterday, while my shop was open I noticed a lot of bird activity around the front door of the shop.  Apparently there was a bird nest up on the side of the shop where I have a huge wreath with the name of my shop. We hadn't been open in almost two weeks due to travel so didn't see the activity.  Well  yesterday must have been the day the parents kicked out the little birds.  I was standing at the open front door when suddenly a tiny bird flew into me.....  and then landed on the ground.   He hopped around and I quickly closed the door.  He flew up to land on the ledge of the front door's window panes.   Here are a couple of pictures of the bird looking through the door window.

A bit later my husband came out and saw what was happening.  I went out side and suddenly the bird landed on my shoulder so my husband picked him off carefully.  There next two pics are of him holding the bird.  After this he set the bird up on the awning next to the wreath and parents much have come along and encouraged the little guy to get going again.

Nature up close and personal!

Tea Cup Tuesday

It is time for Tea Cup Tuesday again.  They seem to come faster and faster! 

After you visit my site be sure to visit the others at

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

or

http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com 

This week I have another tea cup and saucer set that I bought from the flea market a couple of weeks ago.  This set is from Salisbury Crown China.  I am not showing the mark on the bottom of the plate because I couldn't get a good picture of it.


I don't know a whole lot about this china company either.  But after a bit of on line research I learned this much about the company:

Salisbury Crown China was a firm based in Longton, Staffordshire founded in 1927 and 

taken over by Thomas Poole of Longton in 1961.

 

The design is lovely Pansies!.   Pansies are one of my favorite flowers so am always drawn to them.
It appears to be partially hand painted over perhaps a transfer pattern.  I am not expert enough to know for sure.  

I hope you like this weeks choice.

The Hardware Store is my new craft shop

We live in a vast wasteland when it comes to shopping....  no craft shops, no Kohl's or Target. no book stores. You would think we live way out in the country.  Not so.  Just no decent stores......  Wal-mart pretty much is it.
We usually have to shop for things when we travel, or I go on line.

But we have SEVERAL  hardware stores AND Lowes and Home Depot.  So..........  I am learning to shop in those places for some of my crafting supplies. I guess the powers that be think we need those stores since we have so many.  But we aren't intellectual enough to need a bookstore...or creative enough to need craft stores,  we are after all only a small college town........  hmmmmm!!!!!!!

Yesterday, thanks to an "enabler" on my Full Tilt Boogie group I headed off to Lowe's to buy some interesting tape that I will be using in the art journals I am making by the Full Tilt Boogie method and the Remains of the Day method.  The tape, called EASY JOINT TAPE looks like the ribbon called "sequin waste".  It is made up of a LOT of holes.  It is self adhesive which is good....... And not to be wasteful, the backing will also be used for something as well. I can picture painting it and pasting it down. Or using it as a stencil.

My husband said he tried to use the stuff a number of years ago for its real purpose when he was putting up new drywall  in our home in Maine.  He said it didn't work for that at all...  LOL..... but it will work for what I am planning!  Too bad he didn't save it.  That was only about 20 years ago......

I won't be around here for a few days but I hope to have something to show, eventually, concerning the way I use it.

I also bought some twine while at Lowe's to use to crochet a European style string shopping bag.
Here is a pic of one I found on line so you will know what I mean.

Here are the directions I found on line:  Directions For String Bag.  I got them from a blog called
Crochet: the Extraordinary Realm.     So if you decide you need to make one, here are some directions AND you know you can find the twine at Lowe's or Wal-Mart for that matter.  Also the pattern called for Ace Brand Parcel Post Twice that you could get at an Ace Hardware Store.

I got a comment from someone about this post concerning shopping in local hardware stores and how much better they are.  Well my husband and I do shop at the locals as much as possible but sometimes they don't have what you need...........  or they cost way too much.   My husband went to the local hardware store and they had a 1/2 pint of lacquer for 9.98.  He bought a full pint for 12.00 at Home Depot.  Now I am all for supporting local stores and do a lot however reality says that sometimes you just can't. 

I generally shop the local one first but if they don't have what I want or I know it is WAY too much off the others I go.  Enough said!

Oh yes, before I forget......  click on this graphic for a great giveaway.

So, that is it today.  Got to get on with my day!!!!

Tea Cup Tuesday

Another Tea Cup Tuesday has arrived. 
After you visit my site be sure to visit the others at
http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
or
http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com 


When I was visiting the flea market recently I saw a lot of cups and saucers and bought three.  I will be showing one set this week and save the other two for the next two weeks.
 The tea cup and saucer I am sharing with you today is a sweet hand painted set by Colclough.
I didn't know much about the Colclough China company so I looked it up.  Here is the website telling about it's history.
http://www.focusoncolclough.co.uk/colclough_history.htm 

Hope you like the set I have chosen for today.

A yummy dinner and my Full Tilt Boogie Journal

I did finally put my first Full Tilt Boogie journal today but before I show that I will show a quick picture of our dinner last night.

We lived in Puerto Rico for three years and learned to like several of the more typical fare.  One thing we learned to enjoy was Plantain...  a type of banana unlike the ones we are used to here in the US.  There are recipes for using it when it is not yet ripe... and when it is VERY ripe.  That is our favorite.  You wait until it is nearly black.... then slice like french fries and deep fry it.  Very sweet.  So we had that for dinner last night along with deep fried Tilapia and a pepper, onion and kidney bean melange....  Puerto Rican's eat a LOT of beans!

Here is the picture of the dinner.

But now on to the Full Tilt Boogie Journal I am making.  I started working on it a few weeks ago and remarked on it here............  Click here to read that blog entry if you want.

So by working a bit yesterday and today, in between customers in my antique shop, I managed to put the book together and am pleased.  I would not win any awards for the stitching but it fine... I will get better. After gluing and such today I will be letting it sit and dry well before I go ahead and work on it. It may not be for another week but now that the book is finished it will call out to me I am sure!!!

A couple of weeks ago I went through my digital photos and arranged to have print copies made at out local CVS drugstore.  I will use some of those pics in the journal.  I will include pictures of the garden in winter and summer and the birds and animals that visit as well as some pictures of our cats.  It will just fill up as I feel inspired.

The book I ended up using was not one I showed in the first blog entry.  This was an old business journal I found at a local flea market for $1.00.  I added a piece of scrapbook paper to the cover, to cover up some messiness.

So here are the pictures.

 The next three pictures show some of the pages.  Some are full pages, some are just strips to which I will attach pictures.  Others are blank for journaling.  Or what ever. I used mostly scrapbooking paper, some journal pages and some blank water color paper.

 And after I was almost finished I found these nifty buttons in a vintage button box from my shop.  The little flowers in the middle are mother of pearl.  I really liked them and think they are perfect for my book.

Here is to Mary Ann Moss for another great and inspiring class!