ChRiStMaS Has Arrived!

It seems that the holidays are almost here and I am still running to catch up. I have most of my decorating done...so I'm sharing the five pictures which my iPad allows me to post. The first picture is of my mantle with two new lamps purchased at a great (low) price from Hobby Lobby. I added my small crystal snowflakes to the bottom of the one lampshade. I love how the light plays with the crystals. Next picture is of my new tree topper angel. I have searched for her for many years. My Toy Shoppe was 'established' in 1993 ~how the years fly by! I made it in a cheese crate. If you enlarge the picture, you will see a Santa peeping out the bay window. I have many special glass blown ornaments hanging on a metal branch next to the sliders in the dining room. The last picture is of my newest Wee Forest Folk mouse. Couldn't resist! HaPpY HoLiDaYs! I am linking to The Cottage Market http://www.thecottagemarket.com/2012/12/junkin-joe-vintage-and-thrifty-finds.html

New Treasures...

Methinks I have been shopping a bit too much in the past two months... Some of these new treasures were purchased at estate sales for decent prices~so that must cancel out some of the more pricey treasures I had to have, right?! Hard to tell how tiny some are. The wooden chair stands less than 16" tall. Love the tortoise shell glasses ($4.00!) and the brass oil lamp with the glass shade ($5!). Love all the vintage blown glass ornaments purchased at two estate sales~great prices. The Dutch doll stands about four inches tall and is vintage. The tiny mouse family who will reside in the 144th scale secret book range from 3/8" down to 1/4" tall...teeny! Adore the black kitty which was hand sculpted out of paper mâché just like the methods used two centuries ago. He is on top of a small cabinet of my mice-keeping watch for a stray. Yet another velvet pumpkin has joined my collection. I bought a deep red one for the Christmas holidays. And there are other treasures not pictured...I'll have to do another blog on the cement statuary I have been collecting~much of it vintage. My house is bursting at the seams~but I have a smile on my face!

New HaLLoWeEn!

So...this fall, I decided to do less for HaLLoWeEn; buy less, decorate less; obsess less (?!?). One out of three isn't so bad... This witch paper cutting joins my collection of Scherenschnitte.

The little witch stump house is my new miniature creation. It has a flickering LED votive inside to make it SpOoKy.

These tiny candles just arrived (bought on Etsy). They are each @ 1/2" tall. I love the faces.

Violet the witch spoke to me at an artists' co-op store in Midland as soon as I walked in the door. I couldn't refuse her!

Just love the lamps, the owl under the mantle, the witch, the velvet pumpkins and the clock case I turned into a haunted house display for my Wee Forest Folk trickor treaters. All these things turn my mantle into an amazing HaLLoWeEn display.

Finally, the last picture shows the treasures I brought home from Ghoultide Gathering, earlier this month. The black mouse (on a BOO pumpkin) was handmade by Lori Ann Correlis; the pumpkin with large eyes was made by Joyce Stahl; and I have forgotten e name of the artist who made the flickering candle with the face.

I still get carried away with HaLLoWeEn! Joining The Cottage Market to share my blog~some thrifty; some not! http://www.thecottagemarket.com/2012/10/junkin-joe-vintage-thrifty-finds.html

I think I am in Love....

...with my new curio cabinet! This curio is not new...I found it at a furniture resale shop. It was custom made using cherry wood and the price was right! I have to admit that I didn't realize that it would be so heavy. But with help from my husband, we got it inside. He also volunteered to attach it to the wall so there would be no question of it falling over. I really like how is has changed that end of the room. As you can see, I have started decorating for HaLLoWeeN~ but haven't taken any tubs out of the attic yet. I see that I need to do something with the cord off the mantle~still fussing! Last year, I had one HaLLoWeeN lamp. Last month, the store I bought it from had a sale...so I ended up with two more! Who can resist a great sale and I had to have three...isn't that a rule in decorating?!

I brought out the Pottery Barn framed boxes I display some of my R. John Wright mice in and they finally have a place where they can be seen and admired.

The other side of the fireplace has the small shelf unit I bought years ago at the Ann Arbor Street Fair (in 1992~I only know this because it is signed and dated on the back). This was a big splurge for me back then but I have loved it.

Finally, a closer picture of the new cabinet. It is the right depth to display my miniatures and Wee Forest Folk~great lighting. My chair is across from the cabinet so I can sit and smile at the things I cherish!

Now I need to find a place for the old curio which used to be to the left of the fireplace. I am sure it will look get in one of the bedrooms upstairs. I have some great ideas bouncing around in my head~such fun! Enjoy your own creative energy!

Thrifty+Treasures

First up for my thrifty treasures is a new wooden stool~love the chippy green paint. Looks like I have started a new collection-this joins another stool I bought a few months ago.

While in Chicago two weeks ago, a friend mentioned that she had something I might want to take home. When I visited her the next day, I knew right away this glass case would be mine. I never have enough display space for my miniature treasures, so this fit the bill and at $40 was affordable.

I found the small birdcage (for 50 cents!) almost a year ago and finally spray painted it black to turn it into a display feature for one of my Wee Forest Folk mice. As you can see, I have started my Halloween decorating...look forward to it every fall (beginning in August!). The creature to the right of the cage wasn't exactly thrifty, but it is so cute as another way to display a Halloween mouse and I couldn't resist him!

I had to share this ogre...who recently traveled home with me. As I said, I am obsessed with 'All Things HaLLoWeeN!' and he will adorn a special place in my home to celebrate spooky.

My last thrifty treasure is indeed that...both thrifty and a treasure~my darling husband, John. He does drive me crazy at times with his thriftiness but I find ways around him when I need to. We will celebrate our 38th anniversary this week...(Yowser-where did the time go?!)

I am joining Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures. http://southernhospitalityblog.com/thrifty-treasures-8512/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+southernhospitalityblog%2FPQqu+%28Southern+Hospitality%29

Obessions~Miniatures & Cloches

As I look around my home, I see my cloche collection has grown immensely over the past few years. Most contain miniatures~ two of my favorite possessions. The first pictured cloche appealed to me because of the acorn. Inside is a new little teacup stump house I just made for my Wee Forest Folk.

My small collection of Teaberry Meadow bunnies is contained under the next 'Divine' cloche.

I found these tiny cloches last year and fell in love. The smallest is @1" tall; tallest is @3". A few mice and miniatures are trapped under these. I must admit that I have more than a few of these tiny cloches scattered throughout my home.

My Mother Goose collection of Wee Forest Folk live under the next cloche/dome. I made the shoehouse; sculpted the base and generally had fun planning and making this display.

Two of my favorite fairies live under the last cloche I am sharing. Thanks to Marti for hosting such a fun party!

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Spooky Finds....

Today's shopping excursion included a stop at a favorite store's warehouse sale, where the annual excitement of 'all things SpOoKy' began for 2012. I love a bargain and the lamp and the pumpkin head guy were half price-they had to come home with me! (Don't tell my husband that I already have a smaller lamp just like this...but more than one of something always looks great!)

I also found a cute bird bath which will be home to a small fairy garden. Next to it is an enamelware child's chamber pot I found while shopping in Traverse City on Monday. I already have some succulents to fill these two containers as well as a few special items to make them ready for the elusive fairies who live in our ravine....

I added to my glass blown chicken collection a month or so ago. I had the smaller two chicks for many years. Shopping at a local antique store, I found the larger chicken for $3.99- what a deal!

The red checked lunch pail was found at The Red Dresser in Traverse City (MI). I knew right away it would be a cute way to display a miniature picnic!

The last picture shows that I finally put up the metal branch I bought in the spring. I have been collecting bird houses to display at our lake house up north and decided this branch is a great way to display them some as well as add interest to the corner above the television. Something was lacking until I decided that my paper mâché bluebird (made by artist Lori Hough) needed to move to the cottage and fly with the birdhouses. Thanks for stopping by! It's always fun to share the excitement of new finds!

Fairy Garden Passion...

I have been having much fun planning and planting fairy gardens. I look for unusual containers, like this chicken waterer, which has old marbles in the glass water jar. I added a tiny ceramic chick to add more whimsey along with the hen and chick plants.

I bought an old bird bath at an estate sale and turned it into a moss fairy garden. We have moss growing in our shady yard which I was able to use. I continue to add tiny mouse ear hostas as well as rocks to this garden.

I found several enamel bowls and planted the next fairy garden with succulents since it is up at our cottage (therefore needs less water). I just added the broken Robins egg for the beautiful blue color.

You never know when you might stumble across a great opportunity for a new garden~a friend mentioned that she bought a new bird bath so I quickly asked what she was going to do with the old one. So I now have another garden, also planted with succulents and cacti. I found the Queen of Hearts figurine at an estate sale (she was damaged-therefore inexpensive). Love the chair planted with hens and chicks. Friends have given me polished stones from their travels so they add more interest.

Always fun to share my latest projects! Enjoy your day! Linking to;

A Few of my Favorite Things

 I’m joining Laura from The Ironstone Nest (http://www.theironstonenest.com/2012/06/my-favorite-things-link-party.html) to share pictures of a few of my favorite things. Luckily for you, my iPad will only let me share five pictures at a time on my blog...or you might be bored with all my favorite things...I tend to get carried away! First is a picture of my African violets, which love the windows in our living room.

Next is a picture of my agate suncatcher birds. The artist who made these (Norman Brumm) passed away a few years ago. I have many treasured enameled pieces of his as well as an agate lampshade. His work was inspired!

My collection of Wee Forest Folk has brought many smiles to me since I started my collection way back in the late seventies. I just set up this display on a vintage toy drum. I have to cover them or Bob (the cat) will rearrange or play with them!

I became ennamered with fairy gardens this year and have made a few. So far, this is my favorite~made in an old bird bath with mosses and hostas.

Last but certainly not the least is Bob. He wandered into our life three summers ago and has been a purring joyful part of the family ever since.