Flea Market Love: Trellis before & after

Another wrought iron flea market find... painted celery green. I painted this basket a similar green last summer & I still love it... 

Flea Market Love: Round Frames During & After

Here are the frames before I really go my hands on them, or I suppose I should say before I got my mod-podge-covered hands on them. Now they are chalkboards- wouldn't they be perfect spot to leave notes for someone you love, or make a little list. (I do love a list...) I believe one of them has already been purchased, but the other can be purchased here.

Flea Market Love: Nesting Tables "After"

The latest flea market project has been completed & I love it. You can see 'before' & 'during' photos from the last few weeks if you are just seeing them for the first time.

paper snowflakes & some progress

As part of my '37 Things List' I wanted to make paper snowflakes- they always make me smile. These lovely snowflakes were cut from templates I found here. Lots of good stuff over there. And look at that... you can actually see the top of the dining room table. (for now) 

Progress people, that is real progress.

37 things list: Homemade Cookies

Here's just a bit more holiday goodness inspired by a childhood tradition my sister & I shared with our Aunt Melba, who raised the bar for all aunts everywhere. 

 We made these cookies with her every Christmas. 

My favorite part was smashing the M & M in the top of the cookie while it was still warm from the oven. 

Deb & I made bags of them & took them around to our friends this year, "ding, dong ditching" them at each place. I would hang the bag on the door, ring the bell & flee to the getaway car as if I was being chased. So much fun.

 I'm going to give you the recipe the exact way my Aunt Melba wrote it for me... 

M & M Cookies (the ones Laura & Sherry just LOVE)

1 15 oz. bag of M & M's

1 cup margarine

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cup of M & M's.

Beat margarine & sugars until light.

Blend in eggs & vanilla.

Add combined flour, soda & salt, mix well.

Stir in chopped M & M's.

Drop rounded spoonfuls of mixture on cookie sheet.

Bake for 9 - 11 minutes.

Remove from oven & press M & M's into the top of each cookie.

Makes about 5 dozen... enough to make you sick!!

DIY: How to make a homemade bow

My Aunt Melba taught me to make homemade bows when I was a teen & I still enjoy making them for my holiday packages each year... especially when I find a big sale on ribbon at Michael's. :) 

To make a bow with wire-edged ribbon, all you need is the ribbon, scissors & a little wire. This ribbon in 1 1/2" wide.

Step # 1: Make a loop with the end of the ribbon, about 3" from your thumb to the outside edge of the loop. (Notice there is a small end of ribbon sticking out past the center.)

Step # 2: Make another loop of the same size in the other direction.

Step # 3: Continue wrapping the ribbon over the original loops, making a total of 4 on each side. Cut the end of the ribbon leaving a little extra (1") past the middle. Squeeze the middle of the ribbon together.

Step # 4: Cut a 5" bit of wire & wrap it tightly around the center of the bow. Squeeze the wire tightly to make sure it is holding the center together.

Step # 5: Holding the bow by one end, pull the center loop out to the right. 

Step # 6: Still working on the same end of loops, pull the innermost loop out to the left while trying to protect your bow from the cat (Ron Burgundy). 

Step # 7: Pull the remaining inner loop out to the right.

Step # 8: Repeat # 5 - # 7 on other side. If your cat has stolen the roll of wire from the table, chase the cat down & retrieve it. You will need it if you want to make any additional bows. :) 

Happy Holidays!

Flea market love

This old iron door was only $22.50! We had to ride home an hour with one end of it sticking up front between the seats. Good thing I was shopping with a fellow vintage-shopping addict.

Something else I love almost as much as flea markets? Spray paint. It's magic.

I love flea markets. I adore them in the way one loves things when they can't stop thinking about them. When they wonder if the recipient of their adoration misses them when they are apart. Unlike (boring) retail stores, you just never know what you may stumble across (quite literally) at a vintage store. For the record, I have yet to fall down but there have been a couple of close calls. Flea markets are not known for their spacious aisles.


This basket was $6.50 & will be the perfect home for all of the fabric I keep buying for when I finally get around to learning to sew. What can I say? I'm easily distracted.



They make LIME green spray paint. I love it. LOVE it.

Old things in a flea market have a story, & each item had a whole separate life before you met. You hardly see the exact same thing in another store & if you see something you want, you better buy it before someone else comes along & snaps it up.

This candle holder was $10.00 & weighs a ton, but I really liked the shape of it.

Krylon makes this nickel finish spray paint that I have actually used on light fixtures, so I just used a little left over for this project.

Everything in a vintage store has potential to become something better- or almost everything... Saturday while flea-marketing with my good friend we came across an ancient bread toaster that looked like some sort of torture device. I like picking up some of the really old stuff & trying to imagine what it might have been used for, although judging by my initial reaction to what turned out to be a small kitchen appliance, I'm probably not doing to well. It's OK, maybe I could just use more practice guessing. It's only been 48 hours & I'm already looking forward to my next trip... what can I say? That's true love.