~HAPPY EASTER...HE IS RISEN~

"REDEEMED!  REDEEMED!  I'VE BEEN BOUGHT WITH A PRICE!

REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF HIS SACRIFICE..."

Today I'm celebrating my Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

  Hallelujah Praise the Lamb.

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL.

Love to you...

~MY LATEST GOODWILL FIND...DON'T HATE ME!~

 And so...the hunt for neat JUNQUE continues...

Now...before I tell you about the fabulous (actually a TRUE ANTIQUE) GLOBE-WERNICKE QUARTERSAWN FILE CABINET (circa 1910-1915) I snagged yesterday let me tell you first that I RARELY purchase things I don't know anything about.  I've made soooo many buying mistakes over the years that I've nearly given up ever purchasing things for my hubbs.  But~when I laid my eyes on this fabulous 100 year old Cabinet I was nearly in shock because you never see these kinds of things at thrift stores.  At least not OUR thrift store!

 Anyway, my Mr. AGPMan had just said the night before (not kidding!) he was thinking about bringing one of his workshop file cabinets inside.

(Errrrr and YUCK!)

I tried to be nice act coy as I ROLLED MY BROWN EYES back into my head!  He didn't know it yet but that ugly, old, rusty-metal, ratty-trap file cabinet out in his shoppe was NOT coming into my house his office!

:) :) :)

(what is it about some men???)

Anyway...the nice Goodwill workers had just wheeled the Cabinet onto the floor when I spied it!  I hovered over it, quickly pulling out each drawer while I fat-fingered my cell-phone to call my Mr. AGPMan.  

My words to him only were "GET DOWN TO GOODWILL NOW!"

By the time he drove up (about five minutes later) I had the Cabinet hauled to the front and paid for!  Price you ask?  You KNOW you want to know!

A cool $30 (or $29.99 to be exact!).

Yesterday afternoon I did some research on it (I first thought it was manufactured by a different company) but after doing tons of digging I found out it's worth $950 - $1,250.  I've found a few for sale (or previously sold) on eBay, Craigslist and Auction Houses all over the USA.  My guy is sooo excited and this wonderful old find is going to look amazing in his home office!  I also have to add not a thing was missing on the Cabinet.  Every bracket, nut and bolt were still in place!  SCORE!

Sometimes I just really, really love my life!  Hope your Saturday is grand!

Love to you...

~A LITTLE HUMAN KINDNESS on GOOD FRIDAY~

 Just a quick Post today to wish you blessings and love this GOOD FRIDAY...  May your day be full of love, reflection and peace.

One of the treasures I found last Saturday during my estate sale hunt was an amazing little songbook from the 1940's.  I'm not 100% sure of the publishing time as the hymnal is undated.  It's a precious little thing and I enjoyed flipping through it and reading the words of some long forgotten songs.  Still, given the style and the aging paper of the songbook I'm guessing a bit on it's age. 

On page eighty-two I found a song written by Charles H. Gabriel...a well-known hymn writer and music editor of the time.  The song's lyrics are as timely today as they were almost 100 years ago.  It was penned in 1920...

A LITTLE HUMAN KINDNESS

"By making someone happy as we pass along life's way,

We bring a bit of heaven to the longest, darkest day;

The world is full of shadows, full of sorrow, grief and woe,

And snares are set before us ev'rywhere we go.

So many weary pilgrims toiling onward up the height,

Are longing for a friendly word, ere falls the shades of night;

O lend a hand to help them, haste to speak a word of cheer,

And gloomy clouds will brighten when the day is drear.

Keep all the hope-fires lighted by the torch of love divine;

As beacons thro' earth's darkest valleys ever let them shine.

Somewhere beyond the sunset, in a land supremely blest,

We'll find that human kindness paved the way to rest."

~~*~~

Beautiful, isn't it?  I just LOVE old music, songbooks and hymns.  They all make my heart SING!

 

Yesterday I finished and listed another pillow fashioned with some of the vintage lace finds discovered at the same estate sale from last weekend.  I used that AMAZING vintage Drawn-Work for the front pocket on the pillow.  Here's a picture of how it came out.  The pillow sold right away and I hope my sweet buyer, Miss M, will be very happy!  

Blessings to you today!

Love to you...

 

~TO ENCOURAGE YOU~

Today is the day to begin!

Twenty years ago I would never have dreamed I'd be where I am today!  Although there isn't one single thing in my life that is perfect, lots of stuff I hope to change, I'm still pressing onward with JOY!

 I hope you, too, believe in YOUR CALLING!  You have one (or two, three, four, etc.), you know?

I love the words above from Mark Twain...  May they inspire you to spread your wings (hot glue them on if you must!), and fly!

Love to you...

(Blessings this Maundy Thursday!)

~GET OUT OF YOUR FUNK and SPIFF UP YOUR JUNK~

Our latest transformations!

On my last Post I shared with you some of the great vintage lace and linen finds I snagged recently at a local estate sale (from your comments you were as excited about my haul as well!).  Today I'm going to give you a peek at a few more things we've found during our junkin' & slummin' hunts and also catch you up on some of the makeovers that are just about finished.  Above are the first three Pillow/Sachets made from the lace I showed you on Saturday!

 Isn't this a neat cubby?  This one I purchased on-line and I just love it!  I've had them before but they are very, very hard to find.  Even when you do track one down they are usually priced sky-high.  I believe they hail from the 1970's...maybe as far back as the 1950's.  Not sure.  I haven't given this one a repaint as of yet, but here's a photo of one I painted about a year ago.  It sits in our largest bath and holds soaps, washcloths, etc.

 

LOVE IT!  To make painting these beauties a bit easier I almost always remove the back (most often put on with small nails).  It's easier to get into the slots.  After it's painted and dry then it's lightly sanded for a neat distressed finish!

 My Mr. AGPMan couldn't believe I brought this old (and handmade) recipe/salt box home.  It was probably made in shop-class or something like that.  The lid is attached with handmade dowels.  Love that!  Anyway...here she is after a coat of my favorite soft-white paint and a bit of gentle sanding. 

A wooden wreath applique was added to the front and dark wax was added to bring out the detail!

 

Remember this box from last week?  I almost painted roses on it, but locally (and online) white rules right now.  So...skipped the hand painted florals and added a large wood applique.

Totally transformed with just a wee bit of paint, new brackets and wood accents!

 I don't have a before picture of this fabulous solid wood paper organizer so you'll have to use your imagination.  Found this at our local thrift store and fell in love with it because of it's size.  It's extra deep and large...  Perfect for holding transfer patterns in my studio!  If I decide to sell it I think it would be charming in a bath holding rolled up wash cloths, soaps, etc.

Love the chippy paint!

 Remember Bombay & Company?  They were in lots of Malls in the 80's and 90's and sold tons of cheap MDF Board glazed with a cherry-wood finish.  I had the stuff all over my home back in 1992 and couldn't live without it.  Well...a couple of weeks ago I found this wonderful writing lap-desk at one of our local thrifts.  Problem was it was $8.  WHAT?  I thought that was really HIGH and almost passed on it.  But then my hubster told me everything with a blue tag was 50% off.  So...home it came!

This one was a bit more difficult to makeover!  The finish was highly polished and since the piece is fake wood I didn't want to get to vigorous with my sanding.  I opted to use a de-glazer (liquid sand) and then rough the inside and outside with some hand sanding as well.  Primed, painted and then sanded the outside with my orbital sander (DeWalt).  This one IS going to have roses painted on the top...

 Love the frame on this old picture.  But...it's warped so it's going to need some work!  But...the detailing is GREAT and it will be fabulous once it's made into a chalkboard.  The print is heavily yellowed from nicotine and faded so for me it's just trash...can't be fixed! :(

Here's a close-up.  Once it's finished I promise to show more pics!

This clock had geese stenciled on the front so it probably hailed from the late 80's or early 90's.  The clock mechanism worked great so it was perfect for a repaint! 

 Now...I love this old cabinet above!  It's made of knotty pine and my guess is that it hails from the 60's.  Not sure.  Just know it hung on the wall in the estate sale house for at least 30 years.  It's going to be fabulous made over...  Can't wait to get started!

Also snagged this sweet and scrolly what-not shelf!  All the glue joints were popped so it's currently being clamped and glued!  Promise to show you both transformations as soon as they are done!

Today I'm working in my studio on new product for my website.  The pillows you see above will be uploaded this evening and a few more as well.  I'm so happy to be back doing what I love.

Hope your Tuesday is wonderful!  Now...resist the temptation to watch IN SESSION or CNN's coverage of that horrific murder trial and go CREATE something fabulous instead!  Then come back and share it with us all!  Let the inspiration live on!

Love to you...

~MY VINTAGE LACE HAUL~

 

 Golly-Gee...can't believe I've gone almost an entire week without posting anything here on Blogger!!!!  Wowzers...what is happening to me?!!!

 

 Could it BE that my wee little BLOGGIE has taken second third fourth fifth sixth place in my life???  Yes...I think it has!  

(Things change I suppose!)

I've been busy with my new booth at Serendipity Market (what FUN I say!) and working behind the scenes on new product for my A Gathering Place website.  Don't give up on me...I promise I'm not abandoning it.

Thank you so much to those of you who have written about my hands!  They are doing great by the way...I'm thinking I'm about 80% healed.  Almost 90 days since double hand surgery and I'm excited to share that some of the residual numbness in my middle finger/right hand is slowly (FINALLY) going away.

 

I'm MORE than grateful.  Thank you, God!

Now...I must share my HUGE find of the day.  Despite the crummy weather here in Oklahoma (we need rain so I'm trying to be NICE) my Mr. AGPMan and I were up at the wink-of-the-sun in order to get in line/to get a number/in order to be the first ones in the door at a local estate sale!  

 Pure dedication to the cause, I say! 

The curtains (a couple photos up) were actually four panels (84" long) and were priced at $8.00 for all...  They included about 10 yards of extra lace, too!

Anyway...I signed up online to follow a particular Estate Sale Company and so I had a few preview pictures of some of what was being offered.

  I spied a bunch of vintage lace and linens and I know from experience you MUST get to a sale early if you even have a prayer of snagging the best finds!

Well..snag I did!

Almost everything!

I left only crumbs heavily stained/new lace things for those who overslept.

 You snooze...

 You loooooze!  (Sorry!)

 Or in this case...you get the circa 1980 polyester green tablecloth made in China.

(At least it was new and still in the package!)

I'm sharing LOTS of pictures for you so you can swoon with me. 

Simply magnificent trims, runner, curtain, dollies, napkins, collars, etc. were found at this ONE SALE!

 

 It's hard to pick a favorite...but I must say this gorgeous French Net Lace Runner (a matching pair) was an over-the-top score.  I nearly fell over from being drunk with joy on this wonderful deal!

 I'm blissfully happy right now!  Forgive me for being snarkeee!  Sometimes I just can't help myself!

 Tucked in the mix was this 1940's bridal garter...love the ombre ribbon and rose!

 

 Lots of gently used linen napkins (great for sachets come Mother's Day) were priced $1.00 per dozen.  WHAT?

 

 The piece above is an absolutely mahhhh-vah-lous example of drawn-work.  This will surely be a pocket on a pillow!

Tons of dollies were priced $4 for the lot.  I snagged a few bags like this one!

Because I use vintage lace and trim in my work I'm always on the hunt to discover and track down more.  Even though handwork has made a huge comeback over the past few years the beautiful old stuff made long ago by loving, hard-working hands is dwindling away.  Once it's gone it's gone.  I can't even imagine the hours that went into fashioning each lovely old piece.  I know in my heart when these women pass on and their estates are liquidated it will be challenging to discover more.  Today I'm so grateful I'm able to truly benefit from all their talented work.

Hope your Saturday was as incredible as mine. 

Love to you...