New Uses for Old Things

I have been in reorganization mode lately, and one of the things I needed to find a new home for were magazines. I began looking around for some type of container and was drawn to the empty wine rack sitting atop our buffet hutch. I think it has only been filled with wine once - that was right after we were married, and it was filled with wine leftover from our wedding. Whenever we buy wine it is usually to drink immediately and we never stock up so I decided to transform it into a magazine rack.

If you have one of these sitting around that you don't use this is a great way to make it functional for you. Just roll the magazines up and stick them in the slots. Depending on the size and thickness of the magazines you should be able to get at least two in each slot. It can then be set either in the floor or on a table, etc. I set mine on one of our end tables, making the magazines easily accessible from our big comfy armchair. Happy reading!

Rummage Sale, Part Three

Cullen and I traveled back to Alabama this past weekend for the wedding of some very good friends. We had a great time, and the wedding was beautiful - you can see the beautiful bride above. We got back Monday morning, and I must say it has taken us both awhile to recover which is why I'm just now doing this post. I've kept you in suspense long enough so here are the final things from the rummage sale.

I got a couple of really cute dresses. The first one is a bit short so I have to wear something underneath - leggings and flats work really well with it. The other is a sundress in a gorgeous shade of green. It looks great with a black tank underneath and black sandals, but I also think I can layer it and get more wear out of it this fall and winter.

I absolutely love my red thermos. I have always wanted a thermos like this, and I keep my eyes open every time I go thrifting. I have seen a lot of these, but the problem is that I like the style/designs of the older ones, but with age come rust, etc. Most of the ones I have found in the past have been gross and unusable. This one, however, is in great condition...and it only cost fifty cents!!

And finally... another piece of quirky jewelry. It's a harlequin pendant whose joints bend and move. It is an enamel piece signed Daryle Ann Rumph with the date 1976. I tried to get some information on her, but didn't have much luck. I found only a very general reference to her jewelry and that she was married to an artist - there is much more information on him (unfortunately he is now deceased so I cannot contact him). I would love to know more about Rumph so if you readers have ever heard of her I would love to hear from you. I hope to be back tomorrow with a new post. Thanks for reading!

A Message

Hello blog readers! I had hoped to finish my rummage sale report yesterday, but I had a very busy day and was too sleepy last night. The rest of this week is going to be pretty hectic so I am going to have to postpone it until next week. I wish you all a great rest of the week and weekend. Thanks for reading!

Rummage Sale, Part Two

I'm back today with more rummage store finds, and would you believe this still isn't everything I got? I love these shoes. They are suede pumps in black and two shades of pink. They will look great with black tights and skirts/dresses.

Over the past year or so I have really begun to enjoy wearing scarves. I found three at the sale. I got two with polka dots, and the white one with black polka dots will make a great headband. I am always on the hunt for quirky designs which is why I love the red and white scarf - it has little hedgehogs framing it on all four sides - so cute!

I found a couple of books as well. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David Macaulay was written for young adults. I taught much of the book's material in my art history survey classes and hope that one day my children will enjoy learning the same things from this book. The illustrations are excellent, and it is a Caldecott Honor Book. The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum was purchased for Cullen. We both enjoy watching the Bourne movies so I think he will like it.

Lastly, I found this belt. It has sort of a Western flair to it and can be worn with many things. I should be back tomorrow with the rest of my finds. Thanks for reading!

Rummage Sale, Part One

About a month ago I went to the Trinity Episcopal Rummage Sale here in New Orleans. I got a bunch a stuff and spent a mere $28.50. Here are some of the things I got (it is going to take several posts to show everything).

I found a bunch of nice clothing items - a cream colored brocade jacket, lavender button down shirt, light lavender short-sleeved sweater (still had the tags on it), and a comfy grey scoop neck shirt with side pockets.

I love the turquoise necklace that resembles coral - it goes well with lots of things/colors. I was really excited about this great shopping bag. It is large so it can accommodate a lot - now I just need to remember to take it with me when I go shopping.

I'll be back with more of my finds tomorrow. Happy thrifting!

Around the World

Among the items on my Wish List are around the world themed objects representing various countries. Well one of my readers who also happens to be a former teacher of mine, Kim, took notice and sent me this great doll that belonged to her when she was growing up. This one represents France (as she is dressed very stylishly) and is even still in the original box. I feel very honored to have received this - thanks Kim!

You may be wondering why I am collecting these things. From an early age I was fascinated by different countries and their various customs. As a child I can remember spending time reading about countries of interest in our set of World Book Encyclopedias. My favorite thing about these different cultures was studying their traditional costumes. I know I spent hours looking at the 'Costume' entry in those encyclopedias - I'm sure if I went back to that particular volume it would naturally open to those pages because of the frequency with which I looked at it. There were these great figural drawings of men and women representing the traditional costumes of many countries. I can remember studying those pages before a third grade assembly program where each student represented a different country and had to dress accordingly.

So, other than just having a general interest in these things, there is something I want to do with them. About a year ago I saw a photograph of a room that had these types of items on display, and I got the idea that this would be a great decorating scheme for a child's room (probably more so for a girl). Cullen and I do not have children, but we hope to one day so I thought now would be a good time to start collecting some things. These items can be easily found in flea markets, antique malls, and thrift stores, so I am always on the lookout. Right now I have about four items in my collection, but I can't share photographs because they are being stored at my parent's house.

Hello Again

After a long hiatus I'm finally back, and today I'm sharing one of my latest creations. I've been spending some time making things lately, and this is the one design that I came up with that I'm actually excited about. I made this bride and groom card for a friend of mine that is getting married in a couple of weeks. The bride's dress is made out of a wallpaper sample and her veil was constructed out of a dryer sheet. I really like using these different materials because it gives the final product some interesting texture and added dimension. These can be customized to conform to the bride and groom's wedding colors (the color of the card, the bride's dress, the groom's tux) as well as to their hair and skin tones. I am looking forward to trying out some other wedding designs in the future.