junking score

I do not collect depression glass but some how it keeps finding me.  I came across this pile of swirl pattern plates and bowls at a free site and they just had to come home with me.  The average price these are selling for is $7.00 on E bay.  There are 6 7" plates, 6 dinner plates, 3 bowls and two saucers.  pretty good for free.  I've had several questions about free sites and stores.  Around here we have free cycle, a couple of places that offer goods for free or a donation and some of the churches have free rummage sales.  If you look around your community I'm sure you'll find something similar.

major score

While visiting my parents in the big city last weekend, Mom and I happened on a half price sale at Goodwill.  As we walked back to the furniture area two workers were carrying these fabulous oak chairs out to display.  I took one look and asked them to deliver them to the front door with sold on them.  Total cost $12.  They will look great with my new farm house table I'm planning.  At the same store was this heavy 10 drawer dresser for $25. It may just stay as a dresser with new paint or it would make a wonderful buffet.  I had to call AH to come and get this one, Mom's car was already full.  I also picked up a three tier plant stand for $5.  I'm always ready to do the happy dance when I find such great values.

new seat cover and maybe paint and these will fit into my new kitchen

quick paint job and this will be off to the resale shop

AH got this on the dolly and moved into the sun room before I could get a good picture..  Still can figure out how to rotate photos in this program

DIY bath bombs

Recipes for making your own bath bombs are all over the internet.  As long as you have the basic chemistry proportions of baking soda and citric acid tight you can add just about anything you would like.
Basic bath bombs
2C baking soda
1C citric acid you can find this in the caning section of the grocery store or on line
mix together and then spray with water stir constantly until the mixture resembles damp sand.  Spoon into ice cube trays or silicone molds pack down  and let dry overnight.
You can add fragrance, flower petals, herbs or color.

Even better bath bombs

2C baking soda
1C citric acid
2C epsom salts
1C sea salt
1C corn starch
witch hazel
fragrance and color
Mix the same as above adding liquids last and very slowly so the mix doesn't lose it's fizz
I have used a 2T spoon to packed very tightly or molds.  I have two part molds that make larger bombs but you can also use two part Christmas ornaments.
If you want you can add oils and butters for more moisturizing properties

No mater what there will be some breakage with these, they are fragile.  I just crush up the crumbs, put it into a container and call it bath salts.  I also put the crumbs in small plastic bags and give it to kids at shows.  I call it zombie dust, they love it!

product manfacturing

Kathy and I are often asked if we really make all of our VCB product in our homes.  These are just a couple of shots of what my kitchen looked like last week.

Solid lotion is one of our best sellers and I will make tons of it before show time.  Love this stuff, it really is a miracle in a tube

Bath bombs I'm working on.  Similar to Lush with the healing moisturizing properties bumped way up.
  

They have extra shea, jojoba an cocoa butter added to make your skin soft and moisturized.

junking finds

free table before

after

book case just needed a quick coat of paint

more projects

While the weather is being cooperative I've been trying to get several things primed, painted and ready for sale.  Here are just a couple of my latest projects still in the works.

at $2 I just couldn't pass this little table up.  I glued a 24" table  round to the top, scraped off the big globs of glue then painted every thing cream.  

Even with tarnished brass and covered with filth I knew at $15 this brass and glass table was a stael.  Sure enough when I looked it up on ebay it was for sale for $699.  I know painting the frame will lower the value but it made it look so much better.  A purist could easily remove the paint if they wanted.

table redo

I picked up this dated lamp table at a thrift store for $4.  My first though was to cut off the top and make it an end table but decided against it.  Primer, two  coast of grey paint and a cute dragon fly decoupaged to the top made it look so much better.  I even panted the lamp shade to tie in with the color.

new ride

I am not a car person by any stretch of the imagination.  As long as it's dependable, comfortable and does what I need it to do, which is haul a lot of stuff, I'm good.  In the 44 years AH and I have been married I have had 8 cars, three of them for around a year each the rest until the wheels fall off them.  We once had a VW bus with close to 200,000 miles on it that blew up just as we turned the corner going to our house.  We are the kind of customers car dealerships hate.  Our friends and family accuse us of being crazy and tightwads. We had been casually looking for a new van for a few months, drive a couple then found this 2014, low mileage Chrysler Town a dn Country for a great price.  That price is more than twice what we paid for our house but in today's economy still a great deal.  This thing has more bells and whistles than I can ever imagine using.  The thing I like best are the stow and go seats that fold into the floor board, making the back large enough to fit 4X8 sheets of plywood.  It's going to take a while to figure how to use everything and where all the important things are but so far we both really like it.  I think this one will be around for a looong time.

rummage find

I haven't been to a lot of rummage sales this season.  The weather has not been cooperative and we seem to be doing way to much running around.  I did pick up this beautiful large depression glass fruit bowl for $5 recently.  I don't really collect depression glass but when I do find a bargain I will grab it.  This bowl is 8" across and 4" high.  It will be beautiful with a fruit salad or flowers in it.  Right now it is filled with fresh peaches.

table how to

I picked up this table at a church rummage give away.  Several of the churches in the area will collect items you no longer want and set them up as a service to the community.  Of course most of the things are clothes since it's back to school time.  This large coffee table was one of only three pieces of furniture being offered, I also picked up a small end table.  I took my goodies home cleaned them up and added a coat of Kilz primer.  This stuff will block out just about anything so you can paint over it.  Two coats of gloss black spray paint, finished the bottom.  For the top I used a base coat of white then scumble painted with off white, grey, and cream.  This technique has no right or wrong way to do it and looks great when finished.  First I pour 2-3T of each of the colors on a foam plate.  Starting with the darkest color and using a very beat up chip brush I pounced the color randomly over the table.  Working quickly so the paint was still wet I did the next two colors.  You want the colors to blend together and overlap, and for some of the background to show through.  If you think the color is too strong or light you just put more color over it.  Keep adding paint until it looks right to you.  DO NOT OVER THINK THIS!!!!! This table is 3X4 feet and took less than 20 minutes. Don't try to make a pattern or have exactly the same paints every where.  Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours then spray with clear acrylic spray at least 3 coats for a table top that will get wet occasionally. This beauty is already at the resale store.
NOTE:  don't use a fancy expensive brush for this technique you will ruin it.  A 2" chip brush is under a dollar  and the more used and abused it is the better it works.

perfectly fine but kind of boring before

updated after

close up of top paint

VCB more soap

Soap making has been on the agenda around here for the last few weeks.  Every time I think I'm done I see something else I want to try.  New scents, new molds, new styles I want to try them all.  I'm up to 15 different kinds so I think I'm done.  Now I just need to package and label them, which will take longer than making all of it.

hearts for hostess gifts

If it's round it has honey

sea salt bar

pink Himalayan salt bars

fabulous helper making glycerin with dried herbs that look like stained glass.

epic fail

I recently raided my sons basement for furniture to flip.  We had a little rain the morning we were coming home and the furniture got wet.  Unfortunately this little desk I thought would just need a quick coat of paint was made mostly of MDF.  That stuff doesn't like rain one tiny bit.  It looked ok when I got it home except the top was bubbled. I'm glad I didn't pay any money for it.  When I started trying to pull off the top to replace it the whole thing just fell apart in my hands.  All that's left are the legs which are wood and the drawer that didn't get wet.  Time for plan B.  This pile will never be a desk again but I will keep the legs and drawer.  Lessons learned: never listen to your husband when he says it's not going to rain and always carry cheap tarps or plastic with you on junking missions.

wonderful visitor

I love spending one on one time with my grand kids.  When they are all here together it's usually so hectic that we can't have any personal time together.  Last week my middle grand daughter Jaydin came to stay for several days.  Of course she is 12 almost 13, thinks she's 20 and is as goofy as most tweens can be.  We had a wonderful time together.  She baked brownies,learned how to make scrambled eggs, we shopped, went to the fair and she helped me make product for VCB.  She did want to sleep in, but only got to do that a couple of days.  We saw Paper Towns, worked hard and laughed harder.  I keep calling her silly and strange, my favorite kind of people.  I wish she lived closer so we could spend more time together.