Showing posts with label free stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free stuff. Show all posts

Friday, March 11, 2011

LAUNDRY ROOM FREEBIES & ONE YARD SALE FIND

Hi everyone, How was your week? Mine was really good.  I'm sure you have heard the news about the earthquake in Japan. Please pray for that country. They have a long road ahead of them  to  try and fix/repair the damages. Pray for the people, that God would comfort them during this very difficult time.   Pray also for the West Coast of the United States. There has been some damage there as well as a result of the tsunami.
THIS IS A FLOOR MAT WITH CATS ON IT. MY DAD FOUND THIS IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM. WHILE I LOVE CATS, THIS IS NOT MY STYLE. SO I'LL  PUT IT BACK IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM THIS WEEK.

As most of you know I live in an apartment complex. My particular complex does not have built-in washers & dryers for clothing. However, we do have a very nice laundry room.  Once in awhile people will leave stuff there as "freebies" or "give-aways", whatever you want to call it. So my dad did his laundry Thursday and came back with his basket full of freebies. This was the first one. It's in excellent condition, but it does not match my decorating style at all. So I will be putting it back in the laundry room this week.

 HERE ARE TWO MORE TINS. ONE IS AN EMPTY COOKIE TIN. THE OTHER WAS A SET OF THREE MINIATURE TINS THAT HELD DIFFERENT TYPES OF COCOA MIX.

 My father also brought these back into the home. He is such a sweetheart. He knew that I would be interested in all the laundry room freebies. Definitely. Once in awhile I have been really blessed with some great stuff this way. He was not sure what I'd like, so he brought it all. Here are two more tins. Now these I will NOT keep either. These will also go back to the laudnry room. Now don't despair, because next comes the stuff that I will definitely keep. 
HERE ARE FOUR THINGS THAT I WILL DEFINITELY KEEP. FIRST IS THIS LOVELY ROUND BASKET. SECOND AND THIRD ARE THESE TWO TINS. LAST IS THIS LOVELY FLORAL NOTECARD SET.

Now this is what I definitely WILL KEEP.  I love tins, especially vintage looking ones. The Hershey's Tin is a reproduction from an early 20th century Hershey's chocolate ad. The other one is a Christmas theme tin. It's so cute!!! Then when you look below is the set of notecards with matching envelopes. Now the front of the envelopes match the outer floral border on this set. The actual notecards themselves have that simple floral set in the center.  The set was practically brand new. I'm not sure why the person gave this away. I'm thinking it was a lady who bought this :) :)  However, I'd been thinking that I "wanted" to buy a set of notecards, so I could write more letters. Notice I said "want" It's definitely not something I needed, but God provided anyway. Isn't that the coolest?

THIS IS THE BACKSIDE OF THE ENVELOPES IN THE NOTECARD SET. ISN'T THIS GORGEOUS? LOOK AT ALL THAT PRETTY DETAIL.

I just had to take a photo of the backside of the envelope. Isn't it so pretty?  I'll definitely be putting these to use.  There is something about writing a real letter that is so comforting, even if it's just a few lines.  So I've made it my "mission" to write more letters to friends. I don't know about you, but a real letter is way better than a so-called "love letter" from the bank :) :)  So every once in awhile the laundry room is a great place to find free give-aways. It was last Thursday :)
 THIS IS A  REALLY LARGE PILLOW SHAM THAT I PURCHASED AT A YARD SALE FOR JUST $0.50 CENTS. WHAT  A DEAL !!!!

Now I had been meaning to post this awhile back. I don't think I've done that, so I'm sharing it now. A couple of weeks ago, I happened upon a small yard sale. So of course, I had to stop. There wasn't a lot of money in my wallet. There usu ally never is anyway...ahem..but that's not my subject today. I just had to stop and see if there was anything for the home that I could bring to my home. Oh, there was this sweetest pillow case. It's for a rather large square-shaped pillow. It fits into my decor just perfectly. Isn't it the sweetest thing with those wavy edges on the pillow sham? I asked the lady how much she wanted for it. I would have been happy to pay at least $1 or more, because it was in excellent condition. She told me "I'll charge you 50 cents"..that's 50 U.S. cents. YES!!! My father didn't raise a dummy, so I immediately accepted and brought this home. Now, I ' ll just have to wait until I find the perfect pillow to fit :) :)
 THIS IS THE  APRIL/MAY 2011 ISSUE OF MARY JANE'S FARM MAGAZINE. IT IS ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MAGAZINES IN THE WORLD :) :)

As if that wasn't enough, I received the current issue of Mary Jane's Farm magazine in the mail. Click here to visit their website. It's a great website. Now I have been subscribing to the magazine since 2009. However, I am able to find issues of this magazine at my local Barnes & Noble store or at Fred Meyer. Usually it's kept in the agricultural section where you might find magazines like Mother Earth News. This is such a neat  magazine that really sp eaks to my female heart. It expresses my style and love of country, home, feminine beauty & style just so perfectly. Oh that lace is mine. I used that to cover up my address, which was printed on the magazine :) :) 
There are so many quality magazines out there. This is how I narrowed down which ones are my favorite. There are a few others which I think are high-quality publications like this one. I'll definitely share those with you in the future .  Basically it came down to this, as my finances were shrinking, I had to let go of those magazines that weren't really interesting. I only kept those magazines which are, literally for me, front cover to back cover, excellent. This is one of those magazines for me. It comes out every other month. It's full of great crafts, DIY projects, living life on the farm, inspirational stories from other women, cast iron cooking, organic lifestyle, farm style etc. This is wonderful. Oh, and literally there is no space left unusued. Oh, and this is perhaps the most unusual, but really cool, is that even the advertisements in the magazine are beautiful, too.
I also subscribe to Country Woman magazine. Then I purchase The Girlhood Home Companion magazine from Remembrance Press. I'll write more on that latter magazine in an upcoming post. Everything on this site is high quality, full of faith, love and all that  girly goodness and beauty that we all love :) :) :) My sweet friend Jill blessed me with two of the Tea Cozy Club newsletters for my birthday. What a sweet gesture  :) :) Thank you, Jill, it is a real blessing. Thank you for loving on me like that ;) :)Again, I'll write more about this in another post. This last magazine I would highly recommend if you are a mom,  grandma, daughter or single like me...but you like things like tea, faith, good stories, craft projects etc.  Now my mother never had tea parties with me or told me stories etc. She did love me, but didn't always show it in a traditional way. However, I've always loved/enjoyed things like this. So for me, it's really fun and such a blessing. I'm hoping that God will bless me with daughter's of my own, to raise up in faith and have tea parties with :) :) Besides, this would be perfect for a Sunday class of young women or girls at your local church or community center.

THIS WAS ANOTHER SWEET BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM MY DEAR FRIEND OVER AT RED PINE MOUNTAIN.

My really sweet friend over at Red Pine Mountain sent me this as a belated birthday gift.  I love healthy beauty products. So when she sent me this book, I was super  surprised and super excited. This book is written my Janice Cox and her daughter, Lauren. They've got a few books out on home beauty treatments etc that  are ecologically friendly and fun to make/use at home.  There are recipes for the top of your head to the toes of your feet. Please check out my friend's blog Red Pine Mountain. It's really fun. She's a real neat lady. Her husband can build anything with his own two hands. Click here to visit their site.
That's about it for today.  I'm going to a women's Bible study tomorrow morning. There will be some other ladies from church there. It'll be interesting. I'm a little nervous, yet excited at the same time. I'd been praying that God would bring along a Bible study that met in the morning. So Saturday morning it is. What an answer to prayer. We're doing a study called "His Princess". I don't remember the author's name. When I find out, I'll let you know :) :) Pray that God would give me a teachable heart :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

If loving a good yard sale is wrong, I don't want to be right!! & how I met a really neat couple!!

Hi everyone, 
It's a really lovely Saturday afternoon here.  It's supposed to be around 90 Fahrenheit today. That's hot..well, for Oregon it is!!  I have the windows open and the lights turned off. It keeps things cool, while still being able to catch the breeze, when it comes...all that without having to run the air conditioner :) :) It's fabulous.

Oh I went yards sale/garage sale shopping again today.  I'm always on the lookout for useful, beautiful, vintage things that will fit into my decorating style...and when possible, also be very useful. I think I did very well today.

I also met a really beautiful married couple today. I'll talk about them later in this blog.  I purchased some very lovely things at their home today!!!  This first photo that you see was of this really tall rose bush at the entrance to the married couples driveway...I'll call them the beautiful couple, because that is what they truly are...and I'll tell you why later!!! Talk about how I felt super-blessed today!!! Anyway, these roses were huge and so bright!!!  This was their actual color. I didn't do any editing whatsoever...

This photo of the beautiful couples rose bush was actually taken as I was leaving the yard sale!!! Isn't it gorgeous??!!  It's breathtaking!!!

The following photos are what I collected at 3 different yard sales that I went to today. I'll use some of these items to decorate my room, the stairway, and the kitchen!!!

The photo below shows treasures that I found at three different yard sales:

The "beautiful couple" yard sale I found the following:
$1.00 for the 7-UP Bottling Co. wooden carrying crate!!! That will be perfect for some of my really tall craft books and such..plus I love the vintage look. It adds character and style.  In my eyes, it's got a story somewhere and it'll add some beautiful usefulness to my room!!! The husband was very sweet.  I saw this against the wall in their garage and just had to ask!!!  The wife was awesome,too...she greeted me when I walked up and was telling me some really neat stories.  The husband talked to my dad and that was such a blessing... The people running the other yard sales I went to were nice...but by far this couple knew how to reach out and talk to people!!!

Nice yard sale on a cul-de-sac:

$2 - the set of three green latch/hook lids with wooden spoons.  I just wanted the small one...for coffee...not realizing that all three were just $2...I thought that was the price for the tall one. So I snapped it up!!! It'll look great in the kitchen and be a nice addition for flower or some sugar,too!!! If you know of any other uses for those cannisters, please let me know!!!

$2 - for the light peach/orange colored end table. I like the color as it is...but I may sand it and repaint it!!! it's wonderful...and will be the perfect place to put my yarn and crochet thread.

At much smaller yard sale on the same street:
$1 - for antique, vintage toaster!!!! Yep, this thing sits on the stove and the heat toasts the bread. It still works. just needs a little cleaning!!!!  This reminds me of my grandmother. I have a memory of her showing me one of these. My dad says she never had one..but the jury is still out!!!


Spent only $6 for all of these items....God bless the people who were generous with their pricing!!!  These things are all useful!!!

Now here are some of the other items I found that I couldn't fit on the end table :) :) :)...mainly for the purposes of photographing everything together!!! Here's what else I found...
At the nice yard sale on the cul-de-sac...
$2 - for four antique silver spoons.  I thought these would make good soup spoons to use at home..and I can use my cheap stuff for guests if I ever have a patio party!!! They're old and need some serious cleaning...but that should be easy enough, right? Right!! Anyone have any simple recipes for cleaning silver? This couple had quite a few antique silver butter forks, baby spoons, normal spoons etc..yes, it was the real deal...I could tell by looking at it..None of those were steel...all silver!!!

FREE for the "Apples 4 Sale" wall hanging, with the two extra apples!!! Beautiful, country, rustic...yep, definitely for me :) :) Originally $0.50..but because I took the end table, cannisters and 4 spoons, he threw those in for free.  Very sweet couple as well...

At the beautiful couple's yard sale this is also what I found..
$2 - for the beautifully framed photos of the roses. at least I think they're roses...but they're beautiful pink and that'll fit into my decor!!!
$1 - for the cute country/romantic/vintage framed poem on the right!!! This will also fit fight into my decorating of my room!!!
$1 - for a genuine waffle/pie iron from Jøtul,NORWAY.  This was definitely the real deal...very heavy...If anyone knows exactly if it's a pancake iron or waffle iron, please let me know. The beautiful couple was curious as well...and I said I wasn't for certain..but that I'd seen lots of these when I lived in Bergen, Norway for a year. Help a friend out and tell me what you know, so I can go back and tell them :) :) :)


For all of these items I spent a total of $6

The following two photos are close-ups of the waffle/pancake iron from Norway.  I thought if I showed you some up-close detail, you could tell me some more about it...or if you have one in your home!!!  I'd love to hear your stories. Cast iron...real, good cast iron is not always easy to find. So if you do see good cast iron at a yard sale...definitely consider buying it!!!

NOTE ADDED LATER TODAY AT 2:44 p.m. - I posted a link to my blog on my FAcebook page asking about this piece..It's an antique Jøtul krumkake iron. Krumkake is a Norwegian rolled cookie...click here for some info about this tasty treat ..and there's a wooden roller that helps shape it into a cone. Here's an exact look-a-like I found on eBay. Click here


I lived in Bergen, Norway for a year...and they make some delicious pancakes...really skinny ones..and all sorts of other yummy goodies.  So this made me miss Norway, but also made me smile, too!!!


Isn't that detail amazing?  It's so pretty!!!

Below are close-ups of the two framed pictures that I purchased. There were quite a few others from the same artist who did the photos of the pink flowers.  It was hard not to buy the others...because they were outstanding.  However, these in particular really made my day and they're pink :) :) I also loved the framed photo with the lace..that will look nice in my room, too!!! Remember, I love anything that looks vintage, romantic, country, Victorian, rustic, feminine, frilly...or any combination of those :)



So let me tell you about the "beautiful couple"...and give you a piece of wisdom,too.  My dad and I actually drove past their yard sale initially because it was set back away from the drive-way. It was actually in their garage and at first I didn't think they'd have anything I could use in my home. However, again, on the way home, I told dad..."I think we really need to stop here. We HAVE to stop here."...No joke...I really felt the impulse to stop here and at least check it out. Sometimes the diamonds aren't always out in plain site..you have to search for the real gems.  It's work...but it's worth it...for yard sale treasures that you'll love and for finding out super cool things about people that live in your community!!!

Oh my...I found these great items which will be loved much in my home :) :)  I found out the couple was the one I had read about awhile back in the newspaper...They go down to one of our local parks here in town and make sandwiches for the homeless people there. They feed them some good food, where these "beautiful people" might not otherwise even see a meal that day...to be quite honest.  When I heard that, I got all excited...because I remember reading about that couple. My dad remembered that too. We both cried and were so touched...and we don't call those people "homeless"...but "beautiful people"..because I truly believe that's how God sees them as beautiful and precious in His Sight...and we should view them that way, too!!

In any case, this couple just goes down there and helps with the resources they have. They do it because they can!!!! We often talk about giving a cup of cold water in Jesus name..in this case, it's a yummy peanut butter & jelly sandwich and I think something to drink,too...:) :) :) That's showing the love of Jesus in a practical way!!!!

Through the course of conversation, she told me that her husband has to go to the hospital for some medical treatments. I won't share the details here because it's private..unless she says it's okay..then I'll leave a note later tonight!!...In any case, the yard sale was to raise gas money, because they'll need to make a few trips and gas, well, it's expensive!!!!  All of the items they were selling were donated.

The wife told me that it was really packed at 8:15 a.m. this morning. Wow...I'm so glad that I was able to find what I did.  Well, when she told me why they were having the yard sale and how they obtained these great items to sell...I asked if I could bring her some things?  yes... :) :) So cool.  I have some things that I was just going to donate to Goodwill. However, she can sell them to someone who'll want them...and earn more money to pay for gas and whatever else is needed. 

I'll tell you, I really came out more blessed today. If I hadn't stopped at that yard sale that I initially wrote off...I wouldn't have found these things to make my home beautiful/hospitable. More importantly,  I wouldn't have met this beautiful couple.  They were definitely the real treasures.....true diamonds in the rough!!!!  I'm going to see about taking some stuff over tomorrow morning!!!

I'm got photographs for my knitting project going.  I didn't have my dad to help me this time, so I don't have shots of how to cast-on or joining the knitting in the round.  I'll have to save that for another project. I'll see if I can find some on-line links to help you, especially if you don't know how to cast-on a knitting needle.

Have a lovely weekend.  I appreciate your visits and most especially when you leave comments!!!! That's the news from Oregon today.  Love, hugs and greetings, Heather :) :) :)