Who inspires you?

Just a few words. . . .

Have you ever wondered about the impact of just a few words?

I'd just met her, and we didn't chat for very long.  We could have, 'cause I think we'd have a lot in common.  But I'd been away from home for nearly 36 hours and was longing to head back to my messy, "stuft," comfy house where my loved ones had survived without me.  (I think they did okay.  They ate - I think - and, I hadn't gotten any texts from irked siblings rattling off what the other one had done to them.  So I guess they did okay.) 

So, in our brief "life's experience" with each other, we talked about buttons.  And yard sales.  And blogging.  And some other things that I can't remember anymore because my mind was wandering north to my stuft home. 

Turns out, she's been blogging - with a passion - for a year or so now.  She's been featured on tatertots and jello.  And on Under the Table and Dreaming.  And she's listed in the DIY Showoff Collection of Inspiring Blogs.  Whew.  She's a real blogger. . . .


Then she mentioned to me how she's been featured on these blogs, just because someone took a peek at her blog.  And that, when they saw her blog, they saw something they thought was clever.  And - how she posts a lot.  Cool.

Sooo. . . here's my clever thing.  Call it a primitive hanging flower basket. 

Now, some folks might call it a feed bag.  You know, the kind for horses.  I found it on my way back home after being gone for 36 hours, 'cause I just had to stop at the consignment shop that you can see from the interstate.  It had been 36 long hours away from vintage.  Away from antique.  Away from second hand.  I needed a little fix before crossing my messy threshold.  And this sweet, vintage, primitive "food dish" for the equine crowd jumped out at me. 

Hmmm, it must have possibilities, I thought.  I just didn't know what.  But I knew it was meant to come home with me, what with my sweet daughter being "horse crazy" and all. . . .

And you know what?  As I walked across the doorstep of my familiar, comfy house, my feed bag magically turned into a flower basket. 

So. . . point is, she just said a few words.  And it got me thinking that I would share my flower basket idea.  And it got me thinking how fun blogging is.  And she inspired me. . . not about anything really big in life, but about something fun. 

Thanks, new friend. 

BTW, her name is Karie.  Check out her blog.  It's on my link list. . . .

                       Whadaya think?  Will there be a hot new trend in feed bag flower baskets? 

And. . . who inspires you? 

• In the big things
• In the not-so-big things
• In the fun things
• Let me know. . .

Doctor revolutionizes back surgery to get teen back on her feet - ksl.com

This article is from KSL.com and is about Sarah's orthopedist who has done all of her surgeries for scoliosis and will be doing her spinal fusion surgery this August 1st.  He's the best. . . we love our Dr. Smith!

Doctor revolutionizes back surgery to get teen back on her feet - ksl.com

My sweet father-in-law turns 82. . .

In 1929 the stock market crashed and started the Great Depression.  The Museum of Modern Art, the Academy Awards, Popeye, and 7-up all made their debut.  Herbert Hoover was inaugurated U.S. president, succeeding Calvin Coolidge.  Skirts rose to just below the knee, allowing flashes of leg to be seen when young men were fortunate.  Anne Frank, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Audrey Hepburn, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were born.  As was my father-in-law. . . Lee Taylor Cox, born May 1st, 1929, at 942 N. University Avenue in Provo, Utah.

I wouldn't meet him until many years later, to be precise it was in June 1988, when he was a spry 59 and I had recently turned 30.  His hair was a little darker then, and I was much shyer around him then than I am now.  I was nervous about meeting him.  There was a lot of pressure that day to make a good impression, as my dear sweetheart of only a few weeks would introduce me to him as his fiancee.

The meeting went well. . . Fred's parents were delighted, if not relieved, that he had finally found someone to marry.  (I do hope they were happy that it was me. . . but, after waiting 34
l-o-n-g years for their firstborn to find a wife I could have been a bag lady and I think they still would have rejoiced. . . . ) 

I asked Dad if he would please put
my name on this cabinet in the will.
His response. . . "It comes with
the house."  Thank goodness Fred
and I have our names on the house!

A bunch of years have gone by, our kids now range from 21 to 13, and I guess I must have passed muster 'cause he still smiles at me when I come to visit.  My own dear father passed away 15 years ago, and, though I miss him tremendously and no one could ever take his place, my husband's father has now become "Dad."  And I love that about him.  He watches over me and comforts me when I need a father's love. 

And. . . we have something very special in common.  We love junk.  And old stuff.  And old family stuff.  We rejoice over both family heirlooms and over piles of "stuff-that-might-be-useful-someday."  We see treasure where the rest of the family sees trash.   





These grave markers have decorated the outside of Dad's house
for years.  They belong to his great grandmother
and a few more Taylor ancestors. Aren't they great?
(Hopefully they come with the house too. . . .)

 

Dad's house is filled with second-hand treasure everywhere you look!  Some of it refined, but most of it on the "shabby," chippy, rusty side of things.  Just how I like it.  Old windows. . . chippy stools. . . industrial cabinets. . . "ancient" books. . . letters and cards from very long ago sent from his father to his mother, all carefully preserved but a little too private to include here. . . .

Have you ever heard of Cox Honey?  Dad's great-uncle Delaun Mills Cox started the bee business in Orderville, Utah in 1880.  According to www.coxshoney.com, "he produced honey to supply about the only sweet obtainable for his family and that small community."  Later he took the family to Shelley, Idaho and Cox Honey Farms' honey became well known for their delicious Pure Clover Honey and Delicious Creamed Honey.  While not the same Cox Honey, Dad's dad, Orville Stanley Cox of Provo produced his own Cox Honey, distributed in the boxes shown below.  We have a few around our house, and Dad tells me there are scores - if not hundreds - more, all to become mine someday for me to sell something in! 

So, happy birthday my dear dad, my junkin' friend,

my second-hand stuff loving friend, 

my partner in harboring the rusty/chippy/shabby stuff

that none of the rest of the family seems to see much use for. 

It's ever so sweet to have a soul mate in the family.  Love you so much. . . .

Almost time for flea.o.logy. . .



 It's been a long, looonngg winter. . . . . .  You know, I think the true definition of winter is "no yard sales, no flea markets, no street fairs, not much fun."  Well,  maybe there were a few good times, but yard sale/flea market season just makes everything more fun, don't you think?!   And - just a few more days 'til flea.o.logy, the much-awaited flea market at my friend P aula's Payson home.  We're up to 16 vendors now. . . be there this Saturday at 8:00 at Paula's, 218 Main Street on the Main Street into town, if you just hang a Louie off the exit into Payson you won't miss it, I promise.  Here's a few more photos of what I'll have there. . . hope to see you Saturday!



I've been "Sorry!" and dabbled at "Scrabble,"
but have you been big on "Dig?











Red. . . my favorite
vintage color!



Remember "Pink Elephants" from the movie Dumbo??

Pretty vintage dresses. . .





See you at 8 am sharp on Saturday!



Heaven, I'm in Heaven. . . .

Make that suitcase heaven, and board game heaven, and . . . . . . . . . oh what a fabulous sale I went to today!  A-One Estate Sales put on a bang-up estate sale in the Millcreek Area and I hadn't been there for five seconds when I saw my first find - matching royal blue vintage suitcases!  Want to see more of them?  I'll have them for sale at flea.o.logy on Saturday April 30th. . . see the blog link at the side! 

Here's a few more items I found. . .

More pics coming soon. . . .

What a great weekend for picking!



Just some of the weekends treasures
on my new shabby shelf. . .



Ooh, how I love to go picking!  No, it's not just garage sale-ing anymore, but picking.  Is that thanks to American Pickers, that great American Trend that turned junk collecting into a socially acceptable way of life?  Oh thank heavens for them, if indeed they are the ones at "fault". . . .

In any case, had fun on Friday with my friend Paula picking at estate sales and at the local thrift store that some call "The Boutique" (although I still just call it the D.I.).  Then headed down south to my friend Jennifer's neighbor, Brandon, who always has amazing stuff, for a little picking through his sTuFt garage, which yielded an amazing shabby shelf, some aprons, Pyrex, lovely little watercolors, a charming peachish/coralish light cover that my friend can use at her friend's outdoor wedding, a few linens, a pair of awesome 50's pink lampshades, and some of my beloved enamel. 

Then this morning my sweetheart and I hit the D.I. close to opening time and hit the jackpot - two carts full of treasures to bring to flea.o.logy in a few weeks and to Treasures next week!  Books, retro kitchen goodies, an old chair, quilting magazines, a vintage paper cutter (although that's for me to keep, sorry fellow collectors!), odds, ends, and some useful string. . . yup, friends, I even collect string.  Hmm, can you figure why my therapist might see this as a problem behavior?. . .

Aren't these lovely treasures? 

I wonder what next week's pickin' will bring. . . .

Next best thing to buying second hand. . . is selling!

As I mentioned, my new "career" is that of antiques dealer.  I say that with a grain of salt because I feel much more comfortable with the official title of "second-hand seller" or, perhaps better yet, "junk collector and redistributor," since I don't think of myself as much of an expert on antiques.  I simply know what I like, which is what appeals to my senses or my sense of humor.  Like "Mr. Idaho" in the picture at right.  Found it at a "hoarder's" yard sale and sold it to a fellow junk collector and redistributor whose sense of humor over the rusty can of potato flakes matched mine. 

No matter whether antiques dealer or second-hand seller, I was incredibly fortunate last November to be accepted into Acorn's Antique Show and Sale, regarded by many as Utah's best event of the kind.  I packed up scores - if not hundreds - of my best sEcoNd haNd sTufT to display there, and, with my sweet, supportive husband, made the trek up to Ogden, not knowing what fate would await us.  We were given a booth with fantastic exposure and got great support from other dealers as well as customers.  It was a success!

Then, in February, luck shined on us again when my dear friend Michael of Now & Again Eclectic Consignment in Salt Lake put in a good word for me with show owner Heidi - and the next day I got a second invitation to join the Acorn Show.  Our booth was packed all day on Saturday (not so on Sunday due to a major snowstorm, rats!) and Fred and I left Sunday night feeling successful again.

Before leaving, though, Heidi invited me to come back again for the show in May - Saturday and Sunday the 21st and 22nd to be exact - and I'm thrilled!  So excited, in fact, I wanted to share with you some photos of our booth from the Acorn Show in February.  This will give you an idea of what I sell. . . and, as a heads up, I'm saving some of my best stuff for Acorn in May!  Hope you'll come. . .

Always bring my sweetheart to the sales. . .







. . . and he brings me!