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Thursday, July 26, 2012

✿GARDEN JUNK✿ Part 2

Let's take a peek at all of the junk in my gardens!
A stained glass weathervane, which was a gift from my sister.
Petunias spilling out of an old watering can hanging on the lamppost.
Normally I would have a fern growing inside this big metal teapot, but I'm so glad that I don't this year. I'd be watering that thing twice a day, with the super-dry summer we're having.
Another stained glass butterfly that a friend made for us.
An old-fashioned lawn mower. This little area will look so much better once that clematis is in bloom!
A momma goose, with one of her babies peeking out behind her.
Poor kitty lost the tip of her tail!
St. Francis, patron saint of animals, watching over every little critter in the garden.
This cherub is big, at least a foot tall, and yet the English Ivy is about to engulf her!
And of course, the junkiest of the garden junk, my Dirty Dishes Fountain! Not only is it pleasing to listen to, but it's fun to watch the birds balance on those cups while taking a drink. So that's it. You've seen all of my "stuff". Would you believe that I'm always on the lookout for more? Well I am, because I like to change things up a little bit each year. So I have a nice variety to choose from, which would explain why my shed looks the way it does. But let's end on a happy note and not delve into that one. Happy Planting! 

Monday, July 23, 2012

MY WEEKEND FINDS~Junk In (almost) Every Color!

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of My Weekend Finds, the continuing saga of one girl's quest for more junk!
But before I share my finds, I simply must wish the official kitty of Old Glory Cottage a HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY! Yes, Cupcake Sprinkles is 1 year old today! Mr. Old Glory's birthday is in a few days, and I thought it would be a great idea to combine the birthdays into one big celebration, but Cuppy would not hear of it, and wanted her own party. She looks pretty much resigned to the fact that as long as she lives here, she will be dressed up like a doll, doesn't she?
Now, let's proceed to the junk portion of this post! I got pretty excited when I spied these canisters in a box at a garage sale. Love the YELLOW lids and the pretty tulips and daffodils, but it's the confetti that seems to be falling from the sky in celebration of these lovely canisters that made me decide to get them! 
PINK! Love those gingham plates, and I only wish there had been more than just the two of them. Very happy to add a vintage bunny to the Easter collection, and that birdie planter to the pottery collection. And I had to snake my arm through a crowd to reach that sparkly clock. I knew that if I just stood there and waited for the crowd to clear out, I'd miss it.  Didn't even knock anyone over!
My first ever pieces of BLUE Fire King!
A candy cane girl and an angel, all decked out in RED, to add to the Christmas collection.
And the last colorful pieces of junk are GREEN. Can any one of you truthfully say that you have enough flower frogs? I didn't think so! I don't have one shaped like that, so I nabbed it for a quarter. And I couldn't pass up that shovel to add to my vintage green garden tool collection, or the swankiest of swigs, that daffodil glass! All in all, it was a very colorful junking week! So, what did you find  last week? 

Friday, July 20, 2012

✿GARDEN JUNK✿ Part 1

Let's take a peek at what's blooming in the gardens this week!
Since there's nothing new and exciting blooming, let's take a look at some of the junk that I have in my gardens. Part 1 of a two-part series!
Meet Pearl!
I kind of feel that a garden without junk is like a hotdog without mustard. It just ain't right!
My plan is to find some clematises that have been drastically reduced in price and train them to grow up that headboard. In the corner is a vintage cultivator.
My late father-in-law's armillary sphere. That man knew alot about roses, and he gave me the courage to try growing them too. This piece is very special to me.
The red bike, once again being devoured by the heliopsis, despite digging most of them up in the Spring.
My daughter likes to call this plant stand "the bleachers"!
I made this totem several years ago, and it stays outside year-round. What, you thought I had somewhere to put all of this junk, come winter?!?
I found this pump in my grandparents' barn. It was made by Sears, so I thought it only fitting that it should go in the garden of our Sears Roebuck house!
The windmill, with a clematis growing ever higher. If I don't keep that thing under control, it stops the windmill from spinning.
And last we have one of a pair of stained glass butterflies that a friend made for us. Some people might say that I have too much junk in the gardens, and maybe they're right, because sometimes I swear I can hear the theme from Sanford and Son playing as I'm working out there! Oh well, I love my junk, and I'll show you Part 2 next week!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

A NEW PAIR OF GLASSES~~Rednesday

I just have to share with you my new pair of glasses!!!
No silly, not that kind of glasses!
This kind! These rooster glasses are just like the ones that I would drink orange juice out of every morning when I was at my Grandma's house. 
I don't remember Grandma ever using frozen concentrated juice, but odds are that once in a while she probably did. Maybe she only served freshly squeezed orange juice when family visited. All I know is that when I was there, it was always freshly squeezed, and it was always yummy! 
She would then put the juice in this bottle, and even at that young age, I loved this bottle and knew that one day I must have it for my very own. It now sits on a shelf in my kitchen, and every time I see it, I think of Grandma. LOVE the lily-of-the-valley!
My new pair of glasses are a great addition to what is turning out to be a nice little collection! How many will be enough? Honestly, every time I find one of these, it transports me back to Grandma's house, a place filled with so many happy memories for me. How could I ever stop buying something that makes me so happy? So, the answer is this: There are crazy cat ladies, and then there will be me, the crazy rooster glass lady!      If you would like to see more reds, visit Sue at It's A Very Cherry World!

Friday, July 13, 2012

IN THE GARDEN

Let's take a peek at what's blooming in the gardens this week!
After being cooped up inside all of last week because of the 100+ degree temps, I've been playing in the dirt, EVERY DAY!
Before we head out to the gardens, let's look at the little bunting that I made for the back porch. Normally, I leave my patriotic decorations up all summer, and especially since 9/11 the old red white and blue didn't get put away until the 12th of September. But this year I decided to try something new. The bunting is made out of the same vinyl tablecloth that I used to make the bunting for the picket fence.
I even made some little flags for the window box! I can't wait to find some cute Fall and Halloween tablecloths, because at this point, I'm addicted! What's so great about making bunting out of vinyl tablecloths? Well, they won't fade, and they can take a beating from the rain. Rain? What rain? Who's getting any rain? Certainly not me! At this point, I'm trying to decide which is cheaper: Watering or buying new plants to replace the ones that died in the drought. 
The Stargazer Lilies are starting to bloom, and boy does it smell heavenly every time I pass by them!
Purple Coneflowers. Not only are they a beautiful, but in the Fall they're literally covered with Goldfinches, eating all of those seeds!
Black-Eyed Susans. These have been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. They grew profusely along the dirt road that my grandparents lived on, and each day I would bring back a small bouquet of them, along with other wildflowers, and put them in a Ball jar to use as a centerpiece for the kitchen table. One of my fondest memories! 
Forgot to share this shot of the Sweet Williams (Dianthus) blooming a couple of weeks ago.
A Red Meidiland Rosebush. This thing blooms throughout the summer and into Fall.
Meet my new friend Chip. Chip The Chipmunk! Do you know that in all of the 17 years that we've lived in this house, I've never seen a chipmunk here? The past few days I've seen him running around the gardens, and I think that if I see him again tomorrow, I'll try to make friends with him. Maybe toss him some peanuts. He's SO cute that making friends can't possibly be a bad idea, can it? Or am I asking for trouble?  NEXT WEEK: Garden Junk!

Monday, July 9, 2012

MY WEEKEND FINDS

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of My Weekend Finds, the continuing saga of one girl's quest for more junk!
Last week was horrible. It was a scorcher! Four 100+ degree days. We are not used to that here. I was so bored and cranky, being stuck inside all week!!! 
The boredom got so bad that at one point, I actually cleaned the house. Ok, maybe not the whole house, but still, I did do some cleaning!
So when Sunday morning rolled around, I was ready to hit the flea market. 72 degrees......YAY! I found that watering can, tray and little shovel, all rusty all cheap! Does anyone know how to clean rust off of a painted surface without hurting the paint?
A pink McCoy vase.
An old owl planter. Love this now, and I'll love it later when I use it in my Halloween decorations!
Can't wait to find the perfect spot for this little cutie in my kitchen. Very 70s, doesn't in any way go with the other vintage stuff in there, but nothing matches in there anyway!
A vintage children's camp chair. I remember my grandparents having the adult size chairs just like this. And I believe there's a picnic tin in this same pattern. I really should get one, because after all, it seems like I'm trying to have one of each kind of picnic basket every made!
Two vintage yellow pots.
And a bunch of green vintage garden tools!
LOVE that rake. Not to use, but just to look at! And I'm pretty crazy about that heart-shaped sprinkler nozzle too.
That's one wicked pair of shears!
I didn't know Sunbeam made sprinklers back in the day, did you?
Of course, the best part about owning a sprinkler is actually using it. Yep, the Sunbeam works!
So does the big tall heart-shaped one, as my neighbor can personally attest to. She was on the other side of the fence, taking the garbage out, when I did this test run. Oops!  So, how was your week? Did you find any treasures? And did you frighten your neighbors with them?!