Spring is in the air!

the buds are pushing through the soil...the birds sing happily...the sun lingers a little longer...its almost spring...

A time to clean out the cobwebs and freshen up a bit...and the perfect chance to get a little inspiration at the Spring Market vintage show this coming Saturday...

I'll be a vendor at this event...with a curated selection of vintage sewing paraphernalia and some lovely ironstone dishes...along with original art and a new series of greeting cards...I hope you'll stop by and see me...

Portland...here we come!

In less than one month, I'll be in Portland...hosting ArtPartyPortland and having an inspiring wild time with 14 other creatives...

And though this event is sold out, there's still an opportunity to get in on a part of the fun...












As part of ArtPartyPortland, we are spending Friday at Junk Bonanza...one of the country's premier vintage/antique/artisan shows is coming to Portland for its inaugural launch in the Pacific Northwest.

I can't wait...as you likely know, I love Junk...in all its forms...and it doesn't even have to be something I buy (though I'm sure there will be some money exchanged!) but the eye-candy...the inspiring vignettes...the overflow of creative ideas...the plethora of photo opps...I'm sure I will be on junk overload!

But wait...you could join us at the show...Junk Bonanza is sponsoring two free General Admission tickets that I'm giving away here on the blog...good for any day of the show (October 9-11)   And if you decide to visit the show on Friday morning, October 9 (when I will be there with my Art Party group), I'll be happy to meet up with you...and give you a big junker's hug...and an autographed copy of the Oct/Nov issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine that features my junk-inspired home.

OK - ready...here's the deal...

1. Visit Junk Bonanza's Facebook page and like it.

2. Leave me a comment letting me know that you want in on the drawing - remember to either have your email active on your blogger profile or leave your email in your comment so I have a way to contact you if you are the winner. 

3. Want to enter more than once?  Follow both Junk Bonanza and me, four corners design on Instagram...let me know on an IG post that you're a new follower...

4. The winner will be announced here on the blog on September 16...so you have until midnight on September 15 to get in on this junking fun.

Its going to be a grand adventure...I hope to see you at the show!

September 16 follow-up...
Congrats Mindy!  You are the winner of the two Junk Bonanza tickets - Enjoy!

Ruffles & Rust recap

It was a whirlwind of activity...and when all was done, it was a vintage oasis...I had a small corner booth...perfect to highlight my collages and vintage art cards...

In between all of the hubbub, I managed to get in a few pics...what caught my eye...

Thanks to all who stopped by my booth - great to see familiar faces and meet a few new ones...thanks to Timi and her crew for a great show...thanks to my assistants Liz and Sue...and thanks to the Southern Man...
now onto the next event...

Enticements

Since I just found out a week ago that I'm going to be a part of the Fall Ruffles & Rust Vintage Show, figured I'd better get organized.  The Southern Man has been visiting family and friends down in Florida...it was the perfect time to haul up what I had in the basement and make a big mess in the dining room...I'm still on my mission to clean out my basement...and I know that it seems like I have an unending supply of stuff down there, but it truly is looking a little empty in places!

I spent one day last week pulling together possibilities and a couple of days of cleaning up forgotten castaways...and then finally finishing other projects...I have more than plenty to fill my booth!  My theme is "remembering the old country" and I'll have a good mix of original art, my vintage art cards, multi-media collages and lots of great found objects.  To take advantage of the mess strewn all over the dining room (and before I priced everything and packed it back up for the show) I decided I would do a little photo shoot to tempt you...and entice you...to clear your calendars and head over to the Monroe Fairgrounds on October 12 & 13 for this fab event...

enought enticement?  and yes, the menage a trois table from my previous post will be there as well...
want more details...as well as the scoop on first choice shopping on Friday night?  head over to www.rufflesandrustsquare.com...

at the flea market

This morning we explored a nearby weekend flea market/swap meet/junk extravaganza...the Southern Man and I...we didn't feel like doing much of anything else...and left the yard work and the household chores for another day...here's a few glimpses from our stroll among the aisles...

channeling Georgia?

































I did manage to find a few things...this old surveyor's tape...I use the tape in my art collages...I've never seen the numbers this large...and such a great font...I love the leather case it's in...and wondering what I can do with it once I unwind/use up all of the tape...ideas?

and the large rusted metal spoon...already have an idea in mind for it...all told, $1.25

what did you find this weekend?  anything to spark your creativity?

Farm Chicks treasures

During my recent trip to the Farm Chicks show, I did more than just salivate over the displays and the vintage goods...I did pick up a few treasures of my own...starting with this recycled art necklace from Lisa Souers...

Mine is the "ART" pendent made from an old pocket watch case...my travelling partner Liz picked up the glitter heart necklace...also made by Lisa Souers...



















I was on the lookout for smaller items...vintage pieces that could be incorporated into my multi-media collage artwork...or pieces that would make an interesting photo montage...

these brown bottles and well-loved paint brushes fit the bill...

I couldn't resist doing a little photo-styling in our hotel room...the muslin covered ironing board and the sheer curtains at the window contributed to the perfect set-up...I picked up a couple of rusty bed springs...in case I want to make a few more of my upcycled flower vases...

My friend Liz (shown here at Debi Bock's Garden Party booth) was on the lookout for an old dress form...

and found her gal...who was instantly named Dollie...here is Dollie, ready for the trip home...in the weeks to come, Dollie will be transformed...Liz has special plans for her...
































Another look at Liz's treasures...the hand-spun yarn is beautiful...and will be knit into a lovely wrap...

The trip was a great combination of travel, fun, color, ideas, wine, inspiration, texture, vintage finds, friendship, junk and sun...I'm already thinking about next year...

Farm Chicks eye candy

This past weekend I travelled east over the mountains...and through the wheat fields...to Spokane and the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show.  Now in its 13th year, it has become one of the premier vintage events in the country.  I had never been...so when my friend Liz mentioned it a few months back, we began planning...

As we drove across the state Friday morning, I received the pleasant news that I was the recipient of two early admission tickets...courtesy of a last minute giveaway by Katelyn Foutch via her blog, Foutch Coutch.









Katelyn is a professional photographer who does work for Serena Thompson, brainchild/genius/cheerleader behind The Farm Chicks...Katelyn had two extra tickets and decided to share the love...it was the perfect start to the day (yes, even though it was pouring rain...we were at the start of the entrance line and there were Krispy Kreme donuts) with the extra bonus of Katelyn being the sweetest peach you could ever imagine...that's her in the middle with the red polka dot bandana in her hair...surrounded by friends and family who were all part of this Idaho troupe...

Without further interuption...here's what caught my eye...

A little later in the week...what went home with us...

Note to self

Junk...one love of my life...but sometimes it gets the best of me. 
I've been having a hard time finding an effective method for organizing/ cataloging/just plain keeping track of
what I have...

Every once in a while I get a wild hair...and then all sorts of things go out the door - to other artist friends, to Goodwill, to other deserving souls.  I'm thinking of expanding my etsy shop and offering for sale junk that I either
1.  Have a sufficient quantity so parting with some of it would never be noticed by me and it might make another soul happy.
2.  Picked up so long ago that I have lost my initial inspiration and nothing hits me now so might as well have someone else give it new life.
3.  Couldn't bear to throw out but it has great potential!

My current project definitely falls into the third category...I have had this bag of cream colored circles for years...I'm not quite sure what they are made of...but I think they might be ceramic...they look like old poker chips but there's no marking of any kind...I just knew they had potential so they sat in a pile, waiting patiently...

The inspiration finally struck...I have an idea for making wire baskets and wanted to attach some sort of number tag to the front of the basket...like these that I saw on Pinterest...and then I saw other pins of number tags...using round disks with an imprinted number...and it hit me...the eureka moment...I have some round disks that I could put numbers on!

Gathered up the disks...dug out my supply of rub-on letters...played around with numbers and letters...drilled a hole in each disk with my Dremel tool...sprayed a finish coat of semigloss polyurethane for protection...and ta-da!

The polyurethane can was almost empty so the spray was inconsistent...but I like the mottled effect it produced...
I'm thinking of using a crackle finish on the next batch...

But before I tackle that next batch, I'm off to The Farm Chicks Antique Show in Spokane...going with my friend Liz...I've never been so I'm looking forward to seeing all that junk...looking at all that potential...discovering all new inspiration...

and still challenging myself to find a way to keep it under control...that be the junk...not the inspiration...

A weekend Retreat

unplug that phone...I'm taking a break!

On Saturday, my friend Sue and I travelled north
to the Retreat Summer Vintage Market...
Deb and Bob Kennedy hosted 20+ vintage/antique
artisians in their bucolic country field...
though the day was rather cloudy, my eye wandered
to bright summer hues...

Adorable stuffed toys from hasenpfeffer incorporated...a beautiful blue painted buffet from Seabold Vintage Market...

Tammy Gilley Studios had a bright, summery booth...loved her use of textiles and color...

Of course the Barn House booth was lovely...I bought a packet of old recipe cards...perfect for collage.  My other purchase at the market was several rusty casters that I'm going to attach to a couple of wood crates I have.  On our way back home, Sue & I stopped at a roadside berry stand (strawberries are finally coming on!) and at the local thrift store where I bought a good collection of Buffalo China for $5.  When I looked through the recipe cards and saw that there was one for Strawberry Jam, I just knew it was meant to be...

I'm linking up to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House  and Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures...stop by for a look...