Vintage Junk in My Trunk

A New Year, a New Approach

Welcome to Vintage Junk in My Trunk, the 2015 version. I hope to have some new and improved features for you this year. And, as always, some fun junking adventures and fabulous finds!

First off, there will be no Etsy listing challenge this year -- I think 730 straight days of listing is more than enough, don't you? Ten days in, and I don't miss it in the least! I thought I would be doing it out of habit, but nope -- no desire or inclination at all. Now, this doesn't mean I'm not going to list, or have shop goals, or anything like that. But I will not be listing one item a day, like I did in 2014. Or in 2013. I'm thinking more of some theme binges… but we'll figure that all out later

Maybe Etsy isn't even relevant anymore? Not sure if that's the case, but it's something to think about. Buying and selling via social media has really kicked into high gear. I have had some success on Facebook, and I know of many others who are doing well on Instagram.

{Which is your social media venue of choice? Are you following me on Facebook? Instagram? I feel like I need to focus more on IG…}

My plan right now is get back to blogging about our weekly thrifting, yard sale, and flea adventures. That kind of got lost in the shuffle last year; from June on I was only giving weekly updates on my Etsy Project listings. 

My goal is at least one blog post a week detailing our treasure hunts. During the busy yard sale season that may be broken up into two to encompass the weekend stuff and the fleas during the week.

So here we go:

Mr. VJIMT and I spent the early morning of the first Saturday of 2015 at a local indoor flea market. I was having some mobility issues -- sciatica? some other old lady malady? -- so we didn't spend a lot of time, but it was fun to look. I came up empty, but he bought home this wood and glass-paneled terrarium.

I may have to stick to shopping the Facebook sales for a while. I bought these cool wood church pew embellishments from my friend Cynthia at Artycyn Retroshop.

This was trash-picked in the rain. It may be going back to the trash area.

And that was how I spent the first week of 2015. Exciting, huh? Don't worry, it will get better. Spring is just around the corner… and with it, our yard sale season. Hope you stay with me for the rest of the ride!

The Little Girl’s Room

I must have gotten yesterday confused with Labor Day, as I spent eight hours cleaning, decluttering, and rearranging Little Miss VJIMT's bedroom instead of enjoying a leisurely picnic somewhere. 

Most everything in this room was either discovered at a flea market or a yard sale, trashpicked, recycled, or handmade.

(I just realized the cat rug, which was a catalogue purchase over fifteen years ago, looks exactly like our less-than-a-year old feline, Stella.)

Like this $3 pink bookcase I scored just a couple of weeks ago. It replaces a bigger blue cupboard from another part of the room, that, although larger, was not working out as storage for all the treasures an almost 8-year old girl can accumulate.

Especially when her mother drags her to yard sales! Here it is holding her many art projects.

I moved the bed away from the wall a couple of feet to create this little reading nook. Luckily, she loves it! Whew.

Got this new-in-package ribbon memo board for $2 (yard sale). I am relieved she was agreeable to removing all the papers she had been taping to her wall to put here instead. Although the wall behind the entrance door is still available for that purpose.

Cute little white shelf ($1 yard sale find) filled with miscellaneous yard sale treasures.

Another art project.

A sweet Cinderella illustration, free from a friend's yard sale years ago.

When Little Miss VJIMT was born, we started collecting prints of little girls and their animals to hang in her room. Love the frame on this huge one discovered at the Bouckville show years ago.

The subject matter is pretty adorable too. Is she wiping a tear from that poor dog's eye?

This was once a plain white shelf, again a yard sale find. A couple of years ago I painted it pink and green to match her room and added some stamped flower images and buttons to hide the screws. Someone had no trouble filling it with stuff. I'm sure I have no idea where she gets that from.

This display of vintage children's clothes has been hanging here since she was an infant. I painted the clouds on the ceiling 15 years ago when it was the teenaged Mr. VJIMT's baby room.

I don't remember where we got this one. Love the cat's glare!

STELLLLLLLAAAAAAA!

This is one of the two tiny closets in her room. I've been itching to remove the door to at least one of them for a while, and was finally inspired to do it after seeing a similar treatment in a friend's home. The beads used to be in her front doorway. This closet is her hideout, complete with pillows and blankets on the floor and dress-up clothes on the back rod.

In case there was any doubt.

Another print; this St. Bernard stands guard over his sleeping mistress.

This vintage biscuit tin with glass lid holds my favorite childhood stuffed animal and roller skating doll. Fluffy was an appropriately-named squirrel, until I got ahold of a pair of scissors and gave him a fur cut. He's also missing one leg and the alternating arm. And has markered-on eyelashes.

They sit on a green bureau trashpicked by the Mister.

Mr. VJIMT found this wonderful flapper-era child's dance costume at a local antique store a long time ago, already framed in a shadow box.

I got this framed dog and cat children's book at, you guessed it, Madison-Bouckville -- way before I was a vintage blogger.

Another little white bookcase full of stuff.

This is a shot of the room looking back towards the entrance. The bedspread and sham were my only splurge, from Pottery Barn Kids when she was a baby. Mr. VJIMT made the fence bed thirteen years ago when the boy was a toddler.

Stella enjoys the crocheted afghan made by Mom-Mom Grace for our baby girl.

And appears exhausted from all the activity.

Apple, Meet Tree

At the end of that school Christmas Bazaar, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker stating that all items in the “Flea Market” area are FREE.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen my charmingly pokey teenaged son move so fast in his life as he raced out to get the goods.

(Earlier in the day he helps his kindergarten partner pick out holiday gifts.)

Fortunately, it appears he’s got the junking gene.

(Although he insists this FREE! soft woven flower pot is a hat.)

UNFORTUNATELY, this is what he had piled against my car when we left. Brass seashell art, chipped glass candlesticks, dirty plastic place mats, and a broken stone fountain.

And this mirror.

Hmmm, might not be too bad with a little white paint.

(Mirror has a virtual blur, not a real life one)

Yep, pretty good. I think we have ourselves a picker!

Ugly Duckling No More

Remember that gray beat-up-table-with-shelf-thingy I trash-picked last week? You knew Mr. VJIMT would be right on it, as he LIVES for a new project (remember the fabulous apothecary?)

And you knew it would involve zinc, especially after seeing his last creation. 

So here is the “after” -- what a transformation!

Imagine what it will look like after the zinc ages and darkens, and the green paint is chipped and distressed.

Not bad for a freebie, eh?

Want to see more fabulous furniture makeovers? I am linking up with Cassie’s blog Primitive and Proper for “Piece of Work Wednesdays”. Check out some other amazing transformations!

Clearly, One Person’s Trash…

You should have seen me struggling to lift this solid wood and deceptively heavy table-with-shelf thing and get it into the trunk of my little car. Sophia offered to help but couldn't get unbuckled from her car seat fast enough. Good thing I was only eight blocks away from home. Who looks out the back window anyway? 

Mr. VJIMT already has plans for it.

This is Why He’s My Valentine

Minutes after I wrote my last post Mr. VJIMT came rushing into the house from his daily 2-hour walk. From just the sound of urgency in his footsteps I knew he had something he wanted to share with me.

Specifically, something he found on his walk.

In the trash.

Around the corner.

This.

He found all the drawers and carried them home, then went back with his car for the rest.

It wasn't even trash day.

You can keep your roses and chocolates.

{Well, maybe not the chocolates.}