Estate Sale Bargains

Back when I lived in New York State, my friend and I explored garage sales, looking for bargains on the weekends. After moving to Florida I check out a few garage sales, but never really got into it.

My husband and I recently discovered the fun of estate sales. We’ve gotten some lovely items to use in our home and also some wonderful pieces to use as gifts.

When people have too much stuff, and want to get rid of old possessions to make room for the new, they hold a garage sale. But some times it is necessary to get rid of a whole house full of items all at once. Usually it’s when a family member dies. The process is overwhelming, so professionals are hired who help organize an estate sale.

Estate sales can also be necessary because of long-distance moves, divorce and bankruptcy. These sales can be a good way to pay off debt or make money off unwanted possessions. Shoppers often find bargains, antiques and unusual items.

Estate sales are different from garage sales, because they're usually run by a professional company, and the goal is to sell all the items remaining in the home. In most estate sales, the public is invited into the house and can browse through the entire house. Many times the house is up for sale too. Prices are displayed on the items, but it's acceptable to bargain for lower prices.

Well, one Saturday, we walked into a house that had a number of miniature carousels. I have a small collection of carousels and did a college thesis for my Master Degree on the art of the carousel. You could say, I have a soft spot for them.

I hadn’t thought of expanding my collection, but the prices and quality was too good to pass up, on three of these. I had a problem with one the three which was 14” across, large and expensive. I went home with the other two small ones and to think about the large one.  I did get a good price, but had trouble deciding. When I did get home I called one of the sales staff at the house. She didn’t answer, so I left a message. Not hearing back from her, I assumed the carousel was sold.

The two carousels I bought that day. 

I didn't realize it at the time but not only does this carousel go around and play music, but it goes up and down too. None of my others go up and down.

When I bought the girl (right) on the carousel that day, I knew I had one home similar to it, with a boy (left). They are not the same year, but were manufactured by the same company.

The following weekend I walked into another house to check out the estate sale…there was that same staff person! She had not received the message on her phone until the following weekend and had not sold the carousel. There it was, she had moved it to the current sale! My hubby bought it for me for Xmas at a good price and put it on its’ own table in our living room. All week long I had told myself, I didn’t want it anyway!

Here's a fun find...My husband Sandy's real name is Anthony and while looking over some small collector buildings I spotted one with Anthony's Cafe printed on it in two places. Of course we had to have it and hang it in our kitchen.

Here are a few more of our finds:

We look forward to the new year going on the hunt!

Discovering Digi Stamps Part 2

I so enjoy the way digital stamps work along with my rubber stamps. The backgrounds of my scenes with Tilda and Edwin (Magnolia stamps) are enhanced with the use of these wonderful digital drawings. They fit right into my general theme of plants and kids.

I can adjust the digi stamps to the size I need to fit each of my rubber Magnolia stamps. You can't adjust the rubber stamps, so it adds another element to my creative hobby. I've adjusted the size of the potting bench used with each of my Magnolia stamps.

Tilda and Edwin are colored with Prisma colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits. The potting bench is done in Marvy Markers and a water brush. The bench was printed on Canson 90 pound water color paper. The children were stamped on card stock. Each of the children is on pop dots.

The following is an example of Edwin sitting on the bench showing how I can use the sizes to fit the rubber stamps.

These cards used digi stamps called the "Potting Bench" by Mo's Digital Pencil. I have entered the card with Tilda in the challenge at Mo's digital Pencil.

Discovering Digi Stamps

For as long as I have done watercolors, scenic compositions always gave me great pleasure to paint. Lately I have begun to use my rubber stamps to design scenes featuring my Tilda and Edwin stamps by the Magnolia Rubber Stamp Company. Floral and farm scenes look especially nice with those kids. I use my Marvy Markers (water based), water brush and plastic palette. The markers are used not only to color the images, but to print the grass too. Edwin is colored in Prisma Colored pencils and I used Oderless Mineral Spirits to blend the colors. He is on pop dots adding dimension to the picture.

I recently discovered digital stamps! I love the scenes that I can buy online and have them sent to my computer. I have a digi file and can open them and adjust them in my Word program. I use Canson 90 lb. cold press watercolor paper to print the designs on my printer. From there the fun starts, coloring and adding more to an already delightful composition. I have always enjoyed coloring and painting more than drawing, so this is a great find for me! Maybe you will think so too!

The card I am displaying used a digi stamp called "Potting Shed" designed by Mo's Digital Pencil. I love how Edwin (Cool Edwin), looks standing way into the foreground. He looks like, he just visited with the gardener at a wonderful colorful shed. I liked Mo's original colors so much, I copied them in my own version.

I have entered this card in the challenge at Mo's digital Pencil.
Come back again and see my other digital stamping discoveries!

To find more wonderful digital stamps go to: http://mosdigitalpencil.com/

A Tilda Birthday Card

At our house on Thanksgiving, we celebrate the holiday and my Granddaughter's birthday. It is all the more special, as she is a delightful and very special girl. This year she is 13 years old and a teenager. This lovely girl is no longer little and this grandma is a bit sad about that. Not only is she a straight "A" student but she is an accomplished dancer, performing with her dance studio's competition team. She and the team have won many awards, but last season was especially great as my granddaughter won the championship for her first solo performance. This year she has many dances to do, as well as two solos! We will be looking forward to going to her local competitions!

Here is the card I made especially for my granddaughter:

I bought this mini Tilda dancer in honor of my granddaughter. It is my first of what has become an ongoing collection. She is colored with Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits. I cut her out and placed her on a doily heart. It gives the look of angle wings behind the dancer! The card base is a powder blue and two small crystals embellish the upper right corner of the card.

A card just right for a dancer!

A new necklace for her birthday.

Grandma Carla designed the wooden cigar box for her lovely Granddaughter. The small carved box was from an estate. sale.

 This card is entered on the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog:
 http://www.magnolia-liciouschallengeblog.blogspot.com/

Watercolor Scenic Art Cards

I'm really loving my new Art Impressions rubber stamps. The stamps combined with my Marvy watercolor markers, 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper, water container, paper towel, waterbrush, liquid mask, pink eraser, plastic palette, help me to create gorgeous frameable art cards.

When using watercolor markers for scenic art the basic idea is to color on the back of the stamp with the marker ad stamp on the paper. Then using a damp waterbrush to "pull" out the color. That is followed by adding color off the palette with the brush and adding details. You can continue to add more stamping in the same way.

When you leave white areas, it creates highlights and and gives form to the shapes.

I use liquid mask as a resist when I want images to appear to have been stamped "behind" other images. This creates an element of depth to the work. So in the case of my fence behind the flower pot and the watering can, these were stamped and waterbrushed. When these are dry, I soaped (easier to get the masking liquid off the brush) brush and dipped it into the mask. I brush the mask over my painted images (careful not to smear my images), let it dry and then stamped my fence where I wanted it.

I pulled out my color from the fence and let that dry. I use my pink eraser and my fingers to remove the dried liquid mask. Now although the fence was stamped over, it looks in back of the pot and can!

After adding more details with the stamps, markers and waterbrush, I trim the work to fit the front of my base card and adhered it.

Another way the have images appear to be behind another images is to cover the original images with a sheet of paper and print slightly over it.

I'm so pleased with each of my cards and look forward to making more with Art Impression stamps.
Art Impressions Stamps used:
Cottage - M2425
Fence - UMP1499

There is so much that can be done with these wonderful versatile stamps.

Wooden Cart - P-1959
Wooden Barrel - F-1730
Wooden Stand - P-1705
Flower Pot - Stamp Set UM3521
Gate - Stamp Set UM3521
Tiny Grass - Stamp Set UM3521
Watering Can - Stamp Set UM3521
Leaves -  Stamp Set UM3521
Ivy Vine -  Stamp Set UM3521

This is one of my favorite cards, it used all art Impression stamps and shows so much depth. It has inspired me to combine many of my stamp to create lovely scenes.

These stamps and this blog post was submitted to Just Cards Magazine.

A Memorable Evening

Last Saturday my husband Sandy and I had a most enjoyable evening in St. Augustine, Florida. Intending to have dinner at the Columbia Restaurant, we parked the car and went for a walk on St. George Street.

Sandy took some local color shots including a few of local reenactors dressed for an event to take place that evening. Well, we got to our favorite eatery and found it to have a long wait.

We headed back to the car and arrived at the Conch House Restaurant, where we enjoyed two great dishes. Sandy had tuna and I had a wonderful shrimp and pasta dish with mushrooms.

From the Conch House we drove a short distance to the St. Augustine Amphitheater. All along the way cars were parking where they could and lights were glaring.  We got to the entrance of the amphitheater and found the parking lot full! But just up the street was an area turned into a parking lot with 2 spaces left. So, we payed, parked and briskly walked back to the entrance, taking along a large envelope that says Happy Birthday Mom and Dad, Grandma and Pop. In the brown envelope were 2 tickets to the evening's performance by John Fogerty!

At the gate we were checked in and as we made our way to our seats, I made sure to flash the envelope and say the tickets were gifts from my wonderful kids and it would be so nice to have Fogerty perform "Center Field" my favorite of his songs. Of course I heard lots of happy birthdays, but what was really fun was when not only Sandy, but the men sitting on either side of us said, they are singing your song! So I got up and danced in the isle!

The concert was everything you would want from the talented  John Fogerty. He was energetic and sang every one of our favorite songs. The audience enjoyed every moment of his great performances, dancing in the isles and cheering him on. At the end Fogerty came back on stsge and repeated several of his much loved hits, while the audience stood cheering and dancing!

This was an evening to remember!

For information on the legendary performer go to:  www.johnfogerty.com

Washington Oaks State Park

Last Saturday my husband Sandy and I spend most of the day walking around Washington Oaks. The formal gardens are the centerpiece of Washington Oaks, but it is also famous for the unique shoreline of coquina rock formations that line its Atlantic beach. This unique state park is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Matanzas River and was once the property of a distant relative of President George Washington. Louise and Owen Young purchased the land in 1936 and built a winter retirement home. They established gardens and named it Washington Oaks. In 1965 the couple donated most of the property to the State. The gardens are filled with native and exotic species, including azaleas, camellias and the exquisite bird of paradise in a picturesque setting.

A lovely tranquil setting.

An artist takes advantage of the beautiful floral display.

Visitors are welcome to picnic and fish from either the beach or the seawall along the Matanzas River.

Playing among the many rock formation along the beach.

A stroll along the beach.

Short trails provide opportunities for hiking and bicycling. Visitors learn more about the park in the visitor center. Located two miles south of Marineland on State Road A1A.

The Homes, Gardens and Groves of Louise P. and Owen D. Young have been placed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

My Hubby Sandy Brooke takes the best pictures!

Friends of Washington Oaks:
Established in 1998 as a non-profit corporation to function as a Citizens Support Organization (CSO), to work for the preservation, protection, interpretation and promotion of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. This is accomplished through special work projects, programs, and events. There are also outreach programs, exhibits, interpretive programs, fund raising activities, guided tours and additional activities which are designed to meet the needs of Washington Oaks State Gardens.

Washington Oaks State Park

6400 N. Oceanshore Boulevard
Palm Coast, Florida 32137

(386) 446-6780