COLORADO DREAMIN'

I don't think I showed you all the fun interesting times I had when I was out in CO this summer! I had a chance for a quick trip, so I drove out there to see my daughter and her husband, but also to work on my little vintage trailer! Did I say "WORK"? I mean, DOWN AND DIRTY GRUNGEY GUT JOB!! It was NASTY! Of course, it was SUPER HOT those days, too! WHOO-EE!

Here's the BEFORE.........very western-girly! YIKES!!! OUT IT GOES!

 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? This stuff was molded into place!! TEAR IT OUT!!

 

RIP THOSE CABINETS OUT!! POOF! GONE!

 

 

Bench seats on both sides...............

 

G O N E!!

 

Flooring ripped out, paneling partially removed, cabinet doors taken out and heavy-duty stripping involved! Sanded and LOOKIN' GOOD!  Brain-stormed with Richard planning the re-do strategy!

That's his expertise! Poor guy! I must've changed my mind a KA-ZILLION times! Vinyl flooring or tiles? Bead board walls? - YES! Old tin ceiling tiles - come on! "What are you thinking?" NO? OKAY!! But, the chandelier STAYS!

 

Then I had to leave to get back here! Hopefully my ideas were LOUD AND CLEAR! I noticed he didn't write any of them down! ah, ha, ha, ha! He's a great son-in-law!! He'll make it beautiful - I have no doubt! Next time I get out there to CO, I'll be making the finishing touches. I CAN HARDLY WAIT! It'll be like having the playhouse I always wanted as a little girl!

 

Before I left CO, my daughter, Vicky, (that's her on the right) and I went to Palisade (another FAVORITE PLACE!) and picked up some peaches! Nothing better than Colorado peaches right out of the orchard!!

 

We stopped at the distillery in town and had a few samples of various vodkas - who knew they made so many different flavors?? It was interesting to hear about the whole process. I'm not much for drinking it straight - I'll take mine with some tonic and a twist of lime, please!

 

While we were imbibing, there was a torrential thunderstorm going on outside. When it was over, we headed down I-70 toward Glenwood Springs and got a few miles down the road when we noticed vehicles at a standstill ahead of us. A COMPLETE STOP! The heavy rains had washed over all lanes in BOTH directions. We weren't going any where!! After an hour of sitting in the middle of nowhere, we decided to turn around and go back - others had done it earlier, but we kept thinking certainly the road crews would get the road open soon! HA! Anyhoo.........we did get turned around. BIG PROBLEM! Mud slide on interstate the OTHER direction!  Good news was we were within a few miles of a turnoff that goes up over the pass into Cedaredge that eventually gets you over to Glenwood - ONLY 150 MILES OUT OF THE WAY!  Keeping our fingers crossed that no other roads were washed out - we finally made it to Vicky's place late that night. MAN, THOSE WERE SOME EXPENSIVE PEACHES!!

 

I always have good stories to share every time I go to CO! I love it!

 

 



 

 



Cruisin' down the highway singin' along to my favorite songs!

 

 

BeYOUtiful!
XOXO

Tortoise and the Hare!

Well.....I've managed to do it AGAIN! I've gone and filled up the garage with more trash that needs to be turned into treasures before the snow flies it gets cold! Now, I surely didn't intend to bring in more work to do - especially this time of year when there's all that landscaping that needs to be getting ready for fall and garden produce to harvest! This time of year is full of opportunities for 'junkers' like me, though! I just HAD to take advantage of all those pieces that were too good to pass up! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN??!!

In between all the OTHER stuff I've been working on, here's a couple of projects I've managed to get done!

screech!! Curbside Alert! Old metal 'tea' serving cart - dirty, rusty, and covered with EEK! nasty spider webs! Turned into a 'wine' cart! Much better choice, don't cha think?

 

I painted the top tray with black chalkboard paint to write your favorite saying or wine label on. The trio of French Chefs are décor 'rub-ons' that are part of a French Cuisine theme package.

 

I used different ones for each of the trays. Adds a bit of whimsy to an otherwise BORING cart!

 

 

 This cart is one I picked up out of somebody's trash pile a long time ago!! Tried to sell it in it's rusty, crusty condition - HEY! I've seen plenty of things in worse condition at some pretty posh junk shops!

 

 

A little - who am I kidding! - a LOT of spray paint didn't do the job of covering up some of the rust, so I applied some textured wall covering that I had from another project! VOILA! The top tray comes off to use for serving - how cool!

I picked this chair at the What Cheer flea market. What a find! Painted it Antique White, added the vintage grain sack seat cover (I'm making a matching pillow, too!)

Looks great with the newly-reconditioned rolling utility cart! A match made in junk heaven!

 

What to do with a beat up table? Well.....cover up the ugly top with a colorful map of the USA!

 

The map needed something interesting to go with it, so why not add some clever saying! It adds the perfect sentiment! This table would do great in an entryway or office. Makes you want to

 TAKE A TRIP!!

 

Ghost mirror - I love making these! I got this old mirror for free at a ranch sale while I was in CO this summer. It had been out in a barn or shed for years - covered in dried mud and straw debris. Probably why it was FREE! YA THINK?? Turned out super cool! The girl with the mandolin is a graphic from 'The Graphic Fairy'. What ever graphic or photo you're looking for, you can find it on her site!

 

 This must be my year for CHAIRS! I seem to have had a plethora of them! Coming out my ears! Everywhere I look! MORE CHAIRS! Anyhoo......this lovely chair was destined for the dump! It had lost one of it's arms - so that made it WORTHLESS??

 

Look at those beautiful sculpted legs!! Not a scratch on them! A bit of paint brought out the curves! Sometimes a little makeup is all a girl needs to be GLAMOROUS!

 

I played with different fabrics to see which one would enhance the color the best. This is a vintage crewel fabric that I had saved from another CHAIR project! It seems to fit the style and grace of the chair itself. A bit of frou-frou trim doesn't hurt, either!

 

  I've got more projects in the works! A distressed dresser that I'm recreating, a fun mannequin getting a new look, and GUESS WHAT?..........MORE CHAIRS!!

 

Thanks to all my JuNKy FRIeNdS for all your love and inspiration!!

 

 

 

 

XOXOX

 



WELCOME FALL!

Well, not really! Fall isn't my most favorite time of year!! Although it's nice to have cooler mornings and evenings, it's just sad to see the flower and vegetable gardens starting to fade and turn brown!  

Where did summer go? Yes, it's still steamy hot and muggy, but can it really be SEPTEMBER already! What did I do all summer?..........for one thing I wasn't as busy working on projects like I usually am, but it seems like I was plenty busy doing SOMETHING! And now summer is winding down and I still have a lot more things I want to do!!

The best thing about this time of year? It's loaded with great 'JUNK EVENTS' ! HALLELUJAH AND PASS THE TACOS! I can't wait to get going! First thing to do is check out www.fleaquest.com to see which direction I should go! Junk Bonanza, Little Prairie Girl, What Cheer Flea Market, Junk Jubilee Holiday Show, WOO-HOO!...looks like my weekends are going to be chock full of good times and good finds!

 

 

ENJOY THE RIDE!!

 

XOXO

 

WISHES DO COME TRUE!

YEP! YOU GUESSED IT!  You knew it was bound to happen! I'm getting a little darlin' trailer of my own!
IT'S ADORABLE! Just the right size for moi! 'Course it doesn't look so beautiful right now, but nothing a little paint and fluff can't cure!

 Here she is, in the rough - a Minnie-Winnie (Winnebago)

Not sure what year it is - but you know, a real lady never reveals her age!

She's out there in CO! And my son-in-law, Richard, is going to give her a thorough going over to make sure she's got strong bones, fix all the problem areas, and get her a new facelift with a fresh paint job. He's the expert in vintage trailer restoration! It's going to be a fun to work with him on this project! 

I get to tell him what I want! (and he'll tell me what I can HAVE!)

Her cute little be-hind is so sweet - reminds me of kitty whiskers!

I'm so EXCITED to get started fixin' her up! And YOU will be going through the whole make-over process with me! It'll be so much FUN!  I've got to come up with a COOL NAME FOR HER! Having a name gives her a personality! So, it's gotta be just the PERFECT ONE! 'minnie', 'gypsy woman', 'free spirit', 'gypsy spirit', UGH! This isn't going to be EASY!

KEEP CALM, AND GLAMP ON!

XOXO

Retro Trailer Design article!

Those of you who have read my blogs know about Retro Trailer Design, www.retrotrailerdesign.com , a business started by my daughter, Vicky, and her husband, Richard. They LOVE those little 'canned hams'! Their business and adventures have been quite popular in the news media lately. They've been featured in several local newspaper articles as well as well-known national organization's magazine coverage! In one of my recent posts, I wrote about an article  on them in the Costco Magazine. This month they're on the COVER of the AAA Encompass Magazine! WOO-HOO!!

Click here to read the article written by Vicky!

http://encompassmag.com/2013/06/cover-feature-mini-tour-retro-travelers/

They have had so much fun with their Shasta, Candy, and the restored Sunliner! Richard did the restoration of both the trailer and the car! They've taken the pair to Car Shows, camped out, and traveled around Western CO, including going to an outdoor Drive-In theater still in operation along the way. The trailer restoration business is just getting started and Richard has already accumulated several different vintage trailers waiting  to get transformed! I've got my order in for one!! You're going to want one, too!

Home is where you hook it up!

Some people have Grandkids!

There's a new addition to Vicky and Richard's household! A PUPPY!
OMgee! She's just a little Sweetie-pie!
 Her name is Shelby!

ISN'T SHE ADORABLE!

(of course, the two older resident cats would disagree!)

XOXOX

SUMMER BREEZE MAKES ME FEEL FINE!

Summertime is my favorite time of the whole year! Everything is so alive, birds are singin', flowers are bloomin', grass is growin' - it just makes me happy! THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO! Yard sales, concerts, flea markets, festivals, junk events, farmer's markets, going to the lake - OH MY! (did you notice the junky stuff!) THERE'S SO LITTLE TIME!

Here's where I spend A LOT of my time! My flower gardens have gone BLOOMING CRAZY! Not because I have a 'GREEN THUMB'!! It's gotta be the good black soil here!

 Cone flowers I got out of my daughter's garden in CO!

I love to use quirky cast-offs in my gardens! This is an old hog house ventilator!

Pretty pink faces turned to catch the sun's rays!

Nothing here a couple years ago! Planted perennials to help a drainage problem area.

It's almost outgrown its boundaries! 

Hostas THRIVE here! I've never had to buy any hosta plants!

I just keep dividing them to fill in a spot or start another garden!

Cowgirl boots never wear out! They become GARDEN ART! Just a little garden humor!

This Summer I haven't been quite as motivated to work on new projects. I'd rather travel around the area and check out all the cool, funky, junky shops that are in such abundance here! However, I've managed to get a few things done!

So, there's a long story behind this project! It's a dining table with 5 chairs that I had GRANDEUR IDEAS for! Anybody else would've turned and WALKED AWAY from it! All the items had decades of filth, completely worn out, and were in DIRE NEED of repair. Has that EVER stopped me??

The five chairs had this GROSS worn out blue velvet covering

and had obviously been glued and screwed together several times over the years!

The chairs were fairly sturdy and I liked the carved legs and detailing. While I was working on them, I noticed that a couple of the brace pieces were installed upside down in a previous repair job!

Here's how they turned out! Painted a creamy white, heavily distressed (they're OLD!), and fresh new seat covers! Um...yes, I ran out of fabric and had to cover ONE lonely chair in denim blue!!

It worked out okay! At least the blues match!

I had this fabric in my stash of 'fabrics that may come in handy some day'!

The French country print seemed to be a good choice to compliment the whole dining set.

I had the table legs removed so it would fit in my truck! It's so big and HEAVY, I couldn't put

it back together when I got it home! So here it sits on sawhorses like it's waiting for surgery! The top was horribly scratched, but the carved detailing was in perfect condition!

Carved details on all four sides!

These are the table legs after being painted!

 I know this looks WEIRD!! Visualize me UNDERNEATH trying to put those

 darned damned legs back on the table top while it's suspended above the floor! I'm sure that

looked EVEN WEIRDER! Sometimes I get myself into some strange situations and take on projects that are WAY OUT OF MY CAPABILITIES!! Now I need to find a couple of strong, good-looking guys to lift it off the sawhorses!! And then, hope that I put the legs on right so it stands on its own! 

Didn't I say it was a LONG STORY! Are you still with me.........!!

A FEW DAYS LATER:

Okay! A couple of days ago, I grabbed a friend (couldn't find the cute guys!) and she helped me get the table down off the sawhorses - IT'S STANDING ON IT'S OWN! Whew! I was kinda worried that I didn't get bolts in tight or screws in the right place and it'd all fall in a heap! Murphy's Law, you know!

The carved detail is really quite pretty.

I hadn't seen it together with the chairs before.

Somebody's going to serve some grand family dinners on this table!

Maybe they'll even invite ME!

NEXT........is a vintage vanity - I've done several of them over the years and each one is different. They're my most favorite thing to re-do!

Curvy and flirty! Vanities are so romantic - memories from a bygone era.

This is what it looked like DURING the makeover process!

Lots of filler and reinforcement in this facelift!

Found this secret note of professed LOVE etched underneath!

Hm-m-m....wonder if it was FOREVER!

I happened to find a nice old piano bench that I painted to match!

Just in case the lady wants to have a seat to admire her reflection.

Isn't she lovely!

A variety of items completed in between - 

Another vanity! More retro than the rest and missing the mirror, so I made it into a desk!

Old maps are very popular right now! This desk seemed to have 

the perfect lines for using a map of the world! 

Chunky retro legs!

You can travel the world without ever leaving your desk!

TA DA! FINALY! MY LAST FURNITURE PROJECT!! I'm not quite finished with it yet, but I LOVE IT! might have to keep it! Another long story - no, I'm not going to bore you, again! My original plan for this former entertainment center didn't quite pan out, but plan B is almost as good! The cabinet didn't have doors on the top part - only the bottom. Being the non-carpenter that I am, I was determined to make door frames to cover the entire front!! Well, don't look too closely at my woodworking skills!! 

Painted a soft creamy white with a light misty green interior (I'm trying to use up my paints!).

Chicken wire on the cabinet doors creates an open view inside.

Originally I was going to use wooden lattice, but it was too thick.

I applied a beaded board backing and added the chandy silhouette

to give it a little fun and quirky elegance!

Closeup of beaded board and chandy detail. The decal had rhinestones included, which

really made it sparkle but when I put the 2nd shelf in, it knocked them off! So I removed them!

I spray painted the chicken wire a hammered bronze and the metal flower

on the door knob that I picked up at a garage sale matches perfectly!

I still need to add something to keep the doors closed. UPDATE: The hinges were the problem with the doors not closing all the way, so I ended up replacing them! That did the trick! EASY-PEASY! DONE! NO MORE FURNTURE PROJECTS! I'm taking a break from it! I want to enjoy the rest of Summer! Spend some time in a cabin on a lake somewhere!

I'll be travelin' down the backroads enjoying the scenery! Maybe I'll collect some old treasures along the way and start all over again!

TILL WE MEET AGAIN - HAPPY TRAILS, MY JUNKY FRIENDS!