Simple little shelf redo and a few thrift store finds

From this...

To this

It was painted a very pretty soft yellow but grungy and the color wouldn't fit with my decor so  I painted it Table Linen by Behr. I didn't want to shabby it this time.

I cut pieces of burlap to fit inside the back wall and used double sided tape to adhere the burlap, so far it's staying put!

I found this sweet little pitcher for $2 at Goodwill the other day, it's just the sweetest little thing and it was worth the trip just for that alone!

I also found this chair for a steal at a yard sale a few weeks ago, it's sits just below the shelf.

I love the curved top and the spindles.

And two more Goodwill finds,

a vintage bowl that looks like it's Texasware but says Made in USA on the bottom,

it's that thick plastic like Melmac with the swirls in it, in great condition for $3

And 2 little cups that remind me of McCoy. The have the similar markings and a number which I haven't looked up yet. I imagine they came with saucers at one time. $2 each.

Thanks for stopping!

Linking to;

Green Willow Pond for What We Accomplished Wednesday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

Common Ground for Be Inspired

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Fresh veggies and visiting reptiles

This may not be an interesting post to most people but I just have to say how much fun I'm having picking veggies from my little garden every evening.

I used to have a huge garden and canned and froze everything. That was when my husband still had the old farm house. Then we moved into the woods in 1989. We designed and had a house built and were so proud that we only took down 2 oak trees. Now I wish we had taken down a lot more.

It's way too dark and shady for a garden and I miss it terribly.

So please bare with me as I brag talk about my tiny veggie garden!

Then onto the native plants and "things"

I love prickly pear flowers and they're in full bloom now.

I can never take enough pictures, that delicate flower against those spiky thorns

And a warning here...If you hate reptiles do not go any further, I don't want to offend anyone but this is life in the desert especially when you are out in the country, seriously IN the desert.

This big fat lizard was eating my petunia flowers!!!

He's at least 12" long and almost scary he's so big, my cat will chase the small lizards but she stays away from this guy.

I hope he doesn't find a way into my veggie garden, I think he'd eat all the lettuce!

And a King snake came to visit this morning, he's outside the snake proof fence and he's a good snake. He eats other snakes including rattlers and is immune to their venom.

I WANT these here!

I have yet to see a rattler so maybe this is why!

(his head is to the right of that rock and hard to see)

I saw a beautiful Hooded Oriole this morning off the front porch but I didn't have my camera with me!

Anyway, that's' life in the desert!

Thanks for visiting!

What IS this and some flowers.

It stands 17" tall and I know it's blue swirl graniteware but what was it's original purpose?

A milk can?

I looked online and I see small milk cans but they look different.

It probably had a lid at one time.

And of course I just had to buy it. It might be cute as a plant stand at the bunkhouse, it's has several chips and dings but that's how I like my stuff, a bit chipped and dingy.

And then there was this, for a couple of dollars why not.

It measures 4 1/2" x 5" and 1" high. It looks like slots for coins but a 25 cent piece is too small.

It's tin and it's heavy for it's size.

I can always use it for paper clips and pushpins...I can't believe I don't have any here!

And seeing as I'll be leaving in 2 or 3 weeks, here's my garden.

I've been able to pick spinach and lettuce for a dinner salad every evening. 

The taller plant is cilantro which grew like a weed and I've been using it in chicken burritos.

And finally the cherry tomatoes look like they can be picked soon. 

It's in a pot so I can take it back to Minnesota.

A little wild flower popped out the gravel other day. This was one of my dad's favorite flowers when we would go for a ride in the desert.

And one of my favorite cactus flowers called Beavertail Cactus

Mexican Bird of Paradise, another one of my favorites and so nice that the woman who lived here before planted a lot of these around the yard.

In the background are the Rincon Mountains and Rincon Creek is between me and the mountains.

The mountain to the left is the south end of Saguaro National Park which, by the way, all National Parks are free admission today and tomorrow.

I'm not anxious to leave but I'm starting to pack and finish whatever needs finishing here.

I'll be back with a couple more posts of projects and then it will be time to head north!

Thanks for stopping!

Another flea market, more stuff, more wild ideas and more work for me.

I was the 2nd person at the flea market...am I obsessed???

I didn't plan that to happen, I got up at 4 am and was ready to go by 4:45 so may as well head out...right?

I arrived and there was only one other vehicle there waiting for the gate to open. I was a little embarrassed, the one vehicle was a vendor!

(But now at least I know the gate officially opens at 5:30!)

But that's how they do it here, they welcome you to come in as they set up!

I still can't get used to that.

So here we go...

Love the 50's/60's shoes!

I still remember my mom and sister wearing shoes like this when I was little and their teeny size 5 1/2 double A shoes (mine are an 8 1/2 wide...how did that happen!)

These are 5 1/2 too!

They are now on the floor below my dress form.

I have wanted one of these sewing baskets for a few years, this one was 5 bucks and full of sewing supplies and in great condition.

The fabric to the right is a Mexican print apron for the kitchen.

The woman who had the shoes also had these baby slippers with no price tag. When I inquired she said she would like to give them to me (I also bought a tea pot from her) she said she's brought them to the last 2 flea markets and no one has wanted them...humm...how come I didn't see them before?

A small collection of tea pots.

I have a plan for the tea pots, the area still needs some finishing work so

I went looking for inexpensive tea pots (vintage and new) and found 5 of them. The most expensive was the dark blue Hall at $10 down to the small one on the lower right at $3.

Love the aqua and pink table cloth, at $7 I thought it was a cutter, when I opened it up at home I found it's too good to cut!

A collection of kitchen things.

The green bowl in the lower left is already on top of my kitchen cabinets.

I have a wild plan for the green Vaseline glass that I'll show when finished (I've been slowly collecting inexpensive pieces).

The rest of the goodies will go to Wyoming for the bunkhouse kitchen including that pretty turquoise mixer that works great and was $15!

(the kitchen will be white, turquoise and yellow)

The green bottle is an old laundry bottle for sprinkling dry laundry prior to ironing and I remember well my mom doing this, even the sheets!

The jar with the blue lid is a GE refrigerator jar.

Small vintage mirror calendar give aways for $3 each, another thing I've been collecting with a plan in mind.

A box of finely crochet hankies and hat pincushions for $5

I love this 12" tall pitcher and I immediately knew where it would go when I spotted it.

Hand painted for $10

An assortment of glass and metal

Something else I've been watching for, a cast iron heat grate for only $10!

There still are deals to be found at flea markets!!!

Old branding irons for a western theme here

Probably not an old birdcage but I liked it, it was cheap and can see it painted shabby white...someday I'll post the before and after (the tops not really crooked, I just didn't notice it wasn't on properly).

A nice couple had these sections of garden fencing...18 sections!

They will go in the Wyoming garden.

(Do you see the white cast iron? I'm saving the best for last!)

I have regretted not buying a cement birdbath for years when I had the chance, I found this one at the 22nd Street Antique store for a ridiculously low price 

(sometimes it works out to pass something up earlier).

 I know one of the vendors there and I showed it to her. Her reply was if you don't buy it I will and double the price in my booth!!!! 

MINE!

It's painted aqua where the water should be and I'm just crazy about it!

One of my favorite finds!

I have another wild idea for the birdbath...next year!

And I couldn't pass up another thing I've been looking for, a beautifully patina aqua blue wheelbarrow for the Wyoming garden.

More stuff...

(A minnow bucket in Arizona!!! a gal had a lot of stuff in her booth from MN, IA and WI)

How about a tacky beautiful light fixture thrown in!

I like it!

(for some odd unexplained reason!)

I'm looking for inexpensive vintage light fixtures for this place, one place was the hallway with a high ceiling.

It even has a tassel!

(It's a LOT better than what is there now!)

Wicker stool

This is pretty cool, it was a window on a Mexican restaurant in downtown Tucson. It has a separate frame with hinges so you could actually incorporate it into a wall and open it. 

I wanted to find a tall narrow window of some sort for the end of the hallway here...found it!

And behind that are several sections of very old cast iron fencing found at the farmers market flea market.

The wrought iron window will be in the same hallway as the tacky beautiful fixture but I think they'll work out together...I hope.

And at last...4 sections of beautiful cast iron porch posts!

I wanted these so badly and walked away several times.

The super nice guy came down 50 bucks. I won't reveal the price but it really was a deal.

They are 7 feet tall and I have an idea for the Wyoming garden again.

So will I live long enough to actually do all the things with this stuff I'm hoarding!

The reason I really post all of this 'junk' is for me to go back and see what I found and when. It's been fun to look back a few years and see what I was doing and when.

Kind of like a picture journal.

I have one more flea market before I leave but the April one was the biggest, by May it's warm and there will be a lot less people...whew...that's a relief for my pocket book!

FYI average temperature for early May is about 86 degrees in Tucson.

It was about 80 today but the humidity has been about 2% every day and it doesn't feel hot!

Not like when it's 80 degrees in Minnesota with 80% humidity... now that feels hot and sticky!

Thanks for stopping!

Tomorrow I'll post a 

"what is this...does anybody know?"