Vintage Chicks

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I love St. Patrick's Day.  It is the precursor to all the other Spring and Summer time holidays.  It is usually just starting to warm up here in these parts (it really doesn't warm up until the end of May) and usually it is the first time you see people in short sleeved shirts sunning themselves in front of the local pub after the St. Paddy's Day parade.We are a hardy bunch in Idaho and even if the weather is still freezing you will see those die-hards in their hiking shorts beginning March 17th.  I am planning a rather small soiree which will include Corned Beef, Colcannon and some exotic dessert to be determined later.  I hope you have time to enjoy the day and don't forget to wear a little green; preferably vintage.

Time Change Wonkiness

I don't know about the rest of you but the time change always makes me a little wonky.  I love having the extra daylight in the evening after it starts to warm up a bit more but for right now it just means getting up in the dark to another cold morning. I think it must be a psychological mishap but I just can't get the hang of this new adjusted rhythm to my days.  I am going to sound more than a little bit anal but I always have dinner at about the same time every evening but with the time change I don't really feel like cooking or eating but my inner scheduler just won't let me relinquish my tight grip on my pre-planned events.  I had a professor who once told me "We are here to enjoy  the honey, not to make it."  This might be the week to take his advise and just relax.  Maybe by next week I will feel more like myself and less like a member of the Lost In Space cast.

Great Flea Market Weekend

This was one of the shots of our booth before we opened for business.  We had it packed with items and tried to have a little something for everyone.  We had a great weekend.  We sold a lot of smalls and we sold the stained glass window to one of our regular customers.  She works with stained glass and even though this specimen had a hole in one of the panes she was confident she could fix it.  I love it when one of our special items gets a good home and we didn't have to carry the HEAVY  window back to the Jeep at closing time.  We are still having great luck with our goodie table and this weekend we sold out of everything except for a few cupcakes which Linda was glad to haul home.  People are crazy for Rice Crispy treats.  They ask for the recipe and I have to tell them that it is the fact that I use real butter.  It's a sad fact but usually if something tastes really good it is because it is full of butter. I am glad everyone enjoys the treats and it has been a real help when the junk buying was a little slow.  I think with Spring in the air people were a little more willing to buy a luxury item and we had a great weekend because of it. 

Flea Market Weekend

This weekend the Vintage Chicks will be at the Magic Valley Flea Market.  You can check out their website at www.magicvalleyfleamarket.com.  We will be back in our old place right inside the front door.  We will be there Saturday from 9-5 and Sunday from 10-4.  We are taking lots of Easter and a ton of new smalls.  We have decided to part with some of our vintage suitcases and a few more pieces of furniture.  The booth should be packed.  We will also be offering a sweet selection of goodies on our bake table, including our Big Ass Cookies.  If you are in the neighborhood stop by and say hello.  The weather is suppose  to be Sunny so it will be a great weekend to be out and about. I will back to my regular posting on Monday with pictures of our weekend.  Peace and good Junking.

Chicken Cake Stand

Today I am making chicken shaped sugar cookies for the flea market.  I wanted something to display them on that was portable and would allow me to use some vertical space.  This is the result.  I bought these candle sticks about three months ago to do a similar project with china plates but it never happened.  I had picked up these plastic hobnail plates for 50 cents at the thrift store and together a happy marriage was made.  I just stuck them together with some putty and added the doilies.  For the topper, some artificial grass and a little chick.  I think it will be really charming once I add the little decorated bags of cookies and if some mishap befalls the poor thing I won't feel bad at all. Cheap (Cheep) and Cheerful.

Tethered Tuesday

Today was my yearly mammogram, and when I say yearly I mean it has been six years since my last exam...Girls do not do this!  Have one every year when you are a Vintage Chick and follow the recommended schedule if you are younger.  I am only admitting to my own stupidity because I don't want others to follow my example.  I haven't taken good care of myself.  I haven't made myself a priority for a long time and it is ridiculous and ignorant.  It is easy to get caught up in life and let things go but the question of the day is."Why do women, especially, put everyone else's needs ahead of their own?  My excuse is that for the last few years I have been caring for my Mother (who just happens to be 91) and during that time I have put myself on the back burner.  I always say that someday I will take care of it.  Well, as Linda says, "Someday was yesterday and you need to focus on your well being right now."  So that is what I did today. I marched right in and had my breasts x-rayed. Because it has been awhile the technology was much better than my previous experience.  Six years ago I went on my lunch break and I was in such a hurry to get back to work that I forgot to take the metal tabs they stick on you, off.  I worked the rest of the day wondering what is so uncomfortable on my chest.  I just had to laugh when I got home and changed my clothes.  Also, the actual machine is much more user friendly.  Last time It felt like my poor breasts had been run over by a steam roller.  Ladies you know what I mean.  It is a strange feeling to be caught by the breasts and have no place to run.  This time it was more like a gentle tethering and it really left no bad sensation at all.  Well the moral of all of this rambling is...If you want to enjoy life, have the longevity to junk or whatever your passion is..You must take care of yourself first.  We only have one good shot at life, unless you believe in reincarnation which I do not discount, and we better take care of ourselves so that this one ride is a good one.  I will get off my bandwagon and back to the junking trail tomorrow.

Big Ass Cookie Assembly Line

As many of you know I have been making my Big Ass cookies and taking them to the flea market.  They always sell out and on those days when people are just not willing or able to buy a junky treasure they will buy a home made cookie or treat. We have developed a loyal following of return customers which is fabulous but the actual making and packaging of the cookies can sometimes take up a great deal of time.  Today I decided I would get them done and ready to go.  These are just some of the pictures leading up to the finished product. They turned out really well and the end result was a library table full of cookies labeled and completed; ready to go.  I have had so many people ask if the picture on the label was me.  At first I was a little taken aback because the little girl looks like something out of the twenties.I guess I haven't been using the Oil of Olay like I should have, but at least they like the packaging and my ego can take the occasional nudge.  I will keep you updated on my cookie progress.  I tell Linda that I am going to make my million, one cookie at a time.  We' ll see if I live long enough to do that.  
  

The Original Vintage Chick

I am crazy about Katherine Hepburn.  I have always loved her work and the way she conducted her life so I am giving her a posthumous lifetime membership into The Vintage Chicks club.  Since tonight is the Oscars and I will be glued to my T.V. watching all the fun I thought it only appropriate to give a nod to a great dame.  She had all the qualities a Vintage Chick should have.  She was independent, original, stubborn and creative.  She made a life for herself despite setbacks and I believe she would adhere to the rule of "Keep Calm and Carry On."  I love old movies and I always love to watch her work.  So tonight while I am having my special Oscar meal and enjoying watching today's actors I will also be thinking about the legacy she left and what being a Vintage Chick can really mean.

Spring Typewriter

Spring has Sprung!!!!  Right out of my old Underwood.  I bought this typewriter with funds I actually earned as an actress.  It was one of the only times I had actually gotten paid and of course I ran right out and invested it wisely.  I do love it and it reminds me of my saladdays doing theater and hanging out with my college friends.

Please disregard the dust.  I found this picture in my archives and forgot that I did this.  I think I will do a repeat for this year.  I remember that I was making something on my desk ( It is huge,  It takes up about half the wall space on one side of a pretty large family room) and the cat kept knocking stuff onto the floor so I just stuck the flowers into the typewriter for safe keeping.  It was a junker's perfect match.  I love it when something comes together on it's own.

Great Big Fabulous Soup Spoons

I am a flatware junkie.  I have one entire drawer in my hutch full of wonderful pieces.  Some match and some don't but they all have a character and charm of their own.  I picked up this six piece place setting plus added sugar spoon and butter knife at a junk store last Saturday.  It was in a Ziploc bag and I couldn't really tell what was all there , but the price was so good I just grabbed it and put it in my basket.  I thought worst case scenario would be me using it for a project.  When I finally got home and took a closer look I was just thrilled.  They are obviously worn and the pattern is very sweet but just look at those great big fabulous soup spoons.  They conjure up all kinds of imagined soups and desserts I could serve with them.  I am going to plan some spectacular Easter meal centered around those spoons.  I also picked up these chippy little birds. After I redid a sun room a couple of years ago and put in a set of rattan 40's furniture the bird collection has taken on a life of it's own.  They just seem to want to live in that room. I picked up a few more pieces of beaded fruit.  I don't know why they appeal to me but I will eventually find just the right place for them. Maybe I will put them in a compote dish and display them when Summer comes.  I will be spending most of the next few days getting ready for next weeks flea market.  Have a great weekend and happy junking.