Unexpected Find at an Unexpected Place

Mr. Bill asked me to go by the repair shop and pick up some screens he was having repaired. It is not open on Saturday. I don't know about you, but there are some places that I have a firm line that are girl vs. guy places. If you have read any of my older posts you know that I am not afraid to tackle the tough stuff i.e. tiling, upholstery. I have even done roofing, plumbing, electrical and more. But for some reason auto shops and certain other repair shops give me the creeps!
But... there was really no choice because it's not open when he is available, so I had to put on my big girl tool belt, hop in the truck and head over after work. This is terrible, but Friday I got a reprieve because one of my students had a mini medical situation and I couldn't get away from work in time. (Oh too bad.) 
She was fine, but it put off the trip. However, I still needed to go on Monday. 
Bill warned me that it was like stepping back in time. ?? I had no clue what he meant by that.
Well. I drove up after work. Yup, typical old, messy and...
PILED WITH JUNK!!!

It was like one of those renovation places that have architectural salvage only without the hoity toity price tag. I immediately spied some old windows and this wonderful, rusty, worn, chippy, green, screen from a window. It was beautiful and in exactly the color I want for my room! Immediately my heart starts to beat as if I have met my one true love. (Chocolate) 
You know I am just kidding. (Coffee) No. 
Of course Mr. Bill.
But... what if this gem is not for sale? What if it has a hefty price tag?
I venture inside without impaling my foot on all the glass that is strewn all over this parking lot. (I had reason to be afraid.)
The place looks like something out of the 50's and there is a black and white movie on one of the oldest T.V.'s I have seen in ages. (no flat screen here)
I tell him who I am and get the total for the work. 
Umm, uhh, (insert sweet girl, don't know nothing voice) "I saw some old windows outside. Are those for sale?"
Now, I am not from the south, but I have lived here long enough that the southern accent just pops out at times.
Well...he says. "Depends on what ya want?"
So I take him outside hoping that I can sweet talk him into selling me the screen.
How about this window and this screen? (beautiful prize that it is.)
" I guess about a dollar."
Have you ever jumped up and down on the inside, while playing it cool on the outside? That is what I was doing. 
I plopped my screen and window in the back of my truck. Paid the total and happily drove away so pleased I had cinched my big girl tool belt. I sent Bill a text. "Ha,Ha,Ha."

Here she is without decor.

Here she is gussied up for spring. 

I used upholstery tacks to attach some ribbon. 

I am crazy about the old painted spring. 

I got this adorable botanical at a craft mall that also sells new decor items. It was $21.00 which was a little more than I wanted to pay to decorate a screen that cost me a buck, but I have eyeballed these for a year. They finally were reduced from $28.00. 

The same craft mall has these velvet flowers. I love them because they remind me of old milliner's flowers. Again with my mini clothes pins. I can't seem to get enough of them.

Here are some my vintage postcards. Read about my love for clover here.

Love, love this little antique child's stocking. 

I had no idea that my little chore would turn into a treasure find. 

Sprinkled with unexpected treasure,
Katie 

P.S. I hope you like my new look. It is totally more me!

linking with: 
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays-56
&Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Beyond The Picket Fence 100 under 100. 
& Vintage Inspiration @ Common Ground &
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Take some time to hop on over and check out this fabulous blog. 

Come On Over Clover

Clover has really been bewitching me lately.

I am not original so I know that it is the stuff I have seen on pinterest.

But, lately I have been seeing it on items I already own. 

Like on vintage postcards. 

Vintage linens

On brown transferware

I remembered my mother's pressed 4 leaf clover and dug it out.

The oxalis in the yard. (I know it is not clover, but it looks like it.)

On this Gothic looking table. 

The clover (Trifolium) also trefoil (three leaves) has been valued for centuries.

The Shamrock was made popular by St. Patrick. I didn't know this until a few years ago, that the three leaves stand for the Holy Trinity. Of course it is good luck to find a four leaf clover. I actually found two in my lifetime. Once when I was picking up the kids at their elementary school. 

I picked it but don't remember what I did with it.

I don't know that I have had a massive amount of good luck since then, but I know that I am abundantly blessed. :) 
Not just the Irish valued clover, but Druids and other cultures did as well.

It was abundant food for cattle. The expression, "In the clover" refers to abundance and prosperity. I guess it was fattening to cows. 

I have noticed it quite often on vintage postcards and had wondered the sentiment in sending pictures of clover. Now I know. I wish I could send you all an image of clover and you would gain abundance and prosperity. 

How lovely of those early in the last century for sending such images.  

I am sure it was a delight to receive a charming postcard, for paper and imagery was more expensive then. 

So as I leave you or leaf you as I accidentally typed,

I hope you are feeling blessed on this Sunday.  Know that I am blessed you stopped by.

Sprinkled with Clover,

Katie 

Guess who wanted to help me take pictures?

Linking with Sunday's Best #21 Par.tay @ My 1929 Charmer 

&Debbiedoo's Newbie Party
&Between Naps on the Porch-Metamorphosis Monday.
& Show of Your Cottage Monday @ The House In The Roses.
& Northern Cottage- Party Time
&Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life
Take a moment to hop on over to these fun blogs! 

Leather Chair Redo

I am so blessed to have a husband that will antique and project with me. As I write this, Mr. Bill is doing something in the yard we cooked up. Bless his heart, he is doing all the physical labor himself. I can't wait to show you what he has been up to. I have been working on something in the house. Until both of those are ready for a reveal, we need to pull something out of the past. The reality of it is, that we can't cook something up twice a week and keep spending what we are spending for me to blog. So every once in a while we are going to have to pull some old projects out of our photography archives to show you. In 2008 we went on a trip down to Cat Spring, Tx. We stayed at a place called BlissWood Bed and Breakfast. It was this wonderful place with a lot of acreage, animals and cute cabins to stay in. Here are some pictures Bill took. I love these photos!

You can see that I have used the crusty wood one for my button.

We stayed in the writers cabin.
Mr. Bill and I take periodic trips away just the two of us. It makes for a happy marriage. :) 
Looking at those makes me want to go back!

We used Cat Spring as our home base, but went further out to go antiquing.

Mr. Bill found this chair. 

It was $40.00.

Now over the years he had seen me rip apart some furniture to recover it. 

Now he was ready to tackle a piece on his own.

He went to Tandy leather and got a couple of small hides. Enough to recover it.

When he took it apart he realized he had to rebuild the frames that would hold the leather.

He rebuilt an exact replica to both pieces, but you could use plywood  and that is what I would have done since I don't have his mad skills. 

The springs were coming up in odd places. 

He took it all apart and retied every spring.

Now he did not just use any knot. He used the knots that he found when he took it all apart. Actually this photograph is probably one he took before he untied the knots. So he would know how to tie them again. A great idea when you are taking a part something to reupholster it.

I helped him tack the leather to the chair. 

I love that it has the brand. We used it as a focal point.


He went back later and added upholstery tacks. We couldn't use the tacks from the leather craft store. They were not sturdy enough. He actually visited an upholstery shop and bought some. They were easier to apply but we still had to drill tiny pilot holes.  

Here is what she looks like all finished.

I love the back!

Here it is in a different room. In front of our door to nowhere. 

I love that it is so versatile.

I love that it is a very masculine chair, but it has the feminine curves to the top and back. 
I can put it in just about any room in our house and it coordinates. 
I hope you enjoyed one of our oldie but goodie projects highlighting one of my husbands DIY's.
Don't over look leather when you are thinking about recovering a piece. It was about $40.00 for the hide. It was an inexpensive alternative to upholstery fabric.
I will have to tell you about the door to nowhere.
Mr. Bill was going to make a coffee table out of it, but changed his mind. I will highlight that project another day! 

Sprinkled with leather,

Katie 

Linking with A Bowl Full Of Lemons. On Project At A Time Link Party
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
thebrambleberrycottage- time-travel-thursday

&frenchcountrycottage.-feathered-nest-friday
&Decorating Insanity: Furniture Friday
&Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
&funky junk interiors sat-nite-special-123-link-party.
I love to visit these fun parties.