Junkin' Finds...Vintage Linens Galore and More...

 It's that time of year again... yard sale junkin' season...I've found so many pretty things this spring. In early April we took a little overnight trip to Mobile Alabama to visit Bellingrath Gardens, and see some spring flowers, and of course, we always have to go junkin' on our little getaway trips too...

Here's what all I found this spring....

I can never pass up embroidered linens...

So many pretty little pieces....

I believe this is filet lace....love the dainty details of it!

This is a table runner and I loved the beautiful embroidered details on each end of it....

This square piece is large and I've got it on my kitchen table set on a diagonal...

This fabric is so pretty and it looks to be old, it is handstitched on the edges, and it must have been a very special piece of cloth to whoever made this...I love it! 

I got all of the linens for $15.00 and I don't even know if I ended up showing all of the pictures of every piece....it was a stack of pretty linens. I think I got a great deal. Every time I see them I can remember our little trip too...which makes them even more special to me....

George is quite fond of this piece...I've found him looking at it time and time again...

He thought it was for him I guess...to lay with, and lay on...and he doesn't quite understand why it's hanging on the edge of the flower market basket....he says he don't know what he's gonna do with me, lol! 

This English coaster set was only $1...here's the backside of it....

We've got several blue bottles already, but I couldn't pass this one up that's a deeper blue, for .50 cents...

My husband got this tea cup and saucer for $3....it has the courting couple on it and is so dainty and pretty...

In other junkin' news, we went to some yard sales in our own area too earlier in May, and I found this pretty tin for .50 cents...

I couldn't believe how the new to me finds, are all in the same pretty shade of blue...and how they just fit right in with what I already have going on in the sitting room on the shelves...

You aren't going to believe the price we paid for this silverplated silverware set....

Later in the month we went to some Saturday yard sales, and my husband found this set in the box for only $4. The box was stinky smelling, but it aired out wonderfully by setting it out in the sun with baking soda sprinkled inside it, (then vacuuming it at the end of the day), and what a deal! Can't wait to use these for a special holiday. I'd been on the hunt for a set of silverware for a long time, and every time I'd find any, it would be too pricey. So I am thrilled with this find! I am still on the hunt for some pretty vintage drinking glasses... hopefully I'll run across some of those eventually this summer.  

That same Saturday he found this beautiful piece in the bottom of a box and it was only $1. He knows how I love anything needlepoint, so he grabbed it up and asked me if I wanted it. For sure I do! 

We also found these milk glass pieces for $3 for the pair...I put a couple of moss and vine balls in them that I already had on hand, that were thrifted...

Tip On How To Know If It's Milk Glass: 

Milk glass is pretty to me whether it is true milk glass or not, and I collect it all, but if you want to know if it's real milk glass hold the piece up to sunlight and if it has a pinkish color to it it's milk glass. This has that pink color when held up to light. 

This pretty vintage tea tin was in a box of tins and was only .50 cents 

I can never resist a pretty saucer, when the price is right, (there's so many uses for them), and this one was only .50 cents...

I'm using it on the shelf for my little chickadee bird to have tea on in front of the french doors...

This pink milk glass piece was only $3 and I'm using it on the wicker tea cart that's in our bedroom in front of the window....

This small needlepoint candle holder was just .50 cents...

I think it is so unique and I have never seen anything like it before...

I was at the Goodwill this month to hunt some denim capri pants and a new to me top. I did find something cute, and only spent $14.00 for the outfit.... and the capri's were Nine West brand, looked like new, and are a perfect fit. I couldn't beat the price, and I know when I buy second hand clothes and they fit perfectly, I don't have to worry about them shrinking after they are washed, and not fitting the same. That's what I love the most about buying thrift store clothing.  

Anyway, while I was at Goodwill, I found this cute tea towel, new with tags for $1.99, and this beautiful like new patchwork quilted shower curtain below for $5.99, it has two sides to it, and has a fabric backing on it and is a good thick weight, but the bottom of it has an open end that is not sewn together, so I'm probably going to use my sewing machine to stitch it together. I'm thinking I'll probably use it folded over the back top of my sofa, to add color, and I can use it to cover up with, if needed for a light summer blanket too! 

And Lastly, my husband found this music box for me while I was trying on my outfit that I found at Goodwill. He got it for $2.99....it's so pretty...what it says on the inside of it is even more beautiful than the box itself...I will keep it forever. 

Well, I think that's gonna wrap up this junkin' finds post. Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Until next time...Stay creative and happy junkin'!

This week I'm linking up at these inspiring places:

(you can click the below links to visit the blog hosts and party participants, you can also join in and link up to the parties too, if you have a blog. 

Vintage Charm Blog Party

Tuesday Turn About

Thursday Favorite Things

Share Your Style

P.S. A big Thank you goes out to all the ladies that host the blog party link ups!

Drying My Summer Flowers To Make Homemade Potpourri....

Every Summer, I really enjoy saving my garden flowers and drying them to make homemade potpourri. It's a great way to remember my garden journey...long after the summertime growing season has past...and well into the fall and winter seasons...

Drying flowers can be done a number of different ways. You can hang the stems with the flowers upside down until they are dry, or use silica sand (found at craft stores) to dry them, (I've used both of those methods in the past), but today, I'm sharing how I am simply drying them by lying them flat on paper cardboard, until they become naturally dry. I'm saving spent and deadheaded flowers, so I can save them and make homemade potpourri for display once summertime has passed. 

Here's a few photos of the process....

After two weeks, the pink and yellow calibrachoa flowers have dried and turned to this beautiful deep purple color...

The rose petals have dried completely, and the marigolds are still drying, but are on their way... I am looking forward to collecting many more flowers over the summer months....

Here's a jar from a couple of years ago with zinnias, orchids, roses, and mandevilla flowers...

I left these natural, but you can always scent your potpourri with a few drops of essential oil or fragrance oil...I sometimes do that too.....

I absolutely love doing this every summer with the flowers from my yard and container garden, it is so rewarding to be able to put the dried flowers in a glass jar or pretty bowl, and display them.

If you have never dried your own flowers from your garden, I hope this post inspires you to try it this year! If you don't have any garden flowers from your own yard, you can always pick some wild ones to dry, and think back and remember that too! 

Until next time...Stay Creative and have a beautiful day!

This week I'm linking up with these inspiring places:

(you can click on the links below to visit the blog party hosts and other participants and if you have a blog you can link to the party too)

Vintage Charm Party

Turn About Tuesday

Thursday Favorite Things

Share Your Style

A huge thank you going out to all of the hosts of the blog parties!

P.S. I've Edited this post to give a shout out and a big Thank You to the sweet, beautiful, and talented Barb from French Ethereal Blog. She featured my post at  her "Share Your Style"  blog party the following week.  Thank you Barb, you made my day! You can visit Barb's blog and the other places she featured  HERE

Our Secret Garden Spring 2024

 It's been a busy spring season around here...and I have slowly crossed off my to do list and goal sheet that was a mile long, lol, but I had so much fun outside working in our yard and on some little projects and in my container garden (our secret garden area). I am so happy with the progress that my husband and I have made this year outside, and so thankful that we were both able to work on things together. God is so good. I think we can just relax and enjoy things...take it easy a while and watch the garden grow. 

Let me show you how things are looking right now...

I got a lot of new pots for the garden this year and replanted some of the root bound plants, many things came back from last year, and I added a few new garden accents this year...I love the squirrel flag....

I'm happy that I found a solution (these plastic forks), to keep the cute little squirrels from digging in my freshly planted pots...

I'll take the forks out after this spider plant gets some size to it. The squirrels seem to leave the larger sized plants alone most of the time, so soon I can take the forks out...but this worked! I know they're not pretty, but you just don't know how thankful I am for these forks and this hack, lol! I have to admit, that at first a squirrel still dug in the pot after placing the forks, but I just filled in the little hole that he dug, then the next time I checked on things... he had left it alone.  I'm thankful he gave up on digging in my pots, for now anyway...and maybe he told all his friends and family not to go near them either. I haven't seen any of them out there lately. 

I'd been having quite a bit of trouble with the squirrels last year digging in my pots. They ruined one of my calibrachoa hanging plants... I found the whole plant on the ground and dried out. The other one made it though, and was untouched...it actually came back this year, I was so surprised and happy about that...I'm keeping it on the back porch this year. 

This year we added new garden fencing to this little container garden area...from the Dollar Tree, $1.25 each 2 ft. panel, it's plastic, but I think it adds some southern charm to the secret garden area...I think they are worth the money. 

I found this other garden flag that looks like little Emma...I have thought of painting the garden cats, but I just haven't done it yet...one day I might paint them grey to look sort of like concrete cat statutes...we'll see. If I decide to give them a makeover I'll be sure to show you. 

Well, that's how things are looking out here right now...I'll be sure to show you things as they grow more... hopefully later this summer. I hope you found some garden inspiration today. Keep scrolling the page to see my Front Porch for Spring and My Covered Back Porch for Spring. 

Until next time, stay creative... and have a beautiful day!