I bought the farm.

Published on by Quandie

I’m not gonna lie people, my creative well has gone a bit dry lately.  I’m still struggling with tooth extraction pain, and it took a while to get over the cold I brought home from Florida.  OK, I haven’t exactly ‘bought the farm’, but I definitely haven’t felt very creative lately.

In addition, I’m heading out of town again tomorrow, this time on a solo trip to visit my mom.  So it seemed like a the wrong time to get started on any sort of more complicated project.

I did manage to get out for some thrifting with my friend opK earlier in the week though.  I didn’t find much, but I thought I’d share my very meager haul with you guys.

We started out at a Goodwill where I made just two purchases.  First up, this amber bottle.

I brought it home, gave it a good wash and then added that faux French apothecary label.

I did some similar amber apothecary bottles in February last year …

and I thought they turned out quite nicely, so I tried it again.  I shared the source for printing those labels back in that post, so you can find that there if you’re looking for it.

The labels are easy to apply with some Mod Podge.

Since I already had the Mod Podge out and some labels printed, I decided to add labels to a couple of other jars I already had on hand.

I’ve had that pair of jars for ages and they originally had a much more faux looking paper label on them.  I soaked those labels off to replace them, and these are so much better.

These jars have the cutest little galvanized lids.

I also found this dollhouse barn at the Goodwill.

It needs a little TLC, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of the dollhouse that I fixed up back in December.

That was such a fun project to work on, so I’m thinking this one will be more of the same.

Here’s the other side …

I had to laugh when I brought it up to the register and the clerk said “oh, I see you’ve bought the farm!”  LOL.

Anyway, the barn has already gone over to Ken’s workshop for a few repairs.  I’m looking forward to giving it a fresh look.

We headed to a spot that was new to me next, the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in St. Paul.

By the way, can I just point out that it was a beautiful sunny day and the sidewalks were completely clear of snow and ice on the sunny side of the street.  This is not the norm for Minnesota in February, but I’m loving it!

Unfortunately, I think their sidewalk sign was a bit of false advertising.

I didn’t find any hot deals.  However, as we were waiting in line for opK to make some purchases I saw a shoebox full of old photos so I started flipping through them and this one caught my eye.

Just look at those stern faces!  These guys were very serious about their sport.

The basketball … wait … is that a basketball?  I guess I’m not 100% sure about that.  Is there some other sport played with a ball that looks like that?  Or is that what basketballs looked like in 1929?

Well, whatever it is, it says “E.F. HS 28 – 29” on the ball.  There are no markings on the back of the photo, so that’s my only clue.  So the age of the photo is obvious, but no idea where it was taken.

The photos were priced at a mere 15 cents each, so I thought I really should take it home with me.

I really have no plans for its ultimate fate, but for now I’ll just enjoy displaying it somewhere.

And that’s it.  I only purchased three things.  I’m really looking forward to garage sale season because I am not finding much at the thrift stores these days!

As I mentioned, I’m headed off to my mom’s tomorrow.  She has a to-do list all ready to go for me.  So far I’m doing her taxes, cleaning out her fridge and her closets, and replanting some of her pots on the patio.  I’m looking forward to just spending some time with her though, and maybe enjoying some sunshine and warm weather.  Once again I don’t have any blog posts planned during my absence, but hopefully I’ll be ready to get busy on some creative projects when I get back home again!

30 thoughts on “I bought the farm.”

  2. Who cant relate to having the “creative block” but even todays post took time, energy and creativity. Enjoy the visit with Mom and I bet your creative juices will flow upon your return. Your posts come to my work inbox and its always a welcomed break in my day. I thoroughly enjoy your style of writing and painting and look forward to farm reno!

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  3. Love your finds … and as always your inspiration to add some vintage character and pairing items. The barn would be a perfect fall or winter decor item .

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  4. You’re allowed time away! And though some of your “to-do” items for your mom, aren’t fun tasks, no doubt she appreciates them. Its SO wonderful you are able to spend time together!!

    And your Goodwill has way better stuff than mine, haha. Can hardly wait to see what you do with the barn!

    HAVE FUN!!!!

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  5. enjoy you time with your mom. Give yourself some grace, everybody needs to take a pause now and then.
    safe travels, Donna

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  6. sounds like you need a vacation from your vacation! Tooth pain and recovery just take time! Enjoy your Mom time. I know she willl (I would).
    I love the barn! Our Goodwill never has anything half way that cool!
    looking forward to you coming home! In the meantime I’ll be rereading some of your posts! 😉

    smiles, alice

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  8. You enjoy your time with your mom! And we’ll all look forward to you coming back. Everything you make and post stirs our collective creative juices. So enjoy your time, and then come on back!

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  9. I always said, when I was stuck with my jewelry designs, “Creativity is not an on demand skill” and that is not very convenient when there was a deadline. It’s a very frustrating feeling.

    As for tooth extraction…they suck! I went through one a couple of years ago and I would never have imagined it would take almost a year to get my new implant tooth and be able to eat normally again!

    Good luck

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    1. Thanks so much for sharing about your experience, it makes me feel better to know that I’m not the only one who seems to take forever to feel ‘normal’ again after dental work. They don’t seem to warn you ahead of time that it can be such a long process!

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  10. Enjoy your visit with your mom and I hope you come back feeling 100%…I love the barn and can’t wait to see how you Quandify it.

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  11. Safe travels and enjoy your time with your mom. Cherished memories for sure. I love the finds. Look forward to seeing what you do with the barn. I pray that God touches you with His healing hands and that you will be better soon. ❤️🙏

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  12. There is a website called Black Fives Foundation (https://www.blackfives.org/early-basketball/) with probably more info about basketball than anyone would want.

    “In 1891, James Naismith, a physical education instructor, invented the game of basket ball (now basketball) at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game soon spread around the world.

    Basketballs in the 1920s were made of leather with rubber bladder interior.

    A typical early game included a timekeeper, one or two referees, a laced leather basketball, and closed-bottom baskets. After a (player) made a basket the referee used a broomstick or a drawstring to tip the hoop so that basketball could roll out.

    Early basketball shoes were hand-stitched and included uppers made of kangaroo leather, considered the strongest yet softest and most flexible material available.

    Early basketball venues were often gas lit, stove-heated ballrooms, armories, church basements, and meeting halls.”

    Sheila

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    1. I’m not really sure about that. I have the file saved as a .png, and when I pull that up I can choose to print it on letter sized paper. I can email you the .png file if you’d like to try it, let me know by responding to this comment.

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      1. yes please. i’m not very computer “fluent” at my age but when i clicked on it the images were tiny, about the size of stamps and they wouldn’t download. it said “upload” and i couldn’t find where they went. lol. thank you, deb

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