Dollhouse Bed Makeovers! Have Fun Making The Bed!!!

I took my love for bed linens and applied it to dollhouse miniature bedrooms. With a little imagination, paint and some fabric you can create the dollhouse bedroom of your dreams! Each of these fab makeovers are available in my Etsy shop, The Garage Sale Archeologist!! All beds are in 1:12 scale.

Nautical Twin Dollhouse Bed with Ship Pillow

Garden Geek Dollhouse Queen Bed

Classic French Styled Dollhouse Bed in Grey and White

Teen Guitar Lovers Twin Bedroom Set

Girl's Cottage Chic Dream Dollhouse Bed in Yellow

Traditional Victorian Styled Dollhouse Bed with Vintage Linens

Stone Exterior Dollhouse - "My Grandparents Were Artists"

Two years ago I began to think about our upcoming 40th wedding anniversary. I wanted to create something that would celebrate forty years of loving and living with my one and only fab husband. I gave a great deal of thought about making a scrapbook and I even began to collect items to create one. But the scrap book did not fulfill my artistic and creative drive to "make stuff".  I scrapped the scrap book  and began to think about building a house filled with mementos from our lives together, historical events, art work, and photographs. Assemblage has always been a strong drive in my work so I thought why not a dollhouse built by an artist about 2 artists. In the next few posts I will be sharing my journey in creating a house and hopefully someone else can learn from my mistakes.

Hip Square Sweaters & Wools

Hip Square Sweaters & Wools

Sometimes I just need to break out and do something different and Hip Square Sweaters & Wools is just the ticket. When I'm out and about at garage sales I often find pre-owned or vintage sweaters that still have years of wear left in them. A good quality sweater should last longer then one season. Wool or wool blend sweaters seem to hold their colors and stitches better then most and now that most modern washing machines have a "hand wash" cycle it makes owning wool sweaters much easier. Aside from that you cannot beat the warmth. Where I work it tends to be on the cold side and I have learned that wool sweaters are definitely warmer then any other. This is how I came to start a new shop on Etsy, called Hip Square Sweaters & Wools.

What is a "Hip Square"?

A hip square is someone who doesn't want to be defined by current "popular" trends in fashion. They want more then what the stores are pushing at the mall. Hip squares prefer not to be defined at all. They want choices and that's exactly why they prefer vintage attire. Hip squares want fun clothing for work and play that last a long, long time.

Christmas Tree Napkin Fold

I’m in love with this technique already, will you give this a try when you set your table for Christmas?
Posted by LittleThings.com on Monday, December 21, 2015

The Kingdom of the Story Garden Fairy Haven

The Saga of the Kingdom of the Story Garden began 27 years ago when my oldest son was having a bit of trouble with sibling rivalry with his one year old brother. We made up a story with characters and adventures that included 2 young princes, a kingdom, a wise old sage, a butter-fairy,and a miniature dragon. Oh and I can't forget the ogre and his dark knight. There's always a villain. As the years went by the story grew and his brother also took part in it. I began to sculpt the characters out of clay and we built a garden at the base of an old tree. They could play and have their adventures outside in the back yard. We have moved a couple times since that first garden but the Kingdom of the Story Garden will always remain a part of my garden. The current garden is comprised of careful stacking and layering of houseplants. When fall comes the plants return to their spots inside the house.

Apples Abound

We have 3 large apple trees and with all of the rain this year our trees have produced wheel barrels full of apples. I love to cook but I'm not the canning queen. So everyone is getting apples from us!! And of course there has been hours spent in the kitchen baking pies and cakes. Our home smells wonderful!!

Building a Fire Pit With Tough Love and a Little Muscle.

Once again I've neglected this blog but as you can see I've been pretty busy this summer building a fire pit.We moved to a new home last year. The house is in relatively good condition but the yard had been neglected. Once again we found ourselves a little tight on cash to do all the things we wanted but as we looked around we discovered we had most of what we needed to build a comfortable fire pit right here on the property. The main item we needed was a fire ring the rest was muscle and lots of tough love for our new home. There were several overgrown garden areas that we disassembled and used then re-purposed the materials for our fire pit. It also helped that the former owner had acquired a rather large rock pile in the dog kennel. I used a two wheel dolly to move the rocks and pavers. I began thinking I could do all this myself but about half way through I called in my husband who helped finish adding the pavers and the back wall. Amen for the help.

Bring on those cool fall nights!!!

Fall into Bed with Vintage Sheets

It's officially fall! There's a chill in the air and football is on!!!! I just love freshening up my linens with new vintage sheets. There is just something about older sheets and pillowcases that makes a bed doubly inviting. My love for vintage sheets has turned into a new product for my Etsy shop, The Garage Sale Archeologist. You can find vintage Cannon, Dan River, Ralph Lauren, Lands End, JC Penney, Springmade and more in my shop. Happy October!

Taco Lasagna with Ground Turkey

 This is a super easy recipe' and you can be creative with your ingredients. I switched from ground beef to ground turkey. Brown your meat and add your taco mix. Break up taco shells and line the bottom of a casserole baking dish. Layer with meat mixture, chili beans and cheese then repeat. Top with olives, jalapenos, tomatoes or other yummy vegies. Serve with a little guacamole, sour cream or salsa! It's a fast easy meal that will easily feed a hungry family.

Get Your Porch On

Well the garage sale hunting has been great for patio furniture this season. If you're like me I hate to set something outside that cost me more then 20.00. Between summer storms and the potential of theft I prefer to buy used and give it an easy make over. This old wicker chair was destined for the garbage if it didn't sell at a garage sale. I purchased it for 1.00 and with 7.00 of paint and a cushion I purchased off season at a local big box store for 5.00 this chair will make a great house warming gift for my son's new home. He has 3 porches to furnish and I think his renovated home from 1872 will match this chair nicely.

Happy summer!!

Matching it Up with Franciscan "Bird N' Hand, National "Valinda" and Federal in "Nordic Midnight Smoke"

Wow sometimes it just happens and you have several items that just work well together for sale on Etsy! And it's never to early to start planning for the perfect table for the holidays.

 Frnciscan Dinnerware in a pattern called "Bird n' Hand." Great condition and looks like it would be the perfect set for Christmas. Available for sale HERE!

 National Stainless Flatware in the Valinda pattern. Very distinctive and in 45 pieces.
Available for your consideration HERE!

Federal Glassware set of 4 small goblets in the Nordic Smoke Pattern. I have several more pieces in my shop. Available for sale HERE & HERE & HERE!

Could you live in a tiny house?

Every spring we head to our tiny house of 450 sq feet. It's the place we go to when we want to relieve ourselves of the burdens associated with accumulation. I'd love to live in my tiny house year round but there are 2 musts I feel I need. One is a washer and dryer. I hate going to the laundry mat. Two I'd really like a storm cellar next to my tiny house. I have a great fear of trees crashing down around my tiny house during severe weather.

The photos below, by Lincoln Barbour are of the Sauvie Island Tiny House. This house exemplifies great use of space and design. The home is owned by Jessica Helgerson and Yianni Doulis. Could you live in a tiny house?

If you want to see more fine examples of interior design by Jessica Helgerson please visit her website jhinteriordesign.com.

General Electric Clock Radio and MODern Sculptures

 Ok it's time to get back in the swing of things! Garage Sale Season is officially open! Today I am posting this fantastically cool killer clock radio! Best part is that it seem to work just as well as it looks and is available for sale HERE!

Next up is this very sweet set of wood figurines or sculptures that were likely made in the 60s. These make a statement! They are available for sale HERE!

Midcentury Modern American Designers

George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom Playboy Magazine, July 1961.

Thaw

 

We are anxiously waiting for the frozen world we have now found ourselves in to thaw so we can go to a few garage sales!

Lasagna Roll Ups Emergency Dinner for Six

 My kids are not kids anymore and we have been empty nesters for a good 10 years. One of the biggest challenges for me has been re-learning to shop and cook for 2 instead of an army. Sometimes it is difficult to find smaller portions of meat and produce. So I like to make a larger amount and freeze half for later. Spaghetti Sauce and Chili are the easiest and always taste better the second time around. The best part of both of these dishes is that if necessary I can extend these leftovers to serve more in a pinch. On this wintery cold night I turned about 1 1/2 cups of home made ground beef spaghetti sauce into a great dinner for 6.

What you will need: frozen spinach, 1 cup ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, 6 lasagna noodles cooked, mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and Italian spices.

Mix the spinach and ricotta cheese together. 

Layer each noodle with the cheese mixture and top with spaghetti sauce.

 Roll them up and place them in a lightly greased baking dish.

 I mixed a few tablespoons of spaghetti sauce with some tomato sauce, Italian spices and a squirt of ketchup.

Cover with mozzarella cheese and bake for about 40 minutes. Serve with a salad and bread!

Now instead of feeding 2 I can feed 6 hungry people. How do I make 2 cups of Chili go farther? Chili Dogs!!!