Did you do any junkin’ or pickin’ this summer?  It was a slow start for me with barely any scores in June, but as summer progressed things got hotter on the junkin’ trail! I think I  ended up with some pretty good  junkin’ finds. Here’s my summer junk loot haul. It’s a very eclectic mix, but I just buy what I love.

Tweet tweet! Vintage ironstone bird dishes are sweet! When it comes to junkin’ finds, I am all about vintage dishes, and I love to mix and match colors and patterns. I found all these pretties at several different yard sales. It’s always fun to see how junkin’ finds come together beautifully!

I also found two cups and two saucers of beautiful black and white transferware. The cups and saucers are different patterns but since I actually prefer mixing patterns I love them even more.

The back of the saucer is marked “Fransican Ironstone.” I have not come across this mark, but I am definitely going to look for more from this maker.

My junkin’ finds wish list always includes a doll or two, or three… and oh how pretty is she? I had intended to keep her as is, but unfortunately her body was rotting a little and I am extremely sensitive to mold and dust. I salvaged her pretty head and she will get a new body and stay forever young! Lucky gal!

I have a dining room full of vintage pressed back chairs but this one is a true antique! I was going  chalk paint it but in the end I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I chose to darken the wood with java gel stain instead and I am so glad I did. I will be blogging about pressed back chairs in an upcoming post and I will be sharing the makeover then.

Doll #2 of the summer is this Kitschy cutie! She did give me a laugh and for $1.00, how could I resist buying her???

As a decorator and collector, it’s only natural that I collect decorating books. They are usually very pricey, but I found this whole stack of like new or new books for $4! Most of them were a quarter!

This unique pottery pitcher was handmade by my neighbor’s daughter in art school. Not one of my typical junkin’ finds, but I thought it would be perfect as a gnome or fairy home. My little gnome is happy to have found a fixer upper in Forgotten Thyme Forest!

This vintage farmhouse vignette just came about when I unloaded some new finds on the counter next to some old crocks and a rolling pin I have had for a while.  The old, brown stoneware pitcher,  antique wooden spoons, spoon display shelf, vintage spoons (purchased separately), chippy architectural salvage and seed packets were all late summer finds. I will soon be sharing more about that beautiful, 1800’s transferware ironstone pitcher!

I found this vintage green striped bowl at my favorite consignment shop. I am using it as a centerpiece on the table in our breakfast nook and I love how it adds just a little pop of color and ties in the other green accents and farmhouse touches in my kitchen.

I also found this smaller bowl at the same shop. So cute!

Here is a shot of the new window seating area where you can see how I have styled some of the dishes I shared today. These two little ironstone creamers were happy finds at .25 each, especially since I didn’t have any before. I have also found some delicious produce from the farmer’s market all summer! Not junk… just good, wholesome, organic, home-grown food!

Just before our kitchen corner makeover I purchased this beautiful French Country picture for the wall behind our banquette. I ended up changing my mind and going with a plate shelf in that space, but I am hanging on to the picture for a bit to see if I can make it work somewhere else. This pretty vignette is actually set up in my craft room, but I just had to play around with styling the picture and my new yellow McCoy pottery! I think just about any vintage collector includes McCoy pottery on a list of good junkin’ finds. If it is cheap I almost always will buy it. I have all colors, but scoring three pieces of yellow this summer just might make me a yellow collector!

I paid $1.00 for this cute country basket and gave it new life as a farmhouse style basket when I dressed it up with a vintage thyme seed packet  (below) and it turned out great. See it here!

I simply love the black and white design of these vintage seed packets. I found them at Fleabody’s shop in Wilmington, NC, a must stop for any antiques and vintage junk lover! I used the thyme packet for my farmhouse basket, but am planning to make a seed packet banner with some of them too.

Just a few days after the Fourth of July I was doing a little pickin’ and trading with my elderly neighbor. He just about always has what I am looking for, so I inquired about antique photo frames for my upstairs gallery wall. I was wanting some old wood or gilded frames, but I couldn’t resist this  red, blue and gold oval beauty. He drives a hard bargain, and I paid him $20 for it… way over the price I usually pay for a frame… but he is so much fun I paid him his asking price anyway. A few hours later he knocked on the door and gave me two vintage soda bottles for free since he knows I collect them. I would value them at $5 each, which allows me the peace of junkin’ mind to think I only paid $10 for the frame, which is more of my kind of deal! He is a hoot and just another of the many friendships I have formed through antiquing and junkin’.

The corner curio cabinet in my dining room is full of second hand treasures and found curiosities. The front row of “littles” in this picture are all quarter finds of the summer. Of all my tiny treasures I didn’t have a thimble (other than a Monopoly thimble) in my collection until June. Whaaat??? It’s true! But now I have three, officially a collection! And that little dog is so ugly it’s cute! I normally only collect Scotties but all orphaned vintage dogs need a home, and he will make a wonderful pet in my Victorian dollhouse.

While out thrifting for nothing in particular one day, this vintage wall sconce really caught my eye. It had come from an estate and was said to have been purchased in Italy many years ago. It is truly a gorgeous piece and will be listed in my etsy shop this week.

When it comes to collecting there’s “always Coca-Cola!” Vintage Coke items were my first decorating obsession! I recently realized that a bit of my decorating heart was missing in the kitchen because I didn’t have any Coca-Cola decor on display. I do incorporate some Coca-Cola red decor for Christmas, but it’s just a little too much color for me year round. When I found this vintage tin tray this weekend at a yard sale I realized it would be perfect! The colors of the tin look great with the rest of my kitchen collectibles, and this is actually one of the trays I have wanted for years but never could find. “It’s the real thing!” Well, it is a reproduction, but from 1973 so it’s still real vintage! My 12 year old has started his own soda bottle collection and he bought this green Coke bottle at the U.S. Route 60 yard sale a few weeks ago for .50. He told me just to find a spot for it and he likes it here in the breakfast nook where everyone can enjoy it. I love my little junkin’ partner!

Last but certainly not least is another vintage pressed back chair! It may not be the least,  but it was the cheapest…it was FREE!!! I was late to a yard sale, and the seller was packing up and just wanted it gone. I felt guilty and offered to pay something, but the old fella refused. In the end I convinced him to at least take a dollar to go buy himself a coffee or ice cream cone. He agreed and we were both sitting pretty! I gave the chair a chalk paint makeover and can’t wait to share!

Well, I was feeling like this wasn’t one of the best summers of my junking career, but after writing this post it I realized it was pretty productive after all! Technically it will still be summer for several more weeks, and some of the best sales in our area are during Labor Day weekend. Hopefully I will be able to post a summer junkin’ finds “grand finale” with some awesome new treasures in a few weeks! Wish me luck!

Amber

Vintage Charm Party

Feathered Nest Friday

Inspire Me Tuesday