Reuse/Repurpose

While cleaning the shop last fall, I came across a electric fence wire spool that I thought had potenial for reuse. View my steps to turn it into a "Supply Spinner."

 the spool

 vintage metal pail

 a ball bearing turntable attached and a coat of paint

 metal pail secured with wood screws and washers

 loaded up with stamps

the bucket is great for brushes, rulers and scissors.

ready to do service

A batch of Banana Bread

This morning when I went to brew a pot of coffee, the dreaded ripe bananas, were still on the kitchen counter, it was then I knew that a batch of banana bread was in order. I pulled out my cookbook with my favorite Banana Bread recipe and went to work.

Local school recipe books filled with lots of tried and true recipes.

 Mixing the ingredients.

 Mashing bananas.

 Walnuts are not optional.

 First batch in the tin and to the oven. I decided to do
half of my batter into muffins.

Finished and paired with a cup of steaming coffee.

After trying lots of different recipes this is my fav.

Try it...I think you will like it.

Cool Casual

To wallpaper or not to wallpaper.

I love wallpaper, it adds color, character, texture and that is the upside! You are all too familiar with the downside if you have ever tried to remove it. With that being said ,a synopsis of the history of wall paper and then on to some lovely rooms adorned with pretty paper.
Wallpaper gained popularity in Renaissance Europe amongst the emerging gentry. The elite of society were accustomed to hanging large tapestries on the walls of their homes, a tradition from the Middle Ages. These tapestries added color to the room as well as providing an insulating layer between the stone walls and the room, thus retaining heat in the room. However, tapestries were extremely expensive and so only the very rich could afford them. Less well-off members of the elite, unable to buy tapestries due either to prices or wars preventing international trade, turned to wallpaper to brighten up their rooms.

And brighten it does.

In addition to using it on the walls it can be used to

add color to the inside or outside of a cabinet or dresser.

My advice, pick a paper that you will enjoy for many years,

it is just to pretty to let the fear of removing it stop you from covering

at least one wall.

Shady Hollow Flea Market

I consider myself  "lucky" to have secured a building at the Shady Hollow Flea Market , 5 miles south of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. I will be setting up at this market for my 4th year this spring. The Flea Market starts on Memorial Day and runs until Labor Day ever year. The history of the market, from the DL paper, is as follows:

 Shady Hollow has been serving Detroit Lakes for 42 years, many of which have been under the ownership of Ardy Hanson. First as a vendor and then as part owner, Hanson said she's been part of the flea market for all but 12 of those 42 years.
 Started by Julia Nustad and nine other women from the Fargo-Moorehead area, they would only allow 10 vendors in at a time. Now there averages 145 vendors on opening weekend, then 75 to 80 on the other summer Sundays.
Vendors sell anything from jewelry to clothing, art work to food, antiques to furniture, books to home decor, flowers to toys.
 Hanson got involved when she and partner Monte Jones set up a booth to sell collectibles. From there they ran the market for six years for Julia and then purchased the land and business when Julia was ready for retirement.
 The land, long before it was a flea market, was a vegetable farm. Then Highway 59 was built cutting the property in half.
 The thing that makes this market so unique is the fact that there are 25 small buildings, leased out by the season to vendors. There are additional acres that are available for people to pull in with cars, pickups and trailers and set up Sunday morning. The market has several lunch stands so no one goes hungry. If you are in the area from end of May to the first of Sept, be sure and put it on your must stop list.
[ Since this article was published the market has been sold to Chad Stenerson.]

 Dave & Ardy Hanson

 Vendors lined up to enter.

 Closed down for the winter.

A map of the vendors shoppes.

 Aerial view.

Iva & Tom [flea neighbors]

Jerry & Sandy [flea neighbors]

                                                             

Laurie [flea neighbor]

Annie & Daughters [flea neighbors]

This is my flea shop-Vintage Inc.

A Wall Shelf

 I found this cute little vintage metal shelf at a thrift store and bought it as it was only $1.oo, it was in excellent condition and I liked the fretwork edge.

It had laid in the garage for along time until I came across

 this old green door header.

 I fastened the two pcs. together plus added a couple of vintage

wire hooks on each end.

 The finished product.