Fancy Flea 2013

 The weather was just perfect for the Fancy Flea held today in Lakeland, Florida.

 There were over 300 vendors set up for this wonderful market which is held twice a year.

  I would have to say that the crowd was more than likely a record crowd.

There were so many people that it was hard to take pictures so I found myself snapping them whenever I could and as fast as I could.

 My eyes found delight everywhere I could see when I could see between the people.

 I am always drawn to lace, ruffles, painted furniture, chandeliers and jewelry, hats, ironstone, and anything pretty!   I guess you could say pretty much every thing there!  What do you look for when you go to market?

 What a great chair!  

 Deb from Vintage Soul always rocks the market with a fabulous booth!

 I love this vintage prom dress.

The best part of the show to me is coming away with so many great ideas and of course all of the friends I see there.   It was a truly perfect day.

The next Fancy Flea will be in the fall.

Will you be there?

Bluebells

As a young child I looked forward to spring for many reasons.  The discovery of the first bluebells in bloom was always such a joy to me.  

 I loved their colors most of all.   The shades of blue and pink are so lovely together.  

 I would pick pretty little bundles and carry them to my Mother and my Granny and the lady who lived next door.   I was always greeted with a big smile a kiss and a hug.

 I was blessed to live next door to my Grandparent's farm in the country and every field was not only my playground but my flower garden as well, with Violets, Spring Beauties, Clover and Queen Anne's lace.  As I think back on what beautiful bouquets I was able to create as a child it makes me smile because the best part of those beautiful flowers was the wonderful joy of

NO WEEDING!

I wish you all a very happy Spring!

Wishing you a Happy Easter

Itty Bitty Pretty Weddings

One day after a long day of painting vintage furniture in my garage I came in to rest and started  playing on Pinterest which is my usual way to unwind,   I was taken in by a beautiful picture of a bride  adorned in a Magnolia Pearl dress and the setting for her wedding was in a field of clover by a beautiful lake.    All around her were wonderfully staged vintage pieces of furniture and decor.   As I looked up from the computer and out the window, my eyes following the path down to the lake just past the roses garden to the old iron gazebo and at that moment I knew a new adventure was just beginning.

My husband is ordained and can marry people and with a large amount of vintage goodies always at my command we have everything anybody could want in a small wedding venue.  So with this post I am pleased to announce the beginning of Itty Bitty Pretty Weddings.

What Would Donna Do?

 Today's Garage Sale Treasure was this wonderful Huge rusty crusty chandelier.  

But have you ever looked at something and wondered, " What would Donna of Funky Junk Interiors do?"

 I see something fabulous here but I don't know just what yet.  

Then again maybe all it should be is just a fabulous chandelier.

The wiring is on the bottom for the bulbs but I have no idea what the globes should look like.

I am very much open to your ideas.

I would love to hear from you Donna!

Shop Around The Corner

 It's the prettiest shop in historic Palm Harbor Fl and a visual treat for the eyes.

The Shop Around the Corner is a must  if you just happen to be in the area.

Not only will you find every perfect gift you can imagine but your purchase will be doing a very good thing.  

 Shop Around the Corner is a not for profit organization called Neighborly Care Network with a mission to help seniors in need with its health and wellness program that includes Meals on Wheels.

What a wonderful way to shop!

 To me this inspirational shopping trip was made even better by meeting Debbie Landis, the shops manager, buyer, and brilliantly creative designer.  

 Have you ever met someone that you just wanted to follow around and watch them do their magic?

 Her touches here and there around the shop will make you swoon.

 Who couldn't be dreaming of a White Christmas after seeing all these beautiful things.

 I don't think I have to say another thing but let you enjoy the bling blingy eye candy.

Guiltless and calorie free!

 And these are just a few of the pictures I took.  

 When you enter the shop there is the most beautiful upside down tree but the lighting just did not allow my camera to capture it well.   You will just have to go see for yourself!

 I loved the use of the sweet paper churches.

 Warning, you won't leave here without glitter on your face!

 I have a weakness for snowmen.  

 I love the clocks in the trees too.   Can't you just see them all strike 12 on New Year's Day.

Or are you one that takes your tree down the day after Christmas?

 I try to squeeze as many minutes into the season as I can.

So if your holiday finds you near Palm Harbor FL make sure you visit this beautiful shop.

Located at 1015 Omaha Circle.

Not only will you leave with glitter on your face but your very soul will sparkle too from all the beauty  that you will find within the walls of this wonderful place.

Sunshine

We have a new puppy at our house.   Meet Sunshine, our little goldendoodle puppy.  I wasn't ever going to get another dog after we had to put our last one down.   But there certainly was a big void in our lives that she filled within minutes of entering our world.  And I have to say,
I love waking up to puppy kisses!
    

An Old Door Finds a New Home

  When I discovered the old barn door from my dad's farm, I knew that one day it would find it's home in this cubby.   I never dreamed it would also mean 2 gallons of paint and 4 days of  redecorating.

I said good-bye to the gold and sage and burgundy color scheme and welcome polished silver and white. 

 It's funny how much a couple of gallons of paint  can change things.   We are finding the change very soothing and it seems to make my small white ironstone collection and the crown molding pop as well as landing new homes to some of the architectural pieces that I have found.    Hubby arched the old barn door and hung it in place.   Someday  I hope to have a stencil made to apply to the door that reads, " Shores Farm...Waves of grain since 1968.  I will distress it to make it look like it's been there all along.

 One year when my dad came for a visit to FL from Indiana he had found some old milk containers and gave them to me.  I was thrilled because my dad never really gave the gifts out at our home.    I later found the old milk box so it was a perfect match for this vignette as my father had had a milk route before he left for the Korean War.   I am pleased that this is all in place before Father's Day.  I guess this daddy's girl is missing her daddy!  

From my dad's barn wood, hubby made the shelf on the wall and the cabinet doors below the t.v.

As you can tell I have been doodling with PicMonkey to achieve the lettering for my someday sign.    It is so easy too.  In fact there has been a lot of doodling around here lately.  My home is taking on what I would call a Coastal Farmhouse vibe.    I am far from being finished but off to a rewarding start.
With all of my family treasures in one place now, from my mother's Longenburger baskets to my Great great Grandmother's quilts and now my Father's farm wood.  I feel surrounded by those whose lives have made me who I am today.
I feel HOME.

Becky
This week I am joining Show and Tell Friday
At My Romantic Home
The Shabby Nest
Funky Junk's SNS 

Farm Treasures

 A year ago I had to make the trip back home to Indiana to sell my Dad's farm.  It was a very emotional trip for me.

I didn't grow up on this farm as it had been purchased to be a hobby farm for my Dad and his Father.  So instead of the lake cottage that my mother had dreamed about I spent summers riding ponies and playing with my cousins all around the farm and in the barn's huge hay loft.  Most importantly I spent time by my dad's side as he worked on projects in the barn.

The later part of my Dad's life was lived out here.

He loved his farm and the barn and buildings were his craft/play rooms as he restored wonderful antique cars there.

 As I drove up the lane to the farm I remember how he had planted tiny little blue spruce trees.  Sometimes the weeds were taller than the trees but they survived and in the beauty of that fall day I felt his spirit move in the breeze among the trees.

 It was sad to see the disrepair that the barns were in.  His farm had been in a life estate and after my Father's death his widow moved back to her own home and let her family live there and so the story goes.   

 All of my Father's things had been sold at auction but I was in hopes of finding something that I could treasure.  I asked the soon to be new owners of the farm if they would mind if I took some barn wood from the fallen buildings to try to make a farm table and a few other items from the wood.  I think he was thrilled hoping that I would have taken more.

Why is it that hubby's always take pictures like the one above this?   Needless to say a diet started after this trip!!

 I was thrilled with my fallen discovery.

This wonderful old door was rescued and I will show you in my next post just what we did with it.

And of course this photo was cropped for the sake of your eyes and my pride.