Frames, Feed Sacks and Frail Fruit

There's one thing about working in or around antiques - you always have an abundance of "stuff". If you're one to frequent estate sales or auctions you know how easy it is to walk away with boxes loaded down with junk filled with wonderful treasures.

Such was the case a few weeks ago - okay, so it was about three years ago - that I ended up with about a truckload of wooden picture frames. It may have been more like 20 frames but when I got home and unloaded them it sure FELT like a truck load.

Anyway, my creativity instantly kicked into gear. Okay, so you caught me again. They've been shoved under my sewing table ever since I bought them. BUT, my creativity finally kicked into gear a few days ago and I basically decided to potty or get off the pot. Translation: They would have to be sent to another auction with all our other unwanted junk a truck full of our other really valuable items we no longer need or I was going to have to turn them into something saleable for our shop.

This is what I had to work with: Before you ask, yes, they are all the same. More than moderately ugly, wouldn't you agree? I had previously painted one black, added black and white toile and a few other things to turn it into a really cute bulletin board. It sold pretty quickly; I have no idea why I haven't made more since then.

Anyway, you may remember the pile of old feed sacks I have (several have sold but we have what seems like another hundred or so more to go). I decided an old burlap feed bag would make a really cool primitive style memo board. Here's what I ended up with: I'll try to make a long story a little shorter. Do you have any idea how BIG an old feed bag is? Well, I don't have the measurements here handy, but trust me - they're REALLY big! And, by the way, have I ever told you about all the lamp shades in my storage room that need recovering? Trust me (again), there are a LOT! (Are you beginning to get a grim idea of how packed our storage buildings are?)

Well, anyway, we have a lot of lamps, too. Here's one of them: Not necessarily ugly but not my style and probably not one that would quickly sell in the shop. So, a can of black paint and the remainder of that feed bag later...

Well, I think it's kinda cute. Ya gotta admit it's DIFFERENT! Now I have to think of something to do with the lampshade I took off of it. Meanwhile, I decided to paint another of those frames black... and give another a white wash... and hope that one of our customers will be in the market for a naked wooden frame.

When you have a couple thousand identical frames, you decide that selling one at a time might take awhile. So, I attached two of them together, decoupaged various papers and wallpapers to them, added some lace fabric and... ...ended up with a shadowbox of sorts. I like the look, think it's pretty but have no idea what to put behind it. Maybe a vintage embroidery?

By the way, if you are drooling over having an old feed sack, I have plenty left. Email me at miller.sher@yahoo.com if you want one (or more). They're $5.50 each (such a deal!) and I'll pay for the postage (such a better deal!).

You all know how hot it's been but it's been just as dry here in the south. The other night we had a pretty fierce storm. It literally ripped apart a tent my husband had put in our yard (he was going to use its shade for working on furniture) and everything under the tent found homes somewhere else in the neighborhood. This table was one piece he planned to work on: (Note the remnants of tent fabric hanging from shortened poles) And, of course, our peach tree suffered even more than it suffers every year.

Because of the drought here, this year's crop of peaches looks more like crab peaches (no, there wasn't such a thing before this year).

Pretty pitiful, huh?

That's all for now, folks! Stay cool and be a Blessing to your neighbor! Love you all!