Auction mayhem.....

Believe me, I've been around, just busy.  After quitting my job October 1st, which ended up being the 17th, because my boss struggled to find replacements and then there were those on vacation and on workmans comp leave because of injuries - ANYWAY, I've been busy.  

I've decided to start into upholstering full time.  I am really loving it, although frustrating, because I don't have all the necessary skills/equipment/patience needed yet.  

Now, I guess I really need to back up about 1 year ago.  I have always loved auctions.  One of my first vivid memories had to have been when I was 5 yrs old or so, and went to an auction in the little town of Mayer, Arizona.  My dad had allowed my sisters and I to buy one thing each.  One of my sisters, I think it was Trudy, bought these stuffed Flintstone people, you know Fred & Wilma, which were kind of like pillows.  They were pretty cool.  My purchase was an old radio.  A super cool old radio.  And if it was old then, it must be REALLY old now.  I loved it then and I love it now.    

Okay, back to the year ago......I started going to the Mesa Auction located here in downtown Mesa and got brave to bid on a few things here and there.  And, now I'm hooked.  I LOVE IT!  Once in a while you can get a great deal.  Especially on furniture that has seen its prime.  There have been a few pieces that I've sold with out doing any work on them and that is good too!  Like I said, I'm enjoying just the hunt and find of it all and then the 'trying' to sell the items that I have.  Or the fixing up that they need.  Needless to say, I have inventory to 'work on' all the time because my selling skills are lacking.  

Okay, now back to today.  Besides the Mesa Auction, I have found two auctions in Phoenix.  They both have online bidding which is fun but can be difficult to know exactly what things look like - and things are sold AS IS.  Yes, they do give a preview day, but being located in Phoenix, I don't always get a chance to get over there.  Thus, this is what this blog is about.  Thank you for listening to the long explanation to get to this story.

I saw this rocking chair online - but in a very small picture.  These here, in my blog are obviously closer and detailed.  I put in this poly-wood sign found on the rocking chair for two reasons.  Yep, it's made out of a plasticy woodlike substance.  Hmmm.....Then, secondly, online you couldn't see the cracks and broken legs (I know, I know, I should have previewed the piece) but I didn't.  

 The rocking chair in the picture online for the auction was sitting on a large desk.  It was described as a front office lobby desk.  No dimensions were given.  I know, I should have previewed.  So, the night of the auction, I bid on the lot (chair and desk) because no one else had and the opening bid was $5.  Yep, again....I won the lot. $5.00.   We had to pick up the items on Monday.  (We, Doug and I, had also bid on other items that we won).
I told Doug we needed to take the big trailer to pick up the desk and he kind of guffawed at that suggestion but I insisted.  And guess what?!  The big lobby desk BARELY fit on a 12 foot trailer!  It was crazy - embarrassing really - especially when I saw the crappy chair.  But for $2.50 maybe I can take it apart and use it as a template to make a REAL rocking chair of wood.  Not a Poly-Wood fake.

So we get the desk to the shop, it is one massive hunk of wood with a computer hole in it?  We decided to make it into a material/workshop table for me,  however, 12 feet was a 'NO WAY IN ****' was that going to get into my shop area.  I talked Doug into chopping the last 4 feet off, adding a new end panel, bracing it with two new 4x4 pieces and then 4 wheels to move this puppy around my shop!  It's great!  As you can see it is slightly curved and the ONLY way to get it into my shop was through the front double door and the widest door into my shop was just a smidgen over 36".  The fit was TIGHTer than TIGHT, but I trusted Jasons measurements that it would fit and it did - BARELY.  I forgot to take a picture of the finished project in my office but I will add it later.  

 Thanks for listening (reading) this long blog.  I will blog about some of my items - some I still have, but some that are sold as well.  I'll need to add in our trip to see Brian and Celynda and family too!  Loves.  On.

Shannon's hair....

Shannon told me she wanted a haircut.  I said that I think she just needed a trim, so I cut off about 3 inches.  We then go and take some 'Senior' photos at a park in Scottsdale.  Here are some of them.

It was a nice day for photo's because of the overcast day.   I asked Allan to come and help with the 'reflection disc'.  Sometimes he got in the way as demonstrated in this next photo.  We were trying, and succeeded in a few pictures, to get the windblown hair look.  Our counting skills were not always in sync.

Allan took a turn with the camera now.

 I'm adding this picture, not so much that it's great - but Allan got a bee in the photo - the larger picture shows the bee flying right next to Shannon's cheek!

A few shots of Allan.  And yes, he was barefoot the whole time in the park.  I told him if he came to help I'd treat him to a Water & Ice slush.........he was the first one in the car. 

Kinda like a dog going for a ride in the countryside with the window down.  

Okay, so this fun family day was August 6th - two days before school was to start.   Shannon again tells me that the trim was nice but not what she had hoped for, so she still wants a haircut.  I'll just put this out there, that I was against it. Stacey asks her hairdresser if she can squeeze Shannon in before school starts (yep, the day before!) and luckily she can.........

Okay, I'll admit I was wrong on this one......Shannon's hair turned out darling!  

Now two random photo's:  A mushroom in our yard.  And of course a heart in a parking lot.

July 4th.....oops....

Yep, these are some way old photos that I've decided to post.  Happy 4th of July!  For the past few years, the Valley of the Sun has 'unbanned' fireworks on certain days and in certain areas.  We can set off certain types of fireworks on our road.  We choose a few simple ones.  Of course the ever popular sparklers.  When I was a young girl and we would travel to Springville, Utah - and we happened to be there during a holiday, (or maybe fireworks/sparklers were allowed all the time up there) this is what I loved:  We would sit on my grandparents lush lawn (and I mean lush - Utah lawns!  you all know what I'm talking about)....and my grandparents would be sitting up on their porch....which was really only big enough for 2 chairs (

and from what I'm remembering they look like these:

 http://www.meijer.com/assets/product_images/styles/xlarge/1004921_CO1001ABL_A_400.jpg

and then we would watch the 'big people' set off fireworks out in the road and then FINALLY we got to do sparklers!  Sometimes 3 or 4 each!  

The breeze must have been going Shannons way.

Posing for the shot

Okay, now for a project I've worked on.  Doug and I have been invited (and maybe we pushed a little) to go back to Florida and be with Brian and his family for a long weekend in September.  We will be going to Disney World!  Say What?!!!  So, Celynda had seen these dresses made up on Etsy - a online craft 'sell your stuff'' store for sale but for a bit more than she wanted to pay, so she sent me the picture and asked if I could make Brookie and Roxy a dress similar to those online and then she would double use the dress for Halloween!  Here they are!  

I thing they turned out cute.  I found a remnant of 'leather' looking material for Minnie's head.

Lastly for this post, I made Twix cupcakes for everyone to try.  They were pretty good. I loved the maple flavored frosting.

  

For our next big family adventure, we are planning on opening a frozen yogurt/cake/cupcake shoppe!  Hopefully within a year it will be up and running!  Katie has done some amazing cakes and we would like to open up this store for her to do her own work out of and then have the rest of us running the yogurt/treat side of the business. Keep your fingers crossed that all will go well and we can have a great business!!

Jessa Lynn

I'm kinda bummed right now.....I can't find any of the pictures I needed to do my blog.  I'm still not liking the Picaso picture format.  Ugh........  But I found a couple of things to share that were sent to me.  I thought I would share just a few 'heart' photos and one of my newest granddaughter, Jessa Lynn.  

First Jessa!

She looks a lot like one of her older brothers to me....Treyson, but once in a while I'll see a Kai face too.

Now for the hearts:

Sent to me by my neighbors the Barentines.  

Sent to me by some good friends, the Blau's.  Heart leaves from Alaska!

I might have shown you this before, but little Roxy and paint.

And sorry, I couldn't turn this one - spilled paint!  

When I first started my 'pinning' one of the crafts that took my breath away was this:

http://pinterest.com/pin/165859198749202491/

It was for sale on Etsy and of course I didn't want to pay for it, so I pinned it and not only did I pin it on my Crafts to Do board, but it was my board cover because I liked it immensely.  So....I have finally made it!  Yes, it's not quite as cute, but we have been looking for something to hang above our bed and well, why not these.  

I first went to Goodwill and found a book at half-off, but it had to be a special book with larger than usual font.  

I then cut out many petals and spirals......

For the spirals, I decided to use the picture pages leaving the picture on the backside while rolling them up. I still had the words for the flower centers, but it added a small amount of color to the centers.

 

 Nicely placed over our bed.  They  look cuter in real life.

Grace Kelly special.....

Last week I was watching a channel 8 special on Grace Kelly.  It was very interesting and quite nice to learn a little more about her early life, her reason to marry Prince Rainier 

and then the family life she had.

I am leaving a big space below so you will read this first before seeing the photos I am talking about.

Now I know I was supposed to just be a TV audience observer, and I was, but as they 'panned' the crowd at one of Grace Kelly's visits, it stopped on this woman.  Yes, the one in the center is the one the camera was focused on, 

 but, and I'm sorry....would you take a look at the woman on the right?!  Is she to die for?  Laughing as I'm typing.  Too funny.  

(I hope no one that reads this is related to her; Given the fact that this shot was in Monaco or Paris many, many years ago, I highly doubt you are related or even know her). 

I'm gonna name her.....Hortense.....sadly, she wouldn't be able to have a nickname really.

Um....Rhodes failure.....

Yeah, so Sunday I came home from church to find these.  What are they you ask?  My thoughts exactly, except I knew what they were SUPPOSED to be.  

Please watch the video below.......

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10200795189513782&saved

This is the way they looked while cooking.  Not too much better.  I thought they looked like an anemone, Doug was reminded of the stones from the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'.  All in all, we were amused by them.  Carolyn thought we should have played the 'prop' game from Who's line is it Anyway? and seen how many things we could have come up with.

At the end of the night, all but 2 had been eaten.  Among all the jokes and laughing they were edible.
 And yes, I look forward to when Carolyn and her rolls return.