Bonanza Finds

Buying at the Bonanza is always hard. First I know I cannot even look at the furniture
so I focus in on smalls. But how small???

Walmart has the perfect box size at the perfect price. It's about 19x19x26 inches. So Day one starts out with good intentions to buy only what will fit in 1 box. First purchase is that green magazine holder you see in the top photo. Probably one of the bulkiest items I got and after that I knew I was in trouble.

More great finds followed including those wide but flat industrial blanket hangers you see at the back, and lots of wonderful smalls.

Then off to Hunt and Gather where I found that tool carrier with handle (very heavy) and that wonderful red stool. By this time I'm getting nervous.
Next stop... walmart to get a box and start packing to see how I did. I picked up 2 boxes just in case, and a roll of packing tape.

Back at the hotel I packed, nested items inside each other. Turned things upside down and every which way and realized that the problem child was not the bulky magazine holder but those blanket hangers. I formulated my plan and then set out for day 2 of shopping.
Now I'm presented with a dilemma. I've had my eye on these buckets for awhile, ( you can't see it from the pic, but this bucket has fabulous handles)...but I know I cannot get it into my box. Then I remember a conversation with a dealer, who said she was going to Round Top next week, and so I boldly asked her if she'd bring it down for me. I was thrilled when she said "yes" and I was off to purchase. As you can see my haul on day 2 was not nearly as large as day 1. By this time I had gotten control of myself. :)

Day 3 begins with a trip to Office Max and their Fed Ex kiosk to ship my large box. Would you believe everything purchased is in that box except the bucket and blanket holders. What did I do with them you ask?
I had them boxed flat, I had cut up the 2nd box I purchased and made a flat but wide, like poster board, box for those 2 items. I was dropping off my bucket,when my Dealer friend offered to bring that box for me as well, which saved me some bucks, and I'm very grateful.

By day 3 after the box was shipped, I only purchased that which would fit in my carry on luggage and that the airport security would let me on with. I passed up a cool pair of scissors because I figured that would not get through security.

Tomorrow I fly home and then a 2 hr drive. I've got a weeks worth of work to catch up on and so blogging may not be at the top of my list. I'll be sharing stories, and photo's all week, as time allows.

Next weekend, Off to Round top Texas to pick up my treasures, and find some more.

Junk Bonanza Opening Day Wordless post (well kinda)

Day One, the Eagle has Landed

My Etsy team leader, Martha, and I met up today and took a sneak peak tour of the Bonanza. This great photo op is right as you walk in, the main entrance.

Pictured are Martha Left , Me in the middle, and one of Martha's traveling buddies on the right.

More tomorrow.

Favorite Finds from Junk Bonanza's past

This is my 4th trip to the Annual Junk Bonanza, and while I wait patiently (not), I thought I'd review some of my favorite purchases from years past.

Year 1, 2008, I went on a Red Shed Girls tour, they rented a truck which all of us promptly filled up. My favorite finds were these wooden gear forms. Mine still hang in a place of honor in my home and I even purchased more that were shipped to me later.

Year 2, 2009, I was on my own, and the Bonanza had moved to a new venue in Shakopee. It was exciting show and I got to meet and shuttle around lots of really fancy people who were visiting the Bonanza for the first time. I could only buy that which was shippable, and my favorite find was this old lab shelf display.It is currently stored loveingly in my barn and I don't seem to be able to part with it. Just about everything else you see on that shelf has been sold since then.
Year 3, 2010, with my shopping buddy Tamara from Australia. I brought home 2 of these old bus roll signs from the UK. Again a favorite find, again still on display in my home.

Most of what I buy, I re-sell but there are a few, special items that spend more time inside my home than others. Can't wait to see what I find this year.

I'm sure I'll shop till I drop once again :)

Last Week's Finds My recipe for Junk happiness

Everything you need to make a slice of junk happiness, all part of last week's finds.

First Take some rust


stir in loved and worn wood
don't forget to measure
in some iron
and steel


for flavor a bit of retro

Add lucite
and bakelite to flavor

That's all you need for junk filled goodness.

Watch for updates from the Junk bonanza

Never Forget

Never Forget

Never Again!!!!

Stencils

I just love old stencils, paper or metal

They are great for...

found a wonderful box full of em this week

Letters and numbers, multiple setsLarge and small

And even symbols. You know I pulled out the ampersands for myself :)
I couldn't snatch that box up fast enough.

Junk Bonanza Here I come

As I am preparing to leave the "real job" for a week and doing all the things that it takes, to actually leave it in another's hands. My mind wanders to where I'll be in a weeks time.
My Happy Place :)


Each year I look forward to my northward trek to the Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, Minn. As a victim of the great Texas Heat wave of 2011, I'm praying for nice Fall-ish temperatures like we had last year.

I not only thrill to browsing all the fabulous junk, picking out my favorite smalls to ship back home and marveling at the amazing displays...
I also meet new friends each year.

Last year I had fun hanging with Tamara from Australia and we met up with these lovely ladies from Junk Fest and elsewhere. We all had a great lunch at Bachman's, after touring the Ideas House that Ki and Cammie had worked on.

Cammie is one of my Junk Bonanza Friends who I enjoy seeing every year, and is an extraordinary finder of fabulous junk! Ask her about the Chocolate cake (that mysteriously disappeared) a few years back.

I enjoy seeing Ki's sister Karla and Ki's daughter Taylor each year and reminiscing about folding 100's of t-shirts a few bonanza's ago. Many of the sewn items you see in the store and in the magazine are Karla's creations.

You can bet I have my Early Bird Tickets, and comfortable shoes for a full 3 days of shopping and visiting fun.

This year I'm looking forward to bringing home not only junk but new friendships, too!

Say hello if we pass! I love talking with readers and fellow junkers. You never know, you might be on my "new friends" list for next year.

Blessings, Margo

New week and time for a Whatzit!

Found by a picker friend of mine, with me in mind. Of course I scooped it up faster than you can say toot-a-loops.
Ok, I'm open for guesses (see bottom of post for answer)


I think I know what it is, but not sure


Whatever it is, it will be in my Etsy store soon.
Thanks to my faithful readers, it turns out this is a vintage store broom display. I was a bit skeptical so I googled it and... show-nuff. Not sure how it worked as such, but there it is. My guess was a candle dipper.

I used to be a Quilter

I was so inspired by the photo's of Ki's bedroom (pg 129), in the newest issue of Flea Market Style magazine, that I decided to give my existing bed coverings a pop of color. So off I went to Walmart for some pillowcases and a fun apple green coverlet from Kohls. Walmart has some fabulous colors in linens right now :) Once I got it all put together I decided to dig through my old quilts for just the right one. I knew which one I was going for...

Once upon a time I was a quilter. It was a hobby I picked up when my youngest was a toddler, and was a great way to spend time with friends and do something both productive, and self esteem building.
I vividly remember a friend and I, laying out our squares all over her floor, deciding how to piece them, with our 2 yr old boys running across them like it was the funnest game :)

This is the last quilt I made, It's a sampler, but unlike most samplers, each square is a different size. I chose to try patterns both old and new to me and I even decided to use some quality fabrics and not be such a penny pincher. It was fun to put together... but my excitement for quilting was beginning to wane during this period. I had the top pieced and the layers layered, but I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get it all quilted. But when Mr. R and I had to travel to California for some surgery for him, it was the perfect thing for me to take with me to work on.

Just like the quilt squares being all different I decide to quilt each one of them differently based on the designs. From the back you can see the variations. It was a great time spender while Mr R recovered .

Since then, I've put my quilting thimble away and have been focusing on Junk, but bringing out this fun Fall colored Sampler was such a reminder of days past, that I decided to share it with you.



You can see more from my quilting days (1990's) by going here. I haven't updated the page in awhile and some of the photo's have been deleted, but you'll get the idea. So many memories of times with friends, and kids and eking out those few minutes to sew whenever I could.

Hoping you have a great holiday weekend, share it with family, friends, rest and be happy

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If you can't find a copy of Flea Market Style near you, Never Fear, I can mail you one.


Order your copy of Flea Market Style delivered right to your mail box. Plenty of copies, in stock, of both 2011 issues.


Please go here to order

I think this is the strangest thing I've ever picked

This truly goes into the weird category. Have no clue what it is, or what it was made for, but each of these (there are 2) are made from combined bits of road junk. This one is mounted to a chair base, and rolls.


Some identifiable parts are the paper towel dispenser, horn and various road sign parts. the one below is even more baffling.


Looks like part of a traffic light, another paper towel dispenser and more road signs.

I'm wondering if this was part of one of those combat robots or even some college kid's idea of art or furniture.

Whatever they are, I just had to pick them up (no easy task).
There are some great junky parts there.

This is one for the books! I just had to share it.

What's the strangest thing you've ever found?

Recent Treasures

I promised a sneak peak at some of my recent finds, and I hope it does not disappoint. Above some fabulous clubs/pins and a wool top hat

Look at that old learner flute, complete with box and instructions, And a fabulous old tin box and look what was inside.
Filled with Fleur-de-leis poker chips. Also some fun retro fabric, a metal file box and some wooden carrom pieces.
And this great old wooden game board and a fabulous iron floor lamp.
Look for these treasures soon at either Winnie & Tulula's or in my Etsy store

Hope you are finding great stuff in your neck of the woods.