Thifted Metal Hinge Lidded Containers

Metal containers, hinge lidded, handled, usable and vintage. Yes I did buy them, who could pass them up.

I picked up two slide boxes on Saturday at the sweetest community garage sale at the Pioneer Village. The prices matched the lovely seniors who hold this sale every year. They are so happy when they sell something. The McQueen Slide Containers were full of slides that were larger than I was used to. The careful catalogue sheets in each slide box started at 1958. Memory flashbacks.

I took a few pictures of slides, holiday shots mostly. My parents had similar slide boxes but the slides were a bit smaller. We still have the boxes of slides but not the serious organization of this pair.

The next pile of metal treasure was six hinged containers. They remind me of safety deposit boxes but inside they are compartmentalized and there were a few fishing floats left in one so I am guessing they were used on fishing trips or storage of small fishing gear. Now that I have them they are going to be used for storing nails, screws, washers, drill bits.... small things that need convenient storage.

Would you have added this type of metal container to your collections?

Linking to:

Nifty Thrifty Things

DIY Home Sweet Home

Homemaker on a Dime

Boogieboard Cottage

Hey Mom Whats For Dinner

Southern Hospitality

Coastal Charm

Apron Thrift Girl

Her Library Adventures

Sisters of the Wild West

Mrs. Hines Class - Wednesday Linking Up

Serendipity and Spice
Our Delightful Home
The Farmhouse Porch

Junk Art Finds

Love old repair shops and blacksmithing remnants. In my early years I had free run of the family ranch and the tool shop was a big attraction as were the barns with so many years of history, retired equipment, chunks of the history of repair, reuse, renew. Visited again 45+ years later. The ranch is now just the big ranch yard, everything else has been sold off, but pieces of rusted metal, broken parts of machinery, aged outbuildings still existed. Couldn't take any junk bits and pieces with me but I sure enjoyed poking my camera into every cranny to bring back photo memories. That visit was part of a truly great family reunion and I will always be grateful I could attend. It was a goodbye and a chance to look back and get a new understanding of childhood memories.

Today's post doesn't have any of those photos. The great rusty junk here is new to me this year but those early memories and my young self's interest in old junk continues.

A discarded logger saw blade. Rusty. Incomplete. Handle, a branch shaped a bit, tied on with - electrical wire - cracked and broken, teeth patterns against the white wall.

All winter these windows rested on the window sill in the living room or leaned against the wall.

Changes happened and they migrated to the back deck this spring.

Cast iron stove cover, rusted. Oil tins, rusty scissor, lump of coal. Collections of vintage and wonderful rusty metal, old wood, junky finds collected over the past few months.

It is my birthday tomorrow so I indulged myself by sharing pictures of my junk art finds.

Linking with
The Thrifty Grove
Be Different Act Normal
Hey Whats for Dinner Mom
Funky Junk Interiors
Cap Creations
Chicken Scratch
The Vintage Farmhouse
From My Front Porch To Yours
Fireflies and Jelly Beans
At the Picket Fence
Common Ground
Maiden D'Shade
5Days 5Ways

Tutorial - Adding Grab Buttons to Your Blog

Bloggers often make Grab Buttons that, when clicked on, link back to their blogs. When you start out having a blog there are so many different 'small things' to learn, and sometimes it is not easy to found out where to find instructions/information.

Often Linky Party Hosts ask that their Grab Buttons be put on the blogs of those who link to their parties.

This tutorial is about how to add other bloggers

Grab buttons to your blog.

 Some Grab Buttons are copy and paste. Some are copy the html and open a html gadget and paste (Grab Buttons). I am posting about the 'copy the html' grab button.

So, what is an html gadget?

When you designed your blog page you added gadgets. To do that you clicked on Layout (1). Next you clicked on gadget (2). Note that there are more gadgets at the bottom of your blog layout and you likely will want to click on one of those, not a top of the page gadget.

Next step - after you click on Add a Gadget you will see this window of choices. Scroll down until you find HTML/Java Script and click on the + (plus). This will be make the gadget an HTML/JavaScript gadget.

This is where you will add the html code you copied from a blog. (in the Content area). How is just below.

So you are now at the place where you can add HTML for the button of your choice.

Where did you get that HTML?

#1 is where you see a Grab Button (on another bloggers blog) that you would like to add to your blog.

#2 you copy the code under their button (click in the code box and copy the entire code - there are several lines of code so start to copy from the first letter of the html text to the last, scrolling down).

#3 Paste the code into the Content area (it is in HTML). After you paste it in, SAVE and then if you like click on Rich Text to see what you have.

#4 is a screen shot of what the button looks like on your own blog.

You can add many HTML codes inside the same Content area. I usually put a couple of spaces between each HTML code I add. For example, you could add all the blog 

(Grab Button codes) that are your favourites a

(depending on the layout your choose). 

You will see that on many bloggers pages.

Hoped this cleared up a bit of the mystery.

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Thanks for the idea Hilda From Overwhelmed to Organized for the idea.

Hilda wrote:  Thanks for this tutorial Joy! I'm new to blogging & have been trying to join some linky parties. I can link on their site & on my post as you showed but some parties have a "button" they say to grab but I don't know how to do that. Can you help please? Thank you so much! on Tutorial - Joining Linky Parties

Hilda

ps: for a very clear tutorial on HOW to make your own Blog Button check out this blog:

Between Naps on the Front Porch - Make a Blog Button with a Grab Box

and then I came across
Buttons Deconstructed by c.w.frosting.com
worth reading if you want to make/edit a Grab Button

Collages and editing done with PicMonkey,

screen shots are from my own blog.


Linking to:
{Primp} Your Stuff Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants
DIY by Design: Swing into Spring
Bunny Jeans Bunny Hop # 41

Thrifted Finds Monday

Community/garage sales were prolific this weekend (weather cooperated, not too hot, not too sunny, just right). My favourite two sales were the Arts Club Sale held at St. Andrews Church Hall and the Pitt Meadows Trailerhomes Complex Annual Community Sale. I continued to explore PicMonkey collages with my favourite finds. 

PicMonkey is even better than I first though. It is a very intuitive editing program (that little X in the right corner of PicMonkey's screen is a toggle back to the front page). The more I use it the more I learn. I like resizing indiviudal boxes inside of the collage by dragging margins. I also like the 'eye dropper' for picking the colours from the collage - Picnik had this feature.

Chad Valley Tin Globe, England, 1950's

Aqua Bell Jars Centennial 1776-1976. Vintage Collectibles

1970's Tin Recipe Box

Something very pretty, a trio by Albothe Kaiser, Bavaria. 

Delicate Roses and gold decoration.

Linking with:
Junker Newbie: Would You Buy It
Hey Mom Whats For Dinner
Coastal Charm
Our Delightful Home
Southern Hospitality

Apron Thrift Girl
Boogieboard Cottage
Serendipity and Spice

Tutorial - PicMonkey Collages

Friday PicMonkey published their COLLAGES addition to their (still free) suite of editing tools. Thank you PicMonkey.

Here is my version of 'how to' make collages with PicMonkey. ALL screen shots are of the PicMonkey Editing Program which belongs to PicMonkey.

I have added my own pictures and watermarks as I go through the 'making a collage' process.

Open  PicMonkey. (this is the new front page, well organized).

Click on "Create a Collage" and you will see the screen with the default collage. Note that you can pick your own collage shape by clicking on the small grey collage icon on the left of the Photos. Click on Upload photos to add your photos.

You will see a light blue explanation as you hover over an area.

 I uploaded several of my own photos which I had previously placed in a folder on my desktop for easy access). The uploaded photos below were taken by me.

I dragged the photos that worked well together into the default collage shell (if you choose autofill the software does it for you).

Arrange the pictures where you want (drag into a different space) until you are pleased with your collage. Note that you can resize the collage (for saving) just under the picture of the collage. I used 980 as my width and the height is filled in automatically.

Next click on the paint pallette and you can choose a colour for the (white) background lines. You can also leave the frames white. Below is a screen shot of the many Collage layouts available. Take time to play around and create interesting collages.

Here is a great tip from Brenda, one of the PicMonkey authors (thank you Brenda):
"Thanks for posting your link on my G+ account. Great tutorial! One thing I might add ... you aren't restricted to the myriad of collage 'shapes' that we show. For any of them, if you want to resize a particular photo inside, or change the overall sizing of the collage, just hover your cursor over any of the internal lines or on the outer edges. You can then drag the edges to resize the boxes. The engineers at PicMonkey wanted to take their original Picnik design and make it much more flexible and fun. :) Cheers! Brenda (PicMonkey team)"

When you have finished your collage, save it (I use .jpg when I save my photos.)

Note: frames and watermarking were added after the pictures of 'making a collage' were made in the COLLAGE section of PicMonkey. I saved each screen shot (on a MAC it is Command/Shift/3) and then opened each screen shot with Preview, cropped with the square cropping tool and saved to my Tutorial - PicMonkey Folder on my computer.

For framing and watermarking in PicMonkey you can read the my Tutorial - Watermarking PicMonkey here.

For the collage tutorial pictures I used a Basic Frame, black and 2 pixels wide, used the same font/colour for uniformity for my watermarks.

Then I tried Brenda's hint - I made a new collage, dragged the frame lines into new positions, added my pictures, and clicked on the eyedropper in the paint pallet and picked up a colour in my collage for the frame. Saved.

 Clicked on the X on the top right corner of the PicMonkey page and was returned to Home page. Clicked on Edit, uploaded my saved collage, added frame, watermark, saved. Pretty smooth.

If you have time try out the special effects. Lots of fun.

If you need detail info just ask in comments and I will add more details.

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May 30/12

homepage of BlogHer.com 

and in the Tech topic as a BlogHer Spotlight!  

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Linking to:
Cornerstone Confessions
A Bowl Full of Lemons
The Farmhouse Porch
My 1929 Charmer
Under The Table and Dreaming
Homemaker On A Dime
DIY Home Sweet Home
Creating My Way to Success
Serendipity and Spice
Boogieboard Cottage
Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different Act Normal
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Twigg Studios

Thrifted Finds May

Welcome back Selina of Apron Thrift Girl 

Thrifted finds in May


Would I buy .... everything in this post? Yes I did buy everything in this post - totally fell in love with each item.

The Salter cast iron scale was a find at an 'invited to' estate sale and I very much appreciated the opportunity. It weighs accurately. The green is so perfectly worn.

The lovely water/milk "Nancy" jug was a great find this weekend. Two very much retired actors were clearing out china, costumes, patterns, tools, hundreds of books, wine making .... you get the drift. It was a pleasure to visit with them while shopping at their garage sale. She told me about the costumes she had worn and he showed me a robe he had worn as Abraham in a play.

The "Imperial" platter was a find two weeks ago, great pattern, wear and heft.

The jug "Nancy" pattern made by Colonial Pottery England.

Lovely wear on the bottom, nice size for a white pottery collection.

Large Hanley England platter, semi porcelain “Imperial” pattern.

Salter Cast Iron Scale. 

Love the narrow profile, well worn green paint and the fact that it weighs true.

I used iPiccy for the collage photos and PicMonkey for the first photo.

note: PicMonkey now has collages (May 25/12).
I will add another tutorial post very soon.

Linking to:
Funky Junk Interiors
Coloradolady: Vintage Thingie Thursday
Apron Thrift Girl
Her Library Adventures
Coastal Charm
Our Delightful Home
Bunny Jeans Bunny Hop
Type A
Maiden D'Shade
The Thrifty Grove
Fishtail Cottage
A Delightsome Life
Have A Daily Cup from Mrs. Olson
The Shabby Creek Cottage
The Brambleberry Cottage

Tutorial - Watermarking with PicMonkey

Post # 600

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Watermarking for Beginners

Watermarking with PicMonkey is simple, fast and so far is not available in the 'collage' format. I use it for single pictures where I don't need a collage. I use iPiccy for collages. 

Pretty straight forward.

1. Open PicMonkey

2. Upload (bottom left of screen is the word upload) 

    a picture you have previously placed on your desktop or somewhere you can find

    easily.

3. Add a frame if you like (I like Basic and Shadow with some colour changes)

4. Add TEXT (it is the P)

5. Write your text (I use: aVintageGreen, my blog name)

6. Making sure the text remains active (white line around it) change the font, the color, the size and FADE amount. The fade makes the text a watermark. It marks your picture.

When you like the look of your watermark click elsewhere in your picture to turn off text select.

If you like the look and are finished your editing, click on SAVE (bottom left corner of screen) and pick .jpg and Dimensions: (980 pixels most commonly, rest fills in automatically).

You will want to 'play around' with color, font, size, placement and fading until the use of watermark is not longer strange to you. Enjoy.

Linking to: Cornerstone Confessions

Tutorial on Watermarking - using iPiccy

This is part one of a short posting series on Watermarking Your Photos.

First up is iPiccy.

I am starting with iPiccy.com/editor. iPiccy was first out with easy to use collages since the demise of Picnik.

Watermarking - putting text on your photo and then lightening it. This marks the photo as belonging to you.

You can watermark without adding a frame or resizing but I like to include all the steps at the same time as I watermark.

In iPiccy the first step is to choose your photo. I store all my photos in iPhoto (Mac) so I crop my photo, rename the photo, and then export it to a folder on my desktop for easy access.

If you are a Mac User and this is the first time you have used iPiccy there are a few steps you have to go through to get things working. Follow the screen instructions provided by iPiccy. It may seem complicated but it does work if you follow the on screen instructions. Don't be discouraged if things don't work the first time. Start fresh and try again.

Once iPiccy is on your screen click on the yellow "Start Editing" button. All the iPiccy screen shots below are the property of iPiccy.

The next screen is where you choose your collage shape and add images. Images can also be added after the collage shape window is open.

Once you pick your collage shape you drag your picture/s into the shape and your basic collage is made. You now have to resize it (camera icon), frame it (frame icon) and add your watermark (sheets of paper icon).

I resize my finished photos to 980 pixels x (automatic fill in for rest of data)

Next I select the frame tool (yellow in the picture below). I pick the type of frame (this one is Basic), the color (a blue to go with my picture) and click on OK to close the color window, and then Apply must be clicked to apply the frame to the photo.

The stack of paper tool (yellow in the picture below) is where you add the watermark.  Click on the stack of paper tool, then click on the T text icon and type (your blog name or title ...), choose the color you want, choose the font you want (scroll down the left hand scroll bar to choose the font). When you like the look drag your watermark to where you want it displayed on you picture page, use the Fade bar to lighten it and then...

click on the yellow icon of a disk to save your picture. Type in the name you want (I used Watermarking1Collage.jpg). I save mine in .jpg (there is a choice on this screen for type of file format you want to use and you do have to select .jpg if that is your choice. Then click on Save Photo! I save my finished photos in the folder with the other pictures for my current post.

Here is a second copy of my finished watermarked picture. You can see I have added my blog title (aVintageGreen) near the bottom right corner of the picture. That is my watermark.

Next: PicMonkey (which is very easy to use).

Linking to:
Its So Very Cheri
Twigg Studios
Boogieboard Cottage
Creating My Way to Success
Serendipity and Spice
Homemaker on a Dime
Creating Really Awsome Free Things