Vintage Thingie Thursday: A Colorado Ghost Town

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

The State of Colorado has many ghost towns and places to explore. One of my very favorite is the little Town of St. Elmo that is nestled in the heart of the Fourteener Mountains.

You will still find many original buildings standing today.

The little town is full of character and charm. Walking down these streets in the early spring or summer is a real treat. There are not a lot of tourist during the off seasons, and it is nice to walk and hear the wind rustling in the aspens.

St. Elmo was originally settled in 1878 and was made official in the 1880's when gold and silver began to bring many people to the area. Though it was first called Forest City, the smallest town's name was changed when the post office objected because there were too many towns with the same name. The new name was derived by Griffith Evans, one of the founders, who was reading a romantic nineteenth-century novel by the same name.

In 1881 Anton Stark, a cattleman brought a herd to the railroad and was so taken with the town that he and his family quickly took up residence. Anton became a section boss for one of the local mines and his wife, Anna, ran a general store and the Home Comfort Hotel, which later became home to the post office and telegraph office.

The survival of the town was largely due to the Stark family and their descendents, who remained the sole year-round residents for many years. According to local legend, perhaps at least one of them, Annabelle Stark,still keeps a ghostly watch over the town.

Today, St. Elmo is one of the most preserved ghost towns in Colorado. It is a haven for hiking enthusiast, and ATV trails. In the fall, it is breathtaking to visit here when the aspen trees turn and litter the mountain sides with gold.

Renovations such as this old school house are underway thanks the the Historical Society of Buena Vista, which is the little town that sits at the base of these mountains.

The streets of this ghost town are literally crawling with folks in the summer time. The winding roads that lead into this small town are lined with trucks, trailers, and ATV as the off road trails around St. Elmo are some of the best in the Colorado mountains. 

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse of this vintage ghost town and some of the original structures that still stand today.

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday and hope you have a wonderful week.

" What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt You"

I don't know about you, but I tend to be one who suffers and endures things for long periods of time. I tend to do that instead of reaching deep within myself to gather the courage to do something about the issue.

Aside from blaming my problem on procrastination when it comes to health issues, most of the time the real culprit is plain ole fear of facing the truth. Or, perhaps it is the truth of the unknown or what could be discovered that cause me to endure the inconveniences that certain health problems create.

Far too long, I chose to live with the motto "what you don't know can't hurt you" and still, even today, I tend to carry that as my life anthem. That is what fear does to you folks, sad but true.

What do you think happens when you have endured all you can for months and months and it causes your life to be completely non-existent? The struggles of day to day life get so heavy, it is all you can do to make it through one day at a time.

 Likewise, ultimately, while dealing with one's own inner health struggles, slowly but surely, those around you don't get there is anything wrong. You are suddenly, and are falsely accused of not putting your family first. These same family members don't really care to look closer and even wonder if there could be a problem other than the false accusations they hurl your way. Is it a six sense that causes close relatives to turn their back on you? Never call? Funny, after months and months of that sort of treatment, you realize you really are not that important anyway to those individuals.

Finally one day, you wake up and realize the only person you are responsible for is yourself....and if you need fixing, than it is your own responsibility to get yourself fixed up and back on the road to enjoying life.  I don't always feel the need to "tell" anyone what is going on or what is wrong, simply because I carry things on my own and deal with them accordingly. One thing I have sadly learned is those that care, related to you or not, will be there even when you are not doing or acting in a way they feel they deserve from you.

A few weeks ago, I did what I knew needed to be done for a long time. I made the step into taking care of some personal health problems. I told no one, with the exception of my husband and kids and a few close friends...there was really no need, as I was worried enough for everyone. I went into that experience with the attitude, "what you don't know can't hurt you", kept it to myself and pushed myself to get it taken care of.

You had better know there is more to this story, and well, like any good storyteller, I intend to tell it in hopes of bringing a chuckle or two.

First thing to remember is this...the doctors are so very quick to tell you that your discomfort will be minimum and you will feel fine very quickly. They insist this procedure you are having has been done hundreds of times and the bounce back time is nothing. They insist in all honesty you will be back to work in less than two weeks. They say these things because they are not the ones going through any of it. That is the truth and you won't convince me otherwise. Luckily for me, my husband agrees 100% with me. Doctors promise you the moon and then shake their heads when your rocket never reaches the moon they promised to begin with.

Stay tuned for later in the week when I continue with this story and tell you how my discomfort was compared to a couple of cats by my very own doctor. I. Kid. You. Not.

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Recycled Yard Decor

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

This week, I found some great vintage yard decor photos that I had saved. I can not find the original source, so if they are your photos, let me know and I will correct that.

I simply love this old trash can used as a planter.

I use galvanized buckets all the time, but with the plates and dishes, well, this makes my heart sing.

How cute are these succulent plants in a old colander?? I love this.

It is amazing how an ordinary sometimes throwaway object can be made into something really charming.

Have a great Vintage Thingie Thursday!! Thanks for stopping by today.

Bathing Brute and Beauties!

After all the rain last week.....

These four were mighty happy to see the sun! They think they are a bunch of bathing beauties...well, Sammy may think he is a little macho to be called a beauty....I call him a brute!

Hope your day is sunny in your neck of the woods!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Lamb Pin

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I found this little lamb pin some months ago, I know it has been well loved by someone at one time, but I still thought is was so cute and reminded me of the little animal pins that were popular when I was a little girl.

It is very small......

Here you can see just how small! I love it when I stumble upon cute little vintage treasures like this pin. What about you? Have you found any vintage thingie treasures lately?? I'd love for you to link in and show them off!

Wedding Quilt ~ First Time Using All Batik Fabrics

I have been  doing a lot of sewing, but don't have a lot to show at this time on my blog. Many gifts were needed to different life events for this year, and I have been busy working on all of those gifts.

We went to a wedding in June, a very dear friend of ours was getting married and I wanted to make the couple a quilt as part of their gift. They are young, and wanted something a little modern but something I felt would go with their home and be something they could use for years to come.

I had a hard time choosing a pattern that would not take me months to complete, and was something that would be pretty when finished. I found a free pattern over on Judy's blog, Patchwork times. I have made a quilt in one of Judy's quilt alongs in the past and felt sure I would have no trouble following her instructions and getting this one finished as well. Than you Judy for easy to follow, wonderful patterns.

This one is much different from the  original quilt Judy made, but it was a jumping off point for me, and this is my version once it was finished and quilted.  Judy's quilt was a monochromatic challenge quilt using browns, I was not sure it would work with the colors I wanted to use, but I decided to just plow ahead with the idea I had in my head. The borders are also different than what Judy designed on her quilt. I loved her borders, but new with the time constraints, I had better stick to something that I knew I could do. I like the finished quilt, and funny how some of those fabrics alone really were not too pretty, but all together they look nice.

I don't use a lot of batiks in my quilting, but after finishing this one, I like how the batiks look in a finished quilt. Some of the colors look like sparkling jewels and stand out in a very pretty way. I may have to use more batiks in the future. I have another quilt I need to make later on this year, and I am making another version of this very quilt. I have most of the fabrics and won't need to purchase too much to complete that one.

Here is a glimpse of the back, and the quilt label for the quilt.

I have three other quilts being quilted now, and will have them to show soon. I hope to have those bound and delivered before the first part of August. What have you been working on lately??

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage China Pieces

I love these vintage china pieces....thought I'd share them today.

I found this set of 3 atomic mid century bowls. They are small, maybe for custard or a small bowl of soup. They are wonderful vintage bowls and depict that time period fabulously.


I have learned from a little research, this type of china,or anything with an atomic feel has burst and become very popular again. I just love these bowls. But do you think I'd want to sell them....well, not really. I really like them and think they are very unusual.

You know, I don't know why I have a knack for finding 3 or 5 of things...very seldom will I find 4 or 6 of anything. I got these for $1.50 for all three, and was really happy. The bottoms of these are marked,
Syracuse China, 6-1, USA
Don't you just think they scream mid century America?

On this same day, I found this lovely cup and saucer. This is also marked Syracuse China, USA. Look at the lovely details on the saucer.

This looks like it was never used. I am thinking it is part of restaurant ware, as it has the fell of that type of china. I think it is rather charming...and as usual, only one was found. Not bad for .75 cents.

What treasures have you found lately? 

Have a great Vintage Thingie Thursday everyone, and a blessed rest of your week.

Security Overdone!

I wonder if the owners of this company realize that they are most likely overpaying for security.

Notice there is a security camera located on the side of the building, the padlock and chain on the gate, the ADT security system sign all designed to keep out intruders.

I happen to think the bright red sign is pretty much all they needed. Just sayin'.

I shiver each and every time I drive by this place.  

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Red, White and Blue

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

Since it is a huge holiday this week here in the United States, I decided to keep with the red, white and blue theme, and show what FEW red, white and blue items I found here at home. I really do not have too many things that fall into the patriotic category. Do you think that means I am not patriotic? Hopefully, not....I am going to say it just means I have not found too many things that "speak to me" in those colors.

I do have lots of vintage buttons. And well, because I have nothing else better to do with my time, I arranged these in a shape of the flag. Very Fourth of July looking I think. I love all of these buttons, and I was lucky enough to find the star button in my stash.

Here is a darling little Sunbonnet Sue dish towel. I purchased her at the Canton Trade Days last month. She was stained and so was the towel, so I got this for a bargain of .50 cents. She washed up just fine and serves well today with the patriotic theme.

You know, sometimes I almost feel guilty paying such a low price for a stained towel or tablecloth, knowing full well I am going to get these items looking good as new and spending little money......key word there....almost. Should I feel bad?

Here is a great vintage platter. I got this locally at the flea market. I think I paid about $3.00 for this platter. I liked the border around the edges of the plate.

This is the marking on the back of the platter. This is the only markings.

Well, that is about all I found....I told you I did not find too much. Oh, the cute little red and white tablecloth was an estate sale find too, and it just screams the words picnic to me. I love the red and white in this tablecloth, reminds me of the blue one my mom had when we were little.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed these red, white and blue treasures. We may be seeing lots of patriotic colors today, since the 4th is so close, so if you are visiting from somewhere else in the world, just bear with us.....we tend to like our patriotic colors...well, some of us that is....I really can not speak for myself....ahem........ But hey, I am a big fan of vintage red.....alone....just the red!