Once Upon a Farm

An old favorite... SOLD

2011-12-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

When I knew I was opening the booth earlier this year, I made a few display items for the booth. This harvest table was one of those items. It was in my booth on day 1, but marked 'NOT FOR SALE'. It was perfectly narrow and because it was so long it allowed me to have a consistent surface space to display tons of items.

A few weeks ago I gave it an official price tag. It was painful to do, but with my new larger space I hope to always have larger pieces for sale in the booth that can double as display space too. As I knew it would... it sold quickly. I got the call this weekend that it had sold and I knew I better rush in today to do some reshuffling so I wouldn't have items on the FLOOR!

Farewell Harvest Table

Today I added some gorgeous pottery pieces. I love to collect pottery and ironstone pieces. I used them for everything from actual food service to holding extra handtowels in the half bath. If you love these versatile pieces too, I have several new pieces in the booth for you to see.

I moved around the items on the large blue dresser...

I love the miniature pedestals. They are made to be little cupcake stands, swoon. I've also used them for votives. Cuteness!

Got a second call from Packards from a customer that needed lots of my 1/2 pint milk jars... and she wanted the striped straws to go with them, grin. They are so very cute for a party!

I still have some of the clear milk jars left, but I also added some other milk jars. These have dairy labels on them. I love their miscellaneous labels and shapes.

And I'll leave you with a wider shot of the booth with the now gone harvest table, boo... but I was able to reshuffle and get everything in a proper place, whew!

Market Monday... obsolete??!?

2011-12-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

Before I dive in to the new items in my booth, I'll handle a little 'business'.

For those of you that don't actually know ME... I am a SAHM and also a homeschooler. I opened my booth space earlier this year and have been thoroughly loving my business and creative outlet. I did really well with it and my business has grown... enough to actually warrant a larger booth size.

I am so thankful.

I did really well in the beginning of this adventure with posting weekly and staging photo shoots of new items, etc. It was the end of the 2010/2011 school year then and then we entered the summer months. But when our new school year began in September... I had to find my new 'normal'. My youngest son's schooling became considerably more involved and my time to do all I needed to do here at home and all I wanted to do for my business became at odds. Also, with the larger booth, I now have room for larger furniture items and I often need to load those on Saturdays when I have the added muscles of my husband at home and available.

So... all the above explanation to get to my very important point! Mondays have become an inconvenient day for me to handle business posting. During the school months of September to May... I must scale back on my posting as a whole, and that means no weekly Market Monday posts. I will still make weekly deliveries to my booth... I will take pics and post them when I can. You can add my blog to your list and/or become a follower to know when I have posted pics of new items... those are the best way to get updates since I will not be doing post on a set day any longer.

In the end, this little business is the PERFECT match for the time and effort I can allow outside of my priorities here at home. I must make the business work around homelife and that way I can continue to have a business. All good!

I continue to get requests for custom orders. Custom Orders are not possible for me at this time... I can see where that would be a huge opportunity for me and business to grow several years from now... but right now, I just can not.

Are you exhausted from reading all that? On to today's photos:

I had another large piece of furniture sell this past week! Remember this gorgeous dining table and chairs? They have found a home. Yay!

That made room for me to 'reintroduce' this darling farm table. I had it in my smaller booth, tucked in a corner. I hope now that I have it out in the open that it will SHINE. It is amazing. I did paint the base, my favorite shade of grey/blue to give it a fresh look. Gorgeous.

It is the perfect size for a game table or a small dining nook. I have 4 mismatched bentwood chairs around it. I love that they all are different but all the same style!

The white and grey chair are slightly larger in size and have solid seats. The two stained chairs have caned bottoms and the caning is in perfect condition.

This is a checker board made from a cuttingboad. All you would need is buttons, for pieces, to start a game ;)

I love stools. I use them for everything, including end tables in tight little spaces. This is a black, metal draftman's stool... which means the seat will spin and adjust at any height you may need for sitting or as a table. It is solid and so cute.

I found this piece in my attic. It is actually left over from a prior business I was involved in called Sisters, Inc., which I did with my mom, sisters, and sils. It is a fun Santa painted on an old cabinet door. The door has some of its original hardware. I took a more zoomed OUT photo but it wasn't clear... so hopefully this smaller zoomed IN shot will serve as a little teaser to the whole piece.

So there you have it... a few of the items that went in the booth this week. Have a great week!

Market Monday

2011-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Holiday Open House was a HUGE success! Thank you so much. I had the large hutch sell in less than 24 hours of loading it into the booth. So I went in this morning to reshuffle things around (one of the best things about this business... that I get to 're-stage' so often and I love to do it), and add a few new items and to restock the big sellers.

In the space that the hutch was in, I reintroduced the harvest table that I had in my single booth before my move. At that time, the table was marked 'not for sale', but now that I have the larger booth and will have more flexibility in furniture arrangements the harvest table is for sale. It is a great piece. I had several people want to buy it in the past so I hope it can find a new home soon.

I also brought in this small buffet. It could even be used in an entry for storage. The details on this buffet are beautiful.

New trays.

There was only ONE banner left when I got there this morning. I am so glad that I made several more over the weekend.

And the letter and number ornaments/tags sold well. I introduced a new font and size... larger than any I had before today.

Someone left a little message... considering I wasn't even born in 1967 it doesn't relate to me or my business but it made me laugh nonetheless ;)

A new addition to my ornament line are these twig wreaths. Again, using sheet music as an accent... they have a cluster of 3 rosettes and leaves. Simple.

And I also sold all the sheet music wreaths. I made 3 more for the booth. I am thrilled that these are being well received as they are fun to make and I think they are so beautiful!

I restocked the glass in the booth. These glass bottles and milk jars are so versatile and please note how thick the glass is on these older bottles/jars. The reason I love their 'weight' is because it does make them perfect for holding water and flower arrangements... they are substantial enough to hold gorgeous displays! I have a whole cabinet in my laundry room reserved for beautiful bottle/jars to have for table centerpieces and to line mantels, etc. Love them.

Have a Great Week!

Packards' Holiday Open House

2011-11-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my mom, dad, kids, and 4 loaded trucks/cars... we got the booth loaded for the Holiday Open House beginning today. Once the huge furniture was all in, the real fun began with me adding sparkle. Except for a couple key pieces, everything is BRAND NEW to the booth! I will show some photos now with some explanations of a few of the items. In the upcoming weeks I will be adding more, so check back often. Hopefully you can find some things to help with your gift giving. As I always try to do, there are items from $2.50 on up, so I'm sure you could find something in a good price point for ya! Enjoy!

Not sure where to begin, so I think I will just start from one end of the space to the other. This is looking to the left of the booth. I made another slipcovered wingback chair.

The lines of this chair are a perfect blend of classic wingback but with a very clean modern silhouette. Loved how 'she' turned out.

I wanted to do a non-traditional tree... and so these branches in an old urn planter fit the bill!

Are you familiar with german glass glitter? It is a phenomenal type of glitter... reminds me of what mercury glass would look like if it were all crushed up. The glitter actually has a patina. I made letters and numbers in this glitter to use as banners and ornaments or even to use as tags for gifts. You could collect the monograms for your whole family!

I think the little red snow shovel (child's size), above, would look adorable on a front porch or even by your Christmas tree. Below, is one of my favorite 2011 ornaments. They are angel wings made of antique hymnal sheet music.

On our trip to Destin this year, I found many treasures that I knew would go into my Holiday booth. I found a bag of antique chandelier crystals. I sell them in a set of 3 and there are 'drops' and 'french pendants'. They are already in a white gift box in case you want to gift them too.

And here is a magnificent dresser I found. The curves are amazing. I painted it in my new favorite shade of grey blue and the hardware is original and is in graphite grey. It has many imperfections which add to the beauty... and my kids would vouch that it is s.o.l.i.d! It was the single hardest piece to transport. Whew!!

Also in Destin, I was in the back of my favorite antique store there loading a door out there back exit, and saw a few old boxes with Amish symbols on the outside. I asked the clerk what was in side. She just said, "old bottles". I looked closer and discovered they were old 1/2 and whole pint glass milk jars from an Amish Creamery. The box was deteriorated, the bottles dirty and some broken... but I bought all they had. I will keep many to use decoratively and as juice glasses for our B&B and my sisters have snatched up a few, but I still had some to add to the booth. Do you need some?

More of the german glass glitter ornaments/tags.

I have a pinetree that drops these miniature pinecones, so I dusted some with the glitter and left others plain and bagged them up for sale. You can get some if you love the littles.

I have a new hutch in the booth, it has been a while since I have had such a large piece, and these hutches always go so fast. I took the doors off, I think so many antique hutches are only dated my the doors. Removing them makes them more up to date and functional. Classic in a dining room, but would also be great in a bedroom... the bottom as dresser storage and the top shelves could hold books or stuffed animals for a child's room. Possibilities are endless!

More old bottles, that cleaned up beautifully. The swingtop bottles are all functional and could hold your favorite drink or would look wonderful filled with holiday candies. The bottles pictured to the front left are my favorite!

These are the 1/2 pint milk glass jars that are perfect as juice glasses... swoon!

This chalkboard is the window frame out of an old house or church. It must have had an old lead glass window or art piece in it. The frame is HUGE and heavy. I want to keep it, seriously I do. I make no promises that I won't cave and bring it back home. Probably the only reason I did take it is because it was a BEAST to restore and convert into this chalkboard and I was a tad angry with it... I can hold grudges. My husband saved my sanity and made it work. It incredible!

I'm sure you have noticed my 'sheet music' theme. These wreaths are made of old hymnals and I loved them so much a actually DID keep one. Proud of myself for setting one aside. They are quite large and would look great over a mantle for the holidays, or truthfully year round!

I have a diningtable for sale too. It has 3 additional leaves, so it could seat many people. It is old and has had many treatments over the years. I painted it out white and did not try to 'erase' its past life, I think the layers are what make these older pieces so beautiful. The six chairs go with the lines of the table perfectly and I covered the seats with an upholstery grade natural linen.

And I'll leave you with a few pics of the table centerpiece. Just tons of different glass strewn down the middle, could not be easier and visually it sparkles! The table runner was made by simply taping pages of organ sheet music together. Add a few natural berry twigs and pinecones and the look is gorgeous!

Tons of vendors were at Packards yesterday... the parking lot and back loading door was packed, so I think you would have tons of fun shopping this weekend at the Open House. Thanks!!

Market Monday and Moving Day!

2011-10-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

Friday we arrived at Packard's Antiques ready for a very long day. Well, 'ready' may be overstating it because a few hours in... I was wanting to be done. Shawn, Christian, and I helped move the contents of two other booths elsewhere and then started the process of 'prepping' the new double space so we could officially move my items out of my original space.

The floors are typical of most Antique Malls... rough cement. I really think the addition of some kind of floor covering helps make the space seem separate from the mass of other booths.

I love these FLOR carpet tiles. They are commercial grade and held up well in my original booth, so I ordered more for the new space. Shawn and Christian are now professionals at installing these tiles!

I almost forgot to take 'before pictures'. Here is the space with nothing but a few of my larger furniture pieces. We had to do the floor while strategically moving around the furniture... again, not fun. The walls are peg board... functional but ugly. I am at the end of an aisle now so I do not have a 'neighbor' to the right side of my booth. Instead I have a walkway and large loading door... which isn't pretty, but will be oh.so.nice to bring in my larger pieces.

BEFORE

AFTER

I used burlap again to cover the walls. This time I just ruffled the entire wall of burlap. This is where I hurt my back, grin... standing on the very highest step of a ladder, reaching as high as I could, stapling as I went along. But I am happy with the results. There is no way to completely disguise the peg board but it helps give more texture and I think when it is fully loaded, it will look nice.

This angle is of the left side of my booth. I do have a neighbor on this side. So I came up with a screening idea that I could not be more thrilled about!!

BEFORE

These doors/screens are my favorite thing in the whole booth set-up. Gotta love when an idea turns out great! All of these doors are beautiful antiques but they are no longer for sale, nope, they are keepers now that they make functionality so gorgeous!

AFTER

I left very few items in the booth when we were done constructing/laying the bones of the booth. The reason being that I want to reload next week with lots of brand new items for the Holiday Open House. I hope to make the entire space feel festive by next week. Right now it seems very large and daunting, snicker. I will post next week on FRIDAY instead of Monday due to the beginning day of the Open House. I'm not sure how many vendors will go all out for this event... but I AM!!

P.S - I have changed the information for my location inside Packard's. Please make note... I'm super easy to find, just all the way to the back now ;)

Market Monday... a p.m. addition!

2011-10-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Whew... OK, sneaking under the wire with this post. I did not make any new deliveries to my booth today since I am currently having a sale and trying to clear out some items. I officially move into my new booth this Friday, YAY! It will be tons of work and I will be glad when all the shuffling is done. I will post my new space on Market Monday next week. My double booth will be a tad of a 'shell' for a bit of time. I will be loading it full for

Packard's Holiday Open House, November 11th & 12th.

Mark your Calendars and I promise to have all new items from large furniture pieces to small items that can help you with your Christmas shopping!

So today I have a few teaser photos of items that will be added to the new booth space for the Open House. I am thrilled with some of the items that will be ready soon. I am exhausted with all the work but it is so much fun to see the many 'piles' of items grow and grow.

I have found a new gray/blue paint color and am.in.love! I am using it on a huge dresser. Here's a peak at the curvy drawers... can't wait to show you the complete before and after of this piece. It is a drastic change. I feel I really transformed a piece that was sure to be trashed otherwise.

I will have several slipcovered pieces done and ready for the booth too!

Candlesticks will be a prominent item as I think they are so gorgeous lined on a Holiday mantle!

While in Destin on vacation, I happened to find the most amazing ~~crusty dusty boxes~~ collection of glass... different styles and I hope to give you tons of ideas of how to use them for display and also for very functional use. Really excited to finally get these in the new booth.

I have been creating some beautiful items with the pages of some old hymnbooks I recently found. The printing dates on these books ranged from 1927-1942! Each page is fantastic and I hope you will love the items I've made with this beautiful collection of sheet music.

I'll post next week with pics of my new LARGER space and plan to give more sneak peaks leading up to the Open House. Have a great week!!

Market Monday

2011-10-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

First Ever SALE!!!!

Tons of vendors at Packards have markdowns in their booths... Once Upon a Farm is jumping in to the frenzy.

My reasons are 2 fold and selfish, yep!

#1 - I will be moving to a double booth on the 28th of this month and I would like to move as few things as possible. Two other vendors are also moving their items to accommodate my request for two booths and I really, really, want to simplify things and make sure they are inconvenienced as little as possible and I am out of their way quickly ;)

#2 - Packards' Holiday Open House will begin November 11th! The more items I can sell now... makes more room for brand new items for the Open House. I will have my new booth spaces packed with painted furniture, slipcovered pieces, Holiday items GALORE! It is going to be beautiful... I hope you'll agree. I will be giving sneak peaks in the upcoming weeks.

I'll be sure to bore you with pics of 'the move', snicker. And of course details as to how to find me in my new location.

So for today... this will be the heaviest photo laden post EVAHHH! I will show photos taken today in the booth and also closeups of individual items still available in my booth and now on SALE! You would be doing me a huge favor by scooping these items up so I, nor the sweet men/muscles in my life, do not have to heave-ho them to the new spaces. There are little items, and large furniture items... nothing is exempt... all 20% off.

K. You made it to the end. Hope if there has been anything you really wanted but didn't get... this sale will help you take it home with ya! I have some very, tremendously, busy weeks ahead of me but so exciting too! I look forward to the new space and hope you can all make it to the Holiday Open House in November... I will keep you updated. Have a great week!

Market Monday

2011-10-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am bursting because of some great news I received today!

First things first... I delivered tons of new items to the booth this morning.

My favorite item this week is this leaded glass window.

It has two pieces of its original hardware too!

This little table is hand whittled... the legs, the joints, the top... it is such a sweet thing with gorgeous details.

I added several book bundles too.

This is a checkerboard I made years ago when myself, my sisters, mom, and sisters-in-law had a little business together selling antiques and making crafts. This is actually an antique cutting board that I painted.

I think it is a clever serving piece, but think outside the box and it would be great on a ottoman as a game piece too!

I just love this metal basket. It is beautiful enough to use for entertaining and also sturdy enough for storage.

While our family was in Destin recently, I found several grainsacks. I kept several, gifted another... and am putting the rest in the booth.

I have a 'thing' for silver trays. I love this one because of its scalloped edges and little feet.

It would serve perfectly to corral all your cooking spices and oils/vinegars right on your kitchen counter. Functional items now make a beautiful display.

I've sold several old rolling pins in the booth. Old cooking and baking utensils are highly collectible. I love this kitchen mallet. Hope someone else will too.

I read in a magazine recently where a designer was asked by a reader for a suggestion on how to organize all the items that can collect on a nightstand, yet items that you would like to hide away during the day.

The designers suggestion? Use an antique suitcase... items can be stored right on top of nightstand, yet closed away and the suitcase becomes beautiful display during the day. Love that idea!

This little suitcase is so darling. The stripes on the outside, the plaid and stripes... cute!

And it has all its original hardware and leather handle.

I mentioned several weeks ago that I was given tons of free Country Home and Country Living Magazines. I have been bundling these up and putting them in the booth, FREE for the taking. Today I delivered my final bundle, I sure hope they are being enjoyed. I have a tad bit of a magazine obsession.

Soooooo....

When I arrived at Packard's this morning, one of the owners was excited to tell me that they were able to 'orchestrate' a double booth space for me. This was no small feat. So many vendors have had the same spaces for YEARS. But two gracious vendors were willing to do some major shuffling around so that I could get 2 spaces next to each other. I will be moving to a different location within Packards, but I will be sure and give details so you can find me. I have many LARGE pieces that have been sitting sadly heaped in my garage, now I will have the space to display them... china hutches, large dressers, dining table and chairs, sofas, settees, armoires, etc!! I will still be sure and have items of every size and price point, promise. This will just allow me to have more items for my clients to choose from. Yay!

The big, messy, moves will not happen for a few weeks. Coordinating 3 vendors schedules will take some patience, but we all have a goal to have the move basically done by end of October... so we can all be ready for the Packard's Holiday Open House which happens in November.

Market Monday

2011-09-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

We are back from a family vacation, and I've needed to take some time to start back with homeschooling and, and, and.... so sorry for my absence.

But now I am finding my new normal... schedule wise, and I was able to re-fluff the booth and add lots more items this morning. I'll spotlight a few for you!

You KNOW how I love using books to decorate with. I always have a wide selection of antique books and 'book bundles' in my booth. THIS bundle was a fun challenge to put together.

Did you pick up on the theme? BOO!

I thought this collection of covers in the classic Halloween colors and even some titles that fit too... was just so fun!

I love scales... and I personally own several. Right now I have one in my guest bath, holding some mini pumpkins and hand towels, and...

I also have this one in my master bath holding decorative soaps. I think scales are clever ways to display utilitarian items. I even took a large set of scales to my sil's baby shower and her sister put the drink dispensers on them and it was darling!

The small scale below is now in my booth. It is the perfect scale for the kitchen to hold a few of your most used spices...

and I also thought it would be quite functional on a desk.

Spring and Fall are the seasons I tend to drag out every vase, jar, and vessel I own to display garden cuttings. Jars like these take up such little storage space and to bring a large collection out and place down a farm table or mantel gives big impact!

I adored these jars because of their non-traditional shapes!

The color of this jar is amazing. The deepest, richest brown... perfect for Fall. And due to its age, the surface has a natural etching which gives it a soft feel and look!

Do you like 'old as dirt' baskets? Here is a large sized basket, perfect for tossing your extra throws into as we officially enter 'cuddling' weather.

I have a personal collection of these shoe forms. I have a pair that represents each member of our little family. This white pair used to represent ME in my collection, grin. But as most collections go... I found another pair while on vacation, and so these are now at my booth for sale.

Rarely are shoe forms painted... they are usually only found in their natural state, yet I found the ones above AND also found this blue pair. They are mens forms. Do you want to start a collection of your own?

Well, that's it for this little peek into a few of the items that I took to my booth this morning. I'll leave you with a couple pics of the booth. I'll be back to post next week, promise ;)

Market Monday and MY series of unfortunate events...

2011-08-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

I only got a couple photos of items I took to the booth this morning. I will explain later in this post, for now suffice it say... it has been one of those Mondays ;)

I love this stool. It is quite large, perfect for sitting. But I actually use high stools like this, in my home, for another purpose entirely.

I love to have little 'end tables', that take up minimal floor space but provide a perfect place for a drink, etc. I have a multitude of antique stools, serving as end tables, in almost every room of my house. Very functional!

Cute story: I went to a garage sale a few weeks ago. I purchased a few things and then noticed a box full of Country Living Magazines. I love this magazine! I asked what the huge box of magazines cost. The gal grinned and then said I was welcome to take them for free, if I made one promise... when I was finished looking at them that I then passed them along to someone else.

Perfect! I am SO enjoying reading (and of course drooling over the pictures too) through these older edition magazines... so far the oldest one I have found is 2003. They still have such great ideas! This box is huge and FULL, so as I look through a 'bundle'... I will deliver them to my booth. Each bundle is FREE for the taking. The first person that happens in my booth and is interested enough, can take them home with them. As simple as that! Promise KEPT!

I've been looking for an antique buffet for my kitchen. I found this one but it was too small. BUT I thought it had such beautiful details... and I thought she deserved a fresh look.

Here she is BEFORE:

This back piece was missing veneer and had a split in the wood all down the right side... it could not be saved... but thankfully the overall piece did not suffer in its removal.

And the varnish and hardware had been exposed to moisture at some time...

The AFTER: heavily sanded, 2 coats of primer, and 2 coats of paint. A light distressing brought out all the gorgeous... simple... details.

These are my favorite style of antique pulls. I had to sand the hardware to rid them of the rust. Then I spray painted them in flat black. The finishing touch was a glaze of Burnt Umber to 'warm' them up to compliment the original wood tones that show through the distressing. Perfect!

And...

So...

This is where I explain why so few items were photographed this week.

I'm sure you've notice by now that I love, LOVE, to 'stage' my photos. It is a creative outlet for me... showing the different ways to use an item, showing different arrangements, etc.

Today, I was innocently pulling some antique bowls down from my kitchen shelves...
and SMASH!
I simply heard the avalanche over my head and froze... as 4, FOUR, of my most beloved antique McCoy bowls hit my head and shoulder, knocked my camera out of my hand and then smashed to pieces on the floor.
Tears were shed.
Oh yes they were.
I realized moments later that when I grabbed a stack of larger bowls from the shelf to use as 'props' for the buffet photos... I accidentally pushed the smaller 4 bowls too close to the corner of the shelf and they slipped right off.

My children ran into the kitchen when they heard my screams of 'first pain' as the bowls landed on top of me... and then my sobs. My camera laid in pieces in the floor. My sweethearts picked up each little piece and tried to match them to which bowl they went to. I actually USED these bowls... nothing in my house is too antique or precious just for display. But now I am going to try and glue them back together and maybe they can still be utilized to hold things in my studio. I love them so!

I pieced back together by camera and actually took the above picture. I breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed to be OK. But as I tried to take pictures of the other items I was taking to the booth after the smashed bowl fiasco... nope. I can't get it to work. Changed out batteries, can't seem to see anything obviously wrong... but it seems the bowls and my badly bruised noggin and shoulder are not the only 'unfortunate' results of today.

Thankfully, 7 hours afterward... I think my tender emotions for 'things' has adjusted and proper perspective is winning, grimace. But its still OK that I have a little ache in my gut, right. Cause they sure were cute!

Market Monday

2011-08-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

stub*born, adjective :

1. having or showing dogged determination not to change, in spite of good reasons to do so.

2. unreasonably, often perversely, unyielding; bullheaded.

3. difficult to move, remove, or cure.

I called my biggest project this week... 'a big ole brown stubborn hunk of wood'... repeatedly. Yes. I was reduced to name calling. I'm not proud of it, but it helped me not shove it hard on its casters right down my back porch steps. Whew. It was a toughy... for many reasons.

I bought this dresser quite hurriedly at an Estate Sale a few weekends ago. I loved its little details. And I adored it huge round knobs. But what I did not look closely at is the very damaged veneer, and the paint splatters all down one side.

I had an initial vision for this piece. That vision went right out the window... quick! I started by gluing all the puckered veneer. Huge task! Then I sanded the entire piece thoroughly. Then I primed the whole piece, triple priming all stains. Finally adding two coats of paint. But when I took a real close look at the paint... it was 'shedding' in spots. Ugh. So I decided to just sand it all down and start over. But when I started to sand... most of the paint was adhered very well! Go figure?! Why after all the prep work the paint wanted to 'stick' in some places and not others is beyond my understanding. But when I quit fighting this piece to make it do what I wanted and just decided to see what would evolve... I ended up with one of my favorite pieces to date. It may be 'naughty kid' syndrome... you know... that 'child' that takes ever so much work and in the end is forever adored. That is what this dresser is for me. Adored. And please take note of the knobs... even THEY went all stubborn on me and some wanted paint... others?! No.

I sure hope someone loves this piece as much as I do!

Today, I also delivered lots and lots of canning/jelly jars to my booth. If you could see my cabinets in my laundry room (packed FULL of old jars) you may wonder where I mustered up the willpower to let these go... but I make no promises that I won't snatch some of these back if they don't go quick.

Several pedestals added to booth also.

This piece is gorgeous! It is oval and it has just enough of a 'lip' that it could hold loads of fruit or nuts like a bowl.

These sweet pottery pedestals were gathered from a friend of a friend. I think they are darling. The smaller sizes would be adorable holding a single cupcake. But thinking outside the box, they could be a jewelry pedestal.

The small pedestals have a single little bird on them, the larger size has two. Precious. Agreed?

Large silver and silver plated bowls. I went to a bed and breakfast and she used large bowl like these in her guest bath to hold hand towels. Very versatile.

Teeeeniny cups and saucers. Shhhh, I kept one of these for myself.

Speaking of itty bitty... this is the smallest pitcher I have ever come across. The ornate scrollwork and scalloped bottom is darling.

Time was tight to take pictures of all I delivered, be sure and go take a look at the booth this week to see all the updates. I'll leave you with a few shots of the reorganized booth. Have a great week!!

A Day Late... and growing pains!

2011-08-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

First things first... a 'before and after'.

I found this chest at an estate sale. I loved its shape, inset drawers, and the scallop on the bottom and sides.

But it had its share of problems. The transfers on the drawers were peeling and the inside of the drawers were in awful disrepair.

I thought it would look great with a fresh coat of white paint and once it was painted... I handpainted some French Numbers on the drawer fronts. I added antique hardware to finish it off.

I distressed the edges lightly and did not add any glaze as I loved its cleaner look...

To remedy the inside of the drawers... I lined them with old Organ Sheet Music.

This would make a gorgeous entry 'table'.

Speaking of 'numbered' goodness... I found these canisters. Love them.

Next I have this old drawer. The wood on this is so incredible!

It has a label pull. This would work well on a bathroom counter to contain different jars full of cottonballs, swabs, etc.

It could also be hung on a wall to display art.

Do you need a little stool for your bathroom for the kids to wash their hands? This little gem will work just great for that.

Stool no.2 has all the character that is impossible to recreate. amazing.

I am so drawn to items that are 'over the top' ornate... gaudy even, grin. This art easel started out brass and shiny.

I simply painted it with cream paint. I did not add glaze because I loved its clean, fresh feel now!

Then with something this detailed, I love the contrast of adding a vintage floral print... tattered all along the edges, no frame... gorgeous presentation!

A friend showed me these silverware chimes. I was smitten.

My personal favorite spoon, grin.

Now with several of the items that I delivered to the booth this week spotlighted...

I move on to the 'growing pains' part of my post title.

I have never thought of 'growing pains' as being an all negative thing. In fact growing is usually a good thing, right? But rarely does ANYTHING growing, especially at an incredibly fast rate, not have the need for at least some amount of discomfort. And discomfort... some days PAIN... is officially a part of this new venture of mine.

My husband will want to pinch me when he finds out that I have posted this photo on the www!

It is our garage. And in our family, the garage has always been more his domain. Several months ago this garage, under Shawn's management ;), was organized and spotless... it is how he is wired.

And here is a photo taken moments ago, as it sits under new management... mine. UGH!

Embarrassed as I am right now... to me, this photo represents long hours of hunting... and future items for my business. But I also must be honest that items do not move fast enough... for several reasons.

#1 - First and foremost... I need a larger booth at Packards! I find it quite comical that just a couple months ago I was nervous at the prospect of needing to fill, and refill this space. I have learned REAL quick that one space is not near what I need to move my items. Now the hard part... getting two booths, in a good location, at least semi next to each other. The owners promise to work on my request, I hope it can be worked out SOON! I have so many items I can't wait to show you!

#2 - I need a painting space/booth. Laying a tarp in the middle of our kitchen is a tad inconvenient. My family may... just may use a word different than 'tad', grimace. So Shawn will be making me a painting booth in this corner of the garage... it will make things go so much faster. Yay!

#3 - I need a studio. We have the space, but my 'vision' for this space is slow going. We have started the planks... slowly but surely.

So there it is... pains, obstacles, and hopes that things can continue to grow.

In the end... suffering growing pains already, just a few short months after opening... seems to be a good problem to have! Thank you!

Market Monday

2011-08-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

This week I want to start with a picture I found on Pinterest. I've been wanting a solution for jewelry storage that is tucked away but also lets me SEE what I have. Bingo! Love the collected variation of all the antique dishes and pottery. So I've had my eye out for beautiful 'collections' like this and have found plenty for my needs... and then some. Could you use a jewelry drawer too?

I have tons of incredible dishes and pottery pieces now in my booth that could be collected and arranged for that very purpose!

This collection is along the same style my jewelry drawer will contain... blues, whites, ironstone, and I'll probably add some gorgeous antique silver too.

These two bowls seem very anthropology-ish to me. I love their handpainted bowls!

Or maybe this collection suits your tastes better... blacks, whites, and antique silvers.

These toile plates are magnificent.

Navy blues toile plates, navy striped pottery, ironstone, and a pop of red too.

This collection is b.e.y.o.n.d. feminine. So fun putting all different colors and textures together to get the look you want.

Next... look at this gravy boat...

Seriously? Yum!

Or maybe you prefer a gravy dish like this?

I have never seen a creamer and sugar vessel set like this. So beautifully ornate and on the cutest tray.

They are each lined in what I believe to me enamel. The contrast of the silver outside with the white inside is beautiful.

I am on the 'hunt' for an antique fan for my studio (if it ever gets completed). I want to replace the existing ceiling fan in the space with a chandelier, but the halogen inset lights can put off some heat. My solution for stubbornly insisting on a chandelier is to find an antique fan to cool the room down when needed. With all that said, whew, I found this fan. It is too small for my needs but I got it anyway hoping one of my clients would love it.

It works and even oscillates. The side view of it is so unique... not seen that shape before. And it is adjustable so you can angle the fan however you need. Cute!

So... seriously... I am failing at the 'before shots' of my painted projects. Grrrr. But I did manage a tiny shot of just little bit of a mirror frame that I had started to paint. So this is the before of the VERY gold frame.

This is a ~~blurry~~ snippet of the 'after' paint job. I took the plunge. Yep. I was thinking white... then thought bronze... but I painted it blue. BLUE!

And I have no regrets. Amazing. I sanded through and let some of the old gold come back through. Then did 3... THREE... glaze treatments. The reason for that is to get a layered, but subtle, amount of age. The first glaze layers were Burnt Umber... needed to warm up the blue a tad. The final glaze was graphite. I have bought into the blue and gray combo, hook.line.and.sinker! I finished it with a wipeon poly. Love it!

I had barely hung it when a group of 5 College gals glanced in to the booth and screamed in glee. I literally would have dropped this beauty if it had not just safely landed on the hook, whew. So I hope by their reaction that I didn't go too far out painting it blue. We'll see how it goes ;)

And I so loved the finish of the mirror frame, I now know what I want to do with this little gem I found this weekend. Tad dated as is... but ohhhh the sweet details. I'll be sure and show you the 'afters' soon.

PS - Christian has a new found love of making things out of recycled wood. A few of his items made it into the booth. My favorite is this simple crate... I want one to hold pumpkins in for my front porch this fall.

And I may need one of these to hold magazines on my back porch, snicker.

I sure hope everyone local is safe this evening after our crazy weather today. Be sure and be weather aware tomorrow... as it seems we are in for more of the same. See you here next Monday

Market Monday

2011-08-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

August 1!!! Can't believe that as of today I have been in business for 3 months. Loving it. Just got home from dropping off this weeks Market Items.

I have always been drawn to functional vintage kitchen pieces. I am a firm believer that presentation is important. This butter dish is just beautiful. Simply. Gorgeous.

This small serving tray has a very similar rose design as the butter dish. They would make great companions.

I added this set of glass salt and pepper shakers to the few remaining in the booth from last week.

This small pedestal is perfect to hold small table items or even can hold spare change and keys.

This is a top photo of the pedestal. I am a 'layer' decorator and could see a small ironstone bowl placed on top of this pedestal for a pop of contrast.

I was so surprised when I first picked up this cream pitcher. It is so heavy. Which immediately makes me think of filling it with an oversize bunch of flowers... it would hold 'its own' just fine.

If you have gone to my booth more than once... you are fully aware of my attraction to small pitchers. I personally own so many because I find them so decorative perched on top of a stack of books and useful to hold pencils, drinking straws, candy sticks, etc. It can make the most ordinary, utilitarian objects look darling just collected inside. Love.
Look at this Postal Scale! It is very large, for this style of scale and the details on the face are amazing all on their own.

The combination of the aged glass and my mediocre photography skills make this hard to read, but I sure hope you can see the date on the face... March 26, 1944!!!

I grew up on Redstone Arsenal... and we lived at the pools there when we were young. Swimming lessons early in the mornings, then returning hours later to just play in the pool. They had these locker baskets there. These are very nostalgic for me. I went ahead and scrubbed these down... trust me... your first thought would NOT have been of nostalgia if you saw them before soap, water, and a wire brush got to them, grin. But now they are ready to work for ya.

Perfect for magazine, shoes, to sort mail or toys...

I added several antique pillow cases, all standard sizes. I dream of opening a Bed & Breakfast in the future and I have boxes of these pillow cases. All with different edging. All so beautiful. I want to heap them ridiculously high on the beds in our B&B. This little cutey is my favorite of the ones I dropped off this morning.

On my forever long list of 'learn to dos' is hand embroidery... such a delicate, amazing art form!

This may be a bit of a shocker...I actually took in a piece of furniture that I did not feel compelled to PAINT first. I do have a love for painted furniture pieces. Truth is so many older pieces are actually given a new life with a fresh coat of paint... but this piece made me pause. The tone in this wood piece is perfection. Not orange, not red... but deep, rich, brown. Layers and layers of varnish that is perfectly imperfect. I just had to give it a chance to stay as is. I see it as a coffee table, especially if you have a tight space but still would love one. But it is also a great height for an end table... very versatile!

Please go by in person to see this table if you are in the least bit intrigued by it. You will not be disappointed by all the turnings and little details.

Hands down my favorite part is its top. It has a 'lip' around the top that is magnificent. And it is on the top that you see the natural crackle in the layers of varnish and around the edges. Impossible to recreate such beautiful aged details. I have a tremendous crush on this piece... could you tell?

I love art. I have several art ledges in my home so I can lean art pieces and swap them out often. I can't state that any ONE artist is my favorite, but in my top ten is Sir James Guthrie. Do you know his work? I don't have any lofty dreams to own an original of his, but prints do my heart good. And here is a print that I added to my booth. It is mounted onto masonite and has hanging hardware already attached to the back. I found this and loved the lavender and neutral tons of the piece.

'To Pastures New'

Now comes the time for a bit of a confession. For the first time in 3 months I have crumbled under the pressure of wanting something so badly, that I had already taken to the booth. Today, my defenses were too weak to walk away and leave this item for another week. The Joy of Cooking copyright 1931 has come back home with me. I don't regret it a bit. That perfect shade of blue and the handwritten notes inside the cover and throughout the book were my demise. And never mind that I found June Platt's Plain and Fancy Cookbook, copyright 1941, days ago and thought it looked lonely up on my kitchen shelf with all those other modern cookbooks.

I have promised myself that this will NOT become a habit... but the fact that my heart would pace each week until I would see that it was STILL there, meant I should have never tried to part with it in the first place... Right? Now I shall go and try to rebuild my resolve. grin. Have a great week!

Market Monday

2011-07-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm starting with my fav.o.rite. piece today. In fact, when I finished this piece I literally walked around my house with it, setting it down, backing up, trying to find it a home... with ME!! This little gem started out with darling details but badly disguised with faux cherry wood redness. I love a great before and after and I want to get better at taking the before shots so you can fully appreciate the 'afters'.

Do you need an entry table? A little bedside table? A tiny table for the landing on your stairs?

She... yes, with legs like this, it HAS to be a she... is the perfect little nook table. Love her!

Ummm... have I convinced you yet of the NEED for you to have some vintage books for your decor? This new book bundle of 3 is so perfect with its shades of blues.

Next is a square end table. It had character galore but its finish was orangey with speckles. It got an update with layers of paint to give it depth and bring all the nooks and crannies to the forefront. Success!

The lower shelf is genius, great for a basket or to toss your magazines on. Great shape for an endtable.

This chair is amazing. A modern, sleek look but in a classic wingback chair. It is tufted and upholstered in a gorgeous indigo velour/velvet. YUM! I rushed this beauty straight to the booth... I have what is becoming an unhealthy desire to keep all wingback chairs that I come into contact with. I need an intervention!

I love salt and pepper shakers. I have several sets of pewter ones that I keep stored on a shelf in my kitchen for when I have lots of family/friends for dinner. I have recently found several old sets and together they make the most beautiful collection... so you want to start your own?

This wire server also went to the booth. I thought the s&p shakers would look great displayed on the top tier. In fact, this server is beautiful left out on the kitchen counter at all times.

On the second shelf of the server I have a set of crocheted napkins and placemats... 6 of each.

And on the bottom of the wire server I added a silver bowl. A quick tip, I love to leave the tarnish on my silver. I just find it wonderful... and maybe, JUST MAYBE, I know myself well enough that I would never polish silver regular enough to keep it shiny. So if I want to use my tarnished silver with food, I just layer it with a piece of ironstone or another type of dish. In essence using the tarnish bowl as a charger for another bowl.

No need to layer if I just want to use the tarnished silver to hold non-edible things. This bowl sure has wonderful engravings on the inside. Beautiful piece!

I got this next piece on a different day and different location but it matches the above bowl. It is a great shape for an entry table to hold keys and change.

A random old set of custard dishes, 3 of them in graduated sizes. I am drawn to anything with fluted details.

I found an old two pane window... with waves in the original glass. It has some hardware still left on it and I thought it was useful to hang a little piece of artwork from or.... a goat bell.

Cause everyone needs a goat bell with a charcoal grey velvet ribbon.... right?!!

OK, whew... that was a lot of photos for one week. I'll leave you with a few extras of the booth. Enjoy!

Market Monday

2011-07-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled with the collection of accessories I took to the booth today. Gorgeous!! So while I usually show the bigger items, today I shall spotlight on the small and simple.

I adore this pewter creamer and sugar vessel. The lines on these are so elegant and simple.

A silver bud vase. Darling.

This creamer and sugar vessel is silver over copper. I mention this because it has tarnished in such a unique and beautiful way. It has the darkened tarnish of silver but in the areas it has been rubbed you can see the copper. It really is beautiful. Very ornate handles, feet, and lid.

I always pause at a set of gorgeous candlesticks. I want to line tons of different candlesticks on my mantel... all shapes, finishes, sizes... for Christmas. This set of silver candlesticks has such a sweet silhouette.

Fluted, brass vase. Have you see the moss covered balls that are so popular right now? I can see this as the perfect container for moss balls.

I will not be sad if this does not sale. N.E.V.E.R. have I seen a cuter rolling pin.

This is a large basket. I sewed a linen liner for it with a cute kick pleat. I hope someone can use this to stash toys beautifully in their living room or even extra throw blankets and pillows. It has a square bottom and slightly flairs to a round top.

The scalloped frame on this mirror makes it so interesting. It is quite large... measuring about 30"x36".

I am working on a slipcovered loveseat this week. Lots of summer activities going on with the kids so I hope to get it done... but water balloons and slip n slides seem to rank higher priorities here on our farm :) Have a great week!

Market Monday... I have a good excuse...

2011-07-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, yes, I am a day late AGAIN. But I have a good excuse, or so I have convinced myself. I sold my largest item to date. The h.u.g.e. solid mahogany cabinet with hutch had lots of client interest starting with opening day. It found a home this weekend. To say it left a 'hole' in my booth is quite the understatement. So thankful though.

I found this piece with tremendous damage. I took a leap of faith that I could systematically make each repair and that it could be structurally sound again. It was a ton of work but I was thrilled that it was restored. Farewell!

I don't have a large item quite ready for the booth so I worked on this dresser over the weekend so it could go in asap. I almost forgot the before photo entirely, got a little side shot that wasn't painted.

I found this dresser on craigslist and I loved the interesting sides and the configuration of the drawers. It had a dated wood tone and faux distressing and splattering. So I got to work! I primed it with a grey paint and then did a finish coat of a very light blue called Silver Cloud. I lightly distressed letting the wood and first layer of grey peak through. Then I painted numbers on the drawers/door and painted the hardware.

Seriously! I was so pleased with the AFTER. Love it. This is a heavy duty old dresser... do you have a place for it???

I redid this darling rocker too. It had a highly lacquered finish that just felt sticky but it was still sturdy and I thought the curves were amazing. Before...

and the AFTER of it sitting so cute in the booth. I reupholstered the seat with a imitation grain sack fabric.

(sorry for this very weird angled picture, not sure why I had the camera turned so crazy)

I find these tin pitchers so useful. They look so great as vases but I also like to actually plant in them and have them on a table on the porch. This pitcher actually appears to have a slightly ruffled top edge but it is just normal, beautiful wear.

The next photos are of a few new accessory items added today...

Cafe Glass Pedestal and a Glass Milk Jar

Little Oil Can

Hobnail CandleSticks... such a beautiful touch of bling!

MilkGlass Pedestal

Tall Cream Crock

I'll include a few photos of the adjusted booth layout. Tight fit for everything but I am happy with the 'feel'.

I wanted to answer a couple more questions that I have received. Again, I'll answer these questions on my blog in case others have the same ones.

Q - Can I bundle items for a discount price?
A - Most of my items for sell are marked with individual prices, except for an occasional 'set' item like a pair of candlesticks for ONE price. BUT in case you are new to antique shopping... it is never frowned upon for you to take an item to the checkout counter and ask if they can do any better on the price. The employee will let you know if there is any sale going on or if there is a discount, of any kind, related to that specific item. No fear, be brave... never hurts to ask, especially if you really love it but it is a tad out of reach price wise!

Q - Can I ship any of the items from my booth?
A - I do not currently ship items. The items I have in my booth are only for sale to Packard Antique Mall shoppers/clients. I would love to have an online shop in the future but my life and storage space for such a venture is not conducive for that right now.

Thanks again for all the interest in my business. I am having a blast, especially today when I can 'redecorate' the space and be creative in that way. Have a Great Week! Dawn

Market Monday... late :)

2011-07-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm a day late with Market pictures today... but our 4th of July was quite exciting with thunderstorms and 50+ guests so I decided I could do a better 'sneak peak' with lots and lots of pictures if I waited til today. I'll start with my favorite item for this week. I found two hobnail milk glass lamps. They were in such terrible condition but I hoped they could be restored.

I do not know if they are Fenton (started producing glass in early 1900s) hobnail milk glass... as Fenton, to my knowledge, did not start marking their pieces until 1970s. But they DO have everything that one would expect from that design and make. I finished restoring only one of the lamps. I hope to complete the second in the near future but it is a slightly different style and I need to find a shade that works with its proportions... I may have a challenging hunt for that perfect shade. I wrapped the shade for this lamp in white Belgian linen and added small ruffles to the top and bottom. The 'star' of this lamp is the hobnail so I tried to be true to that!

I added another Bentwood chair. This time the chair is in an old white paint. I could not love this style chair more, simply could not.

I also added this bench. It is holding on to its original black paint for dear life... but truth is it is beautifully loosing the battle, snicker. I did add a dark wax to add some moisture to the wood that is now showing through the paint.

The age on this stool is amazing. Not sure of the wood type but the grain is breathtaking!

I made this flirty white Belgian linen pillow. Now I want to make myself several for our master bed!

I have found several of these enamelware pieces. The larger bowl is one of the largest pieces of enamelware I have ever seen. The colander would be stunning on a kitchen counter full of fruit!

I personally collect pottery/ironstone bowls. I have a graduated set of bowls on my kitchen buffet... I can't imagine parting with a single one. THIS hexagon bowl has fluting on the sides and is a feature piece indeed. I hope it finds a good home :)

This is a picture of an open shelf in my kitchen. This one photo capture 3 of my loves... tarnished silver, ironstone, and old glass.

If you are like me and love all things tarnished, you will love browsing the booth this week.

This creamer and sugar cube vessel is a set. They are from an estate sale and their shapes are sweet.

You could place some of these old silverware in the above creamer for a nice vignette.

These would also be just as gorgeous places in an old glass mason jar as you could see the unique designs of each handle.

This little urn is darling. It has this raised floral design that makes the tarnish fade and darken giving perfect 'shadows'.

Last but not least... I had these old receipt templates that were printed on linen. I put them in antique frames to display. I think this one would be a great piece for a studio or craft room.

Do you love to sew? The title banner is exquisite.

I hope your 4th of July was great and that you have a wonderful short work week.

Market Monday

2011-06-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

I found this table at an estate sale and it was love at first sight. The legs and cross bars are incredible. It has been used and loved and has all the wonderful marks to show for it.

The top had such amazing character... I simply sanded a few spots and then applied a dark wax to bring out all the details.

I then painted the apron and legs an 'old white' and did some distressing so that the unique details of the legs would show. Beautiful! This table is perfect for a kitchen nook or as a game table in a family room. It measures 30"x42"x28"tall. Very versatile!

I love this skinny bench. When I found it I thought it would fit perfectly at the end of a bed, especially if you have limited space. Also would also work well in a mud room or against a wall in your entry.

It measures 6.5"deep x 53.5"long x 20"tall. Do you have the perfect spot for this bench?

I love clock faces, so when I found this round disc... I wanted to paint a clock face on it. It was quite a task to get it all spaced out and how I wanted it. I then painted the numbers and markings in cream and rubbed a stain over the whole surface. Very happy with the final look.

I seem to always have a least one basket each week ;) The large one is an old tobacco basket, suffice it to say I had to give it a good cleaning but the color is dark and rich, gorgeous. The handled basket is a light grey with a white wash. Tons of vases and little accessories made it to the booth this week also.

And this is my favorite piece this week, a child's desk. It is s.o.l.i.d wood! I painted the base and legs in white and lightly distressed, and then painted the top with chalk paint. It has a little chalk/pencil groove and the storage for books and crayons is large. It is seriously darling and is so well built it should last for a LONG time to come.

I splurged on a little something as a convenience for myself. I had some business/merchandise tags professionally made, whew... didn't realize how fast I would go through tags and printing, cutting, and punching hole was a tedious task. I am so pleased with the tag my printer created for my booth! Love them!

Hope you have a great week!

Market Monday

2011-06-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

WOW! Last week was my best week thus far. My booth sure needed some restocking and I was glad I had a good mix of items going in this week including a few larger pieces, whew. Just a heads up that I will have a couple larger furniture items completed this week and ready to go in NEXT week too... so I will be sure and spotlight those pieces next Monday.

I have a huge crush on Thonet bentwood chairs. They are the classic 'bistro' chair and I hope to one day have TEN around my 10ft harvest table at home... just love them. I found this chair, no markings/reproduction, and it was already painted the cutest aqua color. I tucked it into this little corner in my family room... procrastinating the day I would need to take it to my booth.

I have several of these bentwood chairs... lets just say the colors of the others are NOT so pleasing, grin. I look forward in future weeks to giving them facelifts and they will soon make an appearance in the booth too.

Beautiful crackle finish pedestal.

I call this the chicken wire basket. I love the versatility of this basket because whatever you store inside it can be seen... fruit, firewood, magazines, etc. The wooden handle is also darling. Cute!

I am always drawn to these little metal chair/stools. There are so many cute shapes of these. This particular shape I had not seen before and loved. They are quite decorative and can be used to hold stacks of books or towels in a bathroom.

But they are functional too... my sil had several of these and they are the perfect height for smaller children to stand on to help 'cook'. It will lift littles to the height they need to help stir and scoop. I guess they would also make a good 'time-out' chair if needs be, snicker.

Baskets are a staple in my booth... great seller. This white one is quite big! The weave is beautiful.

My favorite thing about it is that the color is not solid... it is more of a white wash. There are plenty of places where the color is peaking through and it makes it more interesting!

My prior birdcages have sold so I am going to add this wire one. It is so unique... completely metal.

Several questions were left for me at the desk this week... I will just list questions and their answers as I have them in case more than one person has the same question.

Will I do custom slipcovers for furniture?
Not right now. I love making slipcovers... I personally prefer fitted slipcovers and the process is a creative challenge for me. But the truth is that the process is enjoyable simply because I work on pieces as I have time. I do not have time to take custom orders because my life right now with the kids and homeschooling, etc, just is not the right time to do something that demanding. Sorry.

Will I make duplicates of pillows for sell in booth?
Truth is that I rarely make more than two pillows the same. So if you see a pillow in my booth and love it... the odds that I will have the same pillow again are VERY slim. The biggest reason is that I gather antique linens as I see them... petticoats, tablecloths, curtains... and recycle them for most of my pillow slips. So, most pillows are one of a kind or at the most there may be a set, but the pillows will always be different and made from found remnants or antique linens. Just a note that each of my pillow slips include a feather insert... I just love how feather inserts hold their shape even with a heavy upholstery slip.

Do I have layaway?
I rent a booth space in a larger antique mall. I personally do not offer layaway but the owners of the mall do indeed offer a layaway plan. Because I have larger furniture items, layaway is a great alternative to those that need to space out payments are even if you need to stall picking up/taking home the item you want to buy. I do not know the specific details of layaway at Packards... I think the longest time period is 60 days... but most definitely ask/call (their number is top of right sidebar) them if you want more details. I currently have a very large hutch cabinet in the booth and that is drawing many questions concerning layaway... so be sure and see what those options are.

Do I do interior design work?
{Insert nervous giggling here} I feel like most of my answers here are involving some form of 'nope'. No, I do not do interior design for anyone but me, myself, and I. I am a tough enough client... fickle, temperamental, demanding... my extended family tolerates my 'suggestions/opinions' but I by no means am a professional.

Do I currently have my items at any other locations?
Nope. One location, Packards Antiques, is keeping me as busy as I want to be. I hope to in the distant future have a annual HUGE Vintage Market with multiple vendors located here on our farm. When that event is planned... I would announce that here on this blog.

Those are the questions that were passed along to me from the desk staff... feel free to ask me any questions directly through the comments and I will answer then as best I can. Thanks!

Have a great 'last day of spring'... although it has technically felt like full blown summer for well over a month now, snicker!

Market Monday

2011-06-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

I went in and got my month-end statement and check, yep, check last week. If I get a check that means I covered rent and commissions and made a profit. Wahoooo. Got lots of compliments from owners and was quite excited. I want to say a special thanks to those that go in to see my booth and even go so far as to talk with the owners/employees about my booth and items in it. They told me that they have never had so much feed back from clients on a new booth! So thank you tons!!

So, some more items to spotlight this Monday. Do you remember this lamp and shade I made several weeks ago and took to the booth? It sold in just a couple of days... so I decided to make another one.

I decided to used the base pictured below to the right. It is larger than the first one I did... quite substantial.

I went with a cream base again... very versatile. I also sprayed the harp and top pin as they were dated brass too. The light kit on this base worked perfectly so it just needed a facelift.

Now onto the lampshade, the fun part! I wanted to do something different than last time but loved the pairing of linen with the cream base... so that stayed the same. I cut several long strips of linen... and then ran a long stitch down the middle of each strip and gathered them into a ruffle.

Then I simply wrapped the ruffles around the lampshade. I think it is so gorgeous!

Next up is this clear vase. Its shape reminds me of a chemistry beaker. This shape of vase is perfect for dogwood branches and long, dramatic clippings. I forgot to measure its height but it is at least 18" tall and heavy enough to hold a large arrangement. Love it!

Sometimes the little things just draw me in. I found this basket at an estate sale (thank you Kim and Jodi) and grabbed it immediately. My crush on all baskets is well documented and this little gem is darling.

Did you notice the little peak at the platter next to the basket? When we lived outside Sacramento, there was a pottery manufacturer that was closing its doors. They sold their remaining inventory and also display pieces that they had kept from some of their earliest productions.

I bought this set at that sale and have loved them. They are dishwasher and microwave safe even though they are quite old. And the fact that they do not have even one little chip is a testament to their hardiness... as many of my other dishes have not faired so well with my kids doing the dishes, wink. The dishes are THE perfect robin's egg blue with a brown edging band.

And last but not least... this adorable barrel. I got this originally at a flea market. I was going to place it just inside my front door, slip a pot inside it, and plant a lemon tree in it. Yep. That was my master plan... but even though we have glass double front doors... we open up BOTH doors on a very regular bases and we noticed real quick that my genius plan was not going to work, it would have to be moved a lot...not so functional. THIS is the hardest item SHAWN has watched me take to the booth thus far. He loves this thing. It could also be a very cool umbrella stand or trashcan for a porch. It is HUGE.

Go take a look this week. I hope it is as fun for you to see new items added each week as it is for me to add them and rearrange things. Having a BLAST... hope you week is incredible!

Market Monday

2011-06-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Got some befores and afters for you today. This is a darling wicker chair I found. It is old and the color was faded, but it is still solid and sturdy... so I gave it a new look.

I did a quick white wash over the wicker. It looks fresh and light now.

Do you have a little shaded nook on your porch? This is a perfect sized little wicker chair to tuck in the corner of a porch and snuggle in with a good book. The barrel back makes it extra comfy!

And the adorable round seat cushion comes with it. I made it with a slipcover so it can be washed as needed. I love this chair!
And speaking of pillows... I always have an assortment in my booth with removable covers for washing AND they include the feather insert. I lean towards large pillows for my sofas and for the kids to lay in the floor with... so I have all different sizes including ones as large as 26" square.

My next before and after is this classic wingback chair. I have found a couple chairs and though the chairs are still in amazing condition... the upholstery is often dated, case in point... this dusty mauve cover.

My first steps were to stitch up a few rips in the original upholstery and give the upholstery a good cleaning. The legs were scratched up, so I repaired them also.

Anyone that knows me... knows I am a slipcover convert. Slipcovers function so well for me and my family. We live on a farm afterall! It is an impossibility that my furniture can stay clean otherwise. So almost exclusively, I have slipcovered or leather furniture around my home. So learning how to slipcover furniture has been a fun pursuit. I love the process.

The dusty mauve chair got a slipcover made of 'poor man's linen', aka painters drop cloth canvas. I triple wash the canvas before using it to make the slipcover and it will just continue to get softer and softer with each wash. I love lighter upholstery but was always afraid of it before slipcovers! Now I can have the lighter colors with no worries.

I dressed up the back with these ties in case the new owner needed to float this piece in their room and the back would be in full view. Often a chair like this can be used as a floater piece to enclose a seating arrangement without the use of a wall. And just as a fun little addition... I had personal tags made to go on my slipcovered pieces... they are discreetly sewn on the inside flap of the back, but it is like a little signature for me.

I am a chronic redecorator. I love the versatility of accessories to work in several rooms of my home and often an item will travel around my home filling different purposes. Can you see the 3 HUGE vases on the table. I had these in 3 different rooms of my home. They are genius. Huge but clear so they fill up odd corners without visually being too obtrusive. I personally had them filled with different natural branches. But alas, they were permanently replaced next to my family room hearth with a 16' ladder I found in Florida last year. I have not been able to find them a new home since... so I have them for sale in my booth.

I got some help from my husband this weekend to rearrange a few items in the booth so I could add all my newest additions. It is fun to visit my booth and see that things have been sold, and this week I had tons of 'holes' left so we did a quick reshuffle, and added several new larger pieces. Enjoy!

Market Monday

2011-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!! I hope everyone had a great holiday. Here's my weekly peak at a few of the items going to my booth this week. First, this darling little chair.

It is such a great size. Large enough to sit comfortably in, but small enough to fit into a tight corner for extra seating or to use for display. It was showing its age though. I tightened up its joints and added oil to the wood to give it back some color and richness. The seat could not be more beautiful.

A couple 'outside of the box' uses for a petite chair like this would be to hold towels or bath salts in your bathroom. It has such a small 'footprint' that it serves a great purpose without taking up too much floor space, especially in a room like a bathroom. And PS, doesn't it have the cutest legs and little ball feet!

I also like to use chairs as easels. You may have a corner that this chair could tuck in to and also display a piece of art.

I have it in my booth right now holding my Market sign. I've also seen a small chair similar to this used on a porch by the front door with a sign displaying the house numbers. The options are endless. This chair is adorable!

I have noticed in magazines and catalogs like PotteryBarn, that cutting boards are quite a collectors item now. I found this one and it made me smile. It is old, hand-carved and very imperfect.

I smiled the biggest when I turned it over... does anyone else see a turtle? A 3-legged turtle... I think it is that handle that for some reason looks like a turtle head popping out of its shell.

I have a few old Birdhouses. They are quite substantial in size. Would look great on a fireplace hearth, on top of an armoire, or just tucked in a corner on the floor. What I love about these cages is that they each have a 'trap door' on the bottoms... I assume to clean the cage if you used it for an actual bird cage. But for decorative purposes, the bottom door allows you to put a larger display inside than you normally would be able to fit just inside the cage door. These would be cute with a stack of books inside...

... a stack of nature books with this darling bird bell perched on top of them :)

I also want to spotlight this gorgeous antique frame mirror. You must see the surface of this mirror... it has the waves and bubbles in the glass. The frame is breathtaking and would look amazing in a collage of art and other frames.

Baskets are a true weakness of mine. So functional AND beautiful. I have a wide range of baskets currently in my booth. I have wood strip baskets (very old), wire baskets in all their chippy paint glory, willow baskets in different colors from natural to dark gray, and also a few lined baskets. I currently have a lined basket like the one above in my kitchen to hold my fresh produce... love it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful SHORT work week.

Market Monday

2011-05-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

I love old signs, and fonts. Something as simple as an old street sign grabs my attention. The next best thing is when I find a unique 'canvas' and make my own sign.

I found several bead board kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Old, thick bead board like this is charming... full of character all on its own.

I cut the board down to fit my font size.

Leaving the old handle imprint and screw hole... it speaks to what it was originally used for. Gorgeous!!

My favorite surface to paint fonts on is something with a rough surface. The texture makes for a very interesting painted font, looking old instantly. In this instance, the surface of the bead board was extremely smooth. This then requires me to recreate the layered affect of what paint would do if it were weathered over time. So in this case, I used a burnt umber color to paint 'Market' and then randomly shadowed that with a charcoal paint. Then I lightly sanded the whole surface and the paint releases in random spots and the paint has the illusion of depth that an old piece would have!

I left this piece 'clean', which means I let the old wood speak for itself... very little distressing. Perfect!

Don't you need this sign to hang over your Pantry door? Don't ya?!

Next topic for this week: decorating with books! The books we buy speaks volumes for our tastes and interests. Agreed? Here in my home I have a stack of books on a table all about my love of decorating. The books themselves create decor and I leave them out as a reflection of me.

On a window ledge in my family room I have a collection of old books. I have collected these over several years... some were chosen for the color and some for the book title.

This is my 'hands down' favorite book I own. The title and the blue cover paired together was instant love.

So with that said, I am drawn to collecting old books for my Market Booth. They are perfect as single statement pieces and functional clustered together or used to elevate other items into the spotlight. Do you love to cook? Did you know that The Joy of Cooking cookbook series was first published in 1931! This Music in History book is 1940 copyright and it has a neutral cover and would look amazing on an end table opened to an interesting subject.

I have several book 'bundles' in my booth. Usually they are bundled by color waves for decorating. But as below, I also like to bundle like topics together. Do you love anything to do with water, ocean... do you live at the lake on the weekends? This book bundle is for you :)

The last items I will showcase today is this amazing pitcher and little gravy boat.

First, this pitcher. It has no manufacturing mark but the glaze speaks VOLUMES. It is still water tight to use for a cluster of flowers. It is just breathtaking... and to this point... THE item that took the most will power to actually take AND THEN LEAVE in my booth. painful.

This ironstone gravy boat has a darling shape. It is a an antique that can still have complete function in your kitchen. Love it.

Hope you have a great week! These items and several others are now in my Booth. Go SEE!

Market Monday

2011-05-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

My first week of being open was A.MA.ZING!! Thank you so much for all those that went in to take a peek and especially those that took home some of the treasures. It is so fun to see what has been chosen...

Well, this is Market Monday. Each Monday I will showcase an item, or items, I have worked on in the past week and let you know they are in the booth ready to go home with you ;)

Today I am showing you what I call the 'rag flower lamp'...

I forgot to get a pic of the before of this lamp, but luckily I have others that look just like it. I frequently come across these dated shiny brass lamp bases. They are so substantial and their shapes are gorgeous! Sometimes they are no longer functional, but a quick swap out for a new light kit (available at Lowes and HomeDepot) and they are ready to work again.

I also find tons of these old lampshades. Their shapes are so cute. Again, I look at the shape of the wire frame... because often the shade fabric is either torn or stained.

The scallop is my favorite style... but I love them all!

So, the prep work is to tape off the top socket and the wire. I have also removed the damaged fabric cover off of the shade frame. Everything... the base, shade frame, harp, and finial... gets a coat of primer and then a I use cream spray paint to finish.

Now to recover the shade framework. I used a textured muslin and made a pattern from each section of the frame. This can take some finagling (sp?). This particular frame has a beautiful slope and it was important to get the curves right.

Once I had my pattern correct... I cut out six sections from the pattern, being sure to allow extra for my seams. I sewed each section together and slipped over the frame. I made a little ruffle for the bottom and rolled some 1.5" strips of muslin into rag flowers.

This lamp base came with a very bright gold cord. UGH! It was not the final look I was going for. After all, at least a little of the cord always shows and I wanted the gold to just 'disappear'.

So I got the idea to just wrap strips of the muslin down the length of the cord... very similar to a chandelier cord wrap. Much improved!

And here it is... all assembled and ready to go to the booth, after its photo shoot, of course!

A few additional items going to Market is this tabletop chalkboard. Yep, it used to be a table top... long ago separated from the base. I thought its shape was darling. I did a free-hand cream border to highlight the curves and added a drawer pull (installed upside down) to hold the chalk.

I found this luggage stand minus its straps. I left its original black paint, chipped and glorious. I added webbing for the straps and now it is useful again. I currently have a very old piece of luggage in my booth that would look amazing set on top of this... could even be used as a unique side table, complete with storage!

You could also top it with an old mirror or tray to use it as a table. Beautiful!

I am excited about a new week. I will be showing new items next Monday. Please know I can't show every item on this blog, it will just be tutorials and highlights... go to the booth to see all I have to offer. I will be adding items every week. Thanks again for making my first week so fun and a big success!!

Grand Opening

2011-05-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Just minutes after Packards opened... My muscles, aka Shawn and Christian, and I pulled up in two loaded trucks ready to build my business space.

Obstacle #1...I hate painting walls and I really hate pegboard but one can't deny the functionality of it in this application. So I really did some creative brainstorming on how to get the look I wanted without a paintbrush and without millions of little holes visible.

Obstacle #2... the floor wasn't quite what I wanted either... to paint the floor would mean loosing days of production for drying time.

My solution for the wall was Burlap. It has such a coarse weave that hooks easily slip through it to utilize the pegboard to hang multiple items at different locations throughout time. So I draped burlap down the walls, I even varied the colors of the burlap to add interest. Then I went a tad overboard, but it was just too cute, and created a box pleat ruffle to add to the bottom. I think it gives it a look of a drapery, or so I tell myself. At times not much of the ruffles will show but other times depending on what is in the booth it will be a nice added detail. The floor was solved by carpet tiles. I found them cheap CHEAP and commercial grade. I worried over the color but Savannah talked me in to the blue, it is perfect. I also purchased a few extra tiles in case there was ever a damaged tile you pull it up and replace because they are only taped to each other not the floor. Once the bones were done... in came the large pieces and then I got to 'fluff'!

I have been dabbling in slipcovers lately. I really enjoy making them. There is a very dated dusty mauve wingback under this cover. But now it is renewed and those cutey bows are so flirty.

Many thanks to my sisters, mom, and the Hartselle store owner that hauled this gorgeous old door to my truck for me several weekends ago. It is amazing... and it has the old rusty hardware, swoon!

I love to repurpose these old frames into pinboards and chalkboards. I feared they would look so bare by themselves... then I decided to pin quotes and magazine pages to them for display. Just what they needed to warm them up.

On my blog I showed the makings of this Harvest table and the crate on casters. This is what we made them for. I have the crate overflowing with amazing feather throw pillows. The crate stays out of the walk path unless someone pulls it out to look at the pillows, perfect storage.

I had some friends and family go see my booth within an hour of finishing. Gotta love supportive people! As far as I know my sister Cari gave me my first sell... she bought this huge cage. So it is now gone but didn't it look so amazing on this pedestal?!

Here is my official business sign. Painting fonts is my favorite thing to paint... love it!

I must note that Christian placed the gray basket on top of the hutch sideways. He was so pleased with his artistic effort... his one and only, snicker. I actually liked the way it looked so I left it, wink.

Today was amazing. Everything came together beautifully and how I had hoped. I knew the measurements of the booth ahead of time but it was sure tiny compared to how I pictured it in my mind's eye, snort. I sure stocked it full though! I think that is one of the things that excites me the most is that it will be ever evolving (trying to be very optimistic that things will consistently sell, grin) and that I get to 'redecorate' often. Come back often and see what my new additions will be!