The One That Almost Got Away...

I love vintage things.  I love all things pink.  And vintage, pink things? Be still my heart.  At an incredible estate sale yesterday held in a historic warehouse I bought a lot of great vintage items including an antique typewriter which I love, a huge stack of vintage bingo cards, a vintage dictionary that is literally about 1000 pages...but nothing pink.

Now I did see an amazing vintage pink sofa.  Probably from the 1940s.  Mint condition.  Comfortable. The price was $50, which I knew was an absolute steal.  But I knew there was no way I could fit it in my car with my mom and my friend along, I knew I'd have nowhere to put it, blah, blah, blah.

I walked away from that pink sofa and thought about it ALL day.  I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it.  Literally, woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it.

This morning I get an email from the estate sale company stating that sales were very slow yesterday, probably due to the weather.  And that today, everything left would be half off, as the entire warehouse had to be cleared.  I let another friend know that she should really go to the sale because there were so many great items and at half off, there would be incredible deals.

I also made up my mind to go again with my mother and told her if that couch was still there we would have to find a way to bring it home.

My friend gets there before I did and sends a text that the couch is still there.  I was already in the car and told her I'd be there in five minutes.

It hung out of the back of my car with me driving with hazard lights on, knees almost up to my chin, but I brought that couch home.  For $25.

My dear mother helped me haul that sofa up a flight of stairs to my second floor office where it now sits pretty:

I am in love.  She's a real beauty and I need to do a little spot cleaning on the cushions, but it's really in fabulous condition.

I also just started taking a photography class, so here are a few other shots using different settings that I'm learning:

This was meant to be MY couch. <3

Vintage Ornament Wreaths

Busy weekend making vintage ornament wreaths; I followed the basic tutorial I found from Georgia Peachez and here is my slightly different version:

I really love this pink one and the pictures just don't do it justice:

I am terrified that these are going to fall or get dropped which of course would mean total destruction.  I can't wait to get these to BAYarts so they're off my hands and hopefully into the hands of a buyer!

Linking to:

Jennifer Rizzo

Under The Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase

Etsy Love

I've done very well with Etsy since opening my shop.  I made three sales this week alone! I also have the Etsy app on my phone and when I make a sale it makes a cash register sound, which is the best sound in the world.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, making money is very nice, but it's also a wonderful feeling to know that these lovely items that I have found are going to homes where they will be loved.  In fact one of the items I sold was on someone's wedding registry.  WEDDING REGISTRY ON ETSY?!  How cool is that?


Here are a few beauties that I just listed:

Gorgeous, shabby pink mugs and saucers from Japan...

Also from Japan this quaint rooster spice set:

And a favorite with the Etsy shoppers, ironstone.  Two sweet soup bowls with handles:

Another bonus to selling:  more shopping! :-)

Etsy Shop Items

I finally opened my Etsy shop a few weeks ago.  Now that school has started it has been difficult to keep up with everything.  There are not enough hours in the day to complete everything I want to do!  But it's a labor of love.  Some of these pretty items will be hard to let go of, but they need a good home.

A beautiful serving bowl that could serve a multitude of functions other than serving food:

This vintage herb vinegar bottle would look darling with a single flower:

I adore this cow creamer; I love transferware:

And if this cute little pink frame doesn't sell soon, I may need to keep it:

I can't wait for my first sale!

Getting Ready for the Big Show

The last show of the summer is probably the biggest as far as foot traffic, publicity, etc.  I've been feverishly working on several items, most of which are still in progress, but here are a few items that are ready to go:

Darling nesting tables that don't really nest anymore since I adorned them with vintage yardsticks:

A sweet little bed tray along with vintage dishes and flatware:

I'll post more items once they're ready.

Linking up to:
Jennifer Rizzo
Miss Mustard Seed

Mid-Century Modern Union Jack with Tutorial

I'm a little late for the Queen's jubilee, but my latest project could be a nice little tribute; it was a labor of love, for sure!

This spring I was curbside shopping (love that term) and found this mid-century modern dresser.  It's not exactly my style, but if it's real wood AND vintage, I won't pass it up.  Here's a terrible before shot; cut me some slack, when I'm curbside shopping I don't hang around too long.

This is such a masculine dresser and it needed a masculine finish.  Most Union Jack dressers I have seen are more of a lower, rectangular dresser, as the flag is more rectangular.  But I've long admired Miss Mustard Seed's take on the Union Jack and wanted to try it.

The first step was to sand off the veneer so the paint would adhere.  Make sure you wear your goggles and respiratory mask; no I am not naked in this picture.  I had on a tank top because I chose to sand in 90 degree weather.  I don't recommend this.  Sanding in 90 degree weather that is.  You need to sand.

Here is a shot of the drawers and dresser sanded and prior to painting:

After reading advice from other bloggers, I decided to paint the entire dresser blue; I had read about other bloggers who painted the entire body in all white and then had to paint multiple coats of blue to cover.  Whether you paint it all blue or all white first doesn't really matter in my opinion.

What does matter, however, is that this project is MUCH easier if you have a projector to project the Union Jack onto the dresser.  Find an image of the Union Jack that works for your dresser.  Here is a great link for correctly reproducing the flag.

Be careful not to bump into the projector; you need to get the image onto the dresser exactly as you want it:

Now we're ready to tape off.  This is where it comes in handy to have a husband who's an engineer.  I have very little patience for measuring and math, which you will definitely need for this project.  Mr. Vintage Novella was a HUGE help in the entire process.

We painted the red on and let it dry overnight.  The next day I painted on the white.  A very important tip when painting on the next color is to make sure you leave a little of the red left as below:

If you don't leave just a hair of the red showing, then you risk an extra stripe, which you DON'T want. When first painting the white. start out on the tape and lightly brush out, which will prevent the white from bleeding under the tape:

Here is more of the white on the dresser.  The taped Xs are there for me as a reminder that this section is blue, and to not paint there.  I need all the reminders I can get:

Then, it's time to take off the tape; it's very nerve-wracking.  I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out:

Not bad!  You can see a few boo boos that needed to be touched up.  I touched these up with a very fine tipped artist's brush.  Then, I went to the Depot for hardware.  I didn't feel glass knobs would look right because of the period of the dresser.  But I did want something simple that wouldn't distract from the flag:

And, we have a winner.  Something simple, fits the time period, and not outrageously expensive.  Here's an 11:00 at night post when finally finished:

This was a labor intensive project, but the outcome is so worth it.  It's a really dramatic dresser and it would be perfect for a little boy's room.  Or a college student who loves everything British.  I'll definitely do another one some day.  For now, I'm going to rest a little ;-)

Linking up to:

Shabby Creek Cottage
Miss Mustard Seed
Jennifer Rizzo
413 Sparrow Lane

Vintage Hankie Shower Curtain

I pinned this and really wanted to make one of my own.  I knew I should wait until my mother-in-law the quilter was in town so she could help.  I have my own sewing machine, but I don't really use it.  I want to start sewing more so now I plan on having it out in the open so I will use it.  Here's my version:

I started with a Simply Shabby Chic shower curtain, and then pinned the vintage hankies in a pattern so they would fit.  Thankfully, the lace takes up some space, otherwise, I'd still be sewing at this point.  My mother-in-law did get me started, but the sewing is ALL MINE.  It was good practice and I would like to make another one.  Every time I'm out scavenging I always buy vintage handkerchiefs, so I do have several more in my stash.

This one will be for sale this summer!

These Are Some of My Favorite Things...

...around the house.

One of my favorites is the antique church pew that was in my grandmother's house.  At the time of her death, I was the only one in the family who had a large enough space and the only member who really wanted it.  Crazy, right?  Why would you ever turn this down?

Sorry about the shadow on the wall.  I'm still learning to take better pics and I don't have Photoshop.

I also love the doll china cabinet made by my great grandfather.  It is meant to be passed down to all of the granddaughters.  Since I am the oldest granddaughter, I got it first.  And my cousins will have to pry it from my cold dead hands. :-)

Another item from my great grandparents is my great grandmother's flatware.  I use it on Thanksgiving or for special occasions.  If I didn't have to hand wash it, I'd probably use it every day.  Some day soon, I think I will use it every day.  I'm a big believer in using the good stuff instead of it sitting in a drawer or cabinet.

To go along with this gorgeous flatware I have begun collecting a china pattern I love.  Called Brittany Majestic and manufactured by Homer Laughlin, it's just beautiful.  It's been a little difficult to find and some prices on ebay have been outrageous.

If you see this pattern ANYWHERE, let me know!

And just this past summer I started collecting ironstone.  Not all of it is "real" ironstone, but I love the way it looks and I scour thrift stores and estate sales for pieces that don't cost a fortune.  They sit in the beautiful barrister bookcases my mother let me have now instead of making me wait until she dies.  Thanks, Mom!  :-)

Ok, enough talk about death.  I have to start planning all the projects/furniture restoration that are in the garage.  Photos on those soon.

Handmade Holiday

I've always loved receiving handmade gifts and this year I tried to make most of the gifts I gave to others.  My number one picker, Betty, a friend from school, got most of the loot!  Below is what I made for her:

cupcake ornament (idea from Pinterest)

snowglobe using vintage mason jar:

vintage box grater with greenery:

here is a group of the whole lot:

I had so much fun putting it all together.  She's always on the lookout for me and I appreciate her!

Handmade Holiday

Busily getting ready for the trunk sale Thursday.  These lovely little ornaments will be for sale...

 
Along with these that are a work in progress:

As well as a few of these...

So, come shop for beautiful handmade gifts and support local artists like me!

I'm A Winner!

Yes, I know I just posted, but I'm very excited to share that I'm a winner!  I enter blog giveaways fairly frequently and I finally won something.  The nice thing is, I'm not even exactly sure of what I won.  I did not win the big Vintage Tea prize, but I get a mini prize for blogging about the giveaway.  I'm so excited because everything Jennifer Rizzo puts her hands on is beautiful.  Okay, back to work now on all these projects I have going on!

A Little Busy...

I had to laugh when I read this blog post because I can definitely relate.  My dining room is a mess, too.

 In fact, I think mine is worse.  I'm trying to get ready to show some items to Bay Arts to hopefully sell.  So, I've been a creative/crafting maniac trying to get items ready and going to bed WAY too late.  It's that crazy time of year.

On a good note, I did make money this week selling 2 needlepoint pictures and an antique crock.  Woo hoo!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I know it's not even Halloween yet, let alone Thanksgiving.  But I've got Christmas on the brain.  So much to do, so much to make, so much to DECORATE.  I do love it, though.  I am on the hunt for vintage Christmas ornaments and I'm hoping to get some this week.  How I would love to score this:

Now, as much as I would love to make this...

I don't know if I can bear to use them all for a wreath!  Maybe.  We'll see.  Now, the other item I really want to make are these little beauties:

Can I tell you how many of these we had growing up?  A WHOLE VILLAGE.  And we used to put them on aluminum foil.  With spray snow.  And it was adorable.  And what happened to them?  Who knows.  Unfortunately, we were not the generation that saved everything.  But I'm learning!