The antique fair of all fairs

Or at least that I’ve ever been to!

Two weekends ago, I had the extreme pleasure of going to the Old Glory Antique Fair.  I visited the store of the same name earlier in the year and fell. in. love.  But unfortunately my wallet couldn’t handle anything in there.  But still, I was head over heels.

I had often heard of that place and then later, I started seeing ads for their annual fair in all the magazines I was reading, design blogs I came across…it was seemingly everywhere I looked.  When I saw that the editors of two of my favorite publications (Flea Market Style and Where Women Create) were going to be at the event, I knew it was big and I wasn’t going to miss out if it was only an hour away.

It just so happened to be David’s birthday as well so we made a really fun day out of it and the fair did not disappoint.  It was a pretty big event, sprawled over Clement Park which borders Columbine High School and vendors were parked under big, mature trees which helped a bit for the hot day.

I was out of my mind with all the goodies.

I had to budget myself to $100 and it was really hard to stick to that but I still scooped up a bunch of goodies including chippy wood pieces, rusty hardward, an old clock among other things.

One great thing is that I saw a lot of other “Barnies” there or vendors that sell at The Barn, including my friend Amy’s gorgeous booth…

They are a great resource to talk to about potentially vending at this event next year (they only require that 80% of your booth be antiques or handmade – yay!).

Best antique event I’ve been to yet..can’t wait until next years!  If your curious about this fair, click here.  Do you have any great fairs by you?  Do share!

Read Full Post »

More trash to treasure…

In continuation of yesterday’s post, I’m going to share with you some more transformations I’ve been making in our home with objects found at garage/yard sales, thrift stores, antique stores and Craigslist.

I love the look of vintage birdcages, either in their rustic metal form or painted white.  But they are sooooo expensive in the antique malls (and I’m soon finding that while great for some finds, it’s technically “retail” on everything else and if I want to get things on the cheap, it’s gonna have to be elsewhere).

So last weekend, David and I took off on our first venture together going to garage sales up in the mountains.  We mapped out 7 locations that were publicized and found several more pop-ups on the way.  We were pooped by the end, but got some excellent deals on some small items.

One of them happened to be a decorative birdcage!  But it was hideous.  Case in point.

But you can start to see the potential in this concoction of metal and wood, right?

So I cleared it out, brought it to bare bones and….wait for it…painted it of course!

Much better, don’t you think?  So I got my birdcage and it only set me back 3 bucks.

I have it on my dresser now which I’ve also restyled.  Before it was a collection of rocks (I’m a rock hound and keep interesting found rocks in every room of our house), assorted picture frames, a wood jewelery box and a candle.

Now it contains the picture frame I talked about yesterday, some vintage book I found for .50 each, a vintage camera that I plan on using for TTV (through the viewfinder) photography but makes a great lil’ prop meantime (I love double uses for things!) and that wooden box that I remade a month or two ago (it was a hideous green and red and I painted a crackle white with sage green accents).

And then remember that wreath I made last week?  Well I can’t seem to stop making cones for more wreaths, so I hung up a couple off my mirror.  The sheets are from an early 1900 book that was falling apart that even the sheets are this beautiful translucent, aged quality (the brown crimped stuffing came in a tin can I bought at a garage sale, so instead of throwing in recycling bin, I used to fill these).

Easy peasy.  And too much fun.  I’m looking at every room in our house with a new lens.

So check out this great Craigslist find:

I’ve been on the lookout for an antique seltzer bottle but most of them are over $50 so I figured I’d let that idea go!  Lo and behold, some young guy was selling a beautiful blue, barely etched seltzer bottle paired with another beautiful blue canning mason jar together for $15!!!  We looked up the seltzer bottle online and it’s selling for upwards of $80.  When I asked the guy where he found it, he said goodwill.  Oh the treasure!  (I think the treasure hunter in me is what gets so excited at all of this, but I need to take care to not go overboard less I appear on a future episode of hoarders!).

I have another fantastic, if not quirky, Craiglist find to share with you, but it requires refurbishment, so that will be saved for a future date.

So tell me, what have been your favorite finds at the thrift store, at garage sales or on Craigslist?

Read Full Post »

Frames, frames and more frames (and how I’m spending all my profit thrifting/antiquing/hunting for junk to remake!)

Oh, I’ve been on a spending bender.  The kind that even makes me feel a little woozy.  You see, I’ve found Craigslist.  I mean, I’ve used Craigslist in the past, but now I check it daily.  Baaaad.  And I also went to about 10, yes 10, garage/yard sales last weekend.  It’s really addicting, but I’ve got to watch my budget!!

The good news is that I didn’t really break the bank.  I’ve spent about $150 worth and all of it reused/old stuff, so nothing new and I’m giving second life to items.  And I’m having FUN! (but really, I’ve got to watch it!)

Anywho…I’ve been so busy working on projects that I didn’t paint anything for my shop…more for decor and possible items to sell down the road in my goodies shop as upcycled goods.  I’ve been able to get so much purchased and so many projects worked on that this will just have to be a multi-post.

Alright, enough yappy…here are the goods and transformations:

First I found this really heavy, albeit gaudy wood frame at the antique store a couple weeks back.

And painted/distressed it:

I love how the ornate corners pop out when distressed…

This guy was painted with a $1 quart of “oops” paint at the hardware store (love that!) and then a glaze (3 parts water to 1 part brown paint – I only use about 1 tbsp. water to 1 tsp. paint) was applied over and then wiped off before drying to give it that grungy/rustic look.  It came as just the open frame and I’m going to display it open as well for that shabby chic look.

I also had this photo frame I found at the thrift store for $2.

Actually not bad at all…but nothing is safe from me and my desire to PAINT!!

You can’t really tell, but it’s a light sage green (also an oops paint find).  But, this frame came with glass, so I painted right over it with a magnetic primer followed by chalkboard paint and voila – it’s now a framed magnetic chalkboard!

But then I decided to replace this odd ceramic tray on our dresser with it and put assorted metal hardware finds on it (as well as a great pair of “XO” letterpress letters) – of course, all used and very vintage.

Tomorrow I’ll show you more of how the rest of our dresser got transformed to fit our new look.  But first, another frame!!

This one, be-still-my-heart, was given to me free when I bought a pair of antique doors last year on Craiglist (and I’ll be showing you in another week or two just how those doors are being used!).  The woman who sold me her 1907 doors asked if I would want this gorgeous gilded frame?  Um, yes please!!

As you can see, I almost forgot to show you the before!

Don’t mind my old shower curtain turned drop cloth.

More beautiful, ornate corners…

I love the large cracks in the frame…shows its age but still has lots of life left to it!

I originally wanted to use it to frame my boring corkboard and just may do that in the future; but meantime, I love the look of empty frames on a shelf/mantle/tall dresser (don’t mind the terra cotta paint, it’s going to get a re-do too!)

Phew, and I’m not even a quarter of the way done showing you everything.  That’s why my dining room table/project area looks like this…

Oy vay.  I can hear my french mother groaning 2,000 miles away at my sharing this with you all.  What’s that saying about a well kept house is a sign of a misspent life? 

Come back tomorrow for more updates!

Read Full Post »

Eco-Thursday: A trip to the antique store AND Habitat for Humanity Re-store!

So have you heard of this?  We all know that Habitat builds houses for families in need.  But what they also do is sell salvageable goods to the public.  What a great concept!

Need a sink?  New window?  Light Fixtures?  You should seriously check out your local Habitat for Humanity Re-store before you shop big box.  It’s recycling/reusing at its best.

I had heard of these places yet never ventured in until yesterday when we decided to check it out.  I was stunned at the great condition of the items in there!  If you are renovating, you really need to give them a once over if you have one nearby.

 

Cabinets anyone?

 

 

 

Part of the reason I went…always on the hunt for unique metal hardware (although most of it here was new or like new and not of the vintage quality I was looking for, but all the better for shoppers looking to remodel with)

 

 

 

They had a boatload of tile!

 

 

And even beautiful pieces of furniture like this armoire!

 

Items are begging for reuse and the proceeds support a wonderful organization; now that’s eco-friendly and good for the community!

It just so happened that this re-store was located 1/8 of a mile from our favorite antique spot.  Since we hadn’t been in a couple months and it was calling my name (David says I need an intervention, but that’s another story), we stopped in.  I’m happy to report that I left having spent less than $50 (and $30 of that was the birdhouse from yesterday), so that was cause for celebration on its own!

Anyways, I always bring my camera in with me (just my lil’ point and shoot so I can be discreet) as I love to capture some of the more unique or beautiful pieces.  Here are some of the great finds from today’s visit:

Vintage buttons, my cryptonite!

So noted…

French, shabby-chic…LOVE!

Chocolat?  Yes, please.

How is it that something so pragmatic lends to such a beautiful, romantic feel?

Here’s that fabulous kitschy kitchen vendor where I love to stop and reminisce…

And then I play dress-up in different aprons, play with the canisters of sugar and pretend, just for a moment that I’m a 50′s housewife (yes, folks, this is how I spend my day off!)

I love to share this with you because I hope to pique your interest and give you some incentive to check out these eco-friendly options when you’re on the hunt for decorating ideas, supplies or functional items for your home.  Yes, “new” has its place, but please give a second look at used items.  You might just be surprised at what you’ll find and what you’ll save.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Whimsical Wednesday: A different kind o’whimsy

So typically I share my new artwork on whimsical Wednesday.  But this past week has been an odd one with ups and downs and last minute changes, so I haven’t had a chance to paint at all (actually I will be doing that tonight and will share later this week).

On Saturday I wrote about how I was having a Murphy’s Law kind of day.  Well, it didn’t end there…it really reared it’s ugly head on Sunday when I was faced with a very big deadline and a pet emergency.  I have a great partnership with FORCE, a non-profit that provides support to women with genetic predispositions to breast and/or ovarian cancer.  I currently donate 50% of my Brave Girl and Sisterhood Girls merchandise to them.

I also provided FORCE with their holiday cards and am now working with them on a large fundraising effort whereby they’ll be selling select bookmarks, note cards and magnets from my whimsical art shop for them to raise money for their organization.  We had discussed it over a couple weeks, but the actual order (a couple hundred pieces) came in Saturday and they needed it by this Friday which meant that I had to get it in the mail on Monday to be certain they’d receive in time.

So, I knew that I had to crank out this order (as well as others that had come in over the weekend) on Sunday and there was no time for distractions.  Well, it just so happens that our pug Zoe either was bitten by something or consumed something bad and had an anaphylactic reaction Sunday morning.  Vets aren’t open on Sundays, so we had to get her to the emergency vet, which there aren’t many in close proximity in the mountains.

She received a shot of epinephrine but continued to vomit violently all day long.  She was a sick, sad pup and only wanted to snuggle in my lap while she shivered violently.  There was no way I was going to get any work done as David had to work the evening shift and it was just me and the woefully sad pug.

This is actually Zoe as a puppy, but she had sad eyes like this times 10!

By Monday morning, she was still sick so we went straight to our regular vet where she was given different injections which did the trick and now David had the day off which meant I could finally crank out my orders.  I was able to finish my wholesale/fund-raising order by 4pm and rush it off to the post office, but then I continued working until 1 a.m. to get the rest of my orders complete.  It was a long day to say the least.

Okay, back to the whimsy part of this post.

So, everything essentially got pushed back a day or two and I’m behind on painting.  But it was still a whimsical kind of day…

Since we live a good 45 minutes/hour into the mountains, we have to plan specific days to go shopping/run errands.  Typically we run “down the hill,” go to the rec. center where I swim and David skates, enjoy lunch out and follow up with our favorite pasttimes – sipping coffee in the bookstore and/or antique shopping.  Today, we indulged in both.  It was like Christmas!  (I’ll share most of those pics tomorrow for my Eco-Thursday post in addition to another great find we discovered today – stay tuned!).

David and I sometimes joke that people like us are probably part of the demise of the big box bookstore…we go for the ambience, to check out the magazines and books, then look them up at our local library instead of buying them there.  The only thing we’re out is the cost of a cup of coffee.  Sorry  Barnes & Noble.

But this ritual makes me happy: reading my favorite magazines, writing out/sketching ideas in my journal and coffee.  We usually stay for hours.

Speaking of whimsy, here’s a Family Guy inspired coffee cozy I made for David a couple years ago out of re-purposed wool sweaters.  “Brian’s” face is a little, um, off…but David still loves it nonetheless.  A nostalgic, homemade gift from the heart!

After we left the bookstore, we went over to our favorite antique mall and I spied this beautiful, shabby-chic birdhouse made out of barn wood, a fleur-de-lis metal embellishment, and crystal doorknob.  This is definitely whimsical and yes, I bought it this fabulous piece of artwork (and for only $30!).

And speaking of more whimsy…well, maybe more kitschy, here’s me playing 50′s housewife in one of the vintage kitchen booths at the antique store

I’m a quirky girl.  Isn’t that bird apron so cute?  And oh, those Corelle dishes reminds me of hanging out in my mom’s kitchen when I was five, watching her bake.

It was a really great day, a much needed day off.  Then to top it off, it started snowing on the way home (which is really quite welcome here as we’re about 3′ below the average snow precipitation for the year and the fire danger is extremely high lately).

View out the kitchen window

And my whimsical birdhouse?  Well, she’s just too darn pretty for the birds (sorry birdies!), so she’ll be parked inside for me to admire.  I’ve already told you – I’m quirky.

 

*wink*

Read Full Post »

One person’s trash is another’s treasure

First let me just say that blogging can be hard.  It’s difficult to come up with new material all the time, new things to say, new things to report on.  And for anyone that has ever attempted to blog, you know that it takes a lot of time to not only write up a post, but to research content, take/upload photos, edit, etc.  So this may help to explain my spotty absence.  I’m suffering from writer’s block and lack of time at the moment, so bear with me.

Now onto the topic at hand.

If you were to look at my workbench (aka my dining room table at the moment), you’d kinda wonder what kind of “trash” I was keeping on hand.  But that’s the thing – what one would deem worthless, I find captivating and full of artistic potential…

Like this box of paper scraps (which probably looks like the trash can/recycling bin under your desk) is my go-to pile for mixed media art.  I actually have several boxes like this, sorted by colors or size.  I’m a nerd.   I admit.

And you might find this old/worn yardstick on your dad’s workbench…

And these knobs at a scrapyard…

These are all goodies I plan on using on mixed media boxes.  I especially love the authentic patina on these pieces I found from a couple vintage sellers on Etsy.  I’m glad that people didn’t think to throw these away.  They bring artistic and antique-loving “nerds” like myself much happiness.  And with all the Made-in-China mass-manufactured crap that’s out there, it’s nice to find old tokens from the past that I can reuse while adding a unique one-of-a-kind flair to an item.

I even have old doorknobs/key locks and drawer pulls on the way (I’m VERY excited for their arrival!  I know…nerd.)

Update: read about those here.

Want more content on this topic, see my previous posts:

A few of my favorite antique finds…

When used is DEFINITELY better than new

Antiques – the original eco-friendly option

So with that in mind, what kind of treasures do you harbor that others deem as trash?

Read Full Post »