Retired.

What started out as a perky update about my antique mall space has somehow morphed into an odd little tribute to one of the items currently for sale there.

Please pardon me while I reminisce about an old friend who was faithful, sturdy and strong, not to mention pretty nice to look at.

We worked well together and even had some banner years.

As they will do, this good friend always supported my projects.

Lots and lots of projects.

And now it’s time for this friend to relax, take it easy and perhaps simply sit in someone's garden. 

I heart funky vintage furniture.

Remember when?

Do you recall how open and innocent and empty my antique mall space was the day I moved in?

Egads! (that’s me channeling my mother, by the way)

And yet, I must be doing something wrong.

Because as my mall space fills up, my house doesn’t seem to be any less full.

What’s up with that?

Don’t answer that. 

(I just returned from an estate sale. I’m starting to sense a pattern here.)

And if you’re wondering about those three dressers that were on the brink of becoming a permanent part of the scenery here, they are going, going, gone!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fall at the Antique Mall

 

 

Despite my previous history of falling down, I’m referring to the season.

Not the action.

The last day in my tiny space

I’ve been in my expanded antique mall space at Monticello Antiques for almost 2 months now and so far, so good.

 

How it looked the day I moved in

It’s been great to be able to turn around in my new space without knocking over a display of sharp, rusty objects. Actually, it’s been great to have a space I can turn around in, period.

 

How it looks this week. Fill 'er up!

What’s been selling?

 

Display shelves were $2 each at yard sales. I added the wallpaper in back.

Lots and lots of small things.

 

 

And not so many big things. I think I’ve rearranged my furniture in just about every possible configuration so far. Fingers are crossed that a dresser-loving buyer comes along soon.

 

 

I took the inexpensive and easy route with the wall coverings. The back wall is covered with one giant painter’s drop cloth from Home Depot which I think cost about $20. It was a little too wide so I stapled it in place and added a few pleats (also stapled because I’m fancy) on either side.

It was also too long but I just let it puddle on the floor since it’s hidden by all those dressers that haven’t sold.

 

 

 And when I was browsing in the paint department for drop cloths, I decided to cover the smaller side walls with brown all-purpose masking paper. I bought a roll with an endless, lifetime supply for about $10. So far I’ve used about 50 cents worth of it.  

That concludes our tour for today. Please feel free to take a dresser with you when you exit the building.

This week’s Moments-in-Vintage brought to you by the camera on my phone

 

 

I came across these books, organized by color, in the same local shop where I bought the gigantic typewriter.

 

That lone red book mixed in with the blue ones cracks me up for some reason. Either it’s a deliberate part of the design or some shopper was really not paying attention to what was happening on these bookshelves.

Wouldn’t an entire bookcase filled with hundreds of red & green books be amazing at Christmastime? Will someone please get on that and report back? Much appreciated.

 

 

This piece of big, heavy mid century awesomeness was a mere $20 at a yard sale this morning and the sellers delivered it, in a truck, to my garage.  I marvel at $20 furniture.

And motivated sellers.

Which brings us to something I have been dreading to share with you but in the interest of full disclosure, I feel I must.

 

The cow has been nicknamed 'van Gogh.'

This photo was snapped out in the Garage Where Cars Can’t Park while waiting for my yard sale furniture to be delivered.

Blow mold central.

And possibly future additions to the "What was I thinking?" pile.

 

 

Concluding these moments in vintage, a view from a walk.

On the Old Highway.

Hope this weekend brings you some vintage moments.

 



Where vintage gathers

I’ve now officially completed one full revolution in my adventures as a vintage vendor.

You may recall it all started last July when I drove a giant cargo van out to the country, packed Beverly Hillbillies-style with vintage anything-&-everything, and set up shop at my very first vintage event, A Vintage Gathering.

Green garden cart has moved on to a new forever home.

This July I hooked up a u-haul trailer to my freshly installed trailer hitch (look at me grow!), stuffed it full of things from the Garage Where Cars Can’t Park and rambled off to the country & A Vintage Gathering. Again.

And it was awesome.

Again.

If you're looking for milk glass, I think I have all of it now.

And I learned a few more things this time around.

Little pink dresser didn't sell but everything around it did.

I took my time unloading and was beyond careful in order to avoid breaking any (more) bones.

That plan seemed to work better than the last one.

Miracles can happen! I remembered to hang the sheet banner!

Having a u-haul attached to my car makes me want to buy crazy-big vintage things because I have a way to get them home. (But I didn’t. I don't have enough crazy-big space. Still…)

The Square credit card reader is a wonderful thing to have as a vintage vendor, especially when selling at a venue that may not have an ATM machine. I didn’t use it until the last hour of the day which seems to be when buyers have spent all their cash. Then I used it a bunch. Love it!  

It’s also handy to have if you’re holding a garage sale; those handwritten, neon poster board YARD SALE signs around town can now include the Visa/MC logo!

I can never predict what will sell.  Some of the things I think will sell right away sit there and gawk at me. Some gawk all the way back home again. Some are still gawking from the “What was I thinking?” pile.

Me and my friend Annette. Why didn't I tuck in that shirt?

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who worked so hard to make this amazing event happen!

*******************

PS I’ve created a board on pinterest with the rest of the photos in case you want to see the other vendor’s spaces. Just click here.

Looks like I made it.

Whoops. Notice anything a little off with this photo?

I’ve been a bit of a mad scientist recently, trying to modify inexpensive, store-bought house paint to make it easier to distress after it’s been applied to wood furniture.

Sounds like a giant step backward, doesn’t it, anxiously waiting for applied paint to dry so I can un-apply it?

I try not to think about it.

I followed recipes found here and here and liked the results.

I bought a $4 quart of paint* at my favorite painting supply store, my local Rebuilding Center, and mixed two parts of paint with one part of (sifted! Thank you, Maria) Plaster of Paris and a tiny bit of water and voila!

Genuine DIY distress-able paint.

Never one to experiment on a test piece of wood, I dove right in on this desk.

Before painting, I lightly sanded the wood where it still had some its original varnish in case the paint might not adhere to those areas.

I didn’t use primer. Yay!

The paint dried quickly and I called in my alter-ego, Sandy, to do her thing.

I love the wood top and it was in very good condition compared to the rest of this desk which was in pieces when I found it, so I simply sanded & stained it and then finished it with paste furniture wax.

I heart this 50¢ drawer pull

I love the look of waxed furniture. I do not love the task of waxing furniture.

Good thing it’s the final step in the process.

Arms so tired can’t type sentence.

*Benjamin Moore’s Beach Glass

More great painted furniture ideas here.



Shut-In

Thanks to days of do-not-drive winter weather that kept me trapped indoors much like a pajama-clad shut-in, my 2012 furniture-painting efforts are off to a robust start.

This flakey Before is now an After.

There are two of these little nightstands and while not exactly heirloom pieces, I liked their curved legs and distressed hardware.

I did not like the gold plastic (plastic!) scrolly accents so I studied up on home dentistry and extracted them with a pair of pliers.

The nightstands go onto the stack of things I’ll be selling at my first vintage event of the year, happening in a week or so.

If I can get out of my driveway by then.

Just before the snow and ice storm arrived last week, I decided I’d better hit my super-secret thrift store circuit before the weather put me on lockdown and I’m glad I did.

Please disregard the following in this photo: vintage Christmas tablecloths not put away yet, vertical blinds (ew), dangling electronic doodads, nightstand on sideboard (?!), shadeless & bulbless lamps, bath towel on floor ... I could go on...

Furniture is now lined up and awaiting makeovers.

This is why dinner is sometimes eaten at the coffee table.

***

Who am I kidding? Dinner is always eaten at the coffee table.

Unless there are guests.

It’s not total anarchy, yet.