happy Autumn! Chair Planters! happy halloween!

so i love rescuing chairs on curbsides, from habitat ReStore, from thrift shops and just plain broken sometimes and unwanted chairs. all of the chairs i hand painted in many colors of dry brushed layers using Heirloom Traditions Paint..I even added some Danube blue and feathered Nest to the banner chair as an accent color to bring out the mermail tail, mandarin, and red devil colors, . I call it my banner chair, as it was missing the whole back middle and top section. i used twine and tied on both sides and wrapped a window cling banner around the twine. This can easily be switched out to use for any season! :) not technically a plant or garden chair more a banner chair. still awesome!

The Chair on the left had been in my family room of all places, waiting patiently for me to someday restring the caning...which i have no clue how to do, nor do i have the patience to attempt it..it did have a broken caned seat so i just pushed through the middle, and added a plant. the first plant fell all the way through to the ground.I got smart and found a bigger pot to put the flowers in and now there she is! beautiful in feathered nest blue with a touch of mandarin as an accent color.and .so it became a planter chair today.

This set of what i call My Twins were found at Habitat ReStore in Davenport, Iowa. Someone had painstakingly stripped them completely to bare wood and then donated them where i promptly grabbed them up and brought them home. I struggled with do i paint or not paint. They are in less than perfect condition and the paint colors i decided to use took two full days of adding colors til i got them just right! i asked my sister what she has seen at shops around town to get an idea of pricing...She replied with a compliment which was very welcomed! saying that she has seen similar chairs with plants for 50 to 60 but not painted in all the pretty colors that i used. :) nor did they come with a vintage aluminum pail which i also love collecting,,,this so far is my only one. and it was claimed with the chair and plant as soon as i posted it. the chair on the right had not yet been finished at that point. so Twins are now finished and gorgeous! What front porch wouldnt be blessed to have these beauties gracing their space?

Here is a chair missing its entire seat. i most likely wanted to reupholster it but the seat was badly damaged...or ehem misplaced, which tends to happen when one has over 200 chairs, usually finding nowhere to sit is ironically a common occurence here as well strangely enough! i found the most gorgeous huge white mum yesterday for sale. and had to have it. i would hate to see this one go, but maybe i can find another one to plant before the frost and snow hits i am hoping! if it doesnt sell, well hey i love it too. Hard to choose just one favorite when they all turned out so gorgeous!

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some projects i have been working on.

Happy Halloween! Chair

this is a fun big round antique table i created. i found 4 hard to find ladderback chairs made in italy. i removed the legs, put the chairs in storage, and rolled the oversized -to me- table top right into my living room. it is like a giant canvas that just needs more blues and blacks and more designs on top before it will match well with the 6 legs underneath! i plan to also add some lime green and more colors to the bottom portions of the chairs to help them match better too. overall it is a fun alice in wonderland type of creation that is whimsical and very unique. I was told had it been a much larger table for a very large family it would have been an instant sold item. that was a great compliment! no space for a much larger table. my goal is to find a really big table for next spring to create more art. Big families need fun tables too, right? :) by spring i will have lots of time to take a few months to work on a large creation. currently cold weather is getting too close to start a big project or go looking for another one. I have several here still to get finished! much has gone back into storage since during the winter i basically hibernate and spring and summer outdoors weather is the only time i can really work on projects. a giant workshop would be ideal if such a thing didnt cost so much.  someday i will maybe just have one.

folk art buffet waiting for a new home

this cutie went to a new home

a set of twins! i found two of these chairs at Habitat Restore - a place where people donate to save project pieces, furniture, and construction and diy supplies that are no longer wanted from going to a landfill. only one antique bucket though! they are few and far between for me to find around my area.. I used many colors of Heirloom Traditions paint, from mandarin, mermaid tail, feathered nest, passion, buttermilk to gypsy green. with so many colors to choose from it is hard to just choose one! not even done screwing on the little curved side pieces to the chairs and this one has been spoken for. one more to go! Happy Autumn! 

This was a cute little bookshelf which i turned on its side. and had help attaching a mid century modern vanity bench leg frame that was missing its top as the new legs for an ultra cool gypsy bohemian style display shelf. IT did go to a young lady with a bohemian themed hang out room! turns out it was perfect for her teenage space.

over 70 years old. that is right! not the little dresser, the neighbor lady! who bought this dresser. she watches closely out her kitchen window to see what project i am working on each time, and soon comes to claim them as her very own!  :) she is one of my best customers. She is also raising her grand daughter, a sweet little girl, Jada who also loves my artwork. I believe if you look up pictures of a Rainbow Eucalyptus tree you will find similar colors to this very paint color scheme i ended up with. Not sure i can redo it, but will try on a Kroehler upright dresser for her older granddaughter who tried to no avail to take this very one from her own grandma. her request is to use it in her dining room as a display piece. i havent yet started on that one. i better get busy!

i really did love each piece i painted here. the coffee table, the pedestals, the antique white dresser, the desk and the white chair all in the back ground went to new homes. i did say the little rocking chair was for display only... sometimes i love a piece so much i just do not yet want to part with it. sometimes it takes many months of going back to a piece before it is truly finished. guess you could say furniture is like toys for me, and painting them is my passion. am thinking the little rocking chair needs just a bit more added before it can really be ready for going anywhere. 

all these chairs...and not one spot of paint yet!

i just cannot seem to find the handles for these or the antique mirror that belongs to one of them..it is here in my pile of mirrors somewhere! i simply love the fact they are much smaller than a lot of dressers and i love the rustic look and multicolors that are simply but unique. an old man who i could tell was very much interested only in antiques inspected each of my antique projects...this and the big round table...and a little vanity nightstand...he did not buy but was only drawn to the antique pieces. he didnt say much of anything at all so who knows what he was thinking. sometimes it is better to not know.

this went to a new home. 

went to a new home. the girl and her mom were both dressed beautifully in bright colors when i saw them i knew it had found its perfect new owner. 

update! final sale of the year on my lawn!

So this is the final weekend to have an upcycled furniture sale on my front lawn. a couple days ago the canopy tent about blew away with high winds, then it about blew me away as i was taking down the canopy to save it, cause ya know how i like to rescue everything and i was barefoot so i couldnt get the stake that came loose back in the hard dry ground, so the canopy was tipping, and blowing and seemed to be bending.

to get it down, first had to drag all the furniture from underneath, take the cover off, and fold it all up. not an easy task with a bad back, no help, and strong high winds blowing everything. needless to say i ended up with a slight cold, and on the couch the rest of the day after that.

what fun! the next day? and the next? sure enough nice calm weather. i love resting in the comfy space with a space heater when in pain. and listening to music, 97x all the way back from my high school days, still is going strong! and the music still Rocks!

so knowing this is my final nice weekend, with frost expected overnight saturday i believe and rain next week, i started sorting furniture into sale sections by price and my willingness to part with things..one pile of my best work is going back inside. i havent sold them yet, so i really guess i dont plan to at all, hence the reason they havent sold yet, i priced high ;). who says i cant have colorful stuff too just because i ccreated it? sometimes i like my art work way too much!

so then there is the pile of i dont want to sand it, dont want to clean it or repair it or store it so will sell way low pile.

and so on, tables, chairs for higher value, and lower prices too.

i made piles and listened to rock n roll. lol. try saying that line after doign what i did and let people wonder just what you are talking about! at least for those paying attention here, you get it. you are my kinda people. :).

oh! and of course, i cant sort anything without finding the, why did no one buy this i bet it needs even more paint on it! pile. we all have that section right????? or just me? well anyways the kidney shaped table no longer has a dirty light yellow top, it is a very nice grey over the yellow, with only a tiny little bit of yellow showing through which is ok with me!

after foorgetting my passowrd for the millionth time, and resseting it just to get signed in, i feel a strong need, to not correct a sinlge mis spelling here.. when i start typing letters in words backwarsd i know i am exhausted and shoudl probly stop typing.! so good night for now. the backward letter thing is really interesting..i find myself interesting for usre.sure. oops! ok then!

i have no clue what this is or what to do with it...it popped up when i signed into my blogpage before i got started. so here is the notice or whatever they wanted me to add for the uk peeps out there. please read it. thanks. https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/6253244?p=eu_cookies_notice&hl=en&rd=1 

Fun with paint

omg i love Heirloom Traditions Paints, so i was happy to see that a Facebook friend tagged me in a post for a new Heirloom Traditions Fab fabric paint. https://www.facebook.com/heirloomtraditonspaint Thank you Rick Anderson! a cool last name although no relation.

Cannot wait to try it on a chair. :)
Thank you to Refunk My Junk for offering a give away contest to try Fab :) and a how to video. so very cool! http://refunkmyjunk.com/fab-giveaway-video/#comment-43737 The Vintage Depot is open tomorrow and i am out of Heirloom Traditions! must get more. must get Fab. i am on a mission. cannot wait til tomorrow!

After painting many many pieces with my supply of Heirloom Traditions Paints from my good friend, my supplier who of course i consider a friend --without HTP i wouldnt have been able to finish this great work of art!- i ran out just before finishing a pretty big project.https://www.facebook.com/vintagedepotiowa

This is the only one like it in the entire world. WORLD. that is huge. and i finished it, well except for one tiny spot which is another reason i am excited for ten am to get here so i can finish completely the last little spot where i ran out of paint.

if you are like me, and do not like to go anywhere due to always being covered in paint and having multiple projects going all at the same time, and you need to stock up on some chalk paint of your very own, The vintage Depot has thought of everything. They have a link here to order online! http://heirloomtraditionspaint.com/?affiliates=92


This buffet sideboard can be purchased at Neat Stuff Store on Brady Street in Davenport, Iowa. it is old has lots of character and was defined by an antiques dealer as Folk Art. all hand painted by yours truly. Thank you for stopping by!

what a warm welcome and cool items in Maquoketa Iowa. if you want a trip to a small town this is the shop to visit. They also offer painting classes to learn how to paint furniture and even have furniture items to choose for your paint class https://www.facebook.com/Thepeddlersmarket

Please also lets welcome River City Interiors, LLC for all your construction or upholstery needs! i just found them myself and am impressed with how quickly they work on projects and the quality!

here also is a quick practice gallery i am attempting to add..lets see how it looks. these are small projects i am working on to create a new look for them! enjoy.

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my other blog with really old books i found at an estate sale in a mansion

;I really really love researching and learning about history. What better way than through old books. I acquired a car load of 1800s and early 1900s books at a mansion estate sale. i have started listing them on my other blog here at this link If you love old books you just may find some very rare ones there! on the really old books tab ~ http://retrocitytrash.blogspot.com/

if you really dont want to visit yet a second blog of mine which we know who can resist the temptation of curiosity to see what is there? and you love Facebook too, i have also started adding all my research to my lengthy list of old books with photos etc, on my facebook group at the following link https://www.facebook.com/groups/worldwidevintgageandantiquesales/
it is an open group and you are more than welcome to join and post items yourself there as well!