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!

happy June 2015

a few more things i have been painting...

this one has not been started yet....

June is a happy month. It includes my Grandma's 90th birthday get together...it includes warmer weather, except for the rain and humidity the sunshine is wonderful!

It also includes me filling buckets of mulberries to make things in the kitchen with them..and my driveway being slippery since the tree hangs over that...my suv covered in purple and white bird poop, and the neighbor pointing out her discontent with the tree as it hangs over her driveway as well and her suv. hmmm. well then. 

she could always move, not my favorite neighbor ever.... :). but not all bad...

And theres the swimming pool I bought for the dog, lucky marly that my son calls linda. imagine me asking paypal what my forgotten password hint is, they gave a clue, its the name of your pet...ok lucky? marly? max the cat? i had no idea... the lady narrowed it down a bit more...and told me a letter it has in it...what?? oh yeah .. how could i forget that. thanks for the strong hints. They could tell i was clearly clueless to that and suggested i write down my passwords from now on. Problem is i would lose the note they are written down on when i put it in that ever so safe spot they also suggested i use...that is the same spot, i have forgotten where i decided to use and need a very important paper from!

yep the dog hates water. so the pool was useless to cool off or play in for him. i put the plastic pool in my driveway to lessen the loss of berries, and to help lessen the slippery berry coating on my driveway....of course. it would. rain. and fill the pool halfway up with berries and water...that the birds also seemed to love having a bath in as i painted the buffet nearby...am thinking the berries in the water will just have to be for the birds...not even taking those in the house. I did manage to pick tons yesterday and froze them in a vintage tupperware container. i will make something out of them soon! and so many more to pick still.

finally broke down and spent a little more on paint than usual for heirloom traditions chalk paint. gypsy green hillbilly blue and buttermilk. perfect colors to start out with and it dries so darn quickly! love that time saver for sure.~ will seal everything with polycrylic water based sealer to avoid wax, and to avoid discoloring over time. already avoiding sanding and that is my favorite thing of all since sanding is my least favorite thing of all~

stay tuned and check back often...i cleared out an estate sale, well sort of, brought home quite a few things...the house was filled from top to bottom, and that is no exaggeration! with a majority of the inventory being dolls, quilts, and chickens and rooster figurines and statues. i could not believe how many roosters there were in one house. i now can say i have a couple shelves filled with them in my mcm hutch. just may even post a few later on...once i can absorb just how many roosters and chickens i brought home....much less, why i brought home so many...i not only have an addiction to buffets, chairs and unique vintage things, but i have an addiction to chickens and roosters too.  Not really an addiction as i can stop bringing them home anytime cant i? right...

maybe a better explanation is i treasure hunt for great items. and bring home to enjoy all of them until they find new homes.