Getting Ready for the Holiday Markets!

I love Autumn for many reasons, but most of all, it's the archway to the Holidays! With all of the festivities fast approaching, there will be an abundance of Vintage Markets around.  We are SO lucky to be part of some of the best!!

 

Our first stop - the Lucketts Winter Outdoor Market!  This will be an addition to their totally awesome Holiday Open House weekend.  Heather ROCKS it with her planning and management of these infamous events!  I am so knee deep in projects and am quickly going into survival mode to get it all done!

 

Right on the heels of that show is The Vintage Home Market in Richmond, VA!  We did their show this past summer and it was a huge success!  Marc and Tony are fabulous promoters and it is SO much fun! I cannot wait to do this one and have so many things planned to bring to it.

Last, but not least, for the year is A Vintage Frame of Mind show!  I was invited to do their show in North Carolina last month, but due to my surgery, I had to bow out.  I was SO disappointed....then Kim announced that there would be another one in VIRGINIA in December.  I was all over that!

 

 

Needless to say that I will be spending a crazy amount of hours getting it all together for the shows while keeping our room at Deep Creek stocked.... It sure is a good thing that I love my job!

 

In addition to our furniture and decor, I'm crafting some holiday goodness to bring.  Here's a little peek at my burlap and felt projects in the works....

I love these table runners....so simple and sweet.  All handmade by me and will be available in several colors and sizes.

 

 

I'm bringing back the poinsettia pillows.  They were a huge hit last year, and I'll have several colors available.

 

 

On the furniture front, I've been on a white paint kick lately and have a few pieces getting the light makeovers.  I think it's because it reminds me of winter and all the white will look fabulous behind the fun and festive accessories I'll be bringing.  More coming soon!

'Til next time! 

An Old World French Look with Milk Paint

The moment I saw this sweet coffee table, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with her.

 

As I've stated many times before, I LOVE working with milk paint!  This project was done almost totally with Real Milk Paint Company's Milk Paint.

 

I'm not much of a "color layerer"....but this was one project that I needed to go outside of my comfort zone.  To create the look I wanted, it was a necessity. 

 

I started with a layer of pure white (with the bonding agent added).  I just gave it a good wash over.

 

 

There was a little bit of bleed through, but I decided to just go with it. 

 

After letting it dry overnight, I added a second layer of French Grey being very careful NOT to be perfect in covering it all (I'm typically a clean line painter).

 

 

The details are really starting to come alive!  I know it looks a mess at this point...but just wait!

 

 

The last paint layer was a custom mix of white and black milk paints, creating a very light grey.  I thinned the paint a little more this time because I wanted to make sure the French Grey showed through.  I actually put a second coat of the top color on the top, creating a lighter inset.

 

 

I used a white acrylic paint to bring out the details.

 

 

When the paint was good and dry, I lightly sanded it all over and waxed her with a clear wax.  Over that, I added a custom mix dark wax, getting it into the nooks and crannies ensuring that old world look. 

 

 

The gorgeous details just pop now!  Pure beautimus!  Molly's not bad, either. :)

 

 Look at those feet!

 

She'll be available in our tent at the Lucketts Outdoor Winter Market Nov 8 - 10!

A special thank you to my assistants for the day...

 

Miss Molly

 

Master Tiger

 

 

 

Update on Molly:  She had an appointment with the doctor today, and to date, she is still doing well.  The cancer is still there, but she's still her wild and spunky self...which is good in itself considering she is a very old kitty.  I still don't know how long she will be with us, but I am so thankful for the extra time Dr. Grissom has given us. :)

 



Ms. Peacock, Please Stand Up!

Dean and I have been really busy working on a lot of things for the markets and shows that we'll be participating in over the next few months.  Although I'm trying to focus more on holiday related items, I can't help but include some furniture in the mix.

 

We picked up this table at an auction this past weekend.  I loved the curves and the carvings...making it the perfect subject for me to try out a gorgeous color by Real Milk Paint Company in Peacock Blue.  It's a stronger color than what I am used to....but it is soooo pretty!  No question, I LOVE using milk paint - probably more than any other kind. 

 The above is actually the auctioneer's picture....guess who forgot to take a "before" pic..... 
I don't think their camera has the right date. :)

 

I gave it a couple of coats of the paint...

 

...then highlighted the details in Navajo White along with some distressing.

One thing I love about this milk paint is the variation of colors you get!

 

 

Look at those knees!  It's hard to get this authentic chippy look with regular paints.  After giving her a nice light sanding and a couple of coats of wax, she stands proud once again. 

 

 

The girl's got curves!

 

 

I love how it turned out. 

 

She'll be available in our tent at Deep Creek Vintage's Grand Opening and Vintage Therapy Market this weekend!

 

'til next time!

 

 



Tic Toc - An Upcycled Clock

So, what do you do with a broken clock that will cost more to fix than it would be worth?  You repurpose it, of course!!

 

We came upon this vintage grandfather clock a few months ago with the initial idea of fixing it.  The cost of the parts are outrageous, and since it's not an antique clock, I couldn't justify putting that kind of money into it when I really didn't love it.
 

After we stripped the rest of the parts (to sell on-line), I started searching Pinterest for ideas and found this really cool redesign by Mill City Antiques.

 

It got several coats of Navajo White by American Paint Company.  This is a chalk/clay paint and it was perfect for this project.  The inside got a couple of coats of APC paint in Dollar Bill.

The plexiglass where the face was got a couple of coats of chalkboard paint both inside and out.

I had a general plan, but as always, I came up with new ideas as I went along.  For instance, I knew that it was going to be a coat rack/umbrella stand on the inside....but I really didn't want to be able to see inside when the door is closed.  So, I created a reverse stencil and tacked it to the inside of the glass using spray adhesive.  Then, took a can of frosted glass spray and coated it several times. 

 

The bottom needed a little something, so I chose a hotel sign typography from the Graphics Fairy here and transferred it, then filled it in with a paint pen and sanded.

 

 

After a little distressing and some waxing - I seriously love the way it turned out!!  These pictures don't do it justice....I really need a new camera.

 

 

What do you think?  It will be available at the Vintage Therapy Market and Grand Opening at Deep Creek Vintage next weekend!

 

'Til next time!

 

 

 

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