I'm Almost Done With My Booth!

So the other day I told you what I've been up to...showed you my own little piece of real estate in a big antique mall. With some solid hours my booth went from looking like this:

To this:

Once the back drop got painted (which raised a few eye brows), I was able to move around the furniture and then proceeded to unpack all the tubs of things that I decided not to keep of Mom and Dad's. There are even pieces that are from my grandma (mom's mom) and granny (dad's mom) that need to find a new loving home instead of being squirrelled away in a storage unit. But it really is bittersweet.

Do you like that blue lamp? It didn't always look like that, I spray painted it and added a new shade. Lot's of fun things; Marble trophy vases, sherbet dishes, candle holders, peacock tapestry...

Aren't these wonderful?

Some old books, still life painting, and an old salty dog carved out of wood.

Pretty brass lamps with embossed flower detail, all I did is clean them up and wipe down the shade.

I did have to paint some furniture, some pieces were just too bad looking to go in, so my MIL and I spent two days painting furniture. I hope to get a post together to show you the 'befores'. The blue dresser below was mine growing up, it's got a new paint job now!









The mirror use to be attached but no longer. It looks much better on it's own (and hanging higher) and I gave it a different finish.

This is a nice sized curio cabinet, filled with perfect condition glassware and collectibles, most of it all over 50 years old (if not more).

Some details:

My granny's Singer sewing machine

I started pricing everything and it dawned on me to grab the camera. I've got a few finishing touches, finish pricing and I'll be ready for business! September 1 is opening day, if you are local please stop by!

I want to extend a huge thank you to every member of my family that has supported me in this new venture! I couldn't have done it without them.

Rangeline Antique Mall

3421 N. Rangeline Rd.

Joplin, Missouri

Monday-Saturday 10-7

Sunday11-6

Starting September 1!

No Sew, All Faux Roman Shade

Ever since I painted my family room and breakfast room, my windows have been sitting there, looking pretty barren.  I had an idea of what I wanted, but nothing had spoken to me, really.  I love the look of a roman shade, but don't need the functionality of one since 1) we don't have any rear neighbors and 2) light control isn't an issue in this space.

Enter Faux Roman Shade Tutorial ala Imparting Grace.  A great, no sew alternative for some fabulous roman shades.  Brilliant!

Let's start with the cheap low cost portion, shall we?  The fabric.

This is actually a DwellStudio tablecloth from Target.  How sweet is that?  Better yet, the tablecloth measured 60x84, which worked out perfectly with my window dimensions.  Plus, when my hummingbird-with-ADD tendencies kick back in, I won't feel guilty changing it out with something new.  Double score.

I put together three faux roman shades with this tablecloth (four, if you count the one I mis-measured).

So, here's a refresher on what the windows used to look like:

 And the after, with the faux roman shades.  Love. them.

 And here is the evolution of this room so far...

So many possibilities when you think outside of the box with fabric!  I have a shower curtain that may be my next victim...

Linking up to:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures

Not Just a Housewife - Show Me What Ya Got

Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous

Thrifty Decor Chick - September Before and After

Just a Girl - Show and Share Day

What I've Been Up To

Well, it's time to spill the beans about my absence lately. I figured that if I didn't start sharing now that I would have too much to share, to many pictures and then end up not sharing at all. I'm not really sure how this all happened, I'm definitely filing it under 'The Snow Ball Effect' because seriously friends, it's been happening fast. I've looked into getting a booth at flea markets and antique malls before, but either they were all full or the price was too high. However, about a month ago, I noticed this sign and a number to call if you were interested in vendorship (is that a word?): I called, I went, I rented. Ha! It wasn't that easy, it was more like: I called, I went, I looked, I pondered, I thought, I hem-hawed, I walked around, I called husband, I called MIL, I left, I came back, then I rented. It was a serious process people. :)

For the next two solid days, my MIL and I filtered through my storage unit in the sweltering heat. It was full of furniture and cast offs from me, and what I brought back from NC after my parents passed. It wasn't easy, it was actually hard to go through my mom's stuff, but what kept me going was the fact that this stuff shouldn't be in storage. If I'm not going to use it, then I need to let it go. I kept everything that I absolutely loved and let go of things that I didn't.

Of course a lot of things didn't even make the cut for the booth and those things were donated.

Fast forward through all of that and two doctors appointments in St. Louis and here I am in my 10X10 booth. It of course has three walls of peg board, which is not my favorite thing....so in comes my backdrop. These are salvaged boards that we turned on the side and screwed up. When I asked my FIL if he could help me put the boards up he said "Sure, I can screw anything up!" :) Funny man.

I decided to create a trellis pattern on it, I wanted a real eye catcher. I drew out the pattern on paper then transferred it to cardboard. I traced around the cardboard starting from the middle and worked my way out. I'm not sure you can see the pencil lines here or not:

Then began the painstaking process of painting it out. And the the painstaking process of the second coat. :) Please don't laugh at me in my grubby work clothes.

So while the process was slow, it certainly added a lot of appeal to a pegboard booth! I will show you the progress as I go. The Antique mall will be open for business on September 1! I've got a lot to do!!

The Chain Link Dresser

Thank you so much for sticking around even with my erratic postings. I am thankful for all of you who read and comment and welcome to those of you who are new. I've got some exciting things happening in my world and I can't wait to share with you. In the mean time, I'm finally getting around to sharing a dresser project for the master bedroom. I'm calling it the Chain Link Dresser.

If you remember the feature that Erin did on a beach house that is out of this world fantastic....well I think I was instantly inspired by this dresser. I loved the circular detail on it, I don't know whether it's painted or papered or what, but I knew I had to try to create something like it for myself.

I found this plain dresser several months ago and it's been sitting in the garage.....finally I knew what I was going to do.

It's a great dresser, taller than average, about 50 inches. I like the simple design of it so I knew that adding the circular detail would elevate it to greatness.

The finish was not in the best condition, some gouges and scratches, but well made. A perfect candidate for extra storage.

I worked on it right in the kitchen area, took off the hardware, and laid it down on it's back.

For the circles I used 12" wreath forms called craft rings. They are made of a composite wood and can be cut and painted for any number of uses. I've used these "craft rings" (from Michael's) for numerous intended things and knew they would work perfectly for this project....the wood strips (to join the circles) are just lattice from the Home Depot that is sold by the foot.



I played around with the circles until I was happy with the configuration. I marked where I needed to cut and cut all the circles and lattice by hand. I admit it was a pain in the butt. I thought for sure that I would have to get Justin to help me, but I just marked with a pencil and used a mitre saw to cut everything. I used liquid nails and glued all the pieces down. Once the glue had dried, I filled in the holes that are on the rings with caulk to make them smooth. I also used the caulk around the rings too to make them seamless and more a part of the dresser.





I primed and painted everything white (I spared you the pictures of that :) I used Martha's Tailors Chalk left over from painting the kitchen cabinets so I didn't have to buy any paint. I toyed around with painting it a color, painting the circles a different color, and vice versa. In the end chose white. When in doubt paint it white. :) I knew it would be against the brown walls and would really pop nicely ( I use a lot of white in there). I really considered aging it out like the inspiration picture, but I'm a gloss girl. :) Don't get me wrong, I love the look of age. I like mixing high gloss and rustic, but in small doses.





I still might put some handles on, if I find the right ones. Am I they only one that can't seem to find the perfect hardware? The drawers open easily from the sides, so I don't mind waiting until the right ones come along.

I've marked a couple more things off my bedroom to-do list....I've gotten another curtain panel that I needed and the fabric has arrived to do the skirted desk. Now I've got to get it done!

I hope you're inspired!

Stenciled Loveliness in the Mom Cave

Hey all!

After my preliminary Mom Cave Overhaul, this room has sat, relatively untouched, as I flitted off like a hummingbird with ADD from project to project (to project).  Since it's been so long since I've touched this space, let me refresh your memory on how it looks.

Ok, if you looked at it right now it wouldn't look like this since I have scavenged some of the accessories for other places in my home and it's a total wreck right now.  But, the general look and setup still hold true. 

Then, there is this adjoing nook that has a great closet with lots of storage.  Again, total wreck.  Alas, the "Before" photo.

I painted the office area in Muslin (Sherwin Williams), but was on the fence as to do the same color in the nook area, or do something totally different.  So, I started out by painting it in the same Muslin color.

And there it sat for awhile.  I wanted to add some extra punch with a really fun stencil, and purchased one awhile back, but then agonized about what color I should use.  Do I carry forth the splashes of pink from the office area?  Add some green from the fabrics I plan on using?  Pick up on the blue?

I picked up two sample paints from Sherwin Williams in a pink and green hue.  Suffice to say, the pink did NOT work out.  So, green it is.

And to prove that the pink was not a good choice - you can see a glimmer of it here as I painted over it.   Bright.  I'll leave it at that.

But, pink paint color aside, I lovety-love, LOVE it.  It's just what this little space needed, don't you think?  It took some time (and patience), but I am thrilled with the end result  This room is a work in progress, and I'm still trying to figure out how I want it to function, but this is a step in the right direction at least. 

Have you stenciled anything lately? 

Linking up to:
Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Monday
Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party & Hop
Dittle Dattle - Amaze Me Monday
Not Just a Housewife - Show Me What Ya Got
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
The Shabby Chic Cottage - Transformation Thursday
House of Hepworths - Hookin Up with HoH
The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday
Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous
Thrifty Decor Chick - Show Us Your House Party