Five pages of listings down and just a few more to go! Close enough to being done for the time being though. Take a peek! Right n ow I’ve got to get outside and take full advantage of the 2 sunny and dry days that are forecasted! I can’t even remember tha last time we had 2 dry days in a row. I have several painting projects I’m hoping to get done while it’s dry. And I need to sort through and organize the storage trailer while I can set stuff outside too. I’ll be back to the blog and my etsy shop when the rain returns on Sunday!
TEMPORARILY CLOSING MY ETSY SHOP
Just for a couple of days, hopefully. I need to go over and edit and update the shipping prices on over 100 items, to accommodate the recent postage increase. In the meantime, only my e-books will be up for sale in my etsy shop. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Vintage wall pockets / vases
This is an instance where all you have to change is the COLOR of an item to update it. Vintage wall pockets or vases like this are quite plentiful at rummage sales, thrift stores and estate sales.
I usually look at the INSIDE to decide whether or not to buy a certain one. There is often, ‘all kinds of crap’ in there from years of use that will need to be cleaned out. Usually a good soak in a sink of soapy water does the trick; but I have passed up some of questionable contents!
The EASIEST way to repaint these is with spray paint, but it’s not very good ‘outdoors painting weather’ here in Oregon right now; so I hand painted it with my craft paints. A couple of coats, then a bit of sanding. Alternatively, I could have used a glaze to bring out the detail instead of sanding.
The gold peeking through the turquoise turned out to be a good combination in this case, and I was happy with the result. But I have been known to go back and paint over a finish that was not to my liking!
I had a few others in my stash that were already painted. Just sanded this one a bit for the original white to show through.
The one above on the left had a lot of texture to it, so I used a dry brush technique on it.
Dry brushing just hits the high spots, leaving the indented parts their original color. I don’t remember what color this one was originally. I had spray painted it black last summer.
VERY lightly sanded some of the raised detail on this one.
They have all gone to my booth at Stars, and hung inside a frame with a couple of white wire baskets added.
SAVINGS ALERT!! 25% off storewide sale @ Michael’s craft stores (INCLUDING sale items!)
If you’re signed up for their email list, you already know about this sale. For those of you who aren’t on the Michael’s email list (I suggest you sign up NOW, to get all their sale notices and bonus coupons) Here’s the skinny:
MICHAEL’S MADNESS EVENT
25% odd your entire purchase INCLUDING sale items (some exclusions, see coupon in store)
Today only; Sunday, January 22, 2012 from 4-8pm
And just in case you haven’t fully recovered from all the hectic Christmas shopping, don’t let the proclaimed ‘madness’ title scare you off. I TRY to buy as much of my supplies as possible ‘on sale’ so I hit these ‘% off everything’ sales as often as I can or need supplies; and it’s NEVER been a mad house. Pretty much like shopping any other day. (at least HERE in my area!)
Still, I always plan to arrive an hour BEFORE the sale starts to get my shopping done before it gets a little busier. Then I’m ready to check out right at 4:oo! This also leaves me enough time to hit a second Michael’s about 1/2 an hour away; if there is something I need MORE of.
Happy shopping! Happy SAVING!!
Pictures of recently made hearts
Most of these shown are bigger, about HAND size hearts that I’m selling individually in my booth at Stars.
Adding some *tea* stained vintage lace, felt and quilt batting.
*I don’t use actual TEA for my stain. Recipe is sold on etsy.
LOTS of buttons!
It’s really quite relaxing, searching for ‘just the right button’ to fit in each spot and making sure they are all different.
Layers are stitched to the front piece, then buttons, before stitching front and back together and stuffing.
Little French knots added between buttons.
I’m really “into” the LAYERS this year.
Smaller ones are packaged in cello bags in sets.
What is DRY BURSH PAINTING??
I get that question often enough to warrant a post/tutorial (of sorts! No pictures though)
You can see pictures of numerous previous posts where I used the dry brush technique here, if you need some visuals.
I use this technique as often as possible. It’s super fast and easy, and works on surfaces that have a lot of TEXTURE, that would otherwise take a lot of work to FULLY cover with paint. And you get about the same look as painting, then sanding to distress.
I remember learning to dry brush in the 5th grade. We could only use primary colors and had to paint one of the zoo animals that the teacher had put up pictures of. Back then I was NOT very artistic. I painted a blue elephant! Anyhoooooooooooooooo . . . dry brush painting IS so easy a 5th grader can do it. It’s actually easier to DO than it is to EXPLAIN! I wish I could SHOW you how. That would be the ideal way to learn.
Don’t dip your brush in any water and don’t load very much paint onto your brush.
Have a ‘blotter’ next to your paint container, dip JUST THE TIPS of your paint brush into your paint, then swoosh your brush around on your blotter to distribute that little bit of paint on your brush and make it nice and DRY. LIGHTLY, ever so lightly brush your first stroke across the surface of the item you are painting. You should get about 50% coverage; leaving 50% of the area it’s original color.
It’s easiest to do on TEXTURED surfaces, like woven baskets, wicker, rough cut wood with a lot of raised grain; because if you lightly apply your paint you will only hit the HIGH SPOTS.
Practice on a scrap piece of wood or the back or under side of a piece of furniture until you get the feel for it. OR buy an old basket for 99 cents at a thrift store and practice on that. Then you can use the basket as a gift basket later on. The secret is to have as little paint as possible on your brush. Remember, if you don’t get as much coverage as you’d hoped with the first stroke, you can always go back and add MORE. But if you get TOO MUCH on the first time, you can’t take it away.
Go look at the posts/pictures and you’ll have a much better idea. Happy painting!
Vintage baskets; basic brown to beachy blue
Thrifted oval wicker trunk.
Thrifted wood slat picnic basket with cheesy PLASTIC eagle emblem, and solid wood top.
Removing the eagle was harder than I thought. A bit of collateral damage to cover up some how.
I ‘dry brush’ painted both baskets. LOVE dry brushing! Love how it looks AND how quick and easy it is to do! Took maybe a whole 15 minutes to paint each basket. My remedy for the damage from removing the eagle was to glue on a wood star and tie a strip of tea stained muslin around it.
Both baskets are for sale in my booth at Stars:
This oval one would actually make a nice little coffee table by adding a tray to the top.
Another wood slat basket with an open top, that I’ve had for a while atop the lidded one I just painted.
NEW in my etsy shop!
Finally getting caught up on adding new product to my etsy shop too! Here’s a quick peek at what I just added:
More new signs in the works and coming soon.
Proposal gift sets!
And some ‘regular’ heart bowl fillers.
Some ‘new’ vintage goodies coming soon too!
1,111th post!!!
My last post was my 1,111th post. Wow! I’m truly amazed that I have managed to find that much stuff to post about.
SO, what shall I do to commemorate this momentous occasion? How about a ‘top 11′ list?
I had actually put together a top 10 list a while back (before all the computer drama!) and set it aside to use on ‘one of those days’ when I couldn’t think of anything to post. Now if I can just FIND that list. Should be easy enough to come up with one more item to add to it. SO, here’s my top 11 list of things I ALWAYS look for (IF the price is right!) when I am out shabby shopping. These are MOSTLY things I am buying to sell in my booth, shows and on etsy; not personal collectibles.
AJ’S TOP 11 LIST OF MUST HAVES: (in no particular order)
1) Vintage /cream chenille bedspreads and embossed coverlets.
2) Eiffel Tower and Paris memorabilia
3) Little chairs; doll and child size.
4) Blank picture frames; just about any kind!
5) Vintage cherub vases and candle holders (any color – just paint them white!)
6) Clear apothecary jars.
7) Vintage suit cases; any size/color (I paint these too!)
8) Vintage picnic baskets.
9) Cloches
10) Little vintage foot/step stools
11) Vintage white dishes / Ironstone most preferable. Mostly look for: Large platters and serving dishes, soup tureens, pitchers and tea post, creamers and sugar bowls, gravy/sauce boats, canisters and crocks. Sub-collection of chicken/duck/swan stuff.
Finally! . . . .PICTURES!!
Here’s whats new in my space at Stars:
Lots of great Valentine goodies and awesome vintage enamel top table in my booth at Stars.
Great patina, just the right amount of rust here and there. Table price is $125.00.
HUGE vintage #1 locker. I should have had Michael stand IN it to emphasize how BIG it is. Great industrial chic storage space. A one of a kind and once in a lifetime vintage find! Priced at $165.00.
I couldn’t resist hanging a sweet cherub wall vase on the grubby locker!
White wicker child size chair.
Little round metal table.
My very favorite new addition to the booth! Those two ginormous aqua candle lanterns. All the other stuff in the booth detracts from the awesomeness of them a bit. I’ll move them ‘front and center’ the next time I switch things around.
They’re big enough to really create a ‘vignette’ in each one. I’m absolutely DRUNK with excitement over the different display possibilities! This first time I filled them both with clear glass pedestal dishes with cloche tops and little glass hearts under the cloches.
After taking these pictures, I realized that CLEAR stuff didn’t really display very well because of all the glare from the lantern glass.
Plus, they just don’t SHOW UP very well. Oh well, I have a multitude of other display ideas to try again soon.
Close up of the little glass heart orns on the pedestals.
So, a week went by and I changed the display in them my next trip in.
Put all my white cherub statues/vases inside the lanterns; and added a battery operated votive or two.
Better. For now. I foresee RED going in to them next week!
LOTS of new hand stitched felt ‘conversation’ hearts.
SWEET vintage reproduction Valentine cards.
Gotta have some GLITTER!
Pretty gift packaged sweets for your sweetie!
Guilt free chocolate candy CANDLES.
Altered Valentine candy box.
More zero calorie chocolate candles.
Two tier vintage dessert plate.
Cupcake trinket boxes.
Vintage style red pom pom ribbon and cute little cupid baby.
String!
Pair of vintage plaster cherubs.
Large bull pitcher and little bull creamer.
Eiffel Towers.
Tiffany blue PARIS suitcase.
Wood slat picnic baskets; one with lid, one open top.
More hand stitched hearts in neutral shades.
Need shopping therapy???
