Honey, we're home!

We are finally back in Alabama and I have much to tell however, I also have much to do this morning before I can download pics and write.

Here is just a very small taste of what our weekend included:

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is ready for a VERY busy couple of weeks before we are off for Christmas!

Talk to you again soon.
Lisa

Sweet little chair

This sweet little chair was recently purchased scored at a church rummage sale by one of the Mom's from baseball.  She said she was there to help set up but, when she spotted it across the room she shamelessly sent her 6th grade daughter over to check it out and get the price.  My kind of lady!!!  Anyway, she got it for a song and loves it but thought it just needed a little update.  It's hard to tell in the picture but, there were a few little pieces of the veneer that were missing and the front "knees" had been rubbed and knocked about quite a bit.  With just a little elbow grease, some polish, wood putty, and a new & improved seat cushion she is back to looking pretty good!

This is not one of those makeovers that you oooh and aaah over but, I think Lara will be very happy with her cleaned-up and newly fabulous chair. AND....she gave me this little cutie in the deal.  I think this one will take little more love but, she'll be good as new soon too.

You can't tell it but that back piece only stayed put long enough for this one picture......a little love goes a looong way! :)

Lisa

Fun fabric and curves!

Another couple of finished projects!

I found this chair a while back in a thrift store and loved the curve of the seat and of course, the splendid legs!  Several weeks went by and then I found this end table with those same great legs!  

Wouldn't these just make a great little sitting area set?  I can see them in a corner of a living room or bedroom  and be just perfect.

I have recovered many chair seats (haven't we all?!) but this one I would consider to be more of an upholstery project because I had to make the piping and then sew the fabrics together. Now for the real deal....I can honestly say that I am neither a photographer or a seamstress but, I am determined to get better at both!!  And really, I'm pretty pleased with how this seat cushion came out because in the process, I just wasn't quite sure!

I sanded and then painted both pieces with Behr Premium Ultra Plus paint.  On some pieces I use my sprayer and this paint just kills me every time!!!  I thought maybe it was just me the first time so I tried it again and I had a few choice words for all of it along the way!  For whatever reason, I can use any other paint and have no problems with the sprayer but, Behr Premium Ultra Plus and my sprayer do NOT get along.  Anyway, after finally getting everything working, I love the way they turned out.  

On the little table, I sanded, stained, and them poly'd the top to make it more durable.  One of the handles was missing and although it looks like two drawers, it's really only one so I filled the holes and replaced the pulls with two glass knobs.  

Here they are finished and ready to go to a new home! 

Have a great day!

Lisa

Classy High Chair

Not long ago, I posted about a high chair I came across and decided to add to the stash in the garage.   I put it to the side thinking I would get to it when the right idea/client came along and then about a week later, I received an e-mail from sweet Kim!  She has a baby girl and will soon be welcoming a baby boy to the family too!  Woo-hoo!

Kim and I "talked" through e-mail a few times and ultimately decided that black, distressed, glazed, and poly'd (for easier clean-up) would be best. 

The high chair was really in great shape and very sturdy but did need a thorough sanding.  I painted it with 2 coats of black suede and then distressed it, glazed it with dark walnut stain, and finally covered it in Cabot's Water-Borne Polyurethane.  I applied several extra coats of the poly to the seat and tray for extra protection and to make it even easier for wipe down.  

Finally, one of the more important parts...the safety straps!  They were still there but were just not cute!  I really wanted them to be easy to clean (no one likes gunky straps on a highchair - eew) but I also did not want to compromise the safety aspect SO, Kim picked out fabric for a girl and boy!  She will be using this chair now for her little girl but anticipates using it in the future for the new little man!  I used the old straps and made removable (velcro) covers for them.  I think they are super cute, easy to take off and on, and the old straps provide the all important buckle.  The strap for their little legs wasn't in great shape so I made a new one for each set and hope this will stop them from slip-sliding straight through. 

I think these two little ones will be eating in style now!  What do you think?

More projects are lined up in the driveway....hopefully there will be more finished projects to post about later today!   My lunch break is now over! :)

Lisa

Rain, Rain!

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth just, busy busy!  I plan on having some great new pictures in the morning but am having to find a wonderful indoor "staging" area because it has been raining for two full days!!  I love the rain but it has put a damper on projecting, picture taking, and painting around here!

I'll be back in the morning with more...I promise!

Lisa

Craigslist find!

There are many things that I love about furniture but two things that can really make a piece sing to me: #1 a great price and #2 a great story!  Now, I also love great legs, cubby holes, chippy paint, worn surfaces that show something was used, chairs..... But, price and a story just put it right over the top every day!


So, this week I came across a piece that I am just    not    sure  I will be able to part with!  The price was right and you can decide about the story....


I saw this little piece on Craigslist at the very beginning of the week and I immediately oohed, aaahh'd and exclaimed how full my garage is.  But,  like any true furniture hoarder lover would do,  I sent an e-mail.  The man replied that he would only be available from 7-8pm that evening and he had 2 other people coming then to look at it.   Decision2, decisions.....I really didn't want to get into a bidding war over this little thing and going at that time in the evening is difficult at best so, I regretfully responded that I wouldn't be able to be there but, if it didn't sell, please let me know. 


Fast forward several days and on a day when I had no less than 12 million things to do, I thought I would quickly skim Craigslist as my 5 minute break before I had to bust out the door! THERE she WAS!  I figured the post just hadn't been deleted but, I wrote that it might just be wishful thinking but??......the owner said if I could come right over he would wait on me!  For just a split second I started to mentally review my to do list but no sooner than I could get to #2, I said, "Okay, I'll be right there!"  


I begged by sister to not only go with me (so I wouldn't be Craigslisting it by myself!) but, also to drive so that I could get some little things done on the way!  I was writing, tying sales tags and reading the directions when my phone started ringing.  My Cowboy wasn't feeling well at school so while trying to handle that, I gave Meg the street number and she backed into the drive.  After much discussion about a tummy ache, to which the only viable option appeared to be me coming to the school to get him, I told Cowboy I'd be there just as soon as I could get back across town.  Meg and I rang the doorbell, knocked on the door, looked around a little but, no answer!  At this point I was thinking, "Are you kidding me?"  My boy's sick 30 mins away, I've totally screwed up my "To Do" list, AND he's not here!  I went to check the directions again.....we were at the right number, wrong street!  Ooops~  I forgot to read the last step of the directions to Meg and we still had one more turn to make!  


My little treasure was sitting in the driveway calling to us from half-way down the block! After a very quick perusal and a little negotiation, we loaded her up, gave a little wave and were off to the school!  The To-Do list was shot and I was just hoping I wasn't going to be dealing the all the stuff that normally comes with a "bad" tummy ache!!  


The tummy ache seemd to have passed by the time I got there and Cowboy was running across the field to make a spectacular soccer goal just as I walked out to the PE fields!! AAARGH!  I was VERY glad that we were not going to be spending the rest of the day in the bathroom with a bucket but, seriously??  He was SO not sick that he decided he should just stay at school, finish out the soccer game, and ride the bus home!  


My little secretary may just have to stay with me for a while!  I love her.  She is cuuute and has all the parts that may just make her one of my favorites!  She was a great price with a pretty good story!  And I like that little thrill that comes when things don't quite work out like you planned but, at the end of the day you can look back and say it all worked out for the best!    My Cowboy is healthy, I spent time with my sister, the people that live a 111 _____? were not home, everything on my To-Do list got done ...eventually, and I have a new treasure in the already overfull garage!!

LOVE IT!  How about you? Don't you just think this would be too cute in SO many places and in oh so many different ways?


Lisa




   

Open House!

Off to the booth this morning because.....it's OPEN HOUSE time!!!


If you happen to be in the Huntsville, Alabama area anytime this weekend please stop in for a visit.  There will be door prize, snacks, and holiday sales!

 Holiday Open House at Packard's Antiques

 11110 South Memorial Parkway

Fri, Sat, Mon:  10:00-6:00

Sun: 12:00-5:00

256-881-1678

The Artichoke Alley booth is located on the far left aisle, about half-way down and on the left.  I will be stopping in and out throughout the weekend and I would love to meet anyone that can stop by.

I had great plans to get everything set up while the kids were in school on Wednesday but as things sometimes go, that didn't happen SO, after school we all trooped out there to set up and decorate!  Just picture for a moment:  huge warehouse full of antiques, 1 very athletic 9 year old boy, 1 very curious and precocious 5 year old girl and 2 busy-bee women!!!  If the video cameras were working, I'm sure it was entertaining!  Anyway.....here are a few pictures of what's going on down there!

Hope to see you there!  

Lisa

Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day!

This is one of my favorite holidays!  I really think it's absolutely necessary for us to acknowledge the people who choose to join a service and "serve" our country and the American people!  Thank you to all the veteran's who have represented this country in peace and in war!

Personally, I would like to acknowledge the service of all three of my grandfathers, two of my uncles, my father, my step-father, and my Handsome Hubby.  And, although not veteran's yet, I'd like to thank people like my sister, Erin, my friend Kathy, CPT Nick Craig, SPC Chris Reagan, and others still on active duty and continuing to insure our freedom!

Today the kids and I are off to do whatever we feel like because we are Americans and have that freedom!!

Have a great day and enjoy what ever you are able to do!

Lisa

Tracy's Sewing Table

Not too long ago I blogged about a curio cabinet/liquor cabinet I worked on for my friend Tracy.  After delivering the curio cabinet, Tracy asked if I would take a look at another piece in her garage.  I was happy to look and very pleasantly surprised to find this pretty little sewing table.

Before I go any further, let me just say, Tracy is a very talented lady.  She roller blades to school with her kids, she sells houses like no other, and she is very witty however, I don't think she is a seamstress.  I base this on the fact that the dirt daubers had built castles in each of the corners and I even think a bird had nested inside the sewing machine at one point! Tracy's sewing table had beautiful legs and lots of potential but had made one too many moves between garages without a good moisturizer!  It was time for a complete make-over without holding back!  I'm just saying......If a piece of furniture could have a unibrow,  this baby had one!

I stripped and sanded her down, vacuumed, scrubbed, stained, stained, stained, and then waxed until she is now the gorgeously smooth beauty of her youth!  I cleaned the pull with Bar Keepers Friend just enough to take the dirt and grime, give it a little shine, and still look aged and beautiful.

Look at those legs!  And that shining machine....it may not get a lot of use, but she looks and feels Gooood!

I hope Tracy loves this little table as much as I do.  I think it would make an awesome end table, nightstand, or even a great little table for an entryway.

Thanks Tracy for the opportunity!

Lisa


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What's going on?!

What's going on?!

This weekend was the final playoff game for my Cowboy's football team.  They did a great job but lost by one touchdown in overtime!  Aaargh!  They played so hard and had such a great time together, I really think that regardless of their standing, the boys all felt like winners (as they should!)!!

Sugar Bug had her first cheer-leading practice this past weekend as well.  This is a new adventure for our family as none of us has ever even picked up pom-poms before but, that's the sport Sugar Bug wanted to try for the winter so, we are in!! Yeah! Go! Win!....Oh, and let me just say, getting all those little strips to fruph-up was a pain in the toucuss!

With the Open House at Packards Antiques (and our booth), Thanksgiving, and Christmas, it is CRAZY busy around here.  Unfortunately I've nothing to show you that is completely finished so, I thought I'd just give you little taste of each so that maybe I can get back to projects and get something finished.   You will be the first to see the finished projects, I promise.  Well, besides the monkeys that live with me and the clients whose pieces I am working on....they really should get the first glimpse!  But, besides those people, you will be the first, I promise!

Here are the tasty treats...don't be too critical because, as I said, nothing is finished! Aaargh!

Have a great and productive day!

Oh, and one more thing....I love Denatured Alcohol and HATE Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint!

Lisa