The bossy chair

I've been wanting to try painting a design on a piece of painted furniture for a while. It always looks so cool when other people do it, so I thought this little yard-sale chair would be perfect. I saw something similar somewhere on the Internet, so I apologize to whoever I'm copying here; I can't remember where I saw it.
I printed out the word 'sit' in a font I thought would look good and found a pointing finger from www.graphicsfairy.com. I sized them, printed them out and used transfer paper to copy the outlines. I tried using a paint pen to draw over the lines but it globbed up pretty quickly, so I finished the job with black Sharpie markers, one fine and one ultra fine. I sprayed them with a matte fixative when I was done.
I love the finished project. It makes me smile.

Before and after

It always feels good when you finally get around to a project you've been meaning to get around to for a long time. I bought this little shopping cart a year ago at a yard sale for a whopping 50 cents and planned to sew a cute liner for it, like ones I'd seen online and in magazines.

The 50-cent cart.

So finally this weekend, I got around to making it. I used some old ticking I originally bought to make drapes (another project I didn't get around to) and added a border from fabric that looks vintage but really isn't. It was pretty easy, just a question of measuring the sides and bottom, cutting the pieces and sewing them together. It didn't take long at all.

I found a little grommet kit at the hardware store with everything you need to add the grommets. I even added two pockets on the back panel, and sized one so it would hold a water bottle. I covered up rust on the top of the handle by gluing on matching fabric. I put new plastic caps on the front feet and oiled the rusty wheels.

I'm going to put it in my booth at Capt. Scrap's Attic for $35. Even if no one buys it, it will look cute sitting there.

The $35 oh-so-trendy and cute vintage flea-market cart.

See the water-bottle pocket? There's a flat pocket next to it, good for tucking away small purchases.

What I bought today ...

... at an old junk shop that is going out of business:

-GI Joe puzzle, no price marked
-old Bingo game, never used, marked $5
-two license plates, no price
-Santa zip bag, $5
-3 pretty old china plates, marked $1 ea.
-old salt shaker marked $1.50
-two Gruber's Soda bottles, marked $6 ea.
-bunch of crafting junk, relig. medals, broken jewelry, etc.
-celluloid chick, marked set of three for $5 but I couldn't find the other two anywhere
-old handmade pillowcase with crocheted edging
-old rusty cast iron ship thing, looks like part of a door stop or something, marked $100, yeah, I know that's ridiculous, but that's what the tag said.

What I paid for all of the above: $5.

How much fun I had: priceless.

A work in progress

The booth continues to evolve. 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past few days, I've rearranged the furniture and added some textiles including a little rug borrowed from home just to soften things up.

I hung a line on the wall that will be used for displays that I'll change every few weeks. Right now it's Easter postcards. In the future it might be doilies, hankies, old photos, whatever  ...

I also made and hung a sign with the name of the business: Blue Moon Antiques and Crafts.

Best of all, I've even sold a few small items.

Playing store

Before: Store manager Kathleen had already primered the paneling and borrowed bookcases for me when I got there on Thursday.

After: Painted and at least partly filled, with a little help from my friends.

Something I've always wanted to do is have a little space in an antique mall, just a little corner all my own.
So when I found out that an antique mall maybe two minutes from my house had changed hands and spaces were up for grabs, I didn't waste much time.

I rented the smallest, cheapest space in the place and starting scrounging up things that had been sitting around my house taking up space -- the gorgeous 1930s art deco wall cabinet that never seemed to fit anywhere, the cow jumped over the moon clock that used to hang in the dining room, the old oak desk chair no one ever sits on.

Angels among us

Two years ago, on a whim, I bought a batch of broken doll heads from Germany. They weren't cheap, but I knew I could make them into something wonderful. Well, like I said, that was two years ago. Recently, however, some of them have come out of the box and my friend Denise and I have been turning them into Christmas angels. (Yes, I know it's February, but we're planning ahead this year.)

The spooky sisters

When I buy old photos and cabinet cards, I try to get them cheap, like maybe a dollar for a cabinet card, certainly not more than $2. But when I saw this photo of two scary sisters on etsy, I knew it was perfect for Halloween projects and I had to have it.

I think I paid $5 (plus shipping) but it makes me smile every time I look at it. Were they just nervous about having their photo taken (as the baby on the right appears to be)? Or were they putting a curse on the photographer? Either way, they are a really spooky pair. I wouldn't want to mess with them on the playground, that's for sure.

I've just scanned in a bunch of old cabinet cards and will be posting them every day or so in groups of two,  so check back often if you're looking for free images. Also check my older posts; there are some scattered through there, too.