Junk Salvation 2015

Whew!  

It's been a bit of a break since I last posted, because of the nature of pre-show organization!  

This was my third year participating in Junk Salvation, and it is always so fun, and a ton of work.

I'm writing this on Sunday, and it feels good to do only what I want to do, and rest.

Mostly what I want to do is eat comfort food, take a nap, and clean my house.

Not necessarily in that order.

I was able to get a few photos this weekend, mostly on my DSLR camera, so some turned out great, and others, in my hurry- not so much.

We got there a bit later than I hoped we would for set up, so I felt a bit anxious about getting it done in time.  Even with an extra pair of hands to help (Hannah came with us this year) I'm just not a fast setter upper when it comes to shows.

We really cut it to the wire.
I always try and allow enough time to get checked in at the hotel, get myself presentable and changed out of my sweats for opening night.  

You know how you will hear someone say something but it doesn't really connect until you're in the moment?

Yeah, that was how it was for me...

Set up was supposed to be done by 4:00, and I guess I did hear that you could get in a half hour earlier if you bought tickets online, (heck, I think I even said that in my ticket giveaway on Facebook!) but it just didn't click until I was walking in the entrance - the same one that all the customers were at - and found myself in the throng of women crushed up against the doors like Black Friday shoppers.

You need to know that I avoid Black Friday.  It's not my thing.

I dislike that claustrophobic, wild eyed shopping frenzy that goes along with it.

So there I am trying to get in so I can get back to my booth before customers come rushing in, and suddenly realizing I was going to be in the middle of all these die hard, let-me-in-NOW shoppers!!

It was a futile attempt, but I tried holding up my wrist to show my Vendor bracelet just so I could get through, but do you think anyone cared?  Do you think anyone noticed??

Not a bunch of women knocking the door down to get in!

It was every woman for herself!! 

ha ha!

I ran back to my booth and was just glad I was in the back of the building so I had a minute to unlock my cash box!

Craziness I tell ya.

This was the only photo I got of my booth front.

It's one of the not so great (blurry) photos, so no, your glasses won't help on this one.

Sorry.

Lots more questions on "are the doors with the awnings" for sale?
We talked to several customers about them, and Jon and I are thinking that maybe for my next show, we will make a couple extras to sell since we keep getting asked about them!

It was my best Junk Salvation show yet,  I was really happy with my sales, and there were times that my booth was so full I was shocked.

At one point, I didn't even realize how many people were behind me and Jon did a quick hand signal for me to turn around and look.

I asked him to take a quick shot for the blog!

This was my first time using my new sales table, and I loved it.  It was a dresser I bought from my friend and fellow vendor, Sharon.
It was a better height for me to use, and stored all of my necessities.
I removed all the drawers and added in shelves.
I wanted a Union Jack in my Pink Postcard colors, and I was really nervous about getting it to look right when I first started taping out the flag, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.
One of the nicest compliments I overheard was that I got the stripes right.
;)

Once again, I was so fortunate to have such wonderful neighbors!
There was a really sweet lady next to me (Serendipity Designs) who had a vintage trailer as part of her display.  It was fun having that next door!
Jon wondered if they would he could rent it to him for half an hour so he could take a nap!
ha ha!
Poor guy.  He was such a great help after a long work week full of travel.

We were also neighbors with Dan and Katie of The Rustic Pitchfork.
They are so nice, and make some incredible farmhouse furniture.
We really enjoyed getting to know them better and visiting between customers.

The table here didn't sell, and I'm so glad.
I love it so much and am trying to find a way to keep it!
Another one of my not so great photos, but I loved this vignette, and it was the only photo I got.

This rusty green table and stools were my other favorite item, and they did sell.
Such a cool set.
I drove through an ice storm to get it!
The roads were improving by the time I drove out to the barn sale, but there was still a sheet of ice on the top of the table when I brought it home to unload.

Oh, the things we will do for a good piece of rusty metal.

I'm looking forward to a break between this weekend and my next sale.
It will feel good to focus on some home projects and my space at Aunt Bee's House.

You can always follow my Facebook page for upcoming markets and pre-sale photos of what I'm bringing.
My next one is April 29 - May 2, The Farmhouse Show.
It's a great vintage garden themed sale and we are expanding this year!!

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who drove out to the show and shopped.  It was so great to see you, and I loved getting to see new and familiar faces.

And now, I think my couch is calling me for that nap....

xo Denise

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Artissimo writing desk

All kinds of projects are going on fast and furious around here!

Lots of painting on both small pieces, and furniture. 

I have just two weeks until Junk Salvation, and so I have several to do lists to keep me half way organized, and days dedicated to just sewing, just pricing and packing, and just painting.

I've also had some spots needing to be filled at Aunt Bee's House, and this is one that I delivered this morning.

Once again, the photo dilemma strikes again, but this time it's not as much the lighting as it is the background.

I gotta figure out a quick and easy backdrop for this spot! 

:(

Anyway....

this gorgeous desk was a piece I was able to buy from someone whose style I have admired for a long time.

I met up with Jill from The Forever Cottage a couple weeks ago.

I was so excited to get this, and have her blessing to paint it.

It was coral, and looked stunning in her office.  

I decided to leave some of that peeking through and painted the body in Miss Mustard Seed's Artissimo.

I added new glass knobs that I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

So many gorgeous details!

The little scrolls were painted over in the Artissimo, and then I rubbed off the paint with a wet rag.

There's still bits of blue on the coral, but the color on the scrolls is a fun pop.

I also distressed the details and edges just slightly to bring out a little more of the underlying color.

The vintage glass lamp was a piece I picked up at a flea market a couple weeks ago.  It didn't have a shade, so I got one from a friend and added some fun trim to embellish it.

There's two layers- one ruffle, and then I glued a little crochet trim over it.

It was fun to pull together a few pieces for this desk.  I have several sheets of vintage ledger paper that my friend Martha gave me a couple years ago.  I absolutely love it.

The gorgeous penmanship is captivating.

If you look closely, you will see it's a butcher's ledger.  

Someone bought a pork roast for 50 cents.

Wouldn't that be nice?!

I also added in this set of vintage books- four volumes, and in excellent condition.

I have a thing for old books, and these are gorgeous.

The bust is only 6" tall, but weighs a ton since it is cast iron!  

I wonder where she came from?

This was such a fun desk to acquire and transform.

I really wish I had the space to keep it!

I'm off to work on some more stuff.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo Denise

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Trophy Gray cabinet

Finding a good spot to photograph furniture in my house is a huge challenge.  

I'm telling you this, because you will see what I mean in a second.

I really only have one spot to photograph new pieces.  

It's the easiest spot for me to move stuff out of the way, and have half way decent lighting most of the time.

Except for today.  

*sigh*

We have an east / west facing house, so the lighting can get pretty harsh if I don't time it right, and today is one of those days.

So blah blah blah, excuses, excuses....that's what I'm dealing with today!

I have to get this down to Aunt Bee's House while we have dry weather and before a large piece that sold gets taken home this weekend!

I love the shape of this little cabinet / buffet.

It's such a nice compact size and has curved sides.

When I first found it, I expected to open it up and find the skeleton of a record player unit.

It was great to see that it had real, useable storage!

A removable shelf, and two drawers that have a nice glide.

Perfect for an entryway or small dining area.

This was my first time trying out Trophy in Miss Mustard Seed's paint line.  

I really like it.  A nice deep gray color, and I can't wait to play around with it more!

To top it off, I am highlighting a few smaller pieces that I will be taking to Junk Salvation with me.

Lots of beautiful ironstone (thanks in part to Jill!  Thank you again!!)

Vintage frames, cloches, and several vintage ball jars. 

I will have to say though, that the ones I am taking are nicer than the one here.

I happened to have this little bouquet of flowers near my sink, and I borrowed it for the photo shoot.

:)

That's all for today!

We're off to deliver this piece to the shop!

xo Denise

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vintage Valentine mantel

Over the weekend, I put together several Valentine banners for my spaces at Aunt Bee's House!

Normally, I don't really decorate for Valentine's Day.
It feels too soon to be putting up another holiday after I've just put away Christmas.
Usually just some tulips, and a nice table setting for us to enjoy together as a family.

But after making the buntings, I decided to put together a quick Valentine mantel to highlight my project.

Simple and sweet, with some unique handmade and vintage pieces.

Hobnail milk glass makes me think of Valentines....

I picked up this cute little Marx truck yesterday!  

A vintage Valentine tucked into the truck bed.

I haven't taken down the old fence or wreath from Christmas yet, but it was the perfect transition into Valentine decor.  I used the rusty wings that I had in the dining room for Christmas - now more like cupid's wings!

These were made by my friend Janet of Whatevers Handmades.  

(You can see her Etsy shop by clicking on her name.)

She is super talented, and these are so versatile.  

One side is corrugated metal, and rusty on the side you see here.  

Multi seasonal, double sided....love it!

A stack of vintage red books and another vintage valentine.

Candles for a little romance, and who can resist a jar of white buttons?

Not me!

I decided to show you one of the other options I made in my buntings:

A little more traditional in pink and red.

I also added some glittery red hearts to the middle flags.

I hope this inspires you to make a simple and sweet, vintage-inspired look!

xo Denise

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a look back at 2014- favorite posts

Happy New Year!
I can't believe I am writing a "look back" post again!  

Time just goes by faster and faster.  

2014 was an incredible year of growth for my business.

Some of my favorite highlights this year were:

*Junk Salvation

*increased sales

*a magazine feature in American Farmhouse Style 

*having a photography team come to our house to shoot for another magazine 

*figuring out my style and what is selling best for me

*being featured on Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

*my best year of shows ever!

...just to name a few!

Our house is finally starting to feel "right" to me, but I still have a fantasy of having an on-site shop space so I can store my items better and have a work area for repairs and building items.

It's tempting to look at other properties now and then to see if something else might be a good fit, but we're just praying about it, and seeing if God will open doors at the right time.

We love our house, our neighbors, and the area we live in, so it would have to be a pretty amazing  place to get us to move.

It's not terrible having everything in our garage, and working in the driveway.

I've had some great opportunities to meet neighbors and have people ask about what I do.

One question that was asked more often this year was "do you do custom work?"

My standard answer right now is, no.

It's probably not very business savvy to turn people away, but I've learned that I put too much pressure on myself, and I just don't enjoy having project deadlines hanging over me.

It also scares me to have some one else's pieces in my possession and the possibility of something happening to it!

My answer may change over time, but for now, I like working on pieces that inspire my creativity.

Etsy has been a great, but small part of my business.  

It takes quite a bit of time to set up, photograph, list, and package items.

I'm considering several things in that arena for 2015.  

One of those options would be putting my shop on hold for a while until I can figure out a manageable schedule for everything.
Or, hiring someone to do a lot of the leg work for me.
I'll keep you posted on that!

With that little bit of info, here were my top 5 posts of 2014, based on the numbers:
(click on the titles for links to the posts)


#1
What You Need To Know Before Doing a Vintage Market

#2
How to Create a DIY Ballard Designs Finish

#3
Vintage Bed Crown -DIY

#4
Adding Farmhouse Style to our Family Room

#5
A Trumeau mirror and French style chair

Those were the most viewed posts of 2014.

I also want to share my favorite posts with you from this past year...in no particular order:

Chippy Milk Paint Dresser in Linen

This was purchased by a dear friend of mine straight from my house to hers!
I think it might be my all time favorite furniture makeover piece that I've done.

Christmas House Tour

I love Christmas in this house. It is so cozy and full of warmth and memories.
I also love being able to put up a huge tree and having a fun porch to decorate.

Vintage Simmons Steel Dresser and Some Oregon History

photo here has been updated since original posting

This was one of my major scores of the year, and I still love this piece and the history behind it.

Artissimo Dresser

Another one of my all time favorite pieces that I've done.
This one was professionally repaired, and such a gorgeous dresser.
I knew almost from the moment I bought it that it would be painted in Artissimo.

The guy who repaired it for me was pretty grumpy that I had painted it, but I felt really good about highlighting the details on this one.
I think it was the biggest price tag I ever put on a dresser, and it sold pretty quickly, which felt great!

Vintage Beach Home Office Makeover

This was my first big project of 2014, and it is nice to have the office looking good, and functional.
I still have one spot I'd like to tweak, but for now, we're loving it!

Mostly, I am so thankful for all the things that have happened this year, and for the direction I am headed.  I'm hoping to be more faithful and dedicated to my blog and not so sporadic, but time will tell!
*wink*
Thank you for your visits, and I look forward to what 2015 has in store!

xo Denise

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DIY: update a Christmas village to a snow village

When we were first married, one of the first Christmas decorations I bought was a ceramic light up house that I bought at a discount retailer.

Over the years I picked up a few more, and it became one of Jon's favorite Christmas traditions- seeing the village all set up and lit.

But, in the last couple years, as much as I enjoy our wintry little neighborhood, I was ready for a bit of a change.  

I love the old Putz glitter houses, (and even some of the new renditions) but I couldn't justify getting rid of something Jon loved for something different, while still being the same idea.

I made sure he was ok with my plan, and now we both love the update!

On a rare dry day a couple weeks ago, I took the village outside and spray painted it with Rustoleum's  Flat White.

In the past I've just used Rustoleum's primer, but it has a blue cast to it, and this is a nice white tone.

Once it was completely covered, I used a mix of Martha Stewart's White Gold fine glitter, and a white glitter.

With a foam brush, I applied Mod Podge (you can use white glue too) and painted it on the areas where you would see snow collect on a house.
I only did small sections at a time so the glue was wet enough for the glitter to stick to.

Also, if the house had a spot where it had a raised area from where the snow was originally painted on, I used the glue there as well.

There's something about using glitter that is just fun no matter what age you are!

I let these dry for a couple hours, and then set up the village where we've had it the last few years.

With the update, I used white bottle brush trees, and it created the glittery snow village I wanted!

Super easy, and a quick project on something we've had for a long time.

On a final note: I see a lot of these showing up in thrift stores these days, so if you like the look of this and have never had a Christmas village, you can start your own snow village pretty quickly with a weekend shopping trip.

If you do find these at thrift stores, please be aware that most will not have the electrical cord and bulb anymore, but you can always add a battery operated tea light if the bottom is big enough to allow it, or just use a small string of white twinkle lights to poke in the bottom where the bulb would go.
Also, I was not asked by any company to endorse their products here, these are all items I love to use on a regular basis.

Have fun crafting!

xo Denise

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