Vintage Hair Tonic Bottles Altered Into Halloween Apothecary Jars

My husband snagged about 16 hair tonic bottles from a flea market on 8.16.14.  Only six had their original labels  and stoppers.  The other ten had a great shape, but really no value.  Just in time for Halloween.  Last year I altered about 100 bottles, so I thought ten should be a snap.  The only thing...some of them were discolored on the inside.  So, what about my go-to flat black spraypaint?

 

Last year I used free printable apothecary labels off the internet.  It was kind of a pain cutting and attaching. 

I found corks and some great adhesive backed apothecary labels at Michael's.  The labels were transparent, so the flat black paint wouldn't work. 

I tried spraypaint that makes glass look frosted.  Better...

Maybe some gray spraypaint over top.  Nice, but kind of flat color.  How about a light spray of flat black paint on three sides to age them up a bit.  Bingo.

I really like the final result.

Altered Dollar Tree Halloween Skulls

Every year I have an impulse to go off the deep end into one or two major Halloween art projects to sell at my antique booth.  (My antique booth is in a decorator store, so it's OK for me to sneak in non-antique items.) 

Two years ago I discovered Dollar Tree.  One of my big projects that year was altered plastic skulls.

All of the purchased items came from Dollar Tree, and a few things that I had hanging around.

The skulls were the first of many Dollar Tree Halloween projects to come.

I'll be posting on my 2014 DTH projects.

Vintage Altered Ladies Hats For Halloween Using Dollar Tree Items

No costume is really even needed if you are wearing a great Halloween hat. 

Most begin with a vintage black hat.

Some get a coat of flat black spraypaint.

Then they get a bit of bling.

 

This one is titled "Bat Rat Hat".

This crow has made a nasty nest ...

full of tiny little bones.

Something that looks a little Hallowen, a little classic, a little vintage. 
But says that you are a little fun too.

Creepy Doll Heads on Ebay -- Fall must be around the corner

The first of September I start stocking my antique booth with Halloween stuff.  If I want to try selling Halloween items on ebay first, then NOW is the time.  So I went through a couple of boxes to see what I had stashed.  I came up with quite a collection of creepy doll heads. 

For the last several years I have come up with a couple of old creepy dolls to sell on ebay around Halloween.  (The complete doll). 

They sell extremely well and I have an unexplainable amount of fun selling them.  Why?

I don't know if it is because it is the final step in upcycling an otherwise trashworthy item. 

Maybe it is the challenge of capturing the "creepy" in photos.

I don't alter the dolls, I just sell them in their well-aged, well-played with condition -- which is enough to send a shiver through most people.

These sold on ebay for $42.

Family Junking Expedition To Fur & Feather Flea Market 8.16.14

My son was home from California last weekend.  Perfect opportunity for a family junking expedition to a local flea market.  Everyone was loaded with small bills.  We hit the flea market early and scattered fast. 

My husband went one direction.  My husband is a freelancer.  Even if I tell him what to look for, he has his own ideas.  He turned up with a super cute orange watering can (no photo, and I sold it the same day.)  He also corralled a galvanized gas can; a box of vintage hair tonic bottles and...

Humboldt, Nebraska bricks.

My son and I went the other way.  He was great for heavy lifting and doesn't get sidetracked by all the great junk. But there were other distractions --  a wide variety of fuzzy and feathered animals, not to mention yummy food vendors.  There were not as many "junk" vendors as in the spring, and the rainy forecast had scared away many people. 

Son and I scored a garden gate, screen door, washtub (sold same day too), two sleds, porch lights, license plates, concrete duck.  Still a ton of fun.

Too Many Oil Lamps, Too Little Time -- Using An Ebay Store

I have a confession.  I am paying someone else to sell something on ebay for me.  Several somethings.  Several oil lamps.  I don't even really like them, but over the past year I had accumulated EIGHT that I had intended to put on ebay.  When I had time (which was never).  Even when I sat down to put things on ebay I would put off doing the oil lamps.  Why?

Oil lamps are not an area I know much about, so I would have to spend a lot of time researching in order to describe them well.

Also, shipping.  My husband does my shipping for ebay and tends to get grouchy when I list breakables.  If the item gets damaged that I've dropped off at the ebay store, they are the ones dealing with the cranky customers and bad feedback.

The oil lamps were just starting to drag me down every time I looked at them.  So I took the whole kit and caboodle over to an "ebay store" (physical building) that has been in our town for a few months.  $5 per item + 20% commission if it sells + ebay fees.  Probably that means I'll be dishing out about 50% of the final price for many of them.  But considering I was toying with giving them away in order to get out from under the emotional drain...I still feel good about the decision.  If it turns out well, I will try to think of other items I would rather not have to do the listing for.

Vintage Bedside Table -- Furniture Redo 8.11.14

I bought a cute little bedside table at the farm sale over the weekend.  It did need a paint job.  I chose Cottage Green Chick (chalk) Paint. 

 

I did two coats, including the interior.

 

After it dried thoroughly I used a wood stain (Early American) to wipe on and immediately off.  I did that instead of distressing because part of the piece of furniture was just particle board.  The stain gave it a nice sense of age.  I painted the interior of the drawer gray. 

I am naming her "Primrose".

Sunday Morning Barn Sale 8.10.14

Sunday morning sales are not very common in this area.  This family was getting ready to move after 30+ years in the same location.  They had cleaned out their barn and sheds.  We were glad we got up early and braved a little rain to shop the results of their efforts.

Lots of tables that looked like this.

 

Glider I bought that needs a little TLC.

Bikes my husband bought.  Classic 1970s.

Top of a carved trunk that said "BABY".

Sad story.

Front of BABY trunk.

Fun little dog that followed her people around everywhere.

You can see the sale in the background.

 

Vintage Faded Sunflower Painting Redo

I pick up cool old frames all the time.  I usually don't even pay attention to the cheap artwork inside.  Selling painted frames is my bread and butter. 

My husband had found this one for me.  I was looking at the frame and sizing it up ... thinking what color paint would look good on it. 

Then I noticed the brass name plate on the bottom.  Darn, something else I would have to mess with.  On second thought, maybe not.  I have some painting skills.  What if I just brought the sunfaded sunflowers back to life? 

All it took was three colors of paint, and I LOVE the finished work.  Worst case scenario?  It doesn't sell like this and I end up painting the frame to sell by itself.

Saturdays Vintage Finds -- Jadeite Joy 8.2.14

It is the only thing Martha Stewart and I have in common -- our hearts rejoice at jadeite.  My heart positively did a jig when the first garage sale I encountered on Saturday had TWO stacks of nesting jadite mixing bowls.  Is this real?  Are you kidding me?  Where is the TV camera?

three nesting lipped mixing bowls

swirl pattern -- two mediums and a large

 

three cereal bowls

As exciting as this find was, jadeite has dropped in value over the last few years.  After checking out the current market value on ebay I decided to just go ahead and sell it at my antique booth.   It all sold in one day.

I also found this stoneware planter with

great lion head and rose swag motif.

I haven't been able to find one like it,

so I need to keep researching.

Friday's Vintage Finds 8.1.14

Katie and I went out sailing this morning.  I wish I had taken pictures of her treasures, but no.  We had a good time, found some fun junk, and ate at Chick-Fil-A  -- a perfect morning. 

I bought four matching octagon jars with lids --

I've gone jar crazy this year.

My favorite find was the metal mesh table.

It only took a few hours for my mailman to snag the staggered plant stand.  I always give him a good deal.  Porch shopping, gotta love it.

Yes, kind of ugly.  I've already spraypainted this gothic pair

a matte black and put new plugs on them.

They look great and are ready for Halloween.