Monday, November 30, 2015

TWO Framed Christmas Chalkboards

I have to give it to my husband, he is the chalkboard master.  So, even if I have to wait a few weeks for him to get "back to the old chalkboard", it is worth the wait.

I had these two matching framed chalkboards ready
for an autumn greeting, but it took him awhile
to get to them...

so now they are greeting winter.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Christmas Vintage Booth At The RUsty Chandelier

My antique booth at the Rusty Chandelier doesn't usually merit a posting.  But last week I brought in the Christmas bling.  WOW factor.

The ornaments look so great bunched together.
And they have been flying off the shelves.
I sold tons before I thought to take photos.



Here are some of my bleached bottle brush trees.
They have also been selling already.
I have more in a bleach bath as I write this!

I always have a Christmas area for the people
who only do whites.
 
I saved the best for last.  I managed to corral a huge population of blow-mold
Santas this year -- I decorated my booth header with the smaller ones.
 

Thursday, November 26, 2015

2015 Edition Bleached Bottlebrush Trees

Last year I used a lot of rusty hardware on the bleached bottle brush trees.  This year I incorporated zinc canning lids, porcelain insulators, string balls and some kitschy ceramic pieces.  Here is the end result:


I did find a few more tin star reflectors, so I used them both last year and this year.  They are probably my favorite base for bottle brush trees because they have such a primitive look.

The deer are candleholders,
I stuck corks in the holes and
drilled holes in the cork to insert the trees.

Baby shoes crammed with a doile,
mercury glass bulbs, an angel
and a little bottle brush tree.

These I glued wooden spools in the bottom
and glued the trees into the hole of the spool.

Candle huggers now are tree huggers.
I have already sold so many of these that I have
had requests for more, but I have moved on to other projects.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Snow Shovel (Hoarding) Stenciling

Last year I was surprised at the end of the "buying season" to find I had hoarded sleds.  They just slowly accumulated, one at a time sneaking into my shed until I was an honorary member of Sled-Owners Anonymous.  This year it seems to be snow shovels.

I think I didn't even get started until mid-summer.
I just considered how cool (one of the green) shovels looked.
Like a blank slate, just waiting for some winter inspiration.
Then I started finding all sorts of  other "blank slates".
 
My only prerequisite was that they be metal.
 
And then I got to work stenciling them...

For the above two I used a top from an old
Shiny Brite Box as a stencil for the Christmas Tree.
 
I thought a snowflake design was
the most appropriate.

Love the wear that this one shows.

This is my favorite,
I love the yellow peeking through.
 
I am scaring myself a little --
I caught myself admiring a cool looking rake the other day....

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Vintage Christmas Themed Entryway At The Rusty Chandelier

Katie has done another great job of decorating the front entryway of the Rusty Chandelier Vintage Mall.  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Lovely Christmas branch skirt accent with
ribbon, Christmas ornaments and peacock feather.

Those green twisty trees in the back were
on some type of heavy equipment,
and SO perfect as Christmas trees.

Katie made the rag garland  in the back,
and has had to make several "replacements" already.

Cute little kiddie corner.

Giant tool holder.

Somehow I didn't manage to get a photo of the entire
chicken coop, but this is a gray one that I had brought in.

Always love old lawn chairs,
they have the best chippy layers.

New poster on an old chalkboard,
and a vintage twirling Christmas tree.
  (I should have bought the tree!!!)

Friday, November 20, 2015

Primitive Old-Upcycled Bench "Cramer"

We need to remember that our generation did not invent upcycling.  It used to be a way of life.  Nothing was thrown away or wasted.

This primitive bench started life about 120 years ago as a plush Victorian settee.  Somewhere along the line the fabric probably wore away and someone just removed the fabric and foundation underneath.  It was replaced with old crate pieces.  The family owned a general store in a little town, so they just used what they had -- and that was crates.  What we do with pallets today, they did with fruit and produce crates then.

I loved the different colors and types of wood that were used.  The foundation of the original settee was oak, but many types of wood were used from the recycled wood that was added for slats.  I accented this a little more by using some dark stain on a few of the slats.  I added a thin coat of satin poly over everything for protection of the piece, and to protect people from some of the rougher boards that had been used.

One of the boards in the seat had the name "Cramer" stenciled on it, so I am naming the piece Cramer.

I am running low on furniture stored up to restock my booth when something sells.  I had just finished working on this piece on Monday.  Wednesday I got a call that a big piece had sold. So I took this in on Thursday. The first customer who spied it bought it, but I did manage to get a picture of it with a member of it's new family.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Bleaching Bottlebrush Trees Tutorial

I'm not much into doing tutorials.  That is, if there are other places where you can find the information on the internet.  This is my second year of doing a mass bottlebrush tree bleaching, and I think I have some good tips. 

What you will need:
     -- bottle brush trees (I bought mine at Michael's)
     -- bleach (only $1 at Dollar Tree)
     -- wide tooth comb
     -- sharp scissors
     -- tub or tray to put wet trees in

1.  If you have the old-school top-opening washing machine, do the bleaching in there.  I did two multi-packs of trees + a couple I got at a garage sale = 44 of various sized trees.  I filled the washer with just enough water to cover the bigger trees (laying down). Turn off the machine after it gets high enough so that the water just sits there. Then I added about three cups of bleach.  I had a busy day, so mine sat in there about 8 hours before I messed with them, you could do less.

2.  Put the washer on the "drain" cycle, but don't let it spin.  When the bleached water has drained, then fill the washer with fresh water to the level you did it the first time.

3.  Now the fun.  Grab a tree by the base and let it drain into the washer. (Most tutorials finish here). This is a good time to straighten it if the wire "trunk" has been bent.  Holding it down inside the washer (to keep the mess captive) comb out the "branches".  The big glops of "snow" will come off, but you will still have some left.  You will begin to notice long pieces sticking out from the tree farther than they should (these were previously stuck in the snow glop).

3.  Over a trash can, give the tree a haircut.  Follow the triangular lines of the tree.  It is pretty easy to eyeball.  Just make sure there aren't a lot of flyaway pieces.

4.  Comb the tree out a second time.  Try to get all the "branches" parallel to the "trunk".  Make sure when you set it down to dry it is looking good, because this is how the branches will be directed when dry. This is what makes a tree really look good. Set it to dry standing upright.  It will continue to drain a little, so in a plastic tub or bathtub is a good idea.
(After you drain the washer this time, wipe it out with a paper towel.)

5.  Optional:  I am not a perfectionist, but after my trees are dry I do the comb/cut thing one last time. 

I think you will be surprised how much better your trees look after this process.  If you have a tree that gets smushed, this is also a good way to revive it (plain water bath, comb, trim).  I like this method because I can do a lot of trees at once, and the mess is contained.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Three Upcycled Christmas Wreaths

I always like to make 2-3 Christmas wreaths every year.  I buy enough kitschy Christmas items, that 2 or 3 Christmas themes usually evolve for the wreaths.

I  buy my wreaths at a garage sales.
You can get them cheap, and it is a great way to recycle.
I actually took a picture of two of the "befores"!
 
 
I usually end up with a bunch of santas,
(click  HERE  to see my Santa wreath from last year)
maybe not all that great by themselves -- but a whole flock
of flocked santas is very appealing.
Add a touch of vintage holly, some recycled poinsettias,
and some great vintage Christmas bulbs.
Notice I kept the original bow?
 
 The grapevine wreath lent itself well to the herd of little carved
wooden camels that I corralled this summer.
And I decided to make this wreath a nativity theme.
 
 
The last wreath my husband entitled
"It's Reining Deer".
I used some of my mercury glass Christmas bulbs,
see mercury glass bulb tutorial  HERE  ,
and little silver beads from a necklace that recently
fell apart.  It also got to keep it's original bow.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Friday The 13th Vintage Finds 11.13.15

We have had such a lovely, mild autumn in our area.  I think it has really prolonged the garage sale / estate sale season.  Just about the time I get all melancholy thinking that "saling" season is over, then another one pops up.

This was a fun sale.
And indoors, which was fortunate because it was about 40 degrees.

All the usual suspects were there to shop
and many more besides.
Here is Marcia looking over the jewelry.

This was an estate sale in my little town,
so I knew the family as well.
The sisters did a great job of organizing,
including having two check-out stations.

I don't know whose stash this was,
but it looked like some fun finds.

My friend Leisa is part of the third generation of the family,
she was kept busy hauling for people all day.

There were many unique vintage items.

Many linens.

Happy customers.

These are a few of the items I came home with.

 And a few more.
A good finale to junking season.
(Do I keep saying that?  Must be the melancholy)

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Vintage Shiny Brites Into Mercury Glass Christmas Bulbs Tutorial

This process is a little time consuming, but it is a great way to use those slightly flakey, dirty or sticky (eek) solid colored Christmas bulbs that you come across.  You can usually find these second rate bulbs pretty cheap, and the transformation is awesome.  People love the mercury glass because the neutral silver non-color goes with everything and they have an awesome patina.

First remove all the metal hangers, and set them aside.

When working with the ornaments, make sure the stem is at the bottom at all times.  If a little water gets in, it ruins the ornaments.  So, hold the ornament under a medium flow of warm water with the stem downward for a few seconds.  Give each of your little patients a turn under the water, I use a wire cookie rack to keep the stem downward until it is their "turn" again.

After the third or fourth round of rinsing the outside, a good portion of the outer paint should be washed off.  For the last round gently use a wet washcloth to scrub any stubborn areas (still be sure to hold the stem downward during this procedure). 

Gently dry (holding stem down for goodness sakes!) with a cotton dish towel.  Set aside for a final drying in the rack (yes, with the stem down!)  Give the bulbs several hours like this before replacing hangers.  I promise you, you'll be hooked.

Blue Hearts & The End Of My Blog

Early on during the corona virus, I did this project. When we put scalloped wood trim on the guest cottage door, we had some of the trim ...