"Wahoo" Antique Wash Stand -- Furniture Redo

I bought this cute antique wash stand from Cindy in Lincoln.  I confess to a weakness for antique wash stands.  The little door...the size...the decades of use that they have survived.  Plus I love empire style dressers, and this had that wonderful curved top drawer.

I painted it an off-white.  There were stains on top that seeped through the paint.  So I distressed and then added a coat of light brown wax.  It was a little streaky and a little too dark. 

So I buffed a little clear wax on the areas that were too brown. (I know, I should have done the clear wax first).  It never really lightened up as much as I would have liked.

I had purchased these four old brass knobs at a garage sale a couple weeks ago for $1.  They were still hanging out in my purse, so I knew right where to find them.

I used a green DIY chalk paint with good ol' Behr paint for the interior of the drawers.

Overall I'm pretty happy with it -- naming it "Wahoo" after it's birthplace.
Resurrected to a new life.

Vintage Chalk Painted & Stamped Planters

Vintage chalk painted and stamped planters -- it is my thing this year.  I love the look.  I love doing it.  I love what I do.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

 

I am still using my antique alphabet stamps on some,

but I started to incorporate decorative stamps too. 

I "make" my own chalk paint most of the time,

so I can choose colors that I really like.

Chalk paint does surprisingly well outside.

If you try stamping planters, look for a waterproof ink that

will last outside.

These are some that I stamped several weeks ago,

but I just finished planting with succulents.

 

I am still creating fairy gardens as the ones in my booth sell.

 

I think if I was a fairy I would live under a forget-me-not plant.

Don't these tiny blooms look like a fairy wonderland?

A few more of the plants I've sold recently.

The photo does not do them justice.

Rusty Chandelier Entrance For May

Katie was asked to decorate the Rusty Chandelier entrance for May, I thought she did a great job.

These guys are hiding under a chair, you really have to look for them.

Love the layering.

Rusty Chandelier is located north of St Joseph MO

at the intersection of I-29 and Hwy 71.

"Gilda" The Antique White Mountain Ice Box -- Furniture Redo

I've always wanted to resurrect an antique ice box.  But the price was usually prohibitive.  I came across one in my price range this week. 

Problem was, it was in my price range because there was no door and the wood peeping through the dirt & paint was in pretty bad shape. 

The good news:  lovely rust interior and chippy white paint over most of the outer surface.  I loved the aged and "experienced" patina.

I wanted to honor those trophies of time and not make the thing look new. 

The poor exposed wood on the lid was dry and dingy, so I used an Early American stain on it and any other exposed wood peeping through the paint.  Then a couple coats of clear wax -- one of my least favorite activities. 

I felt like I kept the goal of retaining her aged & primitive personality. I named her "Gilda". 

Selling it at The Rusty Chandelier, north of St Joseph MO.

Meant For Mint Planter

Did you ever have one of those projects that just seemed to materialize before your eyes with no prior planning?  One that kinda choose you?

I was at Michael's for a different projects when I saw these textured metal letters on sale for 44 cents each.  Problem was...there were only Ns & Ts.  My brain worked quickly to figure if I cut an N through the center and flipped one side it could be a letter M. M,N,T.  Mint.  Cute on a planter. (These days my thought process is either "Cute on a planter" or "Cute as a planter").  Ok, throw them in the cart and worry about it another day.

Fast forward to later the SAME day...I am zipping in to the Rusty Chandelier and a friend wanted me to look at something in her outdoor booth.  While visiting her booth I saw that she was selling...Mint plants.  I kid you not.  I bought a couple and decided I would worry about it another day.

A couple days later when I took the letters out of the sack, I realized they were bigger than I could use on most of the containers that I plant in.  But I had a leftover roasting pan from my Fairy Garden Workshop.  One with nice squarish sides.  I attached the letters (and junk) with nuts and bolts.  Perfect. 

I planted the mint with a border of lovely blue lobelia.  Step back.  Nice.  I love it when an unplanned plan comes together.

Enchanted Fairy Garden Workshop

Barb at the Rusty Chandelier is always trying to get people to do a workshop on something.  I could never really think of anything that I thought was a good subject matter for me, until she suggested I do one on Fairy Gardens. 

They are SOO much fun to make.

I had actually been collecting old roasting pans for about a year.  I had decided they make the very best fairy garden base.  They don't rust.  Great size.  Easy to cart around by the handles.

 I had already purposed in my heart to make at least ten this spring.  So why not bring all the supplies, and have the "students" be able to personalize their own?

I brought the roasting pans already filled with soil and ready to roll. Other items that I provided: pea gravel,  interesting rocks, marbles, blue glass for water, shells, a Fairy House (which can be personalized) for each garden, a variety of hardy succulents, small & hearty blooming annuals, "yard" signs, bird baths, gazing balls, fences, a flag banner, and a wide collection of miniature figures and decorations.

This was my "example" Fairy Garden.

The workshop was outside of the Rusty Chandelier last Saturday.  There was a nice break in the rain and the temperature was perfect.

End results were happy people...

 

and happy fairies.

Des Moines Junk Jubilee Journal

So much junking going on that I haven't had a chance to conclude a post about the trip Katie and I made from Lincoln to the Des Moines Junk Jubilee.  That's right, we drove we our full vanload of treasures right from garage sale mania in Lincoln (click here to see post on leg one of our trip) to Junk Jubilee in Des Moines. The two cities make a perfect triangle from where we live. 

We arrived in Des Moines Thursday night.  Went downtown to Zombie Burger - yum. 

Made a quick stop at Architectural Salvage because I had seen it on an episode of The Bachelor and thought it was so cool.

Paid for "early bird" tickets that got us in to Junk Jubilee at 8:00 AM on Friday.  (It was money very well spent).  We drooled, browsed and bought before the big crowd hit at 10 AM.  This was the residual line at 10:30 AM, as we were leaving!

This was my favorite booth,

RETECH upcycled industrial lighting.  So creative.

If you look at the monitor really closely,

you can see Katie and I grinning in awe at this creation.

So much inspiration.

So much junk,

so little time.

Had a good laugh when we found my camera which I had lost in Lincoln.  (I made Katie take all of our Des Moines picts.)  When we were cutting the ropes that held junk on top of the van upon our arrival home, Katie found my camera loosely wedged under the back luggage rack.  It had ridden there for hundreds of miles, several downpours and still worked!

Adding A Little More Podge To My Modge Podge Suitcase

Wednesday I went with my friend Marcia to the Sparks, KS flea market.  The weather was perfection.
I picked up four old windows, two old hats, this darling doll head, deer antlers, a white mountain ice box (which I'll be posting on later), and a suitcase.  The suitcase had some slightly faded Victorian themed cut outs that had been modge podged on to it.  I would have preferred it without the décor, but the price was RIGHT.  I thought that I might be able to remove or paint over the decorations -- no and no.  So I joined the party.

I got out my baggy of Victorian "scraps".   Mine were the real deal, over a hundred years young.  Bright and beautiful.  I glued them on and around the existing slightly faded repros.

They were still in keeping with the established Victorian garden theme.

Don't you love the hardware on this guy?

The inside is in good condition too.

Same day I picked them up I had rehabbed

the suitcase and one of the windows.

I was inspired.