Fall Is In The Air

Paris Gray

The weather around here lately has me dreaming of Paris. Not that it's been bad or anything, jut slightly overcast skies that produce what I like to call Paris Gray. It's a gray that falls between "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" gray and "Monday Monday" gray. Both good and bad, like change. Yep, it's almost fall alright. And no better way to get in the mood than by indulging my senses with all things Parisian. This picture fits the bill.  

Hello, Lover

Anyone who deals in antiques and other curiosities can well attest to this phenomenon known as 'attachment.' To objects, that is. And I'm no exception. We go to flea markets and such with the intention to purchase wares for our booths and stores, but as so often happens, one gets, well, attached. Its not at all hard to do. Take this beauty that I discovered not long ago.

I spotted her a mile away, and walked as quickly as my little feet could take me for I knew she'd be snapped up in a heartbeat. The lines, creamy color and pink seat drew me in immediately. 

Those lines. The perfect color combination of cream and pink. And are those roses, my favorite flowers, in the iron? Oh my! I hadn't seen such beautiful intricate iron work in awhile. With nary a thing wrong with her, I was smitten.

I just love how the roses are distressed with the bits of pink showing through. Tres romantique, n'est pas? But of course, looks can be decieving. I had to make sure she was up to the task of, well, people sitting on her, so I sat down to asess the comfort factor. Very comfy. I inspected her for any structural issues. None. Iron is quite sturdy, you know. It took me less than a second to agree to the price, very good by the way, as I noticed a gal waiting in the wings to snatch her up should I have walked away. I had in mind where to place her at my booth, and knew she'd make a lovely addition. 

But deep down, I knew that wasn't going to happen. At least not right away. This chair would fit perfectly in someones sun room, deck, or patio. But honestly, she's so comfortable- I have her at my desk in my bedroom- and so pretty, that I'm enjoying her for myself for now.

Is that selfish? A little maybe. Do I feel guilty? Not at all. After all, that's why she was made, I think. To bring a smile to the face of whoever uses her. In this case, c'est moi.

For now.

Plate Rack Inspiration

Having not blogged for well over six months now, I've no idea where to start. I guess its always best to start at the beginning (or in my case restart) so I'll try there. But which beginning? There have been many! A lot has happened since February or, whenever my last post was.

Well, since this blog is about my passions of antiquing/decorating and creating my 'perfect' idea of home, that's what I'll focus on. I mentioned in a previous post that I rented out a small booth space at the antique mall. Well, I still have it and it's going...OK. Not great, not stellar (one of these months I will make my rent!). But I told myself this when I first got going; I wasn't in it for the money so, I'm not too terribly disappointed. The thing is, stuff is selling. Every month I sell several items. That's a good thing. In fact, its fantastic! I'm thrilled when something sells. It means people are stopping to look at my stuff. It also means, at least to me anyway, that I'm on the right track.

So while I haven't made a mint, what I have gained thus far is way more precious than gold, IMHO. Hands-on experience. Knowledge about the industry. And mostly, personal satisfaction and a pure sense of achievement when I finish a project and put it out to sell. For example:

I uncovered an unassuming but potentially darling plate rack (very 'in' item, BTW) at Goodwill for...wait for it...only...drum roll please...$4.99!! I apologize but I can't seem to find a before picture! Gahh!!! Take my word for it though, she was dark, ugly, and dated. But the swirls, curves throughout and rope detail made it worthwhile. I loved all the little hooks for hanging cups! And for only $5 I wasn't going to complain.

After a few coats of flat paint (I chose Behr 'Hazy Skies'' for this piece), a little distressing and some minwax, she looked like this:

                                              


I almost kept her for myself, which is another topic unto itself but, alas, she fit in perfectly with my other things at the booth and will go home happily with someone else.

Now, all I have to do is repeat like, a thousand more times~ given all the to-do projects I have stored in my garage~ and then I'll be in business. Sigh...if only there were enough hours in a day to do that. But I do what I can. That is, whenever I'm not doing this:

                                                     




Hey, it's still summer after all!

Whimsy Lives Here

Just two of my favorite things. I got these tassels at a 'going out of business' sale for $5 each. The little monkey guy's collar bits and his nose was broken off. But it's those little imperfections that make him unique. I love the busy bees on the other one. I have nothing else in my home that is bee or monkey related, except for my son, who is a little monkey himself. But that didn't stop me from purchasing these. I'm definitely of the 'buy what you love' mindset, even if it's a bit mismatched. And I would encourage anyone to do likewise. Eventually, I knew I'd find a home for them.

Message in Bottles

I recently started collecting clear glass bottles. And as you can see, my collection is quite small by collector's standards. I was at the antique mall earlier today in fact, and there were literally whole entire booths with these kinds of bottles. That's pretty serious hardcore bottle gatherings. I rather like my small collection. I don't clean the bottles as I think the stains add to their charm. I especially love the one to the far right. It's actually a baby bottle. If you look close enough, you can see the measurement markings. Makes me wonder about the baby or babies that may have drank out of it. Who were they? and Where are they now? That's the thing I love most about antiquing. The history behind each piece and the stories they tell. Since I have no way of reaching the previous owners, I entertain my own thoughts and make up stories as I go along. I'd like to think that the baby who drank out of the bottle was a chubby little guy with big fat rolls of fat around his thighs. He grew up to be a very happy lad, indeed. As for the other bottles? Well, they were found washed up on the shores of Canon Beach here in Oregon, containing messages of hope, peace and love.

The End.