Scrabble Tile Wall Art

I am finally starting to get my crafting mojo back after a few months of the winter blahs, thanks to some of my fellow crafters and friends who have been sharing some great ideas and projects lately! My friend Sara made this awesome wall plaque using burlap and Scrabble tiles, which I would LOVE to recreate for my booth at The Carriage Place!

I just adore the burlap and scrabble tiles together, so I decided to make a shadow box for my friend with the names of her expanding family. She is due in a few months to add a little boy named Henry to the crew!

So here are the supplies I used! An 8″ x 10″ shadow box from Joann’s, some Scrabble tiles that I found at Goodwill (bought the whole game for $2 and now have 100 letters to work with! Great deal!), some burlap, rusty tin shapes to accent the final project, and my trusty glue gun!

I would recommend laying out your names/words ahead of time to make sure they fit properly in your frame or shadow box. As you can see from my drawing, the names fit nicely on an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper, but I couldn’t find a shadow box in that size. Now that I am done, I would have liked to get one a little bigger than 8″ x 10″, as it was cutting it a bit close to the edges. I think it would have been more visually appealing to have some space around the names – see the final product and let me know what you think!

I laid the names out on the cardboard insert to make sure they fit!

I then hot glued the pieces together, to make it easier to line them up on the background.

Cut the burlap to the size of the cardboard insert of the frame or shadow box. It was easy to cut it straight using the lines of the burlap as guides.

Warning: the burlap gets everywhere when you cut it! If you have an anal-retentive significant other like I do, I would suggest laying down some newspaper or else you’d be cleaning up all the little burlap fuzzies that cling to EVERYTHING! hehehe…

I used small dots of hot glue on the corners and around the edges to hold the burlap background in place.

Lay down the puzzle-pieces and glue the names together! Make sure they are straight!

I tried many different rusty tin accents, from little salt box houses, to hearts, to stars. I decided to go with one large star in the corner; I didn’t want it too “busy”.

Tip: Use a blow dryer on the hot setting to dissolve any hot glue string that may be on your project. After a few seconds they just disappear!

And here’s the final product! Again, I wish there was more space above the “M” in Melanie and below the “Y” in Henry. Because of my mild OCD tendencies, I may just have to go back and get a 12″ x 12″ shadow box and replace the 8″ x 10″. It’s really bugging me! lol.

UPDATE! I got a slightly larger shadow box (10″ x 10″) to create a little more space above and below the names. It was bothering me how scrunched they looked. This new shadow box is perfect! I also corrected Christine’s name…it was spelled wrong, in case anyone noticed!

I also thought I would share some updated photos of my booth at the co-op after a little re-organizing! I like to just move stuff around once in a while to keep it looking “fresh” and different. There are not a lot of crafts in there; more antiques and vintage items. I hope to get some more hand made stuff in there this Spring!

Thanks for stoppin’ by! Happy crafting!

P.S. I apologize for the random links in my post(s), that when you hover over them with your mouse, says “coupon drop down” or something like that. I am not making those links  -  it’s must be a virus or spam type action that’s automatically appearing here and there. Don’t click them. Sorry!

Easy Thanksgiving Favors: Rolo Pretzel Turtles

I have to apologize for the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. I kinda had a craft-overload leading up to my show at the beginning of the month and needed a break! You know, let the tips of my fingers heal from all the hot glue burns….hehe!

So, in honor of Turkey Day, I made up some yummy little favors to bring to my Mom’s for dinner. I admit, I really just wanted an excuse to make these treats cause they are SO stinkin’ good! The salty crunch of pretzels with chocolate, caramel, and pecans? A-MAZING!

You’ll need: treat bags, twine, some homespun fabric torn into thin strips, and some little “Happy Thanksgiving” tags of some sort. I found this vintage “Thanksgiving Greetings” graphic online and printed it out on some heavy stock paper. You could personalize some homemade tags or print out virtually anything to decorate your favors!

Here’s the free graphic, downloaded from littlebirdieblessings.blogspot.com, if you’d like to use it

For the Rolo Pretzel Turtles, you’ll seen small pretzels (these square ones work best), some shelled pecans and a bag of Rolo’s! Chocolate wafers (melting chocolate for candy making) also work great if you want to nix the caramel.

Place the Rolo’s on top of the pretzels and put them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees. The Rolo’s should be softened and warmed though, but not melted. Immediately place a pecan half on each one, pressing it down into the softened Rolo! Yuuuuum!

Tip: A foil lined baking tray makes for very easy clean up.

Put some in a treat bag and tie with a little strip of homespun fabric. You could also add some raffia for a nice Fall look!

Use a hole punch to punch small holes in the corners of the tags…

And tie on your tag with some twine. Cute, quick, easy, and super yummy favors that everyone will LOVE, guaranteed!

Before I go, I thought I’d share some photos of my newly re-arranged booth at The Carriage Place! I made the decision to condense back down to one booth, because I felt that one full booth was better than two sparse booths. It was getting hard to keep up with both spaces between working full time and all the other projects I have going on. I am back in my corner booth and it’s looking fresh and over-flowing with all kinds of vintage and primitive goodies!

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving, and a great long weekend with family and friends! Thank you again for all the very sweet comments, tips, and feedback you all have left for me – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. When it comes to being thankful, I am most certainly thankful for all the support and love from all my fellow crafters out there!

One Step Thrift Store Makeovers

Thank you so much for all of the great ideas and suggestions on how to “fix” my ruler table. I agree with those who believe it soaked up too much stain because of the light, balsa-wood material of the rulers. I ended up sanding the crap out of it and just spraying on a layer of poly. It is noticeably lighter now. I didn’t want to try to remove all the rulers because I know I used a LOT of glue and it wouldn’t be worth the time and effort. I figure I can use it as a “display” table for now and slap a price tag on it, and maybe someone will like that super-grungy look.

Next time I will either experiment with a LIGHT stain BEFORE gluing them down, or not use stain at all…just a clear coat! I actually kinda like it now, even though it still doesn’t look like the original “Pinterest” project. Lesson learned!

Some other projects that have been in the works are a few easy makeovers of some items found at thrift stores. The first one was this awesome, primitive set of pine drawers, missing one knob. I’ve been looking high and low for a matching knob but of course couldn’t find one.

Since I didn’t have 4 matching knobs, I decided to change them out for 4 white, mis-matched knobs! Took off all the knobs and drilled larger holes for the NEW knobs!

Here are the knobs I chose! It’s now a functional storage piece with a little sass! Even though the knobs are different, I feel like it “works”…what do you think?

I got this large “S” from the thrift store for super cheap. I scooped it up immediately because I know large letters, either spelling out a word or by themselves, are a very popular decorating trend right now. It had some scratches and was really dirty. After dusting it off a bit and a fresh coat of black satin spray paint…

It will wait for that special “S” name person to pick it up and hang it on their wall!

And lastly, my favorite makeover, this mason jar lamp turned chic button lamp! I got the mason jar lamp base at the salvo (I know, I couldn’t believe it either) and picked up the shade at Walmart for $8. I have been looking for a shade forever and this one was so awesome I had to splurge a bit!

I filled the mason jar with charcoal gray buttons that matched the shade perfectly. I put a toilet paper roll stuffed with brown craft paper down the middle so I only had to use half the buttons to fill it up. I use this trick to preserve “fillers” and therefore save $!!!

How adorable is this lamp?? “French-cottage-chic”, or something like that…

Hmmm…to keep or to sell…that is the question….

Hope you enjoyed my mini makeovers, that really required very little effort! I love EASY!!! Have a great weekend my crafty blog friends!

Some Recent Thrift Store Finds and Updated Pics from The Carriage Place

It’s been complete chaos in my house between trying to keep my booth at The Carriage Place stocked up and getting my new Etsy store up and running! And I’m excited to announce it’s officially up! I’ve only got a handful of items listed right now but plan on adding more in the very near future!

You can check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/UpstatePrimitives?ref=si_shop.

In the mean time I thought I’d share some recent “finds” that I’ve accumulated from various thrift stores over the last couple weeks. I got two extra large glass mason jars, a cool apothecary jar, a reproduction stoneware jug, a flower frog and little Anchor Hocking piggy bank.

I also found this awesome yellow lamp a few days ago and I HAD to have it!!! It’s sorta ugly but COOL! Lighting sells well at the co-op. I can see it in a cottage or lake house, or in someone’s funky retro living room…

And some “Americana” items…a little late for Independence Day, but still always a popular theme!

I LOVE this repro game board that was handcrafted by a local artist in 2008. Great wall art.

And something I pick up any time I see them…vintage BUTTONS! These will be going up in the Etsy shop soon. Love em for crafting or just filling up random jars and displaying them.

I was able to get over to the co-op yesterday and do some re-arranging and re-stocking. Here are some updated pics!

These wooden pieces were hand crafted by my step-dad Mike. He has made these mini hutches, some candle boxes, horseshoe boxes and milking stools. They are made of very old wood and constructed the old-fashioned way – hand sanded, knobs hand turned, and old square head nails. He does incredible work!

I have another cool project in the works and will be posting about it soon. In the mean time hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their summer! Later gators!

An Enamel Top Table Fixer-Upper and a GREAT Day of Pickin’!!!

First off, I wanted to say thank you to all of the awesome, encouraging comments people have been leaving here on my blog lately. I really never expected so many people to actually read and follow it! I really appreciate it and thank each and every one of you who have stopped by to say hello!

So of course I forgot to take a before picture of this enamel top table I got at a garage sale, but trust me, it was pretty rough. The top and leaves were in good shape, but the wooden base was all stained and the metal legs were very rusty. I started by removing the legs and painting the wooden table base black.

I thought I could shine up the chrome legs with some steel wool but after scrubbing them ruthlessly, the rust would not budge. It had actually eaten through and was pitted in some areas. I also scrapped the project and was going to leave the legs as is, but I stumbled across this shiny “metal” spray paint and thought I may as well try it out. First, I steel-wooled the crap out of the legs to smooth them out as much as possible.

Wow, it actually worked! Looks great!!!

The spray paint worked better than I anticipated and gave them back that “chrome” look! Even up close, it’s very convincing!

I even painted the old plastic drawer pull with the metal spray paint, to match the legs. I love how it turned out and hope someone snatches it up to enjoy on a porch or a  sun room!

In recent “pickin’” news…I had the best day EVER last Saturday and scored a bunch of great primitives!

Got a couple new crates which have been selling like hot cakes!

Some great firkin buckets…

A country tool/flat-ware carrier…

A super primitive wooden bowl

A wonderful red painted planting box / crate

A green vintage suitcase and an enamelware “slop bucket”

And a red silk-lined case of some sort. Wonder what it was used to carry?

Lastly are these fun, quirky vintage pins! I bought a crate at a garage sale and it was filled with these colorful old pins, some of which I found kind of humorous. Like “Preppies are people too…” There were probably about 40-50 of them. I love little chotchkies like these…they are just FUN!

That’s all for today! Have a great weekend!!!

Repurposing an Antique Level

I’m all about simple, EASY make-overs and repurposing old JUNK! I got a good one for ya – an old level turned key holder!

I got this piece out of a huge box lot from an auction a while back that cost me $1.00. It was really grungy, so I wiped it down with some Murphy’s Oil Soap. I love how cleaning it up really brought the red out!

Hammered in a wall hanger on the back…

…and a few cool hooks on the front, found at Hobby Lobby!

I thought about doing it horizontally, but I liked the vertical look better! And to make hanging easy, the actual little glass level tube still works, inside that little hole!

Total cost: $5 for the hardware. I always wait until the knobs/hooks at HL are 50% off, which is fairly often. The level was practically free when you count all the crap that came in that box lot!

ANNNND, I have some other exciting news! I am expanding to another small booth at The Carriage Place! This is the crappy booth that I will be taking over…say GOODBYE coffee mugs, crappy vases, and ugly 80′s fake flower wreaths!!! Muahahahaha! (please note: my opinions are not necessarily those of The Carriage Place Co-op!!)

I painted it an olive green because I thought this big cupboard that I am going to use to display a lot of “smalls” would really pop. It’s still pretty empty but I will be fillin’ er up over these next few weeks!

I spent the weekend doing lots of little projects and cleaning up some neat “picks” so I will be sure to share those soon! Have a junk-tastic week ya’ll!

Cleaning Old Glass Bottles

I picked up a lot of really cool old glass bottles at auction a few months ago and they have been sitting in my basement waiting to be cleaned. I have been avoiding it because I have never really had good luck cleaning these kinds of bottles. My good friend “Junkin’ June” told me to try using warm salt water and boy did it work great! There are tons of wacky chemical recipes online to clean old bottles, but I must say this is quick, easy, and I am happy with the results. They are not all CRYSTAL clear, but much clearer than when I started.

Here are the bottles I started with. Lots of grime and dirt…

My fave is this embossed giraffe bottle that was full of mud and muck…

I started by soaking them in a hot water & salt mixture for about a half hour. Mind you, this is all experimental. I am guessing that letting them soak longer would have made it even more easy to swish out the grime. Put in probably about a half cup of salt into this bowl.

I also have this little brush that came with a set of pastry frosting tubes (for cleaning them). Works great on old bottles with really skinny necks!

I found a similar one available at Walmart. Kind of expensive ($12 for this piece of wire…nice…) but if you are into old bottles, it might just be worth it.

After they soaked, I swished around the water inside the bottle and shook it really good. I added more salt to make a “salt sludge” supposedly the grittiness of the salt helps clean the inside. I also used the little wire brush to get even more gunk off. The giraffe bottle came out nice and shiny!

Some of the bottles had lots of cool bubbles, indicating their age. “A bubble is an air bubble that became trapped in the glass during the manufacturing process. Bubbles are not considered damage. In fact, bubbles usually add to the appeal of old glass. Glass made after about 1920 does not usually have bubbles.” – http://www.antiquebottles.com

This Dr. Ellis bottle came clean for the most part, but has some rusty discoloration that wouldn’t budge. It’s okay though. Love the design of the bottle. It’s not too valuable – maybe $5-10. It dates from the 30′s-40′s and is one of a series of Dr. Ellis hair product bottles.

A much cleaner Atwood’s Jaundice Bitters Bottle, valued at $10-$15

I did not soak this bottle because I did not to lose what is left of this beautiful old label. I did use the salt water to scrub the outside of the bottle around the label, and also swished it around inside to clean it out.

In other news, I picked up this frickin awesome, HEAVY reproduction cast iron bank at the Goodwill recently. Though it is a reproduction, I know I can make a few bucks off it. For bank collectors or golf enthusiasts, it would be a fun piece to have.

As far as my other picking lately, I got this really cool antique church pew on Craigslist. It is in great condition and has some nice detail. I love this look for a hallway or entryway.

And I also got a cute little garage sale telephone bench:

I have been doing a lot of picking and thrifting and not a lot of crafting lately. I just signed up for the annual craft show up in the North Country and my wheels are spinning trying to think of some new crafty ideas. It’s in early November this year instead of mid-December, so I will try to throw in a few FALLish crafts as well. Hmmmm….

Til next time! Have a great weekend!

Post Full O’ Pictures! Arizona & My Booth!

So this is where I spent all of last week…

HEAVEN!! We were in Arizona visiting family and got the pleasure of enjoying this lovely pool and perfect weather the whole week!!! Nothing but blue skies and sunshine! Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the week!

Wheels and I on the sky ride over the zoo! Awwwww….

“Hey, you lookin’ at me?” LOL…

Giraffe kisses! Yuck!

Me, Greg and Uncle Eugene

Aiden and I on the log ride!

And my very own stud muffin getting his tan on…hehehe….sorry Greg, I had to!!!

Anyway, I’m back home and getting back into the groove of things and trying to gather up some new stuff for my booth since I sold a ton while I was gone! Wooohooo! A good problem to have!

One piece I wanted to share is this thrift store mason jar lamp that I paired with a shade from Dollar General! Mason jar lamps are so popular because you can “customize” them to hold whatever you want. Who knew Dollar General would have shades; let alone such CUTE ones!

I left the jar empty this time…people can use their imaginations!

And here are some updated booth pictures! And by updated, I mean just before I left…it already looks so different!

I’m loving this trend of stacking vintage suitcases as little side tables or decorative stands! Picked these up over the last few weeks at estate sales!

I found this awesome green desk/hutch on Craigslist and it wasn’t in the shop a week…SOLD! I am trying to get a few small furniture pieces here and there, and they seem to be selling quite well.

Decorated my shutter with a bunch of hanging spoons…

And an old card table and small green end table…both from Craigslist!!!

One of my new favorite pieces is this old chair missing its seat, which has been replaced with a large basin and pitcher. Such a cute way to display. It would even look great with a big enamel bowl. These items are courtesy of my friend June’s barn that she let me go PICKIN’ in!!!

Got a bag full of vintage pins at an estate sale; a mix of political buttons and many Paul McCartney ones! I like having fun little chotchkies like these!

And I learned something interesting about this stoneware jug from some regulars that come into the shop that are stoneware experts! See that little green spot?

At first I thought it was a blemish and would affect the value of the piece. And in fact it does affect the value, but in a positive way! It is called a “turkey eye” and is actually a drip from the top of the kiln from when the jug was made. Apparently it is rare and desirable among collectors!

Well guess that’s all for now. I have so many to-do’s on my list. Can’t wait for the Spring weather to officially get here so I can break out the paint brush and make-over some pieces, including a HUGE, beautiful $20 roll top desk I picked up off the side of the road! It’s in great structural condition but needs a coat of paint to freshen it up.

Have a great week my picker pals!

Making-Over A Craigslist Sewing Table

This was a really fun and EASY make-over project on a sewing table that I got on Craigslist. Someone had already converted it into a table and took off the original top that contained the sewing machine – so I got lucky there. However, the brackets holding the drawers were rigged up with cheap pieces of molding and were almost falling off.  The top front drawer had trouble sliding in and out as one of the little wooden slots was broken. Also, the knob that came on that little drawer was yellowed and gross.

I have seen sewing drawers being sold online in Etsy, Ebay, etc. as decorative storage and so I decided I would sell the drawers separately. I simply unscrewed the crappy brackets holding in the drawers…

And then took off this part as well:

See that gross little knob? It had to go. Replacing knobs is such an easy and cost-effective way to create a new look!

The contenders were this one on the left from Michael’s (in the $1 bin!!!) or this cute olive green one from Hobby Lobby that I just picked up on sale (50% off = $1.50 knob that looks exactly like a $8.00 Anthropologie knob!)

I chose the one with the key hole graphic first, but quickly decided I didn’t like how it looked with the wood.

I decided to go with the green knob. The knob screw was really long so I chopped it with my bolt cutter. They cut screws like butter! Love those things!!!

I also repaired the bracket where this drawer slides in and out. The wood was split and didn’t hold the drawer in correctly. A little wood glue and an over night clamping, and she was good to go!

Ta-da! Love the finished look. I almost want to keep it! I love the cast iron against the wood – it’s such a great re-use of this old sewing table!

I am selling the drawers separately. Already sold one!

This one (below) is a random sewing drawer I picked up at an estate sale for super CHEAP…and I LOVE the carving on the front!

Here are some examples of ways to decorate with sewing drawers! I did a simple Google search of “decorating with sewing drawers” and came up with some neat ideas:

Paint and add a wood applique…love this!

I love REPURPOSING the beautiful old pieces!  They are all different, some more elaborate than others, so there is one for every kind of decor. Well I guess that’s all for now. Off to do a little “junkin” today – I’m off til Monday…wooohooooo! Hope everyone is having a great week!

A Shutter Shelf and Stamped Wooden Tags

So on Wednesday night I did a massive overhaul on my booth and moved it all around to “freshen it up” and add some new stuff. Nothing worse than a booth that has the same crap and never ever changes! I decided I wanted another shelf for display, so I created a shelf using one of my wooden shutters and some funky brackets I found at Hobby Lobby. Using some drywall screws, and the help of a few of my co-op buddies,  I now have an awesome new shelf that fits my decor perfectly! Not to mention a RECYCLED shelf….I am all about going “GREEN” lately!

These cast iron brackets were only $3 a piece! Score!

Here it is after I loaded it up with STUFF! That bunny in the front is a thrift store find from the other day. Isn’t he cute?? I added the homespun ties around his neck and his carrot, just to jazz him up a bit.

This other project last night was on a total whim and had surprisingly good results! I have had these wooden tags in my stock of supplies for at least a year. I thought, wonder if I can stamp these…?

But first, I had to distress them a bit and make them look not-so-brand-spankin-new. I was going to break out the Minwax stain but I decided to try using some basic craft paint which was sitting right in front of me. The wood seemed soft and like it would absorb this thin paint well, and I was right!!!

I used this cheapy paint from Wally world or somewhere. Because it’s cheap, it’s THIN, which actually worked really well for this.

I used an old cotton shirt to rub it on and then wipe of the excess.

After they dried a bit (I waited about 10 mins) I stamped them with regular rubber stamps and black ink. I went with a skeleton key theme!

Aren’t they cool? Not bad for a totally random, “on-a-whim” project! Just fun little decorative tags to hang where ever! They could be neat gift tags too I suppose. What else could you do with them? So many different ways you could take this project.

Now that I know you can easily stamp on wood…hmmm…the wheels are spinning! So many ideas! Ahhh!

If you give these a try, send me a pic! I love to see others’ ideas and variations on this project! Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Craftin’!

 

Fixer-Uppers & Recent Finds

Wow, I have been so bad about blogging lately. Usually this time of year I am a complete slug and in hibernation mode, but being the first winter with a booth at the co-op, I have been keeping super busy and on the go! Auctions, estate sales, thrift stores…trying to keep that booth full of quality stuff, and not just a bunch of chotchkies. Not that I don’t love chotchkies, but I am loving getting more into the real “antiques” part of it!

Of course I still love to “repurpose” and do thirft store make-overs, like this framed print below…

I actually like the vintage hummingbird print but I felt like it didn’t really match the frame. I have had this old Mother Goose book for ages that I picked up at a garage sale because of the brightly colored, whimsical prints inside. I decided one of these prints would look great in the gold frame, so I ripped out the binding and replaced the hummingbirds with “Old Father McNether”…

Old Father McNether
He sorts out the weather
And takes what he pleases, I’m told,
With a big turkey-feather
He mixes the weather,
And makes it blow hot and blow cold.

Leroy F. Jackson

Another fun little re-do is this counter-top cookie/candy jar I got at the Amvet that had this plain green lid. I decided to add a fun knob…$1 from Michaels!

Drilled a hole in the lid just big enough to screw in the new knob…

How frickin cute is that? I was lazy and totally should have painted the lid black to match the knob. Oh well, I like the distressed green as it is.

As for my attempt to do some kind of Valentine’s Day inspired project, I decided to make a few more of my little antique bottles decorated with these cute keys from Michaels. They say “love”, “dreams”, “secret”, etc…which I think is cute around the neck of the bottles. As if they are little “potion” bottles, full of love, dreams, etc…

Those keys are in the scrapbooking section of Michaels, and are kind of expensive. $1o for the above package . I always get a coupon from their website or wait til they are on sale, which is quite often!

To tie them on I used little bits of left over homespun and jute. I always keep ALL my scraps of fabric, no matter how small. I have a pile going, that I will draw from when I need a little swatch or a little “tie” for something!

I put these out in my booth. Hope others thing they are as darling as I do!

And for some great recent “FINDS”….this antique rule/level from the 1890′s…

I love the brass plates and details on pieces like these. Hard to believe those little glass vials are still in tact after 100 years.

A Craigslist STEAL…a huge lot of all different colored/sized Kraft cheese boxes!

And a second-hand shop TREASURE…this old red bird cage. It had a stick and broken swing inside, along with a huge, ugly white chain attached to the top. A quick snip here and there with my bolt cutter and it is ready to be a fun, funky decoration in someone’s home. I LOVE the color and size…it’s perfect in every way!

Guess that’s it for now. Have a fabulous weekend! I will try to get back here soon!

“Amateur Pickers”, Thrift Store Scores and Updated Booth Photos!

Well, it’s been a busy couple weeks getting everything from the auction organized, priced and into the booth. I LOVED the auction and am going to another on next Monday and can hardly wait to see what kind of treasures I will find there!!!

In the meantime, my friend June and I entered the “amateur pickers” contest that is being held by THE American Pickers on the History Channel! They are doing a show consisting of multiple two-person teams who will be sent on picking ventures, and will be eliminated throughout the show, and the last pickers standing will win $10,000! It’s a long shot, but wish us luck!!! Here’s one of our pics we sent in… !

So I recently made a trip to the thrift stores and scored a few neat items that I thought I’d share. I haven’t been “thrifting” in a while, so it was fun to get out treasure hunting again. I found this vintage steamer pot which immediately caught my eye because of the cool americana blue color with the white eagle design. I also got a little glass candy jar with a big wooden top. I plan on painting the top and maybe jazzing it up by adding a star applique or maybe stamping it. I will be sure to post an “after” pic!

The steamer pot even had some New England inspired recipes on the back!

Love this heavy, cast iron duck bell, and boy does it ring LOUD! Also got this ornate little frame…so cute!

I found some cute country themed items that I just had to scoop up, including a cute lady bug themed basket, a faux enamelware soap dish, and an adorable ceramic pitcher.

The highlight of the night was finding this vintage hurricane lamp with a very cool honeycomb glass pattern! It’s in mint condition, and I know that once I clean it up, I will likely make quadruple what I paid for it. That’s what you call a junker’s high!!!

And because it’s been so long since I have taken some new pix of my booth, I thought I’d share some updated photos! Note all the cool new auction pieces….!

Well, hope ya’ll have a great night and I will be back soon! I hope to have lots of cool new stuff from the auction to show you next week!!! Can’t wait to get my YUUUUUUUP on!!!

Fall in WNY!

The view of the hills back home over the weekend was awesome. The Fall foliage is at it’s “peak” in Western New York. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

While I was home, I also scored a few primitive pieces out of my step-grandfather’s barn, that I can’t wait to clean up a bit and get into my booth. To start, I thought this rickety old stool could be very cool with a little TLC!

This piece is an old mailbox with lots of little cubbies – perfect for displaying all kinds of little knickknacks! The holes are for poking your fingers through to lift your mail, so it’s easier to grab. I may have to slide in a little piece of wood or heavy card stock in the slots that I plan to display stuff, so they aren’t falling through the holes! I gotta clean it up a bit, but I am going to leave the worn, chipping paint as is!

The other really cool piece is this antique seed bag mover. Love the rusty hardware! Would make a great garden piece!

So Sunday night I finished up the pumpkin patch for our “Pick a Pumpkin Out of the Patch Discount” at The Carriage Place! Can you tell I used “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” for my inspiration? LOL! I added the little tree for a scary factor. Picked it out of the weeds in the field behind my house!

We are going to fill up the pumpkins with slips of paper that indicate a prize, discount, free appraisal, etc. for customers at the co-op to “pick” on Halloween weekend!!! I can’t wait!

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Can’t wait for my best friend Teeny to come down this weekend and do a little craftin’ with me. It’s always more fun to do that stuff with a friend. We are going to try out a few NEW projects that I’ve never attempted before. I’ll letcha know how they come out!

Later gators!

Scarecrow Fest & Updated Booth Pictures

Happy Monday!

Well, the Scarecrow Fest was a bit of a flop, as far as making any money. BUT we  promoted the heck out of the co-op, and I also met the owner of Parkyka Farms in Kendall, NY, who was interested in carrying some of it in her gift shop! I met up with her on Sunday and sold her some snowman pins, country night lights, and a few other items. It was my first time selling “wholesale.” If nothing else, I made a great contact on Saturday and got the word out to the town of Kendall about The Carriage Place!

Check out the Partyka Farms website to read about the very cool “Country Barn Quilt Trail of Western New York.” Many barns scattered throughout WNY have these massive, hand-painted, “quilt” patterns on their barns. Each pattern has a special meaning. It’s really interesting!

Anyway, at the Scarecrow Fest, it was a pretty small space unlike my big show up in Potsdam. Here are a few pics. I had one table, and my friend June had the other.

I got this antique wooden tool box at an estate sale on Friday. I almost don’t want to sell it…it’s got a neat leather handle and big metal latch.

 

I love how the folk art pumpkin magnets look on the green enamel pan. I love displaying magnets on enamelware or those big tin stars!

After the Festival, I headed right over to the co-op to bring back some of the inventory. I rearranged and took some new pictures!

10 things on this table were Goodwill/Salvo finds. Can you guess which ones??

See that cool enamel coffee kettle with the colorful graphics (below)? Garage sale find last weekend! It’s so cute in person!!! The wooden table in front was also a garage sale find. It’s amazing what people want to give away for next to nothing!

There’s my suitcase display….love, love, love it!

 

It’s getting to be the end of garage sale/estate sale season so it’s time to gear up and power buy for the winter months. I am however LOOOOVING this Fall weather and all the Fall stuff that comes along with this season. It’s an absolutely beautiful day today in WNY. Hope you have a great week and check back soon!

 

 

Craft Show Display Ideas

Wow, what a busy weekend! We had our Cruise In and Flea Market on Saturday at the co-op and it was a PERFECT day…blue skies, tons of people, and lots of sales!

Anyway, I wanted to do a post about “Craft Show Displays” because I notice that’s a popular search for a lot of crafters, including myself. I am not claiming to be an expert by any means, as I have only done a few shows, but I wanted to share a few of my display ideas. I think a display can make or break your sales. I truly believe a good or interesting display can draw people in and create an atmosphere that makes customers more likely to buy!

Window Frames & Chicken Wire

One of my favorite displays of all time is this old pair of window frames that I hinged together and covered the backs with chicken wire. I set it up on my table to create height and also have tons of space to hang stuff. I used little paper clips that were unfolded, to hang ornaments, pins, wreaths, and other decorations! This could also work with regular frames and old screens.

Make a “Tree” Using Twigs and Branches

This is my latest display in my craft booth, that I just ADORE…these giant twigs to create a “tree” for hanging ornaments! It creates height and depth in my space. I plan on weaving some white christmas lights in there. This could be done on a small OR large scale. A small twig tree sticking out of a mason jar could be cute for some small ornies.

Hanging Items from Old Shutters

You can see in both the pic above and below, I used this old shutter to hang up some of my hand poured tarts. Again, I used unfolded paperclips over the edges of the wooden shutter slats. I recently made a pair of hinged shutters to set up on a table (same idea as the window frames) and that would make a great display for jewelry or other small items!

An Old Rake as a Shelf/Hanger

I found this old rake head at a yard sale and cost me hardly anything, but it makes the cutest hanging display ever. Love the country feel it creates. I suppose you could take one with the handle still attached and stand it up at a show to hang things from. Be creative!

Wooden Ironing Boards As Peg Boards and Tables

I love wooden ironing boards for many reasons – they are portable, easy to set up, don’t take up a lot of room while traveling, and create an interesting display especially for a “country” themed space. The one in the picture below was missing the legs and was just the board…but I still loved the look of it. Very primitive!

I propped up up in a little wooden stand that I rigged up – basically just nailing two 1″ x 1″ pieces of wood parallel to eachother onto a large flat piece (the base) and then slid the end of the board in-between the two 1″ pieces, to prop it upright. See ghetto diagram:

Here is an example of using an ironing board as a table display. It’s a nice way to wrap around your display and create more space for yourself, without making your space too crowded (because it’s long and narrow)!

I made this next display by spray painting the board brown and propping it up the same way as shown in the diagram above. I layed down fabric first before sliding the display into place, to cover up the base and the giant wad of cords that happen to be laying there!

Also note the giant tin star as a display for magnets! I discovered they stick to enamelware pans too!

Faux Christmas Tree to Hang Ornaments

This is a no brainer, and a very cute display for the holiday season. You could put your ornaments/other hanging items in a bowl, but this is much more interesting!

Wooden Boxes, Crocks, and Enamelware Pots & Pans As Containers

If you are going to display things in bowls or containers, at least make them interesting. Wooden crates, cheese boxes, crocks, mason jars, enamelware, baskets…you name it!

Cover Up A Crappy Plastic Tote With Fabric

This container full of grapevine wreaths is actually a giant plastic tote that I draped with homespun fabric. I didn’t have a container large enough to fit them, and did this as a last minute fix. It actually looked kinda cute and slid right under one of my ironing board tables.

Creating Shelves By Stacking Crates and/or Wooden Boxes

It’s just my personal opinion, but nothing looks tackier than plastic shelves at a craft show or in an antique co-op…it takes away from the atmosphere of country/antique/vintage/primitive/whatever that you’re trying to create. This is a better alternative, and creates a neat backdrop for your items. You don’t have to sell only “country” stuff to use a display like this. I think it would look great stocked with soaps, candles, books, bottles of sauces or jars of jam….anything, really!

Using Lights to Accentuate Your Product

This works especially great for glassware, like in this picture below of one of my fellow vendors at the co-op. A simple strand of white lights makes the glassware POP and shows off some of the colored glass really nicely.

I put a strand of lights in the back of this cubby too, since it is deep and kinda dark back there. I don’t want people to miss anything!

Tucking in Smaller Pieces Under Large Pieces

Such as putting a small table under a larger table. Stacking smaller stools/boxes under larger ones. This is a good way to utilize limited space, when you have a lot of pieces.

Use Whatever You Have Handy When You’re In A Jam!

So…I have a problem selling my displays; i.e. the ironing boards. Right Teeny? LOL. I wasn’t prepared last year and sold two of my ironing boards and then…D’OH! Nothing to put my stuff on! So, we used Christine’s little folding tray tables, lined them up, and covered them with fabric. It worked for the second day of the show. Lesson learned…don’t sell your displays, unless the buyer can wait til the END to pick them up!

When You’re Out and About…Look for Pieces That Might Make a Neat Display

…And be sure to think outside the box. I found this piece at an estate sale in someones basement. It was full of tools, nails, and junk. All those little cubbies screamed “display stuff in me!!” It works great and can fit a lot!

For some more great ideas, I stumbled across this link:

http://mariezvezda.blogspot.com/p/craft-fair-display-ideas.html

Using old luggage as display pieces

Well that’s all for now. Hope everyone had as great a weekend as I did. Today is a somber day…9/11…a day we’ll all never forget. We all know exactly what we were doing on this day, ten years ago. Don’t forget to take a moment to really remember all those fallen.

Til next time!