2016 Vintage Fair

 

As I type this, I am torn between being able to breathe a little easier now that the fair is behind me, or feeling a bit sad that it’s over with. This fair is always a yearly highlight for me. I spent the better part of the last few months getting ready for the event and now in one day, it’s over with. :/

I am pretty sure I painted something every day for the last few months.

I took a few snapshots of my terribly cluttered tables in my work shop..

For a person that can hardly tolerate messes, it is beyond me how my shop could look this way. I guess I always think I can clean up later once I’m finished. But then sometimes I have a hard time finishing. :(

I had so many more ideas of stuff I wanted to make for the fair, but, like usual, I ran out of time. Oh well, there’s always next year.

I was completely blessed to have a near sell out again this year. Only a few pieces of furniture were left over. To give you an idea, my booth went from this..

to this in about seven hours..

The weather was perfect for a fair. All the vendors were so happy to be under a large tent this year that was supplied by the Walnut Creek Vintage fair committee. (thank you!!)

Following are some pictures I took of my booth the morning of the fair. They were taken very hurriedly since people were beginning to arrive early already. I enjoy putting thought into picture taking, but here there wasn’t too much time for that. Hopefully you can see well enough some of the things that were there.

What a fun day it was! I loved to get to meet many of you. Thank you to all of you that stopped at my booth. I couldn’t do this without you. :)

You all have a great week!

-Mary

Makeover Monday 9

 

I can’t believe the vintage fair is only five days away! I have had so much fun getting ready for it and I’m almost sad to think that it will be over with soon. It is about time for me to think of something else though, such as my neglected flower beds or our hurriedly cleaned house of late. :/

Todays post will be featuring some items again that will be in the fair on Saturday. I will share some before and after pics of them..

First is an ugly looking cart/stand that I picked up for $5 at Goodwill. I’m not sure what it was used for in it’s previous life, but there was a spring loaded shelf in it, which I removed and turned the piece into a possible coffee table? Toy box? This is one of my favorite pieces that will be for sale on Saturday. I have a hard time parting with some of these items, but our house is only so big. :)

Check it out..

A few more pieces…

 

 

 

To see some more vintage fair details, keep checking my porchswings n’ honeysuckle facebook page this week. Unfortunately Facebook changed some things and when I post on that page, the posts don’t show up on everyone’s timeline like they used to, so you need to visit my page to see the latest. :/ (super annoying)

Have a great week everyone!

-Mary

 

French Country Coffee Table

 

Once again, I was lucky the other day to stumble upon a coffee table at a local thrift store for a decent price. The glass was missing in the middle, so who would want it anyway?

I sanded it down and used my sprayer to apply the paint. The color is a nice shade of blue called Nantucket Blue.

I made a piece for the middle out of pallet wood and painted it white.

I printed out french typography from The Graphics Fairy and transferred it onto the boards using parchment paper.

After placing the boards into the coffee table top and giving the table a coat of polycrylic, it was finished..

This table will be at the fair June 25th.

I will try and keep you posted on my vintage fair booth details in the next week or so. Am looking forward to seeing you there!

Visit The Walnut Creek vintage fair’s facebook page for more details.

Thanks for visiting!

-Mary

Makeover Monday –Tea cart

 

Todays makeover makes me think about garden tea. There is nothing more refreshing on a summer day than a glass of cold garden tea. Everyone in this family loves it so we can barely keep enough in the fridge. Thankfully our tea garden is doing quite well this year. In fact, it’s producing more than we can use. I like to keep it trimmed down so it grows out fresh all the time.

I’m sure many of you have made tea already, but I will share a brief method on how I make it before going on to the tea cart.

I cut off what ever amount I need, just guessing I imagine filling the kettle I’ll use to cook it, about full. I’m the type that doesn’t bother sorting and washing it too much. I check it for bugs and give it a quick rinse.

I heat a kettle of water to boiling. Turning the burner to low, I put the tea in, stems and all. I like to keep the water hot for 15 to 20 minutes, but not boiling. It has occasionally boiled, so don’t panic if it does. It doesn’t ruin the tea, it just seems unhealthy to boil it too much and it may taste a little extra strong. I usually turn the burner off after 15 to 20 minutes and leave it set for another half hour or so. I can usually tell by the color of the tea when it’s ready.

I pour the tea into a large jar and add sugar to sweeten it. When pouring it into the jar, I run it through a cloth to make sure no dirt or pieces of leaves gets into the tea.

After it’s cooled it’s ready to drink! Oh and it’s best when it’s enjoyed outside amongst the summer breeze, the birds and a good book!

 

Now, on to this ugly tea cart that I rescued earlier this year from a house that was about to be demolished…

Pretty homely looking, right?

I gave the frame part a coat of hammered gray paint.

 

I wanted the word “TEA” stenciled onto the top tray but unfortunately it didn’t go quite as planned. :(

I cut out letters and taped them to the center of the tray. I thought I’d see how it looks with brown letters, the original color of the tray.

I then painted the tray an aqua color. After taking the letters off, (which I had taped on with double stick tape) I saw that the brown wasn’t going to work with the gray and aqua. I then used masking tape and outlined the letters, allowing me to paint the letters. I covered up the rest of the tray and painted the letters white. This all sounds fairly quick & easy but trust me, it took so much more time than I would have liked.

Again, the before…

The after…

It’s amazing what paint can do, isn’t it? :) The cart will also be at the vintage fair June 25th, as are most of the makeovers I’m posting these days. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for visiting!

-Mary