Mantel Layering

Last weekend at The Vintage Flea market,  a friend & shopper shared with me her purchase for her mantel.  She had found an awesome wire caddy and filled it with blue Ball Mason jars.  It was really great.  And it was motivating for me.  Standing in my booth filled with vintage awesomeness (if I do say so myself!)  I knew my mantel at home could use a little re-Gracing.

Yes, it's fine.  And when you're prepping for a flea market, dusting off your algebra skills to correct homework, and transporting to and from soccer, 'fine' works.  You have those areas in your home too, right?  The vignette that 'works', the areas that 'don't work', the spots where there is no decor, and those areas that are, well, 'fine'.

I took a little decorating hint from my Lively Grace self.  Although I don't want my home to be as packed as my booth was on Friday morning, I do love the layers that came together (missed it? - check out some photos in my last post by scrolling down).

So I added a bit of layering to my mantel.

The trunk and metal W are two of my favorite finds.  Take a closer look at the trunk in this post.  I know it's autumn , and this hint of orange is not enough to call this a 'fall' mantel.  And yep, I tucked a ski picture in there, realizing I could use a 'autumn' photo of all of us together.  Decorating my home is always a process and always changing, so that photo won't stay there for long.  

And I'm liking the layering, it's better than 'fine'.

I don't expect this to last long anyway.  Halloween is just around the corner, so we will be pulling out our stash of skulls, webs, and eyeballs to spook up the house a bit!

Have you re-Graced anything in your house recently?

-Jen

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More to say | After The Vintage Flea

I gave a heads up on facebook that my head was swimming with my experience from the past weekend.  Bear with me, here goes...

I woke up Friday morning with the feeling ' my world was good'.  My mom would be able to stop in at the market today.  See, the previous Wildhare flea market in March, mom was in the middle of a health hurdle, well, a mountainous hurdle actually.  But she handled it like a 'tough as nails' cowboy, and that blessing kicked off a wonderful weekend. 

One might believe the Wildhare Vintage Flea is all about selling wares, hauling out less than you brought, and sales at the end of the day.  From my vantage point, it involves much more.
Linda, the Wildhare lady herself and organizer of the event, has described set up day like a family reunion.  I would agree.  I knew Susan had been canning apples the day before we moved in.  Who has time for canning at that stage of the game?!   What I do know is I am always drawn to Susan and husband Jay's booth for jars, canisters, buckets, etc.  This year I picked up the cutest vintage glass Crisco jar with a blue/turquoise label!  Danielle (from Antique Recreation) and I had a quick catch up session about kids and schooling.  Oh, and of course which paints we've recently tried!

My friend Bret, his sister, mother, and nephew run one of my favorite booths to shop.  It's a pickers dream right inside the fairgrounds, except they have removed most of the dust already.  Bret had moved out of state within the last year, but I knew something was up from his facebook posts.  When we met up Friday he told me he was back in town.  I could have guessed from his mother's smile. 

Don't get me wrong,  selling is a huge part of the market.  Finding goods, cleaning, sanding, painting, distressing, waxing, packing, fixing, and hauling has all happened for months prior to the show.  Many vendors, including myself, spend all day at the fairgrounds Thursday.  Just ask my husband.  But have you ever tried to fit furniture, vintage wares, and industrial goodness into a 8x10 space with room for people to walk thru AND try to make it look nice?!  I believe I had close to 200 price tags printed, and only have a few left.  How 'bout them apples?

Crisp and sweet, I tell ya!  Friday mornining in the barn was a hub of activity!  Familiar faces that have shopped my booth before came in along with many new followers!  I heard 'oohs, I love it!,  yay!, and I'll take it!".  I talked paint - one of my favorite subjects- with shoppers, drooled over the great finds they had procured in other booths, and soaked in the sunshine filtering in thru the open doors of the barn.   You found pieces for your home, photo props, an item you've been looking for, or something that made your heart sing!   Friday was my best sales day so far in this adventure of mine.  And I thank you all so much!!

Friday was so productive in fact, other vendors asked, 'do you have anything big to bring in for tomorrow?'.  Nope.  I did have more to bring, but hadn't imagined the 9 drawer dresser, tall Basset dresser, craftsman desk, and Greenie the hutch would all sell on Friday!  Cut to another fun part of being a flea market vendor;  bouncing ideas off your booth neighbors.  I had just purchased a 'it sat outside on the back porch and has some spray paint on top of the old paint' table from another vendor.  It is precious - just my style!  But at home I had a lovely, solid wood, never before painted, drop leaf antique table that I use as a project desk, across the room from my vintage couch.  I processed thru my conundrum with my fellow booth neighbors.  Luckily, they had already spent a day and a half with me, so my little hop/skip when I finally landed on a decision just made them laugh (rather than think I was a complete nut)!  In fact, the girls asked me to do it again!

(sorry-grainy, tricky in the morning sun)

 
So Saturday morning the antique table was moved in.  My husband was soccer-parenting, and although I didn't want to miss my kiddo's soccer game, the timing was not going to work out.  My kiddo and I had talked about it.  He is a great kid, and knows my heart lies with him. 

Enter my dad.

 He helped me load another truck full, unload and set up, and hang price tags on all my new editions.  All before the doors opened Saturday morning.  He's amazing!  If you visited on Saturday, you may have met him.  He was the guy scoping out all the license plates and watching my booth while I was out shopping!

And shop I did!  Isn't this the coolest hanging rack ever?!  It will (someday) hang on that wall in my laundry room.  For now, this is as wide a shot as anyone is allowed to see in my laundry room!  I purchased this fun find from Sherry, a long time family friend and previous hairdresser.  In fact, she styled my hair for my wedding ... small world.   My new friend Candis (from Alice and Hatter) and I  swapped purchases from each other's booths.  We have gotten to know each other since the last flea market and never tire of talking 'shop'!  On Saturday we realized what we had both sensed; we have more connecting us than just a love of junk.

And just when one thought the day couldn't get any better.... Hot Flash band arrived.  Add music to the open air barn on a lovely day and it was a party!  We were dancing in the barn and singing along.  Yes, I am that girl, and no one will ever stop me from dancing whether I have a partner or not.  Apparently I inherited that from my dad, who was dancing with one of my booth neighbors while I was cutting a rug out by the band plus grabbing a quick snap of Miss Wildhare herself dancing with her husband.  So lovely. 

Saturday night I was helped by family to pack and haul what I had left back home.  We gathered for dinner out and I eagerly listened to the recall of the great moves on the socer field.  There was even an 'awesome, mom' refering to meeting a goal I had set for this market from a long-legged kiddo I know : ).

Perhaps it's the sawdust still in my sinuses, or  being short on sleep, as to why I feel nostalgic about the Vintage Flea. Regardless, my blessings out number those price tags. 
I warned you it wouldn't fit  into a facebook post!

Here's to sunny days spent in a barn, and more soccer games to come!
-Jen

WildHare Vintage Flea & Giveaway!

Guess what's coming up?!!

Guess who's excited?!

Guess what I'm giving away?!

Head on over to my Facebook page, scroll to the post with this vintage fruit crate,  Comment and Share on the photo for an entry.  Want to enter again (or not a Facebook-er)?  Sign up to follow my blog via email (top of the page) , then either comment below or email me to let me know you've done so and you'll be entered. (Pillows not included in giveaway).  This is a local giveaway, I'm located in Chubbuck, Idaho, winner will need to be able to pick up the crate.

Thanks for the visit, and good luck! 

Mark your calendars for the Wildhare Vintage Flea, you'll find my booth in the blue barn!

Pssst:  be sure to check back, I get more excited the closer the WildHare Vintage Flea market gets, and another giveaway may be in the works!

-Jen

livelygrace@me.com

Re-Graced Coffee Table

Sometimes I share favorite finds of Facebook like the marmalade jar I picked up, or a fun flashcard.  Usually, these favorites stay with me ... at least for a while! And posting on facebook is just  quick & easy.  This find, however, I felt deserved a post all it's own.

This was a bit of a long process.  My prior coffee table (below)was a re-graced piece too.  I had the new-to-me, older coffee table out in the garage, see, waiting for me to get to it.  But around flea market time, projects for me wait.  But storing coffee tables takes up a fair amount of space, so one had to go, and I knew which I loved.  So the first re-graced coffee table went into my booth.   A gal bought it for a wedding gift- awesome, right?!  In the post flea market, catch up on usual house stuff (oh and did I mention we were in the middle of a huge yard re-landscaping?) it took longer than I wanted for me to get back to this coffee table.  so, sure, for a while we used just the trunk as a coffee table.  It wasn't quite the right size, but it stood in well.

I painted this coffee table with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.  It is a lovely, classic color.  Can you believe the glass knob was there when I bought the piece.  And, yes, I bought it in Pocatello.  And a yardsale.  It is amazingly heavy and sturdy!

Although a different tray on the table would give stage better, this one has photos of our family on a vacation.  And this is how it actually lives in my home, not for staging and photos.  For us.

I don't have any amazing trick to create this texture, wish I did!  The finish on the table was old, and cracking and chipping in a few lovely places, plus some gouges.   I use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on many pieces, because of the way it works with an underlying texture and distresses beautifully.  I sealed this piece with Annie Sloan Wax.   Although I had initially wanted to keep the top a stained wood, there is a big burn mark on the top.  I did attempt to sand it down, but I would have made a crater in the wood, or sanded completely thru the top, in order to remove it.  The paint covered it amazingly well.  My tv console is a repurposed and re-graced dresser that is painted with a wood top, so actually this piece fully painted works well with it.

And I just can't get enough of those legs!

-Jen

A lovely ladder

Vintage ladder with great patina! Perfect for hanging blankets, opened magazines, photos, or vintage aprons from!  

Freshly pulled from the pick-up & posted! (SOLD)

New post with Old finds!

Vintage Costco Folding Step Ladder in Red -sold

Have you seen these before?  The two lower steps fold back under the seat.  The second step does actually lay flat, I think I had it on a grass mound and didn't notice when I took the picture.  (And now it's dark outside...)

 Although the original pad for the seat and backrest is missing, the charm and function are still here!

The seat (and steps!) are perfect for potted plants, a small stack of books, a super hip nightstand, or  displaying a favorite bowl in vintage style in the kitchen.  How about adding your family's last name initial to the backrest, or perhaps, DINE?  How fun!

Vintage Hoosier Cabinet Bins -sold

I believe these are metal bins from an antique Hoosier cabinet.  Hoosier cabinets many times had a flat surface near waist height for kneading dough and flour was stored within the metal cabinets.  Other examples I found on-line had a flour sifter built into the bin.   Wouldn't it be fun to have the cabinet these went into originally?!

The base of the metal bin is not as deep as the cabinet door.  I placed 2 bricks under the back metal corner and that leveled them out and kept them sturdy.  They both have fantastic hardware, chippy white paint, and worn red paint on the curved aspect of the bin.  The straight side and interior of the bins have a lovely galvanized patina. 

 Wouldn't these be cute as laundry hampers?!  (The small chalkboards are not included).

The small chalkboards are cute, but a small handmade or painted tag would work, or imagine vinyl letters to label the bins.  The interior panel of the doors could also be painted with chalkboard paint.  

They could also make a super unique and sweet planter.

Sooo many possibilities!

Wood Wine Box $10

White Metal Basket Stand -sold

(pail not included)

Great for a plant stand or holding rolled towels in the powder room.

Contact me if you're interested!

208-390-8653 or livelygrace@me.com

Thanks!

-Jen

Vintage couch; phases 1,2 & 3

How many 'phases' does a couch have you ask?  I'm not sure myself.  I do know that I take the 'collected/decorated over time' look to heart.  I bring in new to me pieces and live with them for a while.  And then I fuss with them.  I lean shabby painted shutters against the wall for a week (or more) to get a feel as to how they will look.   It is likely this couch may experience a few more phases, but here's how it has come so far ...

Phase 1:  The purchase

There is an ever changing room in our home.  I have been on the hunt for 2 chairs to use here for a long time, but haven't come across any.  (My husband said I could try a furniture store and might have better luck than junking, but what fun is that?!).  I knew the couch was awesome when I saw it, but would it be for our home or an item to sell?  It's a big piece to be slid into the garage without being noticed.  I needed to have a plan for this gal.  The Mr. was unsure about a used vintage couch, but sweet as he is, agreed to give it a go!


Phase 2:  The cleaning

I gave it a thorough vacuuming and then used Zorb from Dyson which is a different type of carpet shampoo.  I sounded like a commercial for Zorb answering questions from family, "it's a million ??? super tiny moist sponges that you work into the fabric, it absorbs the dirt and then you vacuum it up".   The couch was dusty in areas, but not gross and didn't have any odors(yeah!).  The Zorb worked great and the couch is now super soft and fresh!  (I think this goes without saying, but I have no affiliation with, nor am I receiving any compensation from Dyson.  If there are any Dyson folk out there that are happy with my take on their product, give me a call ; )


Phase 3:  The moving in

Outside of our house, we have been working on a re-do of a sprinkler system, landscaping, and water run-off management.  A-hem, we've been digging a lot of dirt, is what I meant to say!  So although the couch has been a nice place to take a break in the shade of the garage, once it was clean we were ready to have the space back.

I am quite tickled!  It's a perfect perch for a morning cup of coffee, a place for conversation, and a great reading spot.  It's perfectly worn in like a favorite pair of jeans.  And I've already fussed with it a bit.  The shabby mirror was already in place, but I'm already thinking there needs to be a bit more there. The pillow is a vintage seed sack that I scooped up from Vain & Vintage in Pocatello before I purchased the couch.  Honestly, I haven't even sown the end closed yet - that's the fussing part.  (Let me know what you think- does it work?)  And you may have noticed the propping of artwork on the chair rail - just gonna try that out for a while.  The wood work on the couch needs a little re-Gracing, that will be another phase.  What's next?  Who knows... I am going to enjoy and continue to 'collect over time'!

I'd love to hear your comments!
-Jen