Vintage Market Update

Here's some pictures of my space at the Junk Restore Vintage Market that was held Saturday.  This show was held in a home that was way out in the middle of nowhere (San Tan Valley, AZ) and there was rain- After setting up I honestly had really low expectations- However, I sold half of my merchandise and came in at $950 in just 7 hours!  I was super happy and Tara, the coordinator, was so easy and fun to work with.  Take a look at some of my trash...

                             

 I'll start from the left and go right:  The red cabinet was a recent garage sale find for $10- it did not sell, but the two scales hanging on the front did.  The Love quote was a project I made for the show- I used a projector and traced the words on wood and then hand painted them- tons of work, but it sold for $49.50 so It was worth it.  All of the green glass canning jars sold as well as one of the printer drawers

The cream candlesticks sold (they kind of blend in with the wall)  The galvanized bucket and several of the thermos' sold.  The scrabble "READ" sold as well as the crate and curio.   The turquoise copper foot table was a $15 estate sale find- I love the color- it didn't sell, so it's now down at Qcumberz. 

 This little dresser was such a great piece.  It has a little pull out desk surface above the top drawer.  It was $10 at an estate sale.  I added tortoise shell like knobs from hobby lobby and it sold for $150.  The barn wood box and green jars sold, as well as the little sewing cabinet drawer.

 The turquoise candlestick set sold as well as the cream table with copper feet.  We actually picked up the table for $1 at an estate sale- it was in the back of a shed in 2 pieces with no hardware.  How happy we were to find the original hardware in one of the drawers!  The little yellow table and stacks of coverless antique books also sold.

 This sweet little gray table was just $3 at a garage sale.  I had to completely re-glue all the joints- but I love how it turned out.  It did not sell, but is getting a second chance at the shop.  The crate sold, but not the buoys.

 This hand painted love bird sign was one of my favorite projects for the show.  It ended up getting hung in the space next to mine (no nails in my space) and then furniture was set in front of it.  When I took it down at the end of the show, one of the vendors was surprised it had been for sale- she said it looked like it belonged to the homeowner (lots of things were left on the walls that were not for sale) and she saw people looking at it and told them it wasn't for sale- that's okay- it's now down at the shop. I'm sure I'll be making more of these in the future- I can see them in a nursery or for a wedding- there's the perfect space to write a name and date in the corner above the birds.

 I ended up making several signs for this show.  The market sign sold

 The antiques

 and the grocery sign did not sell

but this love sign did.  I guess this is just a hit and miss business.  I had so much fun preparing for this show- something about having a deadline helps me get work done.  I'll be participating in another show- Junk In The Trunk- September 15 out in Westworld.  I'll be posting more information as it gets closer- it will be an outdoor venue where we set up our space and stay there to man it.  I'd love to have you guys come out and visit- it's fun to put a name with a face.  Let me know what project was your favorite.  Love, Kelly.

Vintage Show This Saturday!

I have a really super excellent reason for being MIA lately- I've been preparing for a vintage show this weekend.  Junk Restore is sponsoring a vintage market and it's a must attend event.  You can visit their website for more information and a map.

  

What will I be bringing?  

Lots of refinished furniture, vintage inspired signs, antiques, rusty stuff, industrial letters and more.  Come see what I've been up to, as well as 15 other vintage vendors.  It's indoors so it will be nice and cool.  Hope to see you there.  Love, Kelly.

(I will try really hard to get pictures of the items I've been working on for those of you who are not local... Stay tuned for Monday)

Thank you for being my friend

I checked the mail a few days ago and found a letter addressed to me. On the back of the envelope was a message: from a friend of My Dear Trash.  I ripped the letter open, curious and excited.  Inside was beautiful handwritten note with a special gift inside, a gift that totally made my day.

Yes, my scriptures are no longer Rodrigo Hurtado's, they are now officially mine.
I don't know the friend who sent me this gift, I just know she is very kind.
Because of her kindness, I have a new commitment, to do something nice for a stranger everyday.  
Thank you, sweet friend.

To read more about my scripture debacle, click here.

Double the Dressers

I had a client who found my ad on craigslist for this dresser.  

Most things I paint, but this dresser was in perfect condition, so I wasn’t sure if I should paint it or not.  I wrote in the description of my ad that I would sell the dresser as-is, or for a small fee I would paint it.

My client came over and looked at the piece, then suggested a dark espresso top with a creamy distressed bottom.

I just have to finish up putting the hardware back on, but here’s how it turned out.  I hope she likes it!

A trick I’ve learned is when I paint one dresser I paint another one the same color.  The brush and roller is already wet with paint and I already have everything open.  This has saved me a lot of time.

So, here’s the second dresser before 

and here is it after I painted.  

It was nice to paint this dresser first, as it gave me practice to ensure I did the commissioned dresser for my client just right.

Do you notice anything different about this dresser?

One drawer is different.

The drawer fits perfect, telling me that’s how it was manufactured.  I guess it’s just a special drawer.

Anyway, painting two dressers together saves me a lot of time.

I did it again when I painted this huge dresser black.

I painted another one black too. 

Double the work and double the fun.

When they sell, double the reward!
Linking up to:

Giving Eden Dresses and My Dream

Sure, I'm always looking for great furniture pieces at the thrift store, but I always have my eye on the clothing too.  It's no secret, I love to shop.  It's also no secret, I love to dress up Eden.  I recently picked up some dresses for a few bucks each; one for me and one for Eden.

Eden's dress:  Old Navy $1.00

My dress:  Coldwater Creek $4.99

Reef's Pants:  Old Navy $3.99

I make banana muffins Saturday night, so come Sunday morning we have something quick to grab while running off to church.  Please don't get the idea the act of planning ahead actually gets us to church on time.  No, we are usually still a few minutes late anyway.

Here's a photo of Eden last Sunday morning.  I can't seem to get a photo of her without a banana muffin.

Eden's dress: The Children's Place $1.00

I had Eden pose for some photographs with my mom.

I found her little angelic dress while thrifting for $2.99.  I couldn't have found a better dress full price!

 Lately, I've been spending long summer days with my mom as she tells me about her childhood in Tennessee.  I've been to her home many times and remember the trees and breeze while sitting on the front porch swing.  A few nights ago, I had a dream that my mom was sitting on some steps near a front porch with Eden running up the walk way toward her.  This image was so stunning and so real, I had to recreate the scene.

This morning, it was cloudy and felt like Tennessee weather.  I knew what I needed to do. I drove around the historic areas of Mesa, looking for an older home with a beautiful front porch.  It took about 10 minutes to find it.  Then, I knocked on the door and asked the homeowner if I could take some photos.  She graciously said yes.

Do you see why I had to capture the love I felt?

I'm sandwiched between two angels; 

my mother on one end

 and my daughter on the other.

Linking up to:

A Queen for my Life

When I was 20 years old, I read about a writing contest in the newspaper.  The winner of the contest would be honored at the Renaissance Festival and treated like a queen, including a parade and royal seating at the joisting tournament.  The question was:

If you were queen for the day, what would you do?

I thought all day about the question.  Wow!  It was fun to imagine what it must be like to be a queen, but my ideas always fell short.  What would I change?  I loved my life.  I loved my job as a nanny.  I loved my family and my little beater Toyota Corona hatchback.  If I was a queen, what part of my life would I be willing to give up?

Would I want more money?  In theory yes, but I knew money couldn’t buy happiness.  Would I want to quit my job so I could go to school full-time?  I loved my Erica.  She was my best friend and enjoyed every minute with her.

Erica and I in Sun Valley, Idaho

 Even though it would take me four years to get my associates degree at the local community college, I enjoyed the journey more then finishing the race. 

Alright, maybe I would be skinnier, but really, if I was a queen would I have more self-control?

The next morning, on a whim, I wrote an idea I had on a piece of paper.  I sealed it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and mailed it to the Renaissance Festival.

One week later, I received a phone call.

“Is this Laura,” the woman on the other end of the phone said.

“Yes, this is she,” I replied.

“I am from the Renaissance Festival and we’ve selected you as the winner of our writing contest.  We would like to invite you out as our guest to be queen for the day.  Do you have a king who would like to join you?”

In other words, did I have a boyfriend?

I had just turned in my mission papers and boyfriends were out of the question, so I invited my dad to be my king, because really, I felt like he was the best dad in the whole wide world and if ever there was a king in my life, it was him.

The day of the festival, my dad, including my mom and brothers and sisters were greeted by a royal court.  

I'm not sure what my little brother Sam is doing with his smile, but he's adorable anyway.

I was escorted into a dressing room where I was fitted for a gown and a crown.  My dad, also was dressed in proper attire and we attended our royal feast.  

Next, we were honored at a parade, pulled in a horse-drawn carriage where we were applauded by those in attendance.  Finally, off to the joisting contest where I was introduced and applauded by the crowd.  It was so much fun.

But, at the end of the day, after all the photos and gifts and attention, I was happy to go back to my life, the life I loved.

So, what did I write in that letter?

Due to the fact I’m already treated like a queen by family and friends, if I was queen for a day I would simply be myself.

Peacock Blue or Peacock Green?

 I finally did it.  My $1.00 can of blue paint is done and this is the last dresser it was used on.

Remember this can of paint.  I found it at a garage sale.  

At first, I didn’t think anything of it.  It wasn't a color I'd ever used before.  I didn’t even ask the home owner how much he wanted for it.

But, the next weekend, the homeowner had the garage sale again and that’s when it occurred to me that the paint might make a great color for painting dressers.

“How much would you like for this can of paint,” I asked.

“How about $1.00.”

Isn’t that just like music to your ears.

I brought it home and found the perfect funky dresser to paint.

Then, my neighbor the caterer came over when I finished painting the blue dresser.

“That’s such a great blue,” she said, “like a peacock blue.”

image found her

I thought her interpretation of the blue sounded quite trendy, so I listed the blue dresser on craigslist as Peacock Blue Shabby Chic Vintage Dresser.

I had several calls on it, each person asking if I still had the peacock blue dresser.

I really feel trendy adjectives in a listing will help sell the piece.

So, I tried it with another color.

I found this green in the Oops! Paint at Ace.

When I first finished painting this dresser, I ran to show the caterer.

I wasn’t so sure.  Was it too bold?

“Does the green remind you of the signs the forest service uses?” I asked.

“No, it’s a great green, I really like it.”

Then, I had an idea.  Peacock feathers had green in them too.

image found here

I posted the dresser on craigslist as a Peacock Green Shabby Chic Buffet Dresser.

Once again, I had several calls for the peacock dresser and it sold that day.

I’m now on the lookout for my next great color.  Maybe I’ll find it for $1.00, maybe it will be a color that is found on a peacock, but probably not.
Linking up to:

Welcome To Funky Town

I've been feeling a little "Funky" 

Funky Town by Lipps Inc.  has been my theme song lately.  This is not a good funk, mind you- It's a weird place I go to a few times a year.  What triggers my trips to Funky Town? I wish I knew.  What I do know is that when I'm in a funk I'm way less productive- you could even say lazy,  I second guess myself, I think a lot and do a little, I'm impatient, crabby and I eat more chocolate and watch more T.V. It seems as a retired teacher that each summer I do go through a bit of a self reflection/evaluation.  August for a teacher is like January 1st is for everyone else.  You spend the summer evaluating the school year, adding new curriculum, tweaking old curriculum and setting new goals for your class.  When working I would start the school year feeling renewed, excited and ready to conquer the World.  The only catch, now that I'm retired, is I can't take an entire summer to get renewed.  I have a vintage market show I'm participating in that's only 2 weeks away and I have zero merchandise, my space at Qcumberz is near empty and my blogging has been sparse lately.  So I thought I'd put it out there on My Dear Trash... Have you ever been to Funky Town?  Like the lyrics say,  "Gotta move on, gotta move on..."  How do you "move on"  You've got my full attention and I'd love to hear your suggestions.  Love, Kelly.

Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

 I just finished reading or should I say devouring the book Matched by Ally Condie.

This woman can write!

From the first page, Matched put me in a state of anxiety, and I mean that in the best way.  

I was hooked!

Cassia lives in an America that is run by a totalitarian government.  Her and her family are always being watched.  Every angle of her life is chosen for her from what she eats, where she lives, schooling, who she will marry and eventually when she dies. 

Matched starts with 17 year-old Cassia attending her matching ceremony; where it will be presented who her perfect match is.  All in attendance watch on a huge port who it will be.  Cassia is thrilled to learn her match is her best friend, Xander.  The society has chosen well, but when Cassia returns home with her match packet to review the guidelines, something goes horribly wrong.  She sees in the packet Xander was not meant to be her match, but someone else named Ky.  Was this a trick?  Who would mess with someone’s match.  She’s assured by her officer that Xander is her match, but Cassia can’t help but wonder.  For the first time, she considers the society isn’t always perfect and maybe they shouldn’t be making all her choices for her.  At the age of 80, her grandfather is assigned to die.  At his final ceremony, he privately tells Cassia to fight, to “not go gently” and that the government has it all wrong.  In her last visit with him, Cassia’s grandfather introduces her to a poem she has never heard of, which ignites a fire in her for more knowledge and more freedoms.  This sets in motion a fight in understanding why we think the way we think, why we follow even when we know it isn’t right and ultimately, what we are willing to sacrifice for love.

I’ve already started the sequel Crossed and so far, it’s just as great.

How’s your summer reading going?