My Big Win!

Wow, this was a big win!!  Lynn @ Teacupstitches had a giveaway and 486 people threw their names in the hat and mine was pulled out!

I won this beautiful embellished bottle and darling note cards

Now, the big dilemma, where to put it????  By the sink would be nice!

Or, maybe on the little bathroom shelf with all of my vintage bottles?

Decisions, decisions!

 If you were not lucky enough to WIN a bottle, Lynn sells them in her online store along with many other beautiful creations.  Lynn is famous for her gorgeous pillows, there is pillows, and then there is Lynns Pillows!  Stop in and look at her lovely creations......Be sure to grab a kleenex to catch your drool!!

Thank You Lynn! 

CAROL

Fabric And Liquid Starch Furniture Transformation

Grab your favorite fabric, soak it in liquid starch and cover your furniture.  It is a great way to cover  almost anything with fabric. 

Here is my subject, a blanket chest.

The supplies are liquid starch, pocket cutter with a new sharp blade, wallpaper brush, and of course your favorite fabric.  Liquid starch is a little hard to find, it use to be everywhere, but it is no longer available at my Target, Kmart, or Walgreens.  I did a little internet search and found it at Winn Dixie a grocery store chain we have in the south.

I decided to apply the fabric in 3 pieces, it could have been done in one piece, but since I was doing it alone and the fabric is heavy when it is wet, I cut 3 pieces of fabric larger than what I was covering.

Completely wet your fabric in starch.  To get the excess starch out, run the fabric between your 2 fingers.  If you scrunch the fabric up to get the excess starch out you will end up with wrinkles. 

Did I mention this is a messy project, you will want to do it outside or put plastic down.

Put your wet fabric on your furniture and smooth out the bubbles.  I use a wallpaper brush, but you can use your hands.  The air bubbles are not as bad as gluing paper or wallpaper, as fabric breaths.

Use your pocket cutter and trim off the excess fabric.  The fabric cuts very easy, just like wallpaper.

Here it is all trimmed up

And Finished!  I added a little cushion in matching fabric.

Back in my Boudoir!

Here is the best part!!   For those of you who change your decor as often as some people change underwear.........It is removable and reusable!!!!  To reuse, pull up a corner and peel it off, or wet it slightly.  Now, just throw the fabric in the washer to get the starch out and use it for another project!!!  Then just wipe down the surface it was on and it will be back to it's original finish.  I have used many different fabrics, the only ones I would not use are those that run when wet, so you will want to test a small piece.

Fabric wet with starch will adhere to almost any surface.  You could use it to cover:

1. Any furniture or drawer fronts

2. Line the inside of drawers

3. Backing for china cabinets

4. Cover the glass in old windows used for decorating

5. Dress forms

6. Mirrors

7.  On painted walls instead of wallpaper.

I will post some more projects I did with fabric and starch next week.

What projects have you done with fabric and starch?

Happy creating!!

Carol

I am linking up with Cheap Chic Home "Fabric Fun Thursday and 

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

My Startling Find In A Thrift Store Side Table

Yes, I had a pretty startling find inside this little side table! 

 I purchased this at a local thrift store.  It was nothing special, but I knew with a coat of white paint it would sell in my antiques booth.

Now play along and don't scroll ahead!!

I removed the drawer then washed and painted, of course I don't have before pictures because who knew this was blog worthy!

I finished painting and then went to pick the cabinet up.

My fingers touched something right up under the front lip where the drawer was.  I thought, what is this!!??  There, taped up under the lip was a ..............

SYRINGE, COMPLETE WITH NEEDLE!!!!!

OK, MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS,  THANK YOU LORD THAT THE CAP WAS ON THE NEEDLE.

I was a nurse in a previous life and knew this was an insulin syringe and I also knew it was commonly used for drug addicts because it is so easy to obtain.

There I stood holding the syringe.  I glanced quick to my front gate...I guess I thought I was going to get caught, that the DEA was going to come busting in!  "But sir, I bought this at the thrift store, I redo furniture, it's not mine"  .............OK, no one was there.

I have never found anything valuable, or odd, in all of my years of thrifting .  Once in a while I will find a pretty button in a batch of plain ones.

I am always finding pictures of Jesus behind other pictures.

I think the previous owners feel like me...You can't throw Jesus out!

I am a good Catholic girl and I would go to 

 Hell in a 

So, I have Jesus taped up inside my craft cabinets and all over the garage, I rather like having Him around.

One of my fellow vendors at the antique mall purchased a box of old books and months later went to price them and found the center was cut out of one of the books and it was loaded with jewels!!

This brings me to the question, what have you found inside your thrifty purchases?  Anything valuable, odd, or like me, startling??

Carol

My Antiques Booth What Sells and what doesn't

I recently did a post on "Everything about renting space at an antiques mall".  

I thought it might be interesting to write about what sells and what doesn't, along with pricing.  Thank You, I had so many comments and emails from people that rent space and people that had been contemplating renting and took the plunge after the post.  I was surprised at how many of us  need an outlet for our creativity (Our houses can only hold so much).

I have rented a space for 7 years in Florida. Since we are all in different markets, malls, and states, what sells is going to vary greatly. 

 In no particular order, this is what sells for me.  These are the items that when I see them at a thrift store or estate sale my heart skips a beat and I whisper "SCORE" under my breath.  

Linen

Any linen, napkins, hankies, pillow cases, aprons, or tablecloths.  Here is what I have learned about linen.  Vendors that have just a couple of towels or 1 set of napkins may not sell them for a long time.  If you want to sell linen have a good amount, you will be the "Go to" dealer for linens.  You could do well by just specializing in one linen item, you could have many napkin sets or a large selection aprons.  Pricing is so important, I have found I need to keep the price at $20.00 or less with very few exceptions.  My rule of thumb is I have to be able to price at 3X what I paid in order to cover my expenses and make a profit. 

Picture Frames

It took me about 5 years to figure this out.  I sold 9 frames at the Labor Day Sale.  Pictures would occasionally sell, but far and few between.   A picture is such a personal preference, the right size, subject, and color, so it is not a surprise that they are a hard sell.  But frames, EUREKA, people buy frames.  I get almost as much money for an empty frame as I did for a picture.  I look for ornate frames, but can sell those that are not.  I spray them Heirloom white and price the little 2 X 3's for $3 - $4, and the 8 X 10's  for $12-$18 or more if they are really ornate. 

 

Stools

I never pass up a stool, this one sold in 2 days.  I have not had any luck selling just ugly brown stools.  I give them a coat of paint and then reupholster in a really nice fabric, this one is barkcloth.  With very few exceptions I price them between $20 - $25 for the little stools and $30 - $40 for an upholstered piano bench.

Hand Mirrors and Brushes

They may not sell in 2 days, but they will always sell.  I like to find the 2 sided mirrors and mosaic one side.

This one sold in a week for $16.  I price a brush and mirror set around $22.  When purchasing keep in mind the 3X mark up.

Mirror Trays

If I find a tray where the mirror is removable, I like to spray it white, leaving them gold also sells well.  I like to have a variety.  I price them between $12 - $18.

Little Tables

These along with linen are my bread and butter.  All but one of these little tables are sold.  The one that has not sold is the brown one.  Sometimes I just hate to paint a table if it is perfect, but I know if I painted this table white it would sell right away.  The larger white table in the back sold for $42, the 4 tier plant stand in front sold for $40 (Only because it was unusual)  the little table on the right sold for $28.

What does not sell for me is so many things!  

Many more things don't sell than do sell.  If you have a booth long enough you will see trends, things that use to sell and don't right now.  I am not saying the following won't sell, but it will not be a quick sale for me.

Little trinket boxes, they use to sell, but not any more.

Teacups and saucers they are not selling right now.

Figurines - Ladies/ animals etc.

Florida souvenirs use to sell, but not now.

Pictures

Clear glassware of any kind (Colored glassware sells better)

Books (Cookbooks are the exception, they sell well, especially cookbooks by church or civic groups)

Avon bottles

Well, this is what is, and isn't, selling in my neck of the woods.  If you would like to share, we would love to know you're  top sellers in your booth or online store.

Please see the updated post on what is selling in 2013 HERE

To read what is selling in other parts of the country click HERE for a complete list

Thank you for your kind comments, they are soooo appreciated!

Carol

Shelf Redo and Free Porcelain Rose

Transforming an ugly little hanging shelf with paint, wallpaper, and a free porcelain rose.

Everyone but us would pass right by this ugly little $3.00 shelf. 

After a few coats of heirloom white paint and Laura Ashley wallpaper.

 

Now I just did not like this key hole detail

This is where the free porcelain rose comes in.  I did a tutorial HERE 

Basically it is just chiseling flowers off from old nick nacks.

This flower came off a broken candy dish and It fit perfectly over the key hole in the shelf.

But still had a lot of the candy dish still on the back

This is where my Dremel came into play.  I did a post HERE on the Dremel.  You can see the part here that had to be ground down,

I ground it down and added a dab of paint

I adhered it to the key hole with E-6000 glue

So there you have it my little shelf with a free porcelain rose.  This was another project that I wanted to keep, but we all know we can't keep everything so, I put this in my antiques booth for $28.00

Don't pass up the broken or chipped nick nacks with flowers from estate sales or thrift stores, they can be used for so many altered art projects.  Here is a couple of examples using chipped off porcelain flowers.  These items are available at my online store The Polka Dot Closet.

Happy Crafting with your free porcelain roses.

Carol

I'll be linking up with these parties this week. 

Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Making the world Cuter 
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple

Debbiedoos B and A Party
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage 

Fresh Coat Fridays @ Life in the Fun Lane

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest