Tired of Snow?

We certainly are and we in Tennessee probably have only a fraction of our northern neighbors.

It's supposed to melt off today and cause flooding.  Then it begins again.

This second pictures used to be my flower garden.  

More of what used to be my garden.  Come Spring there will be splashes of yellows, reds and greens.

     Meanwhile, I'll stay warm inside, scratching away at the after-effects of my meds while simultaneously cleaning, re-doing and pricing things for the shops.

    I've had this tan shelf forever.  Not real pretty but functional for display.  It hopped in the van with us the other day, yelling and screaming for a face lift.  I, of course, had to oblige.

       I gave it a blue paint job, a little whitewash and a light sanding to reveal the old tannish color.  It's still not a beauty but it does have a fresher look.  
     My plans today were to make it to the Bristol Shop before it opened.  So much for the plans of Mice and Men...   I was awake from 2:00 to 4:00 (scratch, scratch), went back to bed and slept until almost 9:00.  I still have lots to price AND it's still snowing.  

       This wooden breadbox will go with me.  The little sugar and creamer bunny set (aren't they just 'way too cute?) is already there, just waiting to be seen and loved in a new home.

     The little shelf below is actually an old drawer I found at Bargain Hunters Flea Market in Bristol (yes, we have booths in there, too!).  I added a little wallpaper to the back, a quick paint around the edges and a hanger on the back.  I'm planning on keeping it for display only but will put a higher price on it (in case someone loves it as much as I do). 

     

           I love this little chalk bunny-under-glass and the vintage sugar bowl.  Too bad it doesn't have a lid but it still has use as a vase, etc.  

     Glory be!  It has stopped snowing and I'm now I'm back to pricing!  See you later!

Snowy Day, Shops are Closed, Time to Blog

This is the scene from my living room window.

     Well, NE Tennessee was promised snow today and that's exactly what we are getting.  Snow.  Wet, cold, snow.  

     We are currently under a blizzard warning and all the shops we are in closed early.  Tennessee is filled with curvy, mountainous roads.  What may seem like overkill warnings in one area may seem too late in others.  Even three inches of the wet stuff on mountain roads can easily mean fatal accidents.

     Today was supposed to be my final day on antibiotics.  Instead, I woke up several times last night itching like crazy.  This morning, I was covered in bumpy welts.  So much for finishing those two last capsules!

     Hubby and I did venture out yesterday to two more of the shops we are in and guess who forgot her camera?  Um-hmm.  'Twas me.

     However, I did get photos of a second Johnson City shop when we were out Friday.  This is our booth in Village West Antiques on West Market Street:

     Hubby had to rearrange this entire booth when I was down with pneumonia - okay, double pneumonia. I think he did a darned good job.  

     However, that doesn't stop me from wanting to get in there and arrange things just a little differently.  

     We're also in a new flea market here in Bristol.  It's this area's only seven day weekly, enclosed flea and let me tell you, it's terrific.  We have six booths in there and I kinda wish we had gone for seven.  Yes, it's THAT busy.  Since I forgot my camera yesterday, I don't have fresh pictures of it.  However, I can show you some from a week or so ago.

 Lots of fabric, crafts magazines, threads, crafting needfuls, etc.

This is one of our "kitchen-y" booths.  The table and chairs are sold.  The green cabinet is not for sale; I love all the display room it has on it.

This is the second of our kitchen-y booths.  We're looking for more shelves to put in here.  We don't have enough room to display all the smalls.  The little bar/dry sink in the corner is also sold.

 We need more shelves in here, too.  This picture barely represents what the booth looks like right now.  These pictures were taken before the shop opened so a lot of the merchandise in these pictures is gone and has been replaced with fresh items.

That's it for now.  Stay warm, healthy and safe.

December and January Didn't Happen.

     ...at least, not according to this blog.  
     I've been down with double pneumonia and pleurisy, which hurts like heck.  Thankfully, I'm back on the mend and today Hubby and I went to both shops in Johnson City, Tennessee where we have booths (Village West Antiques on West Market and Village Antiques on Sunset).
     Our booths in the larger store (Sunset) were looking really sparse.  If you have booths you know how important it is to work them regularly.  It's necessary to add items, "fluff" the look, rearrange items, etc.  In fact, it's essential to your survival in the business.  
     During my "down time", I've been cleaning and pricing (while keeping as quiet as possible) and it was time to get that merchandise into those booths!
     I also took time to work on some items that needed face lifts.  It was nice to get them turned around and out the door.  
     For example, I've had this wooden jewelry box in my pile of "face lifts to do" for well over a year.  Okay, closer to three years.  Hubby brought it home (he probably found it curbside) and it was dirty, white-ish and missing knobs.
     I cleaned it, found the knobs I needed (minus two) and gave it a distressed paint job.  Since I was still in need of two tiny knobs, I somehow found these two tiny porcelain roses and thought they made cute substitutes.

 

      The next is another jewelry box, much smaller but made of wood.  It was scratched and still had the wood finish on it.  I decided it would look cute all shabbied up.

     Old cameras are a popular sale and we (tried to) load the top two shelves of this baker's rack with vintage finds Hubby came home with the other night.  Some time between when I filled the racks with them and when I took this picture shoppers two of the cameras sold.

     Recognize this jewelry box?  :)

      (Below) A pair of iron plant/candle sconces

          Many people collect vintage salt and pepper shakers so they, too, are popular items to have in a booth.  These game bird shakers are rare; they won't last long.

      Not as rare but awfully cute are these duck shakers:

      And, of course, the roosters are part of the barnyard.

If you want to see some of our other items, click the link on the right to our Facebook page.

Bye for now.  Keep healthy.

Making Do and Pinching Pennies

     The housewives of  yesteryear really knew how to pinch pennies.  I've always thought I could make a dollar stretch but those ladies make me look like a high-roller.  They really knew the true meaning of the term "make-do".
        For example, I love old linens and always have; however, as an antique dealer, I have a fresh appreciation of the Depression Era women.  
       Such thoughts were going through my mind the other day as I was ironing some vintage linens, readying them to go into the shops.  

     "Red work" embroidery, as on this table cover, was very popular in the late 1800s because the red embroidery thread, unlike other colors, was known to hold color.  The ladies decorated almost everything in their homes with embroidery, sometimes purchasing embroidery patterns but more often would copy or trace drawings from their children's books.  

     They embroidered dish towels, chair cushions, pillow cases - you get the idea.

     As colored embroidery thread became more reliable, their work became more colorful.  But, I digress:  We were talking about how thrifty these housewives were.

     A beautiful tablecloth was something to swoon over and was left out for daily use.  As the fabrics started to wear, patches were carefully and neatly sewn onto the cloth.  As the items became too frayed or worn to use, the cloth was then cut for re-use as another life.

     

     Oftentimes the lady would add a little fringe of crochet and convert a piece of the tablecloth to say, a doily or a pillowcase.   

     Sometimes larger items were simply monogrammed and hemmed and Mama's tablecloth would also become a dishtowel. 

     

      This was but a part of every day life, making do and pinching pennies.

       So, when I scrubbed this vintage tablecloth a bit too hard and the sun's rays did their part to further disintegrate part of it while it was outside drying...

     I knew I had to honor its history by somehow saving what is left of it and turn it into another useful item.  Any ideas?  (It remains folded in my laundry room)

      And that, my modern day readers, is only a small part of where the term "make do" came from.