Mea Culpa, Formica-Topped Table

Okay, this is what I had to work with. Originally, this table was assembled in the usual manner, legs on the bottom, top well, on the top. It was pretty cool, not the coolest formica-topped table I’d ever seen, but the price was right and I didn’t think I’d be doing too much to it before reselling–de-rusting and cleaning. Well, I purchased this before I rented my workspace, so it bravely withstood a couple of rain storms standing in my driveway since my garage was too full. As a result, the formica started to separate from the base of the top. Thinking it would be a pretty easy fix, I started gluing (Gorilla Glue, if anyone’s interested) and tried to pull everything together with those ratchety things. What with the the angle of the table, and the ferocity of the glue and various user errors with regard to the ratchety things, it sort of ended up looking like the unfortunate picture on the left. The legs were still awesome, so I waited patiently until a different tabletop would come into my life.

And, it did, last week.

Fast forward. The curbside table as a whole was pretty beat up, so I just salvaged the top. The biggest challenge was figuring out the best way to marry the new top to the chrome legs. I thought I could simply attach the legs to the top, but the height wouldn’t have been correct, so I used parts and pieces from the original top and made it work. After many pieces of sandpaper (by the way, a tip: That purple sandpaper you can get now? It really lasts longer than the standard stuff.) it was ready for paint. I think it’s fun!

Nota Bene: This design is not a target. It’s a bull’s eye. Really.

And Now a Word About Auctions

I’m an auction-going newby, so it’s hard for me to read a description for one and be able to decode it very well. I should have been suspicious when the ad stated clearly that the (gorgeous) German art deco mantle clock had been converted to use a battery-operated mechanism. Who would do such a thing?! And then there was the HUGE collection of Tom Clark gnome and Santa figurines. The above three-foot tall plastic lawn bunnies? There were dozens for each and every holiday. The stuff of nightmares, I tell you. There were a few, very few, kitchen items I was mildly interested in, but I couldn’t see standing in the hot sun waiting for hours until the auctioneer got to that section. I bought a pretty, gold-filled Elgin ladies’ watch with a cool chain, but left soon after that. Bent but not broken, I’m going to try again next weekend–I can only get better deciphering the advertising verbiage.

When in Doubt, Bring your Camera

Early Wednesday I set out in earnest to hunt. There was an estate sale in Independence–Eastern Jackson County, or “Eastern Jack,” where there’s supposed to be all sorts of awesome things at awesome prices, so I was pretty excited. There was some cool stuff, but I forgot that this particular estate sale organization is notorious for overpricing. It really was ridiculous, for resellers definitely, and even for casual estate sale goers who want to pick up a nice deal for a collection or a gift. I bought a few vintage Christmas ornaments, but other than that left disappointed. I stopped at the Blue Springs Red Rack on the way back to Kansas City to see if I could find a few things there to salvage the trip and at least buy some things to cover gas, but all in all the morning was looking like a complete bust.

Slightly downhearted, I punched in “go home” on my GPS and headed off. Generally I love my GPS and feel pretty handicapped without it (notwithstanding it’s maiden voyage in St. Louis), but the girl sometimes sends me in unanticipated directions. I was seriously wondering why I was driving north on Jackson Street when I thought the highway would have been quicker when–ta da–I noticed some guys were very considerately bringing some great looking furniture to the curb from an abandoned house! Does my GPS know me well enough now that she suggests the best picking routes rather than the fastest ones? I’ve often been jealous of picker friends who casually tell me they found such-and-such on the curb, and sold it for hundreds of dollars two minutes later. The best I’d done was a gnarly fireplace mantle that I picked with my daughters. Yesterday, though, I found an awesome three drawer oak dresser in just the right state of distress, and a large round wood tabletop that will look great with a chrome base that once belonged to a formica-topped kitchen table.

It wish I could share the curbside jumble in situ, but no camera. Next week when I head back to the warehouse, you’ll get before pics and soon thereafter, after pics!

A Delicious Find

I’ve been so busy lately with my markets that I have had to forego the thrill of the hunt. This morning, desperate to pick, I found the only estate sale doing business on Labor Day and headed out. Expectations were low considering the sale was the fourth day of a four-day sale held in a strip mall. As it turned out, most everything was way over-priced, even at 50% off, but as I was dawdling my way through the tables, I found buried a bunch of recipes illustrated with linoleum print artwork. I loved them immediately and bought them all, at one dollar each. I was anxious to research them, but not sure I’d find much. I googled the copyright, Saint Hieronymus Press, Berkeley, and was greeted with a blast from the past. I spent many years in the Bay Area during the onset of the fresh food revolution started by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, and I realized immediately why I was drawn to these little prints. They were a collaboration between Alice and renowned printmaker, David Lance Goines who was responsible for all of the early Chez Panisse print materials. Her recipes, his artwork–mouth-watering! These prints are part of a portfolio called Thirty Recipes Suitable for Framing published in 1970 and now selling for up to $75.00 per print on various online venues. I don’t anticipate selling these for that much, but I am absolutely thrilled at my find! Given the regional nature of the work, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised they had been overlooked in Overland Park, Kansas. I’ll always wonder, though, if I had gotten there at the start of the sale whether I could have purchased all thirty!

When in Doubt, Make a List

It’s been a mad, crazy month, what with starting the blog, setting up shop at River Market, and now getting ready for the September market at The Mine. What I still need to do:

1. Recover a seat in burlap for a chair.

2. Finish the shiny red chandelier.

3. Fashion a lamp shade out of vintage maps, and make some more vintage map buntings.

4. Figure out how to hang old player piano rolls on a wall in the front entry in a way that is not impossible to dissemble if someone wants to purchase one (or more).

5. Touch up the file cabinet.

6. Wax the metal on a bar I converted from a vintage Cosco changing table. I can’t understand why the bare metal keeps rusting, but the wax should take care of it. (I love paste wax!)

7. Look in the garage for all the autumnal stuff I’ve squirreled away for the season that is shortly upon us.

8. Transport the remaining necessities from the warehouse to The Mine.

9. Make some sense of my booth and finish the front entry.

10. B R E A T H E.

Yes, I think I can do it!

Vendor 571

This is my little corner of River Market. Second Floor, one booth in from the northeast corner. Thanks, Carlo, for the pics!

River Market! River Market!

No pictures yet, but I moved into River Market Antique Mall yesterday! This is a big step–the first market I belong to that’s open 7 days a week. Kansas City people, make sure you hustle on down there this weekend for the big re-opening sale. Everything is 10% off through Sunday! Grab some veggies at the City Market while you’re down there.

Ch-ch-ch-changes…

When I bought this drop leaf table, it was standard issue “shabby chic.” That is, painted white over layers and layers of other paint, then marked up to a ridiculous price. I found it at a garage sale of the reseller who couldn’t manage to sell it. Imagine that. So, the price I paid wasn’t quite exorbitant, but I definitely paid more than what I should have, given the labor I put into it. Yes, folks, I stripped it all down. My original plan was to take the legs and base down to its original light-colored wood, then do a simple tabletop. Well, well, well. Another Plan B! I resorted to chemical stripper on the legs because of the number of layers of paint and I tell you, the color those legs ended up was frightening. See left. Gag. So, I had to paint. I had just used kind of an olive drab on an old file cabinet and really liked the color. So, O.D. for the legs and base. I’ve been dressing up furniture legs lately with little contrasting color “socks” and I used a nice rich red on these.

I learned from the legs not to use chemicals on the top, so I went back to what I really like to use to remove paint–a heat gun. It worked great on this. When I sanded off the residual, there was a wonderful greenish tint to the bare wood. I wanted the wood darker, though, so I added some mineral spirits to a darker, non-red stain, and applied. The color perfectly complimented the O.D. legs. I was happy. The large black checks completed the look which I then coated with 5 layers of varnish. I love this table!

Stories

I love the way this chest turned out. I bought it at an estate sale close to a year ago when it was just a very large plywood box on legs. It’s what was inside that made me buy it. There were newspapers dated 1936 from Austin, Texas, and the most bittersweet letter from one sister to another. These are the things I love about this business. The objects you touch have stories; they’ve been part of lives before mine. This piece in particular felt somewhat sacred, so I left it in it’s original condition to see if it would sell, newspaper and letter included. Well, my homely box just sat there, making me sad. So I changed it up a bit. I cut off the existing short legs and attached industrial strength rollers, then painted it. I love the way the distressing turned out and I love the color. The turquoise paint right out of the can was a bit garish, so after painting and roughing it up, I stained it with a light oak stain that had enough yellow in it to really bring it to what I was envisioning.

So, how big is this chest, really? You could probably smuggle a family of four out of the country in it.

I’m going to sell this piece, but I’m keeping the letter.

Plan B

Always have Plan B. Or C. Unfortunately, sometimes D, which in my mind is give it up and donate the damn thing to your favorite charity. Luckily this little chair only required a slight variation in what I had originally envisioned for it which was to simply clean it up. When I started the cleaning, though, I realized the wood was pretty messed up in some places and really couldn’t stay natural.  I also realized there were two matching holes in the vinyl on either side of the chair which looked unfortunate. So, I painted the wood goldenrod and donned little checks on the sides of the seat. And gave it an all-over scrub. Voila!

Here are two little tips for you:

Don’t believe it when wood fillers (any of them) claim to be stainable. They’re really only just a tiny bit stainable which means you’ll never get the match you want.

When you’re picking, make sure you give everything you’re interested in more than a quick once-over before you buy. I still would have grabbed this chair, but I would have been more realistic about my plans for it.