YARD SALE!

Hit my first yard sale of the season on Saturday!  The home was built in 1843 and it's owners are retired and moving to Europe (lucky...).  They are antique lovers and had great stories behind every item they sold!

The Singer sewing machine belonged to the grandmother of one of the owners.  It's been well cared for and still works!  It has the original leather drive belt and when I hooked it up and stepped on the treadle it purred into action!  

This old garden cart belonged to the owner's German uncle.  The old pet carrier still had "Fluffy"'s collar and license inside:-)  It's in beautiful condition...just needs a good cleaning.

This European market basket was purchased at an antique show in Germany.  I might have to keep it...

And this collection of hobnail glassware was set aside for the antique shop the couple hoped to open someday.  I love the pitcher!  A perfect set for serving lemonade!

Didn't get to the flea market this weekend, but there's always next Sunday...

Happy hunting!

Michelle

Metal and Wood

I love the combination of rusty old metal and bare wood.  Old crusty white paint makes me happy, too! This week I refinished these three gems for my next (and last!) Barn Loft show.

First, the coffee table.  This is what the top looked like before I removed all the boards and planed them:  rough and dirty.

And THIS is what they looked like after...wow!  The metal parts got a good scrubbing with a wire brush, and I finished the boards with a single coat of poly.  I was considering keeping this one, but it sold before I had a chance to make the switch!

And here's what my work table looked like after planing all those boards.

Now that's a fun mess!  (Did I mention how much I love my planer?  And the man who gave it to me?)

Next up, the wood and metal side table.  I picked this piece at the Todd Farm flea market a few weeks ago.  The top was painted red and covered with grease and unidentified stains...yuck.

I scrubbed and scraped and sanded...and scrubbed and sanded again.  And then, voila!  Look at the top now, after a coat of poly and a quick wax.

Finally, I grabbed this little chippy table from one of the booths at Mill City Antiques.  It needed a little love.

Okay, maybe a lot of love.

But it was worth it.  The wood has a beautiful patina and the paint is just chippy enough to let the wood shine through.  I added an antique glass knob to the little drawer at the bottom.  Perfect!

I can't wait to get back to the flea market to see what treasures I can uncover next!  In the meantime, this is what I'm working on...

This is the future home of my workshop!  My boyfriend and I are converting his garage into a workshop where I can build, refinish and reinvent!  Now that's love!!!  My books, paper and creative headquarters will be moving to the Waumbec Mill in Manchester, right upstairs from Mill City Antiques!  The move should be complete by June 1st!

Stay tuned for more pictures of our progress.

Happy hunting!

Michelle

Happy Little Things

I did a little junking this past week (the flea market is finally open!) and have a few new stashes of "happy" stuff to share!  I found the box of metal letters this morning at White Home in Wilton, NH.  I can't seem to leave there with empty hands!  Since I love anything typography, I had to add these to my collection!

Speaking of typography, look at these great brass garment tags.

I got numbers 1 through 10 and plan to list them in sets on my etsy site.

There was a vendor at Todd Farm flea market this past weekend with nothing but watch and clock parts!  He even had five complete watchmaker's desks!  After I stopped drooling, I bought a handful of clock faces and 100 or so of these watch crystals.  I've seen them used for making pendants, but I'm just loving how they look all together in my vintage silver bowl.  I think I'll just enjoy them for a while...

Lots of large items to share, too, but I'll save them for another post.

Happy hunting!
Michelle

Projects, projects, and more projects..

I've been busy with many, many projects because we have a Barn Loft show this weekend and a big announcement!  So, yes, I've been a busy, busy bee...  The photo above is of my first attempt at a pallet wine rack.  What do you think?  It was A LOT harder than I expected.  This one rack required dismantling four pallets!  But it's super cool and I just love the look...soooo worth the effort!

This is a close-up of a table-turned-kitchen-island.  I bought this industrial base with a barn door on top as a table top.  But the height is better fit for an island, so I cut a new top out of some old Grange table tops I had lying around.  Stripped the paint and now, WOW, it's a beauty!  I added the two metal trays that fit just perfectly between the braces and now you have a functional and super cool island...that holds wine!  Just wish I had a kitchen big enough...

I have a tendency to collect old paper cutters.  Yeah, anything paper-related catches my eye.  They are perfect for holding ribbon, kraft paper, newsprint, shop towels...all the necessities for an artist studio!  I picked up a set of two very long paper cutters a couple of weeks ago and decided they would be perfect shelves.  This one would work great over a sink, or on a desk, or island, or as a table centerpiece...

Kris calls this my "signature look" and I think she's right.  There is just something about the combination of paper and wood, paint and old pages, glass knobs and print that I just LOVE!  I've had this dresser in storage for a very long time...it was a big project.  But, oh, I am so happy with the end product!  Vintage French book pages on the drawer fronts and surfaces and "parchment" paint on the rest of the piece.  Happy!

Finally, this was another labor of love.  This piece was a dumpster dive...it was painted dark brown...every nook and cranny.  I stripped the paint...and stripped it again...then once more...then sanding...sanding...more sanding...and finally some white paint and matte poly for the top.  It's a great piece for a kitchen, office, studio, any place you need a little extra work surface.  The metal wheels make it nicely portable and the shelf gives it storage-sense!

All of these pieces will be at the Barn Loft show this Saturday, so please stop by!  Only two shows left in our Nashua location...we'd love to see you!

Have a happy day!
Michelle

Digging Day

I did a little digging this weekend with my wonderful boyfriend!  We found a great shop on our way home from breakfast and shopping for trailers (yup, kicking up my cargo capacity!).  Two more weeks until the flea markets open...I can't wait!  In the meantime, I uncovered some fun goodies that will soon make their way to Mill City.

My two favorite items in the photo above are the old washtub, in great condition with chippy cream paint, and the expandable luggage rack from an old Model T Ford.  I can already see the tub filled with ice and party refreshments!  And the luggage rack plus some old barn wood will be a very cool shelf.

I can never pass up vintage office supplies...check out these awesome little staplers!

This pedestal base will be great as a centerpiece or serving piece.

Not a great picture, I know, but what a great little crate!  It reads, "Blue Anchor, Inc, United States of America."  

These two little architectural pieces will be put to use as bookends.

I love the look of this old painters step ladder.  It's a great display piece inside or out!

Stop by Mill City Antiques and do some digging of your own!

Have a great week!

Michelle

Works in Progress

The week started off slow...more snow, really???  But I'm sooooo ready for spring and have been working hard at projects the past couple of days.  It's time to brighten up, add a splash of color, and, well, be happy!!!  And as you can see from the photo above, white paint was not spared.  I can't wait to get to the studio in the morning and distress and wax these pieces, along with a bookcase/console that also got the white treatment.

These glove drawers got a facelift too...

...and this workbench.  I reeeeaaaalllyyy wish I had a before picture of this one.  Wow, it was ugly!  One more coat of poly on the top and it will be ready to be a focal point of someone's kitchen, office, potting shed....

I recently picked up a huge lot of antique shoe lasts...110 to be exact!  I just love the patina of these!  They are mostly high-heel shoe lasts...and a few are even pointy-toed!  What to do with them?  My head is spinning!

And now for a little Spring color...These drawers were rescued from an old greenhouse.  I added the tags featuring images from vintage French seed packets.

...a few more tags, a fantastic galvanized tray, tulips...happy!

 Last, but not least, I found this HUGE antique paper cutter at one of my regular haunts.  I thought it would make a fantastic shelf.  Here it is on a repurposed bar, but I can see it holding herb plants over a kitchen sink, corralling supplies over a desk, or serving its intended purpose holding a 40" roll of kraft paper for wrapping or kids' projects!

Tomorrow will be a packing day!  Can't wait to show you my new space at the Manchester Mills!

Have a happy day,

Michelle

Spring at Mill City Antiques

It may be snowing outside, but my space at Mill City Antiques definitely feels like Spring!  I brought in some new pieces this week and gave the space a fresh new look!  Lots of other dealers were in doing the same thing, so if you're getting the winter blues, Mill City is the place to go!

I just added this sideboard to my space and it won't last long!  It's painted with cream chalk paint and has all the original hardware and tons of storage space!

I love to use natural elements in decorating.  This little boxwood placecard holder carries a vintage french vocabulary card that reads, "bois" (wood).  It's perfect alongside the piece of sculptural driftwood!

This little wire egg carrier is perfect with Easter right around the corner.

More eggs...this time in apothecary jars.  I made the tags using 19th century hand-colored illustrations of nests and eggs.

Another love...shoe lasts!  I just picked up a large lot of them and am looking forward to getting creative!  I see bookends, shelf brackets...

Hope to see you at Mill City!  Stay tuned for news of my new studio opening at the Manchester Mills in April...a business venture in Kennebunkport, ME...and other exciting changes to come!

Have a happy day!

Michelle