Friday, August 31, 2012

Moving Musings

Cue Brady Bunch music:

This is the story of a lively lady

With three lovely little booths

The smallest one just shelves!

Well, now you know my secret - I am terrible at fitting words to music.  I'm warning you this post will probably be silly and full of errors, but I feel like worn-out shoe leather.
 This is the beginning of the week of the big move.  These two pics show what the two booths looked like before packing up.  Everything had to go next door. That included the doors and pegboard!

I had a smaller booth that was just a wall of shelves.  I forgot to take a photo of it.

See anything you want?  If you had been here, I probably would have given it to you.

I decided today if I ever have to move again (this is the ninth time), I am calling the Salvation Army to send their truck to pick it up.  I am serious.  I am that tired.  As worn-out as old shoe leather.
Chucks on the inside just peeking out, Calvin on the outside taking down my two favorite doors.  They have been with me at several different booths for fourteen years.  (The doors, not Chucks and Calvin!)

My customers look for the green door.

I called this booth "The Green Door"  because it could be seen from the front door of the mall.
 There is my trusty shopping cart.  I was lucky the one I snagged had good wheels on it.

The window divider has been moved and secured - good fences make good neighbors!

The dresser is moved into the space and piled with stuff.




 Here's a pic of the small booth before all the stuff came over.

I am still thinking to myself.  Everything will fit - no problem!


The tremendously heavy blue door has been secured to the wall.  Crib springs hang from the pegboard.  My windows are stacked awaiting tags.

This is the big booth 10 X 20 feet with a two foot wide area outside.

I had previously painted it blue so I left it that color.

  The butler pantry doors are not secured to the wall because I am thinking I am going to sell them. At first I thought paint them and add chalkboard paint to the panels.  But I am as worn out as old shoe leather.

See that dolly? You can pull out the handle to roll it flat.  It became my best friend.  I became adept at pushing the shopping cart with my right hand and pulling the loaded dolly with my left!
 Inside looking out.  I could not decide about the pegboard.  Chucks patiently put up one facing out and one facing in.  I decided on the brown side in and the white side out.

I know, I know, I could have painted them white.  In fact I had the paint and brushes in the car.  But I was as tired as worn shoe leather.
 






Chucks taking down the pegboard in the old booth to put up in the new.  It's a one-man job taking it down, but I had to stand and hold it for him to put it up.






 







The doors are gone.  The furniture is moving down the sidewalk.  This booth is looking pretty dismal.
 







Let me show something positive.  My friend Arlene has her booth just about finished here - Farmhouse Antiques.  She even painted a brick path around the outside!

Look how nice it is - I wish I was that far along!

The next few photos are blurry because my hands were shaky.




 The center aisle has its display cases all lit and cleaned.  The computers are set up and we are already selling.




 After a day and a half of trying to stage everything as I moved it, I started just putting things into piles in the approximate place it would wind up.




You can tell the theme here will be red, white and blue.


 Well, after three days of moving, the piles got out of hand and chaos reigned.

I gave up trying to organize it and concentrated on pushing that shopping cart and pulling that dolly down that sidewalk loaded as high as I could pile it.




 This photo sort of says it all.  This is late Wednesday afternoon - Chucks came over to help with the last few loads.

No, I did not make him cry.  He was as worn out as old shoe leather!

The two old booths have lost their pizazz - there is no life here anymore.

That white wire basket and the mattress frame are the last items to make that long walk down the sidewalk.

I estimated I hauled 26 shopping carts and 12 dolly loads, but I finally have it all in the new booths.  I spent yesterday at home doing as little as possible.


Today I worked on organizing and staging - it is a long process!  Tomorrow I will work on the inside of the large booth.  Sunday and Monday will be the small booth's turn.  Tuesday is the official opening.  Thank goodness!

Arlene with her shopping cart heads back down the long, long sidewalk to fetch another load of her primitives.  The doors to the other side is way down at the end by the trees.


Someone just reminded me it was Labor Day weekend.  Well, I'll tell you right now, I WILL be laboring even if I am as worn-out as old shoe leather!

See y'all!



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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Priscilla, Plant Princess

 I know I have gone missing this week, but I am still working on the big move over at the Riverfront Antique Mall  In the evenings I have been working on small projects to wind down.  I came home early enough the other day to get some painting done before the mosquitoes ate me alive.  When it rains every day, there is no getting rid of them!

This is Priscilla, plant princess.  My grandmother had one of these.  She called it a violet stand.  She did keep pots of violets on it so that might be why.  For all I know it is not even a plant stand!

This one was handmade of pine stained dark.  You can see the water ring on the top shelf.  There was also some sun-fading.
Plus I just did not like that dark color stain so I took out my trusty can of Rust-Oleum Ivory Silk spray paint and went to work.  In fact, not only did I paint this, but as long as my dryer sheet and Hawaiian Tropic #4 Dark Tanning lotion (my secret weapon for keeping mosquitoes away!) were working, I kept painting.

Two light coats later and Priscilla was done.
 You know I cannot leave a piece alone like this.  Using a coaster, I drew four circles on some pretty scrapbook paper - medium weight.  I used scalloped edge craft scissors to cut the circles out.

Next, of course, MOD PODGE!!!

I have had several emails about wrinkling. (Paper, not me!) I put the Mod Podge only on one side making sure the thin coat covers all.  After I glue it down, I lay a piece of waxed paper over it and smooth it out.
 The picture above shows the circle several minutes later.  Yes, there are wrinkles, but wait.  If it makes you feel better, gently push them down.

This picture shows the same circle a couple of hours later.  No wrinkles.  Why?  The paper does stretch some when it is wet and contracts as it dries. 

Now is the time to place the top coat of Mod Podge.  Allowing for proper drying, I used two coats.

 This particular plant stand did not have the routed out holders for the pots so I think the paper doilies work find.  After I had finished, I wished I had taken a little more time (something I do not have right now) to actually tea stain some white paper doilies and Mod Podge them on under the paper circles.

Well, maybe next time!




I am glad I took the photo above.  I now realize because of the brightness of the white, you cannot see the paper!

Priscilla is off to the mall for the new booth.  I have an update to post about the total mess I have created there. But today I took off to laze around, go to a few thrift shops, watch the Carolina Gamecocks beat Vanderbilt, and write a blog post.  I did not even want to think of the chaos that is awaiting me tomorrow.

You will notice I am being a good little blogger.  I resized my pictures and put watermarks on them so no one will steal my post.  I think that is pretty stinky of someone ruining a community of trusting bloggers like that!  Actually, the words I used were much stronger than that, but this is a family-friendly blog.  I am off to bed.  I am glad to have had this moment of sanity and serenity with you!

See y'all!



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