Attack of the Angry Arachnids

I have been away for months it seems like.

I have a great excuse.

I have been bitten seven times by brown recluse spiders while swimming in the pool.

See all the lantana and clematis between the patio and the pool?

I enjoy the jungle look while swimming laps in my private lagoon.

Chucks found several drowned spiders in the skimmer.

Spiders become very angry when drowning.

As I backstroked down the pool, I pulled the nasty arachnids down my body where they found a spot and bit the ever-loving heck out of me.

On five different occasions.

You can go here to see what a bite looks like.

Three rounds of powerful antibiotics, daily careful debriding of the crater-like wounds, and Polysporin and finally I am well.

I have not been in the pool in weeks.

I am very lucky not to have lost any chunks of skin tissue.

I did know NOT to puncture the head on the bite.  It will release the venom into your blood stream.

My faithful sidekick Willie was playing in the garden bed while I painted this toolbox.

A loud yelp and a tremendous leap and frothing at the mouth.

Yes, poor Willie was bitten by something poisonous.

After several shots, antibiotics, and pain meds, he is on the mend.

Both of us have made a decision NOT to stroll about outside.

Started with this unfinished project of someone's.

Sprayed painted it Aqua Rust-Oleum.

Sanded and added a Minwax Golden Oak stain to age it.

Added a black handle.

Filled it with small buckets and took it over to the booth.



 

I was finally able to sit down, put my arms to my sides, and turn my neck after recovering from the angry spiders.

Then along came Irma tearing leaves and pine straw and small branches off the trees.

While out raking, I stepped into a fire ant bed.

I am currently NOT a fan of the insect world.

AND in February I will be radically cutting back the jungle! 

Willie insists.

See y'all!

It's All Wood For Me

Since I am more of a traditional type of girl, just give me wood, beautiful wood, for my blog's fifth anniversary.

Yep, none of that modern style which is silverware.

Just wood.

 




It is hard to believe I have been blogging for five years.

Here lately I have been limping along, but have found a renewed interest in blogging.

I cannot stay away from all of you.

My first selfie was my first blog photo.

I could have bothered to put on a little make up.

From the very beginning the real Distressed Donna has been with me.

She greets me when I drive up.


 
Standing in the middle of my driveway container garden.

Modern me.

I asked Chucks to take a new photo of me.

Strike one.

The sun was blazing.

Strike two.

I seem to always lean back when posing.

Strike three.

Photo is lousy.

There are no existing decent photos of me.

Really.

Since it is a big day for my little blog, I must come clean and admit I stretched the truth a tiny bit.

The Hoosier cabinet does not contain all of Horror Monster.

The sugar chest holds the rest of him.






Well, the sugar chest and all those bins.

Yes, I am staying around - blogging away.

Yes, you do remember I give away parts of Horror Monster for special occasions.

If you are interested and not afraid, say so in a comment below.

Make sure I know your email.

(Monkey and Sharon@Blue Willow House - to name two!)

I'll choose three names out of the proverbial hat.


See y'all!

Come visit the Riverfront Antique Mall dealer page on Facebook:  Dealing On The River and like us!

ETSY SHOP IS CLOSED

 I will accept reserved listings if you see something in the blog posts you want.

Most Popular Posts of 2016

Based on readers' views, here are the eight most popular posts of 2016.

Number Eight is a Friday Finds post where I had numerous emails about these buckets which quickly sold.

From January 22, it's  Friday Finds.

Number Seven was one of my favorite posts - an estate sale at an old farm.

From March 22, it's Peach Farm Estate Sale.

Number Six featured a load of hand-stitched quilts.

From August 9, it's Q is for Quilt.

Number Five is a Friday Finds post about the trove of treasure I bought from Linda at A La Carte.

From March 4, it's Friday Finds With Linda.

Number Four was about my first experience selling at Magnolia Ridge Antiques & Art Gathering.

From May 25, it's Magnolia Ridge - The Gathering.

Number Three features the primitive chest I wished I had never sold.

From April 18, it's Rolling Blue Tool Chest.

Number Two is the primitive table sold at the Magnolia Ridge Gathering.

From March 17, it's Breezy Blue Primitive.

The most viewed post for 2016 was part of a blog hop where participating bloggers revealed items they would be searching during the summer.

From April 29, it's Top 5 Things To Look For At Yard Sales This Year.




So there you have it - quite a wide range of topics - all seem to concern the junk I drag home.

I appreciate all of the readers of my blog.

I look forward to more blogging in 2017.

2017!?!

Is that really for real the year!?!


See y'all!


 

Come visit the Riverfront Antique Mall dealer page on Facebook:  Dealing On The River and like us!

ETSY SHOP IS CLOSED

 I will accept reserved listings if you see something in the blog posts you want.

Vintage Charm Party #63

Friday Finds

My Friday Finds post is more about finding Florence than treasures found.

Though Florence is a true treasure.


She started commenting on my posts quite awhile back.

I tracked her down on Google, but had no idea of her blog, Etsy shop, FB page, and Pinterest boards. 

I found out when she asked to use a link to my spooky ancestor milk bottles (READ HERE) on an Etsy listing featuring old cabinet cards.

Of course once I saw the cabinet cards I had to purchase them.

Chucks and I spent about 45 minutes the day the photos arrived creating back stories for each person.

We decided the couple above had these photos taken for their engagement. We think they found each other in prison - he a petty thief and she the prison cook.  

And they lived happily ever after.

I especially love family portraits with children.

The three sisters grew up to be a local sensation as a singing trio.

And they lived happily ever after.

Formal portraits were taken to com- memorate special milestones in life.

The two women graduated from a teaching college, taught for three years, and quit to marry and raise their children.

 
And they lived happily ever after.

Love the unusual diamond shape of the young man's photo.

After being scanned, I will use a copy of him  to make merchandise tags.

More formal portraits of young men.

Chucks and I saw a bright future for the guy standing by the chair.

He became president of a major furniture company, married well, and had five children.

And lived happily ever after.

Notice all of the stories we created have a happy ending.

All because Chucks insists on it.

Snarky me thinks of the dark side sometimes.

I will be busy scanning these into the computer for future use.

Now back to the amazing Florence.

Her blog Vintage Southern Picks is a delightful mix of vintage finds, transformations, and life stories. I have been busy reading back through her posts.

You can find Vintage Southern Picks on Facebook HERE.

Her Pinterest boards can be found HERE.

Etsy shop - VintageSouthernPicks - Where Vintage Meets Modern is HERE.

Most of you probably already know her, but be sure to go over and visit when you have a chance.

Thanks, Florence for becoming a blog friend. 

See y'all!

ETSY SHOP IS CLOSED

Everlasting And Vintage Cabinet

No, this is not the same post as yesterday.

This cabinet matches the bookshelf.

So I chose to paint them the same.



Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Everlasting and Vintage.





1980's mauve.

It is quite amazing at the outright hatred this color can provoke.

Even people who love pink, do not like mauve.

DO YOU SAY MAHVE OR MOHVE?

Like the companion bookshelf, the cabinet is a good, sturdy, real wood piece.

The cabinet has plenty of storage.


Squint really hard and you can see the shelf folded up in the back.

A good sanding to get some tooth - the finish was slick and glossy. 

Latex Bermuda Sand for the back.

Vintage for the inside.

I have been using this color for accents and insides.

I think it might be time to do a whole piece in this color.

It took two coats to cover the mauve.

The outside in Everlasting.

The bookshelf and the cabinet had been professionally refinished in the mauve.

See this carved detail?

I tried to figure out how to bring it back to life on both pieces.

However the detail had been sanded almost flat.

Everyone has a tip for painting doors without the hardware.

My tip involves waxed twine.

I fold a piece in half.




Tie a large knot on one side.

Slide it through the hole.

Tie a large knot on the other side.

Opens the doors easily.

Stays out of the way when painting. 

I used the same pulls - I liked the aged dark finish to the brass.

Available in Booth C-23, Riverfront Antique Mall in North Augusta, SC.

Along with the bookshelf - in case you need a pair!


Update on the small booth next week.  I spent seven hours cleaning and arranging stuff on Tuesday.

It almost killed me!

ONE OF THE FUN PARTS OF JUNKIN' IS THE THRILL OF THE HUNT.

THE BLOGGERS BELOW WILL REVEAL WHAT IS ON THEIR LISTS FOR YARD SALES THIS YEAR.

COME BACK TOMORROW!
IT'S A BLOG HOP!

YIKES!

 THE FARM SALE IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING.

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

SEE Y'ALL!

Use this discount code to receive 10% off your purchase at the Distressed Donna Etsy store:

DISTRESSEDDONNA16

SHOP HERE!