Small Things ...

Back by popular demand ... in  pink,  green  &  indigo. :) I love these little canvases. And I love my new books from the thrift store with the fabric covers. I got them just a few hours ago & already I'm putting them to work. :)

Linking Back & Looking Ahead ...

In an effort to explain my Quote Canvases to someone, I thought it was just easier to send them a link to this little FAQ-like post I did 2 years ago. :) Need to add it to my sidebar like I said I would.

In other news, I have sold 4 of these Annette Funicello Quote Canvases in less than a week! I've discussed it in great length on Facebook, but I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. :) Lots of people apparently love this quote/canvas ... but literally thousands have repinned my artwork with the wrong links.  [Same story, different artwork here.]

BUT. My friends, family & I have done some work dropping links & asking politely for them to be corrected. And finally, slowly but surely, people are being pointed towards my Etsy Shop.

I wish I could paint faster. All the ideas I have, quotes I want to do & color schemes I want to try out, I just can't keep up. But, I am in the early stages of throwing around the idea of making prints from the Quote Canvases. There will be a lot of trial & error, but hopefully soon I will give it a go! :)

Thrift Store Finds ...

I'm on a hunt. For a new living room.

Yesterday, I started my search at Revival Home Furnishings here in Kansas City. It's a great store that mixes consignment pieces with new ones. The best of both worlds. :) Great stuff, but nothing that I just couldn't live without. I then went on down the road to a Salvation Army Store. Again, nothing I had to have. So then I went a little further on down the road to Pottery Barn. Plenty I didn't want to live without, but $1000+ for some of the pieces I was looking at. One should never go there directly after going to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. But I do love to look. :)

After doing my chores today [putting away Christmas decorations], I treated myself to a couple more hours of thrift stores, continuing my search for Living Room furnishings.

Here are my iPhone photos from my little outing today [oddly enough, nothing really for the living room] ...

Libby has a desk in her room almost identical to this one. I got it when we lived in Jacksonville. I paid $5 for hers, but the varnish has worn off in places & it has "Jennifer" carved on the desk part [which I've kept just because it's funny. Adds character.]. :) This one [above] was only $9.98 & is in near perfect shape! I texted a couple people & put this on Facebook because somebody that had seen Libby's was wanting to find one just like hers. I just can't remember who it was. But if you're wanting it ... it's at the Red Racks on Wornall! [*Just realized it's ideal for a left-handed person! Ha! I had to go check Libby's since it never even occurred to me, but hers is indeed right-handed.]

The next shop I went to doesn't look like this throughout the store ... but this was what one of the rooms looked like. Supposedly, it's just sort of a "storage" room. Pretty ... impressive ... little pile.   I think I've done dumpster diving that felt cleaner than this did. But there were some cool little finds, including those 2 armed wooden library chairs [one has a TV in the seat, the other is under the Forta box]. I bought a chair just like these at a flea market last year. LOVE these. NO idea how much they were. But I am certain they weren't much.

I loved this lamp! There was no lightbulb & no outlet for me to test it out [& I didn't ask].  I also don't really have a place to put it if I were to get it. But it was only $11. I adore it. With a new modern shade? This thing would be stunning.

I wanted to buy this. It was $40 ... but needed a lot of work. I would have just attempted to clean it, restain the top & touch up as needed [not paint]. I definitely would keep the knob on the drawer, but the 2 pulls below would have to be replaced [the one on the right was broken].

The piece flips open on both sides & has wooden supports that pull out, doubling the length of the surface. I'm not exactly sure what reason there would be to open it all up like that? Bar? But I would keep it all closed up. I took measurements & will sit on this one. It's by "Thomasville", but looks old.

I was leaving the store & noticed a store window from a room I never even saw. I fawned over the table & chairs ... and knew I'd regret it if I never went in to at least check the price. $300 for the table & 6 chairs [5 side & 1 arm]. Seats would obviously need to be reupholstered [simple] ... but MAN. Is this ever gorgeous. And so well built.               I want it.

I do not really need a new table or chairs. I just painted a buffet & repainted my table & chairs. 2 months ago. But SERIOUSLY.           I kind of want it.                       I do.   If someone were to buy it, fix it up for me & find a new owner for my table & chairs, I wouldn't be mad.

In the end, I walked away with just these things: 4 amber drinking glasses for the kids [$0.99 each] & this green oval bowl for $3.98.

This summer my mom was admiring the flower pot next to my kitchen sink. I bought it because a.) it was mustard gold and matched my kitchen; b.) I needed a cuter pot than the plastic one that came with my aloe plant; and c.) because it was only $0.99. She flipped it over to show me it was a "McCoy" pottery piece & made in the USA, which [according to her] both should have been my clue that it was worth more than $0.99. I had gotten it at a thrift store, of course, and thought I paid too much at the time. So going by the 'vintage American pottery rule', I decided to get this green oval bowl today. Mainly because I like it & hope to use it as a serving dish. It's a Haeger Pottery piece which I later learned is a company that has been making pottery in the USA for 140+ years. No biggie. You learn something new everyday. Today that 'thing' was Haeger Pottery. Now I know. 

For the price of one piece of furniture at Pottery Barn, I could have purchased all this loot today. Crazy. Especially when you realize that most of the things you see in that store? Are reproductions. Made to look like these vintage pieces & originals that you find in thrift stores. Also, in most cases when you buy from a thrift store the money is going to a charity. In the case of my purchases today [4 glasses & the oval bowl], the money goes to Disabled American Veterans. Win-win. Don't be scared. Go on in. Yes, even the rooms that look like a scene from "Hoarders". There are diamonds to be found in the rough, I promise. [*Update: After sleeping on it ... I went back to get the bird lamp. Love it. So happy.]

Rehab ...

The Handydandys ... proud new owners of this 2 bed / 0 bath home!

Needed a little work but they hope to be in by Christmas!

 Bedroom #1 [hope previous owners didn't need that newspaper article tacked to the bulletin board!]

 Living Room

 Bedroom #2

 Rooftop Garden

 Going over plans with their interior designer.

 Let the demolition [& 7 years of bad luck] BEGIN!

Where we're at as of today ... wood floors are in!

Some friends of ours gave us this little play house. It had come out of their basement & then it sat in our garage for 5 months while we found some wall space in Libby's room. If you recall, we played "Musical Dressers" a month ago. So, 2 dressers [1 used to be her changing table] came out of Libby's room & 1 went in, leaving an open wall space for the doll house. Perfect.

It was dirty from being in a basement & garage and I found the decor to be a little dated. I didn't know who would be "living there" ... her Strawberry Shortcake dolls? Barbies [which she only has 1]? Littlest Pet Shop animals? Wasn't sure what I was going to do for furniture either. I fell in LOVE with the Calico Critters line. It was pricey, but I was willing to suck it up because it seemed perfect for her. But then, the week of Thanksgiving, my mom & I were doing a little late night shopping at Target while she was in town. And I saw a new line, only available at Target. Lil Woodzeez ... so cute. I picked out the Mouse Family and we bought a couple furniture sets. We even went on a mad hunt to other Target locations to try & snatch up the last remaining furniture set. It was selling out quickly!  But we got it.  The Mouse Family & furniture will arrive via sleigh on Christmas morning. But the house is busy getting rehabbed here at home and she's enjoying seeing it get cleaned up & made over. I've loved being busy with my shop the past couple of weeks & getting packages on their way, but I do believe the last order intended as a last minute Christmas present will be shipped off today ... then I have the rest of the week to get the house done in time for the Mouse Family to move in!!! I can't wait! :) And neither can they! [Although I heard big brother isn't looking forward to having to share a room with baby mouse ... or having a pastel floral motif for wallpaper, but hopefully he'll get over it.] ;)