blog.sandhilleast.com

Quick Fix Thermos

2010-06-28T02:42:00Z

This is a great example of what a little makover can do for the usefulness of a vintage item. My rusty jug/thermos is lined with 1/4" ceramic inside, has a thick glass stopper, and a metal cap to insulate its contents well. It was used in the old days to transport hot and cold beverages in a large quantity. With all the rust, it was no longer useable, so after sanding, wire brushing, and sealing--it is now in great shape to be used for liquids or as a fun accessory for your home.

Jug BEFORE

Me with the jug AFTER

Close-up of the jug AFTER

Loveseat Refinishing Project

2010-06-28T02:02:00Z

I have a new project that is going to keep me busy for awhile. This 1900's loveseat comes with a good deal of work and a lot of history. From "Great Aunt Lucy's sitting room in San Leandro, CA"...used only for formal entertaining, I purchased this sentimental treasure from a woman today only after promising to restore it beautifully with only love and care and attention to detail.

The wood frame is not sound and is currently clamped with glue drying as I type. Next step will be reinforcing the frame more and adding braces to a few of the supports. Then I'll need to hand sand the entire frame, stain and seal it...and of course the upholstery. I need to retie the coils, add more batting to the cushion and then add new base fabric and top fabric and trim. I look forward to revealing the final product. I hope to do the former owner proud, and transform this historic seat into one that can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Shows split wood frame. This will take more than some strong wood glue to cure. I am on the case.

Underneath the seat--layers of batting, and fabric that will need redoing.

The overall chair--before I began work.

Canopy Mishaps

2010-06-11T16:15:00Z

At my last show, set on the former Alameda Point Naval Air Station in Alameda, California--I was warned that it can get pretty hot since there is nothing there but open air. I came prepared, so I thought with my 12' x 8' sunshade recently purchased at Big Lots for 30 bucks. Here's how it unfolded.

Upon the advice of others to get an Easy Up, I confer with my Dad who informs me about a $29 sun shade special at Menard's. Well being in Livermore, Ca, and checking out google maps, there just wasn't a Menard's close by. The neighboring Lowe's only had Easy Ups starting at $110. But I was hooked on the cheap price of that sun shade, so I set out to find it. My sister-in-law is an avid bargain hunter and convinced me Big Lots would have it! This is a store I have heard of, but never actually visited. There was one about 20 minutes away, and in a direction I frequent, so it was in the running. I give them a call and am pleased by the slow rambling salesman confirming that they not only have sunshades, but they were only 30 bucks. Sweet. They also had 10' x 10' Easy Ups (just the right size for my booth) for 60 bucks--a good price, since my parents paid about $200 for theirs.

At the surprisingly small "BIG" lots, I peruse the aisles to finally come across lawn furniture set up in a small aisle. I ask a worker about about the desired items and he points behind me. A bundle of boxes all looking the same save for their descriptions and pictures. The 60 dollar Easy Up is nowhere to be seen, even when a manager is brought in. I opt for the cheaper, but much harder to put up sunshade and hope it will work.

The weather predicted for the show is 87 degrees and unrelenting sun. So I slip on shorts, a tank top, sun block everywhere, and a light sweatshirt for the morning. I get to the one day show at about 5am, driving all the way through dark clouds and spitting rain, just hoping the wetness ceases so my antiques don't suffer the damage. I can picture a few weeks worth of refinishing repair in the wings if I have to put things out in rain. The rain has let up upon my arrival and I set everything up.

I pull out the numerous poles and connectors and finally a tarp that strings over the whole thing and hope there are some kind of instructions. Nothing on the box, and oh, wait, one small sheet of paper inside with hardly anything to go on. After a bit of struggling to put connectors into place and fit the poles in the right order, I realize this is not a one woman show. I think I am scaring the shoppers passing by with all the poles and mess splayed out in front of my booth.

With the help of my next door booth mate, I manage to get the canopy together. Her and I laugh that our brothers are engineers, and here we are attempting to create this unified structure and move it into place, and taking a few attempts to get it right. She took over and I sense some of her families' background rubbed off. I on the other hand was not so fortunate.

The clouds remain for another four hours, and I wonder if I will even need the sun shade, but stay the course and keep it in place. It is quite cold and my gloppy sunscreen is feeling thick and unnecessary. After a nice turn to match the predicted forecast, sun is streaming down, warming the flat air space. About midway through the show, the wind has picked up, I am standing in my booth rearranging the table space and talking to a customer while the gusts wail upon us. Time freezes, as do i, watching in stop motion frames as my sunshade is lifted, second by second, twenty feet into the air, floating, drifting. The shouts of neighboring vendors screaming for people to watch out, WATCH OUT, are barely audible in my frozen state. I remember thinking to myself, I would love to take a picture of this" and my usual lighting quick trigger finger is frozen with the rest of me. It is all unfolding before me and the canopy soars like a kite happy on the breeze. Then the dissent begins and the yelling picks up around me. My moth does not open, but I am now awake to the noise and pressing shouts. I see the potential touch down point as a heard of people or a corner booth two rows up filled with small, breakable china pieces. Neither good places for the canopy to crash.

With some stroke of sheer luck, because I know I wasn't doing anything to deter the path and fate of my happy flying shade, it hits in tact,just on the corner of the delicate booth, and manages not to flatten any people or breakables. Now my trance is fully broken and I rush over there with others still yelling and collect my canopy with some pride of its journey. It takes three others to walk it back with me. One on each corner. The helpers swoop in and assist without me asking. The flight has stirred up the crowd, but done nothing to the canopy--still fully in tact. We flip it back over and keep it in front of my booth, instead of resettling it back over my items. And then with other's instructions, we go about tying each leg to my car, vintage hairdryer, a borrowed projector, and my neighbor's door handle. giving some weight to each to help it stay put.

This works for an hour, but with each brisk wind climax, my primary job has gone from selling my goods, to literally, holding down the fort. With an hour left of the show, the sun streaming down, and a few near attempts for my gallivanting canopy to free itself from its tied bonds and my own grip, I receive many concerned remarks from my neighbors that I should give it up and put it down. I even had to have a client hold it down while I released my grasp to give change to his wife for her purchase. After they walked away, I decided to throw in the towel, and let it come down. Tears from the initial construction are visible, and I am sure that this will be my shade's last flight and last visit with me. I will be returning it to Big Lots. In my car it remains, with the receipt, waiting for me to end it's journeys.

The rest of the show goes well even without the shade though I ended up burnt, even with my sunscreen. I think it was my penance for dismissing my sun shade and giving up on taming the beast.

Setting up:

In full glory--nicely set up (pre-flight):

And after, tied down:

Latest Project

2010-06-08T16:48:00Z

There is nothing better than envisioning a piece transformed in your mind upon discovery, and then making it happen and bringing that idea to fruition. My latest refinishing project was a 1950's Cosco step stool. Perhaps the kind most Grandmother's kept in their kitchens, and not uncommon in many households. But this one was different. the second one I would work on. The first just sold at the Alameda show, and was truly unique. This new one, started off yellow, and rusty, a piece I picked up in Kansas on my first drive across the country west. And with some sanding, and rotary wire-brushing (and luckily no injuries this time) it is complete. One of my favorite pieces now. Hope it goes to a good home.

The Stool BEFORE:

In Progress:

Finished Product:

With the Rainbow Stool:

Antiques by the Bay

2010-06-08T16:37:00Z

My best show ever, that's how I'll start this entry. Just fantastic! I have been waiting for a place to sell that captured not only my vision and purpose, but left a little of my heart and work with my audience. What an exchange--just felt like there were hoards of really artsy and cool, hip people walking around and coming to see my things. I talked with a lot of interesting people, and enjoyed the day so much. I sold some large pieces that have been weighing me down, and will make room for more buying and new pieces to come to life.

This show, in Alameda, Ca is right near Oakland and across from San Francisco. It is on the old Alameda Point Naval Air Station. And is the largest antique show in Northern California. People came out just for the show, and it was a good showing. They are the first Sunday of every month and run all year. I definitely look forward to doing my next one. In the meantime, it is out buying for me, then transforming my finds into the fun pieces I like to sell. Each one having my touch and bringing something new to the old treasures.

For more info and to see when the next show is check out: www.antiquesbythebay.net.

My booth:

Close ups of my booth:

On Lookers:

The show grounds:

Pleasanton Antique Faire

2010-06-08T16:23:00Z

After a three week trek from southern Florida to northern California, carrying almost exclusively antiques, I find myself at my first show. And my first outdoor show. Set in the quaint town of Pleasanton, Ca--right on Main Street--I'm parked in front of the local bicycle shop. I unload with the sun just breaking the horizon at a chilly 46 degrees. By mid day it has reached 85, quite a shift in weather. But it remains dry, beautiful and people filled, so I am happy as streams of patrons line the streets. This one day show is a joy--lots of onlookers, and questions, though less buyers than I would like. The sales I did make were all small items. Even the table purchased was one that folded completely up. It was a bit disheartening packing up afterward, having to fit all the big items back in. They only have two shows a year, so this will not be a major part of my show routine. It was a good start and geared me up for my next show which is the following Sunday in Alameda, Ca.

Details for the Pleasanton show:

Copper Finial Refinishing Project

2010-01-20T02:17:00Z

Through six layers of old paint I sanded, scraped and rotary wire-brushed this piece back to it's original sheen. I went through the light green to a gold to dark brown to dark green to white and gray. Underneath lay copper, brilliant, shiny, beautiful copper. I decided to keep some of the old paint on near the edges to show it's history and maintain its old look.

The top view at the start of my refinishing. You can see the layers of paint showing through.

A work in progress. Shows one panel nearly completed.

All complete!

Refinishing a Stool

2010-01-06T18:07:00Z

The routine is the same--a delightful one for me. I get to see the transformation of a rusty unworkable item into a dull metallic shiny usable one. The turn from trash to useful in the spin of a brush, or scrape of my sandpaper. Under my hand, they transform.

I love refinishing stools. They are useful, small, and something people can enjoy. Practical pieces. Here's one I recently picked up, and the process of turning it around.

Getting off the first layer of rust. Makes a big difference.

Using my rotary wire brush to de-rust the edges of the top.

An Old Project Wraps Up

2010-01-06T17:44:00Z

This one began a few years ago, when I found this cabinet, gosh, don't know where now. Massachusetts, yes, that was it. I immediately saw it's potential and fell in love. I think I'm better at picking antiques than mates by the way. They (the antiques) usually do what I want, and turn out how I like, where the men, well...they just stay rusty and dusty and dirty--just the way they are.

Here's the cabinet way back at the beginning, right after I brought it home.

After carting this piece around, fully refinished, touching it up after it got drizzled with paint from being in a Manhattan work-in-progress show room, I brought it with me to Florida and to my recent show. The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival: www.festivalofantiques.com/ (a plug for it. Come! I'll be in the Feb show too).

Well I am happy to say that this piece received a new owner and the show and is going to stop being carted around (by me anyway). It will be part of a wonderful historic home's decor. The couple who purchased this bin also bought one of my refinished typing tables to be the base for the cabinet to make it into a desk. How clever. I always saw this cabinet as a table top--one with great built in storage and a very cool look for the right nook.

The finished product. Lookin good metal cabinet! Enjoy your new home.

Latest Antique Show

2010-01-06T16:28:00Z

I brought in the new year, 2010, with a busy weekend of pushing and hustling my goods. Set-up in West Palm Beach, Fl (I escaped for the winter) the crowd was pretty good. I have tons of new stuff and was excited to start selling. The set-up was new years eve and happened to take me till 6:30pm to unload three van loads and set-up. Needless to say, knowing I had to be there at 8am new years day, put a halt to any crazy celebration plans I was going to have. I still managed to have fun, and make it to the there plenty early.

The warm weather in West Palm Beach turned chilly and brought the beach-goers inside and to the show. I didn't mind a bit. At the end of the weekend though I still had two van fulls to take home. I may be investing in a separate trailer to pull all my stuff to shows. It is not fun to load and unload twice just to finish up. But I am still fairly new to shows and will learn and adapt as I go along.

Here I am in my booth, day one of the three-day show.

A closer look at my new collection of vintage blenders.

Ratchets & Wrenches Galore

2009-01-22T19:19:00Z

Oh the joys of new tools! Christmas came with heavy, shiny fun--literally with a giant ratchet and wrench set, compliments of my father. I think my older brother was secretly jealous. I had become the tool guru in my family's younger generation. I got the cool stuff, the manly stuff and was proud to show it off. I let it's big case sit gallantly in my brother's California living room till the very last hour before packing.

I carried the 30 pound set that would be the key to cracking the cage on my latest refinishing project. My new tools were divided amongst my checked and carry on baggage to distribute the weight, just squeezing the large plastic case in. Security had a field day, removing each and every sealed baggy of parts, along with all of my personal items. They rescanned about four times till they were satisfied. I yelled to the scanner man what exactly he was looking at, sweetly of course, but he continued on his search. I think he was surprised to find this much hardware in a girl's bag.

I watched in dismay as the TSA attendant attempted to repack my bag. Grimacing when he finished and was unable to come close to zipping it. I regained permission to handle the bag and put it back in the painstaking order it had started in. Each item a puzzle that would only fit one way. Getting it back to NY without any of the items being confiscated, I went about putting it together. I called my Dad twice during this process unsure what went where. Each baggie was full of what should have been an orderly arrangement of bits. Instead, they mixed different measurements together for the three gages of ratchets, making it a 45 minute process to complete. Looking at it all put together, it looks much easier than the big empty case and the daunting assortment of baggies clustered beside it. This picture might make it look small, but it is much bigger in real life.

I pressed each piece into their place, lining up the right ends, showing off the sizes and double checking my work. I sent a victory picture to my dad, boasting my slow success. I queried him as to why each piece only "set" in it's place, rather than "locked" into place. It just didn't seem very secure. He warned me NOT to open the case upside down, as each piece would spill out. This was the last thing I wanted. He continued that his old set has a big Sharpie warning of which side was the top, after a few surprise explosion openings, he learned his lesson the hard way. Duly noted. I kept the label on the front to serve as my warning. He later built a solid and beautiful rolling oak tool box to secure each tool with magnets and straps. It is brilliant.

So far I have picked out the right sizes on my first try, with a small celebration smile. I think this is the beginning of a lifelong friendship with these tools. That is, until I upgrade to a bigger set and possibly make my own custom box for all of them, or convince my Dad to take on another project.

More on Me

2009-01-22T17:20:00Z

Getting back to my roots for me means doing something creative. I live for projects. Antiques is one way I express myself, writing to you here is another.

Tools have become my secret indulgence. Each trip to the hardware store fills me with excitement at what new item I may add to my box. I must say, I definitely inherited this from my Dad, along with many of the skills needed to refinish antiques.

My humble beginnings might be traced back to acing my 6th grade shop test of naming all the tools. But I wasn't always into antiques. Much of my youth was spent scoffing at my folks for not being more modern. I chose metal for my teenage bedroom set, replacing the beautiful solid oak 1900's furniture. Luckily all of it is back in place in my childhood home.

Somehow, through all the trips we'd take to markets and antique shows, my true breeding came through. I started critiquing, searching, dreaming and buying all sorts of treasures I just couldn't live without. Much to my family's surprise and delight, I was officially a connoisseur.

But before coming to terms with my family's taste and finding my own had become a match, I followed other career paths. I studied as a writer, pursuing this subject simply because my professors inspired me. Growing up in MI, I found myself in NYC with initial adventures in book publishing, print production, design editing, and interior design. Slowly moving in a direction that brings me here.

Explosions and Frustrations: Rebuilding a Fan

2009-01-21T04:32:00Z

It's not always easy, that you know. Stay positive, sure--easy enough when everything is smooth sailing.

My latest project has been restoring a 1960's electric fan. It started out pea green--a color that even your Grandmother would disapprove of. I decided to strip it, the way I like to--by sanding. I prefer to leave the chemical cancer out of the mix and stick to some good 'ol fashioned elbow grease.

This fan has been sitting on my to do list for three months now, awaiting the right tool to help me pry off the cage protecting the blades. I tried the small selection of wrenches I had back in October, coming up short. The odd shaped nuts would not budge. So I let it sit until my Dad bought me my own giant ratchet and wrench set for Christmas.

The project did not get easier. I managed to disassemble the fan and open er up. I burnished all of the base, blades and polished the cage. She was lookin beautiful. I did the sautering and put on a new cord, and was ready to seal er back up. Then upon the advice of my dad, I bought some motor oil and squirted some on the inside components. Well, I wasn't exactly sure where it should go, and the wire coils got drenched with it. I didn't think much of it until I screwed on the bottom plate and decided to plug her in.

POP, smoke, fizz, ok, no fizzing, but a loud pop and lots of smoke. Ughhh, I wasn't wearing my mask, and I didn't' have a fire extinguisher. I yanked out the plug and waited till the smoking subsided before unscrewing and carefully prying off the base plate. The culprit was the motor oil. The problem was me. I should not have put any there. Back to the advice of my dad, I bought alcohol and a dropper and doused the exposed areas with alcohol to get rid of the oil. Or at least attempt to. I proceeded for a week of filling the dropper and squirting it on, then filling it again and so on. With hope in my heart and still no fire extinguisher, I decided to have another go and put the plug in. Nothing. I had officially killed it.

******

Almost a year later, I find myself in Florida, with the fan in tow. I carted it with me on this journey and there it sat in the garage, my workshop. My parents happened to be visiting and I showed off a successful fan refinishing and rewiring that I'd just completed...and there sat the shell of this sad fan I started so long ago. My dad thought it a good idea to take it home and see if he could get it working. So off it went. This forgotten fan with no cage and not many prospects. I left the cage (covers the blades of the fan) in New York. So even if it gets working, she will not be complete. So another journey for her, and a good lesson learned for me. Don't mess with wiring if you don't know what you're doing. I've gotten better since then!

A picture of the more recent fan I refinished and rewired correctly.

Welcome

2009-01-21T02:24:03Z

Welcome to my blog: a place where one gal shares her fun with antiques.