Tag: vintage

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1920’s Chest of drawers on wood casters

Almost antique, this chest of drawers has classic depression era styling such as carved scrolling on the middle drawer front and wood casters on the short spindle legs.

The top has been sanded and stained a beautiful mahogany and the base is painted in Naturalist Grey which compliments today’s rustic decor trends.

The dovetail drawers have been left in their original condition to maintain a piece of its historical integrity. Antiqued brass ring drawer pulls open the top two drawers and coordinating antiqued brass knobs open the bottom two drawers.

Drawers slide easily in and out and their misalignment at times is typical for vintage furniture of its age. The top is 38″ long and 20″ wide, the bottom is 36″ long and 19″ wide and it is 35″ tall from the floor to the top. Furniture of this size and style have a place in any room. Use it in an entryway, as a buffet in a dining room or as extra storage in a bedroom.

On sale now for only $199 which also includes the matching arched mirror. Please visit Knicknaques Vintage Boutique at 707 S. Broad St. Monroe, GA 30655 for more information or contact me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/knicknaques Thanks for looking! Jayme

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Glam faux fur cane back chair

This vintage cane back chair has been totally transformed into a glamorous accent chair, perfect for adding a stylish seat to any chic area. The wood frame and cane back have been painted a pure gold which coordinates well with many of today’s modern styles. The seat has been covered in a white long haired faux fur that is so soft and comfortable, you won’t ever want to get up. It’s unique vintage design can be implemented into any room, in any decor, from bohemian to farmhouse. It measures 25″ long, 32″ tall to the top of the back and the seat is a modest 25″ wide. The seat sits 15″ from the floor. Available now for only $119. Please visit Knicknaques Vintage Boutique 707 S. Broad St., Monroe GA for more information. We are open Friday-Sunday from 1-6pm. Please contact me to arrange additional days or hours. Thanks for looking! Jayme

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Vintage Market Days of Charleston, from a vendor perspective

The Vintage Market Days event has been a thing for years and I have seen their advertisements for venues all over the southeast. This year I decided to try a “new” festival and get out of the Atlanta market. I felt fairly confident that I could do well in any environment that was geared totally around the vintage vibe and Knicknaques Vintage Boutique was instantly approved as a vendor for the VMD in Charleston, SC.

I originally chose a 10×20 booth simply because that is the size I am used to working with at the Cotton Pickin’ Fair, but the more I started to think about it, the more intimidated I became. What if I scale back a bit for my first event here? I mean, I had no idea what kind of area I would be working with. Was there going to be a wall on any side? Was there a way to hang my lights and ladder from the ceiling? I knew nothing and honestly had a very hard time getting information about the event and even less about the space I was working with. I immediately contacted them and asked them to change my booth from a 10×20 to a 10×10. So, yes, I chickened out a bit. It was weeks before I finally got a new contract for the 10×10 booth and I found out at the same time, that this particular event had a change in management. That could be good and bad, but went ahead and signed my contract for the 10×10 booth with someone informing me that they would honor my request for a booth with a wall at the back. I breathed a “small” sigh of relief and began prepping.

I wanted a boho inspired look, using white, gold and green colors with natural rattan and wicker. I had the rattan and wicker in stock at the store and set to work painting a couple dressers and a chair. Can you tell I’m obsessed with gold leaf? So pretty, and they both tie in with the look I had in mind. This chair came as a last minute thought. She has been in my basement for years and I was ready to see her transform. I had some leftover white faux fur for recovering the seat and decided on gold spray paint for the frame and cane. She is totally glam now and ready for a new home. But, I will be honest and tell you that I will not be disappointed if she doesn’t sell and I have to bring her home!

I felt more ready for this show than any other and moving day came quick. With the help of my fabulous husband, Greg, we had the trailer packed up and ready to go Wednesday night and we left around 7:30 am on Thursday. The four hour ride left me plenty of time to plan and to worry. I still had no idea about the 10×10 space I would be working with and was told we had 30 minutes to unload, which is no where near enough time for me to figure out what was going in and what was going to have to go back in the trailer. We got in around 12:30 and found we could leave the truck and trailer right outside while we unloaded everything. My booth was so small. I had no way to hang anything from the ceiling and I had NO walls. I was going to have to “make” my own walls using the furniture I had on hand. No big deal…we got this! We managed to cram as much as we could into my little area. Maybe a little too crammed, but I was happy with the end result! We finished setting up around 7:30pm and headed for our little Airbnb Whispering Pines cottage in Summerville. Adorable! After a comfortable night’s sleep, we arrived on at our booth around 9:00 am ready to go! The first 25 people in line received a free goody bag and it was super busy until about 2pm. Sales were great and I was struggling to keep up with restocking my sold inventory. My smalls were flying out the door, but my large furniture was staying put.

After closing, we moved some things around and finished restocking in time for the vendors to be treated to a tasty BBQ dinner. We headed back to our cottage and changed clothes to visit Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant. They were recommended to us by a customer and their Trash Can Nachos came in a big tin can that they empty onto a plate. So yummy! I had a Pitt Street Lemonade…or two and Greg had a local Sweet Josie beer. We were full and ready to head back to get to bed.

Saturday sales were half of what they were Friday and my furniture was still sitting which is SO very unusual. Normally my furniture is the first to go! But the vendors around me weren’t selling furniture either. I marked my dressers way down hoping for some action, but…nothing. I’ll try again tomorrow.

Sunday is always SALE DAY. Make me an offer to keep us from having to load it up and take it back home! Sunday was slower than Saturday and I couldn’t sell my dressers. I did, however, sell my giant wooden lockers and a mid century chair that I never even took out of the trailer. One of the friendly vendors we met, Maureen, saved us from having to load up those lockers and when I brought the doors out of the trailer to show her, she spied my mid century lounge chair. She, thankfully, spared us a little more space❣️ Check out her awesome instagram page at Rustic Attitude.

At 4pm when the event closed, I was feeling much better about trailer space and we set to work breaking down the booth and reloading the trailer. This process normally takes us a few hours and we were on the road to go home by 6pm.

It felt good to sleep in my own bed and I’m looking forward to getting my store back in order. We met some great people at this event, but I am not sure if I will participate in another VMD show. The contract that I signed was very specific about all the vendors at this show being vintage or at least vintage inspired. The gutter company that was highlighted twice on VMD Facebook page and the skin rejuvenation booth just didn’t align with what I thought this show was going to be about. I also feel they had every opportunity to highlight each vendor through Facebook and instagram, but there were only a select few that they chose to post and some of them were advertised more than once. I may look into the Atlanta area shows to see if they are any different.

Stay tuned, but for now only 5 more weeks until the Cotton Pickin’ Fair! Visit my Facebook page Knicknaques Vintage Boutique for more information and updates.

Jayme

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Introducing my luggage inspired dresser

This vintage 4 drawer dresser has been completely made over to look like stacked vintage luggage. It has good bones and is constructed of solid wood. The drawers are in great shape and there is no sticking when opening and closing them.

The frame has been roughly sanded and stained in a dark walnut color and each drawer front has been decorated with authentic vintage luggage and trunk pieces.

The top drawer has been painted a creamy white, distressed and then given an antique glaze. It is made to look like two separate suitcases and either handle pulls the whole drawer open. Two metal American Tourister labels were salvaged and attached to the top right side.

An old trunk handle and rusty latches have been added to the stained second drawer. The black plastic handle pulls the drawer open and an old Delta Airlines paper tag was saved for charm. The metal latch on the left works and actually unclips! The missing metal latch on the right adds to its true vintage appeal.

Plaid brown vinyl from a soft sided suitcase has been added to the front of drawer number three and the gold clips on either side open and close. The brown leather handle pulls this drawer open.

Drawer number four has been stained in a light oak color. There are two buckle straps on either side and the coordinating handle in the middle opens the drawer.

Each drawer has been lined with map paper to go with the traveling theme.

It was a lot of fun putting this piece together and I am already on the lookout for another dresser and old worn out luggage!

Jayme

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Knicknaques finds a home

Two years ago I started this venture out of a love for taking something old and making it new. It’s been a hobby for me that has paid for itself and my love for vintage has only grown. Although my taste and style may have changed over the years, my passion for mid century has stayed the same.

From the very beginning I had a vision.  It was going to be a step by step process that started in my garage, with some spray paint and a pair of cane back chairs and ends with me opening my own store, Knicknaques Vintage Boutique.

In November of 2013 I opened my Etsy store and realized other people across the country loved vintage and my work. It fueled my fire for more. Pretty soon, I had a garage full of treasures that could fill a store. My ambition to find pieces to work on was much bigger than my time to actually work on them.  The next logical step was to find a booth to rent at an antique mall. It was about as much as paying for a storage unit, only it would be open to the public and also generate sales. Knicknaques opened at Cherry Hill Antique Mall at the Cotton Mill in Monroe, Georgia, in March of 2014.

 I never made rent with my sales.  Hell, I’m not sure if I had more than 3 sales in the entire 4 months I rented there.  I sold on Etsy and Craigslist though. Several times a week I would head up to my booth, pick up a piece and either ship it to places like New Jersey and New York, or I would meet in parking lots in Athens and Stone Mountain to deliver items that were bought through Craigslist.

I decided to try one more antique mall and moved my booth down the street to Pickers Paradise in July of 2014. I did much better there.  Not only did I have enough sales to pay rent, I also got a check! I was slowly finding my niche and learning about important business strategies like inventory, pricing, marketing and branding. I was comfortable with this stage of my Knicknaques business. I stayed at Pickers Paradise and had 4 booths at one point.

In October of 2015 I was asked if I would be interested in running the mall once a month in exchange for rent. I not only reduced my rent but also learned more about the ins and outs of running an antique mall.  I loved it!  A whole day filled with being in an antique mall and being around customers that love the same thing I do.

It was at that point that I realized I wanted my own place and started looking for buildings to either rent or buy. Rent was expensive and would really cut into profit, but what I could afford to buy was a little discouraging, to say the least.  I found an old home in downtown Loganville. It was right off Main Street and near all the other antique, thrift and vintage stores.

Pecan St, Loganville, GA

 

Location was perfect, the house was not. I loved it though. It was a 1 bedroom, 1 bath home built in the 1900’s and was only $17,000! It had beautiful wood floors and tongue and groove walls. It had a gorgeous mantle in the living room and an old wood stove for heat. Unfortunately, it also had asbestos siding and the kitchen area was literally falling off the side of the house. I talked to the city of Loganville about re-zoning to commercial and got quotes for repairs. The process to rezone was going to be fairly simple but the cost to repair was quickly exceeding $50,000. During my decision to make the purchase, the property was put on the blight list. It was deemed dilapidated, unsafe and unsightly.  The owner had 60 days to either renovate the property or have it demolished. All signs pointed to walk away. So I did. Two months later the house was torn down. As sad as it was, it was probably for the best. So I kept looking and found a house to rent in Monroe, next to the post office. It was already commercial and available. It was another home built in the 1900’s, had more than 10 rooms and several fireplaces. But I would have to rely on booth rental income to supplement rent and parking was close to nonexistent, so I moved on.

In December of 2015 I found 707 S. Broad Street in Monroe.

707 S. Broad Steet, Monroe GA

 

Built in 1920, it had 6 rooms, a full bathroom and a half bath. 4 of the rooms had old non working fireplaces with mantles, which were obviously a huge selling point for me.

fireplace in bedroom

 

There was a cute little screened porch off the side and a detached garage. It was within my budget and most importantly, if I stood on the front porch, I could see the antique mall at Walton Mill and the Cotton Mill was 2 blocks down from there.  It was right in the middle of the antique mall area and located on a major highway that ran through town. It was zoned residential and I got friendly with the planning and zoning department for the city of Monroe. They indicated that a rezone to commercial in that area would be beneficial to the city plan and was a fairly simple process. I put a contract on the house and applied for a rezone. If the house couldn’t be re-zoned, then we would just rent it out. It was a win-win situation and so far everything was moving smoothly.

I attended the February Planning and Zoning meeting where my application for rezone was to be discussed. Debbie from the planning and zoning office informed me that my application request was first on the agenda and I would need to speak to the committee. Um, I wasn’t prepared to speak! I went up to the podium and told them who I was and what I wanted to do once the property was rezoned. The city of Monroe is trying to revitalize and grow the antique mall business and fortunately my business venture falls in line with their plans. They approved the rezone and will send their recommendations to the city Council who meets on March 8. One down, one to go. In the meantime, I closed on the house and have the deed in hand. The next two weeks will be spent getting the house ready. Hopefully to run my store, but if the rezone application is denied, it will be ready to rent.

I’ll be back with more of the story after the council meeting. See you soon!

Jayme

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Peaches To The Beaches 

A yard sale from Perry, GA to Brunswick, GA? Ummm..yes, please. Friday the 13th, Saturday the 14th of March and over 200 miles of garage sales! Tonya and I set out for Perry on the 12th so we can get a head start in the morning. We have very few requirements for sleeping quarters on our little adventures. Our trip to New Jersey was budget minded and we have since found we love dinky little motels. As long as they have a front porch and chairs we can bring outside, we are happy. We make a little fun drink and sit outside playing on our iPads. So what if repairs are needed while you are there. We’ve got it covered. Macgyver ain’t got nothing on us! A safety pin will fix a broken toilet! 

  
We started the morning in a little bit of a fog and kinda chilly but quickly warmed up with some coffe and the excitement of our first stops. I was looking for a low dresser to use as a tv stand in my living room and things to sell in the Antiques Capitol of Georgia Festival that was coming up in the next few weeks. It was slow and go for awhile but by lunch I had managed to fill up the bed of the trunk, including my little dresser that I found for $10!  (It’s buried under the tarp, but more on my dresser makeover later.)

After lunch in McRae, the yard sale sites became fewer and fewer. We did come across a big field where many different people had set up tables and decided to stop. I scored a saddle I had been wanting for a long time and even the ditch with water couldn’t stop me from getting it to the truck.

   

 We made it to Brunswick and stayed on beautiful Jekyll Island for the night. We got up the next morning and saw all the neat things Jekyll Island has to offer. Like this beautiful beach with giant driftwood trees and old plantation style homes with art exhibits. 

   
    
    
 The yard sales weren’t as good as the day before so we went back to the motel and hung out on the porch. HAPPY!

All in all it was a great experience and we had a blast! Looking forward to August when we get to do the Longest Yard sale.   Stay tuned! 😉

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Vintage pinch pleat curtains

Four simple words that bring me so much joy. I have two pair in my booth right now and they’re just hung on nails in the wall. 





No rods or hooks-just flat on the wall. My booth is mostly mid-century goods and the panels give just the right touch of retro flair. I’ve been dabbling in different ideas for curtain rods and hope to get my curtains hanging appropriately soon. 

In the meantime, I have been redecorating my living room. I’m tired of my jungle theme. Tired of the giraffe pictures and elephant statues. 

It’s been that way for more than 10 years and time for a change. All the furniture had to come out to refinish the hardwood floors and it was a perfect opportunity to start with a clean slate. My dingy sand colored walls are slowly transforming to a lovely shade of light grey-blue and my mantle now showcases recent vintage finds.  

I’ll have to stick with my brown micro suede sofas and oversized chair and ottoman but they go with the flow, for now. 

I have always done my decorating by picking a focal point and creating from there. So to be honest, the entire inspiration of my redecorated living room comes from a beautiful pair of pinch pleat curtains I found at an estate sale. They were buried in the back of an old barn under piles of old rugs and bedspreads. They were wrinkled, musty smelling and  look more like old sheets than a pair of curtains, but they were perfect to me! I took them home, washed them and hung them on my windows, on my freshly painted wall. It was destiny. Or fate. Or whatever….they were meant for my living room!

 I didn’t want to use the traverse rods with the tracks made for pinch pleats, so I found a way to hang them using the rings with clips. I took the clips off so that the little loop was at the bottom of the ring. Then I used the drapery pins in the pleats and hooked the pin through the loop. Since I have blinds on the window, I won’t be pulling the curtains back and forth, but I can if necessary. Tahdah! 

Now to finish painting my walls and find an old dresser to use as a console for our majestic 65″ TV. I will show you the finished project just as soon as I get it complete. Thanks for following me!

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Just another rainy Thursday

I spent the morning whipping up another appraisal report. It’s been raining for 40 days and 40 nights and I’m in serious need of some sunlight. I met with a friend for lunch and after catching up decided to hit some of my favorite thrift stores in Covington, GA and hopefully brighten my day.

Ever since my sister-in-law, Pam and I went to the Country Living Fair in October I have been on the prowl for chenille. Not just any chenille, vintage chenille. The old kind, all one color with old designs and the furry little Pom Pom ball trim. I don’t know why, exactly, except that it’s pretty. And hard to find. Pam told me about a certain LARGE chain thrift store that you can shop online. After checking it out (it’s an auction site) I found a few listings for vintage chenille bedspreads. I put a bid on one for $6.99, just to see what happens. The bid ended 01/14/2015 at 5:30 PT and I set a reminder on my phone. I was the highest bidder…until 5:29 PT when magically another bidder came out of the blue and beat me by $1.00. REALLY?! Enough with that site. Especially after I found out shipping would be another $12.00. I’ll find my own chenille.

Back to my thrifting trip…on my way to Covington, through rain drops and fog, I spotted an estate sale sign. Oooooo yay! It was in an old house built in the 20’s or 30’s (which was also for sale) and it was full of fun, unique things. Most of it was too expensive for my budget but I went through each and every room. I had my eye on some antique picture frames in one of the bedrooms when out of the corner of my wandering eye was a chenille bedspread!

All white with a beautiful white design and tiny white Pom Pom trim all around. I didn’t even haggle the $15 price tag. It was nicer than the one I lost on the auction site. It was also cheaper and better yet…

IMG_9585

I had it in my hot little hands. Love-love-love it! I don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet but you can bet it will look pretty draped across my bed for now. Or a chair. Or a sofa…

I found 2 large boxes of vintage items at one of my thrift stores and only paid $25. I think I’ll list a few items on my Etsy site and display them in my booth for all to admire. Check out my Etsy site at www.etsy.com/shop/Knicknaques and my Instagram at Knicknaques to see all my latest goodies!

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Delivery adventure complete!

Day one. Settee, check. Coffee tables, check. Luggage, check. Vodka and Crown, check. Two excited girls on the road, check! Tonya and I set out to get as far as we could on our way up to New Jersey. Somewhere in Virginia we decided to push all the way to Atlantic City. It wasn’t exactly on the way or part of the original route, but something we really wanted to see and it was only 2 hours (or so my GPS said) from my first delivery. 16 hours later, we made it to Atlantic City.  We stayed in a comped suite at Harrah’s, thanks to Tonya’s Total Reward points. Atlantic City was everything we thought it would be and we can’t wait to go back and stay. But, we had a mission and had to get up and going the next day.

Day two. Loved Atlantic City, New Jersey…not a fan of New Jersey drivers, or the toll roads. Trying to stay on budget, I decided I was going to beat the toll roads and find an alternate route that wasn’t going to break the bank. My GPS said 2 hours to Montvale which was where I needed to drop off the coffee tables. It said only 2 1/2 hours when I told it to avoid the toll roads. Save $15 and add 30 minutes? Sounded good to me. Long story short, it still took 4 hours and about half way there, we were back on the toll road. New Jersey 1, me 0. After delivering the coffee tables, I set route for Livingston to drop off the settee. GPS said 30 minutes and at this point I didn’t care if it was toll roads or not. GPS doesn’t understand New Jersey traffic either and an hour and a half later we were there. New Jersey 2, me 0. Both clients loved their furniture and we got some good information about possibly getting in to see New York City the next day. We headed back into the truck and talked about what we wanted to do next. Going into the city meant staying two nights in a very expensive part of New Jersey and the cost of getting in and eating once we got there. I disliked the thought of being so close to New York and not being able to see the city, but Tonya (and my budget) kept telling me no. We got back on the road and drove as fast and as far as we could from New Jersey. New Jersey 2, me 1.

Day three. Woke up in the Pocono Mountains. I’m from the state of Washington and I know a mountain when I see it. I’ve always heard about how people love the Pocono Mountains and that it’s a great place to visit. It is a beautiful place but people, those aren’t mountains!  They are large hills with trees. Ok, now that we have that out-of-the-way.  We decided to take it slow and try to see as many flea markets, thrift stores and antique malls as we could. Apparently we weren’t far enough away from New Jersey and New York. They are very proud of their antiques in the Pocono mountains and we couldn’t afford those prices. Back in the truck and back on the road.  We went through Hershey, Pennsylvania and threw some money at the Hollywood casino. Back in the truck and back on the road. We stopped for the night in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Day four. We got up early and found some really neat thrift stores and some really great buys. Finally! A place we can settle down and find some deals!  I scored a beautiful leather suitcase, a vintage percolator (because one can never have too many percolators), the grooviest pair of retro hanging lamps and Tonya found an old lamp she just couldn’t live without.

Lamps in TruckLeather Suitcase

Sophia (at Sophia’s Thrift Store) gave us the number of a friend of hers that would let us go junkin’ in his barns. She advised us to carry a big stick. Jimmie is a hillbilly and likes pretty girls. She also told us not to tell his wife that Sophia sent us. Uh I think we’ll move on?

We contemplated making it all the way home, but decided there was a big flea market we wanted to see near Roanoke, Virginia.  We stopped near Roanoke at a Howard Johnson that was advertised as being voted the nicest motel near the Appalachian Trail. It went on to say they had breathtaking views and an award-winning full breakfast buffet. We saved a lot of money on that room, but needless to say I kept my gun on me at all times and slept with it under my pillow, on my rock hard bed. I was able to fall right asleep and then I woke up in a panic at 4 am. Did I lock the truck? Did Tonya do her nightly bed bug check? Did we deadbolt the door? Unbelievably, I did forget to lock the truck (don’t worry, everything was still there) and Tonya had taken care of everything else. Whew!  Our breakfast the next morning was powdered eggs, cereal and fruit. Hardly award-winning.  Oh and this was our breathtaking  view-

Appalachian Trail Pic

The Poconos were more breathtaking than that!

Day five. We still have 400 miles to get home and the truck is only half full. Might as well hit a couple more flea markets. Happy’s Flea Market in Roanoke made us truly Happy. I found an old metal baby bed and some antique egg beaters. Now, if any of you have ever wanted antique egg beaters, you would know they are ridiculously expensive. They go anywhere from $9 to $25. I made it a mission (and a joke) that I was going to find them for a dollar- if it’s the last thing I do. I  actually found them at Happy’s for $3 and the nice lady gave me two of them for $5.

Egg Beaters

Success! Not exactly a dollar but close enough.

We went on to find an old baby stroller, a floor lamp, a vintage metal top table and a VERY large picture frame.  NOW the truck is full. Did that stop us from that last flea market? No. Leave it to Tonya to find an old metal cabinet that she HAD to have. She talked the very nice old man down to $35. He started at $50. Yay! And after a little unpacking and rearranging, we were on our way again.

We made it home, safe and sound and now my garage looks like an episode of Hoarders. Time to get busy, create some masterpieces and sell some treasures. Stayed tuned to find out what happens with all the goodies we collected…

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And the adventure begins…

This is my first attempt at blogging. I feel like I have something interesting to say and hope that people who read this will feel the same way. If you are reading this, please let me know your thoughts and ideas. I would love to make my blogging adventure something everyone will enjoy.

Hi. My name is Jayme. I am a 40’something, married mother of four. My husband, Greg, is the love of my life and my four children are my greatest accomplishment so far. I am a real estate appraiser by trade (which gets the bills paid) but my true passion (addiction) is junking. My highs are garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets and yes, even dumpsters. I live each day for the rush of finding a jewel-in-the-rough and transforming it into something unique and amazing. My mind is consumed with ideas of “what could be”. I’m obsessed with Pinterest. Although I am not a hoarder (my husband, children and neighbors will probably disagree), but my basement and garage are filled with treasures that are near and dear to my heart. I start to have withdrawals when the small path through my garage begins to get bigger. I…must…find…more!

My first taste of junking, began a few years ago at a garage sale. I spotted a pair of cane back chairs sitting in the grass in the yard. Beautiful cane, still intact. Ugly, old, stained brown fabric probably from the 1960’s or 70’s. Although unused and unwanted by their current owners, they were perfect to me! I took the pair of them home for $5. IMG_6326[1]
I immediately set to work. I lovingly sanded them down and painted the frames an antique white. I recovered the seats in a gorgeous burnt-orange and crème floral fabric that I found at my favorite discount fabric store for $6 a yard. I learned removing staples are a pain in the ass (and hands) but a necessary evil when refinishing. I made my own cording and had better luck with my glue gun. My masterpiece was finished! IMG_6395[1]
Now the true test was to see if someone could love them as much as I did. I opened my Etsy store in October of 2013 and my beautiful chairs were listed for sale for $200. They sold in two weeks to a buyer in Mississippi who absolutely loved them! I was hooked!

Since then, I have refinished and sold all types of furniture and have even dabbled in my own pallet creations and making lamps out of vintage coffee and tea pots. Shout out to my hubby, who helps me with the lamps…Thank you, Greg for supporting my addiction! I love each piece I create or recreate, but a fabulously crafted chair is my weakness.

I am currently finishing a settee for an Etsy client in New Jersey. She custom ordered a cane back chair from me and wanted me to finish a settee for her. I found the settee here in Georgia and she sent me her ideas for color and her own fabric. It is almost complete and so far it is beautiful. I normally ship my furniture through Greyhound Shipping and they haven’t let me down yet. My only problem is they have weight and size limits. So, I needed to find other options for my larger pieces. A few months ago, I tried Uship and had a great experience. I found a delivery company located in Florida that make regular trips across the country. My first item arrived on time and without incident. I had found another way to ship! I contacted Dan (my new shipper) and asked him if he could take the settee to New Jersey. He informed me that he was making a trip to New York in the next few weeks and could fit in the settee. Yay! I had time to work on it and an inexpensive way to get it to my buyer. In the meantime, I sold a heavy, 3 piece coffee table set and this buyer lived 30 minutes from my client with the settee. Perfect! I contacted Dan again to ask if he could fit in the coffee tables as well. He didn’t respond, which was very unusual because I normally get an immediate response. Being it was the week of the 4th of July, I figured he was out of the country on vacation or something. Two more messages and two weeks later…nothing. I am convinced he’s either dead or in jail. I’m truly heartbroken. And in a pickle. I have charged two clients for shipping and no way to ship at the last minute. At this point, I only have one option. ROAD TRIP!! Enter my best friend and co-conspirator Tonya. She has agreed to accompany me to New Jersey to deliver my furniture. She shares my passion and addiction for junking and we plan to make this a trip to remember!

That’s it up to this point. You’re all up to date. I have to get on with the rest of my day and I’m sure if there is anyone reading this, it’s time for you to move on too. Stay tuned…I’ll be updating often!