Eco Chic Junk Market // Fall 2013

Hello there! And a big hello to any new visitors that I may have met this past weekend. Despite the numerous rain drops and sloshing of puddles we survived the big day! We did end up closing down early, which I am very thankful for. All of the hard work that goes into re-finishing pieces of furniture, creative custom works and merchandising is greatly affected when the weather doesn't hold out.

Not only is it great to participate in these types of events, but one of my favorite parts is the socialzing and making new crafty and creative souls. I'm pretty sure that I said multiple times, 'That is amazing! I sure wish I would have thought of that!" It was a fun day, as I say that with a lot of my things drying on the front yard.

Here are some photos for those that couldn't join us. This first photo below is the line that had started forming around 8:30 in the morning. The Junk Market was scheduled to begin at 10 o'clock in the morning. These were die-hard junker fans!

This next photo is an adorable vintage baby scale that I picked up from a family member that is also a lover of all things junk. The vintage ironing board sold to a lady who hopes to turn it into her sofa table in her living room. The chevron wood wall plaques on the bottom right were gone in a flash! I think that means I should make more? The rake that is holding the wood frame was purchased and she is planning on hanging her necklaces from it in her bedroom, cute idea.


On a last minute whim I decided to create a few prints to sell at the show. My true love is all things design with a flair for vintage and rusty things and this is something I need to better demonstrate if my vision is to participate in more craft or junk fairs. Sadly, I worried more about keeping them dry than anything else!


And then the rain started, and did.not.stop. This is my friend Megan's feet as well. She brought her amazing work with her to set up in our booth. Check out Megan Hagel Creative!


I sewed this vintage infinity scarves for the June Junk Market as well as just knew I had to bring them along. The yellow bookshelf in the right photo was a beauty. It was hard to sell her. My Mom was a great assistant on a weekend trip to the lake and helped me turn her this beautiful Arles yellow.


Here is a photo of an entire table of soap pump jars, a few of the windows that I have re-purposed as well art and a few shutters. I started the day with four shutters and they flew out of the booth. Great for organizing mail at your front door. Also, the mint stool on the left, was another hard one to let go. Too cute!

Here is the last photo! Another cute canvas bag for library books, quick run to the store or knitting on the go. I wanted to display a few prints throughout the book so customers and shoppers know that they are interchangeable and can be customized. They will be posted in my Etsy shop soon.


Thank you for stopping in! Now I better get back to work. Have a beautiful day :)

'new to us' dining room table: diy

Our family is growing as should our dining room table right? We were very blessed with my husband's great-grandparents dining room table set and 4 chairs when we were married and it has treated us very well. Until I found a oak beauty for a steal and it became this beautiful set after many nights of painting, sanding, stapling and love.

I have always admired farmhouse style tables, their ivory glory, colorful padded chairs, even benches. I have been dreaming about this exact table for a very long time. The Little Bits of Bliss blog hit this right on the spot.

And I knew had to have it. With a little paint these days, really, anything is possible. This is what the table looked like before I started (I apologize for the crummy images, midnight hour painting with a baby is how things get done around here).

Now to backtrack. I first found a steal of a table with 6 chairs in the exact curvy legged farmhouse style I was looking for until I realized I neglected to ask the seller if the tabletop was real wood (with visions of just staining the top and refinishing the chairs). It was formica. So I ventured on to find another table and came across this huge heavy oak (with 2 12" leaves) on its way, literally, in a trailer, to an auction to be sold. They even came to my office with it and waited in town until I finished at work for them to deliver it to my garage. I love North Dakota. 

After priming it with an oil based primer, only the bottom, and giving it two coats of leftover paint from our bathroom remodel (images to come) this was the quickest part of the adventure. 

Aren't these chairs beautiful? I love how they turned out. I gave each chair a coat of oil based primer (I used this to save time on sanding and removing the varnish), and 2-3 coats of my leftover ivory bathroom paint they were ready for new covers. I must not have taken a picture of the chairs in their previous life, trust me, they were not magical. Our wonderful neighbor's father is retired and was a sweetheart by cutting me all new boards for them as I cut new foam and reupholstered them with wine and The Voice. 

I lighted sanded all of the chairs with a 60 grit sandpaper to rough them up as well as the bottom of the table. We recently had our daughter's 1st birthday party and I was so excited to be able to have our entire family around the table with room to spare.

Here is a closer image of the chairs reupholstered. I chose a vibrant chevron pattern for the side chairs and a coordination floral for the captains chairs. 

What did I do with that extra table you ask? It joyfully still sits in our garage. It might be going to work as our creative inspiration station, if so, I need to start painting before the snow flies. 

And now that tonight I went to a Chalk Paint class at Eco Chic Boutique here in town I am super excited to get started painting an antique hoosier hutch we recently brought into the house as well as a few other projects. 

Upcycled Desk to Garden Hutch

If I were to say I were addicted to anything (other than sweets) it would be Craig's List. I am by no means ever looking for anything in particular but it's too amazing of a concept to pass up such great deals. Especially on great pieces.

This desk was a great $35 dollar purchase from a family that just didn't need this desk anymore. After bribing Adam to come with Brynn and I to pick it up, we had this beauty in the pickup and we headed home with glee. Maybe that was just me?

I just knew that this was going to be my mother-in-law's birthday present this past July (yes this is an old post). She has this beautiful, massive, amazing garden that she takes such great pride in. I also knew that she probably wouldn't want to get this dirty after it was finished so glady we scuffed it up on his way 90 miles west to the farm.

As for the process? Quick and easy. I quickly sanded it with my small electric sander, applied one coat of primer, and 3 coats of Sherwin-Williams outside stain. I went with this golden yellow to really pop off the brick red garden shed she has by her garden. Did I need to buy a gallon? NO. Have I tried to paint other things around the house this color to get rid of it? Not yet, but I sure did.

End of the story is that she absolutely loved it! It's October and I bet she still hasn't set anything on it for fear of getting it scuffed. The more I see it the more I think using a jigsaw to cut a circle in the top portion and inserting chicken wire below for her to fill smaller pots in, would be a great addition. As well as setting up a small wash stand next to it?

I hope this image brings back warm thoughts of summer, as we had our first snowfall in North Dakota today.