Move Mountains In Your Home
I've been having a few technical difficulties this evening, so I posted some of these pictures and this information on Facebook and Twitter already. It's getting late and I know 5:15 am is going to come very quickly, so I'm going to keep this brief. Today was about all of the last minute details like making "sold" tags. It's one of those things that won't make me any money and some people … [Read more...]
I took a step away from the painting and sanding and upholstering to do a bit of shopping for Lucketts. Once I got the boys off to school, I got my P90X workout out of the way, showered, ate breakfast and packed a healthy lunch to take with me. (Balance, remember?) I went to one of my favorite local shops... (The beverage cart was on hold for someone else, but I bought this … [Read more...]
I have been buying some furniture lately to sell at the Lucketts Spring Market, but I've found a couple of pieces that are keepers. Now, when I keep something, especially a piece of furniture, then something else has to leave. This keeps my inventory up and allows me to "trade up" for my home without becoming a hoarder. Here's the "keeper" vanity I bought last week in its new place... … [Read more...]
I am in major shopping mode for the Lucketts Antique Market, which is just over two weeks away! Yikes! So, I was cruising craigslist.com last night and found this beauty right in my own back yard. (Well, not literally.) My dad picked it up for me today and she is a beauty. Most pieces I buy are pretty rough, but this one is in perfect condition. It's so beautiful, that I've decided … [Read more...]
As you probably know, I'm on the hunt for things to fix up to take to Lucketts, especially furniture. I have to be focused on building the stash, but a couple of pieces that I intended for the fair are staying in my house. One of them, the vanity/desk is just too perfect for my bedroom to sell and this dresser... ...is the perfect candidate for a project I was just hired to do. I … [Read more...]
Last week I worked on organizing all of the junk (and good stuff) in my basement. I then worked on sorting and pricing and ended up with two main piles. One is the pile of stuff that I need to do something to - paint, upholster, fix, etc... The other main pile is stuff that is priced and ready to go... ...and now my basement is starting to fill up with things that are ready to be … [Read more...]
A few weeks ago, I got the auction itch. I need to find things for Lucketts and auctions are a great way to get a bunch of things in one place...sometimes. So, I browsed online to see what was up for sale at an auction I used to frequent. I saw something that made me pick up the phone immediately and place an absentee bid - ironstone. Lots of ironstone. Three boxes of sugar bowls (sans … [Read more...]
Those of you who have read my blog for a long time are familiar with the weeks leading up to the Lucketts Antique Market in May. It's always a frenzy of shopping, painting/repairing/refinishing/upholstering furniture, getting together fillers and old standbys as well. For those of you who aren't familiar with this event, it's held once a year (the third weekend in May) on the grounds of The … [Read more...]
Today I went out antique shopping for the Lucketts fair with my mother-in-law and mom. It's been a while since I've been out looking for goodies, but the Lucketts May Fair is fast approaching and I've got to build up my inventory. I saw these cool arched shutters, but didn't buy them because they were too expensive. I did come home with two wooden crates. One of them had this great … [Read more...]
Recently, I've been buying up some vintage European linens. From France... ...Germany... ...and I just got a shipment in from Hungary... I'm buying most of them for upholstery/slipcovering projects for pieces to sell at the Lucketts fair, some to sell as-is and a few to keep (like the monogram French sheet.) I just love old textiles, especially linen and hemp. I … [Read more...]
I love how my bedroom looks, but more than that, I LOVE my bed. I don't know if I've ever had a bed I loved. It's always been adequate. I used to giggle when I slid into freshly washed sheets as a kid, but that's about the strongest feeling I've had about a bed...until now. In January, we bought the new bed frame, which was my dream bed and I caught it on clearance, and a new mattress. … [Read more...]
Do you ever get that feeling...the sudden urge to look at Craig's List? You just know in your gut that there's something there for you. Sometimes I get that urge and come up empty. My awesome-deal-on-a-piece-of-furniture-sensor must be picking up a reception from another region or something. When I got the urge the other day, though, I found a beautiful French sofa with cane sides for a … [Read more...]
There is a reason why I love painting and never quite latched onto quilting. Patience. I am a finisher and I like to finish in a day. If a project drags on too long, I get bored with it. Well, my patience is really being tested on these counters. It took a couple of days to get them routed, sanded and ready to be installed, but then I had to put the finish on. The finish I chose, … [Read more...]
There are times when I'm browsing through an antique store and someone asks me what I'm looking for. My response is almost always, "Well, I don't know. I'll know it when I see it." I find that my method of shopping has shifted from wanting to get as many things as I could for my money to wanting to get something that really speaks to me or makes a statement in my home. … [Read more...]
I learned pretty early on that I'm in the right profession for a person who loves getting packages in the mail. A part of it is that I live in a rural area, so it makes sense to order things online instead of driving all over the place hunting for something. That's probably how I get most of the supplies for my articles and non-antique items that I sold at Lucketts. I also get "blogger … [Read more...]
My new bed was delivered yesterday!! For those of you who have ordered lots of pieces of furniture and had them delivered, this might not be very exciting to you, but it was thrilling for me. I usually dig my pieces out of the back corner of some barn and have to put a great deal of work into it before it's ready to use, so this is a different experience for me. The delivery guys even came … [Read more...]
Other than a bathroom mat or something to catch drips at the kitchen sink, I haven't really shopped for rugs until recently. I've never had large expanses of hard flooring until we moved to our current home. My decorating budget was always non-existent or super-tight, so the rugs I had were freebies from family, carpet remnants left in our basement from the previous owner or great bargains … [Read more...]
As I shared in my other posts about my Houston trip, I met some amazing people. One of those people was Jennifer Williams of Metamorphose Studios. I was getting ready for the Milk Paint demo and Jennifer comes out of the back room, smiling. "I have a present for you." I was slightly distracted and didn't notice what she was holding. She then lifted up this black garbage bag filled … [Read more...]
You know me. Almost all of the furniture and accessories I buy for my home, I buy used. (The only exception I make is for a sofa and mattresses.) It's almost always cheaper and the quality is almost always better. I also just like buying used. The pieces have more "soul" and character. If I have money burning a hole in my pocket, I go to the antique mall. I don't think I've set foot … [Read more...]
Sorry I've been quiet the past couple of days, but it's been a whirlwind that started when I woke up Tuesday at 3:00 am to get to the airport to fly to San Francisco for a day of workshops and book signings. It ended last night when we arrived home about 11:30 and crashed in bed. I have so much to share about the workshops and the people I met and how it gets me choked up when my eye catches … [Read more...]
I have no idea how people work in jobs where they have to travel all the time. I supposed they get used to it and get good at it - find the best places to eat, where to charge a laptop and iPad, where to rest, and how to get comfortable in an airplane seat. Most of my trips are going to be spaced out, but I have one scheduled this week right on the heels of my Colorado trip. On Tuesday, I'm … [Read more...]
I love it when I find the perfect thing after I've been hunting for it for weeks (sometimes months or years.) Actually, it's sweet when I find the perfect thing right away, but I do need to practice my patience, so this was a good opportunity to do that. Anyway, I was shopping for basic staples at Target and, as those of you who love Target know, it's difficult to leave Target with just the … [Read more...]
This is a dangerous profession. Well, not dangerous like Alaskan crab fishing or building skyscrapers, but dangerous for someone who loves antiques and is surrounded by beautiful ones regularly. I do sell most of the things I buy, but there are some pieces I have to keep. I have rules for myself, though. I have to have a perfect place for it and I have to sell other things in order to … [Read more...]
I will admit it. I am a total sucker for French cane chairs. I get all fluttery over them, they're very hard for me to sell. That's why I have a plethora of them in my house and I will shuffle furniture around to make room for another cane chair. It's getting a little out of hand. I, Marian Parsons, promise I will start selling the French cane chairs I buy like a good antique's … [Read more...]
Alright, alright! I kept it. I did!! I just wasn't sure I wanted to sell it, yet, so I sold some other things instead. I may just need to love this piece for a while and then I'll be ready to let it go or I may never be ready. We'll see. I love the warm wood of the piece... ...and this glass. Oh my word. It's the original glass and the bubbles and waves are … [Read more...]
