No Decision Necessary.

So yesterday I was deciding between paint or varnish on my antique table.  Fortunately, I didn't have to decide.  I went to Home Depot today and found this product:

The table was already very smooth, and the old greasy stains weren't going anywhere so without even cleaning it (just a few swipes with a clean, dry cloth), I started the simple application process, using an old washcloth. 

The greasy stains are already starting to disappear, and after just an hour, it can be reapplied.  I'm not a fan of tablecloths and it's looking like I won't need one.  I've been biding my time, waiting for the opportunity to incorporate this gorgeous piece of furniture into my decor.  It's turning out better than expected, and could not have been any easier.  

Paint or Varnish? Weigh In!

I have been "off" for 17 days.  WAY too long to take off and hope to keep or increase my readership.  I feel awful, but I have been just that busy.  Moving.  Again.

I honestly don't move a lot.  I lived in the same house for over 15 years.  I had been divorced for two years when I finally moved into a smaller place.  With  my daughter working in another city, the house was just too much for me and my son.  I moved into a gorgeous apartment, but really wasn't happy with apartment life, at least not right now.  Still, I decorated it, and took advantage of the vintage style of the place, using lots of my vintage and antique home decor and furniture.  It looked amazing...but...

My daughter came home after a year, and suddenly there wasn't enough room for two clothes-obsessed women.  The closets in the apartment were tiny and we were literally dressing out of bins.  Couple that with the three flights of stairs and the onset of plantar fasciitis in both feet, and couple that again (?) with a landlord who was a "weally angwy guy" and I knew that when lease time came up again, I just couldn't stay.  Another move.

I have always hated moving.  I hated just moving to school in the fall, so this was really going against my grain.  I tried my best to move back into a house, albeit a smaller one, but the timing just wasn't with me.  I ended up moving into my mom's for a few months.  God's timing is always so much better than mine, and by waiting, I found a cute little house that's just perfect for the three of us.  I'm uber-excited to decorate again.  At my children's request, we're going a little less retro and a little more modern.  I'm totally up for the challenge.

I went on an extreme thrifting trip today with about 20 other women.  We took a "party bus" and noshed on goodies like cheese and crackers, scones, veggie wraps and croissants, washed down with several different flavors of mimosas.  I found so much, so so so so much!  One of my favorite finds was three pairs of brand new sheer curtains for my bedroom.  Yesssss!

You can't tell here, but there's a yellow thread running down the length of each panel.  This is going to look amazing....trust me!

And with the move and the decorating comes a plethora of new projects, or old ones that I am now in a big hurry to finish.  I had the three bedrooms painted yesterday, and I'm waiting for beds to be delivered.  Everything else in the bedrooms is going to be "old stock" but with a new twist.  The still cold weather is not helping my progress.

One such project is this table, purchased at an estate sale about a year ago for $10.  The hairpin legs were rusty and rough, so I took my trusty can of gold paint out and gave them a quick spray:

Attaching the legs was easy, even though everything was pretty rusty and stiff.  And one of the wingnuts was missing a wing.  That one took a little while.  The tiny feet in the picture belong to my companion for the day, five year old Myles.  

If this weren't upside down, you'd know that this is a "Watertown Slide" table.  It had leaves at some point.

http://www.gardnerscrew.com/pdf/tableslides.pdf

This is one of the things I've been saving for my next home.  I refused to sell it---it's been well-loved, and I'm continuing the tradition.

 So what about this top?  Paint or varnish?

 Pay no attention to the dirty socks in the corner...

I have a set of vintage kitchen chairs that, regardless of what my kids might say, are staying.  The frames match the legs of the table.  I love it when a plan comes together.  I love it even more when I have no plan, and it comes together anyway.  Pretty much my philosophy on life in general. 

Next up:  Painted side tables.  I'm thinking bright green.  Bright green matches nothing in this house, but remember what I said about having a plan.  

Keep reading to see how my new, old little house takes shape!

The End is Near!

That may just be wishful thinking on my part, but I was surprised this morning to wake up and see six inches of fresh snow.  Just when we were experiencing a mini-meltdown, we got hit with a new batch which really messed up the morning commute.  Power outages, cars sliding everywhere and about 30 ambulances at the nursing home I pass everyday.  (I'm guessing a patient evacuation due to the power outage--I hope that's all...)  I walked out at 6a.m. and commenced the task of cleaning off my car.  Thanks to 4-wheel drive, I was out of the driveway and on my way down the street in no time flat.  Nothing was plowed so the going was slow, and that was a good thing because this tree was hanging almost to the ground.  Since it was blocking my path, I took out my phone a snapped a pic.  It was right under the streetlight so it looked amazing.  After I took the picture, I figured out how to drive around it. 

And the pretty just got prettier when the sun came up.  I did absolutely nothing to these and I can only imagine what they'd look like if I had bothered to retrieve my "real" camera.  This was one of the most beautiful snows of the season.  Heavy, sticky and wet.  

I think the end of winter is finally here because there was so much snow, yet the weather was so mild, that I felt like the sky just opened up and said "here, this is all I have left!"  Yep, I'm thinking that there actually is no more snow and spring is just around the corner.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

No really...that's my story.  'Nite y'all.

Church on the Cheap!

Half joking, as usual.  But only half!  Yes, I put money in the offering plate, and I was able to put in more because I'm such a savvy shopper.  And, as you already know, I have no shame.  Free is always the goal.  Cheap is a close second.

This outfit was a combination of the two.  Of course, the cheapies came from the thrift store, including the amazing leather low-heeled boots that I consider one of my best finds of the season.  Always on the lookout for sensible shoes, I was super glad to find these knee-high boots during the worst winter ever.  I wore them today with a thrift store cardigan, and two of my many vintage bangles, which I buy and wear almost every day.  The ring is one of my faves as well, and it was a steal at $1.  The dress is a freebie which you might recognize from my niece's closet purges.  The bag is from a fashion "swap".  I brought several items that I no longer wear, and swapped them for new stuff!  What a concept!  For under $20 I went to church in style, which I try really hard to do. For me, church is the place that I always go looking put together.  Or at least I try...

Remember that you can always contact me for thrifting tips,  follow this blog, and "like" me on Facebook.  14th Street Vintage.  That's me!

The Best Medicine

I read this hilarious quote today, and decided to find an appropriate picture for it and make my own "meme".  At least this has been my understanding of what the word means.  Now, I'm  not so sure.  Still, I like it and I'm less concerned as to whether it's an official "meme" than I am with posting it.  It's funny, and I'm all about the funny.

Today turned out to be a pretty crappy day.  I've been sick all week, and woke up today feeling a little better, finally.  I needed to attend a job fair event at my church, but I had a buyer for my vintage sofa meeting me this morning.  I figured I'd get to the church early, drop off some tables that I was supposed to be dropping off all week (but, I was sick), get back to meet my buyer, make a few bucks and then head back to the job fair.  Now what actually happened was this:

I didn't get out as early as planned.  So I went to meet my buyer.  She was late.  I spent nearly two hours waiting.  After she got there (lovely lady, by the way) she loved the sofa, but wasn't ready to commit.  So I didn't sell it.  My son was there with me to take the sofa out of storage for me, but he had left by the time the buyer came.  My sister, daughter and I could NOT get that thing back in the unit.  We tried another unit that I have.  We moved tons of furniture and boxes out to make room, but it was just too tall and we couldn't get the angle right.  (This thing weighs a TON).  In the process, I broke one of the legs off of it.  I admit it, I cried.  But that wasn't the end.  I had to take another storage space (out $50 bucks now) in order to get the sofa secured.  I almost just left it there for someone else to take, but fortunately my sister wouldn't let me do it.  So while I sat there, dejected, tired, angry and in pain, she and my daughter got another unit and I pulled it together in time to help get it in place.  So rather than make money, I ended up spending it.  And damaging this beautiful piece of furniture.  AND, it took us two hours to get everything packed away again, so by the time we finished, the job fair was over.  I really hate not meeting my commitments.  It was an epic fail.

After a four hour nap, I felt better about the day, and was able to chalk it up to life not always being a bowl of cherries and sometimes it's just the pits...

...and then I made the "meme".  Nice to end the day with laughter. 

 

Recapping...

I have not been writing nearly as much as I used to.  There are a few reasons why:

1.  Cold and snow.  Nothing has changed, so there's nothing new to say.  I'm sick of it, and you're probably sick of reading about it.

2.  No great photos to show.  Why?  Refer to #1.

3.  I'm in a crappy mood.  Why?  Refer to #1.

BUT, it's never to cold or gloomy to hit my favorite thrift stores.  I've decided that I'm going to press the issue.  Today, I listed Hawaiian shirts for sale:

 I've had it.  I'm planning for warm weather and I'm hoping that someone out there feels as I do, and is in the market for some cool shirts.  On Ebay...let me know if you need the link!

It was about 20 degrees outside when we took these pictures.  Like I said, I've had it with the cold and I am willing it to get warm.  

I took my favorite paint pens and embellished a BCBG clutch that I got from a swap a year ago.  I used silver, gold and bronze "beads".  It was super quick and easy since I just followed the bag's design.  Perfect rows of metallic beads.  I'm VERRRY happy with the results!

Other things I've been up to:

I saw this amazingly large and obnoxious piece of bling, that is so outrageous I think I'm going to get one.

 My niece had these two gorgeous paintings done for her place and I had to get some pics. Aren't they something?  I'm trying to copy the style.  No, I can't paint.  Which is a good reason to copy someone else who does know how.  I have no shame. 

I always wore orange and green when I was in elementary school on St. Patty's Day.  Something I heard in a song:  My father he was orange, and my mother she was green.  I had no idea what it meant at the time, but it had to do with colors.  Bright colors.  That alone made it a good thing.  I'm still wearing my orange and green.  

Now that I've caught you up on what I've been doing, I need to catch up on some sleep.  It's nearly 3a.m.  I'm going to regret this.  Scratch that...I already do.

Anyone know how to get rid of a possum?

So I stepped out onto the porch yesterday and something made a beeline off the porch and behind the bushes.  I tried to convince myself that it was a rabbit, even though it had a long, ugly tail.  My sister said it was probably the big black cat that roams the neighborhood.  But, it wasn't black.  I had a bad feeling that it might be something that I take comfort in knowing only comes out at night, like a raccoon or opossum.  I never saw either, so I went back to believing that it was the cat.

I come home, and the lid is off the garbage can.  Probably the wind, I said to myself, even though the wind wasn't blowing.  I put the lid back on and went inside.  I came out again a couple of hours later and the lid was off again, with a trail of garbage from the can to the bushes in front of the house.  I had put the remains of some Panera in there, so it was probably the hungry cat.  My sister assured me it must be so, even though I've never known a cat to take the lid off of a garbage can.  Not that they can't, of course.



This morning, the wait was over.  The darn thing was on the porch again, and the dog (a tiny Shih-Tzu) started barking like a Doberman.  The black cat, which was actually a gray "POSSUM" was peering out from behind the porch pillar with his beady little eyes.  It is not night time!  What are you doing here?  My tough little Shih-Tzu started backing away, then jumped in the car.  The possum ran away.  Upon further review, I discovered a wealth of garbage behind the bushes.  I guess he was furnishing his apartment or something. The world has been turned upside down.  We get two straight months of below zero weather and mountains of snow.  Nocturnal animals are hanging out in the daytime.  What's next?  

There is nothing cute about this animal.  He looks like a big rat and of course, as unassuming as he looks, he bares those tiny teeth and looks downright vicious.  A friend of mine was bringing in groceries one day, and a possum sneaked in while she had the door open.  He was in the bathtub before she noticed him.  She closed the bathroom door (slammed it and screamed) and heard the little varmint scratching the insides of the tub for hours until she finally decided to call the cops and they somehow helped her out.  After they stopped laughing.  Makes me shudder just to think of it.  Meanwhile, I want to guarantee that I never come out of the house again and find my unwelcome visitor waiting on the porch so I'm doing extensive research.  And here are my top 10 ways to get rid of a possum:

Trap it.
Poison it.
Put spikes on your fence, trees, or anything else it might climb on. 
Put some strong, really stinky stuff on your plants and around your house. 
Put bright lights outside your house.  (Duh...they dig the daylight!)
Buy an ultrasonic device which will effectively drive the thing crazy.
Put Vaseline and Vicks Vapo Rub on the possum's path.  Or in my case, just slather the porch in the stuff.  And maybe leave yourself a path, because that could get messy and dangerous.
Keep a round-the-clock vigil and scream at it if it surfaces.
Throw thumbtacks all over your garden, backyard, and porch.  This could be a problem if you ever hope to enjoy the outdoors again. 
Go to the humane society and get a (much) bigger dog.  Or a bobcat.  I understand that they scare the crap out of possums.