No Safe Beige Here

Thank you, inspirationsdeco.blogspot.com, for sharing these beautiful rooms.  How I'd love to have any one of them adorn my home!  They are vibrant and full of personality.  No safe beige here.

Why do we always play it safe with our homes?  Shouldn't we aim for different designs from our neighbors?  Model homes? 
If you plan on selling your home in the near future, you're told to neutralize.  I get that.  I have been angling toward selling my home for a few years now, even though it was only on the market a portion of that time.  And it's not on the market now.  But I play it safe.  Beige walls.  Nothing too "out there".

It's kind of like our lives.  We play it safe...don't speak up...don't rock the boat...don't get involved...

My beige life.  I want a vibrant and colorful life.  Now, there's a goal.

Mid-Century Flow

It's all about the flow - you know - getting in the flow of what's hot.  What people want.

Mid-century is hot, so this starburst clock by Rycoco, battery-operated, is in my booth at River Market Antique Mall - currently 20% off of the $99 price tag.  I think it will sell soon.  Notice that cool lamp above it!  River Market is full of mid-century, primitive and industrial finds.

While they will be closed - just this once - Tuesday through Thursday for a facelift at the front of the store, they will re-open Friday for a 10%-off-storewide-sale.  Everything! 

Wallflower Chair Makeover

It's amazing what sandpaper, paint, wax and burlap can do!  This chair is shown in the photo below.  See the green chair.  Yep, that's it.  It's now gracing the presence of Good Company in Merriam, just in time for the weekend sale. 

No one paid attention to it before - I had it in the Gypsy Flea Market and it was the wallflower of the sale.  Now...let's see if anyone falls in love with it!

Junk for Sale All Over the Place

I have junk for sale all over the place.  These are the updated pics of what's going on in this dealer's life.

Isn't this a great velvet chair - it swivels and is only $50 at River Market Antique Mall.

Hurricane lamps aren't that special, but this antique lamp has a four-faced base.  How cool is that!  I listed it on ebay for $199. 

Crown Trifari made this vintage plastic bracelet and it's in my etsy shop - anniemason.etsy.com

Ditto with these earrings - sterling with rhinestones.  They are among several pieces of jewelry in my etsy shop.

The bones of this chair are great.  It was recovered in a red check, not bad, and probably should've just sold it that way!  The original fabric underneath is boring.  I have painted the wood and will recover it soon.

 Good Company is full of fun stuff and I share a space with two girlfriends.  It's a 2-weekend-a-month venue. 

That's what I worked on last week.  I have more projects and will take you along!

A Most Fascinating Person in Our Day

"Among them the Creator is hidden...There is mystery in the poor"...Mama Maggie

Not many people fascinate me.  I learned of one fascinating person this week - Mama Maggie Gobran.

Mama Maggie is an Egyptian and the founder of Stephen's Children.  Caring for the poorest of the poor who dwell in the garbage dumps of Cairo, her heart is for the children.  She has mobilized volunteers and staff and resources from around the world to provide mercy works for the impoverished - food, medical, clothing.

You can learn more about her and this ministry at http://www.stephenschildren.org/.

What Would Dear Abby Say?

It would go something like this:

Dear Abby,

I'm a youngish-middle-aged woman who has tried to be an antique dealer for over 10 years.  During this time I've sold a few thousand items, and bought thousands more.  I really enjoy it.

The problem is - I have too much junk.  I buy much more than I sell.  It has permeated my home, filling a bay in my garage, my craft room/office, and my basement.  Even though I've made some money, I'm not making enough.  And...even though I have inventory to draw from, I feel the need to constantly go out and buy more, you know, keep up with the trends in junking.  (Oxymoron, I know.)

Help me!  I have a problem!

Sincerely,

A Junky Gal in Missouri

Then...it would go something like this:

Dear Junky Gal in Missouri,

You do indeed have a problem.  Sell ALL the junk you have in inventory before you go out and buy more junk, unless you're rich, of course.  Pare down and re-do what you have.  Spend your time on painting stuff, making stuff with what you have instead of spending time on buying more junk.

When it gets to looking like this -

Get out of the business!

Sincerely,

Abby

Sometimes, I feel like getting rid of all the junk and getting a "real" job, where I don't stay up til midnight preparing ebay shipments, stripping 10-year old fabric off of a chair,

and moving junk to the basement, while packing up another load of junk. 

Only someone who is a dealer understands this quandry. 

By the way, I'm going to be working on this chair.  So proud that I've convinced myself to NOT go buy new fabric or burlap for it, but rather to use what-I-have.  I'll take pics as I go...

Marie Antoinette's Farm

After taking a break from blogging, I'm back!

Enjoy a few photos of Marie Antoinette's farm;  we were there a couple of years ago.  If I ever go to Versailles again, I will rent a car/golf cart and take a picnic lunch and enjoy the day on the grounds.  Someday I will paint one of these buildings!