Fix it up

My current decorating project is my master bedroom. It has a hollywood regency vibe... lots of black laquer furniture, and gold accents. I have been on the hunt for two matching nightstands that would fit into my vision. Below are some photos of they type of thing I was looking for, which I kept around for inspiration.

Available at Pegaso Gallery Design for 3,200.00
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Available at Dixon Lane Antiques for 2,850.00
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Well, my patience paid off. After months of looking, I finally came across a couple of nightstands at  a Denver Gypsy Boys estate sale. 

This is what I found...

YUCK!

They were dirty! They were moldy! And they didn't even have a top surface! In the past I was always hesitant to buy furniture that was damaged, too dirty, or moldy! But I learned that a little bit of elbow grease and know-how can rescue pieces like these, bring them back to life, and save me a lot of money along the way. Since they were in such bad condition, nobody else bought them during the first two days of the estate sale. So there they were still around on Sunday, at half price! Originally 80.00, they ended up only being 40.00 with the Sunday discount!

Let the clean up begin!

A little trick I learned from a professional antique refinisher... just get a bowl of warm water, and add a tablespoon or so of bleach. Wipe down the furniture, and the mold is gone! 

 

WOW! Look at that clean up swell! I followed up with a final cleaning of Pledge. I wiped them down inside and out! For the missing top, Gypsy Vince told me, "Just buy some MDF and spray paint it black." Well it sounded easy enough, so that is what I did. I found some MDF at Home Depot, and they cut it down to size for me. It ended up being about 6.00 a piece. A couple coats of high gloss spray paint and I was done. Thanks, Vince!

Now I am one step closer to my dream bedroom. I have more plans to paint the walls... so I will keep you updated and add photos of that soon! 

A mini collection

My very first collecting bug started with miniature bottles. I was on vacation in Pennsylvania to visit my grandmother, and we went into an antique shop. Scattered about I found some colorful, miniature bottles. I thought they were the coolest, cutest things I had ever seen! Plus they would be easy to pack up to bring home! I bought 4 or 5 of them... and so the addiction began.

25 years later, my collection has grown and I have put them on display in my guest powder room. I used an old type tray hung on the wall... a great way to display small items.

My most recent finds have been at Denver Gypsy Boys Estate Sales. Usually I just find one random mini bottle, but recently I found a grouping of a few Ruby Red mini bottles. I snatched 'em up. (Don't even get me started on my Ruby Red collection!)

Many 19th century manufactures created miniature samples of their goods in order to promote their product. Miniature bottles would commonly contain alcohol, medicine, bitters, and soda. They came in all shapes including fish, horseshoes, liberty bells, ball and claw, and barrels. Part of the fun of this easy collection is finding new shapes in new colors.

Because of all the colorful options, they also look beautiful displayed on a window sill. Miniature bottles are small, affordable (I pay anywhere from 1.00 - 7.00 per bottle), and easy to display.

Do you have a mini bottle collection? Email me photos and I will post them on the blog!

Cupcakes and Christmas

Ok, here is a little trick I learned from surfing the internet. Take an ordinary strand of Christmas lights, add a cupcake liner... and you have a modern light reflector!
First I found some vintage cupcake liners from a Denver Gypsy Boys Estate sale. These puppies were priced at only 50 cents. And to be honest, I only bought them because I liked the retro packaging. Sometimes you just have to buy things because they call out to you... finding a use for them will always come up eventually! For this project, your cupcake liners don't have to be vintage... but that's just how I roll.

Next, get yourself a standard sting of holiday twinkle lights. I actually bought these rainbow ones at a Gypsy sale last year. I needed the white strands since my faux tree was white. (Faux sounds so much better than fake). It's always a good idea to shop for holiday decor year 'round. It's a great way to save money buying things out of season. Items will always be priced higher if they are being sold near the time of the holiday.

Now the fun part. Just poke the light through the center of the cupcake liner. Do this a few million times and you're done! It just makes the lights look larger, brighter and merrier! 

Now don't judge my tree just yet! I am only getting started. I still have to add my vintage star, and tons of vintage Shiny Brite Christmas bulbs....

This method also works great for lights around the mantel or bannister.