Wednesday’s Wares

Boy, oh boy did I have fun picking over the last few weeks! I found lots of vintage goodies.

Here are the items for sale this week…

set of Homer Laughlin bowls $12, match holders $16 each, nut grinder $18, berry masher $48, Case Moody pie tin $8, tin measuring cups $4, Barbicide jar $12, first aid kit $15, mortar board ’56 $12, knitted baby blanket $18

scale $24, same bowls…oops!, Happy Day kit $32, tool caddy $28, chick feeder $22, red metal drawers $32, vintage picnic basket w/ metal handles $18, metal box $24

Tattered Tiques will be open Thursday 10-5, Friday 10-5 and Saturday 10-3.

If you aren’t local and one of these items is calling your name, please email me (susan.haskins@gmail.com) and I’ll be happy to ship to you.

the sleeping porch

Before I started this room transformation, I could picture it in my mind’s eye…

Dreamy and ethereal, with a bit of cottage comfort thrown in for good measure.

My goal was to limit the number of “new” items in the room, drawing upon flea market, craigslist, garage sale, consignment store and thrift store finds to fill the space. Virtually nothing was purchased specifically for this room. I simply used items that I had on hand and in many cases, repurposed. The sleeping porch transformation (before, before, before) was truly done on a shoestring budget!

Here’s the run down…

Thrift store finds: french bed (Salvation Army! before), oil painting, books (turned into book bundles), Canadian Crown mason jars (turned into hanging votive lights), bed skirt

Flea Market finds: clock, silver tray, trophies, nesting baskets, blue bottle, chenille blanket

Craigslist finds: armoire (before), french chair (before)

The side table was a $7 find from a vintage furniture shop that was going out of business (before), the vintage typewriter was a garage sale find, the clock faces were found on etsy, the nesting baskets were purchased from Urban Farmgirl via Tattered Tiques, the other baskets were purchased at a consignment shop The Pink Geranium, the library table, “Langston” sign, and blue battery jar were found at Steeplechase Antiques, the mercury glass lamp was borrowed from another room but refreshed by creating a rosette shade (tutorial coming soon), the bed linens are a hodge podge straight from the linen closet.

I only purchased “new” items if the perfect vintage ones weren’t easily available. The Swedish Stripe cotton rug is from Dash & Albert and “grounds” the space perfectly. The simple cotton window panels were found at World Market. The bedside table lamp is the Whitney task lamp from Pottery Barn.

So there you have it…a sleeping porch transformation done on a little budget, with a lot of elbow grease.

A labor of love.

Linking up to these wonderful parties:

miss congeniality

Here she is Miss Congeniality.

Just look at her beautiful lines.

But not too closely, she’s far from perfect.

You see, she came from humble beginnings.

Chipped, warped and peeling. Beaten down by the elements.

She’ll never win the pageant.

She’s far from polished and poised.

Her beauty lies within.

She’s wise enough to know that’s where true beauty lives.

Deep down in the heart and the soul.

No sash or crown. No roses or titles.

Yet loved by all.

Miss Congeniality.

Linking up here:

office space switcheroo

Until last week, my “office” was here…in the back area of our family room.

I like to be “in the mix” so the family room seemed like the logical place for my “command central.”

But then it occurred to me. We have this beautiful light and bright office/library that was unused.

Sure, it had stuff in it, but served no real purpose other than to house the IKEA sofa that didn’t work out and an overflow of other miscellaneous crappola.

Time for a little switcheroo.

For the color palette, I knew I wanted my favorite color…pale blue. You know, I can still remember being in my third grade classroom and coloring with a friend. We had the big box of 64 Crayola crayons (there was nothing like a new box of crayons back then…no better smell in the world) and were discussing out of all 64 colors which one was our most favorite. The equivalent of world peace discussion for 9 year olds. 🙂 I declared mine to be “sky blue” and to this day, it’s still my favorite.

{image via flickr}

I wanted pops of green and yellow to round out my “sunny” palette.

To frame the windows, I chose panels from Pottery Barn. The pattern is “Vanessa.”

After much searching, I found this “Morocco I” rug from Home Decorators in gold. The price was great and I’m super pleased with the quality.

There are two blank areas on the walls across from the desk which flank the french doors. I wanted functional pieces that could accommodate lamps and settled on the “Preston 5 drawer table” from World Market. (It’s in stores, but not on the website).

And I used a several of my favorite IKEA baskets for storage.

So those were the “purchases” for the room. The rest I pulled from “stock.” 😉

So here’s my new office space.

The oil paintings above my desk make me happy. The top one was a find from the Arboretum sale back in the fall and the bottom one came from my most favorite consignment shop ever, The Pink Geranium.

Maybe mixing silver and gold is considered a decorating faux pas…but it doesn’t bother me one bit.

I always collect souvenirs from nature when we travel. It’s a beautiful way to bring back memories of fun times. The sea glass is from Barbados.

The rocks are from the beach in Washington State collected on our “Twilight” Trip.

Yellow tulips make me smile.

Although I did not want a vintage vibe for this space, I still gave a subtle nod to my love of vintage with a few pieces here and there.

So there you have it. My office space switcheroo. I’m really happy with it and kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

Have a marvy Monday!

Linking up here:

it’s me, it’s me, it’s Earnest T!

A little Earnest T. Bass via Andy Griffith Show for ya there.

Tonight I was at Target and picked up the April 2012 issue of my favorite magazine, Country Living.

Can their covers get any better?

Anyhoo, flipped over a few pages to the Dear Country Living section and look what I spied.

Being featured in Country Living has been a dream of mine for a long time. This was like getting my big toe in. Baby steps, right?  🙂

And in other news…OH MY STINKIN HECK! (Picked that little phrase up when we lived in Utah.)

NOW I know how to get people to comment….Just ask an opinion!!! Who knew??? 🙂

You guys came out of the woodwork to back me up on leaving the chippy floor in the sleeping porch! Out of over a hundred votes between here and the M&M Facebook page, only 4 or 5 people said to paint.

I was pretty sure my gut was right, but having that overwhelming confirmation was awesome!

It was like having a hundred and twenty something of my closest friends saying, “NO, Susan…those pants do NOT make your butt look big!” 😉

So thanks, friends.

And last but not least, here’s what I was working on this afternoon.

You like chippy? How’s that for chippy?

It was 68 degrees here today and windy as all get out. Perfect for prying and chiseling and sanding an impossibly damaged, but oh so charming side table.

Toodles!

yes, I want some cheese with that whine

Make it smoked gouda, please.

Well, I got what I wished for…it was 60 degrees here in the windy city today! A perfect painting day if there ever was one.

So I painted.

and I painted.

and I painted.

And I painted.

For six hours straight. And I’m still not finished! Is there such thing as “painter’s elbow?” Cause if there is, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it. 🙂

When I started this project a few weeks ago, I was using Annie Sloan’s Pure White Chalk Paint. Not one of my smarter plans. The paint was great, but I would have gone through a truckload of quarts and a fat stack of cash before the room was finished.

So I switched to Sherwin Williams “Extra White.” I love how nice and clean it looks next to the old paint which was guh-rody. Like, totally.  😉

It went on like buttah. The only problem was the 5 billion ridges in the beadboard. It required a brush and was major time consuming!

Okay, I’m done whining now.

Now I need your opinion. You better write that down, cause I NEVER ask for opinions. 😉

Usually I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do. But in this case, I’m stumped. Ya ready?

Okay. This is the floor of the sleeping porch. I am totally digging the chippy grey paint.

My husband thinks I’m cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

Now hear me out…the floor needs a good ol’ scrubbing. No doubt. But I think the juxtaposition of the chippy grey floor with the fresh white paint and and the crisp white linens on the bed will be divine.

Am I alone here? Can anyone else visualize it? Tap, tap…is this thing on??? 😉

So, do YOU think I should:

a) clean it up and embrace the chippy beauty?

b) find a close match to the original grey and give it a new coat of paint?

And I have a feeling that some of you wonderfully ambitious peeps will suggest that I strip it and refinish it. That was gonna be option C. But I’d rather stick toothpicks through my eyeballs. 

Plus, you know I have this painter’s elbow thing going on. 😉

So unless you want me to send you a plane ticket to come and help me, it’s A or B.

Lemme have it!

Rock the VOTE!

balance

Howdy! Long time, no post. Sorry bout that. You see, if you haven’t already figured it out…I’m a major all or nothing kinda gal.

And like most busy moms, I struggle with balance.

And yes of course, those are my graceful legs. 😉

Source: vi.sualize.us via Alexandra on Pinterest

Truth be told…If posts and projects are aplenty around here, you better believe somebody’s recycling underwear and Gino’s East is on speed dial. 🙂

Source: dailybunny.org via G on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via Coki on Pinterest

 

So lately, the posts and projects haven’t been aplenty. Life happens. And I’m so glad it does.

Friday night Hannah went to her first school dance. Not with a boy or anything…she’s only twelve! Help me, Rhonda when that day arrives.

It was a tropical theme. Now, being that she has a mom that’s all about themes…of course she wanted no part of it. So the best I could do was convince her to wear a flower in her hair. Small victory. 🙂

The boys have been playing tons of golf at an indoor facility gearing up for the season.

Josh with Rickie Fowler at the BMW championship back in September.

Even though I haven’t really had anything “blog-worthy” to share, I have been busy with projects. I’m in the process of turning our never-used office into my office. It’s coming together nicely and is a bright, sunny piece of organizational heaven. Peter Walsh would weep if he saw it.

Now I won’t have any excuse for all my crappola to be strewn about the house. 🙂 The curtain panels and rug will arrive this week, so I’ll have photos next week.

Let’s see…what else??? The sleeping porch progress is non-existent because of our damp, cold, snowy weather. But it’s supposed to get into the 50’s several days this week, so hopefully things will start cranking along now.

Dear Mother Nature…I’m ready for spring and flowers and green grass now…thankyouverymuch.

I’ve also been doing some major hunting and gathering, finding all kinds of wonderful vintage things for the next Tattered Tiques sale on the 15th. Photos coming soon!

Oh, and thanks to whoever nominated me for Apartment Therapy‘s Best Home Design Blog. So nice of ya!

So that’s about it.

Hope everything is going well in your corner of the world. 🙂

matryoshka dolls

I’ve always had a thing for matryoshka, or russian nesting dolls. Maybe it’s the mom in me, or maybe it’s the fact that I so identify with their “shapely” figures? 😉

Anyhow, I picked up a few adorable sets last week. All in perfect condition, all stamped USSR on the bottom.

set of five

set of seven

and how flipping cute is the mama with her 10 chicks?

Tattered Tiques isn’t open for the next two weeks, but these will be in the shop the week after. They are $22 per set.

If any (or all) of these blow your skirt up, shoot me an email susan.haskins@gmail.com and I can ship them to you.

ALL are SOLD. Thanks!

Before I scoot, here are some of my favorite matryoshka doll things found on pinterest!

Source: etsy.com via adamsblankie on Pinterest

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Bernadette on Pinterest

Source: gerberadesigns.com via Anna on Pinterest

Source: ontobaby.com via Vanina – Mother Crafter on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Citlalli on Pinterest

Пока!

{That is Russian for bye-bye} 🙂

nobody puts baby in the corner

I’m switching things up in our family room just a little bit. There was a dull little corner at the end of our mac daddy leather sectional.

Now, I love this sofa more than my luggage (Steel Magnolias) but it does make arranging/styling this room a little challenging. Because of the sea of dark leather and the dark hardwood floors, I’m trying to mix in some lighter pieces to balance it out.

For the past month or so, each time I’d go into Tattered Tiques I would stare at this little table. I love it. The size, the shape, the drawers, the casters, the pulls…ok so basically everything about it.

Yesterday I finally brought baby home and put her in the corner. Sorry, Johnny Castle.

I added a bronze PB lamp, a little hardware drawer (from TT, as well) and a pretty little topiary that I picked up at our nursery yesterday.

I recently gave our Mora clock a little makeover with some fresh Annie Sloan in Coco and Old White and put that in the corner as well.

Baby looks good in the corner and is having the time of her life.

Sorry, I’m bringin corny back. 😉

my top 5 tips for finding craigslist treasure!

I’ve got a friend named Craig…and he’s got this awesome list. 🙂

Here is my latest craigslist find. It’s a 1920’s doctors stool. Love.

I shared it on Facebook and had some people ask me how I find such good things.

So I thought I’d share My TOP 5 TIPS for finding treasures on craigslist.

1.  Craigseasy. If you do not use this free tool, then you are wasting tons of valuable time! Craigseasy makes it possible to search quickly by scrolling through photos rather than clicking on individual posts. Did I mention it’s FREE???

(more about how craigseasy works in number 3…)

2.  Search OFTEN.

If you pop on to craigslist once a month, chances are not that great that you will strike gold. It’s simple probability, people. Search often and your odds of finding treasure increase exponentially.

3. Search SMART.

Let’s say you are looking for vintage industrial stuff. First, go to craigslist.org and navigate to your location. On the left-hand side, enter your search terms in the box.

The reason I don’t go to the antiques, furniture or household categories is because I want to grab all of the vintage industrial stuff out there. I don’t limit my search unless I’m looking for something very specific.

Entering this search criteria, brought up 123 items for me. But I want to narrow it a bit. The best way to do this is to enter your top price. If you know you won’t pay more than a certain amount for a piece, then enter it so you don’t waste time weeding through more expensive pieces.

That cut the list down to 100 items and now it looks like this:

If I want to view these items, I will need to click on the links one at a time. VERY TIME CONSUMING!

But I use craigseasy, so here is how I view the items:

I can scroll through 100 items lickety-split!

4. CALL.

If there is a phone number on the listing and it’s a piece you REALLY want, CALL. Don’t email. That is how I got these pieces…

5. See the potential beyond the seller’s crappy photo.

99.9% of the photos that sellers post on craigslist are crap. Don’t dismiss items with potential because of that. Look beyond. Case in point…the original listing photo of my surveyor’s cabinet was horrible. It was taken inside of a garage and was very small and hard to make out the details. But through my squinting, I saw real potential there.

It paid off, because this is my favorite craigslist find ever.

Well, actually it’s probably a tie with this piece. Another craigslist find.

And here’s a bonus tip for you.  Always negotiate.

Always offer less, but do it as nicely as possible. For example, if I find a table that I like and they are asking $75, I will email and say…”Hi there. I’m very interested in the table that you have for sale on craigslist. Would you be willing to take $60 for it? If so, I can pick it up tomorrow.” Nine times out of ten, they accept. Occasionally, they will counter. Rarely people will say no. Then I decide whether it’s worth the full asking price to me.

So there you have it…my top tips for finding craigslist treasure. I hope it will help you score that wonderful piece you’ve been searching for!

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