I’m starting to gear up for my fall sale. That means I am focusing a little bit more on finishing up some small projects rather than just working on furniture. These are the sorts of items that sell well at the Carriage House Sale.
I thought I’d share a few of them with you today starting with this little stool. It’s obvious that this little stool had been painted at some point in its life.
Although the top of the seat had been completely stripped, there were patches of paint still clinging for dear life to the legs and bottom of the seat. I’m always a little sad when I see things like this because I know I would have loved the patina of the original old paint.
I decided not to cover up those legs, but to try and replicate the paint layers on the seat. I wasn’t quite as successful as I hoped, so in the end I added a stencil to give it a little more personality.
I’m glad I left the legs alone though.
I also painted this little stool at the same time, since I had some MMS Luckett’s Green already mixed up.
I worked on a couple of wooden totes too. My sister and I each bought a few of these at a garage sale earlier this summer and we are dressing them up a bit for my sale.
This one got a paint job in MMS Flow Blue, followed by a stencil.
And this one got the French Market stencil, and I’m using it to create a Paris themed gift basket.
I added some stencils to the cute little ice cream parlor chairs that I picked up at MacGrove.
And I also doctored up this little stool that I bought at MacGrove.
A little Prizewinner paint and a new faux grain sack upholstery job did wonders for it.
So as you can see I have been busy, busy, busy in my workshop.
How about you? Got any small projects that you’ve been able to cross off your list?
q is for quandie 
Do you have a date for your fall sale?
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Well, yes, now that you mention it 😉 It’s Saturday, October 8. Not sure exactly what time we’ll open, probably around 9 a.m. It will be one day only, so pencil it in!
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Thanks Q for the sale date. I like all of your smalls, especially the stool with the chippy legs. Shabby smalls really make a decor unique. Nice work!
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I agree. I always have fun working with the smalls too because they are quick little projects.
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Love the stool Linda! Ice cream chairs are sweet too ! The vanity seat looks much better with the grain sack look.
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Thanks Lisa. Hey, I didn’t even thinking about pairing that little seat with a vanity. It might work well with the desk I painted in the same color a couple of weeks ago too.
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Awesome sneak peek of your wonderfully unique smaller items!!
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Thanks Cathy!
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This is going to be a great sale. These smalls will blow out the door. I am such a fan of monochromatic color it is such a strong presentation your styling skills are fab.
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Dear miss q.is for quandie…I love that name. I have been reading your blog for about three months. It is probably my favorite. I love your furniture transformations…they turn out lovely. I used to paint furniture and sold in a couple of shops..I ended up getting arthritis in my fingers and had to have surgery to put a silicone knuckle in the worst of the fingers. I stopped painting after that which was two years ago. I really miss it and am thinking about getting that paintbrush back in my hand. I did some pieces together for a sale in June.the furniture I had left I put on Craigslist and sold one piece.So I don’t think that is the answer. I thought about just trying a Facebook page and wondered what you thought. I thought about trying a blog but I’m a bit afraid. I have no photography skills.i take pictures with my phone so you can imagine how that goes. What type of camera would you recommend for a total novice who just wants to take nice pictures of her home and furniture pieces. I’m sorry I am hitting you with a lot but you just seem so approachable and I love what you do….any advice would be greatly appreciated. Do you just sell in shops? Did you do well selling from Facebook? Okay, I will shut up now…..thanks.
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First, thanks so much for calling me your favorite! That really means a lot to me. It’s comments like yours that motivate me to continue blogging! Now, where should I start. Let’s start with Facebook. I barely do anything on Facebook. My blog is linked to a Facebook page, but I don’t interact with the Facebook side of things very often. Based on that, I really have never sold a piece of furniture via Facebook so I can’t be the judge of whether or not that works well. I have sold a handful of pieces as a direct result of my blog, but for the most part those pieces have sold to customers who already know me and have purchased other pieces from me. I sell the bulk of my pieces either in a shop (where I pay a commission) or on Craigslist. Most of my best customers have originally come to me via a Craigslist transaction and then have gone on to purchase subsequent pieces after seeing them on my blog. I know you said you tried Craigslist and only sold one piece, but is that because the Craigslist community where you are is not very active, or are there ways you could improve your Craigslist posting skills? Hmmm, maybe I should devote a blog post to this subject, huh? As for the photography skills, those are going to go hand in hand with a blog, Facebook or Craigslist. You say you have no photography skills, but that doesn’t mean you can’t acquire some! Just like anything else, you can learn to be a good photographer! I would go so far as to say that the quality of my photos is one of my biggest assets when it comes to selling my furniture. So rather than focusing on what kind of camera to buy, maybe start by working on your photography skills with the equipment you have (your phone). I’m not sure what your phone offers by way of a camera, but you can definitely work on composition, lighting, angle, etc. With my phone I can change white balance, ISO and a few other things. If your phone allows for that, start with playing around with those. Check out Tony Northrup on YouTube, he has some great videos on composition. Best of luck Belinda!
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Thank you for all of your input. I will check out Tony Northup and I will play around with my phone and see if I can get better pictures. I really do think picture quality is a key factor. I was going to send you a picture of a piece that I had posted on craigslist to get your critique but I can’t seem to be able to attach anything. Once again thanks so much and I will continue to look forward to reading your blog!
Sent from my iPad
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You can email it to me if you like Belinda. My email is qisforquandie@gmail.com.
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Hi Miss Quandie, it is 7:00 in California and I just checked to see what you have set up for your sale and I saw the vintage ornaments! I want them!! If you have any of the individuals left would you be willing to send to me? I want to do my tree in vintage and they are really expensive out here. Anyway, if you happen to see this before they are all gone I want them. Let me know if I happen yo luck out! Thanks and I wish I were there!
Sent from my iPad
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Those ornaments sold like hotcakes! I don’t think we have a single one left!
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I was pretty sure that would be the case. Hope you had a great sale. Thanks!
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where can I get the stencil used on the stool (Farmers Market)?
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That was a while ago, but I’m fairly sure I borrowed that stencil from my sister, and she purchased it at Hobby Lobby.
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Where can I get the decal/printable or whatever it is that u used on the little stool (Farmers Market Country Fresh Vegetables Hand Selected and Hand Picked Since 1921}?
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