q is for quandie

paying it forward giveaway.

Published on April 29, 2014 by Quandie48 Comments

Yesterday I came home from work to find a small package in the mail addressed to me. It seems so rare these days to get an unexpected package in the mail! The return address was that of my friend LeeAnn a.k.a. Annie in New York. Since I know that LeeAnn is a super talented artist, I knew there had to be something fab in that little box!

And look, there was!

Aren’t these lovely earrings? Handmade by Annie, and one pair in my favorite color, aqua! I just love them.

But better than the earrings was the lovely card that accompanied them. The artwork on the front is by Annie herself by the way, but what meant the most to me were the words inside. She sent the earrings just to let me know how much she enjoys my blog!

How fab is that?

It was funny timing, because I had just been thinking that perhaps my blog had gotten a little stale. Yet another painted dresser, ho hum, yawn. Don’t I have anything interesting to say? Isn’t my life more exciting than this? Does anyone really care what color I decide to use on a desk or how many vintage alarm clocks I have? Sometimes I wonder.

But, now I am reminded that someone other than me gets some enjoyment out of this thing.

And so, I want to pay it forward. Would you enjoy receiving a small box in the mail with a treasure inside? How about these earrings I made using vintage religious medals?

And also these cute Scottie dog hair pins made out of vintage buttons?

All you have to do to put your name in the running for this giveaway is to leave me a comment on this post by Friday, May 2 at noon.

Don’t know how to leave a comment? It’s easy! Just click on the little dialogue balloon that is to the right of the title of the post, “paying it forward giveaway.”

I will pick a random winner using the very scientific ‘names in a hat’ approach on Friday. Good luck!

my brief flirtation with the cubist period.

Published on April 27, 2014May 28, 2014 by Quandie12 Comments

Yesterday started the neighborhood garage sale season in the Twin Cities. I was so looking forward to it! I’d been suffering serious garage sale withdrawal all winter. Every year the Diamond Path neighborhood is the first big neighborhood sale. They had over 100 homes in a fairly small area that were participating.

We’ve been going to this sale for many years and we know what to expect. Crowds of people happy that spring is here, amazing homemade eggrolls for $1, but not a lot of fabulous finds. We don’t usually come home with much of a haul, although last year we found quite a few things for Bees Knees new apartment.

Here’s what I came home with.

Definitely not a haul. At the same time, I feel like each of these is a little treasure. The little metal measuring cup with a lid is just like the one my mom always uses to make gravy. I think I’ll use it to mix paint! The little books are from 1905 and were a quarter each. How do you pass that up? The hand-painted creamer and sugar were $1 for the pair. And look how pretty they are. I still have a weakness for floral china, I just can’t help myself.

Underneath the china is a pair of embroidered pillowcases.

They are made out of the most delicious linen, you know, that heavy vintage stuff that you never find in new pillowcases. And they are embroidered in white. I looked all last year for white on white embroidered pillowcases and didn’t find any. Now I have this pair for $2. I’m guessing that these were never used, and likely never even washed because they still have the blue lines of the design under the stitching. Those should wash out.

The chintzware teapot was a total find at $10. It will be added to my collection. I’ll post about that later.

There is one thing that I came home with that isn’t pictured. A mid-century Lane cubist credenza. I found it early in the day. I hesitated about buying it. Why? Mainly because it looked heavy. Yep, this is the way my mind works sometimes. It looked heavy, and I knew that if I bought it I’d be moving it around a bit. Into the truck, out of the truck, into the garage to store, into a better spot for painting, into another spot to take after pics … you get the idea … I move furniture around A LOT. But the price was right, $20! And mid-century is SO hot right now. Plus I knew it would be fantastic painted. So I whipped out my $20 and bought it and asked if I could come pick it up at the end of the day.

Well … here’s what happened. When we went back to load it up, there was a note taped on top. Someone “really” wanted it and would pay “good money” if I would sell it to him. Hmmmm. Interesting.

We loaded it up (and as suspected, it is very heavy) and drove home.

I tried to do a little research and found that similar mid-century credenzas were selling for anywhere from $500 to $1,200 online. But, I couldn’t find this exact style. Also, the pieces on line were in good shape for those prices. This one was really beat up.

I have since found the exact piece online, and here it is.

I am sure that if there are any mid-century aficionados reading this, your little hearts are beating a little faster now knowing that I paid $20 for one of these.

In the end, I decided to pay it forward. I’m not a mid-century expert. I don’t have any mid-century dealers in my rolodex. I suppose I could have put this on craigslist and sold it for more without doing anything to it at all, other than moving it around and taking pictures, but instead I texted the guy and said I would take $175 for it.

He wins, I win. I make a tidy profit for nothing more than being the first person to spot this.

Does he wish he’d seen it first for $20? I’m sure he does. But is he thrilled he got it for $175, probably so. Does the original seller wish he’d realized the worth and priced it higher than $20, I’m sure he does. But is he happy he got rid of a heavy piece of furniture that he didn’t want to move again? I’m sure he is.

Do I wish I’d asked for something closer to $300 or $400? Maybe a little. And to be honest, I was kind of looking forward to transforming this with paint. But am I happy that I don’t have to move this heavy piece around and around, definitely. And who can complain about making a little extra money in a span of less than 8 hours?

And thus, my brief flirtation with the cubist period comes to a close. But you can bet I will snatch the next one up much more quickly, even if it does look a bit heavy!

Update on 5/28/14: Just saw an ad on craigslist for this credenza asking $550 at a shop in Minneapolis. Do I think it’s the same one I sold? Yes, I do. Does it sting a little that the buyer lied to me and said it was for his own home? Yes, it does. And it’s unfortunate because both the dealer and I could have benefited from making a connection. When I find future mid century pieces, I won’t be calling this guy.

on the bench.

Published on April 25, 2014April 24, 2014 by Quandie3 Comments

Remember the little mismatched bench that came with this vanity?

It didn’t really match. And upon closer inspection, I realized that because it is wider than the opening, it was getting pretty beat up where it would hit against the sides of the vanity. Clearly, it’s not a good match. So I decided to experiment on it. Eeek! Sounds slightly evil, doesn’t it?

First, I decided to paint it in a 50/50 mix of MMSMP in Shutter Grey and Grain Sack. I was hoping for a lovely pale Gustavian sort of grey. I got the right amount of paleness, but maybe it’s not quite warm enough. The Shutter Grey has so much blue that it gives a definite coolness to the grey. Also, just look at how much chipping I got!

Wowza!

Likely the result of little to no sanding. I just hate sanding round spindly bits.

After knocking back the paint chips and adding some antique wax, I am left with this.

A very chippy look for sure. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I know some of us love this look for its very chippyness.

But the next decision is what to use to upholster the seat.

First I tried a colorful vintage 50’s fabric.

Hmmmm. Very shabby chic. But to me, this fabric and this paint job do not belong together.

Next option, some vintage white cotton with some cut work.

Too crisp and dainty for the rustic paint job?

How about a patched grain sack?

I think the grain sack color is too warm next to the cool tone on the bench. Otherwise, I like the idea of the grainsack, and I even like the patch on it. It’s the perfect amount of scruffy to work with the chippy paint job.

Next, I tried just a generic scrap of linen that I figured I could add a stencil to later.

Definitely not very exciting. Although a stencil would add some pizzazz, I just don’t think this is quite the right choice either.

In the end, I decided to put the bench aside and wait for the perfect fabric. But then, as I was cleaning up the kitchen I came across the tea towel that I bought from H & M. Hello! I thought it just might be perfect.

I think it works! Now I just have to wash it up and staple it on.

And I’ll have a fab little bench with a graphic seat.

Miss Mustard Seed milk paint workshop.

Published on April 23, 2014 by QuandieLeave a comment

Just a quick post to say I am teaching another MMS milk paint workshop this coming Sunday, April 27, at the Round Barn in Andover. Class starts at 12:30 and costs $65. It’s going to be cold and rainy here in Minnesota on Sunday, so why not come get cozy in the fabulous Round Barn and learn about milk paint?

You will learn all about it; how to mix it, how to finish it, how to work with the chippy factor … and it is hands on. You will mix your own paint and work with a couple of colors. I will share all of my milk paint secrets with you!

All attendees then get 10% off any milk paint purchase the day of class. The class generally takes about 1.5 hours.

If you want to sign up, just give the Round Barn a call at 763.427.5321.

does anybody really know what time it is.

Published on April 23, 2014April 20, 2014 by Quandie6 Comments

A few years back I started a little collection of vintage alarm clocks. I display them all together on my yardstick shelves.

None of them are actually set to the current time. I saw a clever idea once, can’t remember where, but it was to set them to numbers that are meaningful to you. Birthdays? Anniversaries? You know, like 6:24 (my anniversary and my granddaughter’s birthday). I haven’t done this, but I like the idea.

They come in handy for furniture photo shoots. I tend to use my favorite square Gilbert clock for this most often. I just love his art deco look. I love most design from that era, but thank goodness I wasn’t around then. The flapper look would not have worked on a curvy gal like me.

I have a slew of Big Ben’s. I try not to add duplicates to my collection, and these are all different. White with white face, black with white face, white with black face … you get the idea.

Funny story. Before I started collecting vintage clocks, I came across an entire box filled with them at a garage sale. Asking price: $3 each. Did I buy them? No! Can you imagine? To this day I can’t imagine what I was thinking! I die a little inside each time I remember this.

I would love to find more clocks that have some color. All of mine are black or white except for the one I picked up out in Las Vegas. Hmmm, more art deco style … I’m sensing a trend.

I would love to find an aqua clock. Bees Knees has a fantastic black clock with an aqua face! See is below? 2nd from left. I tried to steal it once when she wasn’t looking, but no success. And FYI, she got the yardstick shelf from me. I had Ken make several of them with a stash of vintage yardsticks I found. They took an inordinately long time to sell. I thought they would get snatched up uber quickly, but no. I finally sold the last one I had at Junk Bonanza for $12.

Now that my yardstick shelves are full, a clock will have to be extra special to make it into my collection. But, if I spot any vintage clocks at garage sales this summer, I will scoop them up for the Carriage House Sale. I may have to knock Bees Knees down to get to it first though. As you can see, she loves them too!

This coming Saturday kicks off neighborhood garage sale season here in Minnesota. Bees Knees, the Sherpa, Kit Kat and I are raring to go! I’m not quite sure how we will contain ourselves until then. I will report back with our finds. Stay tuned!

robin’s egg blue.

Published on April 21, 2014April 24, 2014 by Quandie15 Comments

For the curvy gams dresser I decided to create my own Miss Mustard Seed paint color by mixing several colors together and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out! In honor of spring, I am calling it Robin’s Egg Blue.

The color is almost an exact match for the aqua flower frogs that I picked up at Junk Bonanza.

Here is the recipe:

1/4 cup Luckett’s Green

1/2 cup Eulalie’s Sky

2 T Flow Blue

Mix well with equal parts water.

This made more than enough paint for two coats on this dresser. I also painted a mirror frame and still have a little paint left over. And in case you are wondering, yes, my paintbrush really looks this bad.

And without any further ado, here is the robin’s egg blue dresser.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I LOVE this color. This color is ME. I wish I had a spot for this dresser, but alas, I do not. However, I do plan to paint something of my own in this mix. I have a small wash stand on my front porch that I may paint in this. Or perhaps even just a small chair or stool. Definitely something.

As you can see, this dresser has a fair amount of chippy fabulousity. I love the way it looks like you just hauled it out of granny’s attic.

I changed out the knobs for all glass. The existing pulls were OK, but I just didn’t think they were right with this color. I’ll save them for use on another piece down the road. I finished this dresser with Miss Mustard Seed clear wax, the color was so lovely that I didn’t want to alter it too much with hemp oil or a dark wax.

I really struggle with capturing accurate color in my photos. Do any of you have this problem? I know I need to correct the white balance in some of these.

Somehow these pictures don’t seem so bad on my home computer, but then when I look at them on my phone or my work computer, I see that they need work. I’m trying to work on my photography skills as I go. Hopefully they will improve with time!

Anyway, in this picture you can see that the top didn’t chip nearly as much as the drawer fronts. This seems to be an ongoing question with the milk paint, and as most will tell you, oftentimes you just can’t predict the chippy. I will tell you that I sanded the top and sides of this dresser with a palm sander, and I sanded the drawer fronts by hand. I didn’t sand the edge around the top at all. Obviously the areas that were sanded most thoroughly (with the palm sander) had the least amount of chipping. I generally find this to be true.

If you are interested in purchasing the robins egg dresser, ~~it is available for $225~~ , woops, you missed it! It’s sold!

in the workshop.

Published on April 19, 2014 by Quandie20 Comments

The snow is gone. The days are getting longer and little bit warmer. And I have finally made it out to my Carriage House workshop to get things organized. I was just telling my friend Sue that I have 13 pieces of furniture waiting to be refurbished. Yikes! I may be turning into a hoarder.

I have good reasons why all of these pieces have been waiting for spring, but I won’t bore you with all the details. Now that spring is here, I have taken inventory and consulted with Ken about repairs and I have a plan of action.

Here are just some of the pieces in the line up.

Mr. Q found this desk on the curbside in our neighborhood and he snatched it up. See, he is becoming properly trained in the art of junking! Someone has already gone to the trouble of stripping the top of the desk, but I suspect they decided it was far too much trouble and they gave up after that. It needs a little repair under the middle drawer and it needs all new hardware, but I think this will be a darling little desk. Plus, I have set a goal of improving my ability to work with stain, and this guy will be a perfect jumping off point since his top is already stripped. I plan to paint the bottom and stain the top.

What I love most about this dresser are its curvy front legs. I think this one will be a charmer once it’s painted. This one is next up on the to-do list. I just need to decide on a color.

This vanity is part of a bedroom set that Mr. Q and I picked up on a Friday date night. Isn’t it pretty? I debated briefly about removing the mirror and just calling it a desk, but in the end I think I’ll paint the mirror and leave that option up to the buyer. Keep the mirror and have a vanity, or chuck the mirror and have a desk. The seller also included a little vanity seat, but it’s obviously not original to the set. Not sure if I will keep these paired up or not. What do you think?

Here is the gentlemen’s dresser that came with this set.

Isn’t he unique? This will be a fun one to paint. I’m going to have Ken replace the back on it first because it’s in pretty rough shape, but otherwise this one is in quite good condition.

The bed is by far in the worst condition. A leg broke off the headboard on the way home. The veneer on the footboard has definitely seen better days. Ken is confident that he can repair the leg, and I am confident that a coat of paint will bring this one back to its former glory. I love these curved footboards.

Next we have this sweet little drop leaf desk.

Some friends of mine dropped this one off for me one day. They had planned to refurbish this themselves, but never got it done, and thought of me. I love friends like this! And isn’t it a sweet little desk? Ken will put new hinges on to reattach the drop leaf and I will add paint. I have a plan for this one forming in my mind. It includes one of my new French stencils.

Finally, we have this sideboard. nnK, my craigslist spotter, has the whole family involved. She sent her dad off to fetch this one from the wilds of Wisconsin. Her folks live in a beautiful lake home about an hour from here and this sideboard wasn’t too far from them.

nnK also came up with an idea for this one. Replace the two center drawers with shelves instead, cut a hole in the back for cords, and market this as a TV stand.

I’m having trouble making this decision. The conservative side of me is afraid to mess with a perfectly good sideboard. But on the other hand, I can definitely see the plus side of turning it into a TV stand. It’s the perfect size to balance out a large wide screen TV. The center section is the perfect size to hold a couple of components. I think there are more buyers out there looking for a great piece to hold their widescreen TV than those looking for a great place to hold their silver and china.

I plan to give this one an updated color and more modern hardware, giving it an updated look.

So … weigh in. TV stand or sideboard? What do you think?

q is for …

Published on April 18, 2014April 15, 2014 by Quandie4 Comments

I saw this a while back on pinterest.

q is for …

Why yes! I like it. Sounds about right to me.

If you don’t know where the name of my blog came from, you have to go all the way back to my first post to find out!

And ever since I chose the name, I have embraced the Q.

So when I saw this bracelet consisting of all Q’s at Farmhouse Inspired in Hudson, Wisconsin, I knew it was meant to be mine. It even has a little coffee cup charm on it, could it be more perfect for me?

Unfortunately the very first time I wore it, I lost a Q. I kept wearing it anyway. I figured it was only a matter of time before I found another typewriter Q to replace the lost one.

I thought for sure I would find one at Junk Bonanza, but I actually found something even better! I found the woman who made it, Lisa from Old Anew. She wasn’t selling, she was shopping. But I showed her my missing Q and she immediately volunteered to take the bracelet back and fix it. I told her I could fix it myself if I only had a Q and that I was going to look for one, but she said no problem, she would just pop one in the mail for me!

And furthermore, she did just that! How fab.

So now I have my Q, and I just need to get out my E6000 and glue it on.

Thanks Lisa!

spring.

Published on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014 by Quandie10 Comments

I am very patiently waiting for spring. It starts ever so slowly here in Minnesota. I see signs of it though. It starts with some crocuses and scilla.

But while I wait for it, I thought I would put together a little miniature garden to enjoy for now.

I bought this ironstone tureen at Junk Bonanza. I just loved how crackled it was. It didn’t have its lid any longer, and I just thought it would be fun to use as a little planter.

It has a great mark on the bottom. Apparently this is a “classic shape”.

Anyway, I popped in to my local Bachman’s store and came away with some miniature plants and a bag of pebbles.

I put some pebbles at the bottom of my tureen, since there won’t be any proper drainage with this planter.

Then I just tucked in my little plants and added some tiny little white pots that I found at a garage sale last summer. I had added my house numbers to them and they usually reside in my fairy garden outside.

Ta da! A sweet little garden.

For now I am going to put him in the window at the bottom of the stairs. Hopefully I will remember to keep him watered. Maybe I’ll reconsider and bring him to the office to remind me of gardening while I am crunching numbers at the day job.

junk bonanza recap.

Published on April 13, 2014May 7, 2014 by Quandie5 Comments

Junk Bonanza was a whirlwind 4 day marathon. Day one was driving to Shakopee, unloading the truck and setting up our booth. I was already exhausted. The next 3 days we had a constant flow of people. I’m pretty sure we never even sat down on the first day. The next two weren’t quite as crazy, but still very few breaks in the crowd. I am completely and utterly worn out. My hat goes off to those who do this sort of thing all the time.

One of the coolest things about being a vendor at Junk Bonanza was walking in each morning before the shoppers were allowed in. All was quiet. It was just me, surrounded by the most incredible collection of vintage junk on the planet. It was a lot like being allowed into Disneyland early! I should have thought to take more pictures at that moment, but I didn’t. Drat.

First off though, are you wondering what I brought home from Junk Bonanza? Well … not much. I didn’t have much time to shop at all. Here is my sweet little haul.

Yep, that’s it!

Yes, I did buy another can of the Annie Sloan chalk paint. Can you believe this stuff is going for $42 a quart! But I really wanted to try this particular color, Duck Egg. In hindsight, I wish I had splurged on a couple more. I’d also like to try her Old White to see how well it covers, and the French Linen looks really nice too. But spending $126 on 3 quarts of paint? Not sure I could do it.

The Annie Sloan rep was Heidi from Broken Broom and she purchased my black writing desk (painted in Miss Mustard Seed milk paint, but shhhh, don’t tell anyone)!

I love my Union Jack necklace. That came from Lisa Souers Designs. And the black toy phone came from my own booth! Lori brought it, and I bought it before we even opened. Lori picked up the little baby aqua phone for me at another booth, wasn’t that nice of her! Thanks Lori! And I grabbed the aqua flower frogs on my way in the very first morning. I’d been eyeing them and realized I should just nab them before they sold to someone else. After all, they are in ‘my color’.

The rolls of vintage wallpaper underneath everything are from Rose Mille. Their booth was across the way from ours, and the owner Michelle was a really lovely person. Her booth was gorgeous. I wish I had some good pictures of it, but I just didn’t have time for photography. These just don’t do justice to her beautiful booth at all.

I’m hoping to use the wallpaper on the drawer fronts of a dresser. I’ve seen it done online and if done right, it can be gorgeous. I hope I can pull it off. I purchased 4 small rolls and I hope I can find just the right piece to put them on.

As for the stuff I was selling, I did fairly well. I came home with only a handful of smaller items that didn’t sell. All of my suitcases sold, and about half of my painted books. I sold 7 big pieces of furniture, but I brought home 3 dressers and the french cane back chair. If anyone is interested, these 3 dressers remain available:

Chateau Marmont dresser, SOLD.

Petite Paris dresser, SOLD!

Mind the Gap dresser, sale pending.

In addition, although I had many shoppers who said they would check back about the radio cabinet on Saturday, no one has followed through so far. I would be happy to sell it now if anyone is interested.

Radio Cabinet, $168.

In the end the question is, “would I do it again?” and the answer is, probably not. It was fun to be a part of it once, but it was a ton of work. I did make a little more money than I make at my occasional sale, but that was ultimately eaten up by the overhead expenses of renting a truck, paying for half the booth rental, and gas to drive to Shakopee for 4 days. In addition, there were a lot of ‘rules’! No merchandise newer than 40 years old, no leaving early even if sales are so low that you are sitting there for nothing, you are supposed to wear official Junk Bonanza shirts, etc, etc. I have to follow enough rules at my day job, I didn’t need them added to my fun hobby job. And although it probably wasn’t really that much more work, it was concentrated into 4 days so it seemed like more. When I have my occasional sale I can spend weeks getting it all set up, and then we are only open for a short six hours. When it’s done, I can shut the doors to the Carriage House, walk inside and take a nap! Much better than having to pack up everything that didn’t sell, load it back into a truck, drive 45 minutes home, and then unload it all. Phew! Yep, I think I’m going to stick with the Carriage House sale! Hope to see you there in June!