Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Fall 2012 Vintage Tag Sale Preview

It's tag sale week once again! Our little house is bursting with fall vintage goodness. Our local readers love the preview post and they come prepared to shop! It's been a flurry of activity and I'm exhausted, so I'm just going to give you what you want - photos.
 

 
 
 
 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 










See anything you like? ... Some of our friends have asked how we could possibly be ready for a tag sale and fill two very large bedrooms at the Decorator Show House. Well guess what, it wasn't even the least bit difficult! ... Hope you can join us this week! We'll be open on Wednesday evening from 3PM to 7PM, Friday from 9AM to 5PM and Saturday from 9AM to 2PM. Our little house is located at 438 East Main Street in Westminster, Maryland. ... Our mission is to convert the world to vintage, one tag sale at a time! And vintage never goes out of style!

 

Be Inspired Features and Link Party #38

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!
 
 
 
Wow this week went really fast! Lots of great links again. And our party gets bigger every week - thank you for joining us! Here are just a few of the projects that caught my eye this week...
 
 
This Hepplewhite Style Buffet from Petticoat Junktion is such a classic and just perfect in black.

 
And Kathy made sure it was just as pretty on the inside too!
 
 
 
And here's another classic buffet, this one in red from Helen at Picked and Painted.  It's gorgeous!
 
 
And just look at what her husband bought her for her birthday - a branding iron with her business name so she could label all her furniture!
 
 
 Angela from Number Fifty-Three picked the coolest fabric for her chair makeover!
 
 
 
You know I'm a huge fan of turning dressers into media cabinets and this one from Amy at Home Sweet Thrifty Home is a beauty!


Just how cute is this little pumpkin patch  from Bell Jar Vintage. I love the mix of colors and textures. And Dori is a girl who thinks ahead - last year she saved her pumpkin stems!



Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and liked back! If you've been featured, there's a cute little button on the sidebar!


 
Now on to this week's party...
 
* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment.

* Grab a party button and add it to your post or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!
 * And be sure to follow along with us!

We'll be back next week with features and a brand new party.
Now let's share some inspiration!

 
 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Cleaning Naturally With Vinegar

Last week I shared this pretty two-toned gray dresser with great curves and beautiful brass hardware. 
 
 
She was a beauty, except for one little problem.
She had smelly drawers!
 
 
But a washing with vinegar and a little sunshine worked like magic! 
 
 
I though maybe Heinz should market vinegar to us DIY gals.
Well guess what, they do! I just read a post from my friend Holly over at 504 Main on how she uses vinegar to clean her home naturally. And look what she found - Heinz Cleaning Vinegar! It has a slightly higher acidity level for even more cleaning power. Look for it right next to the regular vinegar. ... Thanks so much Holly. What a great post!
 
 
Okay, that was your tip for the day! I'm off to take pictures of our upcoming tag sale so I can share a preview post. Then it's back to the Decorator Show House to finish up. Details about both events are on the sidebar. And don't forget to enter our Goose Creek Candle Company giveaway! ... Wow, there's a lot going on around here! ... Hope you have a great day!
 
 

Friday, September 21, 2012

French Gray Curves, Brass Hardware and a Few Smelly Drawers

This pretty two-toned gray dresser is one of Megan's projects from the summer. Yes I'm a little behind on posting. You might still be seeing summer projects over the winter, just so you know!


Here's the before. The upside down hardware just made me smile!
 
 
After a overall light sanding with just a sanding sponge and a good cleaning, she was ready for paint. Megan used  Behr's paint and primer in one mixed with the homemade chalk paint recipe and it adhered beautifully. The darker gray is Dark Pewter and the lighter gray is French Silver. These are the same two colors Megan used on her Glazed and Distressed Side Table, but here she was going for a completely different look.
 
 
Only the edges were distressed with a very light hand.



And a coat of SCJohnson wax gave her a nice sheen.
Don't you love her curves?



The brass hardware just just too cool to change, but it needed a little refreshing. Compare the before...


look closer...


and now the after.

 
A past of lemon juice and salt (great for smoothing your hands) usually works wonders on brass, but it just wasn't enough this time. We turned to Rub'nBuff in Antique Gold, but toned it down with just a bit of Patina. Centsational Girl has a great post on brass hardware. You should check it out. Brass is back you know.


Now, about those smelly drawers. Usually after you clean a piece, have the drawers out for a few days while painting, wipe them out one last time and soap the drawer glides, she ends up smelling pretty sweet. But again, not this time. These drawers just had a weird funky smell. And after the nice job Megan did on this piece, that just bugged me to no end. Living with Lindsay did a post a while back about cleaning smelly thrift store furniture. Lindsay has some great suggestions and I read all 90-plus comments. I decided to try vinegar because I just happened to have a big bottle on hand. I put the drawers out in the sun and wiped them out with the vinegar. I left them slightly wet and let the sun dry them out. I did this for three straight sunny afternoons. And sure enough, the funk is gone and they are now smelling sweet!
 
 
I also wiped out the inside of the dresser with vinegar and put a fan in front of it to dry.
 
 
Maybe Heinz should consider a label that says Furniture Perfect!
 
 
So there you have it, one really pretty French gray dresser with great curves, brass hardware and sweet smelling drawers! Nicely done Megan!
 
 
To say it's been busy around here is an understatement!
We have a tag sale coming up in less than a week (yes there will be preview photos) and we're putting the finishing touches on our two rooms for the Decorator Show House. Details about both events are on the sidebar.
 
And don't forget that our Goose Creek Candle Company Giveaway and 25% off coupon code runs through September 30th!
 
I'm linking to...
Primitive and Proper Sumo's Sweet Stuff The Girl Creative Somewhat Simple Mod Vintage Life DIY Show Off
Photobucket It's Overflowing
C.R.A.F.T.

Making The World Cuter Monday