Lottery Picks: Pairs

Auction time at Wright again…so you know what that means….droolfest!  Everything I loved seemed to be in pairs..go figure.

Pair Vidal Grau dining tables c. 1970 $4-6k

Pair Renaud Vuaillat stools c. 2000 $3-5k

Pair Maison Charles nightstands c. 1960 $3-5k

Pair Phillipe Cheverney table lamps c. 1970 $12-15k

Pair French sconces c. 1970 $7-9k

Pair Paul Evans Cityscape cubes c. 1975 $2-3k

Two Pair Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte candlesticks c. 1958 $5-7k

For my new readers, here is the lottery picks disclaimer: When I win the lottery, I will spend my new wealth on these shallow and meaningless objects only when the aged parents, charitable causes and purchase of an overseas home have all been attended to…c’mon..I’m not a COMPLETE monster.

Sew Help Me….

If you can sew, and are one of my hundreds of lurkers…I implore you to speak up…I NEED your wisdom.

We are considering the purchase of a sewing machine that doesn’t break the bank, but is sturdy enough to handle outdoor upholstery fabric.  I’m ready to get some proper cushions made for the outdoor furniture and I’m too cheap to pay for that again.

I had cushions made for outdoor furniture at the last house and I was so disturbed by the expense that I swore I’d never do it again (well, unless the lottery comes in to play).  I used the least expensive upholsterer in town and it was still a king’s ransom….AND they have to be replaced every few years.  DIY time.

Many online suggest getting vintage machines…we used to have one of those Singers that came with the wooden platform/desk thingy.  Ugly as furniture + takes up a TON of room = after about a decade, we sold it.  Since all we ever used it for was sewing straight lines…it was great.  We’d like to advance to zippers and maybe button holes this time.

I’ve been cruising some of the sewing blogs, which intimidate me, I must say…I know nothing, really.

Maybe if I sport the nightvision goggles…I’ll be all sewing knowing?

Photo by Makezine blog

It’s Like Watching Grass Grow

Maybe because it IS.

You’ve heard me whinge about the mud around here many times.  Even though we are a (family) shoes off at the door house…the mud is still caked on all those shoes piled up at the door, and constantly scrubbing them, well, sucks.  Since we do not anticipate anymore backhoes, bobcats and the such, we can finally try and cover up some of that mud with something green.

We seeded the mud at the side a few days before “the rains” came and we figured they all got washed away…how pleasantly surprised were we to realize those little buggers hung in there and took root.  16 inches of rain certainly gave them enough water to germinate!

The Minors have been asking, oh, every other day when they can have the tire swing back, and the CC says…”not until it’s ready to mow”….aw Dad!

This is our trashy way of keeping it all from washing away…which for the most part worked.

It seemed a bit patchy from all the flooding, so I overseeded it again this past weekend…fingers crossed for some even, lush, green carpet soon.  I think I’m getting as excited as the Minors for a “soft place to play” to coin their phrase.

Oh, and my purple basil seeds have germinated…yay!

There’s LOTS of other muddy areas to attend to, but…well…you know….TIME.

Friday Flea

I had to be quick at the flea today….so I couldn’t go in every nook and cranny….

I thought that yellow dinette was perfect for some youngster..4 chairs total.

I loved this….it’s actually a bench to some huge organ, but it’s too tall to be a bench in real life…but could be a great console….

My attraction to orange has not waned…..

I got excited when I saw this….

Then less so at $175……

The thing I’m wishing I’d picked up for the booth the most…..

These fab end tables…dammit.

Looking at the photos I hate myself now…it was hard to snap these as I was smushed up against an armoire to get this weird angle.  They SO won’t still be around later…That’s what I get for hiking 4 miles before the flea…fuzzy judgment.  Have a great weekend!

The 4 Month Table

Due to some insane and ridiculous series of events, it took over 4 months to transform this table.  It sat in the garage in between phases and taunted me, louder and louder with each passing month….”Finish me…Finish me…FINISH ME!”

OK!!

Here’s how I found it…$4.00 at the Goodwill Outlet.

I didn’t take enough before pictures, but the top is MDF and was gouged, and even burned in a few places….I think this table’s owners had anger issues….

So the CC filled all those places with epoxy….

sand down the epoxy and old paint….

Then sandblasted the metal base when we were blasting the outdoor furniture.

I never showed you one of the tricks we find necessary when sandblasting…sieving the sand…..

We pour the sand through a window screen to catch the coarser bits that clog up the nozzle of the blasting attachment.  It really makes all the difference!

See?  That stuff will mess you up.

Much better.

Then, prime, paint, sand, paint again…nothing exciting…just plain white.  Sorry for the crappy photos…this room is way dark with difficult angles away from the window and I had no time for styling….then again, I never do…I’m a renovator first.