Antiques Et Cetera - All Moved In!

Well the big day finally arrived and we have moved into our antique booth.  I realize we have a long way to go, a lot of things to tweak, and more furniture and vintage items to move in, but at least it's a start.

Louie and I spent all last week in Chicago packing things up and working on furniture we wanted to bring down.  So of course we had a big torrential rain storm the day we were planning on leaving, so we ended up renting an enclosed trailer to shove everything into.   Well, whatever works, right?

I desperately need to get some sheers or curtains of some type to hang behind the shelves so I can hide the peg board wall of the booth behind me.  Louie is also going to make me another shelving unit to match the 2 that he already built....
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My space is about 12 ft by 10 ft and open on 3 sides.  The thing I really like about it is that it's a corner unit so I'll get traffic from two directions....

We just finishing re-doing that table.  Blog post to follow as soon as I catch my breath...

While we were setting things up a woman came over and raved on the table.  She just loved what I did with it and that made me feel good.

Here's the latest trunk I just finished.  Hmmm.... I think I need to do a blog post on that one too.  I AM behind!

We also just finished that cute little chair....

Chablis brought over a bunch of the signs she has made...

The booth next to me was empty yesterday and today the new owners were moving in.   I'd like to get a long bookshelf to put items on to separate my booth from theirs.

This will look SO much better with a backdrop.  Any suggestions beside curtains???

Chablis re-did this make-up table. It has a hidden compartment behind the mirror...

She also re-did this coffee table....

Finally I hung a banner, which will hopefully go up above the shelves once the backdrop is up..

So there you have it.  I have boxes of stuff at home to bring down the next trip and I am already working on another table and a dresser.  Those 2 items should be done in the next day or two.  Now all I have to do is start filling the booth up with more items and hopefully selling a few things.  I just wanted to share it with you.  If you have any suggestions, please pass them on and wish me luck!

In the meantime, if you're in the area, stop by the booth:

BOOTH: SNUG HARBOR BAY

VENDOR # 713

Located at:

Antiques Et Cetera

1026 Main St, Benton, KY   42025

Big News - Antique Mall Booth

Well, I have to say - I am super excited!  I took the plunge and Chablis and I have rented a booth at an Antique Mall near our lake house.  This is something we've been wanting to do for the longest time.  Getting a space at a mall in that area isn't easy - they fill up quickly.  There are several malls in the area but I really wanted one where we could display vintage items as well as furniture and other items we re-purpose and only a few offer that option.

So the space is ours as of today!  It's going to be a huge task moving all the stuff we have in Chicago down to the lake.  It's going to take a couple of trips.  Louie and I have been working all week on furniture to bring down.  Our garage is stacked with items in various stages of being finished.  My front room has a huge tarp on the floor with items that I'm painting and mod podging. The bedroom has stacks of items that are finished.  I've been pricing things like crazy.  It's been a whirlwind.  I have barely slept because my mind is spinning with ideas and "to-do" lists.  I go to bed and lay there and then get up to write down an idea and then I can't fall back asleep.  Please tell me I'm normal.....

I need larger pieces for displaying items in the booth.  So far we haven't found a lot of promising pieces, but we have several tables and desks and will make due until we find what we need.  I keep telling myself that the booth is a work in progress and it's probably going to take a couple of months until it looks like what I picture in my head.

Today we hit a huge Church rummage sale and an estate sale.  It was lots of fun buying things I would normally pass on because I didn't want to list them in my Etsy shop.  We literally packed the car so full that we couldn't get anything else in it and now we have a bunch more stuff to work on to get ready for the booth.

Want to see what we got?

A coat rack and a picnic basket....

Photo frame, bag of clothespins, bag of paint brushes, some hooks, a galvanized bucket and a small trunk....

The dry erase board has a chalkboard on the reverse side - I loved it when I saw it.  I think the dry erase board side will be replaced with a cork board.   Some photo frames....

This gigantic picnic basket was brand new, still in the box and inside it has plates, bowls, cups, napkins, a tablecloth and a beautiful red and blue liner.  The cart has wheels on it and a lady standing behind me in the check out line was green with envy.   I also got a small box and another picture frame....

A hat box and a Craftsman toolbox...

A pair of oval picture frames....

Check out the vintage shoe shine box and it's filled with all the stuff you need to shine shoes. Does anyone even shine their shoes anymore?   A silver plated tray and matching covered butter dish....

A wash board and another basket....

This is a really nice chair.  My parents were standing in the front doorway of the rummage sale, waiting for me to get there and my mom was guarding the chair like a lioness.  She knew I'd want it.  Chablis has already laid claim to it for her dining room....

I've been picking up vanity mirrors like crazy lately...

Some pictures that I bought purely for the frames....

A brass daisy photo frame and a shoe brush....

Another large basket, a rooster bandana, and 2 more pictures....

Like I said, we have a ton of stuff to work on for the next week.  I am almost finished with a trunk that I've been working on and this is one of the first items that will be displayed in our booth.  All I have left to do is distress and wax it.  I am loving the white color of this one....

I am nervous as hell to open this booth....Will anyone like our stuff, will anything sell, is there a market for what we do?  I know a lot of you have booths in antique malls, so if you have ANY advice or tips, please let me know.  We need all the help we can get.  Please wish me luck!

Book Review - Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails of History

Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails of History by David T. Gilbert, Rizzoli New York, 2017
Hardcover 10" x 10" 336 pages/230 color and black -and -white photos

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to review this book.  I have held a long fascination with all things relating to the Civil War.  When we travel we often seek out battlefields, museums and cemeteries, and proceed to soak up as much information as we can.  Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails of History contains in depth information on 32 key battlefields at 12 sites located in 12 states.  I couldn't wait to crack it open and I was not disappointed!

(Henry Hill and Henry House)

The book is broken down into 6 regions, with each region dedicated to individual battlefields.  Every battlefield then has a specific narrative and the author goes into detail on dates, strategic positions, the key players, and the reasons behind their maneuvers.  Spanning from the Battle of First Manassas to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House you will get a new perspective on the historical significance and pivotal points of each battlefield.  That was one of the things I enjoyed most about this book.

Along with each narrative is a large map that shows where the Visitor Center is located -this is usually a good starting point for when you actually visit the battlefield.  Each map is also clearly marked with the different battle engagement locations, points of interest, cemeteries, auto tours and current hiking trails.  Another feature of the book that I really liked was the hiking trail information.  Included in the book are 124 battlefield hikes that range in length from 0.2 miles to 14 miles and differ in terrain from easy to strenuous.

(Stonewall Jackson Monument)

Civil War history oozes from the pages and you will almost feel and hear the roar of cannon and the crack of rifle.....

• Learn how Lee's "Lost Orders" fell into the hands of the Union 
• "The Battle of the Crater" and why Grant called it the saddest affair he witnessed in the war.
• How Lincoln's Gettysburg Address transformed a brutal battlefield into a symbol that gave meaning to the sacrifices of the dead and inspiration to future generations
• Grant's term's of surrender at Appomattox
• The tunnel of Thayer's Approach
• Why the war reached as far west as Picacho Peak in Arizona

(Stone Fort ruins)

Today fog and early morning mist envelope ghosts of the past.  The best way to get up close and personal with the history of each location is to get out and walk the trails.  The trail names, lengths, and levels of difficulty are all listed, as well as descriptions of the areas of interest, buildings, and monuments you will see along the way...

• Chickamauga was the first national military park and provided the framework for preserving other Civil War battlefields.  The 9 mile trail here hosts 666 monuments and markers on the battlefield
• Hazen Brigade Monument is the oldest Civil War monument still standing in its original location
• Pickett's Mill Battlefield is the best preserved of the 1864 Atlanta Campaign.  The roads, earthworks and terrain have barely changed since the May 27, 1864 battle
• The Kennesaw Mountain Trail climbs to an elevation of 1808 feet and features rocks where soldiers had etched their names

(Union artillery position)

Civil War Battlefields is laid out so the battlefields are described in geographical order instead of chronological order so you can attempt multiple hikes when you reach each location.  There is an extensive list of the chronology of the battles on page 27 and it includes the name of the battle, the date of the battle and the site name.  This makes it easy to plan a visit based on locations.

(Artillery piece on Lookout Mountain)

Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails of History offers a new viewpoint on this important time in United States history.  Black and white photographs taken during the war are a sharp contrast to the colorful photos taken now.  Both are scattered throughout the book and often give a different perspective to the same landscape, separated by a century and a half.   Showcasing the trails gives you a better idea of the sacrifices made by the soldiers who fought on each side.   Walk the trails and breathe the air, touch the cannons, stare across an open field and imagine a wall of soldiers advancing towards you.  Look at the monuments and put a face to the name.  Walk the trails of history.

Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails of History publishes tomorrow.

(I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  Photo images are the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without consent.) 

Meeting Sanibel Friends

Since I started blogging I have had the opportunity to meet many people in person that I've "talked" to for years thru my blog.  The majority of them are folks who share my huge love of Sanibel Island.

Well last night I had the honor of meeting Care, her husband Eddy and two of their kids - Bethany and Logan.   They are in Chicago this weekend for Bethany's dance competition and we made plans months ago to go out for dinner while they were here.  

So even after getting no sleep last night, and driving all day, they were nice enough to still meet for dinner.  We had the best time and talked non stop for several hours, in between bites of thick crust pizza.  

Number one on Bethany's list of Chicago "must do's" was Chicago style pizza, so we decided on Giordano's.   She gave it 2 thumbs up!

Anyway, I think the best part of blogging is the friendships that I've formed because of it.  And when I think about it, these are all people I would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

So thanks Care.  It was a great night and I had such a good time!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and get to see the Chicago river turned green for St. Patrick's Day.  Hey, next time we meet on Sanibel, ok?  And Cheri Bailey......  YOU are next!!!

Refinished Trunk - Music is Love Looking for Words

Two years ago I bought a vintage army foot locker/trunk at an estate sale.   I just fell in love with it.  But stupid me, I didn't buy it the first time I saw it, and I was so upset about it that I went back the next day and let out a big sigh of relief that it was still there....

This was the really fabulous thing about the trunk - it had the original owners name written inside and I think he may have used it in Viet Nam....

I didn't really have the room to keep it for myself so I listed it in my Etsy shop.  And guess what?  It didn't sell.  So after about 6 months I took down the listing and it's been sitting in my shop waiting for a make over ever since.  Then a couple weeks ago I got the itch to start working on it so I dragged it into the house.

First I painted the outside with black, gray and white and gave it a light distressing....

Then I papered the inside with vintage music sheets. 

That is absolutely my favorite thing to use on the inside of old trunks...

It took me the longest time to find a quote that I liked but I finally found the perfect one "Music is Love Looking for Words."  I stenciled the quote across the top of the trunk and it was done!

I'm glad I waited to refinish it until the right inspiration hit me because I listed it in my shop and it sold in just 2 weeks.  I think it waited until just the right person was ready to buy it.

Linking up with....

Simple Saturdays 3-11-17
Vintage Charm # 73

Party in your PJ's  #148
Talk of the Town 3-7-17