First Market Sale!

Prairie Pickers & Peddlers Market, October 14th & 15th, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., 9607 Fairby Dr., Gretna, NE
Sorry, lovely blogger  (yet again) won't let me upload more than 1 picture.  If you're nearby come see it in person I guess :-).  I'll try to edit more in later!  Have a great weekend!
Deb
P.S.  Tammy got some good pictures here's the link:
http://theprairiepixie.blogspot.com/2011/10/12-hours-and-counting.html

Prairie Pickers & Peddlers Market is coming soon!

There were times this summer when I was sanding, and waxing, and staining, and painting, and buffing that I thought this time was so...far...off.  Well, guess what?  It's nearly here.  Holy Cow, I'm so excited!  I have some AMAZINGLY TALENTED friends!  Everyone has worked long and hard to try and produce these fabulous products.  There has been blood (thankfully not much), sweat (buckets of), and tears (well, maybe not).  I think I could speak for the group in saying Thank You to all the people both here and out there in blog land that have lent their advice, support, and prayers!  We are so ready now to "do this", but in many ways I feel like we've already crossed the finish line.  We did something we set out to do, despite a few nay sayers and the obvious economic issues out there.  We persevered, we worked, we stayed focused and determined not to let this chance get away from us.  It has been a true blessing to work with Suzanne, Kathleen, Tammy, and Kirstin to see this thru to the finish.  We did it!!!!  And now what everyone really wants to see A BOATLOAD OF PHOTOS!

More stuff is arriving daily.  Wish us luck!  Come see us if you are in the Greater Omaha area, or want to travel out here! 

Prairie Pickers & Peddlers Market
October 14 & 15
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
9607 Fairby Drive, Gretna

Deb

Matchmaker, Matchmaker make me a match.

Do you notice when I can't think of anything for a title my fall back is some old song?  That's just how I roll.
I have a couple of more pieces to reveal in the lead up to PP&PM next week.  There is a lot of excitement in the air mixed in with all the rag weed, and dust from fields being cut, leaves dropping in droves.  It's funny that one of my last pieces was actually one of the first ones I purchased specifically for the purpose of beautifying for sale.  I guess she was buried in the back and pressed into service as a temporary work bench.  Here's her before, waiting her turn.

 It worked out for the best though, because in the mean time my friend Tammy, aka The Prairie Pixie, found a great table and chairs and literally had to put them all back together again ala Humpty Dumpty, and made them gorgeous.  Here is Tammy's Hazel in all her glory.  Since Tammy did not have a buffet piece to go with Hazel, I asked  if she would mind if I painted mine so that she would compliment her set.  We both used Versailles Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan.  The top of the buffet was definitely salvagable and so restained in Dark Walnut and Jacobean and topped off with several coats of Antique Oil. 

I did have to update the hardware as hers was incomplete, flimsy, and the few original pieces were mostly broken.  I opted for something very simple in an oil rubbed bronze finish.  Hazel's friend has nice legs doesn't she?  That top drawer is the longest single drawer I think I've ever worked on.  Like nearly 5 foot long!

I can't wait to get the two pieces together this week as we set up for the sale! Come see us, or at least Hazel and Ivy!

Have a great weekend!
Deb
Linking to:
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/10/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-link.html

Pepper Models our version of a Pet Bed

Good Morning!  With the Prairie Pickers & Peddlers Market looming in less than 2 weeks now I have been trying to tie up some of my smaller projects.  I was pretty productive this weekend and wanted to share two of the finishes.  Pepper, the distracter, was cooperative as model for one of my Vintage Suitcase Pet Beds. 

I've had this ladies suitcase for a long time and I finally got around to making it into the cute little kitty bed that I envisioned.  I found some wonderful "cat talk" fabric a couple of years ago and have been hanging onto it for this purpose.  Look.

Here's the flip side.

Too cute, yeah?
Because I like dogs equally I made a bed that could work for a smaller dog, or the family cat because you know if they want it they will take it over.  Just sayin'.

Nice, squisy, elevated.  and you have a classic pet bed that can easily be disguised as a suitcase sitting in the corner of the room.  A perfect new use for a vintage piece if you ask me. 

Updates about the Prairie Pickers & Peddlers Market can be found on the button in my top bar.  Come check us out if you are anywhere in our area!

Everybody up and get out there creating!
Deb

Feature Thanks

I am quite honored to have been featured over at Redoux, a fabulous blog!  Go visit when you get the chance, Good Time Charlie is hosting another of her weekly link parties and you are sure to find some new inspiration from her and her many linky friends.  I love her French flag coffee table!Thank you so much Redoux for featuring "Restored" on your blog. 

Until next time!
Deb

More Coffee Please!!!

It seems we are sprinting through September!  Two of my children have gotten older this month, with one fun birthday party still to come this weekend.  Marching band for the older two is in full swing, which means parades, and football games, and even some pep bands, and many early practices, and sectionals.  We've also had  volleyball practices and games for one of kiddos.  And now that they are older we are lucky enough to have great youth group programs at our church that they love attending.  All this just means that I have to take advantage of the hours they are tucked away in desks at school to get my work done.  It also means more and more coffee to keep me moving as we are in the home stretch before PP&PM! 

I can't remember if I showed you this before.

A very unflattering workshop picture where I didn't even bother setting the end table on it's feet!  Sheesh, that's bad.  I think I was taking some afters of one of the buffets, and turned around saw them and remembered I had not taken a before and snapped this before the sun set.  The story of my life these days, sunset photos.  Well, I finally got to these two this week.  They both got a nice little update.  I have to give thanks to my inspiration on the coffee table to Red Hen Home and her coffee table projects.  There have been many, many more out there in blog land that have also done this, so I'm not unique by any stretch, but it's the first time I've seen it in my "neck of the woods" and I hope someone out there will think they are a refreshing update on some very 80's tables.

The French postcard graphic from The Graphic Fairy (what an amazing site that is!) was transferred, handpainted, and then sanded down to distress it a bit.  Here is the Coffee tables friend, the End Table/Lamp Table, with his own small graphic a No. 3.

These two play nicely together, or seperately in a family or rec room.  They are wearing Annie Sloan's Old White chalk paint, lightly distressed, and multiple coats of wax to protect them. 

One of my neighbors drove by during the photo shoot and yelled out his window, "It looks like Nebraska Furniture Mart in there!"  Now, only locals to Nebraska and the Kansas City area understand what "the Mart" is, but it is a HUGE furniture store.  I'm hardly there, but I do have to say that I have a nice tidy bit of restyled furnishings for everyone's shopping pleasure so I hope you'll stop by for the Market!

Happy Thursday, Good Luck Dragons both band and football at your competitions this weekend, and yeah, Homecoming!
Deb
Linking to:
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/09/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-link_29.html

and

http://redoux.blogspot.com/2011/09/friday-redoux-link-up-party-23-and-les.html?showComment=1317446003484

To Follow Up on the Versatile Blogger Award

Awards are great, they sometimes give us a boost on a bad day, they sometimes validate something we're doing when we wonder if it's really worth it, they are not the only way we can say way to go!  I just wanted to say that I appreciated it Jeanne, and pass on words of thanks to blogs where I more often than not "lurk" around without saying much of anything.  There are a bunch of very generous bloggers out there that share tutorials, share their personal experiences, share their expertise with us on a daily basis.  They entertain, they inform, they enlighten, they make me laugh, cry, think, and plan.  So, no, you do not have to participate in a chain form of recognition like The Versatile Blogger award, and I did not have any illusions that most of those ladies I chose to recognize yesterday would.  If they want to, and have time to, great, but I just wanted those ladies to know that they in some way had touched my life in this crazy blogosphere.  That they had influenced me in some regard.  So Thanks to those ladies, and thanks to a whole slew of others that I did not say thanks to yesterday!  You are all worthy and deserving of my thanks!  I appreciate so much your talents, your generous sharing spirits, and the fact that I am fortunate enough to have found your Blogs and can join you on your journey and share mine with you!

Warmly,
Deb