Fall Antiquing

The Boys (Jon & my Stepdad Cub, among others) are taking off this weekend to Grand Lake Stream for their annual fly fishing trip. Never to be outdone, Mom and I will head south Saturday to Mass. and yard sale in one of favorite secret towns.

Once we feel we have hit every possible lawn sale known to man we will take Rt. 1 North to Kittery, Maine. Historical Kittery is known for many things, but quite frankly we are going to shop at the outlet malls. One of our favorite places to hit is the Lenox Outlet that carries a set of dishes called Winter Greetings, that both Mom and my Mother in Law collect. Winter Greetings is VERY Maine, and boasts lovely art work that includes many birds (goldfinches, woodpeckers, nuthatches) sitting on various branches (pinecones, berry branches, etc.) We'll spend the night in Kittery and probably take ourselves out to a nice dinner.

The next morning we'll continue on Rt. 1 and see who's still setting up at the Arundel Flea Market. This is a great time of year to hit the flea markets as some dealers are looking to get rid of their wares!

From there we will continue North to Portland to see what we can find at the Christmas Tree Shop. (Don't you just love a bargain?) I know I do....I have my list prepared for this place! Last year I was lucky enough to find a siesal rug for $9.99. I have found this to be the best solution for the living room with the dogs. Typically they start at over $50.00, so $9.99 IS a bargain!

Well if we don't come home with a full van of antiques, collectibles and Christmas presents....then I'd say we've definetly lost our touch!

Catch up with you all when we get back!

posted by: sweetpeas at September 30, 2004 14:32 | link | comments (4) |
antiques

Artsy furniture

A while back I had made the descision to stop doing special orders, and to concentrate on my own pieces. A descision that left me feeling slightly nervous, not only because of the income it provided me,  but because relationships with certain clients may end.

I have after several months finally finished the waiting list. This last order left me feeling bittersweet. Gail started buying my handmade and painted pieces about 7 years ago and she has always been my favorite. I met her at a show I  used to do, and every year she would show up and sometimes buy a car load! One year her and her husband Charlie approached me and asked me if I would be interested in doing  some decorative painting in their wonderfull Scandinavian style living room. Though I had never done anything like that before, it was a fun challenge and we were all happy with the results.

Since then, Gail has started her own antique and retail business, often sending furniture my way so that she can sell the finished result. This is the last of the orders....and one day I hope I will be able to catch up on my own "stuff" and paint something special for her again.

Thanks Gail & Charlie for your many years of business and support! You are both super people!

I decided to paint a bird on this Lyre Table, as some of the first pieces Gail had purchased from me included birds.

Gail loves red tulips!

 

posted by: sweetpeas at September 29, 2004 18:21 | link | comments (2) |
artsy fartsy

newest links

Please take the time to check out some of the newest Blogs I have been enjoying!

Counting Sheep She's a Maine Girl in the summer!

Gnome and the Blog Quite Crafty!

Pink Champagne High Lots of talent there!

The Soul of Hope Sweet & Talented!

Will add these to my links page this week!

For those of you who are new to this blog and looking for creative inspiration, you might want to check out the "artsy fartsy" link to the left. I know it's hard to see in front of the hydrangea picture, but I'm not quite ready to give up those beautiful flowers yet!

posted by: sweetpeas at September 28, 2004 11:10 | link | comments (2) |

THANKS MUM-Z!!!

This year has been one of the most overwhelming I can remember! It seems funny that I would admit to that over and over, considering all the things I've done over the years! But that was BEFORE I settled down with Jon. The added responsibility of a husband, pets, a home and a small business has kept me on the run....happily most of the time. (please don't think I'm complaining!!) I had taken on way too many painting orders this summer, and the 2 day descision to tear down the shed and add a new addition has not helped to slow things down one bit! Oh and let's not forget the lovely wood for heat pile that was dumped off in our front yard that needs to be stacked! (we did accomplish that little feat) Our house has been in a constant mode of clutter. The outside of the house looked like a bomb went off! Piles of wood, trash, and an unkept garden face me whenever I pull into the drive! Closing my eyes whenever I walk through the front door usually just ends up making me feel guiltier than better! But Jon's Mom has come along on a weekly, and at times on a daily basis to save the day! She is so damn cute! She'll show up in her cute little sweats, armed with clippers, weed wacker & gardening gloves. She always says, "Just ignore me! I'm not here!" I laugh! Why would I want to ignore the woman who is saving my life I ask you?? She's got this inner energy that she showers over everyone in her family, and I say climb aboard and grab some of that energy before it dissapears! Last night I witnessed tall grass being mowed down, trash piles being cleaned up, and wonderful rock walls being built! It leaves me free this week to get the painting done that I desperately need to do.

I hope you know Mum-z how much we APPRECIATE & LOVE you! Thanks!

posted by: sweetpeas at September 28, 2004 10:39 | link | comments (1) |
family & friends

PART 2: french bathroom...ooh-la-la!

One of my inspiration pieces

Above washer & dryer

Unfortunately all of the plumbing to the washer was actually above the washer for all the world to see. We hid this by taking a simple pine shelf and trimming it out with pretty leaf embossed trim to make a "box" that would cover this unsightly problem. The shelf can easily be lifted off of the brackets for maintenance.

I found this cute print at a flea market for $3.00. The jars are handy storage for bleach, cat food, detergent, handmade soaps & dryer sheets. They range from $2.00-$12.99.

At the right of the picture I did a very simple "tree" design. All you have to do is sketch out a simple design on your wall. Use acrylic paints, and with a very watery brush, "wash" the color on to your design. YOU DO NOT have to be a famous artist for this effect! Keep it simple & light!

Have fun in finding your decorative pieces! You don't have to spend a mint....lawn sales and flea markets can be the perfect place to find goodies!

posted by: sweetpeas at September 22, 2004 12:29 | link | comments (4) |
decorating it s a passion

french bathroom....ooh-la-la!

Over the old pedastal sink

A while back we revamped our very scary first floor bathroom. This little room is also our laundry room, our cat's dining room and is the bathroom that everyone sees and uses. It is small, and had been painted a very dark black green. We had called it "the cave", until we painted it a yellow, with a terra cotta wash. We painted the trim in a fun red. It does have a big window over the toilet, and the yellow grabs the light and the room now glows! Doing the laundry has become much more pleasurable!

I skirted the sink in a red and charcoal grey striped fabric....for storage.

The inspiration was old french advertising prints in black frames. Both prints have cats in them....perfect for Weezie (our cat). The prints have lots of red, yellow and black in them. I found this other cat picture at T.J. Maxx last year for only $14.99!

The metal shelf: T.J. Maxx $12.99 / Gold mirror: T.J. Maxx $19.99 / Black & White "Prague" proofs: lawn sale $1.00 / Paris pot: gift / and the soap dispensers on the shelf have been replaced by a pretty china piece that I found in a lawn sale for .50 cents!

Will post more of the pictures later....can't seem to find the other pictures I had taken, so will take some later!

Color can be your best friend! Remember...you can always paint again!

posted by: sweetpeas at September 22, 2004 10:58 | link | comments |
decorating it s a passion

rainin'...but we're still keepin' busy

Rainy day, would be the perfect opportunity (you'd think) to lay around the house, read, craft and cook, but not so here at "The Plenty To Do Farm".

Since the Red Sox score is 14-3, (Yankees), I decided to take a quick break from that and fire off a quick post!

This morning I took off for Jolene's at 6 a.m. to do some antiquing as I need to get my inventory up for the winter. Over a cup of coffee, we looked in the paper for "rain or shine" lawn sales, planned our route and took off to parts unknown. The only parts unknown we actually hit was the State of Maine sale at the old AMHI (Augusta Maine Health Institute). We were very green to this whole scene and have developed a better stradegy for next time. Changes we will make for next time will include:

Get there even earlier than we did today, as there is a long waiting line to go in.

Take a left into the "everything else" section, as the "antique" section was a bit of a dissapointment, and they had tons of antiques in the "everything else" section.

Bring our own stickers that say "SOLD" with our name on them, so we don't have to frantically bum a pen from someone else in the crowd.

Carry anything small that we find around with us, since one of Jolene's items were stolen AFTER we had paid for it. (we got aour money back). Poor Jolene was totally pissed as we had stuck a "SOLD" sticker on it.....I on the other hand, am quite used to the more shadier characters in this businness.

BRING JON'S TRUCK!!!!

I really didn't know what to expect going in, but they had used a couple of wings of this old facility for the sale. As you walked through the halls, each room was filled to the brim with STUFF!! Tables, chairs, bureaus, filing cabinets, vintage cupboards, microwaves....you name it, they had it! If I had the truck, my load would've been much heavier. As it was we had to bungie cord a bunch of furniture to the Jeep and force whatever else we could in to the back. (all in the pouring rain) Oh, and did I mention the hour wait in line in our car to even get the loading dock to pick up our stuff? YES I found great stuff, but I wondered, while all of us idiots were constantly waiting in line for this, that and the other thing, how were folks making out at all of the other sales we were missing out on? Oh well! You can't be every place at once! We did however have a very scary ride home, because our load kept shifting on us, and we even lost a top to a table out there, someplace on Rt. 9. I was shaking and tired by the time I hit home!

Well I am getting the "are you ready yet" from the Hubby. We are heading to Boothbay for the night. Our friend Chris is shipping out for 4 months and is having a pig roast-get together at his house, where we will be crashing for the evening. THAT'S O.K.!!! Staying at his house is kind of like staying at a Bed and Breakfast. One of the plusses would be waking up, rolling over in bed and having a wonderful view of the harbor!

Tomorrow, back to stacking wood & insulating new addition. 

posted by: sweetpeas at September 18, 2004 19:45 | link | comments (1) |

Family Outing

I wanted to post a few pictures of Andrew's birthday/family outing. It was hard to find the right ones to sum up the beautiful day. All in all....kids say it best!

Connor

 

Madeline never stops!

 

Kite flying with Pop

 

Kids attacking their Dad with help from cousin Will!

 

posted by: sweetpeas at September 13, 2004 10:52 | link | comments |
family & friends

dumb-dee-dee-dumb-dahhhhh

Holy crap.....I just went back and read some of my posts as I was looking for a reference for a project and I have to say I am absolutely amazed at the typos and BAD spelling! Honest mistakes I assure you, but WOW....DAHHHHH! I think I'll chalk it up to always having way too much on my plate, and always being in such a mad rush to do it all. I enjoy blogging, and don't want to give it up seeing as I always seem to have so much to say, so I hope the folks out there will overlook my little boo-boos!?

Speaking of me being a lame brain, I did a little decoupage on a vintage suitcase yesterday, and was running late this morning and totally forgot to snap a picture of it before I sent it off to the shop to be sold. I had done many in the past, but I had done things a little more interesting this time and maybe a little more "artsier". Wanted to show it off as this was mainly going to be an artsy, crafty blog. Sorry, maybe next time! Well why don't I share this very easy casserole I made up last night with some leftovers.

ummmm....why don't we call this "Tortellini & Kielbasa Casserole"

Most measurements in my recipes are to your own taste as I very rarely use measuring tools unless it's to bake!

From the specialty section:1 package of stuffed "with whatever" tortellini; Alfredo sauce

1 cup kielbasa, cubed and cooked in the microwave for about 2 minutes

Handfull of cubed "whatever kind" of cheese

about a cup of whole baby spinach leaves

fresh tarragon minced

ABOUT 1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

Precook tortellini in boiling water until almost done. Throw cooked tortellini and all other ingredients in a casserole dish, give a stir...cook at 375 for about 35 min. or until lightly brown on top and bubbly.

Obviously the sky is the limit with what you throw into this, but the pasta, tarragon and kielbasa are definetly the key!

posted by: sweetpeas at September 09, 2004 18:31 | link | comments (1) |
maine girl recipes

We made it!

Well we made it through the busy weekend, tired but alive and well!

My Father in Law's birthday party went great, and it is always fun to see folks that you   maybe only see a couple of times a year. There was great food, kite flying in the field, and lots of fun catching up. Hubby's grandfather gave me 2 pretty china pieces from his mother....one that she had painted (quite beautifully) and another Limoges piece, I got all misty and felt my heart swell! Jon and I recently bought a glassed in cupboard that we will redo for the new room, and those two lovely pieces will have their place of honor.

Thanks Pop!

On Monday Jon went fly fishing driving a long distance, and leaving at 4:30 am to one of his favorite spots up beyond Moosehead Lake. I took no time in finding a patrner in crime, to go shopping with. My friend Joni and I headed up to Waterville to Mardens, a Maine dicount store. We are both covering couches and we were on the hunt for fabric. I TOTALLY SCORED! I found pretty designer fabric for only $2.99 a yard. The bottom cushions will be a sage plaid, and the large throw cushions will be a matching floral print. Joni didn't find material for her couch, but she did find some very cool retro style fabric to make a jacket, and matching mole-skin material for pants.

The next two days are supposed to be rainy, and I am almost glad. Maybe I will be able to sit down and paint art work on some pieces that are long overdue! I truly wish all of these home projects would majically be finished so I can get back to what I like to do best....PAINT! There really isn't enough time in a day.

posted by: sweetpeas at September 07, 2004 11:22 | link | comments |
family & friends