Sources, Orange Chairs and Websites
This weekend is a busy but very productive (and quite satisfying) one so far! There are several events taking place at my retail locations, I've got an exciting piece of business news to share with you and I scored some amazing project pieces from several sources. So let me give you a bit of an update!
Let's begin with my project pieces because I'm super excited about them! I've got six total coming my way soon and they're all dressers. )For a little bit there, I was heavy on tables and now I'm leaning towards dressers. How funny!)
The first two were purchased at a gently used furniture store. These are great places to find affordable pieces to paint and resell. I encourage you to hop on Google and find one near you!
The one I visited has a cash and carry section alongside a regular showroom. The higher end more expensive pieces are inside the showroom and the pieces that need a little more work and love (but are more affordable) are in the cash and carry. The trick there is that you need to take them home the day you purchase them.
As my Mom and I wandered around, I saw about thirty pieces I wanted.
After doing the math in my head on a few and mulling them over, I decided to go for this gorgeous walnut dresser with glove boxes.
It's incredibly heavy (as most pieces of walnut furniture are) and the drawers work very well. The only blemishes it has are a small chunk missing from the foot and there's no mirror on the back. Those are definitely NOT deal breakers for me.
The other piece I saw and instantly loved was this French provincial chest of drawers.
French provincial sells really well for me and this was priced just right for a flip. The bottom drawer is missing a runner inside, so that will need to be replaced but other than that, it was in great shape!
I've already started working on this piece because it's smaller than the rest and I was able to bring it home in my Mom's SUV. We've had days upon days of rain here in Pennsylvania, which means that I haven't been able to cart things around in The Marshmallow. There are a few sunny days in the forecast for next week, so I'll be doing lots of furniture pickups!
But I digress.
I've gotten as far as taking the handles off and stripping the top. I plan to paint the base in white and stain the top with Java Gel Stain.
(B. T. Dubs - Most of the photos in this blog post are taken with my phone or from my Instagram stories. I'm sorry they're not my usual crisp shots but this furniture girl has been on the move!)
The next piece I decided to buy was actually from one of my fellow vendors at Morgantown Market. It's a depression era dresser with a beautiful mirror on top. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it at the moment but I'll make sure to get one soon! It's so funny how I came to buy it too. The vendor was moving it into his space in preparation for this weekend's Fall Open House. As soon as I went over to see what he was bringing in, I said, "I'll take it. How much do you want?" He gave me a GREAT price and that was that. I buy a LOT of furniture at Morgantown Market partly because my co-booth renters have such good prices on their pieces! It's also partly because the owner of the market (Stacey Thompson) knows my style and she's always texting me with good deals from her "sources".
Which brings me to my next set of pieces.
I got a text of three photos from Stacey one day when I was in the workshop. Here's what popped up on my phone:
Now to some people, these photos wouldn't say very much, but to me, I spotted a few things right away - Hepplewhite handles (which I LOVE), wood construction and the fact that there are three pieces total that all match!
Then I got another photo with a phone number. I gave it a call and the seller lives about 40 minutes away from me. She inherited these pieces from her parents and she always had the intention to refinish them. Time has gotten away from her and she's looking to offload them onto someone who will refinish them. (Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!) She didn't want very much for all three pieces, so I'll be getting these next week with Marc's help. There's a horizontal dresser, a vertical dresser and a vanity table with bench...all for the price I usually pay for just one piece!
Oh happy day!
I'm frequently asked where I find my pieces. Well, you've gotten a glimpse into one week's worth of acquisitions! I encourage you to look on Facebook Marketplace and Craig's List. Find a local second hand store. Go to your nearest Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Attend an auction. Go to a yard sale. Trust me - pieces are out there...you just have to find them!
I mentioned above that this weekend is Morgantown Market's Fall Open House. I spent all of yesterday there demonstrating General Finishes Gel Stains and Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. I knew that my Gel Stain demo wouldn't take very long, so once I was finished, I hunted around the antique shop for a piece to milk paint. Stacey had a cute wooden child-sized chair in her hoard...ahem...stash...and I scooped it up and gave it a makeover using Outback Petticoat.
While I prepped, painted and protected it, I filmed the entire process in my Instagram stories. If you're not following me on Instagram, I highly encourage you to do so! I'm more active there than on Facebook because I can quickly film short snippets of what I'm up to during the day on stories. I give you lots of behind-the-scenes footage and divulge my tips and tricks too. Instagram is a more "in the moment" kind of platform, so join me and follow me at @eight.hundred.furniture. (Don't forget the dots!)
You can watch my Instagram story either on my Insta feed, in my highlights, or click here to watch it on Facebook. It's also on the Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Instagram stories and highlight reel as well.
Here's how the chair turned out:
Isn't it so sweet? Here's my finishing schedule aka steps I took to complete the chair:
1. Scuff sand with 150 grit sandpaper
2. Clean off sawdust
3. Mix up 1 tester of MMS Milk Paint in Outback Petticoat with 4 tablespoons of water
4. Let MMS Milk Paint rest for 5 minutes
5. Paint one coat of MMSMP on chair
6. Let dry
7. Paint a second coat of MMSMP on chair
8. Take chair outside in the sun to dry and crackle a bit
9. Distress with 150 grit sandpaper to add age and character
10. Seal with Hemp Oil
11. Film everything on Instagram ;)
You can purchase this chair at Morgantown Market if you like. It's $30 and would look adorable with a pumpkin on it. Because it's sealed with Hemp Oil, it can't be outside exposed to the elements. Hemp Oil is an interior-only finish. It should either go inside or under a well protected porch.
Last but definitely not least is an update for all of you regarding my website and blog.
I'M GETTING A NEW ONE!
The time has come for me to leave my current blogging platform of Wix.com and move over to WordPress. My site has over 200 blog posts and Wix simply can't handle that kind of volume. I've literally outgrown it, which is kind of neat if you think about it. I've outgrown something!
I've been working with a company called Restored 316 to get my new site set up using one of their gorgeous themes, Captivating.
It's got a clean and fresh feel to it and I like the layout. I can tweak the placement of the menu items and my logo as I wish. You can visit their demo site here and have a look around if you wish!
At this point in time, my new site has been created but it's just a shell. The wonderful folks at Restored 316 are now manually moving all of my blog posts over for me, optimizing them all to be Google friendly and making my site easier and faster to load. Right now, my site runs like a Prius trying to tow a yacht. In a few weeks, it will be more like an F150 towing a wheelbarrow.
Oh yeah baby.
The process unfortunately has been an expensive one because Wix doesn't make it easy for bloggers to leave their platform. As a matter of fact, they make it next to impossible, so if you're a growing blogger and you're using Wix as your platform, I strongly encourage you to consider moving out while you can. Unfortunately, I didn't know this when I first got started. Wix was easy for me to use as a beginner, so I went with what I could afford and handle. But I made the best decision I could at the time with the information I had available, so I can't really blame myself.
So hang in there everyone. A new, faster, better and easier to use site is well on its way!
Today, I'll be spending my day at Homestead Studios doing another demonstration! I was supposed to hold this one last week, but I was under the weather and couldn't make it, so we rescheduled to today.
I'll be painting this beautiful piece in General Finishes Brick Red Milk Paint.
Here's a swatch of the color:
Once that's applied, I'll glaze it with either Van Dyke Brown or Pitch Black. It will give the piece the same look as if I used a dark wax on it. I'm painting at 12:30 and will go until the piece is finished or it's time to close up shop at 5.
For now, Jake is lounging out on the porch, I'm enjoying the last bits of my cinnamon flavored coffee and Marc is sleeping in. Enjoy your Sunday everyone!
Comments