~MY NEW THRIFT STORE FIND...A ROMANTIC ANTIQUE BED~

For all of you who are die-hard tag sale and junk store shoppers this little beauty will surely make your heart sing!  This is my latest thrift-store find...

A GENUINE ANTIQUE IRON BED!

Can you believe it?

SCORE!

  Now...I'm NOT kidding you when I tell you this but last Thursday while out junking around in the great state of Oklahoma I snagged this antique iron bed for $45.  At first I couldn't believe my own eyes.  

A real live antique iron bed at a thrift store for $45?

NO WAY!!!!!

When I saw her propped up in a bin of truly crummy 1980 particle board beds I had to blink a couple of times before I realized I was looking directly at a antique-vintage headboard and footboard.  After looking her over from head to toe (and realizing the rails were missing) I still didn't miss a beat when it came to pulling her out from her hiding place and dragging (literally) her to the front of the store.

This particular junk store (Value Village/Payless Thrift on Penn for all you OKCity peeps!) runs everything half off the price marked (weird, but they do)!!!  So the bed was originally $89.96 but half off was $44.98!!!!

The missing rails were no big deal to me because I see them all the time in antique shops.  The rails can be found...the beds on the other hand are a lot more difficult to locate...

Anyway...as you can see I wasted no time in painting her with a couple of coats of my favorite paint.  The bed had already been painted at least once...  Had she been in her original white condition I wouldn't have repainted her....but the gold and green....um, not for me!

Another great weekend snag was this vintage shelf.

Oops!

I forgot to snap a picture of it before attaching the applique (this one is metal from Hobby Lobby).  This shelf was $8 (Goodwill) and the metal trim was $2 (half off).  That makes it $10 before paint.  I opted to brush paint this one as spray painting can get very expensive!

 Here's a picture of it up-close.  Love the distressing!  After brush painting her I lightly distressed her edges before applying a light coating of wax....skipped the dark wax on this one.  Loved it just as you see it!

Remember the lamp from last week???

I love how she came out!  Generally I paint roses on lamps such as this, but not this time.  I love the lamp just as you see her here as well! 

After thinking about it and mulling it over in my mind for several months I've finally decided to jump back into the retail world and rent a booth space at a local market here in my town.  I know this will be shocking to some of you because when I gave up my previous space in the summer of 2010 I was pretty sure I wanted to take my business only in the direction of on-line sales.

I think it's amazing how some things can change in the course of eighteen months!

I suppose much of my decision is based on there being so much fabulous, sell-able product crowding up the storage areas in my home and that includes both my Mr. AGPMan's workshop and a sizable storage unit.  Now that our own home is about where we want it to be (save for our kitchen makeover) I'm better able to see what all we have and what we can and cannot use.  Besides that, I LOVE direct selling and always have.  I love the physical displaying of merchandise as well as window dressing so when the opportunity arose for a great space with old wood floors...well I snagged it with my hubby's blessing.  The extra money will come in handy with our kitchen remodel (which is CA-CHING $$$).  My new space is honestly five minutes from my house (or less) and that made the idea of returning to booth-space-selling all the more appealing.

I begin moving in on the 15th of May...

The bed, lamp and shelf will all be a part of my new booth space....   I'm sooooo excited!  I hope those of you who are local will come see me....(more about it's location soon!).

Look how big my Miss K is getting?  She spent the weekend with me and ALWAYS loves helping me transform my junk into junque!  She's my painting QUEEN!

I promise to share more pictures as I go!  Right now the framing of my previous space is being reworked and I hope it will be a killer-looking-display once it's transformed.  

Hope your day is wonderful!   I'm finishing up the last of the special orders for Mother's Day and so happy I can finally breathe again!

Today I'm linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm for 
WHITE WEDNESDAY

Love to you...

 

~SCRUMPTIOUS PINK COTTAGE ROSES~

~FABULOUS TWENTY YEAR OLD VINES~

Years and years ago when I owned a brick and mortar store I found the most wonderful

vintagey-vineyish-trellisy-scrunchy-worn-looking-roses

 ever on one of my trips to Market.  I was so taken with them and the showroom that sold them they remained on my favorites list for years and years.  The branchy floral vines came in muted pinks and creamy whites and each one equally flew out the door faster than I could get them in.  I distinctly remember the three foot lengths retailed for $36 ($18 wholesale) and the six foot lengths retailed for $48 ($24 wholesale).  That was pricey even for the early 1990's....but they sold like hotcakes anyway!

This was during the Laura Ashley phase of decorating...incredibly no one even knew who Rachel A was...not yet anyway!

 ~ABOVE OUR MIRROR~

As my own personal stash of vines became tattered and worn, little by little they were discarded.  (Boo Hoo!)  The showroom stopped carrying the line, favoring instead silk-type florals which had become very, very popular at the time.  Over the years I managed to hang onto only two six foot garlands...both of them were in the white colorway.

~OUR TINY MASTER BATH~

 

Today I have them twisted up tightly together and wired in place because they are sooo old and fragile!  They proudly hang over the sink/mirror in my master bath and I still love them today just like I did nearly twenty years ago.

~BE STILL MY PINK LOVIN' HEART~

WELL.............

(don't you love it went people say that?...it's like you KNOW something fabulous is coming!...right?)

~WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FIND~

Today I visited one of our town's antique malls and after meandering through each and every space I made my way to the back.  And there, way up high, peeking out from behind a bunch of old industrial type stuff I spied this really, really long rose vine in pink.

Now I've been in this room before and I never once noticed it there.  Well...I climbed up high and after working to de-tangle it I realized it was in two pieces.  One nine foot piece (three 3ft pieces together) and one six foot piece.

SCORE!  SCORE!  SCORE!

Guess how much?

Fifteen sweet little bucks for all of it!

Now comes the fun part....trying to decide just WHERE I'm going to hang them.  If I wasn't afraid the birdies would nest in the vines (they always do!) I'd hang them over the outside of my door.  Hmmm...

Decisions!  Decisions!

Today I'm linking up with Miss Beverly over at

HOW SWEET THE SOUND

for PINK SATURDAY!

~~*~~

Now in case you missed my post about my GIVEAWAY you can read about how you can enter your name into the drawing for the PINK ROSE TATTERED APRON shown below.

Just click HERE for the details!

 Hope your day is fabulous!  I'm off to hang my vines!

Love to you...

~ALL FRAMED UP~

 After enjoying the lovely hospitality of Miss Tammy last Saturday, before returning to Oklahoma City I just had to pay a visit to a couple of junky style haunts her north Oklahoma city had to offer!  I am happy to say I was not disappointed!  Great old finds and neat antiques can be found in almost any town in my great state and Enid, Oklahoma, didn't disappoint!  

 I found these three old Huldah Jeffe (1901-2001) prints in these incredible mid-century Syrocco frames.  I actually love some of Huldah Cherry Jeffe's work and I was surprised to read she had (and still has!) a lot of critics.  Apparently there are people in the art world who don't favor the dark eyes on her subjects.  I happen to like them.

 Anyway...I have a couple of these prints already so I'm sure I'll be reselling them as is!  Simply fabulous old prints.

Aren't they wonderful?  I love each one!  The ones of the children are especially rare!  They are a lot harder to find!

But...the find of the day were the seven bundles of vintage lace one particular booth offered!  The gal had them marked $1.00 each and that was a fabulous price.  Three of the lace bundles were French and that made me very, very happy.  I don't know why but lace just finds ME!  Honest...it does!  It doesn't matter where I go or where I shop but it seems I always uncover the best vintage trims for not a lot of money!  We all know the laces made today can't compare to the fabulous old stuff!

All this great technology out there and yet in some areas we've gone backwards!  Most of the lace made today (except the super-high-end trims) is cheap polyester and it's simply crummy!

 Today I'm back in my studio working on painting things with a ground of WHITE!  So much still to do but I'm loving it!

Hope your Monday is wonderful.  I'm off to paint roses for my newly reopened website!

Love to you...

 

~~~~~~UNCOVERING VINTAGE DRESSES~~~~~ and Other Chic Romantic Frocks

 ~FABULOUS LACE CAMISOLE and VINTAGE SKIRT~

Over the July 4th Holiday my Mr. AGPMan and I decided to do a little sightseeing up north.  We had the most wonderful time visiting the Nebraska Prairie Museum where we saw firsthand a collection of simply amazing things!  I was over-the-moon happy with what we saw!

 

 ~GORGEOUS ANTIQUE LACE CAMI~

From archival documents to period dress, the Museum was jam-packed with tons of antique and vintage finds...more stuff than one can possibly see in a single visit.  It is located in Holdrege, Nebraska, and I promise you it won't disappoint!

 ~Sooo ROMANTIC and LOVELY~ 

I've included the link above in case you want to check out the Museum information for yourself!

 ~UP-CLOSE VIEW OF SKIRT~

Now...It isn't too often I find a sweet little something that turns my head to the point that I must carry it home.  I have a true weakness for antique clothing and lacy little frocks and my passion and deep appreciation for them has done nothing but grow over the years.

 ~GORGEOUS LACE EDGING~

I found the charming vintage skirt and matching lace camisole you see above and below in Hays, Kansas.  After visiting the Museum in Holdrege we stopped off to browse for a bit inside a few antique malls and shoppes on the way back home to Oklahoma.

 ~UP-CLOSE CAMISOLE LACE~

I found the price was just about right on the skirt and cami (give or take a few dollars) so I decided I just couldn't live without them...

~PRECIOUS VINTAGE BUTTONS~

They were destined to find a new and comfy little home within the walls of my La Chaumière de Briarwood...

 ~CROCHETED LACE CAMISOLE~

I also snagged the sweet little beauty you see above (and below) for only $6.50.  I loved the heart crochet lace (simply yummeee!) and thought it would look beautiful on one of my vintage mannequin girls! :)

 

~PRISTINE CONDITION~

I can't wait to showcase this sweet little piece!

~ANTIQUE SEWING DRESS FORM~

While at the Museum I saw this lovely antique metal dress form.  I had never seen one like it in person...only in an antique catalog!  I used a similar image/graphic to create the greeting card you see below!  How neat was stumbling onto that piece of history?

~VINTAGE DRESS FORM CARD~

~ANTIQUE WEDDING DRESSES~

Directly above are some of the dresses from the Museum!  Aren't they gorgeous?  Can't get lace like this much anymore.  My favorite 'baby-sewing' girls (Jeannie B and Sara) will surely love seeing this lace...

~GORGEOUS DETAILS~

~PRECIOUS SHOULDER~

~LOVELY FLOUNCE~

~BEAUTIFUL CUFFS~

Even if you COULD find a dress like the one below offered for sale today, I'm quite sure the price would be outta-sight!

~WOMEN USE TO BE SOOO TINY!~

I'm not 100% sure what size the little dress actually is...probably a size 2 or 3.  Maybe even a zero!  I am certainly MUCH BIGGER than that and I would never be able to fit into such a tiny little thing!  The waist/rib cage was probably no more than 21".  Wow!

~"GOING AWAY" DRESS~

The little number you see above is from 1910 and was a "Going Away Dress".  Isn't it gorgeous?

  ~FUTURE TEACHER?~

Our Miss K ~ Age 8

~FOR NOW A GREAT STUDENT!~

 Our Precious Grand-Girl

I have lots more pictures to show you from our trip and will do so later this summer!  Our Miss K was with us and she loved visiting the Old School House you see above.  It was a highlight for her at the Museum!

Thanks for visiting me today!  I'm off to my studio to actually DO SOME WORK!  Everything on my website is nearly SOLD so I can certainly tell I haven't been putting in very many business hours this summer!

Blessings for a lovely day.

Love to you...

~~VINTAGE TIFFIN JUNE NIGHT STEMWARE~~ and I Think I'll Keep That Hubby of Mine~

~FABULOUS ANTIQUE STORE FIND~

Last October my Mr. AGPMan and I took a trip out east for a little visit with my older sister.  While we were there I found the most amazing crystal stemware I'd ever laid my eyes on at a small local antique shoppe.

 ~SIMPLY GORGEOUS~

  The pattern is called JUNE NIGHT (Love Lace is the un-trimmed version) and it was made by TIFFIN.  You can read all about it here...

~CACHING!  A TOTAL LOSS~

After returning from our little jaunt to the east of Oklahoma I made it my mission to find even more of the aging Stemware I decided I just couldn't live without.  I checked out Replacement.com and was excited to find that even though some of the pieces they offered were pricey at the very least they were available.

 ~THEY SET A LOVELY TABLE~

  I chatted with my hubby about hunting down enough pieces to set a lovely holiday table and went on and on about how excited I was about the possibility of scoring a few more!  Well...while one of the water goblets was out on my kitchen counter my clumsy guy knocked it over and broke off the stem.

~DING-DONG! MAIL MAN AT THE DOOR~

I just smiled and said "That will be $40.00, please!  Oh...and I only accept cash!" :)  (I actually wanted to beat him up a little bit, but in the end figured I was at least 10% partially responsible for not putting the goblet back in the china cabinet even though the man was a TOTAL CLUTZ!)

~TWO BOXES FOR ME???~

Now...when my hubby and I married I didn't register for things like stemware.  I'd have been happy with a crock pot and a chicken to go inside of it if you want to know the truth! :)  Crystal and china were things poor college students like us just couldn't afford.  Not long after we purchased our La Chaumière de Briarwood I stumbled upon some fairly inexpensive stemware (not crystal) that was just like the glassware my mother had once collected using her Green Stamps.

 ~GREEN STAMP GLASSWARE~

The stems were pretty and since they reminded me of happy times in my childhood I was more than happy using them and never really looked into getting anything I felt would be truly beautiful.  At the very least I figured when I did decide to purchase something more along the line of what my heart always wanted I'd pass the twenty-four piece Green Stamp set (above) onto my AdrieGirl... 

 ~WHAT'S INSIDE?~

While my hubby was getting dressed for an afternoon business meeting he told me to go ahead and open the boxes our mail carrier had left on our porch.  He seemed to know what was inside even though I didn't have a clue...

~GASP!~

Tucked inside one box were two of the Iced Tea Glasses and in the other one were twelve stemmed Water Goblets.  He found them on eBay and surprised me with them!

 ~GORGEOUS ETCHED CRYSTAL~

Now I have sixteen Waters and eight Ice Tea Glasses.  I hope before long to find another eight Teas for a total of sixteen as well!  

My guy is the most ROMANTIC MAN I'VE EVER KNOWN!  I honestly didn't even know he remembered he'd broken one of the glasses let alone think he would remember the name of the pattern!

Now...something else really quick I have to show you!

 ~SPIEGELAU WINE GLASSES~

Over the weekend my hubby (who, by the way, is COMPLETELY FORGIVEN for breaking that first goblet!) and I were in our neighborhood ROSS STORE and I found these amazing German Wine Glasses from Spiegelau!!!:)  I decided to Google the glasses and man they are NOT CHEAP!

~TWO SETS OF SIX~

The original price for the six stems was $40 (Ross' original price was $24.99) and they were marked down to $6.99!  They had two boxes for a total of twelve stems for only $13.98!  I'm thinking they will be a sweet anniversary gift for my son and daughter-in-love come this May!

SCORE!

~FABULOUS DEAL~

Along with the tall stemmed wine goblets they also had a set of six glasses with shorter stems.  They were also only $6.99 and so I purchased them as well!

This all puts me in such a happy-yappy, yippy-skippy mood!  I love, love, love to save all those nickles, nickles, nickles.  

(Thanks Baber!!!!)

~~*~~

Our weather is suppose to turn super nasty here in Oklahoma by the morning and so we are hunkering down for a long winter's night. 

COME BACK SPRING!  COME BACK!

Love to you...