USING RECLAMIED WOOD FOR FARMHOUSE SIGNS

Signs are everywhere.  

Have you noticed that in almost every store you go into reproduced artwork has, for the most part, disappeared?  It's pretty much been replaced with signage and you can find it in all different colors and forms.

The most popular by far, at least for me, are simple wooden shapes painted out in flat white paint with black lettering added in different fonts.

All of the signs you see above were made from the remnants of an old corner cabinet.  Not old as in vintage...nope.  Old as in 1980's old when furniture manufacturers were just starting to really cheapen-down their offerings.

 Last weekend while out JUNKIN' my Mr. AGP Man and I found a chunky looking corner cabinet for a pretty great price and so we hauled it home. 

 The old thing wasn't worth redoing or repairing as it was pretty far gone, but the wood backing and doors were fabulous.  We knew ahead of time we would be purchasing it only for the wood and in no time the entire thing as dismantled and stored in our workshop for later use.

The back panel was in great shape and it was cut up into different sizes of rectangles to make the signs you see above.

I use flat white paint when making my signs, but I use a chalk paint brush to apply it.  This kind of brush gives the BEST coverage with minimal streaks and lines.  They are kind of pricey, but well worth the investment.  Just keep it clean and wash it often...especially if it starts to gunk up!

Blessings~

Rebecca

~FARMHOUSE STYLE SOAP MAKEOVER and LOVELY VINTAGE FINDS~

Beautiful aging laces, old ribbons, trims and delicate millinery florals have always been my weakness!  Many years ago when my Mr. AGP Man and I married we began tag sale shopping and even now we favor both the planned and unexpected road trips in order to hunt down the best aging finds. I do buy some things online~  But, I'm one of those people who love to see things in person I'm afraid!

While my studio is filled with lots of lovely old treasures I'm always on the hunt for more.  Especially hard to find velvet millinery roses and flowers in soft creams, whites and the lightest of blush pink...

Seems like everyone is using them to create their own specialties these days or they purchase them for their own private collection.

 

So, when I do stumble upon a sale where there are piles of laces, embroidered cottons, linens or even the best vintage sewing materials, it's almost impossible to drag me away.  When my Miss K was still living in Oklahoma she would often go with me just to "guard" my stash while I continued to shop around...  Now that she lives far away (more about this later!) my guy and I are on our own.

Over the Memorial Day weekend we traveled to Dallas and returned home with some wonderful finds.  Mostly architectural elements and reclaimed wood pieces that will be used for sign making in my business.

  But, I did snag some old laces and the millinery flowers you see at the top.  Now that I'm officially back working from home (and loving it!) I'll be putting it all to good use.

 

 Wrapping these Italian Soaps in soft linen was so easy to do!  You should try making some for your own home...they make great gifts, too.  All I did was wrap a purchased bar of Italian Soap in fabric, secure and tie up with tattered linen before adding a stamped label to the front.  I offer the Soaps in my booth at Serendipity Market in Edmond, Oklahoma!

Perfect for the Farmhouse Style Bath and they make my booth smell sooo good!

Yesterday was the first Tuesday I haven't worked outside my home in almost four years.  It felt so strange to get up, brew a pot of tea and make a slew of different choices for my day! 

All is well.

Blessings~

Rebecca

~ANTIQUE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE...Un-box and Be Kind~

Recently my big sister headed out from her Tennessee home bound for Oklahoma to help my Mother and I go through some of my late Father's belongings.  A grueling task for any child, grown or not, and neither one of us were looking forward to the experience.

Honestly, I was dreading it.

  

What on earth could be so important that my Father would carefully pack and label each box with it's exact contents?

Things very dear to him, I suppose.

 The storage clear-out was at least a decade in the making and none of us knew just what we'd find.  My Dad had been incarcerated inside a nursing home for almost eleven years when he passed away in February 2014 and the unit hadn't been touched since the day he first stepped through it's front door.

We found the typical things often found after a loved one has passed~old greeting cards, letters and photos, long forgotten gifts and many personal items.

As a Clergyman, my Dad was always reading and studying and could never pass up a book sale or tag sale.  He had an endless hope of discovering something interesting to add to his ever growing assemblage of writings.

 He loved the hunt of that rare old find and over the years amassed quite an impressive library for someone of meager fare.  So, it was of no surprise to the three of us to find boxes and boxes full of books.

Tons of books.

Hundreds of books.

Thousands of books.

Some were old.

Most were vintage.

And many were true antiques dating back to the 1700's.

One twelve volume set really caught my eye.  The Book of Knowledge, The Children's Encyclopedia, was a beautiful leather bound set of books that I took the time to thumb through...

My Father must have really loved these books as they were wrapped in a soft cloth and tied up with string.

 First published by The Grolier Society back in 1868 with this edition being dated 1919.  Almost 100 years ago now.

 Each volume is filled with the most amazing things!  Lots and lots of early photographs, small black etchings and the instructions on how to do so many wonderful projects.

Plus...many stories and poems to make you both laugh and smile.  I was especially taken with the tale of

The Beauty and the Beast.

I'm afraid I'm used to the Disney version...

 I loved reading about the "women" writers of England...like

Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters.

It's incredible how far we've come in a century.  My grandmother was born in 1916~two years before the books were published.  I can just see her flipping though these pages years ago much like I peruse the internet today.

Still...there is something about holding an old book in my hands.  I love the way they smell and feeling it's weight and turning each tattered page.  I love finding my way to the end and feeling like I've completed something...

I can't help but wonder what my children are going to say when they find the things I've held dear and meet up one day to un-box them.

I certainly hope they will be kind.

~*~

Thanks Daddy, for holding onto your treasures.

You knew one day I'd find them in the very place you left them.

Gosh...I miss you.

Blessings~

Rebecca