What I Learned About Having A Booth

This week ended and began something new for me.

On November 1st I got the chance to live my dream and open a booth at a furniture shop. I was so excited setting up my booth and filling it with so many treasures. At the same time I was extremely nervous and worried about what the future held with me actually making money on this adventure. So, as we drove away from the shop the first day after unloading, I knew I had probably made the wrong decision.

My booth!

I got really caught up in what I thought I was supposed to do, it was the logical next step to have a place in a store where people could buy all of the items I worked on. And I really wanted it to be awesome and perfect and everything I had ever wanted. 

But the truth was that it wasn't what I wanted. At least not right now or right here. 

I found myself selling things, but it was not my furniture, the thing I loved to do. I work so hard to give old pieces new life and something you would love to have in your house, and I love it! I don't love digging through every thrift store and yard sale finding things I may or may not be able to sell just to make a profit. 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good thrift store and yard sale, but I want to buy and sell things I love and other people love so much they want to buy it to. 

Some of the "smalls"

I made the decision pretty early on that I would not be able to stay at the shop. I didn't sell anything until the last week and I was still in the negative. And then we were given a good opportunity to leave at the end of the month me and my husband decided that we needed to move on.

So that ended my adventure with having my furniture in a shop (for now). But I am beginning to find out what makes me and my style one of a kind.

The biggest lesson that I learned was I need to do what I love, upholstery, paint, and stain, and sometimes added bits and bobs. Not filler items that might sale but the furniture I put my heart and soul into. That's what makes me happy! So I need to find a place (flea market or shop) that supports my passion (and sells it!).

So, for now, we plan on going back to the Raleigh Flea Market in the spring and having a show every other month. (Vintage toys included) I'll have to put in all the hard work that comes with moving and selling my items, but no one ever said your dreams would be easy.

Keep stopping by, following us on Facebook and Pinterest, and see what's new. You never know, you might learn something new of find the perfect piece for your home.

----Beth

Cream and Yellow Chair, Paint and Reupholster.

This was a great piece to work on. Good wood, sturdy, a nice shape to the chair, and something I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like when it was done. 

This chair had some issues when I bought it. Not really beautiful or special at all, kind of looked like a restaurant chair. Plus, the cushion was flat as a rock to sit on, so I knew it was going to need a little extra work. 

I though this would be an easy one day project (yeah right!) Just turning the chair over I knew it would take me a little longer. 

The screws were completely stripped, so that took a good day to work out. I though I would cry when I finally got the last one out. 

Then I began my least favorite thing, pulling staples! In my opinion, the term should be as hard as pulling staples bot teeth. But I do love my staple puller! (And convenient truvia box  staple holder!) The c only part I like about pulling staples is that I can watch TV during the tedious work. 

And boy did I have good TV to watch with this chair!  

And once I had finished all of my fun with staples I removed the fabric and discovered the reason why the cushion was so hard and flat.  The cushion was crumbling! It had definitely seen better days. I used a knife the scrape the cushion off (that was a new one), and then got to work on rebuilding. 

I cut out a nice new piece of foam for the seat that is so much more comfortable than before. I dug into my ever growing pile of fabric and decided on a yellow fabric with a cream design. And then painting started.

I started getting the cream color on and was in love instantly! I also used a polycrylic instead of waxing, which I really liked. I might use it more often in the future. 

Isn't it lovely! I can picture it as someone's office chair or side chair in a dinning room. It's more comfortable, looks amazingly better, and would make the perfect addition to any room!

----Beth

Pumpkin Spice Table -SOLD

A few months ago I talked my brother into keeping an eye out for furniture I might want to refinish. He goes by furniture shops and thrift stores in a different area than I normally can go by and thought it would be a fun adventure for him to find things for me. He wasn't really into it until I told him he would get a percentage of what I sold the piece for. Then he jumped on board with dollar signs in his eyes. :)

It didn't take long for him to find me this cute little side table.

I had a vision of purple paint and a stained top with a purple tint. Just a week before my brother brought this to me my husband had found me a TON of stain for free! (seriously for free). And most of them had a purple like tint to them. 

I ended up finishing a table with the purple paint and decided that I just wasn't in love with it for the end table. So it sat in my sun room for a little too long and I kind of forgot about it. But then fall came and my love for pumpkin everything made me buy a beautiful orange paint color. 

I knew I wanted to do a table for chair in the color, something big but not so much that it stood out too much. And all of a sudden I remembered my pretty little end table with the gorgeous legs! It was a match made in heaven, perfect color for this table, and once I was finished I was so glad it wasn't purple and that I had forgotten about just long enough for it to end up this color.

My "Pumpkin Spice" end table! 

And I was not the only one who agreed, because it sold the next day! I didn't even have time to take a good 'after' picture. I was almost sad to see it sell because I loved it so much and the color makes me think about the changing leaves and crisp fall air. But I'm so glad it has a great new home! And my brother was a happy camper with his commission. I have a feeling it won't take him long before he's sending more my way. 

----Beth

Distressed Antique White Vanity - For Sale

When I found this vanity it wasn't half bad. Had a nice color to it, good size for a bedroom accessory, and pretty details.

Sadly the top was badly damaged. My guess was finger nail polish and remover spilled on top, and some nice dents and nicks in the wood. It also had some general wear on the legs and mirror. I felt like it would be worth it to refinish the entire piece.

Sanding took FOREVER since the stain was so dark and I wanted to smooth out the top as much as I could. 

Them came the coats of paint. I wanted to get it as white as possible and as smooth as possible. I started out thinking I might turn it onto a Frozen themed vanity for a little girls room (complete with a frosted mirror, snow fakes, and some Elsa like swirls) It would have been fun, but I didn't really love the idea for this piece as I started working on it more. 

Then I had my mind set on a zebra print for the stool and paint white for the vanity and a zebra print on the inside of the drawer. But again, I just didn't love the idea as time went on. 

Then, as I painted the last coat of crisp white it hit me what I wanted this vanity to be!

I started to see some areas I would love to distress, then I grabbed some off white paint I had mixed for another project and added select areas of the antique white, giving it more depth and an older look. I sanded the whole thing down and added my wax and loved the result! The distressing was easy, I wanted just enough to give it a worn feel. 

Then I went searching for fabric in my ever growing mound of ever color and pattern imaginable (eventually I'll have a picture of it!). And when I saw my burlap sitting I the corner from my burlap top stool I knew it was meant to be.

All set up at my last sale with tons of jewelry.

I love those worn edges! Makes the shape stand out so nicely. 

The best part of this lovingly distressed vanity is that it can be yours! Available for sale at my furniture booth at A Junkin Ginger. It is also available for rent for photo shoots and weddings. Just imagine that perfect "getting ready" picture with this vanity by your side. 

A Junkin' Ginger 

1403 W. Webb Avenue

Burlington, NC

---- Beth