Antiquing

Now when I use the term ANTIQUING, I use it very loosely.  I don't necessarily go out looking for "antiques" per se, but I am just looking for stuff I would love for my home.  Many times it is not in fact an antique, but may be considered a collectable or just vintage inspired.  So when I say I am antiquing, I consider that going out with my friends and perusing the local antique shops.

Glendale, AZ has some fun shops in the downtown area.  It is a fun place to walk around and at Christmas they have some great lights in the area.  One of my favorite shops in Glendale was Larry's.  A few years back, Larry moved his extensive collection to Cottonwood, AZ.  I was devastated.  Until I was able to go to Sedona with a friend, and we made a detour to Cottonwood just to check out Larry's again.  Come to find out that Larry had retired, but he found another Larry to take over his legacy.  

Larry's

Larry's in now located at 796 N. Main St. in Cottonwood, AZ  It is right in the heart of downtown Cottonwood.  It is on 2 acres of land and covers 5 buildings.  This is a fun place to take your time while looking around.

The 2 acres of land filled with fun!

Inside the main house the shelves are packed.  There are some vendors who sell here, but 70% of what is at Larry's is Larry's.  

Here is the new Larry.  Having the name Larry was crucial for the sale of the store, but Larry didn't have to change his name, it just worked out. :)

 The grounds are quite extensive and you can find a variety of goodies around every corner.

The large shed is 2 stories and the upper floor does get quite warm.  Here is were we found some very fun stuff.  I did not see as many old doors and windows that I remember old Larry having in Glendale, but other than that, I was very pleased with what we saw and the prices. 

If you are looking for a fun day trip to go antiquing, it is fun to head up to Cottonwood, and while you are there I would strongly recommend taking a slight detour to Jerome, AZ.

Jerome is a former little mining town about 20 min outside of Cottonwood.  it is very quaint and draws quite the diverse crowd.  The streets are steep an narrow and have shops all down main street.   They aren't necessarily antique shops, but it is a unique atmosphere.  My friend and I ate at the Asylum at the Jerome Grand Hotel.  It was alright....I wasn't too impressed with my meal, but my friend loved hers and another friend always eats here at dinner and LOVES it.  But it is right on the top of the hill and the hotel is a former hospital that over 10,000 people died in so it attracts ghost hunters and has been on the ghost hunter cable TV shows.  I do love the architecture and the history of the town.  In many ways it doesn't even feel like AZ.  I have had multiple friends tell me they love the Haunted Burger there, so next time I will try that!

The view from the top of the hill where the hotel is, and a side view of the hotel.

My finds from that weekend:

Phoenix

If you reside in the Phoenix area there are some great places to check out for antiquing.  One day while driving down 7th Avenue in Phoenix I came across a slew of antique stores.  I knew I had to come back with my friends.  So another day we drove down this way for the day and found many delightful and not so delightful shops. There is a part of 7th Ave called the Melrose district and they have some very fun shops.  They were very fun to look through.  One was remarkable with what they carried, but the prices were VERY high.  I would never pay what they were asking, but it was a joy to walk through.  I would like to share a couple of my favorites from that day.

Antiques on Camelback

Antiques on Camelback is a large retail building that houses many vendors with very interesting finds. It is at 4955 N 7th Ave, Phoenix.  For the most part the prices are very reasonable, and the selections were very fun to look through.  It is here where I found my Betty.  I had been wanting a body form for YEARS and came across the perfect one for me!  I love her and had to take her home!

Charlie's House

Charlie's house is a great little shop on 7th Avenue in Phoenix.  (4431 N. 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ)  They are open 10 am-6 pm daily.  Charlie and Isaac run the store and are very hospitable.  Many time you will come in to find fresh goodies complementary to their guests.  A true little treasure in Phoenix.  What makes Charlie's different from many other antique/collectable shops today, is that he is the sole owner of shop.  He does not open his shop to vendors and his merchandise is shipped in from his home state of Wisconsin by his sister.  The prices are very reasonable and Charlie and Isaac are so nice and approachable.  

Outside at Charlie's

Outside you can find many windows and a few doors.  If you are looking for some barn wood for signs, note the pile on the picture on the left.  

Charlie does an exceptional job on reupholstery of furniture.  He was even so kind to give me some pointers on reupholstering my new rocking chair.  He was showing me some of the chairs he had done.  If you would like to have him reupholster something for you, you would need to be patient, he has a few month wait time. He has such a great perspective on redoing old furniture.  He loves to see people save a great piece of furniture from going to the dump and giving it new life. 

If you are looking for some miscellaneous old hardware, be sure to check this out.  There is a very good selection here. 

Globe/Miami AZ-

Miami Arizona is an active mining town just 30 minutes east of the Phoenix metro area.  It is a little town that has some fun little antique shops and some dang good mexican food.  

On your drive up to Miami/Globe be sure to stop at Top of The World, AZ.  there's not much there any more, but sometimes this little antique place is open.  When you get to the top of the mountains while driving to Miami don't blink or you may miss this place.  

This is for sure a weekend trip.  The shops are only open on the weekend.

The Pickle Barrel is a shop just up the road in Globe.  They have a fun place worth checking out there. I loved their collection of outdoor iron fencing and outdoor decor.

After antiquing you will work up a mean hunger and you can try El Rey Cafe in Globe, or The Burger House in Miami.  As deceiving as it may sound the burger house has some fine Mexican food!

On The Road

I have found it is always fun in your travels to stop at fun little off the road places.  When we drove across the country for work a few summers back my husband was kind enough to let me stop at places along the way.  We were hauling a big trailer, so I took advantage. :) We loved driving through Kentucky and meeting so many nice people.  I found some fun stuff at a thrift store there.  At a little shop along highway 68 we ran into The Junque Man and I came home with some fun junk including lockers.

I know in June there is a big sale along that highway called the 400 Mile Sale that would be fun to check out one year.  I have heard of a big sale in Texas every summer at the Big Red Barn that would be fun as well.  A friend of mine moved to Oregon a while back and every summer they do a big sale up there at The Barn House that I need to go to one of these years.  There really is so much to do where ever you are.  This summer we will be driving back east again and I am hoping I can get a little antiquing time in.  As I search things high and low I find that some of the best places are off the beaten path.  The more retail places can be higher priced and geared more toward tourists.  I enjoy meeting new people and more times than not, the people you meet when going off the beaten path are just good down to earth people.

All of my goodies from the road trip.
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If you have a fabulous antique store in the Phoenix area that you would love to tell me about please email me at itsashabbything@gmail.com and I would love to come check it out.  I will delete any comments that solicit and will only give advice to those reading this blog that I would give to my close friends.  So I will only endorse what I personally can attest to.  Thank you :)

Painting Furniture

A great way to revive an old piece of furniture is with a fresh coat of paint. There are many times you can find a raggedy old piece of furniture at a yard sale, thrift store, or for sale on the internet. If you do find that great piece of furniture and it is structurally sound, it can be fabulous with a little of your time and a small amount of money.

When we were moving I had a bunch of furniture that I wanted to paint.  So I took this opportunity to tarp off the driveway and take advantage of our friend's sprayer.  I first had to rough some stuff up and then I sprayed a primer.

The pieces of furniture that I was not going to paint white were set aside then I painted the remaining furniture white with the sprayer.  I have been asked many times about if it is better to spray or to brush when painting.  There are pros and cons to both methods, and it would just depend on you.  Since I had so many pieces that I had been wanting to paint I decided to try and spray it.  I used an eggshell paint which came out very rough.  I knew I would be sanding the furniture after painting and thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but it was.  It was very textured and required a lot more sanding to smooth it out then I had planned.  Overall because of the amount of pieces sprayed, it was nice to spray it, but it really wouldn't be worth it for one or even two pieces.  It still was a multiple day process that comprised the painting, sanding/distressing, and the clear poly acrylic top coat.  It was exhausting, but worth it to me. 

KING SLEIGH BED

Before

I got this sleigh bed many years ago and the it was getting very scratched up and the finish was suffering from years of kids climbing over the footboard.  I had been tossing up the idea of painting it white for years and I loved how it turned out!  It is still very sturdy and solid, it just needed a face lift and it's a brand new bed!

   

FOYER TABLE

I found this table at the thrift store on half price day. It had some great lines and some fun little details. It was a little wobbly, but nothing was cracked, so it seemed like a great buy.

With the help of my trusty detail sander I needed to rough up the finish. This table had a thin veneer finish, that was chipping off. The sanding was able to even out the topcoat while roughing up the finish for the primer to grab better to the table.

While doing the sanding, this was a great opportunity to take the table apart and re-stabilize it. the table was wobbly but the screws were loose and a little wood glue on the dowel pins firmed things up a lot!

Once the table was all sanded and put back together, a coat of primer was added to assist the paint in adhering to the table. The finish on this table was very glossy and I really felt that sanding as primer was needed to assure a better paint job.

I brushed on a white finish and antiqued it with stain.  It is a great table for my foyer and only cost me $12 since I already had the paint and supplies.   

Now I just need to decorate it properly :)

BED AND BEDSIDE TABLE

The bed was an internet find and I loved the vintage touch. My daughter wanted her bed and table to be blue, so we headed to Lowes to buy a good robin's egg blue paint. To my luck I found just what I wanted in the oops paint and got a gallon for $5. I always recommend checking out the oops paint first. It will save a good amount of money if you can find the color that you want.

I found this bedside table at a yard sale for 5 dollars. I has a great little drawer and the shelf underneath for books. To give the table some personality I glued some bead board slats to the back of the shelf area. I love the cottage touch the bead board added to it. Now I am a bead board snob. You can find the bead board in sheets but I really like the tongue and groove paneling better. The beads are more defined and if you are just doing a small project, it's not really much more, but that's just my preference.

I did grunge up the paint job, which added to the distressed look. To find more info on distressing your paint project, check it out here.  I used a walnut stain and then put a clear coat over the top.

Finished Products:

DRESSER

This dresser was another garage sale find.  It was painted a bright blue and had yellow stars on it.  It was definitely in need of a re-do.  It was primed with all the furniture and then brushed red.  The knobs were courtesy of the 1/2 sale on knobs at Hobby Lobby.  The drawers don't work very good and will need to be rebuilt, but I use it for storage that is not accessed very much.  Another job for me down the road. 

TV ARMOIRE/CRAFT STORAGE 

We had bought this armoire years back for our bedroom TV.  As time went on and TVs became mounted on the wall, this became hall storage.  When we moved I was able to use our formal living room as my office/craft room.  This armoire was primed earlier and I brushed it with the same color my island in my old house.  (a little sentiment) Crystal knobs finished off the face lift.

Because this armoire was formally used for a TV, the back was cut out and wide open.  I got a 1/8 piece of plywood and cut it down to size to fit in the back of the armoire over the opening.  Rather than painting it, I took some fabric and spray adhesive and the back is now covered in a charming little fabric.  I love how it turned out.  It is a great place to store my crafting supplies, and looks amazing!!

CRAFT TABLE/DESK

I needed a desk for my craft room so I just search one the internet for a table for sale by a private owner.  I found this table that was in desperate need of a paint job, but had fabulous details!  I loved the scalloped edge and the details on the legs.  The top of the table even had a notched out detail on the corners.  The girl I bought it from, Laura, was a kindred spirit and initially wanted to paint this table too and just had too many projects on her plate.  She has a great blog called My Dear Trash, and she shares some awesome trash to treasure stories.

I got the table completed and love how it looks in my craft room (post to soon follow).  I put a velcro skirt around the 3 sides of the table to hide some baskets of fabric and a drawer caddy that I use, and it just looks so quaint.  The hard part was finding the fabric that I liked.

Here is a picture of the table at a church activity.

(The last picture shows the detail of how the skirt was attached with Velcro on the inside of the table.)

Other Painted Furniture in My House

Antique table that used to belong to my Great Grandma.
It was in desperate need of refinishing.

After

Ikea step stool, now on it's 3 coat of paint.  This stool sees a lot of wear and tear.  My distressing and antiquing beat my kids to grunging up the stool. 

Some book shelves found at a a consignment furniture store in Phoenix (J & K Furniture)

All of the furniture shown was painted with your basic interior water based house paint that you get at a home improvement store.  Many have asked about using spray paint, which is an easy way to paint.  What I like to use spray paint for is smaller jobs like painting frames, mirrors, and metal items.  If you have something already painted with an oil based spray paint you either need to prime it to paint with an acrylic enamel paint, or use spray paint.  Keep in mind when painting that water paints like to bond to water paints and oil based paints (spray paints), like to adhere other oil paints.  You will find out pretty quick if you have mixed the two items up when your paint will not stick and clumps up.

So here's to your next project!!  Good luck finding that great piece of furntiure that you can bring back to life and give it a touch of your own personality.