Wednesday, May 22, 2013

This is Why a Body Needs Sleep...Boot & Shoe Store Sign

I had another one of those 1:30 in the morning moments last weekend, when I just had to make something before I could sleep.  Actually, I had already gone to bed and been asleep for awhile, but my mind was still on "high alert" because I was waiting for my daughter to get home from the drive-in movie, so some little sound woke me up, thinking it was her.  I decided to just stay up and work on something until she got home.
I had picked up this antique business card a few months ago, and meant to post it for Antique Graphics Wednesday, but realized I never did and decided to make a sign using the image.  I love the typography and especially the curved "and".
I scanned the business card and removed all the background with Photoshop, so the Silhouette could "read" the letters (you can use this image with your Silhouette as well).  For my sign, I decided to remove the name of the company and the extra words at the bottom, because it fit the board I had better than way.  If you decide to leave the company name on top, you'll notice some extra cut spaces inside the letters, because the Silhouette reads any little bit of variance in shading as something to cut.  If you are using it as a stencil, that part will be removed anyway, so it won't matter.
My board was an old one that was already painted black, so I just used the vinyl stencil to add the words.  I used a stencil I already had to dress up the corners of the sign.  Once it was dry, I distressed it, then wiped some wood stain over it to deepen the aged look of the distressed areas.  Things were going swimmingly.  It looked wonderful. At that point I went to bed, somewhere around 2:45 a.m.  
I don't know what the heck woke me up at 5:30 in the morning, but up I was.  I soaked in the tub for awhile and when I got out, the sun was up, so I decided to put a coat of spray sealer over the sign so it would be dry by the time I got home from church.  I grabbed the spray can of sealer, shook it and started spraying.  The next thing I knew, there was a fine mist of white on my sign!  I freaked out, thinking I didn't shake the can well enough or something, but upon closer inspection realized I had grabbed a can of white spray paint...not clear sealer.

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Folks, this is why a body needs more than 2 hours of sleep at a time.  No, I didn't take a photo of the disaster - I was too busy having a fit.  It was such a fine mist of white that I quickly grabbed some sandpaper and started sanding like crazy, trying to salvage it.  I had to sand it a lot to make the white blend in, then I put a new coat of wood stain over it again.  I really thought it was going to end up in the burn pile, but by the time I was done, I was okay with how it looked.
It does seem appropriate that it was a boot and shoe sign that I messed up on, because I really need a swift kick in the butt for working on projects with my eyes half open.
Blessings,

Angie

Farmer's Market Sign - Repurposed Headboard

Today, I'm guest posting over at Must Love Junk where I'm sharing this Farmer's Market sign created from an antique headboard.  I hope you'll swing by to see it, and wish Susan a happy 1st Blogiversary!
Blessings,

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Antique Graphics Wednesday - 1900's Kodak Advertisement

Here's neat old image of a Kodak camera, and the original advertisement it came from.
Let me know if you use this on one of your creative projects - I'd love to see it!


Blessings,


Angie



Monday, May 20, 2013

Knick of Time Tuesday #87

Sorry for all the glitches - the linky tool is up and running now.

Welcome back to Knick of Time Tuesday!

No food, no food, no food!
:0)
I love food, I really do, but please remember that the theme of this party is vintage style, so unless you are sharing your grandmother's recipe, don't share food links - I hate deleting.
Here are some features from last week's party!

Glass Slipper Restorations share the amazing transformation of their front porch.  Be sure to go check out the before and after.
Painted rockers and swing
I love these pretty little chippy benches shared by A Vintage Green.

My Vintage Life shared some beloved old books that belonged to her grandmother and mother.  What treasured keepsakes.

Denise on a Whim created a charming shelf with a chalkboard out of a broken chair.  You know me - I love a great repurposed chair project!


If you were featured, feel free to display this button!

Pamper Yourself a Little!


Cynthia from Sweet Harvest Farms sent me an amazing assortment of products from her shop.
My son brought in the mail and said, "Mom, you got something that smells really good".  He wasn't kidding.  These soaps aren't just for girls either.  The guys in your life will love her more masculine scents.  I've never thought of soap as being sexy, but you seriously need to smell the Amore scent.  It's like the Matthew McConaughey of soap.  I really like Midnight Dreams too.

Not only do her soaps smell wonderful, but they are beautiful as well and the substantially-sized bars last a long time.  I started using one bar back in March and I've barely made a dent in the size it, so they are a good value also.
I love being able to get my favorite scent in a whole product line - soap, bath salt, lotion, shea butter bars and even candles.  The only problem is deciding which scent is my favorite, because I'm having a hard time deciding.
 I told my kids they could each pick a bar of soap of their own.  It was so funny watching them sniff each bar and argue over who got which one.  My kids aren't little either - they are 20, 18 and 13.

Treat yourself to some of these products and you'll feel like you've visited a spa, without the big price tag.

Now, let's see your vintage style!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Good Pickin's!

My husband and I went to a neighborhood garage sale over the weekend and I managed to fill the back of my vehicle in a little over an hour.  People were out in droves, but fortunately, most people weren't looking for the kind of things I had my eye out for.
I'm always looking for porcelain stuff, and rusty stuff,
industrial stuff,
 and sitting stuff,
chippy, sweet stuff

old wood and wheels stuff,

Army green stuff,
salvage stuff,
zinc stuff,
keyhole stuff,

and crate stuff,
is great stuff.
Blessings,

Angie

Friday, May 17, 2013

My Boy

I apologize in advance for this post.  If you are sick of seeing photos of my kids, I'm going to subject with more of them today.  My middle son is graduating from our homeschool, and being the thrifty mom that I am, I always take their senior photos.  I am not a portrait photographer at all (or any real photographer at all), but we both were really happy with some of the shots we got, and with so many pretty nearby settings, we had some great locations to choose from.  
His pooch, Pico, had to be part of his senior photos, because he's my son's best little buddy.  I've often said that we should have named him Shadow, because he always stays close enough to my son to be his shadow.  We're fortunate to live close to a beautiful state park, so the dock made a great place to get some pictures.
My youngest son came with us and brought his pooch, Chica, so I got a few shots of them as well.
There's also a wonderful old barn down the road from us, which made another great backdrop.
This shot looks like he's either pondering his future...or staring at cows.

Another shot with Pico...who really wanted to chase mice in the barn.

I was really happy with this photo, because I've been practicing with my camera, learning to get backgrounds blurred, with the subject kept in sharp focus.  
I'm going to miss this kid so much when he goes away to college in the fall.  He's made me laugh, cry and pull my hair out since the day he was born, and home just won't be the same without him here every day.

I promise, I won't make you look at any more photos of my kids...at least for a little while.
Blessings,

Angie