Work in progress.... not a "real" post

Hello fellow fleas.  I wanted to post a short update on what I've been up to.  Summer has definitely hit, and it's been too humid to do too much in the garage.  But here are a few things I've been working on.

This is flea market chair that I found.  It was in pretty good shape, but needed some updating. 

Normally I wouldn't post a pic like this until the project was finished.  However when I bought the chairs (there are two), I wasn't really sure what to do with them. After tearing them apart and cleaning them up... adding some paint, I'm really proud of the progress so far.  I have quite a bit of work left on them.  The chairs were not cared for very well, and need lots of attention.  But I'm progressing and so far so good.

Hope you have a wonderful evening!

Just me bein' all helpful and stuff......

Hello Posh Friends.  I trust you are all doing very delightful today.  I was able to work on several projects over the weekend.  And as I went from project to project., I found myself wishing someone had told me some things to watch out for...before I started.

Because I'm really courteous and stuff (shut up!), I thought I would share my experience and knowledge so that you can learn from my mistakes be thoroughly prepared:

• There are many types of glues for many different surfaces.  Each of those glues will stick your fingers together at some point.
• Glitter is the crack of the craft world.  Its addictive and makes you go a little nuts.
• Spray paint, much like a loaded gun, should never be pointed at your face when trying to see if it's clogged.
• It is not a good idea to have too many projects going at once.  This is advice that I do not follow, but you should. 
• Unless you want green spray paint in your hair, put it in a pony.
• I wrote once about the dangers of Pinterest, check this post out... but to summarize... Pinterest is evil. (ok, not really but it is addictive .... kinda like glitter).
• At some point, there will be unexplainable paint literally on every part of your body.  Don't try to figure it out.... its just best to accept it and move on.
• Fans are good when its hot.  However, fans and spray paint are not a good combo.
• While we are discussing spray paint, it will make your garage floor sticky and sometimes that makes your hubby a tad grumpy.
• If you spray paint in flip flops, your pedicure will look.... different.
• I like to listen to music while I work.  My neighbors now know I will never make the Voice auditions. But... my dance skills are off the charts yo!
• When your spouse comes out to the garage and there is a thick London-like fog of spray paint hovering in the air, you need to ventilate. 
• Your dog, when running through the garage, will step on or rub against the only wet paint object in the room.
• and finally.... hot glue guns are called HOT glue guns for a reason.

I hope you find these tips somewhat helpful.  Of course these are just things that I've overheard in Lowes.... I've never actually had anything of the sort occur. 

By the way, here are a few of the projects I worked on this weekend.  More pics to come later.

These are vases that I painted. 

 

I saw one of these at a flea market, and have been on the lookout for older lamp shades ever since.  This could be a decorative lamp shade or hung as a chandelier for a girls room.  Because the lamp shades today don't use as much metal, they are a bit hard to find.  However this was fun to decorate with feathers, toole, and bling.

 

Its a bit hard to see in this photo, but I got my decoupage on using a black and white theme.  I did this for my daughters room a few months ago, and really liked how it turned out.  I still have some trimming to do, but they are almost finished.

 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and didn't glue their fingers together.... twice.  I hear that's really embarrassing. 

 

Then came Raphael.....

Hello fellow flea friends!  So this weekend the hubs and I took a weekend trip to Eureka Springs.  We needed a quiet get away for a while and this was an awesome, local trip.

If you have ever been to Eureka Springs, AR the best word to describe it…. Eclectic. (and hilly..wow is it hilly).  You will see everything from hippies to bikers to yuppies. Lots of hemp...oh, so much hemp and for some reason, apparently wearing a bra is optional.  Yea, I don't get it either.  Eureka is full of small stores that sell all kinds of items.  Jewelry, flea markets, socks, art, food, and everything in between. 

The bed and breakfasts are beautiful.   Old architecture and antiques are stunning.  The food is always amazing.  And two of their hotels are haunted. TWO!  Which is totally awesome, except I went in one of them four times and didn’t see a ghost one. Not even a floating  partial body apparition. I won’t lie, I was a tad disappointed.

So as you know, I have a love of metal animals.  See my Ricky post.  This was the beginning of my flea market habit.  Next came Raphael.  I fell in love with his little mustache.

And so far there have been NO metal mice in the house.  Just sayin'

I recently bought Raphael at a flea market in Warsaw.  Now.  To be honest, I do think the quirky animals are super fun.  But part of my love of them is that my family doesn’t like them.  They find them weird.  While this would deter most mortals, me… it only makes me want more. 

So.  Back in Eureka Springs.  The Hub is probably the biggest non-fan of my metal animals.  And one of the shops we went into had absolutely gorgeous artwork…. And a ton of metal animals.  Of which, I wanted all of them. I was even a bit dizzy trying to see all the metal marvels.  The Hub finally stopped looking at where I was pointing like a kid in a candy store and just said “no”. 

Because of his horrible attitude toward such awesome finds, I started a photo file on my phone entitled “Things Kevin won’t let me buy.”  Below are just a few items:

 Why yes, that is a dog and a pink pig with blue wings, thank you for asking.

And here.. we have an armadillo and some red, AR hogs.  Whooooaaaaa PIG SUEY!!!!

 

Then when I didn’t have my phone (of course), I saw the BEST. THING. EVER.  So I found a similar one online because greatness like this MUST be shared. 

This, my friends, is an 6 foot pink flamingo.  I would call him Pedro, and he would reside in my living room for all to see.  I might even put a light on him to display his pinky awesomness.  Yet, that is a dream that shall not come true this day my friends.  Because before I could even tell the Hub to come see, he threatened to get the duct tape.  He has NO taste in funky amazing metal fun.

 

Just wait.  Pedro will be mine one day... oh yes.  He will be mine.

 

HOW IT ALL BEGAN...

Last summer my friend Paula forced encouraged me to visit a flea market with her.  I had never thought much about them, but one metal parrot later, and I was hooked.  Now I love them more than a fat kid loves pie and can smell out a flea market three miles away.

At the time, I was looking for a piece of furniture for my bedroom, but I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for.  Since I love to look at antiques and I’m super cheap thrifty, flea markets seemed like a good idea.  I mean, who doesn’t love the smell of dust, depression and dying dreams? (or so I imagined).  Then I saw him.  Staring at me with his big metal eyes asking –no beckoning me to take him home with me.  And that, my friends is how this hobby was born.

This is Ricky. AND  I. LOVE. HIM

But I really didn’t have an answer when asked “So, what do you like to do”? People tend to look at you funny when you say “Me?  I fill up my garage, haul around junk, and spray paint things until my garage floor is sticky, my toes are purple and I leave purple prints in the bathtub.”
So I thought I would research some definitions for you:

Posh - Adv.
    •    Smart, elegant or fashionable; exclusive  
    •    Upper-class or genteel
    •    In a manner associated with the upper class
I like this definition.  Plus I secretly like Victoria Beckham.  Not because she was Posh Spice, but I kinda like her “I’m awesome, look at my awesomness because it’s so awesome” style.

Flea Market - 1917, especially in reference to the Fr. marche aux puces in Paris, so-called "because there are so many second-hand articles sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas."

I don’t like that definition, and since I’ve never found a flea in the flea market, I’m gonna make up my own definition.  (It’s my blog, I can do what I want).

Flea Market - a magical place (not unlike Never, Never land or that planet in Avatar where the mountains were in the sky) where hidden treasures abound.  Where old things to  become reborn as new, useful, colorful, non-smelly cute things at a fair and reasonable price.

So.  That’s what I do.  That and write incomplete, run-on sentences with incorrect grammar on a blog.

**Incidentally, Dictionary.com is so helpful, that it gives you other words that are similar:

 Poshest is always a great word to know.  So is ninnyhammer: a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

I'm not sure, but I think Dictionary.com just insulted me. Or they have seen me after a marathon spray paint session.

Paint fumes and Ninja Swords.... they actually do go together... or not.

Hello fellow flea fans.  The last few weekends, I've been shopping and working on various projects.  Not only is flea marketing fun because you see wonderfully awesome things and sometimes things of nightmares:  (I saw the creepiest doll ever.  Chucky would have ran from her. She had these black eyes that followed me.   I was gonna take a photo, but I was totally scared she would somehow come thru the camera screen like that weird wet girl in the well coming out of the tv in that one movie.  Safety first people!)  But after I ran like I needed to jump on my bed from the doorway so the monster under my bed wouldn't get me walked like a mature adult to another isle, I overheard this conversation:

• Teen Boy 1: Wow... look at this sword.  Do you think its the real deal?
• Teen Boy 2: Yea, man.. that's way cool.  It's gotta be real. (ok, I don't know if he said "way cool" but you get the idea.....)
• Boy 1: Why would someone sell it if its real?
• Boy 2: Maybe the dude is poor and needs cash.
• Dad overhearing this conversation walks over: Ummm guys, it's $5.  Its a safe bet that its not real.  Kinda like those ninja stars there... they say made in USA.

At that moment, I realized that these boys knew more about Middle Earth than they would girls.

And since I'm always helpful and stuff, I told them where the devil doll was located so they could try out those ninja swords and stars and also so they could be creeped out as well.  Their parents can thank me later!

Anyway, most of you don't know me but if you did, you would know that when I shop I tend to stick to the basics.  The majority of my closet is black or brown.  Not that I don't like color, I'm just not really brave with it.  The majority of my house is neutral colors as well. 

However, lately I've really been trying to get out of my neutral comfort zone and add some color.  This is very stressful for me, and I've worried and fussed about it for months.  However, I put on my big girl panties and decided to take the plunge.  After I got up from the fetal position in the corner, I did this:

 

By the time I was done with the cute plant cart, I was all hopped up on adrenaline or paint fumes and started this:

 

 I'm outta control.  High on trying new things..... or the paint fumes, but I am enjoying my new color risks.  Obviously the chair isn't complete, but I was so excited I had to share.

 

I'm totally experimenting with colorful clothing too.  I added white to my closet.  Don't judge... change takes time people.

 

So the moral of this story, if you see a $5 Ninja Sword, it's probably not real.  AND.... paint fumes can be inspiring AND no one knows what those creepy devil dolls do at night alone in those booths. Remember Gremlins?.... yea.... remember that!

 

Happy Fleaing Folks!