Saturday Morning Things...

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Tomorrow is the day all the outside kitties are scheduled to get spayed/neutered. I picked up one trap for Farrah and have three crates of my own ready to go. This morning I put the food bowls for Farrah, Gray and Dorian on the screen porch and once they were all in, I closed the door. They are not happy to say the least, especially Farrah.




I am having second thoughts about getting the kittens done so early. They can't be more than 10 to 12 weeks old. Farrah has to go, of course, but maybe I could keep the kittens on the back porch for a few more weeks, try to socialize them more (they are still very wild like their mother, although more trusting than she will ever be), have them spayed/neutered at a safer age, then properly place them in a home.



I have till tomorrow morning to figure all that out...
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I have a family of blue jays in the yard. This morning one of them knocked himself out, while trying to crack a nut open on the iron rail of the porch. He hit the rail hard, wobbled, then fell to the ground. He was out for 30 seconds, then started to come around. I waited with him till he was on his feet again so no cats could get him. It was the weirdest thing to witness and I hope he learned a lesson.


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This morning, as I was driving down the street I passed a garage sale and saw this record cabinet sitting out. I turned around, got out, saw the $5.00 price tag, bought it instantly, loaded it up and left. It is in perfect condition too. I see them often in my old magazines and catalogs and always make a mental note of how perfect they would be for book storage (since you can take the record partitions out of most). I had been hoping to come across one.


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Bentwood Rocker: New Project

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Growing up my favorite piece of furniture in our house was a Thonet style rocking chair, but instead of the bentwood, the frame was a chrome plated tubular steel. The oval back and seat frame was a lacquered black and the caning on the back and seat was a light blonde color. It was my favorite, not because it was a neat design, but because as children we would flip it over and jump and stand and climb all over the steel frame and for some reason this was endlessly entertaining.

I can not find a picture of one online anywhere and I have been searching for months...
It was very similar to the top right hand corner, except the frame was the chrome steel, as shown on the chair in the top left hand corner:

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I have a vague memory of it sitting out on the side of the road, with all the other "trash", when we moved into our new house in the early 1990s..and according to my parents it is in fact very much gone. I have been on the lookout for something similar for awhile now. A few months ago I came across a not so great quality knock off of one of these bentwood rockers for $10, and even though the back and seat were upholstered in something faux-furry like a teddy bear, and not caned..and even though the wood was covered in an awful overly glossy purpley finish, I picked it up anyway determined to do something right to it:


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I am stumped a bit with the furry stuff...not sure how to get it out of the frame (wish me luck).

When and if I do, I hope I can cane the the back and seat with something from Constantine's like these:


....and then there is the refinishing of the bentwood. Still not sure how tough that finish will be to remove (wish me luck).
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Tuuli Fabric Chair Progress + A Lamp

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Just posted this over at day-lab DIY and thought I would post here too... :)
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Well, tonight I was able to get a little work done on one of the 1970 $3.00 garage sale chairs.

Before.This picture is from the day I bought them:

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During. Taking the old fabric off:

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Progress. I am very happy with the results thus far with this fabric...very happy with the choice.

With the new stuffing/batting and fabric:




And I just noticed there are little birds in the trees, a nice surprise detail:


Now, I can devote my next block of free time to working on the wood frame. I am almost done with the sanding, then I need to decide what to do for the finish/stain etc.
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Also, my daughter has been waiting for a new lamp for her bedroom for a while now. She wanted it black and white to match one of the many fabrics we used in her room, if possible.

So, today I started with an old broken IKEA lamp with a dirty shade. Of course, it wasn't really broken, and just needed to be rewired. So, I bought a $7.00 lamp rewiring kit and before rewiring, we painted the base black (I think it would have looked great green, but she insisted on black)..and then using a little left over fabric, fabric glue, adhesive spray, and some of that instant iron-a-hem tape, we had a brand new working lamp for her nightstand:

Before and after:



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Printer Love + Bird Finds

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So Pearl has been beyond mischievous this week. I have been extra busy, and maybe that's why. Maybe she is constantly on top of me, or very near me starting some kind of ruckus, because she is used to more attention than she may be getting this week.

Once content with looking out the window for at least an hour at a time, watching birds...


but no more...this week she seems to enjoy attacking me, the tape, the bags...or trying to consume plastic (she has this thing with plastic..) while I am packing up orders or organizing stock..




She also enjoys camping out either on my little side work desk, on top of the papers I am trying to work on...or in front of the printer waiting and waiting for something to print...



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My laser printer is out of toner, so i have been using the very loud ink jet that makes the entire desk shake when it prints. Pearl is obsessed with this printer. Since having her little paw get stuck for a millisecond, she now prefers to rest her head on the paper tray (as far in as it can go safely) and wait and wait for the next paper to come out...which she then tries to destroy:





(and don't worry, I watch her like a hawk to make sure no more paws get stuck or hurt in the printer...)
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A couple of weeks ago I found some second hand items for my bedroom, which I am in the midst of trying to get done b/f the new year...

Old bird plates/prints:




A really neat white duck bust:


And some pretty fabric, not for my room, but it was too pretty to pass up...

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Back to work for me...

Hope you all have a great weekend!
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www.day-lab.com
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Estate Sale Finds

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Saturday morning bargains:

Two lounge chairs circa 1970 (need to be refinished and reupholstered) for $3.00 each and an aluminum porch rocker, which I have been in search of for quite some time, for $2.00, which will need new webbing eventually.

$8.00 total:





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And, the other day I found this fantastic lamp for $14.00.







The shade looks to be the original. And the entire thing looks more forties to me than fifties. I have not been able to identify it yet though, and it is driving me crazy. There is part of the original sticker which shows "EEN" (part of the manufacturer's name) and "FINE CHINA" underneath that.
So, at least I have that to go on:




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If anyone knows anything about the lamp, let me know! :)
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Dream Auction

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So, for a minute last week, when I read about this auction, I actually looked into plane ticket prices to Indiana. I really wish I could go. If any of you are in Indianapolis, Indiana please go (it's tomorrow), take lots of pictures and report back to me about every little detail. That way, I can live through you vicariously for a little while, instead of whining about how we never have auctions like this here.

Even in the mess that you will see in the pictures of the estate, I saw at least 15 things that made my heart skip a beat. I can't believe all that was in there...I wish I knew the back story:





Auctioneer's Note: Auctions of this caliber rarely come to market. At first there were only paths through this Meridian Kessler Estate. Every room was fully packed. We will sell all day in two rings Great Victorian Furniture, 1000’s of pieces of glass, Fine Porcelains, 100+ lots of Stoneware & Crocks, Estate Gold & Costume Jewelry, Ephemera, Nice Pottery, Sterling, 150 Victorian Prints & so much more. We hope to see you at the auction!

Link to auction info and tons and tons of photographs of the estate: Large Multi Generation Discovery Auction
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It looks like some crazy kind of Grey Gardens situation, doesn't it?


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Oh, I do love both Edies so much.


and..


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Side of the Road Finds

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This morning we happened across a pile of discarded things on the side of the road in the neighborhood next to mine.

What is sad, is that it rained quite a bit last night, and so the table and chair probably would have been in perfect condition if they wouldn't have been outside last night.

We found:

This very sturdy, almost perfect, hairpin leg table. There is a section of veneer that is soaked from the rain and coming up (hopefully an easy fix or re-veneering):


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This seventies brown plastic table with removable legs. I was looking for these about a month ago and had no luck, so I was really happy to see this one in perfect condition. We had lots of these when I was a kid...great for a million things:


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Three very neat tv tray tops. My daughter loves the butterfly and I love the greek key bordered one, since a lot of our house's outlet covers have a greek key border.

And about 6 metal tv metal tray bottoms, 1 in silver and 1 with wheels labeled CAL DAK:






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And, really happy to find this Leg O Matic Chair from the late 1920s. I have admired these in some of my old catalogs for some time (so practical and functional and well made). The rain caused damaged to the accent back, but with laser cutting, it should be an easy piece to replicate and replace. Other than that it is in pristine condition:









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www.day-lab.com
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Chair Dreams + Trash Finds

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Last night, I had a chair dream. I suppose this is because I have been obsessing over patio furniture and the three interior chairs I need to get reupholstered. Anyway, the dream involved a Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair (a new favorite) and an old Chromcraft caned rocking chair that my parents used to have (I think about it from time to time and wish it was still around). Both were on the side of the road....looking perfect from a distance. I rushed to grab them both, but as I got closer I noticed the caning was disintegrating and the Papa Bear Chair was covered in cat urine (clearly, this part is a product of my fear that the new cats will urinate on and ruin all of my furniture).

Leave it to me to have nightmares about chairs.

So, this morning, in order to wipe the nightmare images from my mind, I found myself at one of my favorite sites: 1st Dibs, which is a huge shopping database of antique, mid century, modern, vintage furniture and lighting. The best part about it is that you can search via city, creator, piece of furniture etc.

Some examples which kinda sum up my recent chair obsessions:


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Watch out, it is easy to get stuck there for quite some time.

Some of my favorite designers that have categories at 1st Dibs are Thonet, Edward Wormely, Paul McCobb, Hans Wegner, Jens Risom, Finn Juhl.
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Oh, and this week, on the side of the road in front a of a cute little 1930's cottage my daughter and I found 2 discarded hanging shelves! These are sooo nice. They are built super well, and the scalloping looks hand carved. All they need is a little sanding and new coat of paint. One will go in my daughter's room. Not sure where the other will go yet. The kitchen, which has a vintage cottage feel, seems the most appropriate room.




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It has been a really busy hectic week. I haven't had time to work on any projects inside or outside. Ah, but I look forward to Labor Day weekend to get all the things nagging me to get done...actually done (at least most of the things)...and to get a new update done with new vintage jewelry pieces. So, check back soon...
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www.day-lab.com
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