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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Brimfield Shows, and more CHALK PAINT

a small view, some neat lamps

lt18
Lamps made of antique whiskers, different no?, I don't think I can put it in my living room, where shall we put this kind of lamp,, comment please I need your ideas.
Read my blog in the next couple of days for more pictures.

CHALK PAINT:  Are you having fun?  Did you watch Virginia's You Tube video?  I'm sure you did, I highly recommend Virginia, she knows how to paint furniture, walls, everything she does is absolutely gorgeous.
She is a sweet lady, and very very helpful.
Here are some pictures of my new projects:  there is such a different when you paint with Annie Sloan's chalk paint that is almost addictive. I don't know if you can see the finishes ( I'm sorry, my camera is cheap, I cann't justify the "Cannon", oh well, its good enough).  Before I buy a $1000.00 Cannon, I use that money to go to Europe and see the real antiques and gilded castles.(Sorry guys, I'm thrifty that way.  To be honest, this little camera is one year old and it does a good job. I feel you need to know how to take pictures and take a course if you are going to invest in the big dollars. I'm just an amateur photographer, you know family, and kids, perhaps this is a theme for a few series of blogs post.  Comments anybody, love them!!!!

This is an antique cabinet door, with very rusty hardware, it has more hardware, I took it off and I used different techniques with this cabinet.  I am very new at this, as you know, but I have a collection of brand new brushes, never used, and every tool you desire.  I inherited all from my Dad, he used some brushes but most are so new, I unpacked a few for the project, of course they are "THE BEST" He was addicted to Lowes and Home Depot.
Anyway do you see that huge brush, I love it, I did a technique called "dry brush" on top of the chalk paint Loui Blue (its another one of my favorite colors, because of its softness, also is a very classy color. I love the classics.
Anyway, back to the cabinet door, first a base coat of the Blue, then a dry brush technique of the white, I left the rusty hardware natural.  Still needs more, and of course the waxes, and distressing. I like it to be a very very soft blue with a little soft white, antique distressing, rusty hardware, and lots of wax mixing with paint, the works. (I'm dreaming, I don't know how to do all of that, that is why we have Virginia to answer our questions.





I had to add the blue mason jar and my flowers to see how it would look. Sorry, I'm an insecure "painter"  My family laughs at my paintings, oh well, I don't care, I like them.  I don't sell any of these, I enjoy them in my house. I couldn't invest all the hours it takes to paint the furniture and then sell it. People won't pay for all the hours Faux painting takes. Remember we are in a Recession, and I noticed people are watching their pennies.  Around here people make choices, its groceries, housing, gas, and maybe going out to eat.  How is it where you live??? Have you felt the recession?? is it afecting your buying habits?? I live in the East coast, and you can see groceries going up all the time, gas and utilities, and of course property taxes.
Here houses aren't selling at all, if you sell you have to give them away. Please comment I love to hear how are you managing the recession in other parts of the country?????

This is an iron architectural shabby piece very very heavy, I'm thinking a little bit of that gold gild that Virginia uses, I don't know, It has a bit of rust in the right places. Its a wonderful piece for over a window, or antique door. It was my mom, so I had it a few years.



The Brimfield Antique Show is this week, I am excited, every time I go, there are new shops, amazing antiques, and I hope to take lots of pictures for you.  Last year they felt the recession, I believe this year they will feel it even more.  Brimfield got hit with the horrible tornado, so this year for every item you buy they need a donation for the needy, they town was totally devastated. I heard that I won't recognize it.  This is so sad, Brimfield is a quaint New England town, dating back to the 1600's very small, and very very pretty.  I cann't believe that the tornado didn't do anything to the miles and miles of the fields.  The first time I went, I kept asking "where is the town?"  I couldn't believe that this is the place that hosts the biggest antique show.  One little pizza place, a couple of motels, an Inn, a bed and breakfast, and a little store.  Really, small, but they have great food at the show, and thousands of people, I mean, you walk and walk, and you carry the stuff, or hire a kid to carry the stuff, and then eat, and walk some more.  You really need three or four days to see all the fields.  The fields open in different days, they don't allow anything but real antiques and they decorate the little stores so so cute.One of the famous fields opens at 10:00 a.m and people are on line with tickets by 6 in the morning.  I hope I can take lots of pictures for you, if I see the queen MS I will try to take a picture, I heard on the news she buys ironstone, and jade bowls, also O was there and she loves the primitive paintings, from the 1600's.  She will find them at Brimfield.  The bargains of course are on Saturday and Sunday, because all these dealers need to take home as little as possible, so they reduced the prices, a lot of them leave early on Friday, but many stay until the end.
I was fascinated with the dealers, some of them bring huge trucks, and they sleep in them. They come from all over the USA. I talked to several dealers, and they shared that they enjoy the Brimfield show so much, they don't miss it ever. I have never seen a show like this one, the owners is a whole family, they treat people so nice, and the organization is superb. Last year I went with friends, and we stayed in our trailer for the night, played cards with a bunch of dealers and ordered pizza.  Oh yes they have a special Pizza for a special prize for the dealers. We had candles on the tables, vintage tableclothes, vintage glasses, of course, music, and it was very very quiet and spooky.

Last year, I stayed until Sunday, I scored a couple of very very old printing blocks from a little town in India, I saw them early but the woman was from NY and she wanted a lot of  $ for them, guess what ,she reduced them 80% on Sunday, she was loading this huge truck all byherself, I couldn't believe it, but she did it. No husband or helper, this is dedication and a "woman in business"

Hope you can go someday, you will never forget Brimfield, I promise.

see you tomorow,

martha