It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Yummy harvest table in progress for this weekends Antique Spectacular at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island, Illinois

So, I bought this great harvest table with awesome pink legs and apron last week at the Collector's Eye show at Hawkeye Down's in Cedar Rapids. It had "great bones" as the legs are solid oak and it has a nice drawer with glass pulls, BUT... it had a gnarly (not good gnarly) linoleum top on it. It was all dry and rotting and no one I know would have wanted to serve dinner to anyone on that top... SO...

...today I tore that gross top off of it, only to find another layer of linoleum covered by a piece of really tacky (dual meaning there) contact paper. Under the three layers was the usual felt paper backing that I had to use stripper to get off. I wish that would have been it, but it wasn't... there was this strange, thin layer that I have no idea about... it was a blue grid pattern on grey... it wasn't paper, it wasn't paint and no stripper I tried touched it... SO...

... I got out the good ol' trusty orbital sander with some heavy duty sand paper and I went to town... FOR THREE HOURS... sanding the darn thing. I haven't gone over the fine grained fir/southern yellow pine top with fine sandpaper yet... my arms are like noodles and I just couldn't do anymore today. It's coming, though... it's coming.

Look for me, the table and more great stuff at the Antique Spectacular this coming Friday night, Saturday and Sunday at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island, IL. Daddy and I will be there with all kinds of great finds. It's a really fun show with 70 dealers and we'll be in the way back corner, opposite the entrance.

COME SEE US and make sure you say hello and introduce yourself... see you there!

Halloween at the Blythe house...

Lisa and Kiki donned their outfits last night for trick or treat night in our little burg... they posed completely impromptu for this photo. Little Kiki almost made me pee with her little rapper peace signs... too funny!

The sweetest little cake cover EVER!

I absolutely LOVE this little cake cover. I paired it with a fantastic green chop plate that my dad had and I can hardly wait to unpack it at the Antique Spectacular next weekend in Rock Island. Oh so much fun!

Collector's Eye... A Success!!!

The past weekend was a whirlwind for me, but we made it through with flying colors! The wedding was beautiful and my kids did a great job. We had a blast at the reception and made it up oh so early in the morning to go finish setting up for the show. It wasn't exactly as I would have liked it to be, but I think the booth looked pretty darn good for the amount of time I had to offer it. I didn't sell the big sorter piece, the breakfront or the rolling workbench piece, so I will still get the pleasure of playing with those items for a bit longer.
Next show... Melting Pot Productions' "Antique Spectacular" in Rock Island at the QCCA Expo Center next weekend, November 5-7, 2010. See y'all there!

Busy Day preparing for Collector's Eye set up tomorrow!

Oh may, but it will be a full and busy, busy day today. The trailer is getting full...very full, but I know I can squeeze some more in there. I spent last night marking two huge baskets of textiles for the show. I've got some great stuff and am so excited to get to play with much of it for the first time. My good friend Amy from FourSistersInACottage is planning to come and help me set up as my beautiful niece, Erin, gets married tomorrow afternoon. We've got rehearsal and dinner tonight then tomorrow morning I'll have to get all my ducks in a row for ironing everyone's clothes and making sure the last minute stuff is done for the show, then set up starts at noon... for like two hours for me (HA), then home to get ready for the wedding, then wedding and reception, then an hour of two of sleep (HA #2) and then back to setting up. We'll see what miracles Amy can perform when we empty the trailer and let her loose. She's amazing and I'm looking so forward to working with her. Make sure to check out her website and her blog at

Well... off to it. Wish me luck in keeping my sanity this weekend. I'll be ready for some much needed R and R come Monday... no, wait... I get to work in the shop on Monday... make that R and R on Tuesday :0)

Me and my "little" boy...

Some better pictures of the sorter and such for the Collector's Eye and Midwest show...

Loot for the Collector's Eye show this Sunday in Cedar Rapids...

Just the pictures I happen to have of these few things I am planning to take to the show... Hard to see the sorter, but it's really cool. Not sure yet what I am going to put it on to display it, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. I LOVE the pumpkin color on the base of the workbench. Bobby got the stepback cupboard all varnished and is ready to put it back together.

Some fun vintage kitchen pieces from Polly Ann's!

Even though it's fall... I still can't resist the pastels!

Love this little yellow cupboard... it was once part of a secretary desk. A wonderful size. Perfect for displaying this collection of forest green glassware from the 40's and 50's. LOVE IT!

What a fun old refrigerator! I would love to see it painted cherry red or '57 Chevy aqua... a real find!

Look what Bobby built for me. I had this old sink and ask my honey to build a cabinet for me. I think it turned out great! What do you think?

Don't faint... Collector's Eye Show

Just wanting to check in and tell you all about our next show coming up on October 24th in Cedar Rapids...The Collector's Eye will be another awesome show this year. I've got a few things I'm really excited about bringing. I'm heading out this morning to put another coat of varnish on a great workbench/kitchen island piece on wheels. It's got a mahogany top and the back is painted a wonderful pumpkin color. I'm also working on refinishing a beautiful mixed woods step back cupboard. My most exciting piece is a 10 foot long divided feed store bin/sorter. It's missing a lot of it's original paint, but what's left is green and pumpkin colored. It would be so awesome in a quilt store filled with fat quarters. I soooooo wish that I had all sorts of vegetables, gourds, pumpkins, etc. that I could put in it. It would be fantastic at a farmers market like that. I should really call my friend at Bass Farms and see if she has a need for anything like that. It would be fantastic!!! I'll try to get a picture of it up today. My camera is pretty much toast, but my new phone should work.
Have a fantastic week... I'll be at the shop Wed, Thurs, Fri this week... yikes... that's today, better get moving!