Catch-Me-If-You-Can (Episode 1)

My oh my, dear Readers, but it has been a month!  Yes, I know, I have been terribly delinquent about regaling you with stories of my various vintage décor exploits, but it’s been a period of manic activity!  But now, as I calmly sit here with a cup o’ tea by my side and a purring kitty on my lap (and a few Xanax at the ready – alas, only joking about that), I’m prepared to tell all…. But, where to begin?  Let’s start with….

April 3^rd, Arlington Civitan Flea.  As I alerted you (don't say I didn't!), the first Arlington County Civitan Flea Market of 2010 commenced bright 'n early at 7 AM on April 3^rd.  This is the wonderfully fun event BFF Sharona and I stumbled upon late last year, and which is held the first Saturday each month (April thru November) in a multi-level parking garage in the county’s Ballston area.  Well, let me say, this season is off to a roaring start!  Each row we traveled provided many vintage treasures: an oval oak side table here, a carved wood frame there….But, the most amazing find was a set of four metal patio chairs which proved to not only be of the same manufacturer (Homecrest) and vintage (late ‘60s/early ‘70s) as the Jetson-esque group already occupying my garden, but with seats covered in the same gloriously vibrant mod floral design!  Though these seats have seen their share of fading and grime from exposure to the elements, this Furniture Addict is convinced that a little TLC will bring them back into the FABULOCITY fold.  Truly the discovery of the day. 

But wait, there’s more!  Like, the mid-century oval ceramic plate with faux-croc texture and dated as “1966” on its wood-toned underside (absolutely essential to the Mod grouping I’m planning for the As Luck Would Have It Fall 2010 Transition Collection!)….And this truly amazing and authentic art nouveau plate (I just about D-I-E-D when the good ol’ boy vendor said he thought it was “kinda old”!).   Between all these items and the set of four wooden wine boxes purchased from a young man selling off his mother’s estate of collectibles, there was barely enough room in the trusty Passat for dear Sharona.  Although she was willing to be sacrificed in the name of vintage décor victory, I nonetheless found space for her just long enough to drive us both to our fave breakfast (and pizza) spot, Atlantis, for a meal fit for Flea Market royalty.  After all, we were entitled to gluttony after all that, er, gluttony.

For a live-action experience of our early morning flea-vaganza, watch the video!  And be sure to check out Aaron and Shannon Hase’s “Yuppie Décor” offerings.  This friendly young couple’s spot at the flea was filled with yummy décor and furnishings.  "Hey, Aaron and Shannon – is that framed map of Nantucket still available?"

Next Episode:  Joseph’s Coat of Many Decors….

Furniture 911

Dumpster Diving.  Trash Digging.  Recycling.  Whatever you choose to call it, from my previous postings you already know I get a great thrill out of coming upon discarded treasures.  Personally, I like to consider it “rescuing” furniture and home décor objects from inevitable destruction.  The idea of some perfectly good home décor object meeting untimely end in some landfill is totally offensive to me.  And in this new “green” era, what could be more environmental and economical?

I’ve had some fabulous successes because of where I live.  In my neighborhood, which is a wonderfully preserved and well-regarded historic district in Arlington, Virginia, the first Saturday of every month is officially called “bulk trash pick-up”; unofficially, the residents refer to it as the Neighborhood Exchange.  For me and some like-minded neighbors, it is best described as Treasure Hunting Day.  On the Friday night before, you will see residents and outsiders alike trawling through the ‘hood in search of home décor gems that, for whatever reason, have been tossed aside.  Indeed, many residents place their discards carefully by the curb in anticipation of someone else making claim to them. 

Although I’ve lived in my ‘hood for over three years, these once-a-month Friday night expeditions are a new experience for me.  My first time out, just a few months ago, was so fortuitous as to have me hooked for life!  Having heard tales from a neighbor of all the bounty to be found on these treasure trips, I ventured out on foot late that Friday night, with the intention of walking just a block or two from my home to see if there was anything worth getting excited about.

Less than a block from my doorstep, I noticed a bulky pile of something on the curb.  As I trepidatiously quickened my pace to my target, I could see that two of the items appeared to be dressers.  Even as I got a closer look, I was sure that, since they had been unceremoniously tossed to the curb, they must be some destroyed particle board-constructed piece of garbage.  However, imagine my glee when, upon very careful inspection, I determined that these were actually very well made, perfectly intact and matching hardwood dressers!!  However, they also were quite bulky and heavy – much too substantial to move by myself, especially by foot.

Back in my home, I spent the next thirty minutes trying to convince myself that (a) there was no way that I could move these items, and (b) I have absolutely no place to store them (not to mention no immediate need that would justify the effort of claiming them!).  BUT WHEN HAS THAT EVER STOPPED ME?!?  I swear, it was as if I were trying to talk myself out of getting involved in a tragically doomed romance.  As I agonized over leaving those two glorious pieces to the inevitable – death by landfill – I was looking in my pseudo walk-in closet for something when it hit me:  I could used them for storage in my bedroom closet!! 

I raced down the stairs like a man on fire (or, more descriptively, like a crack whore after the next fix).  I quickly ran to the corner to see that the dressers were still there, calling to me; tossed everything out of the back of my VW Passat Wagon to make room for my haul, and sped over to the hulking mass at the corner, defying anyone to stand between me and my new found loot.

Keep in mind that I am still alone in this endeavor.  And let me tell you:  those dressers were NOT lightweight!  Unleashing some superhuman strength, I managed to get both dressers into the back of my compact wagon.  Of course, the hatch wouldn’t close, but I carefully drove back to my parking space, and lugged one of the pieces out of the car and into my front door.  There, I became all giddy and giggly (another Vintage Vertigo attack), thrilled at not only my good fortune, but also my ingenuity in capturing and delivering my prize!  The next day, I engaged Sig-O in assisting me to move both pieces to their new home, where they are very snuggly serving their new purpose – providing much needed space for my abundance of shorts, sweaters, and gym attire.  The pieces have a decidedly mid-century sensibility of form plus function, with an elegantly simple line.  They are a welcomed addition to my vintage collection!

Stay tuned for more tales of Furniture Rescue….After all, tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month!

Back to School!

I hope it is indeed possible to teach an old dog new tricks…! I recently enrolled in a class taught by Arlington County Adult Ed, “Furniture Repair and Refinishing”. With all my vintage décor acquisition activities (especially Dumpster Diving and Trash Digging), I have quite a few furniture pieces that are in various states of disrepair and neglect. My goal is to become sufficiently trained so that I can begin refurbishing some such items, or at least learn just enough so that I can be a real pain to anyone whom I hire to do so!

The class is taught at the Arlington Career Center, in the carpentry department. This is actually a rather impressive facility; classes are regularly held there in woodworking, tiling, and even shed building! My furniture repair class is held Mondays and Wednesdays, 2 ½ hours each night for 4 weeks. There are six students in my class; each student brought in a piece of their own furniture as their project.

Last night was our first class. Our instructor, Paul, is an affable gentleman who admits to being a trash digger, too (I’m sure we’ll get along famously!). He actually passed along a ‘curb alert’ for a discarded rocking chair at the beginning of class! (He also told me about his collection of wooden casket trays that he acquires for free from funeral homes; he plans to use the lumber to build a shed. Not sure I’ll add those to my list of ‘must-haves’.) We spent the first half of class having the students introduce themselves, their furniture items, and project goals. It was fascinating to see what each person had brought, and the history associated with each item. My project is a small folding wooden table that I had acquired from Lord knows where years ago. It appears to date from the 1930s/40s, is made of pine (according to Paul), and has a removable blue plexiglass top. The finish is pretty distressed, and one of the legs is cracked near the top (a previous owner had used medical tape to secure it in place….Lovely!). This table actually resided in my basement den for the past three years, so even as-is it’s functional and rather charming (the medical tape repair is not immediately noticeable!). However, I thought it would be the perfect first project for me, since it needs both refinishing and repair.

After discussing my project with Paul, I decided that I want to try my hand at a black lacquer finish. Also, I hope to find a vintage piece of mirror to have cut for the top to replace the blue plexi. (I’ve discussed the project with my friend Diana; as an alternative to the mirror top, I’m considering a gold leaf reversed glass decoupage! Do you think that’d be a bit much? Oh, I hope so – too much is never enough!).

Another classmate, Janet, brought an Art Deco Lane cedar chest for her project. Offered to her by a friend, this is a wonderful piece; while the interior is in near pristine condition (and even has the original Lane labels!), the exterior has some veneer issues, especially around the top and bottom edges.

The second half of class was spent with the initial cleanup of our respective items. Paul instructed me to use water, then paint thinner, to clean the wood in prep for the lacquered finish. Janet is going to provide me with a ¼” dowel rod to use instead of the medical tape for repairing the cracked leg. (Interestingly, Paul said a bamboo chopstick is a good alternative to a wooden dowel!). I have a list of other supplies I need to gather for the next class, including a very fine bristle brush, steel wool (for lightly sanding the wood), and of course the lacquer itself.

Janet spent her time chipping away at the heavily damaged veneers on her trunk’s edges. I suggested she might consider edging the trunk in black lacquer (it’s all the rage!) to give it a high-Deco look.

It’ll be fun to see how each student approaches his or her project; I hope to have time to observe everyone as they tackle their respective challenges, and apply that knowledge to future projects. For now, just wish me luck on my little table, and stay tuned for updates from each class. Hopefully, the before-and-after pictures will show dramatic changes (for the better!).