ROAD TRIP!!!!!!! CULPEPER, VA HERE WE COME!!!!!

Ok, so this weekend there is a big, and I mean BIG formal dance that my daughter, her BFF Shelby, and her BC(best cousin) Catherine are attending in Orange, VA. We are road tripping up there on Saturday, dropping the girls off and hitting the antique trail!! Hopefully, we'll hit an auction in Culpeper and several other shops there too! Look for photos of Fab Finds in my next post!! WISH US LUCK! (The 3 moms that is!!) I KNOW the girls will be having a ball!!

GREAT auction finds on the Eastern Shore!

Happy post Easter everyone! I hope y'all enjoyed a festive weekend with your families....we sure did and the weather was GORGEOUS!!

As I mentioned earlier, I hit the junk trail on Saturday morning and ended up at a Countryside Auction in Hopeton, VA. Ironically, everything I wanted, no one elsw was interested in so I did pretty well!! What GREAT therapy!! Thanks to my dear cuz Bucky for sticking it out with me til the bitter end! After all, that's when you can REALLY get stuff cheap!! Here are a few pics of what I got!

 DARLING ironstone fish mold  

Victorian silverplate cruet set

Large ironstone lazy susan. VERY COOL!!

 All three finds together!!

The lazy susan had a mold ring in the center of it which I cleared up fairly quickly by just pouring bleach right on the spot and letting it sit for a couple of hours. I finished it off by setting the lazy susan in the bright sun to thoroughly dry. It looks great!

As for the silver plate cruet holder, it's going to take some elbow grease to remove the black tarnish but I will perservere and show you what it looks like when I'm done! The bottles are all in good shape and just need a good cleaning!

The butter mold is only 3.5" x 5", just like an index card. I actually put softened butter into it for our Easter dinner on Satuday night and it came out great!

I'll be antiquing in Orange County, VA this coming weekend.....stay tuned for more Fab Finds!! Have a great week everyone!

WOOHOO!!!!!! Easter weekend!!!!!!! I'm hittin' the junk trail!!!

OK! According to the weather channel it's s'posed to be GORGEOUS Saturday and Sunday!! You know what that means???? YARD SALES HERE I COME!!! I plan to hit a few tomorrow and may even hit a couple of antique and consignment shops too!

Speaking of consignment shops, if you've never been to Rooms, Blooms and More in Historic Hilton Village in Newport News, VA then you are in for a TREAT!! It's a huge space located on Warwick Blvd and features TONS of high end furniture, decor and collectibles at great prices! If I could figure out how to put a link on my blog page to their FaceBook page I would do it but, alas, I'm a loser when it comes to that stuff! If anyone can help me with that I'd be much oblidged!

Anyhow, I'll post pics of what I find and let you know what I plan to do with my new finds in a couple of days! Meanwhile, get out there and enjoy this GREAT spring weather! Happy Easter!!

Project Pipeline!!

As promised, here are a few pics of recent acquisitions that I plan to spruce up! I will be glad to share how I will transform each piece and I'll include any suppliers that I use so you can refernece them when starting your own projects!

1930's wicker chair

I found this at an auction on the Eastern Shore of Virginia! Except for the chipping paint and slight rust on the springs it's in great shape! I will scrape as much of the old paint off as I can, repaint and then reupholster the back and the seat. I've got a great fabric in mind for this one!!

Great iron painted plant stand

This was a great find as the "dishes" that the potted plants sit on are all in great shape! No holes at all and they are all sturdy, not wobbly! This will be a quick, easy fix. It just needs a little scraping and some paint and VOILA! what a great additon to a patio or screen porch!

Reclaimed wood terrerium

This piece was made by a gentleman in Maine who takes old wood and makes these great terreriums. This one has fallen on hard times as it is literally falling apart. Three panes of glass fell out of it as I was moving it and, of course, I stepped on all 3 and they broke! Hmm...to fix or not to fix. That is the question! Look for a separate post on what I plan to do!!

Great garden settee and matching chair

Once again, this was a fab find at a local estate sale!! All these really need is paint and new chushions. But what color should I paint them? White? Green? Black? I'd love anyone's 2 cents worth!!

Green painted iron side table

This came from the same estate sale as the chair & settee. There was no top to this side table, therefore it really WAS a bargain! Not sure what to do as far as the top. I could just replace it with glass or I could do a mosaic top or tiled top. I really like the green color so I might try to replicate it!

Great mexican painted sink!

I can't tell you what a pain the rear this was to drag back from Mexico!! But hey, it only cost me $20! How could I pass up a bargain like that? Now all I need is a cute farm table or potting bench to cut a hole in and drop the sink right in!! How cute would that be!! I'm on the hunt for a suitable piece and will post a pic of it when I find it!! Wish me luck!

Last couple of pics for now.......I LOVE Hawes watering cans! They're from England and just completely charming!!

This is a great rusted sun dial of some sort! I'm not really sure exactly what it is but I love it!

Hope I've inspired you to go out and find a little something to redo. Whatever you choose, it doesn't have to be huge! Start small, build your confidence and then jump into the next project!! Check back soon as I will have before, during and after photos!! See you soon!

Spring has FINALLY arrived at Grubby Thicket!

WOW!! Finally after weeks of dreary cold weather I can safely say "Spring Has Sprung" at Grubby Thicket!! The grass is greening up, the dafs are in vigorous bloom amd spring on the river (the James River, that is) is evident from the skim of pollen that hugs the shoreline!! YAHOO!!   (aaaaaCHOOOO!!!!!)

For those of you who don't know Grubby Thicket, it's the name of my antiques and collectibles business. The name harkens back to the wonderful home of my youth spent in Montgomery County, MD. I lived in a wonderful old 1880's farmhouse on a dead end dirt road and, according to the the county platt from the 1880's, the land on which the farmhouse sat was called Grubby Thicket! Kinda cute, huh?? Now I live in the Tidewater area of Virginia, near Williamsburg and Va. Beach.What a great place for antiquing, yard saling and snooping around curbs and trash piles!!

Anyway, my mother (RIP, dear!!) started the business years ago. She had a shop in Leesburg, VA. but eventually gave that up and just did a series of Antique shows throughout Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. She would go to England and buy for the business and truly enjoyed a nice following! Now it's MY turn to take Grubby Thicket to the next level!

I LOVE to scour estate sales, yard sales, antique shows, auctions and consignment shops for FABULOUS bargains that I can spiff up, if need be and either sell or incorporate into my home!! Check out some of my current finds (coming soon!). I find it VERY therapeutic to scrape a piece right down to bare metal or wood and then transform it with paint or stain and give it new life.......BTW: it's cheaper than paying a psychiatrist!!

So, lets take this journey together...you never know what you're going to find along the way! I anticipate LOTS of great bargains and LOTS of great new friends!! Ciao for now!!

Next up: things I love!! I want to hear about what YOU love!!