Happy Easter to All, from Panoply - the promise of Spring is certain!

 

Fostering Finds

I've come across some great stuff lately. It's so hard for me to give up many of my finds once I've scored them, but hoarding is not a label I want either.  So, I guess I'll settle in as fostering my finds - sometimes two weeks, sometimes two years, it all depends on my mood. 

These past couple of weeks have been times for gathering, growing the stockpile of items for the antique booth spaces' upcoming vignettes, and it seems great things are coming out of the woodwork!  Tempting everyone from the dealer to the end user -  and I'm one of each - there have been lots of great items found.  And it seems to follow that once you find one or two great items, the ideas for styling just begin to flow freely.  It's a very invigorating feeling!

 Here's what the last couple of weeks have looked like, before it all gets sorted out and styled - fresh picks:



This is one collective haul, prior to separating mine from my sister's.  The dealer we bought from said "this car is bigger than it looks!"  Indeed, the Rav4 always amazes me with what it will hold.

 



After sorting, this was my haul (plus another piece of furniture picked up).

 



Then there was this haul from another dealer.

Last but not least, I'll give you a preview of a piece I came across that I am in love with - it's a warehouse cart from the early part of the 20th Century.  It would have originally been used to haul things from one area of production to another, or to move stock inventory. 

These are being reproduced by the likes of Restoration Hardware, and are quite pricey (starting at $700 for one sized like this), and going up from there, according to size.  But this baby is the real deal.

Finding an authentic piece like this, in this great, original condition that's been cleaned, sanded, and polyurethane coated makes it good for another century of use.  It would make a fabulous coffee table.  And it would look really good in my sunroom.  I think I need to foster this one for a while.





Okay, y'all, that's it for the preview show and tell today.  Now I've got to get busy and unload my car's cargo, and reorganize my basement so that I know where everything is.  Then I've got to list everything to satisfy my accounting brain, and only then will the really fun part begin - getting it into store display so the public can buy it!

It's Definitely Spring!

Happy Spring, Everyone!  These are my Spring blooms (photo taken yesterday).  I live in a Zone 6 area, now broken out as Zone 6B (closer to Zone 7 hardiness, according to USDA new 2012 standards ).  I love Spring!

And it is definitely Spring - what a fantastic week it's turning out to be!  Yesterday I spent most of the day at the antique mall with sister M, restyling booth spaces as a result of a couple large furniture pieces which sold over the weekend.  There seems to be a theme....come Spring, and everything and everyone jumps at the chance to get out, rebuild nests, and show some spirit!

I suppose the timing of tax refunds is a big incentive for shoppers, and I see a pattern at the mall.  Shoppers tend to go for big-ticket items this time of year, so it pays to be ready if you're a seller.

Here's a photo (below), showing the two big pieces that sold this week...a secretary/desk, and the storage bench just to the left of the frame.

So, when a piece such as this secretary sells, it takes some creativity just to find a home for all the smalls it was housing....our rule is "nothing goes home once it's in".  We try really hard to stick to that principle, unless it's purely seasonal items (Christmas linens, for example).

We brought a couple more big items in - a really nice Clark's spool cabinet and rare, child's trunk (see below).

The nice thing about our spaces is that we can separate frou-frou in one section, primitive and industrial in another, or we can mix it all up, depending on our inspiration.  These two pieces just added are in the more primitive side and, although the pieces that sold were from the fussier area, we were able to lighten it up a bit by just pulling a side chair and side bench that are versatile enough to be placed in either space.

And just as we were putting final touches on the area, a customer came in and wanted ot know if our wool rug in the fussier side was for sale??  Umm, yea, can ya give us just a few minutes to move everything off of this massive, 11.5' x 8.5' rug?  So, we completely dismantled the booth space, vacuumed & folded the rug for the customer, and proceeded to reset another rug we just happened to have rolled and propped against a wall in a corner.  Between that customer and her daughter, they also took the pair of lamps seen in that photo above (you can catch a glimpse of that floor rug also), along with another floor lamp, two decorative pillows, and a really nice hand-crocheted tablecloth.  They were quite the team!  Granted, this was not a typical day at the mall, or week, for that matter (we wish!), but a fantastic one by most sellers' standards.

So, I'd definitely say Spring has sprung!  Now let's get going... there are things to buy, things to sell!  Let's get our creative spirits growing!  Happy Spring, Everyone! 
~Rita

Panoply Meets Savvy City Farmer

My sis & I went to style our booth spaces this past Sunday, as we were expecting that Beast in the East of a snowstorm to interfere with our normal day....happy to report we only got a dusting, now it's time for Spring to be here now!

We added some Spring color in our spaces...it's time.  We've gotten some garden items in also, and I'll be sure to capture those in an upcoming visit.

My Monday morning was terrific....I was in my doctor's waiting area, checking my email, and found I had the winning guess on blogger Joy Frey Waltmire's newest upcoming venture!  After following her awhile through various online venues (Savvy City Farmer), it seemed the logical next step that she would combine her already demonstrated talents for sourcing, creating and styling into event planning! 

Joy's followers have come to know and love the shopping event she created and hosts, "Shop the Shed", but she's really going all out this year.  She's combining her talent, along with her sisters' photography and culinary skills, in a synergized, all-in-one event occasion venue at their family's farm homestead in Indiana.  If you're from this area and know of anyone with a wedding or other celebration planned in 2014 or later, you should definitely explore Joy's website, blog, and all her creativity here, at Savvy City Farmer:  http://www.savvycityfarmer.com/.  And even if you have no upcoming event, she's one chic to definitely follow....lots of good, creative energy!

I don't know about you, but I'm hoping to make a road trip of Joy's extravaganza with my two sisters, come September 7.  Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to receiving my giveaway, the latest issue of Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine, for yet another new source of inspiration!  I'm also looking forward to growing my new friendship with the Savvy City Farmer, even if it is virtual...for now. 

~Rita

Linens Unleashed

Remember in my last post I mentioned I got a display piece from our local ReStore?  Well, today my sister & I took it in to the antique mall and placed it in our booth - and we're totally pleased with the outcome!  Until now, our rack of vintage linens was overstuffed, which made it hard to even see what we had to offer.  But now, we have two racks, and room to bring in more linens!

Here's the rack we got from ReStore:

And here it is after today's styling in our booth space:

Here's what the original rack looks like now that its load has been lightened (it's two-sided, see photos below): 

We left the more formal linens in the two-sided original rack, and put the casual cottons in the cage rack.  The best part of it all - we didn't need to take anything out of the booth to make room for this!

Gone Junkin'....

Gone Junkin'....

My sister and I took a little junkin' trip just north of our town this past Saturday....can you guess where?

This is the Mothman, an urban legend created from an event that occurred in 1966, in Pt. Pleasant, WV.  I think the memorial creates more of a legend than the actual event did.  Wouldn't you love having this thing in your entryway?? Me either.


On another side trip this past week, this time to my local ReStore, I came across this sweet find!

Probably originally used in some sort of merchandising display, we're planning on doing something similar - cleaning it up and storing linens in our antique mall booth display.  It's super sturdy, has five graduated baskets (removeable) on a chrome frame, AND it has wheels!  Wouldn't it look great in a kitchen, or laundry room, bathroom?  I can think of several repurposing ideas.  What would you do with it?

"A Panoply of Purses" - 1st Edition, 2013

It's one month till Spring (thank goodness!) and, apart from going to the antique mall each week to restyle one section at a time, I haven't gotten into much personal decluttering or organizing at home since putting away Christmas decor.

One thing I did manage to do, however, is create a virtual organization of my purse collection - no small feat! I've been collecting for years and, though I've had the forethought of detailing the purchase records, listing each one on an Excel spreadsheet, and taking photographs of every purse in my collection, only now was I inspired to organize it all. And I did it with a Shutterfly book!

Shutterfly had a feature that let me link my project book within my blog from 2013-2017 for readers to view.
UPDATE: 
Unfortunately, in May of 2017, Shutterfly chose to disallow the use of the widget they specifically created to link with blogs.

If you're interested in seeing more of my purse collection, please visit my Pinterest boards below. You'll see my restored purse there, along with many other examples of beaded, mesh, and other styles, most of which are from my personal collection.  Enjoy!
Panoply Antique Beaded Purses 
Panoply Antique & Vintage Mesh Purses
Panoply Vintage Children's Purses
Panoply Other Antique & Vintage Purses, Vanities 

I've attached a photo of my book below so you can see what the end product looks like.

As always, your visits, comments and loyal readership are welcome, and much appreciated!

Rita C. at Panoply