Can't take them anywhere.

So we go out yesterday to get the yearly Santa pictures done with the girls. Silly me, I thought that's all we were doing. Somehow this simple task turns into a multiple hour shopping excursion with several car trips hither and yon. And of course, me as a captive passenger. I shouldn't be surprised. I don't know how may times Linda and I have left the house to make a "quick trip to the grocery", then somehow mysteriously end up spending an hour at Joann's Fabrics. I secretly don't really mind, but I just can't let Linda's evil schemes go unchallenged. So, as we traipse around town with a car full of girls yesterday, I grumble a bit. Linda says I play the curmudgeon to the hilt. Whatever. I'm a man in the midst of a wife, two daughters and five granddaughters. A very privileged and blessed place to be, but also a distinct minority. If I don't complain about being dragged around town shopping or whatever, how will they know that I love them and love being with them - even if we are doing something a tad too testosterone free? I mean, I missed the Gonzaga game for this? So, after receiving my due rebuke for my cumudgeonly ways, I thought of the best retort: REVENGE.

This is Linda, Lily and Gabby getting silly at Uniquely Chic in Spokane. I swear, I can't take them anywhere.

-Jon

Turkey Leftovers are Gone...Christmas Tree is Up

Sure, it is easy to say “Don’t let me buy ANY MORE Christmas decorations this year!” as you are in a ninety degree August attic sorting and organizing boxes.

Now its “But Honey, I’ve decorated the tree the same way for the past xxx number of years!”

So it is off to Mels for inspiration and Michaels for supplies. I’m excited about creating a whole new look with simple changes like new ribbon, a glitzy garland, change the dark red satin balls to shiny black ones. An economical Christmas tree makeover!

We crafted some little round mirrors and hung them from black organza ribbon. I'm sure they add sparkle to the tree but next time I will use larger mirrors. I also recycled the dried hydrangea blossoms from a fall centerpiece by spraying them with golden glitter (the result was subtle and natural). They were an easy replacement to the deep red silk hydrangeas from prior years. Angel joined the vignette in her original role as a Christmas Angel.


The little black lanterns were filled with mica snow and flickering battery candle lights. Hmmm, I wonder who I will nominate to turn them off and on once they are on the tree?  [Three guesses... - Jon]

Still to come - decorating the mantle, staircase bannister, chandeliers....then the outdoor lighting and wreaths. My Christmas wish? That we don't get 19 inches of snow overnight a week before Christmas, like last year!!
- Linda

Pretty Pocket Pies

Since apple pies are my favorite, I bought this little pocket pie "machine" at Williams Sonoma, just for fun.

There is a recipe on the box, but just mix up a batch of your favorite pie crust, peel and slice some apples, add sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pat of butter. (On our farm we had several huge Macintosh apple trees that provided many zillion quarts of applesauce, apple cider, and pies. I still search out Macs for my pies and sauce.)

It was easy - use the pie machine like a cookie cutter on the pie dough, then pop it in the machine, add apples (you can also use canned pie filling if in a hurry), add the top crust, crimp the edges closed and bake. 

Fun! My double 9-inch pie crust recipe made 6 pocket pies. I think I will roll the dough out a little thinner next time so they are more flaky and delicate. Nonetheless, they were eaten in a flash!

- Linda

Another Great Weekend

      Kim, Kristen, Jon, Linda, and Jessica thank each of you who visited Angel’s Attic at Saturday’s Vintage Finds & Handmade Treasures Market in Nine Mile Falls. We enjoy meeting and getting acquainted with our customers and other vendors. Your positive comments are so encouraging and help ease the hard work of doing a show!

      Thanks to show organizer Jennifer Walker of Unexpected Necessities for keeping everything running smoothly and the cupcakes and other goodies during set up.

      The show had a lot of different vendors showcasing everything from vintage furniture to clothing made from vintage fabrics to handmade jewelry. Another great feature was the used book sale. If you like to buy books at a bargain, this was the place to go. Jessica and Kristen alone brought home four bags between them! Be sure to check it out next year.

Here we are (Jessica, Linda, Kristen and Angel) in our booth before the show.

      Angel's Attic is now hard at work planning our Spring Open House and we promise new items which are bright, light and colorful. The search for treasures continues. Please check back with us to see what we find!

-Linda

An Angel Among Us

How did an angel come to live in our attic? A year ago, my husband and I were helping set up Sophia's Christmas display at a retail establishment when I spotted Angel in another part of the store. Lit prettily by candlelight, she hung suspended above a mantel decked out for the holiday. A very unique piece. But sadly, I left her there – we all struggle with temptations to bring things home, don't we? Later, my husband secretly returned to the store and purchased her as my Christmas gift. He even managed to hide this rather large angel (she is about 4 feet long!) in the house for several weeks until revealing the surprise on Christmas Eve. Angel became the inspiration for our business name and anchored last summer's Farm Chicks Antique Show display before taking center stage in Angel's Attic. Many have wished to buy her and take her home but this gift from my thoughtful husband is staying put!
-Linda

Project #752 and Counting...

Outside a local antique store I found this great project chair for only $16! I’ve never redone the upholstery on a chair but would like to learn a new skill. I love the details on this chair but am a bit undecided on the new finish. Wondering about a style I spotted in a magazine with a light, creamy antiquing glaze over a darker base color. It gives the wood a wonderful old European look. The fabric is an easy decision – a light linen look with a script design.

This is a chair that probably won’t make it into an Attic sale. One must indulge once in a while! I just hope I complete the project before the house is redecorated (again).

If you have any helpful advice on reupholstering, I'd love to hear from you!
-Linda

Scanning for Life Forms...

I just had to show you how cute our granddaughters were on Halloween. Jillian is on the left in the costume (uniform?) that our daughter Jessica made. Maybe you have to have been a Star Trek fan to fully appreciate it, but I thought it was totally irresistible. Jess made it as authentic as possible, not only making a Next Generation era commanders uniform - notice the three pips on the collar - but she also made a mini tricorder out of felt to go with it. You should see the tote bags she makes for us! Next to her is Lily wearing a classic pumpkin costume that her mother wore when she was about the same age (3), Summer dressed as a "flower child" and Gabby looking scary with her glow-in-the-dark fangs and the glittering red cape Linda made for her.

-Jon

Foof? What foof?

Knowing we are always looking for furniture to rehab, our son in law, Andy, offered us his old nightstand which he'd used all throughout his childhood. Originally a brown wood stain, it had seen better days with its surface scarred, water stained and well used. Despite this, it was easy to recognize its good "bones" and interesting details, so we accepted it and gave it an "extreme makeover". I thought someone might enjoy a fun, Frenchy look on this table. It could now take a respectful place in a bedroom or any room of the house.

Oh yes, Andy is a modern, no frills or foof kind of guy... do you think he'd like it back?

-Linda

Stool Pigeon

It's an old idea. Take a vintage piece of furniture - in this case a small stool - then paint it to give it new life. Simple, right? When we bought it, the stool was covered with a dusty, crusted yellow paint which came off on my hands. My wife wanted this specific look that she had seen somewhere. As often happens in these sort of cases, the challenge is communication of what she wants from her brain to mine. I thought, "Sure, I'll repaint the stool for her, no problem." Little did I know that this small project will require sanding, priming, two coats of base color, black accents requiring both taping (the stripes) and hand painting (both stripes and dots), then a very carefully applied glaze, then a clear coat. I think I may have been suckered. Not that Linda would ever do that to me - of course not.

It was more work than I thought it would be, but I'll admit it was fun as well. I always enjoy doing things I haven't done before. However, unless we end up selling it to a multi-millionaire with a highly developed sense of the ridiculous, there is no way I can come close to recouping my cost in time spent. But I guess that would probably be true of most things I fix up. I try not to look too closely at the bottom line, being afraid of what I'll see. I'm not the only one, am I?

I wish I had thought ahead far enough to take a "before" picture, but here is the "after".

What do you think?
-Jon

Speaking of H1N1...

As I mentioned in the last post, Kristen came down with the H1N1 virus and couldn't work the sale on Saturday. Well, she had also been told that she couldn't have any contact with her 3 month old daughter, Summer. Her husband had to work on Monday, so Grandpa "had" to watch her. Believe me, I didn't mind. We had a fun time together. I may be an old softie, but there is nothing more endearing than a baby who smiles at you like she thinks you are the the most loveable and entertaining person on the planet. And there's nothing more peaceful than a baby asleep. I took this picture when she got here, asleep in her car seat. In fact, this entire post really was just an excuse to show you our little Summer.

While I am at it, here is our other baby granddaughter, Jillian (Jessica's daughter). She just turned 1.

Are we lucky or what?

-Jon

There's a First Time For Everything

We want to thank everyone who came to our first ever open house. Angel's Attic was launched on Saturday and was a great success. We received a lot of positive comments about our decor inside and out, as well as the products we were selling. The weather even played along, giving us a sunny mild day. After the pseudo-monsoon of the previous Friday, the sun was a gift!