Come on over...

to my facebook page to see my obsession of Wilendur tablecloths.  I am going to try this once to see if you will like me on my facebook page, too.  I seem to be getting more action there than on my blog so I made my post there and I am inviting all who read my blog to stop by.  Thanks.  Denise
Click here to go to my facebook page...

If you're going to Wildwood...

You know I have three spaces at Traditions Antique Mall in Wildwood.  We're 30,000 square feet big, so come for the day, enjoy the mall  and then enjoy the area.  The mall opens at 9:30 a.m. so come early and get your day started.

After shopping the mall, I highly recommend Cotillion Southern Cafe on Hwy 301 for lunch. It's only a mile or two from the antique mall.  They serve fried green tomatoes, and make the most glorious homemade desserts...need I say more??? 

On your way there you will pass by one of my favorite shops in town: The Red Door - Gifts and Home Decor.
Lisa Corrales, the owner, carries a wonderful selection of rustic iron garden decor, cement garden art, and outdoor garden furniture and accessories.  Inside the shop there is a wonderful selection of interior cottage and garden decor and gifts, hand painted furniture,custom florals, and of course, jewelry!  I'll let you peruse the pictures so you can get a feel for her inventory.  And, the cute dogs in the pictures...they are there to greet you and might even look for a little attention, but they're not for sale! Sorry!

 That's my Mom...she likes The Red Door, too!

That's my sister in the upper left, but don't tell her...she didn't want to be in a picture...

 That's Lisa...she's a pretty Southern girl!

 Aren't these little guys cute...they'll be at the door when you arrive...always a wonderful greeting!

 Here are the addresses you are going to need:
Traditions Antique Mall                                                  
3107 State Road 44
Wildwood, FL 34785-4048
(352) 748-6255

Cotillion Southern Cafe
101 North Main Street
Wildwood, FL 34785-4048
(352) 748-1223

The Red Door
207 South Main Street
Wildwood, FL  34785
(352) 748-2044

Lunch with Fellow Bloggers

                                                  Me, Carol, Kathy, and Sue.

Ya know...not everyone gets it.  We decided it was nice to sit and chat with one another because we have similar interests and most of those that we know that aren't in the business just don't get it.  Carol even said her son refers to Carol's followers as her "invisible friends".  Well, they might be until we get together for lunch and we become reality. We met at BRIO in Winter Park Village yesterday for an awesome Italian lunch...the food was wonderful if you haven't been to one yet, and we enjoyed each other's company.  Carol is especially helpful and will share all of her secrets.  She is a shabby chic girl and loves to do all kinds of shabby chic and French-style crafts.  Check out her blog: The Polka Dot Closet. She has an etsy shop and also sells locally at Orange Tree Antique Mall in Orlando. And, she has been published twice in Romantic Homes Magazine!  I took a couple of pictures of some things she recently brought in. 

Carol found a ceramic pair of ballet shoes and covered them in mosaics. Aren't they cute?

Carol "won" this cute stool at an auction, painted the wood base, covered it in linen, and used an old stamp kit to make it Frenchy....it's priced at only $28.00 !!!

Kathy and Sue from Sue-Bees and Butterflies have a wonderful booth at Art Angels on S. Orange in Orlando. They do shabby chic as well.  Sue is the shabby girl and Kathy is the chic, but I think we're turning Kathy into a shabby girl, too!  I have to praise Sue for pushing me to get my blog rolling.  She has been blogging for a while and has a lot of followers and follows a lot of awesome bloggers. You can thank her if you're sitting here reading this!

Lastly, a bit of great news!  I was just informed that I have been accepted as a vendor at The Fancy Flea market that is held in Lakeland twice a year. Mark your calendars.  It's a one-day event, Saturday, November 12th from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. on Kentucky Ave in downtown Lakeland. 

I have lots to do to prepare, but so excited to be participating.  I know there are a lot of wonderful vendors setting up this time.  Yes, they "get it"!  It will be awesome.  Come see me! Come see us!  Kathy and Sue will be there, too!

Another Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Story!!

A while back I posted a dining table for sale on Craigslist and I had a nice lady come to take a look.  Mind you, she traveled 40 minutes to get to me.  Anyways, she decided the table wasn't for her but she was amazed at all of the "treasures" I had stored in my garage. She asked if I minded her looking around and I told her I did not.  It was interesting to see how others viewed my "projects".  She eye-balled a cute vintage vanity that I had recently finished...it was painted in Annie Sloan's Old White.  I had sanded it all out but had not put a top coat on yet...I was trying to decide on whether to seal it with wax or poly-acrylic. She was in love and thought it would look great in her daughter's room...and she would be hauling it off to Philly if she bought it!  So she asked if she could leave a deposit and pick it up once it was complete.  So, I got the money I wanted for the table and double that when she picked it up! I wanted to share the befores and after now that it has been taken away to it's new home.

This was originally a Craigslist find. I purchased it with a matching chest of drawers.  The chest was in much better shape and it sold right away in the shop. This little baby sat in my family room for some time and my husband finally said it was long enough...and I had been itching to use my ASCP, so on with the project.  There is also a pretty mirror and harp but you don't see that yet....

Now, I didn't quite get that you're supposed to wax before you sand, according to Annie Sloan, so I promise that my next project will go in that order.  The little vanity spit out enough dust in the sanding project to choke a horse, but it was soooo pretty. And, in the end, I did end up using the poly-acrylic to seal it since it was going in a little girl's room.  What's my reasoning? Umm....no waxy feel? How do you feel about a wax finish?  Maybe I'm using too much?  I try to buff to get a nice smooth feel, but it still feels like a waxed finish. One day with all the extra time I have, Ha!, I am going to sign up for one of the paint classes and watch these professionals in action!

For the mean time, this is the results I get.

I had to find a cute pink fabric to cover the vanity seat.  I found two little tassels at the same store that I thought I could add to make it special.  I hung them on the left and ride sides of the mirror. I then lined the drawers with some Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic drawer paper that I had here.  I forgot to get a picture, but they were very cute.  I sure hope her daughter loves it!

Onto my next project.  I have lots to choose from!  Until then... 

I will be visiting Sue from Sue Bees and Butterflies and her booth partner, Kathy, at their Ladies Night Open House at Art Angels in Orlando. They have a booth entitled Chic and Shabby. Kathy is Chic and Sue is Shabby!  They have a wonderful selection of vintage items.  And, they have some new dealers at the shop so I can't wait to meet them and view all of their treasures. I'll take photos! Bye for now.

OMG...how could this happen to me twice????

Does this picture speak for itself????

Besides the fact that I can't figure out how to make my pictures go in the right direction...sorry about that!

How could this happen twice???  The first time I spilled the "magical liquid" I was painting a table top and somehow I hit the can and knocked it over and it came spilling out onto the table.  I said a few choice words and then as fast as I could started scooping it up with my paint brush back into the can.  I have to say, I got most of it up and painted the table with the remainder.

So, here I was on Thursday, getting ready to paint this cute little chair...I don't know if it's a child's chair or a salesman sample, but as I lifted it up to put it in front of me, the leg of the chair hit the can of "magical liquid" and it came a-pouring out once again.  This is the second can of Old White I have purchased so how could this happen to me twice?  So, since it poured out on the plastic tablecloth that I was using as a drop cloth, I thought, well, what the heck, I might as well get a-painting! 

So, I finished painting the little chair and then went onto these...there was a lot of paint on that drop cloth! I have them all painted, but need to wax and sand. I have a very dark oak library table I want to put these with.  I have always liked that look...I love the contrast between the painted shabby white and the dark wood. It will be for sale since I already have a dining room table and chairs.I then started on this little French cutie.  I have a wonderful French writing desk/vanity that this chair will pair nicely with. This chair had been at the antique mall for some time so I asked the owner if she could give me a deal...and what a deal it was.  I can't wait to show you the results, but you'll have to wait till I finish the writing desk.

I'm off to work on another painting project!  I also have lots of tagging to do since I found some really nice things while out doing the yard sales on Friday and Saturday.  Maybe I'll make another post before I watch the Emmy Awards this evening.

By the way...you have figured out that my "magical liquid" is my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint??? which I guess is now being referred to as ASCP.

Have an enjoyable evening.



LOVE LOVE LOVE my ANNIE SLOAN Chalk Paint!

Hey...I'm back. The summer months had been busier than expected and I hope to start making regular posts as I have lots of photos and projects to share.

I recently bought this cute antique 3-drawer oak chest of drawers off of craigslist...should I keep it a secret that I only paid $15.00 ?

My husband always hates that I tell my secrets!  But, sometimes I have to brag when I find such a great deal.  I couldn't have bought the 6 glass drawer pulls for $15 so it was a great find, but a mess when considering the paint job.....so off with the glass handles and into the soak bucket they go and on with the ANNIE SLOAN CHALK PAINT!  I had to clean it up a bit, but not too much.  Painted over the already white paint with my new DUCK EGG blue chalk paint that I recently purchased from High Falootin Mercantile . Denna is a mini stockist for Robyn Story Designs. The girls, Denna, Lou and the orchid lady, are moving to Mt. Dora and the (soft) grand opening of their new shop is this Thursday, September 15th.  I need to go see their new place of business.  Check them out if you're in Mt. Dora!

BEFORE.....

 okay....Paint on the body....handles are sparkly clean!

The glass knobs cleaned up well.  I took the chest outdoors and sanded the surface lightly to hit touches of the white paint below...catching the edges where there would be natural wear and voila!!!  an awesome little  chest for holding your clothes in your bedroom, a wonderful chest for the entry way in your home, or even perfect for holding that flat screen t.v. in your living room.  I just love the color...but just no place for it in my home!  It's in my space at Tres Chic Boutique in downtown Clermont.  Come take a look!  I've included a few other pictures of the other treasures in my space.
 ....and AFTER!....

 I just brought in this cute Lexington furniture brand wicker chest?  I love the top and bottom aprons.

 I also just brought in this cute vintage oak cottage chest of drawers....look at the cute hand painted basket of florals on the front.

 This fireplace surround already sold, but I have replaced it with another...come see!  Christmas is coming and everyone will be looking for one.

Hope you have enjoyed my photos of my space at Tres Chic Boutique.  Come visit us in downtown Clermont, open 7 days!  Mon 1 -5, Tues - Sat 10 -5, and Sundays 9 - 2 during the weekly Farmer's Market.

Where in the world is Denise from The Rusty Gate?

Here I am!
I have been told that some of you were looking for me...and I've made some promises that I haven't kept.  I know, I know...I have been super busy.  I rent a little space in Tres Chic Boutique in downtown Clermont and have been busy keeping it stocked.  Downtown Clermont has been a bustling little place lately!  I just brought in some new things and took some photos and uploaded them to my page on facebook.  Are you on facebook?  Here I am, The Rusty Gate, if you would like to see some of my photos. If you "LIKE" me, then you can follow me on facebook, too!
Also, check out Tres Chic Boutique on facebook. They are located at 792 W Montrose Street in the historic downtown area.  It's a great little shop owned by my friends, Barb and Misty, and they have been opened for 10 weeks now and  have received rave reviews. I must brag and say it is an awesome little shop! 
Here's your chance to check us out:
There is an event this Friday, Aug 5th, in downtown Clermont.  It's a Scavenger Hunt! You must arrive at 5:45 p.m. at the corner of 8th Ave and Montrose St to register and receive the details. The shopping and hunt begin at 6 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m.  Each participating shop will be offering a prize bag for the winners.  Prizes will be awarded at 8:15 p.m.  Looking for something fun to do...a fun night out with girlfriends? The restaurant on the corner, 801 City Grill, which reopened in May, offers a gorgeous remodeled restaurant and bar and a wonderful menu.  We have eaten there three times and have been impressed each and every time.  I highly recommend it!  Come have fun, shop, and then enjoy 801 City Grill afterwards!
I'll be heading to northern New York soon for a little vacation and to check out my hometown.  I haven't been back home in a long time and look forward to seeing the changes. I'll be back soon....and so will Karen Sue from SueBees!