Antiques Fair at The Arboretum of South Barrington.

Gettin' ready and gettin' excited!

First show of the season-Antiques Fair at The Arboretum of South Barrington.

 

Here is a sneak peak of some of the treasures we will be bringing - obviously we need to display it all, but right now we are getting organized. We don't have any of our upcycled jewelry (Laughing Frog Studio) in here yet but it will be at the show; we are still processing the inventory.

There's still time for you to plan to come out and see us.....get a sitter for the kids, pack a lunch and crank the tunes and head on out to South Barrington for a fun day of shopping!

What to do with an Old Chair

What to do with an old chair? I found this chair at the Goodwilll for $5. It sat in my basement for 2-3 years. Finally, I decided enough is enough.


We are getting ready to participate in several antiques/craft fairs in the coming months. Unfortunately, due to my body falling apart (hip dysplasia and arthritis) I cannot sit in regular lawn chairs. So I decided to dress this one up for the show.

I bought a bunch of fabric for another project and used pieces for this project. All told, I probably used 2-3 yards. At $4 a yard, this project was CHEAP!!


Since I am not fully skilled at this type of work, I finished the project but had two bald spots - spots that were not covered in my new fabric. I couldn't figure out how to fix it.........until.......

I had been making fabric rosettes to sell at the sales! After a few were made, that is when I had the "AHA!" moment. I immediately ran to my work room and held the rosettes up and sure enough they covered the spot and looked damn cute!!

I started to stitched them on with a regular needle....didn't work. Then I recalled seeing large curved needles in one of my vintage needle packs. I grabbed one of those and the they got the job done licketly split. Turns out the big curved needle is an upholstery needle. Let me tell you, it works GREAT!

As we make more fun treasures for the show, I will try to post them here for you to view. Be sure to stop by and see us:

April 29, 2012, The Arboretum of South Barrington Antiques Fair, South Barrington

May 18 & 19, 2012, Na da Farm Barn Sale, Esmond, IL

June 9, 2012, 3 French Hens Market, Morris, IL

I am sharing this post with the linky party today on Jennifer Rizzo's blog. Check out the posts, they are sure to inspire!!

Announcing.......Laughing Frog Studio

Fineline Antiques is extremely proud to announce a new shop on etsy, "the world's handmade marketplace". We are adding Laughing Frog Studio to our family of online stores. Laughing Frog Studio will join the ranks of Swoonantiques and Lucys Closet Vintage on etsy along with our flagship shop Fineline Antiques.

Laughing Frog Studio is a unique venture into upcycling. What is upcycling you ask?Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials, useless products or castaway items into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. Basically it means taking some trash and turning it into a treasure.

At Laughing Frog Studio we are currently exploring primarily vintage silverplate silverware. We are making many unique things from jewelry to housewares. See below for some examples.

Stop by our new shop and check out all of the beautiful and unique finds. Additionally, like us on Facebook (fineline antiques) and receive 10% off your next item purchase!

Earrings




















Necklaces



















Money Clips & Keychains


























Cheese Markers




















Laughing Frog Studio Bio
WHAT IS LAUGHING FROG STUDIO?
Laughing Frog Studio makes "lemonade out of lemons" or "trash into treasure.” Everything is upcycled from vintage items. The primary medium is silverplate silverware, but at times they work with stainless steel, costume jewelry, bottle caps, beads, buttons, etc. The goal is to make something wonderful out of a castaway item!

WHO IS LAUGHING FROG?
Laughing Frog Studio (LFS) is a husband and wife team that gives vintage items a new life. LFS started as an idea to make some extra cash to subsidize their daughter’s ice hockey dreams. But it turned out to be a wonderful vehicle for Matt to pursue his artistic dreams while still holding down a day job and for Jen to satisfy the “Fred Sanford” (Sanford & Son,1970s) in her heart.

By day, Matt manages computer programmers and extremely large databases. But the core of his being is in creating, be it food, art or programs. He earned his B.S.S. at Cornell College in Computer Science, Economics and Art. Over the years he has dabbled in pen and pencil sketches, stylized doodles, oil pastels, and sculptural art. It isn’t uncommon for Matt to pick up a piece of “found” paper or wire and create something out of it. He once surprised Jen by giving her a dozen flowers – all handmade out of candy and gum wrappers, napkins, and wires & beads.

Jen stays at home with their two kids and wears many hats: chauffeur, tutor, cook, nurse, cleaning lady, secretary, etc. Her passion has always been antiques and she has a difficult time throwing things out; to her everything has value. She earned a B.A. in Psychology at Cornell College (yes, that’s where they met!) and a B.S. in Marketing & Communications at Bradley University. For the past ten years, she has run an online antiques business called FineLine Antiques. In keeping with the “Fred Sanford” in her heart, she has trouble passing by good curbside “trash.” As a child she was often scolded when emptying the trash as she would take out all the “good stuff” and re-use it.

WHY THE NAME LAUGHING FROG?
Well.... “Laughter” is THE best medicine right? Jen loves to laugh and all her life has been known for her distinct giggle. “Frog” is personally symbolic for Matt and represents whimsy and connections with deceased loved ones. Combined, the words represent both of parts of the team. Plus, it sounds cool!