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!

If you look through all the fashion blogs, magazines and online articles you will notice several strong trends for Spring of 2012: Deco Influences, Sports Influences, Peplums and Classic Pretty Pastels.

Many designers are reaching back to the classics, refreshing pastel pallet. Calvin Klein Collection, Carolina Herrera, Erdem, Ralph Lauren, Alice + Olivia, J. Crew and Louis Vuitton just to name a few of the bigger names spearheading this trend.

I cannot afford the like of any of those designers, I can barely even afford the likes of The Gap or Target, so I am always on the lookout for great ways to get a stylish look for less money.


I find that vintage clothes are really the way to go in terms of value; not only are they usually well-priced, they are often very well made. Additionally, you can rest assured of your individuality - You will not yourself coming and going like you do with all the clothes from the big box stores.

At Lucys Closet Vintage, we take notice of the latest trends and seek out fashions that speak to those trends. Right now, we have several confectionery pastel clothing items that will fit well into your budget and style. Beyond the pastels trend, we have many other interesting items from Tribal Chic jewelry, to cheeky wooden platform shoes, to mid-century dresses and more.


Stop by soon and see what's new!

Never Say “Die,” Say “Damn!”

It isn’t classic, It may be profane,

But we mortals have need of it time and again,

And you’ll find you’ll recover from Fate’s hardest Slam,

If you never say “Die,” Say “Damn!”

Maurine Hathaway

Ca. 1920s

Isn’t this just the best saying?

Basically it says don’t give up, even though we may be frustrated or angry or even sad, we must never give up. In a clever turn of words, this phrase allows us to acknowledge our emotions and to indulge in them a moment by suggesting we curse at them. But never does it suggest giving in to those emotions; in fact it is cheering us on to overcome them.

I struggle daily in trying to be a good mom. Being a good mom is not a passive activity, particularly when parenting smart, opinionated, volatile and fast-moving kids. I need to have done the research, done the thinking (gotta be able to outsmart this fresh brains), be able to control my own emotions to keep things from getting out of control and be able to move fast to catch that errant ball that is rocketing toward the plate glass window.

But some days, I just am too tired and cannot muster up the energy to do what it takes to be that good mom. That’s where these little motto prints come in! I have them hanging in a powder room on the first floor of my house. I step in the powder room for a moment, take a look at these, take a deep breath, and mutter “Damn! “ (and maybe a few other choice words) and stomp my feet. I then re-emerge with a fresh attitude and strength to go on. I liken it to my Superman telephone booth.

As you may know I love all things antique and vintage (except my grayhairs!). I have been collecting these motto prints for several years. The first one I found it the one that is just words and border without any real graphics. I found this at a garage sale with my friend Michelle. I paid $1 and was hooked immediately and started hunting for more. They are rather hard to come by though and are usually more expensive that I can really justify (one of the signs of motherhood is never having any money for myself as it all goes to kids activities – they both play hockey!).

I believe the second one I found was the one of the little boy hanging from a tree by his shorts while picking apples. I found this one while at Round Top in Texas. I paid more that I really wanted; I think I paid close to $50. Gulp! But I thought the graphics on this one were so well paired with the saying.

The rest I found on ebay at various times and they were cheaper than the Apple one but definitely more that my first one. I am still hunting for more of these…. Never say die, right? Perhaps I will update the blog when I find a new one.

So, when things get tough today, and they will, remember,

“Never Say “Die,” Say “Damn!”

Who'duv Thunk? My shop was included on a Sports Website!

This weekend, I was going through my swooonantiques.etsy.com shop stats (akin to google analytics). This is something I try to do this regularly in order to get a sense of my traffic sources as well as to see what key words bring shoppers to my shop. Typically, etsy and google are my top traffic sources.

However when I looked at my stats in line graph format, there was a noticeable spike in shop traffic from a single source.... a source that I have never heard of. Usually etsy and google combined result in 50-150 views in a day. But on September 14, I had 1,163 views! "What the?!?!?!" (in a good way of course).

So I researched the source of the traffic spike. Surprisingly, the source is a sports website called Uni Watch. In my personal life, sports play a huge role. I have two kids who play competitive hockey and a husband who is a huge football fan and plays hockey himself. Naturally, I thought there must be some mistake. The must have been some huge crossing of wires/life compartments. I couldn't fathom why I was getting traffic from a sports website.


Uni Watch is a unique website, one that I would never have imagined existed. It is a website that devotes itself to the "obsessive study of athletics aesthetics". Here is what they say in their "Here's the Deal"/"About Us" section.

"Uni Watch is a media project that deconstructs the finer points of sports uniforms in obsessive and excruciating detail. It has nothing to do with fashion — it’s about documenting and maintaining the visual history of sports design, and about minutiae fetishism as its own reward. If that concept doesn’t make sense to you, no problem — Uni Watch definitely isn’t for everyone, and there have always been people who Don’t Get It™. But for those who understand the pleasures of detail obsession, programmatic classification systems, information overload, and sports history, you’ve come to the right place."

So I read through the website, particularly the posts from the day which caused my traffic spike. "EUREKA-I found it!" The author of one of the articles referenced an item I had in my shop, the only sports-related item I (currently) have listed. The reference is buried deep in the day's post in an article called the "Collectors Corner" by Brinke Guthrie. If you read far enough you will see that he took a moment to go onto etsy and found several vintage sports items including mine. In his article he referred to my item as "some old-timey sports decals".

Phew, mystery now solved; I now know the reason for the traffic spike. I am grateful for the additional traffic and exposure that I received. I must go and thank Mr. Guthrie. Additionally, I found unique and extremely interesting website that I never knew existed. I will be sure to share it with all of my sports fan family and friends.

The "old-timey sports decals" have not yet sold - now is your chance!

Who Am I

About me.. My name is Jennifer. My mom named me after an African American classmate in the 1960s whom she thought was breathtakingly beautiful. I suppose she hoped I too would be beautiful. I like the name, especially when said as the full name. It sounds sophisticated and maybe even sexy. But that is not me. I am more of a Jen. Not Jenny or Jennifer just Jen.

Jen just seems so much more down to earth, don’t you think? I think of myself as down to earth. I don’t worry too much about how I look, though I don’t wear a bathrobe and slippers everyday. I always wear sneakers because they are the most body conscious shoe I can find. And I wash may hair, but not every day….I have better things to do than to spend too much time messing with it. I also don’t spend too much time worry about what others think. I am quirky and a little different, I am happy this way.

I value humor, compassion, creativity and hard work. Humor and laughter mean the world to me and I could not function with out it. There is a quote by Victor Borge “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” I love that quote. My own version is “Laughter is everything.”. If you cannot laugh and see humor in life, then you are not living compassionately, intelligently and openly.

I am a mother. That is my primary role and one that I take utterly seriously. I have two kids who are so very different. As a result I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the best way to parent them and guide them. As a result of their distinctness, what works for one, usually does not work for the other. One is ADHD diagnosed and the other is not. One is a teenager (as of today she is 13) and one is still a boy person. Every day is vexing and perplexing on how I will manage to parent them and guide them on their journey.

I am a wife to a wonderful man whom I knew I was destined to marry. While “just friends” in college we eventually drifted apart. But I always referred to him as “the man I was supposed to marry”. Seven years later we were reunited; and at that moment, I knew we were gonna be together forever. We married 12 years after first meeting. He happens to be darn good looking, but the down to earth-ness in me is most drawn to his humor and creativity. He is the love of my life and he is my rock. I cannot imagine my life without this funny, creative, brilliant, strong, compassionate man in it.

I am a small business owner. I own a multifaceted online antiques and collectibles business. This is my passion; this is what keeps me sane (literally) in the chaos of my life. I love finding things that are really cheap (or sometimes free) and turning around to sell them and make some dough!! Plus it is real fun researching some of the oddities I come across. It is really amazing what some people deem as trash and how others will clamor to acquire that same item as a treasure. That is why my business name is FineLine Antiques. The tag line is “…. because there is a fine line between trash and treasure.” But I haven’t used the tagline much because I don’t want people to think I am charging them $50 for trash, even though, once in awhile, I am!

If you are so inclined to take a gander at some of my FineLine Antiques treasures, you can find them at:
www.fineline-antiques.com
www.swoonantiques.etsy.com
www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com
or our newsest venture
www.laughingfrogstudio.etsy.com

Now you know a little bit about me….feel free to share a little bit about who you are, I would love to know ya!

Time for a Pretty in Pink Picnic

Well we have finally reached the official start of Summer June 21, 2011. Even through the weather is not cooperating in some parts of the U.S.A., we can still plan for a perfect sunny day’s picnic.

I found a menagerie of things that would really lend a hand to your picnicking fun. It was all spurred on from and idea I saw in the July 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. They had a feature article called “Sharing Summer” about outdoor dining and entertaining. The hostess in the article said she uses vintage tablecloths for her outdoor dining and entertaining; both on tables and on the ground.

So I started poking around the vintage section of etsy to see what I could find. I did find a cool tablecloth that would be “Oh So Cute” as a picnic blanket for two or over a card table under a large canopy tree.

Then I found a great cake carrier in pink and stainless steel.

Then I found a cool set of pink plastic silverware.

Well, I was on a roll. I actually created a Treasury on etsy to showcase my fun finds.

But I will list a few here for your inspiration and enjoyment.

Vintage Pink Therm-O-Jug. Who’d have thunk? A Thermos in pink! Very hip!

Of course you will need some napkins to wipe the cherry juice off your chin when you bite into a ripe cherry….

Don’t let the ants go marching one by one on your pretty event!

Finally you might need some cool eye protection.

Hope your picnic season is stylish and free from pesky critters.

Be sure to stop by one of our many shops for fun new merchandise.

www.fineline-antiques.com

www.swoonantiques.etsy.com

www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com