Happy Thanksgiving - Harvest Table Staged & Styled for Baby Shower

Wanted to share a recent, fun project.

Last week I hosted a fall baby shower, which set the tone for our Thanksgiving kitchen look. The baby's nursery theme is owls, and I played heavily on that aspect (mostly because I'm not into baby stuff) as well as the seasonal decor--fall is generally our favorite time of year at my house (beyond our specific 

Halloween fanaticism).

I wanted a warm, inviting, and sizable tablescape (thanks Miss Mustard Seed for discussing the merits of large table setups and staging) with room for serving. Though I keep decor basics I can tweak to accessorize any time of year (e.g., plate stand, lanterns), I needed other detail pieces. I found some kinda ugly owls and a hideous vase at thrift stores and TJ Maxx for less than $20. They had good bones but their original state, ugh.

Even just with a coat of primer, these babies looked better than their starting point. Thank goodness.

I love the look of metallics with natural materials--glitzy yet homey at the same time. So I bought champagne metallic paint, antiquing glaze, sandpaper, a bunch of gourds, leaves and pine cones (from the yard and fall decorating box) and set to work. I really like how the full look came together.

I also found alphabet blocks at a thrift store, which I painted to match, and spelled out the

pending arrival's name.

The shower was a big success and the kitchen looked totally homey. The table was full, be we still had room to cover it with food!

Hope you're having a fabulous Thanksgiving Week!

-The Vintage Gals

Gypsy Favorite--Thrift Store Halloween Decor

Halloween is a favorite holiday around here. Kansas City is particularly known (aside from barbecue) for its residents' passion for haunted houses: multi-story old warehouses turned fright-fest for six weeks each year. There is a a veritable army of make-upped"monsters" ready to jump out and scare you. If your maturity level is still 8th grade (guilty) and you still like a cheap thrill, it is awesome.

So it's not entirely a surprise that at my house, we love Halloween. It's a local tradition.

But one thing I really don't love. Super cheesy decor. Don't get me wrong--we have a flock of lighted Styrofoam pumpkins who litter the front porch on All Hallows Eve. With no lights on, they look great and they don't rot. Hallelujah.

But tinsel garlands and plastic skeletons... not necessarily my favorite. And while I usually want to buy everything Pottery Barn offers each year for Halloween... that' s not in the budget.

Our workaround: thrift store decor.

This year's features are two of my fave spooky decor items: tarnished silver and ugly candlesticks.

First - tarnished silver dishes.

You can find tons of old silver pieces, including candlesticks, serving platters, goblets, bowls, you name it in thrift stores. Sometimes they're expensive because they're real silver, which seems weird regardless because silver isn't IN. Unless you can melt it down for jewelry or want to keep a very heavy candlestick around for home defense, nobody wants the stuff.

But sometimes it's cheap, particularly if it's just plated. And often it's tarnished. But the cool thing is this: the more worn and dingy silver looks, the more Gothic and Halloween-ish it seems. It usually has lots of carvings and looks simply old world. You can totally picture Dracula sitting down to dinner with it. Except if you watch True Blood, silver gets rid of vampires faster than garlic any day... but that's beside the point...

These trays make for attractive, sturdy, perennial serve ware for Halloween. They are way classier than virtually all the plastic pumpkins or skull bowls around. Hey, if your average party-goer is age six, by all means break out the paper plates and jack-o-lantern napkins. But for adult audiences, the silver is classy... yet spoooky!

 

And if you can find some of those hand-bone servers from Pottery Barn after season on clearance, you will have the ultimate setup.

Next item: Ugly candlesticks.

I bought these beauties in September at local thrift stores. Brass is just no longer in style, and that wooden one--who thought that was a good idea? It's chilling in all the wrong ways.

Candlesticks are a great item to spray paint. Find several mismatched ones, paint them them one snazzy accent color, and whammo, cool accessory or vignette.

They look particularly good black. And spooky yet elegant at the same time. And TJ Maxx ain't got nuthin' on the affordability of this approach.

Here's our table decked out for Halloween dinner. I've combined the silver platters with candelabras and some TJ Maxx goodies I purchased over the years. It's kind of hard to see in the pics (black on black doesn't show up great), but the result is elegant, adult, yet still spooky and in the spirit of the season.



 Just thought we'd share, since I can't be the only one out there who hates glow-in-the dark skeletons and such (except the skull I spray painted pewter in the pics.... I like him OK).

And in case you're wondering, we have extras of the platters and candelabras for sale--email if you're interested. And if not, no pressure. 'Cuz we are more than happy to hang onto them for our own entertaining!

Happy Halloween from the Vintage Gals!

Click on photos for slightly larger versions.

Painted & Stained Ivory End Table/Nightstand

Super cute, long-legged cream end table with espresso stained top. It's been painted, lightly glazed, and distressed to bring out its natural character. Top is gel stained and then varnished to give it a super smooth and durable finish. It has a sassy coordinating fabric pattern in the drawer to add a hidden hint of flourish. This is originally a Bassett piece, so it's well constructed as well as fun looking.

Dimensions: 24" w x 33" long x 21" h. SOLD!

Hopefully you'll forgive the super boring background.... cooler and windy weather makes outdoor shots (ideal lighting) trickier. It is really adorable in person (I am better at fixing furniture than taking pictures, what can I say).

Available for cash pickup in the Kansas City area.

Here it was before we gave it some love: :)

You can't tell so much from the picture but it was practically orange before. The new color combination plays more to its strengths.

Gorgeous Black Vintage Vanity, Chair, Mirror Set

They don't make things this fun anymore.

For sale is an adorable black vanity with a matching mirror and chair. This is one of our favorite pieces--it looks really elegant and is versatile. Place in an entry, bedroom, child's room. The vanity alone makes a unique and lovely sofa table, entry table, desk, or unusual side table.

Come see this one in person - you will love it! The vanity was a Craig's List find last winter. Great lines--but it was in rough shape (as you can see further down).

After much love, the complete set is ready for a sunny spot in your home. It has been distressed, painted, stained, and finished in a durable semi-gloss polyurethane to toughen it up. Drawers are lined with the same fabric as the chair, since decorating excellence is all about details. Two of the drawer fronts are made of attractive bird's eye maple--and stained to bring it out. The fabric stripe is comprised of colonial red, black, and sage green with cream.

Asking $140.00 OBO for the set.

Dimensions (within 1/2"):

• Vanity: 44 1/2" w x 18" d x 27 1/4" h
• Mirror: 27" x 23"
• Chair: 32 1/4" h (to back) x 17 1/2" d x 16 1/2" w

Notes:

Please take a good look at the photo showing the chair cutout for the vanity. The veneer was water damaged, and the fix involved removing un-salvageable sections and sanding them down. If you look very closely in the chair well, you can see this at the right angle. The pictures were deliberately taken in very bright outdoor light so this was visible in the photos--it is nearly invisible indoors, does not impact function, and has been accounted for in the item's asking price. However, we want to be very up-front, so are posting this as an important aspect of the item description. Feel free to email if you have questions or need more photos.

All items are for cash purchase in the Kansas City metro, please. Items are all vintage, rehabilitated, and or restored. Their nature includes possibilities for dings, dents, and small imperfections--it's part of their charm. Any large imperfections will be noted in the post, and additional photos are available if you want them.

The fabric used in this set can be substituted for a small labor charge. You can provide a fabric you choose or you can describe what you want and we'll find it (material cost will be considered).

This is currently sold as a set. If you would like only one piece, please email to be informed if the items are to be sold individually.

Item still available until updated as SOLD on the blog post. Thank you for looking and email us with questions!

Repainted End Table / Nightstand - Aqua

Available for sale is this adorable little aqua/white end table or nightstand. It was outdated and plain Jane before, but now it has tons more personality. This little cutie sports a white top and has been distressed and glazed to bring out its neat details. White and blue are really hot these days, and they create an inviting yet fresh look for any room.

Click photos for larger images.

The table is topcoated with polyacrylic to give it a durable semi-gloss finish.

Asking $45.00 OBO. Dimensions (within 1/2"): 23 1/4" w x 27 1/4" d x 20 1/2" h.

Feel free to email with questions.

Check out the improvement!

Note: All items are for cash purchase in the Kansas City metro, please. Items are vintage, rehabilitated, and or restored. Their nature includes possibilities for dings, dents, and small imperfections--it's part of their charm. Any large imperfections will be noted in the post, and additional photos are available if helpful. Item still available until updated as SOLD on the blog post. Thank you for looking and email us with questions!

Zebra Accent Chair

Check this baby out!

Black and zebra accent chair with cane back. it's a smallish accent chair, great for a home office, small living room, bedroom, and many other locales.

Upholstered in a heavyweight fabric (not a chenille, but similar) for durability and coated with varnish to add durability. Fabric background is almost cream rather than gleaming white.

Dimensions: Approximately 26" across, 25" deep, and 30" high.

Asking $80 OBO (SOLD!)

We've come a long way baby! Before:

Notes:

All items are for cash purchase in the Kansas City metro, please. Items are all vintage, rehabilitated, and or restored. Their nature includes possibilities for dings, dents, and small imperfections--it's part of their charm. Any large imperfections will be noted in the post, and additional photos are available if you want them. I

Item still available until updated as SOLD on the blog post. Thank you for looking and email us with questions!

Want to incorporate the item's fabric pattern into your room? Great -- we can make affordable custom pillows in the same material to tie with your decor. Email with size and number of pillows desired, and we will email a quote.

Fabric on most items can be swapped to one you prefer for a nominal fee (labor only--please provide or describe fabric preferred). After all, decorating is highly individual. We want you to get just the right item to complete your room.

Gypsies Behind Schedule...

Vintage Gypsy was supposed to launch in July, but we're sorry to admit the furniture is finally available starting in September (hitting the blog and Craigslist soon).

Why?

Well, the gypsy coordinator had this kitchen remodel going on....
(See scary before picture.... ick, 80s golden oak and almond appliances... and where did all the clutter come from?)

A really BIG kitchen remodel.That ended up consuming lives and souls and sanity. Swallowing weekends whole, hindering nights of sleep, and requiring frequent margarita breaks and 723 trips to Lowes.

The coordinator's special manfriend worked like a man possessed. He was diligent and brave... and finally... the arduous task is done. And it looks really good. Prayers of thanks are sent heavenward.

So the furniture projects can receive the appropriate attention again. And they are going live shortly. Multiple cool vintage--and improved--items are nearing completion, with many awesome others in progress for sale throughout the fall. The collaborative is in full swing and enthusiastic.

So expect more soon, and thanks for your patience!

Regarding the kitchen, if you're curious about the cabinet restain, visit Garden Web and search for CelticMoon's tutorials on gel stain. It was fairly hard. But it looks really nice. and allowed us to revamp a stained look without buying new cabinets. We'll post a tutorial later this fall.

Primitive Work Table, Entry Table

So this is not a gypsy-redo--it's something cool we acquired on our journey to find fun items. It's wonderful just the way it is and doesn't merit rehabbing.

The table is primitive style, works as project desk, entry table, sofa table, among other possibilities. It's made of reclaimed wood and set atop neat, genuinely aged and worn (yet sturdy) legs.

The legs were once painted black (and sage green before that). You can see the paint, which adds neat character. The top does have some cracks, but they are not structural problems but instead appropriately contribute to the character.

Dimensions: 48" wide x 24" deep by 31" tall (approximate, within 1/2"). SOLD!

Location is Lee's Summit (Kansas City area), MO and is available for pickup.

It's rare and wonderful to find an item that is still very functional but has the genuine aged appeal (rather than the pseudo-distressed look we rehabbers all work to accomplish). Don't get me wrong--I'm all about distressing rehabilitated items, but there's something... real... about the genuine article--time worn materials. The piece really has a story.

Please feel welcome to email with questions!

Cash only, please. All items may have imperfections including scratches, dents, or distressing, due to their nature as vintage, reclaimed, or recycled. This is part of their personality rather than a flaw. Major imperfections are noted. Item will be updated as "SOLD" on the blog once it has been purchased.

Preview - What We're Working On

Here are some old-school furniture finds on our rehab waiting list. See one you can imagine refreshed for your house? Email us!

This highboy dresser has great details, and five total drawers. It's not in progress yet, and can be painted any color. A charcoal gray with white/cream accents on handles and details would look good, but there are many great options. Turquoise or magenta with glaze to bring out the details would rock, too. Depends on your style--elegant and sophisticated or a little bit urban/suburban diva?

I know. It looks like my parents' 1970s bedroom set, and probably your parents', too. But with fresh paint, this girl is gonna be gorgeous and sassy. I'm thinking ivory for a quintessential shabby-chic look. She has small drawers behind the middle cabinet; it would be fun if they were painted a happy accent color to surprise you when you opened the door.

This little guy is sized right for a petite bedroom or living room chair. He's already been painted black, and looks really handsome. But we're looking for the perfect fabric for the seat. Let us know if you're interested, and we can put on a fabric of your choosing.

This vanity was in sorry shape when it arrived at Vintage Gypsy. I'm relieved to say it's now adorable, and nearly done, with several coats of black paint and polyurethane, as well as fun detail work and serious rehab. For sale soon with a matching chair and mirror for a complete vanity package.

Coming soon in turquoise and white! You won't believe how cute it is now.

Apologies for the mess. Our workspace is way cluttered (there's so much fun stuff in it). This rocker's curvy arms are fun and organic; the cane is in good shape. It hasn't revealed the true nature of its makeover yet--we're waiting and seeing. It's crazy comfortable, so and would be perfect in a nursery or on a covered porch. You could read a book or rock a baby in this fine item for hours.