Re-purpose an Old Skate!

I picked up an old skate from a flea market last summer.  I came across it the other day, and wondered what I was thinking when I bought a single skate?  Suddenly, an idea came to my mind and within 10 minutes I had this little cutie all finished up and hanging on my front door!

I just filled it with some artificial evergreen picks that I had on hand, tied a ribbon, and then punched a hole in the back with a nail and a hammer and attached a little wire loop through the hole to hang it up.  How easy is that!? I'll definitely be looking for more single skates at the flea market!

New Lavender Sachets...

Kevin and I have added a new product today...Lavender Sachets.  They smell great, and they're a nice little gift or a treat for your sock drawer :)  

To make these, you'll need small burlap bags (either handmade or ready-made bought online), a stencil, fabric paint, a sponge or spouncer ( we used these by Plaid), and some ribbon.

First, place the stencil near the bottom of the bag.  Then dip the spouncer in a saucer of fabric paint, blot lightly on a paper towel which will help to get an even coat of paint , and spounce over the stencil.  Press fairly hard with the sponge, as this will help to get crisp edges.

Once you've filled in the stencil, remove it and let the bag dry.

Fill the bottom of the bag with a little stuffing (this allows you to use less lavender), then spoon in two or three big spoonfuls of lavender.

Now, just pull the drawstring on your bag (if it has one), or cut 16" of ribbon and tie the opening closed.

That's it!  Your super cute sachet is finished!  You can use your own creativity when you choose your image and your ribbon.  You could add words with letter stamps, too, if you like. Endless possibilities!

New venture!

My son, Kevin, just graduated from college.  He's an artist. A 3-D modeler, to be exact.  He hasn't found a full-time job yet and he's decided to help me with my business! We are going to work together creating a line of handcrafted goods with vintage appeal.  I have piles and piles of ideas that I've never found the time to execute...and Kevin is my man!  He has an amazing attention span, and follows through on things, so I'm super lucky and excited to have his help.  So far, he designed our logo (Love!):

And we worked together to create these pillows:

I've had the pillow idea  forever..but with his help, we got them done fast.  He even had to learn how to use the sewing machine! We need to finish a bunch of these because I'm going to need a pair for myself :)

Lisa

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and you've tossed out those leftovers by now. Ok, I know I'm a little late with this post but better late than never, my mom always said!  I wanted to show you my Thanksgiving tablescape which miraculously came together easily this year. Thank goodness, because I switched my family room to my dining room and vice versa to allow more space for our guests at the table...and that was a lot of work! My husband and son barely batted an eye when I made the suggestion -  I guess they're finally getting used to my hair-brained schemes, ha ha! So when it came to setting the table, I pulled out my tub of Thanksgiving decorations which included the wheat sheaves, the dried corn, and a faux leaf garland.  I grabbed the two heirloom pumpkins off the front porch (thank goodness they weren't rotting yet!) and set the table with my grandma's antique silver and simple white plates and tablecloth from Target. The tapestry over the buffet was an amazing recent thrift store find and the darker chairs are part of a set that I will be bringing into the shop soon. The finish on them is in really rough shape, so I am painting and recovering the seats first..."before and afters" coming soon!

A cute little visitor!

One of our favorite and most loyal customers, Nancie, brought in her adorable new puppy!  Anne just happened to have a cute baby buggy in her space and well... I just couldn't resist.  Isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?!

Ready for the Holiday Open House

I really should be sleeping, but I wanted to throw a couple pics from the shop up on the blog.  The Lucketts Store Holiday Open House is tomorrow! We've been working long, long hours and it's been a crazy week...a hurricane, a near-death experience (or two!) some laughs, some tears... but it came together just like it always does with the greatest team in the history of retail :) I love my coworkers so much and I am so blessed to have this amazing experience known as Lucketts!

Hope to see you all there!

Love, Lisa

La Gioconda Wallpaper by Thibault

I'm looking for a new wallpaper for my tiny powder room. I have white beadboard on the bottom and I think this lovely tan and white pattern would work nicely with it.  The floors are light oak and the sink is a simple white pedestal.   This pattern is by Thibault and is called "La Gioconda".  I'll post pictures of the before and after :)

Road Trip Treasures

I was going through my picture archive tonight, and realized that I didn’t post the pictures from that road trip back in 2009!  Can I procrastinate or what?  I think someone should give me a master’s degree in Procrastination….or a doctorate. 

These wicker trunks were awesome…I could never get enough of them.  The little desk had fantastic patina,  and what is it about globes that make me happy? Must be my (not so) inner nerd.

 An old photo in the gentle grip of an artist’s hand model. A beautiful little glass-door cupboard and leather-bound books. A detail of the hand-painted desk drawer.

I can never have too many suitcases, either.   I scoop up these little crocks, too, whenever I can find them.  They’re so perfect for organizing desk supplies or kitchen utensils.  They look great grouped on a shelf, too.

  I love the graphics on vintage cigar boxes!  They don’t sell very quickly, but I usually pick them up anyway :)  That’s an old test tube holder…would be cute with little flower buds.

  An old compass, inlaid cross and the globe again<3

Not a bad haul, huh?  I think it was worth it, even though we were almost killed 857 gajillion times….

Two Days 'til the Groundhog Sale!

Oh, Boy! Just two days 'til The Lucketts Store Groundhog Sale!  I bought some great new lamps today, a clock that needs new clock hands, a small marble side table or pedestal, and some other odds and ends.  I started trying to hunt down the clock hands, but no luck.  I might have to order them online, but then they won't get here in time for Groundhog.  Hmmmphhh....  I also got a first coat of glossy white paint on a retro-modern headboard and sanded a drawer front for the sink vanity that's already in the shop.  I'll have to get in reaalllly early tomorrow to give that a coat of black paint. I'm just a little stressed! 

Back from our Buying Road Trip

Amy and I drove 16 hours on our little road trip. We took Amy's truck and trailer, and the idea was that I would learn to drive on this trip. Wellllll, when I say we had every possible bad weather condition I am not exaggerating! We started out in ice and then moved on to dangerously high winds. Amy was freaking out on the inside, but staying calm for my benefit. She told me later that it was the most difficult weather she had ever driven in! The return trip was no better - slush, ice and driving rain....and then the Pièce de Résistance...a shredded tire! Actually, shredded tire is being a little generous. I really mean we had a rubber band tire. So after un-hitching the trailer, driving to the nearest Pep-Boys for a new tire, waiting for AAA to mount and change the tire...we were on our way again. And then, FOG! Like, the worst fog I have ever seen. This time it was my turn to freak out, but Amy remained cool as a cucumber. We finally made it back alive, and we did get some great stuff. This is not a business for cream-puffs, it's hard, hard, work..back-breaking, nail splitting, budget-busting work....and we love it :)

Cool hide pillows and ottoman.
More hides.
Amy at the hide dealer...her favorite!

I love, love, love the signs in the South. Look at this one from a gas station!

Before-and-After Wine Bar

Today I have an easy before-and-after project for you. I picked up this wine bar at a thrift store. It was in good shape - just a little boring. So I gave the bottom of it two coats of black enamel paint, and sanded and stained the top a natural color. Voila!

Road trip!

I went on a buying trip today and got some fantastic stuff. It's been a while since I've been able to find such good prices on awesome antiques. There is nothing like the rush of finding something really cool at an affordable price; that's why I pass on the good buy to my customers - so they can get the rush too! My favorite find was the cigar box with it's picture of a Tampa Hotel complete with palm trees. The inside label was a great color combo of chartreuse and pink. I also picked up an old "Woodstock" typewriter, a Kodak accordian-style camera, upholstered chair, Rye Whisky bottle, and the best-ever Bingo game - everything intact. I will post some pictures tomorrow when I recover!

Well, those framed maps flew out the door alright - they're all sold. I will be reordering those. The shop was pretty busy again today. We're very grateful for our loyal customers.

We started packing up Christmas today! We really can't stand to look at it for another minute. Christmas starts right after Halloween in retail, so we're been looking at that stuff for a looong time. I've noticed that all the "big box" retailers are putting spring merchandise out already. I may wait a little while longer to stock mine!

Guess what? I finally posted pictures from the shop! Here they are!

The framed maps are flying out the door!

Pair of deco nightstands with mirrored tops

Keyhole plaques, wire baskets, and antique maling pots

Pink storage bench, vintage needlepoint pillows, and garden orb

Antique scale - still works!

Fabulous french settee!