October Surprise

 October is here and it's no political surprise for me but I did have an unplanned surprise this month.  I've been saving to have the huge but outdated, energy hog sliding doors that give entrance to my outdoor atrium.  

I finally had enough saved to have them installed and I'm head over teakettle in love with the finished look.

Before the changeout.  The sliders were single pane and not energy efficient.  They let lots of hot and cold air come and go and were always falling off the track.

The former sliders were so big that I had to add a pair of sidelights to each side and then we could install the french doors.

Love, love, love the way it turned out.  So now I have to paint the inside and outside of the doors and sidelights.  We are in the middle of a very humid week so I will have to wait until the air changes so I can begin the paint job.

And before the doors were installed, I was cleaning and then updating my outdoor ceiling fans.  I really didn't care for them as they were dated and not really pretty but they worked beautifully and I didn't want to spend a couple of hundred to replace them.  

So I grabbed some spray paint with colors that are in my outdoor rung and got busy.

Love these colors and so easy to apply, really fast drying too.

Oh yes!!!   Exactly what I wanted.  A few cans of spray paint turned those dated fan paddles into a fun and updated look.  

And they match my outdoor rug as I wanted to tie in that color pallette with the fan paddles.

In between all of the house upgrading I was doing, I made a quick trip to my favorite place for unique architectural salvage at the Junk Co. in Port Richey.  I was looking for an odd size door to replace the bifolds to my guest hallway linen closet.  It is a small door and I despise the present bifolds. Finally, a door that measured 18" by 80" came in and it is like a french door layout.  My next home project is to bleach the wood and do a faux mercury glass mirror finish on the clear windows.  That will come in the next few weeks so you will have to wait to see it.  But, I did find some treasure while I was there.

Vintage cast metal crucifix insert.  Most likely part of a Last Rites kit where this would fit into a stand.  Circa 1930s

I sold a table and needed another one quickly and found this neat marriage of antique meets mid century table.  Who would have thought that a crate made from antique tongue and groove flooring would look so at home with mid century, atomic iron legs.  Original paint on the crate and the top lifts up for storage, circa 1880s and the iron legs are from the 1950s.

Another great piece from the Junk Co., a faboosh, heavy slate, vintage chalkboard with original wood frame.  Nice size and perfect for a kitchen.

I'm crazy for antique books and have a special weakness for school readers.  

This was a thrift store find.

I don't come across much vintage Stangl here in Florida like I did when I lived in the mid-west but this Granada Gold, double candy dish is too cha cha for words.

Another Lefton turkey found me at my local Thrift haunt.  Oh how I love the Lefton turkeys.  This planter is in excellent condition, but I use mine to serve hot breadsticks.

Marvelous antique Halloween clacker.  Tin litho has wooden clackers and it makes a lot of noise.  M B Co. copyrighted.  Neat pumpkin face.  Circa 1920s

and finally, this charming, mid century, plump, glass piggy bank. This one is larger than the typical smaller piggy that fits in your hand.  

I'm finding it hard to accept that it is mid October and the year will be over way too soon.  The days are slowly getting shorter with sunsets so much earlier these days.  I already miss the long summer nights with daylight to play outdoors.  Wishing everyone blessings to you and those you love. Sea Witch

Table or Booth?

Those three words I long to hear, "Table or Booth?"  So waiting for the seIf isolation restrictions to slowly lift.  Let me at least share that I am blessed and have it much easier than many others.  I already work remotely so this was not a transition for me.  In addition, I live in Florida where I have a small pool so I can spend time in an outdoor living space.  Between the pool and my spinning wheels and my antiquing, I've got plenty to keep me busy but I miss my social time at local restaurants.  You get to know the people who work there, the owners, the wait staff, the line cooks, etc.  You become part of a local, extended family and I miss this.  In addition, I miss the hunt.  The search for treasure where I can touch things, pick them up and hold them in my hands.  Like so many others, I haunt  the facebook business pages and purchase from the images and then make a trip to curbside pickup with local businesses.  Such a different world these days.

I was taking video of booth spaces in the Lyon's Head Antique Mall last Saturday and saw that our neighbor shop, Junk Co. was upcycling furniture pieces while a dealer was bringing in new items to their booth space.  I took a walk over after taking the video clips and was able to find a bit of treasure.  Have to say it was odd walking into both the Lyon's Head Antique Mall and Junk Co., which are large spaces, and other than the owners not a soul in sight.  My footsteps echoed throughout both shops.

The dealer was bringing in marvelous religious pieces and I was lucky to be the first to see what he brought into his space.  

A nice, 1930s print of St. Anthony of Padua in original frame.

A spectacular chalkware statue of St. Lazarus of Bethany.  Lazarus, found in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 16:19-31), tells of the relationship in life and in death, between an unnamed rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus.

  Lazarus is often depicted as a starving beggar at the foot of the stairs leading up to a rich man's house, and who was covered in sores that even the dogs came to lick those sores.

  Lazarus was venerated as a patron saint of lepers and forms the basis of one of two missions of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem which is dedicated to aid to those suffering from the dreadful disease of leprosy and the defense of the Christian faith.

A magnificent vintage, bronze crucifix. Heavy, oak cross.  This is a large piece and most likely from a Catholic rectory or convent.

The bronze crucified Jesus is beautifully detailed.

The ever popular and always sought after vintage, Lefton turkey.  This one is a planter but I used these for serving bread sticks.

How cool is this 1940s Christmas bell wreath for the front door.  This is so nifty that I may keep it myself.

And finally, this charming child's toy sewing machine.  

So I will clean them and price them and get them ready to take into my space when we can reopen.  I hope that will be soon as I miss all of the dealers and shoppers and my spaces.  So I wish for all to remain healthy and this virus disappear so we can return to our jobs and our lives and the friendships we have made over the years.  Blessings to you and those you love.  SeaWitch