Wonderful Wicker & Soggy Slickers

I nabbed this sweet little wicker table 

during my first "vendoring experience" at a local antique market last month.

 

 

 

 

She rode home next to my "frantle" that now lives in my kitchen,

 

(which I still can't stop looking at)

 

and the vintage wicker settee 

which has been stored away in our barn until I can work on it next Spring

 

(when the sun is shining...

and it's not raining...

and it's warmer...

if you get my drift).

She was on display in one of the pavilions.

People kept walking by her like they didn't know she existed.

Probably because she was whispering MY name.

There was a lace doily on top of her

with some ugly urn or something...

which, come to discover,

was discretely hiding a nasty, puckering, ring of wet wood

on her nasty veneer top.

 

 

But her wicker...

ohhh....her wicker...

was beautiful.

Her color....not so much.

But I lugged her to my car,

knowing that she had the potential of becoming

something quite pretty.

 

(I do not assume responsibility for the number of people

who were knocked down as I wrestled this baby to my car

all by myself...)

Not knowing what I was going to find laying in the depths of that veneer,

I tentatively started peeling the layers off with my fingers.

And peeling.

And peeling some more.

I found my courage and started in with the putty knife,

chipping and chipping.

 

 

What did I find?

Oh, good gravy.

Another layer of ugly veneer.

UGH!

So, with putty knife in hand once more,

I started in again.

 

(It was almost like peeling sunburned skin.

Know what I mean?

That weird sense of satisfaction you get when you peel that flaky skin away in sheets....

Ok.  

Maybe not.....)

This time, after more chipping and peeling,

a pretty, solid wood top was revealed

just asking for some Annie-love.

 

 

 

 

I painted the wicker part of the table with ASCP in Paris Grey

and the top got washed in Old White ~

and I let it dry for a couple hours.

THEN the fun started.

 

(More fun than peeling sunburned skin...)

With my trusty little sander purring away,

I distressed her

all over.

A little here and a little there.

A lot here and a lot there.

A buffing of clear wax later,

and she was once more a beautiful, vintage French lady

who is now gracing the corner of my living room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

On another note,

Michelle and I spent today at the last local antique market of the year.

 

It rained.

 

A lot.

 

 

 

But we grinned and bared it

 

(despite soggy hair, 

and blisters from new boots

which made me walk like some ghoulish character

from a Halloween movie

or The Humpback of Notre Dame's sidekick).

 

We had a great time

in our slickers

beneath our umbrellas,

 

 

 

 

and brought home a car load of treasures.

 

 

{Well....maybe not THAT many....}

 

 

[And...ahem....do not let that girl, Michelle, fool you.

 As sweet as she is ~

she's as red-neck as they come.

You should'ave seen all the splotches of muck covering her Jeep

from doing U-ies in the muddy field finding the perfect parking spot.

She's a wild one, that girl.]

{Well.....maybe not THIS bad.....}

I'll be floofing the house with my goodies tomorrow,

so you're just going to have to wait til next time

to see what rode home with me...

Have a great week ~

and thank you for all of your sweet comments!

You always know how to bring a smile to my face!

{ Hugs }

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