Monday, March 31, 2014

St. Louis Vintage Market Days: If I Was Shopping...

In my past life, I was an event planner. One of my favorite events we did was an annual food and wine tasting. Food was presented by STL's top chefs. Amazing wine was served. The auction was always packed with goodies. Unfortunately, I was always too busy being bossy to truly enjoy it. I always said, "Someday, I'm going to be an attendee and not be so bossy." (Who am I kidding, I didn't say the bossy part.)

That's how I'm feeling about next weekend's St. Louis Vintage Market Days. We've been busy creating and collecting to stock our booth with handcrafted, restyled and found items. But, I wanna shop!

So, I thought I would put together a little list of things I would be looking for next weekend, if I was shopping. I've been stalking other vendor's Facebook pages and I know some of the stuff below will be there. Heck, we might even have some of it in our own booth.


Factory Cart Table

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I've loved this for a couple of years now. We are in desperate need of a coffee table in our loft. This would look awesome!

Vintage Books

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 A little stack of old, worn books looks so sweet on a side table or bookshelf.

Vintage Bottles

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These make cute vases...it's easy to build up a collection of these quickly. (Trust me, I know). I'm loving the old apothecary jars I've been seeing lately.

Large Letters/Numbers

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And small letters

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We have a couple of letterpress trays, but I would love some of the small letterpress letters. I've got the perfect spot on my mantle for a collection of them.

Gallery Wall Objects

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We're still working on collecting things for our gallery wall. We have a ton of great personal photos and objects from trips or other memories. I would love to toss in a couple of really off the wall items to spice it up a bit.

Editor's Note: We currently have a small bar cart like the one pictured in our house. Jeff hates it...I might end up bringing it to sell, if I can find something like this....

Large Trunk



LOVE this look. We do have a trunk similar to the one above that we will be bringing to sell. If someone doesn't snatch it up, it's going home with me for this exact use.

Vintage Grain Sack Pillows

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I"m always a sucker for vintage grain sacks. Pillows. Totes. Chair covers. It doesn't matter. Love it!

Boxwood Wreath

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My current one is looking a bit worn...it's time for a new one!

Vintage Camera

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Jeff and I both love photography...an old camera would be a great find to put on our bookshelf.

I think I better stop here...if I found all of this stuff, it would be quite a haul! If you will be attending, stop by our booth if you happen to spot anything on my shopping list (I'll be the bossy blonde by the red door).




Friday, March 14, 2014

Milk Paint Workshops at RDFCo.

St. Louis Milk Paint Workshop


Furniture painting is a popular trend. What better way to give new life to a worn piece! Whether you have an old table you want to give a facelift or picked up a great deal at a thrift store, a coat of milk paint can make a huge transformation.

I've designed our Milk Paint 101 workshops to be a fun, relaxing end to your weekend (or to kick off your week). They will be held select Sundays and it's a great way to learn all about milk paint, practice techniques and start thinking about your first milk paint project! Each class will be approximately 2.5 hours. You leave with sample boards and a trendy sign made by you. Complimentary drinks and snacks will be served. You also get 10% off all Miss Mustard Seed products on the day of your workshop (to get stocked up on your first project!). Workshops are $65/person. Discounts are given to groups. We are also holding a special for March & April workshops. Enter MarchMadness at checkout and get 20% off!


One of the things I love about milk paint is that it's so versatile. As you might know, it's the best for achieving a chippy, rustic look. But, did you know that you can use it as a stain? Or that it can be used for full coverage. Or layered to get a driftwood effect?  In our workshops, you get to practice how to get all of these looks BEFORE you try it on your Grandma's buffet or a recent thrift store find.

We're also committed to passing as much knowledge and value on to you as possible. Professional development is essential in this business. As a Certified Retailer, we've gone thru two days of intensive product training. Miss Mustard Seed has a strong group of knowledgeable retailers and trainers. We are so fortunate to be apart of this team! In a RDFCo. workshop, you get full access to our milk paint bar and can experiment with multiple color combinations. Walk away with your sample boards, a personalized sign and 10% off milk paint products. Then, head home and try the driftwood or layered technique on that old piece of furniture!

Milk Paint Finishes: Crackle, Primitive, Chippy, Driftwood.

For more information or to register, please visit www.reddoorfurnitureco.com/worshops or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/reddoorfurnitureco/events.




Monday, March 10, 2014

Miss Mustard Seed's Color of the Month: French Enamel

I've had this large buffet since before we opened our doors. It was one of the first pieces I purchased, but in the rush of getting the shop ready, I didn't have time to give it a facelift. I also wasn't quite ready to commit to a color and look. We put it out anyway, with a "pick your color" tag.

Before

I knew it would be the perfect piece to host our milk & cookies bar for our grand opening...but, I wanted it to shine for our special day. Two days before the big day, I decided to just go for it. I chose French Enamel. I didn't do any prep work. No sanding. No dusting. Here she is after the first coat.


And here she is in all of her milk & cookies bar glory. It chipped up beautifully -- I was so happy. I finished it with a coat of MMS Furniture Wax. It's my go-to to finish a painted piece. The wax is like butter and makes even the chippiest of pieces so smooth.

Miss Mustard Seed's French Enamel

Milk & Cookie Bar
For the grand opening, I covered the top with burlap to protect the finish. I did strip the top. It had a weird finish/varnish on it. I used a soy gel stripper on the top. I know you can't tell in this photo, but it is absolutely gorgeous! I finished with a coat of MMS Hemp Oil (my fave to use on wood surfaces).

If you love this color as much as I do, stop in our shop at 1105 N. Second Street in St. Charles. We're offering 10% off French Enamel during the month of March.

Much thanks to Meldt Vintage Love for the cookies. They were a huge hit!