Tag Archives: Colorado Springs

antique, Green Living, Hints Tips, local business, Refinish, Repair, repurpose, restoration, Restore, small business, vintage, Vintage Furniture

Antique Furniture Repair: Adhesives as Part of the Solution

Leave a comment

Sometimes antique or vintage furniture breaks. Temperature change starts a small crack and alternating humidity and dryness takes its toll.  We here in Colorado understand this problem at a scale like very few other locations.  Instead of throwing the old piece along with the rest of your obsolete materials in the back corner of the garage, bring it out, repair, restore it, and put it back to good use.  Antique (over 100 years old) and vintage (over 20 years old) furniture, are one of the best re-purposing items one can find in a second-hand store.  Furniture is one of the handful of best investments, future generations will profit from by owning.  Because adhesives make the repair of that furniture easier, we are going to discuss its use here.

The “judicious” use of Adhesives is one of the best solutions for antique furniture repair.  I say judicious because typically the inexperienced DIY person believes that the more glue you can slather on something, the better it will hold.  Nothing can be farther from the truth.  Not only is too much glue detrimental, it is also ugly.  Older furniture was assembled with craftsmanship and accuracy, but wood dries out over time.  Holes expand as they dry and tendon that go into those holes, shrink.  Eventually the once tight joint, loosens and weakens, becoming prone to breakage

Originally glue was not a common material used in assembling bigger furniture pieces during the original manufacture.  When the old craftsmen build furniture, the tolerances were close, joints were tight, screws were used.  When glue was used, usually it was made from the rendering of “animal hide” and hoofs.  Remember hearing or reading about “sending the horse to the glue factory?”  That’s where it comes from.  Removal and replacement of that old glue and rebuilding the dried up joints and tendons becomes a necessary part of the repair process today.

What glue to Use.

There is a lot of glue available for antique furniture repair.  Some holds on contact without any pressure while others requires around thirty-minutes or more of pressure to safely and completely bond.  It is always best to buy the recommended glue, instead of the off-brands.  The use of adhesives, such as the commonly known white wood glue is the most preferred when repairing wood furniture.  For example, Elmer’s Wood Glue is a staple in my shop.  Other wood glues are perhaps just as good, but I grew up with Elmer’s in my Dads wood shop. I have come to trust it.  Not to be confused with the Elmer’s paper glue used in schools.  That glue taste good, but wood glue doesn’t.  At six years old, I learned the difference.

I use wood glue the most, especially for raw wood gluing of joints and seams.  You will too.  Because it is water-soluble, I mix it with wood shavings or sawdust, making a sort of wood paste to build up a loose joint or fill in an enlarged hole.  This trick came from my Dad.  I’ve used oak sanding dust mixed with Elmer’s to repair a small crack in an oak table. I clamped it and once dried, I sanded it down, and you can hardly tell where the crack was.  I re-sold that table for a healthy profit afterwards.

Because wood glue is water-soluble, it is easier to clean up, leaving behind no residue. You want this because you will need to paint or stain over the exposed section of the repair.  Note however, that if you’re new to wood repair, fully read and follow the direction indicated on the product labels.  If you have questions, contact the company and ask.  The kid in the paint store who is stocking shelves won’t know, but the pro in the company tech department will.

Sometimes, the repair entails a single leg of an antique chair or table that has been broken.  This is not a simple glue it together and be done fix.  Fast-setting water-soluble type glues are not suitable for this kind of repair.  You will need to use an epoxy type glue plus either nails or screws.

You may find that some of the new catalytic type glues that are mixed together, may be needed.  Think of a surgeon repairing a badly broken leg.  The hidden screws pull the joint back together; but cannot provide the full repair.  The glue is to strengthen the joint and serves to bolster the holding power of the screw.  Together they make for a good repaired joint; one that you would feel safe in using.  Separately they are a small percent of the repair.

Right Glue for the Job

You have to be careful in choosing the right glue for antique furniture repair.  Do not buy cheap glue or plastic glue from a hobby shop, because they are suitable for anything which takes a lot of strain.  Model glue depends on chemically melting and mixing with plastic to hold.  Furniture of any purpose takes a lot more strain then this glue is capable of holding.

Impact adhesives in rubbery or jelly like textures, are rolled or sprayed on. They are best used for sticking large areas such as big pieces of veneers.  Small cans of this glue are also used with small flat disposable brushes, for repairs of raised or damaged veneer.

Epoxy resins come in double tubes that are equally mixed before applying. These are highly suggested for securing anything that is not porous. (glass, ceramic, metal, etc.)

There are many more adhesives available, each varying on the particular need of antique furniture repair.  You just have to pick the right and the most suitable one. Once selected, the repair of a fine antique becomes a lot easier, enjoyable and more profitable. Plan your work carefully then work your plan.

The ultimate goal in any repair project is to repair it, so that no one knows it has been repaired. For that reason, my repair glue cabinet with all the variety, is almost as full as my paint and stain cabinet. \

  • –

Ever wanted to go into the business of reselling? 17% of the American population shops in second-hand stores.  The business is easy to learn, fun to do and best of all, profitable.  Learn how.  Download a copy of “2nd Hand Flip, by going to https://goo.gl/7Bc21R  Use coupon code RT93L at checkout for a “Thank You” discount on your purchase.

 

Advertisement
Damask, fabric, Green Living, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, local business, Quilts & Quilting, repurpose, restoration, sewing, Uncategorized

Action Figures (don’t call them dolls)

Leave a comment

It’s been awhile since I have been able to write. Longer then I wanted, that’s for sure. Added responsibilities in my teaching career, plus a personal loss in my family took me away for quite some time. I’m back however and I will try to keep up once again.

As you may know, my husband does furniture restoration and we have some beautiful pieces for sale in Space B26

1964 G.I. Joe Viet Nam Marine
GI Joe Action Figure

at American Classics Marketplace next to my linen shop (B30). Some he refinished or repaired, but most are as he found them in his daily travels. What you may not know is that he’s a big kid at heart. That will become apparent when you see the collection of #G.I Joe Action Figures that he just put into his case in B26. He came across them at an estate sale and couldn’t pass them up.

I have to laugh at a grown man playing with #action figures, (don’t call them dolls) but that is exactly what I caught him doing one afternoon when I walked into the living room. He says he was just trying to see how many different positions they would actually bend too and I say he was playing. The decisive factor came when he sat two of the figures into the 1/6th size Jeep he is selling with them. Yep, he was playing.

He put them on sale in his side of the business. I tell you this because if any of you would like to start your kids or grand kids on collecting, the G.I. Joe Action figures are a good place to start. They just keep going up in value. The 12-inch full size ones he has in the showcase feature two of them from the original 1964 series, one still in the box. He also has some of the original Cobra 1984 small (3 1/2 inch) version. There is an interesting history of these toys found on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Joe

Now to my linens. I was told that we were the only Linen and Lace store south of Wyoming devoted to vintage linens. A person who came all the way down from Denver to purchase one of our Quaker Lace tablecloths told me this. I’m not sure about all of Colorado, but in checking the I25 corridor south from Wyoming to Pueblo, it appears she may be right. That also brings up my mentioning of some new stock I just put in. The same estate sale that my husband found the G.I. Joe’s in, yielded some beautiful hand done lace tablecloths and Italian linens. I have to admit, I had a hard time parting with these.

I’ll end here for now. I promise to be more vigilant in my writing, but until next time, enjoy the Super Bowl weekend coming up. Once again, if on the weekend you stop by the store and see a woman with her nose buried in linens, it’s probably me. Stop in and say hello.

 

 

antique, economics, entrepreneur, home life, local business, small business, Uncategorized, vintage

The Certainty of the Local Dollar.

1 Comment

By G. Allen Clark   Guest Writer (www.GAClark.com)

Let’s talk certainties.  Let’s talk about self-sufficiency and dependency.  Let’s talk about

Hi-res Kodachrome of downtown Colorado Springs...
Hi-res Kodachrome of downtown Colorado Springs, 1951. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

small business and Colorado Springs.  Specifically, let’s talk about the certainty of supporting the individual antique dealers who run small shops in all the local antique malls here in town. 

When the average antique shopper walks into one of the Antique Malls here in town, they tend to think of that mall as being “the antique store.”  In fact, that mall is a retail site that houses many antique stores or small businesses, each responsible for their own inventory, their own displays and their own advertising.  Your support of the mall equates to you supporting hundreds of small business owners.  This is a good, because that owner is the same small business owner who buys their groceries from where you work, pays for gas from your service station, which powers the cars and trucks that your son or uncle may have worked on.  The same owner who  collectively employs the staff that works behind the counter when you check out, who helps you load your antique purchase into your car, who later that night, will take their spouse and family out to eat in the local restaurant you own or work in. 

The antique mall you walk in to, be it The Antique Gallery, The Treasure Shoppe, American Classics, the American Indoor Flea Market, the Garage Sale or Willowstone, house over 800+ independent businesses combined.  That is a lot of small businesses, but that’s not counting the hundreds of other individual dealer’s countywide that make up this unique group of retailers.  800+ businesses that supply jobs to the local community.  All they ask is that you support them by purchasing your favorite antique or collectible from them, instead of only ordering from the Internet. 

From the income derived from your purchases, they will pay their taxes that will keep the roads clear and the schools open, they will educate their children in the schools where your son, daughter or granddaughter teaches, and all without extra shipping costs.  These owners buy the homes your family and friends worked hard to build and in doing so, they keep their dollars local.  They are not some outside multi-million dollar conglomerate with virtual offices, where income is a matter of international trade.  They are not the antiques that when you buy from their internet site, some person in India, Germany, Britain or China gets a little richer.  They believe in sharing the wealth and they believe it starts at home first. Support them and they will support you. 

 

——————-

As my wife and I are proud members of this independent small business community of antique dealers, we thank you all for your continued support and your patronage.  The next time you come in to one of our Mom & Me Vintage Linens & Lace stores; as our way of saying Thank You, pick up one of our permanent discount cards either at the Treasure Shoppe (space B4), American Classics (space B30 & B26) or American Indoor Flea Market (“Found Treasures” in space 301).  If you see us there, say hello.  Let us know how we’re doing.  We’d love to meet you.    

antique, country, crafts, fabric, Green Living, Hints Tips, lace, repurpose, restoration, sewing, Steampunk, Uncategorized, using color, vintage, Vintage Sewing

Shopping For Fabric When Making Fabric Handbags

Leave a comment

English: Handbags, unidentified material, FW20...
English: Handbags, unidentified material, FW2010 Collection (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let’s say you love handbags and you just can’t get enough of them.  In fact, your closet is filled with so many of them, that it seems as if the store has moved into your very own apartment.  The prices of these handbags can range from very cheap to very expensive.  There are many of us who are gifted with the talent to make our very own fabric handbags.  Creative people who love vintage designs, take handles and other hardware from old out of date bags and apply new / vintage material to them making their own design.  However, what material do you use?  That is the subject of todays article.

It is important that you at least have a general idea of the different types of fabric or material that is available for the type of lifestyle you and your bag will lead.  Much of this material can be found in one of our two stores; either The Treasure Shoppe downtown Colorado Springs, or American Classics antique Mall on North Academy.  Our fabrics are on either on the large racks or in the cubbies.

Materials best for handbags. 

There are certain types of delicate material that need the utmost care when removing stains.  You may not want these for a handbag consistently exposed to the perils of everyday use.  While there are other materials that is easier to maintain, you need to that you pay close attention to the cleaning directions of the different types of fabric.

  • Cotton comes in a wide array of choices when it comes to color, weight, patterns and design.  Plus the material is very easy to manipulate and cut.  It is advisable to pre-wash cotton before making it into a handbag.
  • Silk is not recommended for DIY handbags because aside from the fact that it requires dry cleaning, the material is difficult to handle and is more prone to stains.  Satin is the same, never the less, silk or satin make a great liner for some of the more elaborate designs.
  • Linen.  The bad thing about linen is that it easily wrinkles.  However, the wrinkled look is often desired for that one of a kind design.  Dry cleaning is recommended.  Use no bleach and avoid designs that require crimping or hard folds, as linen fibers will break.
  • Leather is a very durable material. The thing is it requires special equipment when you use this plus only a professional can clean it.  Suede can be brushed which sometimes may remove a small discoloration or stain.
  • Burlap makes a very rustic bag.  Great for that trip to the beach or mountains.  Stains don’t show up as bad with burlap, but even if they do, they tend to give burlap a rustic used look.
  • Canvas is another great DIY bag material.  A little fabric paint for a creative design adds to its long-lasting value.

The fabrics I have mentioned are just some of the many that you could choose from.  I strongly suggest that you experiment with a few.  We have the selection and we recommend trying the vintage fabrics we have before you invest in new modern imported fabrics.  Ultimately, you have the knowledge for what works best for you and your skill in crafting the bag.

antique, fabric, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, repurpose, Uncategorized, using color, Victorian, vintage

We moved

Leave a comment

child-and-mom - Copy
Mom & Me in Space B30 @ American Classics

We moved!  We didn’t go far, we simply changed locations within the same store. We moved from the dinky little space C30 to a bigger and better location at B30 – within the American Classics Antique Marketplace on N. Academy and Constitution. The response has been tremendous. People love the new space and I would love to hear what you think. The beautiful lace is no longer hidden. The satins shine and the Damask tablecloths take on a whole new sheen as they are allowed to breathe. Does it sound as if I have become too personal in my relationship with my linens? Perhaps. They needed to be showcased.  Our new home for them does that. I darn near killed my husband moving everything in one day, but he survived. A little special loving, a lot of aspirin and he eventually stopped whimpering.

While you’re there, look for our brochures, because attached to them are discount cards that you can use anytime. Pick one up for your relatives and your friends. In addition to American Classics, the cards are good at our store in the Treasure Shoppe, downtown at Pikes Peak and Wasatch and the Willowstone on Dublin and Academy. Keep them with you because you can use them over again. As usual, if you see me in there, stop and chat. I’ll be the one with that dreamy smile on my face.

I almost forgot.  Take a look at the Tiffany lamp in my husbands new case.  It is one of Tiffany’s earlier “pulled feather” designs and it is stunning.

antique, country, crafts, fabric, Green Living, home life, Kitchen Collectibles, Uncategorized, vintage

There’s no better time than whenever.

Leave a comment

christmas 2007
christmas 2007 (Photo credit: paparutzi)

I hate to see anything end.  I don’t know why.  Heck, I hate to see a good movie end.  I dislike the word “finale,” and “end of a year.”  I use to look forward to Christmas. However, years back, I began to realize that Christmas signaled the end of that year.  Regardless of whether the year has been good or bad (any year above ground is good) I wasn’t ready for it to end.  One more wrinkle, one more notch on the stick of time, one more year where I haven’t written my great American novel.  My husband say’s that if we didn’t change the calendar or celebrate New Year’s, we would not be as aware of the change.  Therefore, I have adopted this attitude.  It made sense.Our ancestors marked the years passing by the seasons and the crops, why can’t I?  I have a new crop of grey hair, thanks to my husband.  I’ll use that.  Calendars weren’t required on the farm I came from, even though the tractor company would always send us one.  The auto parts store would always send my dad one, but that calendar somehow always ended up in the garage where we kids couldn’t see it.

Without an end, I can function.  For example, for the last two weeks, I have been off on Fall break.  You are probably thinking  – “well then, why haven’t we read more posts?”  I will explain this.  Part of the answer is simple.  I didn’t have time to think of the end.  I have been busy restocking both stores new vintage, in anticipation of the holidays.  New “vintage” meaning Christmas linens, tableware and other Christmas items such as Tree Skirts and Mantle Runners from an East Coast estate, late 70’s, early 80’s.  I also put in some beautiful lace doilies and tableware from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  (By the way, residents of Manitou Springs, if you have missed your Vintage Linen Store, take time to stop in the Treasure Shoppe downtown Colorado Springs – go to space B4 and look at the vintage German doilies and lace I just put in.)

The only problem with putting new stuff in, is that I am reminded there is a calendar out there, running out of pages.  I don’t celebrate New Year’s now, just another day for me.  I brought out the Christmas linens only because the big stores did.  My calendar is perpetually on 2008.  I keep it because of the hunky firefighters pictures.  Mr. July has been very good for me.

Therefore, if you are one of my relatives or friends, I am sorry I missed your birthday or anniversary.  I was close.  I still have your Christmas card from 2007 – all addressed and ready to go.  I just need to add more postage – someday.  Stop by and pick one up.  For my employing school, call me if I don’t show up one day.  I’m probably on Spring or Winter Break a little early, (or late) I don’t know.  As part of my campaign to let the days roll on, I may not be on time as well.  I stopped wearing my watch and refuse to look at the clock.  If you roll by the house in the early morning, that’s the husband pushing me, half-dressed – out the door.  He is my official timekeeper.  Betcha he wishes he hadn’t been so philosophical now.

antique, country, fabric, Green Living, home life, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, repurpose, Uncategorized, vintage

Summertime, summertime, summertime.

1 Comment

English: Taken at a Chicagoland Flea Market. R...
English: Taken at a Chicagoland Flea Market. Rosemont, Illinois on Sunday. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just looked at my timeline for the first time in a long time.  My o’ my, where has the time flown.  It’s been six plus weeks since I have posted anything.  You would think I fell off the earth.   Actually, I have been quite busy with back to school things.  Things like getting the daughter prepped and ready for school and getting myself ready for the back to school grind.  Actually that part was easier this year because I taught summer school for the first part of the summer and the daughter attended two band camps of which I participated by being the second camp chauffeur .   The hubby did the first camp during my summer school phase.

Then there were the busy summer sales at both stores.  We put these on in between band camp and summer school.  I love summer sales.  I was trying to decide just what items to put on sale when the hubby said, “Just put it all on sale.”  So we did.  He’s so practical.  In the afternoons and on the occasional weekend, we did manage to get out and go picking.  He’s into collecting and selling “netsukes” and vintage pens and I let him put some in “Dad Corner” in my space at American Classics.  He also has his display in Case 409 there as well.  I love our excursions to the antique stores, estate sales, and garage sales.  Together, we love the flea markets.  It’s where he occasionally finds some of his best treasures.  The weather was hot most days, but we endured.  (it’s a tough life isn’t it?)

So that’s my excuse for not writing and I’m sticking with it.  Been too busy to write and too busy being busy.  In all fairness, I could have simply sat around all summer and complained about the heat.  I know many people who did; so I let them, all by themselves while the hubby and I played.    But now, it’s back to work time.

However, every weekend and after school many times, you will still find me in one of my locations, nose deep in my linens, getting my weekly fix.  If you see me at either the Treasure Shoppe (B4) or American Classics (C30) and I have that glazed look in my eye, know that I’m in my own little heaven.  Feel free to grab a handful of freshly laundered linens and join me.   It’s OK, I know what you’re feeling.  You’re welcome here.

crafts, fabric, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, Uncategorized, using color

Valentines Day Sale

1 Comment

Fred Sanford
The late - great Red Foxx - Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

Well, we did it.  “Mom and Me”  went down to the store and drew hearts on a ton of inventory. Everywhere you look you should see a heart.  What this means for you is that the items with a heart on them are now 25% off their normal low price.  I forgot to tell Mom that this was the reason we were drawing hearts on the tags.  She almost had her own “heart” attack over it. (get it)   She reminded me of Red Foxx as Fred Sanford on the old TV Show “Sanford and Sons.”  (Hand over chest – looking skyward)

Stop in the store (downtown Colorado Springs at 324 E, Pikes Peak) and every item with a red heart on the tag – take it up to the counter and they will automatically take 25% off its already low price. 

I’ve got some new ideas I am trying out that I will write about later today.  I’m putting the finishing touches on them now. 

Until next time, repurpose, recycle, and stay green. 

 

crafts, fabric, Kitchen Collectibles, lace, Uncategorized, using color

A Long – Short Week

1 Comment

United States Olympic Committee headquarters i...
Image via Wikipedia. United States Olympic Center

Friday night, after a long – but too short Christmas break, I finally closed the classroom door and was happy to get home and hit my easy chair. Tomorrow, (Sat) we are heading to the store to add in some more lace and vintage material, then it’s off to the Antique Show here in Colorado Springs.

An idea for you teachers. Two years ago, I made seat back pouches for all my elementary student chairs. The kids would come in, put their books and personal items into the pouch, keeping everything off the floor and out of the way.  Naturally I used repurposed material. In this case, it was old car seat covers I had found, but any heavy canvas material would do.

Instructions:   Measure the width of your chairs and the length from the top of the chair to the seat.  I will bet that you creative types will already know how to sew the rest, but for those who don’t try this.  Take your length measurement times 2 1/2. plus 2 inch’s.  e.g If you measured 15 inches from the top of the seat back to the seat, then the length of the canvas you will need is about 38 + 2 or 40 inches.  The last 8 inches is the pouch part.  The first fold is at 15 inches.  The second fold, folded inside itself is at 30 inch’s  (I hem the top and bottom of the strip one inch before I fold anything, so that’s why the extra length.)  The width of the piece is two inches wider then your seat back.  Now sew the side edges and turn everything inside out.  Your pouch part is now on the outside and ready to be filled.  Slip the whole thing over the seat back and your done.  Do this 25 more times and you have a classroom full of happy kids with new seat pouches and a clean floor.

Until next time, recycle, repurpose and stay green.