Market Monday

I love old signs, and fonts.  Something as simple as an old street sign grabs my attention.  The next best thing is when I find a unique 'canvas' and make my own sign. 

 I found several bead board kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts.  Old, thick bead board like this is charming... full of character all on its own.

 I cut the board down to fit my font size.

 Leaving the old handle imprint and screw hole... it speaks to what it was originally used for.  Gorgeous!!

 My favorite surface to paint fonts on is something with a rough surface.  The texture makes for a very interesting painted font, looking old instantly.  In this instance, the surface of the bead board was extremely smooth.  This then requires me to recreate the layered affect of what paint would do if it were weathered over time.  So in this case, I used a burnt umber color to paint 'Market' and then randomly shadowed that with a charcoal paint.  Then I lightly sanded the whole surface and the paint releases in random spots and the paint has the illusion of depth that an old piece would have!

I left this piece 'clean', which means I let the old wood speak for itself... very little distressing.  Perfect!

 Don't you need this sign to hang over your Pantry door?  Don't ya?!

Next topic for this week:  decorating with books!  The books we buy speaks volumes for our tastes and interests.  Agreed?  Here in my home I have a stack of books on a table all about my love of decorating.  The books themselves create decor and I leave them out as a reflection of me.

 On a window ledge in my family room I have a collection of old books.  I have collected these over several years... some were chosen for the color and some for the book title.

 This is my 'hands down' favorite book I own.  The title and the blue cover paired together was instant love.

 So with that said, I am drawn to collecting old books for my Market Booth.  They are perfect as single statement pieces and functional clustered together or used to elevate other items into the spotlight.  Do you love to cook?  Did you know that The Joy of Cooking cookbook series was first published in 1931!  This Music in History book is 1940 copyright and it has a neutral cover and would look amazing on an end table opened to an interesting subject.

 I have several book 'bundles' in my booth.  Usually they are bundled by color waves for decorating.  But as below, I also like to bundle like topics together.  Do you love anything to do with water, ocean... do you live at the lake on the weekends?  This book bundle is for you :)

 The last items I will showcase today is this amazing pitcher and little gravy boat.

 First, this pitcher.  It has no manufacturing mark but the glaze speaks VOLUMES.  It is still water tight to use for a cluster of flowers.  It is just breathtaking... and to this point... THE item that took the most will power to actually take AND THEN LEAVE in my booth.  painful.

This ironstone gravy boat has a darling shape.  It is a an antique that can still have complete function in your kitchen.  Love it. 

Hope you have a great week!  These items and several others are now in my Booth.  Go SEE!