French Market at the Red Shed Slide Show

What a great Sale! Thank you, Thank you, to all of you who braved the 105 temperatures to join us at our French Market Sale. We hope each of you love your little pieces of Paris that went home with you. For those of you who couldn't make it, here is a slide show. Its a long one, because I am just too tired to edit, but I think you can click and get a gallery view. Thanks to Michael Patras for getting up so early to take these great photos!

Shabby Trash to Chic Treasure, or We loved Vintage, before Vintage was "Cool"

It is SO WONDERFUL that buying Vintage is all the Rage. It is pure, guilt free shopping at it's best. Endulge your inner shopper and save the planet all at the same time! Even when we were in Paris, our shopping guide told us that the designer shops were seeing a huge decline, while the vintage shops were seeing record business! Our mantra: "Recycle, Re-Use, Re-invent, Rejuvenate!". Nothing is more exciting than rescuing a cast off, turning it into something vibrant and beautiful, then sharing it with others.

Sometimes it's really very simple to turn trash to treasure. Just keep your eyes and your mind open to the possibilities. Last week I found these great glass plates at a thrift store. They are a wonderful design with Fleur di Lis and wheat impressions. The same day I found footed desert bowls and some low goblets at a garage sale.

Placed together, the dessert bowls fit just exactly in the bottom bubble ridge of the plate, creating a darling and sturdy riser or cake plate. I thought about using glass glue to permanently attach them, but left unattached, the cup can be filled with anything from decorative buttons, to rock candy or colored M&Ms to match your decor.

Here is one with the taller goblet. It is hard to tell, but this one is filled with vintage white bobbins of thread.
I found these plates the same day. They are white and decorated with gold Fleur di Lis'. For this double decker plate, I did permanently bond the goblet to the plate. Cover it with petit fours at your next garden party, use it in your bath for extra room on your counters, or just add a little additional height in your decorating. If you would rather skip the "make it yourself" part, all three of these fun styles are available right now at the Red Shed for only $14.95 each.

When we found these custom kneeling/prayer benches, that I'm sure were made for a wedding, I knew they would get a lot more use as a shabby plant stand.
At first I thought I would remove the cushions and put some cut glass in, then I realized that all I had to do was remove the foam, and I already had perfectly cut boards, so with a little primer and paint....Ready to go... There are two, so how great would they look side by side and covered with plants, or flanking a great vintage glider.
In the "hold it down, or it will be painted WHITE" department.... I'm sure you remember our antique initial foundry molds. This is how they started....
After lots of sanding, painting and priming, this was how they finished. I think these are the only two we have left. This shows how they are reversible. Convex on one side and concave on the other. If any of you who bought our other initials (especially the LARGE ones), have done something creative with them (or even if they are just on a wall) Please send us a photo to include on the blog! We love "after" photos as much as anyone!I live in a little community with lots of sweet older folks. When ever I take a big piece of wood furniture into my front yard to paint, they will come by on their walks and say "Nooooo!, You are NOT going to paint that WOOD!" I just say "YES!!!" and a whole new generation is going to LOVE it, and USE it, instead of it going to the landfill!".
Case in point....
And after.........I was not wild about these chairs in their original form....The table that went with them is in the back of this photo. There is always lots of wood glue, wood fillers, and sanding involved.....I had a bunch of furniture in my front yard that day...so lot's of visits....
Before seat cushions....
And the final result. This table was absolutely gorgeous, but it went so fast to it's new home with Julie H., that I wasn't even sure if we had a photo of it. Look at the double carved legs on each corner...
A simple pedestal goes from boring....
To BAM! (Just keep saying...."White Paint Is My Friend.....")
I am just sick that I don't have a before photo of this one. Michele J bought this 90 hole cubby in Round Top, and it was just falling apart, straight wood cubbies (literally the sides were falling off, and the dividers were falling out...of course it didn't help that we parked in the wrong parking lot when we went back to fetch it, and we had to throw it over a fence.....wish we had a picture of that one!) I once again digress....MJ took it home and just fabu-lisized it! She added the side and top molding and of course, white paint to make it truly a treasure.....I think I may have shown this one before, but I just loved this table for the short amount of time we had it. It actually was the "black sheep" and got a coat of black...
We can't claim the credit for the next one. A friend of ours bought some great wagon wheels and an axle at a garage sale. He also had an old Duncan Phyfe table, languishing in his garage, so he married the two and made our wonderful Flower Cart. This is the color it was when we got it...
But a little black paint and it became the star or our garden room during the last sale...
Finally, how many of you remember the chair that went with the fabulous French sofa that we had at the last sale? Well the cane-ing had seen it's better day, but our smart client, Sharon G., saw those great bones and grabbed it right up!

She Really Re-Invented this chair! I love the French lines with the Navajo print, and don't ya know that every person who comes to her home asks "Where did you get that Chair?"
At the Red Shed, of course! In a few days I will have a few more fun projects to show you that the glue wasn't quite dry on yet. In the mean time.....don't forget to mark you calendars for our "French Market" Sale on June 27th. We still have all of our vintage Paris purchases under wraps and waiting to come out on that day! We will also have some wonderful new decorative items all with a French Flair....stay tuned for sneak peek previews!

Paris Flea Market Trip 2009 & Christmas Clearance Sale Date

Be sure to mark your calendars! Saturday, December 6th will be the Red Shed Anniversary and Clearance Sale. We will have lots of wonderful & unique Christmas Gifts, plenty of fabulous decor to "feather your Christmas nest", and we are even having a true (and large) "Yard Sale" section, with some unbelievable move-em-out prices.

Spots are filling for our 2009 Paris Flea Market Shopping Trip. In order to confirm your space, you must mail your deposit, along with your contract to the Red Shed.
This is the BEST time in years to go to Paris! The dollar has a great exchange rate and flights are reasonable. Call the Red Shed Girls with questions and to check availability.
817-310-6006 or 800-209-0871

Paris Flea Market Antique Shopping Trip 2009

All I want for Christmas is....
A trip to Paris
with the
Red Shed Girls!

Everyone keeps telling us that it is on their
"Must Do before I Die List"

It's once again time to join the Red Shed Girls for our annual

"Paris Flea Market Shopping Adventure"
April 29 - May 5, 2009

Last year all of our participants said it was the "Best trip they had ever been on!". We LOVE the Paris Flea Markets. This is "Thrill of the Hunt" at it's best! It's a GREAT time to go to Paris, with good exchange rates and easily available flights.
Your fabulous trip will include 6 days and 5 nights in the "City of Light", a private tour of Paris, 2 full shopping days at the Paris Flea Markets, a deluxe "Illuminations" Night-time Dinner Cruise down the Siene, Welcome Dinner, Presents, Special Parties, Lots of Laughs, Friendship, Junking Comaraderie and much, much more!

For prices and lots of details go to

http://www.redshedonline.com/

and go to "Paris 2009". You can also see the photos from our 2008 trip

(For Blog Journal see May 2008 in post archives)

Due to the success of last year's trip, we have had a GREAT response from those who are interested in this trip. We are only taking a maximum of 10 people, and will accept reservations only first come, first serve, based on those who get their deposits in to us. We look forward to hearing from you and please call or email us if you have any questions!

817.310.6006

For questions and more details

email
Valarie@Riverside-Travel.com
or
TheRedShed@earthlink.net

Junk Bonanza Antiquing Trip Day 4

After two days of 6 am Wake up calls, we all got to sleep in until 7 am today! Yea!! First stop on our agenda was the Secret Destination that won't be much of a secret after this post.


After months of digging and lots of driving on the pre-trip, we discovered:


THE COTTAGE HOUSE, 4304 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 825-4934.


They welcomed the Red Shed Girls with open arms....






The Cottage House looks like a small house with a little white picket fence out front. They hold a once a month occasional sale each with a changing theme (dear to our hearts, because it is just like the Red Shed!). They completely rework the entire building including painting the walls, and sometimes the floors. Boy is it worth a trip!


Once you get past the front arbor, the bargains start to appear.....

Owner, Ted is a talented designer and artist, and one of the nicest men you will ever meet. Here he is with one of his vendors, Linda, who I think looks like "Rainbow, My Painted Pony". She and her friend Judy have a great eye for display. Country Western music serenaded us as we shopped.

As you go into the cottage you realize that it is actually very large, with a second story, a huge covered back yard and a second building in the rear! Eye catching displays are in every room and cottage antiques overflow in every corner........

I hate to even mention the prices...Let's just say that if we had a semi-tractor trailer instead of a U-haul, it still would have been full!

You may recognize the Globe turned pumpkin below. Ted designed it and it was featured in Country Living. Of course, this pumpkin is now on it's way to live in Texas!

Thanks so much for the wonderful goodies he provided from his friends at Firefly Bistro, which is where we also had lunch.

Our next stop was Hunt and Gather. Once again we were greeted like ROCK STARS!

Hunt and Gather has such great displays and collections! The Red Shed Group just went nuts! More flash cards, lots of movie marquee letters, and so much more. My photos did not all turn out, but I will have more posted soon.

Here is one cute lampshade display....

Our last stop after lunch was Guilded Salvage. Oh my goodness, I thought the ladies would have a heart attack when they walked inside! We were again greeted by Scott......Christina and Ellie, the circus dog, who helps check out.....

There were gorgeous architecturals as far as the eye can see...

Everything is very well organized and reasonably priced. We were truly only limited by the shrinking space in our van. Scott had items marked with "Red Shed Girls" prices. It was so sweet! I'm not sure there is a corbel left in Minnesota.


Why is there no place like this in Texas? (or Colorado, Oklahoma, or North Carolina), the girls were asking.
Believe it or not, this was the last stop on our trip. We were going to go to a flea market at 6am in the morning, but by this time, only GiGI, our turbo-shopper was even remotely interested.

Here is a photo of the packing process of our van. You can understand why no one even wanted to look at a flea market!

One last farewell dinner at Bacios and it is off to the airport tomorrow morning (we get to sleep until 9! Michele and Kay are driving the U-haul back to Texas and they will be back to the Red Shed in Grapevine, Tueday Morning. Would anyone like to come help unpack? PLEASE?

Another great end to a fabulous day of antique shopping in Minnesota. I hope we have been able to educate our dear customers and readers on why this is such a great destination and trip. I will try to post again tomorrow if possible, but stay tuned for more photos and adventures from the trip, as the other participants photos are loaded. Visit Margo's Junkin Journal or The Blessed Nest blogs in a day or two for photos and trip adventures from another point of view.

• Thanks SO MUCH to all of the GREAT ladies who joined us. It was so amazing to have a dozen woman, most who have never met, get together, get along, and take care of each other for an entire long weekend of shopping, junking and antiquing. Thanks also to Ki for sponsoring the Junk Bonanza, which was a Huge success and inspired this trip. Be sure to visit her blog and her new website at http://www.junkrevolution.com/.

**Update...Last we heard our U-Haul drivers Michele and Kay had stopped at Diamond Jim's Casino in Iowa....that's the last we have heard from them!