Sunday Snapshot ... Fredericksburg Christmas Porches

Yesterday morning, The Husband and I did our annual shift as guides for one of the houses during the annual Christmas Candlelight Tour in historic downtown Fredericksburg.  Every year, half a dozen or so houses are selected for the tour, and each is decorated and staged beautifully.  There is so much wonderful Christmas inspiration in these houses!!  (unfortunately, no photography is allowed INSIDE the houses ... but I can take all the photos I want outside.)

I'm still looking at porches, as I refine the design for the posts and gingerbread trim that I hope will soon adorn OUR porch. 

I loved everything about this porch!

This is the rest of the front of the same house.

The 'wreaths' on these front doors were actually picture frames, wrapped in ribbon.

This was my favorite front door!  The red door, with the lime green accents in the decorations, was stunning!  (The hostess on the porch told me that the color is called "Perfectly Red" ... it really is perfect.)

... and this was my favorite color combination.  The apple green of the front doors was a perfectly-coordinated punch of color to go with the white siding, grey trim, and pale blue porch ceiling.

This is the house where The Husband and I worked all morning.  He was on the porch giving the history of the house, and I was in the dining room ... where it was warm.

My favorite house on the tour, both inside and outside, was this one.  It's known as the Hurkamp House, and it was built in the same year as our house (1848).  As we toured the inside, I was practically bombarded on all sides by inspiration that I can use as we transition from the construction and restoration phase of our place to (hopefully, one day) doing some real decorating around here.

Working this tour every year, with its beautiful historic homes and elegant decorations, always has me coming home motivated to put OUR house into its best Christmas shape.  Later today, The Husband will drag the tubs of decorations out of their storage area, and I will see what I can do.  Stay tuned.

My Little Slice of the Antique Business

Here it is, your first look at my booth at the antique mall, with the first load of items in place.

All morning yesterday, I gathered things from my stash throughout our basement and garages, polished and priced each of them, and loaded small things into my Jeep.

Large items went into my truck.

The Husband drove the truck and I drove the Jeep..  He helped me unload everything, then he went back home to work.

This space still needs a lot more stuff ... but this was as much as we could bring in one trip with the two vehicles.  It's going to take quite a bit more practice for me to learn how to arrange things to maximize my space, and to still have room for customers to move around.

My plan is to have a mix of items, some finished and some not, to appeal to a wider range of buyers.  If I were shopping and I came across this booth, I doubt I would look at the painted mirror or bed (because I can do this myself) ... but I would be all over the set of project chairs, and maybe that red settee.  There are folks, though, that want their stuff ready-to-go and would make a bee-line for the painted pieces.  If this plan doesn't work, and the project items sit here too long, I can always bring them back home, finish them, and take them back to the booth for another try.

One thing that I especially love is lighting ... lamps and chandeliers and sconces with character.  Honestly, I wish I had a place for this sconce with the green glass shade because it is gorgeous ... and the galvanized porch fixture beside it has just the right amount of rust.

What's the item I most wish I could keep, you ask?  That would be the English cheese dish, in the photo below.  I bought it because I loved the graphic quality of the letters on the chunky white dish ... then I found out what it is and that they go for a lot of money on eBay.  The pine hutch it's sitting on is a piece that I'm selling as a project.  It's a great size, and it's patiently waiting for someone to give it a coat or two of their favorite color.

As I was arranging furniture and small items, I realized very quickly that I have a long way to go before I'm any good at this.  But this is my space to do with as I please, and I will do what I can to make it work for what I plan to sell.   What I need to do next is hang shelving on the blank wall behind the settee to stand large things (like the wicker tray and the lazy susan, above) and figure out a way to display chandeliers (I cannot go any higher than the current walls of the booth since I'm an inside space).  I have a couple of ideas about what to do.

If you're in the neighborhood, come on down and see the place in person!

Minuteman Mini Mall

Route 3, 746 Germanna Highway, Culpeper, VA 22701

Who's Hiding in the Forest?

I was feeling crafty last night, so I whipped out my supplies and made some tabletop Christmas trees.  I love the 'Charlie Brown' look of these little trees, set into the small galvanized buckets and topped with floral moss.

I fluffed each tree, preparing to pack them up and take them to my antique booth later today.  As I took these photos, I noticed that I had company.  Do you see her?

Alice was hiding in the 'forest'.

Sweet Alice.

I'm meeting up with my mom this afternoon, and she is going to keep me company while I set up the first load of items in my new booth!  Expect that I will take LOTS of photos and, of course, I will share them as soon as I can.

A Bloggy Blind Date

Every once in a while, I find someone in the blog world and make an instant connection.  This is what happened with Deborah of Confessions of a Craig's List Junkie.  A few weeks ago, when she and I realized that we only live an hour apart, I proposed that we meet up one day to get to know each other in person.

That day was today.  She and I met for a late breakfast at Bob Evans ... eating and drinking coffee and chatting for a couple of hours, until the lunch rush began and we felt a little weird continuing to sit there and hog the table.

Our next stop was across the street at Home Goods, to do some Christmas damage.  Both of us did a lot more looking than buying, but we each came away with some gifts for others and treasures for ourselves.

(I didn't buy any of the stuff in these photos ... it's just filler.)

I did love this vase, though!

When we finished at Home Goods, we said goodbye, promising to keep in touch.  It was a really great time! 

My next stop was Ikea.  I had a list to kill, and little time to do it.  (Ikea on a time constraint is torture!)  First stop, the fabric department.  I wanted to find fabric to make pillow covers, and Ikea has some great designs.  This one was my favorite, but they were out of it ... grrrr.

By the time I checked everything off my list, my cart was full of fabric and feather pillow forms ... towels and storage baskets ... and a shelf clock.

Filler photo again ... I liked this, but didn't buy it.

The baskets are for my sewing room.  The towels will look great in our downstairs bathroom.  The fabric and pillow forms will be assembled and will end up as merchandise in my booth.

more filler.

"Hey, Connie", you say, "Aren't you nervous that some day one of these bloggy blind dates of yours will turn out to be an axe murderer?"  Not at all.  Everyone I have met so far has been just as lovely in person as they seem online. 

Deborah, today was a lot of fun.  Let's DEFINITELY plan to do it again.

Preparing My New Booth

Today was the day that I set aside to gather my supplies and prepare my new booth at the antique mall.  The former tenant's style left a LOT to be desired, and it is necessary for me to freshen up the decor and put my own touch on the space.  The Husband helped me load up, and he came along with me to help.  It's nice when we get to work on a project together.

When we arrived, the space was empty and clean and ready for us to get to work.

It only took a few minutes with a screwdriver to pull the staples and take down the wrinkled burlap ... which I saved to use for projects later.  The panel of pink was wrapping paper, which came right off with a little yank.  The Husband's part of the job was to screw these weathered green wood shutters to the wall ... I got a great deal on a pile of these at the Richmond Habitat ReStore a few months ago.  All we had to do was dust them off and wipe them down with a damp cloth.  They are beautifully worn and the color is perfect!

Shutters finished ... and I love how they look!

While he was working on the shutters, my job was to paint the shelves.  The yellow sponge painting on the tan shelves was awful, and it had to go.

The color I chose is Farrow and Ball's 'Lamp Room Grey', color-matched in Valspar paint, in a satin finish.  It's a lovely blue-green-grey, and I think will provide a perfect background.

Bye bye, sponge painting.

This looks SO much better!

I have to go back to the store to get more paint, because one quart wasn't QUITE enough.

The mall manager came by while we were working to see how things were coming along, and she loved how nice the booth is looking so far ... and we both wondered what the previous tenants were thinking with the sponge painting.

Here is the booth Before and After:

These were consignment items.

Wall of shutters and new paint ... so much better!

I think I came up with the perfect name for this space.

Within a week, I should be moving my first items into the space.  I don't really have enough things finished to fill it yet, but I think I can make a fairly respectable display.  After Christmas, I will have more time to spend sorting through projects ... refinishing and painting what I can, and selling some of them as is.  My brain is whirling with the possibilities!

(Can you tell that I'm really excited?)

End-of-Year Rose Sale

(I just sent an email to everyone on my Hartwood Roses mailing list, telling them about my end-of-year clearance sale on roses.  I'm reprinting it here, with a few edits, to reach a wider audience and to let folks see some of the beautiful roses that are still available ... I avoid sending photos in my emails to make them a more manageable size.)

Dear Rose Friends,

Cold weather is here, and it‘s time for the remaining roses in inventory to bed down for the winter. Before I do this, from now through Sunday, December 11, all roses in stock are $10. First come, first served. No delayed shipping on this offer.

The Bishop

Alberic Barbier

There is still a lovely selection of hardy roses in stock, many of which are some of my favorite roses in the garden … Tuscany Superb, The Bishop, Silver Moon, Peggy Martin, Leontine Gervais, Alberic Barbier, Caldwell Pink, Apothecary’s Rose, and many more.

Peggy Martin

Puerto Rico

At the conclusion of this sale, I plan to tuck the roses into the greenhouse for the winter and close the online store till spring.

Tuscany Superb

Paul Transon

Next year will be a bit different, as I catch my breath and regroup from a couple of whirlwind years. I’m putting less emphasis on propagation, and turning more of my efforts toward getting my gardens in order and preparing new programs and classes that I am anxious to introduce. Folks want information about roses … which roses to choose, how to plant and maintain them, what to do when problems occur, etc. … and I am gearing up answer the call. There will definitely be a new crop of roses for 2012, I’m just not stressing over it.

Silver Moon

Apothecary's Rose

Let me close by taking a minute to thank each of you for your support of Hartwood Roses. Even in this climate of economic uncertainty, 2011 was a good year for us, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you look forward to what we offer in 2012, and can make room in your garden for a few more Hartwood Roses.

Sincerely,
Connie Hilker

(and I offer a very sincere thank you each of you, who read this blog and support me through your comments and emails.  I appreciate this more than you know.)

Greenhouse: Are You Tired of This Yet?

Remember the movie "Groundhog Day"?  That's what it's feeling like here lately.  I get up each day and do the same thing as the day before ... work on the greenhouse. 

The Husband didn't have time to help me yesterday, so I was by myself.  I started the work day by finishing the plywood sheathing at the bottom of the building.  It's that piece to the right of the door ... which is actually four small pieces, since I'm trying to make use of my scraps to keep from having to cut a new piece of plywood.

Next step, cornerboards.  This is the final piece of major construction, and it will seal up the last of the large holes in the greenhouse.  By the end of the day, three of the four corners were finished.  I would have done the fourth corner, but I ran out of screws.

Today will be like every other day this week.  You can find me working on the greenhouse as soon as the sun comes around and temperatures rise enough for me to work outside comfortably.  First, though, I'll make a quick trip to the store to get more screws, a 1x6, and some caulk.  There are 49 windows in this building, and I have to caulk inside and outside of each one of them ... to seal any small gaps to keep the warm air inside and the cold air outside.

Are you as ready as I am to move onto other things? 

With one more full day of work, I honestly still think that I can be finished with the construction part of this project ... at least till spring, when I can do the fun, decorative part with trim and paint.  I will need to work for a day or two to get the inside prepped for plants, but it's warm and sunny inside and working there is a delight.  

Wish me luck.