The Perfect Piece for the Corner in the Dining Room

We live in an almost 100 year old Craftsman style home.  Sometimes its hard to find just the right piece for a little corner. 

 A couple of monthes ago I was out shopping and picking for our big show

 Remnants of the Past 

that is coming up in a couple of weeks.   We discovered this little table that was missing half of the top and 1 leg.  It aslo looked like it needed some TLC in the repainting department.  My handy husband, said "no problem, I'll just put a leg on, and fix the top and repaint it in our favorite paint 

Annie Sloan ChalkPaint®."

  I was thinking, hmm, do we need another project?

Well, once we got it home, I took another look at it.  I said, 

"I want this one."

I don't keep much for myself, but this one fits perfectly in my little corner.

  We never repainted, 

or put on a new leg,

or put the missing half of the top back on.

  I love it just the way it is.

And here it is in the corner of my dining room.

It gets used as a place to draw, a favorite homework place and sometimes extra seating when we have dinner guest.

The perfect piece.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Hello! It's Been Awhile...

This time of year is soooo busy for us.
 Our store is OPEN six days a week.  Tuesday - Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4.
Plus:

 In the last month, the second Sunday, we sold at the Sacramento Antique Faire,

Two days later our Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Class was full and as usual, a fun day.

On the 20th, we were at Mes Amis .

It was beautiful weather and it was good to see so many fellow vendors and repeat customers.

The first Sunday of May, we were at The Alameda Point Antique Faire.

Now, in a couple of days on Mother's Day (second Sunday) look for us in space M-5&6 at

 The Sacramento Antique Faire.

(Old White Dresser-Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® available in the store.)

Our May Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Class is on 

May 21st.

11- 1:30

$95

Call (916)663-4663 to reserve your seat.

Just a week or so after that we will be heading to Remnants of the Past!

 Yikes!

I spent a few hours hours yesterday cleaning, pricing and packing items for that show.  I am so excited about the treasures we have to share with you there.  Look for outside in space T-13.  

It is going to be a good one!

June 1 - 9 - 5

 June 2 - 9 - 3

Alex Madonna Expo Center

San Luis Obispo

(Judy Watkins the promoter of the show.)

 Look for some special guest at ROTP.

Jen O'Conner ~ Earth Angels Studios
Ben Ashby ~FOLK Magazine
Jo Packham ~ Where Women Create

That is what we have been up to this last month and where you can find us in the next week or so.  Check out the links to the shows and come visit us!

The Vintage Bricoleur
3750 Taylor Road
Loomis, Ca 95650
Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

The Life of The Vintage Bricoleurs

Some Details:

(Some of us right before a show.)

Do you ever think about what we have to do to prepare for a show?

 Or to get something ready to bring to the store? 

 Most things go out of the "workshop" or "workroom" different from when they were picked up from an estate sale, picker, someones trash, a private shopping experience, yard sale, the wood pile on the side of the house, yard sale, a very nice antique store. You name it.  It comes from all over.

Next we decide what we want it to become.  Most things are in need of a new "life".

By that I mean it has to be cleaned, painted, mended, fixed to be made stronger, and priced.

Items have to be saved and gathered to create special displays.

It has to be loaded into the truck or trailer and hauled to the location where it will be sold.  And then unloaded and set up.

We somehow come up with creative ideas to display our items.

It is fun to see it all come together.  

Most of the time we have a basic plan.

You get all set up, and in a short amount of time, you have to re-merchandise because thing are selling. On The Spot. 

Fun.  It is a challenge, but I love it.

After a show, the items that did not sell need to be repacked into the truck and trailer and taken home for another show or taken to the store. 

 If we have had a busy day at the store, things need to be restocked or redisplayed.  Most of our items are "found" items, one-of-a-kind, so usually new merchandise is brought in.

This is just a peak into what we do.

Sound fun? Or a little crazy. 

For us it is a little of both.  Mostly fun because we have a passion for it.  We love to create and breathe new life into things.  We love being bricoleurs.

bricoleur:

We get to work together every day.  This is a family business.  Our kiddos (the Jr. Bricoleurs) work right beside us, learning along the way how to take something out of nothing and turn it into something beautiful.

And...

We could not do it without you.  Our faithful customers who support us in this.

Thank You.

We have also met some great fellow vendors, dealers, shop owners and show promoters.  You all are very inspiring to us.

Please visit us:

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

  

The Vintage Bricoleur Featured Vendor for The Sacramento Antique Faire

We have been selling at The Sacramento Antique Faire for 4 years now. 

 We sell there the second Sunday of every month.  You can always find us at the main entrance in Space M-5&6. 

This month on their website they are featuring us!  Head on over to read the article.

Vendor Spotlight

http://sacantiquefaire.com/vendor-spotlight/

Sunday, April 14th

6:30am - 3pm

On 21st Street between W & X Streets.

Admission is $3.00.

Children under 16 and Parking are FREE.

Plan on having some delicious food from The Food Vendors.

See you there!

(All photos are from previous shows.)

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Inspired Table

~Antibes Table~

We have been selling Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® for a year now.  Hearing about customer's projects, seeing projects on the Internet, Pinterest, other stockists' photos of projects and reading Annie's books have all been very inspiring for us.  The table I  am sharing with you today is inspired by a project in one of Annie's books.

Before

After

Pretty cute.

Just a plain little table waiting for some love.

Wipe your piece clean.

Brush your paint on. We used Antibes Green.  No priming or sanding needed.

We washed the top with Old White.  

Brush on a thin coat.  Wipe off with a wet rag.

We heavily distressed next and applied Clear Wax.

After that we Dark Waxed it as shown in the photo.

The final step was to buff it.

It turned out great, but we wanted to make it a little more special.

So.. 

We added a little King Gold Gilding Wax to a few spots on the legs.

Yes!

That is just what we were looking for.  It is so unique and special now.

Finished!

A few things to point out:

1. We did this project in the house because the paint is very low VOC.

2. A wax brush allows you to only apply a little wax at a time without using too much.

3. The Dark Wax over the Clear changes the paint color.  It will richen it.  Don't be afraid to pick a bright color.

4. Sometimes going a step beyond really makes the piece. (Like using the Gilding Wax.)

5. Follow us on Pinterest for more of our projects.

6. "Like" us on Facebook.

7. Don't forget that you can buy your Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® from

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Tuesday- Saturday 10-5

Sunday 10-4

8. We hold classes the 3rd Tuesday of ever month.  $95, supplies included.  Call (916)663-4663.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Using Emperor's Silk~Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Anytime I use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® and post about it, the interest in it is amazing!  We LOVE this paint and it has truly changed our business.  We have been selling it for a year now.  

The time that it takes to complete a piece is SO much faster than with any other paint we have ever used and with BETTER results.

Hmm... What color?

 Here are a few photos of using Emperor's Silk over an OK oak piece. A mini tutorial.

1.  Wipe your piece down to clean it.  NO SANDING OR PRIMING NEEDED.  

2.  Brush on paint.  One coat is usual enough especially if you are using a good Annie Sloan brush.

The paint has very low VOC's (no odor) so it is safe to paint inside.  It will be dry in an hour or less.

3.  Distress with a sanding block or piece of sandpaper along the edges or anywhere that you want to highlight the craftsmanship of the piece.

4.  Apply Clear Wax next using a wax brush. Gently set your brush in the wax to pick up a little on your brush.  Scrape on edge of can to evenly coat the head of the brush.   Start rubbing your brush over the paint.  Push it in.  The paint is very porous, so the wax will fill in to create one solid surface. Work in sections until you have covered the whole piece.  (a couple of very light coats are better than one heavy coat.)

*At this point you need to choose if you are going to add Dark Wax over the top of the Clear to richen your color and give the piece more patina.  If decide you like the way to looks:

5. Buff your piece with a buff brush or soft clean rag.

You are done!

If you choose to add the Dark Wax:

6.  Apply Dark Wax  OVER the Clear Wax.  Again, set your brush in the wax to pick up a little on your brush.  Scrape on edge of can to evenly coat the head of the brush.  Start rubbing your brush over the Clear Wax. If you like how dark it looks, leave it.  If it is a bit too dark, take a rag and wipe off some till you have the look you want.

7.  Buff your piece with a buff brush or soft clean rag.

Finished except for hardware.

Beautiful! 

And so simple and fast. (That is why there is a lack of photos, it's hard to stop to take them.) 

This is a very popular color.  So rich and the perfect red!

Any Questions?

We offer a paint class once a month.

Next class:

April 16, 11 - 1:30

2 - 4:30

$95.

Call to reserve your seat (916)663-4663

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road 

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)