Where In The World Is Dickey's Decor?

I have been incognito. Am I still alive? Still doing what I do? I am, but definitely not in the same ways that I used to. Almost two years ago I made a career change. I jumped from teaching two blocks from my home to being an assistant principal 10 miles away. Big change. I absolutely have no regrets and love my job, but my "down time" is certainly way less than it used to be.


I am still kicking around a few projects, but they are fewer than they used to be. Here are a few "recent" pictures...

This piece was a great mid-century style. It had beautiful intact Bakelite handles. I painted it a charcoal grey and it sold quickly. Sorry about the bad photos, but I didn't have blogging on my mind.

This lovely lady was light grey with a beachy blue inside.

This pink dresser was a stretch for me. I painted it bubble gum pink and top coated it with a dark wax to tone it down. It had a matching smaller dresser and headboard/footboard. It was a fun piece, but certainly had to find the right owner.

Finally, I have painted several of these French pieces. They sell quickly. I even did a custom one (or two).


Right now my garage is still full of furniture. I have two nightstands I am working on for my mom, a great wheeled dresser I am planning on turning into a kitchen island, a drop leaf table, chairs and matching hutch and a few more things I am sure are floating around. So, there you have it. I am making it a goal to get this going again. Hope you are all well.

ANYONE? Up for Sale Soon

I have not had a lot of time to blog lately. I'll be honest,  I haven't taken time to blog lately. I recently sold a dresser to a lovely woman and she suggested I post pictures of the furniture I currently have so perhaps her friends could take a look. GREAT IDEA.

Here is what I have...

This is a small cabinet. It may have been a secretary style at one point, but does not have a door any longer. All drawers function. It isn't the sturdy quality of other like pieces, but still has a lot of life in it. I think this piece would be fantastic painted red or a turquoise to add drama to a room. I imagine this as great piece in a bathroom for extra storage (after saying that I may have convinced myself to keep it) or in a hallway for key storage and such.  It will be $150 when completed. It is currently in my bedroom holding my husband's Christmas loot.

This is a fantastic sturdy piece with tons of potential. I plan on sanding the top, staining it and sealing it with some yummy hemp oil. The body would look great painted in a Ralph Lauren metallic steel blue paintand top coated with dark wax to age it. This piece also has a fantastic decorative mirror that attaches to the back that is not pictured. It will be $250 when complete.

This piece is waiting for a new owner. I will either paint the inside shelves to match the rest or stain them a darker color for a more natural look. This would make a great TV console in a bedroom. It is $120.

 This armoir has tons of storage inside. It is a dresser and will not accomodate a television.  I just did another armoire in Paris Grey and Old White and it was AWESOME. I top coated it with dark wax to make the details pop. This piece might look fun in a creamy white with a color of choice to add some pop. It will be around $200.

This is a set of end tables. There is a single functioning drawer on each one. I am planning on painting these the ever popular "peacock". The knobs are brushed silver. The pair will be $90.

Not pictured:

Small solid maple buffet- This is a shorter buffet and would be perfect for a smaller space. It has two doors on the bottom and drawers for storage. I have a vision of painting this black or possibly a grey. It will run around $200.

Four kitchen table chairs with padded seats-These have a rustic "Mexican" feel to me. I despartely want to paint them peacock and add a bright patterned fabric to the seats. The set will be $120.

Small nightstand sized dresser- Perfect for a smaller TV console. This will be around $50 when complete.

Small desk- I can't wait to pick up this cutie. I am thinking of going with a light blue and topping it with vintage sheet music. It will be around $130.

Heavy Tall Dresser- I can't wait to do this piece. It has an Asian vibe and is STURDY. I will have to have one one open drawer on this as one of the drawers is not functioning. I can keep it open at the top to allow room for TV components or at the bottom. I may go with a black on this with red accents. I also thought about doing peacock and white. It will be $150.

Heavy Tall Dresser-This is a more traditional solid wood piece. I plan on keeping the top natural wood with a dark stain and sealing it with hemp oil. The body is telling me it wants to be painted navy blue. It will have an open drawer at the bottom. This piece will be around $150.

Finding Your Niche

I can chalk up eight shows to my hobby business career. I will admit that all but one of those was worth my time. The school bazaars were a bust. No one in my neck of the woods seems to want vintage inspired crafts or repurposed furniture. The sales I did at a local nursery were packed, but apparently Portland Hipsters who drink organic beer aren't into my wares either.
I decided to give it one last shot.
Camas Antiques is one of my favorite places in the entire world. I heart going there by myself to peruse. My friend's mom, who I also call a friend, works there and for a few years they have tried to convince me to get a spot. I can't bring myself to commit.
This year I decided to give their Vintage Faire a chance. I figured worst case scenario I would be out $100 for the spot. I prepped a little for a month painting furniture and such. The week before the sale I buckled down and prepared. I was excited to entire the majors of local bloggers, collectors, crafters and repurposers, but I didn't set my hopes to high. Yep, I'm a pessimist, or a realist as I like to say.
Mr.Dickey helped me set up and just as the floodgates opened headed home. I was on my own for awhile.
The day was busy and well worth my time. I admit I am hooked and realized I had been barking up the wrong tree with my past shows. I had to find my niche. I will be going to discuss setting up a booth in Camas Antiques soon. I am going to pursue some similar shows in the near future as well. Niche. I like it.

Glassy Table

In a previous post I wrote about a trip to the Goodwill Bins where I stuffed my car with finds. This table was one of them:

I loved the shape and it had every piece of glass still in tact. It was heavy and solid. I decided to paint it with my metallic blue paint and top coat it with dark wax. Again, I sort of hoped it wouldn't sell at my sale because this baby would look sweet in my living room. Why is it that the furniture in my house is NASTY and doesn't have an alibi?

This is what it looked like when it was finished:

Aren't those legs sexy? 

This table sold at the last minute at the Vintage Faire. I should say my husband slamming the price down sold it. I was happy with the price and was glad we didn't have to drag it home, but it would have been a nice place to kick up my feet for all that relaxing I do.