Happy Fall!

Hi Everyone - Hope fall has been treating you well so far. I have to say, I'm not a fan of super hot & humid, so I'm loving this cooler weather.....

So, what is Second Chance Art & Accessories up to lately? We're getting ready to travel to Louisville, KY for the St. James Court Art Show Oct 2-4. This is a new show for us, so hopefully it will be a fun adventure!

Part of my prep for each show involves getting my tent weights ready. I have tent weights made from plastic urn planters, mostly full of concrete - 80 lbs each! We left a recess in the concrete for me to fill with seasonal plantings. Here's the latest "planting" that we'll be using this weekend:


This was not that difficult to create.. and you don't need a concrete filled planter to replicate something similar. You could just pull your tired annuals out of any planters you have, & use the dirt as an anchor. Here's where I started a day ago: my poor tired plantings from summer shows have been a little neglected, wouldn't you agree? They looked better a few weeks ago.


First, I discarded the old plantings, but left the dirt in the inner pot to use for an anchor. I then touched up my urn with more "granite" spray paint. (Secrets revealed! This is actually an $8 plastic pot from Kmart).

I then cut some tree branches from my yard, & inserted them into the dirt...


I spray painted the branches with black spray paint... I did use some cardboard as a shield around the base of the urns, so I could paint the bottom of the twigs without getting overspray on my urns. Notice the observant border collie peeking out of the doors behind... she always wants to be a part of the action!
I picked up some bags of mixed ornamental gourds at the grocery store, and sorted them into 3 piles on my "spray painting" tarp...

I spray painted each pile a different metallic color. Here I've used antique brass, copper, and dark metallic bronze. After one side was dry, I flipped them to paint both sides.

To finish, I piled the painted gourds around the edge of the urn, and added some baby boo pumpkins, and pine cones. I made sure to put a few of them between the base of the branches, so it looks like the branches are coming out of the pile of gourds...

The orange pumpkins really pop in this arrangement, which I plan to use to decorate (& weigh down) my booth this weekend. I'll probably add a few larger pumpkins on the ground to tie in with the small baby boo ones...

Now to switch gears......

Here's a peek at some of the latest art from Second Chance Art & Accessories!

Below: "Valet" key holder and "Concierge" coat rack... with cool original paint in ivory, beige, white, and apple green -

Below is a close up of another key rack & coat rack combo... with 3 vintage glass knobs & ornate doorknob escutcheon plates..

Below is a cool vintage mirror that I've painted - this one gives off a 40's club feel... inspired by cool old train stations. Mount it above a large doorway for a unique accent!

This window (below) has the original paint on the frame.. a cool combo of blue, lavender, and sage green -

Thanks for stopping by! We'll be in Louisville, KY from Oct 1-5. Please be patient, as it may take us until Tuesday Oct. 6 to respond to any email inquiries.

After that, we'll be at the One of a Kind Show & Sale in December at the Merchandise mart in Chicago - hope to see you then! take care - Amy

Frankfort Fall Fest weekend - Second Chance Art goes batty!

Hi Everyone! thanks for stopping by the booth this past weekend at the Frankfort Fall Festival - it was a fun weekend with perfect weather, and lots of food on sticks!


Above is a shot of our booth, in front of Jenny's restaurant on Kansas St. We were entertained by patrons who brought their pets, many wearing dresses, hats, and assorted doggie fashions.


Above is a shot from inside the booth .... this section shows coat racks waiting for your hangables!


Above is a close up of our "Post Office" highboy dresser.... here we've taken vintage post office box doors, and retrofitted them into a dresser drawer to create mailboxes. We've added dividers to the drawer, and slots above each mailbox - for all your family's mail. This is an entertaining piece, as each door has it's own combination. You'll have to visit a show in person to see if you can get the doors open! (the combos are listed on this piece's price tag, and each works just fine if you know how to enter the combo)

Okay, so now it's time to explain why we've "gone batty". On a personal note, my husband & I moved a few months ago to an old house we've been rehabbing. Well... it's still not done yet, and will probably take us a couple of years to really get it buttoned up. Our next big project is adding a fireplace, so we've prepared for this by removing a section of wall, and busting into an existing brick chimney.

Both Saturday night & Sunday night we discovered a bat flying around our house! Being the manager type that I am, I immediately delegated the task of "bat removal" to my husband.

Little did he know when we got married that he'd have to remove assorted live animals from our house (in the past, he's been in charge of "opossum removal", "bird removal", and "dismembered squirrel removal" - compliments of our doggie door, and our bored border collie)

The picture above shows the bat, clinging to a section of chimney in our living room (which, by the way, is currently under construction). He ended up catching it in a coffee can, and released it outside. This was saturday night when we came home from the fest. The following evening, we were "delighted" by another bat, flying in circles around our bedroom! Ahhhh! Of course, I covered myself with a blanket until it flew out of the room. Since he was now well practiced in bat removal, my husband was again able to catch the bat with a coffee can & release it outside. We've since tried to identify & plug up all holes in our attic, chimney, etc. Hopefully this will be it for the battiness!

thanks for stopping by... our next show is in Louisville, Kentucky - Oct. 2-4. Stay tuned for more Second Chance Art & Accessories adventures, and show info - take care - Amy