New website, new items, new house...

Hi everyone... Yes, I seem to have fallen back to my "post once a month" schedule that sometimes occurs when other life events take over. Ya know what I mean?

Anyway... the new website is coming now VERY soon, I mean it this time! I'm hoping to get it up live early next week. Over the past month I spent time uploading all of my current inventory, and working with a designer to get the web template ready. Another great thing about my new site is the potential for ecommerce in the future... I'm thinking within the next year I'd like to go for it!

I've also been applying to shows for the summer... and having professional pictures taken (finally!) of some of my art for show applications... here's a few samples:

Cool new towel rack with an old faucet to hang your towels from.... the photog actually put the brick background in after the fact. Pretty sneaky!



This piece hangs 4 sets of keys from old window sash lock catches... labeled with the vintage label holders. I've also put 2 doorknobs & a level at the bottom for coats....

Here's an interesting coat rack - I was going for a 1900-1920's feel.. like a fancy old hotel or maybe a theater.... this one has a combo of vintage hooks & some window sash lock pieces to hold your coats. Label the 5 sections for your family members. The label holders are vintage - from the American Type Founder's Co.... (as imprinted onto each).

I hope to resume my more frequent posting habits shortly! My husband & I have our house up for sale, and hope to move to our new place soon (another vintage find). With this will come all the fun of moving a home business.... a few hundred windows, etc.

thanks for stopping by! :) Amy

New website coming soon!

Hi Everyone -

I guess the cold weather has caused my blogging ability to slow down a bit... (what other excuse can I come up with to explain my lack of posts?)

Not to say there's nothing going on though... in fact, the Second Chance Art & Accessories website is being redesigned right now! I'm actually posting on the blog as a way to procrastinate working on the website....(can anyone relate?)

I found a great designer to build a new template for the website. I've been taking pictures of assorted "goodies" that are commonly used in second chance art - for potential use on the website. Here's some of the items I snapped:


Above: Terrific old label holders.. soon to become part of some great coat racks, and a fantastic large map of Europe - awaiting a new life behind a window..



Above: great old hose nozzles... likely to become hooks for a coat or hanging jar vase, and look at all the knobs! If you don't recognize these, you've never been in a house with old wiring. I harvested these from my basement (1918 house) when we updated our electric. I've found they make interesting hooks for coats...







Here's a few more pictures (above) that you may see on the new website - a variety of old but beautiful doorknob backplates, my tobacco can "vase" full of light fixture arm "flowers", old porcelain cross handles for faucets, and of course - another map. I think I have a map addiction!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have the new website up soon! As a result, I have not been updating my current site like usual. My current site will remain active until the new site is ready - & then you'll see some new pieces from Second Chance Art & Accessories!
take care - Amy :)

Hi Everyone!

It's been a few weeks since my last post, so I figured I'd share what I've been up to with Second Chance Art & Accessories, and a few personal things.

I have finished up 5 art projects for Osteria Ottimo, a great new Italian restaurant in Orland Park. I've included a few pictures of 3 of the pieces.... at the time I took these, I was delivering 2 more - so they were not yet up on the wall.

Want to check out the art? Get yourself some great Italian food, and go see for yourself! I've been there for dinner twice so far - the food is excellent!

Osteria Ottimo: 16111 S. lagrange Rd., Orland Park, IL (708) 403-3366; check out the article below for more info.
http://www.frankfortstation.com/Articles-c-2009-01-30-190929.112113_Not_your_everyday_Italian_Ostertia_Ottimo.html


This mirror is to the left of the bar, close to the area where the antipasto trays are prepared. Antipasto is definitely a specialty here. Check out the vintage look slicer that is used when you order an antipasto tray!

You'll have to dine in & ask what this really means.... Something about God & water, man & wine.... (painted on a rustic old door section)

This is an old 2 pane storm window, that I've refinished with dark stain to help guide patrons to the restrooms. By the way, the restrooms are worth checking out - fantastic trough sink & tile work!

Aside from the projects for Osteria Ottimo, I've been searching for great art "ingredients" on ebay. I also took a trip to the Kane County Flea Market.. but to my dismay, it was not happening the weekend I thought. Hmmmmm... much disappointment, but somehow I got my wires crossed.

So - I drowned my sorrows at Island Girl Salvage (below). I picked up some great old paneled doors for future artwork. If you haven't visited this place, it's worth checking out.

http://www.islandgirlsalvage.com/

Here's the latest on our own personal adventure - our "new" old house. We had victory over cottage cheese on this bedroom ceiling. When installing ductwork, big chunks of it fell down all over, so we hired some drywall folks to fix it for us. Here's the before shot:

Yay! Cottage cheese no more! Ready for paint:

I couldn't resist adding this picture, of my little border collie, Olive. She's an overachiever, & decided to clean out the last 2 pieces of dog food from the bottom of the bag.

Next up for Second Chance Art & Accessories: continuing my research process for options on having my website redone, applying to shows for 2009, and making inventory! Much is in the works...stay tuned! Confirmed shows for this year so far: Oak Brook Center Fine Craft Invitational (July 11-12), One of a Kind Show & Sale (Dec. 3-6).

thanks for stopping by - :) Amy

New Year, New Beginnings, "New" house.....

Hi Everyone! Happy 2009! Hope you all had a great holiday season, and best wishes for this year to come.

I've got some personal pictures to show & tell here - I haven't talked much about our "new" house yet....... but in the future you'll probably see more of it. At this point, we've mostly been doing things that aren't very fun or visable. (ie - new wiring, some new HVAC, a new attic floor). But I do have some before & after pics of my new basement. This basement was classic-old house creepy, with a low ceiling, & wires running every which way. We've cleaned up much of the old clutter & painted it white.


EEEEWwww! Scarrrryyy!

A little better.....


Creeptacular......... or yuckarific? .....


Not so creepy....


It's still not the taj mahal, but certainly much less creepy! We have yet to install some cabinets for storage (from one of my favorite places: the Ikea as-is section!), and some curtains I'm making from more Ikea fabric. Who knows..... this may be a mini Second Chance Art & Accessories workshop for a while - until I can build a bonafide workshop / garage in the backyard.

On the business side of my life - here's a few great finds I picked up this weekend - from freecycle. If you haven't heard of freecycle - check it out! http://www.freecycle.org/ This organization runs local groups that allow postings of free items offered to the group members. A great way to recycle things you no longer need, but think someone else can use... and you don't even have to take anything to goodwill.

I got really lucky with these dressers. I'm thinking at least one may end up as a one of a kind sink vanity for sale in my booth at some point......

Good bye for now - thanks for checking in! take care - Amy :)

Merry Christmas!

Hi Everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season - doesn't it seem to be flying by this year - or is it me?

Anyway, here's what's new in the land of Second Chance Art & Accessories -

I've been working on a few projects for a new restaurant - Osteria Ottimo - in Orland Park. They should be open sometime in January. Here's a picture I took this morning when I dropped off a few pieces:



The place looks fantastic inside so far, and if their atmosphere is any indication of how the food will be - I'm already a big fan! Check it out once it's open for some great Italian food. It's located off La Grange Road, behind Champs & Houlihan's in Orland Park.

Here's a sneak peak at the projects I've worked on for them:

From what they tell me, this saying involves God, Man, water, & wine. You'll have to go to dinner there to get the story straight!

In the next few months, I'm going to investigate having my website redone. The current site has served me well so far, but I have to admit I'm not cutout to be a "webmaster". I'm planning to get someone more technically inclined to reorganize & rebuild the site. We'll see how it goes. I've also got a fair number of orders to complete, and 2009 art/craft show applications fill out.

On a personal note - my husband & I are planning on moving to Minooka, IL. We've been fixing up a great old house to get it ready for the move. My husband's new name is "Captain Electric" - because he's managed to rewire the entire house to eliminate all fear of knob & tube wiring. For me, this means I get all the old porcelain insulators to incorporate into a great new piece of art!

take care - have a Merry Christmas - :) Amy

One of a Kind Show & Sale

Hi Everyone! Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by the Second Chance Art & Accessories ® booth this past weekend at the One of a Kind Show & Sale in Chicago. Here's a few pictures from our booth set up -

This one (below) is from December 2nd. Since I teach a class on wednesday mornings, we did the bulk of our setup on tuesday. Here I am, amidst the pile of art, amazed at how quickly the art got from the loading dock to my booth.



This photo shows the booth after our setup - almost done, except for the pile of empty bins that needed to go to storage....


Finally ready! Bring on the shoppers! This shot was taken by a "real" photographer.... yes, that is definitely not me. Try as I may, many of my pictures end up with glare - or better yet - a vague outline of my own reflection in them. I figured I better get some pro shots...

Please bear with me as I get my website up to date this week.... since I'm still my own webmaster, it usually takes me a few days to get out of paperwork mode & into "website rearrangement" mode after I finish a show. I've also got some special orders in the works.

thanks for visiting the blog! :) take care - Amy

Happy Thanksgiving!

HI everyone!

Hard to believe Thanksgiving is only 2 days away, isn't it? Things have been busy for me & the art business. In the last month & a half, I've been turning out special orders - so that all promised before the second week of December are complete. I've also been working on some new projects - for the One of a Kind Show & Sale Dec. 4-7. Here's a sneak peak at some new items:

Proof that this blog is "behind the scenes" - you can see the blue tape used to tape my background to my garage door (the background is burlap). My hubby's hand is also in the photo, balancing the art! Hopefully I'll get this cropped a little before it appears on my website.

This is the top of an old privacy door, which I've painted an original design on & refinished the frame.

Again - you can see the tape & my hubby's hand. Heh heh. This is an old 9 pane door insert, that I've painted with a design inspired by the 1933 Chicago World's fair. The frame has been sanded down & refinished also.

This window was inspired by the movie "A Christmas Story". Higbee's is the department store where many scenes were shot. To respect the property of others, I did not use the term "red-rider-bb gun", as they actually still exist!

Here's a popular design inspired by "A Christmas Carol". This time, done on a 6 pane window with original hardware cleaned & reattached.

Here's one of my latest coatracks - an interesting combo of white, cream, and even a small amount of sky blue paint was revealed when I sanded this one down.

Here's another coatrack - this time the coloring is a combo of ivory, peach, and mauve-y taupe. I used vintage hose nozzles on this one for the hooks.

If you plan on going to the One of a Kind Show & Sale - at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago - from Dec. 4-7th, stop by the booth - #8-2050. It should be an interesting experience, as it's my first time for the show. I start loading in my art on Tuesday the 2nd of December.

thanks for checking in -

Have a great Thanksgiving!

:) Amy

How do you know when you've done too much flea market shopping?

Maybe when your car is full to the brim like this one..... Yikes! (sorry if this is your car!)

I spotted this car at the Kane County Flea market this past weekend. Makes me think a little about my own flea market addiction / "problem".... but I can always argue that my collection of crusty old things is for my business, therefore - justifying my habit! I can honestly say that my car does not look like this.

However, I will admit that when we got back into the vehicle this weekend, I had it so packed with stuff that I had to drive with my knees jammed into the dashboard (see the picture below - ouch!).

Here's a peek into the rear of the vehicle - the reason for my angst was a pair of 70" long french doors that I picked up, hoping that my hubby will be able to magically fit them into our "new" old house. He's always saying how he prefers prehung doors.... I'll just have to tell him how great he is when he rises to the challenge of fitting these in. (heh heh)

Since it's election day, I found this picture of old buttons sort of fitting. A dealer was selling them at the flea market. Okay - to shift gears a bit - here's a sneak preview of some projects I have in the works. These pictures are the "before" pics ...... hopefully the finished products will soon appear on my website! www.secondchanceart.net

Here's a picture of a mirror that formerly was part of a console table. I found the mirror no longer attached to the table, & sent it to my Dad for some "doctoring". Here it is (sans mirror - just the frame) in the middle of surgery, so we can transform it into a very unique coatrack.

This frame must have been for a swivel-type mirror above a dresser. I found it in pieces; we've since glued it back together...... it is destined to become a very unique chalkboard!Thanks for checking in! Second Chance Art & Accessories will be exhibiting at the One of a Kind Show & Sale at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, Dec.4-7. Hopefully I'll post another update soon with some sneak peeks on the latest artwork! thanks - Amy :)

Halloween project ideas - as seen at Fall Diddley

Hi Everyone! This past weekend Second Chance Art & Accessories exhibited at Fall Diddley, in Belvidere, IL. Prior to the show, I collected some different gourds to use as part of my display. A few years back I had created a way to add a little sparkle to my pumpkins at home, & I've been doing this each year since. I brought some of my sparkle-y stemmed pumpkins with to the show, and had a few requests on how to recreate this - so here's a few tips-

Pumpkins with sparkle:
1. use basic acrylic paint to carefully paint the stem of your pumpkin or gourd. I've used dark brown & black here, but really any fall color could be used. In the past I've used maroon, purple, gold, etc.
2. while the paint is still wet, sprinkle on your favorite glitter! here I've used a very small grain irridescent glitter - purchased from a craft store. I used several varieties of glitter - in white, gold, and silvery tints.
3. Try the same technique to paint a design on the pumpkin's flesh - I've got a "2" here to represent Second Chance Art & Accessories - but this is a great way to put your address, or whatever you'd like on the pumpkin.



These two pictures (below) where taken with a soft flash on my camera, outside after dark. A very fun effect in the evening if you've got some soft lights in the vicinity!
Here's a look at my booth display at Fall Diddley:
Here's my Mom & I taking one of those "take it yourself" photos - pretty good, huh?
Here's what bored Dads do when they get suckered into helping out for the weekend - find a tree & read!
I see now the husband (at right) has followed suit from my Father. Bless their hearts! At least they had something to read. They both thought there was a 20:1 ratio of women to men at this fair. Ha!
Thanks for stopping by - Next up for Second Chance Art - knocking out special orders with finish dates in the next month, having a "sanding party", and getting some really unique & special items in the works for my next show. Stay tuned! :) Amy