Join us on Facebook!

Hello- just an update to encourage those of you who've found this blog to join us on facebook! We've decided to use the facebook format to provide updates on new art & other info related to Second Chance Art & Accessories. Click on the link to find our facebook page & join us: www.facebook.com/pages/Second-Chance-Art-Accessories/299992901460 Hope you join us!

Barrington Art Fest

Hi Everyone! It's show season again, & we've just finished up a weekend exhibiting at the Barrington Art Fest. Sunny warm weather, friendly people - overall, a great exhibit! Thanks for stopping by the booth. You can catch us next weekend at the Eastside Millenium Art Fest in Chicago - June 4th (12p-5p), June 5 & 6 (10a-5p).

Here's some pictures from the Barrington Art Fest:

New Art & Other Happenings....

Hi Everyone! I know, it's been a while since my last post. I have to say, I'm not a natural blogger... but I do my best.

Anyway - we've been working on getting the website ready to accept online orders. The cart is just about ready, it should be up & running within the next couple of weeks. We're going to start initially just with paypal payments. In the future, we'll likely set up a way to take credit cards directly from the site. For now, we'd like to ease our way into the ecommerce thing - by starting with paypal.

On another note - we've got some great new art! Most of this art will be available online, and also at our retail shows. (first show is Memorial Day weekend). See the website for a full schedule of events: www.secondchanceart.net/events.htm

Here's a great special edition piece displaying a 1944 map of France - Bon Jour!



This 1952 map is of the Great Lakes region -

Here's a 4 pane larger window displaying 8 vintage atlas pages from the 1890's-

Here's a 1930's era USA map - colorful!

This map displays 1942 Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia-

Here's a classic - a new "antique style" world map-

1961 map of Italy -

This one is not finished yet.... but here's a preview - this map is of London & suburbs. Not sure when exactly it's from, but I did some research - I'm thinking around the turn of the 20th century? Look for it soon on the website.
Thanks as always for stopping by! Check out the website for info on events and new art: www.secondchanceart.net

Also, find us on facebook for quick updates & info! Look for: Second Chance Art & Accessories

Take care - Amy :)

Facebook Page

Hey Everyone! Second Chance Art & Accessories has just started a facebook page. We'll be using this to post update on new art, show info, etc. Click on the link to the right to become a fan! thanks! -Amy

February update

Hi Everyone! Long time, no posts, huh? It's about time I shared a few things happening with Second Chance Art & Accessories...

Here's a peek at a few new chalkboards we've put together from vintage frames. These are up on the website also, so check it out for more details: http://www.secondchanceart.net/


Okay... here's some pictures of a personal project I've been working on. I bought an old warehouse cart over a year ago, intending to refinish it as a coffee table. I've finally got it finished! Here's some before & after shots:

This is the top of the cart, with all the hardware removed, after I've sanded it:


Here's all the pieces we took off the cart... large & small wheels, the axle brackets, and holders for the 4 posts on each corner.


I have my hubby to thank for this one... he took it upon himself to refurbish all the metal parts, using a wire brush & his lathe machine. I got lucky here, since this was not a very fun job. The finished wheel is on the left here.

The finished wheel is on the right here..

The finished product: It's a little dusty, as we still need to rearrange our living area & are working on some other "dust producing" projects. But hopefully you get the idea! For the design, I replicated the logo from my Dad & Grandpa's old business. They used to have a bunch of these carts, and my sister & I used to ride them up & down the warehouse when we were young. Anyway, this logo will remind me of times past, playing on those old carts!

The company, Fairbanks, printed onto the cart - still makes these! I love the old green paint & raised lettering on the axle bracket.

What's next? We're working on a facebook page.. so stay tuned for how to sign up to be a fan. Also - we've confirmed participation in some summer shows, so I'll be adding this info to our events page shortly. See http://www.secondchanceart.net/ & click on events for more info. As always, thanks for stopping by! take care - Amy :)

One of a Kind Show & Sale

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas & holiday season. Thank you to everyone who visited the booth during the One of a Kind Show & Sale, Dec. 3-6th. Here's a few pictures from the event:

One side of the booth - the large piece in the middle we've nicknamed the "elephant"... it does seem to take up a lot of space. However, it does disassemble into 3 sections- making it easy to transport & mount. See more details on the website: www.secondchanceart.net/item_156/Post-Office-Message-Center.htm

Here's a shot of one of my walls.... the closest window with the blue frame has it's original paint finish on the frame. Most of the time, the window frames end up being painted or stripped / stained, but this one had some interesting colors happening.... so we left it as is & clear coated it. www.secondchanceart.net/item_144/French-Boutique-window-art.htm

Here's a picture of my hubby & I - boy am I lucky to have him! He puts up with all sorts of Second Chance Art & Accessories issues... not to mention, hanging all the art before the show. We're standing here in front of a piece inspired by the London underground subway system. This piece is backlight with a ropelight... very cool! www.secondchanceart.net/item_152/Down-Street-Station-door-art.htm

Next on the agenda... planning & applying for 2010 art shows, working on the website shopping cart, and of course - trying to finish up my living room for the holidays! Next time I'll include a personal project or two.

thanks for stopping by! We appreciate our customers! take care - Amy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Hope you all have a great holiday filled with family, friends, and turkey. Isn't our country great? We have so much to be thankful for. It's easy to get bogged down thinking about the economy right now - but really, we are so very lucky to live in a country where we can do something to control our own destiny..

Okay - enough of the deep thinking, right? I'm thankful that Second Chance Art & Accessories will have the opportunity to exhibit at the One of a Kind Show & Sale at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago - Dec. 3-6. Our booth will be #8-2050.... stop by if you're going to the show!

Here's a sneak peak at some new items -

Ahhh... yes, the concierge coatrack. This is a popular combo - dark stain, and sparkly vintage glass knobs! What's not to like?

Here's a new coat rack that is part of our Edition Speciales collection. The original paint on this one just screamed out "French Country" to me... and the label holders - I've never seen any like this before. There's a plate that slides off allowing you to change out the label. Here I've left the original labels with old hand-written numbers. These also have a thin sheet of clear mica to protect the label...

Here's a cool take on a bathroom coat rack. The painted finish was a result of sanding a bit of the original paint on the door (green started to peek out). The faucet is really old... a great dark patina. Use the label holders to label your towels! The "hooks" are actually latches from a casement window.

Here's another piece from our Edition Speciales collection. This photo shows the piece about 95% finished. We've added some cool hardware to the bottom, and installed a backlight that can be plugged into a standard outlet. The design was inspired by a decommissioned underground station in London that was used during WWII for meetings by Winston Churchill.

Come see these pieces & more at the One of a Kind Show & Sale in Chicago! As always, thanks for stopping by the blog - and have a Happy Thanksgiving! -Amy