Shopping Blasts from the Past

I actually used to hate antique stores, and antiques by association. There was just something about all that musty, uncomfortable furniture, the shelves and shelves of don't-touch crystal, the creepy toys... and why the heck was everything covered in doilies?

Actually, come to think of it, I still hate most of that stuff.

:D

Still, over the years I've learned to love antique stores. Maybe it's because I'm getting so old that there are toys *I* grew up with in them (well hello, Mr. Glo Worm!), or because I realized they're like museums where you can touch stuff (except that crystal, of course) or - dingdingding! - because I'm now a bit of a steampunk devotee. Oh, and can't forget all the gaudy vintage jewelry! Man, I love that stuff. The more sparkle, the better.

Our favorite stall at the world-famous Renningers: everything from antique keyhole latches to chandeliers. Hardware heaven!

Of course, my favorite kinds of antique shops are the cheap and junky ones. Don't show me beautifully preserved tchotchkes, each displayed in its own spotlight - show me the tables of ancient mishmash I can dig through! I want stuff I can fix up, re-use, and get creative with.

Which isn't to say I don't drool over finds like this, though:

I spotted this cash register crammed in a small stall at Renningers last Saturday. Isn't it gorgeous?

Here's the back:

Hmm. Anyone have a spare $900? :)

Anyway, so last week John and I took some friends to our favorite antique mall, and this is what I came home with:

Check it out: that's a vintage cake decorating icing kit, in the original box, for $5. Suh-weet! And oh yes, I have plans for it. [rubbing hands together] Muah-ha-ha!

The little alarm clock was a splurge - $20! - but it was more than half off because the owner marked it "broken." (It's not.) I just finished working on it tonight, since we're waiting on a few pieces for the radio cabinet in the mail. Before & after pics to follow!

And my third purchase? Why, a $1.50 McDonald's Happy Meal toy from 1986, of course:

Anyone else remember these? I used to play with Kermit and his skateboard on my desk at school. Something reminded me of it a few weeks ago, so when I spotted Fozzie here (unopened!) in a pile of toys at one of the stalls there was much rejoicing. And squeeing.

Of course, now you know I have to find the rest of the Muppet Babies set, right? (And eventually I'll break down and take Fozzie out of the bag, but I'm going to feel really guilty when I do. Heh.)

So, have I convinced anyone to go antiquing? And am I invited when you go?

Radio Romance, Part 1

Remember that old radio cabinet John and I purchased way back when? Well, we finally dragged it out of the garage about two weeks ago, and have been working on both restoring and steampunking it out ever since.

Here's what it looked like, fresh from the antique mall:

Tonks and Lily approve. Or disapprove. Or don't give a flying rip.
Really, it's hard to tell.

The cabinet was in amazing shape, considering it's 81 years old:

Pretty carving on the face and columns.

As you can see, the only real damage was to the speaker grill, where a few pieces of the lattice design were broken off.

The radio itself was long gone, with the guts and knobs removed:

Ick. Verrrry dirty.

After wiping down the inside (again: ick) we removed the center panel:

This would actually make a beautiful shelving unit by itself, but there was no way I wasn't using that gorgeous center panel. So, we set about repairing it.

First, John carefully pried up the center speaker grill, which was nailed in place with tiny pin nails:

The blue tape is to protect the wood from scratches.

Don't worry; the filthy mustard-colored speaker cloth will be getting an upgrade.

Next, the fun part: I got out my epoxy putty.

Whee!

You slice off a small section of this putty and knead it together to activate it. It is *extremely* sticky, and you have less than five minutes of open time before it hardens to a cement, so it takes a little practice to get used to. (It's better to work in small sections.) However, I eventually managed to get the two missing sections roughed in, plus one small center patch:

The two skinny patches are where the lattice was missing completely.

Next I spent two nights painstakingly carving the detail into those patches using a pumpkin-carving bit on my Dremel:

The Dremel takes off tiny, tiny bits at a time, so it's very dusty and very slow going - but that also gives you a lot of control, which is good.

Here are my patches after carving:

I won't lie to you: I am extremely proud of these patches. I'd only used the epoxy putty this way once before (on a project I'll feature here later), and I've never carved anything before, so this was both a learning experience and a ton of fun.

Next I used acrylic craft paints to apply a dark faux wood grain over the patches:

Though the grill looks (and feels!) like a heavy wrought iron, it's actually made of wood.


Ready to see the finished product?

Ta-da!

Of course, the irony here is that I spent two or three days working on something that no one will ever notice - and that's the whole point. Heh.

Next I'll be showing off the fun, electrical, steampunky features we're adding to our radio cabinet, so stay tuned for those!

Oh, and in case you have something that needs patching, here's the epoxy putty I use. It's about $6 from Amazon, or you can find it at your local hardware store. And believe me, once you start using this stuff, you'll be in love. Just be sure to wear gloves, or you'll be picking concrete bits off your skin for a week. (Heed my voice of experience!)


So tell me, guys, what's your favorite crafty secret weapon? Any tools or products I should know about?

{UPDATE: At long last, here's part 2!}