Begone Mission Brown! Pretty Patina..

I have seen where others have restored old door and cupboard hardware back to bare metal by a slow simmer in the crock pot, so when I saw what might have been a pretty enamel candle holder if it weren't for a hideous coat of Mission Brown paint, (Cross Road Collectables) I got to wondering what was underneath. After I had scratched and picked at the paint enough to see a pretty blue peeking through, I felt compelled to buy it and try the crock pot method for myself.
And so it sat on the shelf, all brown and ugly for a few weeks until I slow cooked a roast one day. I swapped the insert for my soap making bowl and set it to bubble over night. And most of the next day.
So here is what I found. Ugly Duckling to Swan? Sure, it has more than its fair share of chips and knocks, but is that any reason to paint it BROWN! I think it is beautiful! :)

Picking Adventures - Chock a block!

My picking sis and I set off early for a clearing sale auction. Lucky we did leave early as we managed to take a few slight detours on the way. Still, we arrived with plenty of time to spare and what we saw more than lived up to the expectations from the pre auction pics. It was with trepidation that we waited to see how bidding would be. Would we leave with an empty van?
I took a few pics before it started, of interesting things I wouldn't mind bringing home with me. Some of these I did, some I didn't.

But it did take us 45 mins to manage to load everything we bought into the van. It was chock a block! My sis had her feet up on a box in the front and I drove with a pram hood behind me lol. Can you spot some of the awesome things we did get?

I'm hot, dirty and tired, thirsty and sunburnt but very happy!
Most of this will be for sale sometime next week.