Happy Father’s Day to the best Dad out there!
My Dad. Pops as he’s known to most.
I hope you had a marvelous day with the Dads in your life!
Photo credit: Love Shack Photo
Tag Archives: Cape May
frankenstorm
Happy Halloween everybody! It sure looks spooky around these parts thanks to the wrath of Hurricane Sandy – dubbed Frankenstorm here in the northeast. On Monday, I posted a bit panicked about how our favorite coastal town of Cape May, New Jersey would fair. Well, I am here to report that Cape May won the battle with Sandy. Hooray!
Unfortunately our neighbors to the north did not make out as well as Cape May. My heart goes out to all of those folks just up the coast.
Ironically our home town to the west in Pennsylvania seemed to be more battered than Cape May as well. We lost power in PA on Monday evening and as of writing this have not had it restored just yet. Our town is full of beautiful, mature trees – one of the draws of the neighborhood. However, not all of the trees withstood the wind gusts. Some toppled over on our power lines. We were nervous for the large trees surrounding our house but they all stood strong.
After about 36 hours without electric and heat we decided to venture back east to Cape May. That is when we learned that ironically the coastal town was in better shape than our Montgomery county town.
And that we had internet. Hooray again!
It is amazing what lack of electricity can do. I forgot what day it was, never knew the time and flicked the light switch on a ridiculous amount of times out of habit. Living in the dark is not fun. Oh and neither is wearing 2 pairs of pants to sleep.
Anyway, back to the positive news around Cape May…
Boarded up beach houses suffered minimal damage
For the most part, sand dunes did their job as barrier
Only a few roads were sand covered
Everyone’s favorite Cape May landmark, Congress Hall, overlooks the sea
Sandy makes a grand exit leaving town with a show of clouds
A little bit spooky for Halloween
A flock of beautiful cranes bathed in the storm’s remnants
Again, I can’t stress how fortunate we are. We have some flooding around the house. Ok, our front yard is a pond but nothing we can’t manage compared to what others are experiencing.
I hope you are your family are safe, dry and warm this Halloween.
impactful
So I’ll be honest, I’ve been in a bit of a blogging funk lately. Maybe you’ve noticed? It is not for a lack of projects, picks and other vintage-worthy posts. I’m not sure what it is but I am working on getting myself organized so I can share all of my antique adventures with you.
Exactly a month ago, I went part time with my “day job” which has allowed me to focus the majority of my working and waking hours on this little business of mine. It is a goal that I have worked towards for quite a while and I am super excited to now call Circa Dee my primary career! Being an entrepreneur and small business owner is a dream come true for me.
Perhaps that is where the blogging funk has come in though?
Things move much more rapidly now than they did before. I used to make the time to assemble a neat little photo and blog post outlining my week’s finds for you like this.
Now they are in the shop and sometimes sold before I even get to snap a picture. The same with some painted pieces. They might be on the truck before I get a chance to style and photograph them for the blog. I’m not complaining about that but it has presented a difference in the content I have shared on the blog. Hence the need to organize and schedule things a bit more on my end. I’m working on it!
In other news, we are bearing down for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy here on the east coast. As I write this, I hear pounding rain and gusty winds just feet away outside of my window. It is supposed to get worse in the next few hours.
I am terrified for Cape May which is directly in Sandy’s path.
If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that we are fortunate enough to call Cape May our 2nd home. The coastal town is our 2nd love behind Wilson of course.
On Thursday, I was in town to rearrange and restock my vintage booth at West End Garage, just blocks from the beach. Friday was an unseasonably warm and beautiful day to normally be in Cape May in October. Unfortunately it was the calm before the storm.
On Friday we found ourselves putting most of my booth’s display up on cinderblock risers in case of flooding. With the size of this storm though I am not sure that a foot of cinderblock clearance will make much difference. So on Saturday we moved the more valuable pieces out of the shop completely.
Securing my small retail space is nothing compared to boarding up massive beach front homes and businesses. A year ago we frantically prepared for Hurricane Irene which ended up presenting minimal damage. This year’s prep was very similar but Hurricane Sandy seems to be on a different level with a combination of a Nor’easter and the high tide of a full moon. We hope she doesn’t wash away our beaches.
Only time will tell. Stay safe everyone! I will be sure to post an update once the storm is over and we are able to get back into Cape May.
curvy red
A few weeks ago I revealed Big Red – my first piece refinished with Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Tricycle. And she was a hit. I could have sold her 3 times. The bold color makes the perfect statement in a room.
I had a request from a client to clone Big Red. Meet Curvy Red, Big’s little sister.
Unfortunately the lighting is not as good in these pictures but you can still get a sense of how fabulous and saturated this true red milk paint is.
Both dressers are oak, from the same era with old school wooden casters, key holes and brass hardware. Love all of those features. But Curvy Red is definitely sporting some, well, curves. Check out her top drawer.
Fun fact: I originally scooped up this dresser in hopes of converting it into a bathroom vanity. You know like insert a sink in the top and run the plumbing where the current drawers are. And then the drawers would become a facade or half drawer or something. Well it was too wide for the space so did not get converted into a vanity. Fortunately it was perfect for my client’s space. I’m still hunting for the perfect vanity piece for me…
And while we’re talking Big Red and Curvy Red, here is a red Cape May Souvenirs sign I painted last week. I just can’t get enough of the color. It must be the impending change of seasons!
Just slightly distressed.
By the way, did you catch a glimpse of that sailboat oil painting? I told you, they’re part of my newest collection & obsession. Must find more sea oil paintings for my gallery wall!
Ok let’s get down to biz…Are you local to the Philadelphia area? If so, you must attend Clover Market on Sunday! It is opening day of the fall season and the weather looks terrific. Allow ample time to stroll the aisles of 100 antiques, vintage, handmade, art & jewelry vendors. You won’t be disappointed. Come say hi! You’ll find Circa Dee in the middle of the main lot.
Linking to Funky Junk Interiors & Miss Mustard Seed
weathered
We did some driftwood scouting recently and came up with perfectly weathered 2×4′s.
Something only nature can do this well.
Ryan cut them into even pieces and assembled by screwing reclaimed boards perpendicular to the back of the 2×4′s. And added a sturdy wire for hanging.
I did what I do and painted “On the way to Cape May…” on the front.
Because those lyrics just never get old around here.
And this repurposed beach treasure is up for sale at West End Garage in Cape May! Come visit me there this weekend.
Happy Hunting!
little ditty
You looked so very pretty, when we met in Ocean City,
like someone, oh, so easy to adore.
I sang this little ditty, on our way to Ocean City,
heading south along New Jersey’s shore.
On the way to Cape May, I saw my dreams come true.
I was taken by your smile, as we drifted by Sea Isle.
My heart was really gone when we reached Avalon.
On the way to Cape May, Stone Harbor’s skies were blue.
We were naming the day when Wildwood came in view.
If you’re gonna be my spouse, we’d better head for that Court House
On the way to Cape May
Linking to:
Elizabeth & co., Coastal Charm
