To build a six foot Eiffel Tower out of bread, you need a lot of bread. And I mean A LOT! No less than 32 baguettes and then some. You even have to make some.We started this project a good week ahead of time and we needed the whole week. Each night after closing the store, we plugged in the glue gun, poured ourselves a glass of wine and got to work.My poor babies were banished upstairs during the creative process.

Ready or not, the set up day was upon us. We gingerly loaded the masterpiece into the car and made our way to the Fairgrounds. We took the corners SLOWLY!Once we got there, we had our work cut out for us. Creating the sod “lawn” for our Eiffel Tower, stuffing the baguette vases with flowers, and last minute gluing. Not sure if I have any fingerprints left after the bread knife knicks and hot glue burns.Finally the Tower is up and in place! Table details come next. We hollowed out baguette ends, put a sweet little verbena in, and tied them to the chair backs. The same verbenas will brighten each place setting.An interactive experience awaits the diners at our table. Aside from the predictable croissant, each napkin contains a fun French phrase which guests can translate by using their phones to scan the enclosed QR Mark that will lead them to a blog with the literal translation and it’s English equivalent. Keep your phone out, because the moustache attached to a bread stick is a photo op waiting to happen!Most important, is the reason we are doing this whole thing. This years’ RED Table Design Gala will be the largest fundraiser for HIV/AIDS in the state of Ohio. It shows just how much our community cares about making sure services are available for those who need them in these times of budget cutbacks. Vintage Scout is proud to be a supporter of this worthy event and evening of fun.

Here’s a list of some recent French idioms heard around Paris. You’ll find the French phrase, followed by the literal translation and then the English Equivalent.

Have fun tonight! Love, The Scouts

AVOIR LE GUEULE DE BOIS.
To have a wooden face. (Have a hangover)

FAIRE UN TABAC.
Make a tobacco. (Be the toast of the town.)

BOIRE COMME UN TROU.
Drink like a hole. (Get smashed.)

PRENDRE SON PIED.
Take his foot. (It was swell.)

MARCHER A COTE DE SES POMPES.
To walk next to your shoes. (To be out of it.)

SE FENDRE LA PIPE.
To break the pipe. (To laugh.)

METTTRE LES PETITS PLATS DANS LES GRANDS.
Put the little plates in the big ones. (Putting on the dog.)

ETRE A LA COLLE.
To be glued. (To have a romantic adventure.)

ETRE UN BON COUP.
To be a good hit. (To be good in bed.)

CIEL, MON MARI!
Sky, my husband! (Caught in the act!)

Tricia’s take – Little did ROCKSTAR designer, Debbie Basnett realize that my vision would require her to discover and rely on her inner handyman?  Let there be no denying that there were moments of doubt when her talents couldn’t bail her out of her own panic once the drill bit was stuck in the pallet wood.

Debbie’s take – I WAS NOT GIVING UP…Tricia called her OWN handyman, and I resorted to GOOGLING “how to change a RYOBI drill bit”…neither helped, so last resort, 911 call to my own MacGyver hubby.  I have absolutely no idea what he said, but the only thing I heard was “WEAR THE GLOVE”…OMG, IT WORKED!!!

 Our Dream – BUCKLE UP, Pinterest…there’s NO stopping us now!

Each sold in a pack of 20 for $4.95. Get em while they’re hot.

We’ve had vintage jewelry before, but this is our first venture into something new. These fun sealife-themed cuff bracelets are perfect for summer. Pastel pink, green, and blue, there are six different styles. They are only $13.50, so you can get one of each color.

Here’s a great way to infuse some color into your home- these mosaic chevron frames are fresh! They hold a 4×6 photo and are only $28. Available in blue, orange, red, and green. In the background you can see the new yarn vases. The matte porcelain finish perfectly shows off any springtime bloom you cut and bring into your home. Those come in three different sizes ranging in price from $12.50 – $21.50

Ooooh la la, I LOVE these gold urchins! Fun just to set on a coffee table or bookshelf, or they can be hung on the wall. Group a bunch of them together for a unique wall sculpture. Small, medium, and large available and the price is great: $22, $25, $35, respectively.

Vintage Scout is your go-to store for good frames. We’ve got a couple of styles of this unique equestrian style frame. Fits a 4×6 snapshot and is priced at $32.

Stop in soon, these goodies are sure to go quickly. We’re getting new stuff almost every week, so if you haven’t made a recent visit to Vintage Scout, you’ll want to see what’s new. We’ll try to get these things listed in our online store as well, so those of you outside the Dayton area can get the Scout look too. If you see something we don’t have in the online store, give us a call 937.312.9461 or email info@vintagescout.com and we can certainly ship it to you.

I’ve been swamped yesterday and today, so I’ve been delayed checking emails. I had seen on Facebook this morning (what? doesn’t everyone check FB before email?) where Erika Ward of BluLabelBungalow had won a Houzz.com Best of Remodeling 2012- Atlanta Bedrooms award. I commented my congratulations and was secretly thinking, “That’s going to be us soon.” Well, I didn’t know how soon…

Vintage Scout got voted Best of Remodeling 2012- Chicago Living Rooms! So excited and grateful.

If you are not a member of the Houzz community, you are missing out. Houzz.com is the leading online platform for residential design. Houzz has over a million members and there are over 16 million professional images to peruse through for inspiration. We are so thankful to the Houzz community for this honor.

And if you missed the original post detailing this project, you can check it out here: Western Springs Living Room . As coincidence would have it, I’m traveling to Chicago next week to finish work on her master bedroom, so look for that soon. If you like what you see and you’d like Vintage Scout to help you with your home, shoot us an email at info@vintagescout.com. We’re currently working in the Dayton/Cinci/Columbus, Chicago, and Atlanta areas.

We are waiting on this little beauty to get to the store. It will have a hand rubbed black finish.

The Victorians were lovers of bamboo furniture also. I do believe Victorian bamboo is my favorite. They make great occasional pieces.

Ficks Reed of Cincinnati is a well known maker of bamboo furniture. This vintage set I found on ebay is super cool. Fourteen pieces in all. Clean these up, update the fabric and bam!

Besides ebay, another great source for vintage bamboo pieces is Circa Who, a shop in West Palm Beach. They have a great inventory in their online store. This casual metal dining set would be perfect in a breakfast room or even out on a small patio.

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing and most versatile plants in the world. Writing this, so many things came to mind, like, did you know bamboo is 99% of the panda’s diet? We eat bamboo too, in our Chinese food. Bamboo flooring is becoming increasing popular and everyone loves a classic bamboo shade. Bamboo sheets are very soft. And bamboo is used for fishing rods and musical instruments. Ancient paper was made from bamboo.

So not only did we share today’s furniture crush with you, but maybe you picked up a fun fact to know and tell, and who knows, maybe that panda thing will be the answer to Thursday night’s trivia question.

-Do something good for the earth, because all articles are made from recycled clothing that otherwise could not be sold. Even the scraps are used.

-Do something good for the maker; all items are made here in the good ole USA

-You’ve heard of karma? Well, this is good karma. This is a community based program helping those who need it.

We’ve got some pillows here at Vintage Scout. The wool suiting ones are the perfect toss-on-your-sofa for these cold winter days. All styles vary slightly due to the nature of the concept. Each piece is unique, resulting in a piece of art. Zipper enclosures and feather/down inserts. We can also order fabric by the yard for your projects. Call or email us for more information or click the link above to our shop and have one sent to you today.

I was so excited to find out that the Home Furnishings Market here in Atlanta would coincide with a Scott’s weekend. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Scott’s, held every 2nd weekend of the month, is one of the best flea markets in the country. A great designers resource. Last time I was here I saw Paula Deen. (No, I didn’t get a photo. I just smiled at her with that “I’m polite and I’m just gonna let you shop” look; even though I was desperately wanting to know what she was buying and become her best friend and go eat some butter with her. Sorry, I digress…) But I won’t make you all feel that way. Here’s a little look at some of the things I saw and am bringing back to Vintage Scout.

The first thing I saw when I walked up was this wonderful vintage poster from the Paris store, Deyrolle. Deyrolle is THE place for taxidermy and curiosities. Shout out to Fifi, this is specially for you; as I know that is one of your favorite places. It was framed very well, but I passed on it.

There was nothing old about these tables, but I really was drawn to this one. The base is that wrought metal with a rusty finish that you tend to see in garden ornaments. I’d probably paint it or gold leaf it. The top was a beautiful honed & filled limestone. Coffee tables are not very conducive to having in the shop, but I more than likely would have made an exception for this one. Alas, the vendor was gone from his booth and the guy manning it didn’t know the price. Oh well…

I turned a corner and there was this pouting little boy staring up at me. Oh my gosh, he looks like someone just took his favorite toy away. What a face! They always have wonderful vintage paintings at Scott’s. But I had just bought three new pieces of artwork for the store yesterday, so I knew we wouldn’t have wall space for Precious. So instead I bought a vintage Little Lord Fauntleroy book along with some others. Every home should have old books, don’t you agree?

If this pair of vintage Italian plaster mirrors doesn’t go to a client (hanging over matching nightstands) they’ll come back for sale in the store. Gorgeous, right?

It’s well known I love taxidermy. So you know I had to get a shot of this cougar just chillaxin on the sofa. No chance of it coming back to Dayton. It’s also a well known fact that Dana doesn’t love taxidermy as much as I do.

There was a lot of painted furniture. We often like to find our own pieces and then have them painted. However, our painter moved away, our shop is empty, and I have to say, this particular vendor did a great job, so I bought this piece already painted. It’s a smallish three drawer chest with a pull out shelf. The little tray detail along the top back and sides is great. This is a piece that would fit a multitude of places in a home. And if you are in the Dayton area and happen to know someone who would be willing to paint and fix up furniture for us for a REASONABLE fee, give us a call.

All in all it was a successful trip. Please contact us if you’d like information on any of the items seen here. Several other little gems will be making their way back to Vintage Scout as well. Stop by next week to see what we have or check the shop here on our site.

Picking out a few things for the store and finding some goodies for clients. Here’s a little sneak peek of what was out there today.

I love this lamp. Yes, I love lamp. Does anyone else out there feel the same?

What an amazing pattern on this oversized chest. Its 55″ wide and 48″ tall. A statement piece if you have a home for it.

Lots of bling and sparkle. Ooh la la

I’ve got the perfect placement for this bench in mind. Now I’ve just got to make it happen.

There’s more to come, but for now I’ve got to lay my little head down to rest because tomorrow’s another big day. You see it’s off to Scott Antique Market to scout for more treasures. If you see something here you’re interested in, give us a call 937.312.9461 or email info@vintagescout.com for more information. And be sure to visit our website and shop at www.vintagescout.com

PS: Blogging for the first time from my new ipad. Playing with instagram, too. So forgive any boo boos and if you have any helpful hints for me, feel free to leave them in the comments.