Tip and Tricks from Upcreek Creations... This is a Furniture Painting and cleaning up after using crafts Hack that you will LOVE!!!

Yes, simply the best paper towels you can purchase! I love these blue shop towels they are the luxury version of cheap paper towels and are great to use when painting and cleaning furniture. We use these towels with Denatured Alcohol to clean all of our furniture before painting. These towels are soft and lint-free so they do not leave anything behind before painting and they are a good aid when cleaning between poly coats and distressing. They are also GREAT to use when applying our General Finishes Java Gel. The blue shop towels are so much more absorbent that I actually save money by using fewer of them especially when cleaning up after using Chalk Couture transfers, paste and ink. These towels are hardy and lint-free and will make all your crafting projects so much easier to clean up.

Yes, you can buy these at several local stores, or simply use my affiliate link below and save your gas and precious time and let Amazon deliver these commodities to your door for the same or better price? ​

We can create your a design like this or you can join the fun and create your own! Ask me how?!?!

Contact: Shelli James At 205-577-2110 or upcreekcreations@gmail.com

Join our Facebook group called Upcreek with Chalk Couture at:
​https://www.facebook.com/groups/upcreek/?ref=share

There is no force equal to that of a DETERMINED women! I live this saying with a passion. Hi everyone, I'm Shelli James, my husband, Kenny James, and I created Upcreek Creations a Furniture and Home Décor store. I didn't realize this was a dream of mine until 2015 when I stared painting furniture in our basement. My mom, Judy Jowers Mims, was the creative one, and I always thought I was the practical one so I went to work in the corporate world and that world treated me with great respect and I accomplished more than I ever gave myself credit. 

Upcreek Creations grew and I fell in love with my new found job, so with the support of Kenny I took out on the adventure to do this full time. I have questioned myself, doubted myself, and even kicked myself wondering what have I done, and then in May 2017 I found out that I was more like my mom than I ever thought. You see, she found out when she was 40 years old that she had breast cancer and she fought hard for 7 years but it slowly took her life at the young age of 47. And on that dreadful day in 2017 while I was on the road at a show I found out that I too had breast cancer. In the beginning I wanted to just lied down and gave up on my business, but with the support of Kenny, Becky, Angie, Chrissi, Debbie, my boys, God and many others my business rocked on through the battle of my life! It is my 46th Birthday today, January 30, 2019, and I am extremely thankful for so many things. The cancer took a lot out of me and stole relationships and my health for a while but I am determined that it does NOT and will never define me or who I am! God is Good!

You have it in you as well... when faced with adversity and things look so bad be determined and you will make it through the darkest times! I promise I am always here for a helping hand, an ear to bend, be your sister in Christ, or a shoulder to cry on because sometimes that is all we need.       Keep on rocking on!  

Upcreek Creations will admit that we learned this tip the hard way... when painting a piece of furniture that you have acquired and you take the drawers out, it never fails, you can never figure out which drawer goes back into what space. You think it doesn’t matter, but I promise you it matters! Especially here in the south where the humidity expands the wood and it is impossible to get the drawers back into a piece, then you end up spending huts trying every drawer in each space and end up frustrated!

The simple solution is to number the drawers and the drawer location as you pull each drawer out for painting or cleaning! In the following picture we have numbered the drawer locations D-1, D-2, D-3, D-4, D-5, & D-6. We used the "D" to identify the dresser because we were also painting the matching chest of drawers as well and we named those drawers C-1, C-2, etc. this way we could identify which drawer goes in the correct spot. See picture...

You will save yourself valuable time by doing this simple step! Here is how we number the back of the drawers that we pull out of the furniture piece...

We would love to hear your stories! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or on our website blog at www.upcreekcreations.com.

upcreek Creations has been working hard to bring some amazing furniture and home decor to the Vintage Market Days of Mobile show this coming weekend! Here is a sneak peak of a few of the items we will have at the show!
​www.UpcreekCreations.com

These are pictures of when we brought this piece home from the auction. It was not pretty and this is a CRAZY heavy well built piece of furniture but outdated in so many way. We had a plywood top that we attached to the top of it to make it function until the custom wood top was built. 
I started out by patching the "character marks", then I cleaned it with Denatured Alcohol since I knew it would need to be painted to bring it up to date. After a very good cleaning, I painted this piece with General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint and then use silver gilding wax to highlight some of the details and sprayed the knobs with silver as well. 
I am very proud on how this piece turned out!
https://www.upcreekcreations.com

Upcreek Creations just delivered this beautiful maple bedroom suite! It was cleaned with Denatured Alcohol and then painted with General Finishes Snow White Milk Paint. We have this paint available at The Bama Flea Mall in Leeds Alabama at 10% off until the end of January 2019! #upcreekcreations

Seriously, why are we always trying to fit into the world's little box? God made us all unique and different and I'm thankful for that. Could you image the world if we were all alike.... BORING! So I want to know, How do you stand out? What makes you different? What makes you stand out from the rest in your business or home? Go....

 Cleaning furniture before paint is one of the MOST IMPORTANT steps you need to take! Most of the furniture we paint has been used for many generations or has been store away for a very long time collecting dust and all things we don't want to think about have crawled across it.
​Cleaning your piece will do a couple of things... it will make it more sanitary for your customers to use but mostly you need a really clean piece for your paint to adhere to. All those hidden finger prints that have oils that you cannot see will stop your paint from sticking to your furniture like you would hope.
This is the ONLY product Upcreek Creations uses to clean our furniture pieces before we start and painting product. It is Denatured Alcohol and it is very inexpensive to use! We take a basic empty spray bottle and fill it 50% with water and add 50% denatured alcohol to the rest of the bottle. (We write 50/50 Water & Denatured Alcohol on the side of the bottle.) Then we spray our piece very generously and start cleaning, you will be shocked on how much dirt and grim you will get off your furniture pieces. Please note that you do not want to use denatured alcohol on a painted or stained piece that you are not planning on painting, it will take some of the finish off your work. 
​Now once you have sprayed and cleaned your piece as it dried you may notice the piece will start looking cloudy, this is fine! Let the denatured alcohol completely dry and repeat the cleaning process 2 more times, for a total of 3 times! By the 3rd cleaning you should notice the piece is much cleaner! Please allow the denatured alcohol to dry completely before you start painting!
HAPPY PAINTING! 
​You may use the following Amazon affiliate link below to purchase Denatured Alcohol and we have included a picture of the the brand we use the most!

I know many of you have already joined and I did too many years ago but, I have never really used the platform. While taking an online Booth Summit by Booth Biz today I learned about Pinterest and the advantages of using this platform to reach new audiences. So I am excited to say Upcreek Creations is now on Pinterest! We hope to see you there! Happy Pinning!
​
https://www.pinterest.com/upcreekcreations/

Dimensions: 48 L x 14 H
You can purchase this item in our retail locations at Bama Flea Mall and Gadsden Variety Store, or purchase directly from us and pick up in Odenville AL.

Check out this new 7 foot Farm Table with beautiful turned legs! You can purchase this table from the Upcreek Creations (Dealer #462) booth inside the Gadsden Variety Store. The table is $525, Benches are $160 and cross back chairs are $89 each sold separately. @upcreekcreations #upcreekcreations

www.UpcreekCreations.com

This table has drawers on both ends and comes with 4 really nice ladder back chairs. Measurements are 51” L x 36” W.

$175 for the set. Pick up in Odenville.

Visit our online store at www.UpcreekCreations.com.

We have 2 farmhouse style tables at Gadsden Variety Store both on sale through Christmas! We have a 5 foot table with turned legs for $335 (matching bench is $150 additional) and a 6 foot pine table with a drawer for $359! This sale is only good through Christmas.

Benches and Chairs sold separately. We have these beautiful cross back chairs available for $89 (regularly $100).

Gadsden Variety Store is open today until 5pm; Saturday from 10am-5pm; closed Sunday and they will be open Christmas Eve from 9am- around 2pm. This store is located in downtown Gadsden at 422 Broad Street. You will LOVE this store!

Visit our online shop at www.UpcreekCreations.com!
​Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

 Check out this beautiful new piece of furniture we have available in our booth at Irondale Pickers. It is called a Newport Buffet with Shutter Doors in Green with heavy distressing and it is on sale until Christmas for only $299 (firm), item #6240239. The measurements are 53.5 L x 17 W x 40 H. 
Irondale Pickers is located at 5401 Beacon Drive, Irondale, AL 35210. We are dealer SKJ165. We have 2 booth across the isle from each other and are located in the front of the store just left of the register. Ask for the Upcreek booth # SKJ165. Irondale Pickers is open 7 days a week Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm. Call or text with any questions 205-577-2110 or upcreekcreations.com.
Visit our online store at: www.UpcreekCreations.com.

Gift Cards are now available at Upcreek Creations. These eGift cards are good in our online store or at one of our face-to-face market events. *Note: these are not available to use in any of the antique malls where we have booths.*

You can now give the perfect gift an Upcreek Creation eGift Card!

You can now find this amazing line of Soy Candles and Wax Melts at Sweet Pickins Antique Mall in Childersburg, Alabama. The store is located in the old Fred's building next door to Old Town Grill at 80 River Run Road, Childersburg, AL. Our booth is located in the front of the store to the left of the register and the candles are located on this beautiful bookcase in the front of the store also near the register.
They make awesome Christmas gifts and you will love the smell!

Upcreek Creations carries an entire line of Soy Candles and Wax Melts. You will love how these smell and how they burn with their wood wicks! You can find these at Irondale Pickers and at the Gadsden Variety Store as well as during our events.

Upcreek Creations is a General Finishes retailer. We carry General Finishes Milk Paints and Gel Stains at the Bama Flea Mall in Leeds, AL and will have it available during our sale events in Odenville, Alabama. We use General Finishes products on all of our renewed furniture pieces.

We will be hosting classes on how to use this paint and how to prep your furniture pieces before painting. This paint is easy to use and I know you will love it as much as we do!

Please let us know if you have any questions. ​

​Welcome to all things Upcreek!
Upcreek Creations is a  marketplace with a collection of unique gifts include Vintage Inspired Home Decot and Furniture; Floral and Holiday items; Hand Poured Soy Candles and Melts; Unique signs made by Upcreek; and, other Hand Made/Painted items. We are only open during sale events so watch our social media pages to find out when we will be open next or you may visit us at one of our retail locations within antique malls near Birmingham, Alabama. Visit www.upcreekcreations.com to find our current retail locations.

Upcreek Creations & Market was established in 2015 out of our love for using rustic vintage inspired and authentic vintage pieces in our cedar creek cabin we built. Shelli & Kenny James both love being near water and built a rustic cedar cabin up the creek from family on the beautiful Enitachopco Creek outside of Ashland, Alabama. They also enjoy the lake and going to the beach for vacations and vintage pickin' trips. Married on New Year's Day in 2011 they have a blended family made up of 4 amazing young men of which 2 are Shelli's and 2 are Kenny's, daughter-in-laws / girlfriends, grandbabies and spoiled puppy dogs named Rivers.

Thank you for shopping with us and please let us know if we can do anything for you.
​
God Bless. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


Disclaimer: This website contains authentic vintage finds, vintage-inspired, antique reproductions, repurposed products, and new originals. Please note that all items may vary somewhat in size, color, and style. Some cracking and wear and tear is typical which is what we believe gives our items their character and story. Please understand when you order our products that it is the inherent nature of reclaimed products, older materials and certain furnishings to appear weathered, and to contain variations and imperfections with respect to size, color, and constitution. Any statement whether written or oral to the contrary will not be deemed to be binding upon us and we cannot be held liable for such misrepresentations. Seller is not liable for any injury, loss or damage, direct or consequential, arising out of the use of or the inability to use the product. All items are for decorative purposes only. User assumes all risk and liability.