Happy Holidays!

I'm getting a jump on the new year resolutions and starting this new blog. I've actually been blogging since 2005 and have taken my blog in different directions over the years. I was a long time typepad user but have recently realized that some widgets, posting issues and comment options have led me back to the simple/faithful blogger. Also, who can beat FREE?!?! lol

This blog is going to be a mix of my family time, my creative happenings, business ventures, online selling (i {heart} Etsy and use eBay from time to time). I've tried seperating all these venues in the past and it's left me with several blogs that I neglected. Time for a change....looking forward to 2011! Are you with me? :)

Happy Holidays!

Just a couple weeks until Christmas!  Are you ready???  I'm still searching for a few gifts but other than that...bring it on. :)

I was running behind with my holiday decor this year and just.now.finished decorating.  Similar to last year, our 8ft tree is adorned with black, silver and red.  I'm a fan of regal decor but it's soooo not me so this is my version for 'where I come from'. lol

 
(yes, we have been putting off getting the crown molding up for some time now...priorities...i tell ya. lol)

 
(few of the ornaments close up.  I enjoy adding to them after each Christmas when they go on sale. :) )

 
(this is OUR mantel.  we do not have a fireplace so this mantel piece I aquired at a yard sale has held our stockings)

 
(love this skinny tree that someone left out at the curb last year.  It told me to bring it home. ;) )

 
(this is what I love...dimmed lights and a tree shining bright.  now, where is my hot chocolate. :) )



 

Also joined in Christmas Tour of 2010 @ The Nester's blog

progress

progress in many ways actually...surgery went well and i am on my way to feeling more energy than i have in a long, long time.  still a bit tender but doing more every day.  the grand opening at the shop has come and gone.  i enjoyed hanging out there some during that time and helping where i could.  we managed to add in a display unit (hubby made it!) and now i can get my refurbished decor added in the space.  furniture still manages to come and go and requests are a plenty!  if you haven't had a chance to stop in, please do so and if you know when, let me know and i will try to be there.  i stop in often to help or just fluff my stuff. :)

 

sunday noonish...sitting in my pjs.

nice title? lol  it's the first day in many that i haven't had a jillion things to do and on top of that i have been feeling ill.  no worries, i'm tough...most days.  i have gall bladder surgery this coming week so i am hoping...with fingers crossed...that i will be feeling much better by next weekend.  i must!  i have so many pieces of furniture and decor items that stare at me as i pass them buy in the garage, back room, hallway....um, living room...lol  do you get my drift?!  i have furniture E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E! lol  no, seriously, it is starting to fade away as we get things refurbished and up in the shop.  i am very thankful with the positive responses we continue to get and look forward to finishing the next FUN piece.

i know i have mentioned tutorials and such but i still have that on hold as i get through this week but i wanted to show a fun set we just took to shop yesterday.

have a creative day! :)

 

this 70'ish three piece set was begging for a new finish since the stain/clear coat was almost non-existant when we bought it from an estate sale.  paired it with some "oops" berh grey/blue paint and smokey glaze, this set has taken on a new life and waiting for a new home....now! :)

finding the line between work and fun

how's that for a title???  i've enjoyed refurbishing things for quite some time now and ultimately i have an unreal amount of creative ideas whirling around in my head that NEED to come out! lol  since 'opening shop' i have battled with sick children, bronchitis myself and having multiple stones in my gall bladder hasn't helped much either.  i know, probably 'tmi' to most who read this but it's my blog and i will share stuff from time to time. lol

i am scheduled to have my gall bladder out on Nov. 12th and i am praying this will end all/fix all with my health issues and i can bust out some fabulous junk....i mean, treasure! :) 

just wanted to make a quick post with a few more pieces we got done and have already gone to new homes...hope to have time in the near future to post about some before and afters.  maybe even some tutorials for kicks! :)

 

 

 
 

have a wonderfully creative day,

amy 

getting my hands dirty

among several projects i have going, i started a sheet music stand.  see here for my first try at using sheet music.  this stand needed lots of tlc so i decided that the sheet music would work great for this...

 

my little guy grabbed my camera and insisted on taking a picture of me working. lol  i'm not a big fan of being in front of the camera but i guess it's time to show you that i DO get my hands dirty almost every.single.day. lol {bare with me, i've been sick for the last few weeks and i look it! ugh! lol}

 

 

 

ok, i have rubber gloves on, but i always manage to get holes in them and stuff gets to my fingers. lol  back to work for me....

 

have a creative day! :)

more inventory!

wow, i am definately starting to realize this business stuff is going to be 24/7 work!  oh, i'm NOT complaining just sharing my realization. haha  i did manage to get up to the shop and add a few pieces we've gotten finished (YES, i must stop right here and acknowledge my fabulous hubby, Josh, for helping me finish off certain pieces.  without his woodworking skills i couldn't refurbish certain broken down items! Thanks a million honey!).

 

this piece is my current FAVE!  it didn't have that awesome wood trim around the top and the legs had damage where they meet the wooden part of the box.  hubby fixed it right up and i did a black glaze finish over the red "oops" paint from HD.  it stands about 3ft. tall and would look GREAT in any room.  i found the hardware at Hobby Lobby. love.

 

my painted random chairs usually are finished off with wording or an image on the seat part but this one, i felt, didn't call for that.  i could totally see this in an entry way or even a sun porch!

 

i scored these two tiered tables at an auction last week.  i actually got two of them.  i couldn't wait to refinish them so they were top on my list.  love the claw feet designs on them too.  i have them priced seperately up at the shop. :)

ok i have a few more pieces.  i will get a before and after done for my next post and i need to get a couple more pics of the table i refinished and took to the shop. 

 

have a creative day! :)


success!!!

i'm a little blown away.  the shop that i have space in opened monday.  it turned out MUCH better than planned as  i sold several pieces in the couple days it's been open.  now i am scrambling to finish several more furniture pieces as i really don't have room in our home to store finished stuff and don't want to stack it tight like i have the items that need refurbished (hope that made sense, lol).  i'm excited about all the positive feedback from customers and i'm trilled to have even gotten additional requests in my email! yay!

this fave piece of mine sold right away the first day.  i miss it already. lol

 
my randomly painted chairs sold like hotcakes too!  i have so many creative ideas floating in my head...i better get back to work!

 

have a creative day!

it's getting cold outside...

didn't think i would be saying that so soon.  add VERY windy to that and it makes for an unproductive day.  boo.  as i mentioned before i am renting space in a store front and it opens MONDAY (Oct. 25th)!  i've lost almost 3 days of work time on my furniture due to the weather.  i should explain, as i paint in a pop up tent just outside my garage and the tent wants to go WITH the wind. lol  also, the paint takes forever to dry when it's cold,  ugh...that's not good.  i did manage to get this little cutie done the other day.  as always, i kinda want to keep the things i create. lol

 
 

i try to make each furniture piece i refurbish, unique!  i could see this little bench in an entry way with a couple pair of shoes tucked underneath, can't you???

also, i have had some chairs done but was waiting on inspiration to strike as to what else to do to them...

 
 

 

well, i SHOULD get back to work.  i have some things i want to sew also.  hope to share those soon. :)

 

have a creative day!

it's happening...

we are finally moving into a quaint spot in a fun mix of different shops all under one 5400 sq ft space!  the doors will open by halloween so i am working hard to get things finished...or atleast have a nice selection for the grand opening. :)  wish us luck!

 

haha

honestly, i just searched google for info on storing (organizing) "junk" until you plan to refurbish it.  no, i didn't get far.  googles definition of "junk" is waaaaaayyyyy different than mine. lol

i have sooooo many possible fabulous pieces but it's getting over whelming to look at it cluttered here and there  EVER.SINGLE.DAY. sigh.  if anyone has any enlightening ideas, i would love to hear them. :)

until then.....

 
 

a little thrift shopping

while i procrastinate on my bigger projects i will share some great finds i ran across this evening while shopping my local thrift shop.

for just over $10 i scored this!

SIX new handles, sure they were of the rustic brass variety but that can easily be changed with a little Rust oleum paint.  they were $2.55 for them all. score! :)

this cream colored urn type piece is from Home Interiors and was $2.55 also!  there are a few minor blemishes but nothing a little Rust Oleum can't fix. :)  i didn't get a close up of the blue-ish piece there in the background but it's a fun piece too that i can't wait to paint.

these two pedestal type lidded dishes are unique.  i can't quite tell if they are just handmade but i am going to re-secure them together (as the pieces are lose and coming apart...if you can see there is clear tape on them) and give them some color.  at a buck and a half...i couldn't pass them up!

this tray...i had to pick up because i have a tissue type box that pretty much matches this.  they actually had two of them but i just picked up one.  i want to sell this as a set with my tissue box.  i'm not sure what is going on with the bottom paper, it's got a dripped ink look and i'm going to guess that someone put that in more recently then when it was purchased. 

thanks for sharing in my excitement, i will share the "afters" soon.

have a creative day!
 
 
 
 
 

flea market day two

it wasn't the busiest of days but i was pleased with the final outcome.  would have liked to have moved a couple more larger pieces but they will sell in due time.  had many, many comments on my checker table but no sales...yet! :)

that is fine as i do have a few more design ideas to add to it. :)

 
  
many people commented on this chair and looked it over but it didn't find a new home either.  i understand that it's unqiue design would make it a little more of a selective piece so i am hoping that right customer comes along.

gearing up for another market come November.  in the mean time i have photo shoots, a baby shower and halloween costumes to get all figured out and dealt with. :)

flea market day one.

   was a great success!  loved the spot we were given, great people came through...always love chatting with friendly people! :)  i was barely able to grab a few shots of our booth before the doors opened.  things aren't quite in their places at this moment but you can see the basics of what we had to work with.  so wish we could have used the wall for items but there is a "no nail attachement" rule in this building. boo.  at any rate, by the close of the first day we had to randomly place things so it didn't look so bare.  a little frustrating for the decorator in me but a huge plus for the profit/accomplishment part. :)

fond a few things to add in for tomorrow.  hope it's another great day and turn out!

 
 
  

flea market day one.

   was a great success!  loved the spot we were given, great people came through...alway love chatting with friendly people! :)  i was barely able to grab a few shots of our booth before the doors opened.  things aren't quite in their places at this moment but you can see the basics of what we had to work with.  so wish we could have used the wall for items but there is a "no nail attachement" rule in this building. boo.  at any rate, by the close of the first day we had to randomly place things so it didn't look so bare.  a little frustrating for the decorator in me but a huge plus for the profit/accomplishment part. :)

fond a few things to add in for tomorrow.  hope it's another great day and turn out!

 
 
  

getting there...

this weekend is fast approaching and the rain is hindering my paint projects. boo!  i will make the best use of my time and get the 'little things' priced and ready.

 

just a couple quick pics to let you see what fun things i will be offering this weekend.  ok i gotta go pull out my sewing machine, gahh!

 

 

hot day!

so the heat came back...even if for only a day or so it's not wanted right now.  really, i have a HUGE list of things that need done and most of them depend on the weather.  hoping to break out some red paint in a day or two.

for now i will share this cutie mirror i snagged from a garage sale for a mere .25 cents!  pulled out the heirloom white paint, some black glaze and topped it off with a couple coats of lacquer.

before:

yes, there is little love here...we have the faux wood (plastic) and it's an eagle...woo.

nothing against eagles...they are very regal birds.  just thrown together with this dated faux wood design leaves little to be desired. but....

 

i think this breaths new life into this decor piece, don't you? :)

be back VERY soon to share more items i've refinished for my up-coming flea market.  here's a peak for now...

 
 joining in here;