HELLO 2014!!!!

I always try to set goals especially at the beginning of a new year. This year I have several things going back on my “to do list”. My "to do's" began to pile up on me when I only have a short time to grocery shop, clean house, bargain hunt, refurbish and deliver my antiques to the shop and work eight hours a day. Wow….…I eat on the run, my head is spinning like a top with ideas, power sleep and when I finally do stop for a minute, I start thinking…….”where does the time go”? My daughter came over the other night with the kids and she organized all of my hundreds of furniture knobs for me. I really have an addiction to unique furniture knobs!! Hopefully you will get to see some of them soon on my up-coming projects!! This week I am bringing into the shop a unique chest with very clean lines. She will always be a classic for many, many years to come. I don’t have photo’s yet, but I will post photo’s as soon as I make her even more beautiful. It’s difficult to put that first brush of paint on a well-kept perfect piece of history and it was not hard to know she was loved and well cared for and hopefully she will find another home that will love her just as much!! I am also bringing in a large selection of unique pottery and mirrors so stay tuned!! My "Time to eat table" has been sold but I love it so much I posted another photo anyway!!

Compassionate beginnings

Earlier today I posted a comment on my business facebook page really because I have been so touched by photo’s of Andra Grace, a dog that was tortured and drug behind a truck and left for dead. I had a friend tell me I may offend someone and I should not post comments about it on my business facebook page. My thoughts……..this is who I am and will always be. I will not compromise or apologize for having compassion for others to my sell furniture. Just saying!!!! I think compassion comes from the early beginnings of our lives. I can remember as a child asking my mother if I could go visit an elderly neighbor of ours. I would stay for hours with this woman. She always walked with a cane. We would bake her special desert (prune squares-it sounds terrible but it was delicious) , walk through her pasture and talk, sit by her old wood burning stove and I loved spending time with her. And my dad….what a wonderful man!! I have had every animal you can think of growing up. Daddy would always bring home starving strays he had found and we would get them healthy again. Older people had superstitions and mama put a little bible and a liquor bottle in front of me and I picked up the little bible. She said I would carry that bible everywhere I went. My dad died with that little bible in his wallet. It was worn and the pages were falling out of it, but he still kept it all those years. The only real argument I had in school was over a very poor girl that had nothing and all the kids made fun of her. Don’t get me wrong! I can be a real butt when I need to be and say some ugly words when I am mad, or driving on Woodruff Road in traffic, which my daughter fusses at me about, but I have a big heart and I will always fight for the underdog. Well, that’s my thoughts for today!! Stay tuned……I have got to get ready to fight the traffic on Woodruff so you may hear me cuss a “little”!!! lol

To Know Me......

Here is a few things to know about me!! 1) I love to read Miss Mustard Seed’s blog. I think she is a down to earth nice person and genuine with her “how-to tutorials of furniture makeovers. 2) I would love to open my own shop and sale everything a woman would ever want. 3) I am loyal to my friends, family and my moral beliefs. 4) My favorite movies are the “happily ever after” love stories, but I do like action movies too!! 5) Please don’t ever ask me a question unless you are ready to hear the gentle truth. 6) If I see someone mistreating an old person, a child or an animal, I will be the first to run to their rescue. 7) I like spending time with elderly people…they have wonderful stories to tell. 8) I think kindness is contagious so I like to smile and say hello to everyone. 9) I love old sports cars and I use to own a 1967 convertible corvette. 10) I like for everything around me to be neat and tidy except my car and I hate washing my car. 11) I have a daughter and three beautiful grandchildren……2 girls and 1 boy!! 12) I am old school and I believe “your word” says everything about you. 13) God is first in my life and I talk to him every day. 14) When I look into my mirror, I see my mother’s eyes. 15) When I die, I hope I will be missed!!

Competition keeps life interesting

With all of the new chalk and milk paints available these days, everybody is jumping on the band wagon “so to speak” scheduling painting classes. There is someone new in the furniture painting business about every week. Competition keeps life interesting and it keeps my mind sharp with creative ideas to achieve unique designs with my vintage and antique furniture. One great thing about painting antique furniture is… it is almost impossible for anybody to duplicate it. Yes, someone else may paint it the same color, distress it, but it will never look the same……only because every person has their own techniques, style and uniqueness. The down side is the prices of top quality antiques are going up, up, up and it will make it harder to sell at reasonable prices!!! And I am all about keeping my prices reasonable! Vintage and antique furniture is in “high demand” because shabby chic and retro has become so popular. Most everybody likes it!!! There are still a few people that believe it’s ruined after you paint it. I can relate to that because I have several beautiful pieces in my garage right now that I am finding it hard to start painting. It is so much easier for me to justify painting a neglected antique. I have begun to free up some of my much needed garage space and I made a promise to myself NOT to buy anymore furniture for a while. It is so hard when I see an awesome antique just waiting for me to claim it!! It screams….make me beautiful again!! Lol I forgot how this business gets in your blood!! There was a time in my life that I would eat, breath and sleep the furniture business and it is happening all over again. Only this time, I am the one designing the finished pieces instead of the furniture manufacturers. Here’s a few of my latest finished pieces. This cocktail table reminds me of furniture from West Elm. I think it is a very cool piece (grey and white)!! I am always experimenting with colors and I found the perfect shade of grey. I will tell you that story next time!!

Scored Antiques

I have been busy the past few weeks working on several tables getting them ready for the shop. By the time I get home it seems like its dark so I only spend about an hour each day on my painting. I don’t know about you but I am not looking forward to cold short days!! I found several moving sales and picked up some neat things I hope you will like. I scored a four (4) foot shelf that I like a lot!! I took several tables to the shop today and reduced several pieces down even more so super bargains here!! My brother just drove in from Alaska and will be staying in PA for a while. Even though he is a distance from me at least I know we can at least drive to see each other. Alaska is too far to hop in your car and drive to visit. He’s going to shop around for me to find some antiques and bring them to me!! Woo Hoo!!! Here’s a few photo’s of my latest designed pieces and a few photos of my shop at Southern Estates Antiques.

Paint and bruises

It is hard to believe it is October already. The last few days I have been dragging around since I worked so hard trying to finish up my last piece to get it to the shop and it is still in the back of my car!! When I finally sat down last night, I noticed bruises from my knees up and then I looked at my arm and had blue paint everywhere and I just got out of the shower!! I know my eyes are not what they used to me, but really?!!!!! How did I miss that!!! I keep telling myself I am too old to be doing this and what do I do? Load and unload by myself again and again!! I looked like a gypsy coming home the other day with furniture all the way to the back of my front seat!! I could barely see out of the sides of the car!! Oh well, I guess it comes with the business!! Oh before I forget, I called the shop a few hours ago and Dave said another interior designer came in a bought several things from my shop!! Yeah!!!! That puts a big smile on my face and makes me very happy. Here is a look at my latest designs and I hope you like it!!

So Go Shopping!!!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Labor Day. I try very hard to always be proactive, but I have been like a turtle this past week. I have two beautiful timeless mahogany dressers sitting in my garage and I still have not finished them. A vision of one is in my head, but I just haven’t wanted to get started. Maybe I need to start drinking energy drinks. My strong coffee just does not do it for me anymore!! Maybe today will be the day! I did decide to check out some of the department stores just to take a look at furniture. Some of my favorites is Anthropologie, The Pottery Barn, West Elm, etc. As you already know, I am eclectic so I love how these stores mix it up just like me!! I like the unexpected pop of color or fabric. Remember ladies, your home is a reflective window of you!!! I tell all of my clients, if you love it the minute you see it, if you can afford it… buy it with no regrets and you will surely find the perfect place for it in your home! It doesn’t matter if the color is not exactly the same shade of blue that’s in your room. Trust me when I say, it will blend in with your other shades of blues. You can make it happen with pillows, throws, rugs, lampshades, etc. My mother’s generation thought that everything in a room had to match, but in today’s world anything and everything goes!! Mix and match, odds and ends…… I visited an old friend a few weeks ago and she has beautiful expensive accessories and furniture but when you walk in, it just felt bland and sterile....not at all like her...happy and outgoing. She asked if I would help her, so we went to work and I touched and moved every single thing in there, threw in some pops of color and it was an amazing transformation!! It felt cozy and inviting!! Its like your clothing....don't you feel alive and happy when you are wearing a beautiful vibrant color?!! Happy dance!!!! Anyway, she loved it and when her sister came down from New York to visit, she could not believe how wonderful the room looked and felt. So the point to this story is….. step outside of the box ….mix a piece of painted furniture in with all of your dark wood and see how awesome it will look!! But beware, it is like eating potato chips, you won’t stop at just one!!! Wow, I was not planning on talking that much!! Anyway, there is amazing talent right here in Greenville and they add their own custom techniques and designs to each and every piece of vintage and antique furniture, so go shopping!!