Nobody wants to hear the words “you have cancer” but that is exactly what I heard on February 14, 2019. I was not sure if I should share this. Then I thought it was probably good because perhaps others, who are going through similar situations, might find it helpful. When I was 40 years old …
Have you Considered Black?
Do you have black painted furniture in your home? Have you ever seen before and after examples of black painted furniture? If not, let me show you one. Whenever I paint a piece black it always reminds me of seeing your man in a tuxedo: it is that elegant. I have taken many not-so-special pieces …
Easy Valentine’s Projects
I love Valentine’s Day. For me, it’s a reminder that we need to stop our hustle and bustle to remember the ones we love. I am so busy doing the day to day things that I tend to forget how much the ones I love mean to me. This is the perfect day to remind …
My Addiction to Sugar
When I was in my 20’s, I developed arthritic symptoms and was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was treated with steroids for a year, but when I got pregnant I had to stop them for the sake of the unborn child. Thankfully my arthritis went into remission during pregnancy and has not …
Furniture with a New Purpose
One time when I was shopping at a thrift store I came across a beautiful antique Victrola cabinet that had been gutted. I knew this piece of furniture was high quality and I had a vision for repurposing it. So I loaded it in my car and dragged it back to the shop. I decided …
My Grandmother’s Fine China
I am the youngest of 5 children and my siblings are much older than me. When I was a young girl, my grandmother (the only grandparent I had growing up) would take care of me to help my mother out. She owned a quaint motel in Charlestown, NH. I have fond memories of going to …
Let’s Take the Old & Ordinary Out of Furniture
My shop is located 20 minutes from The Villages, which is a large retirement community. Over the years I have seen a lot of Northerners bring their furnishings down and decide it doesn’t fit their Florida decor. In the following example my client had an oak bedroom set they liked for the size and …
Adding Natural Light to a Closet
When we bought our home, my husband and I noticed the walk-through master closet had no windows or skylights to provide natural light. This made it necessary to always turn on the lights in this dark area, even in the middle of the day. The owner’s original plan for the closet was to add two …
Silver and Gold
I love it when I can add some basic decor all year and just tweak it for each holiday. I did exactly that for my refurbished pillar candle holders. You may remember seeing my earlier blog where I used gold leaf pumpkins for my Fall decor; now they are decorated for Christmas. I added some …
Working for Knowledge & So Much More…
When I began refinishing furniture I first taught myself just how to paint. The skills I really needed were how to tone, strip, stain and seal furniture like a professional. Near the town where I lived there was a second generation woodworker. I used him to do all of my furniture repairs, and I had …