A Day Late... and growing pains!

First things first... a 'before and after'.

I found this chest at an estate sale.  I loved its shape, inset drawers, and the scallop on the bottom and sides.

But it had its share of problems.  The transfers on the drawers were peeling and the inside of the drawers were in awful disrepair.

 I thought it would look great with a fresh coat of white paint and once it was painted... I handpainted some French Numbers on the drawer fronts.  I added antique hardware to finish it off.

 I distressed the edges lightly and did not add any glaze as I loved its cleaner look...

 To remedy the inside of the drawers... I lined them with old Organ Sheet Music. 

 This would make a gorgeous entry 'table'.

 Speaking of 'numbered' goodness... I found these canisters.  Love them.

 Next I have this old drawer.  The wood on this is so incredible!

 It has a label pull.  This would work well on a bathroom counter to contain different jars full of cottonballs, swabs, etc.

 It could also be hung on a wall to display art. 

 Do you need a little stool for your bathroom for the kids to wash their hands?  This little gem will work just great for that.

 Stool no.2 has all the character that is impossible to recreate.  amazing.

 I am so drawn to items that are 'over the top' ornate... gaudy even, grin.  This art easel started out brass and shiny.

 I simply painted it with cream paint.  I did not add glaze because I loved its clean, fresh feel now!

 Then with something this detailed, I love the contrast of adding a vintage floral print... tattered all along the edges, no frame... gorgeous presentation!

 A friend showed me these silverware chimes.  I was smitten.

 My personal favorite spoon, grin.

Now with several of the items that I delivered to the booth this week spotlighted...

I move on to the 'growing pains' part of my post title.

I have never thought of 'growing pains' as being an all negative thing.  In fact growing is usually a good thing, right?  But rarely does ANYTHING growing, especially at an incredibly fast rate, not have the need for at least some amount of discomfort.  And discomfort... some days PAIN... is officially a part of this new venture of mine.  

My husband will want to pinch me when he finds out that I have posted this photo on the www!

It is our garage.  And in our family, the garage has always been more his domain.  Several months ago this garage, under Shawn's management ;), was organized and spotless... it is how he is wired.

And here is a photo taken moments ago, as it sits under new management... mine.  UGH!

 Embarrassed as I am right now... to me, this photo represents long hours of hunting... and future items for my business.  But I also must be honest that items do not move fast enough... for several reasons.

#1 - First and foremost... I need a larger booth at Packards!  I find it quite comical that just a couple months ago I was nervous at the prospect of needing to fill, and refill this space.  I have learned REAL quick that one space is not near what I need to move my items.  Now the hard part... getting two booths, in a good location, at least semi next to each other.  The owners promise to work on my request, I hope it can be worked out SOON!  I have so many items I can't wait to show you!

#2 - I need a painting space/booth.  Laying a tarp in the middle of our kitchen is a tad inconvenient.  My family may... just may use a word different than 'tad', grimace.  So Shawn will be making me a painting booth in this corner of the garage... it will make things go so much faster.  Yay!

 #3 - I need a studio.  We have the space, but my 'vision' for this space is slow going.  We have started the planks... slowly but surely.

So there it is... pains, obstacles, and hopes that things can continue to grow.

In the end... suffering growing pains already, just a few short months after opening... seems to be a good problem to have!  Thank you!