Tour Through Blogland

A few weeks ago, my sweet friend Christy from Confessions of a Serial Do-It-Yourselfer invited me to participate in a Tour Through Blogland.  On this tour, each blogger is supposed to share a bit about ourselves, answer four questions, and introduce you to some other bloggers that I adore.

Christy and I share a passion for all things turquoise, upcycling vintage furniture, and repurposing ordinary items.

She is a fabulous decorator — you have to see her amazing home! So much of the personality in her home cost virtually nothing because she’s able to refinish all sorts of beautiful pieces herself.

Her dining set is just one example that amazes me. Can you believe she only paid $85 for this?

What I like most about Christy though is her beautiful personality. I recently got to spend some time with her at Haven, and I absolutely love this girl!

If you haven’t been over to her blog make sure you do — you will be hooked!

About Me

I am a married mother to three dogs a cat and a crazy teenage daughter.

Five years ago, I decided to retire and be a stay at home mom.  While my daughter was at school during the days, I started redoing furniture pieces for my own home.

Word got out, and I started doing pieces for friends … and then friends of friends, and so on. When they would pick up their furniture pieces, I would tell them about where I got the piece and the story behind it.

So originally, the blog was just before and after pictures for my clients, and it took on a life of its own from there.  People started wanting tutorials, started asking questions about my personal life, and that is how it evolved.

Basically, I love breathing new life into pieces that were destined for the dump.

Here are the questions:

What am I working on right now?

Well, what aren’t I working on is more like it. I kind of have DIY-ADHD if you ask my hubby. It simply isn’t in me to just work on one thing at a time.

I am currently wrapping-up a pretty, stenciled MCM dresser for a client’s nursery, finishing up a set of three vintage chairs, halfway through a chalkboard, and sanding down drawers for a new dresser.

Between the blog, my furniture booth, and working on custom pieces, I am always in motion. My garage is always Grand Central Station, having pieces loaded in and out, spraying them, and doing repair work.

How does my work differ from others in this genre?

Hmm … this is a hard one. I try to tell a story. I let you know where I found the piece, if I had to strap it to the roof of my car, or if my hubby was going to kill me during the whole process. I let my clients know if I found a love letter from 1912 in the drawer of their dresser, if it was cut in half and put back together (it happened), or if their beautiful dresser arrived in my garage fully loaded with granny panties and Christmas sweaters.

On the great old pieces, I try to let them be authentic. If the finish on an old piece now looks like old alligator skin, I leave it that way because that’s what makes it different. If you take a piece from the 1900’s, fill every divot and smooth it all perfectly, then what is different from that and a piece you get at the store … besides quality?

And I love leaving-on old, curvy hardware that has some history.

Why do I write/create what I do?

I think when people come back to a blog day after day, they are looking for more than just some cool projects — they are wanting a relationship with you.

When you work from home, you are looking for a connection also.

Now do I share every intimate detail of my life? No. I think it’s difficult on where to draw the line. My daughter, for example, goes by the moniker “the unnamed child“. As a sixteen year old, everything your parents do is embarrassing, so the last thing she wanted was her mother flashing mortifying pictures and stories for the world to see. I signed up for this deal, but she didn’t, and I have to respect that.

I know other bloggers’ children that don’t mind at all, and I LOVE following their antics.  You just have to do what works best for your family.

The posts that seem to rate highest seem to have to do with embarrassing stories about me … which sadly happen all of the time. My readers like to see that I am human. They want to know that I had to start this project over three times before I got it right, about a disastrous trip taking all three dogs to the vet, or that my husband says mean things when I ask him to repaint the living room because I chose the wrong color (those swatches are really, really small).

The first few months of blogging felt really lonely. I was entering into a world where it felt like everyone was speaking a language I didn’t understand. Blogging was so much more complicated than I had imagined.

You mean you have to have good quality photos? You have to label each photo a certain way? Coding, what’s coding?

Just as I was about to throw in the towel, I started to make some blogging friends. That changed everything.

Knowing that there were other people out there feeling the same way and going through the same struggles got me through it.

Now I have some amazing blogging friends, which is why the Haven conference is so exciting for us bloggers. Imagine if you talked to someone all day almost everyday, online, and then once a year got to go hang out with them! We make those 3 days count!

I also have made some real relationships with my readers and clients. One of my clients (which I love) called me straight from the delivery room!

I like writing about things I’m excited about. I love taking pieces of furniture that I found by the side of the road or at a yard sale for $5 and turning them into something people are proud to have in their homes.

One of my most pinned pieces is my Turquoise Chandelier,

and my changing table I did for my niece’s nursery.

I occasionally force myself to take time out and do pieces for my own home like my Turquoise Dining set,

Or my Union Jack Table.

I saved this old tube TV right as it was about to pull away in a truck headed to the dump. It made a pretty cute dog house!

How does my writing/creative process work?

I wish there was a secret method I could share with you.

As an insomniac, morning is not my friend, so most of my writing takes place in the afternoon when the house is quiet or very late at night. It is not uncommon for me to be writing my post at 1:00AM.

I usually show the before-and-after if I am writing about a furniture piece, and then incorporate a little bit about what happened during my day. Having 4 pets and a house full of my teenager’s friends usually means that there is plenty of chaos to write about.

Sometimes I involve my readers. I usually can tell right off the bat what color I am going to paint a piece, but now and then I get stuck. So I will show them the raw piece and let them vote like on my red antique dresser.

Now meet my two uber talented friends who you all will love!!

Nancy from Artsy Chicks Rule

This lady is not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside too. I also got to spend some time with her at Haven, and she’s super talented!

One of my favorite makeovers of Nancy’s is this Aubusson Blue Chalk Painted Thrift Store Dresser.

 

And Melody from My Passion for Decor.

I’m Melody, and I write over at My Passion For Decor. I’m a mother to the best nine year old kid, Hunter, and wife to the sweetest, most understanding Hubby around. I love anything vintage, but I have a special love for old globes. On the blog I write about my furniture makeovers, DIY projects and the occasional craft thrown in for fun.

I got to see this pretty lady for a minute here and there at Haven, but I wish I would have had more time with her.

Melody is one of the most talented furniture ladies out there, so head on over and check her out!

There are so many beautiful projects to pick from, and her Pottery Barn Inspired Desk is just one of them!

I recently got to spend a little time with both of these ladies at the Haven Conference and just love them both!

If you don’t follow them already, you need to.  They inspire me all of the time!

While you are over visiting them, please tell them hello!

If you have Instagram and love me at all could you please vote for my video down below? It is in a contest to win a $1500 Shaw Flooring GC. Whoever has the most likes wins. Right now I’m in the lead but it changes from minute to minute. Having potty trained 3 rescue dogs I desperately need new carpet! Thank you!

http://instagram.com/p/q0Frl-wotM/?modal=true