Well, the countdown begins...25 days until my annual fall "Room for Change Tag Sale". Some days I wonder whatever was I thinking when I decided to do this for the first time, and the second time, and the third and so on. I have always loved opening my home up for guests and the tag sales have been no exception, but it's usually right about now that I start to panic. Will I have enough stuff? Will anyone show up? Will there be enough room? Will I have enough help? Will I make any profit? Will I get it all done in time? My worries start to fade when I get a few uninterrupted hours in my makeshift workshop/garage and spend a little time with a paintbrush and paint transforming some more treasures. One of my favorite things about what I do (besides the friends I get to meet) is seeing the potential in a piece and rediscovering it's beauty. There's something kinda spiritual about giving something a second chance. I know all about that in my own journey because by God's grace..he does that with me and my life! How cool is that? I'll be working nearly around the clock for the next few weeks rescuing some more lost treasures and come the day of the sale, I'll be hoping that you see their reclaimed beauty as well.
Here is a perfect example of "somebody's junk is somebody else's treasure". My neighbor, Kevin found this piece on Lakeshore Drive on the way home from work one night. I was gone at the time he brought it over and when I came home to find it in my garage I thought a client had dropped it off with the group of furniture pieces she needed painted. I was so envious of what a great piece it was, and was about to offer her my free painting services for it. However, I was doubly blessed to find out that not only was it mine, but Kevin had found it for free! The heartwarming thing was, he dropped it off as a surprise. He went out of his way to think of my business, load it up by himself and drop it off..all without asking for a thing in return. Is it any wonder I love my neighbors? Can you see it's inner beauty?
I was originally going to paint it black, but at the last minute, got the inspiration to whitewash it to make it look like a real primitive piece. My husband had to some repair work to the sides of it. It was peeling and warping pretty badly. I sanded it and washed it down and skipped the priming because I wanted the darker wood to show through easily when I distressed it. I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it, so it may or may not be at the sale, but if it is, look for it with two boxwood wreaths hanging from the doors with thick ribbon and lots of rustic treasures on top.
She had seen an idea thanks to Martha Stewart to paint the chair a deep purple.
I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. I have had an aversion to the color purple, (not the movie, but the actual shade) since 7th grade when I wore the color EVERY day for a solid year. Ahhh, the 80's....Good times. Good times.
I loved how it turned out. So quaint and cute. I might have to reintroduce it into my wardrobe soon. Then again, maybe not. I'll stick to browns, black and white. So cute on this chair though. Don't you agree?
This hutch was found by a client of mine on Craigslist. I had just finished painting her son's bedroom furniture black which will be timeless as he grows up. His room has lots of fun murals on the wall, so we wanted to stay pretty neutral on the furniture. When he and his dad came to pick up the load, he looked a little disappointed, (the son, not the dad) and informed us that he wished all the furniture was painted orange and blue for Hope College! We thought this would be the perfect accent piece to grant him his wish!
It still needs hardware and a fun funky fabric for the chair, but he was all grins when he picked this one up!
You might recognize this idea from last year's sale. I had two cottage style benches, one in robin's egg blue, and one white one. They both sold last year. One to a client with a cottage at Sandy Pines and the other to a client who was going to use it in their mudroom. They are super cute and practical because they don't take up much space. In fact, I think this one is already sold, but I've got another one in white. They're made out of twin sized headboard and footboards.
I am such a nerd. I downloaded pics of this green one, which I painted a creamy white. I never snapped a photo of the 'after shot' of it!! However, here's the 'after' of another one with a little different style. I loved it in black as well. Sorry my camera looks like it has rainspots on it whenever the lighting is bad on dark pieces. Uggghhh. I really want a new camera.
I can't even remember where I picked up this chair. I really liked the detail on the back and the chunky legs of it. I immediately pictured it white with a 'shabby chic' kind of treatment.
You can't tell until you get up close, but the tan fabric is puckered all over with little embroidered flowers. This will be at the sale paired with a shabby chic white hutch that would be perfect for a little girl's room.
Well, thanks for letting me ramble tonight. I haven't been this chatty in quite some time. Going a little stir crazy with too much garage alone time I guess!! See you at the sale! I'll try to tempt you with some close up shots of some Christmas gift ideas next time!
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