I have been methodically collecting furniture to makeover for the next MMSMP look book and for the Chapel Market in October.  It seems like a long way away, but I’ve learned that I shop smarter when I have plenty of time.  So, I’ve been trolling Craig’s List for pieces and scored a third empire piece… …and it’s a beauty!  It’s very sturdy and comes with some pretty hardware and the original key, which is pretty rare.  The curve of the top drawers is really cool.  I love craftsmanship like that. The top is pretty badly scratched, so it’s going to be stripped down (just the top) and then I’ll go from there.  I know it will be a challenge, but I’m picturing white for this piece… We’ll see how that goes! A few weeks ago, Jeff asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks.  “What is something you

** I’ve had a lot of inquiries from wonderful people offering the piano a good home and I believe it has found one.  Thanks so much to all who were interested! ** Yep, you read the title right.  I am offering our 100+ year old upright piano for free.  If you read my book, you know the story behind the piano.  For those who haven’t or need a refresher, Jeff gave me this piano.  I grew up in a musical family and I’ve wanted a piano for a long time.  When we moved to this area almost 8 years ago, one surfaced at a church yard sale.  It was $300, which was more money we had to spend on something that wasn’t groceries or diapers.  I looked a the posted picture and sighed, knowing we just couldn’t swing it. A few days later, Jeff was working late and being very

Kriste and I went on a shopping trip/field trip today as planned.  It was so fun having someone along to bounce ideas off of, to point things out and to brainstorm a bit.  (Mom, you’re great to shop with, too.  Had to throw that out there.) Anyway, we throughly combed every aisle at the craft store…filling the cart with things for seasonal projects, glitter projects, photo shoots, milk paint projects and the look book two.  We came up with some ideas that I’m pretty excited about. We also went to a local antique mall to look mostly for photo shoot props and things to sell in the online shop and at the Chapel Market In October.  Do you remember the alarm clock jackpot I hit a few weeks ago?  We were in that exact booth today and I started turning around to point out the spot where I last scored a bunch

Over the years, I’ve shared a lot of pictures of treasures I found in my Oma and Opa’s attic and some things I got from their house after my Opa died.  A few months ago, I went with my mom to clean their house and prepare it to sell.  After all of my years of treasure hunting (with permission, of course), I left the house with my last finds.  It was a little sad that the days of poking through bug-eaten boxes with the hopes of finding something cool were over.  There would be no more discoveries made. As I was cleaning out my basement this past week, I found a paper bag of things I brought home from his house that I never unpacked.  It was a little taste of the joy felt when finding something in the attic.  To add to that feeling, I had totally forgotten what was

We just got back from a week in North Carolina.  We started out with three days at the beach, which was awesome. (I had crazy hair the entire time, but I just have to be at peace with that when I’m in humidity and wind.) My boys have never been swimming in the ocean before. They did some wading in Maine a couple of years ago, but it was way too cold to swim.  It was so amazing for me, as their mom, to watch them rolling in the surf, laughing, jumping over the waves.  We didn’t have the greatest weather, but we had just enough clear sky to build sand castles, collect shells, swim, stroll in the surf and just sit in some beach chairs with our toes in the sand. When the weather wasn’t cooperating, we hung out at the pool inside the hotel and the boys loved that