A Celebration of Flaws

This week I have had some defining moments in my drive to get  Curbside Revival started.  I am still in that unsure stage where things can easily send me questioning myself and my decisions. I am not thrilled to be in this stage because it is uncomfortable; I am in a teaching career where I feel very comfortable and confident in my daily choices.... and I like it that way.  But with Curbside,  I find myself always asking the same questions: what is the next step? am I doing this right? I think this looks good, what do others think?  The eternal dance of two steps forward one step back.  This dance makes for slow progress, and I'm the type of girl who likes a clear plan and has a desire to get goin'.

And so far I have been getting outstanding feedback and support from everyone around me.  I am a lucky girl to have family and friends who are so supportive of me.  But this week I faced a first with Curbside, a real decision to head down one path or the other.  Am I going to only buy furniture that is in pristine condition?  Am I going to fill in and sand out every notch?  Am I going to cover any trace of a past life and restore each piece to a brand new state?  There's nothing wrong with any of that.  Many refurbishers (is that a word?) would think of nothing less.  But in a weird sort of way, I feel like that would be turning my back on so many wonderful opportunities to work with amazing pieces.  I do want to restore furniture, but I do not necessarily want to cover up all flaws.  After all, many times, it is the slight flaw that brings out the character and history of the piece (I find this true in people as well.)  I do want to bring the pieces back to life, fix things that need fixing, paint the parts that need painting, figure out the perfect make-over so that I can then find a new home for this once discarded piece of furniture.  I want others to see the beauty in the make-over but also the character in the flaw.  I want others to appreciate this one-of-a-kind look, that they will not find in any department store.  After all, isn't this "Curbside Revival?" 

Valentines did not go quite as I expected.  Ended up sick and in bed.  But here is what I had planned to post...

This make-over was really fun!  I used Graphite from Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint line.  Then I used Metallic Gold from Martha Stuart's line of paint.  I was pleased with both of the products.  I couldn't find knobs that I liked for the dresser and I finally came up with the idea just to paint them! It worked perfectly.  The gold is a soft gold and really compliments the dark shades of the Graphite. And I love the geometric shapes of the details- it reminds me of the bold patterns that I see in so many fabrics. If you are interested in this beauty, let me know-she is for sale.  She would work perfectly in so many settings: a formal dining room as a buffet, a living room, a sophisticated teen's room, or maybe even YOUR bedroom!

This was such a fun piece of furniture to work with.

Almost forty- just turned 39... and I feel like I am discovering a new person.  This new me makes me kind of uncomfortable.  She is keeping me up even later at night.  She won't allow me to sit down long enough to catch up on my TV shows.  She does not care about keeping the house tidy.  She hardly ever cooks.  She spends each night in the garage with the music cranked way up.  I haven't even mentioned what she has done to the garage!  It's a total wreck; rags on the floor, a thin layer of dust covers everything, painted cardboard tiling bits of floor, and furniture crammed everywhere!

Even though this new me has caused some chaos in my household, I have to admit- I am really enjoying the process. 

So many things to think about!  So many decisions to make!  When considering this new small business, I am finding that I need to select some sort of logo that will represent my "brand."  Brand?  What is a brand? A brand is anything that relates to and represents your business.  In Nike, it's the swoosh, in Lego, it's the letters that make up the word lego.  It's the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of that particular company.  One of the hundreds of websites and blogs I have read suggested I put a board or collage of items I like together.  I went to Pinterest and began to surf from one board to another.  Using Picmonkey, I assembled the collage above.  Now to analyze it.  I see turquoise, geometric patterns, coral, yellow, nature, religion, nostalgia...  Now I must ball all of it up and find a symbol that represents all of it... Yeah right!!!!! Super hard!!!!!!!!!!  Maybe I will abandon all of that and go with this symbol.

If you had to pick a symbol to represent who you are today, what would it be?  Post your ideas!  I want to know!

A New Normal

"If your dreams don't scare you a little bit, you're probably not dreaming big enough" Courtney Kerr

I am stepping out of my comfort zone.  I am turning my back on my predictable life.  I am looking to new things, different ideas, and  the possibility of a new normal.  I have decided to turn my hobby in to something more.  I have a passion for 2nd chances, making the old new and for finding value and beauty in the cast away furniture that often makes it to the curb.

I am excited because this passion is taking the form of a small business called Curbside Revival.  Over the past several years, I have had an obsession with thrift shopping.  As I walked the isles of countless thift stores and garage sales, I saw unwanted furniture.  Immediately my mind would envision what each piece could be with a little cleaning, repairing, and painting.  I began to try out my ideas in my own home and the homes of friends and family.  I began to learn about the types of paints and finishes, words like patina, and pantone. I began to have cravings for paint, sanders, and waxes.  I developed a preference for certain brushes.  I even noticed my eye wandering during movies and television shows from the actors to the furniture in the setting!  CRAAZAAY!

I hope you will join me on this journey of learning more about refurbishing furniture and turning it into a small business.  In future posts I will tell you about dealing with customers, setting prices, and even the exciting opportunity to work in an established boutique!  I would also love to hear any advice you may have on starting a small business or working with furniture.