Opening

When you get to a, ahem, certain age, you sort of figure that you will no longer let nerves get the best of you.  I'm here to tell you that's a pile of bunk.  I haven't been truly nervous in a long, long time.  Giddy and excited yes, but with nerves attached, nope.  Until this week...NJ  Co. is opening, actually it is open now with a grand opening set for next Weds.  My little booth inside has had me tossing and turning, and sweating, and giggling nervously.  It's all set up, though I suspect I'll be in there fiddling with it constantly.  Would you like a peek?  Hope so, cuz here it is...

I've learned a lot.  How many pieces of furniture I can fit in an 8x8 space, how I need to spend some time working on more "Little's", what it takes to truly style a space without overwhelming the furniture.  It's a work in progress, as am I!  Hey look how that works out for me!

This coffee table is finally shown in all her glory and looks so cute I kinda want to take her home.  Just shows that I really need to focus on taking better "styled" photos at home when I finish some pieces.  Of course, then they might not leave me. (grin)

See the cute little chair in the background there?  I just finished that last week, and I didn't even blog about it.  Shame on me!  It turned out really cute, but I've been too busy worrying about whether anyone will like my work to actually get it up on the blog.  Have you missed me a bit??  I'll try to do better!

Now I think you might like some teaser pictures of the rest of the store.  I assure you, they have a great selection of some really, truly cool pieces.  I've been drooling and plotting which piece to purchase first for my home!

See some things you might like?  Well, here's some more.

And how about this?

So, furniture, accessories, pillows, artwork, candles, soaps, teas, belts, purses, jewelry, clocks, lamps, chandeliers, boutique clothing, function and form, and downright beauty.  They are open for business so run by and say hi and see what you find.  I apologize, but the photos I took of the clothing booths did not turn out great so I was not able to add them here, but trust me when I say "hot, new, trends"!

Have a great week...I need to go shake in a dark corner for a bit!
Deb

July Madness

You know June was a cake walk, in terms of activity (and weather) compared to July!  I seem to always forget just how fast the month of July flies by with a flurry of activity each year.  I forget about band camp, band parade practices, Gretna Days activities, church VBS activities that we all volunteer for, the 4th and cookouts planned before during and after, and I forget about the sweltering, unending heat.  Ugh.  I try to stay consistently busy with my work.  I mean there are ramp ups right before Prairie Market and the opening of NJ & Co., but if I stay at it consistently it's not too bad.  This summer I've also added in a couple of commissioned jobs that I hope to show the results of soon.  It's all good, but it's always so HOT, and I want to whine about that for a minute so bare with me!  The blog has been neglected, but things are happening here I assure you, and a lot of sweating/glowing/dripping. 

So today I have a sweet reveal for you.  Late last Spring I stumbled upon a nice Ethan Allen hutch for a reasonable price.  I was finally able to sneak it into the line up and complete it a couple of weeks ago. 

It still has it's 1960's lines, but they've got a fresh coat of AS Graphite and Cream to help update them. 

New hardware always makes a gal happy!  I found these sweet little things at Hobby Lobby, though I haven't seen them there since.  Bring them back HL please!  I love them.

Unfortunately the cute new hardware didn't fit too well on this narrow door frame so I took a couple of older bronze knobs I had in my stash and added some similar red paints then rubbed it back to mimic the metal flowers surrounding the crystal knobs.  This photo turned out a bit bright, but they actually match pretty darn well if I say so myself.

See?

I like the way cream plays with Graphite.  The shelves all have plate racks for easy display of those pretty collectible plates.  The great part though is the hutch top is separate from the base, so it could be removed if you only have room for a smaller/shorter buffet piece.

I now wonder why I held off buying the Graphite chalk paint for so long!  I love this color.  This piece is super well made and was in super clean condition.  It will be for sale at NJ & Co. when they open in August!  I hope you will stop by to visit it and see all the other goodies both in my booth and the rest of the store.

Linking up to these fabulous parties:

http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/07/poww-97-furniture-link-party.html
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/07/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-28.html
http://missmustardseed.com/2012/07/furniture-feature-friday-link-party-favorites-3/
Praying for a rainy day!
Deb

Pin the Tail on the Bloggy Party

Here is a fun little party to join, Fox Hollow Cottage and DebbieDoos are hosting a Pin the Tail on the Bloggy party!  Go check it out and join the fun!  Now if I could just grab their little button....

I linked up:

  Have fun blogging and pinning!  We're in for a cool down here in NE this weekend.  Yippee!!!
Deb

Growing

Back in 2010 and 2011 when I was first contemplating where I wanted to go with a little side business a lot of options ran through my mind.  Many were discounted immediately because I just knew I couldn't make some time commitments and still be where I wanted to be with my family.  As the wife of a retired Army officer who is working his second career still closely tied to the military I knew that I needed to be flexible for those many times that I am solo-parenting while he travels. I LOVE the concept that my friends and I came with for occasional sales modeled very much after the sales the ladies of Elizabeth & Co. host.  Our sales are so much fun, and we have been so grateful for the huge amounts of support from friends, old and new, who come to shop with us.

Earlier this year a new opportunity presented itself and I opted to grow and expand my individual operation a bit.  I'm going to be renting a space at a brand spankin' new boutique that is opening here in Omaha.  I am extremely excited about the potential of this business that is run by a savvy mother and daughter team.  NJ & Co. will be opening August 1st if all goes according to the reno. schedule.
The rest of it's title Furnishings, Frocks, and Finds pretty much says it all.  It will be an upscale boutique with re purposed and new furniture and furnishings, fun finds, home decor, unique and current fashion trends, jewelry and accessories.  It's going to be awesome and I hope all of you will come by and check it out at 17650 Wright Street, Suite #4, Omaha, NE.    You can also find them at:
facebook.com/njandcompany.  Stop by and "like" them when you get a minute.  There are sneak peeks at some of the great vendors and the lines they will be carrying!

I will still be working with the Prairie Market Ladies!  We will still be hosting our sales,  the next one is in October so check out the button above for updates.  We will be looking for you then!  This is just a personal challenge for me to grow a bit with something that I really, truly love to do.  Thank you for supporting me, and the other ladies, and allowing us to share with you our creative endeavors!

NJ & Co. is going to be a place you love to come for special items for you, to shop for special gifts, and to see what is hot and the newest in trends!!  Can't wait to run into you there also!

Please let it cool off soon!
Deb

Nailed It!

WARNING:  No staging, sorry, long story.

However, the process is included and the results are more stunning than the photos will ever show, and someday I'll update and include a wonderfully staged photo of a very worthy buffet.

Whew, now that I'm finished with the disclaimer let's get on with a reveal.  This buffet is a CL find.  The funny thing about this is that I was sitting at my parents house over Easter and noticed that one of their buffets was the same style.  Lo and behold it is the exact same piece, and theirs has a funky one of a kind paint treatment with flowers and crackle painting that happened long before they picked up the piece. 

Mine was in slightly sorrier shape having been most likely used in a garage or basement to store some kind of chemical stuff and had some water damage that had loosened up pieces along the way.  We repaired all of that, added some baseboard trim and I went to town painting and retrying a nail head trim.  About a year ago, I had a failed attempt at brilliance trying a nail head trim finish on my middle daughter's dresser.  It's OK, but it sure didn't go like I had planned, and I think I threw out about as many bent nail heads as I ended up adding to her piece.  Needless to say, I studied the process some more and finally found something that begged for some nail heads.  Here is a brief tutorial.

One of the things I learned the first time around is that I needed a better pattern.  Originally I used a tissue paper pattern , but they rip, and slide, and leave bits of paper behind that you have to pick out.  This time I drew my pattern up on foam core board that I was able to lay on my piece and work with much more easily.

This turned out to be key for me.  I "pre-drilled" holes for each nail head with a quick tap on an awl.  I used a spacer to make my pattern as even as possible. 

Found it!

I somehow missed getting the photo of this, but I held each nail with needle nosed pliers and then, with a good heavy hammer, tapped it in.  I think this time around I only threw away 5 bent nails.  Progress!

My finished design ended up looking like this.  Overall, I was very, very pleased with it!

One of the great features on this huge buffet was the gigantic twisted hardware.  Sweet!

Here is the finished buffet...not in her glory I know!  She needs a proper setting, she needs some pretty props, but it's chaos around here peeps!  Lots of work going on, children needing fed, etc. etc.etc....  Someday I'll update her great reveal, but I had to do something on this blog to prove that I'm still alive!

Linking to:
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/07/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-26.html
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/07/poww-95.html
http://www.foxhollowcottage.com/2012/07/pin-tail-on-bloggy-pinterest-pinning.html
Have a Happy, Safe 4th of July!
Deb