I hope you’ll join me on my never-ending search for beautiful pieces, with history, for your home. Find my curated treasures, in Booth #154, at the Antique Trove, in Roseville, CA. ~ Barbara
Hello darling! Well, here we are! Have you ever heard the saying “rode hard and put away wet? That’s how I felt, at 6:15 on Sunday morning, when I looked in the mirror. I never sleep well, when traveling the next day. Well, enough of that! Once there, at the home and gift show, with my list in hand, I came back to life. My forever friend, Karen, joined me and we had a wonderful time, seeing all of the eye candy! One of my favorite things is seeing the creative displays! So I snap a picture here and there…
Read the rest >>Happy Spring! Don’t you just love this time of year?! Everything is waking up after a long sleep. Nature is the great optimist. It just keeps returning, getting bigger and prettier each year. I think someone slipped this climbing rose some secret sauce, because I can’t remember it going this crazy before with new flowers. What a treat! Flying the friendly skies… Now that I’m fully vaccinated, I feel sort of extra bulletproof! So, I’m catching up with friends and family. A couple of weeks ago, I caught up with my soul sisters in Texas and last week, I finally…
Read the rest >>Hello sweet friend, Happy April! It feels like if I stopped running, May, June and July would slam right into me! April first, thirty-two years ago, I had a sneaking suspicion that I was with child. So, pregnancy test in hand (yes, they had those things back then!), I found out I was correct! I then reported to the baby-daddy, my ex, that I wasn’t pregnant. Then I screamed, “April fools!”. Since then, I’ve stumbled my was through motherhood, unprepared for how hard it could be. I wouldn’t trade it for anything though. The days my two babies were born will…
Read the rest >>Hello Friends!, We’re here, in the heart of Texas! Perfect weather…high 70’s! If it stayed like this all year, there’d be no hope for California! Here I am, with my girlfriend’s little sister. In front of the Alamo, no less! No, we didn’t go in. I’ll read up on it one day! We enjoyed lunch on the River Walk. Lots of tourists, but lunch was delicious. A warm, beautiful day at San Antonio’s market! Changing gears, My future D.I.L repurposed this lamp, using gold spray paint and Fusion’s Ash. A Stellar job! I know many of you have been waiting…
Read the rest >>Hello gorgeous! It’s St. Patty’s Day evening. Papa and I are settling down, after a yummy crock pot, full of ye old corned beef! Have you done the 23 and me thing? I did and I don’t believe I have any Irish blood in me. I still love corned beef! Darlene and I spent the day unpacking boxes of Iron Orchid Designs, silk florals and home decor. She sported a festive green scarf. I told her my underwear were green. Sort of 7th grade, but the best I could do. We enjoy each other’s company and being silly! __________…
Read the rest >>Greetings!, The folks at Porch.com asked me and other seasoned furniture painters, to offer their best tips for successful furniture painting. As someone who loves to give advice, to her children and furniture painters (a much more receptive audience), I was happy to chime in! You might find these tips helpful! Furniture Renovation Q&A Painting Edition: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques From The Experts Featured on Porch.com In this Q&A with the experts, we’ll explore furniture renovation from a painting perspective. We’ve reached out to experts in the area to get their best tips, tricks, and techniques on all things related to painting…
Read the rest >>Hey, friends! If you follow the creative world of Iron Orchid Designs, then you know Lynne Brundage, her husband, JR and daughter, Meghan! Lynne is the creative force behind Ellen J. Goods, a beautiful shop in a 100 year old storefront, in Medina, New York. They sell wonderful vintage pieces that they’ve restored, beautiful gifts and lots of paint and IOD product! I met Lynne a year and a half ago, at an Iron Orchid Designs training workshop, for retailers and we’ve stayed in touch. We have just finalized plans for a two day summer workshop, July 24th and…
Read the rest >>sidewalk sale, today!! Hi there! Thought I’d pop on this morning and remind you about our sidewalk sale, Saturday only! We’ve been doing some much needed spring cleaning and you may just find the treasure you’ve been dreaming of! If you signed up to our IOD or Fusion Demo’s today, we can’t wait to see your smiling faces! Lots of great info to share! Oh, and don’t forget to check out the Back Room! Savings of 20-50% off! Yippee!
Read the rest >>Hello friends! I hope you’re doing well, today! There’s lots going on at the shop, so grab your coffee and gather around the camp fire! Winter Sale, 20-50%! Yesterday, my trusty pricing gun and I turned the back room into our Winter Sale Headquarters! You may have heard that I have no formal training in the world of retail or in fashion buying. I’m sure there’s wonderful software or a purchasing formula to do things properly, but I subscribe to the wing it approach! So far, so good…but I start to get a little nervous as the end of a…
Read the rest >>Good morning! I’m a day late, this week. It’s Thursday evening as I sit down to say hello. Mr. Wonderful is taking Micah on our evening stroll without me, so I get to stay inside where it’s nice and cozy and talk to you! One of my all-time favorite things to do at the shop, is to arrange pretty vignettes. There are fellow shop owners that are true masters of this art, but I give it my all and have a great time in the process. (Tucked under the table there are the popular rechargeable light modules, that arrived this…
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