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

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint’s New Color! (and other paint updates)

By Barbara Bussey | June 24, 2012 |

Hello y’all!, That’s how I talk, now that I’m back from Atlanta! I really wish I had a southern accent! I think they sound so soft and pretty. I think I’ll spend this week, telling you about some of the great product info I learned, at the Haven conference. Today, let’s talk about paint! Are you good with that? Hope so! This sweet little table has been painted in Annie Sloan’s newest chalk paint color, Florence. I also saw a couple of very cool techniques, using ASCP. I learned about a technique called wet distressing. Once the ASCP has dried,…

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Meeting Mr. Goodwill Hunting

By Barbara Bussey | June 23, 2012 |

Hello from Atlanta!, I’m back at the airport, after a mind boggling three days here! My brain is spilling new information. It’s coming out of my ears! Looks a little strange! One of the high points of the Haven conference, was meeting Rashon Caraway, better known as Mr. Goodwill Hunting. Charm spillith over! (“spillith”: new word) While I had visited his blog before, I’m now a convert! Not only is he a thrift shopping expert, his warmth, humor and authentic charm is infectious! He showed us some of his thrift shop design make-overs, and gave us lots of tips for…

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Bed Dreams {Creating a Beautiful Master Bedroom}

By Barbara Bussey | June 20, 2012 |

Bedrooms have come a long way, baby! There are so many more options, than the matchy-matchy 5-piece bedroom set and “bed-in-a-bag” bedding sets, of yester-year. Thank goodness for that! Bed frames have really made leaps and bounds, giving more options for creating your own unique version of paradise. I reeeaally love the upholstered headboards…you know, the ones that peak in the middle, in a gorgeous jewel tone velvet? Maybe some nail head trim? Being the dull ever practical person, I opt for neutral solids. A little boring, but much easier to decorate around, without a complete overhaul. We have two…

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Party Like It’s the 4th of July!

By Barbara Bussey | June 19, 2012 |

Hello dear friend, Before you take another sip of coffee, I hope you’ll head right on over to Conspicuous Style, where Stacy has graciously allowed me to give her “the day off”! I’m talking about my plans for the upcoming 4th of July, when we’ll be hosting a neighborhood barbecue. Maybe I’ll inspire you to invite some friends over too! I’ll be flying across our beautiful country when you open this blog post, on my way to The Haven bloggers conference, in Atlanta Georgia. I’ll keep you posted on the happenings! Until next time, Best to you!

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Gotta Love San Diego

By Barbara Bussey | June 17, 2012 |

While the kids are in the Apple Store, (Andrew tried swimming, unsuccessfully, with his phone!) I thought I’d send you a note from San Diego! First of all, as their adoring mother (and MIL), I must say that I have some of the world’s best and brightest kids! (oh, you say that too?) Figuring out this human totem pole took planning. It was a really impressive team effort. Problem solvers, they realized Andrew should be on the bottom. Not the kind of challenge any kid should tackle recklessly! Bob and I took some wonderful walks along the beach. Lots of…

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In the (Paint) Chips

By Barbara Bussey | June 16, 2012 |

I hope you’re having a wonderfully peaceful weekend! Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s! (Courtesy of Benjamin Moore’s Facebook page.)

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What a Difference a Frame Makes

By Barbara Bussey | June 15, 2012 |

I bought this sweet carousel horse, about 25 years ago. I recall that it was one of the first pieces of “real” art I had ever purchased. I found an old, chipped but much more interesting frame, at a recent estate sale for about $12, and decided to give my old friend a “face lift”. The new/old frame was slightly smaller, so for less than $6, I purchased a new piece of glass. I also had to cut the matting down, using a straight edge and an exacto knife. For a total of $18, I think it makes the art…

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Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

By Barbara Bussey | June 14, 2012 |

When we were kids, my older sister and I would have beauty contests! Of course, being the oldest, she was also the judge! We would stand in front of the mirror, striking our most glamorous poses, that an eight-year-old could manage, before she was judged to be the most beautiful! We still laugh about those beauty contests today. Today, I’m a sucker for a beautiful mirror. I doubt that it has anything to do with my previous life as a beauty pageant contestant (ha!) but you never know! You might recall last weekend, that I found an amazing old mirror,…

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Dreaming of a Home Studio

By Barbara Bussey | June 12, 2012 |

I’m dreaming of a studio. A place with lots of windows, where I don’t have to put my toys away at the end of the day. Judging from the fact that there are more than 48,000 images of “art studios” on Houzz.com, I guess I’m not the only one with this idea! Now, some of the studios I found are a bit over the budget top, but still they’re beautiful. o High ceilings and big windows that slide open…now that’s what I call living! Granted this little jewel box, covered in ivy, doesn’t have the big windows, but isn’t it…

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Pillow Addict

By Barbara Bussey | June 11, 2012 |

Hello! As you may have gathered, I’m consumed by pillows these days! That may be putting it mildly. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say, I’ll bet I’ve made more pillows this month than anyone on my block! While I’ve got some gorgeous linen pillows in the shop, what’s unique about most of these (besides the toile) pillows, is that all of the materials are old, repurposed vintage classics. I hope others like them, because I love making them and I certainly don’t have enough places to use all of these pillows! In fact, Ann Marie, my Tech…

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Barbara Bussey

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