Say hello

...to the final piece of Ms. C's 1930's dining set!

It's been a long time comin', way too long in fact, but Ms. C finally has all of her pieces to her dining set. I decided to paint this piece to compliment the other pieces in the set by making it the same color as the harp shape in the chairs, which was a custom color paint made by me. Also, knowing it was going to be on the opposite wall from her fabulous orange buffet, I used the same color in the background of the cabinet. It's definitely the icing to this three layer cake.

As I said before, it took way too long for me to complete her set. I could go on and on about why, but see... that is for another post that will be coming this week. It's wondrous how life takes us on its journeys, and how sometimes you have complete control and other times the reigns are out of your hands. These travels can be positive or negative, healing or hurtful, amazing or terrifying.

I will also be putting up another blog post this week to show you all of these pieces together in their natural habitat, and boy are they a beautiful assemble.

Thanks for stopping by today! I sure hope you love this cabinet as much as I do!!

PS. Geez, can someone tell me how you take a straight picture of a piece with glass without getting yourself in the picture??? lol

xo,

For the Love of Helping Others

I've always been one who has been drawn to helping others. I guess I've always had that little voice in the back of my head that said, "Susan... you should be there for people when they are in need." It started when I was younger and grew with me as I grew up, and when I hit my older teens I did the best I could to satisfy that hunger to help. When I turned 18 I volunteered as a firefighter in my city. While doing that I started the process to become a police officer. I decided to turn away from that calling and I enlisted in the Army instead. My military career was cut way short when I got very sick with mono even before I ever got to basic training. With my head hung low in disappointment I came home after being medically discharged. To this day I still find that voice calling me every time I see a fire truck, ambulance or a police car whiz by... or when I see tragedy on TV, I feel like I should be there helping as a first responder.

Even though I decided to never professionally walk in that direction, I still get satisfaction in helping others any way I can. For instance... as we all know I paint furniture, and in the last few years I've had some magnificent people mentor me during my journey. As many times as I have thanked those wonderful people I feel like a simple thanks will never be enough to show my appreciation. I feel like I should keep moving that loving help forward to others as they gave that love and help to me. Even though I have this somewhat mediocre retail job at a local Home Depot in the paint department, I still find myself satisfying that little voice in my head every time a lost soul comes in with a furniture painting project. I devote one-on-one time to make sure by the time they leave my store they are not overwhelmed, scared, anxious or confused by any part of their project's process. I've recommended my friend Barb's book "Furniture Makeovers" a bunch of times and I even give customers my Facebook fan page to make sure that if they ever get stuck in any part of their project, they can contact me outside of the store for help. I've been contacted many times and every time I did my best to try to help.

And then things like this happen: I get pictures... and I am blown away.

HELLO DOLLY....

Look at that beautiful natural top on that white table... 

You had me at hello, dear.

I have to say that I am very impressed with Ms. T and her ability to transform this table and chairs into a pretty matching set on her first shot ever working on furniture. Even though there were a few hiccups along the way in her process, she pulled through and I give her mega-props. Hopefully I'll get a "in their natural habitat" picture in her kitchen all set up nice and pretty so I can share it with you.

But as for now let's all ooo and ahhh together for a second at that 2nd picture again...

haha!

Alrighty ladies and gents, I am out of here!

Thanks for stopping by, and remember... take a minute or two today and help your fellow neighbor, friend or even a stranger. Show this world that there is still hope for humanity among all the negative chaos.

XO,

Hitting Rock Bottom

There isn't much else to say when you can find the most perfect quotes that hit the tenderest, most sensitive areas of your heart, that clearly define what you've gone through in your life in the last few months. It's actually been more than a few months really... honestly it's been a steady progression over the years, and I finally hit that "rock bottom" place in my life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I almost quit painting furniture permanently. In fact, I did quit. I threw my hands up at my life and quit everything. Everything. My finances took a turn for the worst, my relationship with my children and my father was faltering, my marriage was in shambles and I was just done. Before, I could handle a struggle or two in my life, but life had become so unstable... filled with so much heartbreak and uncertainty that I just couldn't deal with anything anymore. My genuine unbroken spirit had broken and was hiding in a fetal position under my blanket for the majority of my days. I came out to eat, go to the bathroom, cook dinner, do motherly duties and go back to bed. The slightest thought of responsibility past the unconditional care of my children would put me into an anxious state. Just looking at pieces of furniture in my basement staring at me waiting for paint would make me cower upstairs and hide.

It took a couple dear close friends of mine to tell me to never quit painting furniture.... that I was too talented, too inspiring to walk away from something I loved and was good at. Those friends helped me take those steps back to the person I use to be than the one I had become.

It took some time afterwards to begin to be brave enough to face all my fears and worries and anxieties and "decide that I want this life, more than I fear it."

This is why I haven't kept up with my blog or Facebook page, touched a paint brush, detail sanded an edge of a chair or even walked into my studio for more than a minute. My apologies for being completely vacant but I learned that if I didn't take one problem or step at a time I couldn't handle it all at once.

But I'm still here... even though I am at the end of my rope, I have tied a knot so I can still hold on.

xoxo