Found Goodness
We are smack dab in the middle of our guest bathroom redo, and I have been hunting for a light fixture to use in the bathroom. The tile on the walls will be white subway tile with gray grout, and the floor will be white penny tile with gray grout. I am painting the current vanity {imagine that?!} which will also get a spiffy new top in either a solid white or white and gray marble. The mirror will be recycled pine.......so everything is looking pretty bright white, modern, and neutral.....and I wanted a pop of color that would be timeless yet fun. It just has to be there somewhere!I came across....or found.... this fantastic site.... Barn Light Electric.....and oh my goodness they have some really fun and beautiful stuff to look at! I think the cobalt blue light above is calling my name for sure......but the yellow one caught my eye first. I am waffling on my decision....but it will be one of these two beauties. Any thoughts or opinions?xo,Barb
FYI
There is so much that I want to say, yet at the same time it is very hard to put into words all that has transpired over the past few weeks. I will try to start from the beginning and see what happens.I think it is safe to say that for the past year I have been thinking about the next step for Knack. Where and how I want to grow my company. How big do I want to get? What really truly brings me joy? What is best for my family? At the same time, preparing for the launch of my first book and along with that, the title of "Published Author". So many very exciting things going on and coming up in the very near future for Knack.....things I only once dreamed of happening when I started painting furniture in my garage just a few short years ago now.I would lay out plans in my head and on paper and made lists of pros and cons......and was very specific about what I wanted in the next step. I have a very close core group of people that I share my dreams and ideas with and I let those people in on what my little secrets were and just kept plodding along. I really, really spent a lot of time honing in on what I truly wanted based on what I enjoy and started moving in that direction. I used to think that I wanted certain things and achievements that I no longer desire....and I am so thankful for the clarity I have been given and for the path that lies ahead. For me it is more about truly loving what you do and not about anything else. I believe when you truly love what you do, you are "successful" on all levels no matter how big or small.When I planned for Knack's next step, I wanted a place where I could have a studio/working space in the back and a showroom/store in the front. A place where I could begin to develop my style even more, by carrying unique items for the home that come alongside and compliment my furniture designs. I wanted a place where there would be gorgeous natural light so that I could focus on my photography and styling shoots. I wanted a building with architectural character. I wanted a place that I could hold beautiful events in. I wanted a place that had a loading dock. I know this sounds crazy, but I wanted a bathroom with a shower so that on the days that I have events and don't have time to run home and shower and change .....no problem! Did I mention that lighting was huge to me? I wanted great light in both the shop and the work space.I think you will see in these pictures , that I got everything on my wishlist, to a tee.....and more! I got that bathroom with a shower..not only did I get great lighting but I also got a skylight on top of great lighting in the workspace....and as an extra bonus the building comes with a parking lot on one side and a little brick and stone garden on the other side. It is literally the stuff dreams are made of. There is not one thing about this building that is a negative.....it is a Godsend.....it is the only way to describe what has transpired with this space......and how fast it happened.I am ready to dig in and make the space my own......freshen up the plants and beds on the outside, sweep, dust, and sparkle on the inside....and fill it to the brim with beautiful furniture and found goodness.I decided to jump...yet again......Thank you for joining me on this journey.xo,Barb
Introductions
Well, there certainly has been an evolution process in the design of this chair! I loved it when my client brought it to the studio looking like this:
and I used it in several shoots until it was time to tear off the upholstery and freshen up the paint job.....and then it looked like this:
tearing off the fabric and foam proved to be more monumental than I had previously thought.....but it was done, and I moved onto the painting part. {woot!} I painted the frame in a medium gray and used a small brush to add some bronze details to the trim. Then, It was time for little miss to head off to the upholstery shop, and she came back to me looking like this:
For goodness sakes she is even more of a beauty now! I want to say thank you to my client "A" for trusting me with her treasure...and for bringing this beautiful chair back to the studio so I could photograph the end result!Meet Aletta......and believe me...she is charmed to meet you as well.xo,Barb
Etcetera
Can you all even believe the lush, colorful beauty of my mountains?! I had to post a few more photos from our trip to the mountains last weekend for a couple reasons:1. The color and beauty just get my juices flowin'2. this weekend will be the polar opposite of complete relaxation in the mountains! hah!For starters, I get the keys to my new studio today, and that will begin the moving madness {yipee!}.... my cousin is getting married on Saturday, family is in town for the wedding, and my guest bathroom is being demolished and gutted as we speak! Woot!I am so very excited about the bathroom redo...it has been a long time coming, and I have lived with a huge hole in the hallway for about 6 months due to a leak that brought on this redo! The bathroom is going from seventies avocado green everything......to white subway tiles with gray grout, recycled wood, and penny tile goodness. I will be sure to photograph along the way and show it off when it is complete.I hope you all have a great weekend!xo,Barb
Found Goodness
While the hubs and I were away this past weekend, we wandered into a little town up in the mountains of NC called Brevard. There are a few little shops I love to browse in, our favorite place to eat, painted alleys, a great chocolate shop, and charm just oozes from the streets as you walk on them.As I was browsing in one of my favorite consignment shops.....I spotted this beautiful picnic enamelware set from France. I picked up the box, which just happened to be painted in one of my very favorite shades of green, and started looking for a price. My eyes spied a little brown tag, and I could not believe what my eyes were telling me.......20.00 for the entire set of stainless steel, made in France, white and gold picnic ware! I looked at my husband with the " I think I want to buy these and use them every day at the house" eyes and we were on our way to the register to make the purchase.When we got to the register to check out, I double checked about the price just to be sure I was not seeing things.....and I do believe the sweet lady at the register wished she had spotted them first! I am just so happy with this purchase and can't wait to put them to use!What are you all finding lately? xo,Barb
FYI
As you can see, our weekend away was so beautiful and fantastic! This little getaway was so needed.....a time to curl up on the couch for a few hours and read, a time to hike in the quiet of the woods, a time to lay on the rocks next to the falls and let the words come that may, a time to eat super delicious food, a time to connect and recharge, and a time to appreciate the many blessings and things so often taken for granted.
xo,
Barb