Sophia's

Little Honeybee Dresser, Updated Booth Pictures, and House News

2013-05-18T12:55:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I scored quite a bit of furniture at a local auction that I'm slowly getting through, including this little petite dresser. I think it was an old washstand and after staring at it a bit, I decided to remove the top wooden piece. It just wasn't working for me...

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Two-toned Dresser and Kitchen Scale Dining Table

2013-05-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

After losing a good week of productive time due to giving my back a rest and having a wonderful birthday and Mother's Day weekend...it felt good to get back to work in the garage today. I can't wait to work on some of the pieces of furniture that I have lined up and I've got lots of ideas to make them look "new" again!

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32 Random Things About Me...

2013-05-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Since today is my 32nd birthday, I thought I'd share 32 random facts about me... I've mentioned before that I don't share too many personal things on my blog, so this is certainly a change of pace for me! I've read many similar posts on other blogs and I've always enjoyed learning new things about others, so here I go...

1.) I grew up on a second-generation dairy farm in a small community in Northeast Washington State. I'll always be a farm girl at heart. For my entire adult life, I've been trying to get back to living on a farm...never thought it would be so hard to do.

2.) I love to read, but wish I had more time to. I love books about history, biographies, etc. My favorite books are the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

3.) Because I was around animals constantly growing up, I was determined to become a veterinarian my entire childhood until I had a part-time job at a veterinary clinic in high school and realized that I'm way too sensitive after having to help put animals to sleep. I still know how to milk cows, care for livestock, ear-tag, de-horn, and even castrate cattle though! Not sure where these skills will ever come in handy again unless the execs at Manolo Blahnik want to hire me at their dairy farm :) I'd work there in a second!

My first time showing a calf at the local fair at 5 yrs old

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Tips for Shopping Antique Shows and Fairs

2013-05-08T20:08:00.000-04:00

The Farm Chicks Show (in the earlier days) - via Country Living

Temperatures are warming up and antique shows/fairs are found almost every weekend around the country right now...it's my favorite time of year! Spring is normally a crazy, busy time for me and for the first time in 7 years, I'm not working night-and-day on a gazillion projects for back-to-back antique shows that I'm normally a vendor at in April/May/June. I have to admit that it feels strange not to be stressed out with piles of inventory in the garage and around the house and weirdly enough, I miss it! I sort of crave the pressure, but with the house being for sale and not knowing what the future held, I didn't sign up for the Luckett's Spring Market this year. I had been down that road before...back in the summer of 2010...house was for sale, 6 big shows, packing, moving, a baby that never slept...not fun, never again! I had learned my lesson...

Luckett's 2012 - Part One

So instead of being a vendor, I'm a shopper at the shows this year and long before I started selling my own wares, I was a die-hard shopper at some of the biggest shows like The Farm Chicks Show, etc. for years. By being both a vendor and a shopper, I've definitely learned a few things along the way, so I thought I'd share a few tips for navigating these shows/fairs that have worked for me over the years...
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A Few Furniture Projects and a Little Setback

2013-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

After having a blast visiting High Point, I had a busy weekend of shopping a large antiques festival, attending an auction, and re-stocking my booth. With the house being for sale and all the extra time and cleaning required for maintaining a house that's on the market, finding and working on paint projects was taking a backseat. It's not a great combination...a furniture hobby filling the garage while the house is for sale. At first, I almost completely emptied the garage, but my second-nature took over at last weekend's auction and I scored tons of great stuff.
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20 Kids' Spaces on a Budget

2013-05-05T15:39:00.000-04:00

I've always had a soft-spot for designing/decorating kids' rooms! They are, by far, my favorite rooms to decorate because of the opportunity to use colors, patterns, and creative elements that I won't normally use in other areas of the home. It's just plain fun to help inject some of the unique personality of a child into their space! I recently asked to curate a clipboard over on Hometalk of 20 Kids' Rooms on a Budget that is full of ideas to help you transform your children's rooms without breaking the bank.

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High Point Market Part 2 and My Loot

2013-04-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

Gypsy Marketplace

I hope you enjoyed the little tour of some of the High Point showrooms that I shared the other day. I promised to post my favorite part of High Point as well as some goodies I brought home! As much as I loved looking at the new furniture lines, there's a part of me that loves digging through warehouses, barns, etc for the old stuff...
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High Point Market Highlights...Part One

2013-04-25T12:12:00.000-04:00

I had the incredible opportunity to visit High Point, NC for a few days this past week to preview and shop the High Point Market. High Point is a furniture mecca and is where many furniture and home decor lines have permanent showrooms, but many more descend upon the area during Market Week to set up temporary showrooms for the thousands in the industry that come shop for new looks and products.

Noir Showroom

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Revived Ice Cream Parlor Set

2013-04-17T17:19:00.000-04:00

I've always liked those cute antique ice cream parlor table and chair sets that you see here and there, but they are getting harder and harder to find them inexpensively. I actually snagged this set quite a while back to keep and use for a little breakfast-area table or out on the porch at my own home, but it never did land anywhere in my current house.
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House Listing Photos

2013-04-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

First of all, I want to thank all of you for the encouraging comments on my last post about having to move again! I am still a bit down about it, but I feel better after reading your thoughts on moving. I thought I'd quickly share some of the photos from the MLS tour that my realtor gave me permission to use. There are actually quite a few rooms that I never did put up on the blog because they just weren't finished (for me) and because we've only been here a short time. I also made a few changes for the sake of staging and many of the chandeliers were swapped out.

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Moving On...Again!

2013-04-05T15:02:00.000-04:00

This is one of the more difficult posts that I've had to write and I've gone back in forth on how and when to write this post. I think I've typed and re-typed it several times... I try to keep my blog strictly about home decor, DIY, furniture projects, etc as I know most readers aren't too interested in my personal life, but the time has come to let everyone know about some personal changes that do affect the blog, etc.

Our house back when we moved in...

As of this weekend, our house will be officially for sale. Those of you that follow my blog will know that we haven't lived here very long and that our family relocated from the Pacific Northwest to the Raleigh, NC area a little over a year and a half ago. That wasn't our first move, in fact, we've had to move three times in the last three years due to job changes, so the fact that we have to put our house up for sale and move yet again is not exactly good news for us.

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A Little French Room...Updated

2013-03-29T16:09:00.000-04:00

Time for a little update! Do you remember a year ago when I first shared my youngest daughter's "Little French Room"? Back then, it looked like this...

The big furniture pieces were in place and despite wanting to keep the room simple, it felt like it still needed something. At the time I posted the room, I had picked out some white ruffle drapes from Target, but just hadn't hung them yet. Boy, do window treatments always make a difference in a room...
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On the Back Porch with Cedar Hill Ranch

2013-03-22T08:47:00.000-04:00

Just popping into announce that I'm chatting with Anita over at Cedar Hill Ranch today! Anita is so talented and I love her style...and have you seen her amazing ranch in Texas?!

Pretty much my dream right there... If you're curious about other things I dream of and how I got my start in the blogging world, check out my interview HERE, but you should head over anyway just to see Anita's dreamy blog!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Kristen

Paris Grey & White Striped Dresser

2013-03-19T23:16:00.001-04:00

I love stripes...Either painted on a wall or on a piece of furniture, they are such a super-easy way to make a big impact in a room. I decided it had been way too long since I've done a "stripe project" and was ready to break out the painter's tape again.

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Lily's Garden Room

2013-03-15T00:09:00.000-04:00

I've been so busy working on projects for the house this past week! Between painting hallways, tons of landscaping outside, scrubbing down the screen porch from top to bottom, and numerous other essential (but unexciting chores), I've hardly found time for fun projects. I did get a huge sideboard stained and painted and is waiting on new hardware and finally got to put the finishing touches on my middle daughter's room...

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Powder Room Makeover

2013-03-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

Have you ever painted a room and known almost immediately that it's just not what you want? Well, that was me a little over a year ago in my powder room. We'd just moved into our new home and I was wanting to re-paint almost every room in the house and the paint costs were adding up quickly. With all the other things that I was buying for the house, I thought I'd save a bit and use some left-over paint...oh, why didn't I just get pick out the color I wanted?
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Cottage-Inspired, Casual Easter Brunch

2013-03-03T20:28:00.002-05:00

Easter is just less than a month away! It still feels like winter in North Carolina this weekend and I'm hoping the weather turns as egg hunts are much more enjoyable when it's warm! Despite the cold weather, I brought in fresh flowers to help it feel like Spring and put together a simple Easter brunch tablescape that I hope inspires you for the upcoming holiday...

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Spring Project Round-Up

2013-03-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

Spring is right around the corner and I know many of us are ready to freshen up the house, plant some flowers, and feel the sunshine again. Although the booth and recent furniture projects have been keeping me busy, I'm also turning my attention to projects around the house that need a touch of Spring. I finished painting my formerly dark powder room with a new clean, light color and am in the process of finishing this room up and will share soon! There's also a few bouquets of fresh flowers waiting for me to arrange for an Easter brunch tablescape that I'm working on along with a new spring mantel. While I work on these, I thought I'd share some Spring inspiration from the past...
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Classic, Timeless Furniture...Putting Away the Paintbrush

2013-02-25T12:50:00.001-05:00

Although I've been painting furniture for my home and vintage shows/shops around six years now, I will always appreciate the classic beauty of wood. To me, there is nothing more timeless in home decor than a solid-built, beautifully-maintained, piece of antique furniture. They just don't make them like they used to!

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Rug Shopping Tips on a Budget

2013-02-22T11:18:00.001-05:00

One of my blogging goals this year was to get a budget decor series completed that shares some of the tips and tricks I've learned over the years that has helped me save thousands when decorating my homes. Depending on the size, etc of my rooms, I normally spend only $500-$1,000 top-to-bottom for furniture, accessories, window treatments, etc and my kid's rooms are even less. While part of that is due to using re-furbished, secondhand furniture, there are always items that need to be purchased new and I'd thought I'd share my shopping tips with you starting with rugs.
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Some Framing Projects, Bringing in Spring, and a New Rug

2013-02-14T18:05:00.002-05:00

I'm one of those who pretty much decorates for spring all year around. From my garden-inspired Christmas tree to a living room and dining room that I always try to keep light and airy, spring just makes me feel better...I'm not a winter person at all!

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Duck Egg - Butterfly Dresser

2013-02-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

I hope all of you had a great weekend! After spending a solid day cleaning out and organizing our garage and then another day finishing projects and running them up to SuzAnna's to restock the booth, I'm a bit beat. It's amazing how quickly a garage can get unorganized and messy when you have a bunch of furniture and woodworking projects mixed in with kid's bikes and toys, stray Christmas stuff, and the never-ending pile of kid shoes by the door. It also feels amazing after it's all cleaned up and this time...it's going to stay that way...I hope. Anyway, I finished up this little dresser yesterday in time to bring it up to the shop along with another dining set since the French Bee set went to a good home over the weekend.
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Snippets of the New House

2013-02-07T22:53:00.001-05:00

Last week, I mentioned that my mom and step-dad were closing on their new house in the subdivision next to mine. They moved out to the Raleigh area from Spokane, WA last summer and lived with us for a few months and then stayed in an apartment while their house was being built. After much deliberation of house plans and communities in the area, they ultimately chose a beautiful community with the equestrian barn, miles of beautiful jogging trails, and many other amenities. It's a great community with lots of wide open spaces which was important to them after moving from their previous home on three acres.

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Expanded Booth Pics and Recent Projects

2013-02-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

I'm on a bit of a recovery day today...recovering both my house and myself from the past several days! As I've been mentioning the last couple of weeks that I was working on some projects for the newly expanded booth at SuzAnna's Antiques that was set for yesterday.

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Kitchen Scale, Ironstone, and French Opera Glasses

2013-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I picked up this cute little dresser back around Christmas when I was digging through barns and it took me a few weeks to get the motivation to tackle it because it looked like this before...

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