~A COLLAGE of MEMORIES~

~Mr. AGPMAN'S OFFICE~

One of the side projects my hubby and I tackled this summer was a mini makeover for his home office.  Once the dining room of our 1960's era home, unless you were wise to the original floor plan of the house you would never know the area was once a gathering place for special meals and entertaining.

~POCKET DOOR on RIGHT/OFFICE SIDE~

 As we continue to work on remodeling our kitchen the office couldn't help but be affected by all the changes.  The office is now accessible from both the front door entryway (office door barely seen on the left in the top photo).  A new pocket door, just to the right of his leather sofa, makes for an easy entry into the kitchen.  

 ~KITCHEN SIDE POCKET DOOR~

Here's the view of the pocket door from the kitchen side.  This was taken a few weeks ago.

 ~LOTS OF PHOTOS~

We decided to wainscot the office walls, repaint and re-decorate just a bit.  Because we are on a strict budget (and because I hate wasting money!) I opted to shop second hand and thrift stores for old frames to create the collage of memories.

 

~PAINTED FRAMES in BLACK~

For only $20 I purchased almost all the frames you see as well as the spray paint to paint them all in soft satin black.  Love the cohesiveness of the frames all painted with the same color.  The different shapes and sizes add interest and the painted mats add a little texture.   I printed off some of our favorite photos in black and white and I pretty much love how they all look except the large oval on the far left.  It's out of spec with the other frames, but for now it's staying put!

~A FAMILY IN THE MAKING~

My favorite finds in the office include the century old GLOBE File Cabinet I scored early this past spring at Goodwill.  A couple of weeks ago I purchased the vintage Remington Typewriter at an estate sale.  Scored BIG on both purchases!

I'll share the remainder of my Mr. AGPMan's office with you once he gives me the go-ahead.  Presently he's working on installing the flat-screen TV of his dreams on the wall behind his desk...  Looks amazing!  All the wires are hidden because the other side of the wall is the garage!  How wonderful is that? Watching football this Fall is going to be fabulous!

You only thought my house was all white...

Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Love to you...

~MOVING ON...MOVING ON...MOVING ON~

When the first tiny, intrusive thoughts about moving beyond pink rose everything flooded my mind nearly three years ago I initially felt my own brain was failing me.  As hard as it was to accept,  the simple fact was that shabby cottage chic decor was morphing into something new and I could either dig my heels in and stay the same or move on.

I knew it was time to move on.

And so...I made a tough decision to par down the pink roses and forge ahead in a new direction. 

Not all my customers have embraced the change, but for me it's been the right thing to do.  I've pressed onward and I'm so glad I did.  As the demand and love for pink rose confections dwindled, in order for my business to survive I had to refocus on traveling down a new and unfamiliar path.

It was really hard at first and for a least a year I felt like I was living in limbo...

 

I had piles of pink rose fabrics everywhere and stacks of both new and vintage items freshly base painted in soft pink paint.  The thought of selling it all off overwhelmed me and so there it all sat, untouched, for a long, long time.

 

I think I tried to pretend it wasn't there.  I tried to work around it, but with limited space I only grew frustrated at trying to make new supplies fit.

 

After my slip and fall from several weeks ago I began to embrace my own truth.  The injury helped me realize that I only have one life and I best make the most of it while I still can.  And so, I cleared out my studio, all the while knowing I was going to take a big loss on my previous investment of supplies.

Clearing out my studio also helped me clear out my head.

I feel at peace.

 

Currently I have twelve bins (yes, I said TWELVE) filled with fabric in storage.  At some point (who knows when!) I'll either sell it off in lots on eBay or donate it to one of our local charities.

 

 As I've worked to adjust my footing in the business world I've also tried to re-prioritize other areas in my life.  Although the month of July brought heavy news to my family, it also ushered in the best single non-holiday month I've ever experienced in my business.  I'm not too sure what all this means at the moment, I only can tell you that I'm trusting God with my future.

Both privately and in the world of business.

 

It feels good to be honest about where I am and how I feel...

It feels good to say "I'm done with that and I'm moving on..."

It feels good to know that change is OK and the Grace of my Father covers me always.

Hope you are well.

Summer of 2013 will soon pass away.

Linking up with Shabby Art Boutique for
Shabbylicious Friday!

A fresh new Harvest is coming.  I feel it.

Love to you~

~THE BEST FRENCH FARMHOUSE ARMOIRE EVER~

1920's VINTAGE ARMIORE

I've had such a busy summer and I've enjoyed finishing up lots of half-finished projects around our home.  My Booth continues to keep me hopping and I love being a part of such a great Shoppe.  If you are ever in Oklahoma I hope you will visit Serendipity Market in Edmond.

ORIGINAL PAINT JOB

Oil Based Paint with Varnish

Last weekend our town celebrated what us locals call CRAZY DAYS.  Many businesses participate in this yearly event, generally held during the last weekend in July.  I ran 15% off my Booth and I'm not kidding you when I say that every single piece of furniture I had for sale SOLD...except one!

I couldn't believe it.  I ended up selling two vintage Chest of Drawers, two vintage Dressers, a vintage Desk and a small Table.  

All this in two days!

MATCHING DRESSER with MIRROR

As a result, my Mr. AGPMan and I had to work feverishly on several new pieces in order to just have something in which to display my other soft goods and vintage finds.  Today I'm sharing with you a couple of the fabulous pieces we snagged last week and finished up Monday afternoon! 

 ORIGINAL OIL BASED PAINT with VARNISH

We had to drive quite a jaunt to find this wonderful set!  It actually consists of the Dresser with Mirror, Chest with Mirror (not pictured), End Table (seen in picture #2), a Full Bed and the Armoire!  The Armoire was thrown in for FREE and I was more than happy to take it off the seller's hands.  They thought it was too beat up and junky to be used.  Well...I LOVE how this piece turned out and it's wonderful for displaying some of the white clothing I've collected over the years.  It's accented with vintage French Ephemera and I love the numbered drawers.  Very French Farmhouse!

  DARLING OLD CHEST

Found this darling Chest and matching full bed at a local thrift store a couple of weeks ago.  It sold the first day on the floor!  Yippeee....  Just love it when that happens!

ORIGINALCHEST

This piece was in excellent shape when we found it...needed some repair work to one of the drawers, but that was it!  The matching bed will be finished soon!

 BOOTH at SERENDIPITY

Here is what my Booth looks like today.  VERY EMPTY for sure!  But I'm happy so many large pieces found new homes and I'm excited about filling my space back up this week!  Can't wait to show you what all we found today...lots of great estate sale finds!

Hoping your Summer has been wonderful!  I can hardly believe it's August.  Can you?  Seems like the New Year just started and now it's almost Fall...  Wow!

Blessings~

Love to you...