So in a recent post, I was called an “interior designer”. That was NOT my idea! I much prefer “decorator”. To me, “designer” infers many years of late nights in the classroom and the labs learning all about electrical and plumbing and stuff like that—not the pretty, fun stuff! What I do is ‘decorate’. I have ‘designed’ [...]
In anyone else’s home, whether it is a client, friend or family member, I can usually quickly re-do their table top, chest, desk, mantel, bookcases, or whatever else needs to be freshened. In my own home, I AM FROZEN! I cannot figure out what I want to do or make up my mind on how I [...]
OK—I’m on my own. Allison and her husband, Jon, left this morning on a week long vacay to Costa Rica. That means, it’s ALL up to me. No one else to do Quickbooks, banking, blogging, etc. I must say that all of the gals that work at the shop are quick to jump in and help. [...]
She said it would happen. “You need to move that wobbly tray stand or it’s going to fall over.” That was Giggi talking, and she would be right. I grabbed the only thing I could find to hold a tray to use as a makeshift coffee table. It didn’t last long! After I finished re-working [...]
One of the fun things about helping people with their homes is shopping. It’s a wonderful excuse to go out and search for items, fabrics, whatever. One of my favorite places is Artee Fabrics and Home. Their first local store was in Virginia Beach. This past fall/winter, they opened a store in Yorktown/Grafton (in the space [...]
What is it about Spring that makes us want to throw open the doors and clean everything from top to bottom? Probably the thick coat of pollen that is covering absolutely EVERYTHING this week in Virginia. Mom decided it was time to freshen up the front of the shop and she has been hard at work, repainting the [...]
Well, since it’s mid-April and the outside of the shop looked like an abandoned shanty, it was time to do something about it. There were still the dead leaves from fall all piled under the bench and window. Peeling paint—-pretty tacky of us. So, never taking the fast way out, I decided that the doors needed [...]
Sometimes you just need to get away. Mom and I decided on a whim to take a little “Lady Trip” to see our sistah, Gigi, all the way up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gigi is an expatriated North Carolinian and decorator extraordinaire (more on that later). We decided that since our route took us directly by the [...]
I mentioned in my previous post that Mom and I were headed to Cincinnati to see our good friend Gary. We decided that the waning days of summer was really the only time left to get out of our oyster and head to up to see “Giggi” and get inspired after a long summer. Giggi is [...]
People often ask me where I like to shop, the honest truth is that aside from Trader Joe’s and Care a Lot, I never have time to shop. In theory, I’m like many of you who like the hunt. Whether it’s yard sales, antique shops, consignment shops, gift shops or the curb, I’ve always got my eyes [...]
