Long days, short nights

I've been burning the candle at both ends lately. Over the last weekend I shared a space at the Alameda Point Antique Fair. It's been well over a year since I've sold or shopped this show and I think it's changed a lot. People seem a little more content to soak up the experience of being at the show versus buying a little part of the "show" to take home. With over 700 dealers, the competition is fierce, but there is truly something for everyone. I think for right now I'll be doing shows a little closer to home.
Since nothing in my household gets done until the LAST POSSIBLE MINUTE...I was still painting a few pieces to take at the eleventh hour. Thankfully, they both sold at the show. My space partner/bestie Gen and I were up until 1:30am on Saturday night, only to get up at 3:45am Sunday to head to the show. Makes for a looooooong day! I'm glad I snapped a few quick photos of the pieces I took, since they both found new homes.

My daughter Brooke took the photo of this buffet. I purchased this piece for $20 at our local recycle center, A.K.A. the dump. One man's trash is truly another man's treasure! I painted this piece with a 2/1 mix of Paris Grey and Pure White. Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint which I conveniently purchased at Summer Cottage Antiques. After the first coat dried I lightly sanded it, then added some water to my paint mix, another splash of pure white paint and gave the piece a grayish-white wash. Another sanding and a coat of wax to seal. Here's the after:

I also brought a little dresser that I had picked up at Sack's Hospice. This piece had pretty hardware, so I chose to highlight it with different shade of grey, French Linen, also an Annie Sloan color. French Linen, has a taupe quality to it. Here's the before:

I got lucky with this piece...I only painted it with one coat of paint! That's all she needed! The piece had great lines and natural wear patterns that looked best with less paint. After the piece had dried, I sanded and waxed it with a mix of clear and dark wax.

My iPhone photo's don't do these pieces much justice, but the transformation was pretty good considering I did both in one afternoon.
Gen and me spent Monday at the shop fluffing our space and getting ready for the shops Anniversary sale. It's all a lot of work....but I would be lying if I didn't say I'm having a blast doing it!

What's in a name?

Why French Toast? So for years I struggled with what sort of business name I liked. What was the perfect name for me. I wanted something cool, something that stuck with you. Something that bespoke of quality and pi nosh. Somewhere along the line I realized that it's really you and what you present that gives these qualities to a business. In one of my many brain storming sessions I came up with French Toast.
I wanted french in the name, because everything "french" is the bomb right now, but I also realized I'm just not that classy. I'm quirky, you might even say a little off beat. So a play on words seemed more my style. In life, I'm toast....regular, not fancy, toast. But that's not to say with a little egg, cinnamon and sugar I can't be elevated to something splendid (metaphorically speaking, that is).
In the end, I was showing my friend Steve Luck all my name concepts. He said, "I like French Toast Em". So I believed him....you know what, I like it too. Personal note: Thank you Steve for bringing out the risk taker in me!
And so French Toast was born!
A very special thank you has to be given to Lisa Kasch at PaperWhite here in Petaluma. Lisa took my concept and made it special. After all, what's a girl without a good logo?

Long time, no type

   I've been avoiding you! That really doesn't sound very nice, does it? Here's a little secret about me....I tend to over-think things. I sometimes all the time get stalled out. If I can't do things perfectly, then why do them at all. What a bad attitude, I know, it's really a hindering part of my personality.
 

     There's been many new goings on in my world, moving into a new space at Summer Cottage, visiting the San Francisco gift show, changing sports seasons with the kids and a transformation challenge (weight loss program). I have more than a few irons in the fire and have been putting too much pressure on myself about the quality of my work/life. I'm just a girl...doing the best that I can. Today, I choose to believe that my best is good enough.

Spring Update

See what a few days and a little water has done for my plants! I don't think it hurts that my husband is on a personal mission to stoke our fireplace to the point of causing us all heat stroke every night. "Babe, please don't put another log on the fire...I'm sweating!" His retort, "I know, I've got it up to 75 degrees in here!"

Welcome Spring...

I've always had the tendency to "jump the gun" on seasons. I'm usually planning for Halloween in July, singing Christmas carols before Thanksgiving and I consider January 1st the beginning of spring.

I over anticipate the holidays in part because I'm an antique dealer. I'm usually planning my next store display or hunting for those special seasonally related pieces months before the actual event. Or maybe patience is just not a virtue I possess.

Since we've only just begun to get rain in my area, after a long cold/dry spell, I have a feeling that a sunny spring is still a ways off. Since I'm impatient, I thought I'd share how I've "forced" a little spring in my house.

In under 15 minutes and for less than five bucks, I've "forced" springs early arrival. I started with a six pack of purple pansies and a mini daffodil, picked up at my local grocery store.

Since I don't plan on this arrangement lasting for more than a few weeks, I've chosen a pretty silver bowl to plant in. However, if you'd like yours to last I would suggest a small pot, something with better drainage and room to grow.

First I put some small rocks in the bottom of the bowl to help create a little drainage.

Next a small amount of dirt...then I packed those little plants in!

Lightly water, think warm, sunny thoughts and enjoy!

I thought it would be incredibly hard to upload a photo...it's really not.
On that note, I thought my first photo should be of my beautiful girls.

This photo of my daughters( Kate age 6 and Brooke age 8) is actually a little old. My girls are growing like weeds.

It seems like just recently my Hubby and I crossed that invisible line as parents. The line of not having "babies" anymore, now we have kids.

Kids will let you sleep in a little longer, they'll pour their own bowl of cereal. Kids have LOTS of activities, homework and friends. Kids ask the tough questions, "Mom, how do you make a baby?". Kids surprise you everyday with they're emerging personalities.

I'm most proud when my girls help me around the house. It's in these moments when we're getting ready for a family gathering, working on one of my painting projects, or even just cooking dinner, where I get to see what sort of women they will grow up to be. I think this is when I see the best reflection of myself and what I value, family, friends and creative living.

So it ends up being completely appropriate that my first blog photo is of my girls. Creatively speaking, they're the best thing I've ever made!

Country = Cobwebs

I sometimes have to laugh (to myself) when I tell people that I live on a 1,000 acre ranch. As people ooh and ahh over how great my country life must be, I know that in their minds they picture something much different than my reality. Probably, the quintessential farmhouse with a wrap-around porch, miles of perfect white fences and happy farm animals blissfully roaming the green rolling hills.

Don't get me wrong, I really wouldn't trade my country lifestyle for town living...although I do sometimes fantasize about having a paved driveway. The thing "town" people just don't get about living on a ranch is....it's dirty!

Which leads me to my prompt; Country = Cobwebs

Constantly dirty floors, dust that provides the perfect canvas on the television screen for my kids to draw in and wood chips on the carpet from the "romantic" fireplace. All of this I can manage, but the cobwebs, let's just say they're ferocious! I haven't figured out how to upload photo's on this blog yet, so I'll have to just try and paint the mental picture for you.


If I wanted to I could make a full time job out of trolling for webs...but I'm busy/lazy, so I usually just get the most obvious ones. However, if you were to pull back a curtain or check the corner of a infrequently used door....OMG, talk about arachnophobia!!! I've considered using them for additional shelving. I kid you not, I think some of those webs could easily support the weight of my cell phone.

Yes folks, I live in a "REAL" Romantic Country Home.

All that said, I wouldn't trade it....not even for a paved driveway.