New Pieces for the Den

I am still working on my den. I found two new lamps for the den on Ebay.
They are a pair of beautiful Asian lamps by As You Like It, a company from the
'90's with stone fish finials and the shades are from Lowes. Big improvement from
the old Home Goods Lamps.

I replaced the heavy dark brown table topper and quilted table skirt with a lighter
cream burlap fringed table skirt from Ballard Design.

I still need to steam the wrinkles out, don't judge me! I will eventually replace the fabric
on the ottoman, these are a few choices.

 This is my favorite and the most expensive one, of coarse.

 I bought on Ebay an antique wood and bamboo collapsible book shelf for my books
and will use the white cubes for fabric samples and files. Still trying to organize the room.
Half den, half decorating office.

The last purchase was a pretty flocked pillow from Tuesday morning that I picked
up while I was on a job in Harrisonburg.

New Year, New Beginings

I always love a New Year, last year I had a lot of changes,
all for good reasons. I closed my shop down after six years
of trying to do it on my own, I moved to Queen City Market
place with a couple of good spaces for my business and took
a space out at the Factory Antique Mall in Verona. I work a
couple of days at QCM and in the fall took a part time job at
with a high end mattress company. And I have a few days off to
spend some time finding new things to sell. I moved to a smaller
space, less expensive and in August my car died. I spent a small
fortune to fix it with the hopes of keeping it a little longer.

  So after a quiet New Year, I worked, and we are now into the second
week of January, things are already looking up. I sole my Duncan Phyfe
sofa, my before and after story here on the blog,  and the buyer saw it here
on the blog and drove over from Charlottesville to get it. Yes people do read
my blog. I received a nice inheritance check and I have been asked to come back
and do some decorating for the Campus View Apartments with Matchbox Realty.
This will be my third time or job with them.

  All this means that I am spending more time in my car, driving to Verona, driving
to Harrisonburg, driving my son back to VMI, driving to the mall to the mattress store.
Even though I had my 2001 Volvo fixed, I did not feel safe driving it. I had trouble
getting it started, it was stalling on me and it was like driving a rattling tin can. I threw
caution into the wind and after a lot of thought I took a trip over to Valley Subaru.

I traded in my beloved Volvo in for a Subaru Crosstreck. I wanted the same size
car but to be up a little higher, four wheel drive, and a really cool looking car.
They didn't much for my car, but I got a great deal on this car. So far 2016 looks
promising. Happy New Year.

My Labor Day Weekend To Do List

I made a Labor day weekend to do list, it is not often that I have two
full days off. First on the list, purchasing for my second staging job for
Matchbox Realty in Harrisonburg. I picked up a check from an estimate
I submitted to stage/ restage The Charleston Townes Apartments for
James Madison University students in Harrisonburg. This three story, four
bedroom apartment was staged four years ago, it needs brightening up, it
needs the Margaret touch...................

The living room and kitchen being laid out in my living room.....

The Male bedroom and bathroom and pieces of the front hall and laundry room......

The girls room and bathroom.......................

I celebrated my two day staycation with a glass of wine and fresh flowers from the yard. I
was playing around with my camera settings...............

And speaking of the yard, this gate that covers back entrance was covered in ivy and
wisteria, the wisteria had taken over. It was growing over the fence, over to the neighbors
house, up her roof and heading to her roof. So I ripped it out till i could free the gate and close
the drive way off. Very grand, California style gating................

I started weeding the smaller front bed that had been taken over by weeds, ivy, piosen ivy,
clover, and seedlings dropped by the wind and birds. Elfie was my support team, if not here,
he was under a bush in the shade. I am taking the yard back.

 I also really went crazy on the Acuba off the porch, this is were Elfie loves to snoop
and were I saw a  SKUNK disappear, now I can see whats in there.