Starting A New Adventure in Uncertain Times

As I sit and try and work on this website I am distracted and the tears that I can't seem to keep from falling no matter what I do.  I'm watching and listening to One World as I am sure most of the world is since it's literally everywhere you look tonight. I am very thankful for the doctors and nurses that are trying to keep up with the 1000's of people that are sick. But I am also thankful for the custodial staff that works those same hospitals. To the workers that show up every day so people can get food. To the ones that keep up with our services. From my postal worker to the drivers that allow us to continue to get the things we need. Thank you. Everyone has a part in this. If even your part is just to stay home.

When we decided to start this new venture a few months ago the world was a different place. I could go out and hunt for items in second hand stores, auctions, and estate sales. John told me it was probably time to open a booth since the house and garage have been over flowing with all of the things I have been collecting for the past few years. I have a steady base of customers from my Facebook page, friends and family so this seemed like the next step. Retail space has always been on my mind but starting with a booth seemed like a great option. I decided to make the leap and add Fusion Mineral Paint and products to it since I have been using them since they first started. It's a Canadian company with a great product.

I've been flipping furniture since I was in my early 20's before it became a "thing". I did it from necessity. We had a house, 3 kids and a limited income. I learned that I could take that flea market find and turn it into something that would work in our home. I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it didn't work out. ;) With 3 active kids and numerous pets the things in my home got used and abused. But I still have quite a few pieces that have been here since we got married and they will be around for many more years. I have learned that a old worn out solid piece is better than a new particle board piece that will fall apart in a few months or years. Solid wood will last over a 100 years and still can have a use that many years later.

I am looking forward to finding you furniture that will stand the test of time. You probably already have many items that you just can't get rid of. There are many reasons to keep them from necessity to sentimental value. Styles and colours change but a well made piece of furniture can withstand those. We can teach you how to repair, refinish or paint those items so you love them again.

There are a lot of people out there that would say don't paint wood. (I will be doing a post on this at a later time). However there are some things that even I won't paint.  Anything with burled wood that can be saved I will try and save it before I paint it. Walnut pieces I am sucker for. Everything else is pretty much fair game. If you think that you have an antique that will be devalued from painting it I would suggest you have someone have a look at it. There are so many "antiques" that are not valuable out there and painting it isn't going to make it worth less. It just might just make you love it again.

We will be offering home decor, furniture, paint and accessories, upcycled and recycled and some custom items as well. I am looking forward to the day when we open the booth and can meet and talk to our customers face to face. To start the workshops again and see the look on my customers faces when they realize that they CAN do something they had convinced themselves they couldn't.

I don't know what the world will look like in 3 months or 6 months or even a year but together we will get through. I am missing family and friends just like you are. It's been a very difficult and challenging time. I'm a hugger and I know that John, our dog Zoey and even our cats are probably getting tired of them since they are the only ones I can hug these days. I'm grateful for the video calls to all of our family and friends so at least I can see their faces instead of just hearing their voices. That is nice too but I need to see the smiles and the tears. It's my thing.  There were days when I didn't know if this new adventure would get off the ground. There are still days and hours when I just want to give up and curl up and say forget it, it's not worth the extra stress but I know this is what I want to do. It makes me happy. It gives me different purpose right now. So if in the coming weeks things are little sporadic being posted and there are glitches in the system please be patient. I am not a tech wiz and I'm learning as I go. I will also put my customers first for orders and get them sent out or ready for pick ups. But as for the rest it will come in time. If nothing else this down time has taught me that there are bigger problems in life and the small stuff can wait.

This first post didn't go anywhere near what I had originally planned but I hope that I did make some sense. That I gave you a little glimpse into what I call my life right now, as crazy as it is.

Please stay healthy and safe. Be kind. Be helpful. Check on neighbours. Tell the people you love that you love them. Life is short and we are all struggling. Be patient with others and with yourself. I can't wait to see you on the other side of this.

Take care always

Tanya