Always Never Done

The number one question I get asked in the shop is: "Where do you find your furniture?"  

When I first started repurposing things, I would frequent auctions, yard sales, estate sales, and strangers trash. Yes I was a trash picker and I proudly still am. I have found the most amazing things on the side of the road for free or on someone's curb on trash night.

Now that I have a steady and loyal customer base, word is getting around that I like to salvage things. I have plenty of donated items coming at me from all angles. This not only saves me time from having to go out and hunt for things, which I miss sometimes, but it keeps costs down which is a fantastic perk for my customers. Their one request, send a picture of the finished piece after I'm done with it. Happily done!

Every now and then I'll get the sole opportunity to pick through someone’s barn or attic. This makes me childishly giddy. I get to rummage for as long as I like and sometimes the owner offers to stay with me to give me the history on the piece or a fun memory that goes along with that particular item. A lot of my inspiration when painting these pieces  comes from these stories that have been told.

This particular piece was actually bought on the wildly popular facebook marketplace. I can usually find a good deal especially if I'm looking for something very specific. Someone out there surely has what I'm looking for particularly if I'm trying find that special piece for a customer. Buyer beware, it's addicting and you'll probably buy things you don't need.

Inspiration for all of the things I do is on a piece-to-piece basis. Sometimes I find something and know exactly what I'm going to do with it. Other times I know that I have a good, solid item on my hands but it hasn't spoken to me quite yet. And then I have those pieces that I think I know what I'm going to do with them until I start and realize they have a mind of their own. Some pieces bleed through the paint color, others I can't seem to fix a drawer or a leg for the life of me. That’s when I'm forced to get really creative. I have yet to give up on a project. There is always a way around it, you just have think outside the box.

This piece was pretty damaged on the back, so I covered it in a gorgeous vintage looking fabric. The one shelf was broken, so I just used 2 shelves instead of three. The legs were cracked and wiggly which were fixed with glue and screws. You just never know what kind of issues you'll run into with old pieces, you just have to remember to keep an open mind and treat them with respect: a good thing to remember with all things in life.