Last Weekend at the Shoppe

hello!  Well, last weekend at the shoppe was the last weekend at the shoppe.  I explained it all here last week.  It was wonderful!  Almost all our favorite people came in, some with treats in tow *wink*  And, while I know that we are going to have sales on the lawn when it is nice and I know the friends I made there are for life, I was still a little sad yesterday.  I went in to paint a few client pieces and decided to take down the open/closed sign on the door permanently along with the hours decal.  And I was sad.  This little shoppe has been a dream for so long and while I am happy with the direction it has taken me, change is still hard sometimes and it is almost always bittersweet.  Over the next week or so, I hope to give the place a through cleaning...  you imagine it gets a bit dusty in there *smiles* ...and get the front spic and span so we can make a proper studio for the Mr's work.  We have worked in the same space before, so I am hoping that we can still get along *double, triple wink*

But, there are plusses to to not being committed to a shoppe that you run yourself.  Like, going to the  farmer's market on Saturday.  And, signing the little man up for soccer and us both being there for the games.  And, the chance to travel over the weekends with the Mr. And, most importantly, having a bit more downtime/ creative time.  Oh, I am so greedy with time!  If I could find a way to cut out sleep and the need for it, I would totally do it.  There are always so many things I can think of doing!  But then again, I do like a little time for an impromptu nap.  Plus, I still have my booth that I can fluff and hunt for.  Plus, who is to say that I won't open a shoppe in the future, when the boy decides that  I am not cool or fun to be around anymore.

So, another thank you for all the near and far support.  We truly appreciate you!  

Now, I am off to see if the bird that is trying to get in the house through the laundry room dryer vent has succeeded.  I think I have decided I dislike birds a great deal.

bye for now~

Things Are A'Changing Around Here

Hello all!  So, I have been sitting on some news about some thoughts about changing our dynamic around here.  I didn't really know how to put it since I was feeling a little sad at first.  So, I will just blurt it out in true Michelle fashion.  We are closing the shoppe.  This is the last weekend that the shoppe will be open on a regular basis.

Now, that being said, I feel that I should offer somewhat of an explanation.   When we opened the shoppe, I started taking on custom painting jobs since I had more room to spread out and paint.  I would work on them alongside the pieces I was working on to sell in the shoppe and my booth.  The custom painting side of my little business has grown and grown to the point that I am now squeezing in my pieces to paint alongside the custom pieces.  There is only so much time and we have cut into our open hours over the past few months to give me more time to get the pieces finished.  Besides the painting, I also have wholesale clients that I have to create products.  Not to mention my #1 employee has been pretty busy with his own work!

So, the decision was made for me to go to full time painting.  I will still keep my booth at Winchester Antiques and there is always my etsy shoppe that will be restocked more frequently since I won't have to watch like a hawk to make sure items are taken down if they sell in the shoppe.  We are planning some pop up type shoppe sales closer to Spring when it is prettier.  I will announce those here and on Facebook. I will still paint at the shoppe and we are hoping to carve a little studio for the Mr there too.

This is bittersweet for me.  I am thrilled to still be doing what I love.  But, I loved having the shoppe open.  We have made so many friends through the shoppe... we see some of them more than we see some of our family.  I am excited to have a little more leeway in our schedule.  Some weekends we have missed out on doing things since we were open. Even though change is hard, I do like it.  I like just enough change so things aren't boring, but right before chaos ensues *wink*

I am so blessed to have been giving this opportunity and to still be doing something I love, albeit in a different facet.  Thank ALL of you guys that have supported me in my little dream.  I can't say that enough... without your support and kind words of encouragement, this wouldn't have happened.   This isn't goodbye... like I said I will still be there, so pop by and say hi.

bye for now~

New Studio Space at Home

Hello all!  I know I mentioned a few times over the past several months about us changing some rooms around at the house and moving my studio and creating some new spaces for the Mr and the hyena.  Well, of all the spaces, mine is the closest to being finished... only because it is in the dining room.

So, I didn't really change much of it.  I had gotten to where I would spread my projects out on the dining room table anyhow, so the next logical step was to just move all my stuff closer in as an aesthetically pleasing way possible.  And, I am still not 100% on the arrangement, but it will do for now.

We looked and looked for one piece to do it all, but couldn't really find something that I loved that wasn't extremely out of our price range.  The Mr found the shabby hutch top at our neighbor Spring Hill Antique Mall.  And, we paired it with a dresser that had been in storage for awhile due to a wonky drawer.  I toyed with the idea of painting it, but right now, I am kind of loving the mixy matchy look.

A bonus is the hutch covers up the thermostat... well, considering this is the wall of eyesores, it hides quite a few.  The Mr. cut a hole in the back and we can easily adjust the temp by opening one of the doors.  The drawers here are where I can store quite a bit of my fabric and then I also use a portion of the bachelor's chest to store some there too. 

The hutch holds my sewing machine and paints and glues and glitters great, but I needed something to hold my threads and other smaller things that needed to be organized.  I tried using a set of old post boxes, but the little monster would shut them and I would have to unlock them from the back...not very practical for someone with a rotten 4 year old *wink* So, when I saw all these glorious drawers that was posted on a local stores Facebook page (Carter's Creek Station) I went over immediately and snatched it!

I am in the process of winding threads around bobbins, but for now, they are at least separated by hue.

Stamps fit in too along with my washi tape and all the other small stuff that would just fall out every time I would open one of the cabinet doors.

I think I may rearrange the prints and frames a bit once I get everything framed, but I would like this to be a really fun gallery space.  

Keeping it neat will be a priority since I can't just shut the door to the mess any longer... this is the first area you see when you come in the house.  But, we may not always live here, so I invested in some pieces that I will love forever instead of finding the perfect pieces for this exact space.

Okay, the Mr just brought home a movie I have been really wanting to see!

bye for now~

Friday Etsy Favorites

Happy Friday!  I just checked my phone and it is 18 degrees.  Yes, 18!!  There is a light dusting of snow on the ground and both the big man and the little man are still cozy in bed.  I am trying to figure out what I am going to use as "glubbs" when the little man wakes up (any time now) and demands to go play in this.  Oh, and he only wears converse.  So, nothing to keep his hands or his feet warm and dry.  We just aren't prepared for this.  I know by the time I run to Target and get him some boots and mittens it will be 70 here.  It would be a bit easier if he wasn't so picky about shoes and would let me get him some mittens in the first place.  Anyhow, I went through my etsy favorites to try to find a theme and I can't find one, so here are a few things I am crushing on this week:

I have been totally smitten with her globes for awhile now.  They are amazing!  

found~ imaginenations

this just needs to be mine

found~ cravejewelrydesign

Remember when Mr Incredible says this to his family?  Also, the short at the end with the babysitter is hilarious and so much like my little man

found~ gusandlula

I have a printed pillow from this shoppe and it is so lovely.  This one has me wishing for new shams too

found~ giardino

One thing I am always looking for is nice, preserved butterflies.  These are pretty and you can frame them how you like.

found~ becaruns

This house is so very Downton.  I haven't been able to watch this season (we don't get any channels anymore and I haven't had time to sit and watch my favorite shows online.) Someone in this house has. And try as I may to not see any spoilers on Facebook, that someone blurted what happened last week. Ugh.  Anyhow, isn't this hat lovely?
found~ behidadolic

I love these pretty twiggy stacking rings

found~ kristencoffin

I think this is pretty good advice
found~ littlebostonprintshoppe

baby hughes ( aka little man, monster, hyena, whathaveyou) is cuddled up next to me now and hasn't made a mention of the s word, so we have a Thomas movie in and may just declare today pajama day.  I would like to find some "glubbs" though.  We don't see the white stuff very often. Have a great weekend everyone!

bye for now~


I have mentioned it before, but these are in no way paid/sponsored posts.  I truly have each item in my favorites.  If you do pin these images, please visit the actual etsy shoppe in the link provided and pin from there.  Thanks!