Creativity

If you've read my little introduction to my family at the top of the page you know that when Rhett was born I dealt with severe postpartum depression. 

Thankfully with a lot of faith, medical help, prayer, support and understanding I've come a long way since then. 

I am so beyond grateful for that, and even though I hope to never experience it again or wish it on anyone, I am honestly grateful for going through it and the blessings it brought into our lives. 

Still, I struggle some days with overwhelming anxiety.

So restoring furniture has become kind of  therapeutic for me. 

I mean lets face it...going to work on a piece with a power sander is a great way to release a little stress. :)

The past few days have been difficult and it's been awhile since I had to deal with the big A (anxiety).

Blah.

Below is a short clip I LOVE, of part of a speech given by one of the leaders from my church and regardless of your religious background I think it is true for all of us.

It motivates me on the days when anxiety seems to want to take over.

It's about creativity. 

The creativity we all have and the creativity that makes our sphere of influence better.

And I want to thank you for all the creative work you do that I see on your blogs and in your lives! 

It is incredibly inspirational. :)

Enjoy and I hope it gets your week off to a great start!

{ If the video doesn't work here's a link to the video on Youtube. }

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A Peacock Desk

Have you ever found a paint swatch of a color so amazing you couldn't help but fall in love with it?

When I found Peacock Tail from Behr I knew the perfect piece for it.

A  lovely French desk.

 { P.S. Peacock tail in french is Queue de paon. }

Here she is before. 

And here she is in Peacock Tail.

She would make an amazing desk, a show stopping entry table, a sophisticated changing table.

Anything you could imagine her to be. :)

For more information look under the "For Sale" table at the top of the page.

P.S. This is my one and only encounter with a real peacock.

Apparently I invaded his personal space.

House Hunters Arizona and the Giveaway WINNER!!

Jake is graduating with his Bachelor's in 20 days.

In 28 days we are moving.

So we need to find housing.

Stat.

Otherwise we might have to live in our tent and become professional campers.

And honestly, I hate camping.

Too many buggy bugs invading my personal space.

So for the past few days I've been searching the Arizona valley for a place for us to call home.

And I really didn't realize how emotional of a process this would be.

Provo is a special place for us. It's where Jake and I met, dated, got married, had Rhett and have some of the best friends we could have ever hoped for. And we've always been blessed with great housing so I wasn't going to settle for any old apartment.

At one place I started to cry because the laundry room wasn't big enough for Rhett and I to "fold" laundry together.

Crossed that one off the list.

At another apartment, I got a bad case of the giggles because the tile work in the bathroom looked it....something inappropriate.

Also crossed that one off the list.

So after 3 days I only had 3 places left that I felt OK with.

Option #1

Pros:

9ft ceilings

Large closets

Playground/pool/racquetball/gym on site

Accent wall could be painted for us before we arrived for free

Cons:

Not located near shopping etc

Older population (not too many young families)

Complex covered 4 acres so I think we would get lost a lot.

Only available 2 bedroom was on the second floor.

Pool and gym only open till 7PM

Price: $935

1100 sq feet

Option #2

Pros:

9ft ceilings

Large coat closest

Storage off patio

Decent location

Stainless appliances

Cons:

No playground on site

Bedrooms on opposite sides of apartment (I like to be near Rhett)

Most rent

Price $970

1275sq feet

Option #3

Pros:

Stainless appliances

Bedrooms near each other

Garage available w/apartment

HUGE closets

Lake and playground across the street

Shopping in walking distance

Pool and gym open 24 hours

We only pay electric

Cons:

Only 2nd floor apartment available

On a busy street

Has covered parking but 1st come 1st serve

Biggest commute for Jake

Price: $900

1200 square feet

So which one would YOU choose?

I'll tell you tomorrow what we chose!

---------------------------------------------------------------

But for now I'll tell you who the winner of the Ryobi Sander giveaway is!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 57  

tracyevelyn said...

And I posted about your giveaway on my facebook!
I absolutely adored the 9 drawer dresser you recently posted about! It was perfect!!

July 17, 2011 8:22 AM

Yay Tracy!

Email me your information and we'll mail it to you!



Great references for how to price

A few days ago I posted about some of my questions concerning pricing.

From your lovely responses I could tell I wasn't the only one with questions.

This is kind of a blurry subject. 

I had some of you email me some great posts from other blogs that really answered some of my questions.

Thank you! 

I also found some of my own.

I've compiled a list of the links as seen below and I really hope that this helps you!!

Freshly Picked: Why you Should Raise Your Prices

The Art of Pricing: Three Helpful Pricing Exercises

Behind the Price Tag: Handmade Pricing

Shop Talk: How to Price Handmade Goods

How to price your craft


And don't forget to enter the Ryobi Sander Giveaway!!

Fiesta

Does any one know the blog Hostess with the Mostess?

If you ever need to plan a party check this place out.

Seriously, there are some fantastic ideas.

Secretly, I've always wanted to throw a party that was amazing enough to be featured. :)

Eventually.

This weekend not much got accomplished in the furniture department because we were busy throwing a baby shower fiesta. 

Taco bar. Make your own earring table. Bean dip. Gerber daisys. Cafe Rio trays. Lime wedges. LOTS of guacamole. Stenciled table cloths. Fizzy fruit drinks. Cold water melon. 

All with some of my favorite girls. 

It was lovely. 

(And this is the first weekend in a long time that I've not had sawdust in my hair. :) )

P.S. Don't forget to tell all your friends, family, neighbors, postmen, community pool life guards etc about the Ryobi Power sander giveaway! It ends on Friday! 

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Another round of ugly ducklings

A French Provincial Desk

This little chest was abandon in our basement.

Brings tears to my eyes.

The legs need to be replaced but I still think she's got great potential.

 And my FAVORITE find thus far.

It's a desk...that used to be an organ.

 I"m still not sure if I can part with her. I might have to keep this one. :)

We'll start working on them tomorrow!

What I've learned/questions about pricing

The other day we took a trip to visit a local furniture store. We might be furniture nerds. We love looking around, testing couches (and chairs), analyzing their staging. Does anyone else do this? This was our first visit to such an establishment since we jumped into this little furniture business of ours, so I was really excited to look at everything with a new perspective.

And I was kind of shocked. 

I was shocked at the prices they were charging...even for sale items. Most were at least double, closer to triple what I list pieces at. 

I understand completely that this store is so very different from what so many of us do. It is part of a chain, it has investors, a reputation and loyal customers. But I still had a hard time keeping my jaw from dropping as we perused each item and vignette.

When we got home we talked about our pricing "strategy". OK we really don't have one. We really just go with our gut instinct. And I'm wondering if we are going about this all wrong. So I was wondering if any of you had some advice. 

This is what I've learned so far. 

• I want to create beautiful furniture that people can afford. Everyone deserves a beautiful home
• What you can charge depends on the venue you are selling it in. 
• I don't like to pay more that $30ish dollars for a piece to work on. 
• Sometimes a piece will produce a large profit and sometimes it won't. 
• 
  

OK now I need advice. 

These are some of my questions and if you have any answers, experiences, advice, anything I would really appreciate it. 

• How do you price your labor/time invested in a piece?
• If someone asks you to lower the price...what do you do? 
• What venues do you use to sell finished pieces?
• How long do you leave a piece up for sale before you lower the price?
• How do you price your finished pieces? Do you have a "formula"? 

Thank you so much for your advice! I really, truly appreciate it. 

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