What's New....

Since we opened in October, the shop has changed so much. Our focus is still on furniture and home decor but we have added much more.  We are always being asked if we have things on consignment. Up until recently, we had only a few vendors, the majority of the furniture was done by Nancy and I.

We are pleased to add several new vendors to our shop. The photos above are done by Becqi Sherman of  "Where's Q" photography. "Q" as she is known to her friends and family, travels all over the world snapping the most wonderful scenic photos as well as amazing wildlife.

Each of her photos is framed and ready to hang in your home. Along with the wall art she also has a nice selection of greeting cards.

 Steve and Sandy of "Time Warp Collectibles" has been with us since the start. They have some really choice antiques and vintage items in their section. The great thing about their items - we can all remember having them in our homes growing up. Fun how a bowl or toy can evoke memories from your childhood.

 Nancy and I continue to paint and refurbish on a daily basis. It's surprising how many pieces we have sold since our opening. One thing for sure, we truly enjoy it. I don't think I have ever loved doing anything as much as I enjoy this.

 These photos are of all the sections of the shop, some are done by color, others by different rooms in your home.

 This is the new hutch that Nan just finished. Gotta love the reminiscent feel. We had one very similar when we were growing up. (It's been painted tricycle red for my Miss Mustard Seed Paint display)

 Next Act welcomed Angela this week as a vendor. She brings a wonderful fresh look to the shop. Her unique pieces are sure to please. We say that we refinish, refurbish and repurpose... that's Angela's forte.

 This 1950's hutch is done beautifully. I love the way she added the fabric to the back for added dimension.

 Here is another of her repurposed pieces. Take a vintage vanity that has no mirror and add a cushion as a back rest... instantly it turns into a seat. Her creativity is amazing.

We sell drop leaf tables on a weekly basis. Here are two with different purposes. One is a really nice dining room or kitchen table and the other a coffee table.

Are you familiar with Irish Belleek? We have a nice selection of cups and saucers, ornaments, bowls and more. Additional pieces will be added soon.

This Vintage stove belongs to Becky Leysen. If you were a Fabric Town customer, you probably remember seeing it in the shop.

 How sweet is this vanity? Nancy chose the fabric for the chair. The green knobs and lamp work so well with the lime in the print. What little girl wouldn't like to sit in front of the mirror and play dress up. Come to think of it, I would like to have it to put my makeup on each morning.

Nice choice Nan... the fabric adds a lot of flare to this chair.

 New desk and matching chair set. Great for adults or children. Nice size and the soft color is sure to work into many decors.

 Another of Angela's creations. The vanity is so cute but the little chair totally finishes the look.

 OK Quilter's... here's the perfect cabinet for your stash. Funny that it's the first thing I thought of when we got it. OR I see it as a great cabinet in your bedroom to store sweaters and linens.

 Nice deep shelves and the cabinet is probably 6 feet tall. 

Vintage dresser with glass knobs. The funny thing about dressers that are chipped and distressed, I love them. However, I can remember a time when I wanted only modern up to date furniture. I guess with age comes wisdom. I want the vintage look, the warmth and aged feeling.

 Clean, Crisp and wonderful. Angela strikes again....

I can't tell you how many ladies have come in and drooled all over this lovely  hutch. They have brought in Mother in Laws, Husbands, Daughters and Fathers. They all want it but nobody has the intestinal fortitude  to change their dining room to Duck Egg and Old Ochre. I think it would be absolutely wonderful done in a soft setting like we have it displayed. Poor Jeff, I told him I was thinking of redoing our apartment and may do a soft color pallet this time. He said the same thing he always says when I decide to change things up..... "OK".

Patti Hokanson makes the wonderful Embroidered Pillows. She is even taking orders for custom Monogram pieces. In the next little while she will have selection of handmade pincushions, key fobs and much more in the works. Many of the quits hanging on the walls of the shop are also done by Patti.

I like the detail in this little end table / night stand. 

 This is a custom order. We deliver it this weekend to its new home.

 This is just too cute. Again, I picture a little girl sitting at it, maybe coloring or doing her homework.

A desk wouldn't be complete without a matching chair. This fabric coordinates with the drawers perfectly.

Last but far from least is my "Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint" display. This is just a picture of the hutch, the display is in the process of  being moved to it's own section. This hutch was my Grandmothers, when my parents got married she gave it to my Mother in 1952. It has seen better days - but now will see many more dressed in tricycle red.

I hope you enjoyed the new tour. New pieces are added on a daily basis, the shop is ever changing.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and "Like" us on Facebook to see the new things as I post them each day.
We look forward to seeing you soon.

Patti.

My Coffee Bean Chair

I apologize for so many of my blogs being about chairs... but I told you I was addicted. My favorite being the ones you can upholster. Thankfully Nancy keeps getting them in. I have 3 of these chairs and was not sure what I wanted to cover then in. Awhile ago, I saw something that I decided if I found the right chair, I would do it.

All I needed to do it was a box of Milk Paint in Tricycle, a solo cup, brush, spoon, bonding agent and water.

I ordered in the coffee bean bags awhile ago so I'd be ready when I found the chair. My plan was to cover the seat with the bean bag. For that you need a staple gun and scissors

I removed the seat, cut the bean bag to size and stapled it on. I left the old upholstery on since it was in really good condition and gave a little stability to the burlap.

I painted the chair frame in the Tricycle. As a finish I used a thin coat of Varithane. I wanted it a bit shiny so I used a satin finish. It just makes the milk paint really rich in color. It's hard to see in this photo, the red doesn't look bright enough.

Well here you have it... before and after. The Coffee Bag is double sided. On the back is a lot of writing. I think I may do the other chair using that left over side.  I do think Juan Valdez would be proud of me. What do you think???

 

On to their "Next Act"

 I get many people asking what the shop name means, some of you already know. It certainly would not give you a hint of what we do, it doesn't sound like anything to do with re-furbishing or re-purposing. So what does it mean?

Nancy named her shop 'Next Act" it has a two fold meaning. First it's because She and I just ended jobs we have had for years. I was with Fabric Town for over 20. First as Barb's manager and then as the owner. Nancy was the HR/Manager of a Law Firm for 10 years. The last time she worked retail was when she was still in high school. So this is our "Next Act". The second meaning, because we take in old, previously loved pieces of furniture and home decor.. patch em', prep em', paint em' and   keep them out of land fills. They move onto their "Next Act" as well.

 It almost feels like working for the Humane Society or Last Hope. We take in stray, unwanted pieces. We clean them up and give them an appearance that makes them desirable and then put them up for adoption. It gives us pleasure to know that someone likes the work we do enough to take it to their home.

 In the past 2 to 3 weeks we have really been busy. To say I have been painting non-stop would be an understatement. Nancy has been working on the "search and rescue" part.

 I try to take photos of everything we makeover or usually get a shot as they are leaving the shop. I just wanted to share with you these pictures. These are some of the pieces that found new residences in the past 2 - 3 weeks.

I also do custom orders, and they aren't shown yet. I will post them when their finished. It's  hard to believe all the items that we have sold. On New Years weekend we re-did the front of the shop. I posted the photo... you may remember  that it looked like Spring. Well, with the exception of the Blue and Cream hutch, the entire section has sold. We are now painting like buggers to get more to fill it.

 One of the fun things, repeat customers. We have so many that are excited about their first purchase and return with friends. Their enthusiasm is contagious and we love the fact that they are so happy with our work. I can honestly say, that when you're going on a 12 hour day.. covered with paint and tired.... that's the kind of thing that keeps you going and lovin' it.

 They say that your best advertising is Word of Mouth. Well, it's true. When someone comes in and says they were told about us by a friend or relative..we know it's working. Advertising is expensive, but good customer service and a nice product at a reasonable price goes along way in getting the word out.

 We're constantly hearing that our prices are so low. My comment is that we want to sell the items, not own them forever. If we purchase them reasonably then it's easy to turn around and sell them that way. We aren't claiming to have Schneiderman's quality. Most are vintage and we paint right over the digs, dips and gouges. That's known as character and we don't charge extra for it.

 We don't get to many of the other shops that do the same type of restoration. Mostly because they're open only once a month and we're working on those days. When we first started we did go to a few just to see what other shops have. We looked around and decided that when it comes down to it,we like our prices and style. We aren't trying to compete with the funky junk look, or copy someones shop. We want to be a little of this and that but mostly the furniture.

 We are adding gift items, and other things to the mix in the next few weeks. Eventually, we would like to have a nice selection of handbags and fun jewelry along with a special line of Photography by "Where's Q?". We'll keep you posted on all the new developments.

 I hope you liked seeing all the things that have come and gone at Next Act in the past 3 weeks.
There was more but I forgot to get a shot of then before they departed.

 This little round table was the second item I painted when just learning. It's still one of my favorites.

 After a quick Milk Paint lesson, these two bar stools are heading home with the paint to be re-done. Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint is doing well. We have had several workshops. We just filled the January 10th workshop and still have a couple openings in the January 24th. We also do  private workshops for groups of  3 - 6. If you'd like to learn to "Play" like I do... let us know. It's always a great time when it's a group of friends.

That's all for now. I feel this was long winded but wanted to let you know how things are going. A very big Thank You to all the new owners of the furniture shown. I hope you enjoy them for years to come.

Patti

Ready for a new home

We're always being asked what we do, what does Next Act mean. This is a wonderful example of exactly what we do. Our answer is usually that "We breath life back into old, previously loved pieces of furniture and repurpose home decor". This is a wonderful example of just that.This dresser was obviously loved and enjoyed. It was still in good condition, just worn from years of use.

The first thing we do, is to remove all the hardware  These are wonderful pulls and in fantastic condition.

A little cleaning and they shine like new.

Two coats of paint and some gentle distressing. Put the finish on and reattached the hardware. My opinion... Absolutely wonderful. Becky M. is coming in on Saturday to pick it up. She was in and asked if we could paint it just like our front counter. We did, and now that we see it completed, it would have made a great accent piece behind the counter. I can't wait to see Becky's smile when she sees it. She was so excited that is was being custom done just for her.

 

 

I guess I'll have to keep my eye out for another chest or dresser of the same style. I love the simple lines and have a thing for that particular hardware. (that's why we aren't willing to sell our front counter)

Hope you liked our makeover. I think that answers the question, "What's Next Act?".  Because of a little TLC, this chest will now go on to it's "Next Act".

Still having fun... Patti

Is it Spring yet?

 Today is January 1, 2013. Happy New Year!!!

 The weather today is a bit more than brisk, it's down right freezing. I can handle the heat but I hate the cold. So.... what better to do on a 14 degree day, than to take down the Christmas decorations and put up "Spring". Actually that wasn't the plan, we just decided to move around the hutches and use some of my floral quilts. We aren't even half done with the display, there's more to add, but when we stepped back to see how it was looking we both said "Spring".
 

 My favorite thing about setting up displays is the mixing and matching different pieces of furniture. I like throwing in a few accent pieces, maybe a touch of living plants and lots of lamps. Lets not forget my addiction to chairs, small tables and lamps. I still have a lot of things to add to this, like mirrors, frames and candle sticks. But it's a pretty good start.

This is looking pretty bare but there's a few things being worked on in the back to add. I guess you'll just have to stop in to see the new additions.We look forward to sharing them with you. Who knows maybe there's one with your name on it......

Hope you all have a wonderful 2013. We're looking forward to what the new year brings.

Patti