I was auditioning for HGTV’s new show ‘Armchair Designer’ (the name is now changed to ‘design virgins’) …after I sent in my video tape, the casting dept called me four times! Each time asking for more info. Their last request was photos of me in my own home, a close up shot of me. a full shot of me and a pic of me in action. YIKES! my cottage was a disaster, messy, no flowers, the whole place was painted one depressing shade of builders tan (even the molding). I had two weeks to whip my place into shape.. no cash, little free time and all the while run my shop and make all of the things that customers order on my website! Here are the results… please let me know what you think.
my cottage is about 400 square ft. It has 5 rooms, a cute little kitchen, 110 square ft living room, a teeny bedroom, itty bitty bathroom and a craft room!
The lounge chair was rusty,and had sad ripped cushions (one of my ex-boyfriends left it on my deck for me). I never got to re-doing it because out-door fabric is pricey and so is re-upholstery.
My friend Cindy had some black and white awnings that used to be part of her cool shop, ‘the Pink Flamingo’. I cut them up duck taped them to the cushions and used the rest to go across my roof line. I think this makes the house!
Below is my kitchen… above the stove is chalkboard paint… my friend and amazing artist Melissa Robinson wrote on it for me, it says, “I said I was a mermaid NOT your maid!” Melissa sells her fab signs in my shop and on my website, and you can meet her at our end of the month flea markets too!
this is my new Sofa! Or as I like to call it…’ manna from Heaven
‘ the sofa I used to have was cute but not working with the new ‘look’ and my friends complained that it was uncomfortable. My dream sofa was at Anthropology, a black and white beauty that cost thousands! I had about…. lets say, a five dollar budget for a new sofa so I said a silent prayer for a new one. A few days later one of my customers , Aleta Pitman came into my shop, this woman is known for having fabulous taste and a dreamy house. She asked me about a vintage seashell and crystal covered chandelier that took me 3 months to make, (I was so happy when it was finally finished and made a mental note not to make another one for a long time)! she asked if I would be interested in a trade, I said ” Well I need a new sofa” she said she had a darling black and white toile that didn’t work in her space…. and here it is! Hands down the best piece of furniture in my cottage, Yay!
The pillows are made by Pam Small, she sells her wonderful work at my flea market, she uses lot’s of vintage fabric and images from old books!
this sign painted from recycled barn wood hangs on the wall leading to my kitchen, it was painted by an artist that I met at the Roundtop antique market in Texas!
I love this vintage wire dress form, I got it from my fabulous friend Jeanne Mac. She is known for her great sales! Lot’s of dreamy french goodies and her house… It’s like a candy store of to-die-for where ever did you find it decor!
my coffee table…. found at a rummage sale. It’s a shadow box filled with thousands of tiny pink seashells.
a vintage picture frame… found at the swap meet, made into a shadow box that hangs above my sofa. Some of my favorite things are displayed inside, The giant clam shell pair is a gift brought back from Bali. Number five is my favorite number found in Roundtop Texas.
This is a shrine that I had backed with mirror. I put one of the seashell covered crowns that I make and sell in my shop. If you are, ‘Queen of the Beach’ it’s a must have!
My little patio table was rusty.. I hauled it over from my shop thinking that some day I would paint it. It stayed rusty for 14 months! Now its so cute…. what took me so long?
this is a chandelier that I dropped, the arm broke off and my dad tried to fix it,(he can fix anything) but we couldn’t hide the giant glue blob that held it together again. I painted it black and planted it with little pots of ivy, now it hangs above a chair in my living room. I sold one like this to a set designer for a television show that came into my shop one day. How fun would that be?
Yes I know this picture is a repeat… I could not figure out how to delete it (as I said I am tech challenged). Yes the text is a little catty wompus too! what can I say? I spent all night on this, it’s 1am. I’m gonna post this thing and get to bed!
Stay tuned my next post will be photos of my Gypsy bedroom, my bathroom and my craft room, plus more about what happened with HGTV. Thanks for stopping by, hope it was fun!
Sincerely,
Debi
This is great…MORE please
Thank you, Thank you, lots more coming soon!
Debi
OMG! You got a call back? How awesome…details! I am encourgaed to know I inspired you to blog. GO GIRL!…So fr so good Love your cottage and cannot wait to see your store…Kindle
Thanks Kindle,
I think your work is awesome! You transform things that look like lost causes and make them sparkle! And I loved the bay window treatment that you did!
I just dyed my rug pink… it turned out great! I am going to post the rest of the pics of my cottage and the rest of the story about HGTV on monday!
Debi
I searched the net for out of the blue and now I completely remember who you are! I love your store! And your design work.
Tell me…Why do you need HGTV again? It is amazing and relaxing at the same time. If I ever come to CA I am looking you up woman! I “heart” the pink table btw…
Thanks Kindle! I would love to meet you! Having my own design show (on HGTV or another network) is just somthing I know I was born to do, I have so many ideas that I want to share.
I really enjoy your blog! genious ideas! As soon as I figure out how to list my favorite blogs, I am putting yours up.
Debi
doesn’t matter how many time you show the birdhouse, I love it with the crown inside. Hope I can be at your store soon, think also on showing your goodies a La Maison Rustique flea market one of these days. Ciao