Before and After Pics

DoEs tHIs MAkE yOU diZZy!? I hope not...it's my new floor! When I told my dear friend Michelle Jones that I was going to attempt to do a Harlequin pattern on the floor...she responded...do you need any help? If you know Michelle from The Red Shed aka Me & Mr. Jones, she has done numerous tables with this pattern and what better expertise could I possibly get! I had already picked my colors and had already put down the fairer of the two tones and was waiting for the gumption to hit me and get going. God sent me an angel as Michelle arrived with pattern, extra long yardsticks, etc. in hand. We had to enlarge it quite a bit as this is a much larger surface. Michelle traced on the first diamond with the new pattern that we quickly cut out. I say quickly because Michelle is a very busy gal and with her...it's let's get--r-done! I wish I had half of the energy and stamina that she has! After Michelle left I continued and finished drawing the rest of the pattern on. The next day Michelle offered to come back to help lay down the contrasting toned diamonds. She finished her area and was off again...busy...busy...busy lady! By the time I finished I could not bear to get on my knees and still can't without screaming in pain!!! Okay I went a little overboard there...but it hurts like #*!K fire because this floor is not smooth...it's bumpy! OW it hurts just thinking about it. I am so pleased with how it turned out and I can't wait for Michelle to come back and see the end result! Thank you so much Michelle for you help.

Kitchen ~ Before.....good thing I had a vision or else I would not be here today. EWW!

The floor consisted of the chipboard/pressed board plywood and it had been walked on for...I don't know how long!

After!!! Another after>

BAM! To the Deer Lease Jeeves!

A few pics of treasures placed in the space where the fridge use to sit.

vintage ironworks old weather vane on primitive wooden ladder scrolly rusted metal hanging light fixture with chain

This is the space where the florist refrigerator use to sit. Now treasures sit there in it's place.

Well...finally the day has come that I can say, COME ON IN! First I thought it would all be complete before I opened, but after all this old house, built in 1951 has 3 bedrooms (and not little ones), 2 baths, 1 living, 1 den/office, 1 large kitchen, laundry and a converted garage!!!

This is a pic of the florist refrigerator ~ what a monstrosity!

This house was once lived in and they ran a florists shop in the converted garage. In the converted garage was a large walk in florist refrigerator. Didn't need it so...weeks went by while the owner of the building prepared to have a tag sale which mostly consisted of clothing. She tried to offer up the refrigerator to florist shops, refrigeration companies and then to customers that visited her tag sale. But to no avail, it still sat in this spot. I suggested I list on craigslist and so I did. I listed under appliances and under sporting goods! Why sporting goods you may ask ~ well imagine it reconstructed on a Deer Lease (we all know people that own a Deer Lease ~ Right?!) BAM! 15 minutes after listing it, the owner got a call. They came and got it the next day! How awesome is that?! This is a picture of the 6ft x8ft x 8ft refrigerator. The new owners were two men who did actually take it to their deer lease to use as a refrigerator for the fresh meat! Speaking of fresh meat ~ I am looking for a couple of new dealers at Cottage Panache! I'll tell you more later and show some pics of the spaces available!

Whistle While You Work!!!!

This is my daughter, Emily whom just started her freshman year at Birdville High! She has been a great help to me. This is a picture of the new location before we moved in. The owner decided that it would be a good location to have a rummage sale before handing it over! Yeah that's Emily in front. My high schooler~OMG~I can't believe she's in high school.

I've been dying to do a post but have had a battery issue going on with my dell notebook~~~It went dead and $150.o0 later I was playing the waiting game for it to come. Geez, I can't believe it was so much for a battery! That would have bought alot of paint for the remodel. This heat is so draining when you are scrubbing, scraping and painting! Soon it will all be worth it~just have to keep on whistling while I work and before ya know it I'll be done. I could really use 3 more of me, and younger. I celebrated my 52nd birthday by moving the contents of Cottage Panache, then celebrated my 31st Anniversary pulling up carpet that was glued to hardwood floors. It is beyond me to why someone would see fit to glue cheap carpet to a hardwood floor! I'm hoping to remove the adhesive to expose a pretty wood floor.

The pictures above of course are the before shots and will look totally different when I'm done with it! Will try to keep everyone informed on what's goin on. I was hoping for an early September Grand Re-Opening but it may be more like the middle of the month. We'll see how it goes. I need a miracle right about now to be ready. Time is money you know. And the more time that goes by, the more money I'm a loosin! Will post again as soon as I can.

Have paint brush will travel and don't forget to ~Whistle While You Work!!!

So, anyhoo here are a couple of sneek peek pics of the new location in progress. Nothing too extraordinary to report just yet but progress still the same.

Empty Nest!!!

I wanted to Thank all of you who have sent your well wishes my way. Yes, a change has come ~ Oh my goodness ~ the move is underway, actually I am all moved out and am working on the details of the new address! The quest to find a location that will work is exerting and exhilarating at the same time!! My location that I have occupied since January of 2008 existed of a 1,000 square foot space with a tiny bathroom and a little kitchenette. That space was hidden behind the main suite of the address and so I tried everything to become noticed! Then in July 1, 2008 I expanded to a 400 square foot space that gave me frontage and the ability to be noticed by more. There were a few issues that made my desire for a new address that prompted my search for a bigger and better location ~ location ~ location!!! Even though I didn't have that new location ready and set I was faced with the right timing also. In February 2009, I signed a lease, but only for six months in the hope of finding a building that was inclusive of all the space I needed without having to walk out onto the patio from the front and back inside to the back cottage to use the restroom, retrieve lunch, coffee or a drink and check on my customers! I also yearned to control the temperature in the front like I could in the back! For at times I would freeze in the winter and was sweating in the summer. This picture is the most recent pics of the shop at 7264 Glenview Dr.!!! This is after filling one million nail and screw holes in the walls!!!! Geez~ and then touching up the paint. It has taken me over a week and a half for the whole process to move out! What was I thinking? So now I am going to enjoy the last month of the Summer Vacation before the kids have to go back to school! There is also much time going to be taken up to prep for a new address for Cottage Panache. I will continue to post updates as it progresses! Lots of before and after shots to come! Sorry I can't post any better pics right now as everything is in storage while the new space is being prepped and spruced.

Think happy thoughts ~ think happy thoughts! Think Septemberish (new word alert) for a Grand Re-Opening!

A Change is Gonna Come!!

Change is good, fun and hard. But hard work they say never hurt anyone. Sometimes it is hard to deal with change and some say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I beg to differ ~ I believe that if you really want something and keep on trying...that change is gonna come! That being said...a change is coming to Cottage Panache...I am moving!!! No, I'm not going out of business ~ just moving. With a move comes a MOVING SALE! Date: Saturday July 18th ~ More details to come later! My break is over ~ BACK TO WORK!!! Adieu~Maureen