Not Too Shabby in Folsom

Second Soup Recipe

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well our second vegetable box arrived, and it had even more unknown vegetables including acorn squash, arugula, Swiss chard, and leeks. All great vegetables, but none that I've ever cooked. We reached out to friends again and got a fantastic recipe from Jennifer that utilizes left over turkey. This turkey vegetable soup is so wonderfully delicious and filling, and only took about 1 hour of total cooking time.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

with cheese-filled tortellini

8-10 servings

adapted from Cuisine Tonight

Sweat:
2 C. each sliced carrots, diced onion, diced fennel bulb, and diced Swiss chard stems
2 T. minced garlic
4 t. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
2 T Olive Oil

Deglaze:
1/2 C. dry Marsala
2 T. chicken base (such as Better than Bullion)
12 C. low-sodium chicken broth

Add:
4 C chipped roasted turkey
3 C refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (9 0z)
8 C chopped Swiss chard leaves, rinsed (1 bunch)
1 C red kidney beans

Stir In:
1 T fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan

Sweat carrot, onion, fennel, chard stems, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, and nutmeg in oil in a large pot over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Deglaze pot with Marsala and simmer until nearly evaporated; stir in chicken base. Add broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Add turkey, tortellini, chard leaves, and beans; simmer, partially covered, until tortellini are cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Serve soup with grated Parmesan.

I served this soup for our Christmas Eve dinner (8 people) along with french bread & a light salad. Everyone loved it! I didn't have any left over turkey so I poached 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts in broth, let it cool, then chopped it all up. This is a very hearty style soup with lots of vegetables so I also added 8 more cups of broth after serving out 8 bowls, and tossed in 3 more cups of tortellini it made great left overs.

Note - for those of you who like me haven't tried anything with Swiss chard, it is wonderful. I can't really describe how it tastes, except it absorbs the taste around it and so tastes wonderful. Cutting out the stems & then cutting up the leaves takes about as long as cutting up an onion. Also, there are so many vegetables to cut up, it's fun to have everyone helping chop up veggies in the kitchen making this soup.

Soups - The 1st One

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

Often I feel like I am scrambling all over trying to finish up tasks on my list (there's a bazillion!) and so when it comes to dinner time, I fall back on some basics. Well, lately the basics have been, well kind of basic. So, as a family we decided to make some changes, and our first step towards this was to sign up for a bi-monthly vegetable box. The challenge with the vegetable box is now we have to make something out of all the wonderful fresh vegetables that arrive bright and early Friday morning.

Our first box arrived with everything recognizable, except for a bunch of dark green leafy stuff that according to our sheet is 'Swiss Chard'. Well, I've read about this stuff, but I've never eaten it, touched, or even imagined cooking it! I sent out a quick 'Help' to my friend (and amazing chef) Kim and she responded quickly with the following delicious soup. This was a great rustic Italian style soup that we ate up for dinner and then lunch the next day. The whole family loved it and I hope you do too!

Robert’s Favorite Toasted Bread, Bean, & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 white onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium carrots, chopped into ½ in. pieces

4 celery stalks, chopped into 1 in. pieces

3 quarts chicken broth

3 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

6 whole canned tomatoes, quartered, plus some juice

4 cups chopped Swiss chard

4 cups rough-textured day-old bread (like ciabatta), cubed into 1- ½ in. pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp. eachchopped fresh basil and cilantro

Wedge of Parmesan cheese for grating (optional)

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until transparent, about 5 min. Add carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, 5 min. Stir in broth and beans, and then bring to a boil.

Take about 2 cups of the soup before adding chard and tomatoes, and puree to thicken the “broth”. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 min. Add tomatoes, juice, and chard and simmer another 15 min, covered.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Lay bread pieces on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper-toss to coat. Toast in oven until slightly golden, about 10 min. Set croutons aside.

Just before serving, add basil and cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide soup among serving bowls and top each with a few croutons. Grate Parmesan directly over soup if you like (you totally should).

Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine - Via Kim!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Give-A-Way - Winner!!

2011-12-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for the phenomenal response to the ASCP Give-A-Way! We had over 150 tickets in the drawing and the winner is......

Debbie Visbal

Debbie came to 2 Thursday night prosecco paint demonstrations & hedged her bet by both following the blog and 'likeing' the Not Too Shabby FB page. Whoo Hoo! Debbie has a beautiful oak mantle in her bedroom creating a beautiful faux fireplace. I think she has picked her colors to paint the mantle and how to finish off the inside to create a very serene candle-place.

Because there were so many entries, I decided to draw a 2nd name for a $25 Not Too Shabby gift certificate. And the winner is.....

Miriam Hawkins

Miriam and her husband came out the store for a Thursday night prosecco, liked the NTS FB page & she now follows my blog!!! Whoo Hoo! Miriam has already redeemed her gift certificate towards 2 qts of ASCP paint, 2 waxes, and the fantastic wax brush.

I'm looking forward to pictures from both of our winners. Thanks to everyone who participated. And a special thanks to all of you for following the blog!

Bobbi

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Give-A-Way

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Announcing the Not Too Shabby Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Holiday Basket giveaway. “To spread some holiday cheer and celebrate the Annie Sloan American Tour, we are excited to announce this wonderful giveaway. Over 100 baskets will be given away by Stockists across North America! Each basket includes two fabulous pots of Annie Paint Chalk Paint, Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear and dark, and Annie’s book Quick & Easy Paint Transformations (valued at more than $145).

In addition to the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway, a lucky winner of the holiday basket from each shop across North America will be entered for a chance to win a $350 gift certificate from Annie Sloan Unfolded. It is good toward your choice of a credit on your Annie Sloan American Tour registration fee or $350.00 in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! The big winner will be announced on Annie’s Blog on January 10, 2012.

Sounds fantastic right? Here is how you get started to win BIG in the Annie Sloan American Tour and Chalk Paint Giveaway.
1) Like the Not Too Shabby (in Folsom) page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Not-Too-Shabby/131226496888139, send me a note saying you 'liked' it, and and you'll get entered once into the drawing.
2) Come out for Thursday Night Prosecco, enjoy an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint demonstration, get 3 entries into the drawing.
3) Become a blog follower of the Not Too Shabby blog and get 3 additional entries. http://nottooshabbyshop.blogspot.com/

The winner will be announced on Friday, December 23! Good Luck!

Loomis Basin Home Tour - Guest House Before 1

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures of the rest of the house we are doing a quick furniture add and holiday decor on for the Loomis Basin Home Tour.

This is the back wall of the galley kitchen, love this piece found at a garage sale.

A better view of the galley kitchen, sorry it's so dark.

Kitchen wall, nice deep sink

Full size referidgerator, but the cabinet is moveable, so I'm going to move it!

Nice square kitchen table, great light with the 3 windows.

Outside a nice roomy protected porch.

To see the after, you can enjoy the Loomis Basin Home Tour is on Saturday, details are at http://www.lbef.net/. You can purchase tickets for the tour or for the wonderful buffet lunch available. Or, if you can't make it to the tour, I'll attach pictures of the 'after' on Sunday.
Bobbi

Holiday Magazines

2011-12-07T15:44:00.001-08:00

Just got through all my holiday magazines (about 20!) and thought I would share my favorites.
First off, I picked up Mathew Mead's latest magazine - Holiday, and I love it! There were wonderful cookie recipes, decorations of all types and colors, party ideas, and more. I am working on the 'timeworn tidings' wreath to finish up the designer house.

http://www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com/

Next, I have read, re-read, and re-read again the latest Country French Fall/Winter 2011 magazine. I am especially excited about the colors shown, and I think I'll be working on my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint combos to copy many of the looks. I especially love the cabinet on page 2, what a yummy blue. But overall, the houses shown really inspired and that is the whole reason to get this magazine - Inspiration.

http://bhgspecials.zinio.com/browse/issues/index.jsp;jsessionid=E6C922252C09F743FE05023E29F088AA.ns101-e04?skuId=416184130

My 3rd favorite this month is the December/January Country Living. I really like the mistletoe bouquet party favors, upholstery webbing votive & stockings, mason jar snow globes, and the recipes.

http://www.countryliving.com/homes/

Enjoy!

Loomis Basin Home Tour - After Pt 2

2011-12-07T12:11:00.001-08:00

Here is the rest of the guest house. We had this nice open wall above the sink, so we hung 3 vintage washstands, and for the season, we topped it with the vintage style button garland.

The home-owner purchased this beautiful ASCP Arles hall tree, and it fit perfectly in this spot! With the reflective mirror insert it keeps lots of light in the room.

This cabinet was against the other wall, we moved it against this wall and placed this mirror on top. Normally, I would have hung it but time was an issue so leaning it on top of the cabinet worked perfect for now.

I custom painted these 2 kitchen chairs with ASCP Arles, Duck Egg, and Old Violet using a 'cloud' technique that made them fit perfectly in the house, pulling all the colors of the house together.

We also painted the top of this linoleum counter top with ASCP Duck Egg, it matched the wall color nicely, and really lifted the look of this serving counter. Topped it off with some pretty vintage silver and we have a nice focal point.

Sorry for this terrible picture of the bathroom. The home-owner had some pretty garland in the color scheme & so I just added some interest to the window sill with some silver cups filled with tissue and topped with silver glitter doves.

Hung this cute folk-painted snowman on the outside door, pulls in the red nicely.

Brought out this vintage sleigh, topped with 2 trees, mercury glass candle holders, and a poinsettia - all shown off so nicely by the home-owner's quilt.

Added another folk piece - this great salvaged wood & tin birdhouse.

Topped a low dresser with this great iron basket filled with pine cones.

This was a fun job, quickly executed, but I think it turned out nice and casual - very much like how the main house is decorated. Everything looked so great against the home-owner's beautiful quilts, it really made my job easier because she had so many wonderful colorful pieces to accessorize the guest house. It was also so nice to see how some of the pieces I've painted over the years look in their 'new' home!

Thanks for going on the tour.

Loomis Basin Home Tour - After Pt 1

2011-12-07T12:10:00.001-08:00

As promised here are the 'after' pictures of the Guest House for the Loomis Basin Holiday Home Tour.

I loved the armoire in the corner, it really anchored the room, and the ASCP Old Violet really shined against the blue of the walls. I added a vintage sewing table and bench, painted ASCP Provence, as a small desk.

We moved the robins egg dresser into the closet, and the home-owner is an amazing quilter so she sewed up a new curtain set to cover the curtain rod. Added a pretty vintage style garland and this corner is done.

Created a seating nook with a Queen Anne style chair, added a french grain sack covered footstool (with ASCP Provence legs), topped with a tray for the show.

Anchored the bed with vintage shutters, original white, and an antique mirror. We added 4 mirrors into the house to really open everything up. Another idea would be add hooks to the shutters and hang vintage hats, purses, or jewelry - that would really bling it up!

We moved the family's wicker dresser into the night-stand spot so it gets more attention and provides lots more storage. Framed this vintage print that just fits all the colors of the room so perfectly!

Here's a closer picture of the footstool I made specifically for the room, using a vintage french grain sack, painted the legs with ASCP Provence, pure white, and then waxed it up!

The room looks great in shades of blue, a nice relaxing style, perfect for a guest house! The home-owner's quilts really set off all of the vintage pieces I placed around.

Hope you like the finished room too!

Loomis Basin Home Tour - Guest House Before 1

2011-12-07T11:18:00.001-08:00

Last week a great customer of Not Too Shabby, stopped in and asked if I would consider helping her decorate her guest cottage for the upcoming Loomis Basin Home Tour on Saturday, December 10th. This is a great home tour benefiting a fantastic cause - schools! So, some juggling, late nights, and help from friends - and yes we are doing a quick furniture add and holiday decor.

This guest house has is a nice set-up with a bedroom, kitchen, small eating area, bathroom, and a nice porch. Here are the before pictures, of the bedroom.

This is a dresser, I painted about 3 years ago and the homeowner had loved it.

This is a nice king-sized bed. No headboard.

A beautiful vintage armoire I painted ASCP Old Violet, really anchors the room.

This wicker dresser has been in the homeowner family for a long time. So we need to move it so it gets more attention.

Nice sized closet

Cassidy, Pam, and I brought some furniture, decorations, and plants to change the Guest House into a more permanent cottage.
To see the after, you can enjoy the Loomis Basin Home Tour is on Saturday, details are at http://www.lbef.net/. You can purchase tickets for the tour or for the wonderful buffet lunch available. Or, if you can't make it to the tour, I'll attach pictures of the after on Sunday.

Bobbi

Cascade of Lights

2011-11-16T23:54:00.001-08:00

I had fun creating this 'cascade of lights' for a great new look over our ASCP Paris Grey table. So many of you asked how to do this look yourself so I thought I would provide a quick tutorial.

This is what you need:

Frame with a grid
5 packages of white Christmas lights 18-24 clear glass Christmas ornaments
2 Silver paper mache stars

First you need to hang the grid frame

Then hang the clear lights

Add the clear glass balls

It created a great look over all of our silver trees!
Another option would be to add colored bulbs in colors that accent your decore.

Have Fun!

Inspiration Pt 2

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

With our Holiday Open House coming up (Sat & Sun Nov 12 &13), I'm going to need some fun ideas to create some wonderful holiday displays. Here's some great Christmas ideas...

Love gold & white christmas decor....maybe add some burlap wrapped gifts and greenery...

This is such a wonderful display with an old window. perfect on top of a dresser or at the entryway...

How wonderfully imaginative these wings are...

Love the fun pink in this christmas scene. I don't normally have a lot of pink in the store, I'll need to be pretty creative to pull this into the store.

Another fun Christmas look with shades of green.... this I can use!

Inspiration - Holiday Open House

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had such an exciting October with events planned every weekend. Now, I need to re-group, get inspired, and plan for our Holiday Open House (Sat & Sun Nov 12-13). Thought I would share some inspiration with you. Let's take the fall decor ideas first.

Love this fall table, yes we are getting ready for Christmas but I love the fall and always plan a great Thanksgiving table scape at the store. Mostly, I love the orange color featured at Pottery Barn...I'm going to have to figure out how to get this great color in my Thanksgiving display.

Love adding the chalkboard to the table...perfect to write an inspirational quote, menu, or even a simple welcome. (Pottery Barn Pic)

Love this platter wall....and the filled urns....

What a great entrance for the house,..

I think I have some great ideas now to inventory what is at the store and pull it all together.

Painting a Dresser

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another example of painting a vintage dresser using the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint process. This is a beautiful dresser that I was hired to paint ASCP Old White. This dresser has lots of character with the beautiful grooving on the front and the knots, divots, and marks over all. Again, there are lots of ways to paint, this is a specific example to 'guide' you on your own project.

1. Clean your item. I always start with cleaning the item. The point of this exerciseisn't just to clean the piece, but to get to know the piece, toidentify any imperfections your eye may have ignored, but the cloth(and your hand) won't ignore. This is the point where you have todecide to repair/patch or not. Remember, any perceived imperfectionwill only be highlighted after painting. So, if you need it to beperfect, sanded, patched, whatever, now is the time to do this.

2. Start at the bottom. You always start paintingat the base of the item, the feet, legs, or just bottom edge.Another reason you always start at the bottom because once youpaint the top, you don't want it to touch the ground. The top of thepiece is the most important part so you want to paint it and protectit.

-After cleaning it, I lifted it on one side and painted the legs, then I started painting the side. As you can see, there is no primer used.

3. Clear Wax. After the dresser has been completely painted with 1 coat of ASCP Old White, I waited for it to dry (about an hour). I then applied a light coat of clear wax on everything I had painted using the flat head wax brush.

5. Dark Wax. This is where I think the true creativity of the ASCP lies, in the application of the dark wax. Immediately after applying the clear wax, I started applying the dark wax. I concentrated on the grooves, divots, and marks so the dark wax really got into those spots. It looks a little dark right now, but after buffing, it will really come alive.

6. Buff. After the wax has dried about 24 hours, I buff. I start with this great green kitchen scrub pad. I find it really gets the dark wax smoothed out without removing it from the deep grooves. After buffing the entire dresser with my scrub pad, I then do a final buff with a buffing pad, or old clean t-shirt scrap.

- The dresser turned out fantastically all it needs is the crystal knobs and is ready for my customer to pick it up! I hope they love it like I do.

Fun with Colors!

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

With our anniversary celebration I found myself looking at pictures from the store from when we first opened in 2005. It was funny to see all the 'white' furniture, taupe walls, and hardly any displays going up the walls! Now, I look around the store and I'm surrounded by fantastic colors, walls covered with mirrors & chalkboards, and furniture brimming with accessories. How far we have come!

Great dresser Andra painted blue with gold accents.

Great kitchy orange suitcases - Love it!

Beautiful dining table, painted Annie Sloan Arles (golden yellow).

Vintage library table painted red.

And my favorite piece, this wonderful table painted Annie Sloan Chateau Grey and all kinds of fun wax treatments.

I'm loving all the colors and the LIFE they have brought to the store. Don't get me wrong all white is fine for a time, but like I tell everyone, surround yourself with pieces you love and it will all come together. Glad I follow my own advice!

Junk-O-Rama

2011-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Junk - old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form (2): secondhand, worn, or discarded articles (3): can lead to clutter

It's that time of year again, when my garage is brimming with 'projects' and I need to clear space to start planning out next year. So we are once again passing on our great stuff to you with our 3rd annual Junk-O-Rama!

Saturday, October 22, 10-5

We are cleaning out our garages, storage units, yards, and of course the store, to find all those things that we thought could be amazing at one time but we have since not found the time to make them truly amazing. This years treasures will include:

Picture frames
Suitcases
Bed springs
Crates
Ladders
Camp Stools
Windows
Captain Chairs

Plus I'll be putting many items in the store on sale. Hope to see you and your ideas!

Bobbi

6 Year Anniversary Celebration!

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the party last Saturday, wanted to capture some of the moments:

We had fantastic food - prepared by Kim & Sam, not to forget the delicious caramel apples from Snooks Candies.

The music provided by Thomas & Plecker was perfect! Hard to believe these guys are only 17 & 18 with their soulful sound we had people dancing all along the street.

Loved all the cafe lights outside - expertly put up by Robert of Big Daddy's Handy Guy Service. Robert was also the expert bartender serving up our Bellini's.

Wonderful Annie Sloan Chalk Paint give-a-ways provided by our stockist Tami.

Not to forget our great food servers - Beth, Wendy, Sam, Cass, Tori, and Nicholas.

Then there was all the pre-work on changing up every display in the store, pulling out Christmas, putting up 2 huge trees, and trying to create new displays - Andra, Sam, Kim, Regina, Karla, and Pam.

Thanks to everyone for all of their help, ideas, and time! Thanks to all of my dedicated customers for all of your support. I hope all of you had as much fun as I did Saturday, I can't wait for next year!
Bobbi

Annie Sloan Chalk Painting Basics

2011-10-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you for coming into the store and just loving the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! Based on all of your questions, I came up with some specific steps when painting with the amazing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I apologize if it feels like I am repeating Painting Basics, that was more generic for any type of paint, and this one is specific to my experience with the ASCP.

Clean your piece. I know that the ASCP doesn't require you to clean your piece, but good painting protocol requires it (already detailed in Painting Basics 101). I use soap & water, non-tsp cleaner, degreaser, pretty much whatever I have around.
Paint. I typically use a 2 1/2" synthetic bristle angled brush. This brush works well for me, but you can use any type of paint brush. I would not recommend the sponge brush only because it sucks up so much of the paint, I find I am too frugal to waste it in the sponge.
Dry. Typically the ASCP dries in an hour. I spend the drying time doing other stuff in the garage or house (never seem to catch up on laundry). After it is completely dry, I look it over and decide if I need any additional paint. Usually I only need to touch up a few spots, works out to a total of 1 1/2 coats.
Distress. At this point I take a clean wet nubby washcloth and 'wash' off where I want the old finish/wood to show through. If, it has been longer than a couple of hours since it dried, I recommend fine sandpaper like #220. If you feel like you took off too much paint, it is so easy to just touch it up again with the ASCP.
Wax. After the piece has been painted, dried, and distressed, I then apply a thin coat of the ASCP clear wax. I love the flat head wax brush for this application as it doesn't suck up a lot of the wax. If, you are doing your first piece, or don't plan on painting a lot, then go ahead and use a clean, dry, lint-free cloth (old t-shirts work great) to apply the wax. I wouldn't use the cloth application method more than once since it tends to absorb a lot more wax than needed. After applying a coat of the clear wax, I then take a clean, dry, lint-free cloth and wipe the piece of furniture down, removing all excess wax.
Dark Wax. Now I apply the ASCP dark wax. I use the flat head wax brush to apply a thin coat over the entire piece. After applying the dark wax, I then take a clean, dry, lint-free cloth and wipe off all the excess.
Buff. After the wax has dried for an hour, I start to buff the piece. I usually use another clean, dry, lint-free piece of cloth rubbing all along the edges, then working my way across the body of the piece in circles. It takes me about an hour to hand buff a 4-drawer dresser. I then leave the piece alone for about a day for the wax to harden more.
Buff Again. After the piece has sat for a day, I then buff it all over again with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth, concentration on the top and front surfaces. This final buff really brings out the shine of the wax and gets rid of that 'waxy' feeling.
Finish. At this point I double check the piece with my bare hands, making sure I've smoothed out the wax all over. I attach any hardware needed and load it into my car for the store.

I have been painting furniture for over 20 years, and selling furniture in the store since 2005. With all this experience I have confidence to try different techniques, distress more, or tackle more difficult pieces. As you start to paint, you'll gain confidence in your results and find the method that works the best for you where this 'basic' list is just a starting point.

I hope this helps. Enjoy!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Hints

2011-09-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've only been painting with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paints for the last 2 months, about 45 pieces of furniture.

Lets start with - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this paint. Previously my favorite paint waived between Ralph Lauren and Kelly Moore paints. The Annie Sloan Chalk Paint has an even more wonderful smooth texture and depth of color. It paints smoothly with a brush, paint pad, sponge brush, and roller.

10 Facts regarding the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint:
1) Smooth depth of color
2) No primer is required, in most cases
3) No sanding required for the paint to stick
4) Dries in an hour, in most cases
5) Paint is very forgiving, and touch ups can be added without re-painting an entire coat.
6) Paint has a type of 'symbiotic' relationship with the wax. You don't have to use the wax but it 'seals' the finish and creates the great patina.
7) For a different finish, the paint can be mixed with the wax creating a type of creamy finish.
8) If you use the clear wax before the dark wax, and decide you have applied too much dark wax, you can remove the excess dark wax with a re-application of clear wax.
9) If you accidentally leave the lid off the can, adding water to the paint will return it's great consistency.
10) The Annie Sloan Chalk Paint wax also works great on other paint surfaces

Here are a few exceptions:
It is true that it dries within an hour - in most cases. I have found that painting over antique finishes, wood finishes, and bare wood dries the fastest, smoothest, and truest to color. So far, the exception to this has been old laminate finish & gold foil picture frames.

Laminate finish - this exception is particular to pieces that are circa 50's and older. It took about 3 hours for the first coat to dry, and when I started to touch up spots that showed through, it pulled off the first coat. So I stepped back and let the piece dry thoroughly, painting the 2nd coat the next day.

Gold Foil Frame - I wanted to paint this frame with the ASCP Paris Grey. The paint went on smooth and started drying normally. When I came back to the frame about 2 hours later, it had cracked up and away from the frame. At first I thought it was due to it being a hot day, so I sanded it down and painted it again. This time it was a cooler afternoon & I had the fan running. The paint appeared to be fine, until an hour later and it was again cracked up and away from the frame. I then sanded it down again, sprayed grey primer, and painted it with the ASCP Paris Grey. This time it dried perfectly!

Primering - It is true that in most cases primering isn't required for the paint to stick. However, I have found that the same paint rules apply for painting over white with a dark, or painting over a dark paint finish with a white.
I had a white cabinet that I wanted to paint ASCP Emperor's Silk (red). Yes the paint went over the old paint perfectly, smoothly, and cleanly. It dried pink. Of course it did, any brand of red paint (except spray paint), painted directly over white would not be able to block the white and be a true red. After 3 coats of red, applied over the original white, I still had a streaky pink/red finish.
To fix this, I sanded down to a smooth base, primered grey, then painted with 1 coat of the ASCP red. It turned out a beautiful red - exactly as desired.

In another situation, I wanted to paint a black cabinet ASCP Louis Blue. I wanted to test out my primer theory, so I only painted one side panel directly with the ASCP Louis Blue. Although the paint went on perfectly, it dried a greyer version of what I wanted. I primered the rest of the cabinet white, then painted over with the ASCP Louis Blue - Perfect!

Painting Basics

2011-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have so many of you coming in and just loving the ASCPs that I wanted to make sure I got out some painting basics that you could refer to before starting your project. These are painting basics for any type of painting.

There are lots of ways to paint, and you may discover your own inner creativity and adjust the process. These 'hints' are for those of you who are just starting out painting and just want some confidence you are proceeding along in the right direction.

Painting Basics

1. Clean your item. The point of this exercise isn't just to clean the piece, but to get to know the piece, to identify any imperfections your eye may have ignored, but the cloth (and your hand) won't ignore. This is the point where you have to decide to repair/patch or not. Remember, any perceived imperfection will only be highlighted after painting. So, if you need it to be perfect, sanded, patched, whatever, now is the time to do this.
- This pretty gateleg table was already stripped when I bought it, so I thought it would be the perfect candidate for a farmhouse table top effect with the ASCP.

2. Start at the bottom. You always start painting at the base of the item, the feet, legs, or just bottom edge. Sometimes, I lay the piece down, sometimes, I place it on top of table so that it is at a better height for me to paint. If it is a chair, I flip it upside down and start under. You would be surprised at how many times I have wanted to buy a chair and then when look closer, the underside of all the rods is unpainted, or even the turned legs aren't painted all the way around. It is always harder to 'fix' these errors, rather than just doing it right from the beginning.
Another reason you always start at the bottom because once you paint the top, you don't want it to touch the ground. The top of the piece is the most important part so you want to paint it and protect it.
-After cleaning it, I flipped it over to start painting the legs first. That's when I found one of the 'joiner' pieces for the legs was cracked. I then replaced the dowel, glued, and clamped. This is an unusual break, and not noticeable until I had flipped the table over.

3. Do Not Paint out of the can! Pour a small amount of paint into another small clean bucket/container to use on your project. This prevents you from 'contaminating' the can of paint with dirt or other items you may pick up with your brush, accidentally spilling the whole can, and other nefarious things - trust me.
- I applied ASCP Paris Grey, ASCP Old White, clear wax, dark wax. Let it dry, then buffed and applied a second coat of the dark wax.

4. Finish the job! This sounds so basic but so many people start the paint job and then as they progress, they get nervous and stop. This is the worst thing you can do. There are many moments during a project where it doesn't quite look like what I envisioned. But, forcing myself to finish the job, I get it back on track, or am pleasantly surprised by the finished product.
- Final buffing and the table is fantastic, very stable, and ready for the Mes Ami sale in Roseville on Saturday.

Let your creativity speak and have fun!

Mes Amis Vintage Antique Show

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thought I would give you a sneak peak at what I have been working so hard on for the Roseville Mes Amis Antique Show.

Just finished this antique upholstered chair - Love it! $110
Can't figure out how to change the orientation - sorry.

This great french style dresser also has a hutch.

I think this will be priced at $250

This is a wonderful gate leg table, ASCP Emperor's Silk on the legs and the farmhouse top. Seats 2-4. $210

Love this drop sides table, painted ASCP Greek blue with the farmhouse top. It is really stunning! $280

Finished up this wonderful drop leaf table in the ASCP Paris Grey. This table also has 2 leaves so it seats 8.

Re-upholstered these beautiful french chairs, $45 each

Painted & re-upholstered these chairs (thanks Heather!)

Chalkboards, Big Chalkboards, Small Chalkboards, Magnetic Chalkboards, And so much more! Hope to see you out there on Saturday 8-4.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Projects

2011-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm back with pictures of items I have painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP).

This dresser is so beautiful now that it has been painted. I used the ASCP duck egg, it took about a 1 1/2 coats, painted with a brush. Then I coated it with the clear wax and touched up with the dark wax along the edges. I decided to paint all the metal hardware since none of it was damaged.
Originally, this dresser had been painted a light pink, covering up the gold and green style that was so popular in the 60's.

This beautiful armoire, from Pennsylvania, was bare wood, kind of blah. I painted the outside in ASCP old violet. I only painted 1 coat with a paint pad. When the paint was dry, I noticed how the paint had reacted to the wood and created a nice 'rosy' tone, which I loved so I didn't paint anymore and then just clear waxed and dark waxed.

This desk is classic french provencal style, it was off white, gold, and olive green laminate over great solid wood. I cleaned, repaired a drawer, and then painted it ASCP paris grey. It took about 1 1/2 coats, with a brush, then clear wax. I also, painted the hardware on this one, because it was so perfect. I love the lines of this desk, and it is amazing in the ASCP paris grey. The paint stuck to the laminate perfectly, although I did give it a little longer than the 1 hour to dry.

This table was painted with chateau grey on top, old white for the legs. Then I mixed some old white with the clear wax and waxed the top. I'll do another blog on this table because it turned out so uniquely and it took quite a few steps.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

2011-09-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Long time no talk. It has been a crazy fall (should I say fall when it has been in hot and humid and not a bit of pretty fall colors yet?). For me, I always think it is fall when the kids are back in school and I start to put out all the great fall decor items - so in my blog world it is fall.

I know there are lots of blogs out there about how wonderful the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is already, so I thought I would do a quick blog about what the store is offering right now, then follow-up with some pictures and advice when using this paint.

First off, LOVE the paint! It goes on smooth, sticks great to most surfaces, and the wax gives the finished pieces such a great patina. The paint has almost no smell, is water-based, and clean up is a snap.

Second, LOVE our mini-stockist the most!!! She is amazing, and is working her butt off to keep us fully stocked, informed, and always expanding.

Third, yes, the paint really does not need a primer, sanding, and yes, it does dry in an about an hour.

Not Too Shabby is stocked with 24 colors (4 new colors on the way), 2 waxes, 2 of Annie Sloan's books, lots of other decorative books, brushes, sanding blocks, knobs, and lots of information when you are planning your project.

We have had paint demonstrations to show how the ASCP's versatility. But even better we offer painting classes, with the next one coming up Sunday, October 9, 1-5. Class size is limited to 6, and we have 2 slots left.

Next, I'll talk about personal experience with the paint.

Ny City - Day 5

2011-07-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today is my day to shop!!! I have it all planned out. I'm going to shop for the girls. Sam's 18th birthday is coming up (in 11 days!) and Cass starts school in 3 weeks so after getting coffee at Cosi's, I head out to shop.

I'm looking for some deals, but I'm in Manhattan so after going into 4 boutiques I start to get discouraged because the prices are so much more than I expected. I found this great dress for Sam - $498, a to die for skirt for Cass - $298. I'm in the wrong part of town.

Then I go down another block and I'm thinking I'll try one more store before I give up and just go to Grand Central Farmer's Market for some chocolate pudding, when I head into 9 West shoes, and there is a SALE! I quickly whip out my phone to get the girls' opinion on the shoes and I walk out with 3 pairs of 9 West shoes for $110!!! Whoo Hoo!!!

I meet up with Pam & Ryan for lunch and then I head down around the block from 9 West and I find a great clothing store having a huge sale also! I pick up 2 dresses & super cool leggins $110.

The picture of the dress doesn't show how really romantic it is with a full skirt & halter top.

Okay, now I'm tired and I've spent my budget so off to Cosi's to share with you, and maybe I'll head to the 1/2 price ticket booth for a show tonight!

NY City - Day 4

2011-07-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday in New York City!

I decided I needed to get to work on my blog, pictures, website, FB, etc. and it was forecasted to be a very hot & muggy day, perfect to park myself in a cafe and work away. Just like a native!

And the adventure began, first I got up early and went to Starbucks. Now here there is a Starbucks conveniently located on just about every block...so the first one I went to at Grand Central Station, had no chairs. I kind of needed a chair to work on the computer. Around to the next one, which was on the other side of Grand Central Station, no seating area either...sensing a trend here. Okay, I circled around and went to the Starbucks on Madison, YEAH they have chairs. Order my coffee, picked up a Greek honey yogurt and granola, snag the only table near a plug and I'm doing pretty.

About an hour and half later, I start to need the bathroom, especially since I had spent about an hour looking for a spot before I even sat down. Now, I'm sure there is some type of protocol for leaving your computer on the table to go the bathroom, but in my mind all I can think of is OMG if it isn't there when I come back... not a happy thought. So, I look around, there is a guy sitting at the bar working on his computer and he looks pretty settled so (since now I really have to go having drunk up the coffee and all) I decide I'm going to ask him to watch my stuff. Then I realize I hadn't seen the bathroom when I walked in so I'll ask the barista first where the bathroom is, THERE IS NONE!

Okay, now I am past the okay point so I pack up and start back to the hotel (only 3 blocks away). I get upstairs, just in the nick of time, and now I have to add a new item to my check list - wifi, plug, and bathroom.

Since the Internet is $15 at the hotel, I head out to find another cafe to work at and Cosi's comes to the rescue, located right across the street from the hotel. The have nice air conditioning, offer a great menu, lots of tables, plugs (right below the AC so I'm now freezing LOL), and they have not 1 but 2 very clean nice bathrooms! I'm ready for the day.

I hang out here till almost 4, work on the blogs, website, FB, pictures, talk to the kids, get a cramp between my shoulder blades, enjoy a wonderful spring green salad, flat bread, and diet coke. I even get to over hear this very morose man explain to his girlfriend how it is not his fault he has a bad attitude, it is everyone elses'. After nearly laughing out loud at his explanation , I decide it's time to stretch and head back to the hotel.

Great timing, everyone wants to get together at 5 at a local bar for happy hour and dinner (Vander's). So I had a very nice day just hanging out and sharing all the news with you.

NY City - Day 3

2011-07-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm on my own all day so I decided to just walk around and enjoy the feeling of being in NY City. I went to Grand Central Station, and shopped the market (yummy fruits and meats).

Then off down Broadway, back around 45th, and all over Madison. I did take this great shot of a portion of the Berlin Wall.

Then met some friends and had dinner at Modern at the MOMA. The restaurant is beautifully modern (of course) and very busy in the bar area as they were hosting Restaurant Week. We were eating in the dining room, elegantly quiet. I wish I could describe the food better, but I really have no idea what I ate except for the 2nd course being risotto with fava beans & crab. I did sneak pictures with my cell phone:

The risotto was amazing, nutty and creamy.

The best part was the dessert which was a spoonful of pistachio sorbet, rhubarb sorbet, some thin cracker style pieces of rhubarb divinity, all artfully arranged. After we had all eaten the dessert they came around with a chocolate dessert cart! So we selected only a couple of pieces (full!) but the lady then selected about 5 more pieces for us (LOL). I decided to get it to go, and they swished it away giving me a claim ticket. After we enjoyed more conversation and wonderful coffee, I went to the front desk to claim the dessert package and it was all boxed up in a beautiful tiny bag, and they added more caramel and nougat bars! I'll bring some home to the girls, if they make it...

NY City - Day 2

2011-07-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

We woke up a little later today and made my way out to the street with the goal of going to the GreenFlea event. But we got waylaid with a huge farmer's market happening right outside the hotel. It was 10 blocks long, both sides of the street so what could we do but enjoy this first!

We enjoyed some fried chicken, peach cobbler, sliced up watermelon, fresh lemonade, and then went on to shop and got some cute t-shirts for the girls.

Then we hopped on the subway up towards Central Park & walked all over the GreenFlea event. It was really hot so I had a frozen mango (dipped in dk. chocolate of course), and lots of water. Scored a couple of manganese glass pieces for our collection. There were 2 people selling painted furniture, not shabbied, but the prices were so much more than I could have imagined. There was a beautiful vanity with 3 full size mirrors & 2 sconces for $1400, a nice curly full size white iron bed frame for $1200, and a great white hat collection - $65 each. A little more than my pocket book can support so I moved on to the map booth.
This booth had a nice collection of framed maps, wall maps, and globes, very similar to what we have at the store right now. The prices at this booth were also higher than i expected, with globes selling for $100+ and wall maps at $300. Although I didn't buy anything from these 3 booths, it was fun to see what was popular in NY was the same as at our store!

Then we walked over to Central Park and just enjoyed the day - sunny with a little breeze! It was a busy day at the park with lots of bikers, joggers, and rowers.

This picture was taken just before they all crashed into each other!

It was a perfect Sunday in the park!

NY City - Day 1

2011-07-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

Today started nice and early with a flight on Delta out of Sac to NY, with only 1 plane change. Got to NY City, checked into the hotel and then walked quickly to the 1/2 price ticket booth to get tickets. We had a list of 5 shows I wanted to see and Memphis was available at 40% off so we scored 2 tickets and then walked over to the Shubert Theatre.
The Shubert theatre is beautiful, one of those amazing classic designs with lots of frescoes, cornices, trims, and gold.

The show was amazing! Tonight both leads were played by the understudies, Bryan Fenkart & Dan'yell Williamson
and they were go great! The stage was so cute with lots of vintage furniture and decorations - I loved the formica topped table and the bentwood chairs, very similiar to the ones in the store, just proving how hardworking good design is:

At the end of the first act tears were falling down my face. And, then at the end, I cried all over again.

But the best part of the whole night was that my cousin Harry (who is living in NY City now) knows Bryan and he made some phone calls and got me on the back stage list so we were able to get backstage and have Bryan sign our playbill.

Walking back to our hotel, just feeling all the excitement from the show - what a first night!

Favorite Things Part 1

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

There are so many things that I love - things that make me smile, things that I love to touch, look at, and share, that I thought I would share a few:

I love mirrors! Round, square, small, big, metal, wood, resin - I love them all! I especially like layering them and creating a collage.

I love old bottles! I had a collection of them so I painted them with chalkboard paint, added a few vintage buttons and keys and created these wonderful bottles that look great on your vanity or tucked into a bookcase. Tuck a message inside and you've created a unique wedding favor.

I love vintage cameras! First off I love the color - black and silver, and then when you place them around people love to touch them. Since they don't usually work, there is no danger when kids want to touch them and they are great conversation pieces - can you believe we used to take pictures with these!

I think that's all for now from me, what are a few of your favorite things? What things do you put on your shelves that get people talking? touching? and reminiscing

Custom Work - Red Cabinet

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished up the most beautiful piece! First off - I love RED! and, I love windows! A customer had bought this cabinet from another wonderful store in Sutter Creek and she wanted it red. She had painted it herself but didn't like how the paint had dried and it hadn't sealed to the wood very well so it was peeling off in places. So, I took on the project. After stripping, primering, painting, curing, and I started the shabby process.
I spent about 8 hours, over the course of 3 days, strategically sanding the piece down, applying a satin finish, then sanding between layers. I learned a new technique for my 'tween layer sanding that made a huge difference. The cabinet has turned out so beautifully, with an amazing smooth finish, every time I walk past it in the garage I rub my hand across the top.

I can't wait for the customer to see it! She plans on using it for a dresser - it is going to look great filled with sweaters and baskets.

Gift of the Basket

2011-03-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Recently one of my Not Too Shabby Treasure Hunters asked me to put together a donation for her to donate to a local Folsom school auction.

So today the Gift of the Basket was created.

My Treasure Hunter took some of our AMAZING French soaps. They retail for $7.50 and make a wonderful gift by themselves. It’s amazing how long one bar of good quality hand soap will last. And they make a gift basket smell fabulous!!!

Then we added the sparkle of silver Mercury glass to add a luxury look – a wonderful pair of candle holders and a versatile stand. The stand makes both a lovely centerpiece OR cake stand.

Together we decided shells would be a great idea for an auction item, appealing to a few styles and tastes. Some large shells and starfish later and it looks amazing!!!

You can bid on the basket at:

Empire Oaks 3rd Annual Crab & Pasta Feed

http://www.empireoakspta.org/

Friday, April 8th

Folsom Community Center

52 Natoma Street, Folsom

5:30 – 11:00pm

Or stop in the shop and I can make one up for you to purchase. Bring in a basket and we can customize it to fit your special recipient together. The Gift of a Basket is always FUN to put together!

Year End

2011-01-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

I love the beginning of the year, when everything seems fresh and full of possibilities! This year is especially poignant because the end of 2010 was a challenge from both personal and business perspective.

First, Not Too Shabby, my amazingly cute store located in Historic Folsom, has had a HUGE construction project. This project has ripped up the main street, side streets, sidewalks, trees, and building overhangs. An unfortunate side effect of this huge project has been the closing of multiple businesses and restaurants due to the decrease in business. So, it has been a challenge keeping the store fresh and exciting when there are huge trucks outside ripping up the street. When the construction project is done, the whole district will be amazingly beautiful and much more accessible for all with the ADA ramps and wider sidewalks.

From a family perspective, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. An eggplant sized tumor was wrapped around her right kidney. She has 2 kids (14 & 21) and as our family is small, all of us must help. Well, it seemed no matter how aggressive the chemo was, the cancer was more so and spread throughout her body. Right when I am the busiest at the store with the holiday season, she is doing the worst and needs family.

So, Christmas day I packed my kids off to their Dad's, caught a flight to Buffalo NY and I am here to help her through the last of the dialysis & chemo treatments. The Wednesday after I got here, her primary cancer doctor took her off dialysis and chemo and we are now at her home working with Hospice, wrapping up her life. We are having fun reminiscing and visiting with friends who stop by (often), and not so much fun planning what to do with her house, car, and kids.

So, while I know that being in Buffalo right now is the right thing, and I can't imagine Terri not here, I am looking forward to a new year, fresh start, and all that excitement. For the first time my New Year's resolution aren't the usual ones I tend to break. Instead Terri, Pam, and I have been talking about doing more things that make us happy, being more creative, spending more time with people who make us laugh, and appreciating those around us more.
I wish for all of you a year filled with wonderful blessings, great ideas, and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter!

Cabinet = Part 2

2010-07-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a long week, and here's what we finished so far:

We had to take most of the cabinet apart and removed many large nails and metal plates that had been used in previous repairs. The nails had caused cracks and I didn't want that.

We used the old back from the top (1/2 of a back) and combined it with the existing 1/2 back on the bottom to create a complete back for the bottom.

Then we took some vintage tongue & groove flooring and created the back for the top of the cabinet. This took a lot of hand work as I had to sand down all 4 sides to make it slim enough to fit within the grooves of the center support and tops.

Then we mounted the bottom of the top back on, and had to use some wood putty on the sides to fix some previous repairs by others. I've left it to dry and get solid for a few days.

Jimmy then cut wood for the shelves inside the top. They rest on the existing wood side brackets.

The next part is to fix all the trim. For some reason all of the corner trim pieces are missing. The trim is wide/deep that is difficult to recreate so Jimmy took a side piece and we cut the necessary corners out of that piece. It will be easier to mimic the trim on a long side piece rather than the 6 corner pieces we needed.

Jimmy also came up with a great idea for the center of the cabinet doors, we bought some beautiful copper backsplash pieces and cut them to fit. It was a little more than I wanted to spend as we decided we needed to double up the backsplash so you see it from the front and when the doors are open.

Next steps: glue/attach all trim pieces, add 4 feet to the bottom (so it won't damage any trim when moved), finish gluing the doors and cutting the door trim, mount all door hinges, repair drawer (I need to get help with the router cuts need for this part), cut the back splash for the cabinet doors, clean, sand, varnish the inside, paint the outside (I''m leaning towards a light blue over yellow gold, which I will then sand almost all off). I think another 2 weeks of labor then 2 - 3 weeks of drying time.

French Hutch

2010-06-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am always on the search for great furniture that I can 'improve' by repairing and painting. Mostly I find furniture from the 50's, 60's, 70's (yes, the 70's is considered vintage), but occasionally I come across treasure. Something that it so amazing, usually an antique (over 100 years old), that needs more work than I have the talent for - but I can't walk away. By the time I have found it, if I walk away, it is on it's way to the trash bin where it will be lost forever. So I pack it up on the van and get it home where I squeeze it into the garage, and try to ensure no further damage will be incurred until I can figure out how to fix it.

What I have learned over the course of my furniture rescue activity is that not everyone sees the treasures I do (WHAT!). Many see it as trash, garbage or (gasp!) firewood. Where I see an 18 bottle wine rack, others see an old contemporary nightstand with peeling veneer and missing drawers. A 1940's vanity missing the mirror, peeling veneer, and broken middle drawer makes a wonderful great linen cabinet with glass knobs when you cut out the middle drawer and mount the side drawers on top of each other.

One of the best treasures I have found is an amazing hutch. It is about 7 feet tall, has 2 drawers, 4 doors, great trim, carved pieces, basically an amazing piece of furniture. I bought it out of a storage unit around 3 1/2 years ago and knowing that it was beyond my wood working skills, I stored it in the garage till a later date. Occasionally I would pull it out and look at it again, and decide I still wasn't quite up to the challenge. Here's what it looks like:

This story is going to have a wonderful ending. My cousin Jimmy is visiting, from Metropolis Ill. He came out with his daughter's family (Eric, Michelle, Dylan, and Austin) as they complete the mainland leg of their relocation from Troy, Missouri to Hawaii (Whoo Hoo!!!) where Eric will be the new Music Minister (an exciting adventure). Anyway, back to my treasure. Cousin Jimmy is amazing with wood and when I pulled out the two pieces of the hutch, and all the smaller 'bits' he smiled and started rubbing the wood. He has taken on the challenge.

So far, we have borrowed a router, bits, gone to the hardware store for some trim pieces and an insert for the top doors, glues, putty, and other unfamiliar bits. We determined that the piece suffered water damage (maybe wicked up when stored in a barn), that it may be made of cypress wood and it is very old, I think over 150 years.

It's fun to have someone working in the garage with me this week and I'll keep you updated on the progress.

New Display

2010-05-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sold a great dresser so I needed to move stuff around and create some new displays. When it comes to displays sometimes I'll plan on a certain look for the store (like the upcoming Rodeo Days) and I'll shop or create items for that 'theme' or, more often, I'll come across something unique or amazing and it starts the creative process. With a store, I'm constantly moving things around and creating new displays - hopefully because things have sold, but sometimes just because there is always a 'new' look.

Today, I decided to put the focus on this great ladies desk. It has been painted white, features wonderful cabriolet legs, minimal storage, wide work space, and is a piece that brings character to a room. I also have these great old doors with chippy paint and an aged patina that will make a great background.

As I moved the doors into place with the desk, I loved how gold looked against it so I hung the mirrors and then added the candle sconces. Then it was adding nick-nacks that fit in the color scheme and making the top of the desk look interesting and touchable.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but the proof will be the customers who come in and pause to check out the items.

Magazines, Magazines, Magazines

2010-05-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Even before I owned a store you could say I was addicted to magazines. I peruse them at the grocery store, book store, airport, Doctor's offices, even when I visited friends I would glance through their magazine collection to see if there was anything interesting. Now that I have a store I can justify the addiction because I need to stay on top of trends, colors, styles, new decorating ideas, creative junk, and most especially stay creatively challenged. Currently I have subscriptions to 12 magazines that come monthly, or bi-monthly, and I usually pick-up 2 or 3 extra a month.

I probably have the typical collection of magazines including Victoria (original and new), Country Home (sadly out of print), Country Living, ME's Home Companion (very sadly out of print), Romantic Homes, Cottage Living (also out of print), and MS Living. Some not so common might be Veranda (love it!), Traditional Home, LaVieClaire (fantastic pictures!), Southern Living, Coastal Living (for my beach house dream), and the quarterly Summerset Home. Finally, due to the recession, several of my most favorite magazines went out of business and switched me to something else like Family Circle, Better Homes & Gardens, and Bon Appetite.

Because it can be somewhat challenging deciding which magazines I keep or which I pass on to another person, I came up with a minimum number of 'keeper' articles - 5. Each magazine I keep has to have a minimum of 5 articles that I want to rip out and keep. Only then do they make it to the magazine bookshelf to provide ongoing creative stimulation.

This month, I loved Flea Market Style (on sale till July). It's put out by Ki Nassauer & Matthew Mead (amazing creative geniuses). It was an easy decision to keep this magazine because almost every article was inspiring/interesting/creative - I loved the hauling hints (page 15), I am inspired by confessions of a Vintage Style Blogger (page 27+), I LOVED Joe and Jermonne's Portland farmhouse, and I can't wait to have a garden party inspired by Afternoon Delight (page 108).

I also loved the green, yellow, and blues throughout the latest Veranda magazine. I love picking out the vintage or shabby details in the amazing homes pictured throughout the magazine.

The May/June Victoria magazine is lovely and I even carry several items from the magazine including the silver knife handle pen (pictured on page 23), the silver platter (page 26), and the vintage silver servers (page 32). The shabby store (Posh on Palm) featured is similar and yet different from Not Too Shabby (page 70+).

I hope you enjoy your magazines this month, and if you want to glance through any I mentioned, stop by the store, I share well with others!

Bobbi

Recovering a Stool

2010-05-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just picked up this great vanity stool. It has a nice wooden seat that makes it perfect to recover, I'm going to use burlap, some egg crate foam, and cotton batting. This is a great first upholstery project because there is a wooden seat to wrap and cover instead of strapping.

Here, I'll show you all the steps.

You'll need egg crate, cotton batting, burlap, staple gun, screwdriver, and scissors for this project.

First, I unscrewed the seat bottom from the legs, then I cut an
egg crate cushion to fit, cotton batting slightly larger (so it wraps
around the egg crate) then a much larger piece of burlap.

Then center the seat on top of everything, with the burlap as the bottom, and I pull on corner of the burlap up and over everything, then using the staple gun, I staple it into place. Next I pull up the corner of burlap opposite the side I just did, pulling tight, and staple in place. Then turn the seat a 1/4 turn and pull up that corner, staple, and then the final corner, pull tight and staple.

Now I can flip it over and make sure that I have pulled it evenly and like how it lays, now is the time to make sure the cover lays flat, shows the design you like, and isn't crooked or unevenly pulled. It's easy to start over here, just pull out the staples and reposition, then start over.

Note: I used size 8 staples, and stapled along a 1/2-inch edge of the seat.

Now that I have verified I like how the cover lays, I will go around the cushion, pulling the burlap a uniform tightness, staple, and shift to the opposite side, doing this about 15 more times, I finish the cover.

Flip it over to give it one final review, now it's time to trim the excess burlap. Using good scissors, I like to trim the burlap within a 1/4-inch of the outside staples. This gives me a smooth finish that won't show when I re-attach the legs.

After trimming the burlap and cotton to a nice even look, I then use the original screws and re-attach the covered seat to the legs.

Now, I think I'll add a little burlap ruffle along the edge. This will help cover the staples and add a little personality to the seat.

Viola! all done in under an hour, and the stool looks fantastic. I'll bring it into the store on Thursday and we'll see how long it takes for someone to fall in love with it and take it home.

Bobbi

Monday, May 17

2010-05-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Went to the fantastic Flea Affair on Saturday and picked up tons of stuff including this amazing European Bakers Rack. They were nice enough to deliver this to the store this afternoon so now I get to figure out what to display on it so that it becomes as amazing as I know it can be....

Maybe I'll start with some blues, silver, and nesting items... You'll have to come in and see for yourself.

May 15

2010-05-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hi, well it has been a crazy wonderful amazing awe filled month! First off I have made changes to the blog, and I have lots more to make but I hope you enjoy them and join me for the ride!

Next, the store was looking fantastic this morning, I spent last night moving things all over, creating new displays, just really mixing it up. Hope you caught the 'was looking' because Wham! This morning was crazy busy again and we sold 3 pieces of furniture (to 3 different people) and now it's time to re-do everything again. So, if you come in today, please forgive the mess, or better yet pitch in and help me re-do.

This was after getting up early and heading out to the Flea Affair this morning to buy some fantastic garden stuff, a really rusty bike with a flower basket (that's what sold me), red trunk, red ladder, red suitcase, garden basket, and a great wooden glider (that I think will stay at the house for a little while). I definitely had a red thing going today!

Brought in some ice tea and brownie bites to share on this great day - guess I need to say bye so I can focus on fixing up the store - share with you later!

Bobbi

Warehouse

2010-03-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

We were so busy last weekend, I have been going crazy working in the warehouse every morning and night - I thought I would give you a glimpse of some pending projects.
This table is a great long & narrow style. I think it was a library table in a previous life. I'm hoping to pair it up with some 2 cute chairs and have a great dining table or office table.

These are solid wood shelves that I've painted white. I'll add some big glass knobs and they will be perfect in the bedroom, bathroom, or hallway.

The black chairs in the back are a custom paint job for a customer. The fabric she picked for the upholstery is so cute, very reminiscent of those old fashioned grain sacks.
The two white chairs are almost ready, I'm recovering them in burlap.

This red dresser is also a custom paint job, ready for pickup this week.

The white headboard behind is going to become a bench, and the two green chairs were individual dining chairs that I've mounted together to create a bench.

Antique Fair

2010-03-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the 44th annual Sutter Street Antique Fair is coming up on Sunday, April 18th. This will be my 5th spring fair and it is always a great time. Lots of people on the street, lots of vendors, and I love the discovery of new stuff!

At the same time the 2nd Roseville Spring Antique Market (located on Oak Street, between Taylor and South Grant Street) is also happening. After careful consideration and craziness, I have decided to set up a tent there too!

Both events are great, not to be missed fairs, and because both events are geographically close, it is easy to go to both the same day. The biggest difference is while the Folsom event is larger and with more variety (antiques, collectibles, shabby, vintage, art deco, etc) the Roseville event is focused on vintage collectibles.

Thanks!
Bobbi

Easter

2010-03-07T20:15:00.001-08:00

Finished unpacking all my fantastic vintage style easter decorations. Here's a small sample of wood signs, fuzzy chicks, and easter trees.

To better display my great collection of paper Easter decorations, I took my twig Christmas tree, painted it (white, pink, and a little gold), then added some pink tissue flowers, and VIOLA! You have a great Easter display tree.

Alameda - March

2010-03-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well, just got home after a wonderful day shopping at the Alameda Antique Faire. I went down with two great friends and we walked up and down every aisle. I picked up this 2 tier end-table (known as a dumb waiter) right away.

Then scooped up this fantastic black leather suitcase with 3 vintage airport tags still hanging!

This very unique coffe bin was my best purchase. This is truly a unique item with original paint, hinges, and door, and not rusted through! All it needs is some cleaning and it will be a great piece in the store.

Then met this man who makes these Fluer de Lis chalkboards!!!! They are fantastic and priced perfectly. I picked up his only 2 and if you guys like them as much as I do, I'll contact him for more.

p.s. he also has poodle forms !!!

It was a beautiful sunny day and the faire was very busy with buyers and sellers. I had so much fun hooking up with the girls from Tattered House, checked out Marilyn's stuff (always so very chic!), popped by Bungalow's spot, lusted after Big Daddy's vintage metal pieces. Not to mention eating fantastic melt in your mouth mini donuts (we shared 2 cones).

We'll have to see if I can make it back for the April event (it's on Easter Sunday), but I'm planning on selling again in May so hope to see you guys there!

New Projects

2010-02-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

The store has been so busy I have mutiple projects to get finished! This great 9-drawer dresser, I'm painting white, will be a great dresser or buffet.

This smaller 3-drawer dresser, I think I'm painting it black, add some crystal knobs and I think it will be stunning.

This is a great armoir, it still has the the brass bar and hooks across the back. I've decided to paint it white and add gold accents. It will be so beautiful!

This wonderful pedestal table has a stunning pedestal base. Since the table top veneer is ruined, I'm going to paint it vanilla cream and add some gold accents so the top and the base match better.

Blessings

2010-02-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Things are going so well at the store! Just to recap our blessings, we re-opened on Jan 15th, we are now open 7 days a week, which is so wonderful. We have already sold out of all our back-up furniture and so now we are all scrambling to get more finished. Our Vintage style valentines are so beautiful, we are almost out of the red hearts, (sold out of the silver), the fairy boards are also doing very well!

Yesterday I spent the whole day in the garage painting and prepping. I repaired and painted a long 9-drawer dresser (white & gold), 8 chalkboards, stripped a table, and finished a large 12-light chandelier! My fingers feel bruised from all the scrapping and stripping. I'm hoping it's not too early to shabby the dresser tonight so I can bring the dresser and chandelier in tomorrow.

This is all on top of the stuff I finished last week - a beautful tall black bookshelf with gold highlights, painted a vintage rusty trunk pink, repaired and painted a small cabinet with 1 drawer and 2 doors (a great nightstand or end table).

To top if off, I get to see great customers every day! It doesn't get much better than this.
Bobbi

Vintage Valentines

2010-01-22T16:40:00.001-08:00

Just finished putting up some wonderful vintage valentine items. There are amazing Wendy Addison red or silver hearts, glitter boards from Little Heart Designs, yellow bird cards, and other wonderful unique items. The store has changed so much I had to find a new way to display the valentine cards!

January Furniture

2010-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

The store looks so fantastic! Freshly painted walls in blue and dark chocolate, burlap curtains, chair rail, and gold accents make everything pop!

The front window is a great combination of mercury glass, vintage silver, blues, and whites.

Remodeling the Store

2010-01-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

It has been 4 days of painting, cleaning, moving furniture, and painting some more. I am currently covered in paint splatters and dirt - not my favorite things - but the store is looking so beautiful! I can't wait to finish up and have the celebration party with everyone. I've attached some pictures so you can see some of what we all have been working on:

Alameda

2010-01-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

We were at Alameda last Sunday and it was quite the adventure. Pam and I went down the night before and spent the night at the house of some wonderful friends. You would all agree that they are absolutely wonderful when I tell you how they made lasagna, salad, and bread that was ready for us when we got there at 7:30 at night. Then at 3:45 the next morning Karen was up and had made us coffee and sent us out the door with good wishes.

Karryann & Matt drove down down at 2:30 am and met us at Alameda. The four of us were at Alameda and set up within 1 hour in the cold and mist. We had fliers and signs to hand out for the grand re-opening, and Karryann had made this great larger sign and decorated our tent so our booth looked like a mini Not Too Shabby Store. We sold a lot of chairs, chalkboards, mirrors, chandeliers, an urn, my favorite stool, and other wonderful things.

We also got to see other wonderful stores like Tattered House (Roseville) and Bungalow (Fair Oaks). Their booths were so beautiful and filled with amazing things.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

The after Christmas sale is going fantastically well. I'm completely out of party sheep, almost out of all the dog and bird ornaments, and the Christmas dishes are quickly disappearing. It is taking all of me to not re-arrange the store - but there is no reason to re-arrange now, when I'm closing on Sunday to re-do the whole store. I can't wait to see how the new paint colors and trim look in the store. Plus, all of the new 'vintage' merchandise I've been saving for the grand re-opening!
Karryann has finished some fantastic upholstered chairs, plus she is so enthusiastic about joining me it has re-energized me too! Here's our plan for the week:
Wednesday - Closed to paint more furniture
Thursday - Store is open
Friday - Store is closed, celebrating New Years with the family.
Saturday - We load up to go to Alameda which will be a wonderful first adventure. I'll take pictures and share lots of info!
Sunday - Store closed for the new look!
I'll update the schedule next week - Happy New Years everyone!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

It has been a very exciting month. I apologize for not keeping everyone updated but I didn't want to share news until things were finally nailed down. I am excited to announce that in January the Not Too Shabby team will be expanding to include Karryann Pallitto!
Karryann is amazingly talented with the paintbrush and the needle and I am so excited to have her join us and bring her fabulous vintage upholstered pieces, hand made aprons, and vintage furniture.
To make room for Karryann and her wonderful collection, I have everything in the store on sale at 30% off. Also, we will be closing Jan 3-Jan 8th for some RRR (Re-Freshen, Re-Furbish, and Re-Fluff) at the store.
I promise to be much more diligent at providing wonderful updates and pictures.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

2009-12-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

Put up Christmas all around the store and it looks so festive. The large mercury glass ornaments are such a bargain at $15 each. The beautiful blue glass birds are priced right at $10.

All of the Holiday dishes are out and they look so beautiful. I have the Snowman and Nostalgic Santa line but my favorite is the Grace line of dishes. The white dishes, elegant pinecones, and gold trim make them my favorite.

The Christmas mats are wonderful, durable, and very colorful, I only have about 7 assorted prints.

Besides all the Christmas decorations, I've also been stocking up on gift items and trying to get everything to fit in the store has been fun.

I need to make sure I'm all set up for this weekend's Christmas Craft fair. It's one of our biggest events downtown and I usually sell out of most of the Christmas decorations.

Holiday Open House, Part 2

2009-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Wanted to make sure you got to see some more pictures of the Holiday Open House. The Snowman cookie jar raffle was a huge success. For every 5 e-mail addresses you gave me, I entered you into the drawing for the cookie jar. I'll draw the name tomorrow because I have a couple more people who are still sending in addresses.

My favorite decoration this year is the 'party sheep.' I love them! They are so cute, and the color goes with the vintage style so well. We almost sold out during the open house so Heather had to make 18 more. At $6, they are a bargain.

Holiday Open House

2009-11-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, we just finished our 5th annual Holiday Open House and I think it was our best one yet! Lori from Tastefully Simple and Heather came out and helped provide the food and goodies (which was wonderfully delicious). We had such a good day, thanks to all our wonderful friends for stopping by and shopping.

It's funny though because the girls and I worked late all week and especially Friday to get ready for the sale and we still only got about 50% of Christmas out.

After Halloween

2009-11-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

It has been an amazing Halloween season. I started with about 10 boxes of Halloween items and I just finished packing up all pieces still here and it only came to 1 1/2 boxes. Wow! I'm hoping it means that people are starting to spend again (slowly) and that I made some good choices on all the decorations I picked. I thought I would add some pictures to just wrap up the Halloween season before I dive into Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Welcome

2009-08-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to create a blog for a while, but with everything going on in life the task just kept moving further and further down the list until today! Of course now that I'm actually writing a blog I'm struggling with what to share. Why don't I start with what is going on at the store -
I spent Thursday and Friday putting out Halloween merchandise. I know, it seems way to early to put out Halloween, especially when it is going to be over 100 degrees today! However, what I have learned is if the item is out after people decorate their house/yard it's too late. Thus, stores tend to display holiday merchandise a season ahead so people will start to think about the holiday and decorating and you have created 'interest' in the season. Having said that I'm not sure if I've created any interest in Halloween yet, but I've got some amazingly cute items.
Today a vintage car show is going on in town so the street is pretty busy, although not too many people in the store yet, I'm hoping they start coming in soon as the heat builds.