When you tackle a project like painting a piece of furniture or your cabinets, the costs can quickly add up - not just paint, but sandpaper, cleaner, gloves, rags, tack cloths, brushes and applicators. Sometimes you'll have the necessary tools and supplies on hand, but if you're starting from scratch, purchasing all these supplies will quickly exceed the cost of your paint. (Side note: that's why painted furniture is worth more than just the pint of paint it took to refinish it.) Projects are an investment of your time and money. So how do you protect your investment in brushes and applicators? 

As a paint store focused on the DIY market, we carry an assortment of paint brushes in our shop. And we have a lot of conversations around brushes - size, shape, price, and material.

For first time painters, choosing a brush can be a little daunting, especially if you're not sure why they come in so many shapes and sizes and materials. Whether you're painting, staining or sealing furniture, choosing the best applicator will affect how well your project turns out, so here are my best tips for deciding which brush is right for the job.

During the 2020 pandemic, gardening and canning saw a huge surge in popularity. By late summer, the shelves were bare where canning supplies are normally found, and many of us were scrounging around in our basements and garages for old canning jars long forgotten.

But old glass canning jars are good for more than jams and jellies....and some jars are more valuable than antique vases. You just have to know what you're looking for.

There are many ways to pick vintage and antique pieces including your family's attics and basements, auctions, and estate and tag sales. But a good flea market can be a great picking place....and one of the best flea markets in the country is just a stone's throw away.

And they are fixing to re-open this weekend.  So have you ever been to the #NashFlea? Here are three tips we've learned over the years that will help you navigate a flea market like a pro.

1. The early bird might get the worm, but the last mouse gets the cheese.
If you are an experienced flea market regular, you probably already know that showing up while dealers are setting up can be the best way to score some great items. But if you don't know the ins and outs of the market, and you don't know the dealers, you may be viewed as a nuisance, getting in the way of their set-up routine. And don't expect to get your treasures at bargain-basement prices in the early hours of a market: dealers have worked hard to bring their items to market. They have packed up trucks and trailers, hauled everything - in some cases, hundreds of miles - and worked hard to set up their displays. They expect a reasonable profit for their efforts, especially on the choicest pieces.

On the other hand, the last few hours of a flea market can be a time for great deals....on whatever is left. If you're lucky, the items you want are still there, and the dealer may not want to haul it home or to the next market on their route.

You just have to pick your style - are you a treasure hunter or a bargain hunter? You probably won't be both. 

2. Experience is a hard teacher: she gives the test first, and the lesson second.
Nearly every flea-market fan has learned some hard lessons with ill-advised impulse purchases. Some spur-of-the-moment acquisition stories will turn out well, some will become cautionary tales of what NOT to do. Either way, they are teaching moments, so learn from your successes and mistakes.

Dealers can be a wealth of knowledge...but if you want them to take time and educate you on the provenance on a piece and tell you its worth, don't expect them to also give you a bargain-basement price on it.

It pays to spend time observing, researching and learning before you fall in love with a specific item or category of goods. Some items are reproduced and may even look old, including jewelry, dishes and glassware, furniture and architectural salvage. The best way to learn to tell the vintage from the reproduction is to train your eyes and hands to recognize the subtle differences.

Side note: being a reproduction item isn't always a bad thing: for example, reproduced arches, corbels and windows aren't going to have rot and termite damage like their bonafide counterparts. Prices on reproductions might be  less than their antique counterparts, but the more ornate and intricate the piece, the more the price will reflect the craftsmanship that went into making the item, new or old. New dishware is typically dishwasher and microwave-safe, and is made with less-toxic materials...but labor and materials have gone up exponentially. You just need to know what you're buying. 

Always carefully look over pieces before you commit to buying - most sales are final. If you can repair it or live with the imperfections, you can get some great deals. Be realistic, and don't expect pristine quality for second-hand prices.

3. The Golden Rule applies.
​Using common sense and common courtesy will pay dividends when you visit a flea market. Treat the dealers and your fellow flea market buyers with both, and you'll have more success and fun than those who don't.

• Do carry cash cash (preferably small bills), and keep them securely in a front pocket or bag you keep on your person.
• Don't ask expect a dealer to give you their deepest discount if you're paying with a credit card - transaction fees eat into their profits, on big and small purchases.
• Do ask the vendor if it's their best price....but don't insult them with an unreasonably low offer.
• Don't block walkways or booth entrances with your shopping cart. If you're bringing a tot or pet, don't let them free-range - it's dangerous for everyone.
• Do ask a vendor to hold an item if you can't carry it with you - and DO take a photo of it to remind you where to pick up your purchases. But don't expect them to help you carry or load it. Need a second set of hands? Look for porters near the loading zones - and tip them for their help.
• Don't expect a flea market to be easy pickings. Our flea market days involve 8-10 hours of hard work: walking and lugging items through crowds. Sometimes our efforts pay off, other times we come home half-empty. The weather for outdoor flea markets is almost always uncomfortably extreme: hot and sweaty or cold and windy - and sometimes sopping wet. Flea marketing is not glamorous, and honestly, it's not for everyone. But we think it's worth going at least once, just to satisfy your curiosity and see what the fuss is all about.

We have offered barn quilt paint classes since we opened. Over the years, students have painted everything from Christmas trees to Tennessee tri stars, flowers and hummingbirds to snowflakes, and everything in between.

​But no matter how many of these classes we hold, we still get quizzical looks from some people when we mention the term "barn quilt."

Cake is the dessert of choice for many occasions, and has been the crown jewel of many feasts, banquets and parties for centuries. But do you know the origins of cake stands, pedestals, savers and carriers? Each of these items were designed and developed for a very specific purpose - and for some of us, we have sweet, fond childhood memories that flood back when we see a fancy glass cake stand or painted carrier like the one we remember.

A brick fireplace surround can be tailored and timeless or drab, dated and dingy. The good news is, a little white wash can make a world of difference as you're about to see in this before-and-after we just finished in a fixer-upper we're working on. But before you pick up a paint brush, here are some things you should consider before you start.

As Murfreesboro's favorite place to buy paint, we get a TON of questions about painting furniture. Often the question is, "Should I paint this piece?" - which is subject we covered here. 

But the question we get most often, is "What color should I paint this piece?"

It's a great question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer. Ultimately the choice is yours, but here are three questions that will guide you to the perfect color....for you. And keep reading, because at the end, we'll reveal one of our fresh-painted new arrivals this week. If you caught our recent Instagram or Facebook stories, you saw the before and during the updating process.

Do you love summer like I do?

I'm not a winter-lover AT ALL. In fact, while I do love the warm days of spring and fall, I think I could live with the monotony of 80 degrees and sunny every day, with only the occasional rain to cool things down a bit.

​But whether you're a four-seasons lover, or a sun-seeker like me, the fact is our outdoor furniture and decor can only take so much sun and rain. How do you protect and preserve it for life outdoors? Here are a few tips and products that can help.

Kermit the Frog once famously lamented that iI's not easy being green. Sorry, Kermie - we love you, but we have to disagree; we think it's actually pretty easy to be green, at least if you are a particular hue known as jadeite green. This enduring, soothing color has been a mainstay in kitchens for decades, and it's still just as home in today's modern kitchens as it was in the country kitchens of our mothers and grandmothers.

​Let's explore the origins of this lovely glassware, and what is - and isn't - jadeite.