You found a GREAT project piece of furniture - it's got great bones, under a tired old surface. You can see it in your minds' eye, updated and refreshed with paint, and you've picked the perfect color to paint it. After you sanded and prepped, you eagerly apply a first coat. As it dries, you notice it is slowly taking on a pink (or purple or brown) splotchy haze in some areas. What the heck?!?!

Before you try covering it up with more paint, stop. It's time to figure out what's going on...and what you can do about it. (Hint: the answer is NOT "more paint".)

We'll take a cup o'kindness yet...for auld lang syne. It's that time of year when we celebrate the season and ring in the next one. So what kind of vintage cup or mug do YOU raise? Let's explore the wonderful world of handled drink cups and what goes in them. From  sweet winking Santa mugs - perfect for serving hot cocoa to the non-imbibing crowd, to frothy nutmeg dusted eggnog and hot Irish coffee, to pa-rum-pum-pum hot buttered rum, there's a cup or mug for every drink....and a drink for every type of cup.

Do you have a friend with a small business? Chances are good that you do. Small businesses make up 99.7% of all businesses in the U.S. Those are the businesses whose owners are your friends and neighbors. They pay local taxes and support local causes and charities. They employ your teenager looking for a first part-time job. 

And their businesses are what make your community unique and different from any other. Practically every town has national brands and chain stores and restaurants. But it's the small, one-of-a-kind shops and independently owned businesses that set your town apart from all the rest. ​And it doesn't matter if your friend's business is freshly minted or a local landmark, here are some ways you can support them....and your community.

I'm going back to the future to revisit one of my favorite blog series: my bedroom makeover. It's probably about time to tweak it a little, but to be honest, I still really like it.

Customers and friends often ask us if our homes are as beautifully decorated as the shop. We get a chuckle when we hear their speculations, because it's the age-old paradox: the cobbler's children have no shoes; similarly, we have little time or energy left over to pour into beautifying our own living spaces.

​But occasionally, we do both get an itch to change things up on the home front, and at the moment, we're both working on updating our bedrooms. With this installment, we'll start the makeover at the beginning.

Who's the fairest of them all?

The mirror is the fairest, of course. Mirrors don't lie. But they can definitely make a room feel lighter, brighter, larger, stylish and just all around more beautiful. Here are some tried and true (and unexpected) ways to incorporate mirrors into your living space to add a little shimmer and shine.

Who else can relate to the line in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie explains that his old man is a turkey fiend, and lists all the ways he loves to enjoy turkey? I do love Thanksgiving,  complete with the traditional turkey and all the trimmings. And I also have a weak spot for vintage turkey platters and table decor that commemorates our national day of gratitude. If you've ever been curious about the veritable cornucopia of turkey platter designs that abound, read on and we'll give you a quick history lesson and share some of my personal favorite patterns. ​

It's hard to believe we're two months from ringing in a new year, but we are. And with a new year comes new trends in colors and styles. Every major paint maker has announced their "color of the year" and they range from eye-popping chartreuse to deep aubergine to soft faded denim blue. But many of the color choices leaned green, specifically toward gray-green. So how will YOU introduce this color into your home?

Furniture painting and refinishing takes a a few tools and supplies in addition to paint, stain and topcoat. One of the "bare necessities" is something to smooth your wood surfaces - sandpaper or sponge, and possibly an electric sander.

​But there are so many questions: What type and what grit of sandpaper should you use? Is all sandpaper the same? What about steel wool? How many grades of sandpaper do you need for your project? Should you use an orbital or palm sander, or should you hand-sand everything? And what is wet-sanding? The good news is, once you understand the basics, the world of sanding and sandpaper will be much less confusing.

There's something about fall. It conjures up the combinations of cooler temperatures and warm blankets and bonfires, and a blaze of color washing over the landscape. While Mother Nature changes her wardrobe outside, we instinctively start to change things around inside our homes, too...bringing in hints (or armfuls) of the vibrant, rich tones we see outdoors.

Now that fall break is over, it's officially time to say goodbye to summer. Is your table or mantel in need of a seasonal adjustment? We've got all the ingredients to help you make your home feel pretty and special all season long!

It's that time of year...the ghosts and goblins are gearing up for a night of candy and fun. Costumes and jack o'lanterns have been around for hundreds of years, and they range from sweet and simple to creepy and macabre. If this is your favorite holiday, you may already have a collection of vintage Halloween decor, but whether you do or don't, here's a quick guide to collecting, displaying and storing those pieces from the past.