Your first project is exciting!  You've picked out the piece.

​You've picked out the perfect paint color and a fresh new brush.

If this is your very first project, my advice is to start with a small piece. But big or small, that first project is usually accompanied by one part anticipation and two parts anxiety. 

Before you open the can or jar and dunk your brush for the first stroke, STOP. There are some items you will want to have on hand for your project, and there are a few basic tips and pointers that will boost your confidence and guarantee your finished project is a success. Ready?

If you've seen American Pickers, you know how Mike and Frank scour the countryside for vintage and antique finds. Their travels have taken them to far-flung places across many  states.

​In case you didn't know, Mike has become a bona fide Tennessean, with a residence in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee and he's often spotted hanging out with our friends at Blue 32 in Columbia.

So how did Sherri and I get started picking? And do we pick like the American Pickers? And where can YOU find great picking spots?  

We've come a long way from the days when your paint choices were mainly oil or water...or perhaps you know it as enamel vs. latex. But long before the first sealable paint cans were patented in the 1860s, people formulated their own whitewash solutions from salt and hydrated lime, and milk or casein paint from milk proteins.

​Suffice it to say, pigment plus minerals have been a winning combo that have stood the test of time.

So which paint is right for your project? Let's take a quick look at both milk paint and chalk mineral paint.

The obvious answer: you haul it home, of course.

If you know me, you know I have a thing for anything with drawers and cubbies - the more, the better. (And a rather serious vintage mixing bowl fetish....but that's another story.) I've traveled hither and yon across the mid-state for card catalogs, usually just the 18-drawer stacking cabinets. hefty, but manageable, especially if you remove the drawers.

​Last week, a grand-daddy of a cabinet came my way, and to be honest, I'm still not sure how two of us actually loaded it in my Armada.

Adrenaline, baby. Now the question is, what to do with this 400-pound beast?

Once you're through painting or staining a piece, the last step is to seal it with the right top coat.
Should you use wax? Or a water-based polycrylic?

Or maybe an oil-based polyurethane? It's not exactly a secret that we are HUGE fan-girls of General Finishes products, including their top coats. Here's a rundown of their water-based sealers, and some recommendations on what-to-use (and how.)

It's January, and that historically means "white sales" on linens. There's something to be said for starting the new year with fresh, crisp new bed sheets and soft fluffy towels. But there's also a place in our hearts for vintage linens - from aprons and tea towels, to crocheted doilies and hand-stitched quilts.

​Often these mainstays come to us with some stains and tears, but they've stood the test of time. Here are some tips for cleaning and refreshing them so they can continue to serve us and the generations that will follow us. 

We know there's still a week until we raise a toast to usher in the new year, but there's no time like the present to consider your goals, intentions and resolutions for 2020.  And we'd love to hear them!

We searched high and low, and we've rounded up a dozen of our favorite resolutions for homebodies. Several of these are on our list...are any on your list?  (Do you make a list?) ​

What is on top of your dresser? Tell the truth: we've all piled random "stuff" on our dressers from time to time. Maybe yours is piled high right now.

​But as a functional piece of furniture, dressers serve a dual purpose: they provide storage (preferably IN the drawers, and not ON the dresser), and they help communicate your personal style via the items you choose to place on top, as much as the style of the piece itself.

That's a tall order to fill for one piece of furniture, so let's take a little of the pressure off, and walk through some ideas for how to style your dresser's top to reflect you.

In the South, things heat up early and stay blistering hot for a long time. Midsummer is typically recognized as the start of summer, but this week marks the midway point through summer.  

​No matter what you call it, we're still a long way from true fall weather.